Caris Life Sciences Insider Converts Preferred, Retains 121M Common Shares
Rhea-AI Filing Summary
Form 4 highlights for Caris Life Sciences, Inc. (CAI): Founder, Chairman and CEO David D. Halbert – together with investment vehicle Caris Halbert, L.P. – reported multiple equity transactions surrounding the company’s initial public offering (IPO) and a 1-for-4 reverse stock split effected 1 June 2025.
Key common-stock activity
- 03 Mar 2025: Award of 360,750 restricted stock units (RSUs) at no cost; direct holdings rose to 2,023,250 shares.
- 18 Jun 2025: Award of 413,839 RSUs; direct holdings rose to 2,437,089 shares.
- 20 Jun 2025: Automatic conversion of preferred shares into 104,761,535 common shares (Code C) upon IPO closing; holdings recorded as indirect.
Derivative securities
- Series A Preferred (389,416,484 shares) and Series B Preferred (29,629,630 shares) converted at $0 exercise price for 97,354,127 and 7,407,408 common shares, respectively. Post-conversion, no preferred remains outstanding for the filer.
Post-transaction ownership
- Total beneficial ownership: ≈121.0 million common shares (2.44 million direct; 118.6 million indirect across Caris Halbert L.P., ADAPT I Ltd., Carisome I L.P., and other affiliates).
- Halbert remains a Director, 10% owner, and CEO; retains voting control via affiliated entities.
Implications for investors: The conversion collapses the preferred layer, simplifying the capital structure ahead of public trading and clarifying the insider’s sizeable stake. RSU grants strengthen incentive alignment but add marginal dilution. Concentrated insider ownership (>10%) may influence governance and float dynamics post-IPO.
Positive
- Preferred-to-common conversion removes senior securities, simplifying capital structure ahead of the IPO.
- Founder retains a sizable equity stake (~121 M shares), aligning management incentives with shareholder value.
- No insider sales were reported, reducing negative signalling risk around the IPO timing.
Negative
- Approx. 105 M new common shares increase share count and potential dilution for public investors.
- High insider concentration >10% may constrain free float and concentrate voting power.
Insights
TL;DR: Insider converts >104 M shares & receives RSUs; cap-structure simplified, but dilution and control concentration persist.
The automatic conversion of Series A and B preferred shares adds roughly 105 million new common shares, taking David Halbert’s total beneficial stake to ~121 million. Although the conversion was pre-programmed for the IPO at a 0.25 ratio, it materially increases the public share count, a potential overhang once the lock-up expires. Positively, eliminating preferred equity streamlines the balance sheet and removes preferential rights that might have weighed on valuation. The two RSU grants (≈0.77 million shares) are immaterial versus total shares but reinforce management incentives. Overall impact is modestly dilutive yet expected, leaving the disclosure neutral to slightly positive from a capital-structure perspective.
TL;DR: Halbert controls ~121 M shares post-IPO, signalling strong alignment but tight float and governance influence.
With indirect ownership spread across several affiliated partnerships and trusts, Halbert preserves voting power while disclaiming beneficial ownership beyond pecuniary interest. Such concentration may reassure investors seeking founder commitment, yet it can limit board independence and minority influence. The reverse split and conversion events demonstrate careful pre-IPO housekeeping, reducing complexity. No sales were reported, so market-signal risk is low. I view the filing as governance-neutral with a watch-flag on float and related-party oversight once the stock lists.