Tripadvisor (TRIP) confirmed Wednesday, in its first quarter earnings report, that it will not pursue a sale, sending its shares crashing 28%.
The decision comes after the company had previously established a committee and engaged an advisor to assess any potential proposals.
TRIP’s Q1 performance reflected ongoing trends from recent quarters, including robust growth at Viator, progress in strategic initiatives to boost engagement and monetization in the Brand Tripadvisor segment, and a push towards profitable growth at TheFork.
Second-quarter forecasts were impacted by challenges in SEO rankings and a shift in Easter holiday timing that pulled forward some activity into Q1.
The company remains focused “on driving profitable growth at Viator/TheFork while facing margin headwinds at Brand Tripadvisor,” analysts at Goldman Sachs commented in a note.
With the company ruling out a sale for now, analysts believe Tripadvisor “is likely to return to buying back shares under the current authorization.”
Meanwhile, analysts at D.A. Davidson downgraded the stock from Buy to Neutral following the earnings report, and cut the target price from $31 to $20.