QUOTE(jasonkwk @ Mar 3 2010, 12:07 PM)
is bonus issue same like dividend, just that bonus issue is not paid with hard cash?
No it is completely different. Technically, bonus issue is just a term they use to issue more shares and diluting the EPS without any gain. A lot of people read "bonus" and thinks they are getting something extra and buy more shares, but it is the same like share split without dividing the par value.
For example, a company has 100 shares and gives out a 2 for 1 bonus share. Meaning the total amount of shares from 100 will increase to 300, because for every 1 share the company gives 2 more.
But the earnings per share is the same, so meaning a RM1000 profit will be shared among 300 shares instead of 100 shares. If you own 1 share and get RM10 for every shares, you're still going to get RM10 for every 3 shares you own after the bonus issue. There is no difference.
If the share in the market is RM6, after bonus it will become RM2.
A lot of people think bonus issue is free money but in actual fact there is no change. Bonus shares is more for creating more shares to for future share exercises like rights issue, share splits etc. Also bonus share can reduce the entry price for some shares, allowing more people to buy the share.
Cash dividend and share dividend however is the actual way of paying your investors as a reward, one with cash and the other with more share. Cash dividends let you decide what to do with the money, share dividend they re-invest the money back to their share.