Today, May 18th, Facebook is going public after many months of deliberation, rumor, and speculation. The release of Facebook’s original S-1, aggressive acquisitions (Instagram), concerns over revenue, and a demand-driven expansion of their public offering have only served to fan the flames. In a filing with the SEC, Facebook has slated 421 million shares for sale, and at $38 a share (the maximum price Facebook is aiming for), the offering would raise almost $16 billion, making it the largest tech IPO in history.
Results from a survey conducted by the Rival Research Group shows that only 8% of portfolio managers and buy-side analysts expect to see Facebook valued above its offering price six months after going public. However, enthusiasm among ordinary investors for the IPO continues to propel unprecedented interest in the company, which, although just eight-years old, is projected to see a market capitalization of $100 billion.
Chitika Insights wanted to see how the fervor surrounding this IPO corresponds to Web activity – a good indicator of consumer interest rather than activity from traders in brokerages and investment firms. Specifically, the Insights team constructed a live tracker with the following indices in a line graph, to give a real-time visualization of Facebook IPO-related activity on the Web:
- Facebook’s current stock market price
- Search queries related to the Facebook IPO
The Insights team will be keeping an eye on the tracker throughout the day, pulling out the unique and interesting trends for a full roundup to be posted directly after the 4:00p.m. NASDAQ closing bell. In the meantime, check out the tracker and the accompanying methodology.
Today should be a fun, interesting day for the tech and business communities! Stay tuned!
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