I’m from South Florida, and I know that feeling you get when you walk inside a Publix supermarket. There’s just something about the ambiance, the colors, the attitude of the people – it truly is Where Shopping is a Pleasure.
Publix is so great, I’ve never seen a supermarket replicate their welcoming ambiance and warm feel (and don’t get me started on their subs!)
While I like Wholefoods, they lack the warmth of Publix.
I am a fan of Fresh Market, but the stores are missing something…maybe they are just a bit too dark?
Walmart has great prices, but the ambiance is non-existent.
Compared to these supermarkets, Publix seems to have found “the secret sauce”.
If you’re like me, you’ve probably thought about investing in Publix since it’s such a great company.
The question is…
Can you buy Publix stock and become an investor in the company?
Read on to find out.
About Publix
Publix has been around for decades. The supermarket chain was started by George W. Jenkins, as a single store in 1930. The first Publix was situated in Central Florida, just east of Tampa, and south-west of Orlando, in the city of, Winter Haven.
Today, Publix is headquartered in Lakeland Florida, which is east of Tampa.
The company has many accolades to its name.
In 2017, Publix was listed #27 by Fortune on their list of 100 Best Companies to Work For.
The supermarket chain was listed by Forbes as #7 on their list of Largest Private Companies, #38 on their list of America’s Best Employers, and #257 on their list of Best Employers for Women.
The company employs nearly 200,000 people and is the largest private company in Florida.
Publix is a large, admired, profitable corporation – but can you invest in the company?
Can you buy Publix stock?
When it comes to the public purchasing Publix stock, there is some bad news and some potentially good news…
The bad news is – Publix does not offer stock to the public, and therefore you cannot purchase stock in Publix through a stock exchange, such as the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE).
The good news is – For those nearly 200,000 employees of Publix, you can purchase Publix stock after you are employed for one year.
If you are an employee of Publix and interested in purchasing stock through your employer, you have the option of an employee stock purchase plan. For the rest of us, we either will need to go get a job at Publix or hope for an initial public offering (IPO) in the future.
Whats an employee stock purchase plan?
Many companies offer employee stock purchase plans (ESPP) as part of their employment package. For many employees, the ESPP may allow you to buy the stock at discounted prices. Or, in the case of Publix, an ESPP may allow you to purchase stock in a private company that is not publicly available.
In terms of Publix stock, there are limitations to how much stock an employee can purchase. One large factor in terms of the availability of Publix stock for an employee is the length of service working for the company, as well as the title of the position.
There are two important periods to understand if you will be participating in an ESPP:
Offering Period
The plan offering period is the time period during which payroll deductions are collected and shares are purchased. For some plans, the offering period and the purchase period have the same timeframe. Some plans may have an offering period that contains several purchase periods. For example, the offering period may be a 12-month period, containing four purchase periods of three months each.
Source: Morgan Stanley
Purchase Period
The purchase period can be part of or the same length as the plan offering period. At the end of this period, shares will be purchased using your accumulated contributions. The purchase date is usually the last day of the purchase period. Your company defines the length and dates of the purchase period, as well as the purchase date.
Source: Morgan Stanley
If you are an employee of Publix and are interested in purchasing stock, you should speak to your HR department about the exact details of the offering before you decide if it is the right choice for you.
Publix Financials
Don’t let the private company structure of Publix fool you – the company is huge.
It is listed as one of the 10 largest private companies for a reason. To give you a sense of the profitability of Publix, the corporation has revenues of more than twice Miller Coors.
Below, you will find select financial and business information for Publix:
- Publix Profit – $2.291 billion (2017)
- Publix Revenue – $34.837 billion (2017)
- Publix Assets – $18.184 billion (2017)
- Publix Retail Locations – 1,200 (2017)
- Publix Employees – 193,000 (2017)
Source: Forbes
Will Publix ever have an initial public offering (IPO)?
With any large successful private corporation, there are always advocates to go public; Publix is no different. In the past, there have been groups who have advocated the company go public, and there will likely be advocates going forward.
As of now, there is no news about a potential Publix IPO, and there is no reason to believe this will happen anytime in the near future, or if it will ever happen at all.
If Publix ever decides to go public, it would likely be to rapidly expand operations nationally, instead of focusing strictly on the East Coast. The company currently has over half of their stores located in Florida and has been expanding further and further north, with stores as far north as Virginia.
If Publix makes the strategic decision to do a rapid national expansion in the future, they will need capital to do so. That would be the time the company would likely do an initial public offering to raise capital.
As of now, there is no reason to think this will happen, and, unless you are an employee of Publix, there is no opportunity to purchase stock in the company.
Now, let’s hear from you.
Are you an employee of Publix and a stockholder? How is your experience?
Tell us in the comments below!
Photo Attribution – Brian Hart – Our New Publix
Photo Attribution – Phillip Pessar – Publix Sign
