public offering

A public offering is an offering of a company’s securities to public markets. A company’s first offering of securities to the public is known as an initial public offering (IPO).  Subsequent offerings are known as follow-on offerings. In both cases, Congress and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regulate the process through which companies conduct a public offering. Compare with private placement, which are securities not offered to the public. 

[Last reviewed in February of 2022 by the Wex Definitions Team]

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