163 initial public offerings have been priced so far this year:

- 85 are currently trading up;
- 54 are down;
- 24 are trading flat with their offer price.

A total of 4 IPOs priced and 8 new filed the week of October 3rd, 2005.

There are 4 deals scheduled to price this week, hoping to raise about $770 million.

IPO PERFORMANCE

ADVANCERS

Marine transport company American Commercial Lines Inc. (ACLI: chart) priced 7.5 million shares at $21 each in an initial public offering on Thursday. A selling stockholder offered additional 750 thousand shares.

The shares were priced at the high end of an estimated range of $19-$21 per unit.

The underwriters have been granted a 30-day option to purchase up to 1.2 million aditional shares from the selling stockholder at the public offering price.

Merrill Lynch and UBS Investment Bank acted as lead managers for this offering while Credit Suisse First Boston and Deutsche Bank acted as co-managers.

The Indiana-based company transports dry and liquid cargo, such as grain, chemicals and oil, along the Gulf Coast and Mississippi River via barges. It also makes barges, towboats, and other ships.

The company gained revenue of $632 million for year 2004, and emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January 2005.

Shares of the shipping company began trading on Nasdaq on Friday and closed at $28.3 a share, up 35% from its initial public offering price.

Not alike ocean shipping carriers, which have attracted interest from investors this year because of concerns about cyclical freight rates and the potential for overcapacity, barge shipping appears to be in a period of low capacity and rising rates. Lower exports and rising steel prices contributed to a visible reduction in the domestic barge fleet in recent years.

Bank holding company Wauwatosa Holdings, Inc. (WAUW: chart) priced 8.8 million shares at $10 each on Wednesday.

The shares offered represent 30% of Wauwatosa Holdings’ outstanding common stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods conducted the offering.

The company closed at $11.45 on Friday, up 14.5% from its IPO price.

DECLINERS

StealthGas Inc. (GASS: chart), a liquefied petroleum gas products sea transportation services provider, fell almost 5% in its market debut on Thursday after its initial public offering priced toward the lower end of its estimated range.

The Greece-based company priced 8 million shares at $14.5 each. It had earlier set its planned IPO of 7.7 million shares at a range of $14-$16 per share.

Shares closed at $13.80 from an IPO price of $14.50 per share.