N.J.s only IPOs of year launch in same week

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NULLTwo New Jersey companies have launched initial public offerings, raising $2 billion and becoming the first firms in the state to go public in 2009.

Jersey City-based Verisk Analytics Inc. went public Oct. 7, raising $1.9 billion. The company, which provides risk assessment services to insurance, health care, mortgage lending, and other industries, trades on the Nasdaq Global Select Market.

Mistras Group Inc., a Princeton Junction company that provides technology-based asset inspection and other services to oil and gas and other industries, raised about $108.8 million when it debuted Oct. 8 on the New York Stock Exchange.

In 2008, two New Jersey companies raised $1.4 billion, said Renaissance Capital LLC, a Greenwich, Conn.-based research and investment management services company.

The weak market has discouraged IPOs across the nation, said David Menlow, president of the Millburn research firm IPO Financial Network.

A reporter’s phone calls for comment from Mistras was not returned; a Verisk representative said no one was available to comment.