There's been no movement in the Etherstack PLC (ASX: ESK) share price today after the company announced a trading halt this morning. Etherstack shares were trading at 64 cents prior to the halt, which was requested by the company pending a further announcement regarding a "material capital raising".
The Etherstack share price has performed well this year, gaining a huge 220% in year-to-date trading.
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What Etherstack does
Etherstack is a wireless technology company that specialises in developing, manufacturing and licensing mission-critical radio technologies. The company primarily works with wireless equipment manufacturers and network operators around the globe, including the likes of Samsung Electronics and Cisco Systems Inc.
The company was founded and is based in Sydney, but is twice as large offshore than onshore. It first listed on the ASX in 2012 and is focused on the public safety, defence, utilities, transportation and resources sectors.
What happened?
This morning, trading in Etherstack shares was halted as the company announced it would be undertaking a capital raising.
Etherstack stated it would be raising material capital by way of an institutional placement. This means that only institutions, not retail investors, will have access to the additional shares at a discounted price. The company did not state whether the placement was underwritten or not.
What Now?
With the trading halt expected to last until 21 December, it is unlikely any Etherstack shares will change hands until next week. This is unless there is a prior announcement by the company prior to the market's close on Friday this week.
In announcing the capital raising, it's likely management is seeking to benefit from the company's elevated share price. Etherstack shares notably soared by 1358% in June on the back of major contract win announcements. The company's shares were trading as high as $1.75 as a result of it signing a global teaming agreement with Samsung Electronics for public safety communications.
Since its extraordinary rise, the Etherstack share price fell sharply in early July and has been trading around its current levels over the last six months.
