Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C., a nationally recognized shareholder rights law firm, reminds investors that a class action lawsuit has been filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio on behalf of investors that purchased Root, Inc. (NASDAQ: ROOT) securities between October 28, 2020 and March 8, 2021, both dates inclusive (the “Class Period”); and/or Root Class A common stock pursuant and/or traceable to the offering documents issued in connection with the Company’s initial public offering conducted on or about October 28, 2020 (the “IPO” or “Offering”). Investors have until May 18, 2021 to apply to the Court to be appointed as lead plaintiff in the lawsuit.
Click here to participate in the action.
On October 5, 2020, Root filed a registration statement on Form S-1 with the SEC in connection with the IPO, which, after several amendments, was declared effective on October 27, 2020 (the “Registration Statement”). On October 28, 2020, Root conducted the IPO, selling 26.8 million shares of the Company’s Class A common stock to the public at $27.00 per share for total approximate proceeds of $724.43 million.
On March 9, 2021, Bank of America (“BofA”) Securities analyst Joshua Shanker (“Shanker”) initiated coverage of Root with an “Underperform” rating on the premise that the Company is unlikely to be cash flow positive until 2027, finding that Root “will require not insignificant cash infusions from the capital markets to bridge its cash flow needs.” Shanker also noted that insurers Progressive, Allstate, and Berkshire Hathaway’s Geico would continue to impede the Company’s profitability, with Progressive and Allstate having a “sizable advantage over Root in terms of amount of [telematics] data as well as engagement with the data” used to price their auto insurance.
On this news, Root’s stock price fell $0.18 per share, or 1.46%, to close at $12.17 per share on March 9, 2021, representing a total decline of 54.93% from the Offering price.
The complaint, filed on March 19, 2021, alleges that the offering documents were negligently prepared and, as a result, contained untrue statements of material fact or omitted to state other facts necessary to make the statements made not misleading and were not prepared in accordance with the rules and regulations governing their preparation. Additionally, throughout the Class Period, defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company’s business, operations, and compliance policies. Specifically, the offering documents and defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Root would foreseeably fail to generate positive cash flow for at least several years following the IPO; (ii) accordingly, the Company would foreseeably require significant cash infusions to meet its cash flow needs; (iii) notwithstanding the defendants’ touting of Root’s purportedly unique, data-driven advantages, several of the Company’s established industry peers in fact possessed significant competitive advantages over Root with respect to, inter alia, telematics data and data engagement; and (iv) as a result, the offering documents and defendants’ public statements throughout the Class Period were materially false and/or misleading and failed to state information required to be stated therein.
If you purchased Root securities during the Class Period and suffered a loss, are a long-term stockholder, have information, would like to learn more about these claims, or have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Brandon Walker, Melissa Fortunato, or Marion Passmore by email at investigations@bespc.com, telephone at (212) 355-4648, or by filling out this contact form. There is no cost or obligation to you.
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.
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Contacts
Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C.
Brandon Walker, Esq.
Melissa Fortunato, Esq.
Marion Passmore, Esq.
(212) 355-4648
investigations@bespc.com
www.bespc.com