Saudi Aramco’s share sale has attracted bids worth $44.3 billion as of Friday, about 1.7 times the amount the kingdom’s government plans to raise in what is on course to be the world’s largest listing when it formally prices next week.
Subscriptions to the sale are overwhelmingly from Saudi investors and others in the region, according to the banks arranging the initial public offering, indicating a lukewarm response from international institutions that have balked at the energy giant’s valuation of $1.6 to $1.7 trillion set by the Saudi government.
The kingdom is seeking to sell 1.5% of the state-controlled company, known officially as Saudi Arabian Oil Co., and with most of the bids at the top end of the valuation the government is likely to raise $25.6 billion. That would beat out Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.’s 2014 IPO, which raised $25 billion.
The sale is a key element of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s program to open up his country to foreign investors and diversify its oil-dependent economy. The IPO is the culmination of the crown prince’s yearslong effort to sell part of Aramco after first raising the possibility of a listing in 2016. Prince Mohammed has accelerated the much-delayed listing this year, installing loyal officials who backed the share sale and marginalizing those who opposed it.
An expanded version of this story appears on WSJ.com