Yahoo Urged to Cut Costs, Narrow Focus by Activist Investment Firm

Advertisement
By Agence France-Presse | Updated: 10 March 2015 10:03 IST
Activist investment firm Starboard Value urged Yahoo on Monday to make "aggressive" cost cuts and narrow its focus to deliver more value to shareholders.

In a letter to Yahoo's board and chief executive Marissa Mayer, Starboard said the spinoff of Yahoo's stake in Chinese Internet giant Alibaba was "a good first step" but that more is needed to "unlock" value for shareholders.

The letter from Starboard's managing member Jeffrey Smith said Yahoo "remains deeply undervalued" but that urgent action is needed to shore up the core business of the Internet pioneer.

Advertisement

Yahoo in January announced a plan to create a new unit that would allow it to spin off its Alibaba holdings estimated at $40 billion at the time in a tax-free transaction.

This deal suggested Yahoo's core business excluding its stake in Yahoo Japan was worth little or nothing, based on its share value.

Advertisement

But Starboard says the value Yahoo's core business could be boosted by some $11 billion (roughly Rs. 69,109 crores) by taking certain steps.

The investment group called for "a tax-free spin-off of the Yahoo Japan stake in a separate entity" and other measures.

Advertisement

The letter said Yahoo should end some of its less profitable endeavors and focus on more promising areas.

"We believe the time has come for Yahoo's management and board to narrow Yahoo's focus to areas where it can demonstrate a high return on investment and sustainable competitive advantages," the letter said.

Advertisement

"We believe Yahoo's inability to identify significant cost reduction opportunities has been due to Yahoo's current desire to aggressively invest in product areas or other initiatives where Yahoo, in our view, has a low probability of ultimate success."

Other gains could come from licensing some of its patents, or selling some real estate holdings, the letter said.

Smith said Yahoo should return more of the cash from its Alibaba stake to shareholders.

"In our view, shareholders remain extremely concerned about the possible uses of Yahoo's current $5.4 billion (roughly Rs. 33,926 crores) in net cash," he wrote.

He said there is "no reason for Yahoo to continue to hold over $5 billion (roughly Rs. 31,413 crores) in net cash."

Yahoo has been undergoing a major reorganization since Mayer took the helm in 2012.

Shares in Yahoo fell one percent Monday to $42.98.

 

Get your daily dose of tech news, reviews, and insights, in under 80 characters on Gadgets 360 Turbo. Connect with fellow tech lovers on our Forum. Follow us on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News for instant updates. Catch all the action on our YouTube channel.

Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Best Water-Resistant Smartphones You Can Buy in India
  2. How to Watch the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final Live Stream in India
  3. Airtel Unlimited 5G Data Subscribers Reportedly Cannot Share 5G Data via Mobile Hotspot
  4. Pixel 11a Codename Appears in Google's Phone App: Report
  5. Galaxy Unpacked Roundup: Here's Everything We Know So Far
  1. Redmi Note 17 Pro Global Variant Reportedly Appears on NBD Database Alongside Poco Model
  2. Google Pixel 11a Codename Reportedly Spotted in Phone App
  3. Huawei Mate XT 2 Leaked Patent Reveals New Tri-Fold Design and Folding Mechanism
  4. Airtel Unlimited 5G Data Subscribers Reportedly Cannot Share 5G Data via Mobile Hotspot: Here's What We Know So Far
  5. Lenovo Legion C700 Teased as a Cloud Gaming Handheld Ahead of August Launch
  6. Marvel's Wolverine Gets New Trailer That Will Play Ahead of Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey in Select Theatres
  7. Airtel Quietly Removes Rs. 549 Individual Postpaid Plan in India; Rs. 699 Plan Becomes Next Upgrade
  8. Poco M8 Power, Poco X8 India Launch Timeline Tipped; Could Arrive as Rebranded Redmi Note 17 Series
  9. Samsung Galaxy S25 Series Could Get Galaxy S26’s Horizontal Lock Camera Feature With One UI 9 Update
  10. Asus Pad India Launch Date Announced as Company Reveals Key Specifications
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2026. All rights reserved.