Kura Oncology Announces Commencement of Public Offering of Common Stock

Rhea-AI Summary

Kura Oncology, Inc. (Nasdaq: KURA) has initiated an underwritten public offering to sell $200 million in common stock, with an option for underwriters to purchase an additional $30 million. The offering is subject to market conditions, and no assurance is given regarding its completion. The shares will be offered under a shelf registration statement filed with the SEC. The transaction will be managed by SVB Leerink, Credit Suisse, Barclays, and Stifel.

Positive

• Offering size of $200 million with an additional $30 million available for underwriters.
• Funds may be used to advance cancer drug development, which could enhance future growth.

Negative

• Potential dilution of existing shares due to the offering.
• Market uncertainty surrounding the completion and terms of the offering.

SAN DIEGO, Dec. 07, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kura Oncology, Inc. (Nasdaq: KURA), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to realizing the promise of precision medicines for the treatment of cancer, today announced that it has commenced an underwritten public offering, subject to market and other conditions, to issue and sell $200,000,000 of shares of its common stock. In connection with the offering, Kura expects to grant the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional $30,000,000 of the shares of common stock offered in the public offering. All of the shares in the proposed offering will be offered by Kura. There can be no assurance as to whether or when the offering may be completed, or as to the actual size or terms of the offering.

SVB Leerink, Credit Suisse, Barclays and Stifel are acting as joint bookrunning managers in the offering.

The securities described above are being offered by Kura pursuant to a shelf registration statement on Form S-3, including a base prospectus, that was previously filed by Kura with and became effective by rule of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on December 7, 2020. A preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus relating to the offering will be filed with the SEC and will be available for free on the SEC’s website located at http://www.sec.gov. Copies of the preliminary prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relating to the offering, when available, may be obtained from: SVB Leerink LLC, Attention: Syndicate Department, One Federal Street, 37th Floor, Boston, MA 02110, by telephone at (800) 808-7525, ext. 6132, or by email at syndicate@svbleerink.com; Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, Attention: Prospectus Department, 6933 Louis Stephens Drive, Morrisville, NC 27560, by telephone at (800) 221-1037, or by email at usa.prospectus@credit-suisse.com; Barclays Capital Inc., c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717, or by email at barclaysprospectus@broadridge.com, or by telephone at (888) 603-5847; or Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated, Attention: Syndicate, One Montgomery Street, Suite 3700, San Francisco, CA 94104, or by email at syndprospectus@stifel.com, or by telephone at (415) 364-2720.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or other jurisdiction.

About Kura Oncology

Kura Oncology is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company committed to realizing the promise of precision medicines for the treatment of cancer. The Company’s pipeline consists of two wholly owned small molecule drug candidates that target cancer signaling pathways where there is a strong scientific and clinical rationale to improve outcomes by identifying those patients most likely to benefit from treatment. Kura’s most advanced drug candidate is tipifarnib, a potent, selective and orally bioavailable farnesyl transferase inhibitor currently in a registration-directed trial (AIM-HN) in patients with recurrent or metastatic HRAS mutant head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. The Company’s pipeline is also highlighted by KO-539, a potent and selective menin inhibitor currently in a Phase 1/2A clinical trial (KOMET-001) in patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements contained in this press release regarding matters that are not historical facts are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements about Kura’s expectations regarding the completion and timing of the proposed offering, and its expectations with respect to granting the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase additional shares. Because such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Words such as “believes,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “expects,” “intends,” “will,” “goal,” “potential” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon Kura’s current expectations and involve assumptions that may never materialize or may prove to be incorrect.  Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of various risks and uncertainties, which include, without limitation, risks associated with market conditions and the satisfaction of closing conditions related to the proposed public offering, risks and uncertainties associated with Kura’s business and finances in general, risks associated with the COVID-19 global pandemic, and the other risks described in Kura’s quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2020, the preliminary prospectus supplement relating to the proposed public offering and other filings with the SEC. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date on which they were made. Kura undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made.

Contacts

Company:
Pete De Spain
Vice President, Investor Relations &
Corporate Communications
(858) 500-8803
pete@kuraoncology.com

Investors:
Robert H. Uhl
Managing Director
Westwicke Partners, LLC
(858) 356-5932
robert.uhl@westwicke.com

Media:
Jason Spark
Managing Director
Canale Communications
(619) 849-6005
jason@canalecomm.com

FAQ

What is Kura Oncology's recent public offering?

Kura Oncology has announced a public offering to sell $200 million in common stock, with an option for underwriters to purchase an additional $30 million.

What are the potential impacts of Kura's stock offering on shareholders?

The stock offering may lead to dilution of existing shares, which could negatively affect current shareholders' equity.

Who is managing Kura Oncology's public offering?

SVB Leerink, Credit Suisse, Barclays, and Stifel are acting as joint bookrunning managers for the offering.

When was Kura's offering filed with the SEC?

The offering is being conducted under a shelf registration statement that became effective on December 7, 2020.