Stockholders' Equity

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2023

Stockholders' Equity Note [Abstract]

Stockholders’ equity

Note 7 – Stockholders’ equity

As of September 30, 2023, the Company had 100,000,000 shares of authorized common stock and 10,013,524 shares issued and outstanding, and 10,000,000 shares of authorized preferred stock, of which none were issued or outstanding.

Following receipt of approval from stockholders at a special meeting of stockholders held on January 17, 2018, the Company filed an amendment to its Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to effect a reverse stock split of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock, at a ratio of one share for twenty-five shares. Additionally, following receipt of approval from stockholders at a special meeting of stockholders held on August 22, 2019, the Company filed an additional amendment to its Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to effect a reverse stock split of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock, at a ratio of one share for twenty shares. Following receipt of approval from stockholders at a special meeting of stockholders held on November 30, 2022, the Company filed an additional amendment to its Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to effect a reverse stock split of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock, at a ratio of one share for twenty shares, which reverse stock split was effective January 5, 2023. All share amounts and per share prices in this Quarterly Report have been adjusted to reflect the reverse stock splits.

On June 24, 2022, the Company entered into an At-the-Market Offering with H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC, as a sales agent, pursuant to which the Company may offer and sell from time to time in an “at the market offering”, at its option, up to an aggregate of $10.65 million of shares of the Company’s common stock through Wainwright. As of December 31, 2022, the Company sold 85,732 shares under the 2022 ATM Offering totaling $1.03 million in gross proceeds and $0.99 million in net proceeds. The Company has not sold any shares under the 2022 ATM Agreement in 2023.

On October 3, 2022, the Company closed a registered direct offering of shares of common stock and Series C Mirroring Preferred Stock pursuant to a securities purchase agreement entered into with a certain institutional investor. In the offering, the Company agreed to issue and sell to the investor (i) 268,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.01 per share, (ii) 33,810 shares of the Company’s Series C Mirroring Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share and stated value of $0.01 per share, and (iii) pre-funded warrants to purchase an aggregate of 215,000 shares of common stock. Each share of common stock was sold at a price of $7.00 per share, each share of preferred stock was sold at a price of $0.01 per share, and each pre-funded warrant was sold at an offering price of $6.80 per share underlying such pre-funded warrants, for aggregate gross proceeds of $3.34 million before deducting the placement agent’s fees and the offering expenses, and net proceeds of $3.04 million. Under the purchase agreement, the Company also agreed to issue and sell to the investor in a concurrent private placement warrants to purchase an aggregate of 483,000 shares of common stock. In connection with the offering, the Company also entered into a warrant amendment agreement with the investor pursuant to which the Company agreed to amend certain existing warrants to purchase up to 741,489 shares of common stock that were previously issued in 2018 and 2021 to the investor, with exercise prices ranging from $41.00 to $1,300.00 per share as a condition to their purchase of the securities in the offering, as follows: (i) lower the exercise price of the investor’s existing warrants to $7.54 per share, (ii) provide that the existing warrants, as amended, will not be exercisable until six months following the closing date of the offering, and (iii) extend the original expiration date of the existing warrants by five and one-half years following the closing of the offering. The increase in fair value resulting from the warrant modifications is accounted for as an equity issuance cost, resulting in a debit and credit to additional paid in capital for approximately $1.8 million. As of December 31, 2022, all 215,000 pre-funded warrants were exercised and all 33,810 shares of the Company’s Series C Mirroring Preferred Stock were automatically cancelled and ceased to be outstanding following receipt of stockholder approval for the Company’s reverse stock split on November 30, 2022. In connection with the Company’s best-efforts public offering consummated in May 2023, the Company amended the exercise price of the existing warrants to $0.7785 per share.

On January 11, 2023, the Company closed a best-efforts public offering pursuant to a securities purchase agreement entered into with a certain institutional investor for the purchase of (i) 321,207 shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.01 per share, (ii) pre-funded warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 2,265,000 shares of common stock, (iii) Series A-1 common warrants to purchase an aggregate of 2,586,207 shares of common stock, and (iv) Series A-2 common warrants to purchase an aggregate of 2,586,207 shares of common stock. Each share of common stock and accompanying Series A-1 Warrant and Series A-2 Warrant (collectively, the “Common Warrants”) was sold at a price of $2.90 per share and accompanying Common Warrants, and each Pre-funded Warrant and accompanying Series A-1 Warrant and Series A-2 Warrant was sold at an offering price of $2.89 per share underlying such Pre-funded Warrants and accompanying Common Warrants, for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $7.5 million before deducting the placement agent’s fees and the offering expenses, and net proceeds of approximately $6.9 million. The Common Warrants have an exercise price of $2.65 per share. The Series A-1 Warrants were immediately exercisable upon issuance, and will expire five years following the issuance date. The Series A-2 Warrants were immediately exercisable upon issuance, and will expire eighteen months following the issuance date. Subject to certain ownership limitations described in the Pre-funded Warrants, the Pre-funded Warrants were immediately exercisable and could be exercised at a nominal consideration of $0.01 per share of common stock any time until all the Pre-funded Warrants are exercised in full. All Pre-funded Warrants were exercised by February 15, 2023. In connection with the Company’s best-efforts public offering consummated in May 2023, the Company amended the exercise price of the Common Warrants to $0.7785 per share.

On May 4, 2023, the Company closed a best-efforts public offering pursuant to a securities purchase agreement with a certain institutional investor, pursuant to which the Company issued and sold to the Investor (i) 605,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.01 per share, (ii) pre-funded warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 3,890,825 shares of common stock, and (iii) common warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 4,495,825 shares of common stock. Each share of common stock and accompanying common warrant was sold at a price of $0.7785 per share and accompanying common warrant, and each pre-funded warrant and accompanying common warrant was sold at an offering price of $0.7685 per share underlying such pre-funded warrant and accompanying common warrant, for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $3.5 million and net proceeds of approximately $3.0 million. The common warrants have an exercise price of $0.7785 per share and will be exercisable beginning on the date of stockholder approval of the exercisability of the warrants under Nasdaq rules or may be exercised pursuant to the Warrant Inducement Agreement entered into on October 12, 2023, as amended on October 26, 2023 (the “Inducement Agreement”), upon the payment of additional consideration of $0.25 per share of common stock issued upon exercise of any existing warrants. The common warrants not exercised as part of the Inducement Agreement will expire on the five-year anniversary of the date of such stockholder approval (see Note 11). Each pre-funded warrant has an exercise price per share of common stock equal to $0.01 per share and may be exercised at any time until the pre-funded warrants are exercised in full. In connection with the offering, the Company also entered into a warrant amendment agreement with the investor pursuant to which the Company amended certain existing warrants to purchase up to 6,396,903 shares of common stock that were previously issued in 2018, 2021, 2022 and 2023 to the investor, with exercise prices ranging from $2.65 to $7.54 per share, in consideration for their purchase of the securities in the offering, as follows: (i) lower the exercise price of the existing warrants to $0.7785 per share, (ii) provide that the existing warrants, as amended, will not be exercisable until the receipt of stockholder approval for the exercisability of the common warrants in the offering, and (iii) extend the original expiration date of the existing warrants by five years following the receipt of such stockholder approval. The increase in fair value resulting from the warrant modifications is accounted for as an equity issuance cost, resulting in a debit and credit to additional paid in capital of approximately $0.3 million. As of September 30, 2023, stockholder approval for the exercisability of the common warrants in the offering has not yet been obtained; however, pursuant to the Inducement Agreement, the existing common warrants are exercisable until December 31, 2023 upon payment of the exercise price plus additional consideration of $0.25 per share of common stock issued upon exercise of any existing warrants. In addition, the Company’s requirement to hold a stockholders’ meeting to obtain approval for the exercisability of the existing common warrants is not applicable during the offer period under the Inducement Agreement.

Stock options

In 2008, the Company adopted the 2008 Stock Option and Restricted Stock Plan (the “2008 Plan”), pursuant to which the Company’s Board of Directors could grant either incentive or non-qualified stock options or shares of restricted stock to directors, key employees, consultants and advisors.

In April 2015, the Company adopted, and the Company’s stockholders approved, the 2015 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2015 Plan”); the 2015 Plan became effective upon the execution and delivery of the underwriting agreement for the Company’s initial public offering in May 2015. Following the effectiveness of the 2015 Plan, no further grants will be made under the 2008 Plan. The 2015 Plan provides for the granting of incentive stock options within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code to employees and the granting of non-qualified stock options to employees, non-employee directors and consultants. The 2015 Plan also provides for the grants of restricted stock, restricted stock units, stock appreciation rights, dividend equivalents and stock payments to employees, non-employee directors and consultants.

Under the 2015 Plan, the aggregate number of shares of the common stock authorized for issuance may not exceed (i) 2,710 plus (ii) the sum of the number of shares subject to outstanding awards under the 2008 Plan as of the 2015 Plan’s effective date, that are subsequently forfeited or terminated for any reason before being exercised or settled, plus (iii) the number of shares subject to vesting restrictions under the 2008 Plan as of the 2015 Plan’s effective date that are subsequently forfeited. In addition, the number of shares that have been authorized for issuance under the 2015 Plan will be automatically increased on the first day of each fiscal year beginning on January 1, 2016 and ending on (and including) January 1, 2025, in an amount equal to the lesser of (i) 4% of the outstanding shares of common stock on the last day of the immediately preceding fiscal year, or (ii) another lesser amount determined by the Company’s Board of Directors. Following Board of Director approval, 115,996 shares were automatically added to the 2015 Plan in 2023. Shares subject to awards granted under the 2015 Plan that are forfeited or terminated before being exercised or settled, or are not delivered to the participant because such award is settled in cash, will again become available for issuance under the 2015 Plan. However, shares that have actually been issued shall not again become available unless forfeited. As of September 30, 2023, 107,481 shares remain available for issuance under the 2015 Plan.

In connection with the appointment of Albert Weber as Chief Financial Officer, OpGen granted Mr. Weber an inducement grant of stock options to purchase an aggregate of 10,500 shares of OpGen’s common stock with a grant date of January 3, 2022. The equity award was granted as a component of Mr. Weber’s employment compensation and was granted as an inducement material to his acceptance of employment with OpGen. The options have an exercise price of $21.60, a ten-year term and a vesting schedule of 25% vesting of the award on the first annual anniversary of the date of grant and then 6.25% vesting each quarter thereafter over three additional years. The award is subject to Mr. Weber’s continued service with OpGen through the applicable vesting dates.

For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022, the Company recognized share-based compensation expense as follows: 

	Three months ended September 30,					Nine months ended September 30,
	2023			2022		2023			2022
Cost of services	$	(442	)	$	—	$	(442	)	$	11,101
Research and development		(159,742	)		82,659		(41,914	)		223,638
General and administrative		74,411			108,672		259,452			387,992
Sales and marketing		(143,710	)		37,036		(78,928	)		104,658
	$	(229,483	)	$	228,367	$	138,168		$	727,389

No income tax benefit for share-based compensation arrangements was recognized in the condensed consolidated statements of operations and comprehensive loss due to the Company’s net loss position. Share-based compensation expense decreased significantly in the quarter ended September 30, 2023 primarily due to reversals resulting from forfeited options and restricted stock units upon the reduction in force in connection with the Company’s cash management efforts (see Note 2).

During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023, the Company did not grant any options, 3,663 options were forfeited, and 1,734 options expired.

The Company had total stock options to acquire 102,200 shares of common stock outstanding at September 30, 2023 under all of its equity compensation plans.

Restricted stock units

During the three months ended September 30, 2023, the Company did not grant any restricted stock units, no restricted stock units vested, and 20,438 were forfeited. During the nine months ended September 30, 2023, the Company granted 100,500 restricted stock units, 33,780 restricted stock units vested, and 20,438 were forfeited. The Company had 89,189 total restricted stock units outstanding at September 30, 2023.

Stock purchase warrants

At September 30, 2023 and December 31, 2022, the following warrants to purchase shares of common stock were outstanding:

				Outstanding at
Issuance		Exercise Price	Expiration	September 30, 2023 (1)	December 31, 2022 (1)
February 2015	$	66,000.00	February 2025	23	23
February 2018	$	1,625.00	February 2023	—	462
February 2018	$	1,300.00	February 2023	—	3,848
October 2019	$	40.00	October 2024	17,700	17,700
October 2019	$	52.00	October 2024	11,750	11,750
November 2020	$	50.44	May 2026	12,107	12,107
February 2021	$	78.00	August 2026	20,834	20,834
October 2022	$	7.54	April 2028	—	1,224,489
May 2023	$	0.7785	(2)	10,892,728	—
				10,955,142	1,291,213

The warrants listed above were issued in connection with various debt, equity, or development contract agreements.

(1) Warrants to purchase fractional shares of common stock resulting from the reverse stock splits effected on August 22, 2019 and January 5, 2023 were rounded up to the next whole share of common stock on a holder by holder basis.

(2) Warrants will be exercisable beginning on the date of stockholder approval of the exercisability of the warrants under Nasdaq rules or, pursuant to the Warrant Inducement Agreement entered into on October 12, 2023, as amended on October 26, 2023 (the “Inducement Agreement”), upon the payment of additional consideration of $0.25 per share of common stock issued upon exercise of any existing warrants. The warrants not exercised as part of the Inducement Agreement will expire on the five-year anniversary of the date of such stockholder approval (see Note 11).