• Reddit’s valuation reached up to $6.4 billion in IPO, which engaged many people.
  • Hopes raised for a revival of IPOs have been dashed by the poor performance of several companies’ initial public offerings. While Reddit’s outstanding performance made people hopeful again.

Reddit is aiming for a valuation of up to $6.4 billion in its U.S. initial public offering (IPO). This has major implications for the U.S. stock market.

The first show of Reddit in the IPO is remarkable

Reddit’s valuation is reportedly to reach up to $6.4 billion in its US initial public offering, said on Monday. For this, Reddit has become the most remarkable stock market debut in recent years.

Right now, the company and some of its existing investors aim to sell about 22 million shares, in price between $31 and $34 each, to raise $748 million.

Reddit has begun preparations to go public for more than two years, so the IPO will be the major litmus test of investor appetite for new listings.

Since the IPO market recovery has been uneven so far this year, the targeted valuation, on a fully diluted basis, is less than the $10 billion Reddit valued after fundraising in 2021.

Also read: Reddit Pro launch provides AI insights, publishing and ad engagement features

The company deserves the high valuation out of its stable development

Reddit was launched in 2005 and later became one of the cornerstones of social media culture. It gained its position with the appearance of an alien with an orange background as its iconic logo. It is one of the most remarkable and recognized symbols on the internet. According to co-founder Steve Huffman, there are 100,000 online forums, dubbed “subreddits”, that allow conversations on topics ranging from “the sublime to the ridiculous, the trivial to the existential.”

The company’s most influential communities are famous for the “meme-stock” saga of 2021 when several retail investors collaborated on Reddit’s “wallstreetbets” forum to buy shares of highly shorted companies such as video game retailer GameStop. This event torpedoed hedge funds that had bet against those stocks and made retail traders a force that could not be neglected.

To tap into the retail base, Reddit has reserved 8% of the total shares on offer for eligible users and moderators on its platform, certain board members, and friends and family members of its employees and directors.

Such buyers will not be under a lock-up period and could choose to sell their shares on the first day of trading, potentially increasing the price volatility.

Recently, Reddit launched free new tools through Reddit Pro. It provides AI-power insights to help businesses enhance their presence, which gained positive responses during its testing stage. Continuous technological innovation will also attract more investors, creating a virtuous circle.

Reddit is going to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange

“This is a unique IPO and what happens with it is going to be partly driven by the buzz on the platform,” said Reena Aggarwal, director of the Georgetown University Psaros Center for Financial Markets and Policy.

Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan, and Bank of America Securities are the lead underwriters for the offering. Reddit expects to list on the New York Stock Exchange under “RDDT.”