JetBlue Airlines, a low-fare commercial airline, has planned to go public towards the end of 2001. During the process the firm had restructured their initial price from $22- 24 per share to $26 – 28 per share.

Advantages / Disadvantages of the IPO Decision
There are considerable advantages with obtaining equity through the IPO process. There are, however, some drawbacks that also need to be taken into consideration. Some of the advantages and disadvantages are: Advantages | Disadvantages | * Equity value is established for the firm * Current shareholders can diversify personal portfolios | * SEC requires public disclosure of financial information (transparency) * IPO expenses | * Liquidity of stock increases | * …show more content…
Exhibit B: IPO Valuation Techniques
Discounting Methods
Theoretically, the price of a share is derived by discounting all future cash flows that accrue to shareholders. These techniques are used throughout industry; however, they do suffer in practical application due to the risk associated with forecasting both revenue and expenses (Draho, 2004). The two most frequently used discounting methods include the discounted free cash flows (DCF) and a residual income model (RIM). * Discounted Free Cash Flows
Free cash flows are defined as the cash flows from operations after investment in working capital and any capital expenditures. These cash flows are considered more appropriate than accounting earnings which include non cash items such as depreciation that cannot be used to pay shareholders. Cash flows are used to pay dividends and thus capture true value for the investor. These cash flows are then discounted using a risk adjusted rate. The rate is estimated either by