drct-20260108FALSE000188061312/3100018806132025-10-142025-10-14
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D)
OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): January 8, 2026
Direct Digital Holdings, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
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| Delaware | 001-41261 | 87-2306185 |
(State or other jurisdiction
of incorporation) | (Commission
File Number) | (IRS Employer
Identification No.) |
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1177 West Loop South, Suite 1310 Houston, Texas | 77027 |
| (Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) |
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (832) 402-1051
Not Applicable
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
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| ☐ | Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) |
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| ☐ | Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) |
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| ☐ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) |
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| ☐ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act:
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| Title of each class | | Trading
Symbol(s) | | Name of each exchange on which registered |
| Class A Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share | | DRCT | | The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).
Emerging growth company ☒
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Item 3.03 Material Modification to Rights of Security Holders.
On January 9, 2026, Direct Digital Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) filed a Certificate of Amendment (the “Amendment”) to its Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, as amended, with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware to effect a 55-to-1 reverse stock split (the “Reverse Stock Split”) of the Company’s shares of Series A common stock, $0.001 par value and Series B common stock, $0.001 par value.
The Company’s stockholders approved the Reverse Stock Split at a Special Meeting of Stockholders held December 30, 2025, granting the Company’s board of directors (the “Board”) the authority to determine whether to implement one or more reverse stock splits each at a ratio ranging from any whole number between and including 2-to-1 and 250-to-1. On December 30, 2025, the Board determined to implement the Reverse Stock Split at a ratio of 55-to-1.
As a result of the Reverse Stock Split, every 55 shares of the Company’s pre-Reverse Stock Split classes of common stock will be combined and reclassified as one share of the applicable class of common stock. Proportionate voting rights and other rights of common stockholders will not be affected by the Reverse Stock Split, other than as a result of the payment in lieu of issuance of fractional shares. No fractional shares will be issued in connection with the Reverse Stock Split. Stockholders who would otherwise be entitled to receive fractional shares because they hold a number of shares of common stock that is not evenly divided by the reverse split ratio, will be entitled to receive a cash payment, without interest or deduction, rounded to the nearest cent, in an amount equal to the product obtained by multiplying (a) the closing price per share of our common stock as reported on the Nasdaq Stock Market as of the date of the Effective Time of the Reverse Stock Split, by (b) the fraction of one share owned by the stockholder.
The Reverse Stock Split became effective at 12:01am on January 12, 2026, and the Class A common stock was quoted on the Nasdaq Capital Market on a post-Reverse Stock Split basis at the open of business on January 12, 2026. The Company’s post-Reverse Stock Split Class A common stock has a new CUSIP number, 25461T204, but the par value and other terms of the common stock were not affected by the Reverse Stock Split. The Company’s transfer agent, Equiniti Trust Company, is acting as exchange and paying agent for the Reverse Stock Split and will send instructions to stockholders of record regarding the exchange of certificates for common stock as applicable.
The foregoing description of the Amendment and the Reverse Stock Split set forth above does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Amendment and the proxy statement on Schedule 14A filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 15, 2025. A copy of the Amendment is being filed as Exhibit 3.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 5.03 Amendments to Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws; Change in Fiscal Year.
The disclosures set forth in Item 3.03 of this Current Report on Form 8-K are incorporated into this Item 5.03 by reference.
Item 8.01 Other Events.
On January 8, 2026, the Company issued a press release announcing the Reverse Stock Split. A copy of such press release is being furnished as Exhibit 99.1 to this report.
Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) Exhibits
EXHIBIT INDEX
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| Exhibit No. | | Description |
| 3.1 | | |
| 99.1 | | |
| 104 | | Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101). |
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
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January 12, 2026
(Date) | Direct Digital Holdings, Inc. (Registrant) |
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| /s/ DIANA P. DIAZ |
| Diana P. Diaz Chief Financial Officer |
CERTIFICATE OF AMENDMENT
TO
AMENDED AND RESTATED CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION
OF
DIRECT DIGITAL HOLDINGS, Inc.
Direct Digital Holdings, Inc. (the “Corporation”), a corporation organized and existing under and by virtue of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”), does hereby certify:
FIRST: That the name of the Corporation is Direct Digital Holdings, Inc.
SECOND: The Corporation was organized and is existing under and by virtue of the DGCL by the filing of a Certificate of Incorporation with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on August 23, 2021, under its current name, as amended and restated by that certain Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Corporation filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on February 11, 2022, as amended by that certain Certificate of Amendment to Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on June 10, 2025, as further amended by that certain Certificate of Designation of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on August 8, 2025, that certain Amended and Restated Certificate of Designation of Series A Convertible Preferred Stock filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on October 15, 2025, and that certain Certificate of Amendment to Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on November 5, 2025 (the “Current Charter”).
THIRD: The Current Charter is hereby amended by adding the following Sections 9.1 and 9.2 to ARTICLE V:
“9. Reverse Stock Split.
9.1 Effectiveness. At 12:01am on January 12, 2026 (the “Effective Time”) pursuant to the DGCL of this Certificate of Amendment to the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Corporation, as amended, every fifty-five (55) issued and outstanding shares or shares held by the Corporation as treasury stock of Class A Common Stock and Class B Common Stock, as applicable, as of the date and time immediately preceding the Effective Time (the “Old Shares”), shall automatically be reclassified as and converted into one (1) validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable share of Class A Common Stock or Class B Common Stock, respectively, (the “New Shares”) without any further action by the Corporation or the holder thereof, subject to the treatment of fractional share interests as described below (the “Reverse Stock Split”). Further, every right, option and warrant to acquire Old Shares outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time shall, as of the Effective Time and without any further action, automatically be reclassified into the right to acquire New Shares based on the conversion ratio of shares of Old Shares to New Shares set forth in the preceding sentence, but otherwise upon the terms of
such right, option or warrant (except that the exercise or purchase price of such right, option or warrant shall be proportionately adjusted).
No fractional shares shall be issued in connection with the Reverse Stock Split. Stockholders who otherwise would be entitled to receive fractional New Shares in the Reverse Stock Split shall be entitled to receive cash (without interest or deduction) from the Corporation’s transfer agent in lieu of such fractional share interests (if applicable upon the submission of a letter of transmittal by a stockholder holding the shares in book-entry form and, where shares are held in certificated form, upon the surrender of the stockholder’s Old Certificates (as defined below)), in an amount equal to the product obtained by multiplying (a) the closing price per share of the Class A Common Stock as reported on the Nasdaq Stock Market as of the date of the Effective Time, by (b) the fraction of one New Share owned by the stockholder.
9.2. Certificates. Each holder of record of a certificate which immediately prior to the last trading day preceding the date of the Effective Time (the “Effective Date”) represents Old Shares (the “Old Certificates”) shall be entitled to receive upon surrender of such Old Certificates to the Corporation’s transfer agent for cancellation, a certificate (the “New Certificates”) representing the number of whole New Shares into and for which the shares formerly represented by such Old Certificates so surrendered are exchangeable. From and after the Effective Date, Old Certificates shall represent only the right to receive New Certificates pursuant to the provisions hereof.”
FOURTH: That this Certificate of Amendment was duly adopted in accordance with the provisions of Sections 228 and 242 of the DGCL.
FIFTH: This Certificate of Amendment shall be effective upon the filing of this Certificate of Amendment with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned officer of the Corporation has caused this Certificate of Amendment to be executed on this 8th day of January, 2026.
Direct Digital Holdings, Inc.
By: _/s/ MARK WALKER _
Name: Mark Walker
Title: Chief Executive Officer
Direct Digital Holdings Announces Reverse Stock Split
Houston, January 8, 2026 -- Direct Digital Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: DRCT) ("Direct Digital Holdings" or the "Company"), a leading advertising and marketing technology platform operating through its companies Colossus Media, LLC ("Colossus SSP") and Orange 142, LLC ("Orange 142"), today announced a 55-to-1 reverse stock split of all classes of its common stock. The Company expects the Class A common stock to begin trading on a split-adjusted basis on The Nasdaq Stock Market as of the commencement of trading on January 12, 2026. The reverse stock split is intended to allow the Company to regain compliance with Nasdaq’s minimum bid price requirement of $1.00 per share.
The reverse stock split was approved by Direct Digital Holdings’ Board of Directors and subsequently by its stockholders on December 30, 2025, with the authorization to determine the final ratio having been granted to, and determined by, the Board. As a result of the reverse stock split, every 55 shares of the Company's common stock issued and outstanding will be automatically converted into one share of common stock, with no change in the $0.001 par value per share or authorized number of shares of common stock. The number of outstanding shares of Class A common stock, which is traded on Nasdaq, will be reduced from approximately 68.9 million to approximately 1.3 million, and the number of outstanding shares of Class B common stock, which is exchangeable and votes with the Class A common stock, will be reduced from approximately 9.3 million to approximately 0.2 million.
The Company's Class A common stock will continue to trade on Nasdaq under the symbol "DRCT." The new CUSIP number for the Class A common stock following the reverse split is 25461T204.
Mark Walker, Chief Executive Officer of Direct Digital Holdings, commented, “Executing this reverse split is an important next step in our path forward and enables us to regain compliance with the continued listing requirements for Nasdaq. Our Nasdaq listing is a key asset for our business and provides our common stock with heightened visibility among institutional investors to build and maintain a strong investor base, which is foundational to our go-forward strategy as we look ahead to 2026 and beyond.”
No fractional shares will be issued if, as a result of the reverse stock split, a stockholder would otherwise become entitled to a fractional share because the number of shares of common stock they hold before the reverse stock split is not evenly divisible by the split ratio. Instead, each stockholder will be entitled to receive a proportional cash payment in lieu of a fractional share.
The Company’s transfer agent, Equiniti Trust Company, is acting as the exchange and paying agent for the reverse stock split. The Company does not expect that stockholders holding their shares in book-entry form or through a bank, broker or other nominee need to take any action in connection with the reverse stock split. Beneficial holders are encouraged to contact their bank, broker or other nominee with any procedural questions. Additional information concerning the reverse stock split can be found in the Company’s definitive proxy statement on Schedule 14A filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 15, 2025.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities laws that are subject to certain risks, trends and uncertainties. We use words such as “could,” “would,” “may,” “might,” “will,” “expect,” “likely,” “believe,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “project” and other similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements, but not all forward-looking statements include these words. All of our forward-looking statements involve estimates and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by the forward-looking statements. Accordingly, any such statements are qualified in their entirety by reference to the information described under the caption “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 (the “Form 10-K”) and subsequent periodic and or current reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).
The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based on assumptions that we have made in light of our industry experience and our perceptions of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors we believe are appropriate under the circumstances. As you read and consider this press release, you should understand that these statements are not guarantees of performance or results. They involve risks, uncertainties (many of which are beyond our control) and assumptions.
Although we believe that these forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, you should be aware that many factors could affect our actual operating and financial performance and cause our performance to differ materially from the performance expressed in or implied by the forward-looking statements. We believe these factors include, but are not limited to, the following: the restrictions and covenants imposed upon us by our credit facilities; the substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern, which may hinder our ability to obtain future financing; our ability to secure additional financing to meet our capital needs; our ineligibility to file short-form registration statements on Form S-3, which may impair our ability to raise capital; our failure to satisfy applicable listing standards of the Nasdaq Capital Market resulting in a potential delisting of our common stock; costs, risks and uncertainties related to restatement of certain prior period financial statements; any significant fluctuations caused by our high customer concentration; risks related to non-payment by our clients; reputational and other harms caused by our failure to detect advertising fraud; operational and performance issues with our platform, whether real or perceived, including a failure to respond to technological changes or to upgrade our technology systems; restrictions on the use of third-party “cookies,” mobile device IDs or other tracking technologies, which could diminish our
platform’s effectiveness; unfavorable publicity and negative public perception about our industry, particularly concerns regarding data privacy and security relating to our industry’s technology and practices, and any perceived failure to comply with laws and industry self-regulation; our failure to manage our growth effectively; the difficulty in identifying and integrating any future acquisitions or strategic investments; any changes or developments in legislative, judicial, regulatory or cultural environments related to information collection, use and processing; challenges related to our buy-side clients that are destination marketing organizations and that operate as public/private partnerships; any strain on our resources or diversion of our management’s attention as a result of being a public company; the intense competition of the digital advertising industry and our ability to effectively compete against current and future competitors; any significant inadvertent disclosure or breach of confidential and/or personal information we hold, or of the security of our or our customers’, suppliers’ or other partners’ computer systems; as a holding company, we depend on distributions from Direct Digital Holdings, LLC (“DDH LLC”) to pay our taxes, expenses (including payments under the Tax Receivable Agreement) and any amount of any dividends we may pay to the holders of our common stock; the fact that DDH LLC is controlled by DDM, whose interest may differ from those of our public stockholders; any failure by us to maintain or implement effective internal controls or to detect fraud; and other factors and assumptions discussed in our Form 10-K and subsequent periodic and current reports we may file with the SEC.
Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize or should any of these assumptions prove to be incorrect, our actual operating and financial performance may vary in material respects from the performance projected in these forward-looking statements. Further, any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement contained in this press release to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which it is made or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events or circumstances, and we claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. New factors that could cause our business not to develop as we expect emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. Further, we cannot assess the impact of each currently known or new factor on our results of operations or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements.
About Direct Digital Holdings
Direct Digital Holdings (Nasdaq: DRCT) combines cutting-edge sell-side and buy-side advertising solutions, providing data-driven digital media strategies that enhance reach and performance for brands, agencies, and publishers of all sizes. Our sell-side platform, Colossus SSP, offers curated access to premium, growth-oriented media properties throughout the digital ecosystem. On the buy-side, Orange 142 delivers customized, audience-focused digital marketing and advertising solutions that enable mid-market and enterprise companies to achieve measurable results across a range of platforms, including programmatic, search, social, CTV, and influencer marketing. With extensive expertise in high-growth sectors such as Energy,
Healthcare, Travel & Tourism, and Financial Services, our teams deliver performance strategies that connect brands with their ideal audiences.
At Direct Digital Holdings, we prioritize personal relationships by humanizing technology, ensuring each client receives dedicated support and tailored digital marketing solutions regardless of company size. This empowers everyone to thrive by generating billions of monthly impressions across display, CTV, in-app, and emerging media channels through advanced targeting, comprehensive data insights, and cross-platform activation. DDH is "Digital advertising built for everyone.”
Contacts:
Investors:
IMS Investor Relations
Walter Frank/Jennifer Belodeau
(203) 972-9200
