The Facebook IPO: What's Next

We may be just two weeks away from the Facebook IPO.

Retail investors waiting to get their hands on Facebook stock can do so May 18, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.

It's not final - dates commonly change with IPO debuts. Facebook is still in the process of finalizing its regulatory paperwork, and Facebook representatives refused to comment on the exact date.

What we can expect next in Facebook's hotly anticipated IPO is its traveling "road show" which will include a series of presentations in which company executives are allowed the opportunity to entice "big money" investors.

Facebook's journey down that road might begin as early as Monday next week.

Following the road show, Facebook will update its IPO registration paperwork and will include a "proposed" price range for its shares. That price is likely to change in the days leading up to the IPO as interest increase or wanes - the latter highly unlikely.

According to Facebook's filing in April, it slapped a value of $30.89 per share on its stock, as of Jan.31. That is an increase from just a month earlier when that value was placed at $29.73.

Demand is expected to be extremely vigorous. Analysts expect the shares to carry a heavy premium when Facebook's underwriters, led by Morgan Stanley, sell them to a herd of excited clients during Facebook's IPO selling period.

Ordinary folks will have to wait to get a piece of the action after Facebook shares actually start trading.

While Facebook's original filing noted the company plans to raise $5 billion in its IPO, that number also is expected to be revised upward. Facebook will adjust that target number in the immediate days before it completes its offering.

Facebook IPO Hasn't Slowed Zuckerberg

The social network giant's CEO Mark Zuckerberg hasn't let the upcoming IPO intrude on expansion efforts, diversification plans and goodwill.

Earlier this week, Facebook, which has amassed some 900 million plus worldwide members, announced a change to its status page which now allows members to state their desire to become an organ donor. It also provides links to organ donor registry sites.

The addition is just another reason the masses like Facebook. The move has been cited as a monumental game changer in the field of organ donation.

Dr. Andrew M. Cameron, the surgical director of liver transplants at John Hopkins Hospital, told The New York Times that disclosure on Facebook could present evidence of consent, which family members need when deciding whether to donate the organs of a loved one.

"This is going to be an historic day in transplants. The math will radically change, and we may well eliminate the problem overnight," said Cameron.

Organ donation registries reported spikes in volunteer donors Tuesday, the same day Facebook launched the initiative.

According to stats from the nonprofit group Donate Life America, which has partnered with Facebook, increases were widespread across the nation with the most notable gains in Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Wyoming.

Come Tuesday evening, 100,000 people had updated their Facebook status to declare themselves organ donors, and 10,000 of those had linked through Facebook to sign up directly with their state organ donation registries.

Related Articles and News: