Methods Of Floatation
There are various methods of floating new issues in the primary market:
Offer through Prospectus:
- It is the most popular method of raising funds by public companies in the primary market. This involves inviting subscription from the public through issue of prospectus.
- A prospectus makes a direct appeal to investors to raise capital, through an advertisement in newspapers and magazines.
- The issues may be underwritten and also are required to be listed on at least one stock exchange.
- The contents of the prospectus have to be in accordance with the provisions of the Companies Act and SEBI disclosure and investor protection guidelines.
Offer for Sale:
- Under this method, securities are not issued directly to the public but are offered for sale through intermediaries like issuing houses or stockbrokers.
- In this case, a company sells securities at an agreed price to brokers who, in turn, resell them to the investing public.
Private Placement:
- A private placement is the allotment of securities by a company to institutional investors and some selected individuals.
- It helps to raise capital more quickly than a public issue.
- Access to the primary market can be expensive on account of various mandatory and non-mandatory expenses. Some companies, therefore, cannot afford a public issue and choose to use private placement.
Rights Issue:
- This is a privilege given to existing shareholders to subscribe to a new issue of shares according to the terms and conditions of the company.
- The shareholders are offered the ‘right’ to buy new shares in proportion to the number of shares they already possess.
E-IPOs:
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A company proposing to raise capital from the public through the on-line system of the stock exchange has to enter into an agreement with the Stock exchange. This is called an Initial Public Offer (IPO).
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Companies can raise equity capital with the help of an IPO by issuing new shares to the public or the existing shareholders can sell their shares to the public without raising fresh capital.
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SEBI registered brokers have to be appointed for the purpose of accepting applications and placing orders with the company.
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The issuer company should also appoint a registrar to the issue of having electronic connectivity with the exchange. The issuer company can apply for listing of its securities on any exchange other than the exchange through which it has offered its securities. The lead manager coordinates all the activities amongst intermediaries connected with the issue.