NEW YORK, March 23, 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 The Children’s Place (NASDAQ: PLCE), and Ventyx Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: VTYX). 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.
The Children’s Place (NASDAQ: PLCE)
Class Period: March 16, 2023 - February 8, 2024
Lead Plaintiff Deadline: April 29, 2024
On February 9, 2024, before the market opened, The Children’s Place announced its preliminary fourth quarter fiscal year 2023 financial results. Therein, the Company revealed that it now expected fourth quarter net sales between $454 million and $456 million, falling short of previously issued guidance. The Company also disclosed that it would expect to incur an adjusted operating loss in the fourth quarter in range of (9.0%) to (8.0%) of net sales, which reflected the impact of “lower than expected merchandise margins resulting from more aggressive promotions in an effort to maximize sales, higher than anticipated split shipments to meet customer e-commerce demand, and increased inventory valuation adjustment.”
On this news, the Company’s share price fell $7.25 or 37%, to close at $12.51 per share on February 9, 2024, on unusually heavy 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 the Company was engaged in aggressive promotions; (2) that, as a result, the Company’s inventory values were overstated; (3) that the foregoing was reasonably likely to have an adverse impact on fiscal 2023 financial results; and (4) that, as a result of the foregoing, Defendants’ positive statements about the Company’s business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.
For more information on the Children’s Place class action go to: https://bespc.com/cases/PLCE
Ventyx Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: VTYX)
Class Period: pursuant and/or traceable to the Offering Documents issued in connection with the Company’s initial public offering conducted on or about October 21, 2021; and/or (b) Ventyx securities between October 21, 2021 and November 6, 2023
Lead Plaintiff Deadline: April 30, 2024
Ventyx is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that develops small-molecule product candidates to address a range of inflammatory diseases. The Company's lead clinical product candidate is VTX958, a selective allosteric tyrosine kinase type 2 inhibitor for psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and Crohn's disease. In 2022, Ventyx initiated a Phase 2 clinical trial of VTX958 for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis (the "Phase 2 SERENITY Trial").
On September 29, 2021, Ventyx filed a registration statement on Form S-1 with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") in connection with the IPO, which, after several amendments, was declared effective by the SEC on October 20, 2021 (the "Registration Statement").
On October 21, 2021, Ventyx filed a prospectus on Form 424B4 with the SEC in connection with the IPO, which incorporated and formed part of the Registration Statement (the "Prospectus" and, collectively with the Registration Statement, the "Offering Documents").
The complaint 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. In addition, throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company's business, operations, and prospects. Specifically, the Offering Documents and Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) VTX958 was less effective in treating psoriasis than Defendants had led investors to believe; (ii) as a result, VTX958's clinical and/or commercial prospects were overstated; (iii) accordingly, the Company had misrepresented its ability to develop and commercialize effective product candidates; (iv) Ventyx's post-IPO business prospects were thus inflated; and (v) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.
On November 6, 2023, during after-market hours, Ventyx issued a press release announcing results from the Phase 2 SERENITY Trial. Therein, the Company disclosed that "[a]lthough the trial achieved its primary endpoint, the magnitude of efficacy observed did not meet our internal target to support the advancement of VTX958 in plaque psoriasis." Based on these results, the Company announced that it "will terminate ongoing activities in the Phase 2 plaque psoriasis trial effective immediately" and "terminate the ongoing Phase 2 trial of VTX958 in psoriatic arthritis."
On this news, Ventyx's common stock price fell $11.36 per share, or 80.62%, to close at $2.73 per share on November 7, 2023.
Then, on November 22, 2023, Ventyx disclosed in a filing with the SEC on Form 8-K that the Company's President and Chief Medical Officer Defendant William J. Sandborn would cease to serve in those roles.
As of the time this Complaint was filed, the price of Ventyx common stock continues to trade below the $16.00 per share Offering price, damaging investors.
For more information on the Ventyx class action go to: https://bespc.com/cases/VTYX
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.
Contact Information:
Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C.
Brandon Walker, Esq.
Marion Passmore, Esq.
(212) 355-4648
investigations@bespc.com
www.bespc.com
