Facebook Down Over 53% Since IPO

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Facebook Down Over 53% Since IPO

There seems to be no respite for the investors of  Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB). The networking giant stock was down by more than 3% in early trading session to $21.01 today, continuing with a 6 percent fall to $21.71 yesterday. This all happened just in four trading sessions, following the announcement of the first earnings report by new public company.

Counting today’s fall, the social-networking giant, shares are now almost 45% below the $38 a share IPO price of May 18. However. we have noted previously, that most buy orders went in at $45 a share. Therefore the stock is down closer to 53%, in only 10 weeks of trading!

The shares are expected to fall further in coming days, to be precise on Aug. 16. On this date the IPO will complete 91 days allowing insiders, such as company officers, directors and employees, to sell 268 million shares of stock. Then again between 91 and 181 days, insiders will be able to sell an additional 137 million shares. Given its current performance, the coming days won’t be easy for the giant.

Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB)’s share performance is a perfect example of fortune reversal in a very small time. Just a few months before, individual and institutional investors were ready to pay any premium for its shares, at the time of the IPO. Now, its shares are the second-worst performer of all IPOs in the U.S., so far this year. The drastic 43 percent downfall of Facebook’s share is better than the 51 percent decline by Renewable Energy Group, which went public in January.

Other institutions adversely affected by the IPO include, UBS AG (NYSE:UBS) reported a disappointing 58% decline in quarterly profits, with 349 million franc loss ($357 million U.S.) attributed to its handling of Facebook stock at the IPO launch.

“Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) doesn’t have any friends on Wall Street or Silicon Valley,” says an analyst. “That’s a problem. Their brand has been damaged a lot.”

Just yesterday, Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) was alleged by one of its customers, a young startup company, called Limited Pressing, claiming that Facebook has been charging them for visitors that are not real. The young entrepreneurs began testing Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB)’s advertising service, in hopes of driving up revenue for their company. However, they found they could only verify about 20% of the clicks their ads were receiving.

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