Treasury stock refers to shares of a company's stock that have been issued and subsequently repurchased by that same company. Companies repurchase their own stock for various reasons, such as returning value to shareholders or preventing hostile takeovers. Treasury stock does not have voting rights and the company does not pay dividends on these shares. On the balance sheet, treasury stock is listed as a contra equity account to reduce total shareholders' equity. The number of treasury shares held by a company affects its earnings per share and other financial ratios.