Super Micro Computer stock could be getting delisted soon. Now, investors who own the stock have to decide whether they want to continue holding the stock.
Why could Super Micro get delisted? It delayed filing its 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, something every company must do to maintain its listing on one of the two major U.S. exchanges. (It alsodelayed the filing of its 10-Qon Wednesday.) Super Micro now has until Nov. 16 to file or submit a plan to the Nasdaq Stock Exchange to regain compliance with listing rules.
That deadline is quickly approaching, and there’s a lack of confidence that the company will hit that deadline, especially after Super Micro announced that its accounting firm, Ernst & Young, had resigned.
Investors want to know what happens to their holdings if the stock does delist. The good news is that Super Micro stock won’t go away.
“You still hold shares, the shares are still traded. They’re traded on the pink sheets,” Wedbush analyst Matthew Bryson told Barron’s.
Trading them, however, will be more difficult. “Pink sheets” is another term for equities that trade over the counter rather than on a major exchange. Many pink sheet stocks are penny stocks, which have small market valuations and low share prices, though others are unlisted American depositary receipts of foreign stocks. They also don’t face the same stringent requirements that exchange-listed stocks do.
Trading them isn’t a huge issue. Orders for OTC stocks can be placed on many online brokers, including Charles Schwab and Fidelity. The market is often less liquid and the trade may cost more. Investors need to decide whether that headache, minor as it is, is worth it.
Investors also need to decide whether the stock is worth holding. History may be a guide. Super Micro was delisted once before in August 2018 for delaying the filing of financial reports. It was then listed again in January 2020.
“We have a blueprint for what happened last time. Super Micro’s multiples went down to low single digits at the trough—the company didn’t grow for three years,” Bryson said.
Super Micro stock, however, did just fine after getting delisted. While shares dropped 15% on Aug. 22, 2018, its last day of trading before getting removed, the stock rose 73% from then until it was relisted in January 2020, according to Dow Jones Market Data. Past performance isn’t indicative of future results.
Growth could be at risk again. Bryson, who rates the stock a Hold with a $24 price target, said that a public problem like this could dissuade customers from using Super Micro instead of competitors. He isn’t alone in this belief. Morgan Stanley analyst Erik Woodring believes that Nvidia would be more inclined to send its GPU’s to Dell amid the ongoing Super Micro drama. Another analyst, Melius Research analyst Ben Reitze, said that Super Micro “isn’t just Dell’s competitor—it’s ‘the’ competitor for AI servers.”
Super Micro didn’t immediately respond to a Barron’s request for comment. Management said at the company’s business update last week that it’s “working diligently,” to hire a new auditor. The company also said that it will be filing a plan with Nasdaq regarding an extension. The Nasdaq Stock Exchange declined to comment.
Shares of Super Micro fell 6.6% Tuesday and dropped another 6.3% at $20.33 Wednesday. The stock has fallen more than 80% from its all-time closing high of $118.81 hit on March 13.
Investors are choosing whether or not they want to take this stock for another delisting ride.
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