How to Buy Stocks of Privately Owned Companies

Private or closed companies may keep a low profile, but they play a pivotal role in the United States economy. Consequently, investors consider private companies when identifying businesses in which they want to invest.

As with any investment, a rational investor will conduct some due diligence on multiple targets in terms of their current financial and operational status as well as their likely future success. In short, an investor must know a company's value and have an idea of what moves the company might make to make it even more valuable.

Once you've completed your due diligence and identified a private company in which you want to invest, you can use one of three options to purchase the private company's stock.

A private company is prohibited from selling unregistered shares in the company to the public and, in this way, the shares are said to be "restricted." In most cases, to sell its unregistered shares, federal regulations require the private company to acquire a registration exemption. But regardless of this stipulation, in some cases, it is possible to purchase private common stock whether you are a wealthy investor or an investor of average income.

A corporation that has yet to issue stock through an IPO, or initial public offering, is a private corporation. In this case, one or a small number of the company's founders hold the majority of the corporation's common stock, hence the term closely held stock. The mix of owners may also include venture capitalists or private equity firms that hold shares of common stock, preferred stock or debt in the private corporation.

Each of these private stock arrangements is allowed by the Securities and Exchange Commission regulations that also exempt that stock from public registration under certain circumstances. For instance, a person which the SEC terms a "sophisticated investor" can negotiate with the private corporation to purchase shares directly from the company. In this case, the stock purchase contract is referred to as a private placement memorandum.

In many cases, to qualify for the purchase of restricted shares of a private company's common stock, the potential investor must be an accredited investor. This means that the investor must have received an annual income of ​$200,000 or more​ in each of the two years preceding the purchase. Alternatively, the investor must have a net wealth of ​$1 million​ or more, an amount that excludes the person's primary residence.

In the case of an accredited investor, an existing private company shareholder can sell shares to that investor, but that investor can't make them available for public resale. In some cases, a registered broker-dealer acts as a go-between by identifying an owner of restricted shares of a private company who's willing to sell the shares to an interested buyer.

​Read More​: Types of Investments

In some cases, federal regulators issue a corporation a registration exemption by which the company can sell a limited number of private common shares to non-accredited investors. This option may be possible for restricted shares that comply with SEC Rule 144.

Rule 144 states that restricted shares may qualify for public resale in as little as ​six months to one year​ following the shares' issue. Consequently, following that holding period, an owner might sell the private shares publicly. Often, a broker facilitates this transaction.

​Read More:​ How to Sell Privately Held Stocks

Alternatively, non-accredited investors might purchase private common stock through a crowdfunding website. As stipulated by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, an average investor can buy private common shares using an equity crowdfunding approach. In this case, a private corporation sells its stock via a crowdfunding portal to non-accredited investors. According to the 2012 Act, a private company can raise as much as ​$2 million​ using this process.

Crowdfunding sites require all purchasers to register with the portal and read the private corporation's financial disclosures before placing a purchase order. Then, the participant's order dollar value is limited on the basis of the potential investor's income.

While a private company may keep a low profile, it may play an essential role in the United States economy. Consequently, some investors choose to acquire shares in these companies. While federal regulations place limits on the sale of closely held stock to both accredited and non-accredited buyers, a buyer can acquire shares in a private company using one of three options: make the stock purchase as an accredited investor, make the stock purchase as a non-accredited investor per Rule 144 or complete the purchase via a crowdsourcing platform per Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012.