This past year did not see any record-breaking IPO performances like 2014’s historic market debut of Alibaba Group Holdings Ltd. – it was the largest IPO ever – which raised $25 billion. Shares of the e-commerce giant surged to a hefty $119 per share, a 75% jump from its IPO price.

2015 IPOs were full of notable names, some of which failed and some of which succeeded. The stock of online craft retailer Etsy soared 88% on its first day of trading in mid-April. It looked like the company was set to become yet another e-commerce IPO darling that would continue to climb. Unfortunately, this was not Etsy's fate. Shares of the company are currently trading for just over $8 per share, roughly half of its IPO price of $16 per share.

A company goes public to expand its base of financiers. At the start, public exuberance may outpace reality of how quickly a business can really grow. Let’s save the discussion of the worst IPOs of 2015 for another day and examine some of the best performing initial public offerings of the year.

Aclaris Therapeutics, Inc.

The Malvern, Pennsylvania-based specialty pharmaceutical company focuses on identifying, developing and commercializing drugs to met needs in dermatology.

Aclaris Therapeutics’ IPO was on October 7th and its price per share was $11. Shares of Aclaris are currently trading for over $28 per share, which is a year-to-date increase of over 160%.

Collegium Pharmaceutical Inc.

The US-based pharmaceutical company develops and commercializes prescription and over-the-counter treatments for central nervous system, respiratory, and skin-related disorders. 

Collegium Pharmaceutical’s IPO was on May 7th and its price per share was $12. Shares of Collegium are currently trading for over $25 per share, which is a year-to-date increase of over 111%.

Seres Therapeutics, Inc.

The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company offers a microbiome therapeutics platform. It is focused on developing ecobiotic microbiome therapeutics that treat dysbiosis in the colonic microbiome.

Seres Therapeutics’ IPO was on June 26th and its price per share was $18. Shares of Seres are currently trading for over $34 per share, which is a year-to-date increase of over 94%.

Avinger

Headquartered in California, the company is engaged in designing, manufacturing and selling image-guided, catheter-based systems to treat peripheral arterial disease. The company's product consists of Lightbox imaging console, Wildcat, Kittycat, Ocelot, Ocelot PIXL, Ocelot MVRX and Juicebox.

Avinger’s IPO was on January 30th and its price per share was $13. Shares of the company are currently trading for just under $25 per share, which is a year-to-date increase of over 91%.

Shake Shack

The burger and frozen custard experts have done quite well since their offering. Shake Shack’s IPO was on January 30th and its price per share was $21. Shares of the company are currently trading for over $40 per share, which is a year-to-date increase of over 91%.

Bottom Line

The healthcare and the pharmaceutical industries dominated this year’s batch of IPOs.  Many healthcare and pharmaceutical related industries are ranked in the top 20% in our Zacks Industry Rank. Furthermore, companies in these industries are performing very well. Let’s see if this trend continues into 2016.

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