Exhibit 4.12
DESCRIPTION
OF SONNET BIOTHERAPEUTICS HOLDINGS, INC.’S SECURITIES
REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12 OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
As of December 31, 2019, Sonnet BioTherapeutics Holdings, Inc. (“us,” “our,” “we” or the “Company”) had one class of securities registered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended: our voting common stock, $0.0001 par value per share.
DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK
The following is a summary of information concerning capital stock of the Company and certain provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws currently in effect. This summary does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by the provisions of our certificate of incorporation, as amended (the “Certificate of Incorporation”) and bylaws, as amended (the “Bylaws”), each previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and incorporated by reference as an exhibit to the Annual Report on Form 10-K, as well as to the applicable provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”). We encourage you to read our Certificate of Incorporation, Bylaws and the applicable portions of the DGCL carefully.
General
Our authorized capital stock consists of:
| ● | 125,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share; and |
| ● | 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share. |
Common Stock
Holders of our Common Stock are each entitled to cast one vote for each share held of record on all matters presented to stockholders. Cumulative voting is not allowed; the holders of a majority of our outstanding shares of Common Stock may elect all directors. Holders of our Common Stock are entitled to receive such dividends as may be declared by our board out of funds legally available and, in the event of liquidation, to share pro rata in any distribution of our assets after payment of liabilities. Our directors are not obligated to declare a dividend. It is not anticipated that we will pau dividends in the foreseeable future. Holders of our do not have preemptive rights to subscribe to any additional shares we may issue in the future. There are no conversion, redemption, sinking fund or similar provisions regarding the Common Stock. All outstanding shares of Common Stock are fully paid and nonassessable.
The rights, preferences and privileges of holders of Common Stock are subject to the rights of the holders of any outstanding shares of preferred stock.
Preferred Stock
We may issue up to 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, no par value, in one or more series. Our board of directors is hereby expressly authorized to provide, out of the unissued shares of preferred stock, for one or more series of preferred stock and, with respect to each such series, to fix the number of shares constituting such series and the designation of such series, the voting powers, if any, of the shares of such series, and the preferences and relative, participating, optional or other special rights, if any, and any qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, of the shares of such series. The powers, preferences and relative, participating, optional and other special rights of each series of preferred stock, and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, if any, may differ from those of any and all other series at any time outstanding.
The issuance of preferred stock could decrease the amount of earnings and assets available for distribution to the holders of Common Stock or adversely affect the rights and powers, including voting rights, of the holders of Common Stock. The issuance of preferred stock, while providing flexibility in connection with possible acquisitions and other corporate purposes, could, among other things, have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of Sonnet, which could depress the market price of our Common Stock.
Anti-Takeover Effects of Certain Provisions of Delaware Law and Our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws
Our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws contain provisions that could have the effect of discouraging potential acquisition proposals or tender offers or delaying or preventing a change of control. These provisions are as follows:
| ● | they provide that special meetings of stockholders may be called by the President, the board of directors or at the request by stockholders of record owning at least thirty-three and one-third (33 1/3%) percent of the issued and outstanding voting shares of our Common Stock; | |
| ● | they do not include a provision for cumulative voting in the election of directors. Under cumulative voting, a minority stockholder holding a sufficient number of shares may be able to ensure the election of one or more directors. The absence of cumulative voting may have the effect of limiting the ability of minority stockholders to effect changes in our board of directors; and | |
| ● | they allow us to issue, without stockholder approval, up to 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock that could adversely affect the rights and powers of the holders of our Common Stock. |
We are subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, an anti-takeover law. Subject to certain exceptions, the statute prohibits a publicly held Delaware corporation from engaging in a “business combination” with an “interested stockholder” for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder unless:
| ● | prior to such date, the board of directors of the corporation approved either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder; |
| ● | upon consummation of the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least eighty-five percent 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding for purposes of determining the number of shares outstanding those shares owned (1) by persons who are directors and also officers and (2) by employee stock plans in which employee participants do not have the right to determine confidentially whether shares held subject to the plan will be tendered in a tender or exchange offer; or |
| ● | on or after such date, the business combination is approved by the board of directors and authorized at an annual or special meeting of stockholders, and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of at least sixty-six and two-thirds percent 66 2/3% of the outstanding voting stock that is not owned by the interested stockholder. |
Generally, for purposes of Section 203, a “business combination” includes a merger, asset or stock sale, or other transaction resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholder. An “interested stockholder” is a person who, together with affiliates and associates, owns or, within three (3) years prior to the determination of interested stockholder status, owned fifteen percent (15%) or more of a corporation’s outstanding voting securities.
Potential Effects of Authorized but Unissued Stock
We have shares of Common Stock and preferred stock available for future issuance without stockholder approval. We may utilize these additional shares for a variety of corporate purposes, including future public offerings to raise additional capital, to facilitate corporate acquisitions or payment as a dividend on the capital stock.
The existence of unissued and unreserved Common Stock and preferred stock may enable our board of directors to issue shares to persons friendly to current management or to issue preferred stock with terms that could render more difficult or discourage a third-party attempt to obtain control of us by means of a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise, thereby protecting the continuity of our management. In addition, the board of directors has the discretion to determine designations, rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions, including voting rights, dividend rights, conversion rights, redemption privileges and liquidation preferences of each series of preferred stock, all to the fullest extent permissible under the DGCL and subject to any limitations set forth in our Certificate of Incorporation. The purpose of authorizing the board of directors to issue preferred stock and to determine the rights and preferences applicable to such preferred stock is to eliminate delays associated with a stockholder vote on specific issuances. The issuance of preferred stock, while providing desirable flexibility in connection with possible financings, acquisitions and other corporate purposes, could have the effect of making it more difficult for a third-party to acquire, or could discourage a third-party from acquiring, a majority of our outstanding voting stock.
Transfer Agent and Registrar
The transfer agent and registrar for our Common Stock is Securities Transfer Corporation. The transfer agent address is Securities Transfer Corporation, 2901 N Dallas Parkway, Suite 380, Plano, TX 75093, (469) 633-0101.