(Sept 15): Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. plans to boost the price of its initial public offering amid strong investor demand, people with knowledge of the matter said, potentially making it the biggest in history.
China’s biggest e-commerce company plans to increase the top end of a marketed range for the sale to above $70, from $60 to $66 previously, the people said, asking not to be identified discussing private information. At $70, Alibaba’s sale would raise $22.4 billion, surpassing Agricultural Bank of China Ltd.’s $22.1 billion offering in 2010 as the biggest ever.
Alibaba’s decision came even as billionaire founder Jack Ma told prospective investors today at Hong Kong’s Ritz-Carlton hotel he won’t price the IPO too aggressively, according to two people who attended the meeting. Ma said the company tried to fairly price the November 2007 sale of its business-to-business marketplace Alibaba.com Ltd., which almost tripled on its Hong Kong debut, the people said.
“There was so much demand in the first two days, it’s reasonable to raise the price range slightly,” said Li Muzhi, a Hong Kong-based analyst at Arete Research Service LLP. ’’ The company might want to not be too aggressive on pricing so it can still have some upside after the listing.’’
The company is embarking on the second week of its global tour to meet with investors in Asia and Europe as it seeks to convince funds to buy into its offering. Alibaba had already received enough interest for its deal that it plans to stop taking orders for the sale early, people with knowledge of the matter said last week.
Smoked Salmon
Alibaba and its advisers sifted through the orders over the last few days and determined that there was enough demand at the high end of the range that they could raise it, the people said today. They plan to announce the new price range as early as today, they said.
Florence Shih, a Hong Kong-based spokeswoman for Alibaba, declined to comment.
Over a lunch today of smoked salmon, breaded chicken and mango pudding, Ma fielded investor questions on the company’s partnership structure, management philosophy and how it will maintain profit margins amid rising competition, people who attended the meeting said.
Alibaba aims to be a global company and plans to expand its business in Europe, the U.S. and Asia, Ma told reporters before the investor luncheon.
Conservative Valuation
The company is seeking to list after valuations for technology shares rose to a 4 1/2-year high, data compiled by Bloomberg show. The Nasdaq Composite Index climbed to the highest since March 2000 on Sept. 2, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index hit a fresh record three days later and a gauge of Chinese stocks in the U.S. traded near a three-year high.
At the original range, Alibaba’s market value was as high as $162.7 billion, which was conservative relative to peers. At the top end, the company was asking for about 29 times three analysts’ estimates for earnings in the year through March 2015, data compiled by Bloomberg show. Chinese Internet peers Baidu Inc. and Tencent Holdings Ltd. trade at about 35 times estimates of this year’s earnings. A similar valuation would imply a price of nearly $80 a share for Alibaba. Amazon.com Inc. fetches closer to 136 times forecast 2014 earnings.
For U.S.-based investors, final orders will need to be in by 4 p.m. on Sept. 16, while Alibaba will stop taking orders in Asia and Europe during their respective afternoons on Sept. 17, people said last week. Alibaba still plans to set a final price for the shares on Sept. 18, with trading to begin the next day, one of the people said.
Credit Suisse Group AG, Deutsche Bank AG, Goldman Sachs Group Inc., JPMorgan Chase & Co., Morgan Stanley and Citigroup Inc. are managing the offering. Rothschild is serving as an independent IPO adviser to Alibaba. The company plans to list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange.