'A common problem': Oura delays its IPO

Oura's decision to delay its IPO is a sign that the window for public markets may be narrowing as rising bond yields and high oil prices keep the market on edge.

The company announced on Tuesday that it's postponing its previously announced initial public offering on the Nasdaq (^IXIC), "despite strong demand, due to uncertainty in the IPO market."

Broader macroeconomic volatility is almost certainly a driving factor, said Avery Marquez, director of investment strategies at Renaissance Capital.

"The recent spike in yields and resumed rate hikes have put some downward pressure on growth companies, and that's a majority of the companies in the IPO market," Marquez told Yahoo Finance on Tuesday.

The postponement comes more than a week after the health-tracking ring maker said it was looking to raise $2.2 billion at the higher end by selling 50 million shares priced between $40 and $44.

"The big concern about Oura is valuation," Jay Ritter, director of the IPO Initiative at the University of Florida, told Yahoo Finance.

Ritter noted that companies based on a single product, such as GoPro ( GPRO ) and Peloton ( PTON ), performed poorly because growth stalled after their IPOs.

"A common problem is that the consumers who want to use the product are buying it, but once they have it, they don't need to periodically buy a replacement," he said. "Oura wants a value based upon assuming that high growth will continue."

Founded in Finland, Oura sells its Oura Ring 5 for between $399 and $499. Company revenue in the nine months ending June 30 was $1.2 billion, up from $697 million in the same period last year. Oura saw a net loss of $924 million.

Oura's subscription service , which costs $5.99 per month, had 5 million paid members as of June 2026. According to the company, 72% of its members are women and 27% are over age 45.

The company competes in the health-tracking wearables market with the likes of Fitbit and Apple ( AAPL ) Watch.

Oura's IPO postponement comes after reports that AI developer Anthropic is delaying its IPO, likely until after the US midterm elections. Reuters reported Monday on a leaked version of the company's IPO prospectus , which showed surging costs.

Anthropic reported a $42 billion net loss in 2025 and expects to spend $518 billion on cloud, computing, and infrastructure commitments in the coming years, according to the prospectus reviewed by Reuters.

Tech analyst Dan Ives of Yorkville said the postponements won't derail the AI trade.

"There will be some choppiness in the IPO market," Ives told Yahoo Finance.