CBOT Holdings, Inc. (BOT: chart), holding company for the Chicago Board of Trade, announced Tuesday the initial public offering of 3.2 million shares of common stock at a price of $54 per unit.

CBOT raised the price range of its IPO to $45-$49 a month ago. Previously estimated range was $33-$36 per share.

CBOT Holdings filed an IPO in May to sell up to $150 million in Class A common stock.

The holding company rose 49% on the first day of trading and made the fourth-best debut in 2005. Chinese search engine Baidu's (BIDU: chart) IPO was No. 1 at 354%.

CBOT was founded in 1848, and is one of the world’s leading and most liquid derivatives exchanges based on contract volume, with 15% of the global listed futures and options on futures contracts traded during 2004.

The company posted net income of approximately $42.0 million in 2004, a 37% increase from $30.7 million in 2003. Its 2004 revenues were $380.2 million, approximately equivalent to the $381.3 million recorded during 2003.

Net income for the first six months of 2005 was $39.0 million, 20% higher than net income for the first six months of 2004. This growth was primarily a result of a $34.1 million increase in revenues in the first six months of 2005, partially offset by a $19.7 million increase in operating expenses and a $7.0 million increase in income tax expense during the same period, in each case, compared to the first six months of 2004, according to the filing.

Revenues for the first six months of 2005 were $237.0 million, a 17% increase from $203.0 million in the first six months of 2004.