The 11 Hottest IPOs to Watch For in 2019

The market for initial public offerings (IPOs) in 2018 saw 190 companies take the plunge, raising $47 billion in collective proceeds.

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The market for initial public offerings (IPOs) in 2018 saw 190 companies take the plunge, raising $47 billion in collective proceeds. That IPO tally was higher than the 160 offerings in 2017, and far better than the 105 in 2016.

That’s the good news. The bad news is that activity came to a grinding halt in the final two months of the year. IPO pricings fell 66% after Nov. 1, throwing cold water all over the market for IPOs heading into 2019.

“The fact that the market is shaky right now, if it stays that way, we will see discounts to get deals done. It is amazing Tencent (Music) pulled off its IPO,” Kathleen Smith, principal at IPO specialist Renaissance Capital, told CNBC in mid-December. She also said the online music platform priced at the bottom of its $13-15 range, “and maybe it should have priced below its range, based on how it is trading.”

On top of that, the partial federal government shutdown could delay some of the most hotly anticipated IPOs on investors’ watch lists in 2019. That’s because many workers that review such documents haven’t been allowed back to their desks.

Despite all this, 2019 could be a big year for initial public offerings. While the total number could be down, there are some potentially explosive offerings on the horizon, and a couple of CEOs have recently affirmed that their IPOs still are on track.

Here, we look at the 11 hottest IPOs to watch for in 2019. In some cases, the companies have filed official paperwork for an offering. In others, experts are anticipating a 2019 offering based on company statements or actions.

Disclaimer

Potential valuations have been gleamed from a variety of analyst estimates and might not reflect the actual valuations of the companies discussed by the time they execute their IPOs.

Will Ashworth
Contributing Writer, Kiplinger.com

Will has written professionally for investment and finance publications in both the U.S. and Canada since 2004. A native of Toronto, Canada, his sole objective is to help people become better and more informed investors. Fascinated by how companies make money, he's a keen student of business history. Married and now living in Halifax, Nova Scotia, he's also got an interest in equity and debt crowdfunding.