EpicQuest Education Announces Receipt of Nasdaq Notification Letter Regarding Minimum Bid Price Deficiency

Rhea-AI Summary

EpicQuest Education Group International (NASDAQ: EEIQ) received a notification letter from Nasdaq on March 5, 2025, indicating non-compliance with the minimum bid price requirement for continued listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market. The company's shares traded below $1.00 for 30 consecutive business days.

EEIQ has been granted a 180-day compliance period until September 1, 2025, to regain compliance by maintaining a closing bid price at or above $1.00 for a minimum of 10 consecutive business days. If unsuccessful, the company may be eligible for an additional compliance period if it meets other Nasdaq Capital Market listing requirements.

The notification has no immediate impact on EEIQ's listing status, and trading continues uninterrupted on Nasdaq.

Positive

• 180-day grace period granted to regain compliance
• Trading continues uninterrupted on Nasdaq

Negative

• Stock trading below $1.00 for 30 consecutive business days
• Risk of potential Nasdaq delisting if compliance not achieved by September 2025

Insights

Financial Analyst

EpicQuest Education's receipt of a Nasdaq minimum bid price deficiency notice represents a significant regulatory challenge that requires investor attention. The company's stock has traded below $1.00 for 30 consecutive business days, triggering this compliance issue.

The 180-day compliance window until September 1, 2025 provides a reasonable timeframe for potential recovery, requiring the stock to maintain $1.00 or higher for at least 10 consecutive business days. While trading continues uninterrupted for now, this situation creates uncertainty about EEIQ's long-term Nasdaq listing status.

For micro-cap companies like EEIQ (market cap: $11.3 million), maintaining Nasdaq listing is important for institutional investor access, trading liquidity, and market visibility. The current $0.806 share price needs approximately a 24% increase to reach compliance.

Companies facing this scenario typically consider strategic options including reverse stock splits, which mathematically increase share price without changing underlying fundamentals. This notice often creates pressure for management to demonstrate operational improvements or consider corporate actions that might support share price appreciation.

The potential for an additional compliance period exists if certain conditions are met, but investors should recognize this notification as a formal regulatory challenge that requires resolution within defined timeframes.

Corporate Governance Expert

This Nasdaq notification represents a critical governance inflection point for EEIQ that will test management's response capabilities. Bid price deficiency notices are procedural but consequential, requiring board-level attention and strategic planning.

The 180-day compliance window creates defined decision parameters for EEIQ's leadership. Potential responses typically fall into three categories: organic recovery through improved financial performance, technical compliance via corporate actions like reverse splits, or preparation for alternative listing venues if Nasdaq compliance cannot be maintained.

For shareholders, this notification triggers important disclosure obligations as the company must transparently communicate its compliance strategy. The board faces fiduciary responsibilities to evaluate all options while protecting shareholder interests.

A particularly noteworthy aspect is the potential second compliance period, which requires meeting all other Nasdaq Capital Market initial listing standards except the bid price requirement. This creates a more complex compliance matrix for EEIQ's board to navigate, as maintaining these other standards becomes equally important.

From a governance perspective, companies receiving such notifications often face increased scrutiny regarding executive compensation, capital allocation decisions, and strategic focus. How EEIQ's leadership responds in the coming months will reveal much about the board's effectiveness and management's strategic capabilities under regulatory pressure.

MIDDLETOWN, Ohio, March 7, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- EpicQuest Education Group International Limited (NASDAQ: EEIQ), ("EpicQuest Education", "EEIQ" or the "Company"), a provider of higher education for domestic and international students in the US, Canada and the UK, announced that it received a delinquency notification letter (the "Letter") from the Listing Qualifications Department of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC ("Nasdaq") on March 5, 2025 indicating that the Company is not currently in compliance with the minimum bid price requirement set forth in Nasdaq's Listing Rules for continued listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market, as the closing bid price for the Company's common shares listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market was below $1.00 per share for 30 consecutive business days. Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) requires listed securities to maintain a minimum bid price of $1.00 per share, and Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A) provides that a failure to meet the minimum bid price requirement exists if the deficiency continues for a period of 30 consecutive business days.

The Letter provides that the Company has a period of 180 calendar days from the date of the Letter, or until September 1, 2025, to regain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement. If at any time before September 1, 2025, the bid price of the Company's common shares closes at or above $1.00 per share for a minimum of 10 consecutive business days, Nasdaq will provide written confirmation of compliance to the Company.

In the event that the Company does not regain compliance by September 1, 2025, the Company may be eligible for additional time to regain compliance. To qualify, the Company would be required to meet the continued listing requirement for market value of publicly held shares and all other initial listing standards for the Nasdaq Capital Market, except for the minimum bid price requirement. In addition, the Company would be required to notify Nasdaq of its intent to cure the deficiency during the second compliance period.

The receipt of the Letter has no immediate effect on the listing of the Company's common shares, which will continue to trade uninterrupted on the Nasdaq under the ticker "EEIQ."

About EpicQuest Education Group International Limited

EpicQuest Education Group International Limited ("EpicQuest Education" or the "Company") provides comprehensive education solutions for domestic and international students seeking university and University degrees in the US, Canada and the UK. The Company owns and operates EduGlobal University, based in British Columbia, Canada, which focuses on English proficiency educational programming for students pursuing academic degrees. The Company operates and is a 70% owner of Davis University, a career training University located in Toledo, Ohio. In addition, the Company has a recruiting relationship with the Miami University Regional campuses, where it maintains residential facilities, a full-service cafeteria, recreational facilities, shuttle buses and an office for the regional campuses that provides study abroad and post-study services for its students; these facilities are not owned, maintained, operated or are a part of Miami University. The Company is also a recruiting agent for the University of the West of Scotland (through The Education Group (London) Ltd) and Coventry University, both of which are located in the UK. EpicQuest Education recently established a wholly owned subsidiary, Gilmore Inv LLC, in Ohio, that will offer international educational programs related to kinesiology and recreation education. The Company also established a company in Ohio, SouthGilmore LLC that has been formed to organize sports-related entertainment projects, which is 40% owned by Gilmore. For more information, please visit www.epicquesteducation.com/.

Safe Harbor Statement

Certain of the statements made in this press release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning and protections of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements include statements with respect to our beliefs, plans, objectives, goals, expectations, anticipations, assumptions, estimates, intentions, and future performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may be beyond our control, and which may cause the actual results, performance, capital, ownership or achievements of the Company to be materially different from future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be forward-looking statements. You can identify these forward-looking statements through our use of words such as "may," "will," "anticipate," "assume," "should," "indicate," "would," "believe," "contemplate," "expect," "estimate," "continue," "plan," "point to," "project," "could," "intend," "target" and other similar words and expressions of the future.

All written or oral forward-looking statements attributable to us are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary notice, including, without limitation, those risks and uncertainties described in our most recent Form 20-F and otherwise in our SEC reports and filings. Such reports are available upon request from the Company, or from the Securities and Exchange Commission, including through the SEC's Internet website at http://www.sec.gov. We have no obligation and do not undertake to update, revise or correct any of the forward-looking statements after the date hereof, or after the respective dates on which any such statements otherwise are made.

Contacts:

EpicQuest Education Group International Limited
+1 513-649-8350
info@epicquesteducation.com

Investor Relations:
Precept Investor Relations LLC
David Rudnick
+1 646-694-8538
david.rudnick@preceptir.com

Source: EpicQuest Education Group International Limited

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/epicquest-education-announces-receipt-of-nasdaq-notification-letter-regarding-minimum-bid-price-deficiency-302393725.html

SOURCE EpicQuest Education Group International Limited

FAQ

What is the deadline for EEIQ to regain Nasdaq compliance with minimum bid price?

EpicQuest Education (EEIQ) has until September 1, 2025, to regain compliance by maintaining a closing bid price at or above $1.00 for at least 10 consecutive business days.

What happens if EEIQ stock doesn't meet the $1.00 minimum bid requirement by September 2025?

EEIQ may be eligible for additional time if it meets other Nasdaq Capital Market listing requirements and notifies Nasdaq of its intent to cure the deficiency.

Will EEIQ be immediately delisted from Nasdaq due to the price deficiency notice?

No, the notification has no immediate effect on EEIQ's listing status and trading continues uninterrupted on Nasdaq under the ticker EEIQ.

What is the minimum number of days EEIQ stock needs to trade above $1 to regain compliance?

EEIQ needs to maintain a closing bid price at or above $1.00 for a minimum of 10 consecutive business days to regain compliance.