By Louis Bedigian

Updated: 10:12 a.m. ET

Facebook (FB) was bracing for a sell-off Wednesday when another share lockup expires. The stock closed down 1% on Tuesday as investors prepared for the worst. Instead, shares of the social network zoomed nearly 10% higher in early morning trade.

Brian Wieser, an analyst with Pivotal Research Group, told the Financial Post that the expiration could lead to a "near-doubling of the float of freely trading shares."

More than 1.3 billion shares were available on Tuesday. Nearly 800 million additional shares are scheduled to be added Wednesday -- more than any other period in the company's public history.

"We believe only a portion of newly free shares will be sold in the near-term," Wieser added.

But a "portion" could still amount to a significant loss. When the last lockup expired, Facebook dropped 5%, as TechCrunch reported.

Facebook currently trades near $20. If the stock matched the previous 5% decline Wednesday, it would have dropped below $19. Instead, it is trading at $21.75.

This day has terrified numerous investors. They couldn't decide whether they should sell or hold on to the stock for a little longer. After all, Facebook is now the proud social network with one billion members worldwide. If Facebook ever figures out how to properly monetize each of those users, the company could become one of the most profitable enterprises in the world.

Current shareholders would hate to miss out on that. But they may have been too scared to hold on to their investment. (This is why experts say that investors should not let their emotions control or influence their decisions.)

Whatever happens, Wieser is not too worried. "To the extent volumes do turn out to be heavy, downward pressure on the stock should be limited," he said, adding that "demand from institutional investors is likely to emerge if selling proved heavy at depressed prices." He believes that eager investors are "likely" to hold off until the stock trades at a more reasonable price.

"If significant selling did occur, institutional investors who have otherwise been sitting on the sidelines would initiate positions," he concluded. It seems Wieser was right.

On October 23, shares of Facebook rose significantly after the company reported its third-quarter results. The company continued to rise the next day, gaining 20%.

Wedbush Securities (which maintained its "buy" rating and $35 price target) was among the firms to praise Facebook's results. Stifel Nicolaus upgraded the stock from "hold" to "buy," while Jefferies raised its price target on Facebook stock from $30 to $32.

More from Benzinga

• More than 40% of Consumers Have "No Need" for Best Buy
• Scott Forstall and Steven Sinofsky's Next Job
• Nintendo Wii U Sales to Exceed Predecessor