For 2000, it was the Year of the Dog for the IPO market. And, of course,
the top dog was Pets.com. In a way, the company lived in dog years. The
IPO was in February 2000. Then, in November, the company was liquidated.
Yes, for this year, it was the revenge of the Old Economy. Hey, after all,
these firms have been mostly shut-out from the IPO market. I guess it is
time for something new.
Look at Krispy Kreme Doughnuts
. Investors bought shares like consumers buy the company’s
doughnuts – that is, with a fury. The IPO is up 233%.
No question, the company has solid financials. But does it deserve a
valuation of 78 times earnings? Hmm… it may be a little too sweet.
Investors also got fat off of Sun Life Financial. The
billion-dollar insurance company traded like Net stocks once did. For the
year, the stock price has soared 180%.
However, there were high-tech companies that were able to sustain lucrative
valuations. For instance, the best IPO for the year was
Embarcadero Technologies
, which is up an impressive 320% for the year. The company is a
leading developer of technologies that help companies integrate computer
software systems.
Looking Ahead
The prospects for next year? Well, it will take time for the IPO market to
heal. Many investors got burned.
The response from Wall Street confirms this. That is, firms are starting to
lay off bankers, such as from JP Morgan/Chase and Prudential Securities.
Hopefully, they didn’t put their million dollar bonuses in IPOs.
But this does not imply that the IPO market will be a ghost town in 2001.
Rather, it will be much more selective. For example, this week,
Quantum Bridge filed
to go public. The company develops high-speed access networking solutions.
Also, expect more IPOs from traditional, Old Economy companies.
Yes, quality is back in style. And for investors that are looking for
long-term growth, this should definitely be good news.