Filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)
Registration
Statement No. 333-204889
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
(To Prospectus Dated June 25,
2015)
LIGHTBRIDGE CORPORATION
1,857,000 Shares of Common Stock
Pre-Funded
Warrants to Purchase 1,476,333 Shares of Common Stock
We are offering 1,857,000 shares of our common stock, par value $0.001 per share, directly to the investor in this offering at a price of approximately $0.30 per share. We also are offering warrants to purchase up to 1,476,333 shares of our common stock to the investor at a price of approximately $0.29 per warrant. We refer to these warrants as pre-funded warrants. Each pre-funded warrant will have an exercise price of $0.01. This prospectus supplement also relates to the offering of the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of these pre-funded warrants. We are not paying underwriting discounts or commissions, so the proceeds to us, before expenses, will be approximately $1.0 million. We estimate that our total expenses of this offering will be approximately $15,000.
Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol LTBR. On June 28, 2016, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market was $0.42 per share.
The aggregate market value of our outstanding common stock held by non-affiliates, or public float, is approximately $11.0 million, based on approximately 22.1 million shares of outstanding common stock, of which approximately 0.9 million shares are held by affiliates, and a price of $0.52 per share, which was the closing price of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market on May 9, 2016. Following this offering, we will have sold securities with an aggregate market value of approximately $1.3 million pursuant to General Instruction I.B.6 of Form S-3 during the prior 12 calendar month period that ends on and includes the date hereof.
Investing in our securities involves risks. See Risk Factors beginning on page S-4 of this prospectus supplement and the risks and uncertainties described in the documents we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission that are incorporated in this prospectus supplement by reference for certain risks and uncertainties relating to an investment in our securities.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
This prospectus supplement is dated June 28, 2016.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Prospectus Supplement
Prospectus
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We are responsible for the information contained and incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and any related free writing prospectus we prepare or authorize. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information, and we take no responsibility for any other information that others may give you. We are not making an offer of our securities in any jurisdiction where the offer is not permitted. The information in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference and any written communication from us specifying the final terms of the offering is only accurate as of the date of the respective documents in which the information appears. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates. Information in this prospectus supplement updates and modifies the information in the accompanying prospectus.
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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relate to the offering of our securities. Before buying any of the securities that we are offering, you should carefully read this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, the information and documents incorporated herein by reference and the additional information under the heading Where You Can Find Additional Information and Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference. These documents contain important information that you should consider when making your investment decision.
This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are part of a registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-204889) that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, and that was declared effective by the SEC on June 25, 2015. Under this shelf registration process, we may, from time to time, offer common stock, preferred stock, depositary shares, debt securities, warrants, purchase contracts and units, of which this offering is a part.
This document is in two parts. The first part is this prospectus supplement, which describes the terms of this offering and also adds, updates and changes information contained in the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated herein by reference. The second part is the accompanying prospectus, which provides more general information about our common stock and warrants and other securities that do not pertain to this offering. If information in this prospectus supplement is inconsistent with the accompanying prospectus, you should rely on this prospectus supplement. To the extent there is a conflict between the information contained in this prospectus supplement, on the one hand, and the information contained in any document incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, on the other hand, you should rely on the information in this prospectus supplement. 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 prospectus supplementthe statement in the document having the later date modifies or supersedes the earlier statement.
References in this prospectus supplement to Lightbridge, we, us, our, our Company, or the Company mean Lightbridge Corporation, a Nevada corporation, and its consolidated subsidiaries, unless we state otherwise or the context indicates otherwise.
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus contain or incorporate forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act) and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act). All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. We use words such as believe, expect, anticipate, project, target, plan, optimistic, intend, aim, will, or similar expressions which are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements include, among others, (1) those concerning market and business segment growth, demand and acceptance of our nuclear energy consulting services and nuclear fuel technology business, (2) any projections of sales, earnings, revenue, margins or other financial items, (3) any statements of the plans, strategies and objectives of management for future operations, (4) any statements regarding future economic conditions or performance, (5) uncertainties related to conducting business in foreign countries, (5) our continued listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market, as well as (7) all assumptions, expectations, predictions, intentions or beliefs about future events. You are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions that if they were to ever materialize or prove incorrect, could cause the results of the Company to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties, among others, include:
| our ability to commercialize our nuclear fuel technology, | |
| our ability to attract new customers; |
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our ability to employ and retain qualified employees and consultants that have experience in the Nuclear Industry, | |
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competition and competitive factors in the markets in which we compete, |
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public perception of nuclear energy generally, |
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general economic and business conditions in the local economies in which we regularly conduct business, which can affect demand for the Companys services, | |
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changes in laws, rules and regulations governing our business, |
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development and utilization of our intellectual property, |
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potential and contingent liabilities, and |
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the risks identified in Risk Factors beginning on page S-4 of this prospectus supplement. |
Most of these factors are beyond our ability to predict or control. Future events and actual results could differ materially from those set forth in, contemplated by or underlying the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made. The Company assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law.
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PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT SUMMARY
This summary highlights selected information about us, this offering and selected information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, and in the documents we incorporate by reference therein. This summary is not complete and does not contain all of the information that you should consider before deciding whether to invest in our securities. You should read this entire prospectus supplement, and the accompanying prospectus, carefully, including the Risk Factors section beginning on page S-4 of this prospectus supplement and our financial statements and the related notes and the other documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement.
About Lightbridge Corporation
We are a leading nuclear fuel technology company and we participate in the nuclear power industry in the United States and internationally. Our mission is to be a world leader in the design and licensing of our patented nuclear fuels that are economically attractive, enhance reactor safety, proliferation resistant, and produce less waste than current generation nuclear fuels, and to provide world-class strategic advisory services to governments and utilities seeking to develop or expand civil nuclear power programs.
Our business operations can be categorized in two segments:
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Nuclear Fuel Technology Business. We develop next generation nuclear fuel technology that has the potential to significantly increase the power output of commercial reactors, reducing the cost of generating electricity and the amount of nuclear waste on a per-megawatt-hour basis and enhancing reactor safety and the proliferation resistance of spent fuel. Our main focus is on our nuclear fuel technology business segment. | |
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Nuclear Energy Consulting Business. We provide nuclear power consulting and strategic advisory services to commercial and governmental entities worldwide. Our nuclear consulting business operations are intended to help defray a portion of the costs relating to the development of our nuclear fuel technology. |
The address of our principal executive office is 11710 Plaza America Drive, Suite 2000, Reston, Virginia, 20190, and our telephone number is (571) 730-1200. We maintain a website at www.ltbridge.com that contains information about our Company, though no information contained on our website is part of this prospectus supplement.
Recent Developments
Securities Purchase Agreement
On June 28, 2016, we entered into a securities purchase agreement (the Purchase Agreement) with Aspire Capital Fund, LLC (Aspire Capital), pursuant to which we agreed to sell, and Aspire Capital agreed to purchase, up to $5 million of the Companys common stock or pre-funded warrants in lieu thereof. The Purchase Agreement provides for Aspire Capital to purchase the first $1.0 million of securities on or before June 28, 2016, and this prospectus supplement relates to such securities. The Purchase Agreement also provides, subject to the terms and conditions set forth therein, for Aspire Capital to purchase (i) an additional $1.0 million of our securities, subject to the Company having entered into a strategic arrangement regarding Lightbridge-designed nuclear fuel with one or more major nuclear utilities on or before October 31, 2016, and (ii) an additional $3.0 million of our securities, subject to the Company having entered into a binding joint venture agreement with a major global nuclear fuel fabrication company to develop and commercialize Lightbridge-designed nuclear fuel on or before March 31, 2017. The purchase price per share for the subsequent closings will be based upon the market price of our common stock at the time of such closings, or, if lower, $0.50 per share for the closing on or before October 31, 2016 and $1.00 per share for the closing on or before March 31, 2017.
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Preferred Stock Agreement
Also on June 28, 2016, we entered into a securities purchase agreement with an investor pursuant to which we agreed to sell 5,100,000 shares of our newly created Non-Voting Series A Convertible Preferred Stock for $2.8 million or approximately $0.55 per share, subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the securities purchase agreement. The preferred stock is non-voting and will be convertible at the option of the holder into shares of our common stock initially on a one-for-one basis. Dividends will accrue on the preferred stock at the rate of 7% per year and will be paid in-kind. We have the option of forcing the conversion of the preferred stock if the trading price for our common stock is more than two times the applicable conversion price (approximately $0.55 per share) before the third anniversary of the issuance of the preferred stock, or if the trading price is more than three times the applicable conversion price following the third anniversary of issuance. We may also redeem the preferred stock following the third anniversary of the issuance. The closing of the preferred stock offering is subject to certain conditions, including our entry into an investors rights agreement with the investor and the continued listing of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market following the hearing scheduled for July 21, 2016. The preferred stock and underling common stock are being sold in a private placement exempt from registration under the Securities Act pursuant to the exemption for transactions by an issuer not involving any public offering under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.
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The Offering
The following summary is provided solely for your convenience and is not intended to be complete. You should read the full text and more specific details contained elsewhere in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. For a more detailed description of our common stock and warrants, see Description of Capital StockCommon Stock and Description of Warrants, respectively, in the accompanying prospectus.
Issuer |
Lightbridge Corporation |
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Shares of common stock offered |
1,857,000 shares |
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Pre-funded Warrants offered |
Pre-funded warrants to purchase up to 1,476,333 shares of our common stock. We are offering pre-funded warrants to the investor purchasing shares of common stock in this offering. Each pre-funded warrant will have an exercise price of $0.01 per share, will be exercisable upon issuance and will expire five years from the date of issuance. The offering price for the pre-funded warrants is approximately $0.29 per warrant, which equals the public offering price of the common stock, less the $0.01 per share exercise price of each pre-funded warrant. This prospectus supplement also relates to the offering of the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of these pre-funded warrants. |
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Shares of common stock to be outstanding after this offering |
23,999,386 (1) |
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Use of proceeds |
We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering for general corporate purposes. We will retain broad discretion over the use of the net proceeds from the sale of the securities offered hereby. See Use of Proceeds on page S-14 of this prospectus supplement for additional information. |
Nasdaq Capital Market symbol |
LTBR |
Risk factors |
See Risk Factors beginning on page S-4 of this prospectus supplement and the other information included in, or incorporated by reference into, this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus for a discussion of certain factors you should carefully consider before deciding to invest in shares of our common stock, including the risk factors discussed in the sections entitled Risk Factors contained in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and our other filings with the SEC. |
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The number of shares of common stock to be outstanding after this offering is based on 22,142,386 shares of common stock outstanding as of June 20, 2016 and excludes the 1,476,333 shares underlying the pre-funded warrants, 4,886,764 shares of our common stock that are reserved for issuance upon exercise of our other warrants, 7,282,060 shares of our common stock subject to outstanding options, and 1,868,921 shares of our common stock that are available for issuance under our 2015 Equity Incentive Plan. |
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RISK FACTORS
An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Prior to making a decision about investing in our securities, you should carefully consider the risk factors described below and the risk factors discussed in the sections entitled Risk Factors contained in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and our other filings with the SEC and incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, together with all of the other information contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us, or that we currently view as immaterial, may also impair our business. If any of the risks or uncertainties described in our SEC filings or this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus or any additional risks and uncertainties actually occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. In that case, the trading price of our common stock could decline and you might lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Related to the Company
Our inability to comply with the listing requirements of the Nasdaq Capital Market could result in our common stock being delisted, which could affect its market price and liquidity and reduce our ability to raise capital.
We have received notice from the Nasdaq Stock Market (Nasdaq) that we are not in compliance with certain requirements for continued listing of our common stock on the Nasdaq Capital Market. If we are not able to regain compliance with such requirements, or if we otherwise fail to comply with continued listing requirements, our common stock could be delisted.
On November 27, 2015, we received a letter from Nasdaqs Listing Qualifications Staff (the Staff) notifying us that we are no longer in compliance with the minimum stockholders equity requirement for continued listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market. Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b) requires listed companies to maintain stockholders equity of at least $2,500,000, or to satisfy an alternative compliance standard of either (i) a market value of listed securities of at least $35,000,000 or (ii) net income from continuing operations of $500,000 in the last completed fiscal year or in two of the last three fiscal years. On January 15, 2016, Nasdaq granted us a 180-day extension to May 25, 2016 to evidence compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b). On December 11, 2015, the Staff also notified us that our common stock did not maintain a minimum closing bid price of at least $1.00 per share as required by Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2), and we had until June 8, 2016 to regain compliance with the minimum closing bid price requirement for continued listing.
On May 27, 2016, we received a delisting determination letter from the Staff based on our continuing non-compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(b), and on June 10, 2016, we received an additional delisting determination letter from the Staff based on our continuing non-compliance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2). We have appealed such Staff determinations by requesting a hearing before a Nasdaq hearing panel, which hearing is currently scheduled for July 21, 2016. While the appeal is pending, our common stock will not be delisted from the Nasdaq Capital Market.
Delisting from the Nasdaq Capital Market could adversely affect our ability to raise additional financing through the public or private sale of equity securities, significantly affect the ability of investors to trade our common stock and negatively affect the value and liquidity of our common stock. We could also face other adverse consequences if our common stock were delisted including, among others:
| a limited availability of market quotations for our common stock; | |
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a determination that our common stock is a penny stock which will require brokers trading in our common stock to adhere to more stringent rules and possibly result in a reduced level of trading activity in the secondary trading market for our securities; |
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| a limited amount of news and little or no analyst coverage for the Company; and | |
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a decreased ability to issue additional securities, including through future at-the-market offerings and other offerings utilizing short-form registration statements on Form S-3, or obtain additional financing in the future. |
There is substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern.
The consolidated financial statements that accompany our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015, which is incorporated by reference herein, have been prepared assuming the company will continue as a going concern. This assumes continuing operations and the realization of assets and liabilities in the normal course of business.
We have incurred recurring losses since inception and expect to continue to incur losses as a result of costs and expenses related to our research and continued development of our nuclear fuel and our corporate general and administrative expenses. Our limited capital resources and operations to date have been funded through sales of our equity securities. As of March 31, 2016, we had negative working capital of approximately $0.1 million, cash and restricted cash of approximately $1.1 million, stockholders deficit of approximately $0.3 million and an accumulated deficit of approximately $74.7 million. As of December 31, 2015, we had working capital of approximately $0.1 million, cash and restricted cash of approximately $0.9 million, stockholders deficit of approximately $1.5 million and an accumulated deficit of approximately $74.4 million. As a result, we have included a discussion about our ability to continue as a going concern in our consolidated financial statements, and our auditors report for year ended December 31, 2015 includes an explanatory paragraph that expresses substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. In the event that we are unable to generate sufficient cash from our operating activities or raise additional funds, we may be required to delay, reduce or severely curtail our operations or otherwise impede our on-going business efforts, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results, financial condition and long-term prospects.
We will need to raise significant additional capital in the future to expand our operations and continue our research and development and we may be unable to raise such funds when needed and on acceptable terms.
We will need to raise significant additional capital in order to continue our research and development activities and fund our operations. Our current plan is to seek external funding from third party sources to support a large portion of the remaining development, testing and demonstration activities relating to our metallic nuclear fuel technology. In addition to the Purchase Agreement, which relates to up to $5 million of our securities, we entered into a common stock purchase agreement with Aspire Capital dated September 4, 2015 (the September 2016 CSPA), relating to the sale of up to $10 million of shares of our common stock. The future sale of securities under the Purchase Agreement is subject to our achievement of certain milestones. The extent to which we utilize the September 2016 CSPA as a source of funding will depend on a number of factors, including the prevailing market price of our common stock, the volume of trading in our common stock and the extent to which we are able to secure funds from other sources. The number of shares that we may sell to Aspire Capital under the September 2016 CSPA on any given day and during its term is limited. See Note 11 of the Notes to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II Item 8 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015, which is incorporated by reference herein, for additional information about the September 2016 CSPA. Additionally, we and Aspire Capital may not affect any sales of shares of our common stock under the September 2016 CSPA during the continuance of an event of default or on any trading day that the closing sale price of our common stock is less than $0.10 per share. Even if we are able to access the full $10.0 million under the September 2016 CSPA, we will still need additional capital to fully implement our business, operating and development plans.
When we elect to raise additional funds or additional funds are required, we may raise such funds from time to time through public or private equity offerings, debt financings or other financing alternatives, as well as through sales of common stock to Aspire Capital under the Purchase Agreement and September 2016 CSPA. Additional equity or debt financing or other alternative sources of capital may not be available to us on acceptable terms, if at all.
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If we raise additional funds by issuing equity securities, our stockholders will experience dilution. Debt financing, if available, would result in substantial fixed payment obligations and may involve agreements that include covenants limiting or restricting our ability to take specific actions, such as incurring additional debt, making capital expenditures or declaring dividends. Any debt financing or additional equity that we raise may contain terms, such as liquidation and other preferences, which are not favorable to us or our stockholders. If we are unable to raise additional capital in sufficient amounts or on terms acceptable to us, we may not be able to fully develop our nuclear fuel designs, our future operations will be limited, and our ability to generate revenues and achieve or sustain future profitability will be substantially harmed.
There may be volatility in our stock price, which could negatively affect investments, and stockholders may not be able to resell their shares at or above the value they originally purchased such shares.
The market price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly in response to a number of factors, some of which are beyond our control, including:
| quarterly variations in operating results; | |
| changes in financial estimates by securities analysts; | |
| changes in market valuations of other similar companies; | |
| limited liquidity in our common stock; | |
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announcements by us or our competitors of new products or of significant technical innovations, contracts, receipt of (or failure to obtain) government funding or support, acquisitions, strategic partnerships or joint ventures; | |
| additions or departures of key personnel; | |
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any deviations in net sales or in losses from levels expected by securities analysts, or any reduction in political support from levels expected by securities analysts; | |
| future sales of common stock; and | |
| nuclear accidents or other adverse nuclear industry events. |
The stock market may experience extreme volatility that is often unrelated to the performance of particular companies. These market fluctuations may cause our stock price to fall regardless of its performance.
The sale of our securities to Aspire Capital may cause substantial dilution to our existing shareholders and the sale of the shares of common stock acquired by Aspire Capital could cause the price of our common stock to decline.
We have registered the resale of up to 5,730,200 shares that we may sell to Aspire Capital under the September 2016 CSPA, which shares are in addition to the $5.0 million of securities subject to the Purchase Agreement. The number of shares ultimately offered for sale by Aspire Capital is dependent upon the number of shares we elect to sell to Aspire Capital under the September 2016 CSPA and the Purchase Agreement. Depending upon market liquidity at the time, sales of shares of our common stock under the September 2016 CSPA and Purchase Agreement may cause the trading price of our common stock to decline.
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Aspire Capital may ultimately purchase all, some or none of (i) the $10.0 million of common stock that, together with the 300,000 commitment shares issued under the September 2016 CSPA, we registered for resale by Aspire Capital, and (ii) the $5.0 million of securities subject to the Purchase Agreement. Aspire Capital may sell all, some or none of our shares that it holds or comes to hold under the September 2016 CSPA or the Purchase Agreement. Sales by Aspire Capital of shares acquired pursuant to the September 2016 CSPA or the Purchase Agreement may result in dilution to the interests of other holders of our common stock. The sale of a substantial number of shares of our common stock by Aspire Capital, or anticipation of such sales, could make it more difficult for us to sell equity or equity-related securities in the future at a time and at a price that we might otherwise wish to effect sales. However, we have the right to control the timing and amount of sales of our shares to Aspire Capital, and the September 2016 CSPA may be terminated by us at any time at our discretion without any penalty or cost to us.
If we are unable to enter into one or more commercial agreements with nuclear fuel fabricators and/or fuel development partners, we may not be able to raise money on terms acceptable to us or at all.
We are currently in discussions with potential development partners regarding entry into agreements to support our research and development activities and further enhance the development of our fuel products. We are unable to provide a reliable estimate as to the likelihood or timing of any such agreements at this time. If we are unable to demonstrate meaningful progress towards entry into these agreements or other strategic arrangements to further the development of our fuel products, it may be difficult for us to raise additional capital on terms acceptable to us or at all. If we are unable to raise additional capital, it is unlikely that we may be able to execute our current business plan.
If the price of non-nuclear energy sources falls, there could be an adverse impact on new build nuclear reactor activities in certain markets, which would have a material adverse effect on our operations.
In certain markets with a diversified energy base, decisions on new build power plants are largely affected by the economics of various energy sources. If prices of non-nuclear energy sources fall, it could limit the deployment of new build nuclear power plants in such markets. This could reduce the size of the potential markets for both our fuel technology and our consulting services.
We have previously identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, and if we cannot maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting in the future, we may need to restate our financial statements and we may be delayed or prevented from accessing the capital markets.
We are subject to the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, particularly Section 404, and the applicable SEC rules and regulations that require an annual management report on our internal controls over financial reporting. The management report includes, among other matters, management's assessment of the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting.
We previously identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting and we may not be capable of maintaining an effective system of internal control in the future. The material weakness relates to our previous interpretation of ASC 815 and our initial classification and subsequent accounting for warrants. This material weakness resulted in a misstatement of our liabilities, non-cash expense relating to the changes in fair value of common stock warrants, additional paid-in capital, accumulated deficit accounts and related financial disclosures. Management took steps during the fourth quarter of 2015 to ensure that the Company's accounting staff is knowledgeable about ASC 815 and its application to the Company. Based on the measures taken and implemented, the Company's management has tested the newly implemented control activities and found them to be effective and has concluded that the material weakness described above has been remediated as of December 31, 2015.
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Our ability to identify and remediate any material weaknesses in our internal controls could affect our ability to prepare financial reports in a timely manner, control our policies, procedures, operations, and assets, assess and manage our operational, regulatory and financial risks, and integrate any acquired businesses. Any failures to ensure full compliance with internal control and financial reporting requirements in the future could result in a restatement, cause us to fail to timely meet our reporting obligations, delay or prevent us from accessing the capital markets, and harm our reputation and the market price for our common stock.
We may be adversely affected by uncertainty in the global financial markets and worldwide economic downturn.
Our future results may be adversely affected by the worldwide economic downturn, continued volatility or further deterioration in the debt and equity capital markets, inflation, deflation, or other adverse economic conditions that may negatively affect us. At present, it is likely that we will require additional capital in the near future in order to fund our operations. Due to the above listed factors, we cannot be certain that additional funding will be available on terms that are acceptable to us, or at all.
Our limited operating history makes it difficult to judge our prospects.
Prior to 2008, we were a development stage company. We have commenced the provision of nuclear consulting services and currently have only a limited number of clients in this area of our business. Similarly, our fuel design patents and technology have not been commercially used and we have not received any royalty or sales revenue from this area of our business. We are subject to the risks, expenses and problems frequently encountered by companies in the early stages of development.
We rely upon certain members of our senior management, including Seth Grae, and the loss of Mr. Grae or any of our senior management would have an adverse effect on the Company.
Our success depends upon certain members of our senior management, including Seth Grae, our Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Graes knowledge of the nuclear power industry, his network of key contacts within that industry and in governments and, in particular, his expertise in the potential markets for our technologies, is critical to the implementation of our business model. Mr. Grae is likely to be a significant factor in our future growth and success. The loss of services by Mr. Grae would likely have a material adverse effect on us.
Competition for highly skilled professionals could have a material adverse effect on our success.
We rely heavily on our contractor staff and management team. Our success depends, in large part, on our ability to hire, retain, develop, and motivate highly skilled professionals. Competition for these skilled professionals is intense and our inability to hire, retain and motivate adequate numbers of consultants and managers could adversely affect our ability to meet client needs and to continue the development of our fuel designs. A loss of a significant number of our employees could have a significant negative effect on us. Any significant volatility or sustained decline in the market price of our common stock could impair our ability to use equity-based compensation to attract, retain, and motivate key employees and consultants.
Successful execution of our business model is dependent upon public support for nuclear power and overcoming public opposition to nuclear energy as a result of the major nuclear accident at Fukushima.
Successful execution of our business model is dependent upon public support for nuclear power in the United States and other countries. Nuclear power faces strong opposition from certain competitive energy sources, individuals, and organizations. The major nuclear accident that occurred at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan beginning on March 11, 2011 increased public opposition to nuclear power in some countries, resulting in a slowdown in, or, in some cases, a complete halt to, new construction of nuclear power plants, an early shut down of existing power plants, or a dampening of the favorable regulatory climate needed to introduce new nuclear technologies. In addition, the Fukushima accident appears to have shrunk the projected size of the global nuclear power market in 2025-2030 as reflected in the most recent reference case projections published by the World Nuclear Association. As a result of the Fukushima accident, some countries that were considering launching new domestic nuclear power programs have delayed or cancelled preparatory activities they were planning to undertake as part of such programs. This has diminished the number of consulting opportunities that we could compete on globally, at least in the near-term. Furthermore, nuclear fuel fabrication and the use of new nuclear fuels in reactors must be licensed by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission and equivalent governmental authorities around the world. In many countries, the licensing process includes public hearings in which opponents of the use of nuclear power might be able to cause the issuance of required licenses to be delayed or denied.
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We may not be able to receive or retain authorizations that may be required for us to sell our services, or license our technology internationally.
The sales and marketing of our services and technology internationally may be subject to US export control regulations and the export control laws of other countries. Governmental authorizations may be required before we can export our services or technology. If authorizations are required and not granted, our international business plans could be materially affected. The export authorization process is often time consuming. Violation of export control regulations could subject us to fines and other penalties, such as losing the ability to export for a period of years, which would limit our revenue growth opportunities and significantly hinder our attempts to expand our business internationally.
Risks Related to Our Fuel Technology Business
Our fuel designs have never been tested in an existing commercial reactor and actual fuel performance, as well as the willingness of commercial reactor operators and fuel fabricators to adopt a new design, is uncertain.
Nuclear power research and development entails significant technological risk. New designs must undergo extensive development and testing necessary for regulatory approval. Our fuel designs are still in the research and development stage and while certain testing on our fuel technologies has been completed, further testing and experiments will be required in test facilities. Furthermore, the fuel technology has yet to be demonstrated in operating conditions analogous to those found in an existing commercial reactor. Until we are able to successfully demonstrate operation of our fuel designs in commercial reactor conditions, we will not be certain about the ability of the fuel we design to perform as expected. In addition, there is also a risk that suitable testing facilities may not be available to us on a timely basis or at a reasonable cost, which could cause development program schedule delays.
We will also have to enter into a commercial arrangement with a fuel fabricator to produce fuel using our designs.
If our fuel designs do not perform as anticipated in commercial reactor conditions, we will not realize revenues from licensing or other use of our fuel designs.
Potential competitors could limit opportunities to license our technology.
Part of our strategy is to partner with major fuel fabricators through technology licensing arrangements. However, these fuel fabricators may potentially develop new nuclear fuel designs that can be used in the same types of reactors as those that we target. Existing fuel fabricators also have established commercial connections to nuclear power facilities that we do not have. If these types of companies were to compete with our nuclear fuel design technology, opportunities to license our technology would be limited.
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Moreover, many of these fuel fabricators have substantially greater financial, technological, managerial and research and development resources and experience than we do. These larger companies may be better able to handle the corresponding long-term financial requirements.
We serve the nuclear power industry, which is highly regulated. Our fuel designs differ from fuels currently licensed and used by commercial nuclear power plants. The regulatory licensing and approval process for nuclear power plants to use our fuels may be delayed and made more costly, and industry acceptance of our fuels may be hampered.
The nuclear power industry is a highly regulated industry. All entities that operate nuclear facilities and transport nuclear materials are subject to the jurisdiction of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, or its counterparts around the world.
Our fuel designs differ significantly in some aspects from the fuel used today by commercial nuclear power plants. These differences will likely result in more prolonged and extensive review by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission or its counterparts around the world that could cause development program schedule delays. Entities within the nuclear industry may be hesitant to be the first to use our fuel, which has little or no history of successful commercial use. Furthermore, our fuel development timeline relies on the relevant nuclear regulator to accept and approve technical information and documentation about our fuel that is generated during the research and development program. There is a risk that regulators may require additional information regarding the fuels behavior or performance that necessitates additional, unplanned analytical and/or experimental work which could cause program schedule delays and require more research and development funding.
Existing commercial nuclear infrastructure in many countries is limited to uranium material enrichments up to 5%. Our metallic fuel is enriched to higher levels which would require modifications to existing commercial nuclear infrastructure and could impede commercialization of our technology.
Existing commercial nuclear infrastructure, including conversion facilities, enrichment facilities, fabrication facilities, fuel storage facilities, fuel handling procedures, fuel operation at reactor sites, used fuel storage facilities and shipping containers, were designed and are currently licensed to handle uranium enrichment up to 5%. Our fuel designs are expected to have enrichment levels up to 19.7% and would therefore require certain modifications to existing commercial nuclear infrastructure to enable commercial nuclear facilities to handle our fuels. Those nuclear facilities will need to go through a regulatory licensing process and obtain regulatory approvals to be able to handle uranium with enrichment levels up to 19.7% and operate commercial reactors using our fuel. There is a risk that some relevant entities within the nuclear power industry may be slow in making any required facility infrastructure modifications or obtaining required licenses or approvals to handle our fuel or operate commercial reactors using our fuel. There is also a risk associated with possible negative perception of uranium enrichment greater than 5% that could potentially delay or hinder regulatory approval of our nuclear fuel designs.
Our nuclear fuel designs rely on fabrication technologies that in certain material ways are different from the fabrication techniques presently utilized by existing commercial fuel fabricators. In particular, our metallic fuel rods must be produced using a co-extrusion fabrication process. Presently, most commercial nuclear fuel is produced using a pellet fabrication technology, whereby uranium oxide is packed into small pellets that are stacked and sealed inside metallic tubes. Our co-extrusion fabrication technology involves extrusion of a single-piece solid fuel rod from a metallic matrix containing uranium and zirconium alloy. Fabrication of full-length (approximately 3.5 to 4.5 meters) PWR metallic fuel rods has yet to be demonstrated. There is a risk that the fuel fabrication process utilized to produce one meter long metallic fuel rods may not be adaptable to the fabrication of full-length metallic fuel rods used in commercial reactors.
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Our plans to develop our fuel designs depend on our ability to acquire the rights to the designs, data, processes, and methodologies that are used or may be used in our business in the future. If we are unable to obtain such rights on reasonable terms in the future or develop our own knowhow necessary for fabrication of our nuclear fuel designs, our ability to exploit our intellectual property may be limited.
We do not currently possess all of the necessary know-how or have licensing or other rights to acquire or utilize certain designs, data, methodologies, or processes required for the fabrication of our fuel assemblies. If we, or a fuel fabricator to which we license our fuel technology, desires to utilize such existing processes or methodologies in the future, a license or other right to use such technologies from other entities that previously developed and own such technologies would be required. Alternatively, we would have to develop our own know-how necessary for fabrication of our metallic fuel rods and fuel assembly components. Nuclear operators typically seek diversity of fuel supply and may be hesitant to use a fuel product that is only available from a single supplier. If we are unable to obtain a license or other right to acquire or utilize certain processes or develop our own know-how required for the fabrication of our metallic fuel rods and fuel assembly components, or there is only a single supplier of our fuel assemblies, then we may not be able to fully exploit our intellectual property and may be hindered in the sale of our fuel products and services.
Our plans to develop our fuel technology depend on the renewal of the 123 Agreement between the United States and Norway. If the 123 Agreement is not renewed by late 2016, we may suffer program schedule delays, which could have a detrimental impact on our operations.
In October 2014, we announced the signing of an Initial Cooperation Agreement with CNL in Canada to perform fabrication and loop irradiation testing of Lightbridge-designed fuel samples at CNLs existing facilities at Chalk River, ON, Canada. At the time of the announcement of the Initial Cooperation Agreement, our preference was for all of the proposed work to take place at a single location in Chalk River, Ontario, Canada. Subsequently, on February 9, 2015, the Canadian government made an official decision to extend the operating life of the National Research Universal reactor at Chalk River from 2016 through March 31, 2018. This shorter than expected operating life extension would not be able to accommodate all of our anticipated schedule for irradiation testing of our metallic fuel samples. Shipping partially irradiated fuel samples from Canada to another research reactor in a different country would entail significantly higher shipping costs, longer timelines, and more challenging transportation logistics. As a result, our current plan is to work with CNL on fabrication of our fuel samples at their Chalk River facilities, with full irradiation of the fabricated fuel samples to be performed in a pressurized water loop of the Halden Research Reactor located in Halden, Norway. The operating license of the Halden Research Reactor has recently been renewed through 2020 which would allow us to maintain our proposed irradiation testing schedule. Our current plan is to have post-irradiation examination of the irradiated fuel samples performed on the same site in Norway or to utilize additional nearby hot cell facilities located in Studsvik, Sweden that are operated by the Swedish company Studsvik AB.
In February 2015, in response to our request for guidance, the National Nuclear Security Administration of the US Department of Energy, or NNSA, confirmed that the proposed activities relating to fabrication, irradiation testing and post-irradiation examination of our fuel samples as outlined in our revised plan are generally authorized. However, the NNSA supplementally stated that a transfer of our fuel samples to Norway would not be possible until the bilateral agreement for peaceful nuclear cooperation, a so-called 123 Agreement between the United States and Norway was renewed. Under Section 123 of the U.S. Atomic Energy Act of 1954, as amended, a bilateral agreement for peaceful nuclear cooperation between the United States and another country must be in place before significant transfers of nuclear material, equipment, or components from the United States to such other country. The U.S. Department of State and Norway are presently negotiating the renewal of the 123 Agreement. Once the terms of the Section 123 Agreement are agreed to by the State Department, the proposed agreement must be submitted to the President for review and approval. After presidential approval, the President transmits the proposed agreement to both houses of Congress for a 90-day review process. The agreement will become effective unless Congress adopts a joint resolution of disapproval. If the 123 Agreement between the United States and Norway is not renewed by the time our fuel samples are fabricated and ready for shipment (currently expected around the end of 2016), we may risk program schedule delays. Such delays could disrupt our fuel technology development plans, which may have a detrimental impact on the results of our operations.
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If the US Department of Energy (DOE) were to successfully assert that an invention claimed within our 2007 or 2008 Patent Cooperation Treaty, or PCT, patent applications was first conceived or actually reduced to practice under a contract with the DOE, then our intellectual property rights in that invention could become compromised and our business model could become significantly impeded.
Work on finite aspects and/or testing of some subject matter disclosed in our 2007 and 2008 Russian PCT patent applications was done under a government contract with the DOE. If the DOE asserted that an invention claimed in the 2007 and/or 2008 Russian PCT applications was first conceived or actually reduced to practice under such a contract, and a US court agreed, the DOE could gain an ownership interest in such an invention outside of the Russian Federation and our intellectual property rights in that claimed invention could become compromised and our business model may then be significantly impeded.
If we are unable to obtain or maintain intellectual property rights relating to our technology, the commercial value of our technology may be adversely affected, which could in turn adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our success and ability to compete depends in part upon our ability to obtain protection in the United States and other countries for our nuclear fuel designs by establishing and maintaining intellectual property rights relating to or incorporated into our fuel technologies and products. We own a variety of patents and patent applications in the United States, as well as corresponding patents and patent applications in several other jurisdictions. We have not obtained patent protection in each market in which we plan to compete. We do not know how successful we would be should we choose to assert our patents against suspected infringers. Our pending and future patent applications may not issue as patents or, if issued, may not issue in a form that will be advantageous to us. Even if issued, patents may be challenged, narrowed, invalidated, or circumvented, which could limit our ability to stop competitors from marketing similar products or limit the length of term of patent protection we may have for our products. Changes in either patent laws or in interpretations of patent laws in the United States and other countries may diminish the value of our intellectual property or narrow the scope of our patent protection, which could in turn adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If we infringe or are alleged to infringe intellectual property rights of third parties, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Our nuclear fuel designs may infringe, or be claimed to infringe, patents or patent applications under which we do not hold licenses or other rights. Third parties may own or control these patents and patent applications in the United States and elsewhere. Third parties could bring claims against us that would cause us to incur substantial expenses and, if successfully asserted against us, could cause us to pay substantial damages. If a patent infringement suit were brought against us, we could be forced to stop or delay commercialization of the fuel design or a component thereof that is the subject of the suit. As a result of patent infringement claims, or in order to avoid potential claims, we may choose or be required to seek a license from the third party and be required to pay license fees, royalties, or both. These licenses may not be available on acceptable terms, or at all. Even if we were able to obtain a license, the rights may be nonexclusive, which could result in our competitors gaining access to the same intellectual property. Ultimately, we could be forced to cease some aspect of our business operations if, as a result of actual or threatened patent infringement claims, we are unable to enter into licenses on acceptable terms. This could significantly and adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. In addition to infringement claims against us, we may become a party to other types of patent litigation and other proceedings, including interference proceedings declared by the United States Patent and Trademark Office regarding intellectual property rights with respect to our nuclear fuel designs. The cost to us of any patent litigation or other proceeding, even if resolved in our favor, could be substantial. Some of our competitors may be able to sustain the costs of such litigation or proceedings more effectively than we can because of their greater financial resources. Uncertainties resulting from the initiation and continuation of patent litigation or other proceedings could have a material adverse effect on our ability to compete in the marketplace. Patent litigation and other proceedings may also absorb significant management time.
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Our nuclear fuel process is dependent on outside suppliers of nuclear and other materials and any difficulty by a fuel fabricator in obtaining these materials could be detrimental to our ability to eventually market our fuel through a fuel fabricator.
Production of fuel assemblies using our nuclear fuel designs is dependent on the ability of fuel fabricators to obtain supplies of nuclear material utilized in our fuel assembly design. Fabricators will also need to obtain metal for components, particularly zirconium or its alloys. These materials are regulated and can be difficult to obtain or may have unfavorable pricing terms. Any difficulties in obtaining these materials by fuel fabricators could have a material adverse effect on their ability to market fuel based on our technology.
Applicable Russian intellectual property law may be inadequate to protect some of our intellectual property, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Intellectual property rights are evolving in Russia, and are trending towards international norms, but are by no means fully developed. We have worked closely with employees in Russia and other Russian contractors and entities to develop some of our material intellectual property. Some of our earlier intellectual property rights originate from our patent filings in Russia. Our worldwide rights in some of this intellectual property, therefore, may be affected by Russian intellectual property laws. If the application of Russian laws to some of our intellectual property rights proves inadequate, then we may not be able to fully avail ourselves of all of our intellectual property, and our business model may be impeded.
Risks Associated With Our Consulting Activities
Our inability to attract business from new clients, maintain current levels of business, or retain our existing clients could have a material adverse effect on us.
We expect that many of our future client engagement agreements will be terminable by our clients with little or no notice and without penalty. Some of our work may involve multiple engagements or stages. In those engagements, there is a risk that a client may choose not to retain us for additional stages of an engagement or that a client will cancel or delay additional planned engagements. In addition, a small number of existing clients account for a majority of our consulting revenues, the loss of any one of which would have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. Some of our existing clients reduced their utilization of our consulting services beginning in 2013. Our current consulting clients are not contractually obligated to purchase a certain level of services from us and may significantly reduce their utilization of our services, resulting in a material reduction in revenue.
Our future profitability will suffer if we are not able to maintain current pricing and utilization rates.
Our revenue, and our profitability, will be largely based on the billing rates charged to clients and the number of hours our professionals work on client engagements, which we define as the utilization of our professionals. Accordingly, if we are not able to maintain the pricing for our services or an appropriate utilization rate for our professionals, revenues, project profit margins and our future profitability will suffer.
Bill rates and utilization rates are affected by a number of factors, including:
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our ability to predict future demand for services and maintain the appropriate headcount and minimize the number of underutilized personnel; | |
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our competitors pricing for similar services; |
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our ability to manage significantly larger and more diverse workforces as we increase the number of our professionals and execute our growth strategies. |
Unsuccessful future client engagements could result in damage to our professional reputation or legal liability, which could have a material adverse effect on us.
Our professional reputation and that of our personnel is critical to our ability to successfully compete for new client engagements and attract or retain professionals. Any factors that damage our professional reputation could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Any client engagements that we obtain will be subject to the risk of legal liability. Any public assertion or litigation alleging that our services were negligent or that we breached any of our obligations to a client could expose us to significant legal liabilities, could distract our management, and could damage our reputation. We carry professional liability insurance, but our insurance may not cover every type of claim or liability that could potentially arise from our engagements. The limits of our insurance coverage may not be enough to cover a particular claim or a group of claims, and the costs of defense.
Our results of operations could be adversely affected by disruptions in the marketplace caused by economic and political conditions.
Global economic and political conditions affect our clients businesses and the markets they serve. A severe and/or prolonged economic downturn or a negative or uncertain political climate could adversely affect our clients financial condition and the levels of business activity engaged in by our clients and the industries we serve. Clients could determine that discretionary projects are no longer viable or that new projects are not advisable. This may reduce demand for our services, depress pricing for our services, or render certain services obsolete, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. Changes in global economic conditions or the regulatory or legislative landscape could also shift demand to services for which we do not have competitive advantages, and this could negatively affect the amount of business that we are able to obtain. Although we have implemented cost management measures, if we are unable to appropriately manage costs or if we are unable to successfully anticipate changing economic and political conditions, we may be unable to effectively plan for and respond to those changes, and our business could be negatively affected.
USE OF PROCEEDS
We expect that the net proceeds from this offering will be approximately $1.0 million after deducting our estimated expenses.
We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering for general corporate purposes. The precise amount and timing of the application of such proceeds will depend upon our funding requirements and the availability and cost of other capital. As of the date of this prospectus supplement, we cannot specify with certainty all of the particular uses for the net proceeds to us from this offering. Accordingly, we will retain broad discretion over the use of the net proceeds from the sale of the securities offered hereby. Pending any specific application, we may initially invest funds in short-term marketable securities or apply them to the reduction of short-term indebtedness.
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PRICE RANGE OF COMMON STOCK AND DIVIDEND POLICY
Our common stock is traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol LTBR. The last reported sale price of our common stock on June 28, 2016 on the Nasdaq Capital Market was $0.42 per share. The following table sets forth the high and low sale prices for our common stock for the periods indicated as reported on the Nasdaq Capital Market.
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Year Ended December 31, 2014: | ||||||
First Quarter | $ | 3.79 | $ | 1.45 | ||
Second Quarter | $ | 2.88 | $ | 1.94 | ||
Third Quarter | $ | 3.54 | $ | 2.25 | ||
Fourth Quarter | $ | 2.37 | $ | 1.52 | ||
Year Ended December 31, 2015: | ||||||
First Quarter | $ | 1.84 | $ | 1.03 | ||
Second Quarter | $ | 2.92 | $ | 1.09 | ||
Third Quarter | $ | 1.41 | $ | 0.75 | ||
Fourth Quarter | $ | 1.32 | $ | 0.51 | ||
Year Ended December 31, 2016: | ||||||
First Quarter | $ | 1.03 | $ | 0.51 | ||
Second Quarter (through June 28, 2016) | $ | 0.60 | $ | 0.35 |
We have never declared or paid cash dividends. We currently intend to retain and use any future earnings for the development and expansion of our business and do not plan to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Any future determination to pay dividends will be at the discretion of our board of directors.
DILUTION
If you invest in this offering, your ownership interest will be diluted to the extent of the difference between the public offering price per share and the as adjusted net tangible book value per share after giving effect to this offering. We calculate net tangible book value per share by dividing the net tangible book value, which is tangible assets less total liabilities, by the number of outstanding shares of our common stock. Dilution represents the difference between the portion of the amount per share paid by purchasers of shares in this offering and the as-adjusted net tangible book value per share of our common stock immediately after giving effect to this offering. Our net tangible book deficit as of March 31, 2016 was approximately $(1.3) million, or $(0.06) per share.
After giving effect to the sale of our common stock pursuant to this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus in the aggregate amount of $1.0 million at an offering price of $0.30 per share, and after deducting estimated offering expenses payable by us, our net tangible book deficit as of March 31, 2016 would have been approximately $(0.3), or $(0.01) per share of common stock. This represents an immediate increase in the net tangible book value of $0.05 per share to our existing stockholders and an immediate dilution in net tangible book value of $0.31 per share to new investors.
The following table illustrates this per share dilution:
Offering price per share | $ | 0.30 | ||
Net tangible book deficit per share as of March 31, 2016 | $ | (0.06 | ) | |
Increase per share attributable to new investors | $ | 0.05 | ||
As adjusted net tangible book value per share as of March 31, 2016, after giving effect to this offering | $ | (0.01 | ) | |
Dilution per share to new investors purchasing shares in this offering | $ | 0.31 |
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The foregoing table and discussion is based on 20,828,957 shares of common stock outstanding as of March 31, 2016 and excludes:
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5,052,409 shares of our common stock subject to options outstanding at March 31, 2016 having a weighted exercise price of $2.72 per share; | |
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4,886,764 shares of our common stock that were reserved for issuance upon exercise of warrants outstanding at March 31, 2016 having a weighted exercise price of $3.72 per share; and | |
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33,224 shares of our common stock that were available for issuance under our 2015 Equity Incentive Plan at March 31, 2016. |
DESCRIPTION OF THE SECURITIES
In this offering, we are offering 1,857,000 shares of common stock and 1,476,333 pre-funded warrants. The following description does not purport to be complete and is subject to and qualified by our articles of incorporation and bylaws, which are incorporated by reference.
Common Stock
We have authority to issue 500,000,000 shares of $0.001 par value common stock. Each outstanding share of common stock entitles the holder thereof to one vote per share on all matters. Our bylaws provide that elections for directors shall be by a plurality of votes. Stockholders do not have preemptive rights to purchase shares in any future issuance of our common stock. Upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, and after payment of creditors and preferred stockholders, if any, our assets will be divided pro-rata on a share-for-share basis among the holders of the shares of common stock.
The holders of shares of our common stock are entitled to dividends out of funds legally available when and as declared by our board of directors. Our board of directors has never declared a dividend and does not anticipate declaring a dividend in the foreseeable future. Should we decide in the future to pay dividends, as a holding company, our ability to do so and meet other obligations depends upon the receipt of dividends or other payments from our operating subsidiary and other holdings and investments. In addition, our operating subsidiary, from time to time, may be subject to restrictions on its ability to make distributions to us, including as a result of restrictive covenants in loan agreements, restrictions on the conversion of local currency into U.S. dollars or other hard currency and other regulatory restrictions. In the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, holders of our common stock are entitled to receive, ratably, the net assets available to stockholders after payment of all creditors.
All of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock are duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable. To the extent that additional shares of our common stock are issued, the relative interests of existing stockholders will be diluted.
As of June 20, 2016, 22,142,386 shares of common stock were outstanding.
Our independent stock transfer agent is Computershare Trust Company, located at 350 Indiana Street, Golden, Colorado 80401.
Our common stock is listed for quotation on the Nasdaq under the symbol LTBR.
Pre-Funded Warrants
The following is a brief summary of certain terms and conditions of the pre-funded warrants being offered by this prospectus supplement. The following description is subject in all respects to the provisions contained in the pre-funded warrant agreements.
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You should review a copy of the form of warrant, which is attached as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K being filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in connection with this offering, for a complete description of the terms and conditions of the pre-funded warrants.
The pre-funded warrants will be issued as an individual warrant agreement to the investor. The pre-funded warrants are exercisable at any time after their original issuance and at any time up to the date that is five years after their original issuance. The pre-funded warrants will be exercisable, at the option of each holder, in whole or in part by delivering to us a duly executed exercise notice and by payment in full in immediately available funds for the number of shares of common stock purchased upon such exercise. As an alternative to payment in immediately available funds, the holder may, in its sole discretion, elect to exercise the pre-funded warrant through a net share exercise, in which case the holder would receive upon such exercise the net number of shares of common stock determined according to the formula set forth in the pre-funded warrant. No fractional shares of common stock will be issued in connection with the exercise of a pre-funded warrant. In lieu of fractional shares, we will pay the holder an amount in cash equal to the fair market value of the fractional share, calculated based on the trading price of our common stock.
The exercise price per whole share of our common stock purchasable upon the exercise of the pre-funded warrants is $0.01 per share of common stock. The exercise price of the pre-funded warrants is subject to appropriate adjustment in the event of certain stock dividends and distributions, stock splits, stock combinations, reclassifications or similar events affecting our common stock and also upon any distributions of assets, including cash, stock or other property to our stockholders.
A holder will not have the right to exercise any portion of the pre-funded warrant if the holder (together with its affiliates) would beneficially own in excess of 4.99% of the number of shares of our common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to the exercise, as such percentage ownership is determined in accordance with the terms of the pre-funded warrants. However, any holder may increase or decrease such percentage to any other percentage upon at least 61 days prior notice from the holder to us.
We do not plan on applying to list the pre-funded warrants on the Nasdaq Capital Market or any other national securities exchange or automated quotation system.
Subject to applicable laws, the pre-funded warrants may be offered for sale, sold, transferred or assigned without our consent.
In the event of a fundamental transaction, as described in the pre-funded warrants and generally including any reorganization, recapitalization or reclassification of our common stock, the sale, transfer or other disposition of all or substantially all of our properties or assets, our consolidation or merger with or into another person, the acquisition of more than 50% of our outstanding common stock, or any person or group becoming the beneficial owner of 50% of the voting power represented by our outstanding common stock, the holders of the pre-funded warrants will be entitled to receive upon exercise of the pre-funded warrants the kind and amount of securities, cash or other property that the holders would have received had they exercised the pre-funded warrants immediately prior to such fundamental transaction.
Except by virtue of such holders ownership of shares of our common stock, the holder of a pre-funded warrant does not have the rights or privileges of a holder of our common stock, including any voting rights, until the holder exercises the pre-funded warrant.
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
We are offering 1,857,000 shares of common stock together with 1,476,333 pre-funded warrants under this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus directly to Aspire Capital at a price of approximately $0.30 per share and approximately $0.29 per warrant.
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The shares were offered directly to Aspire Capital without a placement agent, underwriter, broker or dealer. We are not paying underwriting discounts or commissions in connection with the offering.
We have entered into the Purchase Agreement with Aspire Capital for the full amount of the offering. The Purchase Agreement is included as an exhibit to our Current Report on Form 8-K that we will file with the SEC in connection with the consummation of this offering. See Where You Can Find Additional Information.
Our obligation to issue and sell shares to Aspire Capital is subject to the conditions set forth in the Purchase Agreement. Aspire Capitals obligation to purchase shares is subject to conditions set forth in the Purchase Agreement as well.
We currently anticipate that the sale of the securities offered by this prospectus supplement and the accompanying base prospectus will be completed on or about the date hereof, subject to customary closing conditions. We estimate the total offering expenses of this offering that will be payable by us will be approximately $15,000, which includes legal and printing costs and various other fees. At the closing, The Depository Trust Company will credit the shares of common stock to the account of the purchaser.
LEGAL MATTERS
Gary R. Henrie, Las Vegas, Nevada, has passed upon the validity of the securities offered hereby.
EXPERTS
The consolidated financial statements of the Company as of and for the year ended December 31, 2015 are incorporated in this prospectus supplement by reference have been audited by BDO USA, LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, and are incorporated in reliance upon their report dated March 15, 2016, given upon such firms authority as experts in auditing and accounting.
The consolidated financial statements of the Company as of and for the year ended December 31, 2014 are incorporated in this prospectus supplement by reference have been audited by Anderson Bradshaw PLLC, an independent registered public accounting firm, and are incorporated in reliance upon their report March 25, 2015 (except for the effects of the matters described in Note 2, Note 9, Note 12, Note 14, and Note 15 of the Notes to the Companys consolidated financial statements, as to which their report is dated November 23, 2015), given upon such firms authority as experts in auditing and accounting.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
We are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You may read and copy these reports, proxy statements and other information at the SECs public reference facilities at 100 F Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549. You can request copies of these documents by writing to the SEC and paying a fee for the copying cost. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for more information about the operation of the public reference facilities. SEC filings are also available at the SECs website at www.sec.gov.
This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus form part of a registration statement on Form S-3 filed by us with the SEC under the Securities Act. As permitted by the SEC, this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus do not contain all the information in the registration statement filed with the SEC. For a more complete understanding of this offering, you should refer to the complete registration statement, including the exhibits thereto, on Form S-3 that may be obtained as described above. Statements contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus about the contents of any contract or other document are not necessarily complete. If we have filed any contract or other document as an exhibit to the registration statement or any other document incorporated by reference in the registration statement of which this prospectus supplement forms a part, you should read the exhibit for a more complete understanding of the document or matter involved. Each statement regarding a contract or other document is qualified in its entirety by reference to the actual document.
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INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE
The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus certain of the information we file with the SEC. This means we can disclose important information to you by referring you to another document that has been filed separately with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be a part of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, and information that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede information contained in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. We incorporate by reference the documents listed below that we have previously filed with the SEC:
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our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015, filed on March 15, 2016; | |
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our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2016, filed with the SEC on May 5, 2016; | |
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our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on January 20, 2016, February 29, 2016, May 13, 2016, June 3, 2016 and June 10, 2016 (except that any portions thereof which are furnished and not filed shall not be deemed incorporated); | |
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the description of our common stock contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed on July 18, 2006, including any amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating such description. |
We also incorporate by reference into this prospectus supplement additional documents that we may file with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act prior to the completion or termination of the offering of the securities described in this prospectus supplement, but excluding any information deemed furnished and not filed with the SEC. Any statements contained in a previously filed document incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus is deemed to be modified or superseded to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus supplement, or in a subsequently filed document also incorporated by reference herein, modifies or supersedes that statement. Any statement so modified or superseded will not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus.
You may request, orally or in writing, a copy of any or all of the documents incorporated herein by reference. These documents will be provided to you at no cost by contacting: Lightbridge Corporation, 11710 Plaza America Drive, Suite 2000, Reston, Virginia, 20190; telephone number: (571) 730-1200. You may also access the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement through our website at www.ltbridge.com. Except for the specific incorporated documents listed above, no information available on or through our website shall be deemed to be incorporated in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, or the registration statement of which it forms a part.
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PROSPECTUS
LIGHTBRIDGE CORPORATION
$75,000,000
Common Stock, Preferred Stock, Depositary Shares, Debt
Securities,
Warrants, Purchase Contracts and Units
We may offer and sell from time to time up to $75,000,000 of any combination of the securities described in this prospectus, in one or more classes or series and in amounts, at prices and on terms that we will determine at the times of the offerings. These securities may, if applicable, be convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, other securities described in this prospectus. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities.
Each time we sell securities, we will provide a supplement to this prospectus that contains specific information about the offering and the amounts, prices and terms of the securities. Any prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. You should carefully read this prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement before you invest in any of our securities. This prospectus may not be used to sell securities unless accompanied by a prospectus supplement.
The securities may be offered directly by us, through agents designated from time to time by us or to or through underwriters or dealers, on an immediate, continuous or delayed basis. If any agents, dealers or underwriters are involved in the sale of any of the securities, their names and any applicable purchase price, fee, commission or discount arrangement between or among them will be set forth, or will be calculable from the information set forth, in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Our common stock is listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the symbol LTBR. On June 10, 2015, the last reported sale price of our common stock on the NASDAQ Capital Market was $1.19 per share. As of May 18, 2015, the aggregate market value of our outstanding common stock held by non-affiliates, or public float, was approximately $31,601,908, based on 18,082,874 shares of outstanding common stock, of which approximately 861,126 shares were held by affiliates, and a price of $1.835 per share, which was the average of the last bid and asked prices of our common stock on the NASDAQ Capital Market on May 18, 2015. We have sold approximately $10,055,376 of securities as calculated pursuant to General Instruction I.B.6 of Form S-3 during the prior 12 calendar month period that ends on and includes the date of this prospectus. Pursuant to General Instruction I.B.6 of Form S-3, in no event will we sell securities registered on this registration statement in a public primary offering with a value exceeding more than one-third of our public float in any 12 calendar month period so long as our public float remains below $75,000,000.
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Investing in our securities involves risks. See Risk Factors beginning on page 4 of this prospectus and the risks and uncertainties described in the documents we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission that are incorporated in this prospectus by reference for certain risks and uncertainties relating to an investment in our securities.
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Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
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This prospectus is dated June 25, 2015.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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We have not authorized anyone to provide you with information different from that contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus, and we take no responsibility for any other information that others may give you. This prospectus is not an offer to sell, nor is it a solicitation of an offer to buy, the securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front cover of those documents, or that the information contained in any document incorporated by reference is accurate as of any date other than the date of the document incorporated by reference, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or any sale of a security. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.
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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS
This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, using a shelf registration process. Under this shelf registration process, we may sell our securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings up to a total dollar amount of $75,000,000. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we offer our securities, we will provide you with a supplement to this prospectus that will describe the specific amounts, prices and terms of the securities we offer.
This prospectus does not contain all of the information included in the registration statement. For a more complete understanding of the offering of the securities, you should refer to the registration statement, including its exhibits. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. However, no prospectus supplement will offer a security that is not registered and described in this prospectus at the time of its effectiveness. This prospectus, together with the applicable prospectus supplements and the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus, includes all material information relating to the offering of securities under this prospectus. You should carefully read this prospectus, the applicable prospectus supplement, the information and documents incorporated herein by reference and the additional information under the heading Where You Can Find Additional Information and Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference before making an investment decision.
This prospectus may not be used to consummate sales of our securities unless it is accompanied by a prospectus supplement. To the extent there are inconsistencies between any prospectus supplement, this prospectus and any documents incorporated by reference, the document with the most recent date will control.
References in this prospectus to Lightbridge, we, us, our, our Company, or the Company mean Lightbridge Corporation, a Nevada corporation, and its consolidated subsidiaries, unless we state otherwise or the context indicates otherwise.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
We are subject to the reporting requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, and file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You may read and copy these reports, proxy statements and other information at the SECs public reference facilities at 100 F Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549. You can request copies of these documents by writing to the SEC and paying a fee for the copying cost. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for more information about the operation of the public reference facilities. SEC filings are also available at the SECs website at www.sec.gov.
This prospectus forms part of a registration statement on Form S-3 filed by us with the SEC under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act. As permitted by the SEC, this prospectus does not contain all the information in the registration statement filed with the SEC. For a more complete understanding of this offering, you should refer to the complete registration statement, including the exhibits thereto, on Form S-3 that may be obtained as described above. Statements contained in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement about the contents of any contract or other document are not necessarily complete. If we have filed any contract or other document as an exhibit to the registration statement or any other document incorporated by reference in the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, you should read the exhibit for a more complete understanding of the document or matter involved. Each statement regarding a contract or other document is qualified in its entirety by reference to the actual document.
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INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE
The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference in this prospectus certain of the information we file with the SEC. This means we can disclose important information to you by referring you to another document that has been filed separately with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be a part of this prospectus, and information that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede information contained in this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement. We incorporate by reference the documents listed below that we have previously filed with the SEC:
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our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014, filed on March 25, 2015, as amended by the Form 10-K/A filed on April 30, 2015; | |
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our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2015, filed on May 7, 2015; | |
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our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on January 30, 2015, March 27, 2015, April 10, 2015, April 13, 2015, May 18, 2015 and June 10, 2015; and | |
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the description of our common stock contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed on July 18, 2006, including any amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating such description. |
We also incorporate by reference into this prospectus additional documents that we may file with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act prior to the completion or termination of the offering of the securities described in this prospectus, 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 deemed furnished and not filed with the SEC. Any statements contained in a previously filed document incorporated by reference into this prospectus is deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus, or in a subsequently filed document also incorporated by reference herein, modifies or supersedes that statement. Any statement so modified or superseded will not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this prospectus.
You may request, orally or in writing, a copy of any or all of the documents incorporated herein by reference. These documents will be provided to you at no cost by contacting: Lightbridge Corporation, 1600 Tysons Boulevard, Suite 550, McLean, Virginia, 22102; telephone number: (571) 730-1200. You may also access the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus through our website at www.ltbridge.com. Except for the specific incorporated documents listed above, no information available on or through our website shall be deemed to be incorporated in this prospectus or the registration statement of which it forms a part.
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus contains or incorporates forward-looking statements within the meaning of section 27A of the Securities Act and section 21E of the Exchange Act. These forward-looking statements are managements beliefs and assumptions. In addition, other written or oral statements that constitute forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the industry and markets in which we operate and statements may be made by or on our behalf. Words such as should, could, may, will, expect, anticipate, intend, target, plan, believe, seek, estimate, variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Such statements include, among others, (i) those concerning market and business segment growth, demand and acceptance of our nuclear energy consulting services and nuclear fuel technology business, (ii) any projections of sales, earnings, revenue, margins or other financial items, (iii) any statements of the plans, strategies and objectives of management for future operations, (iv) any statements regarding future economic conditions or performance, (v) uncertainties related to conducting business in foreign countries, as well as (vi) all assumptions, expectations, predictions, intentions or beliefs about future events. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve substantial risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements are set forth in Item 1A Risk Factors in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, our other filings with the SEC and any applicable prospectus supplement offering our securities and include but are not limited to:
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our ability to commercialize our nuclear fuel technology; |
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our ability to attract new customers; |
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our ability to employ and retain qualified employees and consultants that have experience in the nuclear industry; | |
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competition and competitive factors in the markets in which we compete; |
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public perception of nuclear energy generally; |
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general economic and business conditions in the local economies in which we regularly conduct business, which can affect demand for our services; | |
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changes in laws, rules and regulations governing our business; |
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development and utilization of our intellectual property; and |
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potential and contingent liabilities. |
The foregoing list of important factors is not intended to be and is not exhaustive. We base our forward-looking statements on our managements beliefs and assumptions based on information available to our management at the time the statements are made. Actual outcomes and results may differ materially from those expressed, implied or projected in such forward-looking statements and therefore you should not place undue reliance on them. Except as required under the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations of the SEC, we do not have any intention or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements after the distribution of this prospectus, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in assumptions or otherwise.
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ABOUT LIGHTBRIDGE CORPORATION
Lightbridge is a leading nuclear fuel technology company and we participate in the nuclear power industry in the United States and internationally. Our mission is to be a world leader in the design and licensing of our patented nuclear fuels that are economically attractive, enhance reactor safety, proliferation resistant, and produce less waste than current generation nuclear fuels, and to provide world-class strategic advisory services to governments and utilities seeking to develop or expand civil nuclear power programs.
Our business operations can be categorized in two segments:
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Nuclear Fuel Technology Business. We develop next generation nuclear fuel technology that has the potential to significantly increase the power output of commercial reactors, reducing the cost of generating nuclear energy and the amount of nuclear waste on a per-megawatt- hour basis and enhancing reactor safety and the proliferation resistance of spent fuel. Our main focus is on our nuclear fuel technology business segment. | |
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Nuclear Energy Consulting Business. We provide nuclear power consulting and strategic advisory services to commercial and governmental entities worldwide. |
We were incorporated under the laws of the State of Nevada on February 2, 1999 and engaged in businesses other than our current business until October 6, 2006, when we acquired our wholly-owned subsidiary Thorium Power, Inc.
The address of our principal executive office is 1600 Tysons Boulevard, Suite 550, McLean, Virginia, 22102, and our telephone number is (571) 730-1200. We maintain a website at www.ltbridge.com that contains information about our Company, though no information contained on our website is part of this prospectus.
RISK FACTORS
An investment in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Prior to making a decision about investing in our securities, you should carefully consider the specific risk factors discussed in the sections entitled Risk Factors contained in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and in any applicable prospectus supplement and our other filings with the SEC and incorporated by reference in this prospectus, together with all of the other information contained in this prospectus, or any applicable prospectus supplement. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us, or that we currently view as immaterial, may also impair our business. If any of the risks or uncertainties described in our SEC filings or any prospectus supplement or any additional risks and uncertainties actually occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. In that case, the trading price of our securities could decline and you might lose all or part of your investment.
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USE OF PROCEEDS
Unless specified otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, we expect to use the net proceeds we receive from the sale of the securities offered by this prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement for general corporate purposes, which may include, among other things:
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The precise amount and timing of the application of such proceeds will depend upon our funding requirements and the availability and cost of other capital. We will retain broad discretion over the use of the net proceeds from the sale of the securities offered hereby. Pending any specific application, we may initially invest funds in short-term marketable securities or apply them to the reduction of short-term indebtedness. Additional information on the use of net proceeds from the sale of securities covered by this prospectus may be set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to the specific offering.
DILUTION
We will set forth in a prospectus supplement and/or free writing prospectus the following information, as required, regarding any dilution of the equity interests of investors purchasing securities in an offering under this prospectus:
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the net tangible book value per share of our equity securities before and after the offering; |
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the amount of the change in such net tangible book value per share attributable to the cash payments made by purchasers in the offering; and | |
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the amount of the immediate dilution from the public offering price which will be absorbed by such purchasers. |
RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES
If any debt securities or preferred stock are offered pursuant to this prospectus, we will provide a table setting forth our ratio of earnings to fixed charges or ratio of combined fixed charges and preferred stock dividends on a historical basis in the applicable prospectus supplement, if required.
DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK
Common Stock
We are authorized to issue up to 500,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share. Each outstanding share of common stock entitles the holder thereof to one vote per share on all matters. Our bylaws provide that elections for directors shall be by a plurality of votes. Stockholders do not have preemptive rights to purchase shares in any future issuance of our common stock. Upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, and after payment of creditors and preferred stockholders, if any, our assets will be divided pro-rata on a share-for-share basis among the holders of the shares of common stock.
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The holders of shares of our common stock are entitled to dividends out of funds legally available when and as declared by our board of directors. Our board of directors has never declared a dividend and does not anticipate declaring a dividend in the foreseeable future. Should we decide in the future to pay dividends, as a holding company, our ability to do so and meet other obligations depends upon the receipt of dividends or other payments from our operating subsidiary and other holdings and investments. In addition, our operating subsidiary, from time to time, may be subject to restrictions on its ability to make distributions to us, including as a result of restrictive covenants in loan agreements, restrictions on the conversion of local currency into U.S. dollars or other hard currency and other regulatory restrictions. In the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, holders of our common stock are entitled to receive, ratably, the net assets available to stockholders after payment of all creditors.
All of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock are duly authorized, validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable. To the extent that additional shares of our common stock are issued, the relative interests of existing stockholders will be diluted.
As of June 10, 2015, there were 18,082,874 shares of our common stock outstanding.
Preferred Stock
We are authorized to issue up to 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share, in one or more classes or series within a class as may be determined by our board of directors, who may establish, from time to time, the number of shares to be included in each class or series, may fix the designation, powers, preferences and rights of the shares of each such class or series and any qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof. Any preferred stock so issued by the board of directors may rank senior to the common stock with respect to the payment of dividends or amounts upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up of us, or both. Moreover, under certain circumstances, the issuance of preferred stock or the existence of the unissued preferred stock might tend to discourage or render more difficult a merger or other change of control.
As of June 10, 2015, no shares of our preferred stock were outstanding.
Anti-Takeover Effects of Our Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws
Our articles of incorporation and bylaws contain certain provisions that may have anti-takeover effects, making it more difficult for or preventing a third party from acquiring control of the Company or changing its board of directors and management. According to our bylaws and articles of incorporation, neither the holders of our common stock nor the holders of any preferred stock we may issue in the future have cumulative voting rights in the election of our directors. The combination of the present ownership by a few stockholders of a significant portion of our issued and outstanding common stock and lack of cumulative voting makes it more difficult for other stockholders to replace our board of directors or for a third party to obtain control of the Company by replacing its board of directors.
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Anti-Takeover Effects of Nevada Law
Business Combinations
The business combination provisions of Sections 78.411 to 78.444, inclusive, of the Nevada Revised Statutes, or NRS, generally prohibit a Nevada corporation with at least 200 stockholders from engaging in various combination transactions with any interested stockholder for a period of two years after the date of the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder, unless the transaction is approved by the board of directors prior to the date the interested stockholder obtained such status or the combination is approved by the board of directors and thereafter is approved at a meeting of the stockholders by the affirmative vote of stockholders representing at least 60% of the outstanding voting power held by disinterested stockholders, and extends beyond the expiration of the two-year period, unless:
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the combination was approved by the board of directors prior to the person becoming an interested stockholder or the transaction by which the person first became an interested stockholder was approved by the board of directors before the person became an interested stockholder or the combination is later approved by a majority of the voting power held by disinterested stockholders; or | |
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if the consideration to be paid by the interested stockholder is at least equal to the highest of: (a) the highest price per share paid by the interested stockholder within the two years immediately preceding the date of the announcement of the combination or in the transaction in which it became an interested stockholder, whichever is higher, (b) the market value per share of common stock on the date of announcement of the combination and the date the interested stockholder acquired the shares, whichever is higher, or (c) for holders of preferred stock, the highest liquidation value of the preferred stock, if it is higher. |
A combination is generally defined to include mergers or consolidations or any sale, lease exchange, mortgage, pledge, transfer, or other disposition, in one transaction or a series of transactions, with an interested stockholder having: (a) an aggregate market value equal to 5% or more of the aggregate market value of the assets of the corporation, (b) an aggregate market value equal to 5% or more of the aggregate market value of all outstanding shares of the corporation, (c) 10% or more of the earning power or net income of the corporation, and (d) certain other transactions with an interested stockholder or an affiliate or associate of an interested stockholder.
In general, an interested stockholder is a person who, together with affiliates and associates, owns (or within two years, did own) 10% or more of a corporations voting stock. The statute could prohibit or delay mergers or other takeover or change in control attempts and, accordingly, may discourage attempts to acquire our Company even though such a transaction may offer our stockholders the opportunity to sell their stock at a price above the prevailing market price.
Our articles of incorporation state that we have elected not to be governed by the business combination provisions, therefore such provisions currently do not apply to us.
Control Share Acquisitions
The control share provisions of Sections 78.378 to 78.3793, inclusive, of the NRS apply to issuing corporations that are Nevada corporations with at least 200 stockholders, including at least 100 stockholders of record who are Nevada residents, and that conduct business directly or indirectly in Nevada. The control share statute prohibits an acquirer, under certain circumstances, from voting its shares of a target corporations stock after crossing certain ownership threshold percentages, unless the acquirer obtains approval of the target corporations disinterested stockholders. The statute specifies three thresholds: one-fifth or more but less than one-third, one-third but less than a majority, and a majority or more, of the outstanding voting power. Generally, once an acquirer crosses one of the above thresholds, those shares in an offer or acquisition and acquired within 90 days thereof become control shares and such control shares are deprived of the right to vote until disinterested stockholders restore the right. These provisions also provide that if control shares are accorded full voting rights and the acquiring person has acquired a majority or more of all voting power, all other stockholders who do not vote in favor of authorizing voting rights to the control shares are entitled to demand payment for the fair value of their shares in accordance with statutory procedures established for dissenters rights.
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A corporation may elect to not be governed by, or opt out of, the control share provisions by making an election in its articles of incorporation or bylaws, provided that the opt-out election must be in place on the 10th day following the date an acquiring person has acquired a controlling interest, that is, crossing any of the three thresholds described above. We have not opted out of the control share statutes, and will be subject to these statutes if we are an issuing corporation as defined in such statutes.
The effect of the Nevada control share statutes is that the acquiring person, and those acting in association with the acquiring person, will obtain only such voting rights in the control shares as are conferred by a resolution of the stockholders at an annual or special meeting. The Nevada control share law, if applicable, could have the effect of discouraging takeovers of our Company.
Transfer Agent and Registrar
Our independent stock transfer agent is Computershare Trust Company, located at 350 Indiana Street, Golden, Colorado 80401. Their phone number is (303) 262-0600.
DESCRIPTION OF DEPOSITARY SHARES
General
We may, at our option, elect to offer fractional shares of preferred stock, which we call depositary shares, rather than full shares of preferred stock. If we do, we will issue to the public receipts, called depositary receipts, for depositary shares, each of which will represent a fraction, to be described in the applicable prospectus supplement, of a share of a particular series of preferred stock. Unless otherwise provided in the prospectus supplement, each owner of a depositary share will be entitled, in proportion to the applicable fractional interest in a share of preferred stock represented by the depositary share, to all the rights and preferences of the preferred stock represented by the depositary share. Those rights include dividend, voting, redemption, conversion and liquidation rights.
The shares of preferred stock underlying the depositary shares will be deposited with a bank or trust company selected by us to act as depositary under a deposit agreement between us, the depositary and the holders of the depositary receipts. The depositary will be the transfer agent, registrar and dividend disbursing agent for the depositary shares.
The depositary shares will be evidenced by depositary receipts issued pursuant to the deposit agreement. Holders of depositary receipts agree to be bound by the deposit agreement, which requires holders to take certain actions such as filing proof of residence and paying certain charges.
The summary of terms of the depositary shares contained in this prospectus is not a complete description of the terms of the depository shares. You should refer to the form of the deposit agreement, our articles of incorporation and the certificate of designation for the applicable series of preferred stock that are, or will be, filed with the SEC.
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Dividends and Other Distributions
The depositary will distribute all cash dividends or other cash distributions, if any, received in respect of the preferred stock underlying the depositary shares to the record holders of depositary shares in proportion to the numbers of depositary shares owned by those holders on the relevant record date. The relevant record date for depositary shares will be the same date as the record date for the underlying preferred stock.
If there is a distribution other than in cash, the depositary will distribute property (including securities) received by it to the record holders of depositary shares, unless the depositary determines that it is not feasible to make the distribution. If this occurs, the depositary may, with our approval, adopt another method for the distribution, including selling the property and distributing the net proceeds from the sale to the holders.
Liquidation Preference
If a series of preferred stock underlying the depositary shares has a liquidation preference, in the event of the voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of us, holders of depositary shares will be entitled to receive the fraction of the liquidation preference accorded each share of the applicable series of preferred stock, as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.
Withdrawal of Stock
Unless the related depositary shares have been previously called for redemption, upon surrender of the depositary receipts at the office of the depositary, the holder of the depositary shares will be entitled to delivery, at the office of the depositary to or upon his or her order, of the number of whole shares of the preferred stock and any money or other property represented by the depositary shares. If the depositary receipts delivered by the holder evidence a number of depositary shares in excess of the number of depositary shares representing the number of whole shares of preferred stock to be withdrawn, the depositary will deliver to the holder at the same time a new depositary receipt evidencing the excess number of depositary shares. In no event will the depositary deliver fractional shares of preferred stock upon surrender of depositary receipts. Holders of preferred stock thus withdrawn may not thereafter deposit those shares under the deposit agreement or receive depositary receipts evidencing depositary shares therefor.
Redemption of Depositary Shares
Whenever we redeem shares of preferred stock held by the depositary, the depositary will redeem as of the same redemption date the number of depositary shares representing shares of the preferred stock so redeemed, so long as we have paid in full to the depositary the redemption price of the preferred stock to be redeemed plus an amount equal to any accumulated and unpaid dividends on the preferred stock to the date fixed for redemption. The redemption price per depositary share will be equal to the redemption price and any other amounts per share payable on the preferred stock multiplied by the fraction of a share of preferred stock represented by one depositary share. If less than all the depositary shares are to be redeemed, the depositary shares to be redeemed will be selected by lot or pro rata or by any other equitable method as may be determined by the depositary.
After the date fixed for redemption, depositary shares called for redemption will no longer be deemed to be outstanding and all rights of the holders of depositary shares will cease, except the right to receive the monies payable upon redemption and any money or other property to which the holders of the depositary shares were entitled upon redemption upon surrender to the depositary of the depositary receipts evidencing the depositary shares.
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Voting the Preferred Stock
Upon receipt of notice of any meeting at which the holders of the preferred stock are entitled to vote, the depositary will mail the information contained in the notice of meeting to the record holders of the depositary receipts relating to that preferred stock. The record date for the depositary receipts relating to the preferred stock will be the same date as the record date for the preferred stock. Each record holder of the depositary shares on the record date will be entitled to instruct the depositary as to the exercise of the voting rights pertaining to the number of shares of preferred stock represented by that holders depositary shares. The depositary will endeavor, insofar as practicable, to vote the number of shares of preferred stock represented by the depositary shares in accordance with those instructions, and we will agree to take all action that may be deemed necessary by the depositary in order to enable the depositary to do so. The depositary will not vote any shares of preferred stock except to the extent it receives specific instructions from the holders of depositary shares representing that number of shares of preferred stock.
Charges of Depositary
We will pay all transfer and other taxes and governmental charges arising solely from the existence of the depositary arrangements. We will pay charges of the depositary in connection with the initial deposit of the preferred stock and any redemption of the preferred stock. Holders of depositary receipts will pay transfer, income and other taxes and governmental charges and such other charges (including those in connection with the receipt and distribution of dividends, the sale or exercise of rights, the withdrawal of the preferred stock and the transferring, splitting or grouping of depositary receipts) as are expressly provided in the deposit agreement to be for their accounts. If these charges have not been paid by the holders of depositary receipts, the depositary may refuse to transfer depositary shares, withhold dividends and distributions and sell the depositary shares evidenced by the depositary receipt.
Amendment and Termination of the Deposit Agreement
The form of depositary receipt evidencing the depositary shares and any provision of the deposit agreement may be amended by agreement between us and the depositary. However, any amendment that materially and adversely alters the rights of the holders of depositary shares, other than fee changes, will not be effective unless the amendment has been approved by the holders of a majority of the outstanding depositary shares. The deposit agreement may be terminated by the depositary or us only if:
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Resignation and Removal of Depositary
The depositary may resign at any time by delivering to us notice of its election to do so, and we may remove the depositary at any time. Any resignation or removal of the depositary will take effect upon our appointment of a successor depositary and its acceptance of such appointment. The successor depositary must be appointed within 60 days after delivery of the notice of resignation or removal and must be a bank or trust company having its principal office in the United States and having the requisite combined capital and surplus as set forth in the applicable agreement.
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Notices
The depositary will forward to holders of depositary receipts all notices, reports and other communications, including proxy solicitation materials received from us, that are delivered to the depositary and that we are required to furnish to the holders of the preferred stock. In addition, the depositary will make available for inspection by holders of depositary receipts at the principal office of the depositary, and at such other places as it may from time to time deem advisable, any reports and communications we deliver to the depositary as the holder of preferred stock.
Limitation of Liability
Neither we nor the depositary will be liable if either we or it is prevented or delayed by law or any circumstance beyond its control in performing its obligations. Our obligations and those of the depositary will be limited to performance in good faith of our and their duties thereunder. We and the depositary will not be obligated to prosecute or defend any legal proceeding in respect of any depositary shares or preferred stock unless satisfactory indemnity is furnished. We and the depositary may rely upon written advice of counsel or accountants, on information provided by persons presenting preferred stock for deposit, holders of depositary receipts or other persons believed to be competent to give such information and on documents believed to be genuine and to have been signed or presented by the proper party or parties.
DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES
The following is a summary of the general terms of the debt securities that we may issue. We will file a prospectus supplement that may contain additional terms when we issue debt securities. The terms presented here, together with the terms in a related prospectus supplement, will be a description of the material terms of the debt securities. You should also read the indenture under which the debt securities are to be issued. We have incorporated by reference a form of indenture governing different types of debt securities with the SEC in the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. All capitalized terms have the meanings specified in the indenture.
We may issue, from time to time, debt securities, in one or more series, that will consist of senior debt, senior subordinated debt or subordinated debt. We refer to the subordinated debt securities and the senior subordinated debt securities together as the subordinated securities. The debt securities that we may offer will be issued under an indenture between us and an entity, identified in the applicable prospectus supplement, as trustee. Debt securities, whether senior, senior subordinated or subordinated, may be issued as convertible debt securities or exchangeable debt securities. The following is a summary of the material provisions of the indenture incorporated by reference by the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.
As you read this section, please remember that for each series of debt securities, the specific terms of your debt security as described in the applicable prospectus supplement will supplement and, if applicable, may modify or replace the general terms described in the summary below. The statements we make in this section may not apply to your debt security.
General Terms of the Indenture
The indenture does not limit the amount of debt securities that we may issue. It provides that we may issue debt securities up to the principal amount that we may authorize and may be in any currency or currency unit that we may designate. We may, without the consent of the holders of any series, increase the principal amount of securities in that series in the future, on the same terms and conditions and with the same CUSIP numbers as that series. Except for the limitations on consolidation, merger and sale of all or substantially all of our assets contained in the indenture, the terms of the indenture do not contain any covenants or other provisions designed to give holders of any debt securities protection against changes in our operations, financial condition or transactions involving us.
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We may issue the debt securities issued under the indenture as discount securities, which means they may be sold at a discount below their stated principal amount. These debt securities, as well as other debt securities that are not issued at a discount, may be issued with original issue discount, or OID, for U.S. federal income tax purposes because of interest payment and other characteristics. Material U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to debt securities issued with original issue discount will be described in more detail in any applicable prospectus supplement.
The applicable prospectus supplement for a series of debt securities that we issue will describe, among other things, the following terms of the offered debt securities:
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the title and authorized denominations of the series of debt securities; |
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any limit on the aggregate principal amount of the series of debt securities; |
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whether such debt securities will be issued in fully registered form without coupons or in a form registered as to principal only with coupons or in bearer form with coupons; | |
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whether issued in the form of one or more global securities and whether all or a portion of the principal amount of the debt securities is represented thereby; | |
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the price or prices at which the debt securities will be issued; |
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the date or dates on which principal is payable; |
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the place or places where and the manner in which principal, premium or interest, if any, will be payable and the place or places where the debt securities may be presented for transfer and, if applicable, conversion or exchange; | |
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interest rates, and the dates from which interest, if any, will accrue, and the dates when interest is payable and the maturity; | |
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the right, if any, to extend the interest payment periods and the duration of the extensions; |
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our rights or obligations to redeem or purchase the debt securities; |
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any sinking fund or other provisions that would obligate us to repurchase or otherwise redeem some or all of the debt securities; | |
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conversion or exchange provisions, if any, including conversion or exchange prices or rates and adjustments thereto; | |
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the currency or currencies of payment of principal or interest; |
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the terms applicable to any debt securities issued at a discount from their stated principal amount; | |
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the terms, if any, under which any debt securities will rank junior to any of our other debt; |
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whether and upon what terms the debt securities may be defeased, if different from the provisions set forth in the indenture; | |
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if the amount of payments of principal or interest is to be determined by reference to an index or formula, or based on a coin or currency other than that in which the debt securities are stated to be payable, the manner in which these amounts are determined and the calculation agent, if any, with respect thereto; |
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the provisions, if any, relating to any collateral provided for the debt securities; |
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if other than the entire principal amount of the debt securities when issued, the portion of the principal amount payable upon acceleration of maturity as a result of a default on our obligations; | |
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the events of default and covenants relating to the debt securities that are in addition to, modify or delete those described in this prospectus; | |
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the nature and terms of any security for any secured debt securities; and |
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any other specific terms of any debt securities. |
The applicable prospectus supplement will present material U.S. federal income tax considerations for holders of any debt securities and the securities exchange or quotation system on which any debt securities are to be listed or quoted.
Senior Debt Securities
Payment of the principal of, premium and interest, if any, on senior debt securities will rank on a parity with all of our other secured/unsecured and unsubordinated debt.
Senior Subordinated Debt Securities
Payment of the principal of, premium and interest, if any, on senior subordinated debt securities will be junior in right of payment to the prior payment in full of all of our unsubordinated debt, including senior debt securities and any credit facility. We will state in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to any senior subordinated debt securities the subordination terms of the securities as well as the aggregate amount of outstanding debt, as of the most recent practicable date, that by its terms would be senior to the senior subordinated debt securities. We will also state in such prospectus supplement limitations, if any, on issuance of additional senior debt.
Subordinated Debt Securities
Payment of the principal of, premium and interest, if any, on subordinated debt securities will be subordinated and junior in right of payment to the prior payment in full of all of our senior debt, including our senior debt securities and senior subordinated debt securities. We will state in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to any subordinated debt securities the subordination terms of the securities as well as the aggregate amount of outstanding indebtedness, as of the most recent practicable date, that by its terms would be senior to the subordinated debt securities. We will also state in such prospectus supplement limitations, if any, on issuance of additional senior indebtedness.
Conversion or Exchange Rights
Debt securities may be convertible into or exchangeable for other securities, including, for example, shares of our equity securities. The terms and conditions of conversion or exchange will be stated in the applicable prospectus supplement. The terms will include, among others, the following:
| the conversion or exchange price; | |
| the conversion or exchange period; | |
| provisions regarding the ability of us or the holder to convert or exchange the debt securities; | |
| events requiring adjustment to the conversion or exchange price; and |
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provisions affecting conversion or exchange in the event of our redemption of the debt securities. |
Consolidation, Merger or Sale
We cannot consolidate or merge with or into, or transfer or lease all or substantially all of our assets to, any person, and we cannot permit any other person to consolidate with or merge into us, unless (1) we will be the continuing corporation or (2) the successor corporation or person to which our assets are transferred or leased is a corporation organized under the laws of the United States, any state of the United States or the District of Columbia and it expressly assumes our obligations under the debt securities and the indenture. In addition, we cannot complete such a transaction unless immediately after completing the transaction, no event of default under the indenture, and no event which, after notice or lapse of time or both, would become an event of default under the indenture, shall have occurred and be continuing. When the person to whom our assets are transferred or leased has assumed our obligations under the debt securities and the indenture, we shall be discharged from all our obligations under the debt securities and the indenture except in limited circumstances.
This covenant would not apply to any recapitalization transaction, a change of control of us or a highly leveraged transaction, unless the transaction or change of control were structured to include a merger or consolidation or transfer or lease of all or substantially all of our assets.
Events of Default
The term Event of Default, when used in the indenture, unless otherwise indicated, means any of the following:
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failure to pay interest for 30 days after the date payment is due and payable; |
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failure to pay principal or premium, if any, on any debt security when due, either at maturity, upon any redemption, by declaration or otherwise; | |
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failure to make sinking fund payments when due; |
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failure to perform other covenants for 60 days after notice that performance was required; |
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events in bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization relating to us; or |
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any other Event of Default provided in the applicable officers certificate, resolution of our board of directors or the supplemental indenture under which we issue a series of debt securities. |
An Event of Default for a particular series of debt securities does not necessarily constitute an Event of Default for any other series of debt securities issued under the indenture.
If an Event of Default with respect to any series of senior debt securities occurs and is continuing, then either the trustee for such series or the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of such series, by notice in writing, may declare the principal amount of and interest on all of the debt securities of such series to be due and payable immediately; provided, however, unless otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, if such an Event of Default occurs and is continuing with respect to more than one series of senior debt securities under the indenture, the trustee for such series or the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of all such series of senior debt securities of equal ranking (or, if any of such senior debt securities are discount securities, such portion of the principal amount as may be specified in the terms of that series), voting as one class, may make such declaration of acceleration as to all series of such equal ranking and not the holders of the debt securities of any one of such series of senior debt securities.
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If an Event of Default with respect to any series of subordinated securities occurs and is continuing, then either the trustee for such series or the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of such series, by notice in writing, may declare the principal amount of and interest on all of the debt securities of such series to be due and payable immediately; provided, however, unless otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, if such an Event of Default occurs and is continuing with respect to more than one series of subordinated securities under the indenture, the trustee for such series or the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of all such series of subordinated securities of equal ranking (or, if any of such subordinated securities are discount securities, such portion of the principal amount as may be specified in the terms of that series), voting as one class, may make such declaration of acceleration as to all series of equal ranking and not the holders of the debt securities of any one of such series of subordinated securities.
The holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of the debt securities of all affected series of equal ranking may, after satisfying certain conditions, rescind and annul any of the above-described declarations and consequences involving such series.
If an Event of Default relating to events in bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization of us occurs and is continuing, then the principal amount of all of the debt securities outstanding, and any accrued interest, will automatically become due and payable immediately, without any declaration or other act by the trustee or any holder.
The indenture imposes limitations on suits brought by holders of debt securities against us. Except for actions for payment of overdue principal or interest, no holder of debt securities of any series may institute any action against us under the indenture unless:
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the holder has previously given to the trustee written notice of default and continuance of such default; | |
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the holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of the affected series of equal ranking have requested that the trustee institute the action; | |
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the requesting holders have offered the trustee reasonable indemnity for expenses and liabilities that may be incurred by bringing the action; | |
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the trustee has not instituted the action within 60 days of the request; and |
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the trustee has not received inconsistent direction by the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of the affected series of equal ranking. |
We will be required to file annually with the trustee a certificate, signed by one of our officers, stating whether or not the officer knows of any default by us in the performance, observance or fulfillment of any condition or covenant of the indenture.
Registered Global Securities and Book Entry System
The debt securities of a series may be issued in whole or in part in book-entry form and may be represented by one or more fully registered global securities or in unregistered form with or without coupons. We will deposit any registered global securities with a depositary or with a nominee for a depositary identified in the applicable prospectus supplement and registered in the name of such depositary or nominee. In such case, we will issue one or more registered global securities denominated in an amount equal to the aggregate principal amount of all of the debt securities of the series to be issued and represented by such registered global security or securities. This means that we will not issue certificates to each holder.
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Unless and until it is exchanged in whole or in part for debt securities in definitive registered form, a registered global security may not be transferred except as a whole:
| by the depositary for such registered global security to its nominee; | |
| by a nominee of the depositary to the depositary or another nominee of the depositary; or | |
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by the depositary or its nominee to a successor of the depositary or a nominee of the successor. |
The prospectus supplement relating to a series of debt securities will describe the specific terms of the depositary arrangement involving any portion of the series represented by a registered global security. We anticipate that the following provisions will apply to all depositary arrangements for registered debt securities:
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ownership of beneficial interests in a registered global security will be limited to persons that have accounts with the depositary for such registered global security, these persons being referred to as participants, or persons that may hold interests through participants; | |
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upon the issuance of a registered global security, the depositary for the registered global security will credit, on its book-entry registration and transfer system, the participants accounts with the respective principal amounts of the debt securities represented by the registered global security beneficially owned by the participants; | |
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any dealers, underwriters, or agents participating in the distribution of the debt securities represented by a registered global security will designate the accounts to be credited; and | |
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ownership of beneficial interest in such registered global security will be shown on, and the transfer of such ownership interest will be effected only through, records maintained by the depositary for such registered global security for interests of participants, and on the records of participants for interests of persons holding through participants. |
The laws of some states may require that specified purchasers of securities take physical delivery of the securities in definitive form. These laws may limit the ability of those persons to own, transfer or pledge beneficial interests in registered global securities.
So long as the depositary for a registered global security, or its nominee, is the registered owner of such registered global security, the depositary or such nominee, as the case may be, will be considered the sole owner or holder of the debt securities represented by the registered global security for all purposes under the indenture. Except as stated below, owners of beneficial interests in a registered global security:
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will not be entitled to have the debt securities represented by a registered global security registered in their names; | |
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will not receive or be entitled to receive physical delivery of the debt securities in the definitive form; and | |
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will not be considered the owners or holders of the debt securities under the relevant indenture. |
Accordingly, each person owning a beneficial interest in a registered global security must rely on the procedures of the depositary for the registered global security and, if the person is not a participant, on the procedures of a participant through which the person owns its interest, to exercise any rights of a holder under the indenture.
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We understand that under existing industry practices, if we request any action of holders or if an owner of a beneficial interest in a registered global security desires to give or take any action that a holder is entitled to give or take under the indenture, the depositary for the registered global security would authorize the participants holding the relevant beneficial interests to give or take the action, and the participants would authorize beneficial owners owning through the participants to give or take the action or would otherwise act upon the instructions of beneficial owners holding through them.
We will make payments of principal and premium, if any, and interest, if any, on debt securities represented by a registered global security registered in the name of a depositary or its nominee to the depositary or its nominee, as the case may be, as the registered owners of the registered global security. None of us, the trustee or any other agent of ours or the trustee will be responsible or liable for any aspect of the records relating to, or payments made on account of, beneficial ownership interests in the registered global security or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to the beneficial ownership interests.
We expect that the depositary for any debt securities represented by a registered global security, upon receipt of any payments of principal and premium, if any, and interest, if any, in respect of the registered global security, will immediately credit participants accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in the registered global security as shown on the records of the depositary. We also expect that standing customer instructions and customary practices will govern payments by participants to owners of beneficial interests in the registered global security held through the participants, as is now the case with the securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in street name. We also expect that any of these payments will be the responsibility of the participants.
If the depositary for any debt securities represented by a registered global security is at any time unwilling or unable to continue as depositary or stops being a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act, we will appoint an eligible successor depositary. If we fail to appoint an eligible successor depositary within 90 days, we will issue the debt securities in definitive form in exchange for the registered global security. In addition, we may at any time and in our sole discretion decide not to have any of the debt securities of a series represented by one or more registered global securities. In that event, we will issue debt securities of the series in a definitive form in exchange for all of the registered global securities representing the debt securities. The trustee will register any debt securities issued in definitive form in exchange for a registered global security in the name or names as the depositary, based upon instructions from its participants, shall instruct the trustee.
We may also issue bearer debt securities of a series in the form of one or more global securities, referred to as bearer global securities. The prospectus supplement relating to a series of debt securities represented by a bearer global security will describe the applicable terms and procedures. These will include the specific terms of the depositary arrangement and any specific procedures for the issuance of debt securities in definitive form in exchange for a bearer global security, in proportion to the series represented by a bearer global security.
Discharge, Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance
We can discharge or decrease our obligations under the indenture as stated below.
We may discharge obligations to holders of any series of debt securities that have not already been delivered to the trustee for cancellation and that have either become due and payable or are by their terms to become due and payable, or are scheduled for redemption, within sixty (60) days. We may effect a discharge by irrevocably depositing with the trustee cash or U.S. government obligations, as trust funds, in an amount certified to be enough to pay when due, whether at maturity, upon redemption or otherwise, the principal of, premium and interest, if any, on the debt securities and any mandatory sinking fund payments.
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Unless otherwise provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, we may also discharge any and all of our obligations to holders of any series of debt securities at any time, which we refer to as defeasance. We may also be released from the obligations imposed by any covenants of any outstanding series of debt securities and provisions of the indenture, and we may omit to comply with those covenants without creating an event of default under the trust declaration, which we refer to as covenant defeasance. We may effect defeasance and covenant defeasance only if, among other things:
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we irrevocably deposit with the trustee cash or U.S. government obligations, as trust funds, in an amount certified to be enough to pay at maturity, or upon redemption, the principal, premium and interest, if any, on all outstanding debt securities of the series; | |
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we deliver to the trustee an opinion of counsel from a nationally recognized law firm to the effect that the holders of the series of debt securities will not recognize income, gain or loss for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a result of the defeasance or covenant defeasance and that defeasance or covenant defeasance will not otherwise alter the holders U.S. federal income tax treatment of principal, premium and interest, if any, payments on the series of debt securities; and | |
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in the case of subordinated debt securities, no event or condition shall exist that, based on the subordination provisions applicable to the series, would prevent us from making payments of principal of, premium and interest, if any, on any of the applicable subordinated debt securities at the date of the irrevocable deposit referred to above or at any time during the period ending on the 91st day after the deposit date. |
In the case of a defeasance by us, the opinion we deliver must be based on a ruling of the Internal Revenue Service issued, or a change in U.S. federal income tax law occurring, after the date of the indenture, since such a result would not occur under the U.S. federal income tax laws in effect on such date.
Although we may discharge or decrease our obligations under the indenture as described in the two preceding paragraphs, we may not avoid, among other things, our duty to register the transfer or exchange of any series of debt securities, to replace any temporary, mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen series of debt securities or to maintain an office or agency in respect of any series of debt securities.
Modification of the Indenture
The indenture provides that we and the trustee may enter into supplemental indentures without the consent of the holders of debt securities to:
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secure any debt securities and provide the terms and conditions for the release or substitution of the security; | |
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evidence the assumption by a successor corporation of our obligations; |
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add covenants for the protection of the holders of debt securities; |
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add any additional events of default; |
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cure any ambiguity or correct any inconsistency or defect in the indenture; |
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add to, change or eliminate any of the provisions of the indenture in a manner that will become effective only when there is no outstanding debt security which is entitled to the benefit of the provision as to which the modification would apply; | |
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establish the forms or terms of debt securities of any series; |
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eliminate any conflict between the terms of the indenture and the Trust Indenture Act of 1939; | |
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evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment by a successor trustee and add to or change any of the provisions of the indenture as is necessary for the administration of the trusts by more than one trustee; and | |
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make any other provisions with respect to matters or questions arising under the indenture that will not be inconsistent with any provision of the indenture as long as the new provisions do not adversely affect the interests of the holders of any outstanding debt securities of any series created prior to the modification. |
The indenture also provides that we and the trustee may, with the consent of the holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of debt securities of all series of senior debt securities or of subordinated securities of equal ranking, as the case may be, then outstanding and affected, voting as one class, add any provisions to, or change in any manner, eliminate or modify in any way the provisions of, the indenture or modify in any manner the rights of the holders of the debt securities. We and the trustee may not, however, without the consent of the holder of each outstanding debt security affected thereby:
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extend the final maturity of any debt security; |
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reduce the principal amount or premium, if any; |
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reduce the rate or extend the time of payment of interest; |
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reduce any amount payable on redemption or impair or affect any right of redemption at the option of the holder of the debt security; | |
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change the currency in which the principal, premium or interest, if any, is payable; |
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reduce the amount of the principal of any debt security issued with an original issue discount that is payable upon acceleration or provable in bankruptcy; | |
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alter provisions of the relevant indenture relating to the debt securities not denominated in U.S. dollars; | |
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impair the right to institute suit for the enforcement of any payment on any debt security when due; | |
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if applicable, adversely affect the right of a holder to convert or exchange a debt security; or |
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reduce the percentage of holders of debt securities of any series whose consent is required for any modification of the indenture. |
The indenture provides that the holders of not less than a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding debt securities of any and all affected series of equal ranking, by notice to the relevant trustee, may on behalf of the holders of the debt securities of any and all such series of equal ranking waive any default and its consequences under the indenture except:
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a continuing default in the payment of interest on, premium, if any, or principal of, any such debt security held by a non-consenting holder; or |
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a default in respect of a covenant or provision of the indenture that cannot be modified or amended without the consent of the holder of each outstanding debt security of each series affected. |
Concerning the Trustee
The indenture provides that there may be more than one trustee under the indenture, each for one or more series of debt securities. If there are different trustees for different series of debt securities, each trustee will be a trustee of a trust under the indenture separate and apart from the trust administered by any other trustee under that indenture.
Except as otherwise indicated in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement, any action permitted to be taken by a trustee may be taken by such trustee only on the one or more series of debt securities for which it is the trustee under the indenture. Any trustee under the indenture may resign or be removed from one or more series of debt securities. All payments of principal of, premium and interest, if any, on, and all registration, transfer, exchange, authentication and delivery of, the debt securities of a series will be effected by the trustee for that series at an office designated by the trustee.
If the trustee becomes a creditor of ours, the indenture places limitations on the right of the trustee to obtain payment of claims or to realize on property received in respect of any such claim as security or otherwise. The trustee may engage in other transactions. If it acquires any conflicting interest relating to any duties concerning the debt securities, however, it must eliminate the conflict or resign as trustee.
The holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of any and all affected series of debt securities of equal ranking then outstanding will have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for exercising any remedy available to the trustee concerning the applicable series of debt securities, provided that the direction:
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| would not involve any trustee in personal liability. |
The indenture provides that in case an Event of Default shall occur, not be cured and be known to any trustee, the trustee must use the same degree of care as a prudent person would use in the conduct of his or her own affairs in the exercise of the trustees power. The trustee will be under no obligation to exercise any of its rights or powers under the indenture at the request of any of the holders of the debt securities, unless they shall have offered to the trustee security and indemnity satisfactory to the trustee.
No Individual Liability of Incorporators, Stockholders, Officers or Directors
The indenture provides that no incorporator and no past, present or future stockholder, officer or director of ours or any successor corporation in their capacity as such shall have any individual liability for any of our obligations, covenants or agreements under the debt securities or the indenture.
Governing Law
The indenture and the debt securities will be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York.
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DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS
We may issue warrants for the purchase of common stock, preferred stock and/or debt securities in one or more series. We may issue warrants independently or together with common stock, preferred stock and/or debt securities, and the warrants may be attached to or traded separate and apart from these securities. Each series of warrants will be issued under a warrant agreement all as set forth in the prospectus supplement. A copy of the form of warrant agreement, including any form of warrant certificates representing the warrants, reflecting the provisions to be included in the warrant agreements and/or warrant certificates that will be entered into with respect to particular offerings of warrants, will be filed as an exhibit to a Form 8-K to be incorporated into the registration statement of which this prospectus constitutes a part prior to the issuance of any warrants.
The applicable prospectus supplement or term sheet will describe the terms of the warrants offered thereby, any warrant agreement relating to such warrants and the warrant certificates, including but not limited to the following:
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the offering price or prices; | |
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the aggregate amount of securities that may be purchased upon exercise of such warrants and minimum number of warrants that are exercisable; | |
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the currency or currency units in which the offering price, if any, and the exercise price are payable; | |
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the number of securities, if any, with which such warrants are being offered and the number of such warrants being offered with each security; | |
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the date on and after which such warrants and the related securities, if any, will be transferable separately; | |
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the amount of securities purchasable upon exercise of each warrant and the price at which the securities may be purchased upon such exercise, and events or conditions under which the amount of securities may be subject to adjustment; | |
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the date on which the right to exercise such warrants shall commence and the date on which such right shall expire; | |
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the circumstances, if any, which will cause the warrants to be deemed to be automatically exercised; | |
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any material risk factors, if any, relating to such warrants; | |
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the identity of any warrant agent; and | |
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any other terms of such warrants (which shall not be inconsistent with the provisions of the warrant agreement). |
Each warrant will entitle the holder to purchase a principal amount of common stock, preferred stock and/or debt securities at an exercise price as shall in each case be set forth in, or calculable from, the prospectus supplement relating to those warrants. Warrants may be exercised at the times set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to such warrants. After the close of business on the expiration date (or any later date to which the expiration date may be extended by us), unexercised warrants will become void. Subject to any restrictions and additional requirements that may be set forth in the prospectus supplement relating thereto, warrants may be exercised by delivery to the Company or its warrant agent of the certificate evidencing the warrants properly completed and duly executed and of payment as provided in the prospectus supplement of the amount required to purchase the debt securities or shares of common stock, shares of preferred stock, or depositary shares purchasable upon such exercise. The exercise price will be the price applicable on the date of payment in full, as set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to the warrants. Upon receipt of the payment and the certificate representing the warrants to be exercised properly completed, duly executed and properly delivered as indicated in the prospectus supplement, we will, as soon as practicable, issue and deliver the debt securities or shares of common stock or preferred stock purchasable upon such exercise. If fewer than all of the warrants represented by that certificate are exercised, a new certificate will be issued for the remaining amount of warrants.
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Prior to the exercise of any warrants, holders of such warrants will not have any rights of holders of the securities purchasable upon such exercise, including the right to receive payments of dividends, if any, on the securities purchasable upon such exercise, statutory appraisal rights or the right to vote such underlying securities.
Prospective purchasers of warrants should be aware that material U.S. federal income tax, accounting and other considerations may be applicable to instruments such as warrants.
DESCRIPTION OF PURCHASE CONTRACTS
We may issue purchase contracts, including contracts obligating holders to purchase from us, and for us to sell to holders, a specific or variable number of our shares of common stock or preferred stock, depositary shares, debt securities or warrants, or debt obligations of an entity unaffiliated with us, or any combination of the above, at a future date or dates. Alternatively, the purchase contracts may obligate us to purchase from holders, and obligate holders to sell to us, a specific or variable number of our shares of common stock or preferred stock, depositary shares, debt securities, warrants or other property, or any combination of the above. The price of the securities or other property subject to the purchase contracts may be fixed at the time the purchase contracts are issued or may be determined by reference to a specific formula described in the purchase contracts. We may issue purchase contracts separately or as a part of units each consisting of a purchase contract and one or more of our other securities described in this prospectus or debt obligations of third parties, including U.S. Treasury securities, securing the holders obligations under the purchase contract. The purchase contracts may require us to make periodic payments to holders or vice versa and the payments may be unsecured or pre-funded on some basis. The purchase contracts may require holders to secure the holders obligations in a manner specified in the applicable prospectus supplement.
The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the terms of any purchase contracts in respect of which this prospectus is being delivered, including, to the extent applicable, the following:
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whether the purchase contracts obligate the holder or us to purchase or sell, or both purchase and sell, the securities subject to purchase under the purchase contract, and the nature and amount of each of those securities, or the method of determining those amounts; | |
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whether the purchase contracts are to be prepaid; |
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whether the purchase contracts are to be settled by delivery, or by reference or linkage to the value, performance or level of the securities subject to purchase under the purchase contract; | |
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any acceleration, cancellation, termination or other provisions relating to the settlement of the purchase contracts; | |
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any applicable U.S. federal income tax considerations; and |
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whether the purchase contracts will be issued in fully registered or global form. |
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To the extent any purchase contract relates to third party debt obligations, we will comply with the registration and disclosure requirements of the Securities Act and any other applicable rules and regulations and will include disclosure as necessary in the applicable prospectus supplement or other offering materials, including, as necessary, any required financial statement and non-financial statement disclosure about the issuer of such third party debt obligations.
The preceding description sets forth certain general terms and provisions of the purchase contracts to which any prospectus supplement may relate. The particular terms of the purchase contracts to which any prospectus supplement may relate and the extent, if any, to which the general provisions may apply to the purchase contracts so offered will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement. To the extent that any particular terms of the purchase contracts described in a prospectus supplement differ from any of the terms described above, then the terms described above will be deemed to have been superseded by that prospectus supplement. We encourage you to read the applicable purchase contract for additional information before you decide whether to purchase any of our purchase contracts.
DESCRIPTION OF UNITS
We may issue units comprised of one or more of the other securities described in this prospectus in any combination. Each unit will be issued so that the holder of the unit is also the holder of each security included in the unit. Thus, the holder of a unit will have the rights and obligations of a holder of each included security. The unit agreement under which a unit is issued may provide that the securities included in the unit may not be held or transferred separately, at any time or at any time before a specified date.
The applicable prospectus supplement may describe:
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the designation and terms of the units and of the securities comprising the units, including whether and under what circumstances those securities may be held or transferred separately; |
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any provisions for the issuance, payment, settlement, transfer or exchange of the units or of the securities comprising the units; and |
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any additional terms of the governing unit agreement. |
The applicable prospectus supplement will describe the terms of any units.
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION
We may sell the securities offered by this prospectus in any one or more of the following ways from time to time:
| directly to investors, including through a specific bidding, auction or other process; | |
| to investors through agents; | |
| directly to agents; | |
| to or through brokers or dealers; | |
| to the public through underwriting syndicates led by one or more managing underwriters; | |
| to one or more underwriters acting alone for resale to investors or to the public; and | |
| through a combination of any such methods of sale. |
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We may also sell and distribute the securities offered by this prospectus from time to time in one or more transactions, including in at the market offerings within the meaning of Rule 415(a)(4) of the Securities Act, to or through a market maker or into an existing trading market, on an exchange or otherwise.
The accompanying prospectus supplement will set forth the terms of the offering and the method of distribution and will identify any firms acting as underwriters, dealers or agents in connection with the offering, including:
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the name or names of any underwriters, dealers or agents; |
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the purchase price of the securities and the proceeds to us from the sale; |
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any over-allotment options under which underwriters may purchase additional securities from us; | |
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any underwriting discounts and other items constituting compensation to underwriters, dealers or agents; | |
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any public offering price; |
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any discounts or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers; and |
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any securities exchange or market on which the securities offered in the prospectus supplement may be listed. |
Only those underwriters identified in such prospectus supplement are deemed to be underwriters in connection with the securities offered in the prospectus supplement. Any underwritten offering may be on a best efforts or a firm commitment basis.
The distribution of the securities may be effected from time to time in one or more transactions at a fixed price or prices, which may be changed, at varying prices determined at the time of sale, or at prices determined as the applicable prospectus supplement specifies. The securities may be sold through a rights offering, forward contracts or similar arrangements. In any distribution of subscription rights to stockholders, if all of the underlying securities are not subscribed for, we may then sell the unsubscribed securities directly to third parties or may engage the services of one or more underwriters, dealers or agents, including standby underwriters, to sell the unsubscribed securities to third parties.
In connection with the sale of the securities, underwriters, dealers or agents may be deemed to have received compensation from us in the form of underwriting discounts or commissions and also may receive commissions from securities purchasers for whom they may act as agent. Underwriters may sell the securities to or through dealers, and the dealers may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the underwriters or commissions from the purchasers for whom they may act as agent.
We will provide in the applicable prospectus supplement information regarding any underwriting discounts or other compensation that we pay to underwriters or agents in connection with the securities offering, and any discounts, concessions or commissions which underwriters allow to dealers. Underwriters, dealers and agents participating in the securities distribution may be deemed to be underwriters, and any discounts and commissions they receive and any profit they realize on the resale of the securities may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions under the Securities Act. Underwriters and their controlling persons, dealers and agents may be entitled, under agreements entered into with us, to indemnification against and contribution toward specific civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act.
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Unless otherwise specified in the related prospectus supplement, each series of securities will be a new issue with no established trading market, other than shares of common stock, which are listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market. Any common stock sold pursuant to a prospectus supplement will be listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market, subject to official notice of issuance. We may elect to list any series of debt securities, preferred stock or depositary shares on an exchange, but we are not obligated to do so. It is possible that one or more underwriters may make a market in the securities, but such underwriters will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue any market making at any time without notice. No assurance can be given as to the liquidity of, or the trading market for, any offered securities.
In connection with an offering, the underwriters may purchase and sell securities in the open market. These transactions may include short sales, stabilizing transactions and purchases to cover positions created by short sales. Short sales involve the sale by the underwriters of a greater number of securities than they are required to purchase in an offering. Stabilizing transactions consist of bids or purchases made for the purpose of preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the securities while an offering is in progress. The underwriters also may impose a penalty bid. This occurs when a particular underwriter repays to the underwriters a portion of the underwriting discount received by it because the underwriters have repurchased securities sold by or for the account of that underwriter in stabilizing or short-covering transactions. These activities by the underwriters may stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the market price of the securities. As a result, the price of the securities may be higher than the price that otherwise might exist in the open market. If these activities are commenced, they may be discontinued by the underwriters at any time. Underwriters may engage in overallotment. If any underwriters create a short position in the securities in an offering in which they sell more securities than are set forth on the cover page of the applicable prospectus supplement, the underwriters may reduce that short position by purchasing the securities in the open market.
Underwriters, dealers or agents that participate in the offer of securities, or their affiliates or associates, may have engaged or engage in transactions with and perform services for, us or our affiliates in the ordinary course of business for which they may have received or receive customary fees and reimbursement of expenses.
LEGAL MATTERS
Certain legal matters in connection with the offered depositary shares, debt securities, warrants, purchase contracts and units will be passed upon for us by Hogan Lovells US LLP, Denver, Colorado. Certain legal matters with respect to the offered common stock and preferred stock and with respect to Nevada corporate law will be passed upon for us by Gary R. Henrie, Esq., Las Vegas, Nevada. The legality of the securities for any underwriters, dealers or agents will be passed upon by counsel as may be specified in the applicable prospectus supplement.
EXPERTS
The consolidated financial statements of the Company for the years ended December 31, 2014 and 2013 incorporated in this prospectus by reference have been audited by Anderson Bradshaw PLLC, an independent registered public accounting firm, and are incorporated in reliance upon their report dated March 25, 2015, given upon such firms authority as experts in auditing and accounting.
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