NEW YORK, July 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C., a nationally recognized shareholder rights law firm, reminds investors that class actions have been commenced on behalf of stockholders of NIKE, Inc. (NYSE: NKE), Roblox Corporation (NYSE: RBLX), Gritstone bio, Inc. (NASDAQ: GRTS), and Rivian Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: RIVN). Stockholders have until the deadlines below to petition the court to serve as lead plaintiff. Additional information about each case can be found at the link provided.
NIKE, Inc. (NYSE: NKE)
Class Period: March 19, 2021 - March 21, 2024
Lead Plaintiff Deadline: August 19, 2024
The Class Period begins on March 19, 2021, in connection with NIKE’s announcement of its financial results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2021, and related investor earnings call. In connection with these results, Defendant John J. Donahoe II (the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer) touted that “NIKE continues to deeply connect with consumers all over the world driven by our strong competitive advantages” and that “[o]ur strategy is working, as we accelerate innovation and create the seamless, premium marketplace of the future.” Defendant Matthew Friend (the Company’s Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer) similarly assured investors that “NIKE’s brand momentum is as strong as ever and we are driving focused growth against our largest opportunities.” On the related investor earnings call, Defendant Donahoe emphasized NIKE’s “tremendous success in digital” and that “NIKE’s digital transformation remains a unique advantage.”
The complaint alleges that Investors began to learn the truth about NIKE’s inability to generate sustainable revenue growth on June 27, 2022, when the Company announced its fourth quarter and full year 2022 financial results after market close. NIKE announced that quarterly revenues declined 1% year-over-year and quarterly wholesale revenues declined 7% year-over-year. However, Defendant Donahoe reassured investors that NIKE’s “strategy is working” by creating value through its “competitive advantages, including [its] pipeline of innovative product[s] and expanding digital leadership.” He further asserted that NIKE’s investments in digital and other areas prompted Defendants to be “very confident in our long-term strategy and our growth outlook.” On this news, the price of NIKE Class B common stock declined $7.72 per share, or nearly 7%, from a close of $110.50 per share on June 27, 2022, to close at $102.78 per share on June 28, 2022.
Three months later, on September 29, 2022, investors learned more when NIKE reported its first quarter fiscal year 2023 financial earnings after market close. In spite of modest revenue growth, NIKE reported that its net income declined 22% year-over-year and that diluted earnings per share similarly declined 20% year-over-year. NIKE also reported a significant reduction in gross margin (down 220 basis points year-over-year) driven by the disposal of excess inventory—which was 44% higher than in the first quarter of 2022. On this news, the price of NIKE Class B common stock declined $12.21 per share, or nearly 13%, from a close of $95.33 per share on September 29, 2022, to close at $83.12 per share on September 30, 2022.
Notwithstanding the Company’s struggles with NIKE Direct and its direct-to-consumer strategy, Defendants continued to tout the purported strength of NIKE’s business model over the next year, telling investors that NIKE’s “competitive advantages continue to fuel our momentum” and that NIKE is primed to “leverage our competitive advantages to not only gain share but also grow the market.”
On December 21, 2023, however, investors learned more about the competitive pressures facing NIKE when the Company issued its second quarter fiscal year 2024 financial results and held its related investor earnings call after market close. Defendant Friend admitted that NIKE’s “total retail sales across the marketplace fell short of our expectations,” and that NIKE’s digital platforms lost consumer traffic to competitors because of “higher promotional activity across the marketplace.” Given these challenges, Defendant Friend revealed that NIKE was “adjusting [its] channel growth plans for the remainder of the year” and “identifying opportunities across the company to deliver up to $2 billion in cumulative cost savings over the next 3 years.” On this news, the price of NIKE Class B common stock declined $14.49 per share, or nearly 12%, from a close of $122.53 per share on December 21, 2023, to close at $108.04 per share on December 22, 2023.
Finally, on March 21, 2024, NIKE announced its third quarter fiscal year 2024 financial results after market close, revealing a 3% year-over-year decline in revenue in its Europe, Middle East, and Africa segment, a 3% year-over-year decline in NIKE Digital revenue, and scant quarterly revenue growth of approximately 0.4% year-over-year in NIKE Direct. On the related investor earnings call held that same day, Defendant Donahoe admitted that “NIKE is not performing [to its] potential” even though moments earlier he claimed that “Q3 performed in line with our expectations.” Moreover, Defendant Donahoe revealed the Company’s decision to reduce reliance on its direct-to-consumer strategy and “lean in with our wholesale partners to elevate our brand and grow the total marketplace.” According to Defendant Donahoe, NIKE made a “reinvestment with our wholesale partners, so we bring a more holistic offense that grows the market and gets in the path of our consumer.” Furthermore, Defendant Friend revealed that NIKE was “prudently planning for revenue in the first half of the fiscal year [2025] to be down low single digits” as Defendants “shift our product portfolio toward newness and innovation.” On this news, the price of NIKE Class B common stock declined $6.96 per share, or nearly 7%, from a close of $100.82 per share on March 21, 2024, to close at $93.86 per share on March 22, 2024.
For more information on the NIKE class action go to: https://bespc.com/cases/NKE
Roblox Corporation (NYSE: RBLX)
Class Period: November 15, 2023 - May 8, 2024
Lead Plaintiff Deadline: August 9, 2024
Roblox is an online entertainment publisher and distributor which also sells advertising space on those platforms.
The Roblox class action lawsuit alleges that defendants throughout the Class Period made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that defendants created the false impression that they possessed reliable information pertaining to Roblox’s projected revenue outlook and anticipated bookings growth, due largely to expansion in Roblox’s available platforms, changes in Roblox’s digital technology (such as avatars), Roblox’s shared economy with content creators, and advertising revenue. According to the Roblox class action lawsuit, in fact, Roblox faced difficulty converting daily active users into bookings and eventually blamed the very technology and platform growth Roblox lauded as revolutionary and revenue-generating for this bookings problem.
The Roblox class action lawsuit further alleges that on May 8, 2024, Roblox revised down its fiscal year 2024 bookings guidance to $4.0 billion to $4.14 billion and revised down total revenue to $3.30 billion to $3.40 billion.
On this news, the price of Roblox stock fell more than 22%, according to the complaint.
For more information on the Roblox class action go to: https://bespc.com/cases/RBLX
Gritstone bio, Inc. (NASDAQ: GRTS)
Class Period: March 9, 2023 - February 29, 2024
Lead Plaintiff Deadline: August 6, 2024
Gritstone, a clinical-stage biotechnology company, engages in developing vaccine-based immunotherapy candidates against cancer and infectious diseases.
In September 2023, Gritstone entered into a contract with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority ("BARDA") to run a 10,000 participant, randomized Phase 2b double-blinded study to compare the efficacy, safety, and immunogenicity of its COVID-19 vaccine candidate (a samRNA vaccine candidate) with an approved COVID-19 vaccine (the "Phase 2b CORAL Study" or the "Study"). In a press release announcing the Phase 2b CORAL Study, the Company stated that the contract "provides strong validation of [its] innovative vaccine platform in infectious diseases," that execution of the study would be fully funded by BARDA, and that the Study would be expected to launch in the first quarter of 2024.
Throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) the Company would be unable to launch the Phase 2b CORAL Study in the timeframe it had represented to investors; (ii) the foregoing would impair Gritstone's ability to obtain external funding in connection with the Study, thereby negatively affecting Gritstone's ability to maintain its balance sheet and cash position; (iii) accordingly, Gritstone overstated its ability to successfully develop and commercialize its products; (iv) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.
On February 12, 2024, Gritstone issued a press release announcing that the Company was delaying the launch of the Study until Fall 2024 to purportedly "allow use of fully GMP-grade raw materials in the vaccine, which is expected to increase the regulatory utility of the trial."
Then, on February 29, 2024, Gritstone issued a press release "announc[ing] an approximately 40% reduction of its workforce", stating that "[t]he move comes following the recently announced delay of the proposed CORAL Phase 2b study, which resulted in Gritstone not receiving external funding it previously anticipated beginning in 1Q 2024, associated with the initiation of the study."
On this news, Gritstone's stock price fell $0.78 per share, or 27.86%, to close at $2.02 per share on March 1, 2024.
For more information on the Gritstone class action go to: https://bespc.com/cases/GRTS
Rivian Automotive, Inc. (NASDAQ: RIVN)
Class Period: August 12, 2022 - February 21, 2024
Lead Plaintiff Deadline: July 30, 2024
According to the Complaint, Defendants failed to disclose to investors that: (i) Rivian had overstated demand for its electric vehicles (“EVs”); (ii) Rivian had concealed the negative effect inflation and higher interest rates were having on demand for its EVs; (iii) the number of orders in Rivian’s order bank had decreased due to cancellations and other factors; (iv) Rivian was failing to ramp up its production of EVs at the rate it claimed; and (v) all the foregoing was likely to, and did, negatively impact the Company’s anticipated earnings and vehicle production targets for 2024.
On February 21, 2024, after the close of trading, Rivian issued a press release announcing its fourth quarter and full year 2023 financial results. As part of these results, Rivian revealed that it planned to produce only 57,000 EVs in 2024, well below the 80,000 EVs expected by analysts. Rivian also revealed an adjusted EBITDA loss of $2.7 billion expected for 2024, versus a $2.59 billion loss expected by analysts, blaming “[e]conomic and geopolitical uncertainties and pressures, most notably the impact of historically high interest rates.” Rivian also announced it would cut 10% of salaried staff.
On this news, Rivian’s stock price fell $3.94 per share, or 25.6%, to close at $11.45 per share on February 22, 2024.
For more information on the Rivian class action go to: https://bespc.com/cases/RIVN
About Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C.:
Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C. is a nationally recognized law firm with offices in New York, California, and South Carolina. The firm represents individual and institutional investors in commercial, securities, derivative, and other complex litigation in state and federal courts across the country. For more information about the firm, please visit www.bespc.com. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
Contact Information:
Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C.
Brandon Walker, Esq.
Marion Passmore, Esq.
(212) 355-4648
investigations@bespc.com
www.bespc.com
