424B5: Prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)
Published on October 11, 2019
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Filed pursuant to 424(b)(5)
Registration No. 333-234101
PROSPECTUS
Up to $75,000,000
Common Stock
We have entered into a sales agreement with Cowen and Company, LLC, or Cowen, relating to shares of our common stock offered by this prospectus. In accordance with the terms of the sales agreement, we may offer and sell shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $75 million from time to time through Cowen acting as our agent.
Our common stock is traded on The Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol STRO. The last reported sales price of our common stock on The Nasdaq Global Market on October 8, 2019 was $9.27 per share.
Sales of our common stock, if any, under this prospectus may be made in sales deemed to be an at the market offering as defined in Rule 415(a)(4) promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act. Cowen is not required to sell any specific number or dollar amount of securities, but will act as a sales agent using commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices, on mutually agreed terms between Cowen and us. There is no arrangement for funds to be received in any escrow, trust or similar arrangement.
The compensation to Cowen for sales of common stock sold pursuant to the sales agreement will be equal to 3.0% of the aggregate gross proceeds of any shares of common stock sold under the sales agreement. In connection with the sale of the common stock on our behalf, Cowen will be deemed to be an underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act and the compensation of Cowen will be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts. We have also agreed to provide indemnification and contribution to Cowen with respect to certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act.
Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should review carefully the risks and uncertainties referenced under the heading Risk Factors on page 5 of this prospectus as well as those contained in any accompanying prospectus and any related free writing prospectus or prospectus supplement we prepare or authorize in connection with this offering, and in the other documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus or the accompanying prospectus.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
Cowen
The date of this prospectus is October 11, 2019.
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This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, using a shelf registration process. Under this shelf registration process, we may from time to time sell shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $250,000,000. Under this prospectus, we may from time to time sell shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $75,000,000, at prices and on terms to be determined by market conditions at the time of the offering. The $75,000,000 of shares of our common stock that may be sold under this prospectus are included in the $250,000,000 of shares of common stock that may be sold under the registration statement.
This prospectus describes the terms of this offering of common stock and also adds to and updates information contained in the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus. To the extent there is a conflict between the information contained in this prospectus, on the one hand, and the information contained in any document incorporated by reference into this prospectus that was filed with the SEC before the date of this prospectus, on the other hand, you should rely on the information in this prospectus. If any statement in one of these documents is inconsistent with a statement in another document having a later datefor example, a document incorporated by reference into this prospectusthe statement in the document having the later date modifies or supersedes the earlier statement.
We have not, and Cowen has not, authorized anyone to provide you with any information other than that contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement or related free writing prospectus to which we have referred you. Neither we nor Cowen take any responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information others may give you. We are not, and Cowen is not, making an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted or in which the person making that offer or solicitation is not qualified to do so or to anyone to whom it is unlawful to make an offer or solicitation. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus, the accompanying base prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering, is accurate only as of the date of those respective documents. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates. You should read this prospectus, the accompanying base prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering, in their entirety before making an investment decision.
When we refer to Sutro, we, our, us, the Registrant, the Company and our company in this prospectus, we mean Sutro Biopharma, Inc., a Delaware corporation, unless otherwise specified.
Sutro and all product candidate names are our common law trademarks. This prospectus also includes trademarks, tradenames and service marks that are the property of other organizations. Solely for convenience, trademarks and tradenames referred to in this prospectus appear without the ® and symbols, but those references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or that the applicable owner will not assert its rights, to these trademarks and tradenames.
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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION; INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE
Available Information
We file reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. The SEC maintains a web site that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information about issuers, such as us, who file electronically with the SEC. The address of that website is www.sec.gov.
Our web site address is http://www.sutrobio.com. The information on our web site, however, is not, and should not be deemed to be, a part of this prospectus.
This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the SEC and does not contain all of the information in the registration statement. The full registration statement may be obtained from the SEC or us, as provided below. Documents establishing the terms of the offered securities are or may be filed as exhibits to the registration statement. Statements in this prospectus about these documents are summaries and each statement is qualified in all respects by reference to the document to which it refers. You should refer to the actual documents for a more complete description of the relevant matters. You may inspect a copy of the registration statement through the SECs website, as provided above, or at our principal executive offices, 310 Utah Avenue, Suite 150, South San Francisco, California 94080, during normal business hours.
Incorporation by Reference
The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference information that we file with the SEC, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those other documents. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus, and information we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede this information. A Current Report (or portion thereof) furnished, but not filed, on Form 8-K shall not be incorporated by reference into this prospectus. We incorporate by reference the documents listed below and any future filings we make with the SEC under Section 13(a), 13(c), 14, or 15(d) of the Exchange Act prior to the termination of any offering of securities made by this prospectus:
∎ | Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2018, filed with the SEC on April 1, 2019, including certain information incorporated by reference therein from our Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A for our 2019 annual meeting of stockholders, filed with the SEC on April 26, 2019; |
∎ | Our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2019 and June 30, 2019, filed with the SEC on May 15, 2019 and August 14, 2019, respectively; |
∎ | Our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on May 7, 2019, June 10, 2019 and June 24, 2019; and |
∎ | The description of our common stock contained in our registration statement on Form 8-A filed with the SEC on September 18, 2018 under Section 12 of the Exchange Act, including any amendment or report filed for the purpose of updating such description. |
All reports and other documents we subsequently file pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act prior to the termination of this offering, including all such documents we may file with the SEC after the date of the initial registration statement and prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement, but excluding any information furnished to, rather than filed with, the SEC, will also be incorporated by reference in this prospectus and deemed to be part of this prospectus from the date of the filing of such reports and documents.
We will furnish without charge to you, on written or oral request, a copy of any or all of such documents that has been incorporated herein by reference (other than exhibits to such documents unless such exhibits are specifically incorporated by reference into the documents that this prospectus incorporates). Written or oral requests for copies should be directed to Sutro Biopharma, Inc., Attn: Investor Relations, 310 Utah Avenue, Suite 150, South San Francisco, California 94080, and our telephone number is (650) 392-8412.
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Our Company
We are a clinical stage drug discovery, development and manufacturing company focused on deploying our proprietary integrated cell-free protein synthesis platform, XpressCF, to create a broad variety of optimally designed, next-generation protein therapeutics initially for cancer and autoimmune disorders. We aim to design therapeutics using the most relevant and potent modalities, including cytokine-based targets, immuno-oncology, or I/O agents, antibody-drug conjugates, or ADCs, and bispecific antibodies that are directed primarily against clinically validated targets where the current standard of care is suboptimal. We believe our platform allows us to accelerate the discovery and development of potential first-in-class and best-in-class molecules by enabling the rapid and systematic evaluation of protein structure-activity relationships to create optimized homogeneous product candidates. Our mission is to transform the lives of patients by using our XpressCF Platform to create medicines with improved therapeutic profiles for areas of unmet need.
Our two most advanced product candidates are wholly owned: STRO-001, an ADC directed against CD74, for patients with multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, or NHL, and STRO-002, an ADC directed against folate receptor-alpha, or FolRa, for patients with ovarian and endometrial cancers.
We have also entered into multi-target, product-focused collaborations with leaders in the field of oncology, including a cytokine derivatives collaboration with Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a subsidiary of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, or Merck, a B Cell Maturation Antigen, or BCMA, with a BCMA ADC now in phase 1 clinical evaluation, and an immuno-oncology directed alliance with Celgene Corporation, or Celgene, and an oncology-focused collaboration with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany (operating in the United States and Canada under the name EMD Serono), in which an undisclosed novel bispecific solid tumor-targeting ADC has been recently nominated as a development candidate.
Company Information
We were incorporated under the laws of the State of Delaware in April 2003 under the name Fundamental Applied Biology, Inc. We subsequently changed our name to Sutro Biopharma, Inc. Our principal executive offices are located at 310 Utah Avenue, Suite 150, South San Francisco, California 94080, and our telephone number is (650) 392-8412. Our website address is http://www.sutrobio.com. The information contained on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not part of this prospectus, and you should not consider information on our website to be part of this prospectus.
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Common stock offered by us |
Shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $75,000,000. |
Common stock to be outstanding immediately after this offering |
Up to 31,017,818 shares (as more fully described in the notes following this table), assuming sales of 8,090,615 shares of our common stock in this offering at an offering price of $9.27 per share, which was the last reported sale price of our common shares on The Nasdaq Global Market on October 8, 2019. The actual number of shares issued will vary depending on the sales price under this offering. |
Manner of offering |
At the market offering that may be made from time to time through our sales agent, Cowen and Company, LLC. See Plan of Distribution. |
Use of proceeds |
We currently intend to use the net proceeds of this offering primarily for general corporate purposes, which may include funding research, clinical and process development and manufacturing of our product candidates, working capital and capital expenditures. See Use of Proceeds. |
Risk factors |
Investing in our common stock involves significant risks. See the disclosure under the heading Risk Factors in this prospectus and under similar headings in other documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus. |
The Nasdaq Global Market symbol |
STRO |
The number of shares of our common stock shown above to be outstanding after this offering is based on 22,927,203 shares of our common stock outstanding as of June 30, 2019, and excludes:
∎ | 3,903,653 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of options outstanding as of June 30, 2019 with a weighted average exercise price of $13.02 per share; |
∎ | 458,190 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of restricted stock units as of June 30, 2019. |
∎ | 3,106,593 shares of common stock reserved and available for future issuance as of June 30, 2019, under our equity incentives plans, consisting of (1) 2,717,022 shares of common stock reserved and available for issuance under our 2018 Equity Incentive Plan as of June 30, 2019, and (3) 389,571 shares of common stock reserved for issuance under our 2018 Employee Stock Purchase Plan as of June 30, 2019; and |
∎ | 71,813 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants as of June 30, 2019, with a weighted average exercise price of $10.86 per share. |
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Investment in any securities offered pursuant to this prospectus and the accompanying base prospectus involves risks. You should carefully consider the risk factors described below and in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2019, incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any amendment or update thereto reflected in subsequent filings with the SEC, including in our Annual Reports on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and all other information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, as updated by our subsequent filings under the Exchange Act. The occurrence of any of these risks might cause you to lose all or part of your investment in the offered securities.
Risks Relating to this Offering
If you purchase shares of our common stock sold in this offering, you may experience immediate and substantial dilution in the net tangible book value of your shares. In addition, we may issue additional equity or convertible debt securities in the future, which may result in additional dilution to you.
The price per share of our common stock being offered may be higher than the net tangible book value per share of our outstanding common stock prior to this offering. Assuming that an aggregate of 8,090,615 shares of our common stock are sold at a price of $9.27 per share, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Market on October 8, 2019, for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $75.0 million, and after deducting commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, new investors in this offering will incur immediate dilution of $3.08 per share. For a more detailed discussion of the foregoing, see the section entitled Dilution below. To the extent outstanding stock options or warrants are exercised, there will be further dilution to new investors. In addition, to the extent we need to raise additional capital in the future and we issue additional shares of common stock or securities convertible or exchangeable for our common stock, our then existing stockholders may experience dilution and the new securities may have rights senior to those of our common stock offered in this offering.
We have broad discretion in the use of the net proceeds from this offering and may not use them effectively.
Our management will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds from this offering, including for any of the purposes described in the section entitled Use of Proceeds, and you will not have the opportunity as part of your investment decision to assess whether the net proceeds are being used appropriately. Because of the number and variability of factors that will determine our use of the net proceeds from this offering, their ultimate use may vary substantially from their currently intended use. Our management might not apply our net proceeds in ways that ultimately increase the value of your investment. We expect to use the net proceeds from this offering to fund research, clinical and process development and manufacturing of our product candidates, working capital, capital expenditures and other general corporate purposes. The failure by our management to apply these funds effectively could harm our business. Pending their use, we plan to invest the net proceeds from this offering in short-term or long-term, investment-grade, interest-bearing securities. These investments may not yield a favorable return to our stockholders. If we do not invest or apply the net proceeds from this offering in ways that enhance stockholder value, we may fail to achieve expected financial results, which could cause our stock price to decline.
The actual number of shares we will issue under the sales agreement, at any one time or in total, is uncertain.
Subject to certain limitations in the sales agreement and compliance with applicable law, we have the discretion to deliver a placement notice to Cowen at any time throughout the term of the sales
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agreement. The number of shares that are sold by Cowen after delivering a placement notice will fluctuate based on the market price of the common shares during the sales period and limits we set with Cowen. Because the price per share of each share sold will fluctuate based on the market price of our common stock during the sales period, it is not possible at this stage to predict the number of shares that will be ultimately issued.
The common stock offered hereby will be sold in at the market offerings, and investors who buy shares at different times will likely pay different prices.
Investors who purchase shares in this offering at different times will likely pay different prices, and so may experience different outcomes in their investment results. We will have discretion, subject to market demand, to vary the timing, prices, and numbers of shares sold, and there is no minimum or maximum sales price. Investors may experience a decline in the value of their shares as a result of share sales made at prices lower than the prices they paid.
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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus and documents incorporated herein by reference contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties. We caution readers that any forward-looking statement is not a guarantee of future performance and that actual results could differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statement. These statements are based on current expectations of future events.
Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding expectations and intentions, costs and expenses, outcome of contingencies, financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, cost savings, objectives of management, debt financing, our future results of operations and financial position, business strategies, market size, potential growth opportunities, clinical development activities, efficacy and safety profile of our product candidates, timing and results of our nonclinical studies and clinical trials, the receipt and timing of potential regulatory designations, our ability to maintain and recognize the benefits of certain designations received by product candidates, the achievement of clinical and commercial milestones, the advancement of our technologies and our proprietary product candidates, the successful achievement of the goals of our collaborations, the advancement of the product candidates that are the subjects of these collaborations, the approvals and commercialization of product candidates and other statements that are not historical facts. You can find many of these statements by looking for words like believes, expects, anticipates, estimates, may, might, should, will, could, plan, intend, project, seek or similar expressions in this prospectus, in documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus or any free writing prospectus. We intend that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe harbors created thereby.
These forward-looking statements are based on the current beliefs and expectations of our management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially from current expectations and projections. Factors that might cause such a difference include those discussed in Part II, Item 1A, Risk Factors, in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2019, as well as those discussed in this prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus and any free writing prospectus. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this prospectus or, in the case of documents referred to or incorporated by reference, the date of those documents.
All subsequent written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to us or any person acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained or referred to in this section. We do not undertake any obligation to release publicly any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this prospectus or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as may be required under applicable U.S. securities law. If we do update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.
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We may issue and sell shares of our common stock having aggregate sales proceeds of up to $75,000,000 from time to time. Because there is no minimum offering amount required as a condition to close this offering, the actual total public offering amount, commissions and proceeds to us, if any, are not determinable at this time. There can be no assurance that we will sell any shares under or fully utilize the sales agreement with Cowen as a source of financing.
We currently intend to use any net proceeds from the sale of securities under this prospectus primarily to fund research, clinical and process development and manufacturing of our product candidates, working capital, capital expenditures and other general corporate purposes. Additionally, we may use a portion of the net proceeds from this offering to expand our current business by in-licensing or acquiring, as the case may be, commercial products, product candidates, technologies, compounds, other assets or complementary businesses, using cash or shares of our common stock. However, we have no current commitments or obligations to do so.
The amounts and timing of our actual expenditures will depend on numerous factors, including the progress of our clinical trials and other development efforts and other factors described under Risk Factors in this prospectus, the accompanying base prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein, as well as the amount of cash used in our operations. We may find it necessary or advisable to use the net proceeds for other purposes, and we will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds. Pending the uses described above, we plan to invest the net proceeds from this offering in short-term or long-term, investment-grade, interest-bearing securities.
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We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our capital stock. We intend to retain future earnings, if any, to finance the operation and expansion of our business and do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Any future determination related to our dividend policy will be made at the discretion of our board of directors after considering our financial condition, results of operations, capital requirements, business prospects and other factors the board of directors deems relevant, and subject to the restrictions contained in any future financing instruments.
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If you invest in our common stock, your interest will be diluted to the extent of the difference between the price per share you pay in this offering and the net tangible book value per share of our common stock immediately after this offering. Our net tangible book value of our common stock as of June 30, 2019 was approximately $119.6 million, or approximately $5.21 per share of common stock based upon 22,927,203 shares outstanding. Net tangible book value per share is equal to our total tangible assets, less our total liabilities, divided by the total number of shares outstanding as of June 30, 2019.
After giving effect to the sale of our common stock in the aggregate amount of $75,000,000 at an assumed offering price of $9.27 per share, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Market on October 8, 2019, and after deducting commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, our as adjusted net tangible book value as of June 30, 2019 would have been $192.0 million, or $6.19 per share of common stock. This represents an immediate increase in net tangible book value of $0.98 per share to our existing stockholders and an immediate dilution in net tangible book value of $3.08 per share to new investors in this offering.
The following table illustrates this calculation on a per share basis. The as-adjusted information is illustrative only and will adjust based on the actual price to the public, the actual number of shares sold and other terms of the offering determined at the time shares of our common stock are sold pursuant to this prospectus. The as-adjusted information assumes that all of our common stock in the aggregate amount of $75,000,000 is sold at the assumed offering price of $9.27 per share, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Global Market on October 8, 2019. The shares sold in this offering, if any, will be sold from time to time at various prices.
Assumed public offering price per share |
$ | 9.27 | ||||||
Net tangible book value per share as of June 30, 2019 |
$ | 5.21 | ||||||
Increase in net tangible book value per share attributable to the offering |
0.98 | |||||||
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As adjusted net tangible book value per share after giving effect to the offering |
6.19 | |||||||
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Dilution per share to new investors participating in the offering |
$ | 3.08 | ||||||
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The number of shares of our common stock to be outstanding immediately after this offering is based on 22,927,203 shares of our common stock outstanding as of June 30, 2019. The number of shares outstanding as of June 30, 2019 excludes:
∎ | 3,903,653 shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of options outstanding as of June 30, 2019 with a weighted average exercise price of $13.02 per share; |
∎ | 458,190 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of restricted stock units as of June 30, 2019. |
∎ | 3,106,593 shares of common stock reserved and available for future issuance as of June 30, 2019, under our equity incentives plans, consisting of (1) 2,717,022 shares of common stock reserved and available for issuance under our 2018 Equity Incentive Plan as of June 30, 2019, and (2) 389,571 shares of common stock reserved for issuance under our 2018 Employee Stock Purchase Plan as of June 30, 2019; and |
∎ | 71,813 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of warrants as of June 30, 2019, with a weighted average exercise price of $10.86 per share. |
The foregoing table does not give effect to the exercise of any outstanding options or warrants. To the extent options and warrants are exercised, there may be further dilution to new investors.
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General
Our authorized capital stock consists of 300,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.001 par value per share, and 10,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock, $0.001 par value per share. The following description summarizes the most important terms of our capital stock. Because it is only a summary, it does not contain all the information that may be important to you. For a complete description, you should refer to our restated certificate of incorporation and restated bylaws, which are included as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, and to the applicable provisions of Delaware law.
As of September 30, 2019, there were 23,090,002 shares of our common stock outstanding, and no shares of preferred stock outstanding.
Common Stock
Dividend rights
Subject to preferences that may apply to any shares of preferred stock outstanding at the time, the holders of our common stock are entitled to receive dividends out of funds legally available if our board of directors, in its discretion, determines to issue dividends and then only at the times and in the amounts that our board of directors may determine. For more information about our dividend policy, see Dividend Policy in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus.
Voting rights
Holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders. We have not provided for cumulative voting for the election of directors in our restated certificate of incorporation, which means that holders of a majority of the shares of our common stock are able to elect all of our directors. Our restated certificate of incorporation establishes a classified board of directors, divided into three classes with staggered three-year terms. Only one class of directors will be elected at each annual meeting of our stockholders, with the other classes continuing for the remainder of their respective three-year terms.
No preemptive or similar rights
Our common stock is not entitled to preemptive rights, and is not subject to conversion, redemption or sinking fund provisions.
Right to receive liquidation distributions
Upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding-up, the assets legally available for distribution to our stockholders would be distributable ratably among the holders of our common stock and any participating preferred stock outstanding at that time, subject to prior satisfaction of all outstanding debt and liabilities and the preferential rights of and the payment of liquidation preferences, if any, on any outstanding shares of preferred stock.
Preferred Stock
Our board of directors is authorized, subject to limitations prescribed by Delaware law, to issue preferred stock in one or more series, to establish from time to time the number of shares to be included in each series and to fix the designation, powers, preferences and rights of the shares of each series and any of their qualifications, limitations or restrictions, in each case without further vote or action by our stockholders. Our board of directors can also increase or decrease the number of shares
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of any series of preferred stock, but not below the number of shares of that series then outstanding, without any further vote or action by our stockholders. Our board of directors may authorize the issuance of preferred stock with voting or conversion rights that could adversely affect the voting power or other rights of the holders of our common stock. The issuance of preferred stock, while providing flexibility in connection with possible acquisitions and other corporate purposes, could, among other things, have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of our company and might adversely affect the market price of our common stock and the voting and other rights of the holders of our common stock. We have no current plan to issue any shares of preferred stock.
Warrants
As of June 30, 2019, we had outstanding warrants to purchase an aggregate of 71,813 shares of our common stock at a weighted average exercise price of $10.86 per share.
Registration Rights
Pursuant to the terms of our amended and restated investors rights agreement, certain of our stockholders are entitled to rights with respect to the registration of their shares under the Securities Act, as described below. We refer to these shares collectively as registrable securities.
Demand registration rights
The holders of at least a majority of the then-outstanding registrable securities may make a written request to us for the registration under the Securities Act of registrable securities representing at least a majority of the then outstanding registrable securities held by such holders. Promptly following such request, we are obligated to provide written notice of such request to all stockholders to file a registration statement under the Securities Act covering all registrable securities that the initiating holders requested to be registered and any additional registrable securities requested to be included in such registration by any other holders. We are only required to file two registration statements that are declared effective upon exercise of these demand registration rights. We may postpone taking action with respect to such filing not more than once during any 12-month period for a total period of not more than 90 days, if within 30 days after receiving a request for registration, we furnish to the holders requesting such registration a certificate signed by our Chief Executive Officer stating that, in the good faith judgment of our board of directors, it would be seriously detrimental to us and our stockholders for such registration statement to be effected at such time.
Form S-3 registration rights
Any holder of then-outstanding registrable securities can request that we register all or part of their shares on Form S-3 if we are eligible to file a registration statement on Form S-3 and if the aggregate price to the public of the shares offered is at least $3.0 million. The stockholders may only require us to effect two registration statements on Form S-3 in a 12-month period. We may postpone taking action with respect to such filing twice during any 12-month period for a total cumulative period of not more than 120 days if our board of directors determines in its good faith judgment that the filing would be seriously detrimental to us and our stockholders.
Piggyback registration rights
If we register any of our securities for public sale, holders of then-outstanding registrable securities or their permitted transferees will have the right to include their registrable securities in the registration statement. However, this right does not apply to a registration described under Demand registration rights above, a registration relating to employee benefit plans or a registration relating to a corporate reorganization. The underwriters of any underwritten offering will have the right to limit the number of shares registered by these holders if they determine that marketing factors require limitation, in which case the number of shares to be registered will be apportioned pro rata among these holders,
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according to the total number of registrable securities originally requested by such holders to be included in the registration statement. However, the number of shares to be registered by these holders cannot be reduced below 40% of the registrable securities such holders requested to be included in such offering.
Expenses of registration rights
We generally will pay all expenses related to the registrations, other than underwriting discounts and commissions.
Expiration of registration rights
The registration rights described above will expire, with respect to any particular holder of these rights, on the earlier of a deemed liquidation event, as defined in our restated certificate of incorporation, and such time after this offering as the registrable securities held by such holder may be sold within any ninety day period without restriction pursuant to Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act.
Anti-Takeover Provisions
The provisions of Delaware General Corporation Law, or DGCL, our restated certificate of incorporation and our restated bylaws, could have the effect of delaying, deferring or discouraging another person from acquiring control of our company. These provisions, which are summarized below, may have the effect of discouraging takeover bids. They are also designed, in part, to encourage persons seeking to acquire control of us to negotiate first with our board of directors. We believe that the benefits of increased protection of our potential ability to negotiate with an unfriendly or unsolicited acquirer outweigh the disadvantages of discouraging a proposal to acquire us because negotiation of these proposals could result in an improvement of their terms.
Delaware Law
We are subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the DGCL regulating corporate takeovers. In general, Section 203 prohibits a publicly held Delaware corporation from engaging in a business combination with an interested stockholder for a period of three years following the date on which the person became an interested stockholder unless:
∎ | prior to the date of the transaction, the board of directors of the corporation approved either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder; |
∎ | the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding for purposes of determining the voting stock outstanding, but not the outstanding voting stock owned by the interested stockholder, (i) shares owned by persons who are directors and also officers and (ii) shares owned by employee stock plans in which employee participants do not have the right to determine confidentially whether shares held subject to the plan will be tendered in a tender or exchange offer; or |
∎ | at or subsequent to the date of the transaction, the business combination is approved by the board of directors of the corporation and authorized at an annual or special meeting of stockholders, and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of at least 66.67% of the outstanding voting stock that is not owned by the interested stockholder. |
Generally, a business combination includes a merger, asset or stock sale, or other transaction or series of transactions together resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholder. An interested stockholder is a person who, together with affiliates and associates, owns or, within three
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years prior to the determination of interested stockholder status, did own 15% or more of a corporations outstanding voting stock. We expect the existence of this provision to have an anti-takeover effect with respect to transactions our board of directors does not approve in advance. We also anticipate that Section 203 may also discourage attempts that might result in a premium over the market price for the shares of common stock held by stockholders.
Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Restated Bylaw Provisions
Our restated certificate of incorporation and our restated bylaws include a number of provisions that could deter hostile takeovers or delay or prevent changes in control of our company, including the following:
∎ | Board of Directors vacancies. Our restated certificate of incorporation and restated bylaws authorize only our board of directors to fill vacant directorships, including newly created seats. In addition, the number of directors constituting our board of directors is permitted to be set only by a resolution adopted by a majority vote of our entire board of directors. These provisions prevent a stockholder from increasing the size of our board of directors and then gaining control of our board of directors by filling the resulting vacancies with its own nominees. This makes it more difficult to change the composition of our board of directors but promotes continuity of management. |
∎ | Classified board. Our restated certificate of incorporation and restated bylaws provide that our board of directors is classified into three classes of directors, each with staggered three-year terms. A third party may be discouraged from making a tender offer or otherwise attempting to obtain control of us as it is more difficult and time consuming for stockholders to replace a majority of the directors on a classified board of directors. |
∎ | Stockholder action; special meetings of stockholders. Our restated certificate of incorporation provides that our stockholders may not take action by written consent, but may only take action at annual or special meetings of our stockholders. As a result, a holder controlling a majority of our capital stock would not be able to amend our restated bylaws or remove directors without holding a meeting of our stockholders called in accordance with our restated bylaws. Further, our restated bylaws provide that special meetings of our stockholders may be called only by a majority of our board of directors, the chairperson of our board of directors, our Chief Executive Officer or our President, thus prohibiting a stockholder from calling a special meeting. These provisions might delay the ability of our stockholders to force consideration of a proposal or for stockholders controlling a majority of our capital stock to take any action, including the removal of directors. |
∎ | Advance notice requirements for stockholder proposals and director nominations. Our restated bylaws provide advance notice procedures for stockholders seeking to bring business before our annual meeting of stockholders or to nominate candidates for election as directors at our annual meeting of stockholders. Our restated bylaws also specify certain requirements regarding the form and content of a stockholders notice. These provisions might preclude our stockholders from bringing matters before our annual meeting of stockholders or from making nominations for directors at our annual meeting of stockholders if the proper procedures are not followed. We expect that these provisions might also discourage or deter a potential acquirer from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect the acquirers own slate of directors or otherwise attempting to obtain control of our company. |
∎ | No cumulative voting. The DGCL provides that stockholders are not entitled to the right to cumulate votes in the election of directors unless a corporations certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Our restated certificate of incorporation and restated bylaws do not provide for cumulative voting. |
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∎ | Directors removed only for cause. Our restated certificate of incorporation provides that stockholders may remove directors only for cause and only by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of our outstanding common stock. |
∎ | Amendment of charter provisions. Any amendment of the above provisions in our restated certificate of incorporation requires approval by holders of at least two-thirds of our outstanding common stock. |
∎ | Issuance of undesignated preferred stock. Our board of directors has the authority, without further action by the stockholders, to issue up to 10,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock with rights and preferences, including voting rights, designated from time to time by our board of directors. The existence of authorized but unissued shares of preferred stock enables our board of directors to render more difficult or to discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by merger, tender offer, proxy contest or other means. |
∎ | Choice of forum. Our restated certificate of incorporation provides that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the exclusive forum for any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf; any action asserting a breach of fiduciary duty; any action asserting a claim against us arising pursuant to the DGCL, our restated certificate of incorporation or our restated bylaws; or any action asserting a claim against us that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine. The provision does not apply to suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Exchange Act. In addition, our amended and restated bylaws also provide that unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States shall be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. The enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies certificates of incorporation has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that a court could find these types of provisions to be inapplicable or unenforceable. |
Transfer Agent and Registrar
The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is American Stock Transfer and Trust Company, LLC. The transfer agents address is 6201 15th Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11219, and its telephone number is (800) 937-5449.
Exchange Listing
Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol STRO.
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We have entered into a sales agreement with Cowen, under which we may offer and sell from time to time up to an aggregate of $75,000,000 of our common stock through Cowen as our sales agent. Sales of our common stock, if any, will be made at market prices by any method that is deemed to be an at the market offering as defined in Rule 415(a)(4) under the Securities Act, including sales made into The Nasdaq Global Market or any other existing trading market for our common stock. If authorized by us in writing, Cowen may purchase shares of our common stock as principal.
Cowen will offer our common stock subject to the terms and conditions of the sales agreement on a daily basis or as otherwise agreed upon by us and Cowen. We will designate the maximum amount of common stock to be sold through Cowen on a daily basis or otherwise determine such maximum amount together with Cowen. Subject to the terms and conditions of the sales agreement, Cowen will use its commercially reasonable efforts to sell on our behalf all of the shares of common stock requested to be sold by us. We may instruct Cowen not to sell common stock if the sales cannot be effected at or above the price designated by us in any such instruction. Cowen or we may suspend the offering of our common stock being made through Cowen under the sales agreement upon proper notice to the other party. Cowen and we each have the right, by giving written notice as specified in the sales agreement, to terminate the sales agreement in each partys sole discretion at any time.
The aggregate compensation payable to Cowen as sales agent equals 3.0% of the aggregate gross sales price of the shares sold through it pursuant to the sales agreement. We have also agreed to reimburse Cowen up to $50,000 of Cowens actual outside legal expenses incurred by Cowen in connection with this offering, and for certain other expenses, including Cowens FINRA counsel fees in an amount up to $10,000. We estimate that the total expenses of the offering payable by us, excluding commissions and reimbursements payable to Cowen under the sales agreement, will be approximately $260,000.
The remaining sales proceeds, after deducting any expenses payable by us and any transaction fees imposed by any governmental, regulatory, or self-regulatory organization in connection with the sales, will equal our net proceeds for the sale of such common stock.
Cowen will provide written confirmation to us following the close of trading on The Nasdaq Global Market on each day in which common stock is sold through it as sales agent under the sales agreement. Each confirmation will include the number of shares of common stock sold through it as sales agent on that day, the volume weighted average price of the shares sold, the percentage of the daily trading volume and the net proceeds to us.
We will report at least quarterly the number of shares of common stock sold through Cowen under the sales agreement, the net proceeds to us and the compensation paid by us to Cowen in connection with the sales of common stock.
Settlement for sales of common stock will occur, unless the parties agree otherwise, on the second business day that is also a trading day following the date on which any sales were made in return for payment of the net proceeds to us. There is no arrangement for funds to be received in an escrow, trust or similar arrangement.
In connection with the sales of our common stock on our behalf, Cowen will be deemed to be an underwriter within the meaning of the Securities Act, and the compensation paid to Cowen will be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts. We have agreed in the sales agreement to provide indemnification and contribution to Cowen against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. As sales agent, Cowen will not engage in any transactions that stabilizes our common stock.
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Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Global Market and trades under the symbol STRO. The transfer agent of our common stock is American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC.
Cowen and/or its affiliates have provided, and may in the future provide, various investment banking and other financial services for us for which services they have received and, may in the future receive, customary fees.
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Fenwick & West LLP, San Francisco, California, will pass upon certain legal matters relating to the issuance and sale of the securities offered hereby on behalf of Sutro Biopharma, Inc. Cowen and Company, LLC is being represented in connection with this offering by Cooley LLP, New York, New York.
Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, has audited our financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, as set forth in their report, which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus and elsewhere in the registration statement. Our financial statements are incorporated by reference in reliance on Ernst & Young LLPs report, given on their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.
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Up to $75,000,000
Common Stock
PROSPECTUS
Cowen
October 11, 2019