Initial public offerings, more commonly known as IPOs, provide investors with the opportunity to purchase shares at a discount when they are first released on the stock market. While some share prices have decreased in value after being initially released to the public, many have soared above the prices that they were initially sold for. When a company decides to go public, they are allowing investors to buy portions of their company in order to fund future operations. Many companies have made history due to the massive successes that their IPOs have had. These are among some of the best performing IPOs in history.
Mastercard
Mastercard became a publicly traded company in 2006. Many investors passed up on the opportunity to invest in the shares offered by Mastercard due to the prosperity of banking stocks. Since its IPO event, Mastercard’s stock price has skyrocketed. Even during the market crash in 2008, the price of Mastercard’s shares was nearly double its initial offering price. To date, the price of Mastercard’s shares is over ten times greater than the 2006 stock price.
Alphabet
Alphabet is Google’s parent company. Google went public in 2004 and sold shares using popular mathematical numbers, such as the numbers involved with pi. Stocks in Alphabet have climbed immensely in value since their debut in 2004.
The IPO of Facebook was long anticipated prior to its event in 2012. The company, as it always has, faced a lot of criticism from financial analysts and investors who wanted to see more from the company and its culture. Facebook acquired Instagram one month before it went public. Facebook shares were released for $42 per share at the opening of their IPO day. Shares in Facebook are currently worth over $150 per share.
Goldman Sachs
Goldman Sachs is one of the largest investment banks in the United States. The banking firm went public in 1999 and initially offered shares at $53 per share. Within the first day of trading publicly, the shares of Goldman Sachs rose over 33% in value. The firm has experienced a positive incline since its initial debut on the stock market in 1999.