The Australian initial public offering (IPO) market is witnessing a frenzied rush by companies to go public like never before, cashing in on bullish trend. The queue of private companies seeking to get listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) is only getting longer with over 30 companies rolling out their IPO prospectus to make stock market debut this month itself.
In the first fortnight of July 2021, over 20 companies have already commenced trading on the ASX. As many as eight companies made their debut on the first two days of the month, and eleven were listed in July's first full week.
While some big IPO stocks such as PEXA, Australian Rare Earths, 29Metals, BlueBet Holdings, Silk Logistics, Charger Metals, Aerison Group have already listed on the ASX, there are over a dozen more lined up to start trading at the domestic bourse.
The surge in the IPO activity comes despite the recent drop in the average listing return by companies. The listing return is the profit generated by the company when stocks are registered at a price higher than the offer price. However, not all stocks generate a positive return on listing as it depends on the prevailing market sentiments.
The ASX IPOs delivered an average listing return of 11% in July, compared with 40% last year.
Among the listings in July so far, the highly-anticipated online property exchange PEXA Group (ASX:PXA) gained just 0.1% on market debut, despite strong fundamentals. The online property settlements firm raised AU$1.18 billion at an offer price of AU$17.13, in what is touted to be Australia’s biggest IPO so far this year.
The recent listees – logistics and freight tech firm Silk Logistics Holdings (ASX:SLH) and battery metals explorer Charger Metals (ASX:CHR) – notched decent gains on their market debut. While Silk Logistics gained 20% on its ASX listing, Charger Metals surged 15%.
Why is the Australian IPO market so hot right now?
The busy month of July is on track to register the highest number of IPOs this year. The recent surge in IPO activity is attributed to favourable market conditions, ample liquidity, and new opportunities propelled by the coronavirus pandemic. At the same time, a low interest rate also augurs well for the fundraising activities as many companies have filed IPOs to capitalise on the record low-rate environment.
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), in the July policy meeting, reaffirmed that it does not expect to start lifting cash rates until 2024 “at the earliest”. The central bank has kept the cash rate unchanged at a record low of 0.1%, despite a recovery in the economy and employment. The apex bank has reiterated its commitment to maintain highly supportive monetary conditions to support a return to full employment and inflation consistent with the target.
Upcoming ASX IPOs
If you are an IPO buff, the next two months are going to be exciting as the Australian equity market will see a surge in the IPO activity. While around 15 IPOs are in the queue for listing next fortnight, five companies are slated to join the ASX in August, as per data available on ASX. However, the number could increase depending on requisite approvals.
Here is a list of the upcoming ASX IPOs. Note that the IPO dates and prices may change, but the companies have received the nod from the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) to file their prospectus.
