The difference between IPO and shares-WWNEED.COM
IPOs are one of the most important events in the stock market. Here’s everything you need to know to understand the difference between an IPO and a stock.
Shares are defined as securities that represent part of the ownership in a company. Ownership of this share by an investor gives him a certain percentage of the company equal to the amount of shares he owns. First of all, companies are private, that is, they are monopolized by their founders, who only own full shares in them without external shareholders. After a certain period of construction and continuity, private companies may decide to participate in the IPO so that they can collect adequate financing to invest more in their growth and expansion. Thus, private companies become public companies with shares listed on the stock exchange.
The IPO is a very important event in the history of stocks and companies. In the following part of the article, we will help you understand stocks and IPOs in a simplified and detailed manner so that you can have a comprehensive understanding of the difference between them.
The difference between IPO and shares
What are shares?
Stocks are ownership papers that represent a part or share of a company. These shares are often bought and sold on stock exchanges. In order for companies to offer their shares for public trading, they must participate in an IPO and their IPO must comply with government regulations and requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission intended to protect investors from fraudulent practices.
Companies issue and sell their shares to raise the funds they need to operate and develop their businesses on a larger scale. Shareholders or investors buy a part of the company by purchasing these issued shares and based on the type of these shares owned, they guarantee themselves the right to claim this part or part of the profits. The shareholder is now one of the owners of the issuing company, and the share of ownership is determined based on the number of shares he owns compared to all the issued shares. For example, if a company has 1,000 shares of issued stock and one person owns 100 shares, that person will have a claim to 10% of the company’s assets and earnings. Shareholders do not own companies; They own the shares issued by the companies. But corporations are a special kind of organization because the law treats them as legal persons. In other words, it can Companies can borrow, they can own real estate, and they can be sued. The idea that a company is a “person” in law means that the company owns its own assets.
But at the same time, the corporate office belongs to the company and not to the shareholders. This distinction is important because the ownership of the company is legally separate from that of the shareholders, which limits the liability of both the company and the shareholder. In the event of a company’s bankruptcy, a judge may order the sale of all of its assets, but the shareholder’s personal assets are not at risk. Neither the court nor any entity can force you to sell your shares, even though the value of your shares will drop significantly. Likewise, if a major shareholder goes bankrupt, they cannot sell the company’s assets to pay off their debt.
Companies can issue new shares whenever they need to raise additional cash. Companies can also engage in share buybacks, which benefit existing shareholders because they cause their shares to rise in value.
Stock types
There are two types of shares that a company can issue, ordinary shares and preference shares. Ordinary shares entitle the owner to vote at shareholder meetings and receive any dividends paid by the company. While preferred shareholders generally do not have the right to vote, they have a higher claim on assets and dividends than common shareholders. For example, preferred shareholders receive higher dividends than common shareholders and have priority over them in the event of a company’s bankruptcy and liquidation.
What is an underwriting?
An underwriting or initial public offering of shares is the process by which a company offers its own shares to the general public. Companies often participate in IPOs for the purpose of increasing their capital from investors and investing it in their growth, development and expansion.
Before participating in IPOs, companies must meet a set of requirements and conditions set by the stock exchanges and the Securities Commission in order to ensure the smooth and disciplined conduct of IPOs. Companies often hire investment banks to market their IPO and its date, measure the demand for it, and determine the price that suits their share.
How do IPOs work?
The IPO process is comprehensive in two phases. The first stage is the marketing stage for the offering, while the second stage is the offering itself. When a company decides that it will participate in an IPO, it will announce to the underwriters by soliciting private bids or it may also issue a public statement to generate interest. Underwriters lead the underwriting process and are selected by the company, and the company may choose one or more underwriters to collaboratively manage different parts of the underwriting process. All subscribers participate in the management of all aspects of the IPO, including preparation of documents, filing, marketing and issuance.
Here are the main steps for subscribing
Submit offers
The underwriters present their offers that talk about their services and discuss what they offer and how they manage the underwriting with the best type of securities that the company can issue in addition to the offer price, the quantity of shares they propose to subscribe to, and the estimated time frame for the market offering.
Choosing the appropriate offer company
At this point, the company selects its underwriters and formally agrees to the terms of the subscription through a subscription agreement.
Formation of underwriting teams
The IPO teams are composed of underwriters, attorneys, certified public accountants, and SEC experts.
Subscription documentation
In the documentation stage, information about the company is collected to document the required IPO. The registration statement is the most important document necessary for the subscription, and it is a document consisting of two parts, the prospectus and special deposit information. Private deposit information includes preliminary information about the expected deposit date which is always revised while the embedded prospectus can be reviewed continuously.
Marketing and updates
Marketing materials are created for the purpose of pre-marketing the new stock issue. Underwriters and executives market the share issue to estimate demand and determine the final offering price, whereby underwriting agents can make revisions to their financial analysis throughout the marketing process. This could include changing the subscription price or issue date as they see fit. Companies take the necessary steps to meet the requirements for offering specific public shares and companies must comply with both the requirements for listing on the stock exchange and the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission for public companies.
Board of Directors and Operations
At this stage, the board of directors is constituted and the auditable financial and accounting information is reported quarterly.
Issuance of shares
The company issues its shares on the date of the IPO and the capital from the primary issue is received to shareholders as cash and recorded as shareholder equity on the balance sheet. After that, the value of the balance sheet share becomes dependent on the company’s shareholder equity evaluation for each share comprehensively.
Develop post-subscription provisions
After the IPO, some post-IPO provisions may be put in place and the underwriters may have a specific time frame to purchase an additional amount of shares after the IPO date. Meanwhile, some investors may undergo quiet periods.
Summary of the difference between subscription and shares:
Shares are securities that represent the ownership of a specific part of the company. An IPO or initial public offering (IPO) is the process by which a private company becomes a public company and issues its shares to the public for the first time. After the company completes the IPO process, its company is listed on the stock exchange. Its listed shares can then be purchased on the secondary market and an IPO is implemented in the primary market. When a company prepares to launch its IPO, it hires an investment bank to carry out the IPO. The company and the investment bank prepare the subscription agreement and prepare the draft prospectus. Next, the registration statement is submitted to the SEC and securities with a draft prospectus. This committee reads the information, and once the information is verified and correct, it allows the company to announce the date of the subscription.
If you are an investor and want to participate in an initial public offering, you must first ensure that you research the company and learn its basics. This is where the prospectus plays an important role for investors because it includes the company’s income statements and other important financial documents. This information helps one understand whether an IPO is worth investing in or not.