Tag Archives: COVID-19

On December 4, 2020, the SEC brought its first case charging a public company, The Cheesecake Factory, with making misleading disclosures about the effects of COVID-19 on its business operations and financial condition.  The agency has made explicit since January that it is closely focused on this issue, and its settled action against The Cheesecake Factory, which agreed to pay a $125,000 penalty, signals that it will target issuers for failing to provide fulsome disclosure about the negative impacts of the pandemic.… More

As many companies consider the need to raise capital, the SEC has provided FAQs that address how taking advantage of the relief provided under the COVID-19 Order may impact offerings of securities using Form S‑3.  As described in our prior posts, the SEC has granted conditional relief to allow reporting companies to delay filings required by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 due on or before July 1,… More

The Nasdaq Stock Market has adopted a new rule, Rule 5635T, intended to provide limited, temporary relief from the requirement to obtain stockholder approval for certain capital-raising transactions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the rule will be effective only until June 30, 2020, it should provide welcome relief to Nasdaq-listed companies eager to raise funds as quickly as possible to maintain operations during the pandemic.

Ordinarily, a public company seeking to issue more than 20% of its outstanding shares at a below-market price (other than in an underwritten public offering for cash) would have to obtain stockholder approval for the issuance.… More

Equity Capital Markets are quiet right now given the COVID-19 pandemic. Less than a handful of IPOs priced last week and IPO activity is down almost 20% on a year over year basis. Life sciences initial public offerings have been a rare bright spot in an otherwise dim market.

The investment banks underwriting these transactions have had to expand their due diligence questions in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the way it has transformed the economy,… More

The SEC has extended the conditional relief it granted earlier this month to allow reporting companies and others to delay certain filings required by the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The relief originally covered filings due between March 1, 2020 and April 30, 2020; the relief now extends to cover such filings due on or before July 1, 2020. See our original post here for more information about the scope of the relief.… More

On March 25, 2020, the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance published CF Disclosure Guidance: Topic No. 9, which provides the Division’s views regarding public companies’ reporting and other obligations under the federal securities laws in light of the current COVID-19 outbreak.

While acknowledging the rapidly evolving and unpredictable nature of the COVID-19 outbreak and the targeted disclosure relief recently provided by the SEC,… More

Following the SEC’s announcement on March 4, 2020 that it was providing conditional relief to public companies affected by COVID-19 for their filing obligations under the federal securities laws, many companies have availed themselves of this relief. 

In addition, several companies have already identified risks related to COVID-19 that are material to their businesses and investors, often noting that the full impact of the global pandemic remains uncertain.… More