NEW YORK, July 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C., a nationally recognized shareholder rights law firm, reminds investors that class actions have been commenced on behalf of stockholders of Arrow Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: AROW) and ImmunityBio, Inc. (NASDAQ: IBRX). Stockholders have until the deadlines below to petition the court to serve as lead plaintiff. Additional information about each case can be found at the link provided.

Arrow Financial Corporation (NASDAQ: AROW)

Class Period: March 12, 2022 – May 12, 2023

Lead Plaintiff Deadline: August 22, 2023

Arrow is a bank holding company that provides commercial and consumer banking, as well as financial products and services. The Company’s common stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market (“NASDAQ”). Accordingly, the Company is subject to the NASDAQ’s listing and periodic filing requirements, including the requirement to timely file quarterly and annual reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).

On March 16, 2023, Arrow disclosed that it could not timely file its annual report on Form 10-K with the SEC for the quarter and year ended December 31, 2022 (the “2022 10-K”) because “[t]he Company requires additional time to complete the assessment of the effectiveness of internal controls over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022.” Arrow also advised that it “believes that the [2022] 10-K will be filed within the extension period provided under Rule 12b-25 of the [Exchange Act], as amended.”

On this news, Arrow’s stock price fell $0.99 per share, or 3.64%, to close at $26.21 per share on March 17, 2023.

On March 31, 2023, Arrow disclosed that “it will not be able to timely file the [2022 10-K]” within the extension period provided under Rule 12b-25 of the Exchange Act, as amended. The same filing also noted that Defendants expect to disclose deficiencies in the Company’s internal controls over financial reporting in the purportedly forthcoming 2022 10-K, which related to, inter alia, the failure to (i) design and maintain an effective risk assessment process, (ii) design and maintain effective monitoring activities to provide sufficient management oversight over the internal control evaluation process to support the internal control objectives, and (iii) assess and communicate the severity of identified deficiencies in a timely manner to those individuals responsible for taking corrective action.

On May 11, 2023, Arrow disclosed that it could not timely file its quarterly report on Form 10-Q with the SEC for the quarter ended March 31, 2023 (the “1Q23 10-Q”) “because the Company continued to require additional time to complete management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal controls over financial reporting as of December 31, 2022[.]”

On this news, Arrow’s stock price fell $0.33 per share, or 1.66%, to close at $19.59 per share on May 12, 2023.

On April 5, 2023, Arrow disclosed that, on April 3, 2023, it received a notice of non-compliance with the NASDAQ’s periodic filing requirements because of the Company’s failure to timely file the 2022 10-K with the SEC. 

Then, on May 15, 2023, Arrow disclosed that, on May 12, 2023, it received a second notice of non-compliance with the NASDAQ’s periodic filing requirements because of the Company’s failure to timely file the 1Q23 10-Q with the SEC. Arrow also disclosed that the Company’s “President and Chief Executive Officer and a member of the Board of Directors of Arrow . . . terminated his employment as President and CEO and as a director of the Company and from all other positions he holds with the Company and its affiliates, effective May 12, 2023.”

On this news, Arrow’s stock price fell $0.53 per share, or 2.71%, to close at $19.06 per share on May 15, 2023.

The Complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Company’s business, operations, and compliance policies. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Arrow maintained defective disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls over financial reporting; (ii) the foregoing increased the risk that the Company could not timely file one or more of its periodic financial reports with the SEC as required by the NASDAQ’s listing requirements; (iii) accordingly, Arrow was at an increased risk of being delisted from the NASDAQ; (iv) following the disclosure of deficiencies in the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures and internal controls over financial reporting, Arrow downplayed the severity of these issues and the associated risks; and (v) as a result, the Company’s public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

For more information on the Arrow class action go to: https://bespc.com/cases/AROW

ImmunityBio, Inc. (NASDAQ: IBRX)

Class Period: May 23, 2022 – May 10, 2023

Lead Plaintiff Deadline: August 29, 2023

ImmunityBio is a clinical-stage biotechnology company that engages in developing therapies and vaccines that complement, harness, and amplify the immune system to defeat cancers and infectious diseases in the U.S. and Europe. The Company offers immunotherapy and cell therapy platforms, including, inter alia, antibody cytokine fusion protein N-803, commercially referred to as “Anktiva”. The Company uses third-party contract manufacturing organizations (“CMOs”) to produce certain of its product candidates, including Anktiva.

In May 2022, ImmunityBio submitted a Biologics License Application (“BLA”) for Anktiva to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”). Following submission of its application, ImmunityBio consistently assured investors that “[w]e have established Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) manufacturing capacity at scale with cutting-edge cell manufacturing expertise and ready-to-scale facilities[.]”

On May 11, 2023, during pre-market hours, ImmunityBio announced that the FDA had rejected the BLA for Anktiva in its present form, citing “deficiencies relat[ing] to the FDA’s pre-license inspection of the Company’s third-party contract manufacturing organizations.”

On this news, ImmunityBio’s stock price fell $3.43 per share, or 55.14%, to close at $2.79 per share on May 11, 2023.

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) ImmunityBio conducted insufficient due diligence to discover, or else did discover and ignored, GMP deficiencies at its third-party CMOs for Anktiva; (ii) one or more of the Company’s third-party CMOs for Anktiva did in fact suffer from GMP deficiencies; (iii) the foregoing deficiencies was likely to cause the FDA to reject the Anktiva BLA in its present form; (iv) accordingly, the Company overstated the regulatory approval prospects for the Anktiva BLA; and (v) as a result, the Company’s public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times.

For more information on the ImmunityBio class action go to: https://bespc.com/cases/IBRX

About Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C.:

Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C. is a nationally recognized law firm with offices in New York, California, and South Carolina. The firm represents individual and institutional investors in commercial, securities, derivative, and other complex litigation in state and federal courts across the country. For more information about the firm, please visit www.bespc.com. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

Contact Information:

Bragar Eagel & Squire, P.C.
Brandon Walker, Esq.
Marion Passmore, Esq.
(212) 355-4648
investigations@bespc.com
www.bespc.com