An asset sale is the purchase of individual assets and liabilities, whereas a stock sale is the purchase of the owner's shares of a corporation. In a stock sale, the buyer acquires equity from the target company's shareholders.A stock sale, on the other hand, deals with business equity. Asset Sale lets buyers choose specific assets and liabilities; Stock Sale doesn't. Stock sales is that the buyer acquires some or all business assets under an asset sale, whereas stock sales only involve equity acquisitions. In an asset sale, the buyer's basis for depreciation is the allocated purchase price of the transferred assets. An acquisition can only be structured as a stock sale if the target is a stockissuing corporation. In a stock sale, the buyer takes up all assets, and the seller no longer controls them.