common shares have increased in price significantly while the warrant values have plummeted. For example, on December 5th Velodyne’s common shares closed at $1.18 up 33% from November 4th’s pre-announcement close, however, Velodyne’s warrants closed down 16% from the same date. Common up 33%, warrants down 16%. Not fair.
Why? It is because post-merger the Velodyne warrants will be trading side-be-side with the Ouster warrants, with different ticker symbols. Both will be exercisable into the same common shares, but the Velodyne warrant terms are vastly worse. Consider, the strike rate on the Velodyne warrants will be $14.02 versus Ouster’s $11.50, and the Velodyne warrant will be exchangeable into only 62% of a New Ouster common share, while the Ouster warrant will be exercisable into 100% of a New Ouster share. Therefore, post-merger Velodyne public warrant holders will have a worse strike rate that is 22% higher and will be exercisable into 38% less of a share. This is why, in my view, the Velodyne warrant holders are being treated unfairly.
But there is more. I have clearly shown above how the Velodyne warrant will be worth significantly less than the Ouster warrant. In the recent past Velodyne’s warrants have traded as much as 4.5 times higher than the price of the Ouster warrants, and now it are going to be valued at a discount to the Ouster warrants.
In the merger proxy you will nowhere find the new strike rate of $14.02 nor will you find the Exercise ratio of 0.6153. You will only find words on how to do the calculation. Why not show the calculations we have spent so much time discussing? Our warrant holders have not been informed and the calculations which may seem easy, are not. Even our Chairwoman wasn’t able to do the strike rate adjustment correctly, was wrong directionally, and in its impact.
Our warrant holders are not generally aware of the impending changes the merger will bring to their warrants and we should educate and inform them. However, the management and the board have steadfastly refused to even request a NoBo list from Broadridge in order to be aware of who our warrant holders are. I even offered to pay for it. Given our high retail shareholder base it is likely our warrant holders are not even aware of the terms as they were not provided a merger proxy. It is not right that our warrant holders are treated in this unfair fashion as the warrant holders were the largest source of cash in the history of the company.
As President, CFO and a Director of GRAF which created the warrants in GRAF’s IPO, and now as an Independent Director of Velodyne I am of the firm contention that it is in the interests of the company, that will require additional capital in the future, to treat all our public security holders with fairness, and they are not, in my opinion. This is particularly true given the unprecedented situation this merger creates for our warrant holders. You have heard this is standard and conventional, but our situation is completely unique. Investors have long memories, and New Ouster may find it has handicapped future capital raises by the treatment of the Velodyne warrant holders.