The Dangers of Delisting

NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Ravi Shukla has a fairly simple morning routine, not unlike many investors: He'll wake around 5:30 a.m. He'll make some tea. Then he'll fire up his computer to check on his financial state: Savings and checking accounts, credit cards and investment portfolio, among others.

But on Monday, Sept. 21, with a cup of black tea at the ready, Shukla stared at his portfolio on Google Finance. There, he saw the announcement that rocked one of his beloved companies. After the previous Friday's close, DayStar Technologies (DSTI), a maker of thin-film solar products, said that it received a "deficiency letter" from the Nasdaq Stock Market. The company's stock had failed to keep its bid price above $1 for 30 consecutive days, one of several criteria that could cause the exchange to delist the company, or remove it from regular trading.

He was far from alone.

According to data from iMetrix by Edgar Online, 114 companies with trailing 12-month revenue of $1 million or more have seen their share prices slump below $1 between the beginning of this September and the start of this month. The top ten include Sirius XM Radio (SIRI), followed by the likes of FairPoint Communications (FRP), Mesa Air (MESA), Champion Enterprises (CHB) and ChipMOS (IMOS).

The threat of delisting is palpable for all of them -- as each has received deficiency notices from their respective exchanges -- as it is for their many investors.

When we reached out to Sirius about future plans, the company pointed to its Sept. 17th press release on the potential delisting matter. There, in part, Sirius said it plans to maintain its listing on the Nasdaq and will consider "available options" if shares continue to languish below the minimum bid price. When asked about the same, a Fairpoint spokesperson generally noted that it's attempting to restructure its debt and has already made headway in improving back-office service transition issues in its largest markets. TheStreet reached out to all other companies on the top 10 list; the site is awaiting responses.

But in order to understand what to do when the dreaded "d" word begins circulating, it helps to understand how the process works.

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