Robinhood prices IPO at $38 per share, valuing the online brokerage app at $32 billion
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- Robinhood priced its IPO at $38 per share on Wednesday, valuing the company at about $32 billion.
- The online brokerage app revealed surging growth in its S-1 filing amid the COVID-19 pandemic and government stimulus checks.
- Robinhood is set to trade on the Nasdaq under the symbol “HOOD” on Thursday.
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Robinhood priced its IPO at $38 on Wednesday, valuing the online brokerage app popular with retail investors at roughly $32 billion. The Wall Street Journal first reported the pricing.
Robinhood’s IPO pricing came it at the bottom end of the price range it had initially been targeting during its roadshow of $38 to $42 per share. Robinhood last raised $3.4 billion earlier this year, with shares trading on private secondary markets at a valuation around $40 billion.
The company has seen explosive growth amid the COVID-19 pandemic and government stimulus checks, with millions of Americans becoming first time investors in the stock market. Robinhood has more than 18 million accounts and 17.7 million active monthly users.
While the brokerage firm is not yet profitable, the company saw revenue grow 245% to nearly $1 billion in 2020. That revenue growth accelerated in the first quarter of 2021, surging 309% to $522 million, according to its S-1 filed with the SEC last month.
Much of that growth is coming from options and crypto trading, two highly speculative areas of markets than often lead to either big losses or massive fortunes.
Unique to Robinhood’s IPO is the company’s decision to allocate up to 35% of its IPO shares to users of its app. Retail investors are often restricted from investing in IPOs at the pricing afforded to institutional investors.
While Robinhood’s IPO represents a big milestone for the company, there is still a long way to go before co-founders Vlad Tenev and Baiju Bhatt can cash in on their hefty compensation awards. Both founders will be awarded $1.4 billion if Robinhood’s stock price reaches $101.50 by 2025.
Robinhood is set to trade on the Nasdaq under the symbol “HOOD” beginning on Thursday.
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