Tripadvisor Is Still Considering ‘Strategic Alternatives’

Skift Take

Tripadvisor officials are doing their jobs in that they are trying to grow the company in the event no strategic transaction takes place. But eventually there has to be one.

Dennis Schaal

Tripadvisor didn’t repurchase any shares in the third quarter because it is considering “a variety of potential strategic alternatives.”

That was the word from Chief Financial Officer Mike Noonan, who told analysts during Tripadvisor’s third-quarter conference call that the company finished September with $11 billion in cash and cash equivalents.

The company wouldn’t provide any details on what those strategic alternatives might be, but typically they might include a sale to a private equity company or strategic buyer, selling brands, or spinning them off.

In February, Tripadvisor’s controlling shareholder, Liberty Tripadvisor, announced it received a merger proposal, and Tripadvisor formed a committee of independent directors to…