In: Finance
What would be your recommendation(s) valuing an IPO?
An IPO is the process by which a private company issues its first shares of stock for public sale. Through this process, a private company transforms into a public company. Initial public offerings are used by companies to raise money for expansion and to become publicly traded enterprises.
The price of an IPO is decided by the supply and demand of the trade market. Usually, they are sold at the price at which the buyer would like to buy. Investors need to do their research before committing any money. Reviewing prospectuses and financial statements is a good first step. One challenge of investing in IPOs is that the companies usually haven't been around for very long and they don't have a long history of disclosing their financial information. However, part of the process of launching an IPO is that companies are required to produce balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements for the public.