HCA: The Biggest PE-Backed IPO Evah, and Other Stats

By Stephen Grocer
The launch of the largest private-equity backed IPO in the U.S. history got off to a good start.  HCA went public today and hospital operator’s stock opened at $31.20 a share on the New York Stock Exchange, up 4% from the initial public offering price of $30.

– The three largest private equity-backed IPOs on record have happened this year. After HCA, Kinder Morgan raised $3.3 billion last month and Nielsen raised $1.9 billion in January, according to Dealogic.

– HCA joins General Motors as the only two IPOs to have nine bookrunners since Thomson Reuters began tracking the data in 1985.

– Goldman Sachs Group leads the year-to-date ranking of U.S. IPO underwriters by the dollar volume of deals handed with $2.7 billion, or 21.9% of the market, according to Thomson Reuters.

– Carlyle Group is behind three of the top four IPOs to date, for a combined $9.4 billion. KKR has backed two that have raised a combined $5.7 billion, according to Dealogic.

– So far this year the U.S. accounts 92% of PE-backed IPOs. It held a 51% market share through the same period last year.

– U.S. IPO activity totals $12.5 billion for the year to date, the strongest start for U.S. IPOs since 2000 and six times IPO activity last year at this time.

–Five of the top 10 U.S. IPOs this year are private-equity backed. PE-backed IPOs have raised $10.4 billion–accounting for 83% overall activity this year.

– By proceeds raised, the NYSE has claimed 94% of the U.S. market this year. By number of deals, NYSE has 11 listings, while Nasdaq has 10, according to Thomson Reuters.

Below is a list of the largest PE-backed IPOs both globally and in the U.S.