As the year comes to a close, we take a look at some of the most lucrative 2014 IPOs. International markets saw $238 billion in total sales, making 2014 the strongest showing in four years. The companies featured here share a sizable chunk of that figure.
The 5 Biggest Public Offerings in 2014
5. Virgin America
After entering the market with an IPO of over $300 million in November, Richard Branson’s quirky airline has been gaining momentum ever since. Lower fuel prices and a strengthening economy have played a role in bolstering the price of stock by more than $6 per share in the span of just one month, up from the opening price of $27. The company’s stock was trading at the $43-44 range when this article went live.
4. GoPro
The camera and camera accessory company grew astronomically in the weeks following its $425 million IPO earlier this year, climbing over 100 percent of its price per share by the second week on the market. Shares have been holding strong in the mid $60s by year end, placing them at 3 times the original value.
3. King Digital Entertainment
At $500 million, the makers of the wildly popular Candy Crush game made the list of this year’s heftiest IPOs, but the market has not been as kind since. Shares dropped on the very first day of trading by nearly 16 percent from the original $22.50 and have not recovered, closing the year as they hover around $16.
King Digital Entertainment’s IPO may be wildly successul compared to that of fellow social gaming studio Zynga in 2011, the jury is still out if the company will be able to meet and beat market expectations with new hits.
2. Lending Club
The much anticipated public offering of alternative finance service provider led the pack when its IPO hit $1 billion earlier this month. Shares were up roughly 4 percent from the original $24.75 one week after.
1. Alibaba
But the record-holder for the largest IPO is Huang Zhou, China-based online retail giant Alibaba founded by Jack Ma in 1995. It is not only this year’s biggest IPO; at $25 billion, it’s the world’s largest to date.
Photo Credit: Scott Beale via Flickr
