Initial Public Offerings (IPO)

What is an IPO?

Initial public offering (IPO) is the first time a private company decides to issue shares to the public. With a public issue, a company transitions from being privately-owned to becoming publicly-traded. Funds from initial public offerings can be used by companies to raise capital to pay off debts, improve their public profile or to fund their expansion plans. Typically, investors seek to buy IPO shares of fairly valued companies.

When it comes to IPO, India is witnessing companies making a beeline to go public. In 2021, the IPO market in India hit an all-time high record for the total money raised through initial public offerings.

Who Can Invest in IPO?

Under Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) guidelines, IPO investment can be done by three kinds of investors. These include:

• Qualified Institutional Investors (QIIs): These include commercial banks, public financial institutions, mutual fund houses and foreign portfolio investors registered with SEBI.
• High Net-worth Individuals (HNIs)/Non-Institutional Investors (NII): Individuals looking to invest more than INR 2 lakh are termed HNIs. Similarly, non-institutional investors include institutions, companies, societies, trusts, HUFs, eligible NRIs, who are looking to subscribe for more than INR 2 lakh. NIIs need not to register with SEBI.
• Retail investors: While retail investors are allowed to participate in an IPO, they may face difficulty in the allotment of IPO stocks since demand often exceeds the number of shares available.

How does IPO investment process work?

IPO trading can reward you with high returns. But as an investor, it is good to be educated about how an IPO works. Here’s all what you need to know about an IPOs before investing.

1. Once a private company decides to raise capital through an IPO, it contracts an underwriter, usually a consortium of investment banks, which assesses the company's financial requirements. Based on the company's needs, the price/price band of shares, number of shares to be offered etc. are fixed.
2. The underwriter then drafts the application (to SEBI) for approval. The draft application will have the complete details of the company's past financial records including profit, debt/liabilities, assets and net worth. The draft will also provide details on how and where the funds will be used.
3. After careful scrutiny, SEBI decides to give the company the go ahead to release the ‘red herring prospectus’. The company releases the ‘red herring’ prospectus that provides information on the number of shares and the issue price or the price band to be offered in the IPO. It will also provide details on the company's previous performance.
4. Typically, the company conducts a ‘Road Show’ where executives travel to meet and convince investors to subscribe to the IPO.
5. The IPO opens on the stipulated date and lasts for 3-21 days, though it is usually open for five days.

What happens after the IPO?

For any investor, an IPO process may be limited to applying for the issue and then looking forward to the IPO shares being allotted or the money returning to their accounts. However, there is a complete six day-process after the closing of an IPO before the stock gets listed on the exchanges.

Once the issue is closed, the allotment is usually done by the third working day, which is also called the basis of allotment date. On the fourth working day, the investor gets an intimation of the refund or the shares are credited to the Demat account. On the sixth day, the IPO gets listed on the exchanges.

How to apply for an IPO?

When you decide to subscribe to an IPO in share market, make sure that it is open for you as a retail investor. You can subscribe for a public issue through two modes: either online or offline. To apply online, an investor needs to have an active Demat account and a PAN Card.

• Once the account is created and the bank is linked, make sure that your bank provides you with Application Supported by Blocked Amount (ASBA) facility.

• Then you need to login to the trading platform and select the desired IPO issue.

• Enter the number of lots and at the price that you wish to apply for.

• You may receive a notification from your bank to block the funds.

• Upon successful approval, the required amount will be blocked. Note that you will not be allowed to access the funds until the allotment process is done.

• Upon allotment, the blocked amount will be deducted from your bank account and the shares will be credited to your Demat account. In case the number of shares that you applied for is not allotted, the amount will be unblocked by your bank.

In case of an offline application, the duly signed and filled application can be submitted to the designated collection centre.

FAQs

First time investors may have a number of questions with regard to understanding how IPOs work and common terminology. Here is a compilation of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about IPOs that may help you make an informed decision before investing:

• Can companies get listed on stock exchanges without a public issue?

  Yes. Companies can get listed on an exchange without an IPO as long as they meet the SEBI norms and guidelines.

• How do you differentiate between ‘Fixed Price Issue’ and ‘Book Built Issue’?

  When the issuer decides the issue price at the outset and mentions it in the offer document, it is called ‘Fixed Price Issue’. On the other hand, when the price of an issue is based on the demand received from the prospective investors at different price levels, it is called ‘Book Built Issue’.

• What is the difference between Initial Public Offering (IPO) and Follow-on Public Offering (FPO)?

  An IPO is an offer for subscription made by a company that is not listed on any exchange for trading while an FPO is an offer made by an already listed company to issue additional securities.

• Can I cancel/revise my bid for an online IPO order?

  Yes, you can cancel or revise your bid for an online order anytime before the modification/revision/cancellation cut-off time.

• Where can I check the allotment of shares?

  You can check the allotment of shares in your Demat account.