California based search engine, Google Inc., slashed both the size and cost of its initial public offer. The new price for the shares will be between $85 and $95.
Google’s Class A common stock will be amended to change the estimated offering price range and the number of shares to be sold in the offering. The offering price is now expected to be between $85 and $95 per share. As originally planned, Google expects to sell 14,142,135 shares of Class A common stock in the offering. However, in view of this new price range, the selling shareholders are reducing the shares they expect to sell to approximately 5.5 million shares, yielding a total offering of approximately 19.6 million shares. In addition, the selling shareholders have granted the underwriters the right to purchase approximately 2.9 million additional shares of Class A common stock at the initial public offering price to cover over-allotments.
Google requested that the SEC declare the registration statement effective on Wednesday, August 18, 2004 at 4:00 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Time). Holders of bidder IDs will be sent a notice of effectiveness once the registration statement has been declared effective. Google and the underwriters expect to close the auction when the registration statement is declared effective.
Google’s Class A common stock may not be sold nor may offers to buy be accepted prior to the time the registration statement becomes effective. This communication shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy nor shall there be any sale of Google’s Class A common stock in any state in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state. No offer to buy shares of Google’s Class A common stock can be accepted and no part of the purchase price can be received until the registration statement has become effective, and any such offer may be withdrawn or revoked, without obligation or commitment of any kind, at any time until the notice of acceptance is sent after the effective date.
Jeremy Muncy is a staff writer for www.webproworld.com