"Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. plans to launch its initial-public-offering process as soon as the end of the month, people familiar with the matter said.
The firm, which could raise more than $20 billion and rank as one of the largest IPOs ever, shared a timetable with some current investors through an email, the people said. The email marks an official acknowledgment of the timing plans, until now the subject of wide speculation.
The communication also warned that timing still depends on market conditions.
Including a "roadshow," which pitches the deal to investors, the IPO process for a deal of this size typically takes about two weeks. That means if all goes smoothly, shares would be sold and begin trading by mid-August on the New York Stock Exchange. The mid-August timing would help ensure the deal gets done before bankers and investors head out of town for late summer vacations.
Alibaba looks poised to price into an IPO market that mostly has regained its footing after a stumble in the spring. The U.S. has produced the most IPOs, raising the most money, by this point in any year since 2000, according to data provider Dealogic.
A number of other Chinese technology companies have seen their shares rise following IPOs in the U.S. this year. JD.com Inc., an online Chinese retailer, has seen its stock climb 46% since its debut in May, and Weibo Corp. , an online-messaging service akin to Twitter, is up 13% since its April offering.
Alibaba connects buyers and sellers of various goods and services across its websites and mobile apps. It is expanding fast and highly profitable, generating $3.7 billion in net income against total revenue of $8.4 billion in the fiscal year ended March 31.
The IPO timing was mentioned in a message to current investors asking them to agree to a standard "lockup" period, which would block them from selling shares for 180 days after the IPO, the people said".
