Assuming that there will remain someone on staff at the SEC this week, following what is increasingly looking like an inevitable government shutdown, Twitter is expected to go public with the details of its initial public offering. Under the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act, or JOBS Act, signed into law by President Obama in 2012, Twitter was allowed to confidentially file its IPO paperwork. However, it now feels it’s time to go public with the details regarding the most anticipated IPO sinceFacebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB).
Companies with under $1 billion in revenue are allowed to confidentially file a draft IPO prospectus, and Twitter is hoping that 2013 will be the last year that it fits that criteria and expects revenue of $1 billion in 2014. While the IPO is almost guaranteed to take place before Thanksgiving, it’s possible it could even predate Halloween. The law permits those companies to propose their share price as little as three weeks after revealing their filing.
Twitter may delay the actual IPO
This story was broken by Quartz, an online news site, yesterday evening citing sources that believe Twitter may delay the actual IPO given a potential for a government shutdown, the state of the market, and other considerations.
It’s believed that Twitter filed publicly to avoid the hype that made a mess of Facebook’s initial public offering last year. However, the strong recent performance of Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) bodes well for Twitter and its investors now that it is trading well above its offering price.
Twitter used the secret filing
Sources indicate that Twitter used the secret filing as a means of avoiding the frenzied hype that accompanied the Facebook IPO. That social media company’s stock price underperformed initially, but it is now trading above its IPO price, a promising sign for Twitter and its would-be investors.
The Street is hoping that Twitter’s IPO along with those of Hilton and Chrysler will bring back individual investors who are either waiting for a correction or were scared away by the Facebook IPO debacle.
Twitter has always intended to go public
Twitter has always intended on going public, making it an odd user of the JOBS Acts provisions for confidentially. The law was enacted to help startup companies make decisions about selling. By privately considering whether to go public, sell to another company, or simply raise more investment capital, companies could explore their options without revealing financial details.
One of the biggest announcements beyond the offering price that will come with a public filing is where Twitter will be listed. It’s believed by many that Twitter will look to the New York Stock Exchange, unlike Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) and many other tech companies that have chosen the NASDAQ for their IPOs.
The majority of analysts are calling for a Twitter valuation between $15 and $16 billion.
