Saudi Aramco Reaches Prince’s $2 Trillion Valuation Target in the Second Day of Trading

Saudi oil giant Aramco has achieved the target valuation goal of $2 trillion in the second day of trading. Sources indicate that shares reached Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman’s target briefly humped by 10% to 38.7 riyals but it returned to previous levels of 37 riyals as the market opened. Pundits had long since been skeptical about the feasibility of the Saudi Aramco IPO before now. Sources further indicate that about 1.5% of the total value of the state-owned oil giant was listed earlier this week on the Saudi Stock exchange (the Saudi Tadawul) in a bid to raise at least $25.6 billion which has been noted to be the largest-ever initial public offering on record by any account and shares started trading at an initial value of 32 riyals when the markets opened.

The company’s valuation rivaled other corporate giants such as Microsoft and Apple and with a valuation of $1.88 trillion, Aramco is set to become a corporate behemoth when it comes to capitalization surpassing everyone’s expectations. Aramco has been the central source of money for the Saudi Royal Family for more than 30 years now. Its listing has brought to light the concerns of the Crown Prince Mohammed Bina Salman on the future of the country after the relevance of crude oil declines in the coming years. MBS had initially indicated that he had expectations of raising as much as $100 billion from the offering.

Many analysts and skeptics have indicated that the sharp rise in the share price from 32 riyals already now shows that the stock is overheating and many have advised investors to sell off their profits for immediate gain. Investors have largely stayed away from the IPO due to the overvalued nature of the stock and this has reflected as investment flows indicate that mostly Middle Eastern investors have bought into the IPO in a seeming show of solidarity.

Aramco had initially been valued at $2 trillion by the Saudi Crown prince who is thought to be the major power behind the Saudi Throne but financial experts have reviewed this to be between $1.5 trillion and $1.7 trillion. Many pundits have long since prophesied doom for the IPO but in a serendipitous series of events, the IPO was held and it appears that Aramco will sail through.

Sources further indicate that corporate governance issues and security of facilities will be a problem that the oil giant will face down the road as the middle eastern security issues will play a major role in determining the oil trade not just on a local scale but on also an international one as well. As for the future fortune of Aramco on the stock market and its plans to list shares on other global exchanges, only time shall tell how this will play out further down the road.