| Item 2.02 | Results of Operations and Financial Condition. |
On November 14, 2023, Alaunos Therapeutics, Inc. (the “Company”) issued a press release announcing its financial condition and results of operations for the three months ended September 30, 2023. A copy of the press release is furnished as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K.
The information contained in this Item 2.02, including Exhibit 99.1, is being “furnished” and shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or otherwise subject to the liability of that Section or Sections 11 and 12(a)(2) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). The information contained in this Item 2.02, including Exhibit 99.1, shall not be incorporated by reference into any registration statement or other document pursuant to the Securities Act or into any filing or other document pursuant to the Exchange Act, except as otherwise expressly stated in any such filing.
| Item 3.01. | Notice of Delisting or Failure to Satisfy a Continued Listing Rule or Standard; Transfer of Listing. |
As previously disclosed, on January 4, 2023, the Company received a deficiency letter from the Listing Qualifications Department (the “Staff”) of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) notifying the Company that, for the last 30 consecutive business days, the bid price for the Company’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common Stock”), had closed below the $1.00 per share minimum bid price requirement for continued inclusion on the Nasdaq Global Select Market pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5450(a)(1) (the “Bid Price Requirement”). In accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A) (the “Compliance Period Rule”), the Company was provided an initial period of 180 calendar days, or until July 3, 2023 (the “Compliance Date”), to regain compliance with the Bid Price Requirement.
On June 22, 2023, the Company applied to transfer the listing of the Common Stock from the Nasdaq Global Select Market to the Nasdaq Capital Market (the “Transfer”). On July 5, 2023, Nasdaq notified the Company that the Transfer was approved, and that, in connection with the Transfer, the Company was eligible for an additional 180 calendar day period, or until January 2, 2024 (the “Extended Compliance Period”), to regain compliance with the Bid Price Requirement.
On November 8, 2023, the Company received a Staff Delisting Determination letter (the “Delisting Determination”) from the Staff notifying the Company that, because the closing bid price for the Common Stock was below $0.10 per share for 10 consecutive trading days during the Extended Compliance Period, the Staff has determined to suspend trading of the Common Stock on Nasdaq pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A)(iii), effective November 17, 2023, and file a Form 25-NSE with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) to remove the Common Stock from listing and registration under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, unless the Company timely requests an appeal of the Delisting Determination to a Nasdaq Hearings Panel (the “Panel”).
We intend to timely request a hearing before the Panel to appeal the Delisting Determination and expect a hearing before the Panel to be scheduled where we will seek to remain listed until we are able to consummate a strategic transaction, if ever. Following the hearing, if granted, the Company expects the Panel to issue a written decision that will determine whether the Common Stock will remain listed on Nasdaq.
A timely request for a hearing ordinarily stays the suspension or delisting of the Common Stock, so the Company expects that the Common Stock will continue to trade on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “TCRT” while the appeal process is pending.
There can be no assurance that the Company’s plan will be accepted by the Panel or that, if it is, the Company will be able to regain compliance with the applicable Nasdaq listing requirements. If the Common Stock is delisted, it could be more difficult to buy or sell the Common Stock or to obtain accurate quotations, and the price of the Common Stock could suffer a material decline. Delisting could also impair the Company’s ability to raise capital.
