Sodexho Alliance has firmly denied a rumour that it has lost a highly valuable US military contract.
The French catering giant has asked the Paris stock market watchdog to investigate "totally unfounded misinformation" that it has lost contracts worth $975m (£622m) with the US Marine Corps.
The rumour, broadcast by radio station Europe 1 last week, sent Sodexho's share price down by 15%. The shares later recovered after both Sodexho and the US Marine Corps denied the rumour.
Last October, Sodexho started an eight-year contract to supply catering services at 55 Marine bases in the USA. The deal turns over $100m (£63.5m) a year.
It also started another contract worth $175m (£111m)over 15 years at the prestigious naval air station at Miramar, California. The base, which has been in use since 1917, was the home of the fabled "Top Gun" training school for fighter pilots.
Sodexho has asked the Commission des Operations de Bourse to launch an investigation intended to find out who started the rumour. The company intends to take legal action against the source.
This is the second time in recent months that the company has been forced to deny media reports. In December, French newspapers said that chairman Pierre Bellon was selling his own shares in Sodexho. The reports were unfounded.