What's Happening In Root9B?

Root9B Holdings Inc RTNB investors have been rattled since Friday morning when the stock halted seven times on circuit breakers. Since then, Nasdaq halted trading twice pending news and, on Wednesday morning, twice on circuit breakers.

The nano-cap stock is up 287 percent since Friday.

The Main Quake

Extreme volatility first sent shares from $0.60 to $2.34 and preceded reports that Centriole Reinsurance, an agent of Root9B’s creditors, intended to auction nearly all of the company’s assets to reconcile outstanding debt.

By management estimates, securities would “decline dramatically or become worthless” should such a sale proceed. President Dan Wachtler announced his disagreement with the action and asserted his intent to pursue alternatives.

Trading resumed just ahead of the weekend, closing Friday at $1.07 before halting again the next week when Root9B officially announced a foreclosure sale of assets. Shares ended Monday's session up 16.7 percent.

Related Link: The T-12 Nasdaq Halt: When Stocks Get Called To The Principal’s Office

Aftershocks

Tuesday saw the stock rally nearly 225 percent to $3.75 ahead of another halt. News broke that the company had issued secured convertible promissory notes for a principal amount of $500,000 and acknowledged it was in default immediately upon issuance.

Trading resumed after hours and opened down 37 percent Wednesday. The stock quickly rose from a daily low of $1.87 to $2.80, prompting another halt on circuit breakers. It then fell to $2.12, soon halted again on volatility, and traded down 20 percent at time of publication.

Mounting Pressure

The activity since Friday echoes greater volatility from the start of the year.

In mid-January, Root9B rocketed from a steady, long-term sub-$1 rate to a then-all-time high of $11.22 on news that it had secured a five-year contract supporting Department of Defense initiatives.

The stock waxed and waned from there, even hitting a record $12.75, but eventually saw a yet-unrecovered slump begin early July, when a 10-Q filing showed “going concern” language.

Since early August, shares have fallen as much as 90 percent, partly catalyzed by a non-timely 10-Q and an 8-K showing Root9B “continues to face challenges related to operations.”