Dermapharm falls sharply in Frankfurt debut
FRANKFURT, Feb 9 (Reuters) - Shares in German drugmaker Dermapharm fell sharply in their debut on the Frankfurt stock exchange on Friday, setting the tone for what could be a bumpy year for initial public offerings in Germany following turbulence in global markets.
Dermapharm, a family-owned maker of generic drugs, cosmetics, dietary products and medical devices, floated 25 percent of its stock in its IPO, valuing the company at 1.5 billion euros ($1.84 billion).
Its shares traded at 26.32 euros, 6.0 percent lower than its issue price of 28 euros, at 1359 GMT. The German DAX blue chip index was down 0.5 percent.
The 377 million euro debut, which kicks off what is expected to be more than a dozen IPOs in Germany during 2018, followed a sharp fall in U.S. and Asian markets triggered by fears of higher U.S. interest rates.
Next week, real estate developer Instone is scheduled to go public in a deal that could raise as much as 600 million euros.
Other flotations expected in the coming months include Siemens's Healthineers business, which sources have said is likely to come in March in what may be Germany's biggest IPO this year. Brake systems maker Knorr-Bremse and Deutsche Bank's asset management arm DWS are seen hot on its heels.
Ken Oliver Fritz, co-head in Germany of investment bank Lazard, said that recent market turbulence could weed out some companies that might be considering listing. He did not name the companies.
Dermapharm, founded in 1991, plans to use proceeds from its IPO to expand a manufacturing site in Brehna, Germany and set up a new plant in Neumarkt am Wallersee, Austria.
It will also partially refinance a bridge loan it obtained to help to finance its acquisition of Trommsdorff, a German maker of over-the-counter drugs.
Berenberg is acting as sole global coordinator and sole bookrunner and ODDO BHF as co-lead manager for the IPO. ($1 = 0.8157 euros) (Reporting by Maria Sheahan, Hans Seidenstuecker and Tom Sims; Editing by Jane Merriman)
