SoftBank-backed Compass raises US$450m in downsized IPO

[BENGALURU] Compass Inc, the US real estate technology firm backed by SoftBank Group, said on Wednesday it sold shares in its initial public offering at US$18 each, at the lower end of its downsized target range to raise US$450 million.

Compass had previously set a price range of US$18-US$19 per share, downsized from its prior target at US$23 to US$26.

At US$18, a fully diluted valuation, which includes securities such as options and restricted stock, would be US$9 billion, compared to US$6.4 billion in its most recent private funding round in 2019.

The IPO is a sign of investor fatigue for new stocks, with companies already raising over US$36 billion through US IPOs this quarter, up more than 360 per cent year on year, according to Refinitiv.

Intermedia Cloud Communications earlier on Wednesday said it has postponed its IPO due to challenging market conditions.

New York-based Compass was founded in 2012 by former Twitter engineer Ori Allon and former Goldman Sachs executive Robert Reffkin. It covers 46 metropolitan statistical areas in the United States and works with over 19,000 agents.

It has raised US$1.5 billion from investors including SoftBank, Goldman Sachs and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board.

Compass shares are due to begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday under the symbol "COMP". Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Barclays are the lead underwriters.

REUTERS