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

Facebook begins trading

By
Dan Primack
Dan Primack
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Dan Primack
Dan Primack
Down Arrow Button Icon
May 18, 2012, 3:34 PM ET

FORTUNE — The moment we’ve all been waiting for is finally here: Facebook (FB) has begun trading as a public company.

The social network’s shares began trading just past 11:30 am, or about two hours after Mark Zuckerberg remotely rang the Nasdaq’s opening bell from Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park (including a delay in Nasdaq being able to post the initial pricing, causing some to suggest Facebook’s ticker symbol should be TILT).

Initial trades were for around $42.05 per share, compared to the $38 per share IPO price. That puts its current market cap at approximately $90 billion, and its fully-diluted value around $117 billion.

Expectations for where it will go for the rest of today are all over the place, with many expecting a gigantic pop reminiscent of what happened last year for LinkedIn (LNKD). In general, the consensus seems to be that Facebook shares will close out the day at around $50, although such prognostications were made before learning about the actual opening trade figures.

Update: As of 11:52pm, the shares had fallen back to $38.01 per share. Perhaps we’re seeing a replay on Zynga (ZNGA), rather than on LinkedIn.



More on Facebook:

  • Dan Primack: Facebook’s pre-IPO pricing history
  • Dan Primack The biggest Facebook winners
  • Gallery: Zuck through the years
  • Dan Primack: Facebook prices at $38
  • Helft & Hempel: Inside Facebook
  • Ryan Bradley: What I saw in Zuckerberg’s bungalow
  • Dan Primack: Stop worrying about Facebook’s insider sales
  • Cyrus Sanati: Why I’m not buying Facebook
  • Dan Primack: Facebook IPO date has tax implications
  • Miguel Helft: The man behind the Facebook IPO
About the Author
By Dan Primack
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in

housing affordability
Real EstateHousing
America’s mobile housing affordability crisis reveals a system where income determines exposure to climate disasters
By Ivis Garcia and The ConversationDecember 10, 2025
13 minutes ago
Zohran
PoliticsElections
Political communication scholar on how Zohran Mamdani hacked ‘slacktivism’ to appear on your phone, on your street and in your mind
By Stuart Soroka and The ConversationDecember 10, 2025
13 minutes ago
student
CommentaryEducation
International students skipped campus this fall — and local economies lost $1 billion because of it
By Bjorn MarkesonDecember 10, 2025
18 minutes ago
Goldman Sachs' logo seen displayed on a smartphone with an AI chip and symbol in the background.
NewslettersCFO Daily
Goldman Sachs CFO on the company’s AI reboot, talent, and growth
By Sheryl EstradaDecember 10, 2025
1 hour ago
Current price of silver as of Wednesday, December 10, 2025
Personal Financesilver
Current price of silver as of Wednesday, December 10, 2025
By Joseph HostetlerDecember 10, 2025
1 hour ago
EconomyFederal Reserve
If the Fed cuts interest rates today, it may be the last one until June 2026
By Jim EdwardsDecember 10, 2025
2 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
‘Fodder for a recession’: Top economist Mark Zandi warns about so many Americans ‘already living on the financial edge’ in a K-shaped economy 
By Eva RoytburgDecember 9, 2025
17 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
When David Ellison was 13, his billionaire father Larry bought him a plane. He competed in air shows before leaving it to become a Hollywood executive
By Dave SmithDecember 9, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Banking
Jamie Dimon taps Jeff Bezos, Michael Dell, and Ford CEO Jim Farley to advise JPMorgan's $1.5 trillion national security initiative
By Nino PaoliDecember 9, 2025
19 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Uncategorized
Transforming customer support through intelligent AI operations
By Lauren ChomiukNovember 26, 2025
14 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Even the man behind ChatGPT, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, is worried about the ‘rate of change that’s happening in the world right now’ thanks to AI
By Preston ForeDecember 9, 2025
22 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Real Estate
The 'Great Housing Reset' is coming: Income growth will outpace home-price growth in 2026, Redfin forecasts
By Nino PaoliDecember 6, 2025
4 days ago
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
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • 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
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 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.