Initial Public Offering - IPO

Initial Public Offering - IPO

The first price for which a company offers to sell stock in itself when it moves from private ownership to public trade. More generally, it refers to the actual first sale of stock to the public. Small companies looking for a new source of financing offer most IPOs, but large companies who wish to be publicly traded can offer them as well. An IPO is generally a risky investment, because one does not know how much demand will exist for the stock after its initial offering; the risk comes from the uncertainty about the stock's resale value. See also: Publicly-traded company.