Stock FAQs

how to buy a spac stock

by Shawna Gorczany Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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Do your homework

  • Read as much as you can about the track record and reputation of the team leading the SPAC. What have they done in their careers? ...
  • Be mindful of the timing. A SPAC does not have to announce an acquisition for up to two years. ...
  • Pick a sector or industry you believe in, where growth is likely to occur, and which is ripe for disruption. ...
  • Hedge your bets. ...

If you're interested in adding SPACs to your portfolio, it's possible to buy them through an online brokerage account. Fidelity and Robinhood are two examples of online platforms that offer SPACs to investors. You can also look to an online brokerage account for SPAC ETFs as well.Oct 22, 2021

Full Answer

Where can I buy SPACs?

Mar 24, 2021 · You can buy the SPAC and at the time of the merger's finalization, the ticker symbol and the shares in your account will be converted automatically. It's worth mentioning that you don't need to...

How to invest in SPACs?

Oct 22, 2021 · If you’re interested in adding SPACs to your portfolio, it’s possible to buy them through an online brokerage account. Fidelity and Robinhood are two examples of online platforms that offer ...

Could this new SPAC be worth a look?

Oct 05, 2021 · How to Invest in SPACs Although the concept sounds foreign or exotic to first-time investors, buying a SPAC is just like buying a “regular” stock: go to …

How to buy a SPAC IPO?

Dec 28, 2020 · How to buy SPAC IPOs: There are several ways you can invest in a SPAC IPO. SPACs themselves go through the traditional IPO process. If you want to buy a SPAC’s pre-IPO stock, you can watch out for...

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How does buying SPAC stock work?

SPAC Capital Structure

In return for the capital, investors get to own units, with each unit comprising a share of common stock and a warrant to purchase more stock at a later date. The purchase price per unit of the securities is usually $10.00.

Is it good to buy SPAC stock?

The Bottom Line. Because of their high risk and poor historical returns, SPACs probably aren't a suitable investment for most individual investors. But given attention seen in 2020 and 2021, and the increase in successful SPAC IPOs, the tide may change.

Is SPAC publicly traded?

A SPAC, or special purpose acquisition company, is another name for a "blank check company," meaning an entity with no commercial operations that completes an initial public offering (IPO). After becoming a public company, the SPAC then acquires, or usually merges with, an existing private company, taking it public.Mar 28, 2022

How much does it cost to buy a SPAC?

The necessary sponsor capital is generally in the range of 7.0 to 7.5% of the planned IPO size, but may vary in accordance with each SPAC. The third-party costs to set up a SPAC range around USD 550,000 to 900,000, depending on what is included in this calculation.

What happens to my SPAC stock after merger?

What happens to SPAC stock after the merger? After a merger is completed, shares of common stock automatically convert to the new business. Other options investors have are to: Exercise their warrants.Apr 21, 2022

How often do SPACs fail?

According to a March 2021 study called A Sober Look at SPACs, six SPACs failed to merge, and therefore liquidated, compared to 47 that successfully merged. This amounts to a failure rate of 11% from January 2019 through June 2020.Jan 25, 2022

What is SPAC stock mean?

special purpose acquisition company
A special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) is a company that has no commercial operations and is formed strictly to raise capital through an initial public offering (IPO) or the purpose of acquiring or merging with an existing company.

How do I buy SPAC stock in Robinhood?

Search for the SPAC on Robinhood.

You need to search for the specific form you want to buy. If you search by the ticker alone, you'll only be buying shares of the trust, not complete units. If you want to buy full units, search the ticker symbol plus a “U” for units. For warrants, add a “W.”
May 21, 2021

What is a SPAC vs IPO?

SPACs versus IPOs

In an IPO, a private company issues new shares and, with the help of an underwriter, sells them on a public exchange. In a SPAC transaction, the private company becomes publicly traded by merging with a listed shell company—the special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC).

Are SPACs always 10 dollars?

The typical IPO price for a SPAC common stock is $10 per share. The exercise price for the warrants is typically set about 15% or higher than the IPO price.Mar 24, 2022

Are SPACs overpriced?

SPACs are more expensive than IPOs for private companies as a route to going public. This is mainly because of the lucrative compensation of the SPAC managers, who are paid in SPAC shares, leaving less of the private company for its original shareholders.May 25, 2021

Can you lose money in SPAC?

Not all SPACs will find high-performing targets, and some will fail. Many investors will lose money. As an investment option they have improved dramatically, especially over the past year, but the market remains volatile.

What are SPAC Stocks?

As I mentioned earlier, SPAC stocks are cash trusts that seek to invest in another exciting high growth business. These stocks normally trade on the NYSE or NASDAQ but sometimes trade on the OTC markets. SPACs will often have a long undescriptive name that explains the SPAC while management searches for a business to merger with.

How SPAC Stocks Work?

SPAC raise cash using an IPO offering with a listing price of $10. Each SPAC will list its shares on the NYSE, NASDAQ, or OTC to encourage investors to purchase the SPAC initially. Often, the SPAC will announce the upsized offering via a press release and list “units” on the stock exchange.

What Happens to SPACs after the Merger is complete?

Once the SPAC finds a good business to merge with, the SPAC will merge with the newly acquired company by including private equity shareholders, existing shareholders of the newly acquired business, and sponsored holders.

Where to Find SPAC Stocks

Here’s an updated list of SPAC IPOs that make it easily to find the most popular SPACs based on market cap. I also recommend reading online news outlets like Wall Street Journal to find more hot SPACs to watch.

How to Research SPAC Stocks

Before a SPAC goes publish, the SEC requires the blank check company to issue a prospectus detailing everything about the SPAC before it goes public. These documents provide a lot of key information about the deal, corporate management team, business merger target, etc.

Where to Buy SPAC Stocks

Most well known SPACs trade on the NYSE or NASDAQ. You can purchase them through an online broker like Webull. If the SPAC is listed on the OTC markets then you’ll need a full service broker like Fidelity or Etrade to purchase the shares.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

I believe SPACs are a good investment because they level the playing field for retail investors. SPACs provide the opportunity to invest in some of the world’s greatest companies at a starting price of just $10. I find it much cheaper to invest in SPACs than traditional IPOs that have yeards of forward revenue growth priced in already.

Investing alongside a venture capitalist sounds alluring -- so long as you can make money doing it

The road to an initial public offering, or an IPO, can be long and winding, let alone a real distraction for a company trying to deliver its breakthrough products in a highly competitive environment. And at the end of that road, the company may end up raising less money than it could.

IPO 1.0: Leaving big money on the table

After filing its first set of forms with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, a typical company will spend the better part of a year getting ready for and promoting its upcoming IPO.

IPO 2.0: Writing a blank check

Prominent investors are popularizing the idea of the Special Purpose Acquisition Company, SPAC, or blank-check company. They believe SPACs are a much-needed disruption to the traditional IPO process, going so far as to call it "IPO 2.0."

Are SPACs right for you?

An early investor in Social Capital Hedosophia Holdings, Corp. ( NYSE:IPOA), the SPAC that eventually merged with Virgin Galactic, would have grown his or her investment over 10 times faster than investing in the S&P 500.

Do your homework

Given the risks involved, SPACs can be a fun way to place speculative bets on markets expecting explosive growth, such as electric vehicles or clean energy. But they can be especially challenging for long-term, buy-and-hold investors.

Why are SPACs important?

SPACs have taken over business headlines in large part because they provide startups with an easier, more straightforward path to going public. At the same time, these enterprises pay a premium for that convenience. Prospective shareholders should realize the pros and cons before getting involved.

How long does it take for a SPAC to close?

Though specific rules vary, SPACs typically have two years to identify a merger target and close the deal. To sweeten the pot, SPAC sponsors go on a roadshow, similar to an IPO.

What are the pros and cons of SPACs?

Learn more about the pros of SPACs: 1 Convenience: SPACs offer startups interested in going public a quicker and easier method than the traditional IPO, which can be complicated. 2 More interest: Although this financial vehicle has been around for a long time, it hasn’t had the best reputation. SPACs have garnered interest among Wall Street’s top power brokers recently, leading to high-quality SPAC management teams. 3 Transparency: With a traditional IPO, you’re dealing with multiple variables, including the pricing of the stock. In contrast, the merger target only negotiates terms with the SPAC interested in the deal. Therefore, the valuation is already a known fact. 4 Less risk for shareholders: Prior to a definitive agreement, shareholders who don’t want to invest in the revealed acquisition target can back out and get their money back.

What are the criticisms of SPACs?

SPAC Criticisms and Poor Performance. One of the most severe criticisms against SPACs is that they generously reward sponsors. For instance, shell company founders often receive 20% equity in the target acquisition firm, which is a hefty load for what basically is a one-shot endeavor.

Do you know what you don't know about IPOs?

Speaking of homework, no matter how much due diligence you perform regarding either traditional IPOs or SPACs, the overriding reality is that you don’t know what you don’t know. Even the best experts have been burned by public debuts gone bad.

What is a SPAC?

SPAC stands for special purpose acquisition company. These companies, sometimes called "blank check companies," exist exclusively to raise money to acquire a private company and instantly make it public. You can view SPACs as doing the IPO heavy-lifting on behalf of the companies they will acquire.

What is SPAC 2020?

SPAC stands for special purpose acquisition company. These companies, sometimes called "blank check companies," exist exclusively to raise money to acquire a private company and instantly make it public.

What is a blank check company?

These companies, sometimes called "blank check companies," exist exclusively to raise money to acquire a private company and instantly make it public. You can view SPACs as doing the IPO heavy-lifting on behalf of the companies they will acquire.

What is a SPAC?

A special purpose acquisitions company ( SPAC ), also sometimes referred to as a “blank check company,” involves an empty corporation set up by investors with the goal of eventually acquiring another company. Unlike most corporations, SPACs do not manufacture products or sell services.

What is a SPAC warrant?

What is a Warrant? A SPAC warrant gives you the right to purchase a company’s stock at a specific price at a specific date in the future. For example, if you purchase 100 1:1 ratio warrants at a strike price of $11.50, you have the right to buy 100 shares of that company’s stock at a price of $11.50 per share at a defined date in the future.

How to exercise a warrant?

If an early redemption clause comes into play, investors have 3 options on how to move forward: 1 Execute the warrant and purchase shares according to the terms of the agreement. 2 Sell the warrant to another investor who will presumably exercise it. 3 Allow the warrant’s clause to arrive, thus rendering the warrant expired.

Can you exercise a warrant at any time?

Exercise a Warrant. If you choose to exercise a warrant, you can do so at any time. You will exercise the warrant using the same method as you would to buy a share of stock at the current market rate. SPAC warrants are very liquid, which is part of the reason why some investors prefer them to options.

What is warrant ratio?

The warrant ratio is the number of shares you can claim for each warrant that you exercise. Most warrants have a 1:1 warrant ratio, which means that you can buy 1 share of stock for every 1 warrant you exercise. Be sure to review SEC filing documents and confirm the ratio before you invest.

What happens if a company doesn't raise cash?

If a company doesn’t need to raise cash, it may issue a cashless conversion. During a cashless conversion, your warrants automatically convert to their equivalent in shares of stock. If this occurs, you do not need to pay the strike price agreed on the warrant. Your warrants will convert automatically.

What to Focus On

First, you want a high-quality management team since this is essentially who you are handing your money over to.

Other Considerations

The final consideration would be to spread the bet. Rather than target a single SPAC, since we do not know what we are getting at this stage anyway, I would determine how much money you plan to allocate to SPACs and then divide that up across several SPACs of various sizes, allowing you to increase your universe of potential targets.

Beware Dilution

To better understand how the dilution works, consider this example from Robert Huebscher, who advises financial advisors:

One Last -- and Important -- Thing

The last thing we must be mindful of is the inherent conflict of interest present in the SPAC structure. Pay attention because this is perhaps the most important thing to understand about SPACs -- I can’t stress this enough.

How to invest in SPACs?

As they are public companies listed on major exchanges, you can invest in SPACs like you can any other publicly traded stock—through your online brokerage account. You can also take a diversified approach and invest in a basket of SPACs by buying an exchange-traded fund (ETF) focused on SPACs.

What is SPAC in finance?

Key SPAC Terms. SPACs touch on areas of finance that may be familiar—including stocks, IPOs, mergers and acquisitions, and venture capitalism. But some aspects (and terminology) are unique to SPACs, including: Shell company. SPACs don’t have any active business operations, making them what’s called a shell company.

What is SPAC 2021?

Otherwise known as a special purpose acquisition company or a blank check company, a SPAC is a publicly traded entity that exists solely to raise money and acquire an existing private company.

What is a SPAC?

Otherwise known as a special purpose acquisition company or a blank check company, a SPAC is a publicly traded entity that exists solely to raise money and acquire an existing private company.

How long does it take for SPAC to go public?

The SPAC is assigned a ticker symbol, and most of the money invested by shareholders is held in escrow. Acquisition search. SPACs generally have two years to search for a private company with which to merge or acquire, bringing it public in the process as it becomes part of the publicly traded SPAC.

How long does it take to acquire a SPAC?

Acquisition search. SPACs generally have two years to search for a private company with which to merge or acquire, bringing it public in the process as it becomes part of the publicly traded SPAC. This timeline may be very easy to meet as sponsors may already have a specific company or industry in mind at the outset.

How long does it take for a SPAC to merge?

SPACs generally have two years to search for a private company with which to merge or acquire, bringing it public in the process as it becomes part of the publicly traded SPAC. This timeline may be very easy to meet as sponsors may already have a specific company or industry in mind at the outset.

What is SPAC investment?

In connection with a business combination, a SPAC provides its investors with the opportunity to redeem their shares rather than become a shareholder of the combined company.

What is SPAC in IPO?

Unlike an operating company that becomes public through a traditional IPO, however, a SPAC is a shell company when it becomes public. This means that it does not have an underlying operating business and does not have assets other than cash and limited investments, including the proceeds from the IPO. Traditional IPO.

What do you need to know about SPACs?

What You Need to Know About SPACs – Updated Investor Bulletin. The SEC’s Office of Investor Education and Advocacy (OIEA) wants to educate investors about investing in SPACs. You may have heard the term SPAC recently referred to in the financial or other news. This bulletin provides a brief overview for investors of important concepts ...

How long does a SPAC last?

However, some SPACs have opted for shorter periods, such as 18 months. The SPAC’s governing instruments may permit it to extend that time period.

What is warrant in stock market?

A warrant is a contract that gives the holder the right to purchase from the company a certain number of additional shares of common stock in the future at a certain price, often a premium to the current stock price at the time the warrant is issued. The SPAC unit will trade for some time after the IPO.

How to contact OIEA?

For additional investor educational information, see the SEC’s website for individual investors, Investor.gov. Call OIEA at 1-800-732-0330, ask a question using this online form, or email us at [email protected]. Receive Investor Alerts and Bulletins from OIEA email or RSS feed. Follow OIEA on Twitter.

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