TheCorporateCounsel.net

July 2, 2021

Direct Listings: Nasdaq Proposes Tweaks to Price Range Limitations

As Lynn blogged a few weeks ago, the SEC recently approved Nasdaq’s rule proposal permitting direct listings with capital raises. Last week, Nasdaq filed a proposed amendment to that rule that would tweak the pricing parameters for these new listings. This excerpt from the filing summarizes the proposal:

For a Direct Listing with a Capital Raise, Nasdaq rules currently require that the actual price calculated by the Cross be at or above the lowest price and at or below the highest price of the price range established by the issuer in its effective registration statement (the “Pricing Range Limitation”). Nasdaq now proposes to modify the Pricing Range Limitation such that a Direct Listing with a Capital Raise can be executed in the Cross at a price that is at or above the price that is 20% below the lowest price and at or below the price that is 20% above the highest price of the price range established by the issuer in its effective registration statement.

In addition, Nasdaq proposes to modify the Pricing Range Limitation such that a Direct Listing with a Capital Raise can be executed in the Cross at a price above the price that is 20% above the highest price of such price range, provided that the company has certified to Nasdaq that such price would not materially change the company’s previous disclosure in its effective registration statement. Nasdaq also proposes to make related conforming changes

Comments on the proposal are due 21 days after its publication in the Federal Register.

John Jenkins