Cibus Inc
For the period ended Dec 31, 2023. Filed Mar 21, 2024.
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FY2023 · Filed Mar 21, 2024
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Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
NOTES TO THE CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
- NATURE OF BUSINESS & SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Nature of Business and Organization
Cibus, Inc. (Cibus or the Company and formerly Calyxt, Inc.)completed the Merger Transactions (as defined below under “—Completion of Merger Transactions”) on May 31, 2023, with Cibus Global, LLC (Cibus Global), and the Company carries on its business through Cibus Global and its subsidiaries. Cibus is the sole managing member of Cibus Global and, as sole managing member, the Company operates and controls all of the business and affairs of Cibus Global. As a result, the Company consolidates the financial results of Cibus Global and its subsidiaries and reports redeemable noncontrolling interest representing the economic interest in Cibus Global held by the other members of Cibus Global.
Cibus Global, a Delaware limited liability company, was formed on May 10, 2019. Immediately prior to the effective date of this formation, Cibus Global was organized as a British Virgin Islands company (Cibus Global, Ltd.), which was formed on November 5, 2001.
Cibus Global is a plant trait company using gene editing technologies to develop and license gene edited plant traits that improve farming productivity or produce renewable low carbon plant products.
On October 18, 2023, Cibus implemented a strategic realignment to align with its primary commercial objective of advancing its late-stage activities.
The strategic realignment resulted in a reduction in workforce in full time employees from 242 full-time employees as of October 17, 2023, to approximately 185 full-time employees. The Company incurred approximately $0.5 million of expenses in connection with the reduction in workforce, primarily related to cash payments for accrued vacation and severance payments.
Completion of Merger Transactions
On May 31, 2023, the Company completed the business combination transactions contemplated by the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of January 13, 2023, as amended by the First Amendment thereto dated as of April 14, 2023 (as amended, the Merger Agreement, and the transactions contemplated thereby, the Merger Transactions), by and among Legacy Calyxt (Calyxt, Inc. prior to the Merger Transactions); Calypso Merger Subsidiary, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company; Cibus Global, LLC (Cibus Global); and certain blocker entities party thereto. Among other things, as part of the Merger Transactions, the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation was further amended and restated (the Amended Certificate of Incorporation). The Company is organized in an “Up-C” structure, and the Company’s only material asset consists of membership units of Cibus Global. The Amended Certificate of Incorporation designatedtwo classes of the Company’s common stock: (i) Class A Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the Class A Common Stock), which shares have full voting and economic rights, and (ii) Class B Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the Class B Common Stock), which shares have full voting, but no economic rights. Each share of Legacy Calyxt’s common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (Legacy Common Stock) existing and outstanding immediately prior to the Merger Transactions remained outstanding as a share of Class A Common Stock without any conversion or exchange thereof.
At the closing of the Merger Transactions, the Company contributed all of its assets and liabilities to Cibus Global, in exchange for Common Units. The Company issued an aggregate of 16,527,484 shares of Class A Common Stock (including 1,019,282 shares of restricted Class A Common Stock) and 4,642,636 shares of Class B Common Stock to Cibus Global equityholders, as consideration in the Merger Transactions, pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement. Upon closing, Legacy Calyxt stockholders held approximately 4.8 percent of the issued and outstanding common stock of the Company and legacy holders of membership units of Cibus Global (including profits interest units and warrants) held approximately 95.2 percent of the issued and outstanding common stock of the Company.
The primary purpose of the merger was to bring together the technology platforms and facilities of two pioneering companies to create a leading agricultural technology company for the development of productivity traits and to consolidated significant patented plant agricultural gene editing technology.
Reverse Stock Splits
Prior to the Merger Transactions, Legacy Calyxt effected a one-for-ten reverse stock split (the First Reverse Stock Split) of the Legacy Common Stock, which became effective on April 24, 2023. The First Reverse Stock Split was reflected on the Nasdaq Capital Market beginning with the opening of trading on April 25, 2023.
Immediately prior to the Merger Transactions, the Company effected a one-for-five reverse stock split (the Second Reverse Stock Split and, together with the First Reverse Stock Split, the Reverse Stock Splits) of the Legacy Common Stock, which became effective on May 31, 2023. The Second Reverse Stock Split was reflected on the Nasdaq Capital Market beginning with the opening of trading of the
Class A Common Stock on June 1, 2023.
No fractional shares were issued in connection with the Reverse Stock Splits and instead, fractional shares were rounded up to the nearest whole share number. The par value and authorized shares of Legacy Common Stock and preferred stock of the Company were not adjusted as a result of the Reverse Stock Splits.
Pursuant to the Amended Certificate of Incorporation, following the consummation of the Merger Transactions, the Company is authorized to issue 310,000,000 shares, consisting of (i)300,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, divided into (A)210,000,000 shares of Class A Common Stock and (B)90,000,000 shares of Class B Common Stock and (ii)10,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share. Unless otherwise noted, all share and per share amounts in these financial statements have been retroactively adjusted for all periods presented to give effect to the Reverse Stock Splits.
Share information related to the Company's common stock as of December 31, 2023, is as follows:
| Class A Common Stock | Class B Common Stock | Total Common Stock | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Authorized | 210,000,000 | 90,000,000 | 300,000,000 |
| Issued | 21,240,379 | 3,142,636 | 24,383,015 |
| Outstanding | 20,567,656 | 3,142,636 | 23,710,292 |
Class A Restricted Stock
In connection with the Merger Transactions, the Company issued restricted shares of Class A Common Stock (Class A Restricted Stock), which remain subject to vesting conditions, to Cibus Global Members that held unvested profits interest units at the time of the consummation of the Merger Transactions. Shares of Class A Restricted Stock are considered to be legally issued and outstanding as of the date of grant, notwithstanding that the shares remain subject to risk of forfeiture if the vesting conditions for such shares are not met. For financial statement presentation purposes, Class A Restricted Stock is treated as issued, but will only be treated as outstanding after such awards have vested and, therefore, have ceased to be subject to a risk of forfeiture. Accordingly, unvested shares of Class A Restricted Stock are excluded from the calculation of net loss per share of Class A Common Stock.
Going Concern
The Company has incurred losses since its inception. The Company’s net loss was $337.6 million and cash used for operating activities was $46.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The Company’s primary source of liquidity is its cash and cash equivalents, with additional capital resources accessible, subject to market conditions and other factors, from the capital markets, including through offerings of common stock or other securities.
As of December 31, 2023, the Company had $32.7 million of cash and cash equivalents and $21.3 million of current liabilities.
The Company anticipates that it will continue to generate losses for the next several years. Over the longer term and until the Company can generate cash flows sufficient to support its operating capital requirements, it expects to finance a portion of future cash needs through (i) cash on hand, (ii) commercialization activities, which may result in various types of revenue streams from future product development agreements and technology licenses, including upfront and milestone payments, annual license fees, and royalties, (iii) government or other third party funding, (iv) public or private equity or debt financings, or (v) a combination of the foregoing.
On January 2, 2024, the Company entered into a Sales Agreement (Sales Agreement) with Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated (Stifel). Pursuant to the terms of the Sales Agreement, the Company may offer and sell through Stifel, from time-to-time and at its sole discretion, shares of the Company’s Class A Common Stock, having an aggregate offering price of up to $80.0 million (ATM Facility). As of March 20, 2024, the Company has issued approximately 356,477 shares of Class A Common Stock and has received net proceeds of approximately $6.2 million from the ATM Facility.
The accompanying financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, which contemplates the realization of assets and satisfaction of liabilities in the ordinary course of business. The financial statements do not include any adjustments relating to the recoverability and classification of recorded asset amounts or the amounts and classification of liabilities that might result from the outcome of the uncertainties described above.
Management will need to raise additional capital to support its business plans to continue as a going concern within one year after the date that these financial statements are issued. Although the Company has implemented a strategic realignment, which has included headcount reductions, and has initiated cost reduction initiatives designed to preserve capital resources, if the Company is unable to raise additional capital in a sufficient amount or on acceptable terms, the Company may have to implement additional, more stringent cost reduction measures to manage liquidity, and the Company may have to significantly delay, scale back, or cease operations, in part or in full. If the Company raises additional funds through the issuance of additional debt or equity securities, including as part of a strategic alternative, it could result in substantial dilution to its existing stockholders and increased fixed payment obligations, and these securities may have rights senior to those of the Company’s shares of common stock. These factors raise substantial doubt about the Company's ability to continue as a going concern for at least one year from the date of issuance of these financial statements. Any of these events could significantly impact the Company’s business, financial condition, and prospects.
Basis of Presentation
Cibus, Inc. has prepared its consolidated financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (U.S. GAAP or GAAP) and has included the accounts of Cibus, Inc. and its wholly owned subsidiaries. All intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of the Company’s consolidated financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, and disclosures of contingent liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Management evaluates its estimates on an ongoing basis. Although estimates are based on the Company’s historical experience, knowledge of current events and actions it may undertake in the future, actual results may ultimately materially differ from these estimates and assumptions. Key estimates made by the Company include revenue recognition, useful lives and impairment of long-lived assets, valuation of equity-based awards and related equity-based compensation expense, valuation of intangible assets, valuation allowances on deferred tax assets, and the valuation of the Royalty Liability (defined below under "Royalty liability - Related Parties").
Fair Value Measurements of Financial Instruments
The Company follows Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 820, Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures, for financial assets and liabilities that are recognized or disclosed at fair value in these consolidated financial statements on a recurring basis. Under ASC 820, fair value refers to the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants in the market in which the reporting entity transacts its business. ASC 820 clarifies fair value should be based on assumptions market participants would use when pricing the asset or liability and establishes a hierarchy that prioritizes inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to observable unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements).
The carrying amounts reflected in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets for cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and accrued expenses approximate their fair value due to their short-term nature. Based on the borrowing rates currently available to the Company for notes payable with similar terms and consideration of default and credit risk, the carrying value of the notes payable approximates fair value, which is considered a Level 2 fair value measurement.
Cash and Cash Equivalents
The Company considers all liquid investments purchased with original maturities of three months or less to be cash equivalents. Cash and cash equivalents include cash in readily available checking and money market accounts. The Company maintains its cash in bank deposit accounts which, at times, may exceed federally insured limits. The Company has not experienced any losses with these financial institutions. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had cash balances deposited at major financial institutions.
Restricted Cash
The Company’s restricted cash balances are cash and cash equivalents deposited in an amount equal to the future rent payments as required under the Company’s equipment lease facility. The Company may request the return of excess restricted cash collateral annually in December. The amount of the restricted cash balance as of December 31, 2022, was returned in March of 2023.
Accounts Receivable
Accounts receivable are recorded at the amounts billed relating to contracted research and development (R&D) services provided. The Company makes judgments as to its ability to collect outstanding receivables and provides an allowance for receivables when collection is doubtful. Accounts receivable are written off when management believes that all efforts to collect the amounts outstanding have been exhausted. The allowance for credit losses is estimated by management based on evaluations of its historical bad debt, current collection experience, and estimate of remaining collectability. Bad debt expense is recorded as necessary to maintain an appropriate level of allowance for credit losses in selling, general, and administrative (SG&A) expense in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. Accounts receivable is presented net of allowance for credit losses which was $0 as of December 31, 2023, and 2022.
Property, Plant, and Equipment, net
Property, plant, and equipment are recorded at cost, less accumulated depreciation and amortization. Depreciation of buildings, lab equipment, furniture, and computer equipment and software is recorded using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the respective assets, ranging from three totwenty years. Amortization of leasehold improvements are recorded using a straight-line method over the lesser of the estimated useful lives of the improvements or the remaining life of the lease. Expenditures which substantially increase the useful life of an asset, are capitalized. Expenditures for repairs and maintenance are expensed as incurred. Assets in progress include the construction of lab equipment and software to be used in the Company’s facility. The assets will be placed in service when the construction is completed and will be amortized over the useful life of the asset.
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets and Finite-Lived Intangible Assets
The Company evaluates long-lived assets and finite-lived intangible assets for potential impairment when events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value of the assets may not be recoverable. The Company reviews the recoverability of the net book value of long-lived assets and finite-lived intangible assets whenever events and circumstances indicate that the net book value of an asset may not be recoverable from the estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected to result from its use and eventual disposition (Triggering Event). In cases where a Triggering Event occurs and undiscounted expected future cash flows are less than the net book value, the Company recognizes an impairment loss equal to an amount by which the net book value exceeds the fair value of the asset. During the fourth quarter of 2023, the Company experienced a Triggering Event and assessed its long-lived assets and finite-lived intangible assets for impairment, however, the assets net book values did not exceed their fair values based on expected undiscounted future cash flows and no impairment loss was recognized. The Company hasnot recognized any impairment losses related to long-lived assets or finite-lived intangible assets for the years ended December 31, 2023, and 2022.
Goodwill and Acquired Intangible Assets
Goodwill is calculated as the excess of the purchase consideration paid in a business combination over the fair value of the assets acquired less liabilities assumed. Goodwill is not amortized and is tested for impairment at least annually or when events and circumstances indicate that fair value of a reporting unit may be below its carrying value. The Company evaluates the carrying value of goodwill for impairment annually as of November 1 each year. The Company hasone reporting unit. The Company first assesses qualitative factors to evaluate whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than the carrying amount or elects to bypass such assessment. If it is determined that it is more likely than not that the fair value of the reporting unit is less than its carrying value, or the Company elects to bypass the qualitative assessment, it performs a quantitative test by determining the fair value of the reporting unit. If the carrying value of the reporting unit exceeds the fair value, then an impairment loss is recognized for the difference.
Acquired in-process R&D indefinite-lived intangible assets and developed technology and trade names finite-lived intangible assets are related to the Merger Transactions. Acquired finite-lived intangible assets are amortized on a straight-line basis over the estimated period over which the Company expects to realize economic value related to the intangible assets. In-process R&D indefinite-lived intangible assets are not amortized until they are determined to be ready for their intended use. The acquired in-process R&D indefinite-lived intangible assets will be tested for impairment annually, or more frequently, if an impairment indicator is identified. The Company evaluates the carrying value of indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment annually as of November 1 each year.
The Company began its annual impairment test by performing the step zero qualitative assessment. Based on its assessment of qualitative factors, including a decline in the Company's stock price and its strategic realignment announced in the fourth quarter of 2023, the Company concluded it was more likely than not that the carrying values of its reporting unit and in-process R&D indefinite-lived intangible assets exceeded their fair values. The Company performed a quantitative analysis and concluded that the carrying values of its in-process R&D indefinite-lived intangible assets and its reporting unit both exceeded their fair values. Management makes critical assumptions and estimates in completing impairment assessments of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets. The Company utilized the discounted cash flow method to calculate the fair value for its goodwill and the multi-period excess earnings method to calculate the fair value of its indefinite-lived intangible assets. The Company's cash flow projections look several years into the future and include assumptions on variables such as future royalties and operating margins, economic conditions, probability of success, market competition, inflation, and discount rates. The Company utilized its most recent cash flow projections based upon its strategic realignment announced in the fourth quarter of 2023, including a range of outcomes, along with a long-term growth rate of 3 percent and a range of discount rates between 29 percent and 32 percent. The Company determined its goodwill and in-process R&D indefinite-lived intangible assets were impaired by $150.4 million and $99.0 million, respectively, for the year ended December 31, 2023, which was recorded in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.
Leases
The Company adopted the Accounting Standard Update (ASU) No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) as of January 1, 2022, using the transition method which does not require revisions to comparative periods. Upon adoption, the Company recorded operating lease assets and liabilities of $14.1 million within its consolidated balance sheet as of January 1, 2022. Adoption had no impact on the Company’s consolidated statements of operations or cash flows. The $0.8 million cumulative effect of the adoption of Topic 842 was recorded to stockholders’ equity. See Note 10 for further information regarding the Company’s leases.
The Company determines if an arrangement is or contains a lease at inception. For leases with a term greater than one year, lease right-of-use assets and lease liabilities are recognized at the lease commencement date based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. The Company excludes short-term leases, if any, having initial terms of 12 months or less at lease commencement as an accounting policy election. In determining the net present value of lease payments, the Company uses its incremental borrowing rate, which represents an estimated rate of interest that the Company would have to pay to borrow equivalent funds on a collateralized basis, at the lease commencement date. Leases are classified as finance or operating, with classification affecting the pattern and classification of expense recognition in the consolidated statements of operations. Variable lease payments primarily include common area maintenance, utilities, real estate taxes, insurance, and other operating costs that are passed on from the lessor in proportion to the space leased by the Company. The Company has elected the practical expedient to not separate between lease and non-lease components.
Asset Retirement Obligation
The Company records an asset retirement obligation (ARO) for the estimated cost of removing constructed leasehold improvement assets and restoring the leased premises back to their original condition, at the time when the contractual obligations are incurred. The ARO represents the present value of the expected cost for the related restoration activities. The ARO assets and liabilities are recorded in property, plant, and equipment, net and other non-current liabilities, respectively, in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets. The Company records accretion expense, which represents the increase in the ARO, over the remaining or operational life of the associated leasehold improvements. Accretion expense is recorded as R&D expense in the consolidated statements of operations using an accretion rate based on the credit adjusted risk-free interest rate. Changes resulting from revisions to the timing or amount of the original estimate of cash flows are recognized as an increase or a decrease in the asset retirement cost or income when the asset retirement cost is depleted.
Revenue Recognition
The Company’s revenues represent amounts earned from collaboration agreements related to contract research. The Company recognizes revenues when control of services is transferred to the Company’s customers in an amount that reflects the consideration the Company expects to receive from the Company’s customers in exchange for those services. This process involves identifying the contract with a customer, determining the performance obligations in the contract, determining the contract price, allocating the contract price to the distinct performance obligations in the contract, and recognizing the revenue when the performance obligations have been satisfied. The Company recognizes revenue for satisfied performance obligations only when the Company determines there are no uncertainties regarding payment terms or transfer of control. A performance obligation is considered distinct from other obligations in a contract when it provides a benefit to the customer either on its own or together with other resources that are readily available to the customer and is separately identified in the contract.
Collaboration Agreements Related to Contract Research
Performance obligations under collaboration arrangements include providing intellectual property licenses, performing R&D consulting services, and providing other materials. To date, the Company has concluded that the licenses of intellectual property in its collaboration arrangements have not been distinct, as intellectual property has not been licensed without related R&D support services. Milestone fees are variable consideration that is initially constrained and included in the arrangement consideration only when it is probable that the milestones will be achieved. Arrangement consideration, including upfront fees, milestone fees, and fees for research services, is recognized over the period as services are provided using an input method to determine the amount to recognize each reporting period. The Company reviews the inputs each period, such as the Company’s level of effort expended, including the time the Company estimates it will take to complete the activities, or costs incurred relative to the total expected inputs to satisfy the performance obligation. Generally, input measures are labor hours expended or a time-based measure of progress towards the satisfaction of the performance obligation.
Contract Assets and Liabilities
Contract assets primarily include amounts related to contractual rights to consideration for completed performance not yet invoiced. The Company recognized $0.2 million in contract assets as of December 31, 2023, which are included in prepaid expenses and other current assets in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. There wereno contract assets as of December 31, 2022.
The Company records contract liabilities when cash payments are received or due in advance of performance, primarily related to advances of upfront and milestone payments from contract research and collaboration agreements. Contract liabilities consist of deferred revenue on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. The Company expects to recognize the amounts included in deferred revenues within one year.
The following table represents the deferred revenue activity:
| In Thousands | Deferred Revenue |
|---|---|
| Balance as of December 31, 2022 | $107 |
| Acquired from merger with Cibus Global, LLC | 1,186 |
| Consideration earned | (1,817) |
| Consideration received | 1,734 |
| Balance as of December 31, 2023 | $1,210 |
For the year ended December 31, 2023, all of the deferred revenue balance as of December 31, 2022, was recognized as revenue in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.
Selling, General, and Administrative Expenses
SG&A expense consists primarily of employee-related expenses, such as salaries for its executive, business development, legal, intellectual property, information technology, finance, human resources, and other administrative functions. These costs include legal, professional, and consulting fees for external firms and contractors. All selling and marketing expenses, including advertising expenses and allocated facility costs including rent, utilities, maintenance expenses, and depreciation and amortization, are included in SG&A expense in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.
Beginning in the second quarter of 2023, SG&A expense includes costs related to its intellectual property portfolio and costs to write and support the research for filing patents. Historically, the Company expensed patent application costs and related legal costs for maintenance of such patents as incurred and such costs were included in R&D expense in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.
For the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company recognized, during the second quarter of 2023, $0.4 million of deferred financing costs related to the liability classified common warrants (Common Warrants) in SG&A expense in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.
Research and Development Expenses
R&D costs are expensed as incurred in performing R&D activities and include salaries, lab supplies, consultant fees, and allocated facility costs including rent, utilities, maintenance expenses, and depreciation and amortization.
Historically, the Company recognized its intellectual property portfolio and costs to write and support the research for filing patents as R&D expense. Beginning in the second quarter of 2023, these expenses are included in SG&A expense in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations. The amounts in the prior reporting periods are not material and as such no historical amounts have been reclassified.
Royalty Liability – Related Parties
The royalty liability - related parties (Royalty Liability) calculation is based on the Company’s current estimates of future Subject Revenues (as defined in Note 11) collected by the Company from customers and, in turn, expected Royalty Payments (as defined in Note 11) based on these Subject Revenues to be paid to Royalty Holders (as defined in Note 11) over the life of the arrangement based on 10 percent of the actual Subject Revenues collected. The Warrant Exchange Agreement (as defined in Note 11) is on a cash basis meaning that all Royalty Payments to Royalty Holders in a given period are based on cash actually collected by the Company for Subject Revenues in that period. The Company will periodically reassess the estimated future Royalty Payments using internal projections and external sources. If the amount or timing of these payments significantly deviates from the original estimates, an adjustment will be recorded prospectively as an increase or decrease to interest expense. Fluctuations in the Royalty Liability balance, resulting from changes in Cibus' business model and anticipated Subject Revenues, may cause fluctuations in the Company’s earnings.
Estimates of total future Subject Revenues to be collected from customers are inherently uncertain. Such estimates are impacted by management’s estimate of the number of total acres for various geographies on which seeds with each Cibus trait will be planted, which is based on industry sources or references regarding the need for a specific trait in specific crops and geographies, taking into account assumptions about competition, trait relevance, switching costs and adoption timeframes, and various other factors. Such estimates are also impacted by management’s assumptions regarding the potential per acre fees that the Company may receive in respect of applicable traits, taking into account available market information regarding competitors’ current trait fees as well as assumptions regarding competition, trait relevance and trait value in specific geographies and potential savings to farmers, switching costs, and various other factors.
See Note 11 for further details.
Stock-Based Compensation
The valuation of stock options is a critical accounting estimate that requires the use of judgments and assumptions that are likely to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. The Company generally measures the fair value of employee and nonemployee stock-based awards on their grant date and records compensation expense on a straight-line basis over the related service period of the award, which is generally the vesting period. The Company estimates the fair value of each stock option on the grant date, or other measurement date if applicable, using a Black-Scholes option pricing model, which requires it to make predictive assumptions regarding employee exercise behavior, future stock price volatility, and dividend yield. The Company generally measures compensation expense for grants of restricted stock units and restricted stock awards using the Company’s share price on the date of grant. The Company may use a Monte Carlo simulation pricing model when estimating the fair values of PSUs, which requires the Company to make predictive assumptions. The Company estimates fair values and accounts for employee and nonemployee awards in a similar manner.
Due to the Company’s limited history, it does not always have sufficient historical stock option activity to make predictive assumptions based solely on its stock or stock option activity for the Black-Scholes option pricing model. As a result, the Company may need to use data from other comparable public companies or alternative calculation methods as allowed by GAAP.
The Company estimates its future stock price volatility using a weighted average historical volatility which takes into consideration the Company's historical volatility and historical volatility from a group of guideline companies, over the expected term of the option. The group of comparable public companies is determined by management on an annual basis. When selecting a comparable company, management considers relevant factors including industry and strategy, size, maturity, and financial leverage. The comparable companies used by management to calculate expected volatility may change from year-to-year because of changes in those factors and because a new comparable company may become publicly traded.
The expected term of stock options is estimated using the average of the vesting tranches and the contractual life of each grant for employee options, or the simplified method, as the Company has limited historical information to develop reasonable expectations about future exercise patterns and post-vesting employment termination behavior for its stock option grants.
The Company estimates the risk-free interest rate based on the United States Treasury zero-coupon yield curve at the date of grant for the expected term of the option.
Due to the limited historical experience of the Company’s stock awards program, it has elected to account for forfeitures of awards as they occur. If an award is forfeited prior to vesting, the associated reduction in expense is reflected net in stock-based compensation expense in that period. Stock-based compensation expense is recorded in R&D and SG&A expenses in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations.
Non-operating income (expenses) are income or expenses that are not directly related to ongoing operations and are primarily comprised of gains and losses from the mark-to-market of the Common Warrants to purchase Class A Common Stock and foreign exchange transactions.
Income Taxes
The Company is the sole managing member of Cibus Global and, as a result, consolidates the financial results of Cibus Global in the consolidated financial statements. Cibus Global is a pass-through entity for United States federal and most applicable state and local income tax purposes following the Merger Transactions. As an entity classified as a partnership for tax purposes, Cibus Global is not subject to United States federal and certain state and local income taxes. Any taxable income or loss generated by Cibus Global is passed through to, and included in, the taxable income or loss of its holders of Cibus Common Units, including Cibus. The Company is taxed as a corporation and pays corporate federal, state, and local taxes with respect to income allocated from Cibus Global, based on the Company's 78.3 percent economic interest in Cibus Global.
Current income taxes are recorded based on statutory obligations for the current operating period for the jurisdictions in which the Company has operations.
Deferred taxes are provided on an asset and liability method, whereby deferred tax assets are recognized for deductible temporary differences and deferred tax liabilities are recognized for taxable temporary differences. Temporary differences are the differences between the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and their tax basis. Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance when the Company believes it is more likely than not that some portion or all the deferred tax assets will not be realized. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are adjusted for the effects of changes in tax laws and rates on the date of enactment.
Net Loss Per Share of Class A Common Stock
Weighted average shares of Class A Common Stock outstanding excludes unvested Class A Common Stock, which will be treated as outstanding for financial statement presentation purposes only after such awards have vested and, therefore, have ceased to be subject to a risk of forfeiture. Accordingly, unvested shares of Class A Restricted Stock are excluded from the calculation of net loss per share of Class A Common Stock.
The 2023 Pre-Funded Warrants, defined below in Note 7, remain outstanding and exercisable, subject to an ownership limitation, as of December 31, 2023. The weighted average shares of Class A Common Stock outstanding includes theshares issuable upon exercise of the 2023 Pre-Funded Warrants and are included in the determination of the Company’s basic and diluted net loss per share of Class A Common Stock.
For all periods presented, there is no difference in the number of shares used to calculate basic and diluted shares outstanding as inclusion of the common stock equivalent securities would be anti-dilutive.
The Company’s potential dilutive securities, which include Common Warrants, unvested performance stock units, unvested restricted stock units, unvested restricted stock awards, and options to purchase Class A Common Stock, have been excluded from the computation of diluted net loss per share of Class A Common Stock as the effect would be antidilutive. Therefore, the weighted average number of common shares outstanding used to calculate both basic and diluted net loss per share of Class A Common Stock is the same. The following potential dilutive securities, presented on an as converted basis, were excluded from the calculation of net loss per share of Class A Common Stock due to their anti-dilutive effect:
| As of December 31, | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | |
| Stock options outstanding | 109,521 | 116,860 |
| Unvested restricted stock units | 147,222 | 24,575 |
| Unvested performance stock units | — | 22,600 |
| Unvested restricted stock awards | 640,060 | — |
| Common Warrants | 158,483 | 158,483 |
| Total | 1,055,286 | 322,518 |
Warrants
The Company issued pre-funded warrants (Pre-Funded Warrants) to purchase Class A Common Stock in a follow-on offering on February 23, 2022 (2022 Follow-On Offering). The Pre-Funded Warrants, which were each exercisable forone share of the Company’s Class A Common Stock at an exercise price of $0.0001 per share, were exercised in full on May 4, 2022, and subsequently settled with the counterparty. While outstanding, the Pre-Funded Warrants were considered equity instruments and reported in stockholders’ equity in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets, and the shares issuable upon exercise of the Pre-Funded Warrants were included in the determination of the Company’s net loss per share of Class A Common Stock.
The Company also issued Common Warrants in the 2022 Follow-On Offering. The Common Warrants expire on August 23, 2027, and are each exercisable forone share of the Company’s Class A Common Stock for $69.04 per share, after giving effect to the Reverse Stock Splits. The Common Warrants have been classified as a liability because they include a put option election available to their holder that is contingently exercisable if the Company enters into a fundamental transaction (Fundamental Transaction). Pursuant to the terms of the Common Warrants, a Fundamental Transaction occurs if (i) the Company, directly or indirectly, effects any merger or consolidation of the Company with or into another person in which the Company is not the surviving entity, (ii) the Company (and all of its subsidiaries, taken as a whole), directly or indirectly, effects any sale, lease, license, assignment, transfer, conveyance, or other disposition of all or substantially all of its assets in one or a series of related transactions, (iii) any, direct or indirect, purchase offer, tender offer, or exchange offer is completed pursuant to which holders of the Company’s Class A Common Stock are permitted to sell, tender, or exchange their shares for other securities, cash or property and has been accepted by the holders of 50 percent or more of the outstanding Class A Common Stock of the Company, (iv) the Company, directly or indirectly, in one or more related transactions effects any reclassification, reorganization, or recapitalization of the Class A Common Stock or any compulsory share exchange pursuant to which the Class A Common Stock is effectively converted into or exchanged for other securities, cash, or property, or (v) the Company, directly or indirectly, in one or more related transactions consummates a stock or share purchase agreement or other business combination with another person or group of persons whereby such other person or group acquires more than 50 percent of the voting power of the outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock (not including any shares of Class A Common Stock held by the other person or other persons making or party to, or associated or affiliated with the other persons making or party to, such stock or share purchase agreement or other business combination) (the Fundamental Change Put). If the Fundamental Change Put is exercised by the holder of a Common Warrant, holder may elect to receive either the consideration of the Fundamental Transaction or put the Common Warrants back to the Company in exchange for cash, based on terms and timing specified in the Common Warrant agreement. If the Fundamental Change Put option is exercised, the Company is required to pay cash to the holder in an amount as determined by the Black-Scholes pricing model, with assumptions determined in accordance with the terms of the Common Warrants. The Company believes that the Merger Transactions did not qualify as a Fundamental Transaction.
The Common Warrants are reported at fair value with changes in fair value reported in earnings. The Company reports the changes in fair value of the Common Warrants in non-operating income (expenses) in its consolidated statements of operations.
See Note 7 below paragraph titled "December 2023 Follow-On Offering" for a detailed discussion on pre-funded warrants issued in December 2023. These pre-funded warrants remain outstanding and exercisable, subject to an ownership limitation also described below, as of December 31, 2023. These pre-funded warrants are considered equity instruments and are reported in stockholders’ equity in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets, and the shares issuable upon exercise are included in the determination of the Company’s net loss per share of Class A Common Stock.
Employee Retention Credit
Prior to the Merger Transactions, Cibus Global qualified for federal government assistance through the Employee Retention Credit (ERC) provisions of the CARES Act passed in 2020, for the second, third, and fourth fiscal quarters of 2020, as well as the first and second fiscal quarters of 2021. The purpose of the ERC was to encourage employers to keep employees on the payroll, even if they were not working during the covered period because of the coronavirus outbreak. The Company recognizes amounts to be refundable as tax credits if there is a reasonable assurance of compliance with the grant conditions and receipt of credits. As of December 31, 2023, the Company recognized $0.2 million related to the employee retention credit, and it does not expect to receive any further credits.
Foreign Currency
The accompanying consolidated financial statements are presented in United States dollars (USD) as the reporting currency. For those foreign subsidiaries where the Company has determined that the functional currency is the entity’s local currency, the assets and liabilities of such subsidiaries are translated into USD using exchange rates in effect at the balance sheet date. The revenue and expenses of such subsidiaries are translated into USD using average exchange rates in effect during the reporting period. Any translation adjustments are presented as accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), within stockholders' equity in the accompanying consolidated statements of redeemable noncontrolling interest and stockholders' equity. Foreign currency transaction gains and losses are included in non-operating income (expenses) within the accompanying consolidated statements of operations and were immaterial for all periods presented.
Segment Reporting
Management has determined that the Company hasone operating segment, R&D of plant gene editing, which is consistent with the Company's structure and how it manages the business. Furthermore, the Company's Chief Operating Decision Maker, which is the Company's Chief Executive Officer, monitors and reviews financial information at a consolidated level for assessing operating results and the allocation of resources.
Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
From time-to-time, new accounting pronouncements are issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) or other standard setting bodies and adopted by the Company as of the specified effective date. Unless otherwise discussed, the impact of recently issued standards that are not yet effective are not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations, or cash flows upon adoption.
In October 2021, the FASB issued ASU No. 2021-08, Business Combinations (Topic 805)—Accounting for Contract Assets and Contract Liabilities from Contracts with Customers. The amendments in ASU No. 2021-08 address diversity and inconsistency related to the recognition and measurement of contract assets and contract liabilities acquired in a business combination. The amendments in ASU No. 2021-08 require that an acquirer recognize and measure contract assets and contract liabilities acquired in a business combination in accordance with Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. Upon adoption, an acquirer should account for the related revenue contracts of the acquiree as if it has originated the contracts.
For public business entities, the amendments in ASU No. 2021-08 are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The amendments in ASU No. 2021-08 should be applied prospectively to business combinations occurring on or after the effective date of the amendments. The Company applied ASU No. 2021-08 to the Merger Transactions.
In December 2023, the FASB issued ASU 2023-09, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures, which requires public entities, on an annual basis, to provide disclosure of specific categories in the rate reconciliation, as well as disclosure of income taxes paid disaggregated by jurisdiction. ASU 2023-09 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2024, with early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adopting ASU 2023-09.
- MERGER WITH CIBUS GLOBAL
As described in Note 1, on May 31, 2023, the Company completed the Merger Transactions.
Redeemable Noncontrolling Interest
All of the issued and outstanding Cibus Global membership units (Common Units) are held solely by the Company and certain members of Cibus Global who elected in connection with the Merger Transactions to receive units (Up-C Units), each consisting ofone share of Class B Common Stock andone Common Unit at the closing of the Merger Transactions (Electing Members). The Up-C Units are generally exchangeable for shares of Class A Common Stock on aone-for-one basis, subject to certain restrictions. In accordance with ASC 810, Consolidation, Cibus Global is considered a Variable Interest Entity (VIE) with Cibus as its sole managing member and primary beneficiary. As such, Cibus consolidates Cibus Global, and the remaining Common Unit holders that hold economic interest directly in Cibus Global are presented as redeemable noncontrolling interest on the Company’s financial statements. There are no restrictions on the use of assets of Cibus Global.
Redeemable noncontrolling interest represents the portion of Cibus Global Common Units that are not owned directly by the Company. Redeemable noncontrolling interest is classified as temporary equity because the Common Units contained certain redemption features that were not solely within the control of the Company. As of May 31, 2023, (the closing date of the Merger Transactions) the Common Unit holders of the redeemable noncontrolling interest owned approximately 22 percent of Cibus Global. As of December 31, 2023, the Common Unit holders of the redeemable noncontrolling interest owned approximately 13 percent of Cibus Global.
Purchase Price
The purchase price for Cibus Global was determined as follows:
| Number of shares of Common Stock received by Cibus Global, LLC equityholders as merger consideration (1) | 20,150,838 |
|---|---|
| Multiplied by the fair value per share of Cibus, Inc. Class A Common Stock (2) | $31.50 |
| Purchase price | $634,751,397 |
(1) This share number represents the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock issued to Cibus Global members in the Merger Transactions and comprises:15,508,202 shares of Class A Common Stock and 4,642,636 shares of Class B Common Stock. This share number excludes 1,019,282 shares of Class A Restricted Stock, which will be treated as issued and outstanding for financial statement presentation purposes only after such awards have vested and, therefore, have ceased to be subject to a risk of forfeiture.
(2) Reflects the purchase price per share of the Company's Class A Common Stock, which was the closing price of the Class A Common Stock on May 31, 2023, the closing date of the Merger Transactions.
Purchase Price Allocation
The acquisition of Cibus Global was accounted for using the acquisition method, whereby all of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed were recognized at their fair value on the acquisition date, with any excess of the purchase price over the estimated fair value recorded as goodwill. The purchase price allocation is preliminary and subject to change, including upon completion of the Company's analysis on the deferred tax impact of the acquisition, including the Section 382 analyses, §704(b) and §704(c) tax capital account allocations, and the impact of the merger of certain blocker entities with and into Cibus, Inc. in connection with the Merger Transactions.
Identifiable assets acquired, liabilities assumed, and noncontrolling interest, if applicable, are recorded at their estimated fair values at the acquisition date. Significant judgment is required in determining the acquisition date fair value of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed, predominantly with respect to intangible assets and the Royalty Liability. Evaluations included numerous inputs, including forecasted cash flows that incorporate the specific attributes of each asset. The Company evaluated all available information, as well as all appropriate methodologies, when determining the fair value of assets acquired, liabilities assumed, and noncontrolling interest. In addition, the Company determined the amortization period and method of amortization for each finite-lived intangible asset.
The following table sets forth the preliminary allocation of the consideration:
| In Thousands | May 31, 2023 |
|---|---|
| Cash and cash equivalents | $59,381 |
| Accounts receivable | 2,216 |
| Due from related parties | 19 |
| Note receivable | 2,500 |
| Prepaid expenses and other current assets | 2,535 |
| Property, plant and equipment | 10,588 |
| Operating lease right-of-use-assets | 9,519 |
| Goodwill | 585,266 |
| Intangible assets | 135,429 |
| Other non-current assets | 457 |
| Accounts payable | (5,582) |
| Accrued expenses | (3,477) |
| Accrued compensation | (2,859) |
| Due to related parties | (8) |
| Deferred revenue | (1,186) |
| Current portion of notes payable | (517) |
| Current portion of operating lease obligations | (4,687) |
| Current portion of financing lease obligations | (165) |
| Other current liabilities | (17) |
| Notes payable, net of current portion | (749) |
| Operating lease obligations, net of current portion | (6,006) |
| Financing lease obligations, net of current portion | (10) |
| Royalty liability - related parties | (146,360) |
| Other non-current liabilities | (1,536) |
| Consideration transferred | $634,751 |
Receivables have been recognized at their fair value, and the Company has not recognized, and it does not expect, any credit losses and therefore expects cash flows to match the recognized receivables.
Intangible Assets Acquired
Intangible assets acquired, and their related average useful lives, were as follows:
| In Thousands, except useful life | May 31, 2023 | Weighted Average Amortization (Years) |
|---|---|---|
| In-process research and development | $99,051 | Indefinite |
| Developed technology | 14,148 | 20 |
| Trade name | 22,230 | 20 |
| Total | $135,429 |
The weighted average amortization period for the Company's finite-lived intangible assets, including developed technology and trade names, was 20 years.
The Company incurred expenses of approximately $8.2 million in connection with the completion of the Merger Transactions, of which approximately $0.4 million was recognized in 2022 in the consolidated statements of operations. For the year ended December 31, 2023, approximately $3.5 million in legal and professional fees, $1.9 million in severance costs resulting from pre-existing employment agreements, and $1.1 million in stock compensation expense from accelerated share vesting per the individual stock award agreements, were included in SG&A expense in the consolidated statements of operations. Additionally, for the year ended December 31, 2023, approximately $1.3 million in stock compensation expense from accelerated share vesting per the individual stock award agreements, was included in R&D expense in the consolidated statements of operations.
The Company's consolidated statements of operations are inclusive of activity relating to the acquired entity, Cibus Global, from the date of acquisition and include $1.8 million in revenue, $252.7 million in net loss attributable to controlling interest, and $70.0 million in net loss attributable to redeemable noncontrolling interest, for the year ended December 31, 2023.
These unaudited pro forma figures have been prepared as though the business combination had occurred on January 1, 2022. Pro forma adjustments have been made to reflect non-recurring stock compensation expense, legal and professional fees, severance costs, and amortization of acquired intangible assets, directly attributable to the business combination. The unaudited pro forma financial information is not indicative of the results of operations that would have been achieved had the acquisitions reflected herein been consummated on the dates indicated or that will be achieved in the future.
| Year Ended December 31, | ||
|---|---|---|
| Unaudited and in Thousands | 2023 | 2022 |
| Pro forma revenues | $2,257 | $1,267 |
| Pro forma net loss | (365,682) | (82,063) |
| Pro forma net loss attributable to controlling interest | (287,969) | (69,869) |
| Pro forma net loss attributable to redeemable noncontrolling interest | $(77,713) | $(12,194) |
Tax Receivable Agreement
In conjunction with the Merger Transactions, the Company entered into a Tax Receivable Agreement (TRA) with the Electing Members. Pursuant to the TRA, the Company generally will be required to pay to the Electing Members, in the aggregate,85 percent of the net income tax savings that the Company actually realizes (or in certain circumstances, is deemed to realize) as a result of (i) certain favorable tax attributes the Company acquired from the blocker entities party to the Merger Agreement in connection with the Merger Transactions (including net operating losses), (ii) increases to the Company's allocatable share of the tax basis of Cibus Global's assets resulting from future redemptions or exchanges of Common Units for shares of Class A Common Stock or cash, (iii) tax attributes resulting from certain payments made under the TRA and (iv) deductions in respect of interest under the TRA. The payment obligations under the TRA are the Company's obligations and not obligations of Cibus Global.
As of December 31, 2023,1,500,000 Up-C Units have been exchanged by Electing Members for shares of Class A Common Stock. As of December 31, 2023, the Company has recorded a full valuation allowance against its net deferred tax assets as the realizability of the tax benefit is not at the more likely than not threshold. Since the benefit has not been recorded, the Company determined that the TRA liability is not probable and therefore no TRA liability has been recorded as of December 31, 2023.
- FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS MEASURED AT FAIR VALUE AND CONCENTRATIONS OF CREDIT RISK
Financial Instruments Measured at Fair Value and Financial Statement Presentation
The accounting guidance establishes a three-tier hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in the valuation methodologies in measuring fair value as of the measurement date as follows:
Level 1: Fair values are based on unadjusted quoted prices in active trading markets for identical assets and liabilities.
Level 2: Fair values are based on observable quoted prices other than those in Level 1, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets or quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in inactive markets.
Level 3: Fair values are based on at least one significant unobservable input for the asset or liability.
Fair Value Measurements and Financial Statement Presentation
The Company’s financial instruments measured at fair value and their respective levels in the fair value hierarchy as of December 31, 2023, and 2022, were as follows:
| December 31, 2023 · December 31, 2022 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair Value of Assets | Fair Value of Assets | |||||||
| In Thousands | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Total | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Total |
| Money market funds (1) | $7,015 | $— | $— | $7,015 | $— | $— | $— | $— |
| Total | $7,015 | $— | $— | $7,015 | $— | $— | $— | $— |
(1) Included in cash and cash equivalents on the accompanying consolidated balance sheets.
| December 31, 2023 · December 31, 2022 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair Value of Liabilities | Fair Value of Liabilities | |||||||
| In Thousands | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Total | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Total |
| Common Warrants | $— | $— | $1,418 | $1,418 | $— | $— | $291 | $291 |
| Total | $— | $— | $1,418 | $1,418 | $— | $— | $291 | $291 |
The following table summarizes the Common Warrants activity for the period ended December 31, 2023:
| In Thousands | Level 3 Fair Value of Liabilities |
|---|---|
| Balance as of December 31, 2022 | $291 |
| Change in fair value | 1,127 |
| Balance as of December 31, 2023 | $1,418 |
The Company estimates the fair value of the Common Warrants as of the date of issuance and at the end of every fiscal period using a Black-Scholes option pricing model, which requires it to make assumptions regarding future stock price volatility and dividend yield. The Company estimates the risk-free interest rate based on the United States Treasury zero-coupon yield curve for the remaining life of the Common Warrants. The Company estimates its future stock price volatility using a weighted average historical volatility which takes into consideration the Company's historical volatility and historical volatility from a group of guideline companies, over the remaining life of the Common Warrants. The Company does not pay dividends and does not expect to pay dividends in the foreseeable future.
The estimated fair values of the Common Warrants, and the assumptions used for the Black-Scholes option pricing model were as follows:
| As of December 31, | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | |
| Estimated fair value of Common Warrants per share | $8.95 | $1.87 |
| Assumptions: | ||
| Risk-free interest rate | 3.9% | 4.0% |
| Expected volatility | 100.7% | 85.0% |
| Expected term to liquidation (in years) | 3.6 | 4.6 |
As of December 31, 2023, the Company had no other financial instruments measured at fair value.
Concentrations of Credit Risk
The Company invests its cash and cash equivalents in highly liquid securities and interest-bearing deposit accounts. The Company diversifies the risk associated with investing in securities by allocating its investments to a diverse portfolio of short-dated, high investment-grade securities, which it classifies as cash and cash equivalents that are recorded at fair value in its consolidated financial statements. The Company maintains the credit risk in this portfolio in accordance with its internal policies and, if necessary, makes changes to investments to minimize credit risk. The Company has not experienced any counterparty credit losses. As of December 31, 2023, and 2022, the Company did not hold any short-term investments.
- PROPERTY, PLANT, AND EQUIPMENT, NET
Property, plant, and equipment, net consists of the following:
| As of December 31, | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| In Thousands, except useful life | Useful Life(Years) | 2023 | 2022 |
| Property, plant, and equipment, net: | |||
| Buildings | 10 - 20 | $900 | $900 |
| Leasehold improvements | shorter of lease term or - 15 | 3,912 | 364 |
| Office furniture and equipment | 5 - 10 | 15,102 | 7,803 |
| Office furniture and equipment under financing leases | 3 - 7 | 373 | 414 |
| Computer equipment and software | 3 - 5 | 3,761 | 912 |
| Assets in progress | N/A | 704 | — |
| Total property, plant, and equipment | 24,752 | 10,393 | |
| Less accumulated depreciation and amortization | (8,977) | (5,877) | |
| Total | $15,775 | $4,516 | |
Depreciation and amortization expense is as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||
|---|---|---|
| In Thousands | 2023 | 2022 |
| Depreciation and amortization expense | $3,568 | $1,441 |
Asset Retirement Obligation
Certain lease agreements require the Company to return designated areas of leased space to its original condition upon termination of the lease agreement. At the inception of such leases, the Company records an ARO and a corresponding capital asset in an amount equal to the estimated fair value of the obligation. To determine the fair value of the ARO, the Company estimates the cost for a third party to perform the restoration work. In subsequent periods, for each ARO, the Company records operating expense to accrete the ARO liability to full value and depreciation expense against the ARO, over the term of the associated lease agreement. The Company used a credit-adjusted risk-free rate of 5.6 percent to discount the future obligation, and an inflation rate of 5.0 percent to determine the future value of the original estimate of restoration costs. The ARO is expected to be resolved in July 2025.
The following table presents the changes in the ARO during the year ended December 31, 2023.
| In Thousands | Asset Retirement Obligations |
|---|---|
| Balance as of December 31, 2022 | $— |
| Acquired from merger with Cibus Global, LLC | 264 |
| Obligations incurred | — |
| Accretion expense | 9 |
| Balance as of December 31, 2023 | $273 |
- GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS
Goodwill
In connection with the Merger Transactions with Cibus Global, the Company recognized goodwill totaling $585.3 million. The company hadno goodwill prior to the Merger Transactions. Goodwill represents future economic benefits arising from acquiring Cibus Global, primarily due to its strong market position and its assembled workforce that are not individually identified and separately recognized as intangible assets. None of the goodwill recognized is expected to be deductible for income tax purposes.
The following table presents the changes in goodwill during the year ended December 31, 2023.
| In Thousands | Goodwill |
|---|---|
| Balance as of December 31, 2022 | $— |
| Acquired from merger with Cibus Global, LLC | 585,266 |
| Impairment | (150,368) |
| Balance as of December 31, 2023 | $434,898 |
Intangible Assets
Intangible assets as of December 31, 2023, were as follows:
| In Thousands | Gross Carrying Amount | Accumulated Amortization | Intangible Assets, Net |
|---|---|---|---|
| Developed technology | $14,148 | $413 | $13,735 |
| Trade name | 22,230 | 648 | 21,582 |
| Other | 150 | 56 | 94 |
| Total | $36,528 | $1,117 | $35,411 |
During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company impaired all of the in-process R&Dindefinite-lived intangible assets acquired in connection with the Merger Transactions with Cibus Global by $99.0 million. As such, there is no longer a carrying value for the Company's in-process R&D indefinite-lived intangible assets as of December 31, 2023.
Intangible assets as of December 31, 2022, were immaterial.
Total amortization expense is as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||
|---|---|---|
| In Thousands | 2023 | 2022 |
| Amortization expense | $1,125 | $21 |
As of December 31, 2023, amortization expense for each of the next five years is estimated as follows:
| In Thousands | Amortization Expense |
|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,833 |
| 2025 | $1,833 |
| 2026 | $1,833 |
| 2027 | $1,833 |
| 2028 | $1,833 |
Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets impairment
The Company began its annual impairment test by performing the step zero qualitative assessment. Based on its assessment of qualitative factors, including a decline in the Company's stock price and its strategic realignment announced in the fourth quarter of 2023, the Company concluded it was more likely than not that the carrying values of its reporting unit and in-process R&D indefinite-lived intangible assets exceeded their fair values. The Company performed a quantitative analysis and concluded that the carrying values of its in-process R&D indefinite-lived intangible assets and its reporting unit both exceeded their fair values. Management makes critical assumptions and estimates in completing impairment assessments of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets. The Company utilized the discounted cash flow method to calculate the fair value for its goodwill and the multi-period excess earnings method to calculate the fair value of its indefinite-lived intangible assets. The Company's cash flow projections look several years into the future and include assumptions on variables such as future royalties and operating margins, economic conditions, probability of success, market competition, inflation, and discount rates. The Company determined its goodwill and in-process R&D indefinite-lived intangible assets were impaired by $150.4 million and $99.0 million, respectively, for the year ended December 31, 2023, which was recorded in the accompanying consolidated statements of operations.
- NOTES PAYABLE
The Company has financed the costs associated with its enterprise science platform annual software license. The financing arrangement for the license has a term ofone year and accrues interest at an annual rate of 10.9 percent. The Company makes monthly principal and interest payments. The note related to the annual license matures in July 2024.
Additionally, the Company has purchased various fixed assets using notes. The notes on financed equipment are subject to annual interest rates between 7.3 percent and 17.6 percent and have a weighted average remaining term of 2.7 years. Notes used to finance equipment mature between January 2024 and March 2028.
The Company has also financed certain annual insurance premiums using notes. The insurance notes are subject to annual interest rates between 2.2 percent and 7.5 percent, have a weighted average remaining term of 0.3 years, and mature between February 2024 and August 2024.
As of December 31, 2023, future minimum payments under notes payable were as follows:
| In Thousands | Annual Licenses | Financed Equipment | Insurance | Total Notes Payable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 216 | 454 | 251 | 921 |
| 2025 | — | 351 | — | 351 |
| 2026 | — | 151 | — | 151 |
| 2027 | — | 89 | — | 89 |
| 2028 | — | 11 | — | 11 |
| 216 | 1,056 | 251 | 1,523 | |
| Less: interest | (7) | (143) | (4) | (154) |
| Total | $209 | $913 | $247 | $1,369 |
| Current portion | 209 | 377 | 247 | 833 |
| Noncurrent portion | $— | $536 | $— | $536 |
- STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
2022 Follow-On Public Offering
On February 23, 2022, the Company completed the 2022 Follow-On Offering, in which it issued 77,600 shares of Class A Common Stock, Pre-Funded Warrants to purchase up to 77,600 shares of Class A Common Stock, and Common Warrants to purchase up to 158,483 shares of Class A Common Stock, in each case giving effect to the Reverse Stock Splits. The aggregate offering price for each share of Class A Common Stock and accompanying Common Warrant was $70.50, as adjusted for the Reverse Stock Splits. The aggregate offering price for each Pre-Funded Warrant and accompanying Common Warrant was $70.4999, adjusted for the Reverse Stock Splits. In the aggregate, the Company received net proceeds of $10.0 million, after deducting approximately $0.9 million of underwriting discounts and estimated other offering expenses.
Each Pre-Funded Warrant entitled the holder to purchaseone share of the Company’s Class A Common Stock at an exercise price of $0.0001 per share. While outstanding, the Pre-Funded Warrants were recorded as a component of stockholders’ equity within additional paid-in capital. The Pre-Funded Warrants were exercised in full on May 4, 2022, and subsequently settled with the counterparty.
Each Common Warrant entitles the holder to purchaseone share of Class A Common Stock at an exercise price of $69.04 per share. The Common Warrants became exercisable on August 23, 2022, and expire on August 23, 2027. The Common Warrants are recorded as a liability in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets. Per the terms of the Common Warrants, holders of outstanding Common Warrants are not entitled to exercise any portion of such warrant if, upon exercise, the holder’s ownership of the Company’s Class A Common Stock (together with its affiliates) or the combined voting power of the Company’s securities beneficially owned by such holder (together with its affiliates) would exceed 4.99 percent after giving effect to the exercise.
December 2023 Equity Follow-On Offering
On December 14, 2023, the Company issued 2,106,723 shares of its Class A Common Stock and, in lieu of Class A Common Stock to one of the Company’s executive officers, pre-funded warrants (2023 Pre-Funded Warrants) to purchase 50,000 shares of Class A Common Stock (Warrant Shares) in an underwritten registered direct offering (2023 Follow-On Offering). The offering price for each share of Class A Common Stock in the 2023 Follow-On Offering was $9.00 per share, except for shares of Class A Common Stock purchased by an executive officer of the Company, which were offered at a price of $10.58 per share, which was the closing bid price for shares of the Company's Class A Common Stock on December 11, 2023, and $10.57 per 2023 Pre-Funded Warrant, which was the closing bid price for shares of Class A Common Stock on December 11, 2023, minus the $0.01 exercise price per 2023 Pre-Funded Warrant. The 2023 Pre-Funded Warrants are immediately exercisable until fully exercised at an exercise price of $0.01 per share, subject to an ownership limitation. The Company received net proceeds of approximately $18.6 million, after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and other offering expenses payable by the Company.
The 2023 Pre-Funded Warrants remain outstanding and exercisable, subject to an ownership limitation, as of December 31, 2023. The 2023 Pre-Funded Warrants were recorded as a component of stockholders’ equity within additional paid-in capital in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets, and the shares issuable upon exercise are included in the determination of the Company’s net loss per share of Class A Common Stock.
On October 20, 2023, Cibus entered into a binding term sheet (Binding Term Sheet) with Rory Riggs, the Company’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. Pursuant to the Binding Term Sheet, Mr. Riggs had agreed to make available to the Company a line of credit (the Loan) in the aggregate principal amount of $5.0 million. Upon the closing of the 2023 Follow-On Offering on December 14, 2023, the Loan was terminated in accordance with its terms.
Warrant transactions for the year ended December 31, 2023, were as follows:
| Pre-Funded Warrants | Weighted Average ExercisePrice Per Share | Common Warrants | Weighted Average ExercisePrice Per Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outstanding as of December 31, 2022 | — | $— | 158,483 | $69.04 |
| Issued | 50,000 | 0.01 | — | — |
| Forfeited/canceled | — | — | — | — |
| Exercised | — | — | — | — |
| Outstanding as of December 31, 2023 | 50,000 | $0.01 | 158,483 | $69.04 |
| Exercisable as of December 31, 2023 | 50,000 | $0.01 | 158,483 | $69.04 |
On September 21, 2021, the Company entered into an Open Market Sale Agreement SM (Legacy Calyxt ATM Facility) with Jefferies LLC, as sole selling agent. The Company issued approximately 40,000 shares of Class A Common Stock, giving effect to the Reverse Stock Splits, under the Legacy Calyxt ATM Facility in 2022 for net proceeds of $0.1 million. The Company didnot issue any additional shares under the Legacy Calyxt ATM Facility during the 2023 fiscal year, which was terminated in January of 2024.
Merger with Cibus Global
At the closing of the Merger Transactions, the Company contributed all of its assets and liabilities to Cibus Global, in exchange for Common Units. The Company issued an aggregate of 16,527,484 shares of Class A Common Stock (including 1,019,282 shares of restricted Class A Common Stock) and 4,642,636 shares of Class B Common Stock to Cibus Global equityholders, as consideration in the Merger Transactions, pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement.
Class A Common Stock
Shares of Class A Common Stock have full voting and economic rights. Unvested shares of Class A Restricted Common Stock, which were issued as equity compensation to certain of the Company's employees and executive officers, carry all voting, dividend, distribution, and other rights as apply to shares of Class A Common Stock generally, except that (i) shares of Class A Restricted Common Stock are subject to transfer restrictions and (ii) dividends and distributions are held by the Company until vesting of the underlying shares of Class A Restricted Common Stock and remain subject to the same forfeiture provisions as such shares.
Class B Common Stock
Upon the Closing of the Merger Transactions, the Company issued shares of Class B Common Stock. The Class B Common Stock have full voting rights. The Class B Common Stock have no economic rights and do not participate in dividends or undistributed earnings. However, holders of Class B Common Stock hold a corresponding number of economic, non-voting Common Units through which they would receivepro rata distributions from Cibus Global.
Cibus Global Common Units
In connection with the Merger Transactions, the Company, Cibus Global, and the Electing Members entered into an Exchange Agreement (the Exchange Agreement). The Exchange Agreement sets forth the terms and conditions upon which holders of Up-C Units, comprising an equal number of shares of Class B Common Stock and Cibus Global Common Units, may exchange such Up-C Units for shares of Class A Common Stock. The Up-C Units are generally exchangeable for shares of Class A Common Stock on aone-for-one basis, subject to certain restrictions. The Electing Members’ ownership of Common Units represents the redeemable noncontrolling interest. During the year ended December 31, 2023, there were 1,500,000 Up-C Units exchanged by Electing Members for Class A Common Stock. As of December 31, 2023, there were 23,710,292 Cibus Common Units outstanding. Of the 23,710,292 Cibus Common Units outstanding,20,567,656 are held by Cibus Inc. and 3,142,636 are held by the Electing Members.
Preferred Stock
Pursuant to the Amended Certificate of Incorporation, following the consummation of the Merger Transactions, the Company is authorized to issue 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share. As of December 31, 2023, the Company hasnot issued any preferred stock.
- STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
The Company uses broad-based stock plans to attract and retain highly qualified officers and employees and to help ensure that management’s interests are aligned with those of its shareholders. The Company has also granted equity-based awards to directors, non-employees, and certain employees of Cellectis, the Company's largest shareholder prior to the completion of the Merger Transactions.
In December 2014, Legacy Calyxt adopted the Calyxt, Inc. Equity Incentive Plan (2014 Plan), which allowed for the grant of stock options, and in June 2017, it adopted the Calyxt, Inc. 2017 Omnibus Plan (2017 Plan), which allowed for the grant of stock options, restricted stock units (RSUs), performance stock units (PSUs), and other types of equity awards. As part of the Merger Transactions, the name of the 2017 Plan was amended to reflect the name change of the Company.
In July 2021, the Company also adopted the Calyxt, Inc. Employee Inducement Incentive Plan (the Inducement Plan), from which PSUs were granted to Michael A. Carr, the Company's former Chief Executive Officer.
As of December 31, 2023,2,003,809 shares were available for grant in the form of stock options, restricted stock, RSUs, and PSUs under the 2017 Plan. Stock-based awards currently outstanding also include awards granted under the 2014 Plan. No further awards are available for grant or will be granted under either the 2014 Plan or the Inducement Plan.
Stock Options
The estimated fair values of stock options granted, and the assumptions used for the Black-Scholes option pricing model were as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | |
| Estimated fair values of stock options granted | $— | $42.83 |
| Assumptions: | ||
| Risk-free interest rate | —% | 1.9% - 3.5% |
| Expected volatility | —% | 89.7% - 92.8% |
| Expected term (in years) | — | 5.50 - 6.89 |
The Company estimates the fair value of each stock option on the grant date, or other measurement date if applicable, using a Black-Scholes option pricing model, which requires it to make predictive assumptions regarding employee exercise behavior, future stock price volatility, and dividend yield. The Company estimates the risk-free interest rate based on the United States Treasury zero-coupon yield curve at the date of grant for the expected term of the option. The Company estimates its future stock price volatility using a weighted average historical volatility which takes into consideration the Company's historical volatility and historical volatility from a group of guideline companies, over the expected term of the option. The expected term of stock options is estimated using the average of the vesting tranches and the contractual life of each grant for employee options, or the simplified method, as the Company has limited historical information to develop reasonable expectations about future exercise patterns and post-vesting employment termination behavior for its stock option grants. The use of the simplified method is dependent upon the type of equity award granted and the term of the award. The Company has not paid dividends and does not expect to pay dividends in the foreseeable future.
Option strike prices are set at 100 percent or more of the closing share price on the date of grant and generally vest over three tosix years following the grant date. Options generally expire 10 years after the date of grant.
Modification of Stock Options
On March 1, 2023, the Company’s Board of Directors (Board) approved the modification of the award terms of all outstanding stock options with a 90-day post-separation exercise period from the current 90 days tofive years from date of grant. The modification did not affect the vesting or service period of the stock options. These modifications were considered to be Type I and incremental stock compensation expense of $0.2 million was determined for all modified awards, which was recognized during the year ended December 31, 2023. The incremental stock compensation expense related to 12 grantees and approximately 33,000 shares, giving effect to the Reverse Stock Splits.
Information on stock option activity is as follows:
| Options Exercisable | Weighted AverageExercise Price Per Share | Options Outstanding | Weighted Average Exercise Price Per Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balance as of December 31, 2022 | 67,978 | $496.83 | 116,860 | $367.58 |
| Granted | — | — | — | — |
| Vested | 42,333 | 156.25 | — | — |
| Exercised | — | — | — | — |
| Forfeited | (1,530) | 441.63 | (7,339) | 371.04 |
| Balance as of December 31, 2023 | 108,781 | $365.07 | 109,521 | $367.35 |
Stock-based compensation expense related to stock option awards is as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||
|---|---|---|
| In Thousands | 2023 | 2022 |
| Stock-based compensation expense | $1,847 | $2,031 |
As of December 31, 2023, both options outstanding and options exercisable had nominal aggregate intrinsic value and a weighted average remaining contractual term of 3.8 years.
As of December 31, 2023, unrecognized compensation expense related to non-vested stock options was $0.1 million which has a weighted average remaining recognition period of 0.8 years.
Restricted Stock Awards
The Company granted awards of Class A Restricted Stock (RSAs), in connection with the Merger Transactions, to Cibus Global members who held unvested restricted profits interest units. The RSAs will continue to vest following their original vesting schedules over the remaining life of the awards which is generally 2 months tofour years after the date of grant.
Information on Class A restricted stock award activity is as follows:
| Restricted Stock Awards | Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Unvested balance as of December 31, 2022 | — | $— |
| Granted | 1,019,282 | 31.50 |
| Vested | (349,907) | 31.50 |
| Forfeited | (29,315) | 31.50 |
| Unvested balance as of December 31, 2023 | 640,060 | $31.50 |
The total fair value of RSAs that vested is as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||
|---|---|---|
| In Thousands | 2023 | 2022 |
| Fair value of shares vested | $5,361 | $— |
The weighted average grant date fair value of RSAs granted during the year ended December 31, 2023, was $31.50. There wereno RSAs granted during the year ended December 31, 2022.
Stock-based compensation expense related to RSAs is as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||
|---|---|---|
| In Thousands | 2023 | 2022 |
| Stock-based compensation expense | $11,497 | $— |
As of December 31, 2023, unrecognized compensation expense related to RSAs was $19.7 million which has a weighted average remaining recognition period of 2.4 years.
Restricted Stock Units
The Company grants RSUs which generally vest over three tofive years after the date of grant. Upon vesting, the RSUs are settled as shares of Class A Common Stock.
Information on restricted stock unit activity is as follows:
| Restricted Stock Units | Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Unvested balance as of December 31, 2022 | 24,575 | $99.36 |
| Granted | 272,885 | 19.02 |
| Vested | (96,734) | 38.29 |
| Forfeited | (53,504) | 23.29 |
| Unvested balance as of December 31, 2023 | 147,222 | $18.21 |
The total fair value of RSUs that vested is as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||
|---|---|---|
| In Thousands | 2023 | 2022 |
| Fair value of shares vested | $2,126 | $175 |
The weighted average grant date fair value of RSUs granted during the year ended December 31, 2023, and 2022 was $19.02 and $62.87, respectively.
Stock-based compensation expense related to RSUs is as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||
|---|---|---|
| In Thousands | 2023 | 2022 |
| Stock-based compensation expense | $3,018 | $1,318 |
As of December 31, 2023, unrecognized compensation expense related to RSUs was $2.1 million which has a weighted average remaining recognition period of 3.3 years.
The Company accounted for stock-based compensation awards granted to employees of Cellectis as deemed dividends. These awards are fully vested as of December 31, 2022. The Company recorded deemed dividends as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||
|---|---|---|
| In Thousands | 2023 | 2022 |
| Deemed dividends from grants to Cellectis employees | $— | $90 |
Performance Stock Units
From time-to-time, the Company issues PSUs to certain individuals in management in order to align their objectives with stockholders of the Company. Depending upon the type of PSU award, the Company uses a Monte Carlo simulation pricing model when estimating the fair value of these awards.
2023 Grant
On May 24, 2023, the Company granted 24,800 PSUs under the 2017 Plan tofive employees including four executive officers. The PSUs included an annual performance period (2023) and target performance levels for the period linked to the achievement of Company objectives as determined annually for the respective period by the Compensation Committee of the Board (Compensation Committee). Once the annual objectives are approved, the associated expense will be recognized on a straight-line basis over the period through the determination date, which can be no later than March 15 of the following year. Earned awards are settled in shares of Class A Common Stock no later than the March 15 determination date in the following calendar year. In connection with the closing of the Merger Transactions, the Company’s Board determined the awards would vest at 100 percent.
2022 Grant
In March 2022, the Company granted 10,600 PSUs under the 2017 Plan tofive employees including four executive officers. The PSUs included three annual performance periods (2022, 2023, and 2024) and target performance levels for each of those periods linked to the achievement of Company objectives as determined annually for the respective period by the Compensation Committee. Once the annual objectives are approved, the associated expense will be recognized on a straight-line basis over the period through the determination date, which can be no later than March 15 of the following year. Earned awards are settled in shares of Class A Common Stock no later than the March 15 determination date in the following calendar year. The grant date for the tranche of awards linked to 2022 performance was May 4, 2022, and on March 1, 2023, the Company’s Board determined the 2022 tranche of PSUs would vest at 100 percent. The grant date for the tranche of awards linked to 2023 performance was May 17, 2023, and on May 31, 2023, in connection with the closing of the Merger Transactions, the Company’s Board determined the 2023 tranche of PSUs would vest at 100 percent. Additionally on May 31, 2023, in connection with the closing of the Merger Transactions, the 2024 tranche of PSUs became fully vested.
2021 Grant
In July 2021, the Company granted 12,000 PSUs under the Inducement Plan to Mr. Carr. The PSUs will vest if the Company’s stock remains above three specified price levels forthirty calendar days over thethree-year performance period. The PSUs will be settled in shares of Class A Common Stock on the vesting date. At the close of the Merger Transactions on May 31, 2023,25 percent of these awards vested per the terms of the award agreement, and the remaining awards were forfeited due to the service period ending with Mr. Carr's termination upon the close of the Merger Transactions.
2019 Grant
In June 2022, PSUs granted to two executive officers in 2019 were forfeited because the underlying performance criteria were not met. These PSUs contained a market condition and had afive-year service period. At the close of the Merger Transactions, both of these executive officers were terminated. All expense for these awards was reversed in June 2023 due to the service period ending prior to vesting date.
Information on performance stock unit activity is as follows:
| Performance Stock Units | Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value | |
|---|---|---|
| Outstanding as of December 31, 2022 | 22,600 | $81.73 |
| Issued | 24,800 | 25.65 |
| Forfeited/canceled | (9,333) | 95.80 |
| Vested | (38,067) | 31.82 |
| Outstanding as of December 31, 2023 | — | $— |
The total fair value of PSUs that vested is as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||
|---|---|---|
| In Thousands | 2023 | 2022 |
| Fair value of shares vested | $1,005 | $— |
The weighted average grant date fair value of PSUs granted during the year ended December 31, 2023, and 2022 was $25.65 and $63.50, respectively.
Stock-based compensation expense related to PSUs is as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||
|---|---|---|
| In Thousands | 2023 | 2022 |
| Stock-based compensation (benefit) expense | $(270) | $649 |
As of December 31, 2023, there isno unrecognized compensation expense related to PSUs.
- INCOME TAXES
The Company is the sole managing member of Cibus Global and, as a result, consolidates the financial results of Cibus Global in the consolidated financial statements. Cibus Global is a pass-through entity for United States federal and most applicable state and local income tax purposes following the Merger Transactions. Any taxable income or loss generated by Cibus Global is passed through to, and included in, the taxable income or loss of its holders of Cibus Common Units, including Cibus. The Company is taxed as a corporation and pays corporate federal, state, and local taxes with respect to income allocated from Cibus Global, based on the Company's 78.3 percent economic interest in Cibus Global.
The components of loss before income taxes are as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||
|---|---|---|
| In Thousands | 2023 | 2022 |
| United States loss before income taxes | $(225,222) | $(16,891) |
| Foreign loss before income taxes | (112,421) | — |
| Loss before income taxes | $(337,643) | $(16,891) |
The following table reconciles the United States statutory income tax rate to the Company’s effective income tax rate:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | |
| United States statutory rate | 21.0% | 21.0% |
| State tax, net of federal tax benefit | 2.7% | 1.0% |
| Loss attributable to redeemable noncontrolling interest | (4.4)% | —% |
| Stock-based compensation | (0.1)% | (1.7)% |
| Officer compensation | —% | (1.4)% |
| Goodwill and intangible assets impairment | (7.3)% | —% |
| R&D credit | 0.8% | 2.2% |
| Unrecognized tax benefits | (0.6)% | —% |
| Warrants | (0.1)% | 6.4% |
| §351 exchange | 8.1% | —% |
| Change in state rate | 3.1% | —% |
| Other | (0.5)% | —% |
| Change in valuation allowance | (22.7)% | (27.5)% |
| Effective income tax rate | —% | —% |
The difference between the United States statutory income tax rate and the Company’s effective income tax rate for the years ended December 31, 2023, and 2022 is primarily attributable to the effect of losses sustained which required a valuation allowance.
Income tax provision for the years ended December 31, 2023, and 2022 consist of the following:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||
|---|---|---|
| In Thousands | 2023 | 2022 |
| Current: | ||
| Federal | $— | $— |
| State | — | — |
| Foreign | 4 | — |
| Total current | 4 | — |
| Deferred: | ||
| Federal | — | |
| State | — | |
| Foreign | — | |
| Total deferred | — | — |
| Total income tax benefit (expense) | $4 | $— |
Deferred tax assets and liabilities consist of the following:
| December 31, | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| In Thousands · 2023 · 2022 | ||||
| Net operating losses | $60,257 | $40,914 | ||
| Investment in Cibus Global, LLC | 53,573 | — | ||
| Stock-based compensation | 3,367 | 2,950 | ||
| ASC 842 lease liabilities | — | 2,921 | ||
| Tax credit carry forwards | 5,335 | 3,685 | ||
| Capitalized R&D | 1,698 | 2,183 | ||
| Compensation | 17 | 14 | ||
| Fixed assets | 2,062 | — | ||
| Other | — | 124 | ||
| Gross deferred tax assets | 126,309 | 52,791 | ||
| Less valuation allowance | (126,309) | (49,843) | ||
| Net deferred tax assets | — | 2,948 | ||
| Fixed assets | — | (89) | ||
| ASC 842 ROU assets | — | (2,859) | ||
| Gross deferred tax liabilities | — | — | (2,948) | |
| Net deferred tax asset or liability | $— | $— | ||
The Company provides for a valuation allowance when it is more likely than not that it will not realize a portion of the deferred tax assets. The Company has established a full valuation allowance for deferred tax assets described above due to the uncertainty that enough taxable income will be generated in the taxing jurisdiction to utilize the assets. Therefore, the Company has not reflected any benefit of such deferred tax assets in the accompanying consolidated financial statements.
The Company has $362.5 million of net operating loss carryforwards (NOLs). Of this amount, $104.5 million are state NOLs and $258.0 million are federal NOLs. The federal NOLs period is as follows: $215.6 million do not expire and $42.4 million expire between 2026 and 2036. The state NOLs will expire between 2027 and 2043, with some amounts having indefinite carryover. The Company also has federal and state R&D credit carryovers of $5.2 million and $2.4 million, respectively, which will expire between 2028 and 2043.
Pursuant to Sections 382 and 383 of the Internal Revenue Code (IRC), annual use of the Company's NOLs and R&D credit carryforwards may be limited in the event a cumulative change in ownership of more than 50 percent occurs within a three-year period. Since the Company's formation, the Company has raised capital through the issuance of capital stock, which on its own or combined with the purchasing stockholders' subsequent disposition of those shares, may have resulted in such an ownership change, or could result in an ownership.
Upon the occurrence of an ownership change under Section 382 as outlined above, utilization of the Company's NOLs and R&D credit carryforwards are subject to an annual limitation, which is determined by first multiplying the value of the Company's stock at the time of the ownership change by the applicable long-term tax-exempt rate, which could be subject to additional adjustments, as required. Any limitation may result in expiration of a portion of the NOLs or R&D credit carryforwards before utilization. The Company is in the process of completing a Section 382 study and believes an ownership change has occurred in connection with the Merger Transactions, but has not yet completed the analysis. For financial statement purposes, the Company has included the federal and state NOLs and R&D credit in the schedule of deferred tax assets offset with a full valuation allowance. If eliminated, the related asset would be removed from the deferred tax asset schedule with a corresponding reduction in the valuation allowance. Due to the existence of the valuation allowance, limitations created by historical ownership changes will not impact the Company’s effective tax rate in the future.
The gross unrecognized tax benefits activity is as follows:
| In Thousands | Gross Unrecognized Tax Benefits |
|---|---|
| Balance as of December 31, 2022 | $— |
| Increases related to current year positions | 697 |
| Increases related to prior year positions | 1,209 |
| Balance as of December 31, 2023 | $1,906 |
The Company is subject to federal income taxes in the United States as well as various state and local jurisdictions, the United Kingdom, Netherlands, and Canada. The Company has reviewed its tax positions and concluded thatno liability for uncertain tax positions is required as of December 31, 2023. The Company will classify any future interest and penalties as a component of income tax expense if incurred.
The Company does not expect the amount of uncertain tax positions to change significantly in the next 12 months. The Company’s major taxing jurisdictions are in the United States, at both the federal and state levels, the United Kingdom, Netherlands, and Canada. The number of years open for examination varies depending on the tax jurisdiction but are generally from three to five years.
As of December 31, 2023, there have been 1,500,000 Up-C Units exchanged by Electing Members for Class A Common Stock. As described in Note 2, the Company has recorded a full valuation allowance against its net deferred tax assets as the realizability of the tax benefit is not at the more likely than not threshold. Since the benefit has not been recorded, the Company determined that the TRA liability is not probable and therefore no TRA liability existed as of December 31, 2023.
- LEASES, COMMITMENTS, AND CONTINGENCIES
Leases
The Company had an equipment financing arrangement at the Roseville, Minnesota location that was considered a financing-type lease. This equipment financing arrangement was repaid in full in the first quarter of 2023. The Company was required to deposit cash into a restricted account in an amount equal to the future rent payments required by the lease. As of March 31, 2023, the remaining restricted cash had been returned to the Company.
Upon the completion of the Merger Transactions, the Company assumed financing leases for certain equipment. In the third quarter of 2023, the Company added a financing lease for hardware and software. The financing lease right-of-use (ROU) asset is included in other non-current assets in the consolidated balance sheets.
The Company is obligated under non-cancellable operating leases, primarily for office, laboratory, greenhouse, and warehouse space, as follows:
| As of December 31, | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 · 2022 | |||||
| In Thousands, except remaining term · Remaining Term (years) · Right-of-Use-Asset · Remaining Term (years) · Right-of-Use-Asset | |||||
| Roseville, Minnesota lease | 14.3 | $13,117 | 15.3 | $13,613 | |
| San Diego, California laboratory lease | 1.7 | 3,377 | — | — | |
| San Diego, California headquarters lease | 1.4 | 3,178 | — | — | |
| San Diego, California greenhouse lease | 4.7 | 1,475 | — | — | |
| Other leases | < 1.0 - 3.0 | 538 | < 2.0 | 2 | |
| Total | $21,685 | $13,615 | |||
The Roseville, Minnesota lease includes four options to extend the lease forfive years. These options to extend the lease are not recognized as part of the associated operating lease ROU assets and lease liabilities as it is not reasonably certain that the Company will exercise those options. The Company’s lease agreement does not include options to terminate the lease.
Upon the completion of the Merger Transactions, the company assumed additional operating leases.
The Company's headquarters are located in San Diego, California where it has leases for its headquarters facility, which includes office and laboratory space, and it has the first standardized high-throughput (gene editing) trait development facility for editing plants (the Oberlin Facility) with terms that expire in May 2025 and August 2025, respectively. The Company hasone option to extend the Oberlin Facility lease forone year. As the Company is not reasonably certain to exercise this option at lease commencement, the option was not recognized as part of the associated operating lease ROU asset or lease liability.
Additionally, the Company has certain leases for greenhouse and warehouse facilities, with terms that expire in August 2028 and August 2026, respectively. The Company hadone option to extend the term of the greenhouse lease, forfive years, and executed this right with an amended lease agreement beginning in September 2023 and expiring at the end of August 2028. There are no other options to extend this lease. The Company hasone option to extend the warehouse lease forfive years. However, as the Company is not reasonably certain to exercise this option at lease commencement, the option was not recognized as part of the associated operating lease ROU asset or lease liability.
Certain leases include rent abatement, rent escalations, tenant improvement allowances, and additional charges for common area maintenance and other costs. The Company is required to pay base rent expense as well as its proportionate share of the facilities operating expenses. The non-lease components, consisting primarily of common area maintenance, are paid separately based on actual costs incurred. Therefore, the variable non-lease components were not included in the operating lease ROU assets or lease liabilities and are reflected as expense in the period incurred.
The components of lease expense were as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||
|---|---|---|
| In Thousands | 2023 | 2022 |
| Finance lease costs | $117 | $75 |
| Operating lease costs | 4,511 | 1,548 |
| Total | $4,628 | $1,623 |
Operating lease costs for short-term leases was not material for the year ended December 31, 2023, or 2022.
Supplemental cash flow information related to leases was as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||
|---|---|---|
| In Thousands | 2023 | 2022 |
| Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities: | ||
| Operating cash flows (operating leases) | $3,178 | $276 |
| Financing cash flows (finance leases) | $297 | $376 |
Supplemental balance sheet information related to leases was as follows:
| As of December 31, | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2022 | |||
| Operating | Financing | Operating | Financing | |
| Weighted average remaining lease term (years) | 10.6 | 1.3 | 15.3 | 0.4 |
| Weighted average discount rate | 7.5% | 9.8% | 7.9% | 8.1% |
As of December 31, 2023, future minimum payments under operating and finance leases were as follows:
| In Thousands | Operating | Financing | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 7,134 | 210 | 7,344 |
| 2025 | 4,797 | 120 | 4,917 |
| 2026 | 1,993 | — | 1,993 |
| 2027 | 1,920 | — | 1,920 |
| 2028 | 1,863 | — | 1,863 |
| Thereafter | 15,438 | — | 15,438 |
| 33,145 | 330 | 33,475 | |
| Less: interest | (10,193) | (30) | (10,223) |
| Total | $22,952 | $300 | $23,252 |
| Current portion | 5,927 | 187 | 6,114 |
| Noncurrent portion | $17,025 | $113 | $17,138 |
Cibus Non-Profit Foundation
During 2022, Cibus Global created the Cibus Charitable Foundation, Inc., a nonprofit legal entity (the Cibus Non-Profit Foundation). As of December 31, 2023, the Cibus Non-Profit Foundation has not received any donations or commenced operations. The Company is obligated to make donations to the Cibus Non-Profit Foundation each fiscal year at a rate of 1.0 percent of all net royalty revenue in the applicable fiscal year that is equal to or greater than $100 million up to, and including, $1.0 billion, and then steps up to 2.0 percent in respect of any portion of such net royalty revenue in excess of $1.0 billion. For purposes of this calculation, net royalty revenue refers to all royalty payments received by the Company, net of all taxes (other than income taxes) and all amounts payable pursuant to the Royalty Liability. The donation payable by the Company may be reduced, including to zero, to the extent necessary to comply with any covenant or obligation in any instrument evidencing third party indebtedness, to permit a financing to occur, to preclude undercapitalization, to satisfy working capital requirements or provide for strategic needs of the Company, to ensure timely payment of the Company's liabilities and debts to third parties as they become due, or to comply with applicable law. The Company has agreed not to enter any change of control transaction unless the surviving entity assumes the obligation to pay such donations to the Cibus Non-Profit Foundation.
This obligation is contingent upon the Cibus Non-Profit Foundation obtaining and maintaining its status as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, although such registration has not yet been achieved. The Cibus Non-Profit Foundation must use all donations received consistent with its mission statement: to drive sustainable agriculture and sustainable agricultural communities in the developing world. Accordingly, as of December 31, 2023, the Company had not recorded a liability related to its obligations to the Cibus Non-Profit Foundation within the accompanying consolidated financial statements.
Litigation and Claims
In the fourth quarter of 2022, the Company reached a settlement with one of its technology vendors regarding alleged intellectual property infringement. As a result of the settlement, the Company received $0.75 million in the fourth quarter of 2022, and it received the final installment of $0.75 million in the first quarter of 2023.
The Company is not currently a party to any material pending legal proceeding.
- ROYALTY LIABILITY - RELATED PARTIES
On December 31, 2014, Cibus Global entered into a Warrant Transfer and Exchange Agreement (Warrant Exchange Agreement) and a related Intellectual Property Security Agreement (IP Security Agreement), pursuant to which certain investors, including certain directors of the Company and entities affiliated with directors of the Company (collectively, Royalty Holders), exchanged warrants issued by Cibus Global in previous financing transactions, for the right to receive future royalty payments (Royalty Payments). The Warrant Exchange Agreement and IP Security Agreement remain in place following the Company’s acquisition of Cibus Global in the Merger Transactions.
Under the Warrant Exchange Agreement, the Royalty Holders are entitled to future Royalty Payments equal to 10 percent of specified Subject Revenues (as defined in the Warrant Exchange Agreement) actually collected, attributable to product sales, license fees, sublicense payments, distribution fees, milestones, maintenance payments, royalties, and distributions to the Company, arising from products or technology developed using or based upon intellectual property rights in RTDS or oligonucleotide directed mutagenesis technology applied in plants, biologicals, animals, and humans, as well as improvements related to such products or technology. Subject Revenues exclude revenues attributable to certain Nucelis product lines (certain applications in microorganisms), amounts received from the sale or disposition of the Company’s assets to the extent the purchaser agrees to be bound by the Warrant Exchange Agreement, fair market value payments for Cibus Global capital stock, and revenues attributable to collaboration and research projects. Royalty Payments are contingent because they are based upon the actual cash amounts constituting Subject Revenues that are collected from the Company’s customers.
Royalty Payments will not begin until after the first fiscal quarter in which the aggregate Subject Revenues cash inflow during any consecutive 12 month period equals or exceeds $50.0 million, at which point Cibus Global will be obligated to pay all aggregated but unpaid payments under the Warrant Exchange Agreement. As of December 31, 2023, the amount of aggregated, but unpaid, Royalty Payments is $0.6 million.
The initial term of the Warrant Exchange Agreement is 30 years from the date the first Royalty Payment becomes due and may be extended for an additional 30-year term upon written notice and a $100 payment. Pursuant to the IP Security Agreement, Cibus Global’s payment and performance obligations under the Warrant Exchange Agreement are secured by a security interest in substantially all of Cibus Global’s intellectual property.
The Royalty Liability calculation is based on the Company’s current estimates of future Subject Revenues collected by the Company from customers and, in turn, expected Royalty Payments based on these Subject Revenues to be paid to Royalty Holders over the life of the arrangement based on 10 percent of the actual Subject Revenues collected. The Warrant Exchange Agreement is on a cash basis meaning that all Royalty Payments to Royalty Holders in a given period are based on cash actually collected by the Company for Subject Revenues in that period. The Company recorded the Royalty Liability obligation at fair value as of May 31, 2023, in connection with the acquisition of Cibus Global, LLC. The Company will periodically reassess the estimated future Royalty Payments using internal projections and external sources. Any change in estimated future Royalty Payments, resulting from changes in Cibus’ business model and anticipated Subject Revenues, is recognized prospectively as an adjustment to the effective yield as an increase or decrease to interest expense.
As of December 31, 2023, the Royalty Liability reflected an effective yield of 21.7 percent.
The Royalty Liability activity is as follows:
| In Thousands | Royalty Liability - Related Parties |
|---|---|
| Balance as of December 31, 2022 | $— |
| Acquired from merger with Cibus Global, LLC | 146,360 |
| Interest expense recognized | 18,892 |
| Balance as of December 31, 2023 | $165,252 |
- SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
Certain balance sheet amounts are as follows:
| As of December 31, | ||
|---|---|---|
| In Thousands | 2023 | 2022 |
| Accrued Expenses: | ||
| Accrued consulting and professional fees | $631 | $119 |
| Accrued field trials | 505 | — |
| Other | 611 | 54 |
| Total | $1,747 | $173 |
Certain statement of operations amounts were as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||
|---|---|---|
| In Thousands | 2023 | 2022 |
| Stock-based compensation expense: | ||
| Research and development | $7,554 | $946 |
| Selling, general, and administrative | 8,538 | 3,052 |
| Total | $16,092 | $3,998 |
Supplemental statement of cash flows information is as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||
|---|---|---|
| In Thousands | 2023 | 2022 |
| Interest paid | $123 | $69 |
Non-cash transactions not reported in the consolidated statements of cash flows is as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||
|---|---|---|
| In Thousands | 2023 | 2022 |
| Receivable from Jefferies for shares issued under ATM facility | $— | $(260) |
| Property, plant, and equipment acquired through assuming liabilities | $105 | $(691) |
| Unpaid stock offering costs included in stockholders’ equity | $167 | $— |
| Shares issued for consideration in the merger with Cibus Global | $634,751 | $— |
| Forgiveness of interim funding resulting from merger with Cibus Global | $2,500 | $— |
| Cumulative effect of adoption of lease accounting standard on stockholders’ equity | $— | $832 |
| Establishment of financing lease right-of-use assets and associated financing lease liabilities | $324 | $— |
| Establishment of operating lease right-of-use assets and associated operating lease liabilities | $1,634 | $14,090 |
- INTERIM FUNDING
Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, beginning at the earlier of March 15, 2023, and the date the Company's unrestricted cash balance first dropped below $1.5 million, the Company could request, and Cibus Global agreed to provide, an unsecured, interest-free revolving line of credit of up to $3.0 million in cash (Interim Funding). Funds could be drawn by the Company in $0.5 million increments and could only be used to fund operating expenses incurred in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice and consistent with the negative covenants in the Merger Agreement. The Company received $2.5 million of Interim Funding in the aggregate from Cibus Global. The full balance of the Interim Funding was reduced tozero in connection with the closing of the Merger Transactions pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement.
- COLLABORATION AGREEMENT
Prior to the Merger Transactions, Cibus Global and Procter & Gamble (P&G), a leading multi-national consumer product company, entered into a collaboration agreement under which P&G will fund a multi-year program to develop sustainable low carbon ingredients or materials that do not negatively impact the environment during production, use, or disposal to help P&G advance its sustainability objectives. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had $1.2 million of deferred revenue from R&D activities under the P&G agreement. The Company has determined the P&G agreement should be accounted for under Topic 606, and it will recognize revenue over time proportional to the R&D activities performed by the Company related to the collaboration agreement. During the year ended December 31, 2023, the Company recognized $1.2 million in revenue in the consolidated statements of operations.
- RELATED-PARTY TRANSACTIONS
Prior to the completion of the Merger Transactions, the Company was party to several agreements that governed its relationship with Cellectis, the Company's largest shareholder prior to the completion of the Merger Transactions, some of which required the Company to make payments to Cellectis. Pursuant to the Company’s management services agreement with Cellectis, it incurred no management fee expenses for the years ended December 31, 2023, and 2022. The management services agreement was terminated with respect to the
Company upon the closing of the Merger Transactions.
Cellectis has guaranteed the lease agreement for the Company’s Roseville, Minnesota facility. Cellectis’ guarantee of the Company’s obligations under the lease will terminate at the end of the second consecutive calendar year in which the Company’s tangible net worth exceeds $300 million. The Company agreed to indemnify Cellectis for any obligations incurred by Cellectis under its guaranty of the obligations under the lease, effective upon Cellectis’ ownership falling to 50 percent or less of the Company’s outstanding common stock. This indemnification obligation was triggered in October 2022.
TALEN® is one of the Company's gene editing technologies. TALEN® technology was invented by researchers at the University of Minnesota and Iowa State University and exclusively licensed to Cellectis. The Company originally obtained an exclusive license for the TALEN® technology for commercial use in plants from Cellectis. Upon the closing of the Merger Transactions, the license agreement was amended (the Amended Cellectis License) to provide exclusive use to certain intellectual property in the field of developing and commercializing microorganism, agricultural, and food products, including, but not limited to traits, seeds, proteins, oils, carbohydrates, food, and food and animal feed ingredients, excluding (i) any application in connection with animals and animal cells and (ii) therapeutic applications (the Calyxt Field). This grant is non-exclusive solely in the non-exclusive fields as described in the Amended Cellectis License. Cellectis also grants to the Company a non-exclusive, worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, and fully paid-up license (with certain rights to sublicense) under certain licensed plant patents in the Calyxt Field. Cellectis is entitled to royalties on any revenue the Company generates from sales of products less certain amounts as defined in the license agreement, royalties on certain cumulative revenue thresholds, and a percentage of any sublicense revenues. The Company has incurred nominal license and royalty fees for the years ended December 31, 2023, and 2022.
Prior to the Merger Transactions, amounts payable to Cellectis were reported in the Company's consolidated balance sheets as Due to related parties. Beginning with the three months ended June 30, 2023, any amounts payable to Cellectis are included in accrued expenses in the Company's consolidated balance sheets.
- EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN
For Cibus, Inc. employees, comprising Legacy Calyxt employees, the Company provided a 401(k) defined contribution plan for all regular full-time employees who had completed two months of service. The Company matched employee contributions up to certain amounts and those matching contributions vested immediately. The Legacy Calyxt employees remained on the Cibus, Inc. payroll and benefits programs through December 31, 2023. Beginning in 2024, these employees will move to the Cibus US, LLC payroll and benefits programs and the Cibus, Inc. payroll and benefits programs will be terminated.
The employee benefit plan expenses were as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||
|---|---|---|
| In Thousands | 2023 | 2022 |
| Employee benefit plan expenses | $122 | $259 |
- SUBSEQUENT EVENTS
On January 2, 2024, the Company entered into the Sales Agreement with Stifel. Pursuant to the terms of the Sales Agreement, the Company may offer and sell through Stifel, from time-to-time and at its sole discretion, shares of the Company’s Class A Common Stock, having an aggregate offering price of up to $80.0 million (ATM Facility). As of March 20, 2024, the Company has issued approximately 356,477 shares of Class A Common Stock and has received net proceeds of approximately $6.2 million from the ATM Facility.
The text of this filing, as the company filed it with the SEC, without its images or exhibits. This is not investment advice.