SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION AND WARRANTS |
NOTE 8 — SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION AND WARRANTS Stock Option Plans Presented below is a summary of the number of shares authorized, outstanding, and available for future grants under each of the Company’s stock option plans as of December 31, 2023 (in thousands): | | | | | | | | | | | Plan Termination | | Number of Shares | Description | | Date | | Authorized | | Outstanding | | Available | | | | | | | | | | 2015 Plan | | February 2020 | | 17 | | 17 | | — | 2016 Plan | | October 2021 | | 123 | | 123 | | — | 2019 Plan | | July 2029 | | 200 | | 200 | | — | 2021 Plan | | March 2031 | | 10,700 | | 8,673 | | 2,027 | Total | | | | 11,040 | | 9,013 | | 2,027 |
2022 Employee Stock Purchase Plan On June 16, 2022, the Company’s shareholders approved the adoption of the 2022 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “2022 ESPP”). The 2022 ESPP provides an opportunity for employees to purchase the Company’s common stock through accumulated payroll deductions. The 2022 ESPP has consecutive offering periods that begin approximately every 6 months commencing on the first trading day on or after July 1 and terminating on the last trading day of the offering period ending on December 31 and commencing on the first trading day on or after January 1 and terminating on the last trading day of the offering period ending on June 30. The 2022 ESPP reserves 0.5 million shares for purchases. There have been no offering periods under the 2022 ESPP through December 31, 2023. Stock Options Outstanding The following table sets forth a summary of the activity under all of the Company’s stock option plans for the six months ended December 31, 2023 (shares in thousands): | | | | | | | | | | Shares | | Price (1) | | Term (2) | | | | | | | | | Outstanding, June 30, 2023 | | 8,745 | | $ | 4.56 | | 8.8 | Grants to employees | | 475 | | | 1.44 | | | Expired | | (42) | | | 9.49 | | | Forfeited | | (165) | | | 2.11 | | | Outstanding, December 31, 2023 | | 9,013 | | | 4.42 | | 8.4 | Vested, December 31, 2023 | | 3,726 | | | 5.91 | | 8.1 |
(1) | Represents the weighted average exercise price. |
(2) | Represents the weighted average remaining contractual term for the number of years until the stock options expire. |
For the six months ended December 31, 2023, the aggregate fair value of stock options granted for approximately 0.5 million shares of common stock amounted to $0.5 million or approximately $1.13 per share as of the grant dates. Fair value was computed using the Black-Scholes-Merton (“BSM”) option-pricing model and will result in the recognition of compensation cost ratably over the expected vesting period of the stock options. For the six months ended December 31, 2023, the fair value of stock options was estimated on the respective dates of grant, with the following weighted-average assumptions: | | | | | Market price of common stock on grant date | | $ | 1.44 | | Expected volatility | | | 95 | % | Risk free interest rate | | | 4.3 | % | Expected term (years) | | | 6.1 | | Dividend yield | | | 0 | % |
Share-based compensation expense for the three and six months ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 is included under the following captions in the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss (in thousands): | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Three Months Ended | | Six Months Ended | | | | December 31, | | December 31, | | | | 2023 | | 2022 | | 2023 | | 2022 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Research and development | | $ | 841 | | $ | 730 | | $ | 1,681 | | $ | 1,600 | | General and administrative | | | 996 | | | 1,001 | | | 2,005 | | | 2,010 | | Total | | $ | 1,837 | | $ | 1,731 | | $ | 3,686 | | $ | 3,610 | |
Unrecognized share-based compensation expense is approximately $13.5 million as of December 31, 2023. This amount is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 2.5 years. Pre-Funded Warrants In connection with an underwritten offering in October 2021, the Company issued 1,661,461 pre-funded warrants (“PFWs”) to purchase 1,661,461 shares of common stock at an issuance price of $6.49 per warrant for gross proceeds of $10.8 million (the “2021 PFWs”). The 2021 PFWs may be exercised at any time by paying the exercise price of $0.01 per share, subject to certain ownership restrictions. In connection with a registered direct offering in May 2022, the Company issued 1,973,684 Class A PFWs and 10,947,371 Class B PFWs to purchase an aggregate of 12,921,055 shares of common stock at an issuance price of $3.799 per warrant (collectively, the “2022 PFWs”). On October 4, 2023, a holder of Class B PFW’s provided notice of cashless exercise of their 2,800,000 Class B PFW’s, resulting in the issuance of 2,797,404 shares of common stock on October 6, 2023. No cash proceeds were received by the Company as a result of this exercise. As of December 31, 2023, there are 10,121,055 of the 2022 PFWs which may be exercised at any time by paying the exercise price of $0.001 per share, subject to certain ownership restrictions. Other Warrants In connection with an equity financing in October 2020, the Company issued warrants entitling the holders to purchase approximately 0.8 million shares of common stock. The warrants are exercisable at $19.50 per share for a period of seven years, may be exercised on a cash or cashless basis at the election of the holders, and holders are entitled to share in any dividends or distributions payable to holders of common stock on an as-converted basis. In addition, the Company has issued warrants in conjunction with various debt and equity financings and for services. As of December 31, 2023, all of the warrants were vested. For the six months ended December 31, 2023, no warrants were granted or exercised. Excluding the 2021 PFWs and the 2022 PFWs discussed above, the following table sets forth a summary of all other warrants for the six months ended December 31, 2023 (shares in thousands): | | | | | | | | | | Shares | | Price (1) | | Term (2) | | | | | | | | | Outstanding, June 30, 2023 | | 888 | | $ | 22.10 | | 4.1 | Expirations | | (27) | | | 78.60 | | | Outstanding, December 31, 2023 | | 861 | | | 20.28 | | 3.7 |
(1) | Represents the weighted average exercise price. |
(2) | Represents the weighted average remaining contractual term for the number of years until the warrants expire. |
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