Pomerantz Law Firm Announces the Filing of a Class Action against Hamilton Beach Brands Holding Company and Certain Officers – HBB

NEW YORK, May 22, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Hamilton Beach Brands Holding Company (“Hamilton” or the “Company”) (NYSE: HBB) and certain of its officers.   The class action, filed in United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, and indexed under 20-cv-02323, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons and entities other than Defendants who purchased or otherwise acquired Hamilton securities between February 27, 2020, and May 8, 2020, 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 Hamilton securities during the class period, you have until July 21, 2020, 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]

Hamilton was founded in 1904 and is headquartered in Glen Allen, Virginia.  The Company, together with its subsidiaries, designs, markets, and distributes small electric household and specialty housewares appliances.  The Company sells its products through a network of mass merchandisers, e-commerce retailers, national department stores, variety and drug store chains, specialty home retailers, distributors, and other retail outlets.

As a holding company, Hamilton primarily operates through its subsidiaries, which are located throughout the U.S. and internationally, including Mexico.  According to the Company’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K, Hamilton has two Mexican subsidiaries—Grupo HB/PS S.A. de C.V. and Hamilton Beach Brands de Mexico S.A. de C.V.

The complaint alleges that throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and/or misleading statements, as well as failed to disclose material adverse facts about Hamilton’s business, operations, and prospects.  Specifically, Defendants failed to disclose to investors that: (i) Hamilton had inadequate disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting, particularly with respect to one of its Mexican subsidiaries; (ii) consequently, the Company’s accounting included certain irregularities with respect to the timing of recognition of selling and marketing expenses and the classification of certain expenditures within the statement of operations at this Mexican subsidiary, as well as potential misconduct with respect to the realizability of certain assets of the Mexican subsidiary; (iii) as a result of all the foregoing, Hamilton could not accurately attest to its financial results, particularly with respect to these metrics, and was consequently at an increased risk of delaying the filing of its periodic reports with the SEC; and (iv) as a result, the Company’s public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

On May 11, 2020, during pre-market hours, Hamilton announced that it could not timely file its 1Q20 10-Q because of “certain accounting irregularities with respect to the timing of recognition of selling and marketing expenses and the classification of certain expenditures within the statement of operations at its Mexican subsidiary.”  Hamilton further stated that its “Audit Review Committee has commenced an internal investigation” regarding “the realizability of certain assets of the Mexican subsidiary.”

Following these disclosures, Hamilton’s stock price fell $1.03 per share, or 8.99%, to close at $10.43 per share on May 11, 2020.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Paris, 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, the Pomerantz Firm pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 80 years later, the Pomerantz Firm 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 numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomerantzlaw.com

CONTACT:
Robert S. Willoughby
Pomerantz LLP
[email protected]