Yatra Online which is one of the leading online travel companies of India announced its plans to launch a public offering of ordinary shares. The company revealed its plans to sell an enormous nine million ordinary shares of the company as it is keen on raising an estimated $ 50 million (Rs. 332.6 crores,) specifically for its business development. All the ordinary shares would be sold in the offering by Yatra. Ordinary shares are basically the shares in a company that are owned by people who have a right to vote in the company’s meetings. The shareholders receive a part of the company’s profits after the holders of preference shares have been paid. In addition, Yatra expects to grant the underwriters a 30 day option for the purchase of its ordinary shares. In a statement filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC,) the Nasdaq listed Online Travel Agency (OTA) said it plans to use the earnings from the public market sale of shares toward general corporate and business purposes.
The announcement comes a month after Yatra filed a shelf registration statement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, stating its target to raise $ 100 million over a span of three years . Last year, the company had filed an offer for sale of shares in order to raise $ 60 million.
The CFO of Yatra.com Alok Vaish said this is a universal shelf or an enabling filing which allows us to raise funds up to $100 mn, if required, over a period of next 3 years. The security could be equity, debt, preferred shares etc. However, currently, we are well funded and this filing will enable us to raise more funds at the right time to increase our capital base further.
At present, Yatra.com is the second largest online travel agent company in India. Based in Gurugram, India, Yatra is a one stop shop for all travel related services. It provides information, pricing, availability and booking facility for domestic and international air travel, domestic and international hotel bookings, packages, buses, trains and many more. Yatra Online is currently aligned with more than 70,000 hotels in India. Alongside, Yatra holds nearly 800,000 hotels across the globe. This famous OTA is backed by IDG Ventures, Vertex Venture Management, Norwest Venture Partners among other investors.