Nio Stock Slumps Pre-Market, Draws Significant Jump In Retail Investor Chatter

NYSE-listed shares of Chinese EV maker Nio (NIO) slumped 7% in the pre-market session on Thursday following reports of Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, GIC Private, filing a report against it over alleged irregularities in its revenue recognition practices.

The latest slump in the stock price comes after the shares touched a 1.5-year high in late September. According to Stocktwits data, retail chatter around Nio jumped 39% over the past 24 hours. At the same time, retail sentiment around the stock remains in the ‘bearish’ territory. Nio’s Hong Kong-listed shares, meanwhile, traded 9% lower at the time of writing.

The lawsuit, filed in August, centers on Nio’s relationship with its battery asset operator Mirattery, established with partners including CATL, Guotai Junan, and Hubei Science Technology Investment. GIC alleged Nio misled investors by inflating revenue through Mirattery, resulting in investment losses.

The lawsuit has reportedly been stayed temporarily in a U.S. court pending the outcome of an earlier class action. Until that case is resolved, Nio is not required to respond, Stocktwits reported earlier today, citing CnEVPost. The fund’s lawsuit is said to have been triggered by a June 2022 short-seller report from Grizzly Research, which accused Nio of using Mirattery to exaggerate revenues and profit margins.

GIC’s allegations echo Grizzly’s claims, asserting that Nio improperly recognized full battery sales revenue upfront when selling batteries to Mirattery under its Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) model. The fund argues that using installment-based revenue recognition would have resulted in materially lower performance figures and prevented Nio’s 2021 valuation spike. Nio, however, conducted an internal review following the report and said the allegations were unfounded.

The company is rapidly ramping up EV deliveries. In the third quarter, it delivered 87,071 vehicles, representing a growth of 40.8% year-on-year. The firm, however, is yet to turn a profit. In the second quarter through the end of June, Nio reported an adjusted net loss of $0.25 per share.

NIO stock is up by 56% this year and by about 24% over the past 12 months. 

Read also: Alibaba Executive Reportedly Says Company Beginning To See Return On AI Investment In E-Commerce: Forecasts ‘Very Significant’ Positive Impact

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