The coronavirus pandemic took over the world in 2020, but the year will also go down as one of the best performing years for initial public offerings, with over 200 hundred companies going public - the most since 2014. Among some of the biggest 2020 IPOs were Airbnb (ABNB), DoorDash (DASH), and Snowflake (SNOW).
The momentum is expected to continue in 2021 as more big-name companies prepare for their trading debuts:
Roblox (RBLX) is an online gaming platform that allows users to create and publish their own video games. The company was expected to debut in December but decided to delay its IPO.
Affirm (AFRM) was another company that was widely expected to make its debut in December but pushed it until at least January 2021. Affirm, which was co-founded by Max Levchin, a co-founder of PayPal (PYPL), lets consumers pay for goods in installments.
Coinbase (COIN) is the largest U.S. cryptocurrency exchange and has confidentially submitted a draft registration statement on Form S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Its IPO is expected to come in February 2021.
PetCo (WOOF), the pet retail giant, is set to go public in 2021. The company has gone public three times since its founding - in 1994, 2000 and again in 2002. COVID-19 has helped boost sales in 2020 amid a jump in pet ownership.
Blackstone (BX) backed Bumble is also expected to debut in 2021. The social networking app offers three experiences to users: Bumble Date - a Tinder-esque dating app; BFF mode - for people to search for friends; and Bumble Bizz - a network system similar to Microsoft's (MSFT) LindkedIn.
Southeastern Grocers (SEGR) operates 420 supermarkets under the Winn-Dixie, Harveys and Fresco y Mas names. The company, which emerged from bankrupcty in May 2018, is seeking to IPO in 2021 and could raise as much as $500M.
WHAT'S NOTABLE: MKM Partners analyst Rohit Kulkarni told investors in a research note this week that the 2021 IPO outlook "feels bright." The analyst noted that there has been a growing backlog and pipeline of "unicorns." CBInsights tracks more than 500 technology, media and telecommunications, or "TMT," companies valued at $1B or higher, and this list has continued to grow. Furthermore, he pointed out that during 2020, there were more than 230 SPAC offerings, which raised about $72B in funding. He expects SPACs to be active again next year as they seek acquisition targets, leading to an accelerated pathway to public markets.
"Opening Day" is The Fly's recurring series of stories on the latest initial public offerings, their performance, analyst commentary and upcoming IPOs.
Airbnb
-1.58 (-1.07%)
DoorDash
+2.6 (+1.86%)
Snowflake
-19.76 (-6.57%)
Roblox
+ (+0.00%)
Affirm
+ (+0.00%)
Coinbase
+ (+0.00%)
Petco
+ (+0.00%)
Blackstone
+0.01 (+0.02%)
Microsoft
+0.49 (+0.22%)