NEW YORK, June 03, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C., a nationally recognized shareholder rights law firm, reminds investors that class actions have been commenced on behalf of stockholders of Li Auto Inc. (NASDAQ:LI), Sprout Social, Inc. (NASDAQ:SPT), Inari Medical, Inc. (NASDAQ:NARI), and UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH). Stockholders have until the deadlines below to petition the court to serve as lead plaintiff. Additional information about each case can be found at the link provided.
Li Auto Inc. (NASDAQ:LI)
Class Period: February 26, 2024 - March 20, 2024
Lead Plaintiff Deadline: July 9, 2024
Li Auto operates in the energy vehicle market in the People's Republic of China and designs, develops, manufactures, and sells smart electric vehicles. The Company's product line includes multi-purpose vehicles and sport utility vehicles.
In early 2024, Li Auto made a series of announcements touting the purportedly high demand for its electric vehicles and representing that the Company was "consistently improving operating efficiency throughout the year." In late February 2024, Li Auto announced that it expected to deliver between 100,000 and 103,000 vehicles in the first quarter of 2024, "representing an increase of 90.2% to 95.9% from the first quarter of 2023." Shortly thereafter, on March 1, 2024, Li Auto launched its first battery electric vehicle model, the Li MEGA. According to the Company, the Li MEGA "provides big families with a blend of energy replenishment experience as efficient as traditional [internal combustion engine] vehicle refueling, next-generation design and exceptionally low drag coefficient, roomy and comfortable space, flagship-level performance and safety features, and superior intelligent experience."
Throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Li Auto had overstated the demand for its vehicles and the efficacy of its operating strategy in launching the Li MEGA; (ii) accordingly, the Company was unlikely to meet its Q1 2024 vehicle deliveries estimate; (iii) the foregoing, once revealed, was likely to have a material negative impact on the Company's financial condition; and (iv) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.
On March 21, 2024, Li Auto issued a press release disclosing that, "[d]ue to lower-than-expected order intake, the Company now expects its vehicle deliveries for the first quarter of 2024 to be between 76,000 and 78,000 vehicles, revised from the previous vehicle delivery outlook of between 100,000 and 103,000 vehicles." In addition, the Company stated that the Li MEGA had an operating strategy that was "mis-paced," noting that operations were planned as if the model had already entered the "scaling phase" of sales-that is, the phase focusing mainly on customer acquisition, team building, and operational efficiency for sustainable growth-while it was still in the early "validation" period, during which the Company would focus on creating a product market fit by idea validation and product refinement. Further, the Company stated that it will revert to the validation phase of sales by shifting its focus toward its core user group, target sales to cities with stronger purchasing power, and then will look to expand to a broader user base.
On this news, Li Auto's American Depositary Share ("ADS") price ...