(a) To meet the stock ownership requirement, it is necessary that at some time in the taxable year more than 50 percent in value of the outstanding stock of the foreign corporation be owned, directly or indirectly, by or for not more than five individuals who are citizens or residents of the United States, herein referred to as United States group. For the purpose of the requirement under section 552(a)(2), section 554 provides that the ownership of the stock must be determined under the rules prescribed by section 544 (relating to rules for determining stock ownership in the case of personal holding companies generally). Accordingly, section 544 and Secs. 1.544-1 through 1.544-7 are applicable for purposes of section 552(a)(2) and this section as if each reference in section 544 and Secs. 1.544-1 through 1.544-7 to a personal holding company or to part II (section 541 and following), subchapter G, chapter 1 of the Code, was a reference to a foreign personal holding company or to part III (section 551 and following), subchapter G, chapter 1 of the Code, as the case may be.
(b) It is necessary to consider any change in the stock outstanding during the taxable year, whether in the number of shares or classes of stock, or in the ownership thereof, since a corporation comes within the classification if the statutory conditions with respect to stock ownership are present at any time during the taxable year.
(c) In determining whether the statutory conditions with respect to stock ownership are present at any time during the taxable year, the phrase in value shall, in the light of all the circumstances, be deemed the value of the corporate stock outstanding at such time (not including treasury stock). This value may be determined upon the basis of the company's net worth, earning and dividend paying capacity, appreciation of assets, together with such other factors as have a bearing upon the value of the stock. If the value of the stock which is used is greatly at variance with that reflected by the corporate books, the evidence of such value should be filed with the return. In any case where there are two or more classes of stock outstanding, the total value of all the stock should be allocated among the different classes according to the relative value of each class therein.