Exhibit 4.18
Description of Securities Registered Under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended
As of December 31, 2024, TuHURA Biosciences, Inc. (“we”, “us” or the “Company”) had one class of securities registered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”): our common stock, $0.001 par value per share.
The following description of our capital stock is a summary and does not purport to be complete. It is subject to and qualified in its entirety by reference to our articles of incorporation, as amended, (the “Articles of Incorporation”) and our bylaws, as amended, (the “Bylaws”), each of which is incorporated herein by reference as an exhibit to the Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, of which this Exhibit 4.18 is a part. We encourage you to read our Articles of Incorporation, our Bylaws and the applicable provisions of the Nevada Revised Statutes, as amended (“NRS”), for additional information.
Authorized Stock
We are authorized to issue up to 80,000,000 shares of capital stock, including 75,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, and 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share.
The additional shares of our authorized stock available for issuance may be issued at times and under circumstances so as to have a dilutive effect on earnings per share and on the equity ownership of the holders of our common stock. The ability of our Board of Directors to issue additional shares of stock could enhance our Board of Director’s ability to negotiate on behalf of the stockholders in a takeover situation but could also be used by the board to make a change-in-control more difficult, thereby denying stockholders the potential to sell their shares at a premium and entrenching current management. The following description is a summary of the material provisions of our capital stock.
Common Stock
Each outstanding share of our common stock entitles the holder to one vote, either in person or by proxy, on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders, including the election of directors. There is no cumulative voting in the election of directors. All actions required or permitted to be taken by stockholders at an annual or annual meeting of the stockholders must be effected at a duly called meeting, with a quorum present of a majority in voting power of the shares entitled to vote thereon. Annual meetings of the stockholders may only be called by our Board of Directors acting pursuant to a resolution approved by the affirmative majority of the entire board of directors. Stockholders may not take action by written consent. A vote by the holders of a majority of our outstanding shares is required to effectuate certain fundamental corporate changes such as liquidation, merger or an amendment to the Articles of Incorporation.
Subject to preferences which may be applicable to any outstanding shares of preferred stock from time to time, holders of our common stock have equal ratable rights to such dividends as may be declared from time to time by our Board of Directors out of funds legally available therefor. In the event of any liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of affairs, holders of our common stock will be entitled to share ratably in the remaining assets after provision for payment of amounts owed to creditors and preferences applicable to any outstanding shares of preferred stock. All outstanding shares of our common stock are fully paid and nonassessable. Holders of our common stock do not have preemptive rights.
The rights, preferences and privileges of holders of our common stock are subject to the rights of the holders of any outstanding shares of preferred stock.
Preferred Stock
Our Board of Directors is authorized to issue up to 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share, in one or more series, 4,721,000 of which shares are undesignated, with such designations, rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the board of directors. Accordingly, our Board of Directors
is empowered, without stockholder approval, to issue preferred stock with dividend, liquidation, conversion, voting, or other rights that could adversely affect the voting power or other rights of the holders of our common stock.
Series A Preferred Stock
Our Board of Directors previously established a series of preferred stock designated as Series A Preferred Stock (“Series A Preferred Stock”), comprising 279,000 shares of preferred stock, of which all shares remain outstanding as of December 31, 2024. Subject to superior rights of any other outstanding preferred stock from time to time each outstanding share of Series A Preferred Stock is entitled to receive, in preference to our common stock, cumulative dividends, payable quarterly in arrears, at an annual rate of 3% of $1.00 per share (the “Series A Stated Value”). We have never paid dividends on shares of our common stock and we do not intend to do so for the foreseeable future. Series A Preferred Stock does not have any voting rights. In the event of liquidation, each share of Series A Preferred Stock is entitled to receive, in preference to our common stock, a liquidation payment equal to the Series A Stated Value (as adjusted for stock splits, stock dividends, combinations or other recapitalizations of the Series A Preferred Stock), plus any accrued and unpaid dividends. If there are insufficient funds to permit full payment, the assets legally available for distribution will be distributed pro rata among the holders of the Series A Preferred Stock. The Series A Preferred Stock cannot be transferred without our prior written consent.
Anti-takeover Effects of Nevada Law and the Articles of Incorporation, as amended and Bylaws, as amended and restated
The Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws contain a number of provisions that could make an acquisition by means of a tender or exchange offer, a proxy contest or otherwise more difficult. Certain of these provisions are summarized below.
Special Meetings
Special meetings of the stockholders may only be called by our Board of Directors acting pursuant to a resolution approved by the affirmative majority of the entire board of directors, certain officers or any stockholder holding at least 20% of the stock issued and outstanding and entitled to vote thereat.
Business Combinations Act
The Business Combinations Act, Sections 78.411 to 78.444 of the NRS, restricts the ability of a Nevada “resident domestic corporation” having at least 200 stockholders of record to engage in any “combination” with an “interested stockholder” for two (2) years after the date that the person first became an interested stockholder, unless the combination meets all of the requirements of the articles of incorporation of the resident domestic corporation and (i) the purchase of shares by the interested stockholder is approved by our Board of Directors before that date or (ii) the combination is approved by the board of directors of the resident domestic corporation and, at or after that time, the combination is approved at an annual or annual meeting of the stockholders of the resident domestic corporation, and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of the holders of stock representing at least sixty percent (60%) of the outstanding voting power of the resident domestic corporation not beneficially owned by the interested stockholder or the affiliates or associates of the interested stockholder.
If this approval is not obtained, then after the expiration of the two (2) year period, the business combination may still not be consummated unless it is a combination meeting all of the requirements of the articles of incorporation of the resident domestic corporation and either the “fair price” requirements specified in NRS 78.441 to 78.444, inclusive are satisfied or the combination is (a) a combination or transaction by which the person first became an interested stockholder is approved by the TuHURA Board of Directors of the resident domestic corporation before the person first became an interested stockholder, or (b) a combination approved by a majority of the outstanding voting power of the resident domestic corporation not beneficially owned by the interested stockholder, or any affiliate or associate of the interested stockholder.
“Interested stockholder” means any person, other than the resident domestic corporation or its subsidiaries, who is (a) the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of 10% or more of the voting power of the outstanding voting shares of the resident domestic corporation or (b) an affiliate or associate of the resident domestic corporation and at any time within two years immediately before the date in question was the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of 10% or more of the voting power of the then outstanding shares of the resident domestic corporation.
A “combination” is broadly defined and includes, for example, any merger or consolidation of a corporation or any of its subsidiaries with (i) an interested stockholder or (ii) any other entity that after and as a result of the merger or consolidation would be an affiliate or associate of the interested stockholder; or any sale, lease, exchange, pledge, transfer or other disposition of assets of the corporation, in one transaction or a series of transactions, to or with an interested stockholder having: (x) an aggregate market value equal to more than 5% of the aggregate market value of the assets of a corporation, (y) an aggregate market value equal to more than 5% of the aggregate market value of all outstanding voting shares of a corporation, or (z) representing more than 10% of the earning power or net income of a corporation.
The provisions of Nevada law, Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws could have the effect of discouraging others from attempting hostile takeovers and, as a consequence, they may also inhibit temporary fluctuations in the market price of our common stock that often result from actual or rumored hostile takeover attempts. These provisions may also have the effect of preventing changes in our management. It is possible that these provisions could make it more difficult to accomplish transactions that stockholders may otherwise deem to be in their best interests.
Control Shares
Nevada law also seeks to impede “unfriendly” corporate takeovers by providing in Sections 78.378 to 78.3793 of the NRS that an “acquiring person” shall only obtain voting rights in the “control shares” purchased by such person to the extent approved by the other shareholders at a meeting. With certain exceptions, an acquiring person is one who acquires or offers to acquire a “controlling interest” in the corporation, defined as one-fifth or more of the voting power. Control shares include not only shares acquired or offered to be acquired in connection with the acquisition of a controlling interest, but also all shares acquired by the acquiring person within the preceding 90 days. The statute covers not only the acquiring person but also any persons acting in association with the acquiring person.
A Nevada corporation may elect to opt out of the provisions of Sections 78.378 to 78.3793 of the NRS. TuHURA does not have a provision in the TuHURA Charter pursuant to which TuHURA has elected to opt out of Sections 78.378 to 78.3793; therefore, these sections do apply to us.
Potential Effects of Authorized but Unissued Stock
We have shares of common stock and preferred stock available for future issuance without stockholder approval. We may utilize these additional shares for a variety of corporate purposes, including future public offerings to raise additional capital, to facilitate corporate acquisitions or payment as a dividend on the capital stock.
The existence of unissued and unreserved common stock and preferred stock may enable our Board of Directors to issue shares to persons friendly to current management or to issue preferred stock with terms that could render more difficult or discourage a third-party attempt to obtain control by means of a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise, thereby protecting the continuity of our management. In addition, our Board of Directors has the discretion to determine designations, rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions, including voting rights, dividend rights, conversion rights, redemption privileges and liquidation preferences of each series of preferred stock, all to the fullest extent permissible under the Nevada Revised Statute and subject to any limitations set forth in the Articles of Incorporation. The purpose of authorizing our Board of Directors to issue preferred stock and to determine the rights and preferences applicable to such preferred stock is to eliminate delays associated with a stockholder vote on specific issuances. The issuance of preferred stock, while providing desirable flexibility in connection with possible financings, acquisitions and other corporate purposes, could have the effect of making it more difficult for a third-party to acquire, or could discourage a third-party from acquiring, a majority of our outstanding voting stock.
Transfer Agent
The transfer agent and registrar for shares of our common stock is Equiniti Trust Company, LLC