What Is Par Value?

By Adam Levy – Updated Dec 31, 2024 at 4:59 PM

Key Points

Bond par value sets a bond's value at maturity and is key for coupon payments.
Stock par value is the minimum price for initial share selling; market value is unaffected.
Bond market prices adjust to ensure yields match changing interest rates.

Par value is the face value of a bond or a share of a stock. Unlike the market price, the par value of a financial instrument is a stable price determined at the time of issuance. While both stocks and bonds can have par values, they’re much more important for bond investors.

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The calculations can get more complicated when there’s more than one coupon payment left for a bond. Additionally, market rates are constantly changing, so nailing down an exact price for a bond offering relative to similar offerings isn’t always possible. But it’s a framework for determining the market value of a particular bond.

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About the Author

Adam Levy is a contributing Motley Fool stock market analyst covering technology, consumer, and financial stocks and how policy, economic, and consumer trends shape personal finance, Social Security and retirement savings. Before The Motley Fool, Adam was a financial advisor at Edward Jones. He studied finance and electrical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University.

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Randi Zuckerberg, a former director of market development and spokeswoman for Facebook and sister to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Adam Levy has positions in Meta Platforms. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Meta Platforms. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.