Fanatics Stock Investors are Rooting for an IPO

Explore ways to buy Fanatics stock as the IPO approaches. Linqto removes barriers to private markets and gives you access to invest in pre-IPO companies. Fanatics is currently available. The minimum investment is $5,000. 

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Notable Fanatics News

09/25/2024: Fanatics Explores Tender at $25 Billion Valuation
01/10/2024: LeBron James signs trading card deal with Fanatics
07/13/2023: Fanatics to launch live events business
05/14/2023: Fanatics to buy PointsBet’s U.S. assets for $150M
Older news…

About Fanatics

Fanatics is an eCommerce business selling licensed sports apparel, equipment, and trading cards through its website and Walmart.com. The company has secured licensing agreements with most of North America’s professional sports leagues and many top global sports brands worldwide. 

Michael Rubin, Fanatics’ founder, previously founded Global Sports Incorporated (later changing its name to GSI Commerce) in 1998 with funding secured from Softbank. He sold GSI Commerce to eBay in 2011 for $2.4 billion.

He later bought back the eCommerce business, which included exclusive licensing relationships, and changed the brand name to Fanatics. 

Fanatics has raised several private funding rounds from investors, including the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), the National Basketball Association (NBA), and Major League Soccer (MLS). The company often pairs substantial equity partnerships with exclusive licensing.

The strategy has powered Fanatics to significant pre-IPO valuations over the past five years. 

Rubin is also a co-owner of the Philadelphia 76ers and the New Jersey Devils. But as of June 2022, he is looking to divest those assets to allow Fanatics to enter the sports betting market.

Fanatics is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, with offices in New York, Manchester, U.K., and Boulder, Colorado. 

Ownership

Fanatics is a venture-backed private company. Its investors include the founders, employees, venture capital firms, sports leagues, and professional athletes. 

The company has conducted funding rounds, often pairing ownership stakes with exclusive licensing partnerships with sports leagues. 

Fanatics has raised more than $4.7 billion in equity financing to fuel expansion.

Prominent venture capital investors include SoftBank, Fidelity, Andreessen Horowitz, Blackstone, Thrive Capital, Franklin Templeton, Neuberger Berman, Alibaba, Silver Lake, Insight Partners, and Temasek Holdings. 

Other well-known investors include Michael Dell, Peyton Manning, Jay-Z, the NFL, MLB, MLS, the NBA, the MLB Players Association, and the NFL Players Association.

IPO Potential

The Fanatics IPO date is currently unknown. 

The December 2022 funding round raises the stakes as the company entered the online gambling market in 2023. Early investors may look for more liquidity after watching the company’s value rise to $31 billion.

Fanatics has not yet filed for an IPO with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). 

CEO Michael Rubin said on CNBC in March 2021:

I think going public is an option for us that we talk about a lot, but it’s not something we’re focused on today. We’re focused on building a business. But I think we’re well-financed and have a lot of growth capital to continue to grow.

CNBC reported in April 2022 that a source told them “the company doesn’t plan to go public this year”. This is likely due to unfavorable market conditions. CNBC also reported in December 2022 that CEO Rubin met with more than 90 Wall Street analysts to discuss growth plans. 

However, Fanatics has a highly-distributed investor base and significant private valuation, making it a likely IPO candidate within the next 6-24 months.

But private investors will eventually run out of patience and want to liquidate their investments via an IPO. 

We won’t get a better sense of when the Fanatics IPO will be until we learn of the hiring of an underwriter, an S-1 filing (public or confidential), or an IPO date range that reaches the press. 

Valuation

The last confirmed Fanatics valuation was $31 billion based on the December 2022 funding round led by Clearlake Capital. The company raised $700 million in the deal. 

That followed an April 2022 raise of $1.5 billion at a $27 billion valuation.

Pre-IPO transaction data from Hiive and Caplight suggests the valuation is estimated to be in the $16-$20 valuation range, below the $31 billion level as of Q3 2024. 

A September 2024 Bloomberg report revealed the company seeks to complete a tender offer for employee liquidity at a $25 billion valuation.

How to Invest in Fanatics Stock

Since Fanatics is not a public company, it is more challenging (but not impossible) to become an equity owner today.

However, you can take action to improve your chances of early equity ownership or acquire shares in the IPO. 

Otherwise, you’ll need to be patient for shares to begin trading after the IPO.

1. Buy Fanatics on pre-IPO investing platforms

Monitor availability of Fanatics shares on pre-IPO platforms such as Linqto, Equitybee, EquityZen, Hiive, and Forge Global. P=

If shares become available, expect to pay at least a $5,000 investment minimum. It’s free to sign up for access and alerts. 

As companies mature, gain more shareholders, and delay their IPO due to macro conditions, more equity holders may seek liquidation before the IPO. 

Non-accredited investors can monitor the Fundrise Innovation ($10 minimum) for pre-IPO investment opportunities. Fanatics is not currently available in the fund.  

Please note: This is a testimonial in partnership with Fundrise and Linqto. We earn a commission from partner links on AccessIPOs.com. All opinions are my own.

2. Buy during the Fanatics stock IPO through a participating broker

Savvy IPO investors may find opportunities to invest during the IPO. That means acquiring shares at the IPO price the night before the company begins trading.

Once reserved for Wall Street’s wealthiest customers, IPO access has become more attainable to retail investors in the past five years. 

Online brokers such as the following give customers free access to IPOs, even with low account balances. 

• TradeStation 
  
• Robinhood

Brokers often negotiate exclusive IPO share allocations to retail investors. Your access to specific high-demand IPOs may be limited by how many brokerage accounts you have and what broker gets exclusive access. 

TradeStation has a longer track record of accessing more than 360 IPOs and secondary offerings via its partnership with ClickIPO. 

Robinhood has the advantage of Silicon Valley networks and a history of getting allocations for high-profile IPOs.

Check out this list of best brokers for IPO investing to learn more about IPO access for retail investors.

3. Buy Fanatics stock after the Fanatics IPO

Though waiting for the IPO requires patience, there are advantages to waiting for the stock to become publicly traded before owning. 

First of all, the IPO allows investors to review financials. Pre-IPO investing has limited financials available. 

Second, IPO stock prices typically rise with high-demand companies. You can benefit if you’re in early and sell when the price overheats.

Many IPOs start with an immediate price increase (“the pop”). Then the stock falls once quarterly earnings reports become available.

In 2021, both Rivian and Robinhood became high-flying IPO stocks. But six months after the IPO, both stocks were more than 80% below their price peak. 

The stock price declines after the IPOs could become excellent entry points if you were not allocated IPO shares. 

Avoid buying overvalued shares immediately after the IPO. Shares often fall after the IPO due to lockup expirations and quarterly earnings disappointments. 

However, the most disruptive companies will be higher in a decade. Patience pays. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is Fanatics Publicly Traded?

No. Fanatics is not publicly traded. It is a private company. 

What is the Fanatics Stock Symbol?

Fanatics is still a private company, so there is no Fanatics stock symbol yet. 

Here are a few Fanatics ticker suggestions that are available in the U.S.: 

• FANS
• FNS

What is the Fanatics Stock Price?

There is no public Fanatics stock price yet. 

Private stock price information is becoming more available and reliable based on pre-IPO marketplace data and other sources. 

Early 2024 transactions on the Hiive pre-IPO marketplace and other data sources suggest the stock price is trading below its December 2022 private stock price of $76 per share. 

Can You Buy Fanatics Pre-IPO?

Yes. The author has seen evidence of Fanatics stock availability on prominent pre-IPO investing platforms based in the U.S.

For direct stock ownership, the SEC requires pre-IPO investors to be accredited, meaning a net worth above $1 million (not including primary residence) or an income above $200,000 (or $300,000 with a spouse).

Check out our list of top pre-IPO investing platforms for current share availability. 

Where can I find the Fanatics IPO S-1 Filing?

Fanatics has not yet submitted an S-1 filing to the SEC. When the company does, we’ll share it here. 

In the meantime, you can check out the most recent S-1 filings in our S-1 filings feed. 

Fanatics News Archive

04/27/2023: Fanatics Bets on Its Fans to Win Sports-Gambling Race
04/27/2023: Fanatics moves one step closer to IPO with new hire
03/21/2023: Fanatics to become NHL’s official uniform supplier
01/04/2023: Fanatics is divesting its 60% stake in Candy Digital (NFTs)
12/06/2022: Fanatics Hits $31 Billion Valuation in Latest Funding Round
10/18/2022: Fanatics Hires Finance Chief for Its Sports-Betting Division
07/13/2022: Nike and Fanatics partner to manufacture NCAA fan apparel
06/23/2022: Fanatics is in talks to buy sports betting company Tipico
06/22/2022: Fanatics CEO selling ownership stake in 76ers, NJ Devils
04/11/2022: Fanatics wants to be a $100 billion company 
04/07/2022: NFL Reportedly Invests $320M Into Fanatics’ Latest Round
01/03/2022: Fanatics to buy iconic trading-card company Topps
03/02/2022: Fanatics hits $27 billion valuation
08/10/2021: Fanatics now valued at $18 billion with new investors (Jay-Z)
03/24/2021: Fanatics valuation doubles to $12.8 billion after a new round
12/07/2020: Fanatics acquires WinCraft, a company that makes sports-themed merchandise
08/13/2020: Web Retailer Fanatics Raises $350 Million Amid Rebound in IPO Market ($6.2 billion valuation)
08/08/2017: Sports e-commerce firm Fanatics closes $1 billion funding round led by SoftBank ($4.5 billion)

Conclusion

Investors get excited when they identify companies riding extraordinary macroeconomic trends such as sports media, sports equipment makers, and apparel. This can lead us to private companies positioning to profit from massive opportunities. 

However, buying the stock early on can often prove difficult for retail investors. 

Though pre-IPO investing platforms have opened more opportunities, private equity investing is still primarily reserved for the ultra-wealthy, requiring millions to invest in seed and early funding rounds for disruptive companies. 

So if you pursue IPO shares and early equity, maintain reasonable expectations. However, if you identify several favorite IPO companies, you may eventually be able to invest in some of your target companies.

If Fanatics stock is on your radar, good luck. Invest in pre-IPO and IPO companies with caution.

* Disclosure: The web page contains affiliate links from our partners as indicated in bold text. If a reader opens and funds an account via links in this article, we may be compensated at no additional cost to the reader. Opening an account with a broker that provides access to IPOs does not guarantee the customer allocations of specific IPOs. The author is long HOOD, BEN, and the Fundrise Innovation Fund.