Snap pops in Wall Street debut for messaging app

Snapchat owner Snap Inc rode a wave of euphoria in its Wall Street debut today as investors sent shares of the popular messaging app soaring.
In midday trade, Snap jumped 47 per cent to USD 25.06 in its market debut after raising USD 3.4 billion, in the richest US tech company listing since Facebook in 2012.
The California startup known for its disappearing messages priced its offering Wednesday at $17 to give it a market value of USD 24 billion, which would rise even further with the jump in its share price.
Analysts have been mixed on the future of Snap, amid debate on whether it can mimic the success of Facebook or end up in the tech junkyard.

Debra Williamson of the research firm eMarketer said Snapchat inspires the same kind excitement as Facebook in its early stages.
"This is a company that is fundamentally changing communication," she said.

"This makes Snapchat as exciting a property as Facebook when it launched. And it has a lock on the youth market which is critically important for new technologies."
Snapchat has more than 158 million daily active users creating 2.5 billion "snaps" per day in 20 different languages, USD 936 million in revenues expected in 2017, and partnerships with major brands and publishers.
While most of its users are under 30, it has been gaining traction with older smartphone users as it expands its offerings of content from its media partners.

Some analysts are skeptical about Snap, however, pointing to the example of Twitter, which has seen only modest increases in its user base since its 2013 IPO, and now trades well below its offering price.
It remains unclear if Snap can expand beyond its core base of young users or how it will fare in many international markets in a competitive social media landscape.
Brian Wieser at Pivotal Research Group said Snap is massively overvalued, and set a target for the shares of USD 10 - or 40 per cent below the offering price.
"Snap is a promising early stage company with significant opportunity ahead of itself," Wieser said in a research note.

"Unfortunately, it is significantly overvalued given the likely scale of its long-term opportunity and the risks associated with executing against that opportunity.
Wieser said Snap has "an innovative, large-scale, and distinctively young-skewing platform which is establishing itself as a magnet for business unit talent and content partners alike" but that its prospects are still unproven.
He added that it's not clear if Snapchat's founders have what it takes to grow into a major force.
"Investors will also be exposed to what appears to be a sub-optimal corporate structure operated by a senior management team lacking experience transforming a successful new product into a successful company," he said.