
Facebook could be planning to launch its initial public offering (IPO) this May, according to a report from All Things Digital. The social network is looking to go public in late spring – likely during the third week of May, according to unnamed sources.
It has long been known that Facebook was planning an IPO. In November, the company was said to have been targeting the second quarter of 2012 for its stock offering.
An IPO from Facebook would be the largest from a technology company in recent years, with recent valuations of the company reaching as high as $100 billion.
Rob Enderle, founder and principal analyst for the Enderle Group, told V3 that a Facebook IPO would also help to shape the future of the industry, as many company’s will base their own IPO decisions on the outcome of a Facebook offering.
“This will be a huge bellwether. If it goes well, it will likely result in a wave of IPOs and could, in and of itself, signal a major market recovery,” Enderle said. “If it fails, the opposite would also be true.”
Facebook’s anticipated IPO comes in the wake of a number of public offerings from web firms. Last year, social networking site LinkedIn saw its share price double within minutes of trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
Music streaming service Pandora Media’s IPO also proved popular, though economic worries later caused the company’s stock price to cool. And Russian search engine Yandex also went public.
This article was originally published on V3.
Related reading
Facebook is expanding into Search Ads. What will this mean?
Facebook has decided to test Search Ads in selected industries in the US and Canada. What does this experiment mean for the search advertising industry?
Top social media trends for 2019
Key social media trends to consider for a successful marketing strategy in 2019. More focus on ROI, new tech, and trust between brand and customers.
What people search for: Tools for trends
Seven of the top tools available to help you discover what people search for online: the most popular topics, keywords, and trending stories.