EX-4.9 2 ino-12312019x10xkex49.htm EXHIBIT 4.9
Exhibit 4.9
DESCRIPTION OF THE REGISTRANT’S SECURITIES
REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12 OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
The following description summarizes selected information regarding our capital stock, as well as relevant provisions of: (i) our certificate of incorporation; (ii) our amended and restated bylaws; and (iii) the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, or the DGCL. The following summary is qualified in its entirety by, and should be read in conjunction with, the certificate of incorporation and the amended and restated bylaws, copies of which have been filed as exhibits to our Annual Report on Form 10-K to which this exhibit is a part, and the applicable provisions of the DGCL. All references to “we,” “our,” or “us” refer to Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
General
Our certificate of incorporation authorizes us to issue up to 600,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.001 par value per share, and 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $0.001 par value per share. Our board of directors may establish the rights and preferences of the preferred stock from time to time. As of December 31, 2019, 1,091 shares of preferred stock were designated Series C Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock, of which 23 shares were outstanding.
Common Stock
The holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders and do not have any cumulative voting rights. Any election at a meeting of stockholders is determined by a plurality of the votes cast by the stockholders entitled to vote at the election, and all other matters are generally determined by a majority of the votes cast on the matter. Holders of our common stock are entitled to receive ratably such dividends, if any, as may be declared by our board of directors out of funds legally available. In the event of we liquidate, dissolve or wind up, after payment of all of our debts and liabilities, and subject to the preferential rights, if any, of any outstanding preferred stock, the holders of our common stock are entitled to share ratably in all assets. Our common stock has no preemptive or conversion rights or other subscription rights, and there are no redemptive or sinking funds provisions applicable to our common stock. The rights, preferences and privileges of the holders of common stock are subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of shares of any series of preferred stock that we may designate in the future.
Preferred Stock
Pursuant to our certificate of incorporation, our board of directors has the authority, without further action by the stockholders (unless such stockholder action is required by applicable law or stock exchange listing rules), to designate and issue up to 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock in one or more series, to establish from time to time the number of shares to be included in each such series, to fix the designations, powers, preferences, privileges and relative participating, optional or special rights and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, including dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption and liquidation preferences, any or all of which may be greater than the rights of the common stock, and to increase or decrease the number of shares of any such series, but not below the number of shares of such series then outstanding.
Our board of directors, without stockholder approval, can issue preferred stock with voting, conversion or other rights that could adversely affect the voting power and other rights of the holders of common stock. Preferred stock could be issued quickly with terms designed to delay or prevent a change in control of our company or make removal of management more difficult. Additionally, the issuance of preferred stock may adversely affect the voting power of holders of common stock and reduce the likelihood that common stockholders will receive dividend payments and payments upon liquidation.
Our board of directors will fix the designations, voting powers, preferences and rights of each series, as well as the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, of the preferred stock of each series.
Anti-Takeover Provisions
Section 203 of the DGCL
We are subject to Section 203 of the DGCL, which prohibits a Delaware corporation from engaging in any business combination with any interested stockholder for a period of three years after the date that such stockholder became an interested stockholder, with the following exceptions:

| • |  | before such date, the board of directors of the corporation approved either the business combination or the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder;

| • |  | upon completion of the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction began, excluding for purposes of determining the voting stock outstanding, but not the outstanding voting stock owned by the interested stockholder, those shares owned (i) by persons who are directors and also officers and (ii) employee stock plans in which employee participants do not have the right to determine confidentially whether shares held subject to the plan will be tendered in a tender or exchange offer; or

| • |  | on or after such date, the business combination is approved by the board of directors and authorized at an annual or special meeting of the stockholders, and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of at least 66 2/3% of the outstanding voting stock that is not owned by the interested stockholder.

In general, Section 203 defines a “business combination” to include the following:

| • |  | any merger or consolidation involving the corporation and the interested stockholder;

| • |  | any sale, transfer, pledge or other disposition of 10% or more of the assets of the corporation involving the interested stockholder;

| • |  | subject to certain exceptions, any transaction that results in the issuance or transfer by the corporation of any stock of the corporation to the interested stockholder;

| • |  | any transaction involving the corporation that has the effect of increasing the proportionate share of the stock or any class or series of the corporation beneficially owned by the interested stockholder; or
| • |  | the receipt by the interested stockholder of the benefit of any loans, advances, guarantees, pledges or other financial benefits by or through the corporation.

In general, Section 203 defines an “interested stockholder” as an entity or person who, together with the entity or person’s affiliates and associates, beneficially owns, or is an affiliate or associate of the corporation and within three years prior to the time of determination of interested stockholder status did own, 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation.
Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws
Our certificate of incorporation provides that our board of directors may issue shares of undesignated preferred stock and determine the rights, preferences and privileges of these shares, without stockholder approval and that all stockholder actions must be effected at a duly called meeting of stockholders and not by written consent. Our certificate of incorporation also does not provide for cumulative voting.
The authorization of undesignated preferred stock makes it possible for our board of directors to issue preferred stock with voting or other rights or preferences that could impede the success of any attempt to change our control. These provisions are intended to discourage coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids. These provisions are also designed to reduce our vulnerability to hostile takeovers and to discourage certain tactics that may be used in proxy fights. However, such provisions could have the effect of discouraging others from making tender offers for our shares and may have the effect of delaying changes in our control or management. As a consequence, these provisions may also inhibit fluctuations in the market price of our stock that could result from actual or rumored takeover attempts. We believe that the benefits of these provisions, including increased protection of our potential ability to negotiate with the proponent of an unfriendly or unsolicited proposal to acquire or restructure our company, outweigh the disadvantages of discouraging takeover proposals, because negotiation of takeover proposals could result in an improvement of their terms.
Transfer Agent and Registrar
The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Computershare. The transfer agent’s address is 3rd Floor — 510 Burrard St., Vancouver, BC V6C 3B9, and its telephone number is (604) 661-0258.
Listing on the Nasdaq Global Select Market
Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “INO.”