KemPharm delays meeting on reverse stock split

Specialty pharmaceutical company KemPharm this week postponed a special meeting that would have allowed shareholders to vote on a proposal authorizing its board to effect a reverse stock split of its common stock.

That meeting will now be held Nov. 17, to provide โ€œadditional time to address stockholder questionsโ€ related to the reverse stock split, which the company also said it would also address in tomorrowโ€™s third-quarter earnings call, scheduled for after the marketโ€™s close.

If approved, the measure would allow the companyโ€™s directors to reduce the number of shares on the open market by a ratio of between 1-for-3 and 1-for-40. KemPharm has a current market capitalization of $43.51 million, with 72.51 million shares outstanding.

Reverse stock splits are typically used by companies looking to raise the price of their shares. KemPharmโ€™s shares were moved to an over-the-counter (OTC) quotation board in May after the the company was unable to meet the Nasdaq Capital Marketโ€™s requirements for minimum value of listed securities. The companyโ€™s stock price has improved since the summer, when KemPharm announced two new patents for its ADHD drug candidates, but remains under $1.

The company in August reported revenues of $6.9 million in the second quarter and net income of 1 cent per share, compared to a net loss of 33 cents per share in the second quarter of 2019.

Founded in Coralville, KemPharm continues to have a Coralville operation but is now headquartered in Centennial, Florida.