The Montreal fintech’s stock was down more than 16 per cent Thursday afternoon after it announced it will buy back US$400 million worth of shares and focus on a turnaround plan that includes staying as a publicly traded company, following a strategic review. (The Logic)
Talking point: Lightspeed CEO Dax Dasilva had previously mused about looking for a buyer and had reportedly hired investment bankers to drum up interest in a sale. Instead, the company will have to revive its share price on its own, which has underperformed since it went public six years ago. Dasilva has been on a mission to cut Lightspeed’s costs—including cutting 200 jobs in December— while growing sales since his return to the top job last year. “There’s always going to be disappointment if certain parties were expecting a deal,” he told The Globe and Mail, adding that the company will have to “reset” its communications at a capital markets day in March.