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

Fitbit Stock Trading Below IPO Price For First Time

By
Jason Cipriani
Jason Cipriani
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Jason Cipriani
Jason Cipriani
Down Arrow Button Icon
January 11, 2016, 1:00 PM ET
Photograph by Bloomberg

Fitbit’s rough week continues as the company’s shares are now trading below its $20 IPO pricing for the first time since going public in June.

Last Tuesday, Fitbit (FIT) dropped 18% and continued to fall throughout the rest of the week.

On Monday, Fitbit shares were down 13% at one point during mid-day trading hitting an all-time low of $18.50.

The decline can be attributed to two factors: First, the announcement of Fitbit newest product, the Blaze. The Blaze is Fitbit’s answer to the Apple Watch. Only, instead of focusing on duplicating advanced features found on competing smartwatches—such as the ability to install and run third-party applications—Fitbit opted to focus on fitness.

SIGN UP: Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s daily newsletter about the business of technology.

Framing the Blaze as a fitness-focused smartwatch, the wrist-worn gadget includes all of the staples expected in a Fitbit device: sleep tracking, step counting, heart rate monitoring, and exercise tracking. To provide the watch with its smarts, Fitbit added call, text, and calendar notifications along with GPS tracking when a smartphone connection is present.

Additionally, leveraging the company’s acquisition of FitStar, the Blaze is capable of guiding users through workouts.

Fitbit’s $199 smartwatch may be priced more competitively than the starting price $350 for the Apple Watch, but it lacks features such as the ability to send text messages and emails, or store and stream music to wireless headphones. On paper, it appears the Blaze is a mediocre competitor when compared to more advanced smartwatches, but until its March release there’s no way to know just how well it will compete.

According to Fitbit CEO James Park, the Blaze was purposely designed to lack more advanced features as he claims current smartwatch offerings do too much, and end up confusing users.

WATCH: Fitbit’s Smartwatch Could Be a Total Flop

The second factor playing into Fitbit’s stock free fall is a class-action lawsuit that was filed against the company last Tuesday. The suit claims Fitbit advertised its heart rate tracking technology—called PurePulse—as an accurate method for constantly tracking heart rate, when in fact PurePulse is flawed and fails to provide consistent, accurate results.

Three complainants are cited in the suit, each one claiming Fitbit’s advertisements regarding heart rate tracking lead to their respective purchases. Shortly after, each one claims the tracker failed to prove accurate heart rate measurements.

MORE: Lawsuit Says Fitbit Fitness Trackers Are Inaccurate

Fitbit’s decline may be short lived, however, as it appears the company had an impressive holiday season. As reported by Qz, Fitbit’s iOS app quickly claimed the top spot as the number one free app in Apple’s App Store on the afternoon of Dec. 25.

The significance here is that users are required to link a Fitbit tracker to a smartphone or computer, using the company’s apps. Fitbit’s iOS app’s popularity indicates the fitness tracker was a popular gift this holiday season.

Fitbit isn’t alone in its struggles after the first week of 2016. GoPro (GPRO) and Twitter (TWTR) are also trading at all-time lows.

About the Author
By Jason Cipriani
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

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
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
Fortune Secondary Logo
  • 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 Tech

greenspan
EconomyFederal Reserve
’90s nostalgia seizes the Fed and White House as Warsh and Trump see AI as an internet-style productivity boom
By Paul Wiseman and The Associated PressMarch 2, 2026
15 minutes ago
washington
LawWashington
Washington roasted for using AI feature with heavily accented English instead of actual Spanish on state helpline
By Cedar Attanasio and The Associated PressMarch 2, 2026
43 minutes ago
Europedigital transformation
Why Europe can lead in trusted, industrialized AI
By Dave McCannMarch 2, 2026
2 hours ago
NewslettersTerm Sheet
Why Sequoia’s Alfred Lin isn’t worried about the SaaS-pocalypse
By Leo SchwartzMarch 2, 2026
3 hours ago
NewslettersFortune Tech
Making sense of the OpenAI-Anthropic-Pentagon tempest
By Alexei OreskovicMarch 2, 2026
3 hours ago
Electrician apprentices at work.
Future of WorkCareers
A dire electrician shortage is a ‘life-or-death’ threat to the AI data center boom—and an opportunity for Gen Z
By Preston ForeMarch 2, 2026
6 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
Your grandparents are the reason the U.S. isn't in a recession right now. That won't last forever
By Eleanor PringleMarch 1, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
MacKenzie Scott's close relationship with Toni Morrison long before Amazon put her on the path give more than $1 billion to HBCUs
By Sasha RogelbergMarch 1, 2026
21 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Middle East
As Iran attacks Dubai, the tax-free haven for the global elite could see 'catastrophic' fallout — 'this can also send shockwaves globally'
By Jason MaMarch 1, 2026
19 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Middle East
U.S. military gives Iran a taste of its own medicine with cheap copycat Shahed drones, while concern shifts to munitions supply in extended conflict
By Jason MaMarch 1, 2026
18 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Personal Finance
Trump's universal 401(k) architect on why lower-income people distrust retirement accounts: 'they want to know what the catch is'
By Jacqueline MunisFebruary 28, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Health
Gen Z men are eating ‘boy kibble,’ the human equivalent to dog food, to load up on protein cheaply
By Jake AngeloMarch 1, 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.