Facebook Stock Ends Disappointing Year One; Any Shot at a Comeback?

One year ago, Facebook stock (Nasdaq: FB) made its trading debut in one of the most highly anticipated initial public offerings ever.

While it's okay to offer a congratulatory happy anniversary, it's been anything but a honeymoon for the company and investors.

Some 421 million shares were sold, raising $16 billion, giving Facebook a whopping $104 billion valuation.

Then the disastrous story began: Shares were priced at $38, opened at $40, and then, within 10 market hours after the pricing, Facebook stock flailed. Technical glitches at the Nasdaq caused a delayed open, late executions and reports, and mispriced trades.

Lawsuits are still pending.

The IPO was a costly reminder to retail investors "that the playing field is not a level one, Mercer Bullard, a securities law professor at the University of Mississippi School of Law told MarketWatch.

"Some investors got more information than others. Those that didn't, ended up perhaps buying more Facebook stock than better-informed investors left on the table," he said.

Facebook stock has yet to recover.

Four months after the fabled IPO, shares bottomed at $17.55. The stock found some stability in the mid-20s range, and currently trade around $26.40.

Now at the one-year mark, most hopes for a comeback have vanished. Will year two be even worse?

Facebook Stock Year Two

When Facebook went public, its message was "we focus on user growth and engagement and the revenue will take care of itself." 

Obviously, that hasn't been the case and Facebook is trying to get it right.

In efforts maximize profit potential from its massive user base, Facebook launched a number of initiatives since its IPO, including an e-commerce store, gift registry, pay-for-post program and Facebook Home, a software for smartphones.

However, one month into its release, Home is already labeled a failure.

Facebook stock has reflected these disappointments.

Year-to-date, the Dow is up 16.2%, the S&P 500 has added 15.7%, and the Nasdaq is better by 14.8%. Meanwhile, Facebook shares are down nearly 10%, with shares 30% less than the IPO price.

First quarter 2013 financials, released a few weeks ago, were mixed.