Google's long-awaited initial stock sale, which appeared imminent Tuesday, has been delayed while the company awaits final approval of its paperwork by US Securities and Exchange Commission.

Regulators will make no decision Tuesday as Google had requested, said John Heine, an SEC spokesman. The Internet search company had requested that its registration statement be made effective at 4 p.m. ET.

Heine declined to provide a reason for the delay, but he said no decision would be made after the SEC's close of business, which is 5:30 p.m. ET.

Google did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

The company has updated its regulatory filings several times since first announcing its plans to go public in April. Typically, companies work closely with the SEC to ensure all paperwork is in order, making final approval a routine process.

Google had planned to close its share price-setting auction no earlier than an hour after receiving the SEC's blessings. If that had happened, winning bidders could have been notified and shares could have been traded on the Nasdaq Stock Market as early as Wednesday.

Google anticipates its 25.7 million shares will be priced between $108 and $135 each in what could be a $3 billion initial public offering, which would be a record for an Internet company. If the stock trades at the midpoint of Google's range, it would have a market capitalization of about $30 billion �� lower than Yahoo's but above General Motors.

The deal would turn Google's 30-something co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin into billionaires and create a windfall for the search company's early investors and 2,292 employees who are expected to sell at market prices shares they bought for as little as 30 cents each

Source: Agencies