Hamilton Beach Brands Holding Company

On May 11, 2020, Hamilton Beach Brands disclosed that it could not timely file its first quarter 2020 quarterly report due to “certain accounting irregularities with respect to the timing of recognition of selling and marketing expenses and the classification of certain expenditures within the statement of operations at its Mexican subsidiary.” The Company also revealed that its “Audit Review Committee has commenced an internal investigation” regarding “the realizability of certain assets of the Mexican subsidiary.”

On this news, the Company's share price fell $1.03, or nearly 9%, to close at $10.43 per share on May 11, 2020, on unusually heavy trading volume.

The complaint alleges that defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose:  (1) that Hamilton had inadequate disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting, particularly with respect to one of its Mexican subsidiaries; (2) consequently, the Company’s accounting included certain irregularities with respect to the timing of recognition of selling and marketing expenses and the classification of certain expenditures within the statement of operations at this Mexican subsidiary, as well as potential misconduct with respect to the realizability of certain assets of the Mexican subsidiary; (3) as a result of all the foregoing, Hamilton could not accurately attest to its financial results, particularly with respect to these metrics, and was consequently at an increased risk of delaying the filing of its period reports with the SEC; and (4) as a result, the Company’s public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.