Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

Stock Options

v3.5.0.2
Stock Options
6 Months Ended
Jun. 30, 2016
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]  
Stock Options

10. STOCK OPTIONS

 

In April 2014, the Company adopted the Corbus Pharmaceuticals Holdings, Inc. 2014 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2014 Plan”). Pursuant to the 2014 Plan, the Company’s Board of Directors may grant incentive and nonqualified stock options and restricted stock to employees, officers, directors, consultants and advisors. Pursuant to the terms of an annual evergreen provision in the 2014 Plan, the number of shares of common stock available for issuance under the 2014 Plan shall be subject to an automatic annual increase on January 1st of each year equal to the greater of (i) seven percent (7%) of the total number of shares of common stock outstanding on December 31st of the preceding calendar year, or, (ii) 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 2014 Plan on December 31st of such preceding calendar year or a lesser number of shares of common stock determined by the Company’s Board of Directors. In accordance with the terms of the 2014 Plan, effective as of January 1, 2016, the Board of Directors approved an increase in the number of shares of common stock available for issuance under the 2014 Plan in an amount of 1,250,000 shares, such amount being less than seven percent (7%) of the outstanding shares of common stock on December 31, 2015. As of June 30, 2016, there was a total of 9,916,017 shares reserved for issuance under the 2014 Plan and there were 4,234,577 shares available for future grants. Options issued under the 2014 Plan are exercisable for up to ten years from the date of issuance.

 

Share-based Compensation

 

For stock options issued and outstanding for the three months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively, the Company recorded non-cash, stock-based compensation expense of $383,011 and $300,905, respectively, net of estimated forfeitures. For the six months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively, the Company recorded non-cash, stock-based compensation expense of $694,249 and $602,863, respectively, net of estimated forfeitures.

 

The fair value of each option award is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model that uses the assumptions noted in the following table. Due to its limited operating history and limited number of sales of its common stock, the Company estimated its volatility in consideration of a number of factors, including the volatility of comparable public companies and, commencing in 2015, the Company also included the volatility of its own common stock. The Company uses historical data, as well as subsequent events occurring prior to the issuance of the financial statements, to estimate option exercises and employee terminations within the valuation model. The expected term of options granted to employees under the 2014 Plan, all of which qualify as “plain vanilla” per SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin 107, is based on the average of the 6.25 years. For non-employee options, the expected term is the contractual term. The risk-free rate is based on the yield of a U.S. Treasury security with a term consistent with the option.

 

The assumptions used principally in determining the fair value of options granted were as follows:

 

    Six Months Ended June 30,  
    2016     2015  
Risk free interest rate     1.73 %     1.98 %
Expected dividend yield     0 %     0 %
Expected term in years     6.64       8.59  
Expected volatility     90.6 %     97.0 %
Estimated forfeiture rate     5 %     0.65 %

 

A summary of option activity for the six months ended June 30, 2016 and is presented below:

 

                  Weighted        
                  Average        
                  Remaining        
            Weighted     Contractual     Average  
            Average     Term in     Intrinsic  
Options     Shares     Exercise Price     Years     Value  
Outstanding at December 31, 2015       3,982,065     $ 1.03                  
Granted       1,625,000       1.80                  
Exercised       (180,000 )     1.00             $ 356,400  
Forfeited       (64,444 )     2.22                  
Outstanding at June 30, 2016       5,362,621     $ 1.25       8.23     $ 9,367,467  
Vested at June 30, 2016       2,216,395     $ 0.93       7.28     $ 4,578,142  

 

The weighted average grant-date fair value of options granted during the six months ended June 30, 2016 was $1.43 per share. The average intrinsic value of options exercised during the six months ended June 30, 2016 and 2015 was approximately $356,400 and $102,664, respectively. As of June 30, 2016, there was approximately $2,874,243 of total unrecognized compensation expense, related to non-vested share-based option compensation arrangements. The unrecognized compensation expense is estimated to be recognized over a period of 2.39 years.