Stock-based compensation

6 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2023

Share-Based Payment Arrangement [Abstract]

Stock-based compensation expense

Stock-based compensation expense was classified in the consolidated statements of operations as follows:


	Three Months Ended September 30,				Six Months Ended September 30,
	2023		2022		2023		2022
Research and development	$	4,447	$	2,529	$	7,745	$	5,143
Selling, general and administrative	4,667		4,463		10,216		9,043
	$	9,114	$	6,992	$	17,961	$	14,186

The following table summarizes stock-based compensation expense by award type for the three and six months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022:


	Three Months Ended September 30,				Six Months Ended September 30,
	2023		2022		2023		2022
Stock options	$	5,688	$	4,845	$	11,302	$	10,004
Restricted stock units	3,426		2,147		6,659		4,182
	$	9,114	$	6,992	$	17,961	$	14,186

2015 Enterprise Management Incentive Share Option Plan

The 2015 Enterprise Management Incentive Share Option Plan of Replimune UK (the “2015 Plan”) provided for Replimune UK to grant incentive stock options, non-statutory stock options, stock awards, stock units, stock appreciation rights and other stock-based awards. Incentive stock options were granted under the 2015 Plan only to the Company’s employees, including officers and directors who were also employees. Non-statutory stock options were granted under the 2015 Plan to employees, members of the board of directors, outside advisors and consultants of the Company.

2017 Equity Compensation Plan

In July 2017, in conjunction with reorganization by Replimune Limited, pursuant to which each shareholder thereof exchanged their outstanding shares in Replimune Limited for shares in Replimune Group, Inc., on a one-for-one basis (the "Reorganization"), the 2015 Plan was terminated, and all awards were cancelled with replacement awards issued under the 2017 Equity Compensation Plan (the “2017 Plan”). Subsequent to the Reorganization, no additional grants have been or will be made under the 2015 Plan and any outstanding awards under the 2015 Plan have continued, and will continue with their original terms. The Company concluded that the cancellation of the 2015 Plan and issuance of replacement awards under the 2017 Plan was a modification with no change in the material rights and preferences and therefore no recorded change in the fair value of each respective award.

The Company’s 2017 Plan provides for the Company to grant incentive stock options or non-statutory stock options, stock awards, stock units, stock appreciation rights and other stock-based awards. Incentive stock options were granted under the 2017 Plan only to the Company’s employees, including officers and directors who were also employees. Restricted stock awards and non-statutory stock options were granted under the 2017 Plan to employees, officers, members of the board of directors, advisors and consultants of the Company. The maximum number of common shares that may be issued under the 2017 Plan was 2,659,885, of which none remained available for future grants as of September 30, 2023. Shares with respect to which awards have expired, terminated, surrendered or cancelled under the 2017 Plan without having been fully exercised will be available for future awards under the 2018 Plan referenced below. In addition, shares of common stock that are tendered to the Company by a participant to exercise an award are added to the number of shares of common stock available for the grant of awards.

2018 Omnibus Incentive Compensation Plan

On July 9, 2018, the Company’s board of directors adopted, and the Company’s stockholders approved the 2018 Omnibus Incentive Compensation Plan (the “2018 Plan”), which became effective immediately prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement filed in connection with the Company’s initial public offering. The 2018 Plan provides for the issuance of incentive stock options, non-qualified stock options, stock awards, stock units, stock appreciation rights and other stock-based awards. The number of shares of common stock initially reserved for issuance under the 2018 Plan is 3,617,968 shares. If any options or stock appreciation rights, including outstanding options and stock appreciation rights granted under the 2017 Plan (up to 2,520,247 shares), terminate, expire, or are canceled, forfeited, exchanged, or surrendered without having been exercised, or if any stock awards, stock units or other stock-based awards, including outstanding awards granted under the 2017 Plan, are forfeited, terminated, or otherwise not paid in full in shares of common stock, the shares of the Company’s common stock subject to such grants will be available for purposes of the 2018 Plan. The number of shares reserved for issuance under the 2018 Plan will increase automatically on the first day of each April equal to 4.0% of the total number of shares of common stock outstanding on the last trading day in the immediately preceding fiscal year, which includes for these purposes, the 9,484,238 shares issuable upon exercise of those pre-funded warrants as of March 31, 2023, as described in Note 9 to these consolidated financial statements, or such lesser amount as determined by the Board. On April 1, 2023, the number of shares reserved for issuance under the 2018 Plan automatically increased by 2,646,422 shares pursuant to the terms of the 2018 Plan and based on total number of shares of common stock outstanding on March 31, 2023. As of September 30, 2023, 2,064,858 shares remained available for future grants under the 2018 Plan.

The 2015 Plan, the 2017 Plan and the 2018 Plan are administered by the board of directors or, at the discretion of the board of directors, by a committee of the board of directors. However, the board of directors shall administer and approve all grants made to non-employee directors. The exercise prices, vesting and other restrictions are determined at the discretion of the board of directors, except that the exercise price per share of incentive stock options may not be less than 100% of the fair market value of the common stock on the date of grant (or 110% of fair value in the case of an award granted to employees who hold more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock at the time of grant) and the term of stock options may not be greater than five years for an incentive stock option granted to a 10% stockholder and greater than ten years for all other options granted. Stock options awarded under both plans expire ten years after the grant date, unless the board of directors sets a shorter term. Vesting periods for the plans are determined at the discretion of the board of directors. Incentive stock options granted to employees and non-statutory options granted to employees, officers, members of the board of directors, advisors, and consultants of the Company typically vest over four years. In 2021 the board of directors initiated the award of restricted stock units ("RSUs"), under the 2018 Plan in addition to stock option awards available as part of the Company's equity incentive for employees, officers, advisors and consultants of the Company. The RSUs typically vest over four approximately equal annual installments with the first such installment occurring on a designated vesting date that is approximately on the one-year anniversary of the date of grant and the subsequent installments occurring on the subsequent three annual anniversaries of the designated vesting date.

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

On July 9, 2018, the Company’s board of directors adopted and the Company’s stockholders approved the Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “ESPP”), which became effective immediately prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement that was filed in connection with the Company’s IPO. The total shares of common stock initially reserved for issuance under the ESPP is 348,612 shares. In addition, as of the first trading day of each fiscal year during the term of the ESPP (excluding any extensions), an additional number of shares of the Company’s common stock equal to 1% of the total number of shares outstanding on the last trading day in the immediately preceding fiscal year, which includes for these purposes, the 9,484,238 shares issuable upon exercise of those pre-funded warrants described in Note 9 to these consolidated financial statements, or 697,224 shares, whichever is less (or such lesser amount as determined by the Company’s board of directors) will be added to the number of shares authorized under the ESPP. In accordance with the terms of the ESPP, on April 1, 2023, the number of shares reserved for issuance under the ESPP automatically increased by 661,605, for a total of 2,738,208 shares reserved for the ESPP. If the total number of shares of common stock to be purchased pursuant to outstanding purchase rights on any particular date exceed the number of shares then available for issuance under the ESPP, then the plan administrator will allocate the available shares pro-rata and refund any excess payroll deductions or other contributions to participants. The Company’s ESPP is not currently active.

Out-of-Plan Inducement Grants

In May 2021, the Company granted an equity award to a newly hired executive as a material inducement to enter into employment with the Company. The grant constitutes an "employment inducement grant" in accordance with Rule 5635(c)(4) of the Nasdaq Listing Rules and was issued outside of the 2018 Plan and each of the other stock incentive plans described above. The inducement grant included a nonqualified stock option to purchase up to 125,000 shares of the Company's common stock, as well as a restricted stock unit grant representing 88,333 shares of the Company's common stock. These stock option

and restricted stock unit inducement grants have terms and conditions consistent with those set forth under the 2018 Plan and vest under the same respective vesting schedules as stock option and restricted stock unit awards granted under the 2018 Plan. The inducement grant is included in the stock option and RSU award tables below.

In December 2022, the Company granted an equity award to a newly hired executive as a material inducement to enter into employment with the Company. The grant constitutes an "employment inducement grant" in accordance with Rule 5635(c)(4) of the Nasdaq Listing Rules and was issued outside of the 2018 Plan and each of the other stock incentive plans described above. The inducement grant included a nonqualified stock option to purchase up to 82,500 shares of the Company's common stock, as well as a restricted stock unit grant representing 55,000 shares of the Company's common stock. These stock option and restricted stock unit inducement grants have terms and conditions consistent with those set forth under the 2018 Plan and vest under the same respective vesting schedules as stock option and restricted stock unit awards granted under the 2018 Plan. The inducement grant is included in the stock option and RSU award tables below.

In September 2023, the Company granted an equity award to a newly hired executive as a material inducement to enter into employment with the Company. The grant constitutes an "employment inducement grant" in accordance with Rule 5635(c)(4) of the Nasdaq Listing Rules and was issued outside of the 2018 Plan and each of the other stock incentive plans described above. The inducement grant included a nonqualified stock option to purchase up to 125,000 shares of the Company's common stock, as well as a restricted stock unit grant representing 83,330 shares of the Company's common stock. These stock option and restricted stock unit inducement grants have terms and conditions consistent with those set forth under the 2018 Plan and vest under the same respective vesting schedules as stock option and restricted stock unit awards granted under the 2018 Plan. The inducement grant is included in the stock option and RSU award tables below.

Stock option valuation

The fair value of stock option grants is estimated using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. As the Company has limited company-specific historical and implied volatility information, the expected stock volatility is based on a combination of Replimune volatility and the historical volatility of a publicly traded set of peer companies. For options with service-based vesting conditions, the expected term of the Company’s stock options has been determined utilizing the “simplified” method for awards that qualify as “plain-vanilla” options. The expected term of stock options granted to non-employees is equal to the contractual term of the option award. The risk-free interest rate is determined by reference to the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant of the award for time periods approximately equal to the expected term of the award. Expected dividend yield is based on the fact that the Company has never paid cash dividends and does not expect to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future.

The following table presents, on a weighted-average basis, the assumptions that the Company used to determine the grant-date fair value of stock options granted to employees and directors:


	Three Months Ended September 30,				Six Months Ended September 30,
	2023		2022		2023		2022
Risk-free interest rate	4.34	%	3.08	%	3.69	%	2.61	%
Expected term (in years)	6.1		6.1		6.0		6.0
Expected volatility	72.7	%	74.5	%	73.9	%	75.5	%
Expected dividend yield	0	%	0	%	0	%	0	%

Stock options

The following table summarizes the Company’s stock option activity:


	Number of Shares	Weighted Average Exercise Price		Weighted Average Contractual Term (Years)	Aggregate Intrinsic Value
Outstanding as of March 31, 2023	7,454,828	$	17.24	6.88	$	31,244
Granted	2,064,526	$	18.08
Exercised	(163,356)	$	10.76
Cancelled	(200,611)	$	24.73
Outstanding as of September 30, 2023	9,155,387	$	17.38	6.78	$	27,858
Options exercisable as of September 30, 2023	5,400,346	$	15.28	5.60	$	26,556
Options vested and expected to vest as of September 30, 2023	9,155,387	$	17.38	6.78	$	27,858

As of September 30, 2023, there was $46.4 million of unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested common stock options, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 2.7 years.

The weighted average grant-date fair value of stock options granted during the six months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022 was $12.19 and $12.20, respectively. The aggregate intrinsic value of stock options exercised during the six months ended September 30, 2023 was $1.3 million.

Restricted stock units

A summary of the changes in the Company's RSUs during the three months ended September 30, 2023 is as follows:


	Number of Restricted Shares	Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value
Outstanding as of March 31, 2023	1,351,280	24.38
Granted	1,216,516	18.11
Vested	(297,019)	25.36
Cancelled	(80,940)	21.70
Outstanding as of September 30, 2023	2,189,837	20.86

As of September 30, 2023, there was $39.4 million of unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested restricted stock units, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 3.0 years.