A Guide to Buying Blue Apron Stock

Blue Apron lovers can finally have a piece of the company that has saved them from planning many a meal.

The meal-kit company is finally going public Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange, under ticker symbol “APRN.” According to people with knowledge of the matter interviewed by the Wall Street Journal, the company has priced shares at $ 10 late Wednesday — valuing the company at about $ 1.9 billion.

That’s at the lower end of its expected range of $ 10 to $ 11 a share, suggesting institutional investors just aren’t as excited about the company as previously thought.
So should investors buy Blue Apron shares?

Some critics have voiced concerns about the company’s heavy expenses, requiring $ 94 to acquire a single customer. Yet, each customer on average orders $ 57.23 worth of food each quarter. Amazon’s $ 13.7 billion purchase of Whole Foods was also a punch in the gut, with some investors worrying that the e-commerce titan’s push into grocery could make it much harder for Blue Apron to grow. On top of it all, the company is still unprofitable.

But there’s also a more bullish case. The company’s growth has been undeniable, with its revenue surging from just $ 77.8 million in 2014 to $ 795.4 million last year. It also has room for growth. Online sales make up just 1.2% of the overall $ 781.5 billion grocery market. Between 2017 and 2020, Blue Apron expects the segment to grow by 8.5% on a compound annual basis. Moreover, the stock now looks quite a bit cheaper if reports have it right.
So what time will retail investors be able to buy shares of the company?

Eager investors who don’t think the doubters have it right should expect to see the stock trading on the exchange sometime between 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m, though the markets will open as usual at 9:30 a.m. Snap for instance began trading at 11:19 a.m. when it debuted in March.
What’s the stock price going to be?

Investors shouldn’t expected to buy shares at $ 10 a piece. That price is the one quoted to institutional investors. Rather, Blue Apron’s underwriters will spend Thursday morning pricing the company’s shares at the lowest price at which stock sellers are willing to sell, and the highest price at which buyers are willing to buy it on the public markets — which is also why it doesn’t begin trading at the market’s open. In short, no one will know until the stock begins trading Thursday.
What does each stock get you?

Class A shares each entitled to a single vote — a relatively minimal level of voting power. Most of the power lies in the hands of executives like CEO Matthew Salzberg or investors such as Bessemer Venture Partners. These existing shareholders will hold about 98.1% of the voting power.