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The Global Insight

Why the price of shares in a public limited company may fall over time?

Author

John Hall

Updated on February 27, 2026

By this we mean that share prices change because of supply and demand. If more people want to buy a stock (demand) than sell it (supply), then the price moves up. Conversely, if more people wanted to sell a stock than buy it, there would be greater supply than demand, and the price would fall.

What impact does it have on a public limited company if its share price falls rapidly?

When a stock price is falling, the company must sell more shares to raise money. If a stock price falls by a large amount, a company might be forced to borrow to raise money instead, which is usually more expensive.

Why do stocks drop after going public?

If the public thinks the IPO is overvalued and hesitates to buy it, the abundant supply of new stock and the lack of demand might cause the value of the stock to drop sharply. On the other hand, if the public is scrambling to buy a new offering, the show of demand could drive the price up significantly.

What factors affect share price?

Factors affecting share prices

  • Demand and supply. The stock market is designed to work on the age-old economic principle of demand and supply.
  • Fundamental factors. The financials of a particular company are often termed as fundamental factors.
  • Economy.
  • Government policies.
  • Political scenario.
  • Dividend declarations.
  • Conclusion.

Why is it bad if share prices fall?

The stock market is quite volatile, rise and falls in the share prices won’t affect its overall business directly. However, if there is a sustained fall in share prices, it may deter the firm from issuing more shares to raise revenue. A large fall in share prices could cause wider economic problems.

Is it good to buy stock when a company goes public?

The Benefits of Buying IPO Stock A block of common stock bought during an initial public offering has the potential to deliver huge capital gains decades down the line. Even just the annual dividend income of a highly successful company can exceed the original investment amount, given a few decades’ time.

Do stocks usually go down after IPO?

The IPO is one of the few times when the company sells shares for its own benefit. During this rare and very short event the ideal outcome after the sale is for the stock price to trade even or decline during the first days and weeks of trading.

How does share issue affect the share price?

A share issue is when a company releases new shares to the public. In other words, when it makes shares available for purchase. There is always a limited number of shares in circulation for any given company, so if lots of investors want to buy a share and the supply is low, the share price will increase.

How does a decline in share prices affect companies?

Shareholders may not have confidence in long term prospects of a company with declining stock prices. If the stock price performs badly for a prolonged period of time, shareholders may become frustrated and look for changes to be made in the management team.

Why does a public limited company take private?

There are some other legal reasons, but a PE take private is what you would normally assume. A public limited company is a business structure of choice for entrepreneurs who have everything figured out from investors to big markets and others. However, as large a public limited company can be, it has several restrictions:

How are share prices affected by supply and demand?

Supply factors that affect share prices include company share issues, share buybacks and sellers. It’s important to note that share prices will come down when supply is greater than demand, and when more investors start to sell. A share issue is when a company releases new shares to the public.