The company priced its IPO at $23 per share on Wednesday, above the expected range of $19 to $22. SmileDirectClub sold 58.5 million shares, raising $1.3 billion and valuing the online dentistry company at $8.9 billion.
The stock trades on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol SDC.
The start-up, founded in 2014, sells teeth aligners directly to consumers on its website and in its “SmileShops” starting at $1,895 for a two-year plan. Founders Alex Fenkell and Jordan Katzman want to disrupt the orthodontics industry with less expensive teeth-straightening treatments, convenience, and splashy television and social media advertisements.
The company reported $423.2 million in sales last year, a 190% increase from the $146 million it reported in 2017, according to its prospectus filed last month. It posted a net loss of $74.8 million last year, more than double the net loss of $32.78 million in 2017.
Acquiring new customers is expensive. SmileDirectClub spent $289.3 million on marketing and general expenses last year.
www.cnbc.com/2019/09/12/smiledirectclub-sdc-starts-trading-on-the-nasdaq.html