1 Once upon a time, when you bought broccoli you bought the whole vegetable, stems and crowns. Then it became customary for grocery store produce departments to separate the crowns from the stems and to sell the crowns at a premium. 2  Iâm not a fan of this practice, because I like both parts of the broccoli plant.
A company's first issue of common stock to the public is called an Initial Public Offering. Afterwards, a corporation may issue new equity at any time in order to finance its growth. When new common shares are offered to existing shareholders first, this is called a rights offering.
Companies, Going Public. A company that goes public typically refers to when a company undertakes its initial public offering, or IPO, by selling shares of stock to the public usually to raise additional capital. After its IPO, the company will be subject to public reporting requirements and its shares often become listed on a stock exchange. For more information on public companies, click here. The SEC has also prepared a guide for companiesâSmall Business & the SECâthat provides a basic understanding about how companies can become public and what securities laws apply.