Shares in Aptamer Group PLC (AIM:APTA) fell 8% on Friday after the company announced a £2 million fundraising through a discounted share placing.
The new shares were issued at 0.3p, more than 20% below Thursday's closing price. The placing comprises a firm allotment of £1.2mn and a conditional tranche of £800,000, subject to shareholder approval.
Aptamer said the funds will accelerate the commercialisation of its Optimer synthetic binder technology and support new initiatives, including in-house manufacturing, biomarker discovery services, and machine learning capabilities for drug development.
The company aims to maintain tight cost control while extending its cash runway to 2027.
Despite the share price reaction, Aptamer highlighted strong progress, including a growing IP portfolio and active licensing discussions around assets like a swine vaccine and Alzheimer’s diagnostic.
The stock fell 0.03p to 0.35p. However, that's still (marginally) above the notional ex-rights price.