S-8 1 dtil-s8.htm DTIL 2021 S-8 dtil-s8.htm

 

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 7, 2021

Registration No. 333-    

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

Precision BioSciences, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

 

Delaware

 

20-4206017

(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

 

 

302 East Pettigrew Street, Suite A-100

Durham, North Carolina

 

27701

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

 

(Zip Code)

 

Precision BioSciences, Inc. 2019 Incentive Award Plan

Precision BioSciences, Inc. 2019 Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Precision BioSciences, Inc. 2021 Employment Inducement Incentive Award Plan

(Full title of the plans)

Matthew Kane

President and Chief Executive Officer

Precision BioSciences, Inc.

302 East Pettigrew Street, Suite A-100

Durham, NC 27701

(Name and address of agent for service)

 

(919) 314-5512

(Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

Copy to:

Peter N. Handrinos, Esq.

Nathan Ajiashvili, Esq.

Latham & Watkins LLP

200 Clarendon Street

Boston, MA 02116

(617) 948-6000

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Large accelerated filer

 

  

Accelerated filer

 

Non-accelerated filer

 

  

Smaller reporting company

 

 

 

 

  

Emerging growth company

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

Title of Securities

To Be Registered

 

Amount To Be

Registered(1)

 

Proposed Maximum
Offering

Price Per Share

 

Proposed Maximum

Aggregate Offering
Price

 

Amount of

Registration Fee

Common Stock, $0.000005 par value per share

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   2019 Incentive Award Plan

 

9,500,000(2)

 

$11.91(5)

 

$113,145,000

 

$12,344.12

   2019 Employee Stock Purchase Plan

 

2,500,000(3)

 

$11.91(5)

 

$29,775,000

 

$3,248.45

   2021 Employment Inducement Incentive Award Plan

 

3,000,000(4)

 

$11.91(5)

 

$35,730,000

 

$3,898.14

Total

 

15,000,000

 

 

 

$178,650,000

 

$19,490.72

 

(1)

Pursuant to Rule 416(a) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), this Registration Statement also covers such additional shares of the Common Stock, $0.000005 par value per share (“Common Stock”), of Precision BioSciences, Inc. (the “Registrant”), as may be issued to prevent dilution of the shares of Common Stock covered hereby resulting from stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions.

 

(2)

Represents an additional 9,500,000 shares of Common Stock that may become issuable under the 2019 Incentive Award Plan (the “2019 Plan”) pursuant to the provisions of the 2019 Plan that provide for an automatic annual increase in the number of shares of Common Stock available for issuance thereunder.

 

(3)

Represents an additional 2,500,000 shares of Common Stock that may become issuable under the 2019 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “2019 ESPP”) pursuant to the provisions of the 2019 ESPP that provide for an automatic annual increase in the number of shares of Common Stock available for issuance thereunder.

 

(4)

Represents 3,000,000 shares of Common Stock available for issuance under the 2021 Employment Inducement Incentive Award Plan (the “2021 Inducement Plan”).

 

 

(5)

Estimated in accordance with the provisions of Rule 457(h) and Rule 457(c) promulgated under the Securities Act solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee, and calculated based on $11.91 per share, which represents the average high and low prices of the Registrant's Common Stock reported on The Nasdaq Global Select Market on August 30, 2021.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

 

This Registration Statement on Form S-8 is being filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) for the purpose of registering an additional 9,500,000 shares of the Registrant’s Common Stock that may become issuable under the 2019 Plan, 2,500,000 shares of the Registrant’s Common Stock that are available for issuance under the 2019 ESPP, as well as to register 3,000,000 shares of the Registrant's common stock that may be issuable under the 2021 Inducement Plan. The additional shares are of the same class as other securities relating to the 2019 Plan and the 2019 ESPP for which the registration statement filed on Form S-8 (File No. 333-230671) on April 1, 2019 is effective.

 


 

PART I

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

The information called for in Part I of Form S-8 is not being filed with or included in this Registration Statement (by incorporation by reference or otherwise) in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”).

PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

 

Item 3.Incorporation of Documents by Reference.

The following documents filed with the Commission are hereby incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement:

(a) The Registrant's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, filed with the Commission on March 18, 2021 (File No. 001-38841);

(b) The Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2021, filed with the Commission on May 13, 2021 (File No. 001-38841);

(c) The Registrant's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2021, filed with the Commission on August 12, 2021 (File No. 001-38841);

(d) The Registrant’s Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on January 7, 2021, January 25, 2021, February 19, 2021, April 6, 2021, April 12, 2021, April 15, 2021 (Film Nos. 21828600 and 21828830), May 12, 2021, May 27, 2021, June 4, 2021, June 7, 2021, July 7, 2021 and July 8, 2021 (except for any portions of such Current Reports on Form 8-K furnished pursuant to Item 2.02 and/or Item 7.01 thereof and any corresponding exhibits thereto not filed with the Commission); and

(e) The Registrant's Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed with the Commission on March 19, 2019 pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Securities Act, relating to the Registrant's Common Stock, as updated by “Description of the Registrant’s Securities Registered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended” filed as Exhibit 4.5 to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, and any amendment or report filed for the purpose of updating such description.

All reports and other documents filed by the Registrant with the Commission pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the date hereof (except for any portions of the Registrant’s Current Reports on Form 8-K furnished pursuant to Item 2.02 and/or Item 7.01 thereof and any corresponding exhibits thereto not filed with the Commission) and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement, which indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference herein and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents or reports.

Any statement contained in this Registration Statement, in an amendment hereto or in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any subsequently filed amendment to this Registration Statement or in any document that also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies

 


 

or supersedes such statement. Any statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement, except as to specific section of such statements as set forth therein.

Under no circumstances shall any information furnished under Item 2.02 and/or Item 7.01 of Current Report on Form 8-K and any corresponding exhibits thereto be deemed incorporated herein by reference unless such Current Report on Form 8-K expressly provides to the contrary.

Item 4. Description of Securities.

Not applicable.

Item 5. Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.

Not applicable.

Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

Subsection (a) of Section 145 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, or the DGCL, empowers a corporation to indemnify any person who was or is a party or who is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation) by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe the person’s conduct was unlawful.

Subsection (b) of Section 145 empowers a corporation to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that the person acted in any of the capacities set forth above, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper.

Section 145 further provides that to the extent a director or officer of a corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in the defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to in subsections (a) and (b) of Section 145, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, such person shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection therewith; that indemnification provided for by Section 145 shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which the indemnified party may be entitled; and the indemnification provided for by Section 145 shall, unless otherwise provided when authorized or ratified, continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent and shall inure to the benefit of such person’s heirs, executors and administrators. Section 145 also empowers the corporation to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another

 


 

corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any liability asserted against such person and incurred by such person in any such capacity, or arising out of his status as such, whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such liabilities under Section 145.

Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL provides that a corporation’s certificate of incorporation may contain a provision eliminating or limiting the personal liability of a director to the corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director; provided that such provision shall not eliminate or limit the liability of a director (i) for any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the corporation or its stockholders, (ii) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) under Section 174 of the DGCL, or (iv) for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit.

Any underwriting agreement or distribution agreement that the Registrant enters into with any underwriters or agents involved in the offering or sale of any securities registered hereby may require such underwriters or dealers to indemnify the registrant, some or all of its directors and officers and its controlling persons, if any, for specified liabilities, which may include liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

The Registrant's restated certificate of incorporation provides that it will indemnify each person who was or is a party or threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding (other than an action by or in the right of the Registrant) by reason of the fact that he or she is or was, or has agreed to become, a director or officer, or is or was serving, or has agreed to serve, at the Registrant's request as a director, officer, partner, employee or trustee of, or in a similar capacity with, another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise (all such persons being referred to as an “Indemnitee”), or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in such capacity, against all expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred in connection with such action, suit or proceeding and any appeal therefrom, if such Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the Registrant's best interests, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, he or she had no reasonable cause to believe his or her conduct was unlawful. The Registrant's restated certificate of incorporation provides that it will indemnify any Indemnitee who was or is a party to an action or suit by or in the right of the Registrant to procure a judgment in the Registrant's favor by reason of the fact that the Indemnitee is or was, or has agreed to become, a director or officer, or is or was serving, or has agreed to serve, at the Registrant's request as a director, officer, partner, employee or trustee of, or in a similar capacity with, another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, or by reason of any action alleged to have been taken or omitted in such capacity, against all expenses (including attorneys’ fees) and, to the extent permitted by law, amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred in connection with such action, suit or proceeding, and any appeal therefrom, if the Indemnitee acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in, or not opposed to, the Registrant's best interests, except that no indemnification shall be made with respect to any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the Registrant, unless a court determines that, despite such adjudication but in view of all of the circumstances, he or she is entitled to indemnification of such expenses. Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent that any Indemnitee has been successful, on the merits or otherwise, he or she will be indemnified by the Registrant against all expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred in connection therewith. Expenses must be advanced to an Indemnitee under certain circumstances.

The Registrant has entered into indemnification agreements with each of its directors and officers. These indemnification agreements may require the Registrant, among other things, to indemnify its directors and officers for some expenses, including attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines and settlement amounts incurred by a director or officer in any action or proceeding arising out of his or her service as one of its directors or officers, or any of its subsidiaries or any other company or enterprise to which the person provides services at our request.

The Registrant maintains a general liability insurance policy that covers certain liabilities of directors and officers of the Registrant's corporation arising out of claims based on acts or omissions in their capacities as directors or officers.

 


 

Item 7. Exemption from Registration Claimed.

Not applicable.

Item 8. Exhibits.

 

 

Incorporated by Reference

 

Exhibit Number

Exhibit Description

Form

File No.

Exhibit

Filing

Date

Filed

Herewith

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.1

Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Precision BioSciences, Inc.

8-K

001-38841

3.1

04/01/2019

 

4.2

Amended and Restated Bylaws of Precision BioSciences, Inc.

10-Q

001-38841

3.2

11/10/2020

 

4.3

Specimen Common Stock Certificate

S-1/A

333-230034

4.1

03/18/2019

 

5.1

Opinion of Latham & Watkins LLP

 

 

 

 

*

23.1

Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP

 

 

 

 

*

23.2

Consent of Latham & Watkins LLP (included as part of Exhibit 5.1)

 

 

 

 

*

24.1

Power of Attorney (included on signature page)

 

 

 

 

*

99.1

2019 Incentive Award Plan, and form of award agreements thereunder

10-K

001-38841

10.14

03/18/2021

 

99.2

2019 Employee Stock Purchase Plan

S-1/A

333-230034

10.11

03/18/2019

 

99.3

2021 Employment Inducement Incentive Award Plan, and form of award agreements thereunder

 

 

 

 

*

 

*  Filed herewith.

 

 

Item 9. Undertakings.

(a) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:

(i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act of 1933;

(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in the Registration Statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective Registration Statement; and

(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the Registration Statement or any material change to such information in the Registration Statement;

provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) of this section do not apply if the Registration Statement is on Form S-8, and the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement;

 


 

(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof; and

(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

(b) The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the Registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(c) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

 


 

 

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Durham, State of North Carolina, on this 7th day of September 2021.

 

 

 

 

PRECISION BIOSCIENCES, INC.

 

 

By:

 

/s/ Matthew Kane

 

 

Matthew Kane

President and Chief Executive Officer

KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS that each individual whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Matthew Kane and Alex Kelly, and each of them, his true and lawful attorneys-in-fact and agents with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and all documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or their substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Name

  

Title

  

Date

 

 

 

/s/ Matthew Kane

Matthew Kane

  

President and Chief Executive Officer and Director

(principal executive officer)

  

September 7, 2021

 

 

 

/s/ John Alexander Kelly

John Alexander Kelly

  

Chief Financial Officer

(principal financial officer)

  

September 7, 2021

 

 

 

/s/ Shane Barton

Vice President and Corporate Controller

September 7, 2021

Shane Barton

(principal accounting officer)

 

 

 

 

/s/ Kevin J. Buehler

Kevin J. Buehler

  

Director

  

September 7, 2021

 

 

 

/s/ Stanley R. Frankel

Stanley R. Frankel, M.D.

Director

September 7, 2021

 

  

 

/s/ Geno Germano

Geno Germano

Director

September 7, 2021

 

 

 

/s/ Derek Jantz

Derek Jantz, Ph.D.

  

Director

  

September 7, 2021

 

 

 

 


 

/s/ Raymond Schinazi

Raymond Schinazi, Ph.D.

  

Director

  

September 7, 2021

 

 

 

/s/ Shalini Sharp

Shalini Sharp

  

Director

  

September 7, 2021