Ari Emanuels Endeavor will explore strategic alternatives

Ari Emanuel’s Endeavor will explore strategic alternatives

Ari Emanuel speaks onstage during the 2017 LACMA Art + Film Gala Honoring Mark Bradford and George Lucas Presented by Gucci at LACMA on November 4, 2017 in Los Angeles, California.

Stefanie Keenan | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images

Endeavor Group Holdings, the talent agency and sports firm led by Ari Emanuel, said Wednesday it will begin exploring strategic alternatives for the company, which could mean a possible sale.

The stock rose more than 10% in after-hours trading.

“Given the ongoing discrepancy between Endeavor’s public market value and the intrinsic value of Endeavor’s underlying assets, we believe that evaluating strategic alternatives is a prudent approach to ensure we maximize value for our shareholders,” said Emanuel, CEO of Endeavor, in a press release.

The move comes weeks after French billionaire Francois-Henry Pinault agreed to buy a majority stake in Endeavor rival Creative Artists Agency. The deal was reportedly worth $7 billion.

Endeavor’s market value also stood at $7.79 billion as of Wednesday’s close, having declined 21% so far this year.

–CNBC’s Alex Sherman contributed to this report.

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