Underwriters evaluate the optimum price of IPO issued shares and conduct underpricing based on a higher degree of risk and information asymmetry. These are calculated under a series of determined risk proxies that adjust the most suitable offering and opening price of IPOs in both main and second tier markets.   Quantitative results are obtained by regression analysis and t-test. It is verified that the degree of underpricing differs between main and second tier markets and this difference influences the risk proxies and the underwriters differently when evaluating the optimum price of IPOs.   This study performs a comparison of eight risk proxies; market volatility, age of the firm, leverage book value, earnings per share, bank prestige, leverage and IPO activity between the OMX as representative of the main market and Aktietorget as representative of the second tier market. The comparison reveals how these risk proxies influence the underpricing of an IPO in different Swedish stock markets.   A theoretical analysis, backed by 101 observations of several newly listed IPOs during the period from 2003 to 2013 indicates that IPOs in the secondary tier market are more underpriced than IPOs listed in the primary market. Regarding the influences from the variables, book value and market volatilities seem to have a strong influence on the degree of underpricing, in addition to the finding that there is no relation between the independent variables and underpricing of IPOs listed in the Aktietorget, it suggests that further research must be conducted in this area.

This thesis investigates the performance of private equity backed IPOs. We have examined the European market in the period between 2000 and 2017 when the IPO activity experienced enormous growth. The main task was to assess whether the PE-backed IPOs evince superior performance when compared to their non-sponsored peers and the market. Further, we have examined the effect of the so-called valuation drivers on the IPOs' performance. To assess the IPOs' performance, we used the buy-and-hold abnormal returns with bootstrapped skewness adjusted t-statistics. In case of the valuation drivers' effect, OLS regression was applied. The main findings were that the PE-backed IPOs in Europe overperforme the market, mainly due to IPOs in the UK and Western Europe. The PE-sponsored IPOs also overperforme their non-sponsored peers, mainly due to IPOs in the UK, Western and Northern Europe. In case of the valuation drivers, we observed several significant correlations, however, their explanation power was negligible.

Abstract: Title: Initial Public Offering - buying the pig in a poke? Authors: Tor Averland and Gustaf Borg Supervisors:Öystein Fredriksen Background and problem: The number of IPOs have broken new records throughout 2020 and early 2021 and the pace is still strong. At the same time numerous investors think that companies with sustainable businesses should be valued higher than those with non-sustainable businesses, whereas terms such as ESG have become popular, replacing previous terms such as CSR. The faith in the higher valuation of sustainable companies has grown strong alongside the launch of regulations and frameworks like the EU-taxonomy and the Paris agreement, which naturally raises the question regarding how sustainability is priced and valued in an IPO.  Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyze how investment banks consider ESG while valuing and pricing Initial Public Offerings, IPOs. The study also intends to analyze how the market perceives ESG through looking at the level of the first day return.  Method: The study uses a qualitative approach with an included smaller quantitative element for a regression analysis. The investment banks´ view on valuation and pricing is given through semistructured interviews that later are compared and analyzed with regards to existing literature on the area. The underpricing is analyzed through an OLS multiple regression approach with underpricing as the dependent variable and four other independent variables with ESG-score therein. With this approach, it can be decided whether ESG-score has an influence on the underpricing of IPOs. Conclusion: The result from the study indicates that ESG is valued differently depending on which person and which investment bank that does the valuation which is a result that illuminates the subjectivity that exists in the valuation of stocks. ESG-score does have a negative significant influence on underpricing, which was contradictory to some of the respondents' argumentation. The quantitative part of the study also illustrates and confirms that less uncertainty reduces the IPO underpricing, which is in line with existing literature regarding ex ante uncertainty and information asymmetry. / Sammanfattning Titel: Initial Public Offering - att köpa grisen i säcken? Författare: Tor Averland & Gustaf Borg Handledare: Öystein Fredriksen Bakgrund och problem: Under 2020 och i början av 2021 har rekord slagits i antalet genomförda börsnoteringar och takten ser inte ut att avta. Det råder samtidigt en samlad tro kring att hållbara bolag i regel värderas högre, där ESG blivit ett populärt begrepp som numer nästan helt har ersatt tidigare hållbarhetsbegrepp som CSR. Tron på att hållbarhet värderas högre har vuxit fram parallellt med att nya regelverk och riktlinjer som EU-taxonomin och Parisavtalet lanserats, vilket naturligt väcker frågan kring hur hållbarhet i form av ESG värderas och även prissätts inför en börsnotering. Syfte: Syftet med denna uppsats är att analysera hur investmentbanker beaktar ESG vid värdering och prissättning av företag vid en börsnotering. Studien ämnar också analysera marknadens uppfattning kring ESG och första dagens avkastning. Metod: Studien har en kvalitativ ansats med ett inkluderat kvantitativt delmoment i form av regressionsanalysen. Investmentbankernas syn på värdering och prissättning ges genom semistrukturerade intervjuer, vilka sedan jämförs och analyseras utifrån befintlig litteratur på området. Underprissättningen undersöks genom en multipel linjär regressionsanalys med underprissättning som beroende variabel och fyra oberoende variabler, däribland ESG-score. Således kan ESG-scores påverkan på underprissättningen fastställas. Slutsats: Studiens resultat visar att ESG värderas på olika sätt av investmentbanker och att det inte finns någon enhetlig bild vilket belyser den subjektivitet som råder inom värdering. Den kvantitativa undersökningen visar att ESG-score har en signifikant negativ påverkan på underprissättningen, vilket faktiskt går emot några av intervjurespondenternas egna resonemang. Detta påvisar att ett bra ESG-arbete som påvisas inför en notering ofta leder till mindre osäkerhet vilket också minskar IPO-underprissättningen, vilket är i linje med befintlig teori som ex-ante osäkerhet och informationsasymmetri.

Taiwan carries out the new underwriting rules since 2005, it is very important to the reformation of financial system, and its purpose is mainly for responding to the reformation of underwriting rules so as to promote the quality of listed companies. At present, the underwriting method of Taiwan¡¦s major Initial Public Offerings (IPO) stock uses the mix and collocation of two systems, public subscription by lot drawing and book building, as the underwriting method, the previous studies emphasized that the underwriter had higher right to decide the amount of placing, which can increase the responsibility and sensibility for the underwriting price, and then the result of promoting placing efficiency can be reached. This study compares the markets in Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan that have carried out book building system. This study mainly finds out, because the underwriters in Taiwan can provide higher stock weight of the placing of book building and the underwriters have higher right to decide the amount of placing, thus, it is more possible that when placing IPO stock, the company would regard its customers as the core, and this act is entirely different with the conception of the initial reformation, and unfavorable influence would be produced to the issue company or individual investor at the same time. This study sums up the previous literatures and questionnaire statistical analyses, and then proposes the influence that degree of rigor of laws and regulations, anticipated result of placing, institutional function of book building and decisive factors of placing have towards the actual results of placing of underwriters. The questionnaires are distributed to the personnel who actually are responsible for the IPO placing strategy of underwriters that have hosted actual placing results in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Mainland China. After the comparison using single factor variance, one can find that the underwriters from Mainland China significantly think that the laws and regulations are stricter, and IPO stock has more good prospects of gain. However, the underwriters from Taiwan significantly think that the decisive factors of placing are stronger. When placing IPO stock, the underwriters from Mainland China prefer placing according to the system, while the underwriters from Taiwan prefer placing according to relationship. This study uses regression analysis to discuss the factors that influence the underwriters to carry out placing according to system or relationship. This study finds out if the degree of rigor for the two factors in laws and regulations, objective & fair and book building standard, is higher, then the underwriters will tend to carry out placing according to system more. And also, the system-oriented and price-oriented factors in decisive factors of placing also promote the underwriters carry out placing according to system. On the other hand, if the degree of rigor for the objective & fair factor in laws and regulations is higher, then the underwriters tend not to carry out placing according to relationship. When the factors such as considering underwriter¡¦s benefits, anticipated profit, and relationship-oriented are higher, then the underwriters tend to carry out placing according to relationship. In view of the above, this study has proposed many suggestions to improve the problems that might happen when underwriters in Taiwan placing IPO stock at present, including report beforehand, exposing the principles, ratio of book building placing, classifying the investors and placing in proportion, regulations of holding term, strengthening the supervision on notary public during the placing process, and canceling the use of person as the basic unit when purchasing but the use of purchasing capital¡¦s scale as the drawing unit. This study also hopes that the relevant departments in governments and underwriters could consult this study thesis and take this study as the reference for the follow-up reformation direction of IPO system.

Background: Acquiring capital is one of the most fundamental necessities for an enterprise. The discussed ways of doing so by this thesis, are the so called Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) and Seasoned Equity Offerings (SEOs). Although engaging in an IPO is a desire for most of the newly started firms, the process of introduction to the global market and the results of it are far from smooth and problem free. One of the main unknowns that issuers face is underpricing. Theory suggests that mechanisms for undervaluing the new stock have been devised, so that certain parties can benefit by allocation on the market. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to investigate any possible relationship between the level of industrial diversification and the level of short-run underpricing of the two most common asset issuances - Initial Public Offerings and Seasoned Equity Offerings. Further on, it is of use to compare the severity of diversification’s effect on underpricing of IPOs and SEOs. Method: This research is basically solely quantitative. A database for levels of diversification and industrial underpricing for the companies that conducted IPOs and SEOs in the given time period was compiled. Statistical calculations were conducted to examine possible relationships between the variables. Conclusion: The paper could not see any relevant relationship between the degree of industrial diversification and the amount of “money left on the table”. The conclusion can be drawn that investors apparently do not consider the degree of industrial diversification when assessing the value of a company.

No description available.

While product market choices have been central to strategy formulation for firms in the past, the integration of financial markets makes the choice of capital markets an equally important strategic decision. We advance a comparative institutional perspective to explain capital market choice by firms making an IPO in a foreign market. We find that internal governance characteristics (founder-CEO, executive incentives, and board independence) and external network characteristics (prestigious underwriters, degree of venture capitalist syndication, and board interlocks) are significant predictors of foreign capital market choice by foreign IPO firms. Our results suggest foreign IPO firms select a host market where the firms' governance characteristics and third party affiliations fit the host market's institutional environment.

The current research was undertaken to determine the long run performance of Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) in South Africa. The three year abnormal returns were assessed for IPOs listed between 1995 and 2006 comprising a sample of 229. Using the Buy and Hold Abnormal Return (BHAR) and Cumulative Abnormal Return (CAR) methods, it was found that the IPOs underperformed the market by 50% and 47% for BHAR and CAR respectively. The JSE All Share Index was used as a benchmark. The research also investigated the effect of firm size on IPO performance. The relationship between IPO activity and performance was analysed as well as the performance of IPOs from different sectors. Gross proceeds of the offers were used as a proxy for firm size and it was shown that by splitting the sample into different size groups, there were significant differences between the returns from these groups. There was no relationship found between IPO activity and performance using a linear regression. Using an Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) it was determined that there were significant differences between the performance of IPOs in the different sectors of technology, industrials, financials and mining. Copyright / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

This dissertation consists of three chapters covering the following topics in firm value and volatility: valuation of agency cost, valuation of the underpricing in IPOs and the idiosyncratic volatility of public firms. In Chapter 1, I briefly introduce three topics studied in my dissertation. In addition, I summarized the stochastic frontier model which is employed in the study of valuation of agency cost and the underpricing in IPOs. In Chapter 2, I extend the agency cost literature multifold. First, by using the data of the 1,500 S&P Super Composite Index Constituents for 1994-2011, I estimate firm-level agency cost and the uncertainty in firm's maximum benchmark value, respectively, as the mean and variance of the inefficiency term conditional on the composed error. The estimation results reveal that, on average, a sample firm is around 18% and 15% below its optimal value for the period 1994-2006 and 2007-2011 respectively. The variances of the inefficiency term are 0.01 and 0.001 for two periods respectively. Second, using this measure of uncertainty, I construct the confidence interval for the agency cost of each firm. Third, a new concept called Coefficient of Uncertainty of Market Value due to the principal-agent problem (CUMV) is defined and calculated, which measures uncertainty in the benchmark value per unit of agency cost. Finally, I decompose the change in market value of a firm into three components, i.e. change due to agency cost; change due to operational efficiency, and change due to the evaluation of the whole market (called the market effect). I find that the reduction of agency cost and the expansion of the whole market do contribute to firm growth, but the majority of the growth for the sample firms is explained by the improvement of firms' operational efficiency. In chapter 3, I estimate the magnitude of the underpricing of the initial public offering (IPO) for 338 firms during 2001-2010 under the framework of Stochastic Frontier Approach. The magnitude of the underpricing in IPOs and the uncertainty in IPOs' maximum benchmark value are estimated as the mean and variance of the inefficiency term conditional on the composed error respectively. I note that the new issues of a firm with initial offering in US between 2001 and 2010, on average, fall short of 22.9% of their optimal value with a variance of 0.63. As an extension of existing literature, I do not only estimate the frontier model, but investigate the determinants of the underpricing of the IPOs. The estimation results support the fact that the underpricing would be lower if the firms have more reputable underwriters, more insider ownership and higher age at the time of offering new issues. Finally, I introduce a new concept, the Coefficient of Uncertainty of Firm Value due to the underpricing in the IPOs (CUV), which reports the firm value uncertainty for each unit of the underpricing in IPOs. I observe that, on average, the CUV is 4.21 for a sample firm, which implies that firm's uncertainty is indeed sensitive to the underpricing in IPOs. In chapter 4, I investigate the idiosyncratic volatility and its relation to executive ownership during 1992 to 2011. The ownership of executives is employed as the proxy for the behavior of executives to study how executives influence firms' idiosyncratic volatility. Inconsistent with the previous literature, I don't find upward trend of the aggregated idiosyncratic volatility during 1992 to 2011. Instead, I observe that the aggregated idiosyncratic volatility exhibits indeterministic pattern during this period. Moreover, I also note that the reverts of aggregated idiosyncratic volatility occur at a time of the US stock market crash in 2000 and the period of most recent recession (2008-2009). The most interesting finding of this study is that although the idiosyncratic volatility increases in executives' ownership, the idiosyncratic volatility's growth rate is not always positive related with executives' ownership. In Chapter 5, I conclude this dissertation.

Background: The post-IPO anomalous behaviour in the short and long-run are among the well-recognised anomalies in corporate finance, and exist on all equity markets. The researchers are not unanimous what causes these phenomena’s, and previous research has primarily focused on the US and European markets. Purpose: The study aims to investigate the market performance of Swedish IPO's in the short- and long-run in-between 2007-2017 for different sectors. Method: The market adjusted initial return method was used to calculate the short-run initial return. The Even-time approach with the Buy-and-hold methodology was used to calculate the long-run abnormal returns. A regression analysis was adopted to investigate the relationship between some existing theories for explaining underpricing. Conclusion: Overall the sample set for the study were on average underpriced with 9,25 %, furthermore, no evidence was found that Swedish IPO’s underperformed in a three-year period compared to the market. Of the theories tested, the signalling hypothesis was significant and can be one determinant for underpricing of Swedish IPO’s.