Vintage Wine Estates, Inc.

On September 13, 2022, Vintage Wine announced its financial results for fiscal year 2022. In its press release, the Company stated that it “recorded $19.1 million in non-cash inventory adjustments identified through efforts t[o] improve and strengthen inventory management, processes and reporting.” The Company also stated that “the [fourth] quarter included approximately $6.8 million in overhead burden that was related to the first and second quarter of fiscal 2022, but not material to the respective periods.”

On this news, the Company’s share price fell $2.23, or 40.3%, to close at $3.30 per share on September 14, 2022, on unusually high trading volume.

The complaint filed in this class action alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose material adverse facts about the Company’s business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants failed to disclose to investors: (1) that, due to a material weakness related to its inventory controls and procedures, the Company lacked a reasonable basis to report inventory metrics; (2) that the Company understated its overhead burden in certain quarters, thereby overstating its adjusted EBITDA; (3) that, as a result of the foregoing, Vintage Wine was reasonably likely to incur significant charges to restate prior reporting; and (4) as a result, Defendants’ statements about its business, operations, and prospects were materially false and misleading and/or lacked reasonable basis at all relevant times.