Contango ORE, Inc. - Quarter Report: 2018 March (Form 10-Q)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2018

OR 

For the transition period from            to  

Commission file number 001-35770

CONTANGO ORE, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

(713) 877-1311

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.     Yes  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate website, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    Yes  ☒    No  ☐.

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one): 

 If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.          ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes  ☐    No  ☒

The total number of shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, outstanding as of May 10, 2018 was 6,147,612.

CONTANGO ORE, INC.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

All references in this Form 10-Q to the “Company”, “CORE”, “we”, “us” or “our” are to Contango ORE, Inc.

1. Organization and Business

Contango ORE, Inc. (“CORE” or the “Company”) is a Houston-based company that engages in the exploration in Alaska for gold and associated minerals through a joint venture company, Peak Gold, LLC (the “Joint Venture Company”). The Company was formed on September 1, 2010 as a Delaware corporation for the purpose of engaging in the exploration in the State of Alaska for gold ore and associated minerals. The Company currently has two wholly owned subsidiaries, AU CORE, Inc. and CORE Alaska, LLC. AU CORE, Inc. historically owned unpatented mining claims. Those claims were transferred to the Joint Venture Company in January 2015. CORE participates in the Joint Venture Company through its wholly owned subsidiary, CORE Alaska, LLC.

The Company is still in an exploration stage.  The Company’s fiscal year end is June 30.

On November 29, 2010, Contango Mining Company (“Contango Mining”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Contango Oil & Gas Company (“Contango”), assigned its properties and certain other assets and liabilities to Contango. Contango contributed the properties and $3.5 million of cash to the Company, in exchange for approximately 1.6 million shares of the Company’s common stock, which were distributed to Contango’s shareholders of record. The above transactions occurred among companies under common control and were accounted for as transactions among entities under common control, in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 805, “Business Combinations” whereby the acquired assets and liabilities were recognized in the financial statements at their carrying amounts.

The properties contributed by Contango included: (i) a 100% leasehold interest in an estimated 675,000 acres (the “Tetlin Lease”) from the Tetlin Village Council, the council formed by the governing body for the Native Village of Tetlin, an Alaska Native Tribe (the “Tetlin Village Council”); and (ii) approximately 18,021 acres in unpatented mining claims from the state of Alaska for the exploration of gold ore and associated minerals. If any of the properties are placed into commercial production, the Joint Venture Company would be obligated to pay a 3.0% production royalty to Royal Gold, Inc. (“Royal Gold”). On September 29, 2014, Juneau Exploration L.P. (“JEX”) sold its 3.0% production royalty to Royal Gold. See Note 9 - Related Party Transactions.

In September 2012, the Company and JEX entered into an Advisory Agreement in which JEX assisted the Company in acquiring 474 unpatented state of Alaska mining claims consisting of 71,896 acres for the exploration of gold ore and associated minerals in exchange for a 2.0% production royalty on properties acquired after July 1, 2012.  On September 29, 2014, JEX sold its 2.0% production royalty to Royal Gold and the Company terminated its Advisory Agreement with JEX. See Note 9 - Related Party Transactions.  If any properties acquired after July 1, 2012 are placed into commercial production, the Joint Venture Company would be obligated to pay Royal Gold a 2.0% production royalty.

On September 29, 2014, the Company entered into a Master Agreement (the “Master Agreement”) with Royal Gold, pursuant to which the parties agreed, subject to the satisfaction of various closing conditions, to form a joint venture to advance exploration and development of the Peak Gold Joint Venture Property, prospective for gold ore and associated minerals (the “Transactions”). The Transactions closed on January 8, 2015 (the “Closing”).

In connection with the Closing, the Company contributed its Tetlin Lease and state of Alaska mining claims near Tok, Alaska (the “Peak Gold Joint Venture Property”), together with other property, to the Joint Venture Company, a newly formed limited liability company.  The Joint Venture Company is managed according to a Limited Liability Company Agreement (the “JV LLCA”) between subsidiaries of Royal Gold and the Company. At the Closing, Royal Gold made an initial investment of $5 million to fund exploration activity. The initial $5 million did not give Royal Gold an equity stake in the Joint Venture Company. Royal Gold has the option to obtain up to 40% interest in the joint venture by investing up to $30 million (inclusive of the initial $5 million investment) prior to October 2018. The proceeds of Royal Gold’s investment have been used by the Joint Venture Company for additional exploration of the Peak Gold Joint Venture Property. Royal Gold serves as the Manager of the Joint Venture Company and manages, directs, and controls operations of the Joint Venture Company. As of  March 31, 2018, Royal Gold has contributed approximately $29.7 million to the Joint Venture Company and has earned an interest of 39.6%.

The Company has completed eight years of exploration efforts on the Peak Gold Joint Venture Property, which has resulted in identifying two mineral deposits (Peak and North Peak) and several other gold, silver, and copper prospects. In 2017, three phases of exploration drilling were completed by the Joint Venture Company on the Peak Gold Joint Venture Property. During the quarter ended March 31, 2018, the Joint Venture Company approved an exploration budget for calendar 2018 of $9.1 million.  

  On November 10, 2017, subsidiaries of Royal Gold and the Company entered into Amendment No. 1 to the JV LLCA, which, among other things, amended the JV LLCA to add certain claims, previously purchased by the Joint Venture Company.  The claims that were added consist of 541 unpatented state of Alaska mining claims over 84,840 acres for the exploration of gold ore and associated minerals (the “New Properties”).  In return for locating the New Properties and incurring all related expenses, the Joint Venture Company granted to a subsidiary of Royal Gold a 3.0% production royalty on (i) the New Properties, (ii) prior to October 31, 2018, any additional properties contributed to the Joint Venture Company, and (iii) subsequent to October 31, 2018, any additional properties contributed to the Joint Venture Company if Royal Gold earns a 40% interest in the Joint Venture Company by October 31, 2018 (all such properties subject to the 3.0% production royalty, “Additional Properties”).  

2. Basis of Presentation

 The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) for interim financial information, pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 8 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all the information and footnotes required by GAAP for complete annual consolidated financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments considered necessary for a fair statement of the consolidated financial statements have been included. All such adjustments are of a normal recurring nature. The consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited financial statements and notes included in the Company’s Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2017. The results of operations for the three and nine months ended March 31, 2018 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2018.

3. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

The Company’s significant accounting policies are described below.

Management Estimates. The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

Cash Equivalents. Cash equivalents are considered to be highly liquid securities having an original maturity of 90 days or less at the date of acquisition.

Stock-Based Compensation. The Company applies the fair value method of accounting for stock-based compensation. Under this method, compensation cost is measured at the grant date based on the fair value of the award and is recognized over the award vesting period. The Company classifies the benefits of tax deductions in excess of the compensation cost recognized for the options (excess tax benefit) as financing cash flows. The fair value of each option award is estimated as of the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model.  The fair value of each restricted stock award is equal to the Company’s stock price on the date the award is granted.

Income Taxes. The Company follows the liability method of accounting for income taxes under which deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences of (i) temporary differences between the tax basis of assets and liabilities and their reported amounts in the consolidated financial statements and (ii) operating loss and tax credit carry-forwards for tax purposes. Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance when, based upon management’s estimates, it is more likely than not that a portion of the deferred tax assets will not be realized in a future period. The Company recognized a full valuation allowance as of March 31, 2018 and June 30, 2017 and has not recognized any tax provision or benefit for any of the periods. The Company reviews its tax positions quarterly for tax uncertainties. The Company did not have any uncertain tax positions as of  March 31, 2018 or June 30, 2017.  The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was signed into law on December 22, 2017, and enacts significant changes to U.S. income tax and related laws. Among other things, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act reduces the top U.S. corporate income tax rate from 35.0% to 21.0%, and makes changes to certain other business-related exclusions, deductions and credits. The Company has assessed the impact of the tax bill on the financial statements as of March 31, 2018.   Due to the Company’s full valuation allowance, the changes to the income tax provision as a result of the bill are not expected to have a consolidated financial statement impact.  

Investment in the Joint Venture Company. The Company’s consolidated financial statements include the investment in the Joint Venture Company which is accounted for under the equity method. The Company has designated one of the three members of the Management Committee and on March 31, 2018 held a 60.4% ownership interest in the Joint Venture Company. Royal Gold will initially serve as the Manager of the Joint Venture Company and will manage, direct, and control operations of the Joint Venture Company. The Company recorded its investment at the historical cost of the assets contributed. The cumulative losses of the Joint Venture Company exceed the historical cost of the assets contributed to the Joint Venture Company; therefore the Company’s investment in the Joint Venture Company as of March 31, 2018 and June 30, 2017 is zero. The portion of the cumulative loss that exceeds the Company’s investment will be suspended and recognized against earnings, if any, from the investment in the Joint Venture Company in future periods.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements.  In August 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“the FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU“) No. 2016-15: Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230), Classification of Certain Cash Receipts and Cash Payments. The main objective of this update is to reduce the diversity in practice in how certain cash receipts and cash payments are presented and classified in the statement of cash flows under Topic 230, Statement of Cash Flows, and other Topics. This update addresses eight specific cash flow issues with the objective of reducing the existing diversity in practice. The eight cash flow updates relate to the following issues: 1) debt prepayment or debt extinguishment costs; 2) settlement of zero-coupon debt instruments or other debt instruments with coupon interest rates that are insignificant in relation to the effective interest rate of the borrowing; 3) contingent consideration payments made after a business combination; 4) proceeds from the settlement of insurance claims; 5) proceeds from the settlement of corporate-owned life insurance policies, including bank-owned life insurance policies; 6) distributions received from equity method investees; 7) beneficial interest in securitization transactions; and 8) separately identifiable cash flows and application of the predominance principle. The amendments in this update are effective for public business entities for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company will continue to assess the impact this may have on its consolidated statement of cash flows.

The Company has evaluated all other recent accounting pronouncements and believes that none of them will have a significant effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

           4. Investment in the Joint Venture Company 

The Company recorded its investment at the historical book value of the assets contributed to the Joint Venture Company which was approximately $1.4 million. As of  March 31, 2018, Royal Gold has contributed approximately $29.7 million to the Joint Venture Company, and earned a cumulative economic interest of approximately 39.6%. Of the $29.7 million, $0.4 million was contributed during the quarter ended March 31, 2018. Therefore, as of  March 31, 2018, the Company holds a 60.4% economic interest in the Joint Venture Company. As of June 30, 2017, the Company held a 70.5% economic interest in the Joint Venture Company.

The following table is a roll-forward of our investment in the Joint Venture Company from January 8, 2015 (inception) to March 31, 2018:

The following table presents the condensed balance sheet for the Joint Venture Company as of  March 31, 2018 and June 30, 2017:

    The Company’s share of the Joint Venture Company’s results of operations for the three and nine months ended  March 31, 2018 was a loss of approximately $0.3 million and $3.4 million, respectively.  The Company’s share in the results of operations for the three and nine months ended March 31, 2017 was a loss of approximately $2.1 million and $7.1 million, respectively.  The Joint Venture Company loss does not include any provisions related to income taxes as the Joint Venture Company is treated as a partnership for income tax purposes. As of  March 31, 2018 and June 30, 2017, the Company’s share of the Joint Venture Company’s inception-to-date cumulative loss of approximately $24.5 million and $21.2 million, respectively, exceeded the historical book value of our investment in the Joint Venture Company, of $1.4 million. Therefore, the investment in the Joint Venture Company had a balance of zero as of  March 31, 2018 and June 30, 2017. The Company is currently not obligated to make additional capital contributions to the Joint Venture Company and therefore only records losses up to the point of the initial investment which was $1.4 million. The portion of the cumulative loss that exceeds the Company’s investment will be suspended and recognized against earnings, if any, from the Company’s investment in the Joint Venture Company in future periods. The suspended losses for the period from inception to  March 31, 2018 are approximately $23.1 million. The following table presents the condensed results of operations for Joint Venture Company for the three- and nine-month periods ended  March 31, 2018 and 2017:

5. Prepaid Expenses and other

  The Company has prepaid expenses of $188,784 and $175,791 as of March 31, 2018 and June 30, 2017, respectively. Prepaid expenses primarily relate to prepaid insurance and management fees.

6. Loss Per Share

A reconciliation of the components of basic and diluted net loss per share of common stock is presented below:

 Options and warrants to purchase 75,000 and 845,999 shares of common stock were outstanding as of March 31, 2018 and June 30, 2017, respectively. These options and warrants were not included in the computation of diluted earnings per share for each of the three- and nine-month periods ended  March 31, 2018 and 2017 because they are anti-dilutive as a result of the Company’s net loss for all periods presented.

7. Shareholders’ Equity

The Company’s authorized capital stock consists of 30,000,000 shares of common stock and 15,000,000 shares of preferred stock. As of  March 31, 2018, we had 6,127,784 shares of common stock outstanding, including 298,998 shares of unvested restricted stock. The Company also has options and warrants to purchase 75,000 shares of common stock outstanding as of  March 31, 2018. No shares of preferred stock have been issued. The remaining restricted stock outstanding will vest between  August 2018 and January 2020.  

In September 2016, the Company distributed a Private Placement Memorandum to its warrant holders to give them the opportunity to exercise their warrants at a reduced exercise price and receive shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share of the Company by paying the reduced exercise price in cash and surrendering the original warrants.  The offering applied to warrant holders with an exercise price of $10.00 per share originally issued in March 2013. The offering gave the warrant holders the opportunity to exercise the warrants for $9.00 per share. The offer expired on November 15, 2016. In conjunction with the offering a total of 587,500 warrants were exercised resulting in total cash to the Company of $5.3 million. Of the total warrants exercised, 83,334 were exercised by entities controlled by Mr. Brad Juneau, the Company’s Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. Proceeds from the exercise of the warrants will be used for working capital purposes and for funding future obligations to the Joint Venture Company.

On  October 13, 2017, the Company distributed a Private Placement Memorandum to its warrant holders to give them the opportunity to exercise their warrants at a reduced exercise price and receive shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share of the Company by paying the reduced exercise price in cash and surrendering the original warrants.  The offering applied to warrant holders with an exercise price of $10.00 per share originally issued in March 2013. The offering gave the warrant holders the opportunity to exercise the warrants for $9.50 per share. The offer expired on November 10, 2017.  In conjunction with the offering a total of 124,999 warrants were exercised resulting in total cash to the Company of $1.2 million.  Proceeds from the exercise of the warrants will be used for working capital purposes and for funding future obligations to the Joint Venture Company.  

In connection with the exercise offer, the Company entered into a Registration Rights Agreement dated as of November 10, 2017, with each investor who exercised warrants in the offering. The Company agreed to file up to two demand registration statements with the SEC at any time after expiration of the offer but before three years after expiration of the offer in order to register the resale of shares of Common Stock, issued in the offer. In addition, the Registration Rights Agreement granted certain piggyback rights to the investors. 

During the quarter ended March 31, 2018, 196,000 warrants were exercised resulting in the issuance of 152,376 shares of common stock and total cash to the Company of $1.1 million.  All of the outstanding warrants have been exercised.

On October 23, 2017, the Company completed the issuance and sale of an aggregate of 553,672 shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of the Company at a purchase price of $19.00 per share of Common Stock, in a private placement (the “Private Placement”) to certain purchasers (the “Purchasers”) pursuant to a Stock Purchase Agreement dated as of October 23, 2017 (the “Purchase Agreement”), by and among the Company and each Purchaser. The Private Placement resulted in approximately $10.5 million of gross proceeds and approximately $10.0 million of net proceeds. The Company will use the net proceeds from the Private Placement for working capital purposes and for funding future obligations to the Joint Venture Company.  Petrie Partners Securities, LLC (“Petrie”) acted as sole placement agent in connection with the Private Placement and received a placement agent fee equal to 6.50%, which was reduced to 3.25% for existing stockholders and other Purchasers referred by those existing stockholders, or a total of $0.5 million in placement agent fees.  Juneau Exploration L.P., which is controlled by Brad Juneau, the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer, purchased 13,200 shares of Common Stock in the Private Placement for a price of $250,800 and on the same terms and conditions as all other Purchasers.  

The shares sold in the Private Placement were issued in reliance on an exemption from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, pursuant to Section 4(2) thereof. The bases for the availability of this exemption include the facts that the issuance was a private transaction which did not involve a public offering and the shares were offered and sold to a limited number of purchasers.

  Pursuant to a Registration Rights Agreement dated as of October 23, 2017 (the “Registration Rights Agreement”), by and among the Company and the Purchasers, the Company agreed to file up to two demand registration statements with the Securities and Exchange Commission at any time after one year after the Private Placement but before three years after the Private Placement in order to register the resale of the shares of Common Stock.  In addition, the Registration Rights Agreement granted certain piggyback rights to the Purchasers.

 Rights Plan 

On December 19, 2012, the Company adopted a Rights Plan which was amended on March 21, 2013, September 29, 2014, December 18, 2014,  November 11, 2015, and April 22, 2018 (see Note 12 - Subsequent Events). On April 22, 2018, the Company and Computershare Trust Company, N.A., as Rights Agent, entered into an Amendment No. 5 (the “Amendment”) to the Rights Plan.  The Amendment, among other things, amends the Rights Plan to (i) extend the term of the Rights Agreement for one year until December 19, 2019; and (ii) decrease the stock ownership threshold at which the rights become exercisable from twenty-three percent (23%) to fifteen percent (15%), the original percentage when the Rights Plan was adopted in 2012.  The Amendment also provides for certain other conforming and technical amendments to the terms and provisions of the Rights Plan.  The Company has engaged advisors to assist in determining the strategic direction of the Company and its alternatives.

Under the terms of the amended Rights Plan, each right (a “Right”) will entitle the holder to purchase 1/100 of a share of Series A Junior Preferred Stock of the Company (the “Preferred Stock”) at an exercise price of $80 per share. The Rights will be exercisable and will trade separately from the shares of common stock if a person, or group, acquires beneficial ownership of 15% or more of the Company’s common stock.  Under the terms of the Rights Plan, Rights have been distributed as a dividend at the rate of one Right for each share of common stock that was held as of the close of business on December 20, 2012. Stockholders will not receive certificates for the Rights, but the Rights will become part of each share of common stock. An additional Right will be issued along with each share of common stock that is issued or sold by the Company after December 20, 2012. The Rights are scheduled to expire on December 19, 2019.

8. Formation of Joint Venture Company

On January 8, 2015, the Company and Royal Gold, through their wholly-owned subsidiaries, consummated the Transactions contemplated under the Master Agreement, including the formation of a joint venture to advance exploration and development of the Peak Gold Joint Venture Property, for gold ore and associated minerals prospects.

In connection with the Closing of the Transactions, the Company formed the Joint Venture Company. The Company contributed to the Joint Venture Company its Peak Gold Joint Venture Property near Tok, Alaska, together with other property (the “Contributed Assets”) with a historical book value of $1.4 million and an agreed fair value of $45.7 million (the “Contributed Assets Value”). At the Closing, the Company and Royal Gold, through their wholly-owned subsidiaries, entered into the JV LLCA.

Royal Gold serves as manager of the Joint Venture Company (“the Manager”) and will initially manage, direct, and control the operations of the Joint Venture Company.

As a condition to the Closing, the Company and the Tetlin Village Council entered into a Stability Agreement dated October 2, 2014, pursuant to which the Company and the Tetlin Village Council, among other things, acknowledged the continued validity of the Tetlin Lease and all its terms notwithstanding any future change in the status of the Tetlin Village Council or the property subject to the Tetlin Lease.

At Closing, Royal Gold, as an initial contribution to the Joint Venture Company, contributed $5 million (the “Royal Gold Initial Contribution”). The Royal Gold Initial Contribution did not entitle Royal Gold to a percentage interest in the Joint Venture Company. Therefore, at Closing, Royal Gold’s percentage interest in the Joint Venture Company equaled 0% and the Company’s percentage interest in the Joint Venture Company equaled 100%. In addition, as part of the Closing, Royal Gold paid the Company $750,000, which was utilized to partially reimburse the Company for costs and expenses incurred in the Transactions and is included as an expense reimbursement on our consolidated statements of operations.

The JV LLCA provides Royal Gold with the right, but not the obligation, to earn a percentage interest in the Joint Venture Company (up to a maximum of 40%) by making additional contributions of capital to the Joint Venture Company of up to $30 million (inclusive of the Royal Gold Initial Contribution of $5 million) during the period beginning on the Closing and ending on October 31, 2018. If Royal Gold funds its full $30 million investment by October 31, 2018, it will receive a percentage interest of 40% in the Joint Venture Company, and the Company will retain a percentage interest of 60% in the Joint Venture Company. From inception through  March 31, 2018, Royal Gold has contributed approximately $29.7 million (inclusive of the Royal Gold Initial Contribution of $5 million) to the Joint Venture Company and earned a percentage interest of 39.6%.

The proceeds of Royal Gold’s contributions to the Joint Venture Company (including the Royal Gold Initial Contribution) have been used by the Joint Venture Company to fund further exploration activities on the Peak Gold Joint Venture Properties.  Any additional contributions to the Joint Venture Company by Royal Gold to fund future drilling activities, or otherwise, will bring Royal Gold’s cumulative contributions over the $30 million threshold, therefore entitling Royal Gold to a 40% interest in the Joint Venture Company.

Both the Company and Royal Gold will have the right to transfer each of their respective percentage interests in the Joint Venture Company to a third party, subject to certain terms and conditions set forth in the JV LLCA. If either member intends to transfer all or part of its percentage interest to a bona fide third party purchaser, the other member will have the right to require the transferring member to include in the intended transfer the other member’s proportionate share of its percentage interests at the same purchase price and terms and conditions. Now that Royal Gold has earned a 40% interest in the Joint Venture Company, it has the additional right to require the Company to sell up to 20% of the Company’s interest in the Joint Venture Company in a sale of Royal Gold’s entire 40% interest to a bona fide third party purchaser. If Royal Gold exercises this right, the Company will be obligated to sell the relevant portion of its percentage interest to a bona fide third party purchaser on the same terms and conditions as the interest being sold by Royal Gold.

After October 31, 2018, or such earlier time as Royal Gold has earned a 40% interest in the Joint Venture Company, the members will contribute funds to approved programs and budgets in proportion to their respective percentage interests in the Joint Venture Company. If a member elects not to contribute to an approved program and budget or elects to contribute less than its proportionate interest, its percentage interest will be recalculated by dividing (i) the sum of (a) the value of its initial contribution plus (b) the total of all of its capital contributions plus (c) the amount of the capital contribution it elects to fund, by (ii) the sum of (a), (b) and (c) above for both members multiplied by 100.    

The Joint Venture Company is a variable interest entity as defined by FASB ASU No. 2015-02, Consolidation (Topic 810): Amendments to the Consolidation Analysis. The Company is not the primary beneficiary since it does not currently have the power to direct the activities of the Joint Venture Company. The Company’s ownership interest in the Joint Venture Company is therefore accounted under the equity method.

      9. Related Party Transactions

Mr. Brad Juneau, the Company’s Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, is also the sole manager of JEX, a private company involved in the exploration and production of oil and natural gas. JEX was responsible for securing and negotiating the Tetlin Lease and assisting in obtaining other properties and initially engaged Avalon Development Corporation (“Avalon”) to conduct mineral exploration activities on the Tetlin Lease. In agreeing to transfer its interests in such properties to Contango Mining, a predecessor of the Company, JEX retained a 3.0% overriding royalty interest in the properties transferred.

In September 2012, the Company and JEX entered into an Advisory Agreement in which JEX provided assistance in acquiring additional properties in Alaska in exchange for an overriding royalty of 2.0% on properties acquired after July 1, 2012.

On September 29, 2014, pursuant to a Royalty Purchase Agreement between JEX and Royal Gold (the “Royalty Purchase Agreement”), JEX sold its entire overriding royalty interest in the Peak Gold Joint Venture Property to Royal Gold. On the same date, the Company terminated its Advisory Agreement with JEX.

In September 2016, the Company and JEX entered into a Management Services Agreement effective October 1, 2016. Under the Management Services Agreement, JEX will manage the business and affairs of the Company and its interest in the Joint Venture Company, subject to the direction of the Board, including corporate finance, accounting, budget, SEC reporting, risk management, operations and stockholder relation functions of the Company for an initial term of one year, and thereafter on a monthly basis, for a monthly fee of $32,000 which includes an allocation of approximately $6,900 for office space and equipment. No part of the fee will be allocated for compensation of Brad Juneau who will be compensated separately as determined by the independent Directors of the Company. JEX will also be reimbursed for its reasonable and necessary costs and expenses of third parties incurred for the Company. In addition, executives of JEX may be granted restricted stock, stock options or other forms of compensation by the independent Directors of the Company. The Company has adopted this management and compensation program because employees of JEX have historically spent significant time and effort in managing and administering the affairs of the Company. While the Company remains a small exploratory stage entity whose shares are publicly traded, the successful drilling program of the Joint Venture Company has required a significant additional allocation of time and effort to the business and affairs of the Company by the three part time executives, two of whom are officers of the Company. The amount of time and expertise required to effectively manage and administer the business and affairs of the Company will continue to be monitored by the Board for necessary adjustments or modifications depending upon the amount of time required to be spent on the business and affairs of the Company by the executives and the progress of the Joint Venture Company in its exploratory programs in Alaska.

On October 23, 2017, the Company completed the issuance and sale of an aggregate of 553,672 shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of the Company at a purchase price of $19.00 per share of Common Stock, in a private placement (the “Private Placement”) to certain purchasers (the “Purchasers”) pursuant to a Stock Purchase Agreement dated as of October 23, 2017 (the “Purchase Agreement”), by and among the Company and each Purchaser. The Private Placement resulted in approximately $10.5 million of gross proceeds and approximately $10.0 million of net proceeds. The Company will use the net proceeds from the Private Placement for working capital purposes and for funding future obligations to the Joint Venture Company.  Petrie Partners Securities, LLC (“Petrie”) acted as sole placement agent in connection with the Private Placement and received a placement agent fee equal to 6.50%, which was reduced to 3.25% for existing stockholders and other Purchasers referred by those existing stockholders, or a total of $0.5 million in placement agent fees.  JEX, which is controlled by Brad Juneau, the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer, purchased 13,200 shares of Common Stock, in the Private Placement for a price of $250,800 and on the same terms and conditions as all other Purchasers. 

      On April 16, 2018, Royal Gold filed a Schedule 13D with the Securities and Exchange Commission to reflect Royal Gold’s acquisition from an existing stockholder of 13.6% of the Company’s outstanding common stock at a price of $26 per share, subject to certain adjustments. Royal Gold is the parent company of Royal Alaska LLC, CORE’s joint venture partner in the Joint Venture Company. See Note 12 - Subsequent Events.

10. Stock-Based Compensation

On September 15, 2010, the Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) adopted the Contango ORE, Inc. Equity Compensation Plan (the “2010 Plan”). On November 14, 2017, the Stockholders of the Company approved and adopted the Contango ORE, Inc. Amended and Restated 2010 Equity Compensation Plan (the “Amended Equity Plan”). The amendments to the 2010 Plan included (a) increasing the number of shares of Common Stock that the Company may issue under the plan by 500,000 shares; (b) extending the term of the plan until September 15, 2027; and (c) allowing the Company to withhold shares to satisfy the Company’s tax withholding obligations with respect to grants paid in Company Stock. Under the Amended Equity Plan, the Board may issue up to 1,500,000 shares of common stock and options to officers, directors, employees or consultants of the Company. Awards made under the Amended Equity Plan are subject to such restrictions, terms and conditions, including forfeitures, if any, as may be determined by the Board. As of  March 31, 2018, there were 298,998 shares of unvested restricted common stock outstanding and options to purchase 75,000 shares of common stock outstanding issued under the Amended Equity Plan. Stock-based compensation expense for the three and nine months ended  March 31, 2018 was $731,995 and $1,730,112, respectively. Stock-based compensation expense for the three and nine months ended  March 31, 2017 was $413,006 and $1,372,656, respectively.  The amount of compensation expense recognized does not reflect cash compensation actually received by the individuals during the current period, but rather represents the amount of expense recognized by the Company in accordance with GAAP.  All restricted stock grants are expensed over the applicable vesting period based on the fair value at the date the stock is granted.  The grant date fair value may differ from the fair value on the date the individual’s restricted stock actually vests.

Restricted Stock. In November 2010, the Company granted 70,429 restricted shares of common stock to its executives and directors and an additional 23,477 restricted shares to a former technical consultant. All of the restricted stock from this grant is fully vested.

In December 2013, the Company’s directors, executives, and a former technical consultant were granted an aggregate of 95,000 shares of restricted stock. The restricted stock was set to vest over two years, beginning with one-third vesting on the date of grant.  All of the restricted stock granted in December 2013 is fully vested.

In November 2014, the Company granted 27,000 restricted shares of common stock to its executives. The restricted stock was originally set to vest over two years, beginning with one-third vesting on the date of grant. In September 2016, the restricted stock agreements were modified. The final one-third of the grant will now vest in January 2019. As of  March 31, 2018, there were 9,000 shares of such restricted stock that remained unvested.

In January 2015, the Company granted an aggregate of 30,000 restricted shares of common stock to two of its non-executive directors, of which 10,000 shares vested immediately and the remaining two-thirds vested equally over two years. In addition, the Company granted 10,000 restricted shares of common stock to a former technical consultant which vested immediately. The Compensation Committee also elected to immediately vest all of the stock options and restricted stock previously issued to the former technical consultant. All of the restricted stock granted in January 2015 is fully vested.

In September 2015, the Company granted 85,000 restricted shares of common stock to its executives. The restricted stock was originally set to vest over two years, beginning with one-third vesting on the date of grant. In September 2016, the restricted stock agreements for two executives were modified such that the final one-third of their restricted stock grant will vest in January 2019. As of  March 31, 2018, there were 13,332 shares of such restricted stock that remained unvested.

In December 2015, the Company granted 40,000 restricted shares of common stock to two of its non-executive directors. The restricted stock vests over two years, beginning with one-third vesting on the date of grant. As of  March 31, 2018, all of the restricted stock from this grant was fully vested.

In August 2016, the Company granted 100,000 restricted shares of common stock to its executives. A portion of the restricted stock granted vests over two years, beginning one-third on the date of grant. The remainder of the restricted stock granted vests in January 2019. As of  March 31, 2018, there were 46,666 shares of such restricted stock that remained unvested.

 In  November 2016, the Company granted 75,000 restricted shares of common stock to its non-executive directors. The restricted stock granted vests in January 2019. As of  March 31, 2018, there were 75,000 shares of such restricted stock that remained unvested.

 In  November 2017, the Company granted 155,000 restricted shares of common stock to its executives and non-executive directors. The restricted stock granted vests in January 2020. As of  March 31, 2018, there were 155,000 shares of such restricted stock that remained unvested.

As of  March 31, 2018, the total compensation cost related to unvested awards not yet recognized was $3,509,896. The remaining costs will be recognized over the remaining vesting period of the awards.  Neither Brad Juneau, the Company’s Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, nor any of the Company’s non-executive directors have ever been paid a salary or cash compensation by the Company.

Stock Options. The option awards listed in the table below have been granted to directors, executives and consultants of the Company:

^{(1) The Company granted 40,000 stock options to its directors and executives and an additional 10,000 stock options to a former technical consultant, for services performed during fiscal year 2011.  Of the total options granted 15,000 were later forfeited.} 

^{(2) The Company granted 75,000 stock options to its directors and executives and an additional 25,000 stock options to a former technical consultant for services performed during fiscal year 2012. Of the total options granted as a part of this grant, 25,000 were later forfeited.} 

^{(3) The Company granted 175,000 stock options to its directors and executives and an additional 75,000 stock options to a former technical consultant for services performed during fiscal year 2013. Of the total options granted as a part of this grant, 50,000 were later forfeited.} 

^{(4) The Company granted 37,500 stock options to its executives for services performed during fiscal year 2013.} 

^{(5) The Company granted 5,000 stock options to an employee of Avalon for services performed during fiscal year 2013.} 

^{(6) The Company granted 52,500 stock options to its executives for services performed during the first quarter of fiscal year 2014.} 

^{(7) If at any time there occurs a change of control, as defined in the Amended Equity Plan, any options that are unvested at that time will immediately vest. The Company’s Compensation Committee has determined that the Transactions do not constitute a change of control under the Amended Equity Plan.}  

There were no stock option exercises during the quarters ended March 31, 2018 or March 31, 2017.  Two former employees exercised 30,000 stock options on April 26, 2018 (see Note 12 - Subsequent Events).  During the nine month period ended March 31, 2018, the Company’s current executives, directors, and consultants cashless exercised 190,000 stock options resulting in the issuance of 93,026 shares of common stock to the exercising parties and no proceeds to the Company.  The Company applies the fair value method to account for stock option expense. Under this method, cash flows from the exercise of stock options resulting from tax benefits in excess of recognized cumulative compensation cost (excess tax benefits) are classified as financing cash flows. See Note 3 – Summary of Significant Accounting Policies. All employee stock option grants are expensed over the stock option’s vesting period based on the fair value at the date the options are granted. The fair value of each option is estimated as of the date of grant using the Black-Scholes options-pricing model. As of  March 31, 2018, the stock options had a weighted-average remaining life of approximately 0.4 years. The total compensation cost related to these options has been fully recognized as all of the options are fully vested.

 A summary of the status of stock options granted under the Amended Equity Plan as of March 31, 2018 and changes during the nine months then ended, is presented in the table below: 

11. Commitments and Contingencies

Tetlin Lease. The Tetlin Lease had an initial ten year term beginning July 2008 which was extended for an additional ten years to July 15, 2028, and for so long thereafter as the Joint Venture Company initiates and continues to conduct mining operations on the Tetlin Lease.

Pursuant to the terms of the Tetlin Lease, the Joint Venture Company is required to spend $350,000 per year until July 15, 2018 in exploration costs. However, the Company’s exploration expenditures through the 2011 exploration program have satisfied this requirement because exploration funds spent in any year in excess of $350,000 are credited toward future years’ exploration cost requirements. Additionally, should the Joint Venture Company derive revenues from the properties covered under the Tetlin Lease, the Joint Venture Company is required to pay the Tetlin Tribal Council a production royalty ranging from 2.0% to 5.0%, depending on the type of metal produced and the year of production. As of March 31, 2018, the Company had paid the Tetlin Tribal Council $225,000 in exchange for reducing the production royalty payable to them by 0.75%. These payments lowered the production royalty to a range of 1.25% to 4.25%. On or before July 15, 2020, the Tetlin Tribal Council has the option to increase their production royalty by (i) 0.25% by payment to the Joint Venture Company of $150,000, (ii) 0.50% by payment to the Joint Venture Company of $300,000, or (iii) 0.75% by payment to the Joint Venture Company of $450,000. Until such time as production royalties begin, the Joint Venture Company must pay the Tetlin Tribal Council an advance minimum royalty of $50,000 per year. On July 15, 2012, the advance minimum royalty increased to $75,000 per year, and subsequent years are escalated by an inflation adjustment.

Gold Exploration. The Joint Venture Company’s Triple Z, Tok/Tetlin, Eagle, Bush, West Fork, and Noah claims are all located on state of Alaska lands. The annual claim rentals on these projects vary based on the age of the claims, and are due and payable in full by November 30 of each year. Annual claims rentals for the 2017-2018 assessment year totaled $155,505. The Joint Venture Company has met the annual labor requirements for the state of Alaska acreage for the next four years, which is the maximum time allowable by Alaska law.

Royal Gold Royalties. The Joint Venture Company is obligated to pay Royal Gold (i) an overriding royalty of 3.0% should the Joint Venture Company derive revenues from the Tetlin Lease, the Additional Properties and certain other properties and (ii) an overriding royalty of 2.0% should the Joint Venture Company derive revenues from certain properties.

12.  Subsequent Events

          On April 16, 2018, Royal Gold filed a Schedule 13D with the Securities and Exchange Commission to reflect Royal Gold’s acquisition from an existing shareholder of 13.6% of the Company’s outstanding common stock at a price of $26 per share, subject to certain adjustments. Royal Gold is the parent company of Royal Alaska LLC, CORE’s joint venture partner in the Joint Venture Company.

          On April 22, 2018, the Company and Computershare Trust Company, N.A., as Rights Agent, entered into an Amendment No. 5 (the “Amendment”) to the Company’s Rights Agreement, dated as of December 20, 2012, by and between the Company and the Rights Agent (as amended to date, the “Rights Agreement”).  The Amendment, among other things, amends the Rights Agreement to (i) extend the term of the Rights Agreement for one year until December 19, 2019; and (ii) decrease the stock ownership threshold at which the rights become exercisable from twenty-three percent (23%) to fifteen percent (15%), the original percentage when the Rights Agreement was adopted in 2012.  The Amendment also provides for certain other conforming and technical amendments to the terms and provisions of the Rights Agreement.  The Company has engaged advisors to assist in determining the strategic direction of the Company and its alternatives.

          On April 26, 2018 two former employees cashless exercised 30,000 stock options which resulted in the issuance of 19,828 shares to the exercising parties and no proceeds to the Company.

          Additionally, on April 26, 2018 Royal Gold funded an additional $313,890 to the Joint Venture Company to bring its total contributions to $30.0 million, and its ownership percentage to 40%.  Now that Royal Gold has funded $30 million, the Company and Royal Gold are required to jointly fund the joint venture operations in proportion to their interests in the Joint Venture Company. If a member elects not to contribute to an approved program and budget or elects to contribute less than its proportionate interest, its percentage interest will be reduced.  In addition, Royal Gold now also has the right to require the Company to sell up to 20% of the Company's interest in the Joint Venture Company in a sale of Royal Gold's entire 40% to a bona fide third party purchaser.

Available Information

  General information about the Company can be found on the Company’s website at www.contangoore.com. Our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K, as well as any amendments and exhibits to those reports, are available free of charge through our website as soon as reasonably practicable after we file or furnish them to the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).