UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Form 8-K
Current Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of
the Securities Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): August 13, 2018
Ocean Power Technologies, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Delaware (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) |
001-33417 (Commission File Number) |
22-2535818 (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
| 28
Engelhard Drive, Suite B Monroe Township, New Jersey (Address of principal executive offices) |
08831 (Zip Code) |
(609) 730-0400
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):
| [ ] | Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) | |
| [ ] | Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) | |
| [ ] | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) | |
| [ ] | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).
Emerging growth company [ ]
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. [ ]
Item 1.01 Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.
On August 13, 2018, Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. (the “Company”), entered into a common stock purchase agreement (the “Purchase Agreement”) with Aspire Capital Fund, LLC, an Illinois limited liability company (“Aspire Capital”) which provides that, upon the terms and subject to the conditions and limitations set forth therein, Aspire Capital is committed to purchase up to an aggregate of $10.0 million of shares of the Company’s common stock over the 30-month term of the Purchase Agreement. Concurrently with entering into the Purchase Agreement, the Company also entered into a registration rights agreement with Aspire Capital (the “Registration Rights Agreement”), in which the Company agreed to file one or more registration statements, as permissible and necessary to register under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), registering the sale of the shares of the Company’s common stock that have been and may be issued to Aspire Capital under the Purchase Agreement.
Under the Purchase Agreement, after the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) has declared effective the registration statement referred to above, on any trading day selected by the Company, the Company has the right, in its sole discretion, to present Aspire Capital with a purchase notice (each, a “Purchase Notice”), directing Aspire Capital (as principal) to purchase up to 200,000 shares of the Company’s common stock per business day, up to $10.0 million of the Company’s common stock in the aggregate at a per share price (the “Purchase Price”) equal to the lesser of:
| ● | the lowest sale price of the Company’s common stock on the purchase date; or | |
| ● | the arithmetic average of the three (3) lowest closing sale prices for the Company’s common stock during the ten (10) consecutive trading days ending on the trading day immediately preceding the purchase date. |
In addition, on any date on which the Company submits a Purchase Notice to Aspire Capital in an amount equal to 200,000 shares and the closing sale price of our stock is equal to or greater than $0.25 per share, the Company also has the right, in its sole discretion, to present Aspire Capital with a volume-weighted average price purchase notice (each, a “VWAP Purchase Notice”) directing Aspire Capital to purchase an amount of stock equal to up to 30% of the aggregate shares of the Company’s common stock traded on its principal market on the next trading day (the “VWAP Purchase Date”), subject to a maximum number of shares the Company may determine. The purchase price per share pursuant to such VWAP Purchase Notice is generally 97% of the volume-weighted average price for the Company’s common stock traded on its principal market on the VWAP Purchase Date.
The Purchase Price will be adjusted for any reorganization, recapitalization, non-cash dividend, stock split, or other similar transaction occurring during the period(s) used to compute the Purchase Price. The Company may deliver multiple Purchase Notices and VWAP Purchase Notices to Aspire Capital from time to time during the term of the Purchase Agreement, so long as the most recent purchase has been completed.
The Purchase Agreement provides that the Company and Aspire Capital shall not effect any sales under the Purchase Agreement on any purchase date where the closing sale price of the Company’s common stock is less than $0.25. There are no trading volume requirements or restrictions under the Purchase Agreement, and the Company will control the timing and amount of sales of the Company’s common stock to Aspire Capital. Aspire Capital has no right to require any sales by the Company, but is obligated to make purchases from the Company as directed by the Company in accordance with the Purchase Agreement. There are no limitations on use of proceeds, financial or business covenants, restrictions on future fundings, rights of first refusal, participation rights, penalties or liquidated damages in the Purchase Agreement. In consideration for entering into the Purchase Agreement, concurrently with the execution of the Purchase Agreement, the Company issued to Aspire Capital 428,571 shares of the Company’s common stock (the “Commitment Shares”). The Purchase Agreement may be terminated by the Company at any time, at its discretion, without any cost to the Company. Aspire Capital has agreed that neither it nor any of its agents, representatives and affiliates shall engage in any direct or indirect short-selling or hedging of the Company’s common stock during any time prior to the termination of the Purchase Agreement. Any proceeds from the Company receives under the Purchase Agreement are expected to be used for working capital and general corporate purposes.
The foregoing is a summary description of certain terms of the Purchase Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement and, by its nature, is incomplete. Copies of the Purchase Agreement and Registration Rights Agreement are filed herewith as Exhibits 10.1 and 4.1, respectively, to this Current Report on Form 8-K and are incorporated herein by reference. All readers are encouraged to read the entire text of the Purchase Agreement and the Registration Rights Agreement.
The issuance of the Commitment Shares and all other shares of common stock that may be issued from time to time to Aspire Capital under the Purchase Agreement is exempt from registration under the Securities Act, pursuant to the exemption for transactions by an issuer not involving any public offering under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.
Item 3.01 Notice of Delisting or Failure to Satisfy a Continued Listing Rule or Standard; Transfer of Listing
On August 9, 2018, the Company received a notification from the NASDAQ Stock Market (the “NASDAQ”) indicating that the minimum bid price of the Company’s common stock has been below $1.00 per share for 30 consecutive business days and as a result, the Company is not in compliance with the minimum bid price requirement for continued listing. The NASDAQ notice has no immediate effect on the listing or trading of the Company’s common stock.
Under the NASDAQ Listing Rules, the Company has a grace period of 180 calendar days, or until February 5, 2019, in which to regain compliance with the minimum bid price rule. To regain compliance, the closing bid price of the Company’s common stock must meet or exceed $1.00 per share for a minimum of ten consecutive business days during this grace period.
If the Company does not regain compliance before February 5, 2019, the NASDAQ stated that it will provide the Company with written notice that its securities are subject to delisting. At that time, the Company may appeal the NASDAQ’s determination to a NASDAQ Listing Qualifications Panel, which would stay any further delisting action by the NASDAQ pending a final decision by the panel. Alternatively, the Company may be eligible for an additional 180 calendar day grace period if it meets the continued listing standards, with the exception of bid price, for the NASDAQ Capital Market, and the Company states its intent to effect a reverse split, if necessary, to cure such deficiency.
The Company actively monitors the price of its common stock and will consider all available options to regain compliance with the continued listing standards of the NASDAQ.
Item 3.02 Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities.
The information contained above in Item 1.01 is hereby incorporated by reference into this Item 3.02 in its entirety.
Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure.
On August 13, 2018, the Company issued a press release announcing that it has entered into the Purchase Agreement with Aspire Capital. A copy of the press release is attached as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated by reference into this Item 7.01.
In accordance with General Instruction B.2 of Form 8-K, the information set forth in this Item 7.01 and in the attached Exhibit 99.1 shall be deemed to be “furnished” and shall not be deemed to be “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d)
Exhibits
**99.1 Press release dated August 13, 2018 announcing the Aspire Capital transaction.
* Filed herewith.
** Furnished herewith.
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
| Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. | |
| Dated: August 13, 2018 | /s/ George H. Kirby |
| George H. Kirby | |
| President and Chief Executive Officer |