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

Trendingnow

1

Former U.S. Secret Service agent says bringing your authentic self to work stifles teamwork: 'You don’t get high performers, you get sloppiness'

2

Former VP Kamala Harris says she went through a nine-hour interview to land the job—but she couldn’t escape ‘gold medal depression’ even when she won

3

NBC’s Tom Llamas climbed from 15-year-old intern to the top anchor chair—and still isn’t satisfied: ‘If you're not growing, you're dying'

1

Former U.S. Secret Service agent says bringing your authentic self to work stifles teamwork: 'You don’t get high performers, you get sloppiness'

2

Former VP Kamala Harris says she went through a nine-hour interview to land the job—but she couldn’t escape ‘gold medal depression’ even when she won

3

NBC’s Tom Llamas climbed from 15-year-old intern to the top anchor chair—and still isn’t satisfied: ‘If you're not growing, you're dying'
FinancePinterest

The Pinterest IPO Might Have Made You Richer—Even If You Didn’t Buy the Stock Today

By
Jen Wieczner
Jen Wieczner
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Jen Wieczner
Jen Wieczner
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 18, 2019, 6:07 PM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

You didn’t necessarily need to buy stock in the Pinterest IPO to make money off the public market debut of the online scrapbooking company.

It’s often difficult for regular investors to get in on the ground floor of hot startups like Pinterest—whose stock rose more than 28% from its initial public offering price of $19, to $24.40 on its first day trading Thursday—as venture capitalists and hedge funds typically dominate private funding rounds. Yet the Pinterest IPO is an exception: One of the social media company’s largest shareholders is Fidelity, which owns Pinterest stock on behalf of many retirement savers, whether they know it or not.

Fidelity owns 7.1% of Pinterest, nearly as much as the 9.6% stake held by Andreessen Horowitz, the famed Silicon Valley VC firm, and more than the 6% owned by Valiant, one of Pinterest’s hedge fund backers. Most of Fidelity’s shares, which are now worth more than $787 million in total, are held in the Fidelity Contrafund, a mutual fund that is a popular offering in 401(k) retirement plans.

Indeed, the massive Contrafund oversees $119.3 billion in assets, of which just under half of 1% is invested in Pinterest. To put that in perspective, the fund has bet more money on Pinterest than it has on other holdings such as Twitter, Coca-Cola and Disney.

And although the IPO values Pinterest just modestly above its valuation in its most recent private funding round, Fidelity still reaped a hefty profit from the public listing. Contrafund, for example, has made a 152% return on its Pinterest investment since it began buying the shares in late 2013, according to securities filings.

A few other Fidelity funds also own smaller amounts of Pinterest stock, including the Fidelity OTC Portfolio, the Fidelity Advisor New Insights fund, and the Fidelity Series Opportunistic Insights fund.

And Pinterest isn’t the only tech IPO the funds are benefiting from this year. Fidelity funds, including all the ones mentioned here, owned shares in Lyft before the ride-hailing company went public in March; their stakes are now worth more than $1 billion combined. They also hold stock in Uber, Lyft’s larger rival that just filed for its own IPO in the coming months, as well as other highly valued private companies such as WeWork and Airbnb.

Fidelity is one of a handful of mutual fund companies that have become more active in startup investing in recent years. Those bets are now beginning to pay off for fund investors: Contrafund, for one, was up nearly 17% year to date through Wednesday—not counting Pinterest’s soaring first day—ahead of the S&P 500’s gain. For those who have a 401(k) plan with Fidelity, there’s a good chance you got a piece of the action too.

About the Author
By Jen Wieczner
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

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
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
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
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

t
InvestingElections
Meet the 2 men putting New York’s $300 billion pension fund in play for the first time in 20 years
By Nick LichtenbergJune 22, 2026
2 hours ago
Texas and Charlotte used to build huge McMansions—now they’re copying the California design tricks they once mocked
Real EstateHousing
Texas and Charlotte used to build huge McMansions—now they’re copying the California design tricks they once mocked
By Sydney LakeJune 22, 2026
2 hours ago
Reassuring dad sits with frustrated adult son
SuccessCost of living
1 in 3 young adults were still living with their parents in 2025—that’s more than the during pandemic and they’re not even unemployed
By Emma BurleighJune 22, 2026
3 hours ago
Brian Moynihan
SuccessProductivity
By 7 a.m., Bank of America’s CEO has already read 5 newspapers, his email inbox, and hit the gym—he says if you’re late to meetings, you’re ‘selfish’
By Preston ForeJune 22, 2026
3 hours ago
Americans are fleeing the U.S. at record rates—an ex-Google engineer who left India to build a $7.2 billion AI firm says they’re making a mistake
SuccessView from the C-Suite
Americans are fleeing the U.S. at record rates—an ex-Google engineer who left India to build a $7.2 billion AI firm says they’re making a mistake
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJune 22, 2026
3 hours ago
Current price of gold as of June 22, 2026
Personal Financegold prices
Current price of gold as of June 22, 2026
By Danny BakstJune 22, 2026
5 hours ago

Most Popular

Former U.S. Secret Service agent says bringing your authentic self to work stifles teamwork: 'You don’t get high performers, you get sloppiness'
Success
Former U.S. Secret Service agent says bringing your authentic self to work stifles teamwork: 'You don’t get high performers, you get sloppiness'
By Sydney LakeJune 21, 2026
1 day ago
Former VP Kamala Harris says she went through a nine-hour interview to land the job—but she couldn’t escape ‘gold medal depression’ even when she won
Success
Former VP Kamala Harris says she went through a nine-hour interview to land the job—but she couldn’t escape ‘gold medal depression’ even when she won
By Emma BurleighJune 21, 2026
1 day ago
NBC’s Tom Llamas climbed from 15-year-old intern to the top anchor chair—and still isn’t satisfied: ‘If you're not growing, you're dying'
Success
NBC’s Tom Llamas climbed from 15-year-old intern to the top anchor chair—and still isn’t satisfied: ‘If you're not growing, you're dying'
By Preston ForeJune 21, 2026
1 day ago
'I literally was crying last night because I’m nervous about what I’m going to find out': a record 51% of Americans aren't 'cost secure' on health
Health
'I literally was crying last night because I’m nervous about what I’m going to find out': a record 51% of Americans aren't 'cost secure' on health
By Ali Swenson, Amelia Thomson-Deveaux and The Associated PressJune 20, 2026
2 days ago
Tenzin Seldon: The GLP-1 boom is the biggest climate story no one is pricing in
Commentary
Tenzin Seldon: The GLP-1 boom is the biggest climate story no one is pricing in
By Tenzin SeldonJune 21, 2026
1 day ago
Ezekiel Emanuel: My father lived into his 90s. He understood something many successful men miss
Commentary
Ezekiel Emanuel: My father lived into his 90s. He understood something many successful men miss
By Ezekiel J. EmanuelJune 21, 2026
1 day 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.