(Reuters) - Super Micro Computer on Wednesday delayed the filing of its annual report and said it needed more time to assess the "effectiveness of internal controls" over its financial reporting, sending shares in the AI server maker down 21%.
The move comes a day after Hindenburg Research disclosed a short position in Super Micro and alleged "accounting manipulation" at the company, whose shares have nearly doubled in value this year on the back of the AI boom.
It was not immediately clear if the two were related. Super Micro declined to comment beyond its statement on Wednesday when asked about Hindenburg's allegations.
Super Micro said it had not made any updates to its results for the fiscal year and quarter ended June 30 that were announced earlier this month.
The company had then posted a decline in quarterly margins due to increasing costs of server production and competitive pricing from rivals including Dell.
Super Micro has emerged as one of the biggest winners of the generative AI boom as businesses bet on the technology needed to power applications such as ChatGPT, helping its stock more than triple last year.
Hindenburg did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the delay.
The short seller had on Tuesday pointed to evidence of undisclosed related party transactions, failure to abide by export controls, among other issues. Hindenburg said it had conducted a three-month investigation that included interviews with former senior employees and litigation records.
The report made Super Micro the latest target of the short seller that has tussled with billionaire-investor Carl Icahn and India's Gautam Adani.
Super Micro was charged by the U.S. securities regulator in 2020 of prematurely recognizing revenue and understating expenses. While the company did not admit or deny the SEC's charges, it had agreed to pay a $17.5 million penalty.
(This story has been refiled to fix a typo, in paragraph 1)
(Reporting by Deborah Sophia in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar and Sriraj Kalluvila)