Super Micro Computer (SMCI) stock rose more than 20% in early trading Tuesday after the artificial intelligence server maker submitted a compliance plan with the SEC late Monday to avoid delisting from the Nasdaq.
The company — which partners with Nvidia (NVDA) to provide high-tech servers with its AI chips and recently scored a major deal to supply those servers to Elon Musk’s xAI — said its compliance plan shows it is on track to submit delayed filings to the SEC “and become current with its periodic reports within the discretionary period available to the Nasdaq staff to grant.”
Investors eagerly awaited the filing following a Barron’s report on Friday after the bell, which stated that Super Micro would submit its plan to prevent delisting by the deadline on Monday per Nasdaq rules, citing people familiar with the matter. The stock surged roughly 16% during regular trading Monday.
The server maker also said Monday that the company has hired a new auditor, BDO, after its prior accountant, EY, resigned in late October.
Even with this week’s surge, shares have tumbled roughly 56% over the past three months. After gaining as much as 300% earlier this year, SMCI stock is now down over 20% in 2024.
Super Micro has been grappling with the fallout from an August report by short seller firm Hindenburg Research, which shed light on alleged accounting malpractices, violations of export controls, and shady relationships between top executives and Super Micro partners.
Following the Hindenburg report, the company delayed its annual 10-K filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission. And last week, Super Micro also delayed filing its most recent quarterly 10-Q report to the SEC. Adding to its woes, the company is reportedly being investigated by the Department of Justice. The barrage of bad news sent shares tumbling — EY’s resignation, in particular, pushed Super Micro stock down more than 30% in a single day in late October.
Shares of the company also fell sharply following Super Micro’s fiscal first quarter earnings report on Nov. 5, which missed Wall Street’s expectations, sending shares down 18% on the day following the results.
Super Micro rose to prominence over the past year as the generative artificial intelligence boom propelled sales for its AI servers and other AI-related tech. In its fiscal year 2024, Super Micro’s adjusted earnings rose nearly 90% to $2.21 per share, and revenue soared 110% to $15 billion.
Analysts expect the company’s earnings to grow more than 40% in the 2025 fiscal year, and they see sales surging just over 70%.
