Trump Media, the social media company founded by former President Donald Trump, experienced a significant decline in its stock value following the SEC's declaration of effectiveness for the registration of additional shares. According to multiple reports, up to 14,375,000 additional shares may be issued upon warrant exercise. This news led to a plunge in the stock price for both Trump Media and Truth Social app.
The SEC's authorization allows early investors in Trump Media to exercise public warrants they hold in the company. The prospect of these new shares being released into the market caused concern among existing shareholders, leading to a significant decline in value. The SEC filing also noted that up to $247 million in proceeds could be received by Trump Media from warrant exercises and the release of restricted cash.
Donald Trump, who owns close to 65% of TMTG and had an additional 36 million shares, saw his total stock holdings exceeding 114.75 million shares. The decline in value resulted in a loss of over $267 million for the former president.
Trump Media's CEO, Devin Nunes, expressed optimism about the company's future prospects despite the recent setback. He stated that with the S-1 now declared effective, Trump Media would be well positioned to pursue TV streaming and other enhancements to its platform. Additionally, TMTG was expected to have approximately 620,000 retail shareholders supporting its vision.
However, Trump Media executives face challenges in communicating effectively with investors and the media to prevent further weakness in the stock price. The upcoming August earnings release is critical for addressing investor concerns and explaining the benefits of staying invested as newly registered shares become salable.