8-K
MATTHEWS INTERNATIONAL CORP false 0000063296 --09-30 0000063296 2026-02-19 2026-02-19
 
 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D. C. 20549

 

 

FORM 8-K

 

 

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): February 19, 2026

 

 

MATTHEWS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Pennsylvania   0-09115   25-0644320

(State or other jurisdiction of

Incorporation or organization)

 

(Commission

File Number)

  (I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)

Two Northshore Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15212-5851

(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

(412) 442-8200

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Not Applicable

(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)

 

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (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 Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class

 

Trading
Symbol

 

Name of each exchange
on which registered

Class A Common Stock, $1.00 par value   MATW   Nasdaq Global Select Market

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

 

 
 


Item 5.02

Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

As further described in Item 5.07 below, on February 19, 2026, at the 2026 annual meeting of shareholders (the “Annual Meeting”) of Matthews International Corporation (the “Company”), the Company’s shareholders approved the adoption of the Second Amended and Restated 2019 Director Fee Plan (the “Restated Plan”) to authorize the issuance of 250,000 additional shares of the Company’s Class A Common Stock, par value $1.00 per share (the “Common Stock”), following which the aggregate number of shares of the Common Stock authorized for issuance under the Restated Plan increased to 550,000. The Restated Plan was previously adopted by the Company’s board of directors (the “Board”) subject to approval of the Company’s shareholders at the Annual Meeting. The Restated Plan is described in greater detail in the Company’s definitive proxy statement for the Annual Meeting, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 20, 2026 (the “Proxy Statement”), under the caption “Proposal 2—Approval of the Adoption of the Second Amended and Restated 2019 Director Fee Plan,” which disclosure is incorporated herein by reference. The description of the Restated Plan contained in the Proxy Statement is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Restated Plan, which is attached hereto as Exhibit 10.1 hereto and is incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 5.03

Amendments to Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws; Change in Fiscal Year.

The Company held its Annual Meeting on February 19, 2026, at which the Company’s shareholders, upon the recommendation of the Board, approved three proposals to amend the Company’s current Restated Articles of Incorporation (the “Current Articles”) to be contained in an Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation (the “Amended and Restated Articles”) to (i) declassify the Board over a three-year period such that the Board will no longer be divided into classes beginning at the 2028 Annual Meeting of Shareholders, (ii) adopt a majority of votes cast standard in uncontested elections of directors, and (iii) eliminate certain supermajority voting requirements. Each of these foregoing amendments to the Current Articles are included in the Amended and Restated Articles, which also contain certain immaterial changes to modernize, streamline, and align the provisions therein in light of the proposed amendments. The full text of the Amended and Restated Articles are attached as Appendix C-1, and the cumulative changes marked in Appendix C-2, to the Proxy Statement. As further described in Item 5.07 below, in addition to approving each of the amendments to the Current Articles at the Annual Meeting, the Company’s shareholders further approved the adoption of the Amended and Restated Articles.

The Board approved each of the amendments to the Current Articles, as well as the Amended and Restated Articles, and further approved their filing with the Pennsylvania Department of State, subject to receipt of shareholder approval at the Annual Meeting. On February 19, 2026, following the approval by the Company’s shareholders of each of Proposals 5, 6, 7, and 8 as set forth in the Proxy Statement at the Annual Meeting, the Company filed the Amended and Restated Articles accordingly. The Amended and Restated Articles became effective upon filing on February 19, 2026.

The foregoing descriptions are summaries only and are qualified in their entirety by reference to the complete text of the Amended and Restated Articles, which are filed as Exhibit 3.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 5.07

Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.

The Company held its Annual Meeting on February 19, 2026. A total of 31,126,081 shares of Common Stock were eligible to vote at the Annual Meeting.

There were 26,521,762 shares of Common Stock represented at the Annual Meeting by valid proxies or voted at the meeting, which was approximately 85.2% of the shares of Common Stock entitled to vote at the Annual Meeting and which constituted a quorum. Set forth below are the proposals voted upon at the Annual Meeting, which are more fully described in the Proxy Statement in connection with the Annual Meeting, and the final voting results tabulated by the Company’s tabulator, Corporate Election Services, and the results of each proposal voted upon at the Annual Meeting were determined by the Company’s independent judge of election, First Coast Results, Inc.

 

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Proposal 1. To elect four (4) directors of the Company to serve until the 2027 Annual Meeting of Shareholders and until their successors are elected and qualified if Proposal 6 is approved or until the 2029 Annual Meeting of Shareholders and until their successors are elected and qualified if Proposal 6 is not approved. The voting results were as follows:

 

Company’s Nominees    Votes For      Votes Withheld      Broker Non Votes  

Thomas A. Gebhardt

     21,406,097        2,016,345        3,099,320  

Aleta W. Richards

     21,057,649        2,364,792        3,099,321  

David A. Schawk

     21,022,205        2,400,235        3,099,322  

Francis S. Wlodarczyk

     21,401,227        2,021,214        3,099,321  

The four directors elected at the Annual Meeting are Thomas A. Gebhardt, Aleta W. Richards, David A. Schawk and Francis S. Wlodarczyk. As set forth below, the Company’s shareholders approved Proposal 6 at the Annual Meeting, and as such, these directors have been elected to serve until the Company’s 2027 Annual Meeting of Shareholders and until their successors are elected and qualified or until their earlier death, resignation or removal.

Proposal 2. To approve the adoption of the Restated Plan. The Company’s shareholders approved the adoption of the Restated Plan by of the vote set forth in the table below.

 

Votes For

 

Votes Against

 

Votes Abstained

 

Broker Non Votes

20,941,273   2,451,956   29,207   3,099,326

Proposal 3. To ratify the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm to audit the records of the Company for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2026. The Company’s shareholders ratified the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2026 by the vote set forth in the table below.

 

Votes For

 

Votes Against

 

Votes Abstained

 

Broker Non Votes

26,154,491   273,453   93,818  

Proposal 4. To provide an advisory (non-binding) vote on the executive compensation of the Company’s named executive officers. The Company’s shareholders approved, on an advisory basis, the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers by the vote set forth in the table below.

 

Votes For

 

Votes Against

 

Votes Abstained

 

Broker Non Votes

22,908,662   480,525   33,252   3,099,323

Proposal 5. To approve the adoption of the Amended and Restated Articles. The Company’s shareholders approved the adoption of the Amended and Restated Articles, attached as Appendix C-1 to the Proxy Statement, by the vote set forth in the table below.

 

Votes For

 

Votes Against

 

Votes Abstained

 

Broker Non Votes

23,202,938   184,580   34,922   3,099,322

Proposal 6. To approve the amendment of the Current Articles to declassify the Board. The Company’s shareholders approved the amendment of the Current Articles to declassify the Board by the vote set forth in the table below.

 

Votes For

 

Votes Against

 

Votes Abstained

 

Broker Non Votes

23,200,180   189,693   32,566   3,099,323

 

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Proposal 7. To approve the amendment of the Current Articles to adopt a majority of votes cast standard in uncontested elections of directors. The Company’s shareholders approved the amendment of the Current Articles to adopt a majority of votes cast standard in uncontested elections of directors by the vote set forth in the table below.

 

Votes For

 

Votes Against

 

Votes Abstained

 

Broker Non Votes

23,167,481   243,779   11,179   3,099,323

Proposal 8. To approve the amendment of the Current Articles to eliminate certain supermajority voting requirements. The Company’s shareholders approved the amendment of the Current Articles to eliminate certain supermajority voting requirements by the vote set forth in the table below.

 

Votes For

 

Votes Against

 

Votes Abstained

 

Broker Non Votes

23,201,419   207,210   13,811   3,099,322

 

Item 7.01

Regulation FD Disclosure.

On February 19, 2026, the Company issued a press release announcing the key outcomes of the Annual Meeting, including the election of Thomas A. Gebhardt, Aleta W. Richards, David A. Schawk and Francis S. Wlodarczyk to the Board, the approval by the Company’s shareholders of the proposals to amend the Current Articles, and the appointment of J. Michael Nauman to serve as Chairman of the Board as described in the Proxy Statement. A copy of the press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1.

The information furnished pursuant to Item 7.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”), or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference into any other filing of the Company under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, except as expressly set forth by specific reference in such a filing.

 

Item 9.01

Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits.

 

Exhibit

Number

  

Description

 3.1    Matthews International Corporation Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation
10.1    Matthews International Corporation Second Amended and Restated 2019 Director Fee Plan
99.1    Press Release, dated February 19, 2026, issued by Matthews International Corporation
104    Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)

 

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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.

 

MATTHEWS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION
(Registrant)
By:  

/s/ Daniel E. Stopar

 

  Daniel E. Stopar

 

  Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

Date: February 19, 2026

 

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Exhibit 3.1

MATTHEWS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION

AMENDED AND RESTATED ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION

 

FIRST:    The name of the Corporation is Matthews International Corporation.
SECOND:    The registered office of the corporation shall be provided by Corporation Service Company, located in Dauphin County in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
THIRD:    The purposes for which the Corporation is incorporated under the Business Corporation Law of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania are to engage in the manufacture, fabrication, assembly, merchandising and distribution of various items, as well as to engage in and to do any lawful act concerning any or all lawful business for which corporations may be organized under the Business Corporation Law of 1988, as amended.
FOURTH:    The term of the Corporation’s existence shall be perpetual.

FIFTH:

  

5.1  Capitalization.

   The total number of shares which the Corporation shall have authority to issue is 100,010,000, of which 100,000,000 shares shall be Common Stock, par value $1.00 per share, issuable in two classes, and 10,000 shares shall be Preferred Stock, par value $100 per share, issuable in one or more classes.
  

5.2  Common Stock.

  

A. Two Classes

   The Common Stock shall be divided into two classes, one such class being denominated “Class A Common Stock” and the other such class being denominated “Class B Common Stock”. There shall be authorized 70,000,000 shares of Class A Common Stock and 30,000,000 shares of Class B Common Stock. The designations, powers, preferences, qualifications, privileges, limitations, restrictions, voting rights, relative voting power and other special or relative rights of the Class A Common Stock and of the Class B Common Stock shall be as set forth in this Section 5.2.
  

B. Dividends and Other Distributions

   Each share of Class A Common Stock and each share of Class B Common Stock shall be identical to each other in respect of rights to all dividends and distributions (including distributions upon liquidation of the Corporation) made with respect to shares of Common Stock, except that in the case of dividends or other distributions payable in Common Stock, including distributions pursuant to stock splits or stock dividends, such dividends or distributions shall be declared at the same rate and number per share on Class A Common Stock and on Class B Common Stock, but only shares of the Class A Common Stock shall be distributed with respect to Class A Common Stock and only shares of Class B Common Stock shall be distributed


   with respect to Class B Common Stock. If the Corporation shall in any manner split, subdivide or combine the outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock or Class B Common Stock, the outstanding shares of the other class of Common Stock shall be split, subdivided or combined in the same manner proportionately and on the same basis per share, shares of each such class being split, subdivided or combined only into or with shares of the same class.
  

C. Voting

  

(1) With respect to all matters upon which shareholders are entitled to vote or to which shareholders are entitled or requested to give consent, the holders of the outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock and the holders of the outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock (together with the holders of any outstanding shares of the Preferred Stock, if entitled to vote) shall vote together without regard to class except as provided in subparagraph (2) of this Paragraph C or applicable law, and every holder of the outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock shall be entitled to cast thereon one vote in person or by proxy for each share of Class A Common Stock standing in the holder’s name and every holder of the outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock shall be entitled to cast thereon ten votes in person or by proxy for each share of Class B Common Stock standing in the holder’s name.

  

(2) With respect to any proposed amendment to the Articles which would increase or decrease the par value or the number of authorized shares of either Class A Common Stock or Class B Common Stock, or alter or change the powers, preferences, qualifications, privileges, limitations, restrictions, voting rights, relative voting power or other special or relative rights of the shares of Class A Common Stock or the shares of Class B Common Stock or both, the approval of a majority of the shares of each class, voting separately as a class, shall be required to be obtained in addition to any other shareholder vote required by the Articles or applicable law.

  

(3) In the election of directors, no shareholder shall have any right to cumulate his votes and cast them for one candidate or distribute them among two or more candidates.

  

D. Issuance of Class B Common Stock

   The Corporation may issue shares of Class B Common Stock only (i) to an active employee of the Corporation in sole or joint name, but only to the extent permitted by applicable law and the regulations of The Nasdaq Stock Market (“Nasdaq”), or (ii) in the form of a distribution pursuant to a stock dividend on or split of the share of Class B Common Stock and only to then holders of the outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock in conjunction with and in the same ratio as a stock dividend on or split of the shares of Class A Common Stock.

 

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E.  Transfer of Class B Common Stock

  

(1) No person holding shares of Class B Common Stock of record (a “Class B Holder”) may transfer, and the Corporation shall not register the transfer of, such shares of Class B Common Stock, as Class B Common Stock, whether by sale, assignment, inheritance, gift, bequest, appointment or otherwise, except to the Corporation or to a person who is an active employee of the Corporation, holding in a sole or joint name. Subject to the next succeeding sentence, Class B Holders shall be permitted to transfer their stock by exchanging such Class B Common Stock for Class A Common Stock and then so transferring such Class A Common Stock. Except under the circumstances described in subparagraph (2) of this Paragraph E, no exchange of Class B Common Stock for Class A Common Stock, whether in contemplation of transfer of such stock or otherwise, shall be permitted unless the Class B Holder (including, in the case of death, the legal representative thereof) shall first offer to the Corporation in writing the Class B shares to be exchanged, upon which the Corporation shall within 24 hours of such offer notify the Class B Holder whether the Corporation will purchase such shares. If the Corporation does so notify the Class B Holder, the shares will be purchased at the fair market value per share (as defined below) of the Class A Common Stock as determined on the date the Corporation so notifies the Class B Holder. If the Corporation does not so notify the Class B Holder, the Class B Holder shall tender such shares to the Corporation, upon which the Corporation shall exchange such shares for a like number of shares of Class A Common Stock.

  

Fair market value for the purposes of this subparagraph (1) shall be the mean between the following prices, as applicable, for the date as of which fair market value is to be determined as quoted in The Wall Street Journal (or in such other reliable publication as the Corporation, in its discretion, may determine to rely upon): (a) if the Class A Common Stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, the highest and lowest sales prices per share of the Class A Common Stock as quoted in the NYSE-Composite Transactions listing for such date, (b) if the Class A Common Stock is not listed on such exchange, the highest and lowest sales prices per share of Class A Common Stock for such date on (or on any composite index including) the principal United States securities exchange registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, on which the Class A Common Stock is listed or (c) if the Class A Common Stock is not listed on any such exchange, the highest and lowest sales prices per share of the Class A Common Stock for such date on Nasdaq. If there are no such sale price quotations for the date as of which fair market value is to be determined but there are such sale price quotations within a reasonable period both before and after such date, then fair market value shall be determined by taking a weighted average of the means between the highest and lowest sales prices per share of the Class A Common Stock as so quoted on the nearest date before and the nearest date after the date as of which fair market value is to be determined. The

 

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average shall be weighted inversely by the respective numbers of trading days between the selling dates and the date as of which fair market value is to be determined. If there are no such sale price quotations on or within a reasonable period both before and after the date as of which fair market value is to be determined, then fair market value of the Class A Common Stock shall be the mean between the bona fide bid and asked prices per share of Class A Common Stock as so quoted for such date on Nasdaq, or if none, the weighted average of the means between such bona fide bid and asked prices on the nearest trading date before and the nearest trading date after the date as of which fair market value is to be determined, if both such dates are within a reasonable period. The average is to be determined in the manner described above in this subparagraph (1). If the fair market value of the Class A Common Stock cannot be determined on the basis previously set forth in this Paragraph E on the date as of which fair market value is to be determined, the Corporation shall in good faith determine the fair market value of the Class A Common Stock on such date. Fair market value shall be determined without regard to any restriction other than a restriction which, by its terms, will never lapse.

  

(2) From and after the date these Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation are filed with the Pennsylvania Department of State, upon the retirement or termination of employment for any reason of an employee of the Corporation who is a sole or joint Class B Holder, such Class B Holder shall immediately tender the Class B shares to the Corporation in exchange for a like number of shares of Class A Common Stock. If any shares of Class B Common Stock are held in a joint name, the retirement or termination of employment for any reason of one of the joint holders shall not require the exchange described in this subparagraph (2) as to such shares so long as at least one of the remaining holders thereof is an active employee of the Corporation.

  

(3) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth herein, any Class B Holder may pledge such holder’s shares of Class B Common Stock to a pledgee pursuant to a bona fide pledge of such shares as collateral security for indebtedness due to the pledgee, provided that such shares shall not be transferred to or registered in the name of the pledgee and shall remain subject to the provisions of this Paragraph E. In the event of foreclosure or other similar action by the pledgee, such pledged shares of Class B Common Stock may only be (i) transferred to the Corporation or to a person who is an active employee of the Corporation, holding in a sole or joint name or (ii) tendered to the Corporation in exchange for a like number of shares of Class A Common Stock, in accordance with the procedure described in subparagraph (1) of this Paragraph E, as the pledgee may elect.

 

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(4) Any attempted transfer of shares of Class B Common Stock for which an exchange described in subparagraphs (1) or (2) of this Paragraph E cannot be effected shall result in the conversion of such shares of Class B Common Stock into shares of Class A Common Stock and the transfer thereof to the transferee, effective as of the date on which certificates representing such shares of Class B Common Stock are presented for transfer on the books of the Corporation.

  

(5) Shares of Class B Common Stock shall be registered only in the names of the beneficial owners thereof and not in “street” or “nominee” name. For this purpose a “beneficial owner” of any shares of Class B Common Stock shall mean a person who, or an entity which, possesses the power, either singly or jointly, to direct the disposition of such shares.

  

(6) The Corporation shall make appropriate, conspicuous reference in or on the certificates for shares of Class B Common Stock of the restrictions on transfer imposed by this Paragraph E.

  

F.  Automatic Conversion of Class B Common Stock

   At any time when the number of outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock as reflected on the stock transfer books of the Corporation falls below 5% of the aggregate number of the issued and outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock and Class B Common Stock of the Corporation, or the Board of Directors and the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock approve the conversion of all of the Class B Common Stock into Class A Common Stock, then, immediately upon the occurrence of either such event, the outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock shall be deemed, without further act, to be converted into shares of Class A Common Stock on a one-for-one basis. In the event of such a conversion, certificates formerly representing outstanding shares of Class B Common Stock shall thereupon and thereafter be deemed to represent a like number of shares or Class A Common Stock.
  

G. Issuance and Transfer of Class A Common Stock

   Except as otherwise restricted by applicable law or regulation, the right of the Board of Directors to issue Class A Common Stock shall not require shareholder action, and shares of Class A Common Stock are freely transferable.
  

H. Other Rights

   Except as otherwise required by the Pennsylvania Business Corporation Law of 1988, as amended, or as otherwise provided in the Articles, each share of Class A Common Stock and each share of Class B Common Stock shall have identical preferences, qualifications, privileges, limitations and other rights, including rights in liquidation or upon a merger, consolidation or sale of substantially all the assets of the Corporation.

 

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5.3  Preferred Stock

  

A. Issuance of Preferred Stock

   The Preferred Stock may be issued in one or more classes or series, with such voting rights, dividend rights, redemption rights, rights upon dissolution, conversion or exchange rights, designations, preferences and other special rights, if any, and qualifications or restrictions thereof, as shall be set forth in the resolution or resolutions providing for the issue of such Preferred Stock, or classes or series thereof, adopted at any time or from time to time by the Board of Directors of the Corporation.
  

B. Rights of Holders of Preferred Stock

   Except for and subject to these rights expressly granted to the holders of the Preferred Stock or any class or series thereof by resolution or resolutions adopted by the Board of Directors pursuant to Section 5.3, Paragraph A of this Article FIFTH and except as may be provided by the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the holders of the Common Stock shall have exclusively all other rights of shareholders.
SIXTH:    6.1 The business and affairs of the Corporation shall be managed under the direction of a Board of Directors comprised as follows:
  

A. Number

   The Board of Directors shall consist of such number of persons (not less than five and not more than fifteen) as may from time to time be fixed by the Board pursuant to a resolution adopted by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors then in office.
  

B. Election and Terms

  

(1) The directors elected by the holders of Voting Stock (as defined below) shall be classified in respect of the time for which they shall severally hold office by dividing them into three classes, until the 2028 annual meeting of the shareholders of the Corporation, at which time the directors will no longer be divided into classes. Subject to the filing of these Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation with the Pennsylvania Department of State, directors with terms expiring at the 2026 annual meeting of the shareholders of the Corporation shall serve out the remainder of their current terms, and they and any successors shall stand for re-election to a one-year term at the 2026 annual meeting of the shareholders of the Corporation; directors with terms expiring at the 2027 annual meeting of the shareholders of the Corporation shall serve out the remainder of their current terms, and they and any successors shall stand for re-election to a one-year term at the 2027 annual meeting of the shareholders of the Corporation; and directors with terms expiring at the 2028 annual meeting of the shareholders of the Corporation shall serve out the remainder of their current terms, and they and any successors shall stand for re-election to a one-year term at the 2028 annual meeting of the shareholders of the

 

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Corporation. Upon the filing of these Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation with the Pennsylvania Department of State until the election of directors at the 2028 annual meeting of the shareholders of the Corporation and qualification of such directors so elected, each class of directors shall not be required to be as nearly equal in number as possible pursuant to Section 1724(b)(1) of the Business Corporation Law of 1988, as amended. At each succeeding annual meeting of shareholders, commencing with the 2029 annual meeting of the shareholders of the Corporation, the holders of Voting Stock shall elect directors whose term then expires, to hold office until the annual meeting held in the year following the year of their election. Each director shall hold office for the term for which elected until his or her successor shall be elected and shall qualify, subject to their earlier death, resignation, disqualification or removal.

  

(2)

  

(a)   In an election of directors, at any meeting of shareholders therefor at which a quorum is present, that is not a contested election of directors (as defined below), a nominee for director shall be elected to the Board of Directors if the votes cast for such nominee’s election exceed the votes cast against such nominee’s election. Abstentions and broker non-votes shall not be considered to be votes cast. Any incumbent director who was a nominee in an election that is not a contested election and was not elected in such election pursuant to this Article SIXTH, Paragraph 6.1.B(2) shall submit a resignation to the Board of Directors that is subject to review by the Board of Directors in accordance with the procedures set forth in the By-Laws of the Corporation or the policies or guidelines of the Board of Directors.

  

(b)   In a contested election of directors, at any meeting of shareholders therefor at which a quorum is present, the nominees receiving the highest number of votes from each class or group of classes, if any, entitled to elect directors separately up to the number of directors to be elected by the class or group of classes shall be elected. Shareholders shall not have the right to vote against a nominee in a contested election of directors.

  

(c)   For purposes of this Article SIXTH, Paragraph 6.1.B(2), “contested election of directors” shall mean an annual or special meeting of the Corporation with respect to which (i) the Secretary of the Corporation receives a notice that a shareholder has nominated or intends to nominate a person for election to the Board in compliance with the requirements for shareholder nominees under these Articles of Incorporation, as amended, and the By-Laws of the Corporation and (ii) such nomination notice has not been withdrawn by such shareholder on or prior to the tenth (10th) day before the Corporation first mails its notice of meeting for such meeting to the shareholders.

 

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C. Nominations of Director Candidates

   Nominations for the election of directors may be made only by the Board of Directors or a committee appointed by the Board of Directors or by a holder of record of stock entitled to vote in the election of the directors to be elected: provided, however, that a nomination may be made by a shareholder only if written notice of such nomination is received by the Secretary of the Corporation not later than (i) with respect to an election to be held at an annual meeting of shareholders, 75 days prior to the anniversary date of the immediately preceding annual meeting, and (ii) with respect to an election to be held at a special meeting of shareholders, the close of business on the 10th day following the date on which notice of such meeting is first given to shareholders, such notice to include: (1) the name and address of the shareholder who intends to make the nomination and of the person or persons to be nominated; (2) a representation that the shareholder is a holder of record of stock of the Corporation entitled to vote at such meeting and intends to appear in person or by proxy at the meeting to nominate the person or persons specified in the notice; (3) a description of all arrangements or understandings between the shareholder and each nominee and any other person or persons (naming such person or persons) pursuant to which the nomination or nominations are to be made by the shareholder; (4) such other information regarding each nominee proposed by such shareholder as would be required by the By-laws of the Corporation, as then in effect, and such other information regarding each such nominee proposed by such shareholder as would be required to be included in a proxy statement filed pursuant to the proxy rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission, had the nominee been nominated by the Board of Directors; and (5) the consent of each nominee to serve as a director of the Corporation if so elected. Only candidates who have been nominated in accordance with this Article SIXTH shall be eligible for election by the shareholders as directors of the Corporation.
SEVENTH:   

7.1  Elimination of Liability of Directors.

   To the fullest extent that the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania permit elimination or limitation of the liability of directors, no director of the Corporation shall be personally liable for monetary damages as such for any action taken, or any failure to take any action, as a director.

 

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7.2  Matters Regarding Elimination of Director Liability.

   This Article SEVENTH shall apply to any breach of performance of duty or any failure of performance of duty by any director of the Corporation occurring after January 27, 1987. The provisions of this Article shall be deemed to be a contract with each director of the Corporation who serves as such at any time while this Article is in effect and each such director shall be deemed to be so serving in reliance on the provisions of this Article. Any amendment or repeal of this Article or adoption of any By-law or other provision of the Articles of the Corporation which has the effect of increasing director liability shall operate prospectively only and shall not have any effect with respect to any action taken, or any failure to act, by a director prior to such amendment, repeal or adoption.
EIGHTH:   

8.1  Right to Indemnification.

   Except as prohibited by law, every director and officer of the Corporation shall be entitled as a matter of right to be indemnified by the Corporation against expenses and any liabilities paid or incurred by such person in connection with any actual or threatened claim, action, suit or proceedings, civil, criminal, administrative, investigative or other, whether brought by or in the right of the Corporation or otherwise, in which he or she may be involved in any manner, as a party, witness or otherwise, or is threatened to be made so involved, by reason of such person being or having been a director or officer of the Corporation or of a subsidiary of the Corporation or by reason of the fact that such person is or was serving at the request of the Corporation as a director, officer, employee, fiduciary or other representative of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust, employee benefit plan or other entity (such claim, action, suit or proceeding hereinafter being referred to as an “Action”); provided, that no such right of indemnification shall exist with respect to an action initiated by an indemnitee (as hereinafter defined) against the Corporation (an “Indemnitee Action”) except as provided in the last sentence of this Section 8.1. Persons who are not directors or officers of the Corporation may be similarly indemnified in respect of service to the Corporation or to another such entity at the request of the Corporation to the extent the Board of Directors at any time designates any of such persons as entitled to the benefits of this Article EIGHTH. As used in this Article EIGHTH, “indemnitee” shall include each director and officer of the Corporation and each other person designated by the Board of Directors as entitled to the benefits of this Article EIGHTH, “expenses” shall mean all expenses actually and reasonably incurred, including fees and expenses of counsel selected by an indemnitee, and “liabilities” shall mean amounts of judgments, excise taxes, fines, penalties and amounts paid in settlement. An indemnitee shall be entitled to be indemnified pursuant to this Section 8.1 for expenses incurred in connection with any Indemnitee Action only (i) if the indemnitee is successful, and provided in Section 8.3 of this Article EIGHTH, (ii) if the indemnitee is successful in whole or in part in another Indemnitee Action for which expenses are claimed or (iii) if the indemnification for expenses is included in a settlement of, or is awarded by a court in, such other Indemnitee Action.

 

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8.2  Right to Advancement of Expenses

   Every indemnitee shall be entitled as a matter of right to have his or her expenses in defending any Action, or in initiating and pursuing any Indemnitee Action for indemnity or advancement of expenses under Section 8.3 of this Article EIGHTH, paid in advance by the Corporation prior to final disposition of such Action or Indemnitee Action, provided that the Corporation receives a written undertaking by or on behalf of the indemnitee to repay the amount advanced if it should ultimately be determined that the indemnitee is not entitled to be indemnified for such expenses.
  

8.3  Right of Indemnitee to Initiate Action.

   If a written claim under Section 8.1 or Section 8.2 of this Article EIGHTH is not paid in full by the Corporation within thirty days after such claim has been received by the Corporation, the indemnitee may at any time thereafter initiate an Indemnitee Action to recover the unpaid amount of the claim and, if successful in whole or in part, the indemnitee shall also be entitled to be paid the expense of prosecuting such Indemnitee Action. The only defense to an Indemnitee Action to recover on a claim for indemnification under Section 8.1 of this Article EIGHTH shall be that the indemnitee’s conduct was such that under Pennsylvania law the Corporation is prohibited from indemnifying the indemnitee for the amount claimed, but the burden of proving such defense shall be on the Corporation. The only defense to an Indemnitee Action to recover a claim for advancement of expenses under Section 8.2 of this Article EIGHTH shall be the indemnitee’s failure to provide the undertaking required by Section 8.2 of this Article EIGHTH.
  

8.4  Insurance and Funding.

   The Corporation may purchase and maintain insurance to protect itself and any person eligible to be indemnified hereunder against any liability or expense asserted or incurred by such person in connection with any Action, whether or not the Corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such liability or expense by law or under the provisions of this Article EIGHTH. The Corporation may create a trust fund, grant a security interest, cause a letter of credit to be issued or use other means (whether or not similar to the foregoing) to ensure the payment of such sums as may become necessary to effect indemnification as provided herein.
  

8.5  Non-Exclusivity: Nature and Extent of Rights.

   The rights to indemnification and advancement of expenses provided for in this Article EIGHTH shall (i) not be deemed exclusive of any other rights, whether now existing or hereafter created, to which any indemnitee may be entitled under any agreement or By-law, charter provision, vote of shareholders or directors or otherwise, (ii) be deemed to create contractual rights in favor of each indemnitee who serves the Corporation at any time while this Article EIGHTH is in effect (and each such indemnitee shall be deemed to be so serving in reliance on the provision of this Article), and (iii) continue as to each indemnitee who has ceased to have the status pursuant to which he or she was entitled or was designated as entitled to indemnification under this Article EIGHTH and shall inure to the benefit of the heirs and legal representatives of each indemnitee. Any amendment or repeal of

 

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   this Article EIGHTH or adoption of any other By-law or provision of the Articles of the Corporation which limits in any way the right to indemnification or the right to advancement of expenses provided for in this Article EIGHTH shall operate prospectively only and shall not affect any action taken, or failure to act, by an indemnitee prior to the adoption of such amendment, repeal, By-law or other provision.
  

8.6  Partial Indemnity.

   If an indemnitee is entitled under any provision of this Article EIGHTH to indemnification by the Corporation for some or a portion of the expenses or liabilities paid or incurred by the indemnitee in the preparation, investigation, defense, appeal or settlement of any Action or Indemnitee Action but not, however, for the total amount thereof, the Corporation shall indemnify the indemnitee for the portion of such expenses or liabilities to which the indemnitee is entitled.
  

8.7  Applicability of Section.

   This Article EIGHTH shall apply to every Action, except that it shall not apply to the extent that Pennsylvania law does not permit its application to any breach of performance of duty or any failure of performance of duty by an indemnitee occurring prior to January 17, 1987.
NINTH:   

9.1  Votes Required for Certain Business Combinations.

  

A. Special Votes for Certain Business Combinations.

   In addition to any affirmative vote required by law, these Articles or otherwise, and except as otherwise expressly provided in Section 9.2:
  

(1) any merger, consolidation or share exchange of the Corporation or any Subsidiary with (a) any Interested Shareholder or with (b) any other person (whether or not itself an Interested Shareholder) which is, or after such merger, consolidation or share exchange would be, an Affiliate or Associate of an Interested Shareholder or which does not include in its articles of incorporation the substance of the terms of this Article NINTH, in each case without regard to which person is the surviving person;

  

(2) any sale, lease, exchange, mortgage, pledge, transfer or other disposition or security arrangement, investment, loan, advance, guarantee, agreement to purchase, agreement to pay, extension of credit, joint venture participation or other arrangement (in one transaction or a class of transactions) to, with or for the benefit of any Interested Shareholder or any Affiliate or Associate of any Interested Shareholder involving any assets, securities or commitments of the Corporation or any Subsidiary having an aggregate Fair Market Value and/or involving aggregate commitments equal to 5% or more of Total Assets;

 

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(3) the issuance or transfer by the Corporation or any Subsidiary (in one transaction or a class of transactions) of any securities of the Corporation or any Subsidiary to any Interested Shareholder or any Affiliate or Associate of any Interested Shareholder in exchange for cash, securities or other consideration (or a combination thereof) having an aggregate Fair Market Value equal to 5% or more of Total Assets;

  

(4) the adoption of any plan or proposal for the liquidation or dissolution of the Corporation proposed by or on behalf of any Interested Shareholder or any Affiliate or Associate of any Interested Shareholder;

  

(5) any reclassification of securities (including any reverse stock split), or recapitalization of the Corporation, or any merger or consolidation of the Corporation with any of its Subsidiaries or any other transaction (whether or not with or into or otherwise involving an Interested Shareholder) which has the effect, directly or indirectly, of increasing the proportionate share of the outstanding shares of any class of equity securities or securities convertible into equity securities of the Corporation or any Subsidiary which is directly or indirectly beneficially owned by any Interested Shareholder or any Affiliate or Associate of any Interested Shareholder; or

  

(6) any other transaction or series of transactions similar in purpose or effect to, or any agreement, contract or other arrangement providing for, any one or more of the transactions specified in the foregoing subparagraphs (1) through (5);

   shall require the affirmative votes of (i) the holders of at least 80% of the voting power of all then outstanding shares of Voting Stock, voting together as a single class and (ii) the holders of at least a majority of the voting power of the then outstanding shares of Voting Stock which are not beneficially owned by such Interested Shareholder, voting together as a single class. Such affirmative votes shall be required notwithstanding the fact that no vote may be required, or that a lesser percentage may be specified, by law or in any agreement with any national securities exchange or otherwise.
  

B. Definition of “Business Combination”

   The term “Business Combination” as used in this Article NINTH shall mean any transaction which is referred to in any one or more of clauses (1) through (6) of Paragraph A of this Section 9.1.
  

9.2  Exceptions to Special Vote Requirements.

   The provisions of Section 9.1 shall not be applicable to any Business Combination, and such Business Combination shall require only such affirmative vote (if any) as is required by law, any other provision of these Articles, any agreement with any national securities exchange or otherwise, if the Business Combination shall have been approved by a majority of the Disinterested Directors.

 

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9.3  No Effect on Fiduciary Obligations of Interested Shareholder.

   Nothing contained in this Article NINTH shall be construed to relieve any Interested Shareholder from any fiduciary obligation imposed by law or equity.
TENTH:   

10.1  Definitions

   For the purposes of Articles SIXTH, NINTH and TENTH
  

A. A “person” shall mean any individual, firm, corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other entity and shall include any group comprised of any person and any other person with whom such person or any Affiliate or Associate of such person has any agreement, arrangement or understanding, directly or indirectly, for the purpose of acquiring, holding, voting or disposing of Voting Stock. As used herein, the pronouns “which”, “that” and “it” in relation to persons that are individuals shall be construed to mean “who” or “whom”, “he” or “she” and “him” or “her”, as appropriate.

  

B. “Interested Shareholder” at any particular time shall mean any person (other than the Corporation or a Subsidiary, or an employee benefit plan of the Corporation or a Subsidiary, or a trustee or fiduciary of any such plan when acting in such capacity) which:

  

(1) is at such time the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of more than 15% of the voting power of the outstanding Voting Stock;

  

(2) is at such time an Affiliate of the Corporation and at any time within the two-year period immediately prior to such time was the beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of more than 15% of the voting power of the then outstanding Voting Stock; or

  

(3) is at such time an assignee of or has otherwise succeeded to the beneficial ownership of any shares of Voting Stock which were at any time within the two-year period immediately prior to such time beneficially owned by any Interested Shareholder, if such assignment or succession shall have occurred in the course of a transaction or series of transactions not involving a public offering within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

   With respect to any particular transaction, the term “Interested Shareholder” means any Interested Shareholder involved in such transaction, any Affiliate or Associate of such Interested Shareholder and any other member of a group acting in concert with such Interested Shareholder.
  

C. A person shall be a “beneficial owner” of any shares of Voting Stock:

  

(1) which such person or any of its Affiliates or Associates beneficially owns, directly or indirectly;

 

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(2) which such person or any of its Affiliates or Associates has (a) the right to acquire (whether or not such right is exercisable immediately) pursuant to any agreement, arrangement or understanding or upon the exercise of conversion rights, exchange rights, warrants or options, revocation of a trust, or otherwise, or (b) the right to vote, or to direct the voting of, pursuant to any agreement, arrangement or understanding; or

  

(3) which are beneficially owned, directly or indirectly, by any other person with which such person or any of its Affiliates or Associates has any agreement, arrangement or understanding for the purpose of acquiring, holding, voting or disposing of any shares of Voting Stock.

   For the purposes of determining whether a person is an Interested Shareholder pursuant to Paragraph B of this Section 10.1, the number of shares of Voting Stock deemed to be outstanding shall include shares deemed owned by an Interested Shareholder through application of this Paragraph C but shall not include any other shares of Voting Stock which may be issuable pursuant to any agreement, arrangement or understanding, or upon the exercise of conversion rights, exchange rights, warrants or options, or otherwise.
  

D. “Affiliate” of a specified person shall mean any person which, directly or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, the person specified.

  

E.  An “Associate” of a specified person shall mean (1) any director, officer or partner of, or any beneficial owner, directly or indirectly, of 5% or more of any class of equity security of, such person or any of its Affiliates, (2) any corporation or organization (other than the Corporation or a Subsidiary) of which such person is a director, officer or partner or is, directly or indirectly, the beneficial owner of 10% or more of any class of equity securities, (3) any trust or other estate (other than an employee benefit plan of the Corporation or a Subsidiary) in which such person has a substantial beneficial interest or as to which such person serves as trustee or in a similar fiduciary capacity, (4) any relative or spouse of such person, or any relative of such spouse, who has the same home as such person or who is a director or officer of the Corporation or any of its parents or Subsidiaries and (5) any investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, for which such person or any Affiliate or Associate of such person serves as investment advisor.

  

F.  “Subsidiary” shall mean any person (other than a natural person) of which a majority of any class of equity security is owned, directly or indirectly, by the Corporation, as well as any Affiliate of the Corporation which is controlled by the Corporation; provided, however, that for purposes of the definition of Interested Shareholder set forth in Paragraph B of this Section 10.1, the term “Subsidiary” shall mean only a corporation of which a majority of each class of equity security is owned, directly or indirectly, by the Corporation.

 

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G. “Disinterested Director” shall mean a director of the Corporation who is not an Interested Shareholder or an Affiliate, Associate or representative of an Interested Shareholder and either (1) was a director of the Corporation immediately prior to the time the Interested Shareholder became an Interested Shareholder or (2) is a successor to a Disinterested Director and is recommended or elected to succeed a Disinterested Director by a majority of the then Disinterested Directors. Whenever the holders of any class or series of stock having a preference over the Common Stock as to dividends or assets shall have the right, voting separately as a class or series, to elect one or more directors of the Corporation, the term “Disinterested Director” shall not include any director elected by the holders of such class or series. As used with respect to any particular transaction in Article NINTH or with respect to a determination or interpretation as to such transaction under Paragraph H of this Section 10.1 or Section 10.2, the term “Disinterested Director” shall include all directors who are Disinterested Directors with respect to the Interested Shareholders involved in such transaction. In all other cases, unless the context otherwise clearly requires, the term “Disinterested Director” shall mean only those directors who are Disinterested Directors with respect to all persons who are then Interested Shareholders.

  

H. “Fair Market Value” shall mean (1) in the case of stock, the highest closing sale price during the 30-day period immediately preceding the date in question of a share of such stock on the Composite Tape for New York Stock Exchange-Listed Stocks, or, if such stock is not quoted on the Composite Tape, on the New York Stock Exchange, or, if such stock is not listed on such Exchange, on the principal United States securities exchange registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, on which such stock is listed, or, if such stock is not listed on any such exchange, the highest closing sale price or, if none, the highest closing bid quotation with respect to a share of such stock during the 30-day period preceding the date in question on the Nasdaq system or any similar system then in use, or if no such quotations are available, the fair market value on the date in question of a share of such stock as determined in good faith by a majority vote of the Disinterested Directors; and (2) in the case of property other than stock or cash, the fair market value of such property on the date in question as determined in good faith by a majority vote of the Disinterested Directors or by a qualified appraiser retained by them for such purpose.

  

I.   “Voting Stock” shall mean capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote generally in an annual election of directors of the Corporation.

 

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J.   “Announcement Date” shall mean the date of the first public announcement of the proposed Business Combination.

  

K. “Total Assets” shall mean the consolidated total assets of the Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries as of the close of the most recent fiscal quarter ended on or prior to the Announcement Date of the Business Combination in question, as shown on the consolidated balance sheet published by the Corporation for such quarter.

  

10.2  Power of the Disinterested Directors.

   The Disinterested Directors, by a majority vote, are authorized to interpret all the terms and provisions of Articles SIXTH, NINTH and Section 10.1 of Article TENTH and to determine, on the basis of information known to them after reasonable inquiry, any fact necessary to determine compliance with any such term or provision, including, without limitation, (a) whether a person is an Interested Shareholder, (b) the number of shares of Voting Stock beneficially owned by any person, (c) whether a person is an Affiliate or Associate of another person, (d) whether any Articles provision required by Paragraph A(1) of Section 9.1 complies with such Section and is valid and enforceable, (e) whether the requirements of Section 9.2 have been met with respect to any Business Combination and (f) whether the assets which are the subject of any Business Combination have, or the consideration to be received for the issuance or transfer of securities by the Corporation or any Subsidiary in any Business Combination has, an aggregate Fair Market Value equal to 5% or more of Total Assets. Any such interpretation or determination made in good faith shall be binding and conclusive for all purposes of these Articles.
  

10.3  Amendments to Articles.

   In addition to any affirmative vote required by law, these Articles or otherwise, any amendment, alteration, change or repeal of any provision of these Articles, or the adoption of any provision inconsistent therewith, shall require the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the voting power of all then outstanding shares of Voting Stock, voting together as a single class.

 

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Exhibit 10.1

MATTHEWS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION

SECOND AMENDED AND RESTATED 2019 DIRECTOR FEE PLAN

SECTION 1

Purposes; Reservation of Shares

(a) Purposes. The purposes of the Second Amended and Restated 2019 Director Fee Plan, as amended (the “Plan”) are:

 

  (1)

to provide each Director of Matthews International Corporation (the “Corporation”), who is not also an employee of the Corporation or any of its Subsidiaries (“Director”), with the payment of (i) an annual retainer fee, (ii) in the case of a Director who serves as Chairman of the Board (the ”NE Chairperson”) or serves as the lead director of the Board (the “Lead Director”), an additional annual retainer fee, (iii) an annual retainer fee for each Committee chairperson and to any Lead Director, in each case, for future services to be performed by such Director (collectively, “Director Fees”) as a member of the Board of Directors of the Corporation (the “Board”);

 

  (2)

to provide payment to each Director (except the NE Chairperson shall only be entitled to Meeting Fees for attending Board meetings and the Annual Meeting) for the following (collectively, the ”Meeting Fees”): (i) fees if any, paid for attendance at meetings of the Board or committees of the Board; and (ii) fees, if any, paid to a Director for attendance at the Annual Meeting;

 

  (3)

to increase the identification of interests between the Directors and the shareholders of the Corporation by permitting (i) the Governance and Sustainability Committee of the Board or a Stock Compensation Subcommittee of the Committee (the “Subcommittee”) to award restricted stock awards (“RSA”), restricted stock units (“RSU”), nonstatutory stock options and/or stock appreciation rights to each Director on the fifteenth (15th) business day after the Annual Meeting, and

 

  (4)

to allow Directors to elect to (i) receive payment of certain fees in shares of Class A Common Stock, par value $1.00 per share of the Corporation (the “Common Stock”), (ii) defer receipt of certain fees and awards into a deferred stock account as deferred stock units (“DSU”), and (iii) reinvest dividends payable on Common Stock for awards or stock issued under this Plan instead of receiving cash.

For purposes of the Plan, the term “Subsidiary” means any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, joint venture, trust or estate in an unbroken chain beginning with the Corporation, if each of the entities other than the last entity in the unbroken chain owns equity possessing fifty percent (50%) or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of equity in one of the other entities in the chain. As used hereinafter, the term “Committee” shall mean either the Governance and Sustainability Committee or the Subcommittee, if the Subcommittee is authorized by the Board to act under this Plan; provided, however, that the members of the Committee must be composed solely of two or more “non-employee directors” in accordance with Rule 16b-3(d) under the 1934 Act. The term “Annual Meeting” shall refer to the annual shareholders’ meeting of the Corporation. The term “business day” means a day other than a Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banks in the City of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania are authorized or required to close.


(b) Reservation of Shares. Except as otherwise provided in this Section 1(b), the aggregate number of shares of Common Stock which may be issued under the Plan or credited (in DSUs) to deferred stock compensation accounts for subsequent issuance under the Plan from the date of its first adoption is limited to five hundred fifty thousand (550,000) shares, subject to adjustment and substitution as set forth in Section 14 hereof. Shares of Common Stock issued under the Plan may be authorized but unissued shares or shares previously issued and thereafter acquired by the Corporation or partly each, as shall be determined from time to time by the Board (or a committee thereof). If any stock option, RSU or stock appreciation right granted under the Plan is cancelled by mutual consent, forfeited, or terminates or expires for any reason without having been exercised in full, or if any RSAs under the Plan are forfeited, the number of shares subject thereto, in the case of stock options, RSUs or stock appreciation rights, or the number of shares forfeited, in the case of RSAs, shall again be available for all purposes of the Plan. All shares of Common Stock covered by a stock appreciation right or RSU, to the extent it is exercised or vests, as applicable, and shares of Common Stock are actually issued upon exercise or vesting of the right, shall be counted, regardless of the number of shares used to settle the stock appreciation right upon exercise.

(c) Individual Limits. During any calendar year:

(i) the maximum aggregate Fair Market Value of Equity Awards (as determined on the date of issuance of each such Equity Award) issued under this Plan to a Director in a calendar year shall not exceed $400,000 during such calendar year; and

(ii) the maximum aggregate (x) Director Fees or Meeting Fees payable under this Plan to a Director in a calendar year and (y) Fair Market Value of Equity Awards issued under this Plan (as determined pursuant to clause (i) above) shall not exceed $600,000 during such calendar year.

SECTION 2

Eligibility

Any Director of the Corporation who is separately compensated in the form of Director Fees or Meeting Fees for services on the Board shall be eligible to participate in the Plan.

SECTION 3

Payment of Director Fees

(a) Director Fee Payment. Subject to the provisions of Section 3(b) hereof, on the fifteenth (15th) business day following the Annual Meeting (or the election or re-election to a committee chair or lead director position if such election is not made at the time of the Annual Meeting) (each such date of payment referred to as a “Regular Payment Date”), each Director as of that date shall receive payment of Director Fees by:

 

  (1)

the payment to the Director of such amounts determined by the Board or by any committee of the Board which the Board authorizes to determine such amounts (collectively, the “Director Fee Amount”); or

 

  (2)

the issuance to the Director of a number of whole shares of Common Stock equal to the Director Fee Amount divided by the Fair Market Value of one share of the Common Stock, as defined in Section 17 hereof, on such Payment Date (rounded upward to the next whole share).

 

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Subject to the provisions of Section 3(b) hereof, each Director who first becomes a Director after a Regular Payment Date and before the next Annual Meeting shall, on the fifteenth (15th) business day following his or her election as a Director (the “Interim Payment Date”, and collectively with any Regular Payment Date, a “Payment Date”), receive payment of a pro-rata portion of the Director Fee Amount (in cash or in shares of Common Stock, as the case may be), equal to the applicable Director Fee Amount multiplied by a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the number of Board meetings scheduled between the date of such Director’s election and the date of the next Annual Meeting (excluding any Board meeting on the date of such Annual Meeting), and the denominator of which shall be the total number of Board meetings (actual and scheduled) between the date of the last Annual Meeting (including any Board meeting on the date of such Annual Meeting) and the date of the next Annual Meeting (excluding any Board meeting on the date of such Annual Meeting).

(b) Stock Election. The Committee shall determine by November 30 of each year whether Director Fees in the following calendar year will be paid in cash or in shares of Common Stock, with the default election being the payment of Directors Fees in shares of Common Stock. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Director Fees are to be paid in cash, a Director may elect to receive payment of the Director Fees in shares (a “Stock Election”). A Stock Election shall be made by filing a notice of election with the Secretary of the Corporation in the form prescribed by the Corporation (each, a “Notice of Election”). Once made, a Stock Election shall be effective on January 1 of the year following the date on which the Notice of Election is filed; provided, however, that Stock Elections shall be effective on the date on which the Notice of Election is filed with respect to Director Fees payable after the time of a person’s initial election to the office of Director, or any subsequent re-election if immediately prior thereto such person was not serving as a Director, provided the Director files such Notice of Election within ten (10) business days subsequent to being elected or re-elected as a Director. A Stock Election shall apply to all Director Fees otherwise payable while such election is effective. A Director may terminate a current Stock Election and receive current payment of Director Fees in cash (where the Committee has elected to pay Director Fees in cash) by filing a notice of termination with the Secretary of the Corporation in the form prescribed by the Corporation (each, a “Notice of Termination”), which shall be effective on January 1 of the year following the date on which a Notice of Termination is filed.

(c) Evidence of Shares. As of the date on which the Director Fees are payable in shares of Common Stock pursuant to Section 3(a) or 3(b) hereof, (i) the Corporation, at its sole discretion, shall either issue share certificates to the Director for any shares of Common Stock received under the Plan or cause such shares to be registered in the name of the Director on any book-entry registration maintained by the Corporation or its transfer agent, and (ii) the Director shall be a shareholder of the Corporation with respect to any such shares of Common Stock so issued.

(d) Deferral Election. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section, each Director may elect to defer the receipt of Director Fees in accordance with the procedures set forth in Section 5.

SECTION 4

Payment of Meeting Fees

(a) Current Cash Payment. Subject to the provisions of Section 5 hereof, each Director shall receive payment of Meeting Fees in cash in such amounts determined by the Board or by any committee of the Board which the Board authorizes to determine such amounts, except that the NE Chairperson shall only be entitled to fees for attending Board meetings and the Annual Meeting, if any.

Except as set forth in Section 5 hereof, payment of Meeting Fees, if any, shall be paid within ten (10) business days following the meeting with respect to which such fees are payable. The amount and time of payment of Meeting Fees may be changed from time to time by the Board in its sole discretion through a duly adopted Board resolution.

 

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(b) Deferral Election. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section, each Director may elect to defer the receipt of Meeting Fees in accordance with the procedures set forth in Section 5.

SECTION 5

Deferral Elections

(a) Deferred Payment of Director Fees and Meeting Fees. Regardless of whether Director Fees or Meeting Fees are scheduled to be paid in cash or shares of Common Stock, each Director may elect to defer the receipt of Director Fees, Meeting Fees and/or RSAs granted pursuant to Section 12, as provided under this Section 5 (a “Deferral Election”).

(b) Deferral Election Procedures. A Deferral Election may be made by timely filing a Notice of Election with the Secretary of the Corporation in the form prescribed by the Corporation, subject to the following terms and conditions:

 

  (1)

A Deferral Election shall be effective only if made on or prior to December 31st of the calendar year immediately preceding the beginning of the calendar year to which the Deferral Election relates (or such other date as may be established by the Committee to the extent consistent with Section 409A);

 

  (2)

Deferral Elections are entirely voluntary and shall be irrevocable once made; provided, however, the Committee, in its sole discretion, may permit a Deferral Election to be changed at any time prior to the last permissible date for making a Deferral Election;

 

  (3)

A Deferral Election shall apply to all Director Fees and/or RSAs earned and payable in each calendar year while such Deferral Election remains effective, and to all Meeting Fees paid or payable for meetings held in each calendar year while such Deferral Election remains effective;

 

  (4)

A Deferral Election shall, to the extent permitted by the Committee, allow a Director to select whether any dividends or distributions payable with respect to the Director’s DSUs shall be paid currently in cash (or other property, as applicable) or otherwise credited in additional DSUs to the Director’s Account (the “Dividend Election”).

(c) Elections for New Plan Participants. A Director who first becomes eligible to participate in the Plan may, to the extent permitted by the Committee, file a Deferral Election (the “Initial Election”) at any time on or before the 10th business day following the date on which the Director initially becomes eligible to participate in the Plan. Any such Initial Election shall only apply to fees and awards earned and payable for services rendered after the date on which the Initial Election is delivered to the Corporation. Accordingly, an Initial Election shall apply to all Director Fees or RSAs earned and payable subsequent to the date the Initial Election is delivered to the Corporation, and to all Meeting Fees earned and payable for meetings held following the date the Initial Election is delivered to the Corporation.

(d) Termination/Modification of Deferral Elections. Unless otherwise specifically provided in a Notice of Election, a Deferral Election shall remain in effect for future calendar years unless and until such election is timely revoked. A Director may increase, decrease, terminate or recommence a Deferral Election (including an Initial Election) by filing a new Deferral Election on or prior to the last date for filing a Deferral Election for the next calendar year. A new Deferral Election shall be effective January 1st of the calendar year following the date on which the election is filed with the Corporation.

 

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SECTION 6

Deferred Stock Compensation Account

(a) General. The amount of any Director Fees, RSAs or Meeting Fees elected to be deferred in accordance with a Deferral Election for a calendar year shall be credited, in the form of shares of DSUs, to a deferred stock compensation account maintained by the Corporation in the name of the Director (an “Account”). On each Payment Date that a Deferral Election is effective for a Director, or on which DSUs are to be credited pursuant to a Deferral Election, the Director’s Account(s) shall be credited on the Payment Date with the number of DSUs (including fractional shares to at least two decimal places) (i) equal to that number of shares of Common Stock that otherwise would have been payable to the Director on such Payment Date where the Director Fees had been payable to the Director in shares of Common Stock, (ii) equal to the aggregate amount of all Director Fees and/or Meeting Fees subject to such Deferral Election otherwise payable during such calendar year to such Director in cash divided by the Fair Market Value of one share of the Common Stock, as defined in Section 17 hereof, on such Payment Date, and/or (iii) equivalent to the number of shares of restricted stock granted. DSUs shall represent the right to receive an equivalent number of shares of Common Stock upon the terms and conditions outlined in this Section. No interest or other amount shall be paid or credited to a Director notwithstanding that Director Fees and/or Meeting Fees which otherwise would have been payable under the Plan are not reflected as DSUs until the Payment Date. A separate Account shall be maintained for each amount of deferred Director Fees, Meeting Fees or RSAs for which a Director has elected a different payment option or as otherwise determined by the Committee. Separate Accounts shall be maintained for deferred Director Fees, Meeting Fees and/or RSAs under the Plan as opposed to those deferred, if any, under the 1994 Director Fee Plan, as amended or the 2014 Director Fee Plan, as amended.

The Account of a Director shall be charged on the date of distribution with any distribution of DSUs made to the Director from such Account pursuant to Section 6(b) hereof.

(b) Dividend Equivalent Rights. If DSUs are outstanding in an Account on the record date with respect to a dividend was declared on the Corporation’s Common Stock in cash or property other than Common Stock, then on the date of such payment of the dividend the Corporation shall, based on each Director’s Dividend Election in effect at the time, either (i) pay directly to the Director an amount in cash or property other than Common Stock, as the case may be, or (ii) increase the number of DSUs credited to the Director’s Account by an amount, determined in accordance with the following formula, rounded down to the nearest hundredth of a whole share: X =((A x B)/C)-D, where

X = the additional number of DSUs to be credited to the Account, or paid in cash, based on the Director’s Dividend Election then in effect;

A = the number of DSUs in the Director’s Account;

B = the per share amount of the dividend;

C = the average of the high and low per share selling prices of the Corporation’s Common Stock on the payment date of such dividend;

D = the taxes, if any, required to be withheld on such amount, including but not limited to any taxes required to be withheld due to the characterization of such amounts as wages or compensation.

 

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(c) Manner of Payment of Account. The DSUs held in a Director’s Account will be paid in shares of Common Stock to the Director or, in the event of the Director’s death, to the Director’s Beneficiary as defined in Section 6(d) hereof.

 

  (1)

Elections. For Deferral Elections, a Director may elect at the time of filing the Notice of Election to receive payment of the DSUs credited to the Director’s Account, in whole or in part, as follows (except as otherwise provided in Sections 6(d) and 7(b) hereof, if applicable):

 

  (i)

In a lump sum on April 1 (or if April 1 is not a business day, on the immediately preceding business day) of the calendar year following the calendar year in which the Director first separates from service with the Corporation under Section 409A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), or any successor Section, upon or after ceasing to be a member of the Board for any reason, including by reason of death or disability (the “Separation from Service Payment Commencement Date”);

 

  (ii)

In two to five annual installments commencing on the Separation From Service Payment Commencement Date and continuing on the same date (or if such date is not a business day, on the immediately preceding business day) in the calendar year(s) thereafter;

 

  (iii)

In a lump sum on April 1 (or if April 1 is not a business day, on the immediately preceding business day) of the calendar year specified by the Director at the time of filing of such Notice of Election (the “Designated Payment Commencement Date”);

 

  (iv)

In two to five annual installments commencing on the Designated Payment Commencement Date and continuing on the same date (or if such date is not a business day, on the immediately preceding business day) in the calendar year(s) thereafter; or

 

  (v)

If earlier than the date on which payment would be received under (i)-(iv) of this Section 6(c)(1), in a lump sum or in two to five annual installments, with payment commencing on the sixtieth (60th) day (or if such date is not a business day, on the immediately preceding business day) following the death of the Director or following the date on which the Director becomes disabled (within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code) and continuing on the same date (or if such date is not a business day, on the immediately preceding business day) in the calendar year(s) thereafter.

 

  (2)

Installment Payments. In any case where payments are made in installments, the number of shares of Common Stock distributed in each installment shall be determined by multiplying (A) the number of DSUs in the Account on the date of payment of such installment, by (B) a fraction, the numerator of which is one and the denominator of which is the number of remaining unpaid installments, and by rounding such result down to the nearest whole number of shares. The balance of the number of DSUs in the Account shall be appropriately reduced in accordance with Section 6(a) hereof to reflect the installment payments made hereunder. DSUs remaining in an Account pending distribution pursuant to this Section 6(c) shall be subject to adjustment pursuant to Section 14 hereof.

 

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  (3)

General. If a lump sum payment or the final installment payment hereunder would result in the issuance of a fractional share of Common Stock, such fractional share shall not be issued and cash in lieu of such fractional share shall be paid to the Director based on the Fair Market Value of a share of Common Stock, as defined in Section 17 hereof, on the date immediately preceding the date of such payment. The Corporation, at its sole discretion, shall either issue share certificates to the Director, or the Director’s Beneficiary, for the shares of Common Stock distributed hereunder or cause such shares to be registered in the name of the Director, or the Director’s Beneficiary, on any book-entry registration maintained by the Corporation or its transfer agent. As of the date on which the Director is entitled to receive payment of shares of Common Stock pursuant to this Section 6(c) hereof, a Director or the Director’s Beneficiary shall be a shareholder of the Corporation with respect to such shares. For purposes of Section 409A and the Plan, a payment shall be treated as made on a scheduled Payment Date if such payment is made at such date or a later date in the same calendar year or, if later, by the 15th day of the third calendar month following the scheduled Payment Date.

(d) Director’s Beneficiary. The “Director’s Beneficiary” means any beneficiary or beneficiaries (who may be named contingently or successively) named by a Director under the Plan to whom any benefit under the Plan is to be paid in the case of his or her death before he or she receives any or all of such benefit. Each such designation shall revoke all prior designations by the same Director, shall be in a form prescribed by the Committee, and will be effective only when filed by the Director in writing with the Secretary of the Corporation during the Director’s lifetime. In the absence of such a designation, Director’s Beneficiary means the person designated by the Director in the Director’s Will, or, if the Director fails to make a testamentary disposition of the shares or dies intestate, to the person entitled to receive the shares pursuant to the laws of descent and distribution of the state of domicile of the Director at the time of death.

SECTION 7

Other Payment Commencement Dates

(a) General. If, in the case of a Deferral Election, the first DSUs credited to a particular Account with respect to such Director is credited after the relevant payment commencement date specified in Section 6(c) hereof or any DSUs are credited to an Account after a lump sum payment has been made pursuant to Section 6(c) hereof from such Account, payment of shares credited to such Account shall be made or commence on the April 1 (or if April 1 is not a business day, on the immediately preceding business day) following the date on which the shares are so credited.

(b) Delay in Payment. Notwithstanding Section 6(c) hereof and except as otherwise provided in Section 7(c) hereof, a Director may irrevocably elect, by filing a Notice of Election with the Secretary of the Corporation in the form prescribed by the Corporation, to commence payment on a date later than the date specified under Section 6(c) hereof provided that:

 

  (i)

Such election must be made at least twelve (12) months prior to the date on which payments (or the initial scheduled Payment Date in the case of installment payments) otherwise would have commenced pursuant to the election under Section 6(c) hereof; and

 

  (ii)

The payment commencement date specified in such election under this Section 7(b) must be not less than five (5) years from the date on which payments (or the initial scheduled Payment Date in the case of installment payments) otherwise would have commenced pursuant to the election under Section 6(c) hereof.

 

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The provisions of this Section 7(b) are intended to comply with Section 409A(4)(C) of the Code, or any successor Section, and shall be interpreted consistently therewith.

(c) Change in Control Event. Notwithstanding Sections 6(c) and 7(b) hereof, effective for Director Fees, Meeting Fees and/or RSAs payable (but for any Deferral Elections) on and after January 1 of the year following the date on which the Notice of Election is filed, a Director may irrevocably elect, by filing a Notice of Election with the Secretary of the Corporation in a form prescribed by the Corporation, to receive payment of all DSUs credited to the Director’s Account with respect to such Director Fees, Meeting Fees and/or RSAs, upon the earlier of when payment would be made pursuant to the election under Section 6(c) or 7(b) hereof or in a lump sum immediately following the occurrence of any Change in Control Event, as defined below (a “Change in Control Event Election”).

A Change in Control Event Election shall be effective on the date on which it is filed with respect to Director Fees, Meeting Fees and RSAs payable (but for any Deferral Elections) after the time of a person’s initial election to the office of Director, or any subsequent re-election if immediately prior thereto such person was not serving as a Director, provided (i) the Director files such Change in Control Event Election within ten (10) business days subsequent to being elected or re-elected as a Director and (ii) a Change in Control Event Election shall only be effective for Director Fees, Meeting Fees and RSAs payable for services performed after the Change in Control Event Election is filed. A Director may terminate a Change in Control Event Election only by filing a Notice of Termination of Change in Control Event Election with the Secretary of the Corporation in the form prescribed by the Corporation, which shall be effective for Director Fees, Meeting Fees and/or RSAs payable (but for any Deferral Elections) on and after January 1 of the year following the date on which such Notice of Termination of Change in Control Event Election is filed. If payments from a Director’s Account have previously commenced at the time of a Change in Control Event which results in a permissible lump sum payment pursuant to this Section 7(c), for purposes of applying this Section 7(c) shares previously paid from the Director’s Account shall be deemed to be from Director Fees, Meeting Fees and RSAs not subject to a Change in Control Event Election, to the extent thereof. A “Change in Control Event” shall mean the date upon which any event occurs which constitutes a change in the ownership or effective control of the Corporation or in the ownership of a substantial portion of the assets of the Corporation under Section 409A of the Code or any successor Section and Treasury Regulation §1.409A-3(i)(5)(v)-(vii) thereunder or any successor Section, provided that:

 

  (i)

The percentage specified in Treasury Regulation §1.409A-3(i)(5)(v) (addressing the percentage change in the ownership of the total fair market value or voting power of the Corporation’s stock) shall be 50 percent and not a higher percentage;

 

  (ii)

The percentage specified in Treasury Regulation §1.409-3(i)(5)(vi)(A)(1) (addressing the percentage change in the ownership of the voting power of the Corporation’s stock) shall be 30 percent and not a higher percentage;

 

  (iii)

For purposes of Treasury Regulation §1.409A-3(i)(5)(vi)(A)(2) (addressing a change in the effective control of the Corporation by virtue of a change in the composition of the Board), the words “a majority of the members of the corporation’s board of directors” shall not be replaced by a higher portion; and

 

  (iv)

The percentage specified in Treasury Regulation §1.409A-3(i)(5)(vii)(A) (addressing the percentage change in the ownership of the Corporation’s assets) shall be 40 percent and not a higher percentage.

 

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SECTION 8

Non-Alienability of Benefits

Except as may be required by law, neither the Director nor the Director’s Beneficiary shall have the right to, directly or indirectly, alienate, assign, transfer, pledge, anticipate or encumber (except by reason of death) any amounts or shares of Common Stock or DSUs that are or may be payable hereunder, including but not limited to in respect of any liability of a Director or the Director’s Beneficiary for alimony or other payments for the support of a spouse, former spouse, child or other dependent, prior to such amount actually being received by the Director or the Director’s Beneficiary hereunder, nor shall any such amounts or shares be subject in any manner to anticipation, alienation, sale, transfer, assignment, pledge, encumbrance, attachment or garnishment by creditors of the Director or the Director’s Beneficiary or to the debts, contracts, liabilities, engagements, or torts of any Director or Director’s Beneficiary, or transfer by operation of law in the event of bankruptcy or insolvency of the Director or the Director’s Beneficiary, or any legal process.

SECTION 9

Nature of Deferred Stock Compensation Accounts

Any Account, and any DSUs reflected in such Account, shall be established and maintained only on the books and records of the Corporation. No assets or funds of the Corporation, a Subsidiary or the Plan shall be removed from the claims of the Corporation’s or a Subsidiary’s general or judgment creditors or otherwise made available, and no shares of Common Stock of the Corporation to be issued pursuant to an Account shall be issued or outstanding, until such amounts and shares are actually payable to a Director or a Director’s Beneficiary as provided herein. DSUs credited to an Account constitute a mere promise by the Corporation to make payments in the future. Each Director and Director’s Beneficiary shall have the status of, and their rights to receive a payment of shares of Common Stock under the Plan shall be no greater than the rights of, general unsecured creditors of the Corporation. No person shall be entitled to any voting rights with respect to DSUs credited to an Account. The Corporation shall not be obligated under any circumstances to fund any financial obligations under the Plan and the Plan is intended to constitute an unfunded plan for tax purposes. However, the Corporation may, in its sole discretion, set aside funds in a trust or other vehicle, subject to the claims of its creditors, in order to assist it in meeting its obligations under the Plan, if:

 

  (a)

such arrangement will not cause the Plan to be considered a funded deferred compensation plan under the Code;

 

  (b)

any trust created by the Corporation, and any assets held by such trust to assist the Corporation in meeting its obligations under the Plan, will conform to the terms of the model trust, as described in Rev. Proc. 92-64, 1992-2 C.B. 422 or any successor; and

 

  (c)

such set aside of funds is not described in Section 409A(b) of the Code, or any successor provision.

 

9


SECTION 10

Grant of Equity Awards

The Committee shall have authority, in its sole discretion, (a) to grant “nonstatutory stock options” (i.e., stock options which do not qualify under Sections 422 and 423 of the Code), (b) to grant stock appreciation rights, (c) to award RSAs, and (d) to award RSUs (collectively “Equity Awards”). All grants and awards pursuant to this Section 10 shall be made on or to be effective on a Payment Date. On or as of each Payment Date, the Committee shall grant or award to each Director on such Payment Date Equity Awards with such amount determined by the Board or by any committee of the Board which the Board authorizes to determine such amount (subject to such limitations set forth under this Plan). The Committee shall determine in its sole discretion the portion of each grant and/or award to be comprised of nonstatutory stock options, stock appreciation rights, RSAs and RSUs and the value of each.

SECTION 11

Terms and Conditions of

Stock Options and Stock Appreciation Rights

Stock options and stock appreciation rights granted under the Plan shall be subject to the following terms and conditions:

 

  (A)

The purchase price at which each stock option may be exercised (the “option price”) and the base price at which each stock appreciation right may be granted (the “Base Price”) shall be such price as the Committee, in its sole discretion, shall determine but shall not be less than one hundred percent (100%) of the Fair Market Value per share of the Common Stock covered by the stock option or stock appreciation right on the date of grant. For purposes of this Section 11, the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock shall be determined as provided in Section 17 hereof. In no event may any stock option or stock appreciation right granted under this Plan, other than pursuant to Section14, be amended to decrease the exercise price or Base Price thereof, be cancelled in conjunction with the grant of any new stock option or stock appreciation right with a lower exercise price or Base Price, be cancelled or repurchased for cash, property, or another award at a time when the exercise price or Base Price is greater than the Fair Market Value of the underlying Common Stock, or otherwise be subject to any action that would be treated, for accounting purposes, as a “repricing” of such stock option or stock appreciation right, unless such amendment, cancellation, or action is approved by the Corporation’s shareholders.

 

  (B)

The option price for each stock option shall be paid in full upon exercise and shall be payable in cash in United States dollars (including check, bank draft or money order), which may include cash forwarded through a broker or other agent-sponsored exercise or financing program; provided, however, that in lieu of such cash the person exercising the stock option may if authorized by the Committee pay the option price in whole or in part by delivering to the Corporation shares of the Common Stock (by delivery of such shares or by attestation) not restricted under Section 12 and having a Fair Market Value on the date of exercise of the stock option, determined as provided in Section 17 hereof, equal to the option price for the shares being purchased, except that any portion of the option price representing a fraction of a share shall in any event be paid in cash. If the person exercising a stock option participates in a broker or other agent-sponsored exercise or financing program, the Corporation will cooperate with all reasonable procedures of the broker or other agent to permit participation by the person exercising the stock option in the exercise or financing program. Notwithstanding any procedure of the broker or other agent-sponsored exercise or financing program, if the option price is paid in cash, the exercise of the stock option shall not be deemed to occur and no shares of the Common Stock will be issued until the Corporation has received full payment in cash (including check, bank draft or money order) for the option price from the broker or other agent. To facilitate the foregoing, the Corporation may, to the extent permitted by applicable law,

 

10


  enter into agreements for coordinated procedures with one or more brokerage firms. In the event the broker sells any shares on behalf of a Director, the broker shall be acting solely as the agent of the Director, and the Corporation disclaims any responsibility for the actions of the broker in making any such sales. The date of exercise of a stock option shall be determined under procedures established by the Committee, and as of the date of exercise the person exercising the stock option shall be considered for all purposes to be the owner of the shares with respect to which the stock option has been exercised.

 

  (C)

Upon the exercise of stock appreciation rights the Corporation shall pay to the person exercising the stock appreciation rights a number of shares of the Common Stock with a Fair Market Value, as defined in Section 17 hereof, equal to the difference between the aggregate Fair Market Value, as defined in Section 17 hereof, of the Common Stock on the date of exercise of the stock appreciation rights and the aggregate Base Prices for the stock appreciation rights which are exercised (the “Spread”) (rounded down to the next whole number of shares). No fractional shares of the Common Stock shall be issued nor shall cash in lieu of a fraction of a share of Common Stock be paid. Notwithstanding the foregoing, at the sole discretion of the Committee, the Corporation may pay to the person exercising the stock appreciation rights an amount of cash, rather than shares of the Common Stock, equal to the Spread if and only if the payment of cash upon exercise of the stock appreciation rights would not cause the stock appreciation rights to provide for a deferral of compensation within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code. The date of exercise of a stock appreciation right shall be determined under procedures established by the Committee.

 

  (D)

Unless the Committee, in its sole discretion, shall otherwise determine and subject to the terms of Sections 11(G) and 11(H) hereof, stock options and stock appreciation rights shall be exercisable by a Director commencing on the second anniversary of the date of grant. Subject to the terms of Sections 11(G) and 11(H) hereof providing for earlier termination of a stock option or stock appreciation right, no stock option or stock appreciation right shall be exercisable after the expiration of ten years from the date of grant. Unless the Committee, in its sole discretion, shall otherwise determine, a stock option or stock appreciation right to the extent exercisable at any time may be exercised in whole or in part.

 

  (E)

Unless the Committee, in its sole discretion, shall otherwise determine:

 

  (i)

no stock option or stock appreciation right shall be transferable or assignable by the grantee otherwise than:

 

  (a)

by Will; or

 

  (b)

if the grantee dies intestate, by the laws of descent and distribution of the state of domicile of the grantee at the time of death; or

 

  (c)

to the trustee of a trust that is revocable by the grantee alone, both at the time of the transfer or assignment and at all times thereafter prior to such grantee’s death; and

 

  (ii)

all stock options and stock appreciation rights shall be exercisable during the lifetime of the grantee only by the grantee (or the grantee’s guardian or legal representative) or by the trustee of a trust described in Section 11(E)(i)(c) hereof.

 

11


A transfer or assignment of a stock option or a stock appreciation right by a trustee of a trust described in Section 11(E)(i)(c) to any person other than the grantee shall be permitted only to the extent approved in advance by the Committee in writing, in its sole discretion and subject to applicable law. Stock options or stock appreciation rights held by such trustee also shall be subject to all of the conditions and restrictions set forth in the Plan and in the applicable agreement with the grantee as if such trustee were a party to such agreement as the grantee. In the event the grantee ceases to be a Director of the Corporation, the provisions set forth in the Plan and in the applicable agreement with the grantee shall continue to be applicable to the stock option or stock appreciation right and shall limit the ability of such trustee to exercise any such transferred stock options or stock appreciation rights to the same extent they would have limited the grantee. The Corporation shall not have any obligation to notify such trustee of any termination of a stock option or stock appreciation right due to the termination of service of the grantee as a Director of the Corporation.

 

  (F)

Unless otherwise specified by the Committee, the applicable Director shall have all of the rights of a shareholder of the Corporation holding Common Stock with respect to the shares of Common Stock to be issued upon the exercise of a stock option or stock appreciation right (including the right to vote the applicable shares and the right to receive dividends), when the Director (i) has given written notice of exercise in accordance with the procedures established by the Committee, (ii) if requested, has given the representation described in Section 18, and (iii) in the case of a stock option, has paid in full the option price for such shares.

 

  (G)

Unless the Committee, in its sole discretion, shall otherwise determine, if a grantee ceases to be a Director of the Corporation, any outstanding stock options and stock appreciation rights held by the grantee shall vest and be exercisable and shall terminate, according to the following provisions:

 

  (i)

Notwithstanding Section 11(D) hereof, if a grantee ceases to be a Director of the Corporation for any reason other than those set forth in Section 11(G)(ii) or (iii) hereof, any then outstanding stock option and stock appreciation right held by such grantee (whether or not vested and exercisable by the grantee immediately prior to such time) shall vest and be exercisable by the grantee (or, in the event of the grantee’s death, by the person entitled to do so under the Will of the grantee, or, if the grantee shall fail to make testamentary disposition of the stock option or stock appreciation right or shall die intestate, by the legal representative of the grantee (the “Grantee’s Heir or Representative”)), at any time prior to the second anniversary of the date on which the grantee ceases to be a Director of the Corporation or the expiration date of the stock option or stock appreciation right, whichever is the shorter period;

 

  (ii)

Unless the exercise period of a stock option or stock appreciation right following termination of service as Director has been extended as provided in Section 15(c) hereof, if during his or her term of office as a non-employee Director a grantee is removed from office for cause or resigns without the consent of the Board, any then outstanding stock option and stock appreciation right held by such grantee shall terminate as of the close of business on the last day on which the grantee is a Director of the Corporation; and

 

  (iii)

Notwithstanding Section 11(D) hereof, following the death of a grantee during service as a Director of the Corporation, or upon the disability of a Director which requires his or her termination as a Director of the Corporation, any outstanding stock option and stock appreciation right held by the grantee at the time of death or termination as a Director due to disability (whether or not vested and exercisable by the grantee immediately prior to such time) shall vest and be exercisable, in the case of death of the grantee, by the Grantee’s Heir or Representative, or, in the case of disability of the grantee, by the grantee at any time prior to the second anniversary of the date on which the grantee ceases to be a Director of the Corporation or the expiration date of the stock option or stock appreciation right, whichever is the shorter period.

 

12


Whether a resignation of a Director is with or without the consent of the Board and whether a grantee is disabled shall be determined in each case, in its sole discretion, by the Committee and such determination by the Committee shall be final and binding.

 

  (H)

If a grantee of a stock option or stock appreciation right engages in the operation or management of a business (whether as owner, partner, officer, director, employee or otherwise and whether during or after service as a Director of the Corporation) which is in competition with the Corporation or any of its Subsidiaries, or solicits any of the Corporation’s customers or employees other than for the benefit of the Corporation, the Committee may immediately terminate all outstanding stock options and stock appreciation rights held by the grantee; provided, however, that this sentence shall not apply if the exercise period of a stock option or stock appreciation right following termination of service as a Director of the Corporation has been extended as provided in Section 15(c) hereof. Whether a grantee has engaged in the operation or management of a business which is in competition with the Corporation or any of its Subsidiaries, or solicits any of the Corporation’s customers or employees other than for the benefit of the Corporation, shall be determined, in its sole discretion, by the Committee, and any such determination by the Committee shall be final and binding.

 

  (I)

All stock options and stock appreciation rights shall be confirmed by a written agreement or an amendment thereto in a form prescribed by the Committee, in its sole discretion. Each agreement or amendment thereto shall be executed on behalf of the Corporation by the Chief Executive Officer (if other than the President), the President or any Vice President and by the grantee. The provisions of such agreements need not be identical.

Subject to the foregoing provisions of this Section 11 and the other provisions of the Plan, any stock option or stock appreciation right granted under the Plan may be exercised at such times and in such amounts and be subject to such restrictions and other terms and conditions, if any, as shall be determined, in its sole discretion, by the Committee and set forth in the agreement referred to in Section 11(I) hereof or an amendment thereto.

SECTION 12

Terms and Conditions of Restricted Share Awards

(a) Restricted Share Awards. RSAs shall be evidenced by a written agreement in a form prescribed by the Committee, in its sole discretion, which shall set forth the number of shares of the Common Stock awarded, the restrictions imposed thereon (including, without limitation, restrictions on the right of the awardee to sell, assign, transfer, pledge or otherwise encumber such shares while such shares are subject to the other restrictions imposed under this Section 12), the duration of such restrictions, events (which may, in the sole discretion of the Committee, include performance-based events) the occurrence of which would cause a forfeiture of the RSAs and such other terms and conditions as the Committee in its sole discretion deems appropriate. Restricted share awards shall be effective only upon execution of the applicable RSA agreement on behalf of the Corporation by the Chief Executive Officer (if other than the President), the President or any Vice President, and by the awardee. The provisions of such agreements need not be identical. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section, each Director may elect to defer the receipt of any such RSAs in accordance with the procedures set forth in Section 5; provided, that the receipt of any DSUs in lieu of restricted share awards shall remain subject to the same vesting and forfeiture restrictions as the original equity award.

 

13


(b) Transfers to Trusts. Neither this Section 12 nor any other provision of the Plan shall preclude an awardee from transferring or assigning RSAs to (i) the trustee of a trust that is revocable by such awardee alone, both at the time of the transfer or assignment and at all times thereafter prior to such awardee’s death or (ii) the trustee of any other trust to the extent approved in advance by the Committee in writing. A transfer or assignment of RSAs from such trustee to any person other than such awardee shall be permitted only to the extent approved in advance by the Committee in writing, and RSAs held by such trustee shall be subject to all of the conditions and restrictions set forth in the Plan and in the applicable agreement as if such trustee were a party to such agreement.

(c) Default Vesting Restrictions. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, RSAs awarded to a Director shall be forfeited if the awardee terminates as a Director of the Corporation within two (2) years following the grant of such RSAs due to the voluntary resignation of the Director without the consent of the Board or the removal of the Director with cause. Any RSAs which have not previously vested shall vest and the restrictions related to service as a Director shall lapse upon the death of a Director or the disability of a Director which requires his or her termination as a Director of the Corporation.

(d) Evidence of Shares. Following a grant of RSA and prior to the lapse or termination of the applicable restrictions, the Corporation, at its sole discretion, shall (i) issue share certificates in the name of the awardee and hold them in escrow together with related stock powers in blank signed by the awardee, (ii) issue such share certificates and deliver them to the awardee with an appropriate conspicuous legend referring to the terms, conditions, and restrictions applicable to such award, substantially in the following form:

“The transferability of this certificate and the shares of stock represented hereby are subject to the terms and conditions (including forfeiture) of the Matthews International Corporation Amended and Restated 2019 Director Fee Plan and a corresponding agreement. Copies of such Plan and agreement are on file at the offices of Matthews International Corporation, Two NorthShore Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15212-5851.”;

or (iii) issue the shares in book-entry form in the name of the awardee. If share certificates are issued in the name of the awardee, the awardee shall execute and deliver to the Corporation a blank stock power in form acceptable to the Corporation with respect to each of the certificates subject to the RSAs. In the case of forfeiture of the shares, the Corporation shall use the stock power(s) to transfer ownership of the shares to the Corporation. Upon the lapse or termination of the applicable restrictions, certificate(s) without the legend referenced in (ii) above and the blank stock power(s) shall be delivered to the awardee (or the awardee’s personal representative) upon the surrender by such person of the legended certificates if they were previously provided to such person. If shares are issued in book-entry form, the Corporation shall instruct its transfer agent that the shares are to be designated as restricted on the transfer agent’s book-entry records of the owners of the Common Stock, and may not be transferred from the name of the awardee until the earlier of (i) in the case of forfeiture of the shares, when the Corporation instructs its transfer agent in writing to record the shares as owned by the Corporation (rather than by the awardee), or (ii) when requested in writing by the awardee (or the awardee’s personal representative) after the Corporation has instructed its transfer agent in writing that such shares are no longer to be designated as restricted on the transfer agent’s book-entry records due to the lapse or termination of the applicable restrictions.

 

14


(e) Dividends; Dividend Reinvestment. From the date a RSA is effective, the awardee shall be a shareholder with respect to all of the restricted shares and shall have all the rights of a shareholder with respect to the restricted shares, including the right to vote the restricted shares and to receive all dividends, and other distributions paid with respect to the restricted shares, subject only to the preceding provisions of this Section 12(e) and the other restrictions imposed by the Committee. Except as provided in Section 14 hereof, the Committee, in its sole discretion, may determine that dividends and other distributions on the shares shall not be paid to the awardee until the lapse or termination of the applicable restrictions. Unless otherwise provided, in its sole discretion, by the Committee, any such dividends or other distributions shall not bear interest. Upon the lapse or termination of the applicable restrictions (and not before such time), the unpaid dividends, if any, shall be delivered to the awardee. Further, the Committee shall have the ability, in its sole discretion following a written request of a Director, to authorize the automatic reinvestment of such dividends in additional shares of restricted stock at the time of any dividend payment (such shares referred to herein as “Reinvested Shares”), provided that sufficient shares of Common Stock are available under Section 1(B) for the issuance of such Reinvested Shares (taking into account then outstanding awards). In the event that sufficient shares of Common Stock are not available for such Reinvestment Shares to be issued, such reinvestment of dividends shall be made in the form of a grant of RSUs equal in number to the shares of Common Stock that would have been obtained by such reinvestment, the terms of which RSUs shall provide for settlement in cash and for dividend equivalent reinvestment in further RSUs on the terms contemplated by Section 13. Any Reinvestment Shares issued in connection with a Director’s election hereunder shall be subject to the same terms and conditions, including vesting schedule, as the shares of restricted stock upon which the dividend was issued.

(f) Competition. If an awardee of restricted shares engages in the operation of management of a business (whether as owner, partner, officer, director, employee or otherwise) which is in competition with the Corporation or any of its Subsidiaries or solicits any of the Corporation’s customers or employees other than for the benefit of the Corporation, the Committee may immediately declare forfeited all restricted shares, including any Reinvested Shares, held by the awardee as to which the restrictions have not yet lapsed. Whether an awardee has engaged in the operation or management of a business which is in competition with the Corporation or any of its Subsidiaries or has solicited any of the Corporation’s customers or employees other than for the benefit of Corporation, shall also be determined, in its sole discretion, by the Committee, and any such determination by the Committee shall be final and binding.

SECTION 13

Restricted Stock Units

(a) Restricted Stock Unit Awards. An RSU award represents the unsecured right to receive in the future payment (in cash, shares of Common Stock or a combination of both, as contemplated in the award) equal to the Fair Market Value of a specified number of shares of Common Stock, which is subject to a risk of forfeiture or a restriction period or both. RSUs shall be evidenced by a written agreement in a form prescribed by the Committee, in its sole discretion. RSU awards shall be effective only upon execution of the applicable RSU agreement on behalf of the Corporation by the Chief Executive Officer (if other than the President), the President or any Vice President, and by the awardee. The provisions of such agreements need not be identical.

(b) Terms and Conditions. Restricted stock units shall be subject to the restrictions imposed thereon, the duration of such restrictions, events (which may, in the sole discretion of the Committee, include performance-based events) the occurrence of which would cause a forfeiture of the RSUs and such other terms and conditions as the Committee in its sole discretion deems appropriate. Unless otherwise determined by the Committee, RSUs awarded to a Director shall be forfeited if the awardee terminates as a Director of the Corporation within two (2) years following the grant of such RSU due to the voluntary resignation of the Director without the consent of the Board or the removal of the Director with cause. An award of RSUs shall be settled as and when the RSUs vest, as determined and certified by

 

15


the Committee, or at a later time specified by the Committee or in accordance with an election of the Director, if the Committee so permits. Subject to the restrictions set forth in this Plan, the Committee at any time after the date of grant, in its sole discretion, may modify or waive any of the conditions applicable to an award of RSUs. During the period, if any, set by the Committee, commencing with the date of grant of such RSUs for which such vesting restrictions apply, and until the expiration thereof, the Director shall not be permitted to sell, assign, transfer, pledge or otherwise encumber RSUs.

(c) Dividends. RSUs shall not have any voting rights, and holders of RSUs shall not be shareholders of the Corporation unless and until shares of Common Stock are issued by the Corporation (in book-entry form or otherwise). An award of RSUs shall not entitle the Director to receive dividends during the Restriction Period, nor vote the Common Stock subject to such award, or to otherwise enjoy any other stockholder rights; provided, however that the Administrator may, in its sole discretion, prescribe additional terms, conditions or restrictions relating to RSU awards, including but not limited to the issuance of any dividend equivalent units in tandem with a Restricted Stock Unit Award.

(d) Dividend Equivalent Units. Subject to the terms of this Plan, the Administrator will determine all terms and conditions of each award of dividend equivalent units, including but not limited to whether: (i) such award will be granted in tandem with another award; (ii) payment of the award shall be made currently or credited to an account for the Director that provides for the deferral of such amounts until a stated time; and (iii) the award will be settled in cash or shares; provided that dividend equivalent units may be granted only in connection with a “full-value award.” For this purpose, a “full-value award” includes Restricted Stock, RSUs and any other similar award under which the value of the award is measured as the full value of a share, rather than the increase in the value of a share.

SECTION 14

Adjustment and Substitution of Shares

In the event of a (i) merger, consolidation, acquisition of shares, stock rights offering, liquidation, separation, spinoff, disaffiliation of a Subsidiary from the Corporation, extraordinary dividend of cash or other property, or similar event affecting the Corporation or any of its Subsidiaries, including but not limited to a Section 15 Event (each, a “Corporate Transaction”) or (ii) a stock dividend, stock split, reverse stock split, reorganization, share combination, or recapitalization or similar event affecting the capital structure of the Corporation (each, a “Share Change”) the Committee or the Board shall make such substitutions or adjustments as it deems appropriate and equitable, to prevent the dilution or enlargement of the rights of Directors, to (A) the aggregate number and kind of shares of Common Stock reserved for issuance and delivery under the Plan, (B) the number of DSUs credited to any Account, (C) the number and kind of shares of Common Stock subject to outstanding grants and awards; (D) the option price and Base Price of outstanding stock options and stock appreciation rights, respectively, carried to at least three decimal places with the last decimal place being rounded up to the nearest whole number.

In the case of Corporate Transactions, such adjustments may include, without limitation, (1) the cancellation of outstanding stock options, stock appreciation rights or RSUs in exchange for payments of cash, property or a combination thereof having an aggregate value equal to the value of such grants and awards, as determined by the Committee or the Board in its sole discretion (it being understood that in the case of a Corporate Transaction with respect to which shareholders of Common Stock receive consideration other than publicly-traded equity securities of the ultimate surviving entity, any such determination by the Committee that the value of an option stock appreciation right shall for this purpose be deemed to equal the excess, if any, of the value of the consideration being paid for each share pursuant to such Corporate Transaction over the option price of such option or the Base Price of such stock appreciation right shall conclusively be deemed valid); (2) the substitution of other property (including, without limitation, cash or

 

16


other securities of the Corporation and securities of entities other than the Corporation) for the shares subject to outstanding grants and awards; and (3) in connection with any disaffiliation of a Subsidiary, arranging for the assumption of grants and awards, or replacement of grants and awards with new grants and awards based on other property or other securities (including, without limitation, other securities of the Corporation and securities of entities other than the Corporation), by the affected Subsidiary, or by the entity that controls such Subsidiary following such disaffiliation (as well as any corresponding adjustments to grants and awards that remain based upon Corporation securities). No adjustment or substitution provided in this Section 14 shall require the Corporation or any other entity to issue or sell a fraction of a share or other security. Except as provided in this Section 14, a Director shall not have any rights with respect to any Corporate Transaction or Share Change. Notwithstanding the foregoing: (i) any adjustments made pursuant to this Section 14 to Accounts shall be made in compliance with the requirements of Section 409A of the Code; (ii) any adjustments made pursuant to this Section 14 to grants and awards that are not considered “deferred compensation” subject to Section 409A of the Code shall be made in such a manner as to ensure that after such adjustment, the grants and awards either (A) continue not to be subject to Section 409A of the Code or (B) comply with the requirements of Section 409A of the Code; and (iii) in any event, neither the Committee nor the Board shall have the authority to make any adjustments pursuant to this Section 14 to the extent the existence of such authority would cause a grant or award that is not intended to be subject to Section 409A of the Code at the grant or award date of the Award to be subject thereto.

SECTION 15

Additional Rights in Certain Events

(a) Definitions. For purposes of this Section 15, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

 

  (1)

The term “Person” shall be used as that term is used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the 1934 Act as in effect on the effective date of the Plan.

 

  (2)

Beneficial Ownership” shall be determined as provided in Rule 13d-3 under the 1934 Act as in effect on the effective date of the Plan.

 

  (3)

Voting Shares” shall mean all securities of a corporation entitling the holders thereof to vote in an annual election of directors (without consideration of the rights of any class of stock other than the Common Stock to elect directors by a separate class vote); and a specified percentage of “Voting Power” of a corporation shall mean such number of the Voting Shares as shall enable the holders thereof to cast such percentage of all the votes which could be cast in an annual election of directors (without consideration of the rights of any class of stock other than the Common Stock to elect Directors by a separate class vote).

 

  (4)

Section 15 Event” shall mean the date upon which any of the following events occurs:

 

  (i)

The Corporation acquires actual knowledge that any Person other than the Corporation, a Subsidiary or any employee benefit plan(s) sponsored by the Corporation has acquired the Beneficial Ownership, directly or indirectly, of securities of the Corporation entitling such Person to 20% or more of the Voting Power of the Corporation;

 

  (ii)

During any period of two consecutive years, less than a majority of the total number of authorized members of the Board (excluding vacant seats) are filled by individuals who were (i) Directors at the beginning of such period and (ii) individuals whose election by the Corporation’s security holders, or nomination for election, was approved by a vote (including a vote approving

 

17


  a merger or other agreement providing the membership of such individuals on the Board) of at least a majority of the members of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee (consisting of directors then still in office who were directors at the beginning of such period or who were approved for election or nomination hereunder) or at least two-thirds of the Directors then still in office who were Directors on the effective date of the original Plan on November 15, 2018 or who were so approved (other than an individual whose initial assumption of office is in connection with an actual or threatened election contest or other actual or threatened solicitation of proxies or consents by or on behalf of a Person other than the Board of Directors relating to the election of Directors which would be subject to Rule 14a-11 under the 1934 Act, or any successor rule, including by reason of any agreement intended to avoid or settle any such election contest or proxy contest), provided that for purposes of this Section 15(a)(4)(ii), each Board then-authorized seat shall count once for determining whether a Section 15 Event has occurred;

 

  (iii)

The consummation of a merger, consolidation, share exchange, division or sale or other disposition of assets of the Corporation as a result of which the shareholders of the Corporation immediately prior to such transaction shall not hold, directly or indirectly, immediately following such transaction, a majority of the Voting Power of (i) in the case of a merger or consolidation, the surviving or resulting corporation, (ii) in the case of a share exchange, the acquiring corporation or (iii) in the case of a division or a sale or other disposition of assets, each surviving, resulting or acquiring corporation which, immediately following the transaction, holds more than 30% of the consolidated assets of the Corporation immediately prior to the transaction; or

 

  (iv)

The commencement of any liquidation or dissolution of the Corporation (other than pursuant to any transfer of 70% or more of the consolidated assets of the Corporation to an entity or entities controlled by the Corporation and/or its shareholders following such liquidation or dissolution);

provided, however, that if securities beneficially owned by a Director are included in determining the Beneficial Ownership of a Person referred to in paragraph 4(a) above, then no Section 15 Event with respect to such Director shall be deemed to have occurred by reason of such event.

(b) Acceleration of the Exercise Date of Stock Options and Stock Appreciation Rights. Subject to Section 15(e), unless the agreement referred to in Section 11(I) hereof, or an amendment thereto, shall otherwise provide, notwithstanding any other provision contained in the Plan, in case any Section 15 Event occurs all outstanding stock options and stock appreciation rights (other than those held by a Director referred to in the proviso to Section 15 (a)) shall become immediately and fully exercisable whether or not otherwise exercisable by their terms.

(c) Extension of the Expiration Date of Stock Options and Stock Appreciation Rights. Subject to Section 15 (e), unless the agreement referred to in Section 11(I) hereof, or an amendment thereto, shall otherwise provide, notwithstanding any other provision contained in the Plan, all outstanding stock options and stock appreciation rights held by a grantee whose service with the Corporation as a Director terminates within one year of any Section 15 Event (other than those held by a Director referred to in the proviso to Section 15 (a)) for any reason shall be exercisable for the longer of (i) a period of three months from the date of such termination of service or (ii) the period specified in Section 11(G) hereof, but in no event after the expiration date of the stock option or stock appreciation right.

 

18


(d) Lapse of Restrictions on Restricted Share Awards and RSUs. Unless the agreement referred to in Section 12 hereof, or an amendment thereto, shall otherwise provide, notwithstanding any other provision contained in the Plan, if any Section 15 Event occurs prior to the scheduled lapse of all restrictions applicable to restricted share awards or RSUs under the Plan, all such restrictions (other than those applicable to a Director referred to in the proviso to Section 15 (a)) shall lapse upon the occurrence of any such Section 15 Event regardless of the scheduled lapse of such restrictions.

(e) Code Section 409A. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if any grant or award is subject to Section 409A of the Code, this Section 15 shall be applicable only to the extent specifically provided in the agreement under Sections 11(I) or 12 applicable to the grant or award and permitted pursuant to Section 409A. Notwithstanding any contrary provision in this Plan, DSU agreement, or Equity Award agreement, any payment(s) of “nonqualified deferred compensation” (within the meaning of Section 409A of the Code) that are otherwise required to be made under this Plan to a “specified employee” (as defined under Section 409A of the Code) as a result of such employee’s separation from service (other than a payment that is not subject to Section 409A of the Code) shall be delayed for the first six (6) months following such separation from service (or, if earlier, until the date of death of the specified employee) and shall instead be paid (in a manner set forth in the Equity Award agreement) upon expiration of such delay period.

SECTION 16

Administration of Plan; Hardship Withdrawal

(a) Administration of Plan. Except where the terms of the Plan specifically grant authority to the Committee of the Board or where the Board delegates authority to the Committee, full power and authority to construe, interpret, and administer the Plan shall be vested in the Board and it and the Committee shall have plenary authority to interpret the Plan and prescribe such rules, regulations and procedures in connection with the operations of the Plan as it shall deem to be necessary and advisable for the administration of the Plan consistent with the purposes of the Plan. Decisions of the Committee and the Board shall be final, conclusive, and binding upon all parties. Without limitation of the foregoing, the Committee shall have the authority, subject to the terms and conditions of the Plan:

 

  (i)

To determine the grants or awards to be made to the Directors pursuant to Sections 10-13 and all of the relevant terms thereof;

 

  (ii)

Subject to Sections 11(I) and 12(a), to modify, amend or adjust the terms and conditions of any such grant or award;

 

  (iii)

To adopt, alter and repeal such administrative rules, regulations, procedures, guidelines and practices governing the Plan as it shall from time to time deem advisable;

 

  (iv)

To interpret the terms, provisions and conditions of the Plan and any such grant or award (and any agreement under Sections 11(I) and 12(a) relating thereto);

 

  (v)

Subject to Sections 11(I) and 12(a), to accelerate the vesting or lapse of restrictions on any outstanding award, based in each case on such considerations as the Committee in its sole discretion determines;

 

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  (vi)

To decide all other matters that must be determined in connection with such grants and awards;

 

  (vii)

To establish any “blackout” period that the Committee in its sole discretion deems necessary or advisable; and

 

  (viii)

To otherwise administer the Plan in connection with such grants and awards.

The Committee may, except to the extent prohibited by applicable law or the listing standards of the stock exchange which is the principal market for the Common Stock, allocate all or any portion of its responsibilities and powers to any one or more of its members and may delegate all or any part of its responsibilities and powers to any officers of the Corporation or committee of officers of the Corporation selected by it. The Committee shall keep records of action taken at its meetings. A majority of the Committee shall constitute a quorum at any meeting and the acts of a majority of the members present at any meeting at which a quorum is present, or acts approved in writing by all members of the Committee, shall be the acts of the Committee. Any determination made by the Committee or by an appropriately delegated officer pursuant to delegated authority under the provisions of the Plan with respect to any grant or award pursuant to Section 10 shall be made in the sole discretion of the Committee or such officer at the time of such grant or award or, unless in contravention of any express term of the Plan, at any time thereafter. All decisions made by the Committee or any appropriately delegated officer pursuant to the provisions of the Plan and shall be final and binding on all persons, including the Corporation, its Subsidiaries, and the Directors eligible under the Plan.

(b) Hardship Withdrawal. Notwithstanding the terms of Deferral Election made by a Director hereunder, the Committee may, in its sole discretion, permit the issuance of shares in accordance with the number of DSUs held in an Account with respect to Director Fees or Meeting Fees previously payable upon the request of a Director or the Director’s representative, or following the death of a Director upon the request of a Director’s Beneficiary or such beneficiary’s representative, if the Board determines that the Director or the Director’s Beneficiary, as the case may be, is confronted with an unforeseeable emergency.

For this purpose, an unforeseeable emergency means a severe financial hardship to the Director or the Director’s Beneficiary resulting from an illness or accident of the Director or the Director’s Beneficiary, the spouse, or a dependent (as defined in Section 152(a) of the Code) of the Director or the Director’s Beneficiary, loss of the Director or the Director’s Beneficiary’s property due to casualty, or other similar extraordinary and unforeseeable circumstances arising as a result of events beyond the control of the Director or the Director’s Beneficiary. The Director or the Director’s Beneficiary shall provide to the Committee evidence as the Committee, in its sole discretion, may require to demonstrate that such emergency exists and financial hardship would occur if the withdrawal were not permitted. The withdrawal shall be limited to the amount reasonably necessary to satisfy such emergency plus amounts necessary to pay taxes reasonably anticipated as a result of the distribution, after taking into account the extent to which such hardship is or may be relieved through reimbursement or compensation by insurance or otherwise, by liquidation of the Director or the Director’s Beneficiary’s assets (to the extent the liquidation of such assets would not itself cause severe financial hardship) or by the cessation of deferrals under the Plan. Cash needs arising from foreseeable events, such as the purchase or building of a house or education expenses, will not be considered to be the result of an unforeseeable financial emergency. Payment shall be made, as soon as practicable after the Committee approves the payment and determines the number of shares which shall be issued under and pursuant to the Account(s) providing for the latest payments or series of payments. No Director shall participate in any decision of the Committee regarding such Director’s request for a withdrawal under this Section 16.

 

20


(c) Cancellation; Suspension; Clawback. Any or all outstanding grants and awards to a Director may, at any time between the date of grant or award and the third anniversary of any exercise, payment or vesting of such grant and award, in the Board’s or the Committee’s sole discretion and subject to such terms and conditions established by the Board or the Committee, be cancelled, suspended, or required to be repaid to the Corporation if the Director (whether during or after service as a Director of the Corporation) (i) engages in the operation or management of a business (whether as owner, partner, officer, director, employee or otherwise) which is in competition with the Corporation or any of its Subsidiaries, (ii) induces or attempts to induce any customer, supplier, licensee or other individual, corporation or other business organization having a business relationship with the Corporation or any of its Subsidiaries to cease doing business with the Corporation or any of its Subsidiaries or in any way interferes with the relationship between any such customer, supplier, licensee or other person and the Corporation or any of its Subsidiaries, (iii) solicits any employee of the Corporation or any of its Subsidiaries to leave the employment thereof or in any way interferes with the relationship of such employee with the Corporation or any of its Subsidiaries, (iv) commits any act of fraud or embezzlement against the Corporation, or (v) makes any statements or comments, orally or in writing, of a defamatory or disparaging nature regarding the Corporation or any of its Subsidiaries (including but not limited to regarding any of their respective businesses, officers, directors, personnel, products or policies), provided, however, that this sentence shall not apply following the occurrence of a Section 15 Event unless the agreement under Sections 11(I) or 12(a) specifically so provides. Whether a Director has engaged in any such activities shall also be determined, in its sole discretion, by the Board or the Committee, and any such determination by the Board or the Committee shall be final and binding.

SECTION 17

Fair Market Value

Fair Market Value” of the Common Stock shall be the mean between the following prices, as applicable, for the date as of which Fair Market Value is to be determined as quoted in The Wall Street Journal (or in any other reliable publication (electronic or otherwise) as the Board of the Corporation or its delegate, in its sole discretion, may determine to rely upon):

 

  (a)

if the Common Stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, the highest and lowest sales prices per share of the Common Stock as quoted in the NYSE-Composite Transactions listing for such date; or

 

  (b)

if the Common Stock is not listed on such exchange, the highest and lowest sales prices per share of Common Stock for such date on (or on any composite index including) the NASDAQ Exchange or the principal United States securities exchange registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “1934 Act”) on which the Common Stock is listed.

If there are no such sale price quotations for the date as of which Fair Market Value is to be determined but there are such sale price quotations within a reasonable period both before and after such date, then Fair Market Value shall be determined by taking a weighted average of the means between the highest and lowest sales prices per share of the Common Stock as so quoted on the nearest date before and the nearest date after the date as of which Fair Market Value is to be determined. The average should be weighted inversely by the respective numbers of trading days between the selling dates and the date as of which Fair Market Value is to be determined. If there are no such sale price quotations on or within a reasonable period both before and after the date as of which Fair Market Value is to be determined, then Fair Market Value of the Common Stock shall be the weighted average of the means between such bona fide bid and asked prices on the nearest trading date before and the nearest trading date after the date as of which Fair Market Value is to be determined, if both such dates are within a reasonable period. The average is to be determined in the manner described above in this Section 17. If the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock cannot be

 

21


determined on the basis previously set forth in this Section 17 on the date as of which Fair Market Value is to be determined, the Board or its delegate shall in good faith and in conformance with the requirements of Section 409A of the Code, to the extent applicable, determine the Fair Market Value of the Common Stock on such date. Fair Market Value shall be determined without regard to any restriction other than a restriction which, by its terms, will never lapse.

SECTION 18

Securities Laws; Issuance of Shares

The obligation of the Corporation to issue Common Stock or credit DSUs under the Plan shall be subject to:

 

  (i)

the effectiveness of a registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, with respect to such shares, if deemed necessary or appropriate by counsel for the Corporation;

 

  (ii)

the condition that the shares shall have been listed (or authorized for listing upon official notice of issuance) upon each stock exchange, if any, on which the Common Stock shares may then be listed;

 

  (iii)

if required by the Committee, the representation and agreement of the Director that the Director is acquiring the shares only for investment and without a present view of the sale or distribution of such shares, with a corresponding legend on any stock certificates;

 

  (iv)

all other applicable laws, regulations, rules and orders which may then be in effect; and

 

  (v)

obtaining any other consent, approval, or permit from any state or federal governmental agency which the Committee shall, in its sole discretion, determine to be necessary or advisable.

The inability or impracticability of the Corporation to obtain or maintain authority from any regulatory body having jurisdiction, which authority is deemed by the Corporation’s counsel to be necessary to the lawful issuance, sale or delivery of any shares of Common Stock or credit DSUs in an Account hereunder, shall relieve the Corporation of any liability in respect of the failure to issue, sell or deliver such shares of Common Stock or credit DSUs in an Account as to which such requisite authority shall not have been obtained. If, on the date on which any shares of Common Stock would be issued pursuant to a current stock payment under Section 3(a) hereof any DSUs or credited to an Account and after consideration of any shares of Common Stock subject to outstanding Equity Awards, sufficient shares of Common Stock are not available under the Plan or the Corporation is not obligated to issue shares pursuant to this Section 18, then no shares of Common Stock shall be issued or DSUs credited but rather, in the case of a current stock payment under Section 3(a) hereof, cash shall be paid in payment of the Director Fees payable, and in the case of DSUs, Director Fees and Meeting Fees shall instead be credited in cash to a deferred cash compensation account in the name of the Director. The Board shall adopt appropriate rules and regulations to carry out the intent of the immediately preceding sentence if the need for such rules and regulations arises.

 

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SECTION 19

Governing Law; Integration

(a) Governing Law. The provisions of this Plan shall be construed, administered and governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania including its statute of limitations provisions, but without reference to conflicts of law principals. Titles of Sections of the Plan are for convenience of reference only and are not to be taken into account when construing and interpreting the Plan. In case any provision of the Plan shall be held illegal or invalid for any reason, such illegal or invalid provision shall not affect the remaining parts of the Plan, but the Plan shall be construed and enforced without regard to such.

(b) Integration. The Plan contains all of the understandings and representations between the Corporation, its Subsidiaries and any of the Directors and supersedes any prior understandings and agreements entered into between them regarding the subject matter of the Plan. There are no representations, agreements, arrangements or understandings, oral or written, between the Corporation, its Subsidiaries and any of the Directors relating to the subject matter of the Plan which are not fully expressed in the Plan.

SECTION 20

Effect of the Plan on the Rights of Corporation and Shareholders

Nothing in the Plan or in any stock option, stock appreciation right or restricted share award under the Plan or in any agreement providing for any of the foregoing or any amendment thereto shall confer any right to any person to continue as a Director of the Corporation or interfere in any way with the rights of the shareholders of the Corporation or the Board to elect and remove Directors.

SECTION 21

Amendment and Termination

(a) General. The right to amend the Plan at any time and from time to time and the right to terminate the Plan at any time are hereby specifically reserved to the Board; provided that no amendment of the Plan shall:

 

  (i)

be made without shareholder approval if shareholder approval of the amendment is at the time required by the rules of any stock exchange on which the Common Stock may then be listed; or

 

  (ii)

otherwise amend the Plan in any manner that would cause the shares of Common Stock issued or DSUs credited under the Plan not to qualify for the exemption from Section 16(b) of the 1934 Act provided by Rule 16b-3.

No amendment or termination of the Plan shall, without the written consent of the holder of shares of Common Stock issued or credited under the Plan or the holder of an Equity Award theretofore granted or awarded under the Plan, adversely affect the rights of such holder with respect thereto.

 

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(b) Rule 16b-3. Notwithstanding anything contained in the preceding paragraph or any other provision of the Plan, the Board shall have the power to amend the Plan in any manner deemed necessary or advisable for shares of Common Stock issued or DSUs credited under the Plan to qualify for the exemption provided by Rule 16b-3 (or any successor rule relating to exemption from Section 16(b) of the 1934 Act), and any such amendment shall, to the extent deemed necessary or advisable by the Board, be applicable to any outstanding shares of Common Stock theretofore issued or credited under the Plan.

(c) Termination Date. Notwithstanding any other provision of the Plan:

 

  (i)

no shares of Common Stock shall be issued or DSUs credited on a Payment Date under the Plan after March 31, 2030;

 

  (ii)

no shares of Common Stock shall be credited with respect to Meeting Fees payable under the Plan after March 31, 2030;

 

  (iii)

no stock option or stock appreciation right shall be granted under the Plan after March 31, 2030; and

 

  (iv)

no RSAs or vesting after March 31, 2030 of RSAs or RSUs shall be awarded under the Plan after March 31, 2030;

provided, however, that the preceding provisions of this Section 21(c) shall not preclude the issuance of shares of Common Stock under the Plan in payment of the balance of a Director’s Account or upon the exercise after March 31, 2030 of a stock option or stock appreciation right or vesting after March 31, 2030 of RSAs or RSUs.

SECTION 22

Unsecured Creditor

The Plan constitutes a mere promise by the Corporation to make benefit payments in the future. The Corporation’s obligations under the Plan shall be unfunded and unsecured promises to pay. Any amount payable under the Plan shall be established and maintained only on the books and records of the Corporation. The Corporation and its Subsidiaries shall not be obligated under any circumstance to fund the Corporation’s financial obligations under the Plan and no assets or funds of the Corporation, any Subsidiary, or the Plan shall be removed from the claims of the Corporation’s general or judgment creditors or otherwise made available until such amounts are actually paid to a Director as provided herein. Any of them may, in its sole discretion, set aside funds in a trust or other vehicle, subject to the claims of its creditors, in order to assist it in meeting its obligations under the Plan, if such arrangement will not cause the Plan to be considered a funded deferred compensation plan. To the extent that any Director or Director’s Beneficiary or other person acquires a right to receive payments under the Plan, such right shall be no greater than the right, and each Director and Director’s Beneficiary shall at all times have the status, of a general unsecured creditor of the Corporation.

SECTION 23

Limitation of Liability

Any grant or award under the Plan shall not give a Director or Director’s Beneficiary any rights except as expressly set forth in the Plan and in any such grant or award or create (i) any fiduciary or other obligation of the Corporation or any Subsidiary to take any action or provide to the Director or Director’s Beneficiary any assistance or dedicate or permit the use of any assets of the Corporation or any Subsidiary in any manner; (ii) any trust, fiduciary or other duty or obligation of the Corporation or any Subsidiary to engage in any particular business, continue to engage in any particular business, engage in any particular business practices or sell any particular product or products; or (iii) any obligation of the Corporation that shall be greater than the obligation of the Corporation to any of its general unsecured creditors.

 

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SECTION 24

Dispute Resolution

Since fees are paid and grants or awards are made under the Plan in Western Pennsylvania, records relating to the Plan and fees, grants or awards thereunder are located in Western Pennsylvania, and the Plan and fees, grants or awards are administered in Western Pennsylvania, the Corporation and the Director participating in the Plan, for themselves and their heirs, representatives, successors and assigns (collectively, the “Parties”) irrevocably submit to the exclusive and sole jurisdiction and venue of the state courts of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania and the federal courts of the Western District of Pennsylvania with respect to any and all disputes arising out of or relating to the Plan, the subject matter of the Plan or fees, grants or awards under the Plan, including but not limited to any disputes arising out of or relating to the interpretation and enforceability of any fees, grants or awards or the terms and conditions of the Plan. To achieve certainty regarding the appropriate forum in which to prosecute and defend actions arising out of or relating to the Plan, and to ensure consistency in application and interpretation of the governing law under Section 19 of the Plan, the Parties agree that (a) sole and exclusive appropriate venue for any such action shall be the Pennsylvania courts described in the immediately preceding sentence, and no other, (b) all claims with respect to any such action shall be heard and determined exclusively in such Pennsylvania courts, and no other, (c) such Pennsylvania courts shall have sole and exclusive jurisdiction over the Parties and over the subject matter of any dispute relating hereto and (d) the Parties waive any and all objections and defenses to bringing any such action before such Pennsylvania courts, including but not limited to those relating to lack of personal jurisdiction, improper venue or forum non conveniens.

SECTION 25

Non-Uniform Determinations

The Committee’s determinations under the Plan (including without limitation its determinations of the grants and awards under Section 10, the form, amount and timing of such grants and awards and the terms and provisions of such grants and awards) need not be uniform and may be made by it selectively among Directors who receive, or are eligible to receive, grants and awards under the Plan, whether or not such persons are similarly situated.

SECTION 26

Indemnification

Subject to the requirements of Pennsylvania state law, each individual who is or shall have been a member of the Board or the Committee, or an officer of the Corporation to whom authority was delegated in accordance with Section 16, shall be indemnified and held harmless by the Corporation against and from any loss, cost, liability, or expense that may be imposed upon or reasonably incurred by him or her in connection with or resulting from any claim, action, suit, or proceeding to which he or she may be a party or in which he or she may be involved by reason of any action taken or failure to act under this Plan and against and from any and all amounts paid by him or her in settlement thereof, with the Corporation’s approval, or paid by him or her in satisfaction of any judgment in any such action, suit, or proceeding against him or her, provided he or she shall give the Corporation an opportunity, at its own expense, to handle and defend the same before he or she undertakes to handle and defend it on his/her own behalf, unless such loss, cost, liability, or expense is a result of his/her own willful misconduct or except as

 

25


expressly provided by statute. The foregoing right of indemnification shall not be exclusive of any other rights of indemnification to which such individuals may be entitled under the Corporation’s Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws, as a matter of law, or otherwise, or any power that the Corporation may have to indemnify them or hold them harmless.

SECTION 27

No Representations or Covenants With Respect to Tax Qualification

Although the Corporation may endeavor to (i) qualify the payment of fees or a grant or award for favorable United States tax treatment or avoid adverse tax treatment (e.g., under Section 409A of the Code), the Corporation makes no representation to that effect and expressly disavows any covenant to maintain favorable or avoid unfavorable tax treatment. The Corporation shall be unconstrained in its corporate activities without regard to any potential negative tax impact to Directors under the Plan.

SECTION 28

Compliance With Laws

Without limitation, payment of fees or a grant or award under the Plan and any issuance of shares of Common Stock under the Plan shall be subject to all applicable laws, rules, and regulations, and to such approvals by any governmental agencies or stock exchanges on which the Corporation is listed as may be required.

SECTION 29

Effective Date

The effective date and date of adoption of the original Plan was November 15, 2018, the date of adoption of the Plan by the Board, and this Plan was amended and restated on November 19, 2025, provided that on or prior to November 19, 2026 such adoption of the Plan by the Board was approved by the affirmative vote of holders of record of a majority of the shares of voting stock of the Corporation represented in person or by proxy and entitled to vote at a duly called and convened meeting of such holders at which a quorum is present.

 

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Exhibit 99.1

 

LOGO    NEWS RELEASE

Matthews International Corporation

Corporate Office

Two NorthShore Center

Pittsburgh, PA 15212-5851

Phone: (412) 442-8200

 

 February 19, 2026    Contact:    Daniel E. Stopar
      Matthews International
      Chief Financial Officer
      and Treasurer

Matthews International Provides Updates Following Its

2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders

The Company re-elected Thomas A. Gebhardt, Aleta W. Richards, David A. Schawk, and

Francis S. Wlodarczyk to its Board of Directors

Amendments to Matthews’ Articles of Incorporation were adopted, reflecting the Company’s commitment to enhancing governance standards

J. Michael Nauman was selected as the new Chairman of the Board

PITTSBURGH, February 19, 2026 (PR NEWSWIRE) -- Matthews International Corporation (NASDAQ GSM: MATW) (“Matthews” or the “Company”), today held its 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

Among the meeting’s key outcomes, the Company announced the re-election of Thomas A. Gebhardt, Aleta W. Richards, David A. Schawk, and Francis S. Wlodarczyk to its Board of Directors (the “Board”), reinforcing the Company’s commitment to experienced and strategic leadership. Mr. Gebhardt, whose deep background in advanced battery technologies, will continue to strengthen the Company’s momentum in emerging energy solutions. Ms. Richards, Mr. Schawk, and Mr. Wlodarczyk will each continue bringing sustained governance experience and broad strategic perspectives to the Matthews Board. All four have been instrumental over the past year as Matthews has continued reshaping its portfolio through its strategic review and value creation plan.

In addition to the re-election of Board members, amendments to Matthews’ Articles of Incorporation were adopted, reflecting the Company’s ongoing commitment to enhance its governance practices.


Following the Annual Shareholders Meeting, the Board of Directors formally selected J. Michael Nauman to replace Alvaro Garcia-Tunon as Chairman of the Board. Mr. Nauman was first appointed to Matthews’ Board of Directors in February 2025. Retired as President, Chief Executive Officer, and Director of Brady Corporation, and previously of Molex Incorporated, Ohio Associate Enterprises, and Arthur Andersen and Co., Mr. Nauman is a highly experienced executive with over 35 years of commercial, strategic, and financial expertise.

“Michael brings incredible technical expertise, M&A experience, and leadership abilities that will benefit the Company as we continue repositioning Matthews,” said Joe Bartolacci, President and CEO of Matthews. “I look forward to continuing to work alongside him and our fellow Board members as we guide Matthews for more sustainable growth and long-term value creation.”

“On behalf of Matthews International and its Board of Directors, we extend our sincere appreciation to Alvaro Garcia-Tunon for his exceptional leadership as both a Board member and as Chairman,” said new Chairman of the Board, Michael Nauman. “Since joining the Board in 2009, Alvaro’s strategic insight and steady guidance have played a vital role in navigating the Company through numerous pivotal milestones. Matthews is deeply grateful for his service and we wish him the very best in his retirement.”

About Matthews International Corporation

Matthews International Corporation operates through two core global businesses – Industrial Technologies and Memorialization. Both are focused on driving operational efficiency and long-term growth through continuous innovation and strategic expansion. The Industrial Technologies segment evolved from our original marking business, which today is a leading global innovator committed to empowering visionaries to transform industries through the application of precision technologies and intelligent processes. The Memorialization segment is a leading provider of memorialization products, including memorials, caskets and cremation and incineration equipment, primarily to cemetery and funeral home customers that help families move from grief to remembrance. In addition, the Company also has a significant investment in Propelis, a brand solutions business formed through the merger of SGK and SGS & Co. Propelis delivers integrated solutions including brand creative, packaging, print solutions, branded environments, and content production. Matthews International has over 4,300 employees in 15 countries on four continents that are committed to delivering the highest quality products and services.

Forward-looking Information

Any forward-looking statements contained in this release are included pursuant to the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies of Matthews International Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries (collectively “Matthews” or the “Company”) regarding the future, including statements regarding the anticipated benefits and risks associated with the joint venture transaction with Peninsula Parent LLC, d.b.a. Propelis Group (“Propelis”) and the timing thereof, and may be identified by the use of words such as “expects,” “believes,” “intends,” “projects,” “anticipates,” “estimates,” “plans,” “seeks,” “forecasts,” “predicts,” “objective,” “targets,” “potential,” “outlook,” “may,” “will,” “could” or the negative of these terms, other comparable terminology and variations thereof. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and


uncertainties that may cause the Company’s actual results in future periods to be materially different from management’s expectations, and no assurance can be given that such expectations will prove correct. Factors that could cause the Company’s results to differ materially from the results discussed in such forward-looking statements principally include risks to our ability to achieve the anticipated benefits of the joint venture transaction with Propelis that closed in fiscal year 2025, changes in domestic or international economic conditions, changes in foreign currency exchange rates, changes in interest rates, changes in the cost of materials used in the manufacture of the Company’s products, including changes in costs due to adjustments to tariffs, any impairment of goodwill or intangible assets, environmental liability and limitations on the Company’s operations due to environmental laws and regulations, disruptions to certain services, such as telecommunications, network server maintenance, cloud computing or transaction processing services, provided to the Company by third-parties, changes in mortality and cremation rates, changes in product demand or pricing as a result of consolidation in the industries in which the Company operates, or other factors such as supply chain disruptions, labor shortages or labor cost increases, changes in product demand or pricing as a result of domestic or international competitive pressures, ability to achieve cost-reduction objectives, unknown risks in connection with the Company’s acquisitions, divestitures, and business combinations, cybersecurity concerns and costs arising with management of cybersecurity threats, effectiveness of the Company’s internal controls, compliance with domestic and foreign laws and regulations, technological factors beyond the Company’s control, impact of pandemics or similar outbreaks, or other disruptions to our industries, customers, or supply chains, the impact of global conflicts, such as the current war between Russia and Ukraine, and conflicts and related sanctions or trade restrictions involving Venezuela, the Company’s plans and expectations with respect to its exploration, and contemplated execution, of various strategies with respect to its portfolio of businesses, the Company’s plans and expectations with respect to its Board of Directors, and other factors described in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and other periodic filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

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