What is Absorbed?

Absorbed in the mergers and acquisitions sector means a company that has been taken over by another company. In the stock market sector, absorbed usually refers to the shares in an initial public offering (IPO) in which a company that is privately owned decides to sell a certain amount if its shares to the public and in so doing is 'listed' on a public stock exchange. If all of the shares on offer to the public are bought then the issue has been 'absorbed; is the shares are not popular enough to be absorbed by the public then the issue is said to have been 'undersubscribed' and the underwriters of the issue (usually banks) will be obliged to buy them instead to ensure that the offering firm receives all of the capital it expected from the offer. If the offering has more potential buyers than they are shares, then it is said to be 'oversubscribed'.