Reasons given for a company to buy back its own shares include all of the followingexcept:

A.

to permanently reduce shareholder claims.

B.

to decrease the likelihood that a company will be the object of a takeover bid.

C.

to distribute in an employee stock purchase plan.

D.

to reduce the market price per share of its stock to make it more affordable to potential investors.

E.

to temporarily hold shares for later use.