Shares of The Bon-Ton Stores Inc. will begin trading on the OTCQX Best Market beginning Thursday.
The company said it would continue to issue its regular quarterly earnings releases and hold conference calls in connection with its quarterly and annual filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Shares of Bon-Ton currently trade on the Nasdaq Global Select market. They are currently trading in the range of 58 cents and fell as low as 32 cents on Oct. 17. The last time Bon-Ton shares traded above $1.00 was on Oct. 27, when they hit an intraday high of $1.18 two days after the company said it amended a credit facility. Before that, the last time they traded over $1.00 was on March 17, when they hit $1.10 before closing the day’s trading session at 95 cents.
The OTC Markets Group has several tiers, with the OTCQX considered the top tier. Firms who trade on that tier often leave the larger NYSE or Nasdaq exchanges to avoid the high costs connected with that listing, or they no longer meet the listing requirements of the larger exchanges. Trading on the OTCQX provides liquidity for the shares and a demarcation line separating out other OTC stocks that — due to their financial challenges — trade on the lower two tiers.
Related Galleries
The retailer has corporate headquarters in York, Pa., and in Milwaukee, Wis. It operates 260 stores, including nine furniture galleries and four clearance centers, in 24 states in the Northeast, Midwest and upper Great Plains. The stores operate under the nameplates Bon-Ton, Bergner’s, Boston Store, Carson’s, Elder-Beerman, Herberger’s and Younkers.
Bon-Ton is slated to report third-quarter results Thursday.
The company has had some financial challenges, and last month reached an agreement with lenders to amend its ABL credit facility. The retailer said the amendments provide it with increased flexibility for the holiday season.
In September the company agreed to sell its Herberger’s site at the Rosedale Center in Roseville, Minn., in a sale-leaseback deal valued at $18.9 million. Bon-Ton said the proceeds would be used to repay outstanding debt.