Coverage: Pinterest raises $1.4 billion in IPO

Pinterest Inc.’s initial public offering set the online scrapbook company’s valuation at $12.7 billion on Wednesday, above its expectations and a sign of strength for the tech IPO market after Lyft Inc.’s struggles.

Joshua Franklin of Reuters had the news:

Pinterest, where users save ideas for clothes, décor and recipes, is due to start trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday. Its performance will be a key test of the tech IPO market after the Nasdaq debut of ride-hailing start-up Lyft at the end of last month.

Lyft shares have dropped around 17 percent from its IPO price, raising concerns about bigger rival Uber Technologies Inc when it prices its IPO next month.

A key difference between Pinterest and Lyft however were their valuation expectations. Lyft, which lost $911 million last year, was seeking a valuation of up to $24.3 billion in its IPO, higher than the $15 billion valuation it attained in its latest private fundraising round in 2018. Pinterest lost $63 million in 2018.

Pinterest’s initial target range had set it on course to be valued below its last private fundraising valuation of $12.3 billion in 2017.

Salvador Rodriguez of CNBC reported that the price was above Pinterest’s initial range:

Pinterest, which is expected to start trading on Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange, had originally given a pricing range of $15 to $17. But investors appear to be showing an appetite for the social media company despite the challenges Lyft has faced since becoming the first consumer tech IPO of the year last month.

CNBC reported earlier on Wednesday that the company would price above the expected range. Pinterest’s revenue jumped 60% last year to $756 million, and the company moved significantly closer to profitability with a net loss of $63 million. Still, Pinterest’s IPO is below the $12 billion valuation it attained in a 2017 financing round.

Pinterest is among the first big tech IPOs of the year and is scheduled to start trading around the same time as videoconferencing company Zoom. Ride-hailing company Lyft was the first big offering to hit the market in March, but the stock has dropped 19 percent from its IPO price.

Founded in 2010 by Ben Silbermann, a former Google employee, and Evan Sharp, who was previously a designer at Facebook, Pinterest has grown to 265 million monthly users. The company burst into the mainstream in 2012 with rapid growth, but expansion has since cooled due in part to a work culture that many employees describe as slow when it comes to making decisions.