If you suffered losses exceeding $100,000 investing in ADM stock or options between April 30, 2020 and January 22, 2024 and would like to discuss your legal rights, call Faruqi & Faruqi partner Josh Wilson directly at 877-247-4292 or 212-983-9330 (Ext. 1310). You may also click here for additional information: www.faruqilaw.com/ADM.
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NEW YORK, Jan. 25, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP, a leading national securities law firm, is investigating potential claims against Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (“ADM” or the “Company”) (NYSE: ADM) and reminds investors of the March 25, 2024 deadline to seek the role of lead plaintiff in a federal securities class action that has been filed against the Company.
Faruqi & Faruqi is a leading minority and Woman-owned national securities law firm with offices in New York, Pennsylvania, California and Georgia.
It is alleged that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose material facts, about the performance and prospects of ADM’s Nutrition segment and its accounting practices. Specifically, Defendants made positive statements about the Nutrition segment as a future profit-driver for the Company, with the ability to capitalize on healthier eating trends and rising consumer demand for natural ingredients and flavoring. Defendants also created the impression that the Nutrition segment’s growth would provide more diversification and earnings stability for ADM.
Unbeknownst to investors, however, the Nutrition segment’s ostensibly impressive growth was inaccurate and subject to improper accounting practices, and Defendants also downplayed the segment’s eventual decline in 2023. As ADM was aggressively acquiring companies to expand its capabilities in Nutrition, investors were under the impression that the segment was growing rapidly. As alleged, Defendants’ accounting practices for the segment misrepresented its true financial results and prospects, including its operating profits (“OP”). During the Class Period, Defendants were incentivized to create the appearance of a diversified business by inflating the performance of the Nutrition segment, and the Individual Defendants were further incentivized by stock awards that were directly tied to the performance of the Nutrition segment from 2020 to 2022. As a result, ADM’s business and prospects were much worse than represented by Defendants, causing the price of ADM common stock to trade at artificially inflated levels during the Class Period.
On January 21, 2024, ADM announced that it had placed its CFO Vikram Luther on leave effective immediately. The Company said that Luther’s “leave is pending an ongoing investigation being conducted by outside counsel for ADM and the Board’s Audit Committee regarding certain accounting practices and procedures with respect to ADM’s Nutrition segment, including as related to certain intersegment transactions.” The Company also revealed that its investigation was initiated in response to its receipt of a voluntary document request by the SEC. As a result, ADM delayed its Q4 and FY 2023 earnings release and withdrew its outlook for the Nutrition segment.
On this news, the price of ADM common stock declined by $16.23 per share, or approximately 24%, from $68.19 per share to close at $51.69 on January 22, 2024, wiping out approximately $8.8 billion of ADM’s market value.
The court-appointed lead plaintiff is the investor with the largest financial interest in the relief sought by the class who is adequate and typical of class members who directs and oversees the litigation on behalf of the putative class. Any member of the putative class may move the Court to serve as lead plaintiff through counsel of their choice, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. Your ability to share in any recovery is not affected by the decision to serve as a lead plaintiff or not.
Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP also encourages anyone with information regarding ADM’s conduct to contact the firm, including whistleblowers, former employees, shareholders and others.
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