Health and Healthcare

NovoCure IPO Stumbles Out of the Gate

IPO
Source: Thinkstock
NovoCure Ltd. (NASDAQ: NVCR) priced its initial public offering (IPO) of 12.5 million shares at $22 a share, sharply below the original anticipated range of $25 to $29 and even below a revised range of $23 to $24. Shares tumbled to an intra-day low Friday of $18.67, down more than 15% before staging a comeback to around $19.50. The stock opened at $20.16.

NovoCure is a commercial-stage oncology company developing a novel, proprietary therapy called TTFields for the treatment of solid tumor cancers. Joint bookrunners for the offering are JPMorgan, Deutsche Bank and Evercore Partners. Co-managers are Wells Fargo Securities, JMP Securities and Wedbush PacGrow. The underwriters have a 30-day option on an additional 1.125 million shares.

The company sold 7.5 million shares in the IPO and existing shareholders sold 5 million. NovoCure expected to receive $185.5 million in net proceeds at the midpoint of the revised range, if the underwriters took their full over-allotment options. The actual IPO price is about 6.4% below the midpoint of the revised range ($23.50). The $1.50 difference cost the company about $10.5 million, according information included in Thursday’s amended Form S-1 filing.

There were 14 health care IPOs globally in the third quarter, according to IPO ETF manager Renaissance Capital. Those IPOs raised a total of $2.1 billion, compared with a third quarter total of $5.4 billion in 2014 and a second quarter total this year of $4.9 billion. The three best performing of all 42 global IPOs in the quarter were health care companies, and two of the three worst performers were also health care companies.

In mid-afternoon trading, NovoCure’s shares traded down more than 13% at $19.07, in a first-day range of $18.67 to $20.48.

ALSO READ: 2 Deutsche Bank Health Care Focus Stocks With Big Upside Potential

Essential Tips for Investing: Sponsored

A financial advisor can help you understand the advantages and disadvantages of investment properties. Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to three financial advisors who serve your area, and you can interview your advisor matches at no cost to decide which one is right for you. If you’re ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.

Investing in real estate can diversify your portfolio. But expanding your horizons may add additional costs. If you’re an investor looking to minimize expenses, consider checking out online brokerages. They often offer low investment fees, helping you maximize your profit.

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.