Facebook IPO 5/17

ZUCKIE PREPARES TO GO PUBLIC: Facebook is eying an IPO on May 17—depending on whether the SEC agrees that all the reams of paperwork (including those concerning its recent acquisition of Instagram) are in order, sources told TechCrunch. This is in line with an All Things D report that the tech colossus was going to hit Nasdaq during the third week of May. According to the same sources, Facebook will be valued at around $100 billion, reflecting current levels of trading in the secondary markets (and avoiding SEC scrutiny). Other reports say that the company wants to raise $10 billion at a $100 billion valuation, but TechCrunch and All Things D’s Kara Swisher are hearing that it will be less. “Investors want as high a price as possible so that the secondary market won’t look like a problem,” said one source. With 2.51 billion fully-diluted shares outstanding, the valuation desired would price the company at around $40 a share. (4/19a)