New Issue

Refers to a security that is newly issued, registered, and offered for sale on the market

Author: Adin Lykken
Adin Lykken
Adin Lykken
Consulting | Private Equity

Currently, Adin is an associate at Berkshire Partners, an $16B middle-market private equity fund. Prior to joining Berkshire Partners, Adin worked for just over three years at The Boston Consulting Group as an associate and consultant and previously interned for the Federal Reserve Board and the U.S. Senate.

Adin graduated from Yale University, Magna Cum Claude, with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Economics.

Reviewed By: Rohan Arora
Rohan Arora
Rohan Arora
Investment Banking | Private Equity

Mr. Arora is an experienced private equity investment professional, with experience working across multiple markets. Rohan has a focus in particular on consumer and business services transactions and operational growth. Rohan has also worked at Evercore, where he also spent time in private equity advisory.

Rohan holds a BA (Hons., Scholar) in Economics and Management from Oxford University.

Last Updated:January 19, 2024

What Is A New Issue?

A security that is newly issued, registered, and offered for sale on the market is referred to as a new issue. The initial public offerings are among the most well-known issues, but it doesn't always apply to newly issued stocks.

Securities of both the debt and equity varieties may be freshly issued. Primary shares or new offerings are other names for new issues. Depending on the number of shares they own, investors who purchase the company's stocks own a portion of the business.

An initial stock or bond offering is referred to as a "new issue." Most fresh issues come from privately owned businesses that go public, giving investors fresh chances.

When a company needs to raise money, it launches a new issue. Companies primarily have two options: they can either issue debt or equity in the form of stock by selling some portion of their holding in the company.

Whichever path they choose, they will create a new issue when those securities are put up for sale. Treasury securities are another sort of new sovereign debt that governments would issue to raise money for their operations.

Key Takeaways

  • A "new issue" refers to a fresh security recently issued and offered for sale. This includes stocks and bonds, often associated with IPOs but covering various new securities.
  • Companies issue new securities to raise funds for expansion, infrastructure, or other business needs.
  • New issues can be sold through methods like IPOs, private placements, rights issues, and more.
  • New issues provide capital infusion but may impact share value and signal market perceptions.

Understanding a new issue

When corporations need to raise capital, they first go to the primary market, which includes private investors or venture capital, etc., and then go to the secondary market and raise the capital from the public. This market is another name for the primary market.

Following the company's direct issuance of securities to its purchasers, the corporation takes payment and issues fresh security certificates to the purchasers. It is impossible to stress how essential the primary market is to encouraging economic capital creation.

New shares are issued from the company and sold for the first time in this market. The primary capital market directly contributes to capital creation since businesses there deal with investors directly and utilize their money to buy assets like buildings, plants, machinery, etc.

The primary market excludes financing in the form of loans from financial institutions since, when a loan is provided from a financial institution, it implies going public, turning private money into public capital.

Equity shares, debentures, bonds, preference shares, and other such instruments are examples of common securities issued on the primary market.

Methods to Float New Issue

First of all, what is flotation? It is a method by which a company can make its shares available for retail investors when it needs to raise money. There are various methods by which a company can float its shares in the primary markets.

1. Offer for Sale 

By using an intermediary that purchases many shares from the company, fresh securities are sold to the public through this approach rather than directly by the company. Brokerage companies typically act as the middleman. 

As a result, the sale of securities occurs in two stages: first, when the corporation issues securities to the intermediary at face value, and second when the intermediaries issue securities to the general public at a higher price to make a profit.

This approach spares the corporation from the formalities and difficulties of offering securities to the general public.

2. Private Placement

In accordance with this strategy, the corporation sells the securities to an intermediary at a certain price. The intermediaries then sell the shares—not to the general public, but to specific clients—at a higher price. 

The issuing firm publishes prospectuses to provide information about its goals and future prospects so that reputable customers will choose to purchase the asset through an intermediary.

With this strategy, selected clients, typically large insurance companies or private funds, etc . receive securities from the intermediaries.

The private placement approach is money-saving because it spares the business with the costs associated with underwriter fees, manager fees, agents' commissions, listing the business on stock exchanges, etc. 

Small and startup businesses prefer private placement because they cannot afford to raise money through a public offering.

3. Bought-out deals

The procedure for raising capital through a private placement is similar in many ways. A group of investors, or a single investor, may directly invest in a company through the bought-out agreement investment process.

The company offers many shares at a negotiated price to a sponsor or syndicate. After a specified time, the sponsors' issue these shares in exchange for a premium.

4. Right Issue

Existing owners will get a chance to buy new shares in this transaction at a discounted price. It is known as a right issue because shareholders have the exclusive right to subscribe to a fresh issue before anybody else.

Every shareholder can subscribe for more shares in the same proportion he now owns. 

The stock exchange forbids existing companies from issuing new stock without first giving pre-emptive rights to existing shareholders. 

This is because if new stock is issued without giving existing shareholders preemptive rights, existing equity holders risk losing their ownership stakes in the company and their right to vote. 

5. Issue to the Public through Prospectus/Initial public offering (IPO)

According to this strategy, a corporation publishes a prospectus to enlighten and draw in the general public. The company explains in its prospectus the reason for which money is being raised, as well as its history, background, and potential in the future.

The prospectus' information enables the general public to assess the company's risk and potential for a profit before making an investment decision. A corporation can reach a big audience and the general public by offering an initial public offering (IPO).

Companies occasionally use middlemen to raise funds from the general public, such as bankers, brokers, and underwriters.

6. Bonus shares

A corporation enjoys using its income to build reserves. When the company's accumulated reserves exceed its needs, it distributes all or a portion to its current shareholders. These redistributions are called bonuses.

Due to the fact that bonus issues do not increase the company's cash reserves, they cannot be used as a source of financing. Simply said, a bonus issue is the transformation of reserve into share capital. Bonus shares are gifts from current shareholders who already own fully paid shares.

Pros and Cons of a new issue

Depending on the type of initiative for which it needs funding, a firm can raise funds from various sources, including debenture issues, issuance of shares, loans, and financial support from banks. Out of these, the most popular way to raise money is through a new issue.

However, it also has its advantages and disadvantages, which are as follows:

Some of the pros are:

  • Current shareholders have the chance to increase their ownership of a company at a discounted price through a fresh issuance. By doing this, they increase their exposure to a firm's shares, which may or may not be advantageous depending on the profit and loss statement of the company.
  • Investors' ability to purchase new shares is based on their present ownership. Still, it is often proportional, with larger shareholders having the ability to buy more shares than smaller shareholders.
  • Another benefit of a fresh issuance is that it allows investors to hedge against the inevitable dilution resulting from the company issuing more stock. During a new offering, dilution may happen if existing shareholders sell their new shares to other investors; however, this isn't necessarily a given.

Some of the cons are:

  • The value of the issued shares may be diminished in relation to the increased market supply if they are sold on the open market.
  • These issues can also be dangerous since present shareholders might decide against purchasing additional company shares if its growth is slowing.
  • The market may see these issues as a red flag that a company might have some problems. The price might even drop if many investors decide to sell their shares.
    A company's market value may also suffer greatly if more shares are available following a rights issuance.

Example of a new issue

Imagine starting a new company that has to raise capital to expand abroad. It has been successful at generating revenue and interest from potential investors.

However, the company feels that to grow, it needs more money which it doesn't have right now. It must therefore get this funding from outside sources.

The company consults investment banks to estimate the potential market value of its shares, and then the underwriters of the banks suggest at what price the IPO should be listed.

Suppose the company's board of directors agrees with the underwriters. In that case, they will choose to go ahead with the IPO and submit an application for an initial public offering (IPO) to issue a specific number of shares.

With the help of the new issuance, the company can get funding and be listed on a stock market where its shares can be freely traded.

Summary

You must have a good understanding of what this market is, what it does, and how it works by this point. In essence, any business can raise money by selling securities.

Investors can purchase the new issue from the issuer directly in a primary market. This may be used for infrastructure improvement or corporate growth.

The procedure of issuing funds in exchange for securities involves steps. The New Issue Offer, Underwriting Institutions, and Distribution of New Issues are all parts of this process.

There are a few different categories of the new issues:

  1. Rights and bonuses
  2. Preferred issue
  3. Qualified institutional placement
  4. Public issues

In general, there are more benefits and fewer drawbacks in this industry. Due to the fact that there is no volatility present, the risk is relatively low.

Researched and authored by Rishabh Bhoria Linkedin

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