Facebook Receives Investment from Russian Firm

With the number of new Facebook users increases in the volume of data - which costs money. But now the Russian Group DST care. The value of the network in relation to sales is now much higher than that of Google.

Facebook calculated according to media for this year with 400 to 550 million U.S. dollars turnover. If we take this number times 13, you will land in the sum with which the online network is currently being evaluated. Indeed, the Russian major shareholder Digital Sky Technologies (DST) has given its stake in Facebook to 3.5 percent and per ordinary share is $ 14.77 paid. That would be Facebook, currently totaling around 6.5 billion U.S. dollars worth.

This is at first glance while being less than the grossed-up evaluation of 15 and 10 billion U.S. dollars in two earlier rounds of investment, but this is also about ordinary shares, which are rated lower than preferred shares, because although the latter have no voting rights, in a subsequent IPO, but a dividend promise.

As long as Facebook is not listed on the Stock Exchange, all such figures on the market, however, only theory. The Russian Internet company was already in May, when Facebook recently and had invested 200 million U.S. dollars. DST also announced at that time, for another 100 million U.S. dollars of common stock to buy Facebook.

This is apparently happening now, as the "New York Times" reported. Facebook is currently considered one of the "hottest" Internet companies and the potential market value of the company in anticipation of a closely watched IPO. Already in October 2007, the software group Microsoft stir when he was on 1.6 percent of Facebook preferred shares or 240 million U.S. dollars hinblätterte. That brought the online network is an impressive rating of 15 billion U.S. dollars.

Increasing data volume brings costs

Since Facebook is not listed, the company has not published the balance sheet figures. About the net result of the online network is therefore not known. The to 13-fold higher valuation than sales, however, is enormous. For comparison: The assessment of the search engine provider Google is six times according to analysts as high as the turnover. And was normal for online web-based firms to 2.2-fold higher valuation.

Facebook operates one of the largest social network sites in the world. There, users can create personal pages and communicate with each other. The last network with approximately 235 million members, is growing fast - but it also needs money, because with the many new members the cost of server administration and increase. Platforms such as Facebook, however, lacks a erlösträchtiges business. For major shareholder DST include the e-mail portal mail.ru and Friends portal odnoklassniki.ru.