IPO Fever has not really caught on in a major way yet in 2012.  The Facebook halo-effect did bring a pop and private equity firms are still seeming to hold up.  We already picked out the Top 17 IPOs to Watch in 2012 but we wanted to feature fairly recent IPOs which are up 50% or more from their pricing.

We have covered shares of Michael Kors Holdings Limted (NYSE: KORS); InvenSense Inc. (NASDAQ: INVN); IMPERVA Inc. (NYSE: IMPV); Clovis Oncology Inc. (NASDAQ: CLVS); Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE: GWRE); Mattress Firm Holding Corporation (NASDAQ: MFRM); Jive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: JIVE); and Laredo Petroleum Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: LPI).

Remember, of all IPO’s it is the ones that lead which end up becoming some of the great performers down the road and which make acquisitions.

Michael Kors Holdings Limited (NYSE: KORS) is the king of the pack right with gains of nearly 150% for those who were given shares at the IPO and held them.  After a $17.00 price for the high-end apparel designer, shares are up over 140% at $2.08 and there has been plenty of after-market opportunity even though this one has not traded at its IPO listing price ever.  The post-IPO range is $23.51 to $44.97.

InvenSense Inc. (NASDAQ: INVN) came public in November at $7.50 per share and the post-IPO range is $8.25 to $19.34.  Shares are currently up 130% at $17.28.  The company makes gyroscopes for motion processing solutions in consumer electronics.

IMPERVA Inc. (NYSE: IMPV) is into data security solutions over high value business data and investors bought the story.  At $33.53, this one is up about 87% from the $18.00 IPO.  Even though shares have a $22.00 to $35.59 post-IPO range since the November sale, investors have still had plenty of opportunity to clean up here.

Clovis Oncology Inc. (NASDAQ: CLVS) has surged from its $13.00 IPO in November and it was briefly a broken IPO under the price with a post-IPO range of $11.45 to $27.29.  The anti-cancer pharmaceutical drug hopeful is up over 77% at $23.00 even after a near-3% drop today.

Guidewire Software, Inc. (NYSE: GWRE) is into system software to the property and casualty (P&C) insurance sector. something which might have been overlooked by many.  It priced in January and the $13.00 IPO has traded in a range of $16.45 to $23.38 since then.

Mattress Firm Holding Corporation (NASDAQ: MFRM) has done very well as a bedding retailer that went public in November.  Many bed buyers are not exactly going to go online to guess how a mattress feels is the logic here.  The industry also has a very fragmented model with very few players having much market share.  At $31.92, this one is up almost 70% from its $19.00 IPO and the post-IPO range has been $21.03 to $34.30.

Jive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: JIVE) has flourished since the social networking platform for enterprises came public in December at $12.00 per share.  “Thankyou Facebook!” is what the company is likely saying.  Shares are up about 66% at $19.81 and the post-IPO range is $14.18 to $21.09.

Laredo Petroleum Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: LPI) is one of the few successful oil and gas IPOs after many were stinkers.  It came public in December and is up 57% at $26.64 from its $17.00 IPO price and its post-IPO range is $17.25 to $26.77.

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JON C. OGG

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