The IPO market needs the winds of a bull market at its back to flourish. That’s exactly what’s happening. Two of the three major stock market indexes closed on Friday, June 20, at record highs. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended at 16,947.08 and the S&P 500 Index at 1,962.87. The NASDAQ Composite Index finished at a 14-year high at 4,368.04. The last time the NASDAQ closed higher was – you guessed it – during the insanity-dot-com Internet bubble when it ended at 4,446.20 on April 7, 2000.
This year’s IPO market, including last week’s pricings and this week’s calendar, can be split into the “haves” and “have-nots.”
For the year to date: 131 IPOs have been priced; 84 were winners and 47 were losers. Last week: 11 IPOs were priced; six were winners and five were losers. This tells you that not everything is a slam dunk in the 2014 IPO market. It sets the stage for this week’s calendar of 17 IPOs. It, too, has a few “haves.” And the rest? Well, time will tell.
A Handful of “Haves”
Let’s look at five deals that some think could be the “haves.”
GoPro (GPRO – proposed) is a San Mateo, California-based manufacturer of high-definition personal wearable cameras used in action video photography. The cameras are lightweight, rugged, wearable or mountable in unusual places, enabling users to capture, manage, share and enjoy experiences such as rock climbing, surfing and biking. (For more information, please click here: GoPro)
Imprivata (IMPR – proposed) is a Lexington Massachusetts-based provider of authentication and access management technology solutions for the healthcare industry. The company makes the OneSign Platform for securing employee access to desktops, networks and applications. Imprivata services over 1,250 clients and offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, Belgium, and Germany. The OneSign Platform can be installed on every workstation and other application access points throughout a healthcare organization. It becomes a part of the customer’s security and access infrastructure. (For more information, please click here: Imprivata)
Materialise NV (MTLS – proposed) is a Belgium-based provider of additive manufacturing software known as 3D printing. The company supplies customers in a variety of industries, such as healthcare, automotive, aerospace, art and design, consumer products, financial services, government verticals, the energy/utilities, retail and telecommunications industries. (For more information, please click here: Materialise NV)
Michaels Companies (MIK – proposed) is an Irving, Texas-based arts and crafts specialty retailer providing materials, project ideas and education for creative activities. Michaels is a mecca for teachers and do-it-yourself brides. The company operates four regional processing centers in California, Texas, North Carolina and Ontario. It has about 1,260 stores. (For more information, please click here: The Michaels Companies)
Xunlei Limited (XNET – proposed) believes it is the 12th-largest Internet company in China. The company delivers digital media content, such as video, music and games to over 300 million monthly unique visitors. Xunlei operates a powerful Internet platform based on cloud computing to let users access, manage, and consume digital media content. (For more information, please click here: Xunlei Limited)
Of course, there are other interesting IPOs on this week’s calendar. A couple of those names could emerge on somebody’s “most wanted” list as the week progresses.
Looking into the week of June 30, the calendar has only one IPO as it cruises into the July 4th holiday break.
Stay tuned.
Disclosure: Neither the author nor anyone else on the IPOScoop.com staff has a position in any stocks mentioned, nor do we trade or invest in IPOs. The author and IPOScoop.com staff do not issue advice, recommendations or opinions.