Initial public offerings have always been a source of excitement within the investment world. With the hum of recent upcoming IPOs and investors anticipating the next upcoming IPO, it is patent that an IPO holds some special allure. But what exactly defines IPOs as such a lucrative option for investors? In this article, we will take a closer look at why IPOs are so attractive and why they never leave the financial market without a lot of interest.
- Invest Early Opportunity
One of the chief reasons IPOs are considered lucrative has to do with the fact that they provide that very first opportunity for investing in a company at the very early stage of its public trading. When you get involved with an IPO, you’re getting into the ground floor before the world really gets open to the company’s stock.
Many firms go public during their growth stages. This suggests that investors who purchase shares in an IPO may see the expansion and success of the firm in the years ahead. This is probably the most common reason for enthusiasm for the latest impending IPO.
- Pricing Advantages
Companies and their underwriters tend to price the IPO shares at levels attractive to investors buying into the IPO. This is a pricing strategy to stimulate interest in buying into the company’s IPO and to ensure a successful public debut. Thus, IPO investors can get an opportunity to purchase shares, perhaps at a price well below what the market may value the company in the future.
It is also not unusual for the shares of an IPO company to significantly increase in price, or “pop,” on their first trading day. This action is not guaranteed, but this potential to achieve significant gains over short periods attracts many investors to IPOs.
- Greater exposure and liquidity
Many IPOs are well-publicised in the media, thereby creating market hype. In such situations, the interest of institutional and retail investors might go up manifold due to increased visibility, which could increase demand for the stock. This may even create a self-fulfilling expectation for investor interest in the next hot IPO.
- Access to Innovative Companies
The most exciting IPOs are often from companies at the leading edge of some kind of innovative or rapid-growth industry. Investors who participate in such an IPO are exposing themselves to the latest technologies, business models, or market trends that may be crucial in shaping the economy of the future.
Offering a way for investors to diversify their portfolios, IPOs add exposure to new companies and sectors. It is particularly valuable in those instances when the latest upcoming ipo offers some kind of unique, or poorly represented, industry in the public markets.
- Transparency and Corporate Governance
Many firms disclose a good deal of financial information when going public. This may allow more confidence for investors in their investment decisions since detailed information about the finances and operations of the firm, as well as its risks, will be reflected.
On one hand, public companies are forced to maintain tougher governance as opposed to private companies; therefore, this could easily lead to better management practices, stronger internal controls, and closer accountability towards the shareholder. To investors, this could mean a potentially more stable, better-managed investment.
- Long-Term Value Creation Potential
The underlying impression is that though the IPOs are associated with short-term gains, they also create substantial potential long-term value. Many firms going into the open market use the acquired capital for expansion, research and development, or other growth initiatives that perhaps drive long-term shareholder value.
Accordingly, the big advantage of getting in early through an IPO for patient investors comes through substantial compounding returns over time. Early investors in companies that keep on growing and succeeding could see their initial investments increase many-fold.
- Privilege of Participation
Being allowed to participate in an IPO makes the investors become stakeholders in the company at a very monumental event. You always derive a certain kind of satisfaction from being among the earliest to invest in a company that might one day become so famous that everyone will be talking about it.
Most investors love researching and prospecting for promising next upcoming ipo. This is a hunt for the big thing, and perhaps with the potential to uncover a future market leader, fun and excitement are added to investing.
- Market Sentiment and Momentum
IPOs of successful companies can create positive market sentiment towards the company’s stock. An optimistic view of a successful company attracts more investors to invest, hence probably pushing the stock price higher some days and weeks after the IPO. The momentum investors will be attracted to those IPOs that are doing well, therefore driving the stock price even higher. To the investor who can identify and capitalise on this momentum, IPOs offer lucrative short- to medium-term trading opportunities.
- Access to IPO Niches
The popularity of IPOs gave way to the creation of mutual funds and ETFs that deal in IPOs. Such funds offer diversified baskets of recently public companies, thereby enabling participation in the upside of the IPO while laying off that risk onto many different offerings.
In fact, for some, this appeal of an IPO further extends to its pre-IPO investing opportunities. This is usually available to accredited investors only, and this does present a higher potential return because one is already on board prior to any initial public offering.
Conclusion
The allure of IPOs as a lucrative investment option stems from a combination of factors, including the potential for early investment in high-growth companies, attractive pricing, increased visibility and liquidity, and the excitement of participating in a milestone event. While IPOs come with their own set of risks and challenges, the potential rewards continue to make them an appealing option for many investors.
Knowing what makes an IPO lucrative and what’s coming down the pike will better position you for when that exciting investment opportunity finally comes your way. Remember, past performance is no indication of future results, but this is the possibility—a possibility of finding the next big leading market player through an IPO—that makes this type of investment such an attractive alternative for so many.
