Oman’s record IPO of OQ Exploration and Production disappointed on debut on Monday with shares closing 8.2% below issue.

Shares opened at OR0.375 after pricing at the top of a OR0.37–OR0.39 range in the OR748.8m (US$1.95bn) deal.

The stock fell throughout the day, reaching a low of OR0.355 and closing only slightly higher at OR0.358.

The weak debut came amid oil prices falling around 6% on Monday after Israel’s airstrike on Iran avoided hitting oil fields, reducing concerns of supply shortages.

In addition to weakening oil prices, a banker involved in OQEP highlighted the 40% retail offer as a factor with the 10% discount on pricing for retail investors meaning some were selling at a profit.

Pro rata allocations had also not helped, although the banker said they had gone to lengths to ensure investors understood what to expect when placing orders.

Across the day 272.8m shares changed hands representing 13.6% of the 2bn shares in the IPO.

HSBC, Natixis, OIB and Sohar International ran the offer.

The poor first-day performance for the country’s largest IPO is discouraging when the country’s fledgling IPO market is beginning to open up.

OQEP represented the third IPO from OQ’s stable of subsidiaries following Abraj Energy Services and OQ Gas Networks, which both traded comfortably higher on debut.

While Abraj has remained clear of its OR0.249 issue price and closed at OR0.293 on Monday, OQGN has fallen sharply in recent weeks and is down 9.2% since the start of the year at OR0.139, a fraction below IPO pricing of OR0.14.

OQ’s role in helping open Omani markets with a sequence of spin-offs has been likened to Adnoc in Abu Dhabi. The IPO of methanol subsidiary OQ Salalah is expected early next year, with Morgan Stanley rotated into the international bank slot.

Another state-backed company, Asyad Group, is planning to list Asyad Shipping with EFG Hermes and Jefferies involved.

The banker on OQEP acknowledged the debut had not been helpful but said sentiment would improve by the next listing once OQEP releases results.

“What will matter is how it trades [over the longer term],” the banker said. “If it trades well come the end of the year people will forget about any weakness on day one. It depends on the performance of the company.”

A banker away from OQEP but mandated on an upcoming Omani deal said OQEP was a concern but was mindful the deal had been affected by factors such as oil price, geopolitical tension in the region and the deal structure.

Source: IFR