Allegations
According to the complaint, defendants provided investors with material information concerning Perpetua’s expected initial capital expenditure for the Stibnite Gold Project. Defendants’ statements included, among other things, minimization of the impact of inflation and other potential sources for increased capital expenditure costs for the project.
On February 13, 2025, Perpetua published an updated cash flow model for the Stibnite Gold Project, unveiling additional capital expenses of $952 million, a more than 75% increase from the original figures presented to investors and well beyond the suggested 10-20% increase contemplated by defendants. The Company attributed these increased costs on inflation, indirect costs, higher mining costs, and direct decisions defendants made with respect to the project, including the choice to change the design of the electrical poles from timber to steel and the decision to “buy-and-build instead of lease the oxygen plant.”
Following this news, the price of Perpetua’s common stock declined dramatically. From a closing market price of $11.97 per share on February 13, 2025, Perpetua’s stock price fell to $9.29 per share on February 14, 2025, a decline of about 22.39% in the span of just a single day.