Rambus Acknowledges Misdated Option Grants

Rambus Inc., a designer of computer memory chips, said it incorrectly dated stock options and estimated that it would have more than $200 million in “pretax, noncash stock-based compensation charges” in connection with the grants.

The Los Altos, Calif.-based company said it planned to restate its financial reports as far back as 2003 and wouldn’t file its quarterly report for the quarter ended Sept. 30 by the Nov. 9 deadline set by the Securities and Exchange Commission. It still hasn’t filed its report for the quarter ended June 30.

The $200-million estimate is preliminary and doesn’t include tax consequences of the option grants, Chief Financial Officer Satish Rishi said in a conference call with analysts.

Rambus made the announcement after the close of regular trading, where its shares added 34 cents to $18.29. They fell to $17.56 in the after-hours market.