According to the complaint, on April 30, 2024, after market hours, investors began to question the veracity of defendants’ public statements following Starbucks’ press release announcing its second quarter fiscal 2024 earnings and the accompanying same-day earnings call. In pertinent part, defendants announced disappointing Q2 Fiscal 2024 results, stating that store sales declined globally 4%, with traffic falling 7%, and further disclosed a 2% decline in new revenues to $8.6 billion. On the back of these results, Starbucks additionally lowered their guidance for FY 2024, citing global declines in store sales, net revenues, and both GAAP and non- GAAP earnings. The Company attributed its results and lowered guidance on the issues Starbucks was facing in China, with CFO Ruggeri stating, in reference to the Chinese market, “we still see the effects of a slower-than-expected recovery, and we see fierce competition among value players in the market.” Investors and analysts reacted immediately to Starbucks’ revelation. The price of Starbucks’ common stock declined dramatically. From a closing market price of $88.49 per share on April 30, 2024, Starbucks’ stock price fell to $74.44 per share on May 1, 2024, a decline of over 15% in the span of just a single day.