Note 9 - Stockholders' Equity

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2024

Notes to Financial Statements

Equity [Text Block]

NOTE 9.  Stockholders’ Equity

(a) Preferred Stock

The Company is authorized to issue 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $0.0001 par value per share. The Company’s board of directors may, without further action by the stockholders, fix the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions of up to an aggregate of 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock in one or more series and authorize their issuance. These rights, preferences and privileges could include dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption, liquidation preferences, sinking fund terms and the number of shares constituting any series or the designation of such series, any or all of which may be greater than the rights of our common stock. The issuance of preferred stock could adversely affect the voting power of holders of common stock and the likelihood that such holders will receive dividend payments and payments upon liquidation. In addition, the issuance of preferred stock could have the effect of delaying, deterring or preventing a change of control or other corporate action. No shares of preferred stock are currently outstanding, and the Company has no present plan to issue any shares of preferred stock.

(b) Common Stock

As of March 31, 2024, the Company was authorized to issue 250,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, which includes an increase of 100,000,000 on August 4, 2022, when the Company’s stockholders approved an amendment to the Company’s certificate of incorporation to increase the number of authorized shares of common stock from 150,000,000 shares. Except as otherwise required by law or as otherwise provided in any certificate of designation for any series of preferred stock, the holders of common stock possess all voting power for the election of the Company’s directors and all other matters requiring stockholder action. Holders of common stock are entitled to one vote per share on matters to be voted on by stockholders. Holders of common stock are entitled to receive such dividends, if any, as may be declared from time to time by the Company’s board of directors at its discretion out of funds legally available therefor. In no event will any stock dividends or stock splits or combinations of stock be declared or made on common stock unless the shares of common stock at the time outstanding are treated equally and identically. As of March 31, 2024, no dividends had been declared by the board of directors.

In January 2024, the Company entered into the 2024 Securities Purchase Agreement with RA Capital Healthcare Fund, L.P. pursuant to which 15,384,615 shares of the Company's common stock were sold to RA Capital Healthcare Fund, L.P. at an offering price of $0.65 per share pursuant to the Company’s 2023 Shelf Registration. The gross proceeds from the 2024 Securities Purchase Agreement were $10.0 million and, after deducting offering expenses, the net proceeds were $9.9 million.

In the event of the Company’s voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution, distribution of assets or winding-up, the holders of the common stock will be entitled to receive an equal amount per share of all the Company’s assets of whatever kind available for distribution to stockholders, after the rights of the holders of the preferred stock have been satisfied. There are no sinking fund provisions applicable to the common stock.

The Company had shares of common stock reserved for issuance as follows:

	March 31, 2024		December 31, 2023
Options issued and outstanding		21,843,566		17,938,726
RSUs issued and outstanding		3,313,997		2,126,373
2019 Equity Incentive Plan available for future grant		1,404,517		5,685,806
2024 Inducement Award Plan available for future grant		1,750,000		—
Common stock warrants		211,259		227,434
2022 Employee Stock Purchase Plan available for issuance		1,065,325		1,065,325
Total		29,588,664		27,043,664

(c) Warrants

The following warrants were outstanding as of March 31, 2024, all of which contain standard anti-dilution protections in the event of subsequent rights offerings, stock splits, stock dividends or other extraordinary dividends, or other similar changes in the Company’s common stock or capital structure, and none of which have any participating rights for any losses:

Securities into which warrants are convertible	Warrants Outstanding		Exercise Price		Expiration Date
Common Stock		44,148	$	1.10	April 2024
Common Stock		26,515	$	1.375	April 2024
Common Stock		29,150	$	2.50	March 2025
Common Stock		100,532	$	3.125	February 2025
Common Stock		10,914	$	22.99	December 2026
Total		211,259

In April 2024, 70,663 of the warrants outstanding as of March 31, 2024, expired unexercised. In the event of a Fundamental Transaction (a transfer of ownership of the Company as defined in the warrant) within the Company’s control, the holders of the unexercised common stock warrants exercisable for $1.10 and $2.50 and those exercisable for $3.125 expiring in February 2025 shall be entitled to receive cash consideration equal to a Black-Scholes valuation, as defined in the warrant. If such Fundamental Transaction is not within the Company’s control, the warrant holders would only be entitled to receive the same form of consideration (and in the same proportion) as the holders of the Company’s common stock, hence these warrants are classified as a component of permanent equity.