WeWork in last-ditch attempt to save NYSE listing

afr.com:

WeWork the troubled co-working company on the brink of collapse, is moving forward with a 1-for-40 reverse stock split in a bid to save its listing on the New York Stock Exchange.

Shares fell as much as 24 per cent to 12 cents in pre-market trading.

WeWork has been trying to deliver a turnaround story for years — one in which the rowdy co-working startup transforms into a stable, profitable public company. But the New York-based company has been bleeding cash, and customers of its office rentals are cancelling memberships in droves, forcing the firm on August 8 to warned that it may not be able to stay afloat.

WeWork’s stock has plunged 99 per cent since the company went public in October 2021, wiping out $US9 billion in market value.

The reverse stock split will go into effect at 4.01 pm New York time on Sept. 1 and begin trading on a post-split basis at the market open on September 5, WeWork said in a statement Friday. The split will be done to regain compliance with listing requirements and isn’t expected to affect operations, the company said in a statement.

The New York Stock Exchange requires a minimum closing price of $US1 per share and such reverse splits are standard practice for penny stocks seeking to maintain their listings.

The speed of WeWork’s decline has been stunning. In 2019, WeWork was the biggest private occupier of office space in Manhattan and London, operated millions of square feet in dozens of countries and was valued at $US47 billion, which made it one of the most prized startups in America.

Venture capitalists fuelled its rise with billions of dollars to rent up real estate around the world and lease it back to workers. Co-founder Adam Neumann led a disastrous attempt at an initial public