61.   OTC companies are afraid it would make their stock prices swing wildly because they have relatively few outstanding shares.

62.   Per-share figures reflect a reduction in the number of shares outstanding because of stock repurchases.

63.   Reducing outstanding shares increases earnings per share and raises return on equity.

64.   Reducing the outstanding shares also raises earnings, which are often reported on a per-share basis.

65.   Repurchases are typically done by companies to decrease the number of outstanding shares, boosting future per-share earnings and the stock price.

66.   Shareholders voted nearly three quarters of the outstanding shares in favor of the proposal, filed by Gabelli Asset Management, a mutual fund company.

67.   Shareholders win because as the number of outstanding shares are reduced, remaining shareholders wind up with a bigger stake in the company.

68.   Shareholders holding two-thirds of all outstanding shares must favor the transaction for it to proceed.

69.   Share buyback plans tend to boost share prices because there are fewer outstanding shares available to investors.

70.   Some traders and investors had hoped the Swiss bank would buy outstanding shares to cement the tie-up.