2001 was a year that went down in history and one that I could personally never forget.
Despite the crazy world events, some great companies still went public including ASOS, Burberry, and Weight Watchers.
Keep reading to find out which companies went public and how they’re performing today.
Major world events that happened in 2001 that affected the stock markets
September 11 Attacks on The World Trade Center: On September 11 the World Trade Center was attacked by terrorists which had a profound impact on America. Whilst there were no significant IPOs directly impacted it did shake up the financial markets.
Dot-com Bubble Burst: The dot-com bubble eventually burst in 2001, leading to a decline in stock prices and investor confidence. Several IPOs were affected, with many internet companies struggling or going bankrupt.
Enron Scandal: Enron, a major energy company, filed for bankruptcy in December 2001 after an accounting scandal. This had a significant impact on investor confidence and led to increased scrutiny of corporate accounting practices.
IPO Market Conditions: The overall IPO market in 2001 was challenging due to the dot-com bubble burst and the general economic downturn following the September 11 attacks. Investor sentiment was cautious, resulting in a decrease in IPO activity.
4 interesting companies that went public in 2001
1. Accenture
- Country: United States of America
- Stock Exchange: New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)
- Industry: Information Technology Services
- IPO Price: $14.50
- IPO Date: July 19, 2001
Even though Accenture denied my job applications three times, they’re still an incredible company. They’re a global professional services business that provides solutions in strategy, consulting, digital, technology, and operations. They help their clients improve performance and create value across their organizations.
2. Burberry
- Country: United Kingdom
- Stock Exchange: London Stock Exchange (LSE)
- Industry: Luxury Goods
Burberry is a luxury fashion house that designs, manufactures, and sells clothing, accessories, and fragrances. They were founded in 1856 and are renowned for its iconic trench coat and its signature tartan pattern. The company also offers a range of services, such as personal shopping, monogramming, and bespoke tailoring.
3. Weight Watchers International
- Country: United States of America
- Stock Exchange: NASDAQ
- Industry: Internet Retail
- IPO Date: November 15, 2001
Weight Watchers was an early innovator in the health and wellness space. They’re now a globally recognized company that provides innovative products and services to help people live healthier lives. They offer a range of products and services, including nutrition, fitness, and lifestyle programs, as well as digital tools and resources to help people reach their health and wellness goals. According to their website, their mission is to inspire healthy habits for real life, and they strive to make wellness accessible for everyone.
The 130 companies that had their IPO in 2001
| Company Name | Date Founded | Ticker Symbol | Current Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accenture LTD | 1953 | ACN | Active |
| Advisory Board Co | 1979 | ABCO | Active |
| AFC Enterprises Inc | 1992 | AFCE | Active |
| Agere Systems Inc | 1989 | AGR | Acquired by LSI Corporation. |
| Align Technology | 1997 | ALGN | Active |
| Alliance Data Systems Corp | 1983 | ADS | Active |
| Alliance Imaging Inc | 1983 | AIQ | Acquired by Radiology Partners |
| Aluminum Corp of China | 1989 | ACH | Active |
| American Pharm Partners | 1996 | APPX | Active |
| Amerigroup Corp | 1994 | AMGP | Acquired by Anthem Inc. |
| AMN Healthcare Services Inc | 1985 | AHS | Active |
| Anthem Inc | 1944 | ATH | Active |
| Aquacell Technologies Inc | 1997 | AQA | Inactive. |
| Aquila Energy | 1986 | ILA | Active |
| Aramark Worldwide Corp | 1946 | RMK | Active |
| ATP Oil & Gas Corp | 1991 | ATPG | Bankrupt |
| Bam Entertainment Inc | 1999 | BFUN | Inactive |
| Blackrock Ca Mun 2018 Term Tr | -99 | BJZ | Active |
| BlackRock CA Mun Inc Trst | -99 | BFZ | Active |
| Blackrock Core Bond Trust | -99 | BHK | Active |
| BlackRock Fl Mun Inc Trust | -99 | BBF | Active |
| BlackRock Mun 2018 Term Trust | -99 | BPK | Active |
| BlackRock Municipal Income | -99 | BFK | Active |
| BlackRock New York Municipal | -99 | BNY | Active |
| BlackRock NJ Municipal Income | -99 | BNJ | Active |
| Blackrock NY Mun 2018 Term Tr | -99 | BLJ | Active |
| Briazz Inc | 1995 | BRZZ | Inactive |
| Bruker AXS Inc | 1991 | BAXS | Active |
| Bunge Ltd | 1901 | BG | Active |
| Centene Corp | 1984 | CNTE | Active |
| CNOOC Ltd | 1982 | CEO | Active |
| Cohen & Steers Adv Inc Fund In | -99 | RLF | Active |
| Converium Holding AG | -99 | CHR | Acquired |
| Corporate High Yield Fund IV | -99 | HYW | Active |
| Corporate High Yield Fund V | -99 | HYV | Active |
| Cross Country Inc | 1991 | CCRN | Active |
| Diversified Security Solutions | 1989 | DVS | Active |
| DJ Orthopedics Inc | 1982 | DJO | Active |
| Encore Acquisition Co | 1998 | EAC | Acquired. |
| Exact Sciences Corp | 1995 | EXAS | Active |
| Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Ltd | 1970 | FPHC | Active |
| FMC Technologies Inc | 1961 | FTI | Acquired by TechnipFMC. |
| Galyans Trading Co Inc | 1946 | GLYN | Acquired by Dick’s Sporting Goods. |
| General Maritime Corp | 1997 | GMR | Active |
| Given Imaging LTD | 1998 | GIVN | Acquired by Covidien |
| Global Power Equipment Group | 1968 | GEG | Active |
| GMX Resources Inc | 1998 | GMXR | Bankrupt |
| HPL Technologies Inc | 1989 | HPLA | Active |
| Inergy, LP | 1996 | NRGY | Active |
| Instinet Group Inc | 1969 | INET | Acquired by Nomura |
| Investors Capital Holdings Ltd | 1992 | ICH | Inactive. |
| Kinder Morgan Mgmt LLC | 1986 | KMR | Active |
| KPMG Consulting | 1987 | KCIN | Active |
| Kraft Foods Inc | 1914 | KFT | Acquired by Mondelez International. |
| Lawson Software Inc | 1975 | LWSN | Acquired by Infor. |
| LogicVision Inc | 1992 | LGVN | Acquired by Mentor Graphics |
| Loudcloud Inc | 1999 | LDCL | Acquired by HP. |
| Magma Design Automation Inc | 1997 | LAVA | Acquired by Synopsys Inc. |
| Max Re Capital LTD | 1999 | MXRE | Acquired |
| MCG Capital Corp. | 1990 | MCGC | Acquired |
| Medcath Corp | 1988 | MDTH | Inactive |
| Microhelix Inc | 1997 | Inactive. | |
| Monolithic System Technology | 1991 | MOSY | Inactive |
| Multilink Technology Corp | 1994 | MLTC | Active |
| Mykrolis Corporation | 1954 | MYK | Acquired by Entegris |
| Nassda Corp | 1998 | NSDA | Acquired by Cadence Design Systems. |
| Natus Medical Inc | 1987 | BABY | Active |
| NetScreen Technologies Inc | 1997 | NSCN | Acquired by Juniper Networks. |
| Northwest Biotherapeutics Inc | 1996 | NWBT | Active |
| Nuveen Arizona Div Muni Fund | -99 | NFZ | Active |
| Nuveen Ca Div Adv Mun Fund 3 | -99 | NZH | Active |
| Nuveen California Dividend | -99 | NVX | Active |
| Nuveen CT Div Adv Muni Fund | -99 | NFC | Active |
| Nuveen Div Adv Mun Fund 3 | -99 | NZF | Active |
| Nuveen Div Adv Muni Fund 2 | -99 | NXZ | Active |
| Nuveen GA Div Adv Mun Fund | -99 | NZX | Active |
| Nuveen MASS Div Advantage Fund | -99 | NMB | Active |
| Nuveen MD Div Adv Mun Fund 2 | -99 | NZR | Active |
| Nuveen MD Div Adv Muni Fund | 1999 | NFM | Active |
| Nuveen Michigan Dividend | -99 | NZW | Active |
| Nuveen NC Div Adv Mun Fund 2 | -99 | NNO | Active |
| Nuveen NJ Div Avd Muni Fund | 1999 | NXJ | Active |
| Nuveen North Carolina | -99 | NRB | Active |
| Nuveen NY Div Adv Muni Fund 2 | -99 | NXK | Active |
| Nuveen Ohio Div Adv Muni Fund | -99 | NXI | Active |
| Nuveen Ohio Div Adv Muni Fund | -99 | NXI | Active |
| Nuveen PA Div Adv Mun Fund | -99 | NXM | Active |
| Nuveen Real Estate Income Fund | -99 | JRS | Active |
| Nuveen VA Div Adv Mun Fund 2 | -99 | NNB | Active |
| Nuveen Virginia Dividend | -99 | NGB | Active |
| Odyssey Healthcare Inc | 1995 | ODSY | Acquired |
| Odyssey Re Holdings Corp | 1991 | ORH | Active |
| Oil States International Inc | 1989 | OIS | Active |
| OmniCell Inc | 1992 | OMCL | Active |
| PDF Solutions Inc | 1991 | PDFS | Active |
| Peabody Energy Corp | 1883 | BTU | Active |
| Peet’s Coffee & Tea | 1966 | PEET | Active |
| Penn Virginia Resource Prt LP | -99 | PVR | Active |
| Phoenix Cos Inc | 1901 | PNX | Inactive |
| Pimco CA Mun Inc Fund | -99 | PCQ | Active |
| Pimco Corporate Income Fund | -99 | PCN | Active |
| Pimco Municipal Income Fund | -99 | PMF | Active |
| Pimco NY Mun Inc Fund | -99 | PNF | Active |
| Princeton Review Inc | 1981 | REVU | Active |
| Principal Financial Group Inc | 1901 | PFG | Active |
| Prudential Financial Inc | 1901 | PRU | Active |
| Reliant Resources Inc | 1996 | RRI | Acquired |
| Riverstone Networks Inc | 1995 | RSTN | Inactive |
| Seattle Genetics Inc | 1997 | SGEN | Active |
| Select Medical Corp | 1997 | SLMC | Active |
| Shamrock Logistics LP | -99 | UDLU | Active |
| Simplex Solutions Inc | 1995 | SPLX | Acquired by Cadence Design Systems Inc. |
| Smith & Wollensky Rntnt Grp | 1977 | SWRG | Active |
| Stelmar Shipping Ltd | 1992 | SJH | Inactive |
| SureBeam Corp | 1981 | SURE | Inactive |
| Taser International Inc | 1993 | TASRU | Acquired by Axon. |
| Tellium Inc | 1997 | TELM | Inactive. |
| TheraSense Inc | 1996 | THER | Acquired by Abbott. |
| Third Wave Technologies Inc | 1993 | TWTI | Acquired by Hologic Inc. |
| Torch Offshore Inc | 1978 | TORC | Inactive |
| Unilab Corp | 1988 | ULAB | Active |
| United Defense Industries Inc | 1941 | UDI | Acquired by BAE Systems. |
| United Surgical Partners Intl | 1998 | USPI | Active |
| VCA Antech Inc | 1986 | WOOF | Acquired by Mars Inc. |
| Verisity Ltd | 1995 | VRST | Acquired by Cadence Design Systems. |
| Weight Watchers International | 1974 | WTW | Active |
| Westlinks Resources Ltd | 1996 | WLKS | Inactive |
| Williams Energy Partners LP | -99 | WEG | Acquired |
| Willis Group Holdings Ltd | 1901 | WSH | Active |
| Wright Medical Group Inc | 1950 | WMGI | Acquired by Stryker |
Frequently asked questions
How many IPOs were there in 2001?
There were approximately 130 IPOs in 2001 according to Wikipedia data and Jay R. Ritter’s data from UF Warrington College of Business. However, it’s hard to find a complete list of every company that has hit the stock exchange for the first time since the global data is fragmented. Please do your own research to confirm this.
Which company that had its IPO in 2001 is currently valued the highest?
As of June 2023, Accenture has a market capitalization of $194B. Of course, this is subject to change and you should check for the latest data.
Which companies that had their IPO in 2001 are now defunct?
Zero companies have been classified as “defunct”.
