There’s no discounted coupon on Groupon’s initial public offering, which is set to debut on the market Friday.
This IPO has drawn national attention, as it will be the first daily deals website to go public.
Its success or failure will pave the way for other daily deal websites such as Zynga, which is planning to go public later this month.
The impact could reach even further and determine whether or not social media giant Facebook will ever consider going public.
Groupon is expecting to price its IPO at $1 to $2 above its current range of $16 to $18 per share.
Groupon, which will be traded on the Nasdaq stock exchange with the ticker GRPN, is expected to release 30 million shares to trade Friday.
When considering a possible increase to $19 per share, Groupon is valued at $12 billion.
If it goes for $20 per share, it would top out its IPO at $12.7 billion.
“I’ve followed this IPO process pretty closely, and though I don’t have much experience, I’d bet that it goes for $19 per share,” Matt Bryson, SMU junior, said. “This is a company that has a lot going for it, and I feel like investors are going to want to have a decent stake in the company.”
Much of the hype that has been centered around Groupon’s IPO comes not only from it being the first daily deals website to go public but because of its deception.
The company did not follow standard regulation processes for the cost of marketing and acquiring new subscribers when it first filed for an IPO in early June.
However, after much criticism and scrutiny, Groupon corrected the error and applied again in August.
Only this time, they were not finished.
Groupon had further corrections, which led the company to finally set the record straight by the beginning of September.
This may come across as seemingly irrelevant for SMU students, considering many students may not be aware of or care about such investment opportunities.
What students should know is there is an opportunity here on-campus to learn how to invest and trade stocks.
The Kitt Investing and Trading Center, which opened in the lower level of the Cox School of Business on Sept. 28, allows students the opportunity to learn practical finance and investment applications.
According to an SMU press release, “The Center hosts a 1,200-square-foot LED stock ticker, three video walls, 22 high-end work stations and 10 Bloomberg Professional terminals with state-of-the-art data feeds and financial software.”
Jessica Cole, an SMU senior, feels honored to have access to such equipment.
“I’m excited to have the opportunity to have such high-tech equipment here at SMU that will be available to students who want to learn more about the investing and trading process,” she said.
