IPO University

Institutional investors usually make indications of interest that are several times larger than what they really want, hoping to get a reasonable allocation. While this strategy works most of the time, sometimes the order book doesn’t build the way the lead manager hopes. At this point, the lead manager can cut the price of the offering to generate demand, cut the size of the offering, or give the institutional investors all the stock they requested. This is called "getting stuffed". Institutional investors who get stuffed usually think there is something wrong with the stock and sell, putting pressure on the stock price and confirming that the deal was a dud.