Raising $ via IPO question

I was reading some IPO stuff for newbies, and it said "Public money is usually the cheapest and much less expensive than venture capital, private equity or borrowing money."

I don't undersatnd why the public money is cheaper than all of those mentioned in that line. Can someone explain a bit?

 
Best Response

This is a difficult question to answer without knowing your level of financial education, but here's a simple answer:

The required return from investors in public equities is lower than the required return for VC or PE investors.

If a public stock returns 12% over a period and outperforms its index, its owners (mutual funds/other institutional investors and retail investors) are probably satisfied with the company.

VC and PE firms have a return hurdle (often 8-12%) that they need to exceed in order to share in the profits from their investments. Realistically they target much higher returns because that means they make more money for their investors and themselves. We'll say they need to expect a 20% return in order to invest.

Because they have different return targets, the price they are willing to pay will be lower (assuming the private investors don't expect to be able to make significant changes in performance by owning the company privately.)

We can get into "why" different investors have different return targets and "how" PE and VC gets higher returns than public equities but those are more complex issues.

There have been many great comebacks throughout history. Jesus was dead but then came back as an all-powerful God-Zombie.
 
Kenny_Powers_CFA:
This is a difficult question to answer without knowing your level of financial education, but here's a simple answer:

The required return from investors in public equities is lower than the required return for VC or PE investors.

If a public stock returns 12% over a period and outperforms its index, its owners (mutual funds/other institutional investors and retail investors) are probably satisfied with the company.

VC and PE firms have a return hurdle (often 8-12%) that they need to exceed in order to share in the profits from their investments. Realistically they target much higher returns because that means they make more money for their investors and themselves. We'll say they need to expect a 20% return in order to invest.

Because they have different return targets, the price they are willing to pay will be lower (assuming the private investors don't expect to be able to make significant changes in performance by owning the company privately.)

We can get into "why" different investors have different return targets and "how" PE and VC gets higher returns than public equities but those are more complex issues.

Nice rundown! +1SB.

 

Dolorem corporis id maiores laudantium eos similique recusandae. Est exercitationem quidem rem eos molestiae. Magnam veritatis veniam maxime minus aliquam animi. Veritatis nihil temporibus voluptas labore consequatur.

Career Advancement Opportunities

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Lazard Freres No 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 18 98.3%
  • Harris Williams & Co. New 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 04 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

May 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (21) $373
  • Associates (91) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (14) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (68) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (205) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (146) $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

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
numi's picture
numi
98.8
10
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.8
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...”