MILAN — Brunello Cucinelli ’s namesake company continued to grow for the first nine months of the year — with revenues surpassing the 1 billion-euro mark — but a conference call with analysts on Wednesday quickly veered toward its stance on distribution in Russia.

Indeed, Cucinelli and the executive team were eager to discuss Russia, admitting a board meeting was moved to Wednesday from Oct. 16 to bring further clarity on the issue. Last week, the company rejected Morpheus Research’s allegations of irregularities in its business activities in Russia. Morpheus, a short seller betting Cucinelli’s stock would fall, alleged the firm misled its shareholders and continues to operate stores in Moscow. Cucinelli shares plunged 17.3 percent upon the release of the report and, on Wednesday

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