Initial public offerings generate lots of buzz in investing circles, whether it’s from long-term investors looking to get in early on a hot stock or speculators trying to make a quick profit.
While the frequency of IPOs has been dwindling over the years — only 74 companies went public in the U.S. in 2016, the lowest total since 2009 — the largest IPO on this list occurred relatively recently, in 2014.
Here are the 10 biggest U.S. IPOs of all time, according to Renaissance Capital.
10. Telstra Corp.
Offer date: Nov. 17, 1997
Deal size: $5.6 billion
9. France Telecom
Offer date: Oct. 17, 1997
Deal size: $7.3 billion
8. Kraft Foods
Offer date: June 12, 2001
Deal size: $8.7 billion
7. AT&T Wireless Group
Offer date: April, 26, 2000
Deal size: $10.6 billion
6. Deutsche Telekom
Offer date: Nov. 17, 1996
Deal size: $13 billion
5. General Motors
Offer date: Nov. 17, 2010
Deal size: $15.8 billion
4. Facebook
Offer date: May 17, 2012
Deal size: $16 billion
3. ENEL SpA
Offer date: Nov. 1, 1999
Deal size: $16.5 billion
2. Visa
Offer date: March 18, 2008
Deal size: $17.9 billion
1. Alibaba
Offer date: Sept. 18, 2014
Deal size: $21.8 billion
