Technology

Snap shares take another dive as investors get the first chance to cash out

The shares tumbled as much as 5.1 percent to $13.10 in New York, 23 per cent below the company’s $17 IPO price

“Sentiment around Snap remains at ghastly levels,” Brian White, an analyst at Drexel Hamilton, wrote in a note to investors this month

Mon Jul 31 2017 - 16:35

Snap Inc shares fell Monday after some inside holders got their first opportunity to sell since the March initial public offering.

The shares tumbled as much as 5.1 per cent to $13.10 in New York, 23 per cent below the company’s $17 IPO price.

Inside holders, such as executives and investors from the company’s days as a private startup, are barred from selling their shares for a certain period after the IPO. JPMorgan Chase and Co. had estimated that as many as 400 million shares could be sold in the first lockup expiration.

While some early investors are finally able to cash out on their holdings, putting more stock into the market also puts pressure on the price. Snap, the maker of the Snapchat app for sending fun, disappearing photos and videos, has already seen its value decline since the IPO. Investors have voiced concerns that Snap won't be able to grow its user base quickly enough to claim a strong position in an increasingly competitive digital advertising market, especially as Facebook Inc.'s properties copy some of Snapchat's most compelling features.

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"Sentiment around Snap remains at ghastly levels," Brian White, an analyst at Drexel Hamilton, wrote in a note to investors this month. But once all the lockups have expired, the weakened stock could be "a buying opportunity for investors that can look out twelve months," he said.

Snap reports earnings for the second time as a listed company on August 10th.

- (Bloomberg)

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