Hoover's IPO Scorecard Reveals Relatively Flat Growth in New Offerings for Q3 2005

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. initial public offerings (IPOs) for the third quarter of 2005 held fairly steady in comparison to the prior year quarter, increasing only 2%, according to Hoover's IPO Scorecard (http://www.hoovers.com/ipo/scorecard ). Hoover's, Inc. (http://www.hoovers.com ) is a D&B company that gives its customers a competitive edge with insightful information about industries, companies and key decision makers.

In Q3 2005, 63 U.S. companies went public, raising $9.7 billion, as compared to Q3 2004 when 62 companies went public, raising $14.1 billion. Typically one of the slower months for IPOs, August ushered in 31, making it the busiest August for IPOs since 2000. One record-setting IPO in August 2005 was that of the second-largest Chinese-language Internet search engine, Baidu.com, which closed up 354% on its first day of trading. Baidu.com now ranks fourteenth for the best first-day U.S. IPO gain; the overall leader is still VA Linux Systems, which rose 627% on its first day of trading in December 1999. "A number of well-known retail companies and consumer brands went public in the third quarter, including Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, Maidenform and Diamond Foods, continuing on the momentum established in the second quarter of this year," said Rachel Brush, vice president of content for Hoover's. "And this trend for specialty retailers may continue, with the likes of J. Crew Group, Harry & David, and Crocs waiting in the wings, having filed in August for their IPOs." Findings from Hoover's IPO Scorecard for the third quarter 2005:

* Google owns some 2% of Baidu.com. Speculation that Google was

attempting to buy the Chinese company may have helped to spark

investor interest in the Baidu.com IPO.

* Ritz Interactive, Inc., and Voyager Pharmaceutical Corporation both

filed to go public in September 2005, and are planning a Google-style

Dutch auction IPO, a process that allows interested investors to

submit bids for an equal opportunity to receive an allocation of

shares.

Top Ten Best-Returning IPOs for Q3: Offer Q3 Close Return Baidu.com, Inc. $27.00 $64.02 137%

Adams Respiratory Therapeutics, Inc. $17.00 $32.29 90%

Hoku Scientific, Inc. $ 6.00 $10.70 78%

Superior Well Services, Inc. $13.00 $23.10 78%

Bronco Drilling Company, Inc. $17.00 $27.55 62%

Focus Media Holding Limited $17.00 $26.74 57%

Williams Partners L.P. $21.50 $32.51 51%

Alon USA Energy, Inc. $16.00 $24.15 51%

China Medical Technologies, Inc. $15.00 $22.01 47%

WebMD Health Holdings, Inc. $17.50 $24.65 41% Best First-Day Gain: Baidu.com 354%

Worst First-Day Drop: Avalon Pharmaceuticals -13% Hoover's provides continuously updated information on thousands of private and public companies worldwide and analyzes the IPO market daily to produce the quarterly IPO Scorecard, a regular wrap-up of IPO activity released on the IPO Central section of Hoover's. Each IPO Scorecard includes an assortment of facts selected by Hoover's editors for those following the IPO market, including the best- and worst-performing IPOs, the biggest one-day jumps and drops in the first day of trading, and a breakdown of IPOs by industry sector. About Hoover's, Inc.

Hoover's, a D&B company, gives its customers a competitive edge with insightful information about industries, companies, and key decision makers. Hoover's provides this updated information for sales, marketing, business development, and other professionals who need intelligence on U.S. and global companies, industries, and the people who lead them. This information, along with powerful tools to search, sort, download and integrate the content, is available through Hoover's (http://www.hoovers.com ), the company's premier online service. Hoover's business information is also available through corporate intranets and distribution agreements with licensees, as well as via print from Hoover's Business Press. Hoover's is headquartered in Austin, Texas. Contact: Lisa Glass

Hoover's, Inc.

512/374-4662

lglass@hoovers.com