SUPER Micro Computer gave a sales forecast that fell short of analysts’ estimates while saying it could not predict when it would file official financial statements for its previous fiscal year. The shares dropped about 10 per cent in extended trading.
The server maker missed an August deadline to file its annual financial report and last week saw its auditor, Ernst & Young (EY), resign citing concerns about the company’s governance and transparency. An investigation of the accounting issues by a special board committee found “no evidence of fraud or misconduct on the part of management or the board of directors”, Super Micro said on Tuesday (Nov 5).
Revenue will be US$5.5 billion to US$6.1 billion in the current quarter ending in December, the company said. Analysts, on average, expected sales of US$6.79 billion.
The San Jose, California-based server maker has had a tumultuous year. Shares were rising at the start of 2024, with Wall Street enthusiastic about AI-fuelled demand for Super Micro’s high-powered machines, and the company winning inclusion in the S&P 500. But scrutiny intensified after a former employee alleged earlier this year in federal court that the company had sought to overstate its revenue. Short-seller Hindenburg Research referenced those claims in a research report, alleging “glaring accounting red flags, evidence of undisclosed related party transactions, sanctions and export control failures, and customer issues”.
Recently, the failure to file financial disclosures and the departure of E&Y has put the company at risk of being delisted by Nasdaq and booted from the index.
The shares have slipped 44 per cent since EY’s resignation last week and are down more than 75 per cent from a March peak. Nasdaq rules give the company until mid-November to submit a plan to restore it to compliance, and if that plan is approved, it could get extra time – pushing the deadline to February 2025.
Super Micro “continues to work diligently” on the financial filing delays, but cannot predict when the delayed form will be filed, it said.
Tuesday’s update was the company’s opportunity to ease investor fears. Louis Navellier, chief investment officer of Navellier & Associates, said in a note ahead of the event that he expected the naming of a new auditor. BLOOMBERG
