Shares of Zoe's Kitchen Inc. Slump on CFO Departure

What's happening: Shares of casual restaurant chain Zoe's Kitchen slumped on Friday after the company announced that CFO Jason Morgan was resigning from his post. The stock was down as much as 10% on Friday morning, though by 12:30 p.m. it had partially recovered to a loss of about 6%.

Why it's happening: Morgan joined Zoe's in 2008, playing a critical role in both growing the company and taking it public in 2014. He is leaving to "pursue other business interests," according to a company press release. While Zoe's searches for a new CFO, company controller James Besch will serve as principal financial officer. The press release put out by Zoe's stated that Morgan's departure was not related to any disagreement with the company's board of directors, audit committee, or the company's auditors.

The market isn't taking this news well -- a CFO leaving a company can sometimes point to serious accounting or financial issues. But often, executives leave for no reason other than a desire to pursue other interests, which is exactly how the company's press release explained Morgan's departure. The decline in the stock today may simply be a knee-jerk reaction to news that turns out to not be nearly as bad as it seems.

The article Shares of Zoe's Kitchen Inc. Slump on CFO Departure originally appeared on Fool.com.

Timothy Green has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Apple and Zoe's Kitchen. The Motley Fool owns shares of Apple and Zoe's Kitchen. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.