What to keep in mind when investing in an upcoming IPO 2022?

Promoters often come up with new issues when markets are rising, say financial experts.

As per the EY India IPO Trends Report 2021, the Indian stock exchanges ranked 12^th in the world in terms of the number of IPOs in year-to-date (YTD) 2021. There were seven IPOs in Q2 2021 in BSE and NSE and 17 IPOs in Q1 2021. Q2 2021 has shown a 100% increase compared to Q2 2020. Moreover, there were 11 IPOs in Q2 2021, indicating an increase of 175% compared to Q2 2020. 

If you are attracted by these rising figures and thinking of investing in an upcoming IPO in India in 2022, you must first know some critical things about how to invest in IPO.

So what is an IPO?

An IPO issue is a method of raising funds for a business by offering a small share of the ownership to the general public. With an IPO a privately-owned business becomes a publicly-traded company.

How to apply for IPO?

Before you apply for an IPO investment, you need to open a demat/ trading account with a SEBI registered financial institution to take delivery in case you are allotted the shares.

You can use your bank’s NetBanking, mobile banking or UPI to apply for an upcoming IPO 2022 online via ASBA. The funds in your bank account are earmarked for the IPO issue, without an actual debit. If you receive the allotment, the blocked funds will be debited from the account, else the funds are released back for use.

What are the factors to consider before applying for IPO in share market?

Related: All About IPOs In India

1. An economic uptick - Equally clearly, others too believe in India’s resilience, and by all accounts, companies are undaunted by the current situation of the Indian economy. As a result, despite the ravaging effects of the pandemic, the IPO market of 2020 is looking promising.
   
   As Jyoti Roy, DVP and Equity Strategist at Angel Broking, explains in Business Insider magazine, investors have been willing to invest in companies with profitable businesses and reasonable valuations. But then, Indian investors always seemed to have had a hankering for new issues. For instance, data shows that 8 out of the 11 IPOs listed in 2019 surged by as much as 95% even though the market was highly volatile.
   
   2020 was an even better year for new issues, and as 2020 nears its close, the downturn could already be a nightmare of the past. Rajiv Biswas, Asia Pacific Chief Economist at IHS Markit, says data collected by his company points to “an improving economic growth momentum in the second half of 2020 and a positive GDP growth of 6.7% in FY 2021-22.”
   
   In fact, according to IHS Markit, the medium-term economic outlook for India remains favourable. This is supported by a number of key growth drivers, including a large and fast-growing middle class. Biswas’s company envisages the total Indian consumer spending growing by 42% between 2020 and 2025 and doubling to $3.2 trillion by 2030.

   Related: IPOs That Have Disappointed Investors In The Last 10 Years

2. Market buoyancy - All this bodes well for the stock market and investing in an IPO.. In fact, according to Sampath Reddy, Chief Investment Officer at Bajaj Allianz Life, companies have begun “lining up for IPOs” because of favourable market conditions, and if they remain so, he feels more would join the line.
   
   In an interview to Moneycontrol in September 2020, Reddy said a number of factors such as the opening-up of the lockdown, healthy recovery in various economic indicators, and even progress in COVID-19 clinical trials have helped the Indian markets to recover. 
   
   As a result, the buoyancy in equity markets has encouraged companies, including existing large firms, to raise equity capital and strengthen their balance sheets and create a liquidity buffer to tide over the growth slowdown. This buoyancy is responsible for encouraging IPOs. 
   
   Investors in new issues can take two lessons from Reddy’s analysis of the situation: first, if they take a long-term view of their investments, they can systematically invest in equities, and second, a well-diversified portfolio can be rewarding in challenging times such as these.
   
   The sectors that Reddy says will do well in the current situation are IT, pharma, and FMCG. However, he warns that major geopolitical tensions or even a resurgence of the pandemic could impact liquidity flows and puncture the market buoyancy. So, given the current global situation, it is critical for investors - including new issue subscribers - to keep a long-term view.
   
   Related: What Happens To Your Money If The Stock You Invested In Gets Delisted?
    
3. Investing smart - A long-term horizon is only part of the story; an IPO investment can fall flat if you invest blindly, for not all investments can guarantee healthy returns. It all depends on how the investment fares in the market - if it does well, you stand to gain immense profits; if it does not, you can kiss your money goodbye. The key to success in the market is to invest smartly, and the way to do it is by finding the right IPOs at the right price. Therefore, when considering any prospective upcoming IPO in India that has come into the market, ask yourself the all-important question: is this going to be a good investment for me?To determine that, first get a fix on your risk appetite, your investment budget, and your financial goals. Once you get this right, you can narrow down your IPO search. But you must also know about the company you are investing in, so read the prospectus carefully to be clear about its financials, market record, and reason for issuing the IPO. Check for any red flags.Also do extensive research on the sector the company operates in, to see if any critical information is missing in the prospectus. Further, it would be good to take the ASBA (Applications Supported by Blocked Amount) route when applying. With an ASBA application, you don’t block your funds but earn interest on it in your bank account. 
    
4. IPO pricing - It is advisable to know how the issue price for an upcoming IPO list is fixed; this helps you determine whether it is right for you. The company issuing the IPO will understandably want the highest price, whereas the underwriter will try to determine an acceptable offer price based on the company valuation. So, it is advisable to select an IPO that has a strong underwriter, such as a reputable investment bank or firm.An IPO investment pricing is either a fixed-price offer or a book-building offer. In the first category, the company fixes the application price, while the second is a process of price discovery. In the case of book building issues, the offer document is called a ‘red herring’ prospectus - it does not contain details of the price, the number of shares offered, or the issue size. A red herring prospectus only has either the floor price of the securities offered or a price band within which the bids can move. The price is determined only after the bidding process is completed.

Related: Is Your IPO Rightly Valued?

You will be considered a retail investor as long as your bid is up to Rs 2,00,000; any higher and you will fall in the HNI category. You can check the allotment status either on the BSE website or the registrar's website after the issue closes.

List of upcoming IPOs in India

Conclusion

If you want to seize the opportunities thrown up by a new company, an IPO investment would be ideal. Such investments also make sense for people with a good understanding of the market trends - plus of course, a degree of appetite for taking risks.

But bear in mind what Dev Ashish, financial analyst and founder of financial planning and investment advisory Stable Investor, says, “IPOs are generally overpriced.” As he writes in a by-lined article for Moneycontrol, what often goads companies to come out with IPOs is a buoyant mood among the investing public following a market recovery - just as it is now. The reason: a market recovery creates the perception that making money on the stock exchange is easy.

To sum up, it pays to follow the adage ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ - or in this case, by the hype around a new company. Judge it by its fundamentals, read the prospectus carefully, and see if it dovetails with your financial goals.

Disclaimer: This article is intended for general information purposes only and should not be construed as investment or legal advice. You should separately obtain independent advice when making decisions in these areas.