Investors Seek to Consolidate Claims Against Keurig Coffee Brewer Maker
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters Inc. investors have reportedly filed a consolidated securities action against the company, claiming that they were misled about demand for Keurig and K-Cup products. La. Mun. Police Emp. Ret. Sys. v. Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc., No. 11-00289 (D. Vt., filed October 29, 2012). The Louisiana Municipal Police Employees’ Retirement System sued the company for U.S. securities law violations in November 2011 when Green Mountain’s shares fell 34 percent in a single day, losing $3.1 billion in market value, after quarterly sales fell short of analysts’ expectations.
A group of pension funds, seeking to represent all company investors, allege that “[u]nbeknownst to investors, and contrary to defendants’ statements that they were barely able to ship orders as they came in, Green Mountain Coffee Roaster’s warehouses were overflowing with unused and expiring coffee products that were not being sold to consumers.” The company is facing increasing competition as a number of companies, including grocery stores, are making capsules that fit into Green Mountain’s Keurig machines. Several securities fraud actions have been filed against it, including one in 2010 after Green Mountain announced a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation, and a number of other shareholder suits filed in both state and federal courts. See Bloomberg, October 30, 2012.
