• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Finance

Unicorn Volatility: Fidelity Marks Up Shares of Dropbox and Snapchat

By
Dan Primack
Dan Primack
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Dan Primack
Dan Primack
Down Arrow Button Icon
November 30, 2015, 9:43 PM ET
Illustration by Jeremy Enecio for Fortune

Fidelity Investments got a lot of attention earlier this month for marking down the values of its shares in a number of well-known, privately-held startups. But even before those stories appeared, the Boston-based mutual fund manager had brightened on several of its more notable holdings, including prior markdown subjects like Dropbox and Snapchat.

Fidelity publishes monthly portfolio holding listings on a one-month lag, meaning that most of the recent articles were based on data through the end of September. On Monday, however, Fortune reviewed data through the end of October for both the $20.8 billion Fidelity Blue Chip Growth Fund and the $40 billion Fidelity Growth Company Fund.

It found that several of the more severe September markdowns had been reversed, albeit not always to the point of making Fidelity whole (on paper) for its original investment.

Mobile messaging and media company Snapchat, for example, saw Fidelity mark up the value of its Series F shares by 14.65% between the end of September and the end of October. It’s a strong bump, but still puts Fidelity in the red (again, on paper) by 14.43%. Shares in file-sharing and storage company Dropbox appreciated by 4.66% during the month, which puts them 45.8% over cost, but still nearly 16% below Fidelity’s carrying value at the end of May.

Other gainers in October included

  • Gensight Biologics: Up 61.7% for the month, 62.7% over cost.
  • Nutanix: Up 22.73% for the month, 31.84% over cost.
  • Roku (multiple share classes): Up around 34% up for the month. Series F up 67.86% over cost. Series G up 17% over cost.
  • Zenefits: Up 2.05% for the month, 46.94% below cost.

The big loser was Blue Bottle Coffee, which saw the carrying value of its Series C shares slashed by 28.7% during the month — putting it a whopping 59.6% below what Fidelity paid for the shares just over five months ago. Also taking a major hit was Delphix, a maker of big data management software that was marked down 42.93% during the month.

Fidelity does not comment on the specifics its monthly valuations, except to say that it uses an internal Fair Value Committee that determines the appropriate price for each security. The monthly reports also do not reveal share counts, so it is possible that the valuations have been affected by share sales or transfers between Fidelity funds, although such moves are rarely, if ever, executed.

Get Term Sheet, our daily newsletter on deals and deal-makers.

About the Author
By Dan Primack
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

AIFinance
Meet the CFO who turned Adobe’s finance department into an AI lab
By Sheryl EstradaMarch 22, 2026
60 minutes ago
Middle EastIran
Trump gives Iran 48 hours on Hormuz, threatens power plants
By Jennifer A. Dlouhy and BloombergMarch 21, 2026
8 hours ago
AIOpenAI
OpenAI plans to almost double its headcount this year, FT says
By Liza Tetley and BloombergMarch 21, 2026
10 hours ago
Arts & EntertainmentMusic
BTS begins comeback tour to reclaim status as one of the world’s biggest pop acts after completing Korea’s mandatory military service
By Juwon Park, Kim Tong-Hyung, Hyung-Jin Kim and The Associated PressMarch 21, 2026
10 hours ago
Middle EastIran
U.S. allows sale of stranded Iran oil to cap fuel-price rises
By Se Young Lee, Millie Munshi, Yongchang Chin and BloombergMarch 21, 2026
10 hours ago
Politicsarms, weapons, and defense
The U.S. has the world’s most advanced military, but the unforgiving economics of wars in Iran and Ukraine show quantity has a quality all its own 
By Jason MaMarch 21, 2026
11 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.