COOPCompany Option

Published definition

Company option may be granted by the company, allowing the holder to take up shares at some future date(s) at a pre arranged price in the company. A company may not grant options which enable the holder to take up unissued shares at a time which is five or more years from the date of the grant. Option holders are not members of a company. They are contingent creditors of a company and hence may, in some instances, be entitled to vote on and be bound by a scheme of arrangement between the creditors and the company. As many options have multiple exercise periods a company option will either lapse or carry on to the next expiry date.