What are some of the companies that had their IPO in 2004? Public offerings are another form of equity financing, except that in this case, the company is selling shares to the public directly rather than through a venture capitalist or other private-sector investor. The public offerings of some companies we all know have helped spawn industries and make billionaires out of founders and early investors. When you’re just starting out, it can be hard to know what companies are good bets. These IPOs can often generate a lot of wealth for investors. Here are 8 companies that had their IPO in 2004 and are publicly traded today.
8 Companies That Had Their IPO in 2004
The first IPO of 2004 was Google. It was a huge success, and it was also the first tech company to go public since the dotcom crash back in 2000. The company raised $1.67 billion in its IPO, which made its founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin into multi-billionaires overnight. It’s hard to believe that it’s been over 13 years since Google went public. Here are some other companies that had their initial public offerings (IPOs) in 2004:
1. Google LLC.
Google LLC is an American multinational mainstream technology with an emphasis on electronic devices, cloud services, software applications, quantum entanglement, e-commerce, and search powertrains. It is arguably the “most dominant firm in the world” and one of the most important brands in the world because of its market position, data gathering, and available technology in the artificial intelligence space. Along with Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Meta, and Apple, it is one of the Big Five American IT firms.
Google went public on August 19, 2004, through an initial public offering. Larry Page, Sergey Brin, and Eric Schmidt made a deal at that time to collaborate at Google for 20 years, or until the year 2024. 19,605,052 stocks were available for a price of $85 each. A system created by the underwriters for the acquisition, Morgan Stanley and Credit Suisse, allowed for the online auction-style sale of shares. Google’s market valuation increased to more than $23 billion after the selling of $1.67 billion.
2. Domino’s Pizza, Inc.
Russell Weiner serves as the CEO of Domino’s Pizza, Inc., operating a business as Domino’s, a worldwide American chain of pizza restaurants. The Domino’s Farms Office Park in Ann Arbor, Michigan serves as the corporate headquarters of the Delaware-domiciled company. Domino’s had about 15,000 locations as of 2018, with 5,649 of those being in the US, 1,500 in India, and 1,249 in the UK. Domino’s has locations across 5,701 cities and 83 countries. 2018 saw the induction of Domino’s Pizza into the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame.
In 2004, Domino’s started trading common shares on the New York Stock Exchange under the trade name “DPZ” after 44 years as a privately held business.
3. Blue Nile (company)
In 1995, Seattle-based Williams & Son Inc.’s Doug Williams launched an internet diamond store that would eventually become the forerunner of Blue Nile. Vadon funded $6 million in 1999 to buy 85% of the business and upgrade the website. In November 1999, the company changed its name to Blue Nile. The business added an additional $44 million during the following year.
Bessemer Venture Partners and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers were among the investors. On May 18, 2004, Blue Nile raised $76 million with their IPO. The IPO was handled by Merrill Lynch & Co., Bear Stearns Cos., and Thomas Weisel Partners LLC for a combined $5.4 million in management fees. The stock of Blue Nile Inc.’s initial public offering increased 39% on the first day of trading to close at $28.40.
4. Monolithic Power Systems, Inc.
The Kirkland, Washington-based Monolithic Power Systems, Inc. is a publicly traded American business. It runs in more than 15 different countries throughout the world.
For systems used in cloud computing, telecom infrastructures, consumer applications, industrial applications, automobiles, and Monolithic Power Systems (MPS) offers power circuits.
After that, the business expanded into DC/DC products. Hsing floated the business in an initial public offering in November 2004. Since that time, the business has expanded to include six product lines and more than 1,000 goods.
5. BlueLinx Holdings
In the US, BlueLinx Holdings is a leading distributor of construction and industrial goods. Dwight A. Gibson is the organization’s president, CEO, and director, with its main offices in Atlanta, Georgia.
Georgia-Pacific Corporation’s marketing branch first had only 13 warehouses utilized to store and ship Georgia-Pacific plywood back in 1954.
Over the course of the following 40 years, the business expanded to over 130 warehouses across the country, offering a variety of products. In order to improve efficiency and productivity, the division integrated its warehouses in 1994 and built two sizable sales and operations centers in Denver, Colorado, and Atlanta, Georgia. On December 14, 2004, BlueLinx successfully concluded its initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange.
6. CBRE Group, Inc.
CBRE Group, Inc. is a commercial property management services and investment company based in the United States. Coldwell Banker Richard Ellis or CBRE is the biggest commercial real estate services and investment company in the world.
The business has been a part of the Fortune 500 each year since 2008. Currently, it is 122nd on the list. More than 90 of the top 100 businesses on the Fortune 100 are served by CBRE. Along with Cushman & Wakefield, JLL, and Colliers, it is one of the “Big Four” firms that provide services for commercial real estate. Through an IPO, CB Richard Ellis re-entered the public market on June 10th, 2004. Shares of the business were included in the S&P 500 Index in 2006.
7. WellCare Health Plans, Inc.
As a Medicare supplier for the State of Florida, WellCare launched its operations in 1985 in Tampa, Florida. Physician and entrepreneur Kiran Patel in 1992 bought the business. Patel sold it to a New York investment team managed by Todd Farha and George Soros in 2002. Todd Farha became the company’s CEO in 2002 as well.
Through an initial public offering, it went public in 2004. Following the passage of the Medicare Prescription Medication, Improvement, and Modernization Act in 2003, WellCare started selling Medicare Advantage plans with prescription medication coverage in 2006.
8. Qualcomm Atheros
The company Qualcomm Atheros creates semiconductor materials for communication systems, especially wireless chipsets. T-Span Systems was established in 1998 by data analysis and VLSI design specialists from Stanford University, the University of California, Berkeley, and the private sector. The business changed its name to Atheros Communications in 2000, and in February 2004 it completed its first public offering. It now trades on the NASDAQ under the ticker ATHR.
It was revealed on January 5, 2011, that Qualcomm had consented to acquire the business for US$3.7 billion. Atheros was becoming a Qualcomm subsidiary on May 24, 2011, when the acquisition was finalized, and it now goes by the moniker Qualcomm Atheros.
Final Words
In 2004, the IPO market exploded. Despite accounting for only a quarter of the companies that went public that year, IPOs generated over two-thirds of all IPO dollars in 2004. The majority of the companies came from sectors like technology, but some surprising players appeared on the scene as well.
