Fair Value Considerations

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2019

Fair Value Considerations [Abstract]

Fair Value Considerations

Note 6 - Fair Value Considerations

Authoritative guidance defines fair value as the price that would be received upon the sale of an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. The guidance establishes a hierarchy for inputs used in measuring fair value that maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs by requiring that the most observable inputs be used when available. Observable inputs are inputs that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on market data obtained from sources not affiliated with the Company. Unobservable inputs are inputs that reflect the Company’s assumptions of what market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability based on the best information available in the circumstances. The hierarchy is broken down into three levels based on reliability of the inputs as follows:

Level 1:	Inputs that reflect unadjusted quoted prices in active markets that are accessible to the Company for identical assets or liabilities;
Level 2:	Inputs that include quoted prices for similar assets and liabilities in active or inactive markets or that are observable for the asset or liability either directly or indirectly; and
Level 3:	Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity.

The Company’s financial instruments include cash and cash equivalents, accounts payable and accrued expenses, and warrant derivative liability. The carrying amounts of cash and cash equivalents, accounts payable and accrued expenses are carried at cost, which approximates fair value due to the short maturity of these instruments. Warrants are recorded at estimated fair value based on a Black-Scholes warrant pricing model.

The following table presents Ampio’s financial assets and liabilities that were accounted for at fair value on a recurring basis as of September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018, by level within the fair value hierarchy:

	Fair Value Measurements Using
	Level 1		Level 2		Level 3		Total
September 30, 2019
Liabilities:
Warrant derivative liability	$	—	$	—	$	8,166,000	$	8,166,000
December 31, 2018
Liabilities:
Warrant derivative liability	$	—	$	—	$	6,933,000	$	6,933,000

The warrant derivative liability was valued using the Black-Scholes valuation methodology because that model embodies all the relevant assumptions that address the features underlying these instruments. The significant assumptions in valuing the warrant derivative liability as of September 30, 2019 and at issuance are discussed in Note 8.

The following table sets forth a reconciliation of changes in the fair value of financial liabilities classified as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy:

	Derivative Instruments
Balance as of December 31, 2018	$	6,933,000
Warrant exercises		(353,000)
Change in fair value		1,586,000
Balance as of September 30, 2019	$	8,166,000