NEW YORK, July 15, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bernstein Liebhard LLP:

• Do you, or did you, own shares of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (NYSE: SMG)?
  
  
• Did you purchase your shares between November 3, 2021 and August 1, 2023, inclusive?
  
  
• Did you lose money in your investment in The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company?
  
  
• Do you want to discuss your rights?

Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationally acclaimed investor rights law firm, reminds investors of the deadline to file a lead plaintiff motion in a securities class action lawsuit that has been filed on behalf of investors who purchased or acquired the common stock of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company (“Scotts” or the “Company”) (NYSE: SMG) between November 3, 2021 and August 1, 2023, inclusive (the “Class Period”). The lawsuit was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio and alleges violations of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 against the Company and certain of its officers (the “Complaint”).

If you purchased or acquired Scotts common stock, and/or would like to discuss your legal rights and options please visit The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company Shareholder Class Action Lawsuit or contact Investor Relations Manager Peter Allocco at (212) 951-2030 or pallocco@bernlieb.com.

If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than August 5, 2024. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn’t require that you serve as lead plaintiff. If you choose to take no action, you may remain an absent class member.

According to the Complaint, Defendants made numerous materially false and misleading statements and omissions concerning the Company’s inventory levels, debt covenant compliance, and financial performance. Specifically, Defendants repeatedly assured investors that the Company’s inventory levels were appropriate, while attributing strong sales to “selling through high-cost inventory,” which resulted in “peak selling” and “record” shipments. Defendants also repeatedly assuaged investors’ concerns about the Company’s debt, stating that they were “optimistic we will remain within the bounds of our bank covenants” and “[did] not see leverage compliance issues going forward.”

On August 2, 2023, Scotts revealed that quarterly sales for its fiscal third quarter had declined by 6%, and that gross margins fell by 420 basis points. The Company also slashed fiscal year EBITDA guidance by a staggering 25% and announced a $20 million write down of “pandemic driven excess inventories.” The Company also disclosed that it had to modify its debt covenants to 7.00 times debt-to-EBITDA ratio, from the former ratio of 6.25 times debt-to-EBITDA ratio.

On this news, Scotts’ stock price fell $13.58 per share, or over 19%, to close at $57.86 per share on August 2, 2023.

If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than August 5, 2024. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn’t require that you serve as lead plaintiff. If you choose to take no action, you may remain an absent class member.

If you purchased or acquired Scotts common stock, and/or would like to discuss your legal rights and options please visit The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company Shareholder Class Action Lawsuit or contact Investor Relations Manager Peter Allocco at (212) 951-2030 or pallocco@bernlieb.com.

Since 1993, Bernstein Liebhard LLP has recovered over $3.5 billion for its clients. In addition to representing individual investors, the Firm has been retained by some of the largest public and private pension funds in the country to monitor their assets and pursue litigation on their behalf. As a result of its success litigating hundreds of lawsuits and class actions, the Firm has been named to The National Law Journal’s “Plaintiffs’ Hot List” thirteen times and listed in The Legal 500 for sixteen consecutive years.

ATTORNEY ADVERTISING. © 2024 Bernstein Liebhard LLP. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Bernstein Liebhard LLP, 10 East 40th Street, New York, New York 10016, (212) 779-1414. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.

Contact Information:

Peter Allocco
Investor Relations Manager
Bernstein Liebhard LLP
https://www.bernlieb.com
(212) 951-2030
pallocco@bernlieb.com