New York - In one of Wall Street's most anticipated initial public offerings in months, New York-based private equity giant Blackstone Group raised more than $4.13 billion in its IPO late Thursday, pricing more than 133 million shares at $31 each, the top end of their expected range.

It was the largest U.S. IPO since 2002 and the sixth-largest ever, valuing the firm at about $33.5 billion.

Stephen Schwarzman and Peter Peterson founded Blackstone with a $400,000 investment in 1985.

The firm owns significant stakes in companies such as Nielsen, Charter Communications, Sirius Satellite Radio, Deutsche Telekom, Columbia House and UOL.

Trading under the symbol "BX" on the New York Stock Exchange, shares of Blackstone surged more than 20% in Friday's early trading.

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