Colgate Palmolive Co 8-K, filed May 2, 2025
Colgate Palmolive Co (CL)
About this 8-K
Colgate Palmolive Co filed this 8-K on May 2, 2025, reporting on events of April 28, 2025.
Items reported
- Item 8.01: Other events
- Item 9.01: Financial statements and exhibits
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
FORM
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported)
May 2, 2025 (
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| (State or Other Jurisdiction | (Commission | (IRS Employer | ||
| of Incorporation) | File Number) | Identification No.) | ||
| (Address of Principal Executive Offices) | (Zip Code) | |||
Registrant’s telephone number, including
area code (
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 (see General Instruction A.2. below):
| Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) | |
| Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) | |
| Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) | |
| Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
Securities registered pursuant to Securities 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (17 CFR §230.405) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (17 CFR §240.12b-2).
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 8.01 | Other Events. |
On April 28, 2025, Colgate-Palmolive Company (the “Company”) executed an underwriting agreement (the “Underwriting Agreement”) with Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and Scotia Capital (USA) Inc., as representatives of the several underwriters named therein (the “Underwriters”) with regard to the issuance and sale by the Company of $500,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its 4.200% Senior Notes due 2030 (the “Notes”). The Underwriting Agreement includes customary representations, warranties and covenants by the Company. It also provides for customary indemnification by each of the Company and the Underwriters against certain liabilities.
The public offering of the Notes was made pursuant to the Company’s automatic shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-275201), filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on October 27, 2023. On April 30, 2025, the Company filed with the SEC a Prospectus Supplement, dated April 28, 2025 (the “Prospectus Supplement”), in connection with the public offering of the Notes.
The Notes were issued on May 2, 2025 under an Indenture (“Indenture”), dated as of November 15, 1992, between the Company and The Bank of New York Mellon (formerly known as The Bank of New York), as trustee.
The Underwriting Agreement, the Indenture and the form of the Notes are filed hereto as Exhibit 1.1, Exhibit 4.1 and Exhibit 4.2, respectively, and are incorporated herein by reference.
| Item 9.01 | Financial Statements and Exhibits. |
| (d) | Exhibits. The following exhibits are filed with this document: |
| Exhibit Number | Description |
| 1.1 | Underwriting Agreement, dated April 28, 2025, by and among Colgate-Palmolive Company, Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and Scotia Capital (USA) Inc. |
| 4.1 | Indenture, dated as of November 15, 1992, between Colgate-Palmolive Company and The Bank of New York Mellon (formerly known as The Bank of New York), as Trustee (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Company’s Form S-3 Registration Statement and Post-Effective Amendment No. 1 filed on June 26, 1992, Registration No. 33-48840) |
| 4.2 | Form of 4.200% Senior Notes due 2030 |
| 5.1 | Opinion of Hogan Lovells US LLP |
| 23.1 | Consent of Hogan Lovells US LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1) |
| 104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline eXtensible Business Reporting Language (Inline XBRL) document) |
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.
| COLGATE-PALMOLIVE COMPANY | ||
| Date: May 2, 2025 | By: | /s/ Stanley J. Sutula III |
| Name: | Stanley J. Sutula III | |
| Title: | Chief Financial Officer | |
Exhibit 1.1
COLGATE-PALMOLIVE COMPANY
$500,000,000 4.200% Senior Notes due 2030
Underwriting Agreement
April 28, 2025
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
Scotia Capital (USA) Inc.
As Representatives of the several Underwriters,
| c/o | Citigroup Global Markets Inc. |
| 388 Greenwich Street | |
| New York, New York 10013 | |
| Scotia Capital (USA) Inc. | |
| 250 Vesey Street | |
| New York, New York 10281 |
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Colgate-Palmolive Company, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), proposes to sell to the several underwriters named in Schedule II hereto (the “Underwriters”), for whom you (the “Representatives”) are acting as representatives, the principal amount of its securities identified in Schedule I hereto (the “Securities”), to be issued under an indenture (as the same may be amended or restated from time to time, the “Indenture”) dated as of November 15, 1992 between the Company and The Bank of New York Mellon (formerly known as The Bank of New York). The Bank of New York Mellon will act as trustee with respect to the Securities (the “Trustee”). To the extent there are no additional Underwriters listed on Schedule II other than you, the term Representatives as used herein shall mean you, as Underwriters, and the terms Representatives and Underwriters shall mean either the singular or plural as the context requires.
As used in this underwriting agreement (this “Agreement”), the “Registration Statement” means the registration statement referred to in paragraph 1(a) hereof, including the exhibits, schedules and financial statements and any prospectus supplement relating to the Securities that is filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (the “Securities Act Regulations”) and deemed part of such registration statement pursuant to Rule 430B under the Securities Act, as amended on each Effective Date, and, in the event any post-effective amendment thereto becomes effective prior to the Closing Date (as defined in Section 3 hereof), shall also mean such registration statement as so amended; the “Effective Date” means each date and time that the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment or amendments thereto became or becomes effective; the “Base Prospectus” means the base prospectus referred to in paragraph 1(a) hereof contained in the Registration Statement at the Applicable Time; a “Preliminary Prospectus” means any preliminary prospectus supplement to the Base Prospectus referred to in paragraph 1(a) hereof which is used prior to the filing of the Prospectus, together with the Base Prospectus; the “Prospectus” means the prospectus supplement relating to the Securities that is first filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Securities Act (“Rule 424(b)”) after the Applicable Time, together with the Base Prospectus; and “Applicable Time” means the time agreed to by the Company and the Representatives as the time of the pricing of the Securities, which, unless otherwise agreed, shall be the time immediately after the Company and the Representatives agree on the pricing terms of the Securities.
Any reference herein to the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 which were filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (the “Exchange Act Regulations”) on or before the Effective Date of the Registration Statement or the issue date of the Base Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be; and any reference herein to the terms “amend,” “amendment” or “supplement” with respect to the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the filing of any document under the Exchange Act after the Effective Date of the Registration Statement or the issue date of the Base Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be, deemed to be incorporated therein by reference.
As used in this Agreement, the “Disclosure Package” shall mean as of the Applicable Time, (i) the Base Prospectus, (ii) the Preliminary Prospectus (iii) the final term sheet prepared and filed pursuant to Section 5(b) hereto constituting an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus (as defined below) and (iv) any other free writing prospectus, as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act (a “Free Writing Prospectus”) consented to by the Company and Representative (a “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus”), that the parties hereto shall hereafter expressly agree in writing to treat as part of the Disclosure Package.
1. Representations and Warranties. The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, each Underwriter as set forth below in this Section 1.
(a) The Company meets the requirements for use of Form S-3 under the Securities Act and has prepared and filed with the Commission an automatic shelf registration statement, as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act (“Rule 405”) (the file number of which is set forth in Schedule I hereto) on Form S-3, including a related Base Prospectus, for the registration of the offering and sale of the Securities under the Securities Act. Such Registration Statement, including any amendments thereto filed prior to the Applicable Time, became effective upon filing. The Company may have filed with the Commission, as part of an amendment to the Registration Statement or pursuant to Rule 424(b), preliminary prospectus supplements relating to the Securities, each of which has previously been furnished to you. The Company will file with the Commission a final prospectus supplement relating to the Securities in accordance with Rule 424(b) after the Applicable Time. As filed, such final prospectus supplement shall contain all information required by the Securities Act and the rules thereunder and, except to the extent the Representatives shall agree in writing to a modification, shall be in all substantive respects in the form furnished to you prior to the Applicable Time or, to the extent not completed at the Applicable Time, shall contain only such specific additional information and other changes (beyond that contained in the Base Prospectus and any Preliminary Prospectus) as the Company has advised you, prior to the Applicable Time, will be included or made therein. The Registration Statement, at the Applicable Time, meets the requirements set forth in Rule 415(a)(1)(x) under the Securities Act. The initial Effective Date of the Registration Statement was not earlier than the date three years before the Applicable Time.
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(b) On each Effective Date, the Registration Statement did, and when the Prospectus is first filed in accordance with Rule 424(b) and on the Closing Date (as defined herein), the Prospectus (and any supplement thereto) will, comply in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Securities Act and the Exchange Act, and the respective rules thereunder, and, in with respect to the Registration Statement only, the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (the “Trust Indenture Act”); on each Effective Date, at the Applicable Time and on the Closing Date, the Registration Statement did not and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading; on the Effective Date and on the Closing Date, the Indenture did or will comply in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the Trust Indenture Act and the rules thereunder; and on the date of any filing pursuant to Rule 424(b) and on the Closing Date, the Prospectus (together with any supplement thereto) will not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that the Company makes no representations or warranties as to (i) that part of the Registration Statement which shall constitute the Statement of Eligibility (Form T-1) under the Trust Indenture Act of the Trustee or (ii) the information contained in or omitted from the Registration Statement or the Prospectus (or any supplement thereto) in reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished in writing to the Company by or on behalf of any Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for inclusion in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus (or any supplement thereto), it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in Section 8 hereof.
(c) (i) The Disclosure Package and (ii) each electronic road show listed on Schedule III, when taken together as a whole with the Disclosure Package, do not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading. The preceding sentence does not apply to statements in or omissions from the Disclosure Package based upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by or on behalf of any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in Section 8 hereof.
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(d) (i) At the time of filing the Registration Statement, (ii) at the time of the most recent amendment thereto for the purposes of complying with Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act (whether such amendment was by post-effective amendment, incorporated report filed pursuant to Sections 13 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act or form of prospectus), (iii) at the time the Company or any person acting on its behalf (within the meaning, for this clause only, of Rule 163(c) of the Securities Act) made any offer relating to the Securities in reliance on the exemption in Rule 163, and (iv) at the date hereof, the Company was and is a “well-known seasoned issuer” as defined in Rule 405. The Company agrees to pay the fees required by the Commission relating to the Securities within the time required by Rule 456(b)(1) without regard to the proviso therein and otherwise in accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r).
(e) (i) At the earliest time after the filing of the Registration Statement that the Company or another offering participant made a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2)) under the Securities Act and (ii) as of the Applicable Time (with such date being used as the determination date for purposes of this clause (ii)), the Company was not and is not an Ineligible Issuer (as defined in Rule 405).
(f) Each issuer free writing prospectus as defined in Rule 433 under the Securities Act (an “Issuer Free Writing Prospectus”) and the final term sheet prepared and filed pursuant to Section 5(b) hereto does not include any information that conflicts with the information contained in the Registration Statement, including any document incorporated by reference therein and any prospectus supplement deemed to be a part thereof that has not been superseded or modified. The foregoing sentence does not apply to statements in or omissions from any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus based upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by or on behalf of any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in Section 8 hereof.
(g) Since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package, there has not been any material change in the capital stock or long-term debt of the Company or any of its Significant Subsidiaries (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) (other than changes arising from funding activities which have not resulted in any material change in the Company’s ownership of such Significant Subsidiaries or in the long term debt of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole) or any material adverse change, or any development involving a prospective material adverse change, in or affecting the general affairs, consolidated financial position or consolidated results of operations of the Company, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package.
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(h) The Company (i) has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware, with corporate power and authority to own its properties and conduct its business as described in the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package, and has been duly qualified as a foreign corporation for the transaction of business and is in good standing under the laws of each other jurisdiction in which it owns or leases properties, or conducts any business, so as to require such qualification, except where the failure to be so qualified would not have a material adverse effect on the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole; and each Significant Subsidiary of the Company has been duly incorporated and is validly existing as a corporation and is in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation, (ii) has or, in the case of the Indenture, had the requisite corporate power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement, the Indenture and the Securities and has the requisite corporate power and authority to perform its obligations hereunder and thereunder, and (iii) has duly authorized, executed and delivered this Agreement and this Agreement constitutes the valid and binding agreement of the Company.
(i) When the Securities are issued and delivered pursuant to this Agreement, such Securities will have been duly authorized, executed, authenticated, issued and delivered and will constitute valid and legally binding obligations of the Company entitled to the benefits provided by the Indenture; and the Indenture has been duly authorized by the Company and is duly qualified under the Trust Indenture Act and constitutes a valid and legally binding instrument, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium and other laws of general applicability relating to or affecting creditors’ rights and to general equitable principles (regardless of whether enforcement is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law); and the Securities and the Indenture will conform in all material respects to the descriptions thereof in the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package.
(j) The issue and sale of the Securities by the Company and the compliance by the Company with all of the provisions of this Agreement and the Indenture and the consummation of the transactions herein and therein contemplated will not conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, any indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is bound or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject, which conflict, breach or default would have a material adverse effect on the consolidated financial position or consolidated results of operations of the Company, nor will such action result in (A) any violation of the provisions of the Certificate of Incorporation or By-laws of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or (B) any violation of the provisions of any statute or any order, rule or regulation of any court or governmental agency or body having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of their properties, which violation in each case would have a material adverse effect on the consolidated financial position or consolidated results of operations of the Company; and no consent, approval, authorization, order, registration or qualification of or with any such court or governmental agency or body is required for the issue and sale of the Securities or the consummation by the Company of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the Indenture, except such consents, approvals, authorizations, registrations or qualifications as may be required under the Securities Act and the Trust Indenture Act or under state or foreign securities or Blue Sky laws.
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(k) Other than as set forth or contemplated in the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package, there are no legal or governmental proceedings pending to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or of which any property of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is the subject, which are probable to result in an adverse determination and which, if determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, would individually or in the aggregate have a material adverse effect on the consolidated financial position or consolidated results of operations of the Company; and, to the best of the Company’s knowledge, no such proceedings are threatened or contemplated by governmental authorities or threatened by others.
(l) The consolidated historical financial statements and schedules of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries included in the Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus and the Registration Statement present fairly in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the Company as of the dates and for the periods indicated, comply as to form in all material respects with the applicable accounting requirements of the Securities Act and the Securities Act Regulations and have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles throughout the periods involved (except as otherwise noted therein).
(m) PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, who have certified certain financial statements of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries, are independent registered public accountants as required by the Securities Act, the Securities Act Regulations and rules and regulations adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States).
(n) The Company and its subsidiaries own or possess, or can acquire on reasonable terms, the patents, patent rights, licenses, invention, copyrights (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures), trademarks, service marks and trade names presently employed by them in connection with the businesses now operated by them, except where the failure so to own or possess or have the ability to acquire would not have a material adverse effect on the consolidated financial position or consolidated results of operations of the Company, and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice of infringement of or conflict with asserted rights of others with respect to any of the foregoing which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would result in any material adverse effect on the consolidated financial position or consolidated results of operations of the Company.
(o) The Company is not, and upon the issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated and the application of the net proceeds therefrom as described in the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package will not be, an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”).
(p) The Company is in material compliance with all applicable provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and all rules and regulations promulgated thereunder or implementing the provisions thereof.
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(q) The Company maintains a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles and to maintain asset accountability; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences; and (v) the interactive data in XBRL included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus is in compliance with the Commission’s published rules, regulations and guidelines applicable thereto. The Company’s internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) of the Exchange Act) was effective as of December 31, 2024 and the Company was not, as of March 31, 2025, aware of any material weaknesses or significant deficiencies in the design and operation of their internal control over financial reporting.
(r) The Company maintains “disclosure controls and procedures” (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act) designed to provide reasonable assurance that material information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is communicated to the Company’s management as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure; and, as of March 31, 2025, such disclosure controls and procedures of the Company were effective.
(s) The Company has not taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that would constitute or that might reasonably be expected to cause or result in, under the Exchange Act or otherwise, stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities.
(t) The Company and its subsidiaries are (i) in compliance with any and all applicable foreign, federal, state and local laws and regulations relating to the protection of human health and safety (as it relates to exposure to hazardous or toxic substances) or the environment or relating to hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants (“Environmental Laws”), (ii) have received and are in compliance with all permits, licenses or other approvals required of them under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses and (iii) have not received written notice of any actual or potential liability under any Environmental Law, except where such non-compliance with Environmental Laws, failure to receive required permits, licenses or other approvals, or liability would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the consolidated financial position or consolidated results of operations of the Company, except as set forth in or contemplated in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (exclusive of any amendment or supplement thereto). Except as set forth in the Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, neither the Company nor any of the subsidiaries has been named as a “potentially responsible party” under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, as amended, except to the extent that being so named would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the consolidated financial position or consolidated results of operations of the Company.
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(u) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee, controlled affiliate or other person acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is aware of or has taken within the preceding five years any action, directly or indirectly, that could constitute a violation by such persons of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 or the U.K. Bribery Act 2010, each as may be amended, or similar applicable law of any other relevant jurisdiction, or the rules or regulations thereunder; it being understood that no representation is made as to any subsidiary of the Company prior to the time it became a subsidiary, or as to any director, officer, agent, employee of the Company prior to the time he, she or it became such; and the Company and its subsidiaries have instituted and maintain policies and procedures designed to ensure compliance therewith, in all material respects. No part of the proceeds of the offering will be used, directly or indirectly, in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 or the U.K. Bribery Act 2010, each as may be amended, or similar applicable law of any other relevant jurisdiction, or the rules or regulations thereunder.
(v) The operations of the Company and its subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times within the preceding five years in all material respects in compliance with applicable money laundering statutes and the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency that has proper jurisdiction (collectively, the “Money Laundering Laws”) and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the best knowledge of the Company, threatened.
(w) Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee or controlled affiliate of the Company or any of its subsidiaries (i) is, or is controlled or 50% or more owned in the aggregate by or is acting on behalf of, one or more individuals or entities that are currently the subject of any sanctions administered or enforced by the United States (including any administered or enforced by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the U.S. Department of State or the Bureau of Industry and Security of the U.S. Department of Commerce), the United Nations Security Council, the European Union and its member states, His Majesty’s Treasury of the United Kingdom or other applicable sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions” and such persons, “Sanctioned Persons” and each such person, a “Sanctioned Person”), (ii) is located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is, or whose government is, the subject of comprehensive Sanctions, except in a manner that complies with applicable Sanctions (at the time of this Agreement, the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic, the Crimea, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine, any other Covered Region of Ukraine identified pursuant to Executive Order 14065, Belarus, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Syria and Venezuela) (a “Sanctioned Jurisdiction”), or (iii) will, directly or indirectly, knowingly use the proceeds of this offering, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other individual or entity in any manner that would result in a violation of any applicable Sanctions by, or could result in the imposition of Sanctions against, any individual or entity (including any individual or entity participating in the offering, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise).
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(x) The Company nor any of its subsidiaries has engaged in any dealings or transactions with or for the benefit of a Sanctioned Person, or with or in a Sanctioned Jurisdiction, in the preceding three years, nor does the Company or any of its subsidiaries have any plans to engage in dealings or transactions with or for the benefit of a Sanctioned Person, or with or in a Sanctioned Jurisdiction, except in a manner that complies with applicable Sanctions; it being understood that no representation is made as to any subsidiary of the Company prior to the time it became a subsidiary.
(y) The Company and its subsidiaries’ information technology assets and equipment, computers, systems, networks, hardware, software, websites, applications and databases (collectively, “IT Systems”) are adequate for, and operate and perform in all material respects as required in connection with the operation of the business of the Company and its subsidiaries as currently conducted. The Company and its subsidiaries have implemented and maintained commercially reasonable controls, policies, procedures, and safeguards designed to maintain and protect their material confidential information and the integrity, continuous operation, redundancy and security of all IT Systems and data (including all personal, personally identifiable, sensitive, confidential or regulated data (“Personal Data”)) used in connection with their businesses, and there have been no breaches, outages or unauthorized uses of or accesses to IT Systems and Personal Data, except as would not individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect upon the operations or financial position of the Company. The Company and its subsidiaries are presently in material compliance with all applicable laws or statutes and all judgments, orders, rules and regulations of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, internal policies and contractual obligations relating to the privacy and security of IT Systems and Personal Data and to the protection of such IT Systems and Personal Data from unauthorized use, access, misappropriation or modification, except as would not individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect upon the operations or financial position of the Company.
Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company and delivered to the Representatives or counsel for the Underwriters in connection with the offering of the Securities shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company, as to matters covered thereby, to each Underwriter.
2. Purchase and Sale. Subject to the terms and conditions and in reliance upon the representations and warranties herein set forth, the Company agrees to sell to each Underwriter, and each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company, at the purchase prices set forth in Schedule I hereto, the principal amount of the Securities set forth opposite such Underwriter’s name in Schedule II hereto.
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3. Delivery and Payment. Delivery of and payment for the Securities shall be made at 9:00 a.m., New York City time, on May 2, 2025 or at such time on such later date not more than three business days after the foregoing date as the Representatives and the Company shall mutually agree upon, which date and time may be postponed by agreement between the Representatives and the Company or as provided in Section 9 hereof (such date and time of delivery and payment for the Securities being herein called the “Closing Date”). Delivery of the Securities shall be made against payment by the several Underwriters through the Representatives of the aggregate purchase price thereof to or upon the order of the Company by wire transfer payable in same day funds to an account specified by the Company. Delivery of the Securities shall be made through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) unless the Representatives shall otherwise instruct.
It is understood that the Representatives have been authorized, for their own accounts and for the accounts of the several Underwriters, to accept delivery of and receipt for, and make payment of the purchase price for, the Securities that the Underwriters have agreed to purchase. The Representatives may (but shall not be obligated to) make payment for any Securities to be purchased by any Underwriter whose funds shall not have been received by the Representatives by the Closing Date for the account of such Underwriter, but any such payment shall not relieve such Underwriter from any of its obligations under this Agreement.
4. Offering by Underwriters. It is understood that the several Underwriters propose to offer the Securities for sale to the public as set forth in the Prospectus.
5. Agreements. The Company agrees with the several Underwriters that:
(a) Prior to the termination of the offering of the Securities, the Company will not file any amendment of the Registration Statement or supplement (including the Prospectus or any Preliminary Prospectus) to the Base Prospectus unless the Company has furnished you a copy for your review prior to filing and will not file any such proposed amendment or supplement to which you reasonably object. Subject to the foregoing sentence, the Company will cause the Prospectus, properly completed, and any supplement thereto to be filed with the Commission pursuant to the applicable paragraph of Rule 424(b) within the time period prescribed. The Company will promptly advise the Representatives (i) when the Prospectus, and any supplement thereto, shall have been filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b), (ii) when, prior to termination of the offering of the Securities, any amendment to the Registration Statement shall have been filed or become effective, (iii) of any request by the Commission or its staff for any amendment of the Registration Statement, or any Rule 462(b) Registration Statement, or for any supplement to the Prospectus or for any additional information, (iv) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or of any notice objecting to its use or the institution or threatening of any proceeding for that purpose and (v) of the receipt by the Company of any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification of the Securities for sale in any jurisdiction or the institution or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose. The Company will use its reasonable efforts to prevent the issuance of any such stop order and, if issued, to obtain as soon as possible the withdrawal thereof.
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(b) The Company will prepare a final term sheet, containing solely a description of final terms of the Securities and the offering thereof, in the form approved by you and attached as Schedule V hereto and will file such term sheet pursuant to Rule 433(d) within the time required by such rule.
(c) If, at any time prior to the filing of the Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b), any event occurs as a result of which the Disclosure Package would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein in the light of the circumstances under which they were made or the circumstances then prevailing not misleading, the Company will (i) notify promptly the Representatives so that any use of the Disclosure Package may cease until it is amended or supplemented; (ii) amend or supplement the Disclosure Package to correct such statement or omission; and (iii) supply any amendment or supplement to you in such quantities as you may reasonably request.
(d) If, at any time when a prospectus relating to the Securities is required to be delivered under the Securities Act (including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172), any event occurs as a result of which the Prospectus as then supplemented would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein in the light of the circumstances under which they were made at such time not misleading, or if it shall be necessary to amend the Registration Statement, file a new registration statement or supplement the Prospectus to comply with the Securities Act or the Exchange Act or the respective rules thereunder, the Company promptly will (i) notify the Representatives of any such event, (ii) prepare and file with the Commission, subject to the second sentence of paragraph (a) of this Section 5, an amendment or supplement or new registration statement which will correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance and (iii) supply any supplemented Prospectus to you in such quantities as you may reasonably request.
(e) As soon as practicable, the Company will make generally available to its security holders and to the Representatives an earnings statement or statements of the Company and its subsidiaries which will satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and Rule 158 under the Securities Act.
(f) The Company will furnish to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters, without charge, copies of the Registration Statement (including exhibits thereto) and, so long as delivery of a prospectus by an Underwriter or dealer may be required by the Securities Act (including in circumstances where such requirement may be satisfied pursuant to Rule 172), as many copies of each Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and any supplement thereto as the Representatives may reasonably request. The Company will pay the expenses of printing or other production of all documents relating to the offering.
(g) The Company will endeavor, in cooperation with the Representatives, if necessary, to qualify the Securities for sale under the laws of such jurisdictions as the Representatives may designate and will maintain such qualifications in effect so long as required for the distribution of the Securities; provided that in no event shall the Company be obligated to qualify to do business in any jurisdiction where it is not now so qualified or to take any action that would subject it to service of process in suits, other than those arising out of the offering or sale of the Securities, in any jurisdiction where it is not now so subject.
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(h) Between the date of this Agreement and the Closing Date, the Company will not, without the prior written consent of the Representatives, directly or indirectly, sell, offer to sell, contract to sell or otherwise dispose of, or announce the offering of, any debt securities denominated in the same currency as the Securities, or any security exchangeable into such debt securities (other than the Securities and commercial paper in the ordinary course of business).
(i) The Company agrees to pay the costs and expenses relating to the following matters: (i) the preparation, printing or reproduction and filing with the Commission of the Registration Statement (including financial statements and exhibits thereto), each Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, and each amendment or supplement to any of them; (ii) the printing (or reproduction) and delivery (including postage, air freight charges and charges for counting and packaging) of such copies of the Registration Statement, each Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, and all amendments or supplements to any of them, as may, in each case, be reasonably requested for use in connection with the offering and sale of the Securities; (iii) the preparation, printing, authentication, issuance and delivery of certificates for the Securities, including any stamp or transfer taxes in connection with the original issuance and sale of the Securities; (iv) the printing (or reproduction) and delivery of this Agreement, any blue sky memorandum and all other agreements or documents printed (or reproduced) and delivered in connection with the offering of the Securities; (v) any registration or qualification of the Securities for offer and sale under the securities or blue sky laws of the several states (including filing fees and the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel for the Underwriters relating to such registration and qualification); (vi) any filings required to be made with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (“FINRA”) (including filing fees and the reasonable fees and expenses of counsel for the Underwriters relating to such filings); (vii) the transportation and other expenses incurred by or on behalf of Company representatives in connection with presentations to prospective purchasers of the Securities; (viii) the fees and expenses of the Company’s accountants and the fees and expenses of counsel (including local and special counsel) for the Company; and (ix) all other costs and expenses incurred by the Company incident to the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder.
(j) The Company agrees that, unless it has or shall have obtained the prior written consent of the Representatives, and each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, agrees with the Company that, unless it has or shall have obtained, as the case may be, the prior written consent of the Company, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Securities that would constitute an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or that would otherwise constitute a Free Writing Prospectus required to be filed by the Company with the Commission or retained by the Company under Rule 433 under the Securities Act (“Rule 433”), other than a free writing prospectus containing the information contained in the final term sheet specified in Section 5(b) hereto; provided that the prior written consent of the parties hereto shall be deemed to have been given in respect of the Permitted Free Writing Prospectuses included in Schedule IV hereto and any electronic road show. The Company agrees that (x) it has treated and will treat, as the case may be, each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus as an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus and (y) it has complied and will comply, as the case may be, with the requirements of Rule 164 under the Securities Act (“Rule 164”) and Rule 433 applicable to any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, including in respect of timely filing with the Commission, legending and record keeping.
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(k) The net proceeds from the sale of Securities will be used by the Company as described in the Prospectus and the Disclosure Package.
(l) The Company will cooperate with the Underwriters and use its reasonable best efforts to permit the Securities to be eligible for clearance and settlement through DTC.
6. Conditions to the Obligations of the Underwriters. The obligations of the Underwriters to purchase the Securities shall be subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties in all material respects (to the extent any such representation or warranty is not otherwise qualified therein) on the part of the Company contained herein as of the Applicable Time and the Closing Date, to the accuracy of the statements of the Company made in any certificates pursuant to the provisions hereof, to the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder and to the following additional conditions:
(a) The Prospectus, and any supplement thereto, have been filed in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b); the final term sheet contemplated by Section 5(b) hereto and any other material required to be filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 433(d) shall have been filed with the Commission within the applicable time periods prescribed for such filings by Rule 433; and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any notice objecting to its use shall have been issued and no proceedings for that purpose shall have been instituted or threatened.
(b) The Company shall have requested and caused Hogan Lovells US LLP, counsel for the Company, to have furnished to the Representatives their opinion, dated the Closing Date and addressed to the Representatives, to the effect set forth in Exhibit A.
(c) The Representatives shall have received from Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, such opinion or opinions, dated the Closing Date and addressed to the Representatives, with respect to the issuance and sale of the Securities, the Indenture, the Registration Statement, the Disclosure Package, the Prospectus (together with any supplement thereto) and other related matters as the Representatives may reasonably require, and the Company shall have furnished to such counsel such documents as they request for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon such matters.
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(d) The Company shall have furnished to the Representatives a certificate of the Company, signed by the President or any Vice President and the chief financial, chief accounting officer or treasurer of the Company, dated the Closing Date, to the effect that (i) since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus or since the date of this Agreement, there has not been any material adverse change, or any development involving a prospective material adverse change, in or affecting the general affairs, consolidated financial position or consolidated results of operations of the Company and its subsidiaries, considered as one enterprise, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, otherwise than as set forth or contemplated in the Prospectus, (ii) the other representations and warranties of the Company contained in Section 1 hereof are true and correct with the same force and effect as though expressly made at and as of the date of such certificate, (iii) the Company has performed or complied with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder at or prior to the date of such certificate, and (iv) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued and, to their knowledge, no proceedings for that purpose have been initiated or threatened by the Commission.
(e) PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP shall have furnished to the Representatives, at the Applicable Time and at the Closing Date, letters (which may refer to letters previously delivered to one or more of the Representatives), dated respectively as of the Applicable Time and as of the Closing Date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives containing statements and information of the type customarily included in accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.
(f) Prior to the Closing Date, the Company shall have furnished to the Representatives such further information, certificates and documents as the Representatives may reasonably request.
(g) Subsequent to the execution and delivery of this Agreement and prior to the Closing Date, there shall not have been any decrease in the rating of any of the Company’s debt securities by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization” (as defined for purposes of Section 3(a)(62) of the Exchange Act) or any notice given of any intended or potential decrease in any such rating or of a possible change in any such rating that does not indicate the direction of the possible change.
If any of the conditions specified in this Section 6 shall not have been fulfilled when and as required to be fulfilled, this Agreement and all obligations of the Underwriters hereunder may be canceled at, or at any time prior to, the Closing Date by the Representatives. Notice of such cancellation shall be given to the Company in writing or by telephone or facsimile confirmed in writing.
The documents required to be delivered by this Section 6 shall be delivered at the office of Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, at 787 Seventh Avenue, New York, New York 10019, on the Closing Date or by facsimile or electronic mail (including pdf or any electronic signature complying with the New York Electronic Signatures and Records Act (N.Y. State Tech. §§ 301-309), as amended from time to time, or other applicable law) or other transmission method, and the parties hereto agree that any document so delivered shall be deemed to have been duly and validly delivered and be valid and effective for all purposes.
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7. Reimbursement of Underwriters’ Expenses. If the sale of the Securities provided for herein is not consummated because any condition to the obligations of the Underwriters set forth in Section 6 hereof is not satisfied, because of any termination pursuant to Section 10 hereof or because of any refusal, inability or failure on the part of the Company to perform any agreement herein or comply with any provision hereof other than by reason of a default by any of the Underwriters, the Company will reimburse the Underwriters severally through the Representatives on demand for all out-of-pocket expenses (including reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel) that shall have been reasonably incurred by them in connection with the proposed purchase and sale of the Securities.
8. Indemnification and Contribution.
(a) The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, the directors, officers, employees and affiliates of each Underwriter and each person, if any, who controls each Underwriter within the meaning of either the Securities Act or the Exchange Act against (i) any and all losses, claims, damages or liabilities, incurred, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon (A) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement as originally filed or in any amendment thereof, or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or (B) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Base Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus or any other preliminary prospectus supplement relating to the Securities, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) or any electronic road show listed on Schedule III the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact necessary to make statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; (ii) against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, to the extent of the aggregate amount paid in settlement of any litigation, or investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or of any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission, if such settlement is effected with the written consent of the Company; and (iii) against any and all reasonable expense whatsoever, as incurred (including the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel chosen by an Underwriter), reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission, to the extent that any such expense is not paid under (i) or (ii) above;
provided, however, that the Company will not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon any such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made therein in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by or on behalf of any Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for inclusion therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by or on behalf of any Underwriter consists of the information described in Section 8(b) below. This indemnity agreement will be in addition to any liability which the Company may otherwise have.
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(b) Each Underwriter severally and not jointly agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, each of its directors, each of its officers who signs the Registration Statement, and each person who controls the Company within the meaning of either the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, to the same extent as the foregoing indemnity included in Section (a) of this Section from the Company to each Underwriter, but only with reference to written information relating to such Underwriter furnished to the Company by or on behalf of such Underwriter through the Representatives specifically for inclusion in the documents referred to in the foregoing indemnity included in subsection (a) of this Section. This indemnity agreement will be in addition to any liability which any Underwriter may otherwise have. The Company acknowledges that the statements set forth in the first paragraph under the heading “Underwriting—Commissions and Discounts,” the third sentence of the first paragraph under the heading “Underwriting—New Issue of Notes” and the first and second paragraphs under the heading “Underwriting—Other Relationships” in any Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus constitute the only information furnished in writing by or on behalf of the several Underwriters for inclusion in any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus.
(c) Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under this Section 8 of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party will, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party under this Section 8, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof; but the failure so to notify the indemnifying party (i) will not relieve it from liability under paragraph (a) or (b) above unless and to the extent it did not otherwise learn of such action and such failure results in the forfeiture by the indemnifying party of substantial rights and defenses and (ii) will not, in any event, relieve the indemnifying party from any obligations to any indemnified party other than the indemnification obligation provided in paragraph (a) or (b) above. The indemnifying party shall be entitled to appoint counsel of the indemnifying party’s choice at the indemnifying party’s expense to represent the indemnified party in any action for which indemnification is sought (in which case the indemnifying party shall not thereafter be responsible for the fees and expenses of any separate counsel retained by the indemnified party or parties except as set forth below); provided, however, that such counsel shall be satisfactory to the indemnified party. In any such proceeding, any indemnified party shall have the right to retain its own counsel, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such indemnified party unless (i) the indemnifying party and the indemnified party shall have mutually agreed to the retention of such counsel or (ii) the named parties to any such proceeding (including any impleaded parties) include both the indemnifying party and the indemnified party and representation of both parties by the same counsel would be inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interests between them. In no event shall the indemnifying parties be liable for the fees and expenses of more than one counsel (in addition to any local counsel) for all indemnified parties in connection with any one action or separate but similar or related actions in the same jurisdiction arising out of the same general allegations or circumstances. An indemnifying party will not, without the prior written consent of the indemnified parties, settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to any pending or threatened claim, action, suit or proceeding in respect of which indemnification or contribution may be sought hereunder (whether or not the indemnified parties are actual or potential parties to such claim or action) unless such settlement, compromise or consent (i) includes an unconditional release of each indemnified party from all liability arising out of such claim, action, suit or proceeding and (ii) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act, by or on behalf of any indemnified party.
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(d) In the event that the indemnity provided in paragraph (a), (b) or (c) of this Section 8 is unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party for any reason, the Company and the Underwriters severally agree to contribute to the aggregate losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including legal or other expenses reasonably incurred in connection with investigating or defending the same) (collectively, “Losses”) to which the Company and one or more of the Underwriters may be subject in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and by the Underwriters on the other from the offering of the Securities. If the allocation provided by the immediately preceding sentence is unavailable for any reason, the Company and the Underwriters severally shall contribute in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only such relative benefits but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and of the Underwriters on the other in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such Losses as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. Benefits received by the Company shall be deemed to be equal to the total net proceeds from the offering (before deducting expenses) received by it, and benefits received by the Underwriters shall be deemed to be equal to the total underwriting discounts and commissions, in each case as set forth on the cover page of the Prospectus. Relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any untrue or any alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information provided by the Company on the one hand or the Underwriters on the other, the intent of the parties and their relative knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such untrue statement or omission. Notwithstanding the provisions of this paragraph (d), in no event shall any Underwriter be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Securities sold by such Underwriter to which such loss, claim, damage or liability relates and distributed to the public exceeds the amount of any damages that such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission Notwithstanding the provisions of this paragraph (d), no person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. For purposes of this Section 8, each person who controls an Underwriter within the meaning of either the Securities Act or the Exchange Act and each director, officer, employee and affiliate of an Underwriter shall have the same rights to contribution as such Underwriter, and each person who controls the Company within the meaning of either the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, each officer of the Company who shall have signed the Registration Statement and each director of the Company shall have the same rights to contribution as the Company, subject in each case to the applicable terms and conditions of this paragraph (d).
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9. Default by an Underwriter. If one or more of the Underwriters shall fail on the Closing Date to purchase the Securities (the “Defaulted Securities”), then the non-defaulting Underwriters shall have the right, within 24 hours thereafter, to make arrangements for one of them or one or more other Underwriters to purchase all, but not less than all, of the Defaulted Securities in such amounts as may be agreed upon and upon the terms herein set forth; provided however, that if such arrangements shall not have been completed within such 24-hour period, then:
(a) if the aggregate principal amount of Defaulted Securities does not exceed 10% of the aggregate principal amount of Securities, the non-defaulting Underwriters shall be obligated, severally and not jointly, to purchase the full amount thereof in the proportions that their respective initial obligations under this Agreement bear to the obligations of all non-defaulting Underwriters under this Agreement; or
(b) if the aggregate principal amount of Defaulted Securities exceed 10% of the aggregate principal amount of Securities, this Agreement shall terminate without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriters.
No action taken pursuant to this Section 9 shall relieve any defaulting Underwriter from liability in respect of its default. In the event of any such default which does not result in a termination of this Agreement, either the non-defaulting Underwriters or the Company shall have the right to postpone the Closing Date for a period not exceeding seven days in order to effect any required changes in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus or in any other documents or arrangements.
10. Termination. The Underwriters may terminate this Agreement, upon notice given to the Company prior to delivery of and payment for the Securities, if at any time prior to such delivery and payment (i) there has been, since the date of this Agreement or since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, any material change in the capital stock or long-term debt of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any material adverse change, or any development involving a prospective material adverse change, in or affecting the general affairs, consolidated financial position or consolidated results of operations of the Company, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, or (ii) there shall have occurred any material adverse change in the financial markets in the United States or in the international financial markets, or any outbreak or escalation of hostilities or other calamity or crisis the effect of which on the financial markets of the United States or on the international financial markets, in each case is such as to make it, in the reasonable judgment of the Representatives (after consultation with the Company), impracticable to market the Securities subject to this Agreement or enforce contracts for the sale of such Securities, or (iii) trading in any securities of the Company has been suspended by the Commission or a national securities exchange, or if trading generally on the New York Stock Exchange shall have been suspended, or minimum or maximum prices for trading have been fixed, or maximum ranges for prices for securities have been required, by either of said exchanges or by order of the Commission or any other governmental authority, or if a banking moratorium shall have been declared by federal or New York authorities, or (iv) the rating assigned by any nationally recognized securities rating agency to any debt securities of the Company as of the date of this Agreement shall have been lowered since that date or if any such rating agency shall have publicly announced since that date that it has placed any debt securities of the Company on what is commonly termed a “watch list” for possible downgrading, or (v) the Prospectus, at the time it was required to be delivered to a purchaser of Securities, contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing at the time of such delivery, not misleading.
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11. Representations and Indemnities to Survive. The respective agreements, representations, warranties, indemnities and other statements of the Company or any of its officers made in any certificate signed by any such officer of the Company and delivered to the Representatives or counsel for the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement and of the Underwriters set forth in or made pursuant to this Agreement will remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or any of the officers, directors, employees, affiliates or controlling persons referred to in Section 8 hereof or the Company, and will survive delivery of and payment for the Securities. The provisions of Sections 7 and 8 hereof shall survive the termination or cancellation of this Agreement.
12. Notices. All communications hereunder will be in writing and effective only on receipt, and, if sent to the Representatives, will be mailed, delivered, telefaxed or transmitted and confirmed by any standard form of communication to: Citigroup Global Markets Inc., 388 Greenwich Street, New York, New York 10013, Attention: General Counsel, Facsimile: (646) 291-1469; and Scotia Capital (USA) Inc., 250 Vesey Street, New York, New York 10281, Attention: Debt Capital Markets, Email: US.legal@scotiabank.com and TAG@scotiabank.com; or, if sent to the Company, will be mailed, delivered or telefaxed to Colgate-Palmolive Company, 300 Park Avenue, New York, New York 10022, Attention: Treasurer, Email: colgate_treasury_back_office@colpal.com.
13. Successors. This Agreement will inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors and the officers, directors, employees, affiliates and controlling persons referred to in Section 8 hereof, and no other person will have any right or obligation hereunder.
14. Recognition of the U.S. Special Resolution Regimes.
(a) In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, the transfer from such Underwriter of this Agreement, and any interest and obligation in or under this Agreement, will be effective to the same extent as the transfer would be effective under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement, and any such interest and obligation, were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.
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(b) In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity or a BHC Act Affiliate of such Underwriter becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, Default Rights under this Agreement that may be exercised against such Underwriter are permitted to be exercised to no greater extent than such Default Rights could be exercised under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.
As used in this Section 14:
“BHC Act Affiliate” has the meaning assigned to the term “affiliate” in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. § 1841(k).
“Covered Entity” means any of the following: (i) a “covered entity” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 252.82(b), (ii) a “covered bank” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 47.3(b) or (iii) a “covered FSI” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 382.2(b).
“Default Right” has the meaning assigned to that term in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §§ 252.81, 47.2 or 382.1, as applicable.
“U.S. Special Resolution Regime” means each of (i) the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder and (ii) Title II of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder.
15. No Fiduciary Duty. The Company hereby acknowledges that the Underwriters will be acting pursuant to a contractual relationship on an arm’s length basis and in no event do the parties intend that the Underwriters act or be responsible as a fiduciary to the Company, its management, stockholders, creditors or any other person. The Company and the Underwriters each hereby expressly disclaim any fiduciary relationship and agree they are each responsible for making their own judgments with respect to any transactions entered into between them.
16. Integration. This Agreement supersedes all prior agreements and understandings (whether written or oral) between the Company and the Underwriters, or any of them, with respect to the subject matter hereof.
17. Applicable Law. This Agreement will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York applicable to contracts made and to be performed within the State of New York.
18. Jurisdiction. The Company and the Underwriters agree that any suit, action or proceeding, arising out of or based upon this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby may be instituted in any State or U.S. federal court in The City of New York and County of New York, and waive any objection which they may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any such proceeding, and irrevocably submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of such courts in any suit, action or proceeding.
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19. Waiver of Jury Trial. The Company and the Underwriters hereby irrevocably waive, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any and all right to trial by jury in any legal proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby.
20. Counterparts. This Agreement may be signed in one or more counterparts (which may include counterparts delivered by any standard form of telecommunication), each of which shall constitute an original and all of which together shall constitute one and the same agreement. Delivery of an executed Agreement by one party to any other party may be made by facsimile, electronic mail (including any electronic signature complying with the New York Electronic Signatures and Records Act (N.Y. State Tech. §§ 301-309), as amended from time to time, or other applicable law) or other transmission method, and the parties hereto agree that any counterpart so delivered shall be deemed to have been duly and validly delivered and be valid and effective for all purposes.
21. Headings. The section headings used herein are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof.
[Remainder of page intentionally left blank; signatures appear on following pages]
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If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, please sign and return to us the enclosed duplicate hereof, whereupon this letter and your acceptance shall represent a binding agreement among the Company and the several Underwriters.
| Very truly yours, | ||
| COLGATE-PALMOLIVE COMPANY | ||
| By: | /s/ Gina Grant | |
| Name: | Gina Grant | |
| Title: | Executive Vice President, Treasurer | |
[Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement]
| The foregoing Agreement is hereby | ||
| confirmed and accepted as of the date | ||
| specified in Schedule I hereto. | ||
| CITIGROUP GLOBAL MARKETS INC. | ||
| By: | /s/ Adam D. Bordner | |
| Name: Adam D. Bordner | ||
| Title: Managing Director | ||
| SCOTIA CAPITAL (USA) INC. | ||
| By: | /s/ Michael Ravanesi | |
| Name: Michael Ravanesi | ||
| Title: Managing Director & Head of U.S. Debt Origination | ||
[Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement]
SCHEDULE I
Underwriting Agreement dated April 28, 2025
Registration Statement No. 333-275201
Representative(s): Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
Scotia Capital (USA) Inc.
Title, Purchase Price and Description of Securities:
Title: 4.200% Senior Notes due 2030
Principal amount: $500,000,000
Purchase price (plus accrued interest, if any, from May 2, 2025): 99.597%
Sinking fund provisions: None
Redemption provisions: As provided in the Preliminary Prospectus and final term sheet prepared and filed pursuant to Section 5(b) of the Agreement
Other provisions: See the Preliminary Prospectus and final term sheet prepared and filed pursuant to Section 5(b) of the Agreement
Applicable Time: 3:15 p.m. New York City Time
Closing Date, Time and Location: May 2, 2025 at 9:00 a.m. New York City time at 787 Seventh Avenue, New York, New York 10019
SCHEDULE II
| Underwriters | Principal Amount of to be Purchased | |||
| Citigroup Global Markets Inc. | $ | 162,500,000 | ||
| Scotia Capital (USA) Inc. | 162,500,000 | |||
| ANZ Securities, Inc. | 14,250,000 | |||
| Barclays Capital Inc. | 14,250,000 | |||
| BBVA Securities Inc. | 14,250,000 | |||
| BNP Paribas Securities Corp. | 14,250,000 | |||
| BNY Mellon Capital Markets, LLC | 14,250,000 | |||
| BofA Securities, Inc. | 14,250,000 | |||
| Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC | 14,250,000 | |||
| HSBC Securities (USA) Inc. | 14,250,000 | |||
| ICBC Standard Bank Plc | 14,250,000 | |||
| J.P. Morgan Securities LLC | 14,250,000 | |||
| Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC | 14,250,000 | |||
| US Bancorp Investments, Inc. | 14,250,000 | |||
| CastleOak Securities, L.P. | 2,000,000 | |||
| Siebert Williams Shank & Co., LLC | 2,000,000 | |||
| Total | $ | 500,000,000 | ||
SCHEDULE III
Schedule of Electronic Road Shows
None
IV-1
SCHEDULE IV
Schedule of Permitted Free Writing Prospectuses
None
IV-1
SCHEDULE V
Dated April 28, 2025
Free Writing Prospectus Filed Pursuant to Rule 433
Supplementing Prospectus dated October 27, 2023 and
Prospectus Supplement dated April 28, 2025
Registration Statement No. 333-275201
$500,000,000
Colgate-Palmolive Company
4.200% Senior Notes due 2030
Final Term Sheet
| Issuer: | Colgate-Palmolive Company |
| Anticipated Ratings: (Moody’s/S&P)* |
[Intentionally omitted] |
| Trade Date: | April 28, 2025 |
| Settlement Date:** | May 2, 2025 (T+4) |
| Joint Book-Running Managers: | Citigroup Global Markets Inc. Scotia Capital (USA) Inc. |
| Co-Managers: |
ANZ Securities, Inc. Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC |
| Title of Securities: | 4.200% Senior Notes due 2030 (the “Notes”) |
| Principal Amount: | $500,000,000 |
| Maturity Date: | May 1, 2030 |
| Interest Rate: | 4.200% per annum |
| Interest Payment Dates: | Payable semi-annually in arrears on May 1 and November 1 of each year, commencing November 1, 2025 (short first coupon) |
| Yield to Maturity: | 4.212% |
| Spread to Benchmark Treasury: | +38 bps |
| Benchmark Treasury: | UST 3.875% due April 30, 2030 |
| Benchmark Treasury Price and Yield: | 100-06 ¼; 3.832% |
V-1
| Price to Public: | 99.947% plus accrued interest, if any, from May 2, 2025 |
| Make-Whole Call: | The Notes will be redeemable at the issuer’s option, in whole or in part, at any time and from time to time, prior to April 1, 2030 (one month prior to the maturity date of the Notes) (the “Par Call Date”), at a redemption price (expressed as a percentage of principal amount and rounded to three decimal places) equal to the greater of: (i) the sum of the present values of the remaining scheduled payments of principal and interest on the Notes to be redeemed discounted to the redemption date (assuming that such Notes matured on the Par Call Date) on a semi-annual basis (assuming a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months) at the Treasury Rate (as defined in the prospectus supplement) plus 10 basis points less interest accrued to but excluding the redemption date and (ii) 100% of the principal amount of the Notes to be redeemed; plus, in either case, accrued and unpaid interest on the Notes to be redeemed to but excluding the redemption date. |
| Par Call: | On or after April 1, 2030 |
| CUSIP/ISIN: | 194162 AT0 / US194162AT02 |
*Note: A securities rating is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold securities and may be subject to revision or withdrawal at any time.
**It is expected that delivery of the Notes will be made against payment therefor on or about May 2, 2025, which is the fourth business day following the date hereof (such settlement cycle being referred to as “T+4”). Pursuant to Rule 15c6-1 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, trades in the secondary market generally are required to settle in one business day, unless the parties to any such trade expressly agree otherwise. Accordingly, purchasers who wish to trade the Notes on any date prior to one business day before delivery will be required, by virtue of the fact that the Notes are initially expected to settle T+4, to specify alternative settlement arrangements to prevent a failed settlement.
The issuer has filed a registration statement (including a prospectus) with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) for the offering to which this communication relates. Before you invest, you should read the prospectus in that registration statement and other documents the issuer has filed with the SEC for more complete information about the issuer and this offering. You may get these documents for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, the issuer, any underwriter or any dealer participating in the offering will arrange to send you the prospectus if you request it by calling Citigroup Global Markets Inc. at 1-800-831-9146 or Scotia Capital (USA) Inc. at 1-800-372-3930.
ANY DISCLAIMERS OR OTHER NOTICES THAT MAY APPEAR BELOW ARE NOT APPLICABLE TO THIS COMMUNICATION AND SHOULD BE DISREGARDED. SUCH DISCLAIMERS OR OTHER NOTICES WERE AUTOMATICALLY GENERATED AS A RESULT OF THIS COMMUNICATION BEING SENT VIA BLOOMBERG OR ANOTHER EMAIL SYSTEM.
V-2
Exhibit 4.2
[FACE OF NOTE]
THIS NOTE IS A GLOBAL SECURITY WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE INDENTURE REFERRED TO HEREIN. UNLESS THIS CERTIFICATE IS PRESENTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF THE DEPOSITORY TRUST COMPANY, A NEW YORK CORPORATION (“DTC”), TO THE ISSUER OR ITS AGENT FOR REGISTRATION OF TRANSFER, EXCHANGE OR PAYMENT, AND ANY CERTIFICATE ISSUED IS REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF CEDE & CO. OR IN SUCH OTHER NAME AS IS REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF DTC (AND ANY PAYMENT IS MADE TO CEDE & CO. OR TO SUCH OTHER ENTITY AS IS REQUESTED BY AN AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF DTC), ANY TRANSFER, PLEDGE OR OTHER USE HEREOF FOR VALUE OR OTHERWISE BY OR TO ANY PERSON IS WRONGFUL INASMUCH AS THE REGISTERED OWNER HEREOF, CEDE & CO., HAS AN INTEREST HEREIN.
COLGATE-PALMOLIVE COMPANY
4.200% SENIOR NOTE DUE 2030
| No. | CUSIP No.: 194162 AT0 | |
| ISIN No.: US194162AT02 | ||
| $ |
COLGATE-PALMOLIVE COMPANY, a Delaware corporation, for value received promises to pay to CEDE & CO., or registered assigns, the Principal Amount of DOLLARS on May 1, 2030.
Interest Payment Date: Semi-annually in arrears on May 1 and November 1, beginning on November 1, 2025 (each, an “Interest Payment Date”).
Reference is made to the further provisions of this Note contained herein, which will for all purposes have the same effect as if set forth at this place.
2
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Colgate-Palmolive Company has caused this Note to be duly executed by one of its duly authorized officers.
| COLGATE-PALMOLIVE COMPANY | ||
| By: | ||
| Name: | ||
| Title: | ||
Dated:
TRUSTEE'S CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICATION:
This is one of the Securities of
the series designated therein referred
to in the within-mentioned Indenture.
| THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON, as Trustee |
||
| By: | ||
| Authorized Signatory | ||
3
(REVERSE OF NOTE)
COLGATE-PALMOLIVE COMPANY
4.200% Senior Note due 2030
| 1. | Interest |
Colgate-Palmolive Company (the “Issuer”) promises to pay interest on the principal amount of this Note at the rate per annum described above. Cash interest on the Notes will accrue from the most recent date to which interest has been paid; or, if no interest has been paid, from May 2, 2025. Interest on this Note will be paid to, but excluding, the relevant Interest Payment Date. The Issuer will pay interest semi-annually in arrears on each Interest Payment Date, commencing November 1, 2025. Interest on each Interest Payment Date will be paid to the persons in whose names the Notes were registered as of the close of business on the fifteenth day (whether or not a Business Day) immediately preceding the Interest Payment Date. Interest will be computed on the basis of a 360-day year of twelve 30-day months.
Any payment otherwise required to be made in respect of this Note on a date that is not a Business Day may be made on the next succeeding Business Day with the same force and effect as if made on that date. No additional interest shall accrue as a result of a delayed payment. The Issuer shall pay interest on any overdue principal, premium, if any and/or interest to the extent legally enforceable at the interest rate per annum specified above, until the principal hereof is paid or duly made available for payment.
| 2. | Paying Agent and Registrar. |
The Bank of New York Mellon (the “Trustee”) will initially act as security registrar and paying agent for the Notes. The Issuer may change any paying agent or security registrar upon notice to the Trustee.
| 3. | Indenture; Defined Terms. |
This Note is one of the 4.200% Senior Notes due 2030 (the “Notes”) issued under an indenture, dated as of November 15, 1992 (the “Base Indenture”), by and between the Issuer and the Trustee, and established pursuant to an Officer’s Certificate, dated May 2, 2025, issued pursuant to Section 301 of the Indenture (together with the Base Indenture, the “Indenture”). This Note is a “Security” and the Notes are “Securities” under the Indenture.
“Business Day” means any day, other than a Saturday, Sunday or any other day on which banking institutions in New York, New York are authorized or obligated by law, regulation or executive order to close.
For purposes of this Note, unless otherwise defined herein, capitalized terms herein are used as defined in the Indenture. The terms of the Notes include those stated in the Indenture and those made part of the Indenture by reference to the Trust Indenture Act as in effect on the date on which the Base Indenture was qualified under the Trust Indenture Act. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, the Notes are subject to all such terms, and Holders of Notes are referred to the Indenture and the Trust Indenture Act for a statement of them.
4
| 4. | Denominations; Transfer; Exchange. |
The Notes are in registered form, without coupons, in minimum denominations of $2,000 and any integral multiple of $1,000 in excess thereof. This Note is exchangeable only if (i) DTC (a) notifies the Issuer that it is unwilling or unable to continue as depositary for the global notes or (b) has ceased to be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act and, in either case, a successor depositary is not appointed within 90 days, (ii) the Issuer, at its option, notifies the Trustee in writing that it elects to cause the issuance of certificated Notes in definitive form or (iii) there has occurred and is continuing an Event of Default with respect to the Notes.
As provided in the Indenture and subject to certain limitations therein set forth, the transfer of this Note may be registered on the Security Register of the Issuer upon surrender of this Note for registration of transfer at the office or agency of the Issuer in the Borough of Manhattan, The City of New York, duly endorsed by, or accompanied by a written instrument of transfer in form satisfactory to the Issuer and the Security Registrar duly executed by, the Holder hereof or by his attorney duly authorized in writing, and thereupon one or more new Notes of authorized denominations and for the same aggregate principal amount with the same terms and provisions, will be issued by the Issuer to the designated transferee or transferees.
| 5. | Amendment; Supplement; Waiver. |
The Indenture permits the amendment thereof for specified purposes, including, among other things, amendments that do not materially adversely affect the rights of any Holder of a Note, or curing ambiguities and correcting inconsistencies, by the Issuer and the Trustee without the consent of the Holders. The Indenture also permits, with certain exceptions as therein provided, the amendment thereof and the modification of the rights and obligations of the Issuer and the rights of the Holders of the Notes to be adversely affected thereby at any time by the Issuer and the Trustee with the consent of the Holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of Notes at the time outstanding, adversely affected thereby. The Indenture also contains provisions permitting the Holders of specified percentages in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding Notes, on behalf of the Holders of such Notes, to waive compliance by the Issuer with certain provisions of the Indenture and certain past defaults under the Indenture and their consequences. Any such consent or waiver by the Holder of this Note shall be conclusive and binding upon such Holder and upon all future Holders of this Note and of any Note issued upon the registration of transfer hereof or in exchange therefor or in lieu hereof, whether or not notation of such consent or waiver is made upon this Note.
| 6. | Optional Redemption. |
Prior to April 1, 2030 (the “Par Call Date”), the Issuer may redeem the Notes at its option, in whole or in part, at any time and from time to time. Upon redemption of the Notes, the Issuer will pay a redemption price (expressed as a percentage of the principal amount and rounded to three decimal places) equal to the greater of:
| (1) | (a) the sum of the present values of the remaining scheduled payments of principal and interest on the Notes to be redeemed discounted to the redemption date (assuming that the Notes matured on the Par Call Date), on a semi-annual basis (assuming a 360-day year consisting of twelve 30-day months) at the Treasury Rate (as defined below) plus 10 basis points less (b) interest accrued to but excluding the redemption date; and |
5
| (2) | 100% of the principal amount of the Notes to be redeemed; plus, in either case, accrued and unpaid interest on the Notes to be redeemed to but excluding the redemption date. |
On and after the Par Call Date, the Notes are redeemable at the Issuer’s option, in whole or in part, at any time and from time to time, at a redemption price equal to 100% of the principal amount of the Notes to be redeemed, plus accrued and unpaid interest thereon to but excluding the redemption date.
“Treasury Rate” means, with respect to any redemption date, the yield determined by the Issuer in accordance with the following two paragraphs.
The Treasury Rate shall be determined by the Issuer after 4:15 p.m., New York City time (or after such time as yields on U.S. government securities are posted daily by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System), on the third Business Day preceding the redemption date based upon the yield or yields for the most recent day that appear after such time on such day in the most recent statistical release published by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System designated as “Selected Interest Rates (Daily)—H.15” (or any successor designation or publication) (“H.15”) under the caption “U.S. government securities—Treasury constant maturities—Nominal” (or any successor caption or heading) (“H.15 TCM”). In determining the Treasury Rate, the Issuer shall select, as applicable: (1) the yield for the Treasury constant maturity on H.15 exactly equal to the period from the redemption date to the Par Call Date (the “Remaining Life”); or (2) if there is no such Treasury constant maturity on H.15 exactly equal to the Remaining Life, the two yields – one yield corresponding to the Treasury constant maturity on H.15 immediately shorter than and one yield corresponding to the Treasury constant maturity on H.15 immediately longer than the Remaining Life – and shall interpolate to the Par Call Date on a straight-line basis (using the actual number of days) using such yields and rounding the result to three decimal places; or (3) if there is no such Treasury constant maturity on H.15 shorter than or longer than the Remaining Life, the yield for the single Treasury constant maturity on H.15 closest to the Remaining Life. For purposes of this paragraph, the applicable Treasury constant maturity or maturities on H.15 shall be deemed to have a maturity date equal to the relevant number of months or years, as applicable, of such Treasury constant maturity from the redemption date.
If on the third Business Day preceding the redemption date H.15 TCM or any successor designation or publication is no longer published, the Issuer shall calculate the Treasury Rate based on the rate per annum equal to the semi-annual equivalent yield to maturity at 11:00 a.m., New York City time, on the second Business Day preceding such redemption date of the United States Treasury security maturing on, or with a maturity that is closest to the Par Call Date. If there is no United States Treasury security maturing on the Par Call Date but there are two or more United States Treasury securities with a maturity date equally distant from the Par Call Date, one with a maturity date preceding the Par Call Date and one with a maturity date following the Par Call Date, the Issuer shall select the United States Treasury security with a maturity date preceding the Par Call Date. If there are two or more United States Treasury securities maturing on the Par Call Date or two or more United States Treasury securities meeting the criteria of the preceding sentence, the Issuer shall select from among these two or more United States Treasury securities the United States Treasury security that is trading closest to par based upon the average of the bid and asked prices for such United States Treasury securities at 11:00 a.m., New York City time. In determining the Treasury Rate in accordance with the terms of this paragraph, the semi-annual yield to maturity of the applicable United States Treasury security shall be based upon the average of the bid and asked prices (expressed as a percentage of principal amount) at 11:00 a.m., New York City time, of such United States Treasury security, and rounded to three decimal places.
6
The Issuer’s actions and determinations in determining the redemption price shall be conclusive and binding for all purposes, absent manifest error. The Issuer will notify the Trustee of the redemption price promptly after the calculation thereof and the Trustee shall not be responsible or liable for any calculation of the redemption price or of any component thereof, or for determining whether manifest error has occurred.
Notice of any redemption will be given at least 10 days but not more than 60 days before the redemption date to each holder of Notes to be redeemed. The notice of redemption for the Notes will state, among other things, the amount of Notes to be redeemed, the redemption date, the redemption price and the place or places that payment will be made upon presentation and surrender of Notes to be redeemed.
In the case of a partial redemption, selection of the Notes for redemption will be made by lot. No Notes of a principal amount of $2,000 or less will be redeemed in part. If any Note is to be redeemed in part only, the notice of redemption that relates to the Note will state the portion of the principal amount of the Note to be redeemed. A new Note in a principal amount equal to the unredeemed portion of the Note will be issued in the name of the holder of the Note upon surrender of the original Note. For so long as the Notes are held by DTC, the redemption of this Note shall be done in accordance with the policies and procedures of DTC.
Unless the Issuer defaults in payment of the redemption price, on and after the redemption date, interest will cease to accrue on the Notes or portions thereof called for redemption.
| 7. | Defaults and Remedies. |
If an Event of Default occurs with respect to the Notes and is continuing, then the Trustee or the holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the outstanding Notes, may declare the principal of all of the outstanding Notes, together with all accrued and unpaid interest and premium, if any, due and payable immediately. Holders of Notes may not enforce the Indenture or the Notes except as provided in the Indenture. The Holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding Notes may direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee or exercising any trust or power conferred on the Trustee with respect to the Notes, provided that the direction is not in conflict with any rule of law, the Indenture or the Notes. The Trustee may withhold from Holders of Notes notice of default, except default in payment of principal, any premium, interest or sinking fund payment, if it determines that it is in the interest of the holders to do so. The Trustee is not obligated to enforce the Indenture or the Notes unless it has received indemnity as it reasonably requires.
| 8. | Authentication. |
Unless the Certificate of Authentication hereon has been executed by the Trustee by manual or electronic signature of one of its authorized officers, this Note shall not be entitled to any benefit under the Indenture or be valid or obligatory for any purpose.
7
| 9. | Abbreviations and Defined Terms. |
Customary abbreviations may be used in the name of a Holder of a Note or an assignee, such as: TEN COM (= tenants in common), TEN ENT (= tenants by the entireties), JT TEN (= joint tenants with right of survivorship and not as tenants in common), CUST (= Custodian), and U/G/M/A (= Uniform Gifts to Minors Act).
| 10. | CUSIP/ISIN Numbers. |
Pursuant to a recommendation promulgated by the Committee on Uniform Security Identification Procedures, the Issuer has caused CUSIP/ISIN numbers to be printed on the Notes as a convenience to the Holders of the Notes. No representation is made as to the accuracy of such numbers as printed on the Notes and reliance may be placed only on the other identification numbers printed hereon.
| 11. | Governing Law. |
The Indenture and the Notes shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the internal laws of the State of New York.
8
ASSIGNMENT
FOR VALUE RECEIVED, the undersigned hereby sell(s), assign(s) and transfer(s) unto
| PLEASE INSERT SOCIAL SECURITY OR OTHER IDENTIFYING NUMBER OF ASSIGNEE | |
| (Please print or typewrite name and address including postal zip code of assignee) |
| this Note and all rights thereunder hereby irrevocably constituting and appointing |
| Attorney to transfer this Note on the books of the Issuer, with full power of substitution in the premises. |
| Dated: | |||
| Notice: The signature(s) on this Assignment must correspond with the name(s) as written upon the face of this Note in every particular, without alteration or enlargement or any change whatsoever. | |||
9
Exhibit 5.1
 |
Hogan Lovells US LLP Columbia Square 555 Thirteenth Street, NW Washington, DC 20004 T +1 202 637 5600 F +1 202 637 5910 www.hoganlovells.com |
May 2, 2025
Colgate-Palmolive Company
300 Park Avenue
New York, New York, 10022
To the addressee referred to above:
We are acting as counsel to Colgate-Palmolive Company, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), in connection with its proposed sale, pursuant to the Underwriting Agreement dated April 28, 2025 (the “Agreement”) among the Company and Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and Scotia Capital (USA) Inc., as representatives of the several underwriters named therein, of $500,000,000 principal amount of the Company’s 4.200% Senior Notes due 2030 (the “Securities”). The Securities are to be sold pursuant to the Company’s registration statement on Form S-3, as amended (File No. 333-275201) (the “Registration Statement”), filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”) on October 27, 2023, the prospectus dated October 27, 2023 (the “Prospectus”), as supplemented by the supplement to the Prospectus dated April 28, 2025 (the “Prospectus Supplement”). The Securities are to be issued pursuant to an Indenture, dated November 15, 1992, between the Company and The Bank of New York Mellon (formerly known as The Bank of New York), as trustee (the “Indenture”). This opinion letter is furnished to you at your request to enable you to fulfill the requirements of Item 601(b)(5) of Regulation S-K, 17 C.F.R. § 229.601(b)(5), in connection with the Registration Statement.
For purposes of this opinion letter, we have examined copies of such agreements, instruments and documents as we have deemed an appropriate basis on which to render the opinions hereinafter expressed. In our examination of the aforesaid documents, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the legal capacity of all natural persons, the accuracy and completeness of all documents submitted to us, the authenticity of all original documents, and the conformity to authentic original documents of all documents submitted to us as copies (including pdfs). As to all matters of fact, we have relied on the representations and statements of fact made in the documents so reviewed, and we have not independently established the facts so relied on. This opinion letter is given, and all statements herein are made, in the context of the foregoing.
For purposes of this opinion letter, we have assumed that (i) The Bank of New York Mellon (formerly known as the Bank of New York), as successor trustee (the “Trustee”) under the Indenture, filed as Exhibit 4.1 to the Registration Statement, has all requisite power and authority under all applicable laws, regulations and governing documents to execute, deliver and perform its obligations under the Indenture and has complied with all legal requirements pertaining to its status as such status relates to the Trustee’s right to enforce the Indenture against the Company, (ii) the Trustee has duly authorized, executed and delivered the Indenture, (iii) the Trustee is validly existing and in good standing in all necessary jurisdictions, (iv) the Indenture constitutes a valid and binding obligation, enforceable against the Trustee in accordance with its terms, (v) there has been no mutual mistake of fact or misunderstanding or fraud, duress or undue influence in connection with the negotiation, execution or delivery of the Indenture, and the conduct of all parties to the Indenture has complied with any requirements of good faith, fair dealing and conscionability, (vi) at the time of offer, issuance and sale of any Securities, no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement will have been issued and remain in effect and (vii) there are and have been no agreements or understandings among the parties, written or oral, and there is and has been no usage of trade or course of prior dealing among the parties that would, in either case, define, supplement or qualify the terms of the Indenture. We also have assumed the validity and constitutionality of each relevant statute, rule, regulation and agency action covered by this opinion letter.
Hogan Lovells US LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in the state of Delaware. “Hogan Lovells” is an international legal practice that includes Hogan Lovells US LLP and Hogan Lovells International LLP, with offices in: Alicante Amsterdam Baltimore Beijing Berlin Birmingham Boston Brussels Colorado Springs Denver Dubai Dublin Dusseldorf Frankfurt Hamburg Hanoi Ho Chi Minh City Hong Kong Houston London Los Angeles Luxembourg Madrid Mexico City Miami Milan Minneapolis Monterrey Munich New York Northern Virginia Paris Philadelphia Riyadh Rome San Francisco São Paulo Shanghai Silicon Valley Singapore Tokyo Washington, D.C. For more information see www.hoganlovells.com.
| Colgate-Palmolive Company | - 2 - | May 2, 2025 |
This opinion letter is based as to matters of law solely on the applicable provisions of the following, as currently in effect: (i) the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, as amended, and (ii) the laws of the State of New York (but not including any statutes, rules, ordinances, administrative decisions, rules or regulations of any political subdivision below the state level). We express no opinion herein as to any other statutes, rules or regulations (and in particular, we express no opinion as to any effect that such statutes, rules or regulations may have on the opinions expressed herein).
Based upon, subject to and limited by the foregoing, we are of the opinion that the Securities have been duly authorized on behalf of the Company and that, following (i) receipt by the Company of the consideration for the Securities specified in the Agreement and (ii) the due execution, authentication, issuance and delivery of the Securities pursuant to the terms of the Indenture, the Securities will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company.
The opinion expressed above with respect to the valid and binding nature of obligations may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, receivership, moratorium or other laws affecting creditors’ rights (including, without limitation, the effect of statutory and other law regarding fraudulent conveyances, fraudulent transfers and preferential transfers) and by the exercise of judicial discretion and the application of principles of equity, good faith, fair dealing, reasonableness, conscionability and materiality (regardless of whether the Securities are considered in a proceeding in equity or at law).
This opinion letter has been prepared for use in connection with the filing by the Company of a Current Report on Form 8-K on the date hereof, which Form 8-K will be incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement and speaks as of the date hereof. We assume no obligation to advise you of any changes in the foregoing subsequent to the delivery of this opinion letter.
| Colgate-Palmolive Company | - 3 - | May 2, 2025 |
We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion letter as Exhibit 5.1 to the above-described Current Report on Form 8-K and to the reference to this firm under the caption “Legal Matters” in the Prospectus Supplement constituting a part of the Registration Statement. In giving this consent, we do not thereby admit that we are an “expert” within the meaning of the Act.
Very truly yours,
/s/ Hogan Lovells US LLP
HOGAN LOVELLS US LLP