Almost everything you own and use for personal or investment purposes is a capital asset. Examples of capital assets include a home, personal-use items like household furnishings, and stocks or bonds held as investments.
Stocks are financial assets. They're not real assets. A financial asset is a liquid asset that gets its value from a contractual right or ownership claim.
In an asset sale, the ownership of these acquired assets would change hands, with the buyer negotiating separately for each asset. In a stock sale, ownership of such assets does not change hands in the same way. The target still retains its ownership typically, even if the target has a new owner.
The short answer is that a stock sale is better for you, the seller, while the buyer benefits from an asset sale. But, since we're talking about the IRS, there are infinite variations and complications. As such, you will want to get professional tax and legal advice before proceeding.
For the target, a stock sale is usually a nonevent from a tax perspective. The buyer in a stock sale does not get a step-up in tax basis in the assets that comprise the target company, and thus is not able to increase their depreciation and amortization deductions in the same way as in an asset sale.
In an asset sale, the ownership of these acquired assets would change hands, with the buyer negotiating separately for each asset. In a stock sale, ownership of such assets does not change hands in the same way. The target still retains its ownership typically, even if the target has a new owner.
Asset transaction means any transaction or related series of transactions whereby the Issuer transfers certain of its assets to ReGen AG through a sale, capital contribution or otherwise.
Generally, any profit you make on the sale of an asset is taxable at either 0%, 15% or 20% if you held the shares for more than a year, or at your ordinary tax rate if you held the shares for a year or less. Any dividends you receive from a stock are also usually taxable.
The benefit of an asset sale, from the buyer's perspective, is that it can select which assets and liabilities to acquire in the deal, compared to a stock sale or merger, where the buyer acquires all the assets and liabilities of the target.
You have a capital gain if you sell the asset for more than your adjusted basis. You have a capital loss if you sell the asset for less than your adjusted basis. Losses from the sale of personal-use property, such as your home or car, aren't tax deductible.