APPROVAL TO AMEND OUR AMENDED AND RESTATED CERTIFICATION OF INCORPORATION TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF SHARES OF AUTHORIZED COMMON STOCK FROM 300,000,000 TO 500,000,000
Summary
Presently, our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation authorizes the issuance of 300,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, and 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share. As of March 31, 2023, the Company had 214,462,050 shares of common stock issued and outstanding, 31,548,573 shares of common stock reserved for issuance under our equity compensation plans, and a total of 53,989,377 shares of authorized common stock available for issuance.
In March 2023, the board of directors determined that the increase in the number of shares of common stock was advisable and in the best interest of the Company and its stockholders and unanimously approved an amendment to Article Four of our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to increase the authorized number of shares of common stock from 300,000,000 to 500,000,000 shares, resulting in an increase in our total authorized number of shares of capital stock from 305,000,000 to 505,000,000, subject to stockholder approval of the amendment.
The affirmative vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock as of the Record Date will be required to approve the amendment of our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation. Abstentions will have the effect of a vote “Against” this proposal. This is a routine proposal and therefore we do not expect any broker non-votes.
Effects of Proposed Amendment
Any additional authorized shares of common stock will be identical to the shares of common stock now authorized and outstanding. The proposed increase in the number of shares of common stock will not change the number of shares of stock outstanding, have any immediate dilutive effect or change the rights of current holders of our common stock. However, to the extent that the additional authorized shares of common stock are issued in the future, they may decrease existing stockholders’ percentage equity ownership and, depending on the price at which they are issued, could be dilutive to the voting rights of existing stockholders and may dilute earnings and book value on a per share basis. Stockholders do not have preemptive rights to acquire the common stock authorized by this amendment, which means that current stockholders do not have a prior right to purchase any new issue of capital stock in order to maintain their proportionate ownership of our common stock.
In addition to dilution, the availability of additional shares of common stock for issuance could, under certain circumstances, discourage or make more difficult any efforts to obtain control of us. The Board is not aware of any actual or contemplated attempt to acquire control of the Company and this proposal is not being presented with the intent that it be used to prevent or discourage any acquisition attempt. However, nothing would prevent the Board from taking any actions that it deems consistent with its fiduciary duties.
Text of the Proposed Amendment
If our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation were approved, Article IV, Section A of the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation would read in its entirety as follows:
“A. This Corporation is authorized to issue two classes of capital stock which shall be designated, respectively, “Common Stock” and “Preferred Stock.” The total number of shares that the Corporation is authorized to issue is Five Hundred Five Million (505,000,000), of which Five Hundred Million (500,000,000) shares shall be Common Stock and Five Million (5,000,000) shares shall be Preferred Stock. The Common Stock shall have a par value of $0.0001 per share and the Preferred Stock shall have a par value of $0.0001 per share. Subject to the rights of the holders of any series of Preferred Stock, the number of authorized shares of any of the Common Stock or Preferred Stock may be increased or decreased (but not below the number of shares thereof then outstanding) by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority in voting power of the stock of the Corporation with the power to vote thereon irrespective of the provisions of Section 242(b)(2) of the Delaware General Corporation Law, and no vote of the holders of any of the Common Stock or Preferred Stock voting separately as a class shall be required therefor.”