424B5 1 d701742d424b5.htm 424B5 424B5

Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)
Registration No.: 333-230676

 

PROSPECTUS

 

LOGO

Up to $75,000,000

Common Stock

 

 

We have entered into a Controlled Equity OfferingSM Sales Agreement, or sales agreement, with Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., or Cantor Fitzgerald, relating to shares of our common stock offered by this prospectus. In accordance with the terms of the sales agreement, we may offer and sell shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $75,000,000 from time to time through Cantor Fitzgerald acting as sales agent.

Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “RCUS.” On April 25, 2019, the last reported sale price of our common stock on New York Stock Exchange was $10.69 per share.

Sales of our common stock, if any, under this prospectus may be made in sales deemed to be “at-the-market” equity offerings as defined in Rule 415 promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act. Subject to the terms of the sales agreement, Cantor Fitzgerald is not required to sell any specific number or dollar amounts of securities but will act as sales agent and use commercially reasonable efforts to sell on our behalf all of the shares of common stock requested to be sold by us, consistent with its normal trading and sales practices, on mutually agreed terms between Cantor Fitzgerald and us. There is no arrangement for funds to be received in any escrow, trust or similar arrangement.

Cantor Fitzgerald will be entitled to compensation at a commission rate of up to 3.0% of the gross sales price per share sold. In connection with the sale of our common stock on our behalf, Cantor Fitzgerald will be deemed to be an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act and the compensation of Cantor Fitzgerald will be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts.

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Before making an investment decision, you should review carefully and consider all of the information set forth in this prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page 6 of this prospectus and in the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

 

LOGO

The date of this prospectus is April 25, 2019.

 


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

     i  

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

     1  

RISK FACTORS

     6  

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

     7  

USE OF PROCEEDS

     8  

DIVIDEND POLICY

     9  

DILUTION

     9  

DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

     10  

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

     13  

LEGAL MATTERS

     14  

EXPERTS

     14  

WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

     14  

INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE

     14  

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, utilizing a “shelf” registration process. Under the shelf registration statement, we may, from time to time, offer and sell, either individually or in combination, in one or more offerings shares of our common stock, preferred stock, debt securities and warrants, including common stock or preferred stock upon conversion of debt securities, common stock upon conversion of preferred stock, or common stock, preferred stock or debt securities upon the exercise of warrants, having an aggregate offering price of up to $300,000,000. Under this prospectus, we may offer and sell shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $75,000,000 from time to time at prices and on terms to be determined by market conditions at the time of offering.

We provide information to you about this offering of shares of our common stock in this prospectus, which describes the specific details regarding this offering. If information in this prospectus is inconsistent with documents incorporated by reference, you should rely on this prospectus. However, if any statement in one of these documents is inconsistent with a statement in another document having a later date—for example, a document incorporated by reference into this prospectus—the statement in the document having the later date modifies or supersedes the earlier statement as our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since the earlier dates.

You should rely only on the information contained in, or incorporated by reference into, this prospectus and in any free writing prospectus that we may authorize for use in connection with this offering. We have not, and Cantor Fitzgerald has not, authorized any other person to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. We and Cantor Fitzgerald take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. We are not, and Cantor Fitzgerald is not, making an offer to sell or soliciting an offer to buy our securities in any jurisdiction in which an offer or solicitation is not authorized or in which the person making that offer or solicitation is not qualified to do so or to anyone to whom it is unlawful to make an offer or solicitation. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus, and in any free writing prospectus that we may authorize for use in connection with this offering, is accurate only as of the date of those respective documents. Our business, financial condition, results

 

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of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates. You should read this prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus, and any free writing prospectus that we may authorize for use in connection with this offering, in their entirety before making an investment decision. You should also read and consider the information in the documents to which we have referred you in the sections of this prospectus captioned “Where You Can Find Additional Information” and “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference.”

We are offering to sell, and seeking offers to buy, shares of common stock only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are permitted. The distribution of this prospectus and the offering of our common stock in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. Persons outside the United States who come into possession of this prospectus must inform themselves about, and observe any restrictions relating to, the offering of our common stock and the distribution of this prospectus outside the United States. This prospectus does not constitute, and may not be used in connection with, an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities offered by this prospectus by any person in any jurisdiction in which it is unlawful for such person to make such an offer or solicitation.

This prospectus contains and incorporates by reference market data and industry statistics and forecasts that are based on independent industry publications and other publicly available information. Although we believe that these sources are reliable, we do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of this information and we have not independently verified this information. Although we are not aware of any misstatements regarding the market and industry data presented in this prospectus and the documents incorporated herein by reference, these estimates involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change based on various factors, including those discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus and any related free writing prospectus, and under similar headings in the other documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on this information.

This prospectus, including the information incorporated by reference into this prospectus, include trademarks, service marks and trade names owned by us or others. All trademarks, service marks and trade names included or incorporated by reference into this prospectus or any related free writing prospectus are the property of their respective owners.

 

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PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

This summary highlights selected information contained elsewhere in this prospectus or incorporated by reference into this prospectus, and does not contain all of the information that you need to consider in making your investment decision. You should carefully read the entire prospectus and any related free writing prospectus, including the risks of investing in our securities discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in this prospectus and any related free writing prospectus, and under similar headings in the other documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus. You should also carefully read the information incorporated by reference into this prospectus, including our financial statements, and the exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part.

References in this prospectus to “Arcus”, “the Company,” “we”, “us” and “our” refer to Arcus Biosciences, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its consolidated subsidiaries, if any, unless otherwise specified.

Arcus Biosciences, Inc.

Overview

We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on creating innovative cancer immunotherapies by leveraging underexploited biological opportunities. Specifically, we target well-characterized biological pathways with significant scientific data supporting their importance in regulating the immune response against cancer and for which either there are no molecules in development or those that exist have suboptimal profiles. To exploit these pathways, we have built a robust and highly efficient discovery capability to create and optimize highly differentiated small-molecule immuno-oncology product candidates. Since our inception in 2015, we have built a broad portfolio of small-molecule and antibody product candidates that we plan to develop together as intra-portfolio combinations.

Our most advanced small-molecule product candidate, AB928, is in a Phase 1/1b program to evaluate it in combination with chemotherapy and with our anti-PD-1 antibody, AB122. We expect to report dose-escalation data for certain of these combinations and initiate dose-expansion studies in 2019. We have also initiated clinical trials for our two antibody product candidates, AB122 and AB154 (our anti-TIGIT antibody) and advanced our fourth product candidate, AB680 (a small molecule CD73 inhibitor) into a clinical trial in healthy volunteers in 2018.

Our initial focus is on the ATP-adenosine pathway, a key driver of immunosuppression in the tumor microenvironment. Decades of scientific research have demonstrated that extracellular adenosine, generated by the CD73 enzyme, acts as a powerful inhibitor of immune cell activity. The compelling therapeutic rationale for inhibition of the ATP-adenosine pathway has led several companies to repurpose for oncology existing adenosine A2aR receptor antagonists that were originally designed for the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) indications. We believe that our lead product candidate, AB928, which we designed using our small-molecule discovery capability, is the first adenosine receptor antagonist that effectively blocks the adenosine receptor in the tumor microenvironment and potently inhibits both the adenosine 2a receptor (A2aR) and the adenosine 2b receptor (A2bR). Our in vitro studies have demonstrated that AB928 reverses adenosine-induced immunosuppression and inhibits the A2aR and A2bR receptors more potently and effectively than the other adenosine receptor antagonists in clinical development. In addition to AB928, we have created a small-molecule inhibitor of CD73, AB680, which could represent another powerful approach to inhibiting the ATP-adenosine pathway and have generated additional potential product candidates against ATP-adenosine and other important immuno-oncology pathways using our internal discovery capability.

As the immuno-oncology market evolves toward the use of combination therapies, a key element of our strategy is to build a broad portfolio of product candidates that target a wide range of immune mechanisms, which will



 

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enable us to pursue multiple intra-portfolio combinations. Consistent with this strategy, we are developing antibody drug candidates that are currently considered the foundation for combination therapies in immuno-oncology, or backbone therapy, or that have the potential to be future backbone therapies, such as our in-licensed antibodies targeting the immune checkpoint receptors PD-1 and TIGIT. Our strategy is to create differentiated combination products by combining these antibodies with our internally discovered small-molecule product candidates.

Risks Associated with our Business

Our business is subject to numerous risks. You should read these risks before you invest in our securities. In particular, our risks include, but are not limited to, the following:

 

   

We are an early-stage immuno-oncology company with a very limited operating history. We have incurred net losses since our inception and anticipate that we will continue to incur significant losses for the foreseeable future. We have never generated any revenue from product sales and may never be profitable;

 

   

We will need to obtain substantial additional funding to complete the development and any commercialization of our product candidates. If we are unable to raise this capital when needed, we may be forced to delay, reduce or eliminate our product development programs or other operations;

 

   

Our product candidates are in the early stages of development. We only recently began clinical trials to test some of our product candidates in humans and, as a company, we have limited experience in this area;

 

   

Clinical drug development is a lengthy, expensive and uncertain process. The results of preclinical studies and early clinical trials are not always predictive of future results. Any product candidate that we advance into clinical trials may not achieve favorable results in later clinical trials, if any, or receive marketing approval;

 

   

A key element of our strategy is the development of intra-portfolio combinations. If we are not successful in discovering, developing and commercializing product candidates that take advantage of different mechanisms of action to achieve superior outcomes relative to other therapies or if we are not able to differentiate our small molecules from other products which are approved or in development, our ability to achieve our strategic objectives would be impaired;

 

   

Enrollment and retention of subjects in clinical trials is expensive and time consuming, can be made more difficult or rendered impossible by competing treatments or clinical trials of competing product candidates in the same or other indications, and could result in significant delays and additional costs in our product development activities, or in the failure of such activities;

 

   

We face substantial competition, which may result in others discovering, developing or commercializing products more quickly or marketing them more successfully than us. If their product candidates are shown to be safer or more effective than ours, then our commercial opportunity will be reduced or eliminated;

 

   

Serious adverse events, undesirable side effects or other unexpected properties of our product candidates may be identified during development or after approval, which could lead to the discontinuation of our clinical development programs, refusal by regulatory authorities to approve our product candidates or, if discovered following marketing approval, revocation of marketing authorizations or limitations on the use of our product candidates thereby limiting the commercial potential of such product candidate;



 

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We rely on third parties to conduct our clinical trials and perform some of our research and preclinical studies. If these third parties do not satisfactorily carry out their contractual duties or fail to meet expected deadlines, our development programs may be delayed or subject to increased costs, each of which may have an adverse effect on our business and prospects;

 

   

We are currently party to several in-license agreements under which we acquired rights to use, develop, manufacture and/or commercialize certain of our product candidates. If we breach our obligations under these agreements, we may be required to pay damages, lose our rights to these product candidates or both, which would adversely affect our business and prospects;

 

   

If we are unable to obtain and maintain sufficient intellectual property protection for our product candidates, or if the scope of the intellectual property protection is not sufficiently broad, our competitors could develop and commercialize products similar or identical to ours, and our ability to successfully commercialize our products may be adversely affected; and

 

   

We expect to expand our development, regulatory and operational capabilities and, as a result, we may encounter difficulties in managing our growth, which could disrupt our operations.

Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company

We qualify as an “emerging growth company” as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act. An emerging growth company may take advantage of relief from certain reporting requirements and other burdens that are otherwise applicable generally to public companies. These provisions include:

 

   

reduced obligations with respect to financial data, including presenting only two years of audited financial statements in addition to any required unaudited interim financial statements and only two years of selected financial data;

 

   

an exemption from compliance with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002, or the Sarbanes Oxley Act;

 

   

not being required to comply with any requirement that may be adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board regarding mandatory audit firm rotation or a supplement to the auditor’s report providing additional information about the audit and the financial statements;

 

   

reduced disclosure obligations about our executive compensation arrangements in our periodic reports, proxy statements and registration statements; and

 

   

exemptions from the requirements of holding non-binding advisory votes on executive compensation or golden parachute arrangements.

We may take advantage of these provisions until December 31, 2023, or such earlier time that we no longer qualify as an emerging growth company. We may choose to take advantage of some but not all of these reduced reporting burdens. We would cease to be an emerging growth company if we have more than $1.07 billion in annual gross revenue, have more than $700 million in market value of our capital stock held by non-affiliates or issue more than $1.0 billion of non-convertible debt over a three-year period.

In addition, under the JOBS Act, emerging growth companies can delay adopting new or revised accounting standards until such time as those standards apply to private companies. We have elected to avail ourselves of the extended transition period for complying with new or revised financial accounting standards. As a result of the accounting standards election, we will not be subject to the same implementation timing for new or revised



 

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accounting standards as other public companies that are not emerging growth companies which may make comparison of our financials to those of other public companies more difficult. Additionally, because we have taken advantage of certain reduced reporting requirements, the information contained herein may be different from the information you receive from other public companies in which you hold stock.

Corporate Information

We were incorporated in Delaware on April 30, 2015. Our principal executive offices are located at 3928 Point Eden Way, Hayward, CA 94545, and our telephone number is (510) 694-6200. Our website address is www.arcusbio.com. The information on, or that can be accessed through, our website is not part of this prospectus. We have included our website address as an inactive textual reference only.

Arcus Biosciences and the Arcus Biosciences logo are the property of Arcus. Trade names, trademarks and service marks of other companies appearing in this prospectus are the property of their respective holders.



 

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The Offering

 

Common stock offered by us

Shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $75,000,000.

 

Common stock to be outstanding after this offering

Up to 51,553,848 shares (as more fully described in the notes following this table), assuming sales of 7,015,902 shares of our common stock in this offering at an offering price of $10.69 per share, which was the last reported sale price of our common stock on the New York Stock Exchange on April 25, 2019. The actual number of shares issued in connection with this offering will vary depending on how many shares of our common stock we elect to sell and the prices at which such sales occur.

 

Plan of Distribution

“At-the-market” offering of shares of common stock that may be made from time to time through our sales agent, Cantor Fitzgerald. See “Plan of Distribution” on page 13.

 

Use of Proceeds

We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering, if any, for working capital and general corporate purposes, including research and development expenses and capital expenditures. See “Use of Proceeds” on page 8.

 

Risk Factors

You should read the “Risk Factors” section of this prospectus and in the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus for a discussion of factors to consider before deciding to purchase shares of our common stock.

 

New York Stock Exchange Symbol

“RCUS”

The number of our shares of common stock outstanding is based on 44,537,946 shares of common stock outstanding as of December 31, 2018, and excludes the following, all as of December 31, 2018:

 

   

1,458,079 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of outstanding stock options with a weighted-average exercise price of $7.55 per share; and

 

   

up to an aggregate of 4,437,790 shares of common stock remaining available for future grants or issuance under our equity incentive plans, including our employee stock purchase plan.



 

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RISK FACTORS

Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. Before deciding whether to invest in our common stock, you should consider carefully the risks and uncertainties described below and discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, as updated or superseded by the risks and uncertainties described under similar headings in our subsequent filings under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, each of which is incorporated by reference into this prospectus in their entirety, together with other information in this prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference and any free writing prospectus that we may authorize for use in connection with this offering. The risks described in these documents are not the only ones we face, but those that we consider to be material. There may be other unknown or unpredictable economic, business, competitive, regulatory or other factors that could have material adverse effects on our future results. Past financial performance may not be a reliable indicator of future performance, and historical trends should not be used to anticipate results or trends in future periods. If any of these risks actually occurs, our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flow could be seriously harmed. This could cause the trading price of our common stock to decline, resulting in a loss of all or part of your investment. Please also read carefully the section below entitled “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”

Additional Risks Related to This Offering

Management will have broad discretion as to the use of the proceeds from this offering, and may not use the proceeds effectively.

Because we have not designated the amount of net proceeds from this offering to be used for any particular purpose, our management will have broad discretion as to the application of the net proceeds from this offering and could use them for purposes other than those contemplated at the time of the offering. Our management may use the net proceeds for corporate purposes that may not improve our financial condition or market value. Pending use, we may invest any net proceeds from this offering in a manner that does not produce income or that loses value.

You may experience immediate and substantial dilution.

The offering price per share in this offering may exceed the net tangible book value per share of our common stock outstanding prior to this offering. Assuming that 7,015,902 shares of our common stock are sold in this offering, based on an assumed sale price of $10.69 per share, the last sale price of a share of our common stock on the New York Stock Exchange on April 25, 2019, you will experience immediate dilution, representing the difference between the price you pay and our as adjusted net tangible book value per share as of December 31, 2018, after giving effect to this offering, of $4.72 per share. The exercise of outstanding stock options and the issue of additional common stock may result in further dilution of your investment. See the section titled “Dilution” below for a more detailed illustration of the dilution you would incur if you participate in this offering.

You may experience future dilution as a result of future equity offerings.

To raise additional capital, we may in the future offer additional shares of our common stock or other securities convertible into or exchangeable for our common stock at prices that may not be the same as the price per share in this offering. We may sell shares or other securities in any other offering at a price per share that is less than the price per share paid by investors in this offering, and investors purchasing shares or other securities in the future could have rights superior to existing stockholders. The price per share at which we sell additional shares of our common stock, or securities convertible or exchangeable into common stock, in future transactions may be higher or lower than the price per share paid by investors in this offering.

 

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Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock by our existing stockholders in the public market could cause our stock price to fall.

Based on shares outstanding as of December 31, 2018, our executive officers, directors and the holders of more than 5% of our outstanding common stock, in the aggregate, beneficially owned approximately 55% of our common stock. Sales by these stockholders of a substantial number of shares of our common stock or the expectation of such sales, could cause a significant reduction in the market price of our common stock. If a substantial number of shares are sold by these individuals or others in short periods of time, such sales could reduce the market price of our common stock. Any reduction in the market price of our common stock could impede our ability to raise capital on attractive terms, if at all, and attract key personnel.

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus and the documents we have filed with the SEC that are incorporated herein by reference contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or the Exchange Act. These statements relate to future events or to our future operating or financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performances or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements about:

 

   

our expectations regarding the uses of the net proceeds from the sale of our common stock in this offering;

 

   

our expectations regarding the timing and achievement of our product candidate development activities and ongoing and planned clinical trials;

 

   

our expectations for reporting data from clinical trials in certain timeframes;

 

   

our ability to develop intra-portfolio combinations and highly-differentiated small-molecule candidates, including our ability to create small-molecule product candidates with ideal pharmacological properties and desired clinical effects;

 

   

our expectations regarding the efficiency and speed with which we can create and advance small-molecule product candidates and develop our product candidates and combination therapies;

 

   

our reliance on third parties to conduct our ongoing and future clinical trials and third-party manufacturers to manufacture and supply our product candidates;

 

   

our expectations regarding the nature of the immuno-oncology pathways we are targeting, the size of the potential patient population and the potential market size;

 

   

our ability to obtain and maintain control of our combination products and maximize the commercial potential of our product candidates;

 

   

our ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approvals of our product candidates, the potential market opportunities for commercializing our product candidates;

 

   

our ability to retain and recruit key personnel, estimates of our expenses, future revenue, capital requirements and our needs for additional financing;

 

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our ability to develop, acquire and advance product candidates into, and successfully complete, clinical trials;

 

   

our initiation, timing, progress and results of future research and development programs, preclinical studies and clinical trials;

 

   

our ability to obtain and maintain intellectual property rights covering our product candidates; and

 

   

our expectations regarding the developments and projections relating to our competitors;

 

   

our expectations regarding our industry; and

 

   

our expectations regarding the time during which we will be an emerging growth company under the JOBS Act.

In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “project,” “predict,” “potential” and similar expressions intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and are based on assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. We discuss in greater detail many of these risks and uncertainties under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in this prospectus and in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, as updated or superseded by the risks and uncertainties described under similar headings in our subsequent filings under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, each of which is incorporated by reference into this prospectus in their entirety. Also, these forward-looking statements represent our estimates and assumptions only as of the date of the document containing the applicable statement. Unless required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect new information or future events or developments. Thus, you should not assume that our silence over time means that actual events are bearing out as expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements. You should read this prospectus together with the documents we have filed with the SEC that are incorporated by reference and any free writing prospectus that we may authorize for use in connection with this offering completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. We qualify all of the forward-looking statements in the foregoing documents by these cautionary statements.

USE OF PROCEEDS

The amount of proceeds from this offering will depend upon the number of shares of our common stock sold and the market price at which they are sold. There can be no assurance that we will be able to sell any shares under or fully utilize the sales agreement with Cantor Fitzgerald as a source of financing. We currently intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of the common stock offered by us hereunder, if any, for working capital and general corporate purposes, including research and development expenses and capital expenditures.

The amounts and timing of our use of the net proceeds from this offering will depend on a number of factors, such as the amount and timing of the net proceeds from this offering, the timing and progress of our clinical trials, the timing and progress of our research and discovery efforts, the timing and progress of any partnering and commercialization efforts, the competitive environment for our products and the expansion of our operations, including through acquisitions or the hiring of additional personnel. As of the date of this prospectus, we cannot specify with certainty all of the particular uses for the net proceeds to us from the sale of the securities offered by us hereunder. Accordingly, our management will have broad discretion in the timing and application of these proceeds. Pending application of the net proceeds as described above, we intend to temporarily invest the proceeds in short-term, interest-bearing instruments.

 

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DIVIDEND POLICY

We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our capital stock and we do not currently intend to pay any cash dividends on our capital stock for the foreseeable future. We currently intend to retain all available funds and any future earnings to support operations and to finance the growth and development of our business. Any future determination to pay dividends will be made at the discretion of our board of directors subject to applicable laws and will depend upon, among other factors, our results of operations, financial condition, contractual restrictions and capital requirements. Our future ability to pay cash dividends on our capital stock may also be limited by the terms of any future debt or preferred securities or future credit facility.

DILUTION

If you purchase common stock in this offering, your ownership interest will be diluted to the extent of the difference between the purchase price per share and the as adjusted net tangible book value per share after giving effect to this offering. We calculate net tangible book value per share by dividing the net tangible book value, which is tangible assets less total liabilities, by the number of outstanding shares of our common stock. Dilution represents the difference between the portion of the amount per share paid by purchasers of shares in this offering and the as adjusted net tangible book value per share of our common stock immediately after giving effect to this offering. Our net tangible book value as of December 31, 2018, was approximately $234.9 million, or $5.28 per share.

After giving effect to the assumed sale of 7,015,902 shares of our common stock at a sale price of $10.69 per share, the last sale price of our common stock on the New York Stock Exchange on April 25, 2019, and after deducting commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, our as adjusted net tangible book value as of December 31, 2018, would have been $307.7 million, or $5.97 per share of common stock. This represents an immediate increase in the as adjusted net tangible book value of $0.69 per share to our existing stockholders and an immediate dilution in net tangible book value of $4.72 per share to new investors purchasing shares in this offering. The following table illustrates this per share dilution:

 

Assumed offering price per share

        $    10.69  

Net tangible book value per share as of December 31, 2018

   $     5.28     

Increase in net tangible book value per share attributable to new investors in offering

   $ 0.69     
  

 

 

    

As adjusted net tangible book value per share as of December 31, 2018, after giving effect to this offering

        $    5.97  
     

 

 

 

Dilution per share to new investors purchasing shares in this offering

        $    4.72  

The above illustration of dilution per share to investors participating in this offering assumes no exercise of outstanding options to purchase our common stock.

The shares sold in this offering, if any, will be sold from time to time at various prices. An increase of $0.50 per share in the price at which the shares are sold from the assumed offering price of $10.69 per share shown in the table above, assuming that that the aggregate dollar amount of shares sold by us remains at $75,000,000, would increase our as adjusted net tangible book value per share after this offering to $6.00 per share and would increase the dilution in net tangible book value per share to new investors to $5.19 per share, after deducting commissions and estimated aggregate offering expenses payable by us. A decrease of $0.50 per share in the price at which the shares are sold from the assumed offering price of $10.69 per share shown in the table above, assuming that that the aggregate dollar amount of shares sold by us remains at $75,000,000, would increase our as adjusted net tangible book value per share after this offering to $5.93 per share and would decrease the

 

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dilution in net tangible book value per share to new investors to $4.26 per share, after deducting commissions and estimated aggregate offering expenses payable by us. The information discussed above is illustrative only and will adjust based on the actual public offering price, the actual number of shares that we offer in this offering, and other terms of this offering determined at the time of each offer and sale.

The above discussion and table are based on 44,537,946 shares of common stock outstanding as of December 31, 2018, and excludes the following, all as of December 31, 2018:

 

   

1,458,079 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of outstanding stock options with a weighted-average exercise price of $7.55 per share; and

 

   

up to an aggregate of 4,437,790 shares of common stock remaining available for future grants or issuance under our equity incentive plans, including our employee stock purchase plan.

To the extent that options outstanding as of December 31, 2018, have been or are exercised, or other shares are issued, investors purchasing shares in this offering could experience further dilution. In addition, we may choose to raise additional capital due to market conditions or strategic considerations, even if we believe we have sufficient funds for our current or future operating plans. To the extent that additional capital is raised through the sale of equity or convertible securities, the issuance of these securities could result in further dilution to our stockholders.

DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

Our authorized capital stock consists of 400,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, and 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $0.0001 par value per share. A description of material terms and provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws affecting the rights of holders of our capital stock is set forth below. The description is intended as a summary, and is qualified in its entirety by reference to our certificate of incorporation and the bylaws.

Common Stock

Dividend Rights

Subject to preferences that may apply to shares of preferred stock outstanding at the time, the holders of outstanding shares of our common stock are entitled to receive dividends out of funds legally available if our board of directors, in its discretion, determines to issue dividends and only then at the times and in the amounts that our board of directors may determine.

Voting Rights

The holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote per share. Stockholders do not have the ability to cumulate votes for the election of directors. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws provide for a classified board of directors consisting of three classes of approximately equal size, each serving staggered three-year terms. Only one class of directors will be elected at each annual meeting of our stockholders, with the other classes continuing for the remainder of their respective three-year terms.

No Preemptive or Similar Rights

Our common stock is not entitled to preemptive rights and is not subject to conversion, redemption or sinking fund provisions.

 

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Right to Receive Liquidation Distributions

Upon our dissolution, liquidation or winding-up, the assets legally available for distribution to our stockholders are distributable ratably among the holders of our common stock, subject to prior satisfaction of all outstanding debt and liabilities and the preferential rights and payment of liquidation preferences, if any, on any outstanding shares of preferred stock.

Preferred Stock

Our board of directors is authorized, subject to limitations prescribed by Delaware law, to 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 series and to fix the designation, powers, preferences and rights of the shares of each series and any associated qualifications, limitations or restrictions. Our board of directors also can increase or decrease the number of shares of any series, but not below the number of shares of that series then outstanding, without any further vote or action by our stockholders. Our board of directors may authorize the issuance of preferred stock with voting or conversion rights that could adversely affect the voting power or other rights of the holders of the common stock. The issuance of preferred stock, while providing flexibility in connection with possible acquisitions and other corporate purposes, could, among other things, have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of our company and may adversely affect the market price of our common stock and the voting and other rights of the holders of common stock.

Anti-Takeover Provisions

Delaware Law

We are governed by the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law regulating corporate takeovers. This section prevents some Delaware corporations from engaging, under some circumstances, in a business combination, which includes a merger or sale of at least 10% of the corporation’s assets with any interested stockholder, meaning a stockholder who, together with affiliates and associates, owns or, within three years prior to the determination of interested stockholder status, did own 15% or more of the corporation’s outstanding voting stock, unless:

 

   

the transaction is approved by the board of directors prior to the time that the interested stockholder became an interested stockholder;

 

   

upon closing 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 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

 

   

subsequent to such time that the stockholder became an interested stockholder the business combination is approved by the board of directors and authorized at an annual or special meeting of stockholders by at least two-thirds of the outstanding voting stock which is not owned by the interested stockholder.

A Delaware corporation may “opt out” of these provisions with an express provision in its original certificate of incorporation or an express provision in its certificate of incorporation or amended and restated bylaws resulting from a stockholders’ amendment approved by at least a majority of the outstanding voting shares. We have not opted out of these provisions. As a result, mergers or other takeover or change in control attempts of us may be discouraged or prevented.

 

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Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaw Provisions

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws include a number of provisions that may have the effect of deterring hostile takeovers or delaying or preventing changes in control of our management team, including the following:

 

   

Board of Directors Vacancies. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws authorize our board of directors to fill vacant directorships, including newly-created seats. In addition, the number of directors constituting our board of directors may be set only by resolution adopted by a majority vote of our entire board of directors. These provisions prevent a stockholder from increasing the size of our board of directors and gaining control of our board of directors by filling the resulting vacancies with its own nominees.

 

   

Classified Board. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws provide that our board of directors is classified into three classes of directors, each of which hold office for a three-year term. In addition, directors may only be removed from the board of directors for cause and only by the approval of 66 2/3% of our then-outstanding shares of our common stock. A third party may be discouraged from making a tender offer or otherwise attempting to obtain control of us as it is more difficult and time consuming for stockholders to replace a majority of the directors on a classified board of directors.

 

   

Stockholder Action; Special Meeting of Stockholders. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provide that stockholders are not able to take action by written consent, and are only able to take action at annual or special meetings of our stockholders. Stockholders are not be permitted to cumulate their votes for the election of directors. Our amended and restated bylaws further provide that special meetings of our stockholders may be called only by a majority vote of our entire board of directors, the chairman of our board of directors or our chief executive officer.

 

   

Advance Notice Requirements for Stockholder Proposals and Director Nominations. Our amended and restated bylaws provide advance notice procedures for stockholders seeking to bring business before our annual meeting of stockholders, or to nominate candidates for election as directors at any meeting of stockholders. Our amended and restated bylaws also specify certain requirements regarding the form and content of a stockholder’s notice. These provisions may preclude our stockholders from bringing matters before our annual meeting of stockholders or from making nominations for directors at our meetings of stockholders.

 

   

Issuance of Undesignated Preferred Stock. Our board of directors have the authority, without further action by the holders of common stock, to issue up to 10,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock with rights and preferences, including voting rights, designated from time to time by the board of directors. The existence of authorized but unissued shares of preferred stock enable our board of directors to render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise.

Choice of Forum

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware is the exclusive forum for any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf; any action asserting a breach of fiduciary duty; any action asserting a claim against us arising pursuant to the Delaware General Corporation Law, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our amended and restated bylaws or any action asserting a claim against us that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine. The enforceability of similar choice of forum provisions in other companies’ certificates of incorporation has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that a court could find these types of provisions in our certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable.

 

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Transfer Agent and Registrar

The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Computershare Trust Company, N.A. The transfer agent’s address is 250 Royall Street, Canton, Massachusetts 02021, and its telephone number is (800) 962-4284.

Listing

Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “RCUS.”

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

We have entered into a sales agreement with Cantor Fitzgerald, under which we may issue and sell shares of our common stock having an aggregate gross sales price of up to $75,000,000 from time to time through Cantor Fitzgerald acting as sales agent. The sales agreement has been filed as an exhibit to our Registration Statement on Form S-3 of which this prospectus forms a part.

Following delivery of a placement notice and subject to the terms and conditions of the sales agreement, Cantor Fitzgerald may offer and sell our common stock by any method permitted by law deemed to be an “at-the-market offering” as defined in Rule 415(a)(4) promulgated under the Securities Act. Subject to the terms of the placement notice, Cantor Fitzgerald may also sell our common stock by any other method permitted by law, including in privately negotiated transactions. We may instruct Cantor Fitzgerald not to sell common stock if the sales cannot be effected at or above the price designated by us from time to time. We or Cantor Fitzgerald may suspend the offering of common stock upon notice and subject to other conditions.

We will pay Cantor Fitzgerald commissions, in cash, for its services in acting as agent in the sale of our common stock. Cantor Fitzgerald will be entitled to compensation at a commission rate of up to 3.0% of the gross sales price per share sold. Because there is no minimum offering amount required as a condition to close this offering, the actual total public offering amount, commissions and proceeds to us, if any, are not determinable at this time. We have also agreed to reimburse Cantor Fitzgerald for certain specified fees and documented expenses, including the fees and documented expenses of its legal counsel in an amount not to exceed $50,000, as provided in the sales agreement. We estimate that the total expenses for the offering, excluding compensation and reimbursements payable to Cantor Fitzgerald under the terms of the sales agreement, will be approximately $366,000.

Settlement for sales of common stock will occur on the second trading day following the date on which any sales are made, or on some other date that is agreed upon by us and Cantor Fitzgerald in connection with a particular transaction, in return for payment of the net proceeds to us. Sales of our common stock as contemplated in this prospectus will be settled through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company or by such other means as we and Cantor Fitzgerald may agree upon. There is no arrangement for funds to be received in an escrow, trust or similar arrangement. Cantor Fitzgerald will use its commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices, to solicit offers to purchase the shares of common stock under the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the sales agreement. In connection with the sale of the common stock on our behalf, Cantor Fitzgerald will be deemed to be an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act and the compensation of Cantor Fitzgerald will be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts. We have agreed to provide indemnification and contribution to Cantor Fitzgerald against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act.

The offering of our common stock pursuant to the sales agreement will terminate as permitted therein. We and Cantor Fitzgerald may each terminate the sales agreement at any time upon ten days’ prior notice.

Cantor Fitzgerald and its affiliates may in the future provide various investment banking, commercial banking and other financial services for us and our affiliates, for which services they may in the future receive customary

 

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fees. To the extent required by Regulation M, Cantor Fitzgerald will not engage in any market making activities involving our common stock while the offering is ongoing under this prospectus.

This prospectus in electronic format may be made available on a website maintained by Cantor Fitzgerald, and Cantor Fitzgerald may distribute this prospectus electronically.

LEGAL MATTERS

Cooley LLP has passed upon the validity of the shares of our common stock offered hereby. Cantor Fitzgerald is being represented by Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian, LLP.

EXPERTS

Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, has audited our consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, as set forth in their report, which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus and elsewhere in the registration statement. Our financial statements are incorporated by reference in reliance on Ernst & Young LLP’s report, given on their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

This prospectus is part of the registration statement on Form S-3 we filed with the SEC under the Securities Act and does not contain all the information set forth in the registration statement. Whenever a reference is made in this prospectus to any of our contracts, agreements or other documents, the reference may not be complete and you should refer to the exhibits that are a part of the registration statement or the exhibits to the reports or other documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus for a copy of such contract, agreement or other document. Because we are subject to the information and reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, we file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available to the public over the Internet at the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” information from other documents that we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this prospectus. Information in this prospectus supersedes information incorporated by reference that we filed with the SEC prior to the date of this prospectus, while information that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede the information in this prospectus. We incorporate by reference into this prospectus and the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part the information or documents listed below that we have filed with the SEC (Commission File No. 001-38419):

 

   

our Annual Report on Form 10-K, for the year ended December 31, 2018, filed with the SEC on March 5, 2019;

 

   

the information specifically incorporated by reference into our Annual Report on Form 10-K, for the year ended December 31, 2018, from our proxy statement on Schedule 14A filed with the SEC on April 22, 2019;

 

   

our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 4, 2019, and March 25, 2019, and our Current Report on Form 8-K/A filed with the SEC on March 29, 2019; and

 

   

the description of our common stock set forth in our registration statement on Form 8-A, filed with the SEC on March 9, 2018, including any amendment or report filed for the purpose of updating such description.

 

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We also incorporate by reference any future filings (other than current reports furnished under Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of Form 8-K and exhibits filed on such form that are related to such items unless such Form 8-K expressly provides to the contrary) made with the SEC pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, including those made after the date of the initial filing of the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part and prior to effectiveness of such registration statement, until we file a post-effective amendment that indicates the termination of the offering of the securities made by this prospectus, which will become a part of this prospectus from the date that such documents are filed with the SEC. Information in such future filings updates and supplements the information provided in this prospectus. Any statements in any such future filings will automatically be deemed to modify and supersede any information in any document we previously filed with the SEC that is incorporated or deemed to be incorporated herein by reference to the extent that statements in the later-filed document modify or replace such earlier statements. We will furnish without charge to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom a prospectus is delivered, upon written or oral request, a copy of any or all of the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus but not delivered with the prospectus, including exhibits that are specifically incorporated by reference into such documents. You should direct any requests for documents to:

Arcus Biosciences, Inc.

Attn: Corporate Secretary

3928 Point Eden Way

Hayward, CA 94545

(510) 694-6200

 

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LOGO

Up to $75,000,000

Common Stock

PROSPECTUS

 

 

LOGO

April 25, 2019