World's Most Profitable Company Lowers Valuation Ahead Of IPO

Saudi Arabian Oil Company has reduced its expected market value from $2 trillion to $1.6-1.7 trillion ahead of the initial public offering.

The state-owned oil company, better known as Saudi Aramco, said in a statement on Sunday that the base offer size of its IPO will be 1.5% of its total shares, which accounts for about 3 billion shares. Each share will be offered between at a $8-$8.53 price range.

This puts Aramco’s total market value between $1.6–$1.7 trillion, significantly lower than the $2 trillion evaluation stated in October 2018.

Why It Matters For Saudi Aramco

With the latest figures, Aramco could raise between $24 billion to $25.59 billion in the IPO. While lower than the initial expectations, it could still potentially become the largest IPO in history, beating Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.’s BABA $25 billion IPO in 2014.

The world’s most profitable company said it would announce the final IPO offer price on Dec. 5. It's expected to provide better clarity on its valuation and the amount it could end up raising in the public offering.

Aramco announced earlier this month it would list on Riyadh’s stock exchange, Tawadul, in December. The company said it had no immediate plans for an international listing.