The biggest IPO of the year: ARM's IPO
Japanese conglomerate Softbank is taking its semiconductor company ("ARM") to IPO on Nasdaq. With a valuation of around USD 55 billion, the IPO is arguably the largest IPO in 2023 to date. As a chip manufacturer, ARM is in an exciting segment and is already one of the twenty largest semiconductor companies in the world. 14 September 2023 was long awaited by many investors. The reason was the announced IPO of chipmaker ARM, the biggest of the year so far. Japanese parent company Softbank is placing 9.4 per cent of its shares in ARM on the Nasdaq technology exchange and hopes to raise USD 8 to 10 billion from the IPO.
History of ARM
Founded 33 years ago as a joint venture between Apple, Acorn Computers and VLSI Technology (which was acquired by Philips Electronics in 1999 and spun off as NXP Semiconductors a few years later), ARM was also listed on the stock exchange (in London and on Nasdaq in the US) from 1998 to 2016 before being acquired by Softbank for USD 32 billion. A sale of ARM to Nvidia failed some time ago that would have resulted in a purchase price of $40 billion.
What exactly does ARM do?
Designing key semiconductor components and licensing the blueprints and underlying code for software-to-chip communication is part of ARM's core business. For example, thanks to its leading technology, ARM-related chips are used in many areas of daily life, such as in most smartphones or cars. ARM's customers therefore include the largest technology companies in the world: Apple, Nvidia, AMD, Intel or Samsung Electronics, to name just a few. Due to the importance of ARM's technology and some of its interconnections, many technology giants are also interested in the IPO and want to ensure further cooperation through their participation.
What are the details of the IPO?
95.5 million shares were sold at US$51 each - with an issue volume of US$4.87 billion, this equates to a valuation of US$54.5 billion. This meant that ARM was trading at around 20 times its value at the start of the IPO. Nvidia, for example, is trading at 16 times its turnover. The remaining 90 per cent of the shares remain in the hands of Softbank. In the first days after the IPO, the stock soared upwards of $60 per share.
Hävstångsprodukter på Arm Holding plc
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Conclusion
The ARM IPO is exciting for investors worldwide due to its sheer size. The semiconductor segment has gained massively in importance in recent years with the general technology boom. ARM's integration with major semiconductor companies is impressive. As expected, ARM's valuation is high for the high-tech sector. As is often the case after an IPO, the shares could develop in either direction in the coming days, which is why the leverage products offered can also be associated with a high level of risk.
Risks
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