Number Of US IPOs In Q3 2004 Increased By 165%

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Hoover's IPO Scorecard Confirms Continued Growth In New Offerings

AUSTIN, Texas - October 1, 2004 - Fifty-three U.S. companies went public in Q3 2004, raising $10.9 billion, as compared to the same quarter in 2003 when 20 companies went public, raising $3.7 billion. This represents a 165 percent increase over Q3 2003, as reported today by Hoover's IPO Scorecard (www.hoovers.com/ipo/scorecard). Hoover's, Inc. is a leading provider of business insight and publisher of Hoover's Online (www.hoovers.com).

To help stimulate market interest, many Q3 2004 IPOs priced below their estimated per share range. For example, although Motorola spinoff Freescale Semiconductor priced below expectations, its IPO raised $1.58 billion, making Freescale the fourth-largest IPO this year. The quarter also saw the long-anticipated public offering from Google Inc., which closed above the offer price on its first day of trading and continues to trade up.

"Although some were hoping the Google IPO would provide momentum for a sharp increase in new public offerings, this has not been the case," said Rachel Brush, managing editor for Hoover's. "IPO hopefuls are waiting it out until overall market conditions improve, citing concerns about high oil prices, rising interest rates, economic growth and terrorism fears in advance of the presidential election."

Statistics from Hoover's IPO Scorecard for the third quarter 2004:

• There have been 142 U.S. IPOs through the third quarter of the year - already 80% more than in all of 2003, when 79 companies went public.
• The 142 IPOs of the first three quarters of the year have raised $27.5 billion, compared to 30 IPOs through the first three quarters of 2003, which raised $6.2 billion.
• Best First-Day Gain: 51job, Inc., 50%
  Worst First-Day Drop: WPT Enterprises, Inc., -14%

Top Ten Best-Returning IPOs for Q3:

	Offer	Q3 Close	Return
Bucyrus International, Inc.	$18.00	$33.60	87%
RightNow Technologies, Inc.	$7.00	$12.53	79%
Kanbay International, Inc.	$13.00	$21.26	64%
NAVTEQ Corporation	$22.00	$35.64	62%
Greenfield Online, Inc.	$13.00	$20.31	56%
Volterra Semiconductor Corporation	$8.00	$12.43	55%
Westlake Chemical Corporation	$14.50	$22.30	54%
Google Inc.	$85.00	$129.60	52%
Cogent, Inc.	$12.00	$18.24	52%
51job, Inc.	$14.00	$20.75	48%

Hoover's provides continuously updated information about 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 Online. 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 and the biggest one-day jumps and drops in the first day of trading.

About Hoover's, Inc. - The Business Information Authority(sm)

Hoover's, Inc., a subsidiary of D&B, is a leading provider of business information. Hoover's provides authoritative, updated information for sales, marketing, business development, and other professionals who need intelligence on U.S. and global companies, industries, and the people who shape them. This information, along with powerful tools to search, sort, download and integrate the content, is available through Hoover's Online (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.

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