NASDAQ- Defining a Small-Cap VS Mid-Cap firm

Hello,

I am currently in the process of calculating the relevant IPO listing fees associated with listing on the NASDAQ Exchange. In doing so, the total market cap of the company ('Company A') is approximately US$750 million.

The NASDAQ definition of a small-cap stock is: "....a total equity value of less than US$500 million."

The NASDAQ definition of a mid-cap stock is: "...usually between US$1 billion and US$5 billion."

Based on these definitions, Company A's market cap falls in-between the two definitions.

What would you classify Company A as? Small-cap or mid-cap? Clearly this has a large effect on the total IPO listing fees charged by the associated NASDAQ Exchange?

Furthermore, are these IPO listing fees paid on the date of listing, or rather on the date that approval for listing was received?

Thank you.

4 Comments
 

clearly it's Smid or Mall cap, doofus.

I actually consider any company under 1bn small cap, with under 100mm to be micro cap. mid would then be 1-10bn, and then 10bn+ large cap. in your case, I'd say small cap, but if the financials are solid (mainly balance sheet & operating margin) and there's volume in the stock, it will end up behaving more like a mid cap. hope this helps.

 

Interesting sense of humour...

I see what you're saying, but in this sense one would have to make a definitive decision here. I went with small-cap, but (as you say) it behaves like a mid-cap. Unless it all just boils down to justification as usual?

I'm interested to hear further comments?

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (65) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”