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What Is an Initial Public Offering (IPO)?

initial public offering (IPO) 

It refers to the process of offering shares of a private corporation to the public in a new stock issuance for the first time. An IPO allows a company to raise equity capital from public investors.

 

  • An initial public offering (IPO) refers to the process of offering shares of a private corporation to the public in a new stock issuance. 
  • Companies must meet requirements by exchanges and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to hold an IPO.
  • IPOs provide companies with an opportunity to obtain capital by offering shares through the primary market.
  • Companies hire investment banks to market, gauge demand, set the IPO price and date, and more.
  • An IPO can be seen as an exit strategy for the company’s founders and early investors, realizing the full profit from their private investment.

What Is the IPO Process?

IPO process 

It is essentially consists of two parts. The first is the pre-marketing phase of the offering, while the second is the initial public offering itself. When a company is interested in an IPO, it will advertise to underwriters by soliciting private bids or it can also make a public statement to generate interest.

The underwriters lead the IPO process and are chosen by the company. A company may choose one or several underwriters to manage different parts of the IPO process collaboratively. The underwriters are involved in every aspect of the IPO due diligence, document preparation, filing, marketing, and issuance.

Steps to an IPO

1.    Proposals. Underwriters present proposals and valuations discussing their services, the best type of security to issue, offering price, amount of shares, and estimated time frame for the market offering.

2.    Underwriter. The company chooses its underwriters and formally agrees to underwrite terms through an underwriting agreement.

3.    Team. IPO teams are formed comprising underwriters, lawyers, certified public accountants (CPAs), and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) experts.

4.    Documentation. Information regarding the company is compiled for required IPO documentation. The S-1 Registration Statement is the primary IPO filing document. It has two parts—the prospectus and the privately held filing information.1 The S-1 includes preliminary information about the expected date of the filing.2 It will be revised often throughout the pre-IPO process. The included prospectus is also revised continuously.

5.    Marketing & Updates. Marketing materials are created for pre-marketing of the new stock issuance. Underwriters and executives market the share issuance to estimate demand and establish a final offering price. Underwriters can revise their financial analysis throughout the marketing process. This can include changing the IPO price or issuance date as they see fit. Companies take the necessary steps to meet specific public share offering requirements. Companies must adhere to both exchange listing requirements and SEC requirements for public companies.

6.    Board & Processes. Form a board of directors and ensure processes for reporting auditable financial and accounting information every quarter.

7.    Shares Issued. The company issues its shares on an IPO date. Capital from the primary issuance to shareholders is received as cash and recorded as stockholders' equity on the balance sheet. Subsequently, the balance sheet share value becomes dependent on the company’s stockholders' equity per share valuation comprehensively.

8.    Post IPO. Some post-IPO provisions may be instituted. Underwriters may have a specified time frame to buy an additional amount of shares after the initial public offering (IPO) date. Meanwhile, certain investors may be subject to quiet periods.

 

Pros of IPO

·        Can raise additional funds in the future through secondary offerings 

·        Attracts and retains better management and skilled employees through liquid stock equity participation (e.g., ESOPs)

·        IPOs can give a company a lower cost of capital for both equity and debt

Cons of IPO 

·        Significant legal, accounting, and marketing costs arise, many of which are ongoing

·        Increased time, effort, and attention required of management for reporting

·        There is a loss of control and stronger agency problems


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