** Shares of Xponential Fitness XPOF.N drop 13% at $21.84
before the bell
** Short-seller Fuzzy Panda Research says it is short on the
boutique fitness franchiser
** Says in the past, CEO Anthony Geisler was part of "boiler
room pump and dump to mislead investors"
** "XPOF is hiding the fact that many of their brands and
franchisees are struggling" - Fuzzy Panda
** Says franchisee businesses revealed losses were so bad
that they sold their studios back to XPOF for $1
** Xponential did not immediately respond to a Reuters
request for comment
** YTD, stock up 9.5%, as of last close
(Reporting by Savyata Mishra in Bengaluru)
((Savyata.Mishra@thomsonreuters.com))