Facebook IPO filing reportedly could come ‘as early as next week’

Facebook’s initial public offering of stock has been anticipated for months and is speculated to be worth as much as $100 billion whenever it arrives.

And right now, that’s the biggest question for the world’s largest social network — when will the IPO filing arrive?

The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed sources, reported Friday that Facebook Inc. could file for its IPO “as early as next week.” The newspaper said, “Facebook could file papers for the IPO as early as this coming Wednesday, but that timing is still being discussed, said a person familiar with the matter.”

Facebook, for its part, hasn’t said when its IPO will arrive, but the rumor mill is in high gear.

On Wednesday, multiple reports said the Menlo Park, Calif., company had temporarily suspended trading of company shares on private markets so it could tally up just how many shareholders it has — a move sometimes made ahead of an IPO.

The IPO is expected to be the largest of the year and possibly the decade, and could turn as many as 1,000 Facebook employees into millionaires. Facebook has more than 800 million users worldwide and could reach 1 billion users soon.

nathan.olivarezgiles@latimes.com