IO Biotech, Inc., a pharmaceutical company with a market capitalization of $62 million, is at risk of being delisted from the Nasdaq Global Select Market due to non-compliance with the minimum bid price requirement. The company's stock has closed below $1.00 per share for 30 consecutive trading days, violating Nasdaq's Listing Rule 5450(a)(1).
Despite the warning, IO Biotech's stock will continue trading on the Nasdaq without immediate consequences. The company has until June 24, 2025, to regain compliance. This can be achieved if the stock's closing bid price reaches or exceeds $1.00 for at least 10 consecutive trading days before the deadline.
If IO Biotech fails to meet this requirement by the specified date, it may seek an additional 180-day period to regain compliance by transferring its listing to the Nasdaq Capital Market. This is contingent on meeting all other initial listing standards for the Nasdaq Capital Market, except for the minimum bid price, and demonstrating its potential to rectify the bid price shortfall. Currently, the company maintains a strong liquidity position with a current ratio of 5.37, indicating substantial coverage of short-term obligations.
Nasdaq will assess whether IO Biotech is likely to remedy the deficiency. Should the company be deemed incapable of compliance, or if it does not qualify for the additional period, its stock may be delisted. In such an event, IO Biotech would have the right to appeal the delisting decision.
Recent Developments
In other recent news, IO Biotech has secured a loan facility of up to €57.5 million from the European Investment Bank (EIB) to advance its therapeutic cancer vaccines. The funding is expected to extend the company's financial runway into the second quarter of 2026. The company has also reported promising results from a Phase 2 trial of its lead investigational candidate, IO102-IO103, showing potential in treating patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer.
Analyst firms Piper Sandler and Morgan Stanley have maintained an Overweight rating on IO Biotech, while Jefferies and H.C. Wainwright kept their Buy ratings. These ratings were influenced by recent data from the European Society for Medical Oncology conference and abstract data for IO Biotech's IO102-103. Lastly, Kathleen Sereda Glaub, Peter Hirth, and Mai-Britt Zocca were elected as class III directors, serving until the 2027 Annual Meeting of Stockholders.
