Casper Sleep Enters the Market With a Bang Despite Pre-IPO Trepidation

Casper Sleep entered the market with a bang despite some trepidation going into the IPO.

Published February 6, 2020, 11:40am ET · 2 min read

The letters 'IPO' are formed by metallic silver 3D cubes, appearing to rise from a background surface made of numerous smaller, golden 3D cubes. The composition suggests a pixelated or digital style, with a sense of depth and a focus on the financial term 'IPO'.
The term 'IPO' rendered in 3D blocks symbolizes Latigo Biotherapeutics' successful entry into public markets, raising nearly $350 million. © TimArbaev / Getty Images

Casper Sleep Inc. (NYSE: CSPR) entered the market with a bang despite some trepidation going into the IPO. The company priced its 8.35 million shares at the low end of its expected range of $12 to $13 apiece, down notably from its previous expected price range of $17 to $19. However, the stock actually entered the market at $14.50. Casper has an overallotment option for an additional 1.253 million shares. At the $12 price, the entire offering is valued up to $115.23 million.

One of the main takeaways here is that Casper’s new price for the offering puts the company’s valuation at roughly half a billion. It doesn’t help that the company cut its valuation to get here as well. Keep in mind that it had a valuation over a billion in last year, when it was going through its funding in the private markets.

The underwriters for the offering are Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs, Jefferies, Merrill Lynch, UBS Investment Bank, Citigroup, Piper Sandler and Guggenheim Securities.

Casper sells mattresses, pillows, blankets and other sleep-related items, both online and in retail locations. The company has served 1.4 million customers in seven countries in its first five years.

It’s no secret that the “sleep economy” is growing, as consumers spend more on wellness and are becoming more aware of the importance of sleep. This has been part of a broader trend as more consumers are pursuing healthier lifestyles.

In the filing, the company detailed:

In our first five years, Casper has experienced rapid growth. We believe our consumer focus, innovative products, and multichannel go-to-market strategy differentiate us both from legacy competitors and new entrants. For the years 2018, 2017, and 2016, our net revenue was $357.9 million, $250.9 million, and $169.1 million, respectively, representing a 45.5% compound annual growth rate, or CAGR, and for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018, our net revenue was $312.3 million and $259.7 million, respectively, representing 20.3% year-over-year growth.

The company intends to use the net proceeds from this offering for working capital, to fund growth and for other general corporate purposes.

Shares of Casper were last seen up 29% at $15.50, in a range of $14.18 to $15.85 on the day thus far. About 5.5 million shares had moved as of 11:30 a.m. Eastern.


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Chris Lange

Chris Lange is a financial and geopolitical writer with more than a decade of experience covering a myriad of topics. He has published thousands of articles for 24/7 Wall St., with past coverage focused heavily on stocks, IPOs, healthcare, defense, global affairs, and technology.

His work has been quoted, or referenced by a number of outlets including Business Insider, USA Today, Yahoo Finance, MSN, The Motley Fool, and many other publications. A graduate of Southwestern University, he studied business with a focus on investments and has previous experience in banking and startups.

When not reading or writing the news, he is following his passion for Lacrosse, playing chess, or building solar projects with his dad.

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