Palo Alto Networks Inc., an Internet security company, and Kayak Software Corp., an online travel site, both scheduled initial public offerings for this month, a sign the market is recovering from a monthlong drought following Facebook Inc’s disappointing debut.
Palo Alto Networks is seeking to raise as much as $229 million, according to a regulatory filing Monday. Kayak aims to raise as much as $87.5 million in its IPO, according to a separate filing. Both IPOs are set to price July 19, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
The offerings follow the June IPO of ServiceNow Inc., the first technology company Morgan Stanley took public since Facebook Inc.’s share sale, which froze the U.S. market for more than a month. While ServiceNow surged 37 percent in its debut, Palo Alto will face investors who are more skeptical of IPO promises, said Richard Williams, an analyst for Cross Research in Livingston, New Jersey.
Even as ServiceNow’s first-day jump “allayed some fears that the IPO market was dead,” Williams said, the Facebook fallout “definitely is going to generate a lot more caution and intensity, and these will be important deals not to screw up.”
IPOs globally raised $41.3 billion in the three months ended June 30, 34 percent less than in the same period a year ago, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. At least 50 companies shelved sales as Europe’s debt crisis spread, growth prospects slowed in China and Facebook’s stock sank as much as 32 percent after the IPO.
ServiceNow IPO
ServiceNow raised $210 million on June 28, pricing the shares above the planned range. New York-based Morgan Stanley, which led ServiceNow’s share sale, is on track to be the top underwriter for technology and global IPOs, according to Bloomberg data.
Palo Alto Networks said it plans to offer 4.7 million shares for $34 to $37 each, according to a filing, while its shareholders are offering 1.5 million. The company will list under the symbol PANW on the New York Stock Exchange. Morgan Stanley is leading the offering along with Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Citigroup Inc.
Nir Zuk co-founded Palo Alto Networks in 2005. Its firewalls give companies customized control over what their employees can access through the Internet, with products installed at more than 5,300 companies, according to its website.
In its filing Monday, Norwalk, Connecticut-based Kayak said it plans to sell 3.5 million shares for $22 to $25 each. The stock will trade under the ticker KYAK on the Nasdaq Stock Market.
Kayak, which first filed to go public in November 2010, delayed its IPO roadshow in late May after Facebook shares plunged 27 percent in their first two weeks of trading, a person familiar with the situation said at the time.
Kayak was founded in 2004 by Daniel Stephen Hafner, the chief executive officer, and Paul English, the chief technology officer. They hold a combined 16 percent of the company’s voting power. The biggest backers are General Catalyst Partners, Sequoia Capital, Accel Partners and Oak Investment Partners.
Morgan Stanley and Deutsche Bank AG are leading the offering.
Separately, Fender Musical Instruments Corp., the largest seller of guitars in the U.S., filed to raise as much as $160.7 million in an IPO to expand overseas.
The company is offering 7.14 million shares at $13 to $15 each, according to a regulatory filing today. Fender, based in Scottsdale, Arizona, estimates net proceeds to be about $88.2 million and didn’t disclose a date for the IPO.
Fender Stratocaster
Fender, which traces its roots to 1946, makes the Stratocaster, or “Strat,” one of the most popular electric guitars and models inspired by musicians such as Eric Clapton and John Mayer. The company, which increased sales 13 percent to $700.6 million last year, sees growth coming from emerging markets such as China and India as guitar-based music becomes more popular in those nations.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. and William Blair & Co. will lead the IPO.
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