Annual report pursuant to Section 13 and 15(d)

Note 12 - Share-based Compensation

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Note 12 - Share-based Compensation
12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2023
Notes to Financial Statements  
Share-Based Payment Arrangement [Text Block]

12.

Share-Based Compensation

 

Amended and Restated 2019 Omnibus Incentive Plan

 

The DiaMedica Therapeutics Inc. Amended and Restated 2019 Omnibus Incentive Plan (the 2019 Plan) was adopted by the Board of Directors (Board) on March 10, 2022 and approved by our shareholders at our 2022 Annual General Meeting of Shareholders held on May 18, 2022.

 

 

The 2019 Plan permits the Board, or a committee or subcommittee thereof, to grant to the Company’s eligible employees, non-employee directors and certain consultants non-statutory and incentive stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock awards, restricted stock units (RSUs), deferred stock units (DSUs), performance awards, non-employee director awards and other stock-based awards. We grant options to purchase common shares under the 2019 Plan at no less than the fair market value of the underlying common shares as of the date of grant. Options granted to employees and non-employee directors have a maximum term of ten years and generally vest over one to four years. Options granted to non-employees have a maximum term of five years and generally vest over one year. Subject to adjustment as provided in the 2019 Plan, the maximum number of the Company’s common shares authorized for issuance under the 2019 Plan is 4,000,000 shares. As of December 31, 2023, options to purchase an aggregate of 2,818,103 common shares were outstanding and 196,572 common shares were reserved for issuance upon settlement of DSUs under the 2019 Plan.

 

2021 Employment Inducement Incentive Plan

 

On December 3, 2021, the Board adopted the DiaMedica Therapeutics Inc. 2021 Employment Inducement Incentive Plan (Inducement Plan) to facilitate the granting of equity awards as an inducement material to new employees joining the Company. The Inducement Plan was adopted without shareholder approval pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4) and is administered by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors. The Board reserved 1,000,000 common shares of the Company for issuance under the Inducement Plan, which permits the grant of non-statutory options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock awards, restricted stock units, performance awards and other stock-based awards, to eligible recipients. The only persons eligible to receive awards under the Inducement Plan are individuals who are new employees and satisfy the standards for inducement grants under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4) or 5635(c)(3), as applicable. Also on December 3, 2021, the Compensation Committee adopted a form of notice of option grant and option award agreement for use under the Inducement Plan, which contains terms substantially identical to the form of notice of option grant and option award agreement for use under the shareholder-approved 2019 Plan. The Inducement Plan has a term of 10 years. The share reserve under the Inducement Plan may be increased at the discretion of and approval by the Board. As of December 31, 2023, options to purchase an aggregate of 605,000 common shares were outstanding under the Inducement Plan.

 

Prior Stock Option Plan

 

The DiaMedica Therapeutics Inc. Stock Option Plan, Amended and Restated November 6, 2018 (Prior Plan), was terminated by the Board of Directors in conjunction with the shareholder approval of the 2019 Plan. Awards outstanding under the Prior Plan remain outstanding in accordance with and pursuant to the terms thereof. Options granted under the Prior Plan have terms similar to those used under the 2019 Plan. As of December 31, 2023, options to purchase an aggregate of 447,910 common shares were outstanding under the Prior Plan.

 

Prior Deferred Stock Unit Plan

 

The DiaMedica Therapeutics Inc. Amended and Restated Deferred Stock Unit Plan (Prior DSU Plan) was terminated by the Board of Directors in conjunction with the shareholder approval of the 2019 Plan. Awards outstanding under the Prior DSU Plan remain outstanding in accordance with and pursuant to the terms thereof. As of December 31, 2023, there were 17,333 common shares reserved for issuance upon settlement of DSUs outstanding under the Prior DSU Plan.

 

Share-based compensation expense for each of the periods presented is as follows (in thousands):

 

   

December 31, 2023

   

December 31, 2022

 

Research and development

  $ 619     $ 460  

General and administrative

    1,064       1,042  

Total share-based compensation

  $ 1,683     $ 1,502  

 

 

We recognize share-based compensation based on the fair value of each award as estimated using the Black-Scholes option valuation model. Ultimately, the actual expense recognized over the vesting period will only be for those shares that actually vest.

 

A summary of option activity is as follows (in thousands except share and per share amounts):

 

   

Shares

Underlying

Options

   

Weighted

Average Exercise

Price Per Share

   

Aggregate

Intrinsic Value

 

Balances as of December 31, 2021

    1,896,600     $ 5.25     $ 169  

Granted

    1,014,398       2.58          

Exercised

                   

Expired/cancelled

    (68,437 )     4.25          

Forfeited

    (60,313 )     11.05          

Balances as of December 31, 2022

    2,782,248     $ 4.12     $ 17  

Granted

    1,172,515       2.59          

Exercised

                   

Expired/cancelled

    (58,750 )     8.08          

Forfeited

    (25,000 )     3.24          

Balances as of December 31, 2023

    3,871,013     $ 3.61     $ 832  

 

A summary of the status of our unvested shares underlying options during the year ended and as of December 31, 2023 is as follows:

 

   

Shares

Underlying

Options

   

Weighted Average

Grant Date Fair

Value Per Share

 

Unvested as of December 31, 2022

    1,241,137     $ 2.31  

Granted

    1,172,515       2.09  

Vested

    (723,968 )     2.38  

Forfeited

    (25,000 )     2.65  

Unvested as of December 31, 2023

    1,664,684     $ 2.11  

 

Information about stock options outstanding, vested and expected to vest as of December 31, 2023, is as follows:

 

       

Outstanding, Vested and Expected to Vest

   

Options Vested and Exercisable

 

Per Share Exercise

Price

 

Shares

   

Weighted

Average

Remaining

Contractual

Life (Years)

   

Weighted

Average Exercise

Price

   

Options

Exercisable

   

Weighted

Average

Remaining

Contractual Life

(Years)

 
$1.00 - $1.99     343,443       9.0     $ 1.55       78,112       8.9  
$2.00 - $2.99     1,706,470       7.8       2.62       612,581       6.8  
$3.00 - $3.99     448,726       6.8       3.75       282,324       5.7  
$4.00 - $4.99     862,849       5.5       4.59       857,849       5.5  
$5.00 - $16.00     509,525       6.5       6.56       375,463       6.1  
          3,871,013       7.1     $ 3.61       2,206,329       6.1  

 

The cumulative grant date fair value of employee options vested during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022 was $1.7 million and $1.0 million, respectively. No options were exercised during the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022.

 

 

As of December 31, 2023, total compensation expense related to unvested employee stock options not yet recognized was $3.3 million, which is expected to be allocated to expenses over a weighted-average period of 2.7 years.

 

The assumptions used in calculating the fair value under the Black-Scholes option valuation model are set forth in the following table for options issued by the Company for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022:

 

     

2023

       

2022

   

Common share fair value

  $1.57 $3.24     $1.47 $3.88  

Risk-free interest rate

  3.5 4.6%     1.4 3.6%  

Expected dividend yield

    0%         0%    

Expected option life (years)

  5.0 5.7     5.0 5.6  

Expected stock price volatility

  101.7 108.1%     102.1 104.0%  

 

Deferred Stock Units and Restricted Stock Units

 

Under our non-employee director compensation program, non-employee directors may elect to receive RSUs or DSUs in lieu of all or a portion of the annual cash retainers payable to such director. Each RSU or DSU represents the right to receive one share of our common stock. These recipients receive a number of RSUs or DSUs equal to the amount of the elected portion of the annual cash retainers divided by the 10-trading day average closing sale price of the common stock as determined on the third (3rd) business day prior to the anticipated grant date of the award. Vesting for these annual RSU and DSU grants is quarterly over one year, conditioned on continuous service. The cost of the RSUs and DSUs is measured and recognized based on the fair market value of our common shares on the date of grant. RSUs will be settled immediately upon vesting and DSU awards will be settled following a separation from service by such director.

 

There were approximately 214,000 and 134,000 vested DSUs and no RSUs outstanding under our share-based compensation plans as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. During 2023, 17,621 common shares were issued upon settlement of 17,621 DSUs held by a former non-employee director and 17,156 common shares were issued upon settlement of 17,156 RSUs. No common shares were issued upon settlement of DSUs or RSUs during 2022. There were no unvested DSUs or RSUs as of December 31, 2023 and 2022.