How Do You Buy Stock in Koch Industries?
Koch Industries is privately held, as of 2015, according to the company’s website. As a result, its shares are not publicly traded on any stock exchange and are not readily available for purchase. Charles Koch has stated that the company would be made public “literally over my dead body,” according to The Economist.
Koch Industries is the second largest privately held corporation in America in 2015, according to Bloomberg. Koch Industries is primarily owned by brothers Charles and David Koch, who each control 42 percent of the corporation. Another 15 percent is owned by Elaine Marshall, whose father-in-law was an investor in one of the Koch subsidiaries, according to Forbes.
During its acquisition of previously publicly traded paper and pulp producer Georgia-Pacific, Koch Industries emphasized what it believes to be the benefits of being privately held, according to records held by the Securities and Exchange Commission. These include a view that privately held companies are able to better focus their efforts on longer-term success, especially in cyclical industries. The underlying notion is that public companies can be beholden to the short-term interests of investors who are intending to quickly flip their investment for a gain, which makes ventures that are profitable but volatile.
