Discuss the information a (potential) investor has with regards to an IPO versus a “Shelf Offering.”
First of all,
Discuss the information a (potential) investor has with regards to an IPO versus a “Shelf Offering.” How does this affect pricing and the type of order used for both?
Second
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A potential investor should be aware of the initial public offering (IPO) and Shelf Offering ways in which private corporation use to transition from private to public. An initial public offering (IPO) refers to a process in which a private corporation offers its shares to the public. The issuance of shares to the public helps companies to raise capital from potential investors. The process of transitioning from private to the public allows privates investors to reap gains from their private investments as it involves the sale of premium shares for the current investment. The process of transitioning from private to public usually involves a selected underwriter or underwriters who then choose an exchange in which the shares will be issued and the way it will be traded publicly. Shelf offering refers to a provision in Securities and Exchange that allow companies to register a new security issue without entirely selling the entire issue all at once. A company can decide to register a shelf offering for 3 years in advance, meaning the company can have enough time to sell its shares. Shelf offering can be categorized as delayed offering or a continuous offering. In the delayed offering, the company does not make any intentions available to sale their shares to the public until at a later stage within a 3 year window period. On the other hand, continuous offering involves a company willing to makes its shares available for the public immediately. Shelf offering is advantageous to the issuing company as it affords it the flexibility of trading their shares only when they need the cash or when the market conditions are favourable. Therefore, under the shelf offering arrangement, the company has control over the prices of its shares. The price of an IPO is usually set by the underwriters and they usually set prices of the securities in a discounted manner to attract buyers and ensure the sale of the shares. Under IPO the primary issuing company has no control over the prices of its shares and the underwriter may even underprice the prices of the shares. Therefore, the method of transitioning from private to the public be it IPO or shelf offering, affect the prices of the securities.