Exhibit 19.1
AGENUS INC.
Securities Trading Policy
This Securities Trading Policy (this “Policy”) describes the requirements that Agenus Inc. and its subsidiaries (with the exception of MiNK Therapeutics, Inc.1) (collectively, the “Company” or “Agenus”) have adopted regarding the trading, and causing the trading of, the Company's securities.
I. PURPOSE
Agenus is committed to complying with all relevant laws and regulations pertaining to the listing, trading and disclosure obligations arising from any transactions involving its securities. This Policy sets forth the requirements for Agenus, as well as its directors, officers, employees, consultants with access to confidential Company information, and their respective immediate family members (collectively, “Covered Persons”) to comply with such laws and regulations.
The insider trading laws of the United States (“U.S.”) prohibit buying or selling a company’s securities by certain persons while they are aware of material, nonpublic information about that company. It may also violate U.S. securities laws to disclose material, non-public information (deliberately or inadvertently) to another person (including your family member) if that person either buys or sells securities while aware of the information disclosed or passes that information to a third party who does. Providing advice regarding a company’s stock while aware of material, non-public information regarding that company may also violate civil and criminal U.S. securities laws and must be avoided.
II. APPLICABILITY
This Policy applies to all trading or other transactions in (i) the Company's securities, including common stock, options and any other securities that the Company may issue, such as preferred stock, notes, bonds and convertible securities, as well as to derivative securities relating to any of the Company's securities, whether or not issued by the Company and (ii) the securities of certain other companies, including common stock, options and other securities issued by those companies as well as derivative securities relating to any of those companies' securities where Agenus has access to confidential information related to such other companies.
1 MiNK Therapeutics, Inc. has a separate, but similar policy to which it adheres.
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Exhibit 19.1
This Policy applies to all Covered Persons, with additional trading restrictions that apply to Company directors, officers, employees at the level of Vice President or above, and additional employees who may from time to time be identified by the Chief Compliance Officer based on their position, responsibilities or their actual or potential access to material information (collectively, "Company Insiders"). The Chief Compliance Officer will inform you if you are deemed to be a Company Insider.
III. DEFINITIONS
Material. Information is “material” if a reasonable investor would consider it significant in a decision to buy, hold or sell securities. Put another way, information that could reasonably be expected to affect the price of a security, either positively or negatively, is material.
Common examples of information that will frequently be regarded as material are information relating to:
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Other types of information may also be material; no complete list can be provided. If you have questions regarding the materiality of information, it is best to check with the Chief Compliance Officer (defined below) before undertaking any activity in the Company’s securities.
Nonpublic. Information is “nonpublic” or “inside information” if it has not been disseminated in a manner making it available to investors generally. To show that information is public, it may be necessary to point to some fact that establishes that the information has become publicly available, such as the filing of a report with the SEC, the distribution of a press release through a widely disseminated news or wire service, or by other means that are reasonably designed to provide broad public access. Before a person who possesses material, nonpublic information can trade, there also must be adequate time for the market as a whole to absorb the information that has been disclosed. As a general rule, if you know of material, nonpublic information about the Company, you should not engage in any stock transactions before the second business day after the day on which the information is publicly announced. If the information relates to the Company’s financial performance, you should wait until the second business day after the Company publishes its annual or quarterly earnings report. If you are not sure whether information is considered public, you should check with the Chief Compliance Officer or assume that the information is nonpublic and treat it as confidential.
IV. COVERED PERSONS CANNOT TRADE OR CAUSE TRADING OF COMPANY SECURITIES WHILE IN POSESSIONS OF MATERIAL, NONPUBLIC INFORMATION:
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Exhibit 19.1
V. SPECIAL RESTRICTIONS APPLICABLE TO COMPANY INSIDERS
A. Pre-Clearance by Chief Compliance Officer for Company Insider Transactions.
In all instances, no Company Insider may trade in Company securities unless the trade has been approved by the Chief Compliance Officer in accordance with the procedures set forth below. The Chief Compliance Officer will review and either approve or prohibit all proposed trades by Company Insiders. The Chief Compliance Officer may consult with the Company’s other executive officers and/or outside legal counsel and will receive approval for his/her own trades from the Company’s Chief Executive Officer.
Procedures. No Company Insider may trade in Company securities until:
Completion of Trades. After receiving written clearance to engage in a trade by the Chief Compliance Officer, a Company Insider must complete the proposed trade within five (5) business days or make a new trading request.
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Exhibit 19.1
Post-Trade Reporting. Any transactions in the Company’s securities by a Company director or executive officer (including transactions effected pursuant to a Rule 10b5-1 Plan (as defined below)) must be reported in writing (including by email) to the Chief Compliance Officer on the same day such a transaction occurs specifying the number of shares purchased or sold, the price per share, and the date the trade was executed (not settled). A written report directly from the individual’s broker to the Chief Compliance Officer will be deemed compliance with this reporting requirement. Compliance with this provision is imperative given the requirement of Section 16 of the Exchange Act requiring certain persons report changes in ownership of Company securities within two (2) business days. The sanctions for noncompliance with this reporting deadline include mandatory disclosure in the Company’s proxy statement for the next annual meeting of stockholders, as well as possible civil or criminal sanctions for chronic or egregious violators.
B. Blackout Periods
All Company Insiders are prohibited from trading in the Company's securities during blackout periods as defined below.
From time to time when material nonpublic information regarding the Company (such as negotiation of mergers, acquisitions or dispositions, investigation and assessment of cybersecurity incidents or new product developments) may be pending and not yet publicly disclosed may necessitate a so-called “blackout period” during which Company Insiders are prohibited from trading in the Company's securities. While such material nonpublic information is pending, the Company may impose a blanket prohibition on any trading in the Company's securities. The Chief Compliance Officer will notify Company Insiders of such blackout period, as necessary.
It is a violation of this Policy for any individual, subject to any blackout period, to make any transaction in the market (purchase or sale) during such blackout period. Individuals who are subject to a blackout period should not make any transaction in the market until either (i) the individuals have been notified by the Chief Compliance Officer that the blackout period has been lifted, or (ii) the second business day after the Company issues a press release or SEC filing announcing the news that was the subject of the blackout period.
Company Insiders are also prohibited from entering into hedging arrangements with respect to Company securities, such as collars, swaps, and exchange funds, or trading in derivative securities tied to the price of Company securities, including put options, call options, and futures
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Exhibit 19.1
contracts, in each case, without the prior consent of the Company’s board of directors.
C. Trading Window
Company Insiders are permitted to trade in the Company's securities when no blackout period is in effect. Generally, this means that Company Insiders can trade (subject to the pre-clearance requirement noted above) during the period beginning two business days after the nonpublic information was publicly disclosed. Even during an open trading window, a Company Insider who is in possession of any material nonpublic information may not trade in the Company's securities until the information has been made publicly available (via the appropriate SEC filing and/or press release) or is no longer material. In addition, the Company may close this trading window if a special blackout period is imposed and will re-open the trading window once the blackout period has ended.
VI. TRANSACTIONS NOT INVOLVING A PURCHASE OR SALE
Bona fide gifts of securities are not transactions subject to this policy, unless the person making the gift has reason to believe that the recipient intends to sell the Company’s securities at a time when the transferor is aware of material, nonpublic information or the person making the gift is subject to the trading restrictions specified under the heading, “Blackout Periods” of this policy and the sale by the recipient of the Company’s securities would be expected to occur during such a “blackout period.”
Further, transactions in mutual funds that are invested in Company securities are not transactions subject to this policy.
VII. SPECIAL AND PROHIBITED TRANSACTIONS APPLICABLE TO COVERED PERSONS
The Company has determined that there is a heightened legal risk and/or the appearance of improper or inappropriate conduct if Covered Persons (you) engage in certain types of transactions. Therefore, it is the Company’s policy that you may not engage in any of the following transactions, or should otherwise consider the Company’s preferences as described below:
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“Exchange Act”) prohibits officers and directors from engaging in short sales. (Short sales arising from certain types of hedging transactions are governed by the paragraph below captioned “Hedging Transactions.”)
are trading based on material nonpublic information and focus your attention on short-term performance at the expense of the Company’s long-term objectives. Accordingly, transactions in put options, call options or other derivative securities, on an exchange or in any other organized market, are prohibited by this policy. (Options positions arising from certain types of hedging transactions are governed by the next paragraph below.)
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Exhibit 19.1
VIII. POST-TERMINATION TRANSACTIONS APPLICABLE TO COVERED PERSONS
This Policy continues to apply to your transactions in the Company’s securities even after you have terminated employment or other services to the Company as follows: if you are aware of material, nonpublic information when your employment or service relationship terminates, you may not trade in the Company’s securities until that information has become public or is no longer material. You may contact the Chief Compliance Officer prior to and after you have terminated employment or your services to the Company regarding the trading of the Company’s securities in compliance with this Policy.
IX. EXCEPTIONS TO THIS POLICY
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Exhibit 19.1
Any deviation from, or alteration to, the specifications of an approved Rule 10b5-1 Plan (including, without limitation, the amount, price or timing of a purchase or sale) must be reported immediately to the Chief Compliance Officer. Any modification of an Insider’s prior Rule 10b5-1 Plan requires pre-approval by the Chief Compliance Officer. A modification must occur during a trading window and while such Insider is not aware of material, nonpublic information.
The Chief Compliance Officer may refuse to approve a Rule 10b5-1 Plan or any modification thereto as he or she deems appropriate including, without limitation, if he or she determines that such plan does not satisfy the requirements of Rule 10b5-1. The Chief Compliance Officer may consult with the Company’s external legal counsel before approving a Rule 10b5-1 Plan. If the Chief Compliance Officer does not approve a
Company Insider’s Rule 10b5-1 Plan, such Company Insider must adhere to the pre-clearance procedures and blackout periods set forth above until such time as a Rule 10b5-1 Plan is approved.
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X. CONSEQUENCES OF VIOLATING THIS POLICY
Penalties for trading on or communicating material nonpublic information can be severe, both for individuals involved in such unlawful conduct and their employers and supervisors, and may include jail terms, criminal fines, civil penalties, and civil enforcement injunctions. Given the severity of the potential penalties, compliance with this Policy is absolutely mandatory.
In addition, the Company and/or the supervisors of the person engaged in insider trading may also be required to pay civil penalties of up to the greater of $1,275,000 or three times the profit made or loss avoided, as well as a criminal penalty of up to $25 million if the Company failed to take appropriate steps to prevent such trading, and could under certain circumstances be subject to private lawsuits based on the misconduct.
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Any of these consequences, and even an investigation that does not result in prosecution, can tarnish your reputation and irreparably damage you and the Company.
XI. REPORTING VIOLATIONS
If you violate this policy or any federal or state laws governing Company Insider trading, or know of any such violation by any Covered Person, you must report the violation immediately to the Chief Compliance Officer, or anonymously to compliance@agenusbio.com or 855-446-0303. If the conduct in question involves the Chief Compliance Officer, or if you do not feel that you can discuss the matter with the Chief Compliance Officer, you may raise the matter with another member of senior management or chair of the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors.
XII. COMPANY ASSISTANCE
Anyone with questions about specific transactions may obtain additional guidance from the Chief Compliance Officer at compliance@agenusbio.com. Ultimately, the responsibility for adhering to this policy and avoiding unlawful transactions rests with the individual Company Insider or other parties that are subject to this Policy.
XIII. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT AND CERTIFICATION
All Covered Persons are required to read and certify acknowledgment to this Policy annually.
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