Pomerantz Law Firm Announces the Filing of a Class Action Against Sea Limited and Certain Officers – SE

NEW YORK, Sept. 08, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Sea Limited (“Sea” or the “Company”) (NYSE: SE) and certain officers. The class action, filed in the United States District Court for the District of Arizona, Phoenix Division, and docketed under 23-cv-01889, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities other than Defendants that purchased or otherwise acquired Sea securities between April 19, 2021 and May 15, 2023, both dates inclusive (the “Class Period”), seeking to recover damages caused by Defendants’ violations of the federal securities laws and to pursue remedies under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) and Rule 10b-5 promulgated thereunder, against the Company and certain of its top officials.

If you are a shareholder who purchased or otherwise acquired Sea securities during the Class Period, you have until September 19, 2023 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class.  A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com. To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased. 

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

Sea, together with its subsidiaries, provides digital entertainment, e-commerce, and digital financial services in Asia, Latin America, and internationally. The Company’s digital financial services platform provides, inter alia, payment processing services, credit offerings, and digital bank services under various brands, which purportedly work in tandem with Sea’s digital entertainment and e-commerce platforms to drive synergies among all three business segments. Defendants have consistently asserted that these purported synergies allow the Company to grow its user base and loan book in an efficient, cost-effective manner, while managing risks impacting the Company’s profitability.

The complaint alleges that 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) Sea overstated its ability to manage the growth of its user base and loan book while enhancing its profitability; (ii) Sea’s expansion to a broader user base and growing loan book rendered the Company significantly more vulnerable to higher credit losses; (iii) as a result, the Company was likely to book a significant increase in loan loss reserves; (iv) the foregoing was likely to have a significant negative impact on Sea’s earnings; and (v) as a result, the Company’s public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

On November 17, 2021, investor news website Seeking Alpha reported that Bank of America had downgraded Sea’s stock from a “Buy” rating to a “Neutral” rating because, inter alia, “[c]onsensus [ha]s yet to factor in rising losses in the medium term based on expansion into new markets in Europe/India.”

On this news, Sea’s American Depositary Share (“ADS”) price fell $15.50 per ADS, or 4.7%, to close at $314.41 per ADS on November 17, 2021.

Then, on May 16, 2023, Sea issued a press release announcing its financial results for the first quarter of 2023.  Among other items, Sea reported first-quarter earnings that fell significantly short of expectations due to a sharp increase in loan loss reserves.  The Company advised that “[o]ur provision for credit losses increased by 120.5% to US$177.4 million in the first quarter of 2023 from US$80.5 million in the first quarter of 2022, primarily driven by expansion to a broader user base and the growth of our loan book” (emphasis added). Sea also disclosed that the Company’s previous Chief Investment Officer, David Ma, had left that role and joined the Company’s Board of Directors. 

On this news, Sea’s ADS price fell $15.62 per ADS, or 17.74%, to close at $72.45 per ADS on May 16, 2023.

Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered billions of dollars in damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com.

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CONTACT:

Robert S. Willoughby

Pomerantz LLP

[email protected]

888-476-6529 ext. 7980