NOTE 17 – STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

On May 3, 2019, the Company’s stockholders approved the Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding Corp. 2019 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2019 Plan”). The 2019 Plan provided for the issuance of up to 4,375 shares of common stock. With the adoption of the 2020 Plan (as defined below), no further grants may be made under the 2019 Plan. On January 16, 2020, the Company’s stockholders approved the Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding Corp. 2020 Stock Incentive Plan (the “2020 Plan”). The 2020 Plan provided for the issuance of up to 18,750 shares of common stock. With the adoption of the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan (as defined below), no further grants may be made under the 2020 Plan.

 On May 1, 2020, the Company’s stockholders approved the Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding Corp. Amended and Restated 2020 Stock Incentive Plan (“Amended and Restated 2020 Plan”), and together with the 2020 Plan and the 2019 Plan, the “Plans”).

Under the terms of the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan, the Company may issue (1) stock options (incentive and nonstatutory), (2) restricted stock, (3) stock appreciation rights (“SARs”), (4) RSUs, (5) other stock-based awards, and (6) cash-based awards. The Amended and Restated 2020 Plan initially provided for the issuance of up to 312,500 shares of common stock, which amount will be increased to the extent that awards granted under the Plans are forfeited, expire or are settled for cash (except as otherwise provided in the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan). In addition, the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan contains an “evergreen provision” providing for an annual increase in the number of shares of our common stock available for issuance under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan on January 1 of each year for a period of ten years, commencing on January 1, 2021 and ending on (and including) January 1, 2030, in an amount equal to the difference between (x) twenty percent (20%) of the total number of shares of common stock outstanding on December 31st of the preceding calendar year, and (y) the total number of shares of common stock reserved under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan on December 31^st of such preceding calendar year (including shares subject to outstanding awards, issued pursuant to awards or available for future awards). The Board of Directors determines the exercise price, vesting and expiration period of the grants under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan. However, the exercise price of an incentive stock option may not be less than 110% of fair value of the common stock at the date of the grant for a 10% or more shareholder and 100% of fair value for a grantee who is not a 10% shareholder. The fair value of the common stock is determined based on quoted market price or in absence of such quoted market price, by the Board of Directors in good faith. Additionally, the expiration period of grants under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan may not be more than ten years. As of March 31, 2023, 7,055,296 options were available for future grants under the Amended and Restated 2020 Plan.

General

A summary of the stock option activity and related information for the Plans for the three months ended March 31, 2023 is as follows:

The aggregate intrinsic value in the preceding table represents the total pretax intrinsic value, based on options with an exercise price less than the Company’s closing stock price at the respective dates.

The weighted average fair value of options granted for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 was $0.66 and $5.74 per share, respectively.

The Company measures the fair value of stock options on the date of grant, based on the Black Scholes option pricing model using certain assumptions discussed below, and the closing market price of the Company’s common stock on the date of the grant. The fair value of the award is measured on the grant date. One-third of most stock options granted pursuant to the Plans vest 12 months from the date of grant and 1/36th each month thereafter for 24 months and expire ten years from the date of grant. In addition, the Company issues options to directors which vest over a one-year period. The Company also issues premium options to executive officers which have an exercise price greater than the grant date fair value and has issued performance-based options which vest when target parameters are met or probable of being met, subject in each case to a one year minimum service period prior to vesting. Stock-based compensation expense related to awards is amortized over the applicable service period using the straight-line method.

The assumptions used in the valuation of stock options granted during the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022 were as follows:

The risk-free interest rate is based on the yield of Daily U.S. Treasury Yield Curve Rates with terms equal to the expected term of the options as of the grant date. The expected term of options is determined using the simplified method, as provided in an SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin, and the expected stock price volatility is based on the Company’ historical stock price volatility.

Stock-based compensation expense relating to options granted of $2.8 million, of which $2.0 million and $0.8 million, related to General and Administration and Research and Development, respectively was recognized for the quarter ended March 31, 2023. 

Stock-based compensation expense relating to options granted of $2.6 million, of which $1.9 million and $0.7 million, related to General and Administration and Research and Development, respectively was recognized for the quarter ended March 31, 2022.  

As of March 31, 2023, the Company had approximately $12.6 million of total unrecognized compensation cost related to non-vested awards granted under the Plans, which the Company expects to recognize over a weighted average period of 2.00 years.

Employee Stock Purchase Plans

On May 3, 2019, the Company’s stockholders approved the Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holdings Corp. 2019 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “2019 ESPP”). As a result of adoption of the 2020 ESPP, as defined below, by the stockholders, no further grants may be made under the 2019 ESPP Plan. On May 1, 2020, the Company’s stockholders approved the Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holdings Corp. 2020 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “2020 ESPP”). No further grants may be made under the 2020 ESPP Plan. On May 6, 2022, the Company’s stockholders approved the Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holdings Corp. 2022 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “2022 ESPP”, and together with the 2019 ESPP and the 2020 ESPP, the “ESPP Plans”)).

The 2022 ESPP allows eligible employees to purchase up to an aggregate of 93,750 shares of the Company’s common stock. Under the 2022 ESPP, on the first day of each offering period, each eligible employee for that offering period has the option to enroll for that offering period, which allows the eligible employees to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock at the end of the offering period. Each offering period under the 2022 ESPP is for six months, which can be modified from time-to-time. Subject to limitations, each participant will be permitted to purchase a number of shares determined by dividing the employee’s accumulated payroll deductions for the offering period by the applicable purchase price, which is equal to 85 percent of the fair market value of our common stock at the beginning or end of each offering period, whichever is less. A participant must designate in his or her enrollment package the percentage (if any) of compensation to be deducted during that offering period for the purchase of stock under the 2022 ESPP, subject to the statutory limit under the Code. As of March 31, 2023, 9 shares were available for future sales under the 2022 ESPP.

 The 2022 and 2020 ESPP are considered compensatory plans with the related compensation cost expensed over the six-month offering period. No expenditure was recorded during either the quarter ended March 31, 2023 and 2022. In January 2022, 4,033 shares that were purchased as of December 31, 2021, under the 2020 ESPP, were issued. Accordingly, during the first quarter of 2022, approximately $40,000 of employee payroll deductions accumulated at December 31, 2021, related to acquiring such shares, was transferred from accrued expenses to additional paid in capital. The remaining $30,000 was returned to the employees. In January 2023, 93,741 shares that were purchased as of December 31, 2022, under the 2022 ESPP, were issued. Accordingly, during the first quarter of 2023, approximately $29,000 of employee payroll deductions accumulated at December 31, 2022, related to acquiring such shares, was transferred from accrued expenses to additional paid in capital. The remaining $14,000 was returned to the employees.