10-K
Quad/Graphics, Inc. (QUAD)
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
| ☒ | ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
|---|
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025
or
| ☐ | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
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For the transition period from to
Commission File Number 001-34806
QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Wisconsin | 39-1152983 |
|---|---|
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
N61 W23044 Harry’s Way, Sussex, Wisconsin 53089-3995
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
(414) 566-6000
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:Title of ClassTrading SymbolName of Each Exchange on Which RegisteredClass A Common Stock, par value $0.025 per shareQUADThe New York Stock Exchange
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐ No ☒
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No ☒
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
| Large accelerated filer | ☐ | Accelerated filer | ☒ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-accelerated filer | ☐ | Smaller reporting company | ☒ |
| 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. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒
If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ☐ No ☒
The aggregate market value of the class A common stock (based on the closing price of $5.65 per share on the New York Stock Exchange) on June 30, 2025, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, held by non-affiliates was $172,279,494. The registrant’s class B common stock is not listed on a national securities exchange or traded in an organized over-the-counter market, but each share of the registrant’s class B common stock is convertible into one share of the registrant’s class A common stock.
Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock as of the latest practicable date.
| Class | Outstanding as of February 6, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Class A Common Stock | 39,001,790 |
| Class B Common Stock | 13,261,983 |
| Class C Common Stock | — |
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Portions of the Proxy Statement for the registrant’s 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Form 10-K.
Table of Contents
QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
FORM 10-K INDEX
For the Year Ended December 31, 2025
| Page No. | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements | 1 | |
| Part I | ||
| Item 1. | Business | 2 |
| Item 1A. | Risk Factors | 19 |
| Item 1B. | Unresolved Staff Comments | 32 |
| Item 1C. | Cybersecurity | 32 |
| Item 2. | Properties | 34 |
| Item 3. | Legal Proceedings | 34 |
| Item 4. | Mine Safety Disclosures | 34 |
| Part II | ||
| Item 5. | Market for the Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities | 35 |
| Item 7. | Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations | 37 |
| Item 7A. | Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk | 58 |
| Item 8. | Financial Statements and Supplementary Data | 61 |
| Item 9. | Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure | 121 |
| Item 9A. | Controls and Procedures | 121 |
| Item 9B. | Other Information | 122 |
| Item 9C. | Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections | 122 |
| Part III | ||
| Item 10. | Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance | 123 |
| Item 11. | Executive Compensation | 123 |
| Item 12. | Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters | 123 |
| Item 13. | Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence | 124 |
| Item 14. | Principal Accountant Fees and Services | 124 |
| Part IV | ||
| Item 15. | Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules | 125 |
| Item 16 | Form 10-K Summary | 131 |
| Signatures | 132 |
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Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
To the extent any statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K contain information that is not historical, these statements are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, the objectives, goals, strategies, beliefs, intentions, plans, estimates, prospects, projections and outlook of Quad/Graphics, Inc. (the “Company” or “Quad”), and can generally be identified by the use of words such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “foresee,” “believe” or “continue” or the negatives of these terms, variations on them and other similar expressions. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances are forward-looking statements.
These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond the control of the Company. These risks, uncertainties and other factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by those forward-looking statements. Among risks, uncertainties and other factors that may impact Quad are those described in Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, as such may be amended or supplemented in Part II, Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” of the Company’s subsequently filed Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and the following:
•The impact of increased business complexity as a result of the Company’s transformation to a marketing experience company, including adapting marketing offerings and business processes as required by new markets;
•The impact of decreasing demand for printing services and significant overcapacity in a highly competitive environment creating downward pricing pressures and potential under-utilization of assets;
•The impact of changes in postal rates, service levels or regulations;
•The impact of rapid changes in technology, including artificial intelligence, and the risk the Company is unable to adapt its marketing offerings to compete in this technology-driven environment;
•The impact of increases in its operating costs, including the cost and availability of raw materials (such as paper, ink components and other materials), inventory, parts for equipment, labor, fuel and other energy costs and freight rates, and the risk the Company is unable to pass along such increases to clients;
•The impact macroeconomic conditions, including elevated interest rates, postal rate increases, tariffs, trade restrictions, cost pressures and the price and availability of paper, have had, and may continue to have, on the Company’s business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations (including future uncertain impacts);
•The risk the Company is unable to reduce costs and improve operating efficiency rapidly enough to meet market conditions;
•The impact of a data-breach of sensitive information, ransomware attack or other cyber incident on the Company;
•The fragility and decline in overall distribution channels;
•The failure to attract and retain qualified talent across the enterprise;
•The impact of digital media and similar technological changes, including digital substitution by consumers;
•The failure of clients to perform under contracts or to renew contracts with clients on favorable terms or at all;
•The failure to successfully identify, manage, complete and integrate acquisitions, investment opportunities or other significant transactions, as well as the successful identification and execution of strategic divestitures;
•The impact negative publicity could have on our business and brand reputation;
•The impact of risks associated with the operations outside of the United States (“U.S.”), including trade restrictions, currency fluctuations, the global economy, costs incurred or reputational damage suffered due to improper conduct of its employees, contractors or agents, and geopolitical events like war and terrorism;
•The impact of significant capital expenditures and investments that may be needed to sustain and grow the Company’s platforms, processes, systems, client and product technology, marketing and talent, to remain technologically and economically competitive, and to adapt to future changes, such as artificial intelligence;
•The impact of the various restrictive covenants in the Company’s debt facilities on the Company’s ability to operate its business, as well as the uncertain negative impacts macroeconomic conditions may have on the Company’s ability to continue to be in compliance with these restrictive covenants;
•The impact of an other than temporary decline in operating results and enterprise value that could lead to non-cash impairment charges due to the impairment of property, plant and equipment, goodwill and other intangible assets;
•The impact of regulatory matters and legislative developments or changes in laws, including changes in cyber-security, consumer protection, safety, privacy and environmental laws; and
•The impact on the holders of Quad’s class A common stock of a limited active market for such shares and the inability to independently elect directors or control decisions due to the voting power of the class B common stock.
Quad cautions that the foregoing list of risks, uncertainties and other factors is not exhaustive and you should carefully consider the other factors detailed from time to time in Quad’s filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and other uncertainties and potential events when reviewing the Company’s forward-looking statements.
Because forward-looking statements are subject to assumptions and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such statements, which speak only as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Except to the extent required by the federal securities laws, Quad undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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PART I
Item 1. Business
Overview
Quad is a marketing experience (MX) company that simplifies the complexities of marketing, removing friction from wherever it occurs along the marketing journey. Its results-driven approach enables stronger marketing operations that lead to real, repeatable success for clients. The Company does this through its MX Solutions Suite, which is flexible, scalable and connected. Quad tailors its solutions to each client’s objectives, driving cost efficiencies, improving speed to market, strengthening marketing effectiveness and delivering value on investments.
Quad’s footprint spans 10 countries, with 71 global facilities inclusive of 33 manufacturing and distribution facilities. The Company supports a diverse base of approximately 2,100 clients, including industry-leading blue-chip companies that serve both businesses and consumers across multiple industry verticals, with a particular focus on commerce, including retail, consumer packaged goods and direct-to-consumer; financial services; and health. Quad prides itself on its long-standing relationships, with its largest clients averaging more than 25 years in duration. In 2025, its 10 largest clients accounted for approximately 21% of consolidated sales, with none representing more than 5% individually.
Quad was founded in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, as a Wisconsin corporation, in 1971 by the late Harry V. Quadracci. For many years, the Company operated as Quad/Graphics and focused on commercial printing. It grew rapidly and built a premier print manufacturing and distribution platform. Beginning in 2018, the Company accelerated its transformation to an MX company through strategic investments in marketing services, talent and technology, and, in 2019, evolved its brand from Quad/Graphics to Quad. Today, Quad is one of the nation’s largest marketing services providers. With the strength of its Rise media agency and its Betty creative agency, Quad ranks as one of the largest agency companies in the U.S. according to Ad Age (2025). Its robust manufacturing platform also ranks the Company as one of the largest commercial printers in North America, according to Printing Impressions (2025).
Quad’s unique engagement model complements brands’ way of working. Whether as a full-service marketing partner, an outsourced extension of a marketing department, or executional support for an agency, Quad’s depth of expertise, breadth of integrated capabilities and expansive reach empower brands to:
•Unlock actionable audience insights to identify consumer passions, optimize marketing strategies and enhance campaign precision.
•Deliver creative quality at scale with cohesive, impactful brand experiences across all channels.
•Streamline production complexity across the marketing supply chain, reducing costs, boosting efficiency and accelerating speed-to-market.
•Drive omnichannel effectiveness with cross-channel activations that engage consumers at home, in-store and online.
•Maximize efficiency with cutting-edge technology, including artificial intelligence (AI), that automates workflows, enhances performance and personalizes customer experiences at scale across physical and digital channels.
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In 2025, the Company focused on delivering strong financial results while navigating multiple challenges in the macroeconomic environment, such as postage cost increases on print mailings; policy uncertainty (including potential impacts of tariffs); and elevated interest rates. Despite these challenges, Quad worked to mitigate impacts on its business while proactively managing client expectations. Quad believes it will be able to maintain a leading competitive position through its consistent long-term business strategy, which is driven by dedicated, passionate and highly skilled employees, and by providing stability and innovative solutions for clients into the future.
More information regarding Quad is available on the Company’s website at quad.com. Quad is not including the information contained on or available through its website as part of, or incorporating such information by reference into, this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to those reports are made available to the public at no charge through a link appearing on the Investor Relations section of the Company’s website. Quad provides access to such materials through its website as soon as reasonably practicable after electronically filing such material with, or furnishing it to, the SEC.
Principal Capabilities
Quad’s MX Solutions Suite provides a comprehensive range of marketing and print services, seamlessly integrating creative, production and media solutions across physical and digital channels. Powered by advanced intelligence and technology, this suite empowers brands to connect with their target audiences across households, in-store and online.
MX: Intelligence
Quad’s MX: Intelligence solutions support three distinct categories: research, analytics and data services. The Company’s primary and secondary research helps clients understand their brand health, customer preferences and industry-wide trends. Through its Accelerated Marketing Insights (AMI) offering, Quad also performs pre-market creative and product research and testing services, which are conducted in a variety of virtual and experiential testing environments. To help clients increase the incremental effectiveness of their cross-channel marketing investments, Quad offers an array of media measurement services. These include both deterministic techniques — such as lift-over-control studies — that track real-time campaign results and probabilistic modeling techniques that project outcomes based on consumer demographics and trends. Quad’s data services utilize the Company’s proprietary, household-based data stack — representative of more than 250 million consumers — to help clients more effectively reach their ideal audiences. Unique to Quad, the stack includes “passions” data that indicates the interests of individuals at the household-level, thereby providing a differentiated view into what type of advertising and marketing will be most valuable to those consumers. The data stack enables a wide range of audience services, such as first-party data augmentations and profiling, audience segmentation, and look-a-like modeling and response modeling.
MX: Creative
Quad’s MX: Creative offering addresses every step of the creative process, from ideation to execution. These services are powered by the Company’s strategists, creative and art directors, photographers, videographers, premedia specialists, graphic designers, animation experts and copywriters. Quad’s brand strategy and design services include brand positioning, design strategy, naming and brand-mark design, visual identity creation, retail environment support, packaging design and brand roll-out execution. Through in-depth strategic brand research, the Company takes time to truly understand each client’s unique brand voice and positioning. It then applies these findings to craft compelling creative campaigns that solve the brand’s problems and lead to desired consumer actions. Quad’s global platform and advanced technology support always-on premedia and adaptive design capabilities for creative and digital execution, image and color management, and prepress tasks. The Company also has an international network of 14 studios to help brands create unique and ownable content through photography, motion, computer generated imagery (CGI), automated 3D scanning and audio recording for activation across every channel. This full-service offering is housed under Betty, Quad’s creative agency.
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MX: Production
Quad offers a wide range of production capabilities for deploying content to physical and digital channels – a major point of differentiation among the Company’s competitive set. Quad’s print operations feature the latest in automation and technology complemented by skilled manufacturing professionals. The Company can produce targeted print products, such as catalogs, direct mail, in-store signage and displays, and high-end packaging, as well as large-scale print products, such as magazines, retail inserts and directories.
Quad also has vertically integrated print and non-print capabilities that help improve the quality, cost and availability of key inputs in the printing and distribution processes. For example, the Company has its own prepress/premedia services, paper procurement, ink manufacturing (through its subsidiary Chemical Research/Technology), and logistics and transportation services (through its in-house Quad Transportation Services division and Duplainville Transport trucking division), which it leverages to lower costs and enhance customer service for its clients while providing Quad with substantial control over critical links in the overall print supply chain.
Quad complements its production capabilities through its Managed Services offering. Applying its deep industry knowledge and expansive network of trusted vendors, Quad helps clients manage their operations the way it runs its own – with diligence, efficiency and highly competitive costs.
MX: Media
Quad provides data-led, strategic media planning and placement services that support all physical and digital touchpoints to foster direct consumer connections at home, in-store and online. The Company activates on a complete suite of full-funnel brand and performance marketing solutions. Quad has more than $6.0 billion of media under management, giving the Company leverage in the marketplace to provide cost-efficient and effective options across all channels. Media services are supported by Quad’s proprietary, household-based data stack and Connections Strategy, a comprehensive approach that translates quantitative audience insights into experience-driven media plans that find the best combination of audience, messaging, channel and time to achieve a client’s desired business outcomes. The Connections Strategy process helps brands meaningfully connect with their priority audiences by humanizing quantitative data, considering the cultural forces, emotional drivers and behavioral signals that fuel consumer actions. Overlaying these factors with the audience’s media habits, the team forms recommendations for Rise’s planning and placement experts who execute across the paid, owned and earned touchpoints where consumers are most receptive to engagement. The Company’s offering includes campaign measurement and analytics solutions that provide in-the-moment reporting. This level of transparency helps clients understand how all their media across the marketing funnel is performing and enables Quad to provide data-backed guidance on how to incrementally optimize media spend. This full-service offering is housed under Rise, Quad’s media agency.
MX: Tech
The Company’s client-facing technology solutions help brands connect marketing strategy, global content creation, analytics and optimized media performance across physical and digital channels. Quad applies a people-process-technology approach that first analyzes a client’s current-state workflow and performance, then creates tailored solutions to centralize assets, optimize processes and accelerate speed to market. For instance, the Company’s ContentX content management platform empowers clients to strategize, plan and manage campaigns, and personalize at scale across any channel. The Company’s suite of “Connect” technology services helps marketers deliver content wherever consumers are. For instance, Local Connect helps national brands execute localized marketing strategies while ensuring brand consistency. This streamlined order management platform automates localized marketing execution and provides a single source of truth to manage, order and distribute multichannel campaigns. At-Home Connect automates direct mail personalization, printing, mail sorting and delivery, which simplifies and expedites marketers’ ability to reach consumers through the mailbox. Through its In-Store Connect retail media solution, Quad elevates the shopping experience in brick-and-mortar stores by helping brands deliver engaging messages and targeted promotions right at the shelf – a critical moment in the purchasing decision. In addition to these solutions, Quad integrates AI-based systems across its MX Solutions Suite to generate internal cost savings and revenue opportunities for the Company.
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Industry and Competition
With its integrated marketing platform, Quad competes in both the advertising and marketing services industry, and in the commercial printing industry. The Company’s breadth of connected solutions and its ability to both strategically consult and execute at scale, positions Quad in a unique space beyond that of just a manufacturer or traditional agency. This positioning expands the Company’s competitive set to include large agency holding companies, independent agencies and marketing consultants, as well as print management firms and commercial printers.
Advertising and Marketing Services
The advertising and marketing services industry is highly fragmented, with competition based on companies’ ability to adapt quickly to new advertising platforms and technology, including AI; leverage data and analytics to deliver personalized advertising experiences; develop comprehensive proposals to secure client contracts; create unique and effective multichannel marketing campaigns; demonstrate spend effectiveness by monitoring and reporting on clients’ marketing campaign results; provide favorable pricing; access talent; and offer superior customer service.
Consumer media consumption habits are constantly evolving. The ongoing emergence of new marketing channels has caused audiences to become increasingly segmented. As a result, advertising and marketing services providers must expand their capabilities to create effective multichannel campaigns for their clients, and providers face increased client demand to offer integrated, end-to-end marketing services (i.e., from strategy and creative through execution). These trends greatly influence Quad’s ongoing efforts to help brands reduce the complexities of working with multiple agency partners and vendors, increase marketing process efficiency, and maximize marketing effectiveness.
Quad believes that its deeply connected solutions address modern marketers’ most pressing issues, positioning it to compete effectively in this highly competitive industry.
Commercial Printing
The commercial printing industry also remains highly fragmented, with competition based on pricing; cost of materials (which may be impacted by tariffs); availability of materials, including paper (which may be more limited in the future as a number of mills reduce graphic paper production capacity in favor of other product lines, such as paperboard); quality; distribution capabilities (including the ability to reduce postage costs); customer service; access to labor (especially highly skilled labor); availability to schedule work on appropriate equipment; on-time production and delivery; ability to maintain and adopt state-of-the-art technology; and ability to offer additional marketing services to meet a client’s business objectives.
The commercial printing industry has moved toward shorter, on-demand, personalized print runs; faster product turnaround; and increased production efficiencies of products with lower page counts and increased complexity. This — combined with increases in postage and paper costs, as well as marketers’ increasing use of online marketing and communication channels — has led to excess manufacturing capacity.
Within its manufacturing operations, Quad benefits from managing several very large facilities (greater than one million square feet) that produce multiple product lines under one roof, driving cost savings as the Company maximizes equipment utilization and labor resources. Additionally, the Company continually strengthens its manufacturing operations through leading-edge technologies such as digital presses that enhance targeted print products; wide-web presses that improve labor productivity; and advanced equipment and automation, including automated storage and retrieval systems and robotic guided vehicles and palletizers that support high-quality, low-cost production. To reduce postage costs for its clients, the Company operates an extensive co-mailing operation that generates significant USPS work-sharing discounts. Due to these factors, economies of scale, a strong balance sheet and access to capital markets, Quad has been able to provide a competitive offering that meets clients’ manufacturing needs.
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Seasonality
Quad is subject to seasonality in its quarterly results as net sales and operating income are typically higher in the second half of the calendar year as compared to the first half of the calendar year. The fourth quarter is typically the highest seasonal quarter for cash flows from operating activities and Free Cash Flow due to the reduction of working capital requirements that historically reach peak levels during the third quarter. Seasonality is driven by increased direct mail, catalog and retail inserts volumes primarily due to back-to-school and holiday-related advertising and promotions. The Company expects seasonality impacts to continue in future years.
Competitive Advantages
Quad’s MX Solutions Suite is powered by three primary competitive advantages that the Company believes distinguish it from its competitors: integrated marketing platform excellence, intentional innovation and a commitment to operate responsibly.
Integrated Marketing Platform Excellence
Quad’s integrated marketing platform encompasses all the resources brands and marketers need to strategize, plan, create, deploy, measure and optimize their marketing efforts across any media channel — from household to in-store to online. Accordingly, the Company can guide clients through every effort intended to drive an action, from consumer awareness and trust, to brand preference and purchase.
Intentionally Connected Offerings
While the Company’s products and services are organized into distinct solutions suites, they are intentionally designed to function together, creating a unified ecosystem that improves marketing performance for clients. For instance, Quad’s print operations generate household-level insights that power its proprietary data stack, which in turn, is used to enhance the precision of omnichannel campaign planning, measurement and optimization. Similarly, integrating Betty’s creative expertise with Quad’s robust print platform enables brand-consistent deliverables at scale and speed.
Quad’s integrated selling approach brings together experts from its manufacturing business and its agency offerings to address marketing challenges holistically rather than through isolated stand-alone services. This intentionally collaborative approach connects components of the marketing process that are typically fragmented across multiple vendors. By embedding cross-disciplinary teams into clients’ marketing ecosystems, Quad drives cross-category growth opportunities and becomes deeply ingrained in clients’ ongoing operations. The Company continues to see growth in this interconnected strategy, with approximately 90% of its U.S. clients purchasing more than one product or service during 2025.
Quad further advanced its integrated marketing approach in 2025 by formalizing its Direct Marketing (DM) Agency, a full-service offering that combines strategy and planning, audience identification and activation, creative, production, and measurement services to help marketers enhance one of the industry’s most proven performance channels. The DM Agency is built on the Company’s longstanding direct mail manufacturing expertise and through-the-line marketing services that are backed by Quad’s data stack and extensive pre-market testing services. With its integrated capabilities, high-volume production and data-driven strategy, Quad delivers a two-pronged approach that increases responses and maximizes client savings. The Company believes it is uniquely positioned to modernize and scale personalized direct mail by unifying these often-siloed services.
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Full-Service Agency Solutions
Quad offers complete media and creative agency of record services through its Rise and Betty agencies. Both agencies tailor their approach to match the way modern marketers buy media and creative services. Fully integrated with the rest of Quad, Rise and Betty provide frictionless access to the Company’s comprehensive portfolio of marketing solutions. They are backed by Quad’s global platform, which provides around-the-clock services — from page assembly, creative design, retouching and color correction to data intelligence work and full agency of record (AOR) media services.
Rise
Rise is a full-spectrum media and experience partner that combines digital expertise with omnichannel media at scale to help brands and marketers navigate complexity, eliminate waste and deliver better business outcomes. The agency provides digital and traditional media strategy, planning, buying and optimization with unified measurement at its core. Backed by Quad’s infrastructure, Rise combines the speed of a boutique agency with the scale and sophistication of an enterprise partner. Rise’s comprehensive offering is rooted in Quad’s proprietary data stack, using reliable, household-based data and passions in place of digital alternatives (i.e., cookies, e-mail addresses or device IDs), so clients can be confident their advertising is reaching real consumers. The agency applies this data stack to identify a client’s highest value audiences from which Rise develops and executes robust, integrated media strategies. Through its origins as a performance media company, Rise uses an outcomes-first mentality, treating every investment — whether it’s brand building at the top of the media funnel or hyper-targeted outreach — as an opportunity for measurable client growth.
Rise prioritizes transparency, using a media optimization and reporting engine that provides information on each ad request, bid and impression so clients can clearly understand how their media inventory is delivered across different channels. The engine runs AI agents atop Quad’s household data stack, client data inputs and campaign data to generate in-the-moment reporting and analysis. This powerful tool helps Rise’s media experts predict advertising fatigue, diagnose root causes of campaign performance, and provide faster insights that enhance a client’s marketing effectiveness. Unlike other agencies, Rise does not use principal-based buying methods (i.e., buying discounted ad inventory and selling it to clients at a markup). The agency plans, buys and places media based on each client’s unique needs without bias toward any individual channel.
Betty
Betty answers the market need for integrated and flexible creative solutions that provide scalable execution without sacrificing quality, brand integrity or effectiveness. It combines a bespoke creative approach with Quad’s production power to deliver high quality, culturally relevant creative at high volumes – all while maintaining a client’s individual brand integrity. Betty prides itself on being people obsessed, applying a combination of proprietary, client and third-party data to conduct in-depth research on consumer trends to help clients best define, design and position their brands and marketing efforts. The agency’s integrated creative offering gives brand marketers the full range of services they need to drive growth in today’s crowded and competitive markets.
Favorite Child, Betty’s strategy and design practice, applies the agency’s insights-driven approach to help brands stand apart in their category. The practice offers an array of branding services while specializing in creative packaging design. In 2025, Favorite Child partnered with three of the top 20 U.S. grocery retailers on their owned brand designs.
Betty Studios transforms imaginative ideas into audio, photo, video and photorealistic 3D models. This network of photography and video production studios perform in-studio and on-location services – several of which operate directly within or near client facilities – and enables the agency to collaborate closely with clients to rapidly generate superior, scalable, on-brand content. Combining AI technology, its creative studio capabilities and Quad’s Global Platform team, Betty Studios thoughtfully blends traditional and synthetic content creation to create high-quality results at fast speeds and low costs. For instance, Betty can take a traditional product photo and apply Quad’s
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proprietary library of synthetic models, assign model poses and add a generative background to create a completely new asset. Premedia experts on the global platform team then polish the image to ensure it is market ready.
Managed Services
Quad’s Managed Services offering deepens partnerships with clients by acting as a seamless extension of their marketing operations. Combining the Company’s robust manufacturing platform, global vendor network and customized client-technology solutions, the Managed Services team offers a single operational partner that supports the entire marketing execution process, from concept to delivery including creative intake and approvals, asset production, storage and fulfillment, ordering, on-demand distribution, and reporting and analytics. These services extend beyond commercial print to packaging, in-store signage, direct mail, branded merchandise and an array of other marketing services. By providing clients with advisory and execution-level support, this offering simplifies clients’ workflows, decreases costs and reduces the number of partners needed to execute their work.
Managed Services begins with a consultative review of a client’s marketing operations, including its processes, technology, resources, costs and purchase execution practices. Completed in just weeks, this comprehensive audit aligns clients’ stakeholders across procurement, marketing, merchandising and operations by exposing current inefficiencies within their marketing workflows and identifying opportunities to generate cost savings, reduce touchpoints and increase speed to market.
A key component to its Managed Services offering is the on-site or near-site client-dedicated teams that Quad integrates directly with a client’s internal marketing and purchasing departments. These teams fulfill critical execution roles ranging from ideation to content creation, creative production, purchase execution and marketing deployment across all channels. This structure simplifies marketing for clients and enables them to focus on what they do best: selling more products, services and/or content. Quad has professionals embedded within approximately 50 client-dedicated on-site and near-site teams.
Intentional Innovation
Founded on the belief that there is always a better way to do business, Quad applies a disciplined approach to product development and innovation (PDI) that intentionally identifies needle-moving opportunities that can improve the Company’s revenue and margins. This rigorous process includes several stages to ensure an innovation is ready for market, including idea conception, business case definition, solution design and planning, and final innovation piloting/validation. The Company focuses on new or expanded solutions that either close a gap, meet an underserved need in the marketplace, or provide significant time and cost efficiencies to internal workflows. Quad then strategically invests in the needed talent, technology and capabilities to activate these solutions.
Key areas of innovation that differentiate Quad from its competitors include the following:
Data and Audience Services
Powered by its extensive print manufacturing business, Quad possesses a proprietary, household-based data stack that represents approximately 97% of the U.S. adult population and 92% of U.S. households. The Company believes this household information is uniquely resilient to the industry headwinds impacting other data offerings. Because most Americans have only one home address, and that address must be readable by a mail carrier to complete daily deliveries, Quad’s data stack ensures that insights are derived from real people — not bots, randomized device IDs or untrustworthy email addresses. From insights driven by its data stack, Quad develops proprietary “passions” that highlight the interests of that household and inform target audience identification. While the data stack is founded on household data, it was created with an open architecture to easily ingest supplemental data from vendor partners. Bolstered by these external sources, Quad’s data stack continually revalidates over 3 billion data points within U.S. households. In addition, the data stack possesses insights on more than 20,000 consumer attributes across demographic, behavioral, attitudinal and transactional data sets.
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Quad is actively applying the Company’s data stack across all media channels. In 2025, Quad launched Audience Builder, a proprietary platform that enables the Company’s media strategists, analysts and planners to easily leverage the stack and create complex, high-performing audiences for clients. The platform leverages a generative AI chat feature that enables employees to quickly uncover consumer insights through natural language queries. Based on these prompts, Audience Builder analyzes stored audience attributes from Quad’s data stack and enriches those results with external demographic data, which results in smarter audience creation at a fraction of the time. Quad uses these data-driven audiences to enhance clients’ media buying with precision and scale, applying demographic and behavior-based data sets to identify high-propensity audiences. The Company also is applying the data stack to specifically elevate direct marketing campaign effectiveness as part of its DM Agency services. Filtering target characteristics and passions from the data stack, Quad optimizes mailing lists to increase response rates and achieve greater ROI for clients’ initiatives.
Artificial Intelligence
Quad continues to invest in the rapidly evolving technology of artificial intelligence to realize internal cost savings and support new forms of revenue generation. AI-based systems augment employee capabilities by automating workflows and reducing manual intervention in recurring, labor-intensive processes, enabling employees to focus on higher-value strategic work. Examples include AI-supported scheduling and job ticket creation, automated machine maintenance and custom AI admin chatbots. Every employee is urged to explore how they can apply this technology to streamline repetitive or low-stakes tasks, which creates time for more strategic, value-additive work. Quad supports employees in this by integrating AI solutions across its platforms and providing extensive AI skill-building resources, including more than 200 on-demand AI courses.
Regarding client-facing solutions, Quad has infused AI across its MX Solutions Suite to optimize each aspect of the marketing process. Just as the Company’s services are intentionally integrated, AI helps unify the marketing experience by turning data into strategy and optimizing media, creative and production to orchestrate smarter campaigns, enhance marketing processes, maintain agility and create meaningful connections at scale.
Quad’s AI strategy is backed by a robust organizational structure to mitigate risk and foster ongoing support for AI discovery, testing and implementation. AI efforts are:
•Led by a steering committee, which focuses on strategy and governance.
•Supported by an AI team that is dedicated to developing best practices and relevant use cases while researching the latest trends and AI advancements.
•Executed by AI champions who provide tailored expertise and leadership within their area of the business.
In-Store Connect by Quad
Through decades supporting retailers and consumer packaged goods (CPG) clients in print and creative services, Quad has established itself as an expert in crafting impactful consumer journeys within physical retail environments. Over the last two years, Quad has expanded this expertise by creating its own in-store retail media network (RMN), which leverages the high foot traffic of brick-and-mortar stores to generate direct consumer connections, placing digital technology within the in-store environment.
In-Store Connect by Quad (ISCQ) combines the Company’s deep retail knowledge, extensive CPG network and scalable creative excellence with a robust technology infrastructure and advanced content management system to provide an end-to-end in-store RMN offering. ISCQ uses endemic advertising to market products sold in retail stores through digital screens strategically positioned throughout the store. This contextual marketing reaches consumers at the most important point of the purchasing journey and enhances the overall shopping experience by delivering relevant promotions, sharing key product information and connecting adjacent product options to shoppers. In 2025, the Company continued to advance its ISCQ offering by introducing new digital signage form factors designed to grab shopper attention and increase brand visibility.
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Since launching ISCQ in 2024, Quad has focused on building out a nationwide network of grocery clients given that 91.5% of food and beverage sales still occur in physical stores, according to eMarketer. In 2025, an increasing number of CPG brands purchased inventory on our RMN to drive awareness of their limited time offers and new products — the lifeblood that fuels growth within the grocery category. The solution has provided a significant positive impact on participating CPGs, with product sales increasing an average of 5% to 20% in stores using ISCQ compared to control stores not using the solution. This range in results is based on factors such as the brand’s maturity, product category and campaign objectives.
Postal Optimization
A continued focus of innovation and investment for Quad is geared toward addressing postage rate increases. Postage is the most significant client cost to manufacture and deliver printed marketing materials, representing up to 70% of costs for some clients, and Quad believes that these high costs directly influence clients’ print and mail quantities.
Quad is a leading mailer with the United States Postal Service (USPS), mailing approximately 5.4 billion pieces of marketing materials annually, which represents approximately 9.1% of the USPS’ yearly marketing mail and periodical volume. Quad believes it is uniquely positioned to offer superior mail services and offers a full suite of innovative postal optimization services that help offset rising costs by maximizing postal savings and improving marketing responsiveness. The Company’s co-mail program expedites distribution by bundling multiple printed products destined for the same ZIP codes and, when possible, sorting mail down to the specific delivery route that the postal carrier uses. This process generates work-sharing discounts for Quad and provides savings for publishers, marketers and retailers. These services drop mail bundles further along the USPS processing system, which provides more certainty around in-home dates. Meeting these target dates increases the effectiveness of marketing mail and helps keep it a sustainable media channel for marketers. In 2025, Quad expanded its postal optimization offering by acquiring the co-mail assets of Enru, which support high-density presort levels and generate additional savings through economies of scale. Co-mailing solutions are supported by other innovative postal solutions like Household Fusion, a first-to-market mail packaging solution that combines multiple pieces from different marketing or periodical mailers into a single package delivered to one address, resulting in incremental postage savings.
These solutions are supported by Quad’s team of postal experts who work closely with the USPS to enable clients to better leverage USPS promotions and incentives and receive further savings. The team services clients on an individual basis to determine eligibility and make the necessary changes in production and mailing processes to qualify for these increasingly complicated savings opportunities.
Operating Responsibly
In all its actions, the Company seeks to operate responsibly and create a better way for its employees, clients and communities. Through its commitment to empowering its employees, maintaining sustainable practices, and doing the right thing, Quad connects purpose with performance — strengthening its resilience and creating long-term value for all stakeholders.
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Quad’s Culture
Quad’s distinct corporate culture, which evolved from a core set of Values conceived by the Company’s late founder, defines the way employees work together and is the engine that drives the business forward. As a matrixed organization with an expansive offering, the Company fosters an environment of obsessive collaboration to deliver a frictionless marketing experience for clients. Employees are encouraged to understand how their role contributes to Quad’s integrated offering and engage with individuals outside their business area. These inter-departmental partnerships create close business relationships among employees that fuel the Company’s ability to urgently innovate, which leads to different ways of thinking, cross-selling opportunities and new ways of engaging with clients.
Quad empowers each employee to think like an owner and maintain a client-first attitude, going beyond expected deliverables and implementing creative solutions that improve clients’ marketing at every touchpoint. Regardless of job title, Quad encourages employees to think differently, embracing new technologies to work smarter, faster and more effectively. This complements Quad’s longstanding “maker” ethos, which celebrates attention to detail and a spirit of continuous improvement as individuals identify opportunities, however small, to improve processes and create efficiencies.
Human Capital Management
The Company continually invests in and supports its employees and the areas in which it operates. Building confident, skilled and knowledgeable talent and strong community partnerships are essential to Quad’s continued success.
Attracting, Developing and Retaining Highly Qualified Talent
Given Quad’s belief that its talent stands as a major differentiator among its competition, the Company invests heavily in efforts to attract, develop and retain employees, and in tools, technologies, processes, training and education to increase engagement, and drive productivity enhancements and efficiencies across the entire organization.
As of December 31, 2025, the Company had approximately 10,100 full-time equivalent (“FTE”) employees in the following geographies:
| Geographic Region | Number of FTE Employees |
|---|---|
| North America (Includes Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean) | 8,900 |
| Europe, Middle East and Africa | 400 |
| South America | 600 |
| Asia | 200 |
By fostering a culture of empowerment in a welcoming environment, offering career growth and mentorship opportunities, and providing competitive pay and innovative benefits, Quad believes employees are more fully engaged in their day-to-day activities and produce better results for clients.
•Employee Experience: The Company applies a holistic strategy to engage individuals throughout the employee lifecycle — from onboarding through career development and, ultimately, retirement. Through timely, transparent communications, employees are kept well-informed and engaged in the Company’s culture and strategic direction. Quad’s open-door culture, along with regular surveys, offer multiple avenues for feedback to further enhance the employee experience. Leadership applies insights from this feedback to guide improvements in programs, communications and workplace experience. The Company’s various recognition programs provide motivation and a sense of purpose while helping employees understand the impact of their daily work. These coordinated efforts are intended to create a productive
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and engaged workforce where employees are excited to come to work and contribute to the Company’s success, as well as promote Quad as an employer of choice.
•Career Training and Growth: To maintain and engage its highly skilled workforce, the Company provides employees with educational tools and skills courses through an easy-to-use, on-demand learning platform. The platform covers a wide range of content, including business skills courses that enhance business acumen, finance basics and project management; transferrable skills on communication, teamwork and adaptability; AI courses to learn practical applications that enable individuals to work more efficiently and effectively; and more. Employees are also encouraged to take advantage of the Company’s employee growth and development programs, including: Accelerated Career Training, a fast-track for career advancement in manufacturing positions; Corporate Trainee Program, a rotation-based offering that develops skills and leadership abilities through a series of agency and corporate administration positions; hands-on, mentor-led manufacturing apprenticeships; and Leading Within Quad, which focuses on best-in-class managerial behaviors. These programs not only teach critical on-the-job and leadership skills, but also help employees respond to rapid change, cultivate effective networks, and create high-quality relationships necessary for personal, professional and Company growth.
•Competitive Pay and Innovative Benefits: Employees are hired into jobs with competitive wages and innovative benefits. The Company regularly evaluates its pay practices and structures to ensure it is competitive in the markets where it operates, and fair based on employees’ experience, job responsibilities, performance and business results. Beyond traditional, expected benefits, the Company offers expansive health and wellness benefits, including:
◦QuadMed, the Company’s wholly owned health and wellness subsidiary, which provides a differentiated set of benefits for Quad employees and dependents through on-site and near-site primary and specialty health centers; no-cost virtual primary care across all 50 states; and a nationwide behavioral health program with in-person and virtual counseling. Beyond Quad itself, QuadMed provides worksite healthcare solutions nationally for approximately 35 employers of all sizes and across multiple industries, including private and public sector employers.
◦The Company’s QLife Wellness program, which provides educational resources, interactive webinars and regular communications around physical, emotional, financial and social well-being topics.
•Bridging Strategy and People: Quad’s Business Resource Groups (BRGs) play a vital role in building community, fostering belonging, and supporting professional development within the Company. Quad currently has nine BRGs, which are open to all employees and support varying communities including: supporting mental health awareness, multi-cultural and multifaith employees, women, military veterans and their families, working parents, differently abled employees and caregivers, Black employees, Hispanic/Latino employees, and the LGBTQIA+ community.
Building Strong Communities
The Company believes in supporting the communities in which it operates and its employees live, creating a better way for future generations. The Company maintains a governance framework that guides how Quad manages, reviews and approves its strategic investment of finances, volunteerism and in-kind services for community organizations, which are generally focused on the environment, innovation, education and health. These efforts help the Company maintain a positive reputation as the kind of business that people choose to work for, do business with, invest in and call a true neighbor. Supporting community activities, initiatives and organizations also demonstrates the Company’s Values in action, which fosters pride and employee engagement.
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Environmental
Quad seeks to operate in an environmentally responsible manner that better serves the environment and reflects the values of its clients and their customers. The Company’s environmental efforts promote sustainable resource consumption, focusing on the following areas:
•Recycling: Quad applies a mentality of refuse, reduce, reuse and recycle throughout its internal processes to limit the amount of waste it creates. In 2024 (the most recent year for which data has been tabulated), the Company’s U.S. manufacturing facilities recycled 97.9% of their industrial wastepaper and other solid waste.
•Energy and Emissions: The Company participates in nationwide and statewide programs to enhance its efforts to reduce energy usage and carbon emissions. These include being a founding partner of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Plants Program, taking part in the EPA SmartWay Program and participating in the State of Wisconsin’s Focus on Energy Program.
•Responsible Forestry: The Company maintains chain-of-custody certifications for sourcing materials from responsibly managed forests (i.e., Forest Stewardship Council®, Sustainable Forest Initiative, and Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) and partners with clients to increase certified paper usage. In 2024 (the most recent year for which data has been tabulated), 92.3% of the paper Quad purchased for its U.S. operations were responsibly sourced from third-party certified vendors.
The Company benchmarks its environmental performance regularly to evaluate the effectiveness of current environmental management programs and to identify program areas that need improvement or need to be developed.
As the owner, lessee or operator of various real properties and facilities, Quad is subject to various federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations, including those relating to air emissions; waste generation, handling, management and disposal; sanitary and storm water discharge; and remediation of contaminated sites. Historically, compliance with these laws and regulations has not had a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations, financial position or cash flows. Compliance with existing or new environmental laws and regulations may require the Company to make future expenditures.
In addition to infusing environmentally conscious practices throughout its internal operations, the Company offers several client-facing sustainability solutions. Quad’s Packaging and In-Store divisions provide these services to CPG brands in support of evolving environmental reporting regulations and shifting consumer preferences. In-Store operations emphasize design innovations that lessen a product’s environmental impact and create cost savings for the client. The Packaging division offers a plastic-free paperboard alternative for the blister many CPGs use. In addition to the sustainability testing and research Quad’s Accelerated Marketing Insights team conducts, the Company also offers Sustainability Consulting Services to help clients optimize their packaging to meet their sustainability requirements. With this three-part solution, Quad (1) audits a client’s existing packaging; (2) collects materials specifications and tests eco-friendly alternatives; and (3) creates a customized dashboard to help clients set baselines and track their progress.
Corporate Governance
Effective corporate governance has been a part of Quad since its founding and is informed by the Company’s Values, especially “do the right thing,” which strengthens partnerships, reduces risk and creates sustainable value for the Company long term. Governance starts at the highest level of the Company with oversight by the Board of Directors, which is responsible for minimizing risk while maximizing the effectiveness of Quad’s business strategy. Key tenets of Quad’s governance strategy include:
•Family Leadership: As of February 6, 2026, the Quadracci family, through the Quad/Graphics, Inc. Amended and Restated Voting Trust Agreement (“Quad Voting Trust”), has voting control of approximately 72% of the Company’s outstanding shares. The Company believes this governing structure provides continued stability and flexibility to achieve its long-term strategic vision.
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•Risk Management: Led by an executive enterprise risk management (ERM) steering committee, Quad’s ERM program strategically identifies potential risks to the business and conducts appropriate response planning. Risk management is a highly collaborative process at Quad as cross-functional teams help recognize the ripple effects a situation could have across the Company’s interconnected operations.
•Employee Compliance: Employees are required to take an active role in ethics and compliance. Each year, 100% of employees are required to take a suite of compliance trainings on topics that include Quad’s Values, Code of Conduct, anti-harassment, conflicts of interest, Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT), Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), data privacy and security, phish detection, physical security, acceptable use policy for technology assets, and anti-bribery and anti-corruption. Employees can discreetly report violations of the Code of Conduct through multiple easy-to-use channels, including a 24/7 anonymous Ethics and Compliance Hotline.
•Supplier Code of Conduct: The Company requires all suppliers, vendors, contractors, consultants, agents and other providers of goods and services worldwide to abide by Quad’s Supplier Code of Conduct to ensure they follow Company’s policies related to business integrity, anti-corruption and anti-bribery, ethical labor practices, human rights, associate health and safety, and environmental management. Suppliers and their associates can also report violations of the Company’s Code of Conduct or the Supplier Code through the Ethics and Compliance Hotline.
•Data Security: Quad continually updates and strengthens its information and data security program to address the fast-changing threat landscape and ensure proper oversight. The program includes ongoing employee education to ensure the security of physical and digital workspaces, protect the privacy of valuable data, identify potential phishing and malware threats, and avoid risky behaviors.
Financial Objectives
Quad follows a disciplined approach to maintaining and enhancing financial strength to create shareholder value. This strategy is centered on the Company’s ability to drive profitable growth and maximize net earnings, Free Cash Flow and operating margins; maintain consistent financial policies to ensure a strong balance sheet, liquidity level and access to capital; and retain the financial flexibility needed to strategically allocate and deploy capital as circumstances change. The priorities for capital allocation and deployment are balanced according to prevailing circumstances and what the Company thinks is best for shareholder value creation at any point in time. These priorities currently include increasing growth investments as an MX company to fuel net sales growth, maintaining low net debt leverage to ensure long-term financial strength, and increasing return of capital to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases. The Company’s disciplined financial approach and strong, trusted banking relationships allow it to maintain sufficient liquidity and to reduce refinancing risk.
Quad applies holistic continuous improvement and lean enterprise methodologies to further streamline its processes and maximize operating margins. These same methodologies are applied to its selling, general and administrative functions. The Company continually works to lower its cost structure by consolidating manufacturing operations into its most efficient facilities, as well as realizing purchasing, mailing and logistics synergies by centralizing and consolidating print manufacturing volumes, and eliminating redundancies in its administrative and corporate operations. Quad believes that its focused efforts to be a high-quality, low-cost producer, will enable it to generate increased Free Cash Flow and allow the Company to maintain a strong balance sheet through debt reduction.
Patents, Trademarks and Trade Names
Quad operates research and development facilities that support the development of new equipment, process improvements, raw materials and content management, and distribution technologies to better meet client needs and improve operating efficiencies. The Company continues to innovate within the printing and print-related industry and, as a result, has developed what it believes to be one of the most powerful patent portfolios in the print industry.
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Quad currently holds or has rights to commercialize a wide variety of worldwide patents and applications relating to its business. The Company intends to continue to file patent applications that it believes will help ensure the continued strength of the Company and its portfolio. Additionally, the Company markets products, services and capabilities under a number of trademarks and trade names. Quad aggressively defends its intellectual property rights and intends to continue to do so in the future.
Raw Materials
The primary raw materials that Quad uses in its print business are paper, ink and energy. The price and availability of paper has been, and may continue to be, adversely affected by paper mills’ permanent or temporary closures; paper mills’ access to raw materials, conversion to produce other types of paper that are not usable by the Company in its operations (which a number of paper mills have done or are doing), and ability to transport paper produced; and tariffs and trade restrictions. At this time, the Company’s supply of raw materials are available from numerous vendors; however, based on previously mentioned market conditions, the current supply is under pressure due to supply chain disruptions and inflation. The Company generally buys these raw materials based upon market prices that are established with the vendor as part of the procurement process.
Approximately half of the paper used in the printing process is supplied directly by the Company’s clients. For those clients that do not directly supply their own paper, the Company makes use of its purchasing efficiencies to supply paper by negotiating with leading paper vendors, uses a wide variety of paper grades, weights and sizes, and does not rely on any one vendor. In addition, the Company generally includes price adjustment clauses in sales contracts for paper and other critical raw materials in the printing process. Although these clauses generally mitigate paper price risk, higher paper prices and tight paper supplies, as well as changes in the United States import or trade regulations, may have an impact on client demand for printed products. The Company’s working capital requirements, including the impact of seasonality, are partially mitigated through the direct purchasing of paper by its clients.
The Company produces the majority of ink used in its print manufacturing, allowing it to control the quality, cost and supply of key inputs. Raw materials for the ink manufacturing process are purchased externally from a variety of vendors.
The Company may not be able to fully pass on to clients the impact of higher electric and natural gas energy prices on its manufacturing costs, and increases in energy prices result in higher manufacturing costs for certain of its operations. The Company mitigates its risk through natural gas hedges when appropriate. In its logistic operations, however, the Company is able to pass a substantial portion of any increase in fuel prices directly to its clients.
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Information About Our Executive Officers
The following table sets forth the names, ages (as of February 18, 2026) and positions of Quad’s executive officers.
| Name | Age | Position |
|---|---|---|
| J. Joel Quadracci | 57 | Chairman and Chief Executive Officer |
| Anne M. Bauer | 61 | Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer |
| Julie A. Currie | 62 | Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer |
| Dana B. Gruen | 52 | General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and Chief Risk & Compliance Officer |
| David J. Honan | 57 | President and Chief Operating Officer |
| Steven D. Jaeger | 61 | Vice President and Chief Information Officer |
| Timothy V. Maleeny | 64 | Chief Client Strategy and Integration Officer, President of Quad Agency Solutions |
| Donald M. McKenna | 53 | Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer |
| Robert H. Quadracci | 58 | Chief Human Resources Officer |
| Anthony C. Staniak | 53 | Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer |
| Kelly A. Vanderboom | 51 | Executive Vice President and Head of Agency Operations |
Mr. J. Joel Quadracci has been a director of Quad since 2003, its Chief Executive Officer since July 2006 and its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer since January 2010. He also served as President of Quad from January 2005 to February 2026. Mr. Quadracci joined Quad in 1991 and, prior to becoming Chief Executive Officer, served in various capacities, including Sales Manager, Regional Sales Strategy Director, Vice President of Print Sales, Senior Vice President of Sales and Administration, and President and Chief Operating Officer. He serves on the board of directors for Plexus Corp., Pixability, Inc., Road America, Inc., the National Association of Manufacturers and the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce. He also serves on the board of trustees for the Milwaukee Art Museum and on the advisory council of the Smithsonian National Postal Museum. Mr. Quadracci received a B.A. in Philosophy from Skidmore College in 1991. Mr. Quadracci is the brother of Kathryn Quadracci Flores, M.D., a director of Quad and Chief Executive Officer of QuadMed, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, the brother-in-law of Christopher B. Harned, a director of Quad, and the first cousin of Robert Quadracci, Quad’s Chief Human Resources Officer.
Ms. Bauer has served as Vice President since January 2022 and Chief Accounting Officer since March 2017. She previously served as Director – Corporate Controller of Quad from May 2016 until March 2017 and then as Executive Director and Chief Accounting Officer until January 2022. She joined Quad in September 2011, serving as Director of Corporate Accounting until May 2016. Prior to joining Quad, Ms. Bauer held various accounting positions at Journal Communications, Inc., during her 18 years there, including Vice President and Controller from June 2000 until September 2011.
Ms. Currie has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue Officer since November 2020. She previously served as Executive Consultant of FCM, LLC from 2019 to 2020. Prior thereto, Ms. Currie served in multiple senior leadership roles at Nielsen, a global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics, including as Senior Vice President, Global Retail Product Leadership from 2016 to 2019; Senior Vice President, Global Loyalty Commercial Director from 2012 to 2016; Senior Vice President, Global Business Services North America from 2008 to 2012; Vice President, National Accounts Group Client Director from 2003 to 2007; and Vice President, Group Client Director from 2001 to 2003. Ms. Currie serves on the board of directors of the Boys & Girls Club of Lake County, Illinois.
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Ms. Gruen has served as General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and Chief Risk & Compliance Officer since February 2023. Joining Quad’s legal department in 2007 as Employment Counsel, she advanced to Assistant General Counsel in 2014; Deputy General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer in 2015; Vice President, Deputy General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer in 2016; Vice President, Deputy General Counsel and Chief Compliance and Risk Officer in 2020; and Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel and Chief Risk & Compliance Officer in 2022. Prior to joining Quad, Ms. Gruen was an associate at Foley & Lardner, Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal (now part of Dentons), and Seyfarth Shaw.
Mr. Honan has served as President and Chief Operating Officer since February 2026. His previous roles at Quad were Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer from January 2022 to February 2026; Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from January 2015 to December 2021; Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from March 2014 to January 2015; Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer from July 2010 to March 2014; Vice President and Corporate Controller from December 2009 to July 2010; and Corporate Controller from when he joined Quad in May 2009 to December 2009. Currently, he serves on the advisory board of FM Global. Prior to joining Quad, Mr. Honan served as Vice President, General Manager and Chief Financial Officer of Journal Community Publishing Group, a subsidiary of diversified media company Journal Communications Inc., for five years, and held executive-level roles in investor relations and corporate development at Newell Brands, a global marketer of consumer and commercial products. Prior thereto, Mr. Honan worked at the accounting firm Arthur Andersen LLP for 11 years.
Mr. Jaeger has served as Vice President and Chief Information Officer since November 2015. He previously served as Executive Vice President, President of Direct Marketing and Chief Information Officer from November 2014 to November 2015; Executive Vice President, President of Direct Marketing and Media Solutions and Chief Information Officer from March 2014 to November 2014; Corporate Vice President of Information and Technology since 2013; as Vice President of Information Systems and Infrastructure from 2007 to 2012; and President of Quad/Direct from August 2007 until 2013. Prior thereto, Mr. Jaeger served as Quad’s Vice President of Information Systems from 1998 to 2006 and worked in various other capacities since he joined the company in 1994. Prior to joining Quad, Mr. Jaeger worked for Andersen Consulting for eight years.
Mr. Maleeny has served as Chief Client Strategy and Integration Officer since December 2024 and President of Quad Agency Solutions since May 2025. Prior to joining Quad, he served as President, Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at Havas North America from April 2018 to November 2024. He has also held a variety of leadership roles across the marketing industry, including Head of Strategy for Ogilvy, Managing Director & Chief Strategy Officer at Deloitte, and Executive Director of Brand & Marketing Strategy at R/GA. He also spent almost a decade at independent creative shop Hal Riney & Partners, where he led strategy and new business prior to the agency’s acquisition by Publicis Groupe. He currently serves on the board of directors for the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4As).
Mr. McKenna has served as Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer since January 2022. He previously served as Senior Vice President of Sales Administration from August 2018 to January 2022; Vice President of Sales Administration from June 2013 to August 2018; and Product Planning Manager from March 2010 to June 2013. Prior to joining Quad, Mr. McKenna worked at J.S. Eliezer Associates, a print consulting firm in Stamford, Connecticut, beginning in 1998 and was named President of the firm in 2004, the leadership role he maintained until joining Quad in 2010.
Mr. Robert Quadracci has served as Chief Human Resources Officer since February 2023. Previously, he was Vice President of Human Resources – Sales, Marketing & Quad Agency Solutions from January 2022 to February 2023; Executive Director – Human Resources from 2014 to 2022; and Human Resources Director from 1999 to 2014. Prior to joining Quad, Mr. Quadracci worked at Edison International as a Project Manager, Workforce Management and Corporate Redeployment from 1992 to 1999. Mr. Quadracci is the first cousin of J. Joel Quadracci, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Quad, and Kathryn Quadracci Flores, M.D., a director of Quad and Chief Executive Officer of QuadMed, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company.
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Mr. Staniak has served as Chief Financial Officer since January 2022, and Treasurer since December 2025. Previously, he served as Vice President of Finance from March 2017 until January 2022. Joining the Company in 2009 as Director of External Reporting, Mr. Staniak was subsequently named Director of Internal Audit in 2011; Executive Director – Financial Controller in 2013; Chief Accounting Officer in 2014; and Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer in 2015. Prior to joining Quad, Mr. Staniak was Chief Financial Officer of data consulting firm Sagence, Inc. He began his career at the accounting firm Arthur Andersen LLP in 1995. Mr. Staniak is a member of the Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accountants and is a member of the board of directors for the Zoological Society of Milwaukee, the Volunteer Center of Washington County, and Make-A-Wish Wisconsin.
Mr. Vanderboom has served as Executive Vice President since May 2018 and Head of Quad Agency Solutions Operations since March 2023. Mr. Vanderboom also serves on the board of QuadMed, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company. Since joining Quad in 1993, he has served in various leadership capacities, including Controller of Parcel Direct, a freight expediting subsidiary sold to FedEx in 2004; Treasurer, from 2007 to 2025; Vice President, beginning in 2008; Vice President of the Program Management Office (PMO) from 2012 to 2014 and 2019 to 2023; and President of Logistics from 2014 to 2023.
Executive officers of Quad are elected by and serve at the discretion of Quad’s Board of Directors. Other than described above, there are no family relationships between any directors or executive officers of Quad.
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Item 1A. Risk Factors
You should carefully consider each of the risks described below, together with all of the other information contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, before making an investment decision with respect to Quad’s securities. If any of the following risks develop into actual events, the Company’s business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially and adversely affected, and you may lose all or part of your investment.
Risks Relating to Quad’s Business, Operations and Industry
The Company’s transformation to a marketing experience company increases the complexity of the Company’s business, and if the Company is unable to successfully adapt its marketing offerings and business processes to the requirements of new markets, the Company will be at a competitive disadvantage and its ability to grow will be adversely affected.
As the Company continues to expand its integrated marketing platform, the overall complexity of the Company’s business continues to increase and the Company continues to become subject to different market dynamics than those historically characterized by the Company’s print-focused operations. These different characteristics may include, among other things, demand volume requirements, demand seasonality, product generation development rates, client concentrations and performance and compatibility requirements. If the Company is unable to make the necessary adaptations to its business model, processes, organizational structure and talent base to address these different characteristics and market dynamics the Company’s competitive position, operating results and long-term growth prospects could be adversely affected.
Decreases in demand for printing services caused by factors outside of the Company’s control, including the substitution of printed products with digital content, prior and any future recessions and other changes in macroeconomic conditions, as well as continued downward pricing pressure, may continue to adversely affect the Company.
The Company and the overall printing industry continue to experience a reduction in demand for printed materials and overcapacity due to various factors including the sustained and increasing shift of digital substitution by marketers and advertisers (to both replace and augment campaigns that were historically focused on print), as well as macroeconomic conditions and prior recessions (which severely impacted print volumes and further accelerated the impact of media disruption). The impacts of overcapacity, as well as intense competition, have led to continued downward pricing pressures for printing services in recent years and such pricing may continue to decline from current levels. Any future increases in the supply of printing services or decreases in demand could cause prices to continue to decline, and prolonged periods of low prices, weak demand and/or excess supply could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business growth, results of operations and liquidity.
The media landscape continues to undergo rapid change due to the impact of digital media and content on printed products. Improvements in the accessibility and quality of digital media through the online distribution and hosting of media content, mobile technologies, e-reader technologies, digital retailing and the digital distribution of documents and data has resulted and may continue to result in increased consumer substitution. Continued consumer acceptance of such digital media, as an alternative to print materials, is uncertain and difficult to predict and may decrease the demand for the Company’s printed products, result in reduced pricing for its printing services and additional excess capacity in the printing industry, and adversely affect the results of the Company’s operations.
Changes in postal rates, postal regulations and postal services may adversely impact clients’ demand for print products and services.
Postal costs are a significant component of the cost structures of many of the Company’s clients and potential clients. Postal rate changes and USPS regulations that result in higher overall costs can influence the volume that these clients will be willing to print and ultimately send through the USPS.
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Integrated distribution with the USPS is an important component of the Company’s business. Any material change in the current service levels provided by the postal service could impact the demand that clients have for print services. In 2025, the USPS significantly reduced their service standards with the first phase of changes taking effect on April 1, 2025, and the second phase taking effect on July 1, 2025. In addition to the reduced service standards, the USPS also issued reduced service performance targets for 2025. Almost all letters and flats targets were reduced, some as much as 15% lower than 2024 targets (e.g., First Class Letters three to five day on time performance target was reduced from 90% down to 80%). The USPS, however, did not meet these reduced performance standards and targets, and has kept the performance targets for 2026 essentially in line with 2025, with only a few minor adjustments.
Federal statute requires the PRC to conduct reviews of the overall rate-making structure for the USPS to ensure funding stability. As a result of those reviews, the PRC authorized a five year rate-making structure that provides the USPS with additional pricing flexibility over the Consumer Price Index (CPI) cap, which has resulted in a substantially altered rate structure for mailers. The revised rate authority that is effective as a result of the rules issued by the PRC includes a higher overall rate cap on the USPS’ ability to increase rates from year to year. This will continue to lead to price spikes for mailers and may also reduce the incentive for the USPS to continue to take out costs and instead continue to rely on postage increases in its attempt to cover its costs.
Given the significant amount of concern that has been expressed by the mailing industry, in April 2024, the PRC opened a proceeding to start the next rate system review, which includes a phased approach of proposing changes to improve rate predictability. The USPS did not implement a Market Dominant product price increase for January 2025. However, the available rate authority was rolled forward and implemented in July 2025, at a level that significantly exceeded CPI. In September 2025, the USPS announced they would not increase prices on Market Dominant products in January 2026. Further, in January 2026, the PRC issued a final rule that restricts the USPS to one price change a year from 2026 to 2030. The Company believes the continued use of all available rate authority by the USPS will continue to increase the potential volume declines as rate predictability with respect to cost is no longer known for mailers. The result may be reduced demand for printed products as clients may move more aggressively into other delivery methods, such as the many digital and mobile options now available to consumers.
The USPS launched a new Marketing Mail Catalog promotion, which offers a 10% discount on postage for any mail pieces that meet the USPS definition of a catalog. The discount went into effect on October 1, 2025 and continues until June 30, 2026. Because the discount applies to the current rate, which is based on several years of biannual rate increases, including another increase in July 2025, the impact of the discount on catalog volume and revenue may be diminished. The PRC also refined some rules around work-share discounts that will keep these discounts more closely aligned with the costs avoided and provide incentives to co-mail and place product as far down the mail-stream as possible. Discounts are earned as a result of less handling of the mail, and therefore, lower costs for the USPS. As a result, the Company has made substantial investments in co-mailing technology and equipment to ensure clients benefit from these discounts. If the incentives to co-mail are decreased by USPS regulations, the overall cost to mail printed products will increase and may result in print volumes declining.
Rapid changes in technology affecting the marketing and advertising industry, including developments in artificial intelligence, may adversely affect the Company, and if the Company is unable to adapt its market offerings to effectively compete in this technology-driven environment, the Company’s ability to grow will be adversely affected.
Technology relevant to the Company’s marketing and advertising solutions continues to evolve at a rapid pace, including advancements in automation, data analytics, and artificial intelligence. The Company may not be able to accurately predict emerging trends, identify appropriate use cases, or make the technological adaptations or investments necessary to remain competitive. In addition, clients may not be willing to pay the same prices for content or services produced or supported through AI tools, which could adversely affect the Company’s pricing, revenue mix and profitability. The increased use of AI and automation within the Company’s operations may also result in the need to restructure or reduce certain staffing levels, which could result in severance or other related costs and create operational challenges during periods of transition. As regulatory activity related to the use of artificial intelligence and data-driven tools continues to increase in the United States and internationally, compliance with such requirements may impose additional operational burdens or limit the manner in which certain tools may be deployed. If the Company is unable to develop or acquire the technology, expertise and processes necessary to address these developments, to address the
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potential expenses associated with the use of AI tools, or to comply with evolving regulatory expectations, the Company’s business, client relationships, competitive position and operating results could be adversely affected.
The Company may be adversely affected by increases in its operating costs, including the cost and availability of raw materials (such as paper, ink components and other materials), inventory, parts for equipment, labor, fuel and other energy costs and freight rates, and the ability to pass along such increases to clients, which could adversely impact margins and/or demand.
The price of raw materials used by the Company has fluctuated over time and has caused fluctuations in the Company’s net sales and cost of sales. This volatility may continue and the Company may experience increases in the costs of its raw materials in the future as prices are expected to remain beyond its control.
The primary raw materials that the Company uses in its print business are paper, ink and energy. The price and availability of paper may also be adversely affected by paper mills’ permanent or temporary closures; paper mills’ access to raw materials, conversion to produce other types of paper that are not usable by or as efficient for the Company in its operations (which a number of paper mills have done or are doing), transportation constraints; and tariffs and trade restrictions. The price and availability of ink and ink components may be adversely affected by similar factors, including the availability of component raw materials, labor and transportation, as well as tariffs and trade restrictions.
Due to the significance of paper in the Company’s print business, the Company is dependent on the availability of paper. In periods of high demand, certain paper grades have been in short supply, including grades used in the Company’s business. In addition, during periods of tight supply, many paper producers allocate shipments of paper based upon historical purchase levels of clients. The declining number of paper suppliers may cause certain paper grades to be in short supply or unavailable, and may cause paper prices to substantially increase.
Although historically the Company generally has not experienced significant difficulty in obtaining adequate quantities of paper, continued supplier consolidations, changes in United States import or trade regulations, reductions of graphic paper production capacity, or other developments in the overall paper markets could result in decreased supply and could adversely affect the Company’s revenues or profits. The Company may also be unable to resell waste paper or other by-products of printing process at favorable prices, which may adversely impact margins and profitability. Approximately half of the paper used by the Company is supplied directly by its clients. For those clients that do not directly supply their own paper, the Company generally includes price adjustment clauses in sales contracts for paper and other critical raw materials in the printing process. Although these clauses generally mitigate certain paper price risks, higher paper prices and reduced paper supplies, as well as availability and changes in the United States import or trade regulations, may have an affect on client demand for printed products.
The Company is dependent upon the vendors within its supply chain to maintain a steady supply of inventory, equipment parts and other materials. Many of the Company’s products are dependent upon a limited number of vendors, and the price and availability of inventory, parts and other materials, such as printing plates, could be adversely affected by supply-chain disruptions; labor pressures; tariffs, anti-dumping duties, and trade restrictions; distribution challenges; and macroeconomic conditions. Under current market conditions, it is possible that one or more of the Company’s vendors will be unable to fulfill their obligations due to financial hardship, liquidity issues or other operational pressures.
Labor represents a significant component of the Company’s cost structure. Increases in wages, salaries and the cost of medical, dental, workers’ compensation, pension and other post-retirement benefits have in the past impacted and may continue to impact the Company’s financial performance. Changes in interest rates, investment returns or the regulatory environment may impact the Company’s required contributions and the solvency of its pension plan. The Company may be unable to achieve labor productivity targets or retain employees, or labor may not be adequately available in locations in which the Company operates, which could negatively impact the Company’s financial performance.
Freight, fuel and energy costs may fluctuate significantly in response to global economic conditions, geopolitical tensions and supply-chain constraints, and increases in these items could adversely impact the Company’s margins and results. If the Company passes along increases in the cost of freight, fuel and energy, and the price of the
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Company’s products and services increases as a result, client demand could be adversely affected, and thereby, in turn, negatively impact the Company’s financial performance.
If the Company is unable to continue to pass along increases in the cost of paper to its clients, future increases in paper costs would adversely affect its margins and profits. Similar challenges may arise with respect to increases in ink, labor, energy, freight and other operating costs. The Company may not be able to fully pass on to clients the impact of higher supply-chain prices or higher electric and natural-gas energy prices on its manufacturing costs, and increases in these items would adversely impact the Company’s margins and financial performance. If the Company does succeed in passing along such increases, the resulting higher prices for the Company’s products and services may reduce client demand, which could also adversely affect the Company’s results of operations.
Macroeconomic conditions could have a material adverse impact on the Company’s business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations.
Macroeconomic conditions, including elevated interest rates, postal rate increases, tariffs, trade restrictions, cost pressures and the price and availability of paper, have had, and may continue to have, a negative impact on the Company’s business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations. For instance, throughout 2024 and 2025, the Company was negatively impacted by elevated interest rates, volatility in the price and availability of paper, and postage rate increases, along with the previously described industry challenges.
Demand for the Company’s products and services, in general, is highly related to general economic conditions in the markets the Company’s clients serve. Declines in economic conditions in the United States or in other countries in which the Company operates, including as a result of macroeconomic conditions and/or geopolitical events, may adversely impact the Company’s financial results, and these impacts may be material. Economic weakness and constrained advertising spending have resulted, and may in the future result, in decreased revenue, operating margin, earnings and growth rates and difficulty in managing inventory levels and collecting accounts receivable. The Company has experienced, and expects to experience in the future, excess capacity and lower demand due to economic factors affecting consumers’ and businesses’ spending behavior, including as a result of macroeconomic conditions, tariffs, trade restrictions and/or other geopolitical events. This, or uncertainty or disruptions in global credit and banking markets, might cause the Company to not be able to continue to have access to preferred sources of liquidity when needed or on terms the Company finds acceptable, and the Company’s borrowing costs could increase.
The Company may not be able to fully mitigate the negative impact of continued elevated costs, tariffs and trade restrictions through price increases. Continuing or worsening inflation and/or tariffs and trade restrictions may have a material adverse impact on the Company’s business, financial condition, cash flows and/or results of operations.
In addition, adverse weather or natural disasters, epidemics, other public health crises, conflicts, terrorist attacks, fires or other catastrophic events affecting the Company’s plants, distribution centers or other facilities, could also materially disrupt the Company’s operations and result in an adverse impact on its financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
The Company operates in a highly competitive environment.
The advertising and marketing services industries are highly competitive and are expected to remain so. Any failure on the part of the Company to compete effectively in the markets it serves could have a material adverse effect on its results of operations, financial condition or cash flows and could require changes to the way it conducts its business or require it to reassess strategic alternatives involving its operations.
The Company operates primarily in the commercial print portion of the printing industry, which is highly fragmented and competitive in both the United States and internationally. The Company competes for business not only with large and mid-sized printers, but also with smaller regional printers and the growing forms of digital alternatives to print. In certain circumstances, due primarily to factors such as freight rates and client preference for local services, printers with better access to certain regions of a given country may be preferred by clients in such regions.
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Some of the industries that the Company services have been subject to consolidation efforts, leading to a smaller number of potential clients. Furthermore, if the smaller clients of the Company are consolidated with larger companies using other printing companies, the Company could lose its clients to competing printing companies.
The Company may not be able to reduce costs and improve its operating efficiency rapidly enough to meet market conditions.
Because the markets in which the Company competes are highly competitive, the Company will need to continue to improve its operating efficiency in order to maintain or improve its profitability. There can be no assurance that the Company’s continuing cost reduction efforts will continue to be beneficial to the extent anticipated, or that the estimated productivity, cost savings or cash flow improvements will be realized as anticipated or at all. If the Company’s efforts are not successful, it could have an adverse effect on the Company’s operations and competitive position. In addition, the need to reduce ongoing operating costs have and, in the future, may continue to result in significant up-front costs to reduce workforce, close or consolidate facilities, or upgrade equipment and technology.
The Company may suffer a data-breach of sensitive information, ransomware attack or other cyber incident. If the Company’s efforts to protect the security of information or systems are unsuccessful, any such failure may result in costly government enforcement actions and/or private litigation, and the Company’s business and reputation could suffer.
The Company and its clients are subject to various United States and foreign cybersecurity laws, which require the Company to maintain adequate protections for electronically held information. The Company may not be able to anticipate techniques used to gain access to the Company’s systems or facilities, the systems of the Company’s clients or vendors, or implement adequate prevention measures. Moreover, unauthorized parties may attempt to access the Company’s systems or facilities, or the systems of the Company’s clients or vendors, through fraud or deception. Cyber threats continue to evolve rapidly, including through the use of artificial intelligence to automate or enhance attacks, and the Company’s reliance on third-party service providers and cloud-based platforms increases its exposure to supply-chain vulnerabilities. In the event and to the extent that a data breach, ransomware attack or other cyber incident occurs, such breach could have an adverse effect on the Company’s business and results of operations. Complying with these various laws could cause the Company to incur substantial costs or require changes to the Company’s business practices in a manner adverse to the Company’s business, including through business interruption, loss or corruption of data, or damage to client relationships.
Complying with these federal, state, and international laws relating to cybersecurity may cause the Company to incur substantial costs or require changes to the Company’s business practices and information security controls in a manner adverse to the Company’s business. In addition, regulatory and client scrutiny of cybersecurity practices and incident-reporting obligations has increased, including enhanced oversight, governance and notification requirements, which may result in additional compliance requirements or expenditures, operational burdens, or penalties in the event of a cyber incident.
The fragility of and decline in overall distribution channels may adversely impact clients’ access to cost effective distribution of their advertising materials, and therefore may adversely impact the Company’s business.
The distribution channels of print products and services, including the newspaper industry, face significant competition from other sources of news, information and entertainment content delivery. If overall distribution channels, including newspaper distribution channels, continue to decline, the Company’s clients may be adversely impacted by the lack of access to cost effective distribution of their advertising materials. In turn, this decline in cost effective distribution channels may force clients to use other avenues of distribution that may be at significantly higher cost, which may decrease demand for the Company’s products and services, and thus adversely affect the Company’s financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
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Failure to attract and retain qualified talent across the enterprise could materially adversely affect the Company’s business, competitive position, financial condition and results of operations.
The Company continues to be substantially dependent on its production personnel to print the Company’s products in a cost-effective and efficient manner that allows the Company to obtain new clients and to drive sales from the Company’s existing clients. The Company believes that there is significant competition for production personnel with the skills and technical knowledge that the Company requires. The Company’s ability to continue efficient operations, reduce production costs, and consolidate operations will depend, in large part, on the Company’s success in recruiting, training, integrating and retaining sufficient numbers of production personnel to support the Company’s production, cost savings and consolidation targets. New hires require extensive training and it may take significant time before they achieve full productivity. In addition, increases in the wages paid by competing employers, including as a result of current macroeconomic conditions, has resulted, and may continue to result, in increases in the wage rates that the Company must pay. As a result, the Company has and may continue to incur additional costs to attract, train and retain employees, including expenditures related to salaries and benefits, and the Company may lose new, as well as existing, employees to competitors or other companies before the Company realizes the benefit of its investment in recruiting and training them. If the Company is unable to hire and train sufficient numbers of personnel, the Company’s business would be adversely affected. Any shortage of available production personnel may also put a strain on the Company’s ability to accept new work from client requests, including during the Company’s seasonally higher second half of the calendar year.
The Company’s future success also depends on its continuing ability to identify, hire, develop, and retain its executive management team, including its Chief Executive Officer, and other personnel for all areas of the organization.
Approximately 1,100 of the Company’s United States and international employees are covered by an industry wide agreement, a collective bargaining agreement or through a works council or similar arrangement. While the Company believes its employee relations are good and that the Company maintains an employee-centric culture, any material disruption in operations resulting from labor disputes, a strike or other forms of labor protest affecting the Company’s United States or international plants, distribution centers or other facilities in the future could materially disrupt the Company’s operations and result in an adverse impact on its financial condition, results of operations and cash flows, which could force the Company to reassess its strategic alternatives involving certain of its operations.
The Company’s business depends substantially on client contract renewals and/or client retention. Any contract non-renewals, renewals on different terms and conditions or decline in the Company’s client retention or expansion could materially adversely affect the Company’s results of operations, financial condition and cash flows.
The Company has historically derived a significant portion of its revenue from long-term contracts with significant clients. If the Company loses significant clients (including as a result of reduced demand for a client’s products or services), is unable to renew such contracts on similar terms and conditions, or at all, or is not awarded new long-term contracts with important clients in the future, its results of operations, financial condition and cash flows may be adversely affected.
The Company is exposed to risks of loss in the event of nonperformance by its clients. Some of the Company’s clients are highly leveraged or otherwise subject to their own operating and regulatory risks. Even if the Company’s credit review and analysis mechanisms work properly, the Company may experience financial losses and loss of future business if its clients become bankrupt, insolvent or otherwise are unable to pay the Company for its work performed. Any increase in the nonpayment or nonperformance by clients could adversely affect the Company’s results of operations and financial condition.
Certain industries in which the Company’s clients operate have experienced, and in the future may experience consolidation. When client consolidation occurs, it is possible that the volume of work performed by the Company for a client after the consolidation will be less than it was before the consolidation or that the client’s work will be completely moved to competitors. In addition, new and enhanced technologies, including artificial intelligence, search, web and infrastructure computing services, digital content, and electronic devices, may affect clients. The internet facilitates
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competitive entry and comparison shopping, and the reliance on digital retailing may reduce clients’ volume. Any such reduction or loss of work could adversely affect the Company’s results of operations and financial condition.
If the Company fails to identify, manage, complete and integrate acquisitions, investment opportunities or other significant transactions, as well as identify and execute strategic divestitures, it may adversely affect the Company’s future results and ability to implement its business strategy.
The Company may pursue acquisitions of, investment opportunities in, or other significant transactions with, companies that are complementary to the Company’s business, as well as divestitures of businesses, product lines or other assets. In order to pursue this strategy successfully, the Company must identify attractive acquisition or investment opportunities, successfully complete the transaction, some of which may be large and complex, and manage post-closing issues such as integration of the acquired company or employees. The Company may not be able to identify or complete appealing acquisition or investment opportunities given the intense competition for these transactions. Even if the Company identifies and completes suitable corporate transactions, the Company may not be able to successfully address inherent risks in a timely manner, or at all. These inherent risks include, among other things: failure to achieve all or any projected synergies, performance targets or other anticipated benefits of the acquisition or investment; failure to successfully integrate the purchased operations, technologies, products or services and maintain uniform standard controls, policies and procedures; substantial unanticipated integration costs; loss of key employees, including those of an acquired business; diversion of management’s attention from other business concerns; failure to retain the clients of the acquired business; additional debt and/or assumption of known or unknown liabilities; potential dilutive issuances of equity securities; and a write-off of goodwill, client lists, other intangibles and amortization of expenses. If the Company fails to successfully integrate an acquisition, the Company may not realize all or any of the anticipated benefits of the acquisition, and the Company’s future results of operations could be adversely affected.
In addition, the Company’s transformation to a marketing experience company is partially dependent upon the Company’s continued ability to identify and execute strategic divestiture opportunities to generate cash and related benefits. There can be no assurance whether the strategic benefits and expected financial impact of any divestitures will be achieved.
Negative publicity could have an adverse impact on the Company’s business and brand reputation.
Unfavorable publicity, whether accurate or not, related to the Company or the Company’s executive management team, employees, board of directors, operations, business or prospects, or to the Quadracci family shareholders of the Company, could negatively affect the Company’s reputation, stock price, ability to attract new clients from growth vertical industries, ability to attract and retain high-quality talent, or the performance of the Company’s business.
In addition, the increased use of social media platforms, including blogs, social media websites, and other forms of internet-based and mobile communications, allows individuals access to a broad audience of consumers and other interested persons. Many social media platforms immediately publish the content their subscribers’ and participants’ post, often without filters or checks on accuracy of the content posted. Information or commentary posted on such platforms at any time may be adverse to the Company’s interests or may be inaccurate, each of which may harm the Company’s reputation, business or prospects. The harm may be immediate without affording the Company an opportunity for redress or correction.
There are additional risks associated with the Company’s operations outside of the United States, including trade restrictions, currency fluctuations, the global economy, and geopolitical events like war and terrorism.
Net sales from the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiaries outside of the United States accounted for approximately 8% and 13% of its consolidated net sales for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.
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As a result, the Company is subject to the risks inherent in conducting business outside of the United States, including, but not limited to: the impact of economic and political instability; tariffs and other trade barriers, the magnitude and extent of which can be volatile and uncertain; trade restrictions and economic embargoes by the United States or other countries; foreign-currency exchange rates, devaluation and conversion restrictions; exchange control regulations and other limits on the Company’s ability to import raw materials or finished product; health concerns regarding infectious diseases; adverse weather or natural disasters; social unrest, acts of terrorism, force majeure, war or other armed conflicts; inflation and fluctuations in interest rates; language barriers; difficulties in staffing, training, employee retention and managing international operations; logistical and communications challenges; differing local business practices and cultural considerations; restrictions on the ability to repatriate funds; foreign ownership restrictions and the potential for nationalization or expropriation of property or other resources; longer accounts receivable payment cycles; potential adverse tax consequences; and being subject to different legal and regulatory regimes that may preclude or make more costly certain initiatives or the implementation of certain elements of its business strategy.
Financial Risks
The Company may be required to make capital expenditures to sustain and grow its platforms and processes, as well as make investments in the development and implementation of new systems, client technology, product technology, marketing and talent in order to keep pace with industry developments, client expectations, and to remain technologically and economically competitive. The cash or financing required for these capital expenditures and investments may not be sufficient or available on terms acceptable to the Company. In addition, these capital expenditures and investments may increase the Company’s costs, reduce its profits, disrupt its operations or adversely affect its ability to implement its business strategy.
The printing and advertising and marketing services industries are experiencing rapid change as new digital technologies are developed that offer clients an array of choices for their marketing and publication needs. In order to remain competitive, the Company will need to adapt to future changes, especially with regard to technology, such as artificial intelligence, and talent, to enhance the Company’s existing offerings and introduce new offerings to address the changing demands of clients. In order to remain technologically and economically competitive, the Company may need to make significant capital expenditures and other investments, including in its talent, as it develops and continues to maintain its platforms and processes, and to develop and integrate new technologies. In order to accomplish this effectively, the Company will need to deploy its resources efficiently, maintain effective cost controls and bear potentially significant market and raw material risks. If the Company’s revenues decline, it may impact the Company’s ability to expend the capital necessary to develop and implement new technology and be economically competitive. Debt or equity financing, or cash generated from operations, may not be available or sufficient for these requirements or for other corporate purposes or, if debt or equity financing is available, it may not be on terms favorable to the Company. In addition, even if capital is available to the Company, there is risk that the Company’s vendors will have discontinued the production of parts needed for repairs, replacements or improvements to the Company’s existing platforms, leading the Company to expend more capital than expected to perform such repairs, replacements or improvements. The Company’s business and operating results may be adversely affected if the Company is unable to keep pace with relevant technological and industry changes or if the technologies or business strategies that the Company adopts or services it promotes do not receive widespread market acceptance.
If the Company is unable to make the capital expenditures and other investments necessary to adapt to industry and technological developments, the Company may experience a decline in demand for its services, be unable to implement its business strategy and its business operating results may be adversely affected. Additionally, if the Company is unable to meet future challenges from competing technologies on a timely basis or at an acceptable cost, the Company could lose clients to competitors. In general, the development of new communication channels inside and outside the printing and media solutions industry requires the Company to anticipate and respond to the varied and continually changing demands of clients. The Company may not be able to accurately predict technological trends or the success of new services in the market.
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The Company’s debt facilities include various covenants imposing restrictions that may affect the Company’s ability to operate its business.
On April 28, 2014, and as last amended on August 20, 2025, the Company entered into a senior secured credit facility (the “Senior Secured Credit Facility,”) which currently includes two different loan facilities: a $357.7 million Term Loan A and a $339.6 million revolving credit facility. As a result of an amendment to the Senior Secured Credit Facility, the Term Loan A and revolving credit facility were both broken into two separate maturity dates. Borrowing from lenders who elected to not extend the maturity date, will mature on November 2, 2026, whereas borrowing from lenders who elected to extend the maturity date, will mature on October 18, 2029. As of December 31, 2025, the borrowings outstanding under the Senior Secured Credit Facility were $357.7 million.
The Company’s various lending arrangements include certain financial covenants. In addition to the financial covenants, the debt facilities also include certain limitations on acquisitions, indebtedness, liens, dividends and repurchases of capital stock. As of December 31, 2025, the Company was in compliance with all financial covenants in its debt agreements. While the Company currently expects to be in compliance in future periods with all of the financial covenants, there can be no assurance that these covenants will continue to be met. The Company’s failure to maintain compliance with the covenants could prevent the Company from borrowing additional amounts and could result in a default under any of the debt agreements. Such default could cause the outstanding indebtedness to become immediately due and payable, by virtue of cross-acceleration or cross-default provisions.
The Company may be adversely affected by interest rates, particularly floating interest rates, and foreign exchange rates.
A significant portion of the Company’s borrowings are subject to variable interest rates. Increases in benchmark interest rates or widening credit spreads could increase the Company’s borrowing costs and adversely affect its financial condition.
From time-to-time, the Company enters into interest rate swap, collar, or other hedging contracts to reduce the variability of cash flows associated with interest payments on a portion of its variable-rate debt. These arrangements are intended to mitigate exposure to changes in short-term interest rates; however, they may not fully offset the impact of rate fluctuations, may expose the Company to additional counterparty risk, and could result in financial losses.
Because a portion of the Company’s operations are outside of the United States, significant revenues and expenses are denominated in local currencies. Although operating in local currencies may limit the impact of currency rate fluctuations on the results of operations of the Company’s non-United States subsidiaries and business units, fluctuations in such rates may affect the translation of these results into the Company’s consolidated financial statements. To the extent revenues and expenses are not in the applicable local currency, the Company may enter into foreign exchange forward contracts to hedge the currency risk. There can be no assurance, however, that the Company’s efforts at hedging will be successful. There is always a possibility that attempts to hedge currency risks will lead to greater losses than predicted. In addition, the Company may be exposed to currency-exchange risks in connection with the repatriation of cash from its non-United States subsidiaries, and unfavorable currency movements or restrictions on the transfer of funds could adversely affect the amount of cash available for use in the United States.
The Company’s revenue, operating income and cash flows are subject to cyclical and seasonal variations.
The Company’s business is seasonal, with the Company recognizing the majority of its operating income in the second half of the calendar year, primarily as a result of the increased direct mail, catalogs and retail inserts volume from back-to-school and holiday-related advertising and promotions. The fourth quarter is typically the highest seasonal quarter for cash flows from operating activities and Free Cash Flow due to the reduction of working capital requirements that reach peak levels during the third quarter. If the Company does not successfully manage the increased workflow, necessary increases in paper and ink inventory, production capacity flows and other business elements during these high seasons of activity, this seasonality could adversely affect the Company’s cash flows and results of operations.
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An other than temporary decline in operating results and enterprise value could lead to non-cash impairment charges due to the impairment of property, plant and equipment, goodwill and other intangible assets.
The Company has a material amount of property, plant, equipment, goodwill and other intangible assets on its balance sheet, due in part to acquisitions. As of December 31, 2025, the Company had the following long-lived assets on its consolidated balance sheet included in Part II, Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data,” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K: (a) property, plant and equipment of $461.6 million; (b) goodwill of $107.6 million; and (c) other intangible assets, primarily representing the value of customer relationships acquired, of $13.7 million.
As of December 31, 2025, these assets represented approximately 47% of the Company’s total assets. The Company assesses impairment of property, plant and equipment, goodwill and other intangible assets based upon the expected future cash flows of the respective assets. These valuations include management’s estimates of sales, profitability, cash flow generation, capital structure, cost of debt, interest rates, capital expenditures and other assumptions. A decline in expected profitability, significant negative industry or economic trends, inability to effectively integrate acquired businesses, unexpected significant changes or planned changes in use of the assets or in entity structure, divestitures and discontinued operations may adversely impact the assumptions used in the valuations. As a result, the recoverability of these assets could be called into question, and the Company could be required to write down or write off these assets. Such an occurrence could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations and financial position.
The Company may not be able to utilize deferred tax assets to offset future taxable income.
As of December 31, 2025, the Company had deferred tax assets, net of valuation allowances, of $57.5 million. The Company expects to utilize the deferred tax assets to reduce consolidated income tax liabilities in future taxable years. However, the Company may not be able to fully utilize the deferred tax assets if its future taxable income and related income tax liability is insufficient to permit their use. In addition, in the future, the Company may be required to record a valuation allowance against the deferred tax assets if the Company believes it is unable to utilize them, which would have an adverse effect on the Company’s results of operations and financial position.
The Company has liabilities with respect to defined benefit pension plans that could cause the Company to incur additional costs.
As a result of the 2010 acquisition of World Color Press, the Company assumed frozen single employer defined benefit pension plans for certain of its employees in the United States. The majority of the plans’ assets are held in North American and global equity securities and debt securities. The asset allocation as of December 31, 2025, was approximately 22% equity securities and 78% debt securities.
As of December 31, 2025, the Company had underfunded pension liabilities of $22.6 million for single employer defined benefit plans in the United States. Under current United States pension law, pension funding deficits are generally required to be funded over a seven-year period. These pension deficits may increase or decrease depending on changes in the levels of interest rates, pension plan investment performance, pension legislation and other factors. Declines in global debt and equity markets would increase the Company’s potential pension funding obligations. Any significant increase in the Company’s required contributions could have a material adverse impact on its business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.
In addition to the single employer defined benefit plans described above, the Company has previously participated in multiemployer pension plans (“MEPPs”) in the United States, including the Graphic Communications International Union - Employer Retirement Fund (“GCIU”). Prior to the acquisition of World Color Press by the Company, World Color Press received notice that certain plans in which it participated were in critical status, as defined in Section 432 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”). As a result, the Company could have been subject to increased contribution rates associated with these plans or other MEPPs suffering from declines in their funding levels. Due to the significantly underfunded status of the United States multiemployer plans and the potential increased contribution rates, the Company withdrew from participation in multiemployer plans and has replaced these pension benefits with a Company-sponsored “pay as you go” defined contribution plan, which is
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historically the form of retirement benefit provided to the Company’s employees. As of December 31, 2025, the Company has recorded in its financial statements a pre-tax withdrawal liability for the GCIU plan of $19.3 million in the aggregate. The Company is scheduled to make payments to the GCIU until April 2032.
Legal and Regulatory Risks
Unfavorable outcomes in legal proceedings could result in substantial costs and may harm the Company’s financial condition.
The Company’s financial condition may be affected by the outcome of pending and future litigation, claims, investigations, legal and administrative cases and proceedings, whether civil or criminal, or lawsuits by governmental agencies or private parties. Defending against any such claims, or any legal proceedings to which the Company is subject, can result in substantial costs and divert management time and resources. An adverse judgment could result in monetary damages, which could have a negative impact on the Company’s liquidity and financial condition and/or cause significant reputational harm to the Company’s business.
The Company may incur costs or suffer reputational damage due to improper conduct of its employees, contractors or agents under anti-corruption or other laws governing business practices, including the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
The Company could be adversely affected by engaging in business practices that are in violation of United States or foreign anti-corruption laws, including the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The Company operates in parts of the world with developing economies that have experienced governmental corruption to some degree, and in certain circumstances, strict compliance with anti-corruption laws may conflict with local customs and practices. In certain countries, the Company does substantial business with government entities or instrumentalities, which creates increased risk of a violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and international laws. There can be no assurance that all of the Company’s employees, contractors or agents, including those representing the Company in countries where practices which violate anti-corruption laws may be customary, will not take actions that violate the Company’s policies and procedures. The failure to comply with the laws governing international business practices may result in substantial penalties and fines.
The Company, its offerings and its facilities are subject to various consumer protection, safety and privacy laws and regulations, and will become subject to additional laws and regulations in the future. If the Company’s efforts to comply with such laws or protect the security of information are unsuccessful, any failure may subject the Company to material liability, require it to incur material costs or otherwise adversely affect its results of operations as a result of compliance with such laws, costly enforcement actions and private litigation.
The nature of the Company’s business includes the receipt and storage of information about the Company’s clients, vendors and the end-users of the Company’s products and services. The Company and its clients are subject to various United States and foreign consumer protection, information security, data privacy and “do not mail” requirements at the federal, state, provincial and local levels. The Company is subject to many legislative and regulatory laws and regulations around the world concerning data protection and privacy. In addition, the interpretation and application of consumer and data protection laws in the United States and elsewhere are often fluid and uncertain. To the extent that the Company or its clients become subject to additional or more stringent requirements or that the Company is not successful in its efforts to comply with existing requirements or protect the security of information, demand for the Company’s services may decrease and the Company’s reputation may suffer, which could adversely affect the Company’s results of operations. In addition, such laws may be interpreted and applied in a manner inconsistent with the Company’s internal policies. If so, the Company could suffer costly enforcement actions (including an order requiring changes to the Company’s data practices) and private litigation, which could have an adverse effect on the Company’s business and results of operations. Complying with these various laws could cause the Company to incur substantial costs or require changes to the Company’s business practices in a manner adverse to the Company’s business.
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Changes in the legal and regulatory environment or reporting requirements could limit the Company’s business activities, increase its operating costs, reduce demand for its products or result in litigation.
The conduct of the Company’s businesses is subject to various laws and regulations administered by federal, state and local government agencies in the United States, as well as to foreign laws and regulations administered by government entities and agencies in markets in which the Company operates. These laws and regulations and interpretations thereof, and enforcement priorities may change, sometimes dramatically, as a result of political, economic or social events, such as the election of the new administration or changes in the makeup of legislative bodies. Such regulatory environment changes may include changes in taxation requirements, accounting and disclosure standards, immigration laws and policy, environmental laws, trade policy, and requirements of United States and foreign occupational health and safety laws. Changes in laws, regulations or governmental policy and the related interpretations may alter the environment in which the Company does business, and therefore, may impact its results or increase its costs or liabilities. In particular, several states, including California, have adopted or are in the process of implementing new climate- and emissions-related reporting obligations, which require certain companies doing business in the state to disclose greenhouse gas emissions and climate-related financial risks. Compliance with these or similar requirements may increase the Company’s reporting and data-collection burdens, and clients subject to such rules may also require additional information from the Company.
In addition, the Company and its subsidiaries are party to a variety of legal and environmental remediation obligations arising in the normal course of business, as well as environmental remediation and related indemnification proceedings in connection with certain historical activities, former facilities and contractual obligations of acquired businesses. Permits are required for the operation of certain parts of the Company’s business, and these permits are subject to renewal, modification and, in some circumstances, revocation. Due to regulatory complexities, uncertainties inherent in litigation and the risk of unidentified contaminants on current and former properties, the potential exists for remediation, liability and indemnification costs to differ materially from the costs the Company has estimated. The Company cannot assure you that the Company’s costs in relation to these matters will not exceed its established liabilities or otherwise have an adverse effect on its results of operations.
Various laws and regulations addressing climate change have been and/or are being considered at the federal and state levels. Proposals under consideration include requiring climate- and emissions-related disclosures and limitations on the amount of greenhouse gas that can be emitted together with systems of trading allowed emissions capacities. The impacts of such proposals may require the Company to implement additional processes, systems or controls, or to take other measures that could have a material adverse impact on the Company’s financial condition and results of operations.
If QuadMed, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, fails to comply with applicable healthcare laws and regulations, the Company could face substantial penalties, and its business, reputation, operations, prospects and financial condition, and those of its subsidiary, could be adversely affected.
QuadMed provides employer-sponsored healthcare solutions in the United States to employers of all sizes, including the Company and other private and public-sector companies. These solutions include, but are not limited to, on-site and near-site health centers, occupational health services, telemedicine, behavioral health and counseling services, and health and wellness programs. The healthcare industry is heavily regulated, constantly evolving and subject to significant change and fluctuation. The United States federal and state healthcare laws and regulations that impact the QuadMed subsidiary business include, among others, those: (a) regarding privacy, security and transmission of individually identifiable health information; (b) prohibiting, among other things, soliciting, receiving or providing remuneration to induce the referral of an individual for an item or service or the purchasing or ordering of an item or service for which payment may be made under healthcare programs; (c) prohibiting, among other things, knowingly presenting or causing to be presented claims for payment from third-party payors that are false or fraudulent; and (d) prohibiting the corporate practice of medicine. Emerging rules addressing cyber incident reporting and data protection may materially expand QuadMed’s compliance obligations. Failure to comply with these or other healthcare requirements could result in significant penalties, investigations, service disruptions, contractual liabilities or reputational harm, any of which could adversely affect QuadMed’s results of operations.
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Risks Relating to Quad’s Common Stock
The Company is a controlled company within the meaning of the rules of the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) and, as a result, it relies on exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements that provide protection to shareholders of other companies.
Since the Quad Voting Trust owns more than 50% of the total voting power of the Company’s stock, the Company is considered a controlled company under the corporate governance listing standards of the NYSE. As a controlled company, an exception under the NYSE listing standards exempts the Company from the obligation to comply with certain of the NYSE’s corporate governance requirements, including the requirements that (a) the Company have a corporate governance and nominating committee that is composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities; and (b) the Company have a compensation committee that is composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities.
Accordingly, for so long as the Company is a controlled company, holders of class A stock may not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to all of the corporate governance requirements of the NYSE.
Holders of class A common stock are not able to independently elect directors of the Company or control any of the Company’s management policies or business decisions because the holders of class A common stock have substantially less voting power than the holders of the Company’s class B common stock, all of which is owned by certain members of the Quadracci family or trusts for their benefit, whose interests may be different from the holders of class A common stock.
The Company’s outstanding stock is divided into two classes of common stock: class A common stock (“class A stock”) and class B common stock (“class B stock”). The class B stock has ten votes per share on all matters and the class A stock is entitled to one vote per share. As of February 6, 2026, the class B stock constitutes approximately 78% of the Company’s total voting power. As a result, holders of class B stock are able to exercise a controlling influence over the Company’s business, have the power to elect its directors and indirectly control decisions such as whether to issue additional shares, declare and pay dividends or enter into corporate transactions. All of the class B stock is owned by certain members of the Quadracci family or trusts for their benefit, whose interests may differ from the interests of the holders of class A stock.
As of February 6, 2026, approximately 93% of the outstanding class B stock was held of record by the Quad Voting Trust, and that constitutes approximately 72% of the Company’s total voting power. The trustees of the Quad Voting Trust have the authority to vote the stock held by the Quad Voting Trust. Accordingly, the trustees of the Quad Voting Trust are able to exercise a controlling influence over the Company’s business, have the power to elect its directors and indirectly control decisions such as whether to issue additional shares, declare and pay dividends or enter into corporate transactions.
Furthermore, in response to recent public focus on dual class capital structures, certain stock index providers have or are implementing limitations on the inclusion of dual class share structures in their indices and certain institutional shareholder advisory firms have or are updating their voting guidelines to generally withhold support for directors of companies with dual class voting rights. If these restrictions increase or these guidelines are followed, they may impact who buys and holds, and liquidity of, the Company’s stock.
Currently, there is a limited active market for Quad’s class A common stock and, as a result, shareholders may be unable to sell their class A common stock without losing a significant portion of their investment.
The Company’s class A stock has been traded on the NYSE under the symbol “QUAD” since July 6, 2010. However, there is still a limited active market for the class A common shares. The Company cannot predict the extent to which investor interest in the Company will lead to the development of a more active trading market for its class A common stock on the NYSE or how liquid that market will be. If a more active trading market does not develop,
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shareholders may have difficulty selling any class A stock without negatively affecting the stock price, and thereby, losing a significant portion of their investment.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
The Company has no unresolved staff comments to report pursuant to this item.
Item 1C. Cybersecurity
The Company’s Board of Directors (the “Board”) recognizes the critical importance of maintaining the trust and confidence of our customers, clients, employees and communities. The Board is actively involved in oversight of the Company’s operational and strategic risk management process. With regard to cybersecurity risk, the Board (through the Audit Committee) periodically reviews information on management’s policies and processes related to cybersecurity and data-protection, including its assessment, identification and management of material risks, mitigation strategy, governance and incident reporting that are based on recognized frameworks established by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the International Organization for Standardization and other applicable industry standards. The entire Board receives periodic updates on the Company’s cybersecurity risk management progress through the Company’s general enterprise risk management (“ERM”) program. In general, the Company seeks to address cybersecurity risks through a comprehensive, cross-functional approach that is focused on preserving the confidentiality, security and availability of the information that the Company collects and stores by identifying, preventing and mitigating cybersecurity threats and effectively responding to cybersecurity incidents when they occur.
Risk Management and Strategy
As one of the critical elements of the Company’s overall ERM approach, the Company’s cybersecurity program is focused on the following key areas:
Overall
As discussed in more detail under the heading “Governance,” the Board’s oversight of cybersecurity risk management is supported by the Audit Committee of the Board, which receives periodic updates from the Company’s ERM function, the Company’s Executive Director of Information Security & Compliance, other members of management and relevant management committees and councils.
Collaborative Approach
The Company has implemented a comprehensive, cross-functional approach to identifying, preventing and mitigating cybersecurity threats and incidents, while also implementing controls and procedures that provide for the prompt escalation of certain cybersecurity incidents so that decisions regarding the public disclosure and reporting of such incidents can be made by management in a timely manner.
Technical Safeguards
The Company deploys technical safeguards that are designed to protect the Company’s information systems from cybersecurity threats, including firewalls, intrusion prevention and detection systems, anti-malware functionality and access controls, which are evaluated and improved through vulnerability assessments and cybersecurity threat intelligence.
Incident Response and Recovery Planning
The Company has established and maintains comprehensive incident response and recovery plans that fully address the Company’s response to a cybersecurity incident, and such plans are tested and evaluated on a regular basis.
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Third-Party Risk Management
The Company maintains a comprehensive, risk-based approach to identifying and overseeing cybersecurity risks presented by third parties, including vendors, service providers and other external users of the Company’s systems, as well as the systems of third parties that could adversely impact our business in the event of a cybersecurity incident affecting those third-party systems.
Education and Awareness
The Company launched a security awareness campaign, Be Cyber Smart, that helps employees make sure valuable data remains private, keep physical and digital workspaces secure with good security hygiene, spot potential phishing and malware threats, and avoid risky behaviors. The Be Cyber Smart campaign provides employees with tools and tips for proactive protection measures such as password management, the importance of software updates and computer restarts, security measures when working remote, recognizing and avoiding phishing and maintaining data privacy. In addition, annual compliance, security awareness and acceptable use training, as well as regular phish testing, is delivered to all employees.
The Company engages in the periodic assessment and testing of the Company’s policies, standards, processes and practices that are designed to address cybersecurity threats and incidents. These efforts include a wide range of activities, including audits, assessments, tabletop exercises, threat modeling, vulnerability testing and other exercises focused on evaluating the effectiveness of our cybersecurity measures and planning. The Company regularly engages third parties to perform assessments on our cybersecurity measures, including information security maturity assessments, audits and independent reviews of our information security control environment and operating effectiveness. The results of such assessments, audits and reviews are reported to the Audit Committee and the Board, and the Company adjusts its cybersecurity policies, standards, processes and practices as necessary based on the information provided by these assessments, audits and reviews.
Governance
The Board is responsible for the oversight of the Company’s operational and strategic risk management process. The Board oversees a company-wide approach to risk management, carried out by management. The Board determines the appropriate risk for the Company generally, assesses the specific risks the Company faces and receives regular reports of the steps taken by management to manage those risks. With regard to cybersecurity risk, the Board (through the Audit Committee) conducts an annual review of the Company’s cybersecurity program, and the entire Board receives periodic updates on the Company’s cybersecurity risk management progress through the Company’s general enterprise risk management program described in the foregoing sentence.
The Executive Director of Information Security & Compliance, with oversight from the Audit Committee, works collaboratively across the Company to implement a program designed to protect the Company’s information systems from cybersecurity threats and to promptly respond to any cybersecurity incidents in accordance with the Company’s incident response and recovery plans. To facilitate the success of the Company’s cybersecurity risk management program, multidisciplinary teams throughout the Company are deployed to address cybersecurity threats and to respond to cybersecurity incidents. Through ongoing communications with these teams, the Executive Director of Information Security & Compliance monitors the prevention, detection, mitigation and remediation of cybersecurity threats and incidents in real time and reports such threats and incidents to the Audit Committee and Board when appropriate.
The Executive Director of Information Security & Compliance has served in various roles in information technology and information security for over 30 years, including serving as the Vice President of Information Technology and Executive Director of Information Security & Compliance for two large companies. The Executive Director of Information Security & Compliance holds undergraduate degrees in information systems and operations management, as well as graduate degrees in information systems and finance and has attained the professional certification of Information Technology Project Management. The Company’s CEO, CFO and General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and Chief Risk & Compliance Officer each hold degrees in their respective fields, and each have
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over 20 years of experience managing risks at the Company or at similar companies, including risks arising from cybersecurity threats.
Cybersecurity threats, including as a result of any previous cybersecurity incidents, have not materially affected or are not reasonably likely to materially affect the Company, including its business strategy, results of operations or financial condition.
Item 2. Properties
Quad’s corporate office is located in Sussex, Wisconsin. The Company owned or leased 71 facilities located in 10 countries including manufacturing operations, warehouses and office space totaling approximately 14,014,000 square feet, of which approximately 9,700,000 is owned space and approximately 4,314,000 is leased space as of December 31, 2025.
Within the United States Print and Related Services segment, the Company operated 28 owned or leased manufacturing facilities, encompassing approximately 12,184,000 square feet as of December 31, 2025. Within the International segment, the Company operated 5 owned or leased manufacturing facilities, encompassing approximately 843,000 square feet as of December 31, 2025. The following table lists the Company’s operating locations with manufacturing facilities totaling over 500,000 square feet as of December 31, 2025:
| Locations | Square Feet | Property Type | Segment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lomira, Wisconsin, United States | 2,174,000 | Owned | United States Print and Related Services |
| Martinsburg, West Virginia, United States | 1,740,000 | Owned | United States Print and Related Services |
| Sussex, Wisconsin, United States | 1,717,000 | Owned | United States Print and Related Services |
| Hartford, Wisconsin, United States | 1,682,000 | Owned | United States Print and Related Services |
| West Allis, Wisconsin, United States | 913,000 | Leased | United States Print and Related Services |
| The Rock, Georgia, United States (1) | 797,000 | Owned | United States Print and Related Services |
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(1)The Rock, Georgia facility was announced for closure on December 16, 2025.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings
The Company is subject to various legal actions, administrative proceedings and claims arising out of the ordinary course of business. The Company believes that such unresolved legal actions, proceedings and claims will not materially adversely affect its results of operations, financial condition or cash flows. For additional information, see Note 9, “Commitments and Contingencies — Litigation,” to the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data,” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
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PART II
Item 5. Market for the Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
Capital Stock and Dividends
Quad’s authorized capital stock consists of 105.0 million shares of class A stock, 80.0 million shares of class B stock, 20.0 million shares of class C common stock and 0.5 million shares of preferred stock. The Company’s outstanding capital stock as of December 31, 2025, consisted of 37.6 million shares of class A stock, 13.3 million shares of class B stock and no shares of class C common stock or preferred stock. As of February 6, 2026, there were 1,843 record holders of the class A stock and 22 record holders of the class B stock.
The Company’s class A stock is listed on the NYSE under the symbol “QUAD”. The class A stock is entitled to one vote per share. The Company’s class B stock is held by certain members of the Quadracci family or trusts for their benefit (and can only be voluntarily transferred to the Company or to a member of the Quadracci “family group” as defined in the Company’s Articles of Incorporation; and any transfer in violation of the Company’s Articles of Incorporation results in the automatic conversion of such class B stock into class A stock). The class B stock is entitled to ten votes per share. Each share of class B stock may, at the option of the holder, be converted at any time into one share of class A stock. There is no public trading market for the class B stock.
Pursuant to the Company’s Articles of Incorporation, each outstanding class of common stock has equal rights with respect to cash dividends. Pursuant to the Company’s debt facilities, the Company is subject to limitations on dividends and repurchases of capital stock. If the Company’s Total Leverage Ratio is greater than 2.75 to 1.00, as defined in the Company’s Senior Secured Credit Facility, last amended on August 20, 2025, (see Note 10. “Debt,” for more details on the amendment), the Company is prohibited from making greater than $60.0 million of dividend payments, capital stock repurchases and certain other payments, over the course of the agreement. If the Company’s Total Leverage Ratio is above 2.50 to 1.00, but below 2.75 to 1.00, the Company is prohibited from making greater than $100.0 million of dividend payments, capital stock repurchases and certain other payments, over the course of the agreement. If the Total Leverage Ratio is less than 2.50 to 1.00, there are no such restrictions.
Securities Authorized For Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans
See Part III, Item 12, “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters,” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for certain information regarding the Company’s equity compensation plans.
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Information about the Company’s repurchases of its class A common stock during the three months ended December 31, 2025, was as follows:
| Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period | Total Number of Shares Purchased(1) | Average Price Paid Per Share | Total Number of Shares Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs(1) | Dollar Value of Shares that May Yet Be Purchased Under the Plans or Programs(2) | |
| October 1, 2025 to October 31, 2025 | — | — | — | $ | 69,729,540 |
| November 1, 2025 to November 30, 2025 | 46,268 | 5.30 | 46,268 | 69,482,744 | |
| December 1, 2025 to December 31, 2025 | — | — | — | 69,482,744 | |
| Total | 46,268 | 46,268 |
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(1)Represents shares of the Company’s class A common stock.
(2)On July 30, 2018, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized a share repurchase program of up to $100.0 million of the Company’s outstanding class A common stock. Under the authorization, share repurchases may be made at the Company’s discretion, from time to time, in the open market and/or in privately negotiated transactions as permitted by federal securities laws and other legal requirements. The timing, manner, price and amount of any repurchase will depend on economic and market conditions, share price, trading volume, applicable legal requirements and other factors. The program may be suspended or discontinued at any time. There were 1,485,803 shares of the Company’s class A stock repurchased during the year ended December 31, 2025. There were no shares repurchased during the year ended December 31, 2024. As of December 31, 2025, there were $69.5 million of authorized repurchases remaining under the program.
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Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion of the financial condition and results of operations of Quad should be read together with Quad’s audited consolidated financial statements for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2025, including the notes thereto, included in Part II, Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data,” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This discussion contains forward-looking statements that reflect the Company’s plans, estimates and beliefs. The Company’s actual results could differ materially from those discussed in these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to these differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed in “Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” and Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” included earlier within this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations is provided as a supplement to the Company’s consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes to help provide an understanding of the Company’s financial condition, the changes in the Company’s financial condition and the Company’s results of operations. This discussion and analysis is organized as follows:
•Overview. This section includes a general description of the Company’s business and segments, an overview of key performance metrics the Company’s management measures and utilizes to evaluate business performance, and an overview of trends affecting the Company, including management’s actions related to the trends.
•Results of Operations. This section contains an analysis of the Company’s results of operations by comparing the results for the year ended December 31, 2025, to the year ended December 31, 2024. The comparability of the Company’s results of operations between periods was impacted by the divestiture of the Company's European operations, which were sold on February 28, 2025, and the acquisition of the Enru co-mail assets, which were acquired on April 1, 2025. The results of operations of the divested operations are included in the Company’s consolidated results until the date of disposition and the results of operations of the acquired operations are included in the Company’s consolidated results from the date of acquisition. Forward-looking statements providing a general description of recent and projected industry and Company developments that are important to understanding the Company’s results of operations are included in this section. This section also provides a discussion of EBITDA and EBITDA margin, financial measures that the Company uses to assess the performance of its business that are not prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”).
•Liquidity and Capital Resources. This section provides an analysis of the Company’s capitalization, cash flows and a discussion of outstanding debt and commitments. Forward-looking statements important to understanding the Company’s financial condition are included in this section. This section also provides a discussion of Free Cash Flow and Net Debt Leverage Ratio, non-GAAP financial measures that the Company uses to assess liquidity and capital allocation and deployment.
•Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates. This section contains a discussion of the accounting policies that the Company’s management believes are important to the Company’s financial condition and results of operations, as well as allowances and reserves that require significant judgment and estimates on the part of the Company’s management. In addition, all of the Company’s significant accounting policies, including critical accounting policies, are summarized in Note 1, “Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies,” to the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data,” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
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Overview
Business Overview
Quad is a marketing experience (MX) company that simplifies the complexities of marketing, removing friction from wherever it occurs along the marketing journey. Its results-driven approach enables stronger marketing operations that lead to real, repeatable success for clients. The Company does this through its MX Solutions Suite, which is flexible, scalable and connected. Quad tailors its solutions to each client’s objectives, driving cost efficiencies, improving speed to market, strengthening marketing effectiveness and delivering value on investments. The Company supports a diverse base of clients, including industry-leading blue-chip companies that serve both businesses and consumers across multiple industry verticals, with a particular focus on commerce, including retail, consumer packaged goods and direct-to-consumer; financial services; and health.
For a full description of the Company’s business, refer to Part I, Item 1, “Business,” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The Company’s operating and reportable segments are aligned with how the chief operating decision maker of the Company currently manages the business. The Company’s operating and reportable segments, including their product and service offerings, and a “Corporate” category, are summarized below.
The United States Print and Related Services segment is predominantly comprised of the Company’s United States printing operations, managed as one integrated platform, and marketing and other complementary services. The printing operations include print execution and logistics for retail inserts, catalogs, long-run publications, special interest publications, journals, direct mail, directories, in-store marketing and promotion, packaging, custom print products, as well as other commercial and specialty printed products, along with global paper procurement and the manufacture of ink. Marketing and other complementary services include data intelligence and analytics, technology solutions, media planning, placement and optimization, creative strategy and content creation, as well as execution in non-print channels (e.g., digital and broadcast). This segment also includes medical services. The United States Print and Related Services segment accounted for approximately 92% and 87% of the Company’s consolidated net sales during the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.
The International segment consists of the Company’s printing operations in Latin America, including operations in Colombia, Mexico and Peru, as well as operations in Europe, including operations in England, France, Germany and Poland, until the European operations were sold on February 28, 2025. This segment provides printed products and marketing and other complementary services consistent with the United States Print and Related Services segment. The International segment accounted for approximately 8% and 13% of the Company’s consolidated net sales during the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.
Corporate consists of unallocated general and administrative activities and associated expenses including, in part, executive, legal and finance, as well as certain expenses and income from frozen employee retirement plans, such as pension benefit plans.
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Key Performance Metrics Overview
The Company’s management believes the ability to generate net sales growth, profit increases and positive cash flow, while maintaining the appropriate level of debt, are key indicators of the successful execution of the Company’s business strategy and will increase shareholder value. The Company uses period-over-period net sales growth, EBITDA, EBITDA margin, net cash provided by operating activities, Free Cash Flow and Net Debt Leverage Ratio as metrics to measure operating performance, financial condition and liquidity. EBITDA, EBITDA margin, Free Cash Flow and Net Debt Leverage Ratio are non-GAAP financial measures (see the definitions of EBITDA, EBITDA margin and the reconciliation of net earnings (loss) to EBITDA in the “Results of Operations” section below, and see the definitions of Free Cash Flow and Net Debt Leverage Ratio, the reconciliation of net cash provided by operating activities to Free Cash Flow, and the calculation of Net Debt Leverage Ratio in the “Liquidity and Capital Resources” section below).
Net sales growth. The Company uses period-over-period net sales growth as a key performance metric. The Company’s management assesses net sales growth based on the ability to generate increased net sales through increased sales to existing clients, sales to new clients, sales of new or expanded solutions to existing and new clients, and opportunities to expand sales through strategic investments, including acquisitions.
EBITDA and EBITDA margin. The Company uses EBITDA and EBITDA margin as metrics to assess operating performance. The Company’s management assesses EBITDA and EBITDA margin based on the ability to increase revenues while controlling variable expense growth.
Net cash provided by operating activities. The Company uses net cash provided by operating activities as a metric to assess liquidity. The Company’s management assesses net cash provided by operating activities based on the ability to meet recurring cash obligations while increasing available cash to fund debt service requirements, capital expenditures, cash restructuring requirements related to cost reduction activities, World Color Press single employer pension plan contributions, World Color Press MEPPs withdrawal liabilities, acquisitions and other investments in future growth, shareholder dividends and share repurchases. Net cash provided by operating activities can be significantly impacted by the timing of non-recurring or infrequent receipts or expenditures.
Free Cash Flow. The Company uses Free Cash Flow as a metric to assess liquidity and capital deployment. The Company’s management assesses Free Cash Flow as a measure to quantify cash available for strengthening the balance sheet (debt and pension liability reduction), for strategic capital allocation and deployment through investments in the business (acquisitions and strategic investments) and for returning capital to the shareholders (dividends and share repurchases). The Company’s priorities for capital allocation and deployment will change as circumstances dictate for the business, and Free Cash Flow can be significantly impacted by the Company’s restructuring activities and other unusual items.
Net Debt Leverage Ratio. The Company uses the Net Debt Leverage Ratio as a metric to assess liquidity and the flexibility of its balance sheet. Consistent with other liquidity metrics, the Company monitors the Net Debt Leverage Ratio as a measure to determine the appropriate level of debt the Company believes is optimal to operate its business, and accordingly, to quantify our ability to strengthen the balance sheet through debt and pension liability reduction, for strategic capital allocation and deployment through investments in the business (capital expenditures, acquisitions and strategic investments), and for returning capital to the shareholders (dividends and share repurchases). The Company’s priorities for capital allocation and deployment will change as circumstances dictate for the business, and the Net Debt Leverage Ratio can be significantly impacted by the amount and timing of large expenditures requiring debt financing, as well as changes in profitability.
The Company remains disciplined with its net debt leverage. The Company’s consolidated debt and finance lease obligations decreased by $8.0 million during the year ended December 31, 2025. The Company primarily used cash provided by operating activities and proceeds from the sales of property, plant and equipment to fund purchases of property, plant and equipment, the Enru co-mail asset acquisition, the return of capital to shareholders through cash dividends and share repurchases and the reduction of debt.
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Overview of Trends Affecting Quad
As consumer media consumption habits change, advertising and marketing services providers face increased demand to offer end-to-end marketing services, from strategy and creative through execution. As new marketing channels emerge, these providers must expand their capabilities to create effective multichannel campaigns for their clients, and providers face increased client demand to offer integrated, end-to-end marketing services (i.e., from strategy and creative through execution). These trends greatly influence Quad’s ongoing efforts to help brands reduce the complexities of working with multiple agency partners and vendors, increase marketing process efficiency and maximize marketing effectiveness.
Competition in the commercial printing industry remains highly fragmented, and the Company believes that there are indicators of heightened competitive pressures. The commercial printing industry has moved toward a demand for shorter print runs, faster product turnaround and increased production efficiencies of products with lower page counts and increased complexity. This — combined with increases in postage and paper costs as well as marketers’ increasing use of online marketing and communication channels — has led to excess manufacturing capacity.
For a full description of the Company’s industry and competition overview, refer to Part I, Item 1, “Business,” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The Company believes that a disciplined approach for capital management and a strong balance sheet are critical to be able to invest in profitable growth opportunities and technological advances, thereby providing the highest return for shareholders. Management balances the use of cash between deleveraging the Company’s balance sheet (through reduction in debt and pension obligations), compelling investment opportunities (through capital expenditures, acquisitions and strategic investments) and returns to shareholders (through dividends and share repurchases).
The Company continues to make progress on integrating and streamlining all aspects of its business, thereby lowering its cost structure by consolidating its manufacturing platform into its most efficient facilities, as well as realizing purchasing, mailing and logistics efficiencies by centralizing and consolidating print manufacturing volumes and eliminating redundancies in its administrative and corporate operations. The Company has continued to evolve its manufacturing platform, equipping facilities to be product-line agnostic, which enables the Company to maximize equipment utilization. Quad believes that the large plant size of its key printing facilities allows the Company to drive savings in certain product lines (such as publications and catalogs) due to economies of scale and from investments in automation and technology. The Company continues to focus on proactively aligning its cost structure to the realities of the top-line pressures it faces in the printing industry through Lean Manufacturing and sustainable continuous improvement programs.
The Company believes it will continue to drive productivity improvements and sustainable cost reduction initiatives into the future through an engaged workforce and ongoing adoption of the latest manufacturing automation and technology. Through this strategy, the Company believes it can maintain the strongest, most efficient print manufacturing platform to remain a high-quality, low-cost producer.
Integrated distribution with the USPS is an important component of the Company’s business. Any material change in the current service levels provided by the postal service could impact the demand that clients have for print services. In 2025, the USPS significantly reduced their service standards with the first phase of changes taking effect on April 1, 2025, and the second phase took effect July 1, 2025. In addition to the reduced service standards, the USPS also issued reduced service performance targets for 2025. Almost all letters and flats targets were reduced, some as much as 15% lower than 2024 targets (i.e., First Class Letters three to five day on time performance target was reduced from 90% down to 80%). The USPS, however, did not meet these reduced performance standards and targets, and has kept the performance targets for 2026 essentially in line with 2025, with a few minor adjustments.
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The USPS continues to experience financial problems. The passing of the Postal Service Reform Act of 2022, signed in April 2022, gave the USPS considerable financial relief as well as significant other relief over the next ten years. While the legislative postal reform helps considerably, without decreased operational cost structures, increased efficiencies or increased volumes and revenues, these losses are expected to continue into the future. As a result of these financial difficulties, the USPS has continued to adjust its postal rates and service levels.
Federal statute requires the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC), to conduct reviews of the overall rate-making structure for the USPS to ensure funding stability. As a result of those reviews, the PRC authorized a five year rate-making structure that provides the USPS with additional pricing flexibility over the Consumer Price Index (“CPI”) cap, which has resulted in a substantially altered rate structure for mailers. The revised rate authority that is effective as a result of the rules issued by the PRC, includes a higher overall rate cap on the USPS’ ability to increase rates from year to year. This will continue to lead to price spikes for mailers and may also reduce the incentive for the USPS to continue to take out costs and instead continue to rely on postage increases in its attempt to cover its cost.
Given the significant amount of concern that has been expressed by the mailing industry, in April 2024, the PRC opened a proceeding to start the next rate system review, which includes a phased approach of proposing changes to improve rate predictability. The USPS did not implement a Market Dominant product price increase for January 2025. However, the available rate authority was rolled forward to July 2025, where approximately 8% postage increases were implemented and significantly exceeded CPI. In September 2025, the USPS announced they would not increase prices on Market Dominant products in January 2026. On December 22, 2025, the USPS filed a petition with the PRC, requesting new rules on Market Dominate rates to either eliminate the price cap and give full rate authority to the Board of Governors, or if a price cap continues to be required, allow a rate reset with a conservative 22% banked authority for the USPS to use. This remains open and is unknown how the PRC will respond. The PRC did issue a final rule that restricts the USPS to one price change a year from 2026 to 2030. The PRC also refined some rules around work-share discounts that will keep these discounts more closely aligned with the costs avoided. The USPS launched a new Marketing Mail Catalog promotion, which offers a 10% discount on postage for any mail pieces that meet the USPS definition of a catalog. The discount went into effect on October 1, 2025 and continues until June 30, 2026. Because the discount applies to the current rate, which is based on several years of biannual rate increases, including another increase in July 2025, the impact of the discount on catalog volume and revenue may be diminished. However, the Company believes the continued use of all available rate authority by the USPS that significantly exceeds CPI, combined with lower service standards and the petition filed on December 22, 2025, clients will continue to reduce mail volumes and explore the use of alternative methods for delivering a larger portion of their products, such as continued diversion to the internet, digital and mobile channels and other alternative media channels, in order to ensure that they stay within their expected postage budgets.
The Company has invested significantly in its mail preparation and distribution capabilities to mitigate the impact of increases in postage costs, and to help clients successfully navigate the ever-changing postal environment. Through its data analytics, unique software to merge mail streams on a large scale, advanced finishing capabilities and technology, and in-house transportation and logistics operations, the Company manages the mail preparation and distribution of most of its clients’ products to maximize efficiency, to enable on-time and consistent delivery and to partially reduce these costs. The PRC decision on once a year price increases is an important part of providing the mailing industry with additional rate stability. Additionally, the new requirements for the USPS to maintain the current work-share discounts more closely to the level of avoided costs, the Company believes is a good decision as this mail optimization capability is valuable to its clients. It is imperative that the PRC ensure that rates are affordable to the mailing industry.
The Company continues to face several other industry challenges that have been, and are expected to continue to, adversely impact the Company’s results of operations. The Company is closely monitoring the potential impacts of tariffs and recessionary pressures on its clients’ businesses that could impact their marketing spend, including print volumes. The Company continues to operate in an elevated interest rate environment, which is expected to continue through 2026. Additionally, the price and availability of paper has been, and may continue to be, adversely affected by paper mills’ permanent or temporary closures; paper mills’ access to raw materials, conversion to produce other types of paper that are not usable by the Company in its operations (which a number of paper mills’ have done or are doing), and ability to transport paper produced; and tariffs and trade restrictions. Postal rate increases, along with the previously described industry challenges, have led to reduced demand for printed products and has caused clients to move more
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aggressively into other delivery methods, such as the many digital and mobile options now available to consumers. These challenges have, as needed, driven the Company to institute several cost saving measures through its restructuring program, including plant closures and headcount reductions. Through these cost saving measures and proceeds from asset sales, the Company has been able to maintain focus on its transformation into an MX company, with flexibility to invest into the growing business, as well as continuing to be advantageous in its efforts to return capital to shareholders and reduce debt. The Company is also dependent on its production personnel to print the Company’s products in a cost-effective and efficient manner that allows the Company to obtain new clients and to drive sales from existing clients. The Company is unable to predict the full future impact these challenges will have on its business, financial condition, cash flows and results of operations, but expects them to continue into 2026.
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Results of Operations for the Year Ended December 31, 2025, Compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2024
Summary Results
The Company’s operating income, operating margin, net earnings (loss) (computed using a 25% normalized tax rate for all items subject to tax) and diluted earnings (loss) per share for the year ended December 31, 2025, changed from the year ended December 31, 2024, as follows (dollars in millions, except per share data):
| Operating Income | Operating Margin | Net Earnings (Loss) | Diluted Earnings (Loss) Per Share | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| For the year ended December 31, 2024 | $ | 19.2 | 0.7 | % | $ | (50.9) | $ | (1.07) |
| Restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges, net (1) | 79.7 | 2.9 | % | 59.8 | 1.27 | |||
| Other operating income elements (2) | (1.9) | 0.4 | % | (1.4) | (0.11) | |||
| Operating Income | 97.0 | 4.0 | % | 7.5 | 0.09 | |||
| Interest expense (3) | N/A | N/A | 10.5 | 0.26 | ||||
| Net pension (expense) income (4) | N/A | N/A | (11.1) | (0.22) | ||||
| Income taxes (5) | N/A | N/A | 20.1 | 0.41 | ||||
| For the year ended December 31, 2025 | $ | 97.0 | 4.0 | % | $ | 27.0 | $ | 0.54 |
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(1)Restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges, net decreased $79.7 million ($59.8 million, net of tax), to $21.8 million during the year ended December 31, 2025, and included the following:
a.A $4.4 million decrease in employee termination charges from $30.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2024, to $26.1 million during the year ended December 31, 2025;
b.A $67.4 million decrease in impairment charges from $74.9 million during the year ended December 31, 2024, to $7.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2025;
c.A $4.3 million increase in acquisition adjustments and transaction-related charges, net from $0.6 million during the year ended December 31, 2024, to $4.9 million during the year ended December 31, 2025;
d.A $2.5 million increase in integration-related charges from $0.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2024, to $2.9 million during the year ended December 31, 2025; and
e.A $6.1 million increase in various other restructuring income, net from $3.7 million during the year ended December 31, 2024, to $9.8 million during the year ended December 31, 2025.
The Company expects to incur additional restructuring and integration costs in future reporting periods in connection with eliminating excess manufacturing capacity and properly aligning its cost structure in conjunction with the Company’s acquisitions and strategic investments, and other cost reduction programs.
(2)Other operating income elements increased $1.9 million ($1.4 million, net of tax) primarily due to the following: (1) a $30.9 million decrease in selling, general and administrative expenses; (2) a $23.9 million decrease in depreciation and amortization expense; (3) impacts from improved manufacturing productivity; and (4) savings from other cost reduction initiatives, partially offset by the impact from lower print volume and service net sales, and increased investments in innovation offerings to drive future net sales growth.
(3)Interest expense decreased $14.0 million ($10.5 million, net of tax) during the year ended December 31, 2025, to $50.5 million. This change was due to lower average debt levels, lower weighted average interest rate on borrowings, and a $0.5 million decrease in interest expense related to the interest rate swap during the year ended December 31, 2025, as compared to the year ended December 31, 2024.
(4)Net pension expense increased $14.8 million ($11.1 million, net of tax) during the year ended December 31, 2025, from $0.8 million of income to $14.0 million of expense. This was due to a $12.8 million settlement charge from defined benefit
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pension plan annuitization and a $3.7 million decrease from the expected long-term return on pension plan assets, partially offset by a $1.7 million decrease from interest cost on pension plan liabilities.
(5)The $20.1 million decrease in income tax expense as calculated in the following table is primarily due to the following: (1) a $15.5 million decrease from valuation allowance reserves; (2) an $8.7 million decrease from non-deductible impairments charges related to the European operations in 2024; and (3) a $3.6 million outside tax basis difference in its European operations that were sold in 2025. These decreases were partially offset by a $5.5 million increase in the Company’s liability for audit assessments and unrecognized tax benefits and a $2.1 million increase from the impact of foreign branches.
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | Change | |||||
| (dollars in millions) | |||||||
| Earnings (loss) before income taxes | $ | 32.5 | $ | (44.5) | |||
| Normalized tax rate | 25.0 | % | 25.0 | % | |||
| Income tax expense (benefit) at normalized tax rate | 8.1 | (11.1) | 19.2 | ||||
| Less: Income tax expense from the consolidated statements of operations | 5.5 | 6.4 | (0.9) | ||||
| Impact of income taxes | $ | (2.6) | $ | 17.5 |
All values are in US Dollars.
Operating Results
The following table sets forth certain information from the Company’s consolidated statements of operations on an absolute dollar basis and as a relative percentage of total net sales for each noted period, together with the relative percentage change in such information between the periods set forth below:
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | % of Net<br>Sales | 2024 | % of Net<br>Sales | Change | %<br>Change | ||||||
| (dollars in millions) | |||||||||||
| Net sales: | |||||||||||
| Products | $ | 1,891.3 | 78.2 | % | $ | 2,099.2 | 78.6 | % | (9.9) | % | |
| Services | 528.6 | 21.8 | % | 573.0 | 21.4 | % | (44.4) | (7.7) | % | ||
| Total net sales | 2,419.9 | 100.0 | % | 2,672.2 | 100.0 | % | (252.3) | (9.4) | % | ||
| Cost of sales: | |||||||||||
| Products | 1,563.7 | 64.6 | % | 1,736.4 | 65.0 | % | (172.7) | (9.9) | % | ||
| Services | 332.9 | 13.8 | % | 355.8 | 13.3 | % | (22.9) | (6.4) | % | ||
| Total cost of sales | 1,896.6 | 78.4 | % | 2,092.2 | 78.3 | % | (195.6) | (9.3) | % | ||
| Selling, general & administrative expenses | 325.9 | 13.5 | % | 356.8 | 13.4 | % | (30.9) | (8.7) | % | ||
| Depreciation and amortization | 78.6 | 3.2 | % | 102.5 | 3.8 | % | (23.9) | (23.3) | % | ||
| Restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges, net | 21.8 | 0.9 | % | 101.5 | 3.8 | % | (79.7) | (78.5) | % | ||
| Total operating expenses | 2,322.9 | 96.0 | % | 2,653.0 | 99.3 | % | (330.1) | (12.4) | % | ||
| Operating income | $ | 97.0 | 4.0 | % | $ | 19.2 | 0.7 | % | nm |
All values are in US Dollars.
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Net Sales
Product sales decreased $207.9 million, or 9.9%, for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to the year ended December 31, 2024, primarily due to the following: (1) a $120.5 million decrease in paper sales, of which $52.9 million is a result of the sale of the European operations on February 28, 2025; (2) an $83.9 million decrease in product sales, primarily from lower print product volumes, of which $62.3 million is a result of the sale of the European operations; and (3) $3.5 million in unfavorable foreign exchange impacts.
Service sales, which primarily consist of logistics, distribution, marketing services, imaging and medical services, decreased $44.4 million, or 7.7%, for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to the year ended December 31, 2024, primarily due to a $37.9 million decrease in logistics sales, of which $13.5 million is a result of the sale of the European operations, and a $6.5 million net decrease in marketing services and medical services, of which $2.1 million is a result of the sale of the European operations.
Cost of Sales
Cost of product sales decreased $172.7 million, or 9.9%, for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to the year ended December 31, 2024, primarily due to the following: (1) a decrease in paper costs due to the decrease in paper sales; (2) impacts from improved manufacturing productivity; and (3) other cost reduction initiatives.
Cost of service sales decreased $22.9 million, or 6.4%, for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to the year ended December 31, 2024, primarily due to the impact from decreased freight volumes and lower marketing services.
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses
Selling, general and administrative expenses decreased $30.9 million, or 8.7%, for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to the year ended December 31, 2024, primarily due to (1) $18.6 million in lower employee-related costs; (2) a $10.7 million increase in favorable foreign exchange impacts; and (3) savings from other cost reduction initiatives, partially offset by a $4.1 million gain on the sale of an investment in 2024 that did not reoccur in 2025. Selling, general and administrative expenses as a percentage of net sales increased from 13.4% for the year ended December 31, 2024, to 13.5% for the year ended December 31, 2025.
Depreciation and Amortization
Depreciation and amortization decreased $23.9 million, or 23.3%, for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to the year ended December 31, 2024, due to a $12.3 million decrease in amortization expense, primarily from intangible assets becoming fully amortized over the past year and a $11.6 million decrease in depreciation expense, primarily due to impacts from plant closures and from property, plant and equipment becoming fully depreciated over the past year.
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Restructuring, Impairment and Transaction-Related Charges, Net
Restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges, net decreased $79.7 million, or 78.5%, for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to the year ended December 31, 2024, primarily due to the following:
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | Change | |||
| (dollars in millions) | |||||
| Employee termination charges | $ | 26.1 | $ | 30.5 | |
| Impairment charges (a) | 7.5 | 74.9 | (67.4) | ||
| Acquisition adjustments and transaction-related charges, net | (4.9) | (0.6) | (4.3) | ||
| Integration costs | 2.9 | 0.4 | 2.5 | ||
| Other restructuring charges (income) | |||||
| Vacant facility carrying costs and lease exit charges | 7.4 | 14.2 | (6.8) | ||
| Equipment and infrastructure removal costs | 1.5 | 1.6 | (0.1) | ||
| Gains on the sale of facilities (b) | (19.6) | (20.5) | 0.9 | ||
| Loss on the sale of a business (c) | 0.5 | — | 0.5 | ||
| Other restructuring activities | 0.4 | 1.0 | (0.6) | ||
| Other restructuring income, net | (9.8) | (3.7) | (6.1) | ||
| Total restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges, net | $ | 21.8 | $ | 101.5 |
All values are in US Dollars.
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(a)Includes $7.5 million and $74.9 million of impairment charges during the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively, which consisted of the following: (1) $57.6 million of impairment to reduce the carrying value of the majority of the European operations to fair value, including $41.6 million for foreign currency translation adjustments and $16.0 million for property, plant and equipment in 2024; (2) $3.8 million and $14.2 million during the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively, for machinery and equipment no longer being utilized in production as a result of facility consolidations, as well as other capacity reduction activities; (3) $3.0 million for software licensing and related implementation costs from a terminated project in 2025; (4) $0.5 million for property in 2025; and (5) $0.2 million and $3.1 million during the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively, for operating lease right-of-use assets.
(b)Includes the following: (1) an $11.7 million gain on the sale of an ancillary building in Sussex, Wisconsin; (2) a $4.3 million gain on the sale of the West Sacramento, California facility; and (3) a $3.6 million gain on the sale of the Greenville, Michigan facility during the year ended December 31, 2025, and a $20.5 million gain on the sale of the Saratoga Springs, New York facility during the year ended December 31, 2024.
(c)Includes a $0.5 million loss on the sale of the European operations during the year ended December 31, 2025.
EBITDA and EBITDA Margin—Consolidated
EBITDA is defined as net earnings (loss), excluding (1) interest expense, (2) income tax expense and (3) depreciation and amortization. EBITDA margin represents EBITDA as a percentage of net sales. EBITDA and EBITDA margin are presented to provide additional information regarding Quad’s performance. Both are important measures by which Quad gauges the profitability and assesses the performance of its business. EBITDA and EBITDA margin are non-GAAP financial measures and should not be considered alternatives to net earnings (loss) as a measure of operating performance, or to cash flows provided by operating activities as a measure of liquidity. Quad’s calculation of EBITDA and EBITDA margin may be different from the calculations used by other companies, and therefore, comparability may be limited.
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EBITDA and EBITDA margin for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to the year ended December 31, 2024, were as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | % of Net Sales | 2024 | % of Net Sales | |||||
| (dollars in millions) | ||||||||
| EBITDA and EBITDA margin (non-GAAP) | $ | 161.6 | 6.7 | % | $ | 122.5 | 4.6 | % |
EBITDA increased $39.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to the year ended December 31, 2024, primarily due to $79.7 million of decreased restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges and impacts from improved manufacturing productivity, partially offset by the impact of lower net sales and increased investments in innovation offerings to drive future net sales growth.
A reconciliation of EBITDA to net earnings (loss) for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, was as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | |||
| (dollars in millions) | ||||
| Net earnings (loss) (1) | $ | 27.0 | $ | (50.9) |
| Interest expense | 50.5 | 64.5 | ||
| Income tax expense | 5.5 | 6.4 | ||
| Depreciation and amortization | 78.6 | 102.5 | ||
| EBITDA (non-GAAP) | $ | 161.6 | $ | 122.5 |
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(1)Net earnings (loss) included the following:
a.Restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges, net of $21.8 million and $101.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.
b.Settlement charge from defined benefit pension plan annuitization of $12.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2025.
United States Print and Related Services
The following table summarizes net sales, operating income, operating margin and certain items impacting comparability within the United States Print and Related Services segment:
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | Change | % Change | ||||||
| (dollars in millions) | |||||||||
| Net sales: | |||||||||
| Products | $ | 1,688.7 | $ | 1,775.0 | (4.9) | % | |||
| Services | 525.7 | 554.5 | (28.8) | (5.2) | % | ||||
| Operating income (including restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges, net) | 131.7 | 112.8 | 18.9 | 16.8 | % | ||||
| Operating margin | 5.9 | % | 4.8 | % | N/A | N/A | |||
| Restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges, net | $ | 25.1 | $ | 42.8 | (41.4) | % |
All values are in US Dollars.
Net Sales
Product sales for the United States Print and Related Services segment decreased $86.3 million, or 4.9%, for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to the year ended December 31, 2024, primarily due to a $58.0 million decrease in paper sales and a $28.3 million decrease in product sales, primarily from lower print product volumes.
Service sales for the United States Print and Related Services segment decreased $28.8 million, or 5.2%, for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to the year ended December 31, 2024, primarily due to a $24.4 million decrease in logistics sales from lower print volumes and a $4.4 million decrease in marketing services and medical services.
Operating Income
Operating income for the United States Print and Related Services segment increased $18.9 million, or 16.8%, for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to the year ended December 31, 2024, primarily due to the following: (1) an $18.1 million decrease in depreciation and amortization expense; (2) a $17.7 million decrease in restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges, net; and (3) impacts from improved manufacturing productivity, partially offset by the impact from decreased logistics and marketing services sales and increased investments in innovation offerings to drive future net sales growth.
The operating margin for the United States Print and Related Services segment increased to 5.9% for the year ended December 31, 2025, from 4.8% for the year ended December 31, 2024, primarily due to the reasons provided above.
Restructuring, Impairment and Transaction-Related Charges, Net
Restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges, net for the United States Print and Related Services segment decreased $17.7 million, or 41.4%, for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to the year ended December 31, 2024, primarily due to the following:
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | Change | |||
| (dollars in millions) | |||||
| Employee termination charges | $ | 25.5 | $ | 29.8 | |
| Impairment charges (a) | 7.5 | 17.1 | (9.6) | ||
| Integration costs | 2.9 | 0.4 | 2.5 | ||
| Other restructuring charges (income) | |||||
| Vacant facility carrying costs and lease exit charges | 7.1 | 14.2 | (7.1) | ||
| Equipment and infrastructure removal costs | 1.5 | 1.6 | (0.1) | ||
| Gains on the sale of facilities (b) | (19.6) | (20.5) | 0.9 | ||
| Other restructuring activities | 0.2 | 0.2 | — | ||
| Other restructuring income, net | (10.8) | (4.5) | (6.3) | ||
| Total restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges, net | $ | 25.1 | $ | 42.8 |
All values are in US Dollars.
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(a)Includes $7.5 million and $17.1 million of impairment charges during the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively, which consisted of the following: (1) $3.8 million and $14.0 million, respectively, for machinery and equipment no longer being utilized in production as a result of facility consolidations, as well as other capacity reduction activities; (2) $3.0 million for software licensing and related implementation costs from a terminated project in 2025; (3) $0.5 million for property in 2025; and (4) $0.2 million and $3.1 million, respectively, for operating lease right-of-use assets.
(b)Includes the following: (1) an $11.7 million gain on the sale of an ancillary building in Sussex, Wisconsin; (2) a $4.3 million gain on the sale of the West Sacramento, California facility; and (3) a $3.6 million gain on the sale of the Greenville, Michigan facility during the year ended December 31, 2025, and a $20.5 million gain on the sale of the Saratoga Springs, New York facility during the year ended December 31, 2024.
International
The following table summarizes net sales, operating income (loss), operating margin, and certain items impacting comparability within the International segment:
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | Change | % Change | ||||||
| (dollars in millions) | |||||||||
| Net sales: | |||||||||
| Products | $ | 202.6 | $ | 324.2 | (37.5) | % | |||
| Services | 2.9 | 18.5 | (15.6) | (84.3) | % | ||||
| Operating income (loss) (including restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges, net) | 7.9 | (45.7) | 53.6 | (117.3) | % | ||||
| Operating margin | 3.8 | % | (13.3) | % | N/A | N/A | |||
| Restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges, net | $ | 3.9 | $ | 61.9 | (93.7) | % |
All values are in US Dollars.
Net Sales
Product sales for the International segment decreased $121.6 million, or 37.5%, for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to the year ended December 31, 2024, primarily due to the following:(1) a $62.5 million decrease in paper sales, of which $52.9 million is a result of the sale of the European operations; (2) a $55.6 million decrease in product sales, which is net of a $62.3 million decrease as a result of the sale of the European operations; and (3) $3.5 million in unfavorable foreign exchange impacts, primarily in Mexico.
Service sales for the International segment decreased $15.6 million, or 84.3%, for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to the year ended December 31, 2024, primarily due to a $13.5 million decrease in logistics sales and $2.1 million decrease in marketing service sales, both as a result of the sale of the European operations.
Operating Income (Loss)
Operating income (loss) for the International segment increased $53.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to the year ended December 31, 2024, primarily due to a $58.0 million decrease in restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges, net and a $5.9 million decrease in depreciation and amortization; partially offset by a $10.3 million decrease in operating income, primarily as a result of the sale of the European operations.
Restructuring, Impairment and Transaction-Related Charges, Net
Restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges, net for the International segment decreased $58.0 million, for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to the year ended December 31, 2024, primarily due to the following:
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | Change | |||
| (dollars in millions) | |||||
| Employee termination charges | $ | 0.6 | $ | 0.7 | |
| Impairment charges (a) | — | 57.8 | (57.8) | ||
| Acquisition adjustments and transaction-related charges, net | 2.3 | 2.6 | (0.3) | ||
| Other restructuring charges (b) | 1.0 | 0.8 | 0.2 | ||
| Total restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges, net | $ | 3.9 | $ | 61.9 |
All values are in US Dollars.
______________________________
(a)Includes $57.8 million of impairment charges during the year ended December 31, 2024, which consisted of $57.6 million of impairment charges to reduce the carrying value of the majority of the European operations to fair value, including $41.6 million for foreign currency translation adjustments and $16.0 million for property, plant and equipment, and $0.2 million for machinery and equipment no longer being utilized in production as a result of facility consolidations, as well as other capacity reduction activities.
(b)Includes a $0.5 million loss on the sale of the European operations during the year ended December 31, 2025.
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Corporate
The following table summarizes unallocated operating expenses presented as Corporate:
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | Change | % Change | ||||
| (dollars in millions) | |||||||
| Operating expenses (including restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges, net) | $ | 42.6 | $ | 47.9 | (11.1) | % | |
| Restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges, net | (7.2) | (3.2) | (4.0) | 125.0 | % |
All values are in US Dollars.
Operating Expenses
Corporate operating expenses decreased $5.3 million, or 11.1%, for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to the year ended December 31, 2024, primarily due to a $4.0 million increase in income from restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges, net, and a $1.9 million decrease in employee-related costs.
Restructuring, Impairment and Transaction-Related Charges, Net
Corporate restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges, net increased $4.0 million, for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to the year ended December 31, 2024, primarily due to the following:
| Year Ended December 31, | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | Change | |||
| (dollars in millions) | |||||
| Acquisition adjustments and transaction-related charges, net (a) | (7.2) | (3.2) | (4.0) | ||
| Total restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges, net | $ | (7.2) | $ | (3.2) |
All values are in US Dollars.
______________________________
(a)Includes adjustments to estimated acquisition consideration, partially offset by professional service fees related to business acquisition and divestiture activities.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
The Company utilizes cash flows from operating activities and borrowings under its credit facilities to satisfy its liquidity and capital requirements. The Company had total liquidity of $379.0 million as of December 31, 2025, which consisted of up to $315.7 million of unused capacity under its revolving credit arrangement, which was net of $23.9 million of issued letters of credit, and cash and cash equivalents of $63.3 million. Total liquidity is reduced to $299.4 million under the Company’s most restrictive debt covenants. There were no borrowings under the $339.6 million revolving credit facility as of December 31, 2025.
The Company believes its expected future cash flows from operating activities and its current liquidity and capital resources, are sufficient to fund ongoing operating requirements and service debt and pension requirements for both the next 12 months and beyond.
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Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities
Year Ended December 31, 2025, Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2024
Net cash provided by operating activities was $95.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to $112.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, resulting in a $17.0 million decrease in cash provided by operating activities. The decrease was primarily due to a $24.7 million decrease in cash flows provided by changes in operating assets and liabilities, partially offset by a $7.7 million increase in cash from earnings.
Net Cash (Used in) Provided by Investing Activities
Year Ended December 31, 2025, Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2024
Net cash used in investing activities was $27.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to net cash provided by investing activities of $12.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, resulting in a $40.4 million increase in cash used in investing activities. The increase was primarily due to the following: (1) a $22.2 million decrease in proceeds from the sale of an investment; (2) a $16.3 million increase in cash used as a result of the acquisition of a business in 2025; (3) a $12.3 million decrease in proceeds from the sale of property, plant and equipment; (4) a $1.5 million increase in cash used in other investing activities; and (5) a $0.1 million increase in cost investment in unconsolidated entities. These were partially offset by a $12.0 million decrease in purchases of property, plant, and equipment.
Net Cash Used in Financing Activities
Year Ended December 31, 2025, Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2024
Net cash used in financing activities was $36.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to $149.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, resulting in a $113.0 million decrease in cash used in financing activities. The decrease was primarily due to the following: (1) a $123.0 million decrease in net payments of debt and lease obligations in 2025 compared to 2024; (2) a $4.3 million decrease in payments of debt issuance costs and financing fees; and (3) a $0.2 million decrease in cash used in other financing activities. These decreases were partially offset by (1) an $8.0 million increase in purchases of treasury stock; (2) a $5.0 million increase in payment of dividends; and (3) a $1.5 million increase in equity awards redeemed to pay employees’ tax obligations.
Free Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow is defined as net cash provided by operating activities less purchases of property, plant and equipment.
The Company’s management assesses Free Cash Flow as a measure to quantify cash available for (1) strengthening the balance sheet (debt and pension liability reduction), (2) strategic capital allocation and deployment through investments in the business (acquisitions and strategic investments) and (3) returning capital to the shareholders (dividends and share repurchases). The priorities for capital allocation and deployment will change as circumstances dictate for the business, and Free Cash Flow can be significantly impacted by the Company’s restructuring activities and other unusual items.
Free Cash Flow is a non-GAAP financial measure and should not be considered an alternative to cash flows provided by (used in) operating activities as a measure of liquidity. Quad’s calculation of Free Cash Flow may be different from similar calculations used by other companies, and therefore, comparability may be limited.
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Free Cash Flow for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, was as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | |||
| (dollars in millions) | ||||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $ | 95.9 | $ | 112.9 |
| Less: purchases of property, plant and equipment | 45.2 | 57.2 | ||
| Free Cash Flow (non-GAAP) | $ | 50.7 | $ | 55.7 |
Free Cash Flow decreased $5.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2025, compared to the year ended December 31, 2024, primarily due to a $17.0 million decrease in net cash provided by operating activities, partially offset by a $12.0 million decrease in capital expenditures. See the “Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities” section above for further explanations of the change in operating cash flows.
Net Debt Leverage Ratio
The Net Debt Leverage Ratio is defined as total debt and finance lease obligations less cash and cash equivalents (Net Debt) divided by the trailing twelve months Adjusted EBITDA, comprised of the sum of the last twelve months of EBITDA (see the definition of EBITDA and the reconciliation of net earnings (loss) to EBITDA in the “Results of Operations” section above) and restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges, net.
The Company uses the Net Debt Leverage Ratio as a metric to assess liquidity and the flexibility of its balance sheet. Consistent with other liquidity metrics, the Company monitors the Net Debt Leverage Ratio as a measure to determine the appropriate level of debt the Company believes is optimal to operate its business, and accordingly, to quantify debt capacity available for strengthening the balance sheet through debt and pension liability reduction, for strategic capital allocation and deployment through investments in the business, and for returning capital to the shareholders. The priorities for capital allocation and deployment will change as circumstances dictate for the business, and the Net Debt Leverage Ratio can be significantly impacted by the amount and timing of large expenditures requiring debt financing, as well as changes in profitability.
The Net Debt Leverage Ratio is a non-GAAP measure, and should not be considered an alternative to cash flows provided by (used in) operating activities as a measure of liquidity. Quad’s calculation of the Net Debt Leverage Ratio may be different from similar calculations used by other companies and, therefore, comparability may be limited.
The Net Debt Leverage Ratio calculated below differs from the Total Leverage Ratio, the Total Net Leverage Ratio and Senior Secured Leverage Ratio included in the Company’s debt covenant calculations (see “Covenants and Compliance” section below for further information on debt covenants). The Total Leverage Ratio included in the Company’s debt covenants includes interest rate derivative liabilities and letters of credit as debt, and excludes non-cash stock-based compensation expense from EBITDA. The Total Net Leverage Ratio includes and excludes the same adjustments as the Total Leverage Ratio, in addition to netting domestic unrestricted cash with debt. Similarly, the Senior Secured Leverage Ratio includes and excludes the same adjustments as the Total Leverage Ratio, in addition to netting domestic unrestricted cash with debt.
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The Net Debt Leverage Ratio as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, was as follows:
| December 31, 2025 | December 31, 2024 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (dollars in millions) | ||||||
| Total debt and finance lease obligations on the consolidated balance sheets | $ | 371.2 | $ | 379.2 | ||
| Less: Cash and cash equivalents | 63.3 | 29.2 | ||||
| Net Debt (non-GAAP) | $ | 307.9 | $ | 350.0 | ||
| Divided by: Adjusted EBITDA for the year ended (non-GAAP) | $ | 196.2 | $ | 224.0 | ||
| Net Debt Leverage Ratio (non-GAAP) | 1.57 | x | 1.56 | x |
The calculation of Adjusted EBITDA for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, was as follows:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | |||
| (dollars in millions) | ||||
| Net earnings (loss) | $ | 27.0 | $ | (50.9) |
| Interest expense | 50.5 | 64.5 | ||
| Income tax expense | 5.5 | 6.4 | ||
| Depreciation and amortization | 78.6 | 102.5 | ||
| EBITDA (non-GAAP) | $ | 161.6 | $ | 122.5 |
| Restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges, net | 21.8 | 101.5 | ||
| Settlement charge from defined benefit pension plan annuitization | 12.8 | — | ||
| Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) | $ | 196.2 | $ | 224.0 |
The Net Debt Leverage Ratio, at December 31, 2025, increased 0.01x to 1.57x compared to December 31, 2024, primarily due to a $27.8 million decrease in Adjusted EBITDA, partially offset by a $42.1 million decrease in Net Debt. The Net Debt Leverage Ratio, at December 31, 2025, is within management’s desired target Net Debt Leverage Ratio range of 1.50x to 2.00x; however, the Company will operate at times above the Net Debt Leverage Ratio target range depending on the timing of compelling strategic investment opportunities, as well as seasonal working capital needs.
Description of Significant Outstanding Debt Obligations as of December 31, 2025
As of December 31, 2025, the Company utilized a combination of debt instruments to fund cash requirements, including the following:
•Senior Secured Credit Facility:
◦$339.6 million revolving credit facility (no outstanding balance as of December 31, 2025); and
◦$825.0 million Term Loan A ($357.7 million outstanding as of December 31, 2025);
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Senior Secured Credit Facility
On April 28, 2014, the Company entered into its Senior Secured Credit Facility, which included a revolving credit facility, Term Loan A and Term Loan B (Term Loan B was retired in July 2019). The Company completed the seventh amendment to the Senior Secured Credit Facility on January 24, 2023, which transitioned the Company’s reference rate from London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) to Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) effective February 1, 2023. The Company elected the practical expedient outlined in Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2020-04 and ASU 2021-01 which allowed the Company to prospectively adjust the effective interest rate after the reference rate change. The transition from LIBOR to SOFR did not have a material impact on the condensed consolidated financial statements.
The Company completed the eighth amendment to the Senior Secured Credit Facility on January 4, 2024, which added an additional $25.0 million principal value to the Term Loan A (under the Extended Maturity Date, as defined below). On January 31, 2024, the Company used liquidity available under its revolving credit facility and available cash on hand to fund the repayment on maturity of $87.7 million aggregate principal amount, outstanding at the time, of its Term Loan A.
The Company completed the ninth amendment to the Senior Secured Credit Facility (the “Ninth Amendment”) on October 18, 2024. The Senior Secured Credit Facility was amended to: (1) reduce the aggregate amount of the existing revolving credit facility from $342.5 million to $324.6 million, and extend the maturity of a portion of the revolving credit facility such that $17.7 million of borrowing capacity under the revolving credit facility would be available until the existing maturity date of November 2, 2026 (the “Existing Maturity Date”) and $306.9 million under the revolving credit facility would be available until October 18, 2029 (the “Extended Maturity Date); (2) extend the maturity of a portion of the existing Term Loan A such that $8.7 million of such term loan facility will be due on the Existing Maturity Date and $193.2 million will be due on the Extended Maturity Date; (3) make certain adjustments to pricing, including an increase of 0.50% to the interest rate margin applicable to the loans maturing on the Extended Maturity Date; and (4) modify certain financial and operational covenants retroactive to September 30, 2024, including the Senior Secured Leverage Ratio (net indebtedness to consolidated EBITDA) shall not exceed 3.00 to 1.00 for any fiscal quarter ending on or after September 30, 2024, as well as the Total Leverage Ratio (consolidated total indebtedness to consolidated EBITDA) shall not exceed 3.50 to 1.00 for any fiscal quarter ending on or after September 30, 2024.
The Company completed the tenth amendment to its Senior Secured Credit Facility on August 20, 2025, which increased the Term Loan A aggregate outstanding principal by $20.0 million to $370.7 million, and increased its revolving credit availability by $15.0 million to $339.6 million. As of December 31, 2025, the Term Loan A aggregate outstanding principal was reduced to $357.7 million from a $13.0 million repayment on maturity.
Borrowings under the revolving credit facility and Term Loan A made under the Senior Secured Credit Facility bear interest at 3.00% in excess of reserve adjusted SOFR, or 2.00% in excess of an alternate base rate with a SOFR floor of 0.75% for the tranche available through the Extended Maturity Date and bear interest at 2.50% in excess of reserve adjusted SOFR, or 1.50% in excess of an alternate base rate with a SOFR floor of 0.75% for the tranche available through the Existing Maturity Date.
At December 31, 2025, the Company had no outstanding borrowings on the revolving credit facility, and had $23.9 million of issued letters of credit, leaving up to $315.7 million of unused capacity. Total liquidity is reduced to $299.4 million under the Company’s most restrictive debt covenants. The Senior Secured Credit Facility is secured by substantially all of the unencumbered assets of the Company. The Senior Secured Credit Facility also requires the Company to provide additional collateral to the lenders in certain limited circumstances.
Master Note and Security Agreement
On September 1, 1995, and as last amended on November 24, 2014, the Company entered into its Master Note and Security Agreement. On November 25, 2024, the Company used liquidity available under its revolving credit facility and available cash on hand to fund the repayment of the total outstanding aggregate principal balance of $1.5 million, thus terminating the Master Note and Security Agreement.
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Covenants and Compliance
The Company’s various lending arrangements include certain financial covenants (all financial terms, numbers and ratios are as defined in the Company’s debt agreements). Among these covenants, the Company was required to maintain the following as of December 31, 2025:
•Total Leverage Ratio. On a rolling twelve-month basis, the Total Leverage Ratio, defined as consolidated total indebtedness to consolidated EBITDA, shall not exceed 3.50 to 1.00 (for the twelve months ended December 31, 2025, the Company’s Total Leverage Ratio was 1.84 to 1.00).
•If there is any amount outstanding on the revolving credit facility or Term Loan A, or if any lender has any revolving credit exposure or Term Loan A credit exposure, the Company is required to maintain the following:
◦Senior Secured Leverage Ratio. On a rolling four-quarter basis, the Senior Secured Leverage Ratio, defined as the ratio of consolidated senior secured net indebtedness to consolidated EBITDA, shall not exceed 3.00 to 1.00 for any fiscal quarter ending on or after September 30, 2024 (for the twelve months ended December 31, 2025, the Company’s Senior Secured Leverage Ratio was 1.55 to 1.00).
◦Interest Coverage Ratio. On a rolling twelve-month basis, the Interest Coverage Ratio, defined as consolidated EBITDA to cash consolidated interest expense, shall not be less than 3.00 to 1.00 (for the twelve months ended December 31, 2025, the Company’s Interest Coverage Ratio was 4.75 to 1.00).
The Company was in compliance with all financial covenants in its debt agreements as of December 31, 2025. While the Company currently expects to be in compliance in future periods with all of the financial covenants, there can be no assurance that these covenants will continue to be met. The Company’s failure to maintain compliance with the covenants could prevent the Company from borrowing additional amounts and could result in a default under any of the debt agreements. Such default could cause the outstanding indebtedness to become immediately due and payable, by virtue of cross-acceleration or cross-default provisions.
In addition to those covenants, the Senior Secured Credit Facility also includes certain limitations on acquisitions, indebtedness, liens, dividends and repurchases of capital stock.
•If the Company’s Total Leverage Ratio is greater than 2.75 to 1.00, the Company is prohibited from making greater than $60.0 million of dividend payments, capital stock repurchases and certain other payments, over the course of the agreement. If the Company’s Total Leverage Ratio is above 2.50 to 1.00 but below 2.75 to 1.00, the Company is prohibited from making greater than $100.0 million of dividend payments, capital stock repurchases and certain other payments, over the course of the agreement. If the Total Leverage Ratio is less than 2.50 to 1.00, there are no such restrictions. As the Company’s Total Leverage Ratio as of December 31, 2025, was 1.84 to 1.00, the limitations described above are not currently applicable.
•If the Company’s Senior Secured Leverage Ratio is greater than 3.00 to 1.00 or the Company’s Total Net Leverage Ratio which, on a rolling twelve-month basis, is defined as consolidated net indebtedness to consolidated EBITDA, is greater than 3.50 to 1.00, the Company is prohibited from voluntarily prepaying any unsecured or subordinated indebtedness, with certain exceptions (including any mandatory prepayments on any unsecured or subordinated debt). If the Senior Secured Leverage Ratio is less than 3.00 to 1.00 and the Total Net Leverage Ratio is less than 3.50 to 1.00, there are no such restrictions. The limitations described above are not currently applicable, as the Company’s Senior Secured Leverage Ratio was 1.55 to 1.00 and Total Net Leverage Ratio was 1.55 to 1.00, as of December 31, 2025.
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Net Pension Obligations
During 2025, the Company entered into a group annuity contract with Fidelity & Guaranty Life Insurance Company and Fidelity & Guaranty Life Insurance Company of New York (collectively “F&G”) to de-risk the defined benefit pension plan by transferring a portion of its defined benefit obligations. As a result, we settled $98.1 million of projected benefit obligations with $96.8 million in distributions from plan assets, primarily due to the annuitization with F&G. In connection with this settlement, the Company recognized a non-cash settlement charge from the annuitization of $12.8 million in accordance with ASC 715 — Compensation — Retirement Benefits.
The net underfunded pension and MEPPs obligations decreased by $13.7 million during the year ended December 31, 2025, from $55.6 million at December 31, 2024, to $41.9 million at December 31, 2025. This decrease was primarily due to a $11.5 million decrease in the underfunded defined benefit plan obligations during the year ended December 31, 2025. This $11.5 million decrease in the underfunded status was primarily due to a decrease in overall pension obligations of $110.4 million from a $98.1 million reduction in benefit obligations from the pension plan settlement, $25.5 million in benefits paid and $1.6 million from an actuarial gain, offset by a $14.8 million increase in interest cost due to a 39 basis point decrease in the pension discount rate from 5.55% at December 31, 2024, to 5.16% at December 31, 2025. The decrease in pension obligations was partially offset by an overall decrease of $98.9 million in pension plan assets from the $96.8 million asset distribution for the pension plan settlement, and $25.5 million in benefits paid, offset by an actual gain on pension plan assets of $23.1 million, or 9.84%, during the year ended December 31, 2025, which was above the expected long-term return on plan assets assumption of 5.75%, and employer contributions of $0.3 million. There was a $2.2 million decrease in MEPPs obligations, primarily due to payments totaling $3.9 million made to the MEPPs during the year ended December 31, 2025.
The Company continues to focus on reducing pension obligations through cash contributions to the plans, lump-sum settlements and plan design changes.
Share Repurchase Program
On July 30, 2018, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized a share repurchase program of up to $100.0 million of the Company’s outstanding class A common stock. Under the authorization, share repurchases may be made at the Company’s discretion, from time to time, in the open market and/or in privately negotiated transactions as permitted by federal securities laws and other legal requirements. The timing, manner, price and amount of any repurchase will depend on economic and market conditions, share price, trading volume, applicable legal requirements and other factors. The program may be suspended or discontinued at any time. There were no share repurchases during the year ended December 31, 2024. The following repurchases occurred during the year ended December 31, 2025:
| December 31, 2025 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Shares of Class A common stock | 1,485,803 | |
| Weighted average price per share | $ | 5.40 |
| Total repurchases during the period (in millions) | $ | 8.0 |
As of December 31, 2025, there were $69.5 million of authorized repurchases remaining under the program.
Risk Management
For a discussion of the Company’s exposure to market risks and management of those market risks, see Item 7A, “Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk,” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
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Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
The Company’s consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with GAAP. The Company’s most critical accounting policies are those that are most important to the portrayal of its financial condition and results of operations, and which require the Company to make its most difficult and subjective estimates. Management is required to make judgments and estimates that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. The Company bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. The Company’s management believes that such judgments and estimates are made with consistent and appropriate methods based on information available at the time, and that any reasonable deviation from those judgments and estimates would not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial position or results of operations. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. To the extent that the estimates used differ from actual results, adjustments to the consolidated statements of operations and corresponding consolidated balance sheets would be necessary. These adjustments would be made in future statements.
The Company has identified the following as its critical accounting policies and estimates.
Revenue Recognition
Performance Obligations
At contract inception, the Company assesses the products and services promised in its contracts with customers and identifies performance obligations for each promise to transfer to the customer a product or service that is distinct. To identify the performance obligations, the Company considers the goods or services promised in the contract regardless of whether they are explicitly stated or are implied by customary business practices. The Company determined that the following distinct products and services represent separate performance obligations:
•Pre-Press Services
•Other Services
For Pre-Press and Other Services, the Company recognizes revenue at a point-in-time upon completion of the performed service and acceptance by the customer. The Company considers transfer of control to occur once the service is performed as the Company has right to payment and the customer has legal title and risk and reward of ownership.
The Company recognizes its Print revenues upon transfer of title and the passage of risk of loss, which is point-in-time upon shipment, and when there is a reasonable assurance as to collectability. Revenues related to the Company’s logistics operations, which includes the delivery of printed material, are included in the Print performance obligation and are also recognized at point-in-time as services are completed. Revenues related to the Company’s imaging operations, which include digital content management, photography, color services and page production, are recognized in accordance with the terms of the contract, typically upon completion of the performed service and acceptance by the customer. Under agreements with certain customers, products may be stored by the Company for future delivery and revenue is recognized upon shipment to the customer. In these situations, the Company may receive warehouse management fees for the services it provides.
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Certain revenues earned by the Company require judgment to determine if revenue should be recorded gross as principal or net of related costs as an agent. Billings for third-party shipping and handling costs, primarily in the Company’s logistics operations, and out-of-pocket expenses are recorded gross in net sales and cost of sales in the consolidated statements of operations in Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data,” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Many of the Company’s operations process materials, primarily paper, that may be supplied directly by customers or may be purchased by the Company and sold to customers. No revenue is recognized for customer-supplied paper. Revenues for the Company-supplied paper are recognized on a gross basis. In some instances, the Company will deliver print work for a customer and bill the customer for postage. In these cases, the Company is acting as an agent and billings are recorded on a net basis in net sales.
Significant Payment Terms
Payment terms and conditions for contracts with customers vary. The Company typically offers standard terms of net 30 days. It is not the Company’s standard business practice to offer extended payment terms longer than one year. The Company may offer cash discounts or prepayment and extended terms depending on certain facts and circumstances. As such, when the timing of the Company’s delivery of products and services differs from the timing of payment, the Company will record either a contract asset or a contract liability.
Variable Consideration
When evaluating the transaction price, the Company analyzes on a contract by contract basis all applicable variable considerations and non-cash consideration and also performs a constraint analysis. The nature of the Company’s contracts give rise to variable consideration, including, volume rebates, credits, discounts, and other similar items that generally decrease the transaction price. These variable amounts generally are credited to the customer, based on achieving certain levels of sales activity, when contracts are signed, or making payments within specific terms.
Product returns are not significant because the products are customized; however, the Company accrues for the estimated amount of customer allowances at the time of sale based on historical experience and known trends.
When the transaction price requires allocation to multiple performance obligations, the Company uses the estimated stand-alone selling prices using the adjusted market assessment approach.
Impairment of Property, Plant and Equipment, Right-of-Use Assets and Finite-lived Intangible Assets
The Company performs impairment evaluations of its long-lived assets whenever business conditions, events or circumstances indicate that those assets may be impaired, including whether the estimated useful life of such long-lived assets may warrant revision or whether the remaining balance of an asset may not be recoverable. The Company’s most significant long-lived assets are property, plant and equipment, right-of-use assets and customer relationship intangible assets recorded in conjunction with an acquisition. Assessing the impairment of long-lived assets requires the Company to make important estimates and assumptions, including, but not limited to, the expected future cash flows that the assets will generate, how the assets will be used based on the strategic direction of the Company, their remaining useful life and their residual value, if any. Considerable judgment is also applied in incorporating the potential impact of the current economic climate on customer demand and selling prices, the cost of production and the limited activity on secondary markets for the assets and on the cost of capital. When the estimated future undiscounted cash flows to be generated by the assets are less than the carrying value of the long-lived assets, the assets are written down to fair value and a charge is recorded to current operations. The Company uses internal discounted cash flow estimates, quoted market prices when available and independent appraisals, as appropriate, to determine fair value. This fair value determination was categorized as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy (see Note 13, “Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measurements,” to the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data,” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the definition of Level 3 inputs).
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The Company classifies long-lived assets to be sold as held for sale in the period in which: (i) there is an approved plan to sell the asset and the Company is committed to that plan, (ii) the asset is available for immediate sale in its present condition, (iii) an active program to locate a buyer and other actions required to sell the asset have been initiated, (iv) the sale of the asset is probable, (v) the asset is being actively marketed for sale at a price that is reasonable in relation to its current fair value, and (vi) it is unlikely that significant changes to the plan will be made or that the plan will be withdrawn. Assets held for sale are initially measured at the lower of the carrying value or the fair value less cost to sell. Losses resulting from this measurement are recognized in the period in which the held for sale criteria are met while gains are not recognized until the date of sale. Once designated as held for sale, the Company stops recording depreciation expense on the property, plant and equipment. The fair value less cost to sell of long-lived assets held for sale is assessed at each reporting period until it no longer meets this classification.
Based on the assessments completed during the years ended December 31, 2025, and 2024, the Company recognized property, plant and equipment and operating lease right-of-use assets impairment charges of $7.5 million and $33.3 million, respectively, primarily related to the reduction of the carrying value of the majority of the European operations to fair value due to the held for sale determination in 2024, facility consolidations and other capacity reduction. There were no finite-lived intangible asset impairment charges recorded during the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024.
The Company continues to monitor groups of assets to identify any new events or changes in circumstances that could indicate that their carrying values are not recoverable, particularly in light of potential declines in profitability that may result from the highly competitive industry landscape and continued uncertainty in the global economy. In the event that there are significant and unanticipated changes in circumstances, such as significant adverse changes in business climate, adverse actions by regulators, unanticipated competition, loss of key customers and/or changes in technology or markets, or that actual results differ from management’s estimates, a provision for impairment could be required in a future period.
Workers’ Compensation
The Company is self-insured for a significant portion of its expected workers’ compensation program. Insurance is purchased for individual workers’ compensation claims that exceed $0.8 million. The Company establishes reserves for unresolved claims and for an estimate of incurred but not reported (“IBNR”) claims. These reserves and estimates of IBNR claims are based upon an actuarial study, which is performed annually as of October 31st and is adjusted by the actuarially determined losses and actual claims payments for November and December. The Company also monitors actual claim developments, including incurrence or settlement of individual large claims during the interim periods between actuarial studies as another means of estimating the adequacy of the reserves. As of December 31, 2025, the Company has net reserves for workers’ compensation of $21.9 million, of which $5.3 million was recorded in other current liabilities and $24.6 million was recorded in other long-term liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets (see Note 8, “Other Current and Long-Term Liabilities”). These reserves are net of $8.0 million recorded in other long-term assets in the consolidated balance sheets for claims covered by purchased insurance.
New Accounting Pronouncements
See Note 23, “New Accounting Pronouncements,” to the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data,” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
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Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
The Company is exposed to a variety of market risks which may adversely impact the Company’s results of operations and financial condition, including changes in interest and foreign currency exchange rates, changes in the economic environment that would impact credit positions and changes in the prices of certain commodities. The Company’s management takes an active role in the risk management process and has developed policies and procedures that require specific administrative and business functions to assist in the identification, assessment and control of various risks. These risk management strategies may not fully insulate the Company from adverse impacts due to market risks.
Interest Rate Risk
The Company is exposed to interest rate risk on variable rate debt obligations and price risk on fixed rate debt and finance leases. The variable rate debt outstanding at December 31, 2025, was primarily comprised of $357.7 million outstanding on the Term Loan A. As of December 31, 2025, there was no outstanding balance on the revolving credit facility. In order to reduce the variability of cash flows from interest payments related to a portion of Quad’s variable-rate debt, the Company has four interest rate swaps totaling $130.0 million and a $75.0 million interest rate collar, and has, therefore, classified $205.0 million of the Company’s variable rate debt as fixed rate debt. Including the impact of the $205.0 million interest rate hedges of variable rate to fixed rate debt, Quad had variable rate debt outstanding of $156.9 million at a current weighted average interest rate of 7.1% and fixed rate debt and finance leases outstanding of $214.3 million at a current weighted average interest rate of 6.9% as of December 31, 2025. A hypothetical 10% increase in the market interest rates impacting the Company’s current weighted average interest rate on variable rate debt obligations would change the fair value of floating rate debt at December 31, 2025 by approximately $1.2 million. In addition, a hypothetical 10% change in market interest rates would change the fair value of fixed rate debt at December 31, 2025 by approximately $0.1 million.
Foreign Currency Risk and Translation Exposure
The Company is exposed to the impact of foreign currency fluctuations in certain countries in which it operates. The exposure to foreign currency movements is limited in most countries because the operating revenues and expenses of its various subsidiaries and business units are substantially in the local currency of the country in which they operate. To the extent revenues and expenses are not in the applicable local currency, the Company may enter into foreign exchange forward contracts to hedge the currency risk.
Although operating in local currencies may limit the impact of currency rate fluctuations on the results of operations of the Company’s non-United States subsidiaries and business units, rate fluctuations may impact the consolidated financial position as the assets and liabilities of its foreign operations are translated into U.S. dollars in preparing the Company’s consolidated balance sheets. As of December 31, 2025, the Company’s foreign subsidiaries had net current assets (defined as current assets less current liabilities) subject to foreign currency translation risk of $82.0 million. The potential decrease in net current assets as of December 31, 2025, from a hypothetical 10% adverse change in quoted foreign currency exchange rates would be approximately $8.2 million. This sensitivity analysis assumes a parallel shift in all major foreign currency exchange rates versus the U.S. dollar. Exchange rates rarely move in the same direction relative to the U.S. dollar due to positive and negative correlations of the various global currencies. This assumption may overstate or understate the impact of changing exchange rates on individual assets and liabilities denominated in a foreign currency. The Company’s hedging operations have historically not been material; however, to minimize the impact of foreign currency movements on the note receivable related to the sale of the European operations, the Company entered into foreign currency exchange contracts designated as cash flow hedges during the year ended December 31, 2025.
Foreign currency gains or losses from these international operations have not been material to the Company’s results of operations, financial position or cash flows. The Company does not use derivative financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes.
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These international operations are subject to risks typical of international operations, including, but not limited to, differing economic conditions, changes in political climate, potential restrictions on the movement of funds, differing tax structures, and other regulations and restrictions. Accordingly, future results could be adversely impacted by changes in these or other factors.
Credit Risk
Credit risk is the possibility of loss from a client’s failure to make payments according to contract terms. Prior to granting credit, each client is evaluated in an underwriting process, taking into consideration the prospective client’s financial condition, past payment experience, credit bureau information and other financial and qualitative factors that may affect the client’s ability to pay. Specific credit reviews and standard industry credit scoring models are used in performing this evaluation. Clients’ financial condition is continuously monitored as part of the normal course of business. Some of the Company’s clients are highly leveraged or otherwise subject to their own operating and regulatory risks. Based on those client account reviews and the continued uncertainty of the global economy, the Company has established an allowance for credit losses of $20.9 million as of December 31, 2025.
The Company has a large, diverse client base and does not have a high degree of concentration with any single client account. During the year ended December 31, 2025, the Company’s largest client accounted for less than 5% of the Company’s net sales. Even if the Company’s credit review and analysis mechanisms work properly, the Company may experience financial losses in its dealings with clients and other parties. Any increase in nonpayment or nonperformance by clients could adversely impact the Company’s results of operations and financial condition. Economic disruptions could result in significant future charges.
Commodity Risk
The primary raw materials that the Company uses in its print business are paper, ink and energy. At this time, the Company’s supply of raw materials are available from numerous vendors. The Company generally buys these raw materials based upon market prices that are established with the vendor as part of the procurement process. The price of such raw materials has fluctuated over time and has caused fluctuations in the Company’s net sales and cost of sales. This volatility may continue and the Company may experience increases in the costs of its raw materials in the future as prices in the overall paper, ink and energy markets are expected to remain beyond its control. The price and availability of paper may also be adversely affected by paper mills’ permanent or temporary closures; paper mills’ access to raw materials, conversion to produce other types of paper, and ability to transport paper produced; and tariffs and trade restrictions.
Approximately half of the paper used by the Company is supplied directly by its clients. For those clients that do not directly supply their own paper, the Company makes use of its purchasing efficiencies to supply paper by negotiating with leading paper vendors, uses a wide variety of paper grades, weights and sizes, and does not rely on any one vendor. In addition, the Company generally includes price adjustment clauses in sales contracts for paper and other critical raw materials in the printing process. Although these clauses generally mitigate paper price risk, higher paper prices and tight paper supplies, as well as changes in the United States import or trade regulations may have an impact on client demand for printed products. The Company’s working capital requirements, including the impact of seasonality, are partially mitigated through the direct purchasing of paper by its clients.
The Company produces the majority of ink used in its print production, allowing it to control the quality, cost and supply of key inputs. Raw materials for the ink manufacturing process are purchased externally from a variety of vendors. The price and availability of ink and ink components may be adversely affected by the availability of component raw materials, labor and transportation, as well as by tariffs and trade restrictions.
The Company may not be able to fully pass on to clients the impact of higher electric and natural gas energy prices on its manufacturing costs, and increases in energy prices result in higher manufacturing costs for certain of its operations. The Company mitigates its risk through natural gas hedges when appropriate. In its logistics operations, however, the Company is able to pass a substantial portion of any increase in fuel prices directly to its clients.
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To the extent the cost of other raw materials increase and the Company is not able to increase selling prices of its products, then the Company may experience margin declines.
Management believes a hypothetical 10% change in the price of paper and other raw materials would not have a significant direct impact on the Company’s consolidated annual results of operations or cash flows; however, significant increases in commodity pricing or tight supply could influence future client demand for printed products.
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Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Shareholders and the Board of Directors of Quad/Graphics, Inc.
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Quad/Graphics, Inc. (the Company) as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income (loss), shareholders’ equity and cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2025, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company at December 31, 2025 and 2024, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2025, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2025, based on criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework), and our report dated February 18, 2026 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Critical Audit Matter
The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of the critical audit matter does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.
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Measurement of accrued liabilities for workers’ compensation claims
| Description of the Matter | At December 31, 2025, the Company’s consolidated accrued liabilities for workers’ compensation claims were $29.9 million and included within other current and long-term liabilities. As discussed in Note 1, the Company establishes accrued liabilities for workers’ compensation claims reported plus an estimate for loss development and potential claims that have been incurred but not reported (IBNR) to the Company or its insurance provider. The IBNR calculation utilizes a variety of assumptions, including but not limited to selected loss development factors, loss trend rates, increased limit factors and loss rates. The accrued liabilities for workers’ claims are based upon an actuarial analysis performed annually by actuarial specialists as of October 31 and are adjusted by the actuarially determined losses and actual claims payments to update through year end.<br><br><br><br>Auditing management’s estimate of the IBNR was especially challenging due to the complexity of the actuarial analysis. |
|---|---|
| How We Addressed the Matter in Our Audit | We obtained an understanding, evaluated the design, and tested the operating effectiveness of controls over the measurement of accrued liabilities for workers’ compensation claims process, which included, among others, management’s review of the actuarial analysis and related year-end update, management’s validation of data inputs as well as their review of assumptions used in the analysis. <br><br>To test the measurement of accrued liabilities for workers’ compensation claims, we performed audit procedures that included, among others, testing historical data and significant assumptions discussed above, as well as testing the completeness and accuracy of the underlying data used by the Company in its analysis. We also involved our actuarial professionals with specialized skills and knowledge, who assisted in: (1) assessing the actuarial models and procedures used by the Company by comparing them to generally accepted actuarial methods and procedures to estimate the ultimate losses, (2) evaluating the Company’s key assumptions underlying the Company’s estimate by developing an independent range of the IBNR and comparing it against the Company’s recorded amount and (3) evaluating the qualifications of the external actuarial specialists. |
/s/ Ernst & Young LLP
We have served as the Company's auditor since 2022.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
February 18, 2026
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REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
To the Shareholders and the Board of Directors of Quad/Graphics, Inc.
Opinion on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
We have audited Quad/Graphics, Inc.’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2025, based on criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (2013 framework) (the COSO criteria). In our opinion, Quad/Graphics, Inc. (the Company) maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2025, based on the COSO criteria.
We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), the consolidated balance sheets of the Company as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income (loss), shareholders’ equity and cash flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2025, and the related notes and our report dated February 18, 2026 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.
Basis for Opinion
The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting included in the accompanying Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.
Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Definition and Limitations of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
/s/ Ernst & Young LLP
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
February 18, 2026
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(in millions, except per share data)
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | |||
| Net sales | ||||
| Products | $ | 1,891.3 | $ | 2,099.2 |
| Services | 528.6 | 573.0 | ||
| Total net sales | 2,419.9 | 2,672.2 | ||
| Cost of sales | ||||
| Products | 1,563.7 | 1,736.4 | ||
| Services | 332.9 | 355.8 | ||
| Total cost of sales | 1,896.6 | 2,092.2 | ||
| Operating expenses | ||||
| Selling, general and administrative expenses | 325.9 | 356.8 | ||
| Depreciation and amortization | 78.6 | 102.5 | ||
| Restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges, net | 21.8 | 101.5 | ||
| Total operating expenses | 2,322.9 | 2,653.0 | ||
| Operating income | 97.0 | 19.2 | ||
| Interest expense | 50.5 | 64.5 | ||
| Net pension expense (income) | 14.0 | (0.8) | ||
| Earnings (loss) before income taxes | 32.5 | (44.5) | ||
| Income tax expense | 5.5 | 6.4 | ||
| Net earnings (loss) | $ | 27.0 | $ | (50.9) |
| Earnings (loss) per share | ||||
| Basic | $ | 0.57 | $ | (1.07) |
| Diluted | $ | 0.54 | $ | (1.07) |
| Weighted average number of common shares outstanding | ||||
| Basic | 47.6 | 47.6 | ||
| Diluted | 49.9 | 47.6 |
See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)
(in millions)
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | |||
| Net earnings (loss) | $ | 27.0 | $ | (50.9) |
| Other comprehensive income (loss) | ||||
| Translation adjustments | ||||
| Foreign currency translation adjustments | 52.5 | (18.3) | ||
| Translation of long-term loans to foreign subsidiaries | (2.1) | 2.8 | ||
| Total translation adjustments | 50.4 | (15.5) | ||
| Interest rate derivative adjustments | (0.4) | 0.1 | ||
| Pension benefit plan adjustments | ||||
| Net gain arising from pension benefit plans during period | 12.5 | 2.3 | ||
| Settlement charge from defined benefit plan annuitization included in net earnings | 12.8 | — | ||
| Total pension benefit plan adjustments | 25.3 | 2.3 | ||
| Other comprehensive income (loss), before tax | 75.3 | (13.1) | ||
| Income tax impact related to items of other comprehensive income (loss) | (3.6) | (0.5) | ||
| Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax | 71.7 | (13.6) | ||
| Total comprehensive income (loss) | $ | 98.7 | $ | (64.5) |
See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(in millions, except per share data)
| December 31,<br>2025 | December 31,<br>2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ASSETS | ||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 63.3 | $ | 29.2 |
| Receivables, less allowances for credit losses of $20.9 million at December 31, 2025, and $21.5 million at December 31, 2024 | 294.8 | 273.2 | ||
| Inventories | 143.5 | 162.4 | ||
| Prepaid expenses and other current assets | 36.8 | 69.5 | ||
| Total current assets | 538.4 | 534.3 | ||
| Property, plant and equipment—net | 461.6 | 499.7 | ||
| Operating lease right-of-use assets—net | 68.0 | 78.9 | ||
| Goodwill | 107.6 | 100.3 | ||
| Other intangible assets—net | 13.7 | 7.2 | ||
| Other long-term assets | 63.6 | 78.6 | ||
| Total assets | $ | 1,252.9 | $ | 1,299.0 |
| LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY | ||||
| Accounts payable | $ | 342.0 | $ | 356.7 |
| Other current liabilities | 211.7 | 289.2 | ||
| Short-term debt and current portion of long-term debt | 47.0 | 28.0 | ||
| Current portion of finance lease obligations | 0.5 | 0.8 | ||
| Current portion of operating lease obligations | 23.0 | 24.0 | ||
| Total current liabilities | 624.2 | 698.7 | ||
| Long-term debt | 322.9 | 349.1 | ||
| Finance lease obligations | 0.8 | 1.3 | ||
| Operating lease obligations | 49.8 | 61.4 | ||
| Deferred income taxes | 4.0 | 3.2 | ||
| Other long-term liabilities | 122.6 | 135.4 | ||
| Total liabilities | 1,124.3 | 1,249.1 | ||
| Commitments and contingencies (Note 9) | ||||
| Shareholders’ equity (Note 17) | ||||
| Preferred stock, $0.01 par value; Authorized: 0.5 million shares; Issued: None | — | — | ||
| Common stock, Class A, $0.025 par value; Authorized: 105.0 million shares; Issued: 42.5 million shares at December 31, 2025 and 2024 | 1.0 | 1.0 | ||
| Common stock, Class B, $0.025 par value; Authorized: 80.0 million shares; Issued: 13.3 million shares at December 31, 2025 and 2024 | 0.4 | 0.4 | ||
| Common stock, Class C, $0.025 par value; Authorized: 20.0 million shares; Issued: 0.5 million shares at December 31, 2025 and 2024 | — | — | ||
| Additional paid-in capital | 846.2 | 842.8 | ||
| Treasury stock, at cost, 5.4 million shares at December 31, 2025, and 4.2 million shares at December 31, 2024 | (36.3) | (28.0) | ||
| Accumulated deficit | (623.2) | (635.1) | ||
| Accumulated other comprehensive loss | (59.5) | (131.2) | ||
| Total shareholders’ equity | 128.6 | 49.9 | ||
| Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity | $ | 1,252.9 | $ | 1,299.0 |
See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(in millions)
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | |||
| OPERATING ACTIVITIES | ||||
| Net earnings (loss) | $ | 27.0 | $ | (50.9) |
| Adjustments to reconcile net earnings (loss) to net cash provided by operating activities: | ||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 78.6 | 102.5 | ||
| Impairment charges | 7.5 | 74.9 | ||
| Settlement charge from defined benefit pension plan annuitization | 12.8 | — | ||
| Amortization of debt issuance costs and original issue discount | 1.6 | 1.6 | ||
| Stock-based compensation | 6.6 | 7.3 | ||
| Gain on the sale of an investment | — | (4.1) | ||
| Gains on the sale or disposal of property, plant and equipment, net | (20.7) | (22.5) | ||
| Loss on the sale of a business | 0.5 | — | ||
| Deferred income taxes | 0.6 | (2.0) | ||
| Changes in operating assets and liabilities—net of acquisitions and divestitures: | ||||
| Receivables | (4.0) | 14.8 | ||
| Inventories | 24.0 | 2.4 | ||
| Prepaid expenses and other current assets | 15.2 | 13.9 | ||
| Accounts payable and other current liabilities | (31.1) | 7.2 | ||
| Other | (22.7) | (32.2) | ||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | 95.9 | 112.9 | ||
| INVESTING ACTIVITIES | ||||
| Purchases of property, plant and equipment | (45.2) | (57.2) | ||
| Cost investment in unconsolidated entities | (0.3) | (0.2) | ||
| Proceeds from the sale of property, plant and equipment | 36.8 | 49.1 | ||
| Proceeds from the sale of an investment | — | 22.2 | ||
| Acquisition of a business | (16.3) | — | ||
| Other investing activities | (2.7) | (1.2) | ||
| Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities | (27.7) | 12.7 | ||
| FINANCING ACTIVITIES | ||||
| Payments of current and long-term debt | (28.6) | (183.7) | ||
| Payments of finance lease obligations | (1.0) | (2.7) | ||
| Borrowings on revolving credit facilities | 1,260.0 | 1,458.1 | ||
| Payments on revolving credit facilities | (1,260.4) | (1,457.8) | ||
| Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt | 20.0 | 53.1 | ||
| Payments of debt issuance costs and financing fees | (0.1) | (4.4) | ||
| Purchases of treasury stock | (8.0) | — | ||
| Equity awards redeemed to pay employees’ tax obligations | (3.6) | (2.1) | ||
| Payment of cash dividends | (14.4) | (9.4) | ||
| Other financing activities | — | (0.2) | ||
| Net cash used in financing activities | (36.1) | (149.1) | ||
| Effect of exchange rates on cash and cash equivalents | 0.3 | (0.2) | ||
| Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents, including cash classified as held for sale | 32.4 | (23.7) | ||
| Less: net decrease in cash classified as held for sale | (1.7) | — | ||
| Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents | 34.1 | (23.7) | ||
| Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year | 29.2 | 52.9 | ||
| Cash and cash equivalents at end of year | $ | 63.3 | $ | 29.2 |
See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
(in millions)
| Common Stock | Additional<br>Paid-in<br>Capital | Treasury Stock | Accumulated<br>Deficit | Accumulated<br>Other<br>Comprehensive<br>Loss | Quad’s Shareholders’<br>Equity | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shares | Amount | Shares | Amount | |||||||||||||
| Balance at January 1, 2024 | 56.6 | $ | 1.4 | $ | 842.7 | (5.6) | $ | (33.1) | $ | (573.9) | $ | (117.6) | $ | 119.5 | ||
| Net loss | — | — | — | — | — | (50.9) | — | (50.9) | ||||||||
| Foreign currency translation adjustments | — | — | — | — | — | — | (15.5) | (15.5) | ||||||||
| Pension benefit plan liability adjustments, net of $0.5 million tax benefit | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1.8 | 1.8 | ||||||||
| Interest rate derivatives adjustments, net of tax | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0.1 | 0.1 | ||||||||
| Cash dividends declared ($0.20 per share) | — | — | — | — | — | (10.3) | — | (10.3) | ||||||||
| Stock-based compensation | — | — | 7.3 | — | — | — | — | 7.3 | ||||||||
| Conversion of class B shares | (0.3) | — | (1.3) | 0.3 | 1.3 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| Issuance of share-based awards, net of other activity | — | — | (5.9) | 1.4 | 5.9 | — | — | — | ||||||||
| Equity awards redeemed to pay employees’ tax obligations | — | — | — | (0.3) | (2.1) | — | — | (2.1) | ||||||||
| Balance at December 31, 2024 | 56.3 | $ | 1.4 | $ | 842.8 | (4.2) | $ | (28.0) | $ | (635.1) | $ | (131.2) | $ | 49.9 | ||
| Net earnings | — | — | — | — | — | 27.0 | — | 27.0 | ||||||||
| Foreign currency translation adjustments | — | — | — | — | — | — | 50.4 | 50.4 | ||||||||
| Pension benefit plan liability adjustments, net of $3.6 million tax benefit | — | — | — | — | — | — | 21.7 | 21.7 | ||||||||
| Interest rate derivatives adjustments, net of tax | — | — | — | — | — | — | (0.4) | (0.4) | ||||||||
| Cash dividends declared ($0.30 per share) | — | — | — | — | — | (15.1) | — | (15.1) | ||||||||
| Stock-based compensation | — | — | 6.6 | — | — | — | — | 6.6 | ||||||||
| Purchases of treasury stock | — | — | — | (1.5) | (8.0) | — | — | (8.0) | ||||||||
| Issuance of share-based awards, net of other activity | — | — | (3.2) | 0.8 | 3.3 | — | — | 0.1 | ||||||||
| Equity awards redeemed to pay employees’ tax obligations | — | — | — | (0.5) | (3.6) | — | — | (3.6) | ||||||||
| Balance at December 31, 2025 | 56.3 | $ | 1.4 | $ | 846.2 | (5.4) | $ | (36.3) | $ | (623.2) | $ | (59.5) | $ | 128.6 |
See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
Note 1. Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Nature of Operations—Quad is a marketing experience (MX) company that simplifies the complexities of marketing, removing friction from wherever it occurs along the marketing journey. Its results-driven approach enables stronger marketing operations that lead to real, repeatable success for clients. The Company does this through its MX Solutions Suite, which is flexible, scalable and connected. Quad tailors its solutions to each client’s objectives, driving cost efficiencies, improving speed to market, strengthening marketing effectiveness and delivering value on investments. The Company supports a diverse base of clients, including industry-leading blue-chip companies that serve both businesses and consumers across multiple industry verticals, with a particular focus on commerce, including retail, consumer packaged goods and direct-to-consumer; financial services; and health.
Principles of Consolidation and Basis of Presentation—The accompanying consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company and its wholly-owned and majority-owned controlled subsidiaries and have been prepared in accordance with GAAP. The results of operations and accounts of businesses acquired are included in the consolidated financial statements from the dates of acquisition. For businesses divestitures, the results of operations are included in the consolidated financial statements until the date of disposition.
Investments in entities where the Company does not exert significant influence or control and has an ownership interest of less than 20% are accounted for using the cost method of accounting. Intercompany transactions and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.
Foreign Operations—Assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies are translated into United States dollars at the exchange rate existing at the respective balance sheet dates. Income and expense items are translated at the average rates during the respective periods. Translation adjustments resulting from fluctuations in exchange rates are recorded as a separate component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) on the consolidated statements of shareholders’ equity, while transaction gains and losses are recorded in selling, general and administrative expenses on the consolidated statements of operations. Foreign exchange transactions resulted in gains of $4.3 million during the year ended December 31, 2025 and losses of $6.4 million during the year ended December 31, 2024.
Use of Estimates—The preparation of consolidated financial statements requires the use of management’s estimates and assumptions that affect the reported assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting periods. Actual results could differ from these estimates. Estimates are used when accounting for items and matters including, but not limited to: allowances for doubtful accounts, inventory obsolescence, asset valuations and useful lives, pension benefits, self-insurance reserves, including workers’ compensation, stock-based compensation, taxes, restructuring and other provisions and contingencies.
Revenue Recognition—The Company recognizes its products and services revenue based on when the transfer of control passes to the customer or when the service is completed and accepted by the customer. Under agreements with certain customers, products may be stored by the Company for future delivery and revenue is recognized upon shipment to the customer. In these situations, the Company may receive warehouse management fees for the services it provides. Product returns are not significant because the products are customized; however, the Company accrues for the estimated amount of customer allowances at the time of sale based on historical experience and known trends.
Revenue from services is recognized as services are performed. Revenues related to the Company’s imaging operations, which include digital content management, photography, color services and page production, are recognized in accordance with the terms of the contract, typically upon completion of the performed service and acceptance by the customer. Revenues related to the Company’s logistics operations, which includes the delivery of printed material, are recognized upon completion of services.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
Certain revenues earned by the Company require judgment to determine if revenue should be recorded gross as a principal or net of related costs as an agent. Billings for third-party shipping and handling costs, primarily in the Company’s logistics operations, and out-of-pocket expenses are recorded gross in net sales and cost of sales in the consolidated statements of operations. Many of the Company’s operations process materials, primarily paper, that may be supplied directly by customers or may be purchased by the Company and sold to customers. No revenue is recognized for customer-supplied paper. Revenues for Company-supplied paper are recognized on a gross basis.
Financial Instruments—The Company uses derivative financial instruments for the purpose of hedging interest rate, commodity and foreign exchange exposures that exist as part of ongoing business operations, including interest rate swap and collar agreements, natural gas forward purchase contracts and foreign exchange contracts. As a policy, the Company does not engage in speculative or leveraged transactions, nor does the Company hold or issue financial instruments for trading purposes.
Derivative instruments are recorded on the consolidated balance sheets as either assets or liabilities measured at their fair value. If the derivative is designated as a fair value hedge, the changes in the fair value of the derivative and of the hedged item attributable to the hedged risk are recognized in earnings. If the derivative is designated as a cash flow hedge, the effective portion of the changes in the fair value of the derivative are recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) and recognized in the consolidated statements of operations when the hedged item affects earnings.
The ineffective portions of the changes in the fair value of hedges are recognized in earnings. Cash flows from derivatives that are accounted for as cash flow or fair value hedges are included in the consolidated statements of cash flows in the same category as the item being hedged.
Fair Value Measurement—The Company applies fair value accounting for all assets and liabilities that are recognized or disclosed at fair value in its consolidated financial statements on a recurring basis. Fair value represents the amount that would be received from selling an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. When determining the fair value measurements for assets and liabilities that are required to be recorded at fair value, the Company considers the principal or most advantageous market and the market-based risk measurements or assumptions that market participants would use in pricing the asset or liability. See Note 13, “Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measurements,” for further discussion.
Research and Development—Research and development costs related to the development of new products or the adaptation of existing products are expensed as incurred, included in cost of sales and totaled $2.9 million and $3.2 million during the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.
Cash and Cash Equivalents and Restricted Cash—The Company considers all highly liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less to be cash equivalents.
Receivables—Receivables are stated net of allowances for credit losses. No single customer comprised more than 5% of the Company’s consolidated net sales in 2025 or 2024, or 5% of the Company’s consolidated receivables as of December 31, 2025 or 2024. In accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 326—Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (“ASC 326”), the Company measures expected credit losses for financial instruments, including trade receivables, based on historical experience, current conditions and reasonable forecasts. See Note 5, “Receivables,” for further discussion on the transactions affecting the allowances for doubtful accounts.
Inventories—Inventories include material, labor, and plant overhead and are stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value. At December 31, 2025 and 2024, raw material inventories were generally valued using the specific identification method, and work-in-progress and finished good inventories were valued under the first-in, first-out method. See Note 6, “Inventories,” for the components of the Company’s inventories.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
Leases—Leases are accounted for under the right-of-use model, which requires a lessee to record a right-of-use asset and a lease liability on the balance sheet for all leases with terms longer than twelve months. Leases are classified as either finance or operating, with classification affecting the pattern of expense recognition. See Note 11, “Leases,” for additional accounting policies.
Property, Plant and Equipment—Property, plant and equipment are recorded at cost, and are depreciated over the estimated useful lives of the assets using the straight-line method for financial reporting purposes. See Note 7, “Property, Plant and Equipment,” for the components of the Company’s property, plant and equipment. Major improvements that extend the useful lives of existing assets are capitalized and charged to the asset accounts. Repairs and maintenance, which do not significantly improve or extend the useful lives of the respective assets, are expensed as incurred. Leasehold improvements are depreciated over the shorter of the lease term or the estimated useful life of the respective asset. When an asset is retired or disposed, the associated costs and accumulated depreciation are eliminated, and the resulting gain or loss is recognized in the Company’s consolidated statements of operations.
| Asset Category | Range of Useful Lives |
|---|---|
| Buildings | 10 to 40 Years |
| Machinery and equipment | 3 to 15 Years |
| Other | 3 to 10 Years |
Other Intangible Assets—Identifiable intangible assets are recognized apart from goodwill and are amortized over their estimated useful lives.
Impairment of Long-Lived and Other Intangible Assets—The Company evaluates long-lived assets and other intangible assets (of which the most significant are property, plant and equipment; right-of-use assets; and customer relationship intangible assets) whenever events and circumstances have occurred that indicate the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable. Determining whether impairment has occurred typically requires various estimates and assumptions, including determining which cash flows are directly related to the potentially impaired asset, the useful life over which cash flows will occur, their amount and the asset’s residual value, if any. In turn, assessing whether there is an impairment loss requires a determination of recoverability, which is generally estimated by the ability to recover the balance of the assets from expected future operating cash flows on an undiscounted basis. If impairment is determined to exist, any related impairment loss is calculated based on the difference in the fair value and carrying value of the asset.
Goodwill—Goodwill is reviewed annually for impairment as of October 31, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is below its carrying value. In performing this analysis, the Company compares each reporting unit’s fair value to its carrying value. The fair value is estimated based on comparable company market valuations and/or expected future discounted cash flows to be generated by the reporting unit. If the carrying value exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value, an impairment loss would be charged to operations in the period identified. See Note 4, “Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets,” for further discussion.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
Workers’ Compensation—The Company is self-insured for a significant portion of its expected workers’ compensation program. Insurance is purchased for individual workers’ compensation claims that exceed $0.8 million. The Company establishes reserves for unresolved claims and for an estimate of incurred but not reported (“IBNR”) claims. The IBNR calculation utilizes a variety of assumptions, including but not limited to selected loss development factors, loss trend rates, increased limit factors and loss rates. These reserves and estimates of IBNR claims are based upon an actuarial study, which is performed annually as of October 31st and is adjusted by the actuarially determined losses and actual claims payments for November and December. The Company also monitors actual claim developments, including incurrence or settlement of individual large claims during the interim periods between actuarial studies as another means of estimating the adequacy of the reserves. As of December 31, 2025, the Company has net reserves for workers’ compensation of $21.9 million, of which $5.3 million was recorded in other current liabilities and $24.6 million was recorded in other long-term liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets (see Note 8, “Other Current and Long-Term Liabilities”). These reserves are net of $8.0 million recorded in other long-term assets in the consolidated balance sheets for estimated claims covered by purchased insurance. As of December 31, 2024, the Company had net reserves for workers’ compensation of $24.0 million, of which $5.6 million was recorded in other current liabilities and $25.7 million was recorded in other long-term liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets (see Note 8, “Other Current and Long-Term Liabilities”). These reserves were net of $7.3 million recorded in other long-term assets in the consolidated balance sheets for estimated claims covered by purchased insurance.
Income Taxes—The Company accounts for income taxes under the asset and liability method, which requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of items reported in the financial statements. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured based on the differences between the financial statement and tax basis of assets and liabilities using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which the differences are expected to reverse. The effect of a change in tax rates on deferred tax assets and liabilities is recognized in income in the period that includes the effective date of enactment.
The Company records net deferred tax assets to the extent the Company believes these assets will more likely than not be realized. This determination is based upon all available positive and negative evidence, including future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences, projected future taxable income, tax planning strategies, and recent financial operations. If the Company determines that a deferred income tax asset will not be fully realized in the future, then a valuation allowance is established or increased to reflect the amount at which the asset will more likely than not be realized, which would increase the Company’s provision for income taxes. In a period after a valuation allowance has been established, if the Company determines the related deferred income tax assets will be realized in the future in excess of their net recorded amount, then an adjustment to reduce the related valuation allowance will be made, which would reduce the Company’s provision for income taxes.
The Company is regularly audited by foreign and domestic tax authorities. These audits occasionally result in proposed assessments where the ultimate resolution might result in the Company owing additional taxes, including in some cases, penalties and interest. The Company recognizes a tax position in its consolidated financial statements when it is more likely than not that the position would be sustained upon examination by tax authorities. This recognized tax position is then measured at the largest amount of benefit that is more likely than not of being recognized upon ultimate settlement. The Company recognizes interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits in income tax expense.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
The determination of the Company’s worldwide tax provision and related tax assets and liabilities requires the use of significant judgment in estimating the impact of uncertainties in the application of GAAP and the interpretation of complex tax laws. In the ordinary course of business, there are transactions and calculations where the final tax outcome is uncertain. Where fair market value is required to measure a tax asset or liability for GAAP purposes, the Company periodically obtains independent, third party assistance to validate that such value is determined in conformity with Internal Revenue Service fair market value guidelines. While the Company believes it has the appropriate support for the positions taken, certain positions may be successfully challenged by taxing authorities. Resolution of these uncertainties in a manner inconsistent with management’s expectations could have a material impact on the Company’s financial condition and operating results. The Company applies the provisions of the authoritative guidance on accounting for uncertain tax positions to determine the appropriate amount of tax benefits to be recognized with respect to uncertain tax positions. The determination of the Company’s worldwide tax provision includes the impact of any changes to the amount of tax benefits recognized with respect to uncertain tax positions. See Note 12, “Income Taxes,” for further discussion.
Pension Plans—The Company assumed certain frozen underfunded defined benefit pension plans as part of the 2010 World Color Press acquisition. Pension plan costs are determined using actuarial methods and are funded through contributions. The Company records amounts relating to its pension plans based on calculations which include various actuarial assumptions including discount rates, assumed rates of return, and mortality. The Company reviews its actuarial assumptions on an annual basis and modifies the assumptions based on current rates and trends when it is appropriate to do so. The effects of modifications are recognized immediately on the consolidated balance sheets, but are generally amortized into operating income over future periods, with the deferred amount recorded in accumulated other comprehensive loss on the consolidated balance sheets. The Company believes that the assumptions utilized in recording its obligations under its plans are reasonable based on its experience, market conditions and input from its actuaries and investment advisors. For the purposes of calculating the expected return on plan assets, those assets are valued at fair value. When an event gives rise to both a curtailment and a settlement, the curtailment is accounted for prior to the settlement. The Company’s measurement date to measure the defined benefit plan assets and the projected benefit obligation is December 31.
The Company has previously participated in MEPPs as a result of the acquisition of World Color Press. Due to the significant underfunded status of the MEPPs, the Company has withdrawn from all significant MEPPs and replaced these union sponsored “promise to pay in the future” defined benefit plans with a Company sponsored “pay as you go” defined contribution plan, which is the form of retirement benefit provided to Quad’s employees. As a result of the decision to withdraw, the Company recorded a withdrawal liability for the MEPPs based on information received from the MEPPs’ trustees. See Note 14, “Employee Retirement Plans,” for further discussion.
Stock-Based Compensation—The Company recognizes stock-based compensation expense over the vesting period for all stock-based awards made to employees and directors based on the fair value of the instrument at the time of grant. See Note 16, “Equity Incentive Programs,” for further discussion.
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)—Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) consists primarily of unrecognized actuarial gains and losses and prior service costs for pension plans, foreign currency translation adjustments and interest rate swap adjustments, and is presented in the consolidated statements of shareholders’ equity. See Note 18, “Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss,” for further discussion.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
Supplemental Cash Flow Information—The following table summarizes certain supplemental cash flow information for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024:
| 2025 | 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interest paid, net of amounts capitalized | $ | 40.2 | $ | 52.9 |
| Income taxes paid | 5.8 | 10.7 | ||
| Non-cash investing and financing activities: | ||||
| Non-cash finance lease additions | 0.3 | 0.9 | ||
| Non-cash operating lease additions | 12.6 | 11.2 | ||
| Acquisitions of businesses: | ||||
| Fair value of assets acquired | 19.7 | 1.1 | ||
| Liabilities assumed | (10.7) | 1.6 | ||
| Goodwill | 7.3 | (2.7) | ||
| Acquisitions of businesses | $ | 16.3 | $ | — |
Note 2. Revenue Recognition
Revenue Disaggregation
The following table provides information about disaggregated revenue by the Company’s operating segments and major products and services offerings for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024:
| United States Print <br>and Related Services | International | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year Ended December 31, 2025 | ||||||
| Catalog, publications, retail inserts and directories | $ | 1,143.7 | $ | 113.9 | $ | 1,257.6 |
| Direct mail and other printed products | 535.9 | 88.7 | 624.6 | |||
| Other | 9.1 | — | 9.1 | |||
| Total products | 1,688.7 | 202.6 | 1,891.3 | |||
| Logistics services | 223.6 | 2.6 | 226.2 | |||
| Marketing services and medical services | 302.1 | 0.3 | 302.4 | |||
| Total services | 525.7 | 2.9 | 528.6 | |||
| Total net sales | $ | 2,214.4 | $ | 205.5 | $ | 2,419.9 |
| Year Ended December 31, 2024 | ||||||
| Catalog, publications, retail inserts and directories | $ | 1,258.2 | $ | 221.1 | $ | 1,479.3 |
| Direct mail and other printed products | 506.5 | 103.0 | 609.5 | |||
| Other | 10.3 | 0.1 | 10.4 | |||
| Total products | 1,775.0 | 324.2 | 2,099.2 | |||
| Logistics services | 248.0 | 16.1 | 264.1 | |||
| Marketing services and medical services | 306.5 | 2.4 | 308.9 | |||
| Total services | 554.5 | 18.5 | 573.0 | |||
| Total net sales | $ | 2,329.5 | $ | 342.7 | $ | 2,672.2 |
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
Nature of Products and Services
The Company recognizes its products and services revenue based on when the transfer of control passes to the client or when the service is completed and accepted by the client.
The products offering is predominantly comprised of the Company’s print operations which includes retail inserts, publications, catalogs, special interest publications, journals, direct mail, directories, in-store marketing and promotion, packaging, newspapers, custom print products, other commercial and specialty printed products and global paper procurement.
The Company considers its logistics operations as services, which include the delivery of printed material. The services offering also includes revenues related to the Company’s marketing services operations, which include data and analytics, technology solutions, media services, creative and content solutions, managed services and execution in non-print channels (e.g., digital and broadcast), as well as medical services.
Performance Obligations
At contract inception, the Company assesses the products and services promised in its contracts with customers and identifies performance obligations for each promise to transfer to the customer a product or service that is distinct. To identify the performance obligations, the Company considers the goods or services promised in the contract regardless of whether they are explicitly stated or are implied by customary business practices. The Company determined that the following distinct products and services represent separate performance obligations:
•Pre-Press Services
•Other Services
For Pre-Press and Other Services, the Company recognizes revenue at a point-in-time upon completion of the performed service and acceptance by the customer. The Company considers transfer of control to occur once the service is performed as the Company has right to payment and the customer has legal title and risk and reward of ownership.
The Company recognizes its Print revenues upon transfer of title and the passage of risk of loss, which is point-in-time upon shipment, and when there is a reasonable assurance as to collectability. Revenues related to the Company’s logistics operations, which includes the delivery of printed material, are included in the Print performance obligation and are also recognized at point-in-time as services are completed, and when there is a reasonable assurance as to collectability. Revenues related to the Company’s imaging operations, which include digital content management, photography, color services and page production, are recognized in accordance with the terms of the contract, typically upon completion of the performed service and acceptance by the customer. Under agreements with certain customers, products may be stored by the Company for future delivery and revenue is recognized upon shipment to the customer. In these situations, the Company may receive warehouse management fees for the services it provides. Revenue from warehouse management fees was immaterial for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024.
Certain revenues earned by the Company require judgment to determine if revenue should be recorded gross as principal or net of related costs as an agent. Billings for third-party shipping and handling costs, primarily in the Company’s logistics operations, and out-of-pocket expenses are recorded gross in net sales and cost of sales in the consolidated statements of operations. Many of the Company’s operations process materials, primarily paper, that may be supplied directly by customers or may be purchased by the Company and sold to customers. No revenue is recognized for customer-supplied paper. Revenues for the Company-supplied paper are recognized on a gross basis. In some cases, the Company will print items that are mailed to consumers and bill the customer for postage. In these cases, the Company is acting as an agent and billings are recorded on a net basis in net sales.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
Significant Payment Terms
Payment terms and conditions for contracts with customers vary. The Company typically offers standard terms of net 30 days. It is not the Company’s standard business practice to offer extended payment terms longer than one year. The Company may offer cash discounts or prepayment and extended terms depending on certain facts and circumstances. As such, when the timing of the Company’s delivery of products and services differs from the timing of payment, the Company will record either a contract asset or a contract liability.
Variable Consideration
When evaluating the transaction price, the Company analyzes on a contract by contract basis all applicable variable considerations and non-cash consideration and also performs a constraint analysis. The nature of the Company’s contracts give rise to variable consideration, including, volume rebates, credits, discounts, and other similar items that generally decrease the transaction price. These variable amounts generally are credited to the customer, based on achieving certain levels of sales activity, when contracts are signed, or making payments within specific terms.
Product returns are not significant because the products are customized; however, the Company accrues for the estimated amount of customer allowances at the time of sale based on historical experience and known trends.
When the transaction price requires allocation to multiple performance obligations, the Company uses the estimated stand-alone selling prices using the adjusted market assessment approach.
Costs to Obtain Contracts
In accordance with ASC 606 — Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASC 606”), the Company defers certain contract acquisition costs paid to the client at contract inception. When applicable, the Company also capitalizes certain sales incentives of the sales compensation packages for costs that are directly attributed to being awarded a client contract or renewal and would not have been incurred had the contract not been obtained. Costs to obtain contracts with a duration of less than one year are expensed as incurred. For all contract costs with contracts over one year, the Company amortizes the costs to obtain contracts on a straight-line basis over the estimated life of the contract and reviews quarterly for impairment. Activity impacting costs to obtain contracts for the year ended December 31, 2025, was as follows:
| Costs to Obtain Contracts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Balance at January 1, 2025 | $ | 1.0 |
| Costs to obtain contracts | 0.3 | |
| Amortization of costs to obtain contracts | (0.9) | |
| Balance at December 31, 2025 | $ | 0.4 |
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
Practical Expedients
The Company has elected to apply the following practical expedients allowed under ASC 606:
•For certain performance obligations related to print contracts, the Company has elected not to disclose the value of unsatisfied performance obligations for the following: (1) contracts that have an original expected length of one year or less; (2) contracts where revenue is recognized as invoiced; or (3) contracts with variable consideration related to unsatisfied performance obligations. The Company had no volume commitments in contracts that extend beyond one year as of December 31, 2025.
•The Company expenses costs to obtain contracts as incurred when the contract duration is less than one year.
•The transaction amount is not adjusted for a significant financing component as the period between transfer of the products or services and payment is less than one year.
•The Company accounts for shipping and handling activities, which includes postage, that occur after control of the related products or services transfers to the customer as fulfillment activities and are therefore recognized at time of shipping.
•The Company excludes from its transaction price any amounts collected from customers for sales taxes.
Note 3. Restructuring, Impairment and Transaction-Related Charges, Net
The Company recorded restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges, net for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, as follows:
| 2025 | 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employee termination charges | $ | 26.1 | $ | 30.5 |
| Impairment charges | 7.5 | 74.9 | ||
| Acquisition adjustments and transaction-related charges, net | (4.9) | (0.6) | ||
| Integration costs | 2.9 | 0.4 | ||
| Other restructuring income, net | (9.8) | (3.7) | ||
| Total | $ | 21.8 | $ | 101.5 |
The costs related to these activities have been recorded on the consolidated statements of operations as restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges, net. See Note 19, “Segment Information,” for restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges, net by segment.
Restructuring Charges
The Company has a restructuring program related to eliminating excess manufacturing capacity and properly aligning its cost structure. The Company classifies the following charges as restructuring:
•Employee termination charges are incurred when the Company reduces its workforce through facility consolidations and separation programs.
•Integration costs are incurred primarily for the integration of acquired companies.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
•Other restructuring income, net is presented net of the gain on the sale of an ancillary building in Sussex, Wisconsin, the gain on the sale of the Greenville, Michigan facility, and the gain on the sale of the West Sacramento, California facility during the year ended December 31, 2025, and net of the gain on the sale of the Saratoga Springs, New York facility during the year ended December 31, 2024. The components of other restructuring income, net consisted of the following during the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | |||
| Vacant facility carrying costs and lease exit charges | $ | 7.4 | $ | 14.2 |
| Equipment and infrastructure removal costs | 1.5 | 1.6 | ||
| Gains on the sale of facilities | (19.6) | (20.5) | ||
| Loss on the sale of a business | 0.5 | — | ||
| Other restructuring activities | 0.4 | 1.0 | ||
| Other restructuring income, net | $ | (9.8) | $ | (3.7) |
The restructuring charges recorded were based on plans that have been committed to by management and were, in part, based upon management’s best estimates of future events. Changes to the estimates may require future restructuring charges and adjustments to the restructuring liabilities. The Company expects to incur additional restructuring charges related to these and other initiatives.
Impairment Charges
The Company recognized impairment charges of $7.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2025, which consisted of $4.3 million for certain property, plant and equipment no longer being utilized in production as a result of facility consolidations, as well as other capacity reduction activities, $3.0 million for software licensing and related implementation costs from a terminated project, and $0.2 million for operating lease right-of-use assets.
The Company recognized impairment charges of $74.9 million during the year ended December 31, 2024, which consisted of $57.6 million to reduce the carrying value of the majority of the European operations to fair value, including $41.6 million for foreign currency translation adjustments and $16.0 million for property, plant and equipment, $14.2 million for machinery and equipment no longer being utilized in production as a result of facility consolidations, as well as other capacity reduction activities, and $3.1 million for operating lease right-of-use assets. For more information on the European operations assets classified as held for sale, refer to Note 21, “Assets Held for Sale.”
The fair values of the impaired assets were determined by the Company to be Level 3 under the fair value hierarchy (see Note 13, “Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measurements,” for the definition of Level 3 inputs) and were estimated based on broker quotes, internal expertise related to current marketplace conditions, estimated future discounted cash flows and active negotiations with third-parties. These assets were adjusted to their estimated fair values at the time of impairment. If estimated fair values subsequently decline, the carrying values of the assets are adjusted accordingly.
Acquisition Adjustments and Transaction-Related Charges, Net
The Company incurs acquisition adjustments and transaction-related charges, net primarily consisting of adjustments to estimated acquisition consideration, partially offset by professional service fees related to business acquisition and divestiture activities. Acquisition adjustments and transaction-related charges, net of $4.9 million and $0.6 million were recorded during the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
Restructuring Reserves
Activity impacting the Company’s restructuring reserves for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, was as follows:
| Employee<br>Termination<br>Charges | Impairment<br>Charges | Transaction-Related<br>Charges | Integration<br>Costs | Other<br>Restructuring<br>Charges | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balance at January 1, 2024 | $ | 17.6 | $ | — | $ | 2.5 | $ | — | $ | 11.8 | $ | 31.9 |
| Expense, net | 30.5 | 74.9 | (0.6) | 0.4 | (3.7) | 101.5 | ||||||
| Cash payments, net | (37.3) | — | (4.0) | (0.4) | 1.3 | (40.4) | ||||||
| Non-cash adjustments/reclassifications | — | (74.9) | 3.6 | — | 40.4 | (30.9) | ||||||
| Balance at December 31, 2024 | $ | 10.8 | $ | — | $ | 1.5 | $ | — | $ | 49.8 | $ | 62.1 |
| Expense, net | 26.1 | 7.5 | (4.9) | 2.9 | (9.8) | 21.8 | ||||||
| Cash payments, net | (20.4) | — | (4.5) | (2.6) | 10.4 | (17.1) | ||||||
| Non-cash adjustments/reclassifications | — | (7.5) | 8.2 | — | (41.2) | (40.5) | ||||||
| Balance at December 31, 2025 | $ | 16.5 | $ | — | $ | 0.3 | $ | 0.3 | $ | 9.2 | $ | 26.3 |
The Company’s restructuring reserves at December 31, 2025, included a short-term and a long-term component. The short-term portion included $18.0 million in other current liabilities (see Note 8, “Other Current and Long-Term Liabilities”) and $0.8 million in accounts payable in the consolidated balance sheets as the Company expects these reserves to be settled within the next twelve months. The long-term portion of $7.5 million was included in other long-term liabilities (see Note 8, “Other Current and Long-Term Liabilities”) in the consolidated balance sheets.
Note 4. Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets
Goodwill
Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of identifiable net assets acquired in a business combination. Goodwill is assigned to specific reporting units and is tested annually for impairment as of October 31, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is below its carrying value.
The Company completed its annual impairment test as of October 31, 2025, and identified no indicators of impairment in any of the Company's reporting units during the year ended December 31, 2025. Fair value was determined using an equal weighting of both the income and market approaches. Under the income approach, the Company determined fair value based on estimated future cash flows discounted by an estimated weighted-average cost of capital, which reflects the overall level of inherent risk and the rate of return an outside investor would expect to earn. Under the market approach, the Company derived the fair value of the reporting units based on market multiples of comparable publicly-traded companies. This fair value determination was categorized as Level 3 in the fair value hierarchy (see Note 13, “Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measurements,” for the definition of Level 3 inputs).
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
No goodwill impairment charges were recorded during the years ended December 31, 2025 or 2024. The accumulated goodwill impairment losses and the carrying value of goodwill at December 31, 2025 and 2024, were as follows:
| December 31, 2025 | December 31, 2024 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States Print and Related Services | International | Total | United States Print and Related Services | International | Total | |||||||
| Goodwill | $ | 885.9 | $ | 30.0 | $ | 915.9 | $ | 878.6 | $ | 30.0 | $ | 908.6 |
| Accumulated goodwill impairment loss | (778.3) | (30.0) | (808.3) | (778.3) | (30.0) | (808.3) | ||||||
| Goodwill, net of accumulated goodwill impairment loss | $ | 107.6 | $ | — | $ | 107.6 | $ | 100.3 | $ | — | $ | 100.3 |
Activity impacting goodwill for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, was as follows:
| United States Print and Related<br>Services | International | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balance at January 1, 2024 | $ | 103.0 | $ | — | $ | 103.0 |
| DART acquisition adjustments | (2.7) | — | (2.7) | |||
| Balance at December 31, 2024 | $ | 100.3 | $ | — | $ | 100.3 |
| Enru co-mail assets acquisition | 7.3 | — | 7.3 | |||
| Balance at December 31, 2025 | $ | 107.6 | $ | — | $ | 107.6 |
In April 2025, the Company acquired the co-mailing assets of Enru, a third party co-mail and logistics solutions provider. The acquisition complements and strengthens the Company’s existing co-mail platform. As of December 31, 2025, the final purchase price included $7.3 million of goodwill.
In December 2023, the Company completed the acquisition of DART Innovation, an in-store digital media solutions provider. The acquisition expanded and integrated into the Company’s suite of products and services, enabling brands and marketers to more effectively reach consumers. During 2024, the final valuation of the net assets acquired in the acquisition was finalized and a $2.7 million reduction to goodwill was recorded. The final purchase price included $13.9 million of goodwill.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
Other Intangible Assets
The components of other intangible assets at December 31, 2025 and 2024, were as follows:
| December 31, 2025 | December 31, 2024 | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weighted<br>Average<br>Amortization<br>Period (Years) | Gross<br>Carrying<br>Amount | Accumulated Amortization | Net Book<br>Value | Gross<br>Carrying<br>Amount | Accumulated<br>Amortization | Net Book<br>Value | |||||||
| Finite-lived intangible assets: | |||||||||||||
| Trademarks, patents, licenses and agreements | 7 | $ | 50.5 | $ | (50.0) | $ | 0.5 | $ | 50.1 | $ | (47.6) | $ | 2.5 |
| Capitalized software | 5 | 22.8 | (19.9) | 2.9 | 22.7 | (18.9) | 3.8 | ||||||
| Acquired technology | 5 | 6.0 | (4.5) | 1.5 | 4.6 | (3.7) | 0.9 | ||||||
| Customer relationships | 6 | 556.4 | (547.6) | 8.8 | 545.1 | (545.1) | — | ||||||
| Total finite-lived intangible assets | $ | 635.7 | $ | (622.0) | $ | 13.7 | $ | 622.5 | $ | (615.3) | $ | 7.2 |
Other intangible assets are evaluated for potential impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying value may not be recoverable. There were no impairment charges recorded on finite-lived intangible assets for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024.
Amortization expense for other intangible assets was $5.2 million and $17.5 million for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. The following table outlines the estimated future amortization expense related to other intangible assets as of December 31, 2025:
| Amortization Expense | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $ | 3.7 |
| 2027 | 3.0 | |
| 2028 | 2.7 | |
| 2029 | 2.2 | |
| 2030 and Thereafter | 2.1 | |
| Total | $ | 13.7 |
Note 5. Receivables
Prior to granting credit, the Company evaluates each client in an underwriting process, taking into consideration the prospective client’s financial condition, past payment experience, credit bureau information and other financial and qualitative factors that may affect the client’s ability to pay. Specific credit reviews and standard industry credit scoring models are used in performing this evaluation. Clients’ financial condition is continuously monitored as part of the normal course of business. Some of the Company’s clients are highly leveraged or otherwise subject to their own operating and regulatory risks.
Specific client provisions are made when a review of significant outstanding amounts, utilizing information about client creditworthiness, as well as current and future economic trends based on reasonable forecasts, indicates that collection is doubtful. The Company also records a general provision based on the overall risk profile of the receivables and through the assessment of reasonable economic forecasts. The risk profile is assessed on a quarterly basis using various methods, including external resources and credit scoring models. Accounts that are deemed uncollectible are written off when all reasonable collection efforts have been exhausted.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
The Company has recorded credit loss expense of $2.9 million and $1.6 million during the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively, which is included in selling, general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operations.
Activity impacting the allowance for credit losses for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, was as follows:
| 2025 | 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balance at January 1, | $ | 21.5 | $ | 25.7 |
| Provisions | 2.9 | 1.6 | ||
| Write-offs | (3.7) | (4.2) | ||
| Assets held for sale reclassification (1) | — | (1.4) | ||
| Translation and other | 0.2 | (0.2) | ||
| Balance at December 31, | $ | 20.9 | $ | 21.5 |
______________________________
(1)For more information on the assets classified as held for sale, refer to Note 21, “Assets Held for Sale.”
Note 6. Inventories
The components of inventories at December 31, 2025 and 2024, were as follows:
| 2025 | 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raw materials and manufacturing supplies | $ | 76.6 | $ | 87.5 |
| Work in process | 22.4 | 27.8 | ||
| Finished goods | 44.5 | 47.1 | ||
| Total | $ | 143.5 | $ | 162.4 |
Note 7. Property, Plant and Equipment
The components of property, plant and equipment at December 31, 2025 and 2024, were as follows:
| 2025 | 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Land | $ | 52.9 | $ | 57.1 |
| Buildings | 509.9 | 547.6 | ||
| Machinery and equipment | 2,157.6 | 2,279.1 | ||
| Other (1) | 159.6 | 159.8 | ||
| Construction in progress | 18.0 | 19.8 | ||
| Property, plant and equipment—gross | 2,898.0 | 3,063.4 | ||
| Less: accumulated depreciation | (2,436.4) | (2,563.7) | ||
| Property, plant and equipment—net | $ | 461.6 | $ | 499.7 |
______________________________
(1)Other consists of computer equipment and software, vehicles, furniture and fixtures, leasehold improvements and communication related equipment.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
The Company recorded impairment charges of $7.3 million and $30.2 million during the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively, to reduce the carrying amounts of certain property, plant and equipment no longer utilized in production, or due to other capacity reduction, to fair value, including $3.0 million for software licensing and related implementation costs from a terminated project in 2025, and $16.0 million related to the sale of the European operations to reduce the carrying value to fair value in 2024 (see Note 3, “Restructuring, Impairment and Transaction-Related Charges, Net,” and Note 21, “Assets Held for Sale,” for further discussion on impairment charges).
The Company recognized depreciation expense of $73.4 million and $85.0 million for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.
Note 8. Other Current and Long-Term Liabilities
The components of other current and long-term liabilities at December 31, 2025 and 2024, were as follows:
| December 31, 2025 | December 31, 2024 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other Current Liabilities | Other <br>Long-Term Liabilities | Total | Other Current Liabilities | Other <br>Long-Term Liabilities | Total | |||||||
| Employee-related liabilities (1) | $ | 104.9 | $ | 38.5 | $ | 143.4 | $ | 110.3 | $ | 38.2 | $ | 148.5 |
| Single employer pension plan obligations | 1.8 | 20.8 | 22.6 | 1.7 | 32.4 | 34.1 | ||||||
| Multiemployer pension plans – withdrawal liability | 2.5 | 16.8 | 19.3 | 2.3 | 19.2 | 21.5 | ||||||
| Deferred revenue | 29.8 | 0.1 | 29.9 | 44.7 | 0.1 | 44.8 | ||||||
| Tax-related liabilities | 14.6 | 11.6 | 26.2 | 14.7 | 9.1 | 23.8 | ||||||
| Restructuring liabilities | 18.0 | 7.5 | 25.5 | 53.9 | 6.7 | 60.6 | ||||||
| Contingent consideration - acquisitions | 2.2 | 13.4 | 15.6 | — | 12.2 | 12.2 | ||||||
| Interest and rent liabilities | 1.1 | — | 1.1 | 0.6 | — | 0.6 | ||||||
| Interest rate swap liabilities | — | 1.1 | 1.1 | — | 0.7 | 0.7 | ||||||
| Liabilities held for sale (2) | — | — | — | 27.7 | 4.8 | 32.5 | ||||||
| Other | 36.8 | 12.8 | 49.6 | 33.3 | 12.0 | 45.3 | ||||||
| Total | $ | 211.7 | $ | 122.6 | $ | 334.3 | $ | 289.2 | $ | 135.4 | $ | 424.6 |
______________________________
(1)Employee-related liabilities consist primarily of payroll, bonus, vacation, health and workers’ compensation.
(2)For more information on the liabilities classified as held for sale, refer to Note 21, “Assets Held for Sale.”
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
Note 9. Commitments and Contingencies
Commitments
The Company had firm commitments of $7.2 million as of December 31, 2025, to purchase press, finishing and other equipment.
Litigation
The Company is named as a defendant in various lawsuits in which claims are asserted against the Company in the normal course of business. The liabilities, if any, which ultimately result from such lawsuits are not expected by management to have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements of the Company.
Environmental Reserves
The Company is subject to various laws, regulations and government policies relating to health and safety, to the generation, storage, transportation, and disposal of hazardous substances, and to environmental protection in general. The Company provides for expenses associated with environmental remediation obligations when such amounts are probable and can be reasonably estimated. Such reserves are adjusted as new information develops or as circumstances change. The environmental reserves are not discounted. The Company believes it is in compliance with such laws, regulations and government policies in all material respects. Furthermore, the Company does not anticipate that maintaining compliance with such environmental statutes will have a material impact upon the Company’s consolidated financial position.
Note 10. Debt
The weighted average interest rate for the year ended December 31, 2025 and the components of long-term debt at December 31, 2025 and 2024, were as follows:
| Weighted Average Interest Rate | 2025 | 2024 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Term loan A | 7.03 | % | $ | 357.7 | $ | 360.8 |
| Revolving credit facility | 7.03 | % | — | — | ||
| Press Financing Arrangements | 8.25 | % | 18.3 | 23.6 | ||
| International term loans | 9.50 | % | — | 0.4 | ||
| International revolving credit facilities (1) | — | % | — | — | ||
| Debt issuance costs | (6.1) | (7.7) | ||||
| Total debt | $ | 369.9 | $ | 377.1 | ||
| Less: short-term debt and current portion of long-term debt | (47.0) | (28.0) | ||||
| Long-term debt | $ | 322.9 | $ | 349.1 |
______________________________
(1)Excludes a $3.7 million international revolving credit facility that was classified as held for sale and included in other current liabilities on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2024. For more information on the European operations liabilities classified as held for sale, refer to Note 21, “Assets Held for Sale.”
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
Description of Debt Obligations
Senior Secured Credit Facility
On April 28, 2014, the Company entered into its Senior Secured Credit Facility, which included a revolving credit facility, Term Loan A and Term Loan B (Term Loan B was retired in July 2019). The Company completed the seventh amendment to the Senior Secured Credit Facility on January 24, 2023, which transitioned the Company’s reference rate from London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) to Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) effective February 1, 2023. The Company elected the practical expedient outlined in ASU 2020-04 and ASU 2021-01 which allowed the Company to prospectively adjust the effective interest rate after the reference rate change. The transition from LIBOR to SOFR did not have a material impact on the condensed consolidated financial statements.
The Company completed the eighth amendment to the Senior Secured Credit Facility on January 4, 2024, which added an additional $25.0 million principal value to the Term Loan A (under the Extended Maturity Date). On January 31, 2024, the Company used liquidity available under its revolving credit facility and available cash on hand to fund the repayment on maturity of $87.7 million aggregate principal amount, outstanding at the time, of its Term Loan A. Additionally, due to a portion of the revolving credit facility maturing on January 31, 2024, the total capacity under the revolving credit facility was reduced to $342.5 million as of this date.
The Company completed the ninth amendment to its Senior Secured Credit Facility (the “Ninth Amendment”) on October 18, 2024. The Senior Secured Credit Facility was amended to: (a) reduce the aggregate amount of the existing revolving credit facility from $342.5 million to $324.6 million, and extend the maturity of a portion of the revolving credit facility such that $17.7 million of borrowing capacity under the revolving credit facility would be available until the existing maturity date of November 2, 2026 (the “Existing Maturity Date”) and $306.9 million under the revolving credit facility would be available until October 18, 2029 (the “Extended Maturity Date”); (b) extend the maturity of a portion of the existing Term Loan A such that $8.7 million of such term loan facility will be due on the Existing Maturity Date and $193.2 million will be due on the Extended Maturity Date; (c) make certain adjustments to pricing, including an increase of 0.50% to the interest rate margin applicable to the loans maturing on the Extended Maturity Date; and (d) modify certain financial and operational covenants, including the Senior Secured Leverage Ratio (net indebtedness to consolidated EBITDA) shall not exceed 3.00 to 1.00 for any fiscal quarter ending on or after September 30, 2024, as well as the Total Leverage Ratio (consolidated total indebtedness to consolidated EBITDA) shall not exceed 3.50 to 1.00 for any fiscal quarter ending on or after September 30, 2024.
The Company completed the tenth amendment to its Senior Secured Credit Facility on August 20, 2025, which increased the Term Loan A aggregate outstanding principal by $20.0 million to $370.7 million, and increased its revolving credit availability by $15.0 million to $339.6 million. As of December 31, 2025, the Term Loan A aggregate outstanding principal was reduced to $357.7 million from a $13.0 million repayment on maturity.
Borrowings under the revolving credit facility and Term Loan A made under the Senior Secured Credit Facility bear interest at 3.00% in excess of reserve adjusted SOFR, or 2.00% in excess of an alternate base rate with a SOFR floor of 0.75% for the tranche available through the Extended Maturity Date and bear interest at 2.50% in excess of reserve adjusted SOFR, or 1.50% in excess of an alternate base rate with a SOFR floor of 0.75% for the tranche available through the Existing Maturity Date.
At December 31, 2025, the Company had no outstanding borrowings on the revolving credit facility, and had $23.9 million of issued letters of credit, leaving up to $315.7 million of unused capacity. Total liquidity is reduced to $299.4 million under the Company’s most restrictive debt covenants. The Senior Secured Credit Facility is secured by substantially all of the unencumbered assets of the Company. The Senior Secured Credit Facility also requires the Company to provide additional collateral to the lenders in certain limited circumstances.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
Press Financing Arrangements
During the first quarter of 2024, the Company entered into two press financing arrangements. The first arrangement of $8.0 million bears interest at a fixed rate of 8.31%, maturing in 2028. The second arrangement of $10.3 million bears interest at a current weighted average variable rate of 8.20%, maturing in 2031. Payments are made monthly on both arrangements.
Master Note and Security Agreement
On September 1, 1995, and as last amended on November 24, 2014, the Company entered into its Master Note and Security Agreement. On November 25, 2024, the Company used liquidity available under its revolving credit facility and available cash on hand to fund the repayment of the total outstanding aggregate principal balance of $1.5 million, thus terminating the Master Note and Security Agreement.
International Debt Obligations
As of December 31, 2024, there was a $0.4 million outstanding on a term loan in Peru. As of December 31, 2025, there were no international debt obligations.
The Company had one multicurrency international revolving credit facility that was used for financing working capital and general business needs for the Company’s European operations. The Company had $3.7 million of borrowings outstanding at a weighted average interest rate of 6.36% on the international revolving credit facility as of December 31, 2024, leaving $16.1 million available for future borrowing. The multicurrency international revolving credit facility was classified as held for sale and included in other current liabilities on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2024. For more information on the European operations liabilities classified as held for sale, refer to Note 21, “Assets Held for Sale.” The terms of the international revolving credit facility included certain financial covenants, a guarantee of the international revolving credit facility by the Company and a security agreement that includes collateralizing substantially all of the Quad Europe Sp. z.o.o. assets. The multicurrency international revolving credit facility expired on February 28, 2025, and bore interest at the aggregate of WIBOR plus 1.40% for any Polish Zloty denominated borrowings or the aggregate of EURIBOR plus 1.45% for any Euro denominated borrowings. The Company held a second multicurrency international revolving credit facility until its expiration on October 31, 2024.
Fair Value of Debt
Based upon the interest rates available to the Company for borrowings with similar terms and maturities, the fair value of the Company’s total debt was approximately $0.4 billion at December 31, 2025 and 2024. The fair value determination of the Company’s total debt was categorized as Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy (see Note 13, “Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measurements,” for the definition of Level 2 inputs). As of December 31, 2025, approximately $0.9 billion of the Company’s assets were pledged as security under various loans and other agreements.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
Debt Issuance Costs
The debt issuance costs are amortized on a straight-line basis over the lives of the related debt instruments. Activity impacting the Company’s capitalized debt issuance costs for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, was as follows:
| Capitalized Debt <br>Issuance Costs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Balance at January 1, 2024 | $ | 4.9 |
| Debt issuance costs from October 18, 2024 debt financing arrangement | 4.4 | |
| Amortization expense | (1.6) | |
| Balance at December 31, 2024 | 7.7 | |
| Amortization expense | (1.6) | |
| Balance at December 31, 2025 | $ | 6.1 |
Covenants and Compliance
The Company’s various lending arrangements include certain financial covenants (all financial terms, numbers and ratios are as defined in the Company’s debt agreements). Among these covenants, the Company was required to maintain the following as of December 31, 2025:
•Total Leverage Ratio. On a rolling twelve-month basis, the Total Leverage Ratio, defined as consolidated total indebtedness to consolidated EBITDA, shall not exceed 3.50 to 1.00 (for the twelve months ended December 31, 2025, the Company’s Total Leverage Ratio was 1.84 to 1.00).
•If there is any amount outstanding on the revolving credit facility or Term Loan A, or if any lender has any revolving credit exposure or Term Loan A credit exposure, the Company is required to maintain the following:
◦Senior Secured Leverage Ratio. On a rolling four-quarter basis, the Senior Secured Leverage Ratio, defined as the ratio of consolidated senior secured net indebtedness to consolidated EBITDA, shall not exceed 3.00 to 1.00 for any fiscal quarter ending on or after September 30, 2024 (for the twelve months ended December 31, 2025, the Company’s Senior Secured Leverage Ratio was 1.55 to 1.00).
◦Interest Coverage Ratio. On a rolling twelve-month basis, the Interest Coverage Ratio, defined as consolidated EBITDA to cash consolidated interest expense, shall not be less than 3.00 to 1.00 (for the twelve months ended December 31, 2025, the Company’s Interest Coverage Ratio was 4.75 to 1.00).
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
In addition to those covenants, the Senior Secured Credit Facility also includes certain limitations on acquisitions, indebtedness, liens, dividends and repurchases of capital stock.
•If the Company’s Total Leverage Ratio is greater than 2.75 to 1.00, the Company is prohibited from making greater than $60.0 million of dividend payments, capital stock repurchases and certain other payments, over the course of the agreement. If the Company’s Total Leverage Ratio is above 2.50 to 1.00, but below 2.75 to 1.00, the Company is prohibited from making greater than $100.0 million of dividend payments, capital stock repurchases and certain other payments, over the course of the agreement. If the Total Leverage Ratio is less than 2.50 to 1.00, there are no such restrictions. As the Company’s Total Leverage Ratio as of December 31, 2025, was 1.84 to 1.00, the limitations described above are not currently applicable.
•If the Company’s Senior Secured Leverage Ratio is greater than 3.00 to 1.00 or the Company’s Total Net Leverage Ratio which, on a rolling twelve-month basis, is defined as consolidated net indebtedness to consolidated EBITDA, is greater than 3.50 to 1.00, the Company is prohibited from voluntarily prepaying any unsecured or subordinated indebtedness, with certain exceptions (including any mandatory prepayments on any unsecured or subordinated debt). If the Senior Secured Leverage Ratio is less than 3.00 to 1.00 and the Total Net Leverage Ratio is less than 3.50 to 1.00, there are no such restrictions. The limitations described above are currently not applicable, as the Company’s Senior Secured Leverage Ratio was 1.55 to 1.00 and Total Net Leverage Ratio was 1.55 to 1.00, as of December 31, 2025.
Estimated Principal Payments
The approximate annual principal amounts due on long-term debt, excluding $6.1 million for future amortization of debt issuance costs, at December 31, 2025, were as follows:
| Principal Payments | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $ | 47.0 |
| 2027 | 43.0 | |
| 2028 | 42.2 | |
| 2029 | 241.5 | |
| 2030 | 2.3 | |
| Total | $ | 376.0 |
Note 11. Leases
The Company determines if an arrangement is or contains a lease at contract inception. The Company recognizes a right-of-use (“ROU”) asset and a lease liability at the lease commencement date.
For operating and finance leases, the lease liability is initially measured at the present value of the unpaid lease payments at the lease commencement date, and is subsequently measured at amortized cost using the effective interest method.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
Key estimates and judgments include how the Company determines the discount rate, lease term and lease payments.
•ASC 842 requires a lessee to discount its unpaid lease payments using the interest rate implicit in the lease or, if that rate cannot be readily determined, its incremental borrowing rate. Generally, the Company cannot determine the implicit interest rate as it does not have access to the lessor’s estimated residual value or the amount of the lessor’s deferred initial direct costs. Therefore, the Company generally uses its incremental borrowing rate as the discount rate for the lease. The Company’s incremental borrowing rate for a lease is the rate of interest it would have to pay on a collateralized basis to borrow an amount equal to the lease payments under similar terms based on the published United States Treasury rates as well as the Company’s credit rating at implementation or at the lease inception date.
•The lease term for all of the Company’s leases includes the non-cancelable period of the lease, plus or minus any additional periods covered by an option to extend or terminate the lease that the Company is reasonably certain to exercise.
•Lease payments included in the lease liability are comprised of fixed payments as well as any exercise price of a Company option to purchase the underlying asset if the Company is reasonably certain to exercise. The Company’s leases do not contain variable lease payments.
ROU assets are initially measured at cost, which comprises the initial amount of the lease liability adjusted for lease payments made at or before the lease commencement date, plus any initial direct costs incurred less any lease incentives received. For operating leases, the ROU asset is subsequently amortized by the straight-line lease expense adjusted by the lease liability accretion over the lease term.
For finance leases, the ROU asset is subsequently amortized on a straight-line basis from the lease commencement date to the earlier of the end of its useful life or the end of the lease term. Amortization of the ROU asset is recognized and presented separately from interest expense on the lease liability.
The Company’s ROU assets for both operating and finance leases are reviewed for impairment losses on a quarterly basis in line with ASC 360-10 — Property, Plant, and Equipment — Overall. The Company recorded impairment charges of $0.2 million and $3.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively, to reduce the carrying value of certain ROU assets.
The Company also monitors its leases for events or changes in circumstances that require a reassessment of the lease. When a reassessment results in the remeasurement of a lease liability, a corresponding adjustment is made to the carrying amount of the ROU asset.
Operating leases are included in operating lease right-of-use assets—net, current portion of operating lease obligations, and operating lease obligations in the consolidated balance sheets. Finance leases are included in property and equipment—net, current portion of finance lease obligations, and finance lease obligations in the consolidated balance sheets.
The Company has elected not to recognize ROU assets and lease liabilities for short-term leases that have an original lease term of twelve months or less. Therefore, the Company recognizes the lease payments associated with these short-term leases as an expense over the lease term in the consolidated statement of operations.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
Practical Expedients
The Company has elected to apply the following practical expedients allowed under Accounting Standards Update 842:
•The Company elected the practical expedient package and therefore did not reassess for any existing leases:
◦whether contracts are or contain leases;
◦the lease classification for any existing leases; and
◦any initial direct costs.
•The Company elected the practical expedient related to land easements, allowing to carry forward the accounting treatment for land easements on existing agreements.
•The Company used “hindsight” judgments that impact the lease term.
•The Company elected to combine lease and non-lease components into one lease component for select underlying lease asset categories. Real estate leases are accounted for separately while all other leases, primarily equipment leases, with separate lease and non-lease components are accounted for as a single lease component.
Leases Financial Information
The Company enters into various lease agreements for real estate, such as office space and manufacturing facilities, as well as equipment leases, including press, finishing and transportation equipment. Many of these leases provide the Company with options to renew, terminate, or in the case of equipment leases, purchase the related equipment at the termination value, as defined, and at various early buyout dates during the term of the lease. In general, the Company has determined these options were not reasonably certain to be exercised, and therefore are not included in the determination of the lease term.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
The following summarizes certain lease information for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024:
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | |||||
| Lease cost (1) | ||||||
| Finance lease cost: | ||||||
| Amortization of right-of-use assets | $ | 0.9 | $ | 2.1 | ||
| Interest on lease liabilities | 0.1 | 0.4 | ||||
| Operating lease cost | 23.2 | 23.8 | ||||
| Short-term lease cost | 0.4 | 0.5 | ||||
| Sublease income | (0.4) | (0.3) | ||||
| Total lease cost | $ | 24.2 | $ | 26.5 | ||
| Other information (1) | ||||||
| Cash paid for amounts included in the measurement of lease liabilities | ||||||
| Operating cash flows from finance leases | $ | 0.1 | $ | 0.4 | ||
| Operating cash flows from operating leases | 25.1 | 26.3 | ||||
| Financing cash flows from finance leases | 1.0 | 2.7 | ||||
| Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for new finance lease liabilities | 0.3 | 0.9 | ||||
| Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for new operating lease liabilities | 12.6 | 11.2 | ||||
| Weighted-average remaining lease term — finance leases | 3 years | 3.3 years | ||||
| Weighted-average remaining lease term — operating leases | 3.7 years | 4.2 years | ||||
| Weighted-average discount rate — finance leases | 7.0 | % | 5.0 | % | ||
| Weighted-average discount rate — operating leases | 6.0 | % | 6.1 | % |
______________________________
(1)Includes information related to leases classified as held for sale as of December 31, 2024. For more information on the assets and liabilities classified as held for sale, refer to Note 21, “Assets Held for Sale.”
The components of finance lease assets at December 31, 2025 and 2024, were as follows:
| 2025 | 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leased equipment—gross | $ | 9.9 | $ | 11.8 |
| Less: accumulated depreciation | (8.6) | (9.8) | ||
| Leased equipment—net (1) | $ | 1.3 | $ | 2.0 |
______________________________
(1)Leased equipment - net totaling $5.4 million are classified as held for sale and are included in other long-term assets within the Company’s consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2024. Refer to Note 21, “Assets Held for Sale,” for further information on the assets classified as held for sale. These balances are excluded from the table above.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
Future maturities of lease liabilities at December 31, 2025, were as follows:
| Future Maturities of Operating Leases | Future Maturities of Finance Leases | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $ | 26.6 | $ | 0.6 |
| 2027 | 22.7 | 0.5 | ||
| 2028 | 15.3 | 0.2 | ||
| 2029 | 7.4 | 0.1 | ||
| 2030 | 4.9 | — | ||
| 2031 and thereafter | 4.0 | — | ||
| Total minimum payments | 80.9 | 1.4 | ||
| Less: present value discount | (8.1) | (0.1) | ||
| Present value of minimum payments | 72.8 | 1.3 | ||
| Less: current portion | (23.0) | (0.5) | ||
| Long-term lease liability | $ | 49.8 | $ | 0.8 |
Note 12. Income Taxes
Income taxes have been based on the following components of earnings (loss) before income taxes for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024:
| 2025 | 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | $ | 7.8 | $ | (8.6) |
| Foreign | 24.7 | (35.9) | ||
| Total | $ | 32.5 | $ | (44.5) |
The components of income tax expense for the years ended December 31, 2025, and 2024, were as follows:
| 2025 | 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal: | ||||
| Current | $ | 0.9 | $ | 2.9 |
| Deferred | (2.9) | (2.3) | ||
| State: | ||||
| Current | 0.8 | 0.8 | ||
| Deferred | (0.7) | 0.1 | ||
| Foreign: | ||||
| Current | 3.2 | 4.7 | ||
| Deferred | 4.2 | 0.2 | ||
| Total income tax expense | $ | 5.5 | $ | 6.4 |
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
The Company adopted Accounting Standards Update 2023-09 “Income Taxes (Topic 740): Improvements to Income Tax Disclosures” during the year ended December 31, 2025 on a prospective basis. ASU 2023-09 amends ASC 740, Income Taxes, to expand income tax disclosures and requires that the Company disclose: (i) the income tax rate reconciliation using both percentages and reporting currency amounts; (ii) specific categories within the income tax rate reconciliation; (iii) additional information for reconciling items that meet a quantitative threshold; (iv) the composition of state and local income taxes by jurisdiction; and (v) the amount of income taxes paid by jurisdiction.
Adoption of the ASU did not affect the Company’s consolidated financial position, results of operations, or cash flows, but it resulted in expanded income tax disclosures included herein for the year ended December 31, 2025. The following table below provides the updated requirements of ASU 2023-09 and outlines the reconciliation of differences between the Federal statutory tax rate and the Company’s income tax expense for the year ended December 31, 2025:
| 2025 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| % | |||
| United States statutory tax rate | 21.0 | % | |
| State and local income taxes, net of federal income tax effect (1) | 0.1 | 0.4 | % |
| Foreign tax effects | |||
| Mexico | |||
| Foreign rate differential | 1.6 | 5.1 | % |
| Deferred tax liability for unremitted earnings | 1.4 | 4.4 | % |
| Adjustment to valuation allowances (2) | (1.1) | (3.2) | % |
| Other | 0.7 | 2.1 | % |
| Other foreign jurisdictions | 0.4 | 1.3 | % |
| Tax credits | (0.8) | (2.6) | % |
| Adjustment to valuation allowances (3) | (2.8) | (8.8) | % |
| Nontaxable or nondeductible items | |||
| Stock sale of foreign subsidiary | (3.6) | (11.2) | % |
| Executive compensation limitation | 2.3 | 7.0 | % |
| Nondeductible bad debt | 1.2 | 3.6 | % |
| Changes in unrecognized tax benefits | (0.3) | (1.0) | % |
| Other adjustments | |||
| Adjustment of deferred tax liabilities | (0.7) | (2.2) | % |
| Other | 0.3 | 1.1 | % |
| Income tax expense | 17.0 | % |
All values are in US Dollars. ______________________________
(1)During the year ended December 31, 2025, state taxes in Oregon and Texas made up the majority of the tax effect in this category. The $0.1 million effective rate reconciling item for State taxes, net of federal benefit, in 2025, includes a $0.5 million adjustment for partial release of valuation allowance reserves.
(2)The $1.1 million adjustment to valuation allowances in Mexico in the year ended December 31, 2025, primarily relates to releasing reserves related to expiring net operating loss carryforwards.
(3)The $2.8 million adjustment to valuation allowances in the year ended December 31, 2025, primarily relates to releasing reserves related to deferred tax assets for interest limitation for federal income tax purposes.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
The following table outlines the reconciliation of differences between the Federal statutory tax rate and the Company’s income tax expense for the year ended December 31, 2024:
| 2024 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Federal statutory rate | $ | (9.3) |
| Adjustment to valuation allowances | 14.5 | |
| Impairment on European operations | 8.7 | |
| Adjustment of uncertain tax positions and audit assessments | (5.9) | |
| Adjustment of deferred tax liabilities | (4.8) | |
| Executive compensation limitation | 2.7 | |
| Other permanent tax differences | 1.2 | |
| Impact from foreign branches | (1.1) | |
| Credits | (0.9) | |
| State taxes, net of federal benefit | 0.9 | |
| Foreign rate differential | 0.3 | |
| Other | 0.1 | |
| Income tax expense | $ | 6.4 |
The $14.5 million adjustment to valuation allowance in 2024 primarily relates to adjusting reserves related to deferred tax assets for interest limitation, credits and other deferred tax assets that are not expected to be realized in the future for federal income tax purposes. The $0.9 million effective rate reconciling item for State taxes, net of federal benefit, in 2024 includes a $3.1 million adjustment for partial release of valuation allowance reserves.
The following is a supplemental schedule of cash paid for income taxes (net of refunds) for the year ended December 31, 2025:
| 2025 | ||
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Federal | $ | 1.0 |
| State: | ||
| Oregon | 0.5 | |
| Other | 0.2 | |
| State total | 0.7 | |
| Foreign: | ||
| Mexico | 1.5 | |
| Poland | 0.2 | |
| Other | 0.4 | |
| Foreign total | 2.1 | |
| Total cash paid for income taxes (net of refunds) | $ | 3.8 |
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
Deferred Income Taxes
The significant deferred tax assets and liabilities as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, were as follows:
| 2025 | 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deferred tax assets: | ||||
| Net operating loss and other tax carryforwards | $ | 70.7 | $ | 67.3 |
| Goodwill and intangible assets | 18.0 | 23.6 | ||
| Pension and workers' compensation benefits | 16.2 | 20.1 | ||
| Research or experimental expenditures | 15.4 | 15.3 | ||
| Accrued liabilities | 9.2 | 8.6 | ||
| Interest limitation | 6.4 | 9.9 | ||
| Accrued compensation | 6.3 | 7.0 | ||
| Allowance for doubtful accounts | 3.4 | 5.3 | ||
| Other | 4.8 | 7.7 | ||
| Total deferred tax assets | 150.4 | 164.8 | ||
| Valuation allowance | (92.9) | (97.9) | ||
| Net deferred tax assets (1) | $ | 57.5 | $ | 66.9 |
| Deferred tax liabilities: | ||||
| Property, plant and equipment | $ | (53.4) | $ | (58.2) |
| Other | (3.9) | (4.8) | ||
| Total deferred tax liabilities | (57.3) | (63.0) | ||
| Net deferred tax assets | $ | 0.2 | $ | 3.9 |
______________________________
(1)Deferred tax assets totaling $3.8 million are classified as held for sale and are included in other long-term assets within the Company’s consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2024. Refer to Note 21, “Assets Held for Sale,” for further information on the assets classified as held for sale. These balances are excluded from the table above.
The Company has recorded deferred income tax liabilities of $4.0 million and $3.2 million as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively, which were included in deferred income taxes in the consolidated balance sheets. The Company has also recorded deferred income tax assets of $4.2 million and $7.1 million as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively, which were included in other long-term assets in the consolidated balance sheets.
At December 31, 2025, the Company had the following gross amounts of tax-related carryforwards:
•Net operating loss carryforwards of $8.3 million, $21.1 million and $477.4 million for federal, foreign and state, respectively. The federal net operating loss carryforward is available without expiration. Of the foreign net operating loss carryforwards, $3.9 million is available without expiration, while the remainder expires through 2045. Of the state net operating loss carryforwards, $82.2 million is available without expiration, while the remainder expires through 2045.
•Various credit carryforwards of $6.7 million and $40.2 million for federal and state, respectively. The federal carryforward expires through 2045 and the state credit carryforwards include $32.3 million that is available without expiration, while the remainder expires through 2039.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
As of December 31, 2025, the Company has recorded a valuation allowance of $92.9 million on its consolidated balance sheet primarily related to the tax-affected amounts of the above carryforwards. The valuation allowance includes $22.5 million, $8.0 million and $62.4 million of federal, foreign and state deferred tax assets, respectively, that are not expected to be realized.
Uncertain Tax Positions
The following table summarizes the activity of the Company’s liability for unrecognized tax benefits at December 31, 2025 and 2024:
| 2025 | 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balance at January 1, | $ | 8.9 | $ | 16.7 |
| Additions for tax positions of prior years | 1.6 | 0.2 | ||
| Reductions for tax positions of prior years | (1.7) | — | ||
| Lapses of applicable statutes of limitations | — | (6.7) | ||
| Cumulative translation adjustment | 0.9 | (1.3) | ||
| Balance at December 31, | $ | 9.7 | $ | 8.9 |
As of December 31, 2025, $5.7 million of unrecognized tax benefits would impact the Company’s effective tax rate, if recognized.
The Company classified interest expense and any related penalties related to income tax uncertainties as a component of income tax expense. The following table summarizes the Company’s interest expense related to tax uncertainties and penalties recognized during the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024:
| 2025 | 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interest expense | $ | 0.2 | $ | 0.2 |
| Penalties | 0.3 | 0.4 |
Accrued interest and penalties related to income tax uncertainties are reported as components of other current liabilities and other long-term liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets. The following table summarizes the Company’s liabilities for accrued interest and penalties, after the impact of translation adjustments, related to income tax uncertainties at December 31, 2025 and 2024:
| December 31, 2025 | December 31, 2024 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accrued interest | Accrued penalties | Accrued interest | Accrued penalties | |||||
| Other current liabilities | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — |
| Other long-term liabilities | 3.6 | 2.3 | 2.9 | 1.7 | ||||
| Total liabilities | $ | 3.6 | $ | 2.3 | $ | 2.9 | $ | 1.7 |
The Company has tax years from 2022 through 2025 that remain open and subject to examination by the Internal Revenue Service. Tax years from 2021 through 2025 remain open and subject to examination in the Company’s various major state jurisdictions within the United States. Tax years 2011 and 2016 through 2025 remain open and subject to examination or litigation in the Company’s major foreign jurisdictions.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
The Company has analyzed its global working capital and cash requirements and the potential tax liabilities attributable to repatriation of earnings and has determined not to change its permanent reinvestment assertion for all jurisdictions except Mexico. The Company recorded an immaterial deferred income tax liability in the current year to represent the estimate of the U.S. income and foreign withholding tax associated with unremitted foreign earnings not considered permanently reinvested. The Company does not have significant prior year untaxed, undistributed earnings from its foreign operations at December 31, 2025, and the Company does not provide for, nor expect to incur, any significant, additional taxes which could become payable upon repatriation of such amounts for jurisdiction that are considered permanently reinvested.
United States Tax Reform
On July 4, 2025, the United States government passed into law a broad reconciliation bill, commonly referred to as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (the “OBBB Act”), impacting various areas of domestic policy, including changes to the Internal Revenue Code. The OBBB Act did not have a material impact to the Company’s financial statements for the current period ended December 31, 2025. The Company anticipates the OBBB Act will result in a favorable reduction in U.S. cash tax payments for at least the next few years.
Reform of International Taxation
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s reform of international taxation known as Pillar Two Global Anti-Base Erosion Rules is effective for the Company since 2024. The Company continues to monitor ongoing developments concerning this tax reform within applicable jurisdictions. As of December 31, 2025, the Company qualifies for safe harbor provisions in jurisdictions with adopted Pillar 2 legislation and did not record a tax impact within its consolidated financial statements.
Note 13. Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measurements
Certain assets and liabilities are required to be recorded at fair value on a recurring basis, while other assets and liabilities are recorded at fair value on a nonrecurring basis, generally as a result of acquisitions or impairment charges. Fair value is determined based on the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants. GAAP also classifies the inputs used to measure fair value into the following hierarchy:
Level 1: Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
Level 2: Quoted prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active, or inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability.
Level 3: Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability. There were no Level 3 recurring measurements of assets or liabilities as of December 31, 2025.
Interest Rate Swaps
The Company currently holds four active interest rate swap contracts. The purpose of entering into the contracts was to reduce the variability of cash flows from interest payments related to a portion of Quad’s variable-rate debt.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
Active Interest Rate Swaps
The active interest rate swaps are each designated as a cash flow hedge as they effectively convert the notional value of the Company’s variable rate debt based on one-month term SOFR to a fixed rate, including a spread on underlying debt, and a monthly reset in the variable interest rate. The key terms of the active interest rate swaps are as follows:
| April 23, 2024<br>Interest Rate Swap | August 8, 2025 Interest Rate Swap | August 28, 2025 Interest Rate Swap | September 18, 2025 Interest Rate Swap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Effective date | April 30, 2024 | August 12, 2025 | August 29, 2025 | September 18, 2025 |
| Termination date | March 31, 2027 | September 30, 2028 | September 30, 2028 | September 30, 2028 |
| Term | 35 Months | 37 Months | 37 Months | 36 Months |
| Notional amount | $50.0 | $40.0 | $20.0 | $20.0 |
| Fixed swap rate | 4.67% | 3.46% | 3.34% | 3.31% |
The Company classifies interest rate swaps as Level 2 because the inputs into the valuation model are observable or can be derived or corroborated utilizing observable market data at commonly quoted intervals. The fair value of the active interest rate swap classified as Level 2 as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, were as follows:
| Balance Sheet Location | December 31, 2025 | December 31, 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interest rate swap liabilities | Other long-term liabilities | (1.1) | (0.7) |
The active interest rate swaps were highly effective as of December 31, 2025. No amount of ineffectiveness has been recorded into earnings related to the active interest rate swaps. The cash flows associated with the active interest rate swaps have been recognized as an adjustment to interest expense in the consolidated statements of operations, and the changes in the fair value of the active interest rate swaps have been included in other comprehensive income (loss) in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss):
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | |||
| Cash Flow Impacts | ||||
| Net interest received | $ | — | $ | (0.1) |
| Loss recognized in other comprehensive income (loss) | $ | 0.4 | $ | 0.7 |
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
Terminated Interest Rate Swap
The Company held a $130.0 million interest rate swap, effective on March 29, 2019, that terminated on March 28, 2024. The terminated interest rate swap was previously designated as a cash flow hedge as it effectively converted the notional value of the Company’s variable rate debt based on one-month LIBOR to a fixed rate, including a spread on underlying debt, and a monthly reset in the variable interest rate. However, the Company amended its Senior Secured Credit Facility during the second quarter of 2020, which added a 0.75% LIBOR floor to the Company’s variable rate debt, changing the critical terms of the hedged instrument. Due to this change in critical terms, the Company had elected to de-designate the swap as a cash flow hedge, resulting in future changes in fair value being recognized in interest expense. The balance of the accumulated other comprehensive loss attributable to the interest rate swap as of June 30, 2020 was then amortized to interest expense on a straight-line basis over the remaining life of the swap contract. Due to the Company’s transition from LIBOR to SOFR during the first quarter of 2023, the interest rate swap’s fixed swap rate was amended to be based on one-month term SOFR.
Prior to the Company’s de-designation of the terminated interest rate swap as a cash flow hedge, the interest rate swap was considered highly effective, with no amount of ineffectiveness recorded into earnings. The change in the fair value of the interest rate swap is recorded as an adjustment to interest expense in the consolidated statements of operations.
The cash flows associated with the terminated interest rate swap have been recognized as an adjustment to interest expense in the consolidated statements of operations:
| Year Ended December 31, 2024 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cash Flow Impacts | ||
| Net interest received | $ | (1.0) |
| Impacts with Swaps as Nonhedging Instruments | ||
| Loss recognized in interest expense excluded from hedge effectiveness assessments | $ | 0.9 |
| Amounts reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive loss to interest expense | 0.6 | |
| Net interest expense | (1.0) | |
| Total impact of swaps to interest expense | $ | 0.5 |
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
Interest Rate Collars
The Company currently has one interest rate collar contract. Another previously held interest rate collar contract, effective on February 1, 2023, terminated on October 31, 2025. The purpose of entering into the contracts was to reduce the variability of cash flows from interest payments related to a portion of Quad’s variable-rate debt. The remaining interest rate collar is designated as a cash flow hedge as it effectively converts the notional value of the Company’s variable rate debt based on one-month term SOFR to a fixed rate if that month’s interest rate is outside of the collars’ floor and ceiling rates, including a spread on underlying debt, and a monthly reset in the variable interest rate. The key terms of the interest rate collar are as follows:
| December 12, 2022<br>Interest Rate Collar | |
|---|---|
| Effective date | February 1, 2023 |
| Termination date | October 30, 2026 |
| Term | 45 Months |
| Notional amount | $75.0 |
| Floor Rate | 2.09% |
| Ceiling Rate | 5.00% |
The Company classifies interest rate collars as Level 2 because the inputs into the valuation model are observable or can be derived or corroborated utilizing observable market data at commonly quoted intervals. The fair value of the interest rate collars classified as Level 2 as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, were as follows:
| Balance Sheet Location | December 31, 2025 | December 31, 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interest rate collar assets | Prepaid expenses and other current assets | $ | — | $ | 0.1 |
The interest rate collar was highly effective as of December 31, 2025. No amount of ineffectiveness has been recorded into earnings related to these cash flow hedges. The cash flows associated with the interest rate collars have been recognized as an adjustment to interest expense in the consolidated statements of operations, and the changes in the fair value of the interest rate collars have been included in other comprehensive income (loss) in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income (loss):
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | |||
| Net interest received | $ | — | $ | (0.4) |
| Gain recognized in other comprehensive income (loss) | $ | — | $ | (0.2) |
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
Foreign Exchange Contracts
The Company has operations in countries that have transactions outside their functional currencies and periodically enters into foreign exchange contracts. These contracts are used to hedge the net exposures of changes in foreign currency exchange rates and are designated as either cash flow hedges or fair value hedges. Gains or losses on net foreign currency hedges are intended to offset losses or gains on the underlying net exposures in an effort to reduce the earnings volatility resulting from fluctuating foreign currency exchange rates. As of December 31, 2025, there were three open foreign currency exchange contracts for the future collections of the note receivable from the sale of the European operations, designated as cash flow hedges, with a total notional value of $26.2 million. The change in the fair value of the cash flow hedges resulted in a loss of $0.3 million included in other comprehensive income (loss) during the year ended December 31, 2025.
Natural Gas Forward Contracts
The Company periodically enters into natural gas forward purchase contracts to hedge against increases in commodity costs. The Company’s commodity contracts qualified for the exception related to normal purchases and sales during the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, as the Company takes delivery in the normal course of business.
Debt
The Company measures fair value on its debt instruments using interest rates available to the Company for borrowings with similar terms and maturities and is categorized as Level 2. See Note 10, “Debt,” for the fair value of the Company’s debt as of December 31, 2025 and 2024.
Other Estimated Fair Value Measurements
In addition to assets and liabilities that are recorded at fair value on a recurring basis, the Company is required to record certain assets and liabilities at fair value on a nonrecurring basis, generally as a result of acquisitions or the remeasurement of assets that may result in impairment charges, which are categorized as Level 3. See Note 3, “Restructuring, Impairment and Transaction-Related Charges, Net”; Note 4, “Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets”; Note 7, “Property, Plant and Equipment”; Note 11, “Leases”; and Note 21, “Assets Held for Sale,” for further discussion on fair value remeasurements. See Note 3, “Restructuring, Impairment and Transaction-Related Charges, Net” and Note 21, “Assets Held for Sale,” for impairment charges recorded as a result of the remeasurement of certain long-lived assets.
The Company records the fair value of its forward contracts and pension plan assets on a recurring basis. The fair value of cash and cash equivalents, receivables, inventories, accounts payable and other current liabilities approximate their carrying values as of December 31, 2025 and 2024. See Note 14, “Employee Retirement Plans,” for the details of Level 1 and Level 2 inputs related to employee retirement plans.
Note 14. Employee Retirement Plans
Defined Contribution Plans
The Quad/Graphics, Inc. Diversified Plan is comprised of participant-directed 401(k) contributions, Company match and profit sharing contributions, with total participant assets of $2.1 billion as of December 31, 2025. Company 401(k) matching contributions were $14.3 million and $13.9 million for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. The Company’s Employee Stock Ownership Plan holds profit sharing contributions of Company stock, which are made at the discretion of the Company’s Board of Directors. There were no profit sharing contributions for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
Defined Benefit Plans
The Company assumed various funded and unfunded frozen pension plans for a portion of its full-time employees in the United States as part of the acquisition of World Color Press in 2010. Benefits are generally based upon years of service and compensation. These plans are funded in conformity with the applicable government regulations. The Company funds at least the minimum amount required for all qualified plans using actuarial cost methods and assumptions acceptable under government regulations.
The components of net pension (expense) income for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, were as follows:
| Pension Benefits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | |||
| Interest cost | $ | (14.7) | $ | (16.4) |
| Expected return on plan assets | 14.5 | 18.2 | ||
| Amortization of actuarial loss | (1.0) | (1.0) | ||
| Net periodic pension (expense) income | (1.2) | 0.8 | ||
| Settlement charge from defined benefit pension plan annuitization | (12.8) | — | ||
| Net pension (expense) income | $ | (14.0) | $ | 0.8 |
The Company made $0.3 million in benefit payments to its non-qualified defined benefit pension plans and made no contributions to its qualified benefit pension plans during the year ended December 31, 2025.
During 2025, the Company entered into a group annuity contract with Fidelity & Guaranty Life Insurance Company and Fidelity & Guaranty Life Insurance Company of New York (collectively “F&G”) to de-risk the defined benefit pension plan by transferring a portion of its defined benefit obligations. The transaction resulted in a reduction of $96.1 million of projected benefit obligations and a $94.0 million distribution of plan assets to F&G. In connection with this settlement, the Company recognized a non-cash settlement charge of $12.8 million in accordance with ASC 715 — Compensation — Retirement Benefits.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
The underfunded pension obligations are calculated using generally accepted actuarial methods and are measured annually as of December 31. The following table provides a reconciliation of the projected benefit obligation, fair value of plan assets and the underfunded status of the pension plans as of December 31, 2025 and 2024:
| Pension Benefits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | |||
| Changes in benefit obligation | ||||
| Projected benefit obligation, beginning of year | $ | (312.6) | $ | (342.7) |
| Interest cost | (14.8) | (16.4) | ||
| Actuarial gain | 1.6 | 14.0 | ||
| Benefits paid | 25.5 | 32.5 | ||
| Liability impact from settlement: | ||||
| Liability reduction from pension plan annuitization | 96.1 | — | ||
| Liability reduction from other settlement activity | 2.0 | — | ||
| Total liability impact from settlement | 98.1 | — | ||
| Projected benefit obligation, end of year | (202.2) | (312.6) | ||
| Changes in plan assets | ||||
| Fair value of plan assets, beginning of year | 278.5 | 303.3 | ||
| Actual gain on plan assets | 23.1 | 5.6 | ||
| Employer contributions | 0.3 | 2.1 | ||
| Benefits paid | (25.5) | (32.5) | ||
| Asset impact from settlement: | ||||
| Asset distribution for pension plan annuitization | (94.0) | — | ||
| Asset distribution for other settlement | (2.8) | — | ||
| Total asset impact from settlement | (96.8) | — | ||
| Fair value of plan assets, end of year | 179.6 | 278.5 | ||
| Underfunded status | $ | (22.6) | $ | (34.1) |
The underfunded defined benefit plan obligations decreased by $11.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2025. This decrease in the underfunded status was primarily due to a decrease in overall pension obligations of $110.4 million from a $98.1 million reduction in benefit obligations from the pension plan settlement, $25.5 million in benefits paid and $1.6 million from an actuarial gain, offset by a $14.8 million increase in interest cost due to a 39 basis point decrease in the pension discount rate from 5.55% at December 31, 2024, to 5.16% at December 31, 2025. This decrease in pension obligations was partially offset by an overall decrease of $98.9 million in pension plan assets from a $96.8 million asset distribution for the pension plan settlement, and $25.5 million in benefits paid, offset by an actual gain on pension plan assets of $23.1 million, or 9.84%, during the year ended December 31, 2025, which was above the expected long-term return on plan assets assumption of 5.75%, and employer contributions of $0.3 million.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
Amounts recognized on the consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2025 and 2024, were as follows:
| Pension Benefits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | |||
| Current liabilities | $ | (1.8) | $ | (1.7) |
| Noncurrent liabilities | (20.8) | (32.4) | ||
| Total amount recognized | $ | (22.6) | $ | (34.1) |
The following table provides a reconciliation of the Company’s accumulated other comprehensive loss prior to any deferred tax effects at December 31, 2025 and 2024:
| Actuarial Gain / (Loss), net | ||
|---|---|---|
| Balance at January 1, 2024 | $ | (53.0) |
| Amortization included in net loss | 1.0 | |
| Amount arising during the period | 1.3 | |
| Balance at December 31, 2024 | (50.7) | |
| Amortization included in net earnings | 1.0 | |
| Amount arising during the period | 11.5 | |
| Impact of defined benefit pension plan settlement charge included in net earnings | 12.8 | |
| Balance at December 31, 2025 | $ | (25.4) |
Actuarial gains and losses in excess of 10% of the greater of the projected benefit obligation or the market-related value of plan assets are recognized as a component of net periodic benefit costs over the average remaining life expectancy of all participants. Unrecognized prior service costs or credits are also recognized as a component of net periodic benefit cost over the average remaining life expectancy of all participants.
The weighted average assumptions used to determine net periodic benefit costs for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, were as follows:
| Pension Benefits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | |||
| Discount rate | 5.55 | % | 5.11 | % |
| Expected long-term return on plan assets | 5.75 | % | 6.30 | % |
The weighted average assumptions used to determine pension benefit obligations at December 31, 2025 and 2024, were as follows:
| Pension Benefits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | |||
| Discount rate (end of year rate) | 5.16 | % | 5.55 | % |
The Company determines its assumed discount rate based on an index of high-quality corporate bond yields and matched-funding yield curve analysis as of the measurement date.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
Estimated Company Contributions and Benefit Payments
In 2026, the Company expects to make cash contributions of $5.9 million to its qualified defined benefit pension plans and expects to make estimated benefit payments of $1.8 million to its non-qualified defined benefit pension plans. The actual pension contributions may differ based on the funding calculations, and the Company may choose to make additional discretionary contributions. The estimated benefit payments may differ based on actual experience.
Estimated Future Benefit Payments by the Plans to or on Behalf of Plan Participants
An estimate of the Plans’ present value of future benefit payments to be made from funded qualified plans and unfunded non-qualified plans to plan participants at December 31, 2025, were as follows:
| Future Pension <br>Benefit Payments | ||
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $ | 28.8 |
| 2027 | 19.8 | |
| 2028 | 18.8 | |
| 2029 | 18.2 | |
| 2030 | 17.2 | |
| 2031 - 2035 | 74.8 | |
| Thereafter | 24.6 | |
| Total | $ | 202.2 |
Plan Assets and Investment Strategy
The Company follows a disciplined investment strategy, which provides diversification of investments by asset class, foreign currency, sector and company. The Pension Committee has an approved investment policy for the pension plan that establishes long-term asset mix targets based on several factors including the following: the funded status, historical returns achieved by worldwide investment markets, the time horizon of the pension plan’s obligations, and the investment risk. An allocation range by asset class is developed whereby a mix of equity securities and debt securities are used to provide an appropriate risk-adjusted long-term return on plan assets. Third-party investment managers are employed to invest assets in both passively-indexed and actively-managed strategies and investment returns and risks are monitored on an ongoing basis. Derivatives are used at certain times to hedge foreign currency exposure. Gains or losses on the derivatives are offset by a corresponding change in the value of the hedged assets. Derivatives are strictly used for hedging purposes and not speculative purposes.
The current target allocations for plan assets on a weighted average basis are 25% equity securities and 75% debt securities, including cash and cash equivalents. The actual asset allocation as of December 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, was approximately 22% equity securities and 78% debt securities, respectively. Equity investments are diversified by country, issuer and industry sector. Debt securities primarily consist of government bonds and corporate bonds from diversified industries.
The expected long-term rate of return on assets assumption is selected by first identifying the expected range of long-term rates of return for each major asset class. Expected long-term rates of return are developed based on long-term historical averages, current expectations of future returns, anticipated inflation rates and active investment management of the portfolio. The expected long-term rate of return on plan assets is then calculated by weighting each asset class.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
The fair values of the Company’s pension plan assets at December 31, 2025 and 2024, by asset category were as follows:
| December 31, 2025 | December 31, 2024 | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asset Category | Total | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Total | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | ||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 0.7 | $ | 0.7 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 0.7 | $ | 0.7 | $ | — | $ | — |
| Debt securities | 44.3 | — | 44.3 | — | 68.5 | — | 68.5 | — | ||||||||
| Equity securities | 5.8 | — | 5.8 | — | 10.8 | — | 10.8 | — | ||||||||
| Total pension plan assets, excluding those measured at net asset value (“NAV”) | 50.8 | $ | 0.7 | $ | 50.1 | $ | — | 80.0 | $ | 0.7 | $ | 79.3 | $ | — | ||
| Investments measured at NAV (1) | 128.8 | 198.5 | ||||||||||||||
| Total pension plan assets | $ | 179.6 | $ | 278.5 |
______________________________
(1)These investments consist of privately placed funds that are valued based on NAV. NAV of the funds is based on the fair value of each fund’s underlying investments. In accordance with ASC Subtopic 820-10, certain investments that are measured at fair value using the NAV per share (or its equivalent) practical expedient have not been classified in the fair value hierarchy.
There were no Level 3 assets as of December 31, 2025 and 2024. See Note 13, “ Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measurements,” for definitions of fair value levels.
The Company segregated its plan assets by the following major categories and levels for determining their fair value as of December 31, 2025:
Cash and cash equivalents. Carrying value approximates fair value and these assets are classified as Level 1.
Debt Securities. This category consists of bonds, short-term fixed income securities and fixed income pooled funds fair valued based on a compilation of primarily observable market information or broker quotes in over-the-counter markets and are classified as Level 2.
Equity Securities. This category consists of equity pooled funds that are classified as Level 2 in the fair value hierarchy. Level 2 assets are valued using quoted prices in markets that are not active, broker dealer quotations, and other methods by which all significant input was observable at the measurement date.
The valuation methodologies described above may generate a fair value calculation that may not be indicative of net realizable value or future fair values. While the Company believes the valuation methodologies used are appropriate, the use of different methodologies or assumptions in calculating fair value could result in different amounts. The Company invests in various assets in which valuation is determined by NAV. The Company believes that NAV is representative of fair value at the reporting date, as there are no significant restrictions on redemption on these investments or other reasons to indicate that the investment would be redeemed at an amount different than NAV.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
The fair value measurements in common/collective trusts, calculated using a NAV and their redemption restrictions, for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, are as follows:
| Fair Value | Redemption Frequency (If Currently Eligible) | Redemption Notice Period | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | |||||
| JP Morgan Chase Bank Strategic Property Fund | $ | 8.2 | $ | 7.9 | Quarterly | 30 days |
| Pyramis Long Corporate A or Better | 12.8 | 19.5 | Daily | 15 days | ||
| Pyramis Long Duration | 4.1 | 10.7 | Daily | 15 days | ||
| Pyramis 810 Corporate | 74.7 | 115.5 | Daily | 15 days | ||
| Russell 3000 Index NL | 25.5 | 41.8 | Daily | 1 day | ||
| NT Collective Short Term Investment Fund | 3.5 | 3.1 | Daily | 1 day | ||
| Total value of investments measured at NAV | $ | 128.8 | $ | 198.5 |
Risk Management
For all directly invested funds, the concentration risk is monitored through specific guidelines in the investment manager mandates. The investment manager mandates were developed by the Company’s external investment advisor, and specify diversification standards such as the maximum exposure per issuer, and concentration limits per type of security, industry and country when applicable.
For the investments made through pooled funds, the investment mandates of the funds were again reviewed by the Company’s external investment advisor, to determine that the investment objectives and guidelines were consistent with the Company’s overall pension plan risk management objectives. In managing the plan assets, management reviews and manages risk associated with funded status risk, interest rate risk, market risk, counterparty risk, liquidity risk and operational risk. Liability management and asset class diversification are central to the Company’s risk management approach and are integral to the overall investment strategy.
Given the process in place to ensure a proper diversification of the portfolio, management believes that the Company pension plan assets are not exposed to significant concentration risk.
Multiemployer Pension Plans
The Company has previously participated in a number of MEPPs under terms of collective bargaining agreements that cover a number of its employees. The risks of participating in these MEPPs are different from single employer plans in the following aspects:
•Assets contributed to the MEPPs by one company may be used to provide benefits to employees of other participating companies.
•If a participating company stops contributing to the plan, the unfunded obligations of the plan may be borne by the remaining participating companies.
•If the Company stops participating in some or all of its MEPPs, and continues in business, the Company would be required to pay an amount, referred to as a withdrawal liability, based on the unfunded status of the plan.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
The Company has withdrawn from all significant MEPPs and replaced these union sponsored “promise to pay in the future” defined benefit plans with a Company sponsored “pay as you go” defined contribution plan. The two MEPPs, the Graphic Communications International Union - Employer Retirement Fund (“GCIU”) and Graphic Communications Conference of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters National Pension Fund (“GCC”), are significantly underfunded, and require the Company to pay a withdrawal liability to fund its pro rata share of the underfunding as of the plan year the full withdrawal was completed. As a result of the decision to withdraw, the Company accrued the withdrawal liability based on information provided by each plan’s trustee.
The GCIU Plan is a defined benefit plan that provides retirement benefits, total and permanent disability benefits, and pre-retirement death benefits for the former participating union employees of the Company. The funded status of the GCIU Plan is classified as critical and declining based on the GCIU Plan’s 2025 certification to the United States Department of Labor and will be deemed critical through December 31, 2051. As a result, the GCIU Plan implemented a rehabilitation plan to improve the plan’s funded status. In 2019, the Company and the GCIU reached a settlement agreement for all claims, with scheduled payments until April 2032.
The GCC Plan is a defined benefit plan that provides retirement benefits, disability benefits, and early retirement benefits for the former participating union employees of the Company. The Company made its final payment to the GCC in February 2024.
The Company made payments totaling $3.9 million and $4.3 million for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. The Company has reserved $19.3 million as the total GCIU withdrawal liability as of December 31, 2025, of which $16.8 million was recorded in other long-term liabilities and $2.5 million was recorded in other current liabilities in the consolidated balance sheets.
Note 15. Earnings (Loss) Per Share
Basic earnings (loss) per share is computed as net earnings (loss) divided by the basic weighted average common shares outstanding. The calculation of diluted earnings (loss) per share includes the effect of any dilutive equity incentive instruments. The Company uses the treasury stock method to calculate the effect of outstanding dilutive equity incentive instruments, which requires the Company to compute total proceeds as the sum of the amount the employee must pay upon exercise of the award and the amount of unearned stock-based compensation costs attributable to future services.
Equity incentive instruments for which the total employee proceeds from exercise exceed the average fair value of the same equity incentive instrument over the period have an anti-dilutive effect on earnings per share during periods with net earnings, and accordingly, the Company excludes them from the calculation. Anti-dilutive equity instruments excluded from the computation of diluted earnings per share were 0.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2025. Due to the net loss incurred during the year ended December 31, 2024, the assumed exercise of all equity incentive instruments were anti-dilutive and therefore, not included in the diluted loss per share calculation.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
Reconciliations of the numerator and the denominator of the basic and diluted per share computations for the Company’s common stock for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, are summarized as follows:
| 2025 | 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Numerator: | ||||
| Net earnings (loss) | $ | 27.0 | $ | (50.9) |
| Denominator: | ||||
| Basic weighted average number of common shares outstanding for all classes of common stock | 47.6 | 47.6 | ||
| Plus: effect of dilutive equity incentive instruments | 2.3 | — | ||
| Diluted weighted average number of common shares outstanding for all classes of common shares | 49.9 | 47.6 | ||
| Earnings (loss) per share: | ||||
| Basic | $ | 0.57 | $ | (1.07) |
| Diluted | $ | 0.54 | $ | (1.07) |
| Cash dividends paid per common share for all classes of common shares | $ | 0.30 | $ | 0.20 |
Note 16. Equity Incentive Programs
The shareholders of the Company approved the Quad/Graphics, Inc. 2020 Omnibus Incentive Plan (the “2020 Plan”) at the Company’s annual meeting of shareholders held on May 18, 2020, for two complementary purposes: (1) to attract and retain outstanding individuals to serve as directors, officers and employees; and (2) to increase shareholder value. The Company’s previous plan, the Quad/Graphics, Inc. 2010 Omnibus Plan (the “2010 Plan”), was terminated on the date of approval of the 2020 Plan, and no new awards will be granted under the 2010 Plan. All awards that were granted under the 2010 Plan that were outstanding as of May 18, 2020, will remain outstanding and will continue to be governed by the 2010 Plan.
The 2020 Plan provides for an aggregate 9,000,000 shares of class A common stock reserved for issuance, plus shares still available for issuance or re-credited under the 2010 Plan. Awards under the 2020 Plan may consist of incentive awards, stock options, stock appreciation rights, performance shares, performance share units, shares of class A common stock, restricted stock (“RS”), restricted stock units (“RSU”), deferred stock units (“DSU”) or other stock-based awards as determined by the Company’s Board of Directors. Each stock option granted has an exercise price of no less than 100% of the fair market value of the class A common stock on the date of grant. There were 3,382,328 shares of class A common stock reserved for issuance under the 2020 Plan as of December 31, 2025. Authorized unissued shares or treasury shares may be used for issuance under the Company’s equity incentive programs. The Company plans to either use treasury shares of its class A common stock or issue shares of class A common stock to meet the stock requirements of its awards in the future.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
The Company recognizes compensation expense based on estimated grant date fair values for all share-based awards issued to employees and non-employee directors, including stock options, performance shares, performance share units, restricted stock, restricted stock units and deferred stock units. The Company recognizes these compensation costs for only those awards expected to vest, on a straight-line basis over the requisite approximate three year service period of the awards, except DSU awards, which are fully vested and expensed on the grant date. The Company estimated the number of awards expected to vest based, in part, on historical forfeiture rates and also based on management’s expectations of employee turnover within the specific employee groups receiving each type of award. Forfeitures are estimated at the time of grant and revised, if necessary, in subsequent periods, if actual forfeitures differ from those estimates.
Equity Incentive Compensation Expense
Equity incentive compensation expense was recorded primarily in selling, general and administrative expenses in the consolidated statements of operations and includes expense recognized for liability awards that are remeasured on a quarterly basis. The total compensation expense recognized related to all equity incentive programs for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, was as follows:
| Year ended December 31, | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | |||
| RS and RSU equity awards expense | $ | 5.6 | $ | 6.2 |
| DSU awards expense | 1.0 | 1.1 | ||
| Total equity incentive compensation expense | $ | 6.6 | $ | 7.3 |
Total future compensation expense related to all equity incentive programs granted as of December 31, 2025, was estimated to be $6.7 million, which consists entirely of expense for RS and RSU awards. Estimated future compensation expense is $4.2 million for 2026, $2.2 million for 2027 and $0.3 million for 2028.
Restricted Stock and Restricted Stock Units
Restricted stock and restricted stock unit awards consist of shares or the rights to shares of the Company’s class A stock which are awarded to employees of the Company. The awards are restricted such that they are subject to substantial risk of forfeiture and to restrictions on their sale or other transfer by the employee. RSU awards are typically granted to eligible employees outside of the United States. As defined in the individual grant agreements, acceleration of vesting may occur under a change in control, death, disability or normal retirement of the grantee. Grantees receiving RS grants are able to exercise full voting rights and receive full credit for dividends during the vesting period. All such dividends will be paid to the RS grantee within 45 days of full vesting. Grantees receiving RSUs are not entitled to vote but do earn dividends. Upon vesting, RSUs will be settled either through cash payment equal to the fair market value of the RSUs on the vesting date or through issuance of Company class A stock. In general, RS and RSU awards will vest on the third anniversary of the grant date, provided the holder of the share is continuously employed by the Company until the vesting date.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
The following table is a summary of RS and RSU award activity for the year ended December 31, 2025:
| Restricted Stock | Restricted Stock Units | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shares | Weighted-<br>Average<br>Grant Date<br>Fair Value<br>Per Share | Weighted-<br>Average<br>Remaining<br>Contractual<br>Term (Years) | Units | Weighted-<br>Average<br>Grant Date<br>Fair Value<br>Per Share | Weighted-<br>Average<br>Remaining<br>Contractual<br>Term (Years) | |||
| Nonvested at December 31, 2024 | 4,264,407 | $ | 4.45 | 1.1 | 147,953 | $ | 4.46 | 1.1 |
| Granted | 851,510 | 6.96 | 66,445 | 6.33 | ||||
| Vested | (1,386,798) | 3.97 | (36,366) | 4.00 | ||||
| Forfeited | (310,179) | 4.95 | (54,986) | 4.65 | ||||
| Nonvested at December 31, 2025 | 3,418,940 | $ | 5.23 | 1.0 | 123,046 | $ | 5.52 | 1.4 |
In general, RS and RSU awards will vest on the third anniversary of the grant date, provided the holder of the share is continuously employed by the Company until the vesting date. Compensation expense recognized for RS and RSUs classified as equity was $5.6 million and $6.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively.
Deferred Stock Units
Deferred stock units are awards of rights to shares of the Company’s class A stock and are awarded to non-employee directors of the Company. The following table is a summary of DSU award activity for the year ended December 31, 2025:
| Deferred Stock Units | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Units | Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value Per Share | ||
| Outstanding at December 31, 2024 | 1,037,087 | $ | 5.95 |
| Granted | 176,032 | 5.60 | |
| Dividend equivalents granted | 45,201 | 5.87 | |
| Settled | (410,772) | 6.61 | |
| Outstanding at December 31, 2025 | 847,548 | $ | 5.56 |
Each DSU award entitles the grantee to receive one share of class A stock upon the earlier of the separation date of the grantee or the second anniversary of the grant date, but could be subject to acceleration for a change in control, death or disability as defined in the individual DSU grant agreement. Grantees of DSU awards may not exercise voting rights, but are credited with dividend equivalents and those dividend equivalents will be converted into additional DSU awards based on the closing price of the class A stock. Compensation expense recognized for DSUs was $1.0 million and $1.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, respectively. As DSU awards are fully vested on the grant date, all compensation expense was recognized at the date of grant.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
Note 17. Shareholders’ Equity
The Company has three classes of common stock as follows (share data in millions):
| Issued Common Stock | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Outstanding | Treasury | Total Issued Shares | |
| Class A stock (0.025 par value) | |||
| December 31, 2025 | 37.6 | 4.9 | 42.5 |
| December 31, 2024 | 38.8 | 3.7 | 42.5 |
| Class B stock (0.025 par value) | |||
| December 31, 2025 | 13.3 | — | 13.3 |
| December 31, 2024 | 13.3 | — | 13.3 |
| Class C stock (0.025 par value) | |||
| December 31, 2025 | — | 0.5 | 0.5 |
| December 31, 2024 | — | 0.5 | 0.5 |
All values are in US Dollars.
In accordance with the Articles of Incorporation, each class A common share has one vote per share and each class B and class C common share has ten votes per share on all matters voted upon by the Company’s shareholders. Liquidation rights are the same for all three classes of stock.
The Company also has 0.5 million shares of $0.01 par value preferred stock authorized, of which none were issued at December 31, 2025 and 2024. The Company has no present plans to issue any preferred stock.
On July 30, 2018, the Company’s Board of Directors authorized a share repurchase program of up to $100.0 million of the Company’s outstanding class A common stock. Under the authorization, share repurchases may be made at the Company’s discretion, from time to time, in the open market and/or in privately negotiated transactions as permitted by federal securities laws and other legal requirements. The timing, manner, price and amount of any repurchase will depend on economic and market conditions, share price, trading volume, applicable legal requirements and other factors. The program may be suspended or discontinued at any time. There were no share repurchases during the year ended December 31, 2024. The following repurchases occurred during the year ended December 31, 2025:
| 2025 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Shares of Class A common stock | 1,485,803 | |
| Weighted average price per share | $ | 5.40 |
| Total repurchases during the period (in millions) | $ | 8.0 |
As of December 31, 2025, there were $69.5 million of authorized repurchases remaining under the program.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
In March 2024, 294,875 shares of class B common stock were converted to class A common stock, and the class B common shares were canceled and returned to the status of authorized but unissued shares.
In accordance with the Articles of Incorporation, dividends are paid equally for all three classes of common shares. Beginning in the second quarter of 2020, the Company’s Board of Directors proactively suspended the Company’s quarterly dividends. On February 15, 2024, the Board of Directors reinstated the Company’s quarterly dividends.
The dividend activity related to the then outstanding shares for the year ended December 31, 2025 is as follows:
| Declaration Date | Record Date | Payment Date | Dividend Amount per Share | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | |||||
| Q4 Dividend | October 20, 2025 | November 17, 2025 | December 5, 2025 | $ | 0.075 |
| Q3 Dividend | July 21, 2025 | August 18, 2025 | September 5, 2025 | $ | 0.075 |
| Q2 Dividend | April 22, 2025 | May 22, 2025 | June 6, 2025 | $ | 0.075 |
| Q1 Dividend | February 12, 2025 | February 28, 2025 | March 14, 2025 | $ | 0.075 |
Note 18. Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss
The changes in accumulated other comprehensive loss by component, net of tax, for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, were as follows:
| Translation Adjustments | Interest Rate Derivative Adjustments | Pension Benefit Plan Adjustments | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balance at January 1, 2024 | $ | (75.5) | $ | (2.1) | $ | (40.0) | $ | (117.6) |
| Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications | (15.5) | (0.5) | 1.3 | (14.7) | ||||
| Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss to net loss | — | 0.6 | 0.5 | 1.1 | ||||
| Net other comprehensive income (loss) | (15.5) | 0.1 | 1.8 | (13.6) | ||||
| Balance at December 31, 2024 | (91.0) | (2.0) | (38.2) | (131.2) | ||||
| Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications | 50.4 | (0.4) | 11.5 | 61.5 | ||||
| Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss to net earnings | — | — | 10.2 | 10.2 | ||||
| Net other comprehensive income (loss) | 50.4 | (0.4) | 21.7 | 71.7 | ||||
| Balance at December 31, 2025 | $ | (40.6) | $ | (2.4) | $ | (16.5) | $ | (59.5) |
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
The details about the reclassifications from accumulated other comprehensive loss to net earnings (loss) for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, were as follows:
| Details about Accumulated Other <br>Comprehensive Loss Components | Year Ended December 31, | Consolidated Statements of Operations Presentation | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2024 | ||||||
| Amortization of amounts accumulated for interest rate swaps de-designated as cash flow hedges | $ | — | $ | 0.6 | Interest expense | ||
| Impact of income taxes | — | — | Income tax expense | ||||
| Amortization of amounts accumulated for interest rate swaps de-designated as cash flow hedges, net of tax | — | 0.6 | |||||
| Settlement charge from defined benefit pension plan annuitization | 12.8 | — | Net pension expense (income) | ||||
| Amortization of actuarial loss | 1.0 | 1.0 | Net pension expense (income) | ||||
| Impact of income taxes | (3.6) | (0.5) | Income tax expense | ||||
| Reclassification of pension adjustments, net of tax | 10.2 | 0.5 | |||||
| Total reclassifications for the period, net of tax | $ | 10.2 | $ | 1.1 |
Note 19. Segment Information
The Company adopted Accounting Standards Update 2023-07 “Segment Reporting (Topic 280): Improvements to Reportable Segment Disclosures” during the year ended December 31, 2024. The Company’s operating and reportable segments are aligned with how the chief operating decision maker (the “CODM”) of the Company (the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer) currently manages the business. On a monthly basis, the CODM receives discrete financial information, including operating income (loss), for the United States Print and Related Services and International segments, as well as for the Corporate non-operating segment. This information is used to make resource allocation decisions for the entire Company. Intercompany transactions, including sales between the Company’s operating and reportable segments, have been eliminated in consolidation.
The Company’s operating and reportable segments, including their product and service offerings, and a “Corporate” category are as follows:
•United States Print and Related Services
•International
•Corporate
United States Print and Related Services
The United States Print and Related Services segment is predominantly comprised of the Company’s United States printing operations, managed as one integrated platform, and marketing and other complementary services. The printing operations include print execution and logistics for retail inserts, catalogs, long-run publications, special interest publications, journals, direct mail, directories, in-store marketing and promotion, packaging, newspapers, custom print products, as well as other commercial and specialty printed products, along with global paper procurement and the manufacture of ink. Marketing and other complementary services include data intelligence and analytics, technology solutions, media planning, placement and optimization, creative strategy and content creation, as well as execution in non-print channels (e.g., digital and broadcast). This segment also includes medical services.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
International
The International segment consists of the Company’s printing operations in Europe and Latin America, including operations in England, France, Germany, Poland, Colombia, Mexico and Peru. The Company sold its European operations on February 28, 2025. This segment provides printed products and marketing and other complementary services consistent with the United States Print and Related Services segment.
Corporate
Corporate consists of unallocated general and administrative activities and associated expenses including, in part, executive, legal and finance, as well as certain expenses and income from frozen employee retirement plans, such as pension benefit plans.
The following tables provide segment information for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024:
| United States Print and Related Services | International | Corporate | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year Ended December 31, 2025 | ||||||||
| Net sales | ||||||||
| Products | $ | 1,688.7 | $ | 202.6 | $ | — | $ | 1,891.3 |
| Services | 525.7 | 2.9 | — | 528.6 | ||||
| Total net sales | 2,214.4 | 205.5 | — | 2,419.9 | ||||
| Less (1): | ||||||||
| Cost of sales | $ | 1,723.3 | $ | 173.3 | $ | — | $ | 1,896.6 |
| Selling, general and administrative expenses | 261.9 | 14.5 | 49.5 | 325.9 | ||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 72.4 | 5.9 | 0.3 | 78.6 | ||||
| Restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges, net | 25.1 | 3.9 | (7.2) | 21.8 | ||||
| Operating income (loss) | $ | 131.7 | $ | 7.9 | $ | (42.6) | $ | 97.0 |
| Capital expenditures by segment | $ | 41.7 | $ | 3.5 | $ | — | $ | 45.2 |
| Total assets by segment | $ | 1,035.2 | $ | 151.6 | $ | 66.1 | $ | 1,252.9 |
______________________________
(1)The significant expense categories and amounts align with the segment-level information regularly provided to the CODM.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
| United States Print and Related Services | International | Corporate | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year Ended December 31, 2024 | ||||||||
| Net sales | ||||||||
| Products | $ | 1,775.0 | $ | 324.2 | $ | — | $ | 2,099.2 |
| Services | 554.5 | 18.5 | — | 573.0 | ||||
| Total net sales | 2,329.5 | 342.7 | — | 2,672.2 | ||||
| Less (1): | ||||||||
| Cost of sales | $ | 1,820.3 | $ | 271.9 | $ | — | $ | 2,092.2 |
| Selling, general and administrative expenses | 263.1 | 42.8 | 50.9 | 356.8 | ||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 90.5 | 11.8 | 0.2 | 102.5 | ||||
| Restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges, net | 42.8 | 61.9 | (3.2) | 101.5 | ||||
| Operating income (loss) | $ | 112.8 | $ | (45.7) | $ | (47.9) | $ | 19.2 |
| Capital expenditures by segment | $ | 46.8 | $ | 10.4 | $ | — | $ | 57.2 |
| Total assets by segment | $ | 1,052.8 | $ | 214.9 | $ | 31.3 | $ | 1,299.0 |
______________________________
(1)The significant expense categories and amounts align with the segment-level information regularly provided to the CODM.
Restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges, net for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, are further described in Note 3, “Restructuring, Impairment and Transaction-Related Charges, Net.”
A reconciliation of operating income to earnings (loss) before income taxes as reported in the consolidated statements of operations for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, was as follows:
| 2025 | 2024 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating income | $ | 97.0 | $ | 19.2 |
| Less: interest expense | 50.5 | 64.5 | ||
| Less: net pension expense (income) | 14.0 | (0.8) | ||
| Earnings (loss) before income taxes | $ | 32.5 | $ | (44.5) |
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
Note 20. Geographic Area Information
The table below presents the Company’s net sales and long-lived assets as of and for the years ended December 31, 2025 and 2024, by geographic region. The amounts in this table differ from the segment data presented in Note 19, “Segment Information,” because each operating segment includes operations in multiple geographic regions, based on the Company’s management reporting structure.
| United States | Europe | Latin America | Other | Combined | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | ||||||||||
| Net sales | ||||||||||
| Products | $ | 1,642.3 | $ | 19.6 | $ | 220.9 | $ | 8.5 | $ | 1,891.3 |
| Services | 525.7 | 2.9 | — | — | 528.6 | |||||
| Property, plant and equipment—net | 405.8 | — | 49.8 | 6.0 | 461.6 | |||||
| Operating lease right-of-use assets—net | 61.9 | — | 1.3 | 4.8 | 68.0 | |||||
| Other intangible assets—net | 13.6 | — | 0.1 | — | 13.7 | |||||
| Other long-term assets | 57.9 | — | 4.5 | 1.2 | 63.6 | |||||
| 2024 | ||||||||||
| Net sales | ||||||||||
| Products | $ | 1,729.7 | $ | 134.4 | $ | 227.1 | $ | 8.0 | $ | 2,099.2 |
| Services | 554.5 | 18.5 | — | — | 573.0 | |||||
| Property, plant and equipment—net (1) | 445.4 | — | 46.8 | 7.5 | 499.7 | |||||
| Operating lease right-of-use assets—net (2) | 71.9 | — | 1.3 | 5.7 | 78.9 | |||||
| Other intangible assets—net | 7.2 | — | — | — | 7.2 | |||||
| Other long-term assets (3) | 42.5 | 28.4 | 7.1 | 0.6 | 78.6 |
______________________________
(1)Property, plant and equipment - net held within the Europe geographic region totaling $22.1 million are classified as held for sale and are included in other long-term assets within the Company’s consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2024. Refer to Note 21, “Assets Held for Sale,” for further information on the European operations classified as held for sale.
(2)Operating lease right-of-use assets - net held within the Europe geographic region totaling $1.6 million are classified as held for sale and are included in other long-term assets within the Company’s consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2024. Refer to Note 21, “Assets Held for Sale,” for further information on the European operations classified as held for sale.
(3)Other long-term assets held within the Europe geographic region include $22.1 million of property, plant and equipment, $1.6 million of operating lease right-of-use assets and $3.9 million of other long-term assets classified as held for sale as of December 31, 2024. Refer to Note 21, “Assets Held for Sale,” for further information on the European operations classified as held for sale.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
Note 21. Assets Held for Sale
Effective during the third quarter of 2024, the Company, having the authority to approve the action, committed to a plan to sell its European operations as part of an ongoing strategic focus to optimize its business portfolio for growth as an MX company. Accordingly, as of September 30, 2024, the Company had classified its European operations as held for sale, as required by ASC 360-10 – “Long Lived Assets”, and had continued this classification as of December 31, 2024. The Company’s European operations primarily consisted of all employees and facilities for Quad/Graphics Europe print and ink manufacturing headquartered in Wyszkow, Poland; the Peppermint agency in Warsaw, Poland; and Quad Point of Sale (including Marin’s International SAS), which had locations throughout Europe. The Company’s European operations had historically been included within the International segment and reporting unit.
The following table summarizes the components of the European operations classified as held for sale on the consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2024:
| December 31,<br>2024 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cash | $ | 1.7 |
| Receivables—net | 19.6 | |
| Inventories | 9.0 | |
| Prepaid expenses and other current assets | 1.0 | |
| Included in prepaids and other current assets | $ | 31.3 |
| Property, plant and equipment—net | $ | 22.1 |
| Operating lease right-of-use assets—net | 1.6 | |
| Other long-term assets | 3.9 | |
| Included in other long-term assets | $ | 27.6 |
| Accounts payable | $ | 14.2 |
| Other current liabilities | 7.7 | |
| Short-term debt and current portion of long-term debt | 3.7 | |
| Current portion of finance lease obligations | 1.3 | |
| Current portion of operating lease obligations | 0.8 | |
| Included in other current liabilities | $ | 27.7 |
| Finance lease obligations | $ | 3.0 |
| Operating lease obligations | 0.8 | |
| Other long-term liabilities | 1.0 | |
| Included in other long-term liabilities | $ | 4.8 |
| Restructuring reserve (included in other current liabilities) | $ | 41.6 |
| Cumulative translation adjustments (loss) (included in accumulated other comprehensive loss) | $ | (41.6) |
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
For the year ended December 31, 2024, the European operations recognized net sales of $152.9 million and had an operating loss, including a non-cash impairment charges of $57.6 million, to reduce the carrying value of the majority of the European operations to fair value, including $41.6 million of non-cash impairment of foreign currency translation adjustments and $16.0 million of non-cash impairment of tangible property, plant and equipment. The fair value of the assets held for sale were determined by the Company to be Level 2 under the fair value hierarchy (see Note 13, “Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measurements,” for the definition of Level 2 inputs) and were estimated based on revised expected net proceeds.
The sale was completed on February 28, 2025 (see Note 22, “Strategic Acquisition and Divestiture,” for further information).
Note 22. Strategic Acquisition and Divestiture
Acquisition of Enru Co-mail Assets
On April 1, 2025, the Company acquired the co-mailing assets of Enru, a third party co-mail and logistics solutions provider. The acquisition included co-mail related manufacturing equipment, technology and client relationships which complement and strengthen the Company’s existing co-mail platform. The total purchase price was $27.0 million, consisting of $16.3 million cash paid at closing, an estimated earn-out of $8.8 million, and a deferred payment of $1.9 million. The earn-out is based on the Company’s estimate to be paid over a maximum of five years, if certain financial metrics are achieved post-integration. Included in the purchase price allocation are $11.5 million of identifiable other intangible assets, which are amortized over their estimated useful lives, ranging from five to six years, $8.2 million of property, plant and equipment, and $7.3 million of goodwill, of which $3.5 million is deductible for tax purposes. The final allocation of the purchase price was based on valuations performed to determine the fair value of the assets and liabilities as of the acquisition date. The assets and liabilities acquired were classified as Level 3 in the valuation hierarchy (see Note 13, “Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measurements,” for the definition of Level 3 inputs). The operations are included in the United States Print and Related Services segment.
Sale of European Operations
On February 28, 2025, the Company sold its European operations, which primarily consisted of all employees and facilities for Quad/Graphics Europe print and ink manufacturing headquartered in Wyszkow, Poland; the Peppermint agency in Warsaw, Poland; and Quad Point of Sale (including Marin’s International SAS), which has locations throughout Europe.
As of the sale date, the total sales price of $24.1 million consisted of a note receivable for $19.5 million, of which $4.3 million was recorded in receivables and $15.2 million was recorded in other long-term assets in the consolidated balance sheet, and retention of $4.6 million of cash classified as assets held for sale. In addition, debt and finance lease obligations of $7.4 million were assumed by the buyer and there are contingent considerations of $10.0 million based upon the European business achieving certain financial metrics. A pre-tax loss of $0.5 million is included in restructuring, impairment and transaction-related charges, net in the consolidated statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2025.
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QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(In millions, except share and per share data and unless otherwise indicated)
Note 23. New Accounting Pronouncements
In November 2024, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update 2024-03 “Income Statement — Reporting Comprehensive Income — Expense Disaggregation Disclosures: Disaggregation of Income Statement Expenses” (“ASU 2024-03”), which is intended to improve disclosures about a public business entity's expenses, primarily through additional disaggregation of income statement expenses. The ASU’s amendments are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2026 and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2027. The Company is evaluating the impact of the adoption of ASU 2024-03 on the consolidated financial statements.
Note 24. Subsequent Events
Declaration of Quarterly Dividend
On February 12, 2026, the Company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.10 per share, which will be paid on March 13, 2026, to shareholders of record as of February 27, 2026.
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Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
Not applicable.
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures
Disclosure Controls and Procedures
The Company’s management, with the participation of the Company’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer, has evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) as of the end of the period covered by this report and has concluded that, as of the end of such period, the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective.
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
There were no changes in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that occurred during the fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2025, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting.
Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
The Company’s management, including the Company’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The Company’s internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of published financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.
The Company’s management, including the Company’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, has assessed the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on the framework in Internal Control—Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on this assessment, the Company’s management has concluded that, as of December 31, 2025, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting was effective based on that framework.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of the effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that the controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
Ernst & Young LLP (PCAOB ID No. 42), the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm, issued an audit report on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2025, which is included herein.
Audit Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
The audit report required under this Item 9A, “Controls and Procedures,” is contained in Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data,” of Part II of this Annual Report on Form 10-K under the heading “Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.”
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Item 9B. Other Information
During the quarter ended December 31, 2025, no director or Section 16 officer of the Company adopted or terminated a “Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement” or “non-Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement”, as each term is defined in Item 408 of Regulation S-K.
Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections
Not applicable.
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PART III
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance
The information required by this Item is included under the captions “Election of Directors”, “Corporate Governance—Board Committees—Audit Committee”, “Corporate Governance—Insider Trading Policy” and “Miscellaneous—Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports” in the Company’s definitive Proxy Statement for its 2026 Annual Meeting of Shareholders (“Proxy Statement”) and is hereby incorporated herein by reference. Information with respect to the executive officers of the Company appears in Part I, Item 1, “Business,” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
The Company has adopted a Code of Business Conduct that applies to all of the Company’s employees, including the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer, Controller and other persons performing similar functions. The Company has posted a copy of the Code of Business Conduct on its website at quad.com, and such Code of Business Conduct is available in print, without charge, to any shareholder who requests it from the Company’s Secretary. The Company intends to satisfy the disclosure requirements under Item 5.05 of Form 8-K regarding amendments to, or waivers from, the Code of Business Conduct by posting such information on its website at quad.com. The Company is not including the information contained on its website as part of, or incorporating it by reference into, this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Item 11. Executive Compensation
The information required by this Item is included under the captions “Compensation of Executive Officers,” “2025 Summary Compensation Table,” “Grants of Plan Based Awards in 2025,” “Outstanding Equity Awards at December 31, 2025,” “Option Exercises and Stock Vested in 2025,” “2025 Pension Benefits,” “2025 Nonqualified Deferred Compensation,” “Director Compensation,” “Compensation Committee Report,” “Corporate Governance—Board Committees—Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation,” and “Miscellaneous—Assessment of Compensation-Related Risk,” in the Proxy Statement and is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters
The information required by this Item with respect to security ownership of certain beneficial owners and management is included under the caption “Stock Ownership of Management and Others” in the Proxy Statement and is hereby incorporated by reference.
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Equity Compensation Plan Information
The following table sets forth information with respect to compensation plans under which equity securities of the Company are authorized for issuance as of December 31, 2025. The table does not include employee benefit plans intended to meet the qualification requirements of Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code. All equity compensation plans are described more fully in Note 16, “Equity Incentive Programs,” to the consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8, “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data,” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
| Plan Category | Number of securities to be issued upon the exercise of outstanding options, warrants and rights | Weighted average exercise price of outstanding options, warrants and rights | Number of securities remaining available for future issuance under equity compensation plans (excluding securities reflected in the first column) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equity compensation plans approved by security holders(1) | 4,389,534 | $ | — | 3,382,328 |
| Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders | — | — | — | |
| Total | 4,389,534 | $ | — | 3,382,328 |
______________________________
(1)Consists of the Company’s 2010 Omnibus Incentive Plan and 2020 Omnibus Incentive Plan. Awards under the Omnibus Plans (no new awards can be made under the 2010 plan) may consist of incentive awards, stock options, stock appreciation rights, performance shares, performance share units, shares of class A stock, restricted stock, restricted stock units, deferred stock units or other stock-based awards as determined by the Company’s Board of Directors.
Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence
The information required by this Item is included under the caption “Corporate Governance” in the Proxy Statement and is hereby incorporated by reference.
Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services
The information required by this Item is included under the caption “Miscellaneous—Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm” in the Proxy Statement and is hereby incorporated by reference.
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PART IV
Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules
1.Consolidated financial statements—The consolidated financial statements listed in the accompanying index to consolidated financial statements are filed as part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
2.Financial statement schedule—All financial statement schedules are omitted since the required information is not present or is not present in amounts sufficient to require submission of the schedules, or because the information required is included in the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto.
3.Exhibits—The exhibits listed in the accompanying “Exhibit Index” are filed as part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
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INDEX TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
| Page in this Form 10-K | |
|---|---|
| Reports of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm | 61 |
| Consolidated Statements of Operations for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2025 | 64 |
| Consolidated Statements of ComprehensiveIncome(Loss)for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2025 | 65 |
| Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2025 and 2024 | 66 |
| Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2025 | 67 |
| Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity for each of the two years in the period ended December 31, 2025 | 68 |
| Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements | 69 |
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EXHIBIT INDEX
The exhibits listed in the exhibit index below are filed as part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
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| Exhibit Number | Exhibit Description |
|---|---|
| (101) | Financial statements from the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Quad/Graphics, Inc. for the year ended December 31, 2025 formatted in Inline eXtensible Business Reporting Language (iXBRL): (i) the Consolidated Statements of Operations, (ii) the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Loss), (iii) the Consolidated Balance Sheets, (iv) the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows, (v) the Consolidated Statements of Shareholders’ Equity, (vi) the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, and (vii) document and entity information. |
| (104) | Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted in iXBRL and contained in Exhibit 101). |
______________________________
++ A management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.
Item 16. Form 10-K Summary
None.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, on this 18th day of February 2026.
| QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC. | |
|---|---|
| By: | /s/ J. Joel Quadracci |
| J. Joel Quadracci | |
| Chairman and Chief Executive Officer |
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
| Signature | Title | Date |
|---|---|---|
| /s/ J. Joel Quadracci | Chairman and Chief Executive Officer | February 18, 2026 |
| J. Joel Quadracci | (Principal Executive Officer) | |
| /s/ Anthony C. Staniak | Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer | February 18, 2026 |
| Anthony C. Staniak | (Principal Financial Officer) | |
| /s/ Anne M. Bauer | Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer | February 18, 2026 |
| Anne M. Bauer | (Principal Accounting Officer) | |
| /s/ Douglas P. Buth | Director | February 18, 2026 |
| Douglas P. Buth | ||
| /s/ Beth-Ann Eason | Director | February 18, 2026 |
| Beth-Ann Eason | ||
| /s/ Kathryn Quadracci Flores | Director | February 18, 2026 |
| Kathryn Quadracci Flores | ||
| /s/ John C. Fowler | Director | February 18, 2026 |
| John C. Fowler | ||
| /s/ Stephen M. Fuller | Director | February 18, 2026 |
| Stephen M. Fuller | ||
| /s/ Christopher B. Harned | Director | February 18, 2026 |
| Christopher B. Harned | ||
| /s/ Melanie A. Huet | Director | February 18, 2026 |
| Melanie A. Huet | ||
| /s/ Jay O. Rothman | Director | February 18, 2026 |
| Jay O. Rothman |
132
Document
Exhibit 4.7
AMENDMENT NO. 10
Dated as of August 20, 2025
to
SECOND AMENDED AND RESTATED CREDIT AGREEMENT
Dated as of April 28, 2014
THIS AMENDMENT NO. 10 (this “Amendment”) is made as of August 20, 2025 (the “Amendment No. 10 Effective Date”) by and among Quad/Graphics, Inc., as the Borrower (the “Borrower”), the “Lenders” listed on the signature pages hereof and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as the Administrative Agent (the “Administrative Agent”), under that certain Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of April 28, 2014, by and among the Borrower, the financial institutions parties thereto as “Lenders” and the Administrative Agent (as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time prior to the date hereof, the “Existing Credit Agreement”). Unless otherwise noted, capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined herein shall have the respective meanings given to them in the Amended Credit Agreement (as defined below).
WHEREAS, the Borrower has requested pursuant to Section 2.20 of the Existing Credit Agreement that the undersigned Augmenting Lender (i) provide an Incremental Term Loan and (ii) provide an Extended Revolving Commitment under the Amended Credit Agreement, in each case, as provided below; and
WHEREAS, the Borrower, the Augmenting Lender, the Administrative Agent and, solely with respect to the increase in the Extended Revolving Commitments, the Swingline Lender and each Issuing Bank party hereto, have so agreed on the terms and conditions set forth herein;
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises set forth above, the terms and conditions set forth herein, and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows.
1.Amendment to the Existing Credit Agreement. Effective as of the Amendment No. 10 Effective Date, but subject to the satisfaction of the conditions precedent set forth in Section 3 below, the parties hereto agree that each of the Existing Credit Agreement and the applicable Schedules thereto is hereby amended to delete the stricken text (indicated in the same manner as the following example: stricken text) and to add the double-underlined text (indicated in the same manner as the following example: double-underlined text), in each case as set forth on Exhibit A hereto (the Existing Credit Agreement and such Schedules thereto as so amended being collectively referred to as the “Amended Credit Agreement”).
2.Augmenting Lender; Reallocation; Funding of Term A Loans and Increasing Extended Revolving Commitments under Amended Credit Agreement. Substantially concurrently with the effectiveness of the amendments to the Existing Credit Agreement pursuant to Section 1 above:
(a)The financial institution party to this Amendment as the Augmenting Lender agreeing to (A) extend an Amendment No. 10 Term A Loan (as defined below) and (B) provide an Amendment No. 10 Revolving Commitment (as defined below), in each case, on the Amendment No. 10 Effective Date (i) represents and warrants that it is legally authorized to enter into this Amendment, (ii) confirms that it has received a copy of the Existing Credit Agreement, together with copies of the most recent financial
statements delivered pursuant to Section 5.01 thereof, as applicable, and has reviewed such other documents and information as it has deemed appropriate to make its own credit analysis and decision to enter into this Amendment, (iii) agrees that it will, independently and without reliance upon the Administrative Agent, any Joint Lead Arranger, or any other Lender and their respective Related Parties and based on such documents and information as it shall deem appropriate at the time, continue to make its own credit decisions in taking or not taking action under the Amended Credit Agreement or any other instrument or document furnished pursuant hereto or thereto, (iv) appoints and authorizes the Administrative Agent to take such action as agent on its behalf and to exercise such powers and discretion under the Amended Credit Agreement or any other instrument or document furnished pursuant hereto or thereto as are delegated to the Administrative Agent by the terms thereof, together with such powers as are incidental thereto, (v) agrees that it will be bound by the provisions of the Amended Credit Agreement and will perform in accordance with its terms all the obligations which by the terms of the Amended Credit Agreement are required to be performed by it as a Lender, (vi) represents and warrants that if it is a Foreign Lender that is entitled to an exemption from or reduction of withholding tax under the law of the jurisdiction in which the Borrower is located, or any treaty to which such jurisdiction is a party, and will deliver, together with its executed signature page to this Amendment, any documentation required to be delivered by it pursuant to the terms of the Amended Credit Agreement, duly completed and executed by the Augmenting Lender, (vii) represents and warrants that it is not an Ineligible Institution, (viii) represents and warrants that its address for notices for the purposes of the Amended Credit Agreement is as follows: 5151 Corporate Dr., MS W 203-2, Troy, MI 48098, Attn: Post Closing and (ix) agrees to deliver to the Administrative Agent a completed Administrative Questionnaire in which the Augmenting Lender designates one or more credit contacts to whom all syndicate-level information (which may contain material non-public information about the Loan Parties, their affiliates and their related parties or their respective securities) will be made available and who may receive such information in accordance with the Augmenting Lender’s compliance procedures and applicable laws, including Federal and state securities laws.
(b)The Augmenting Lender under the Amended Credit Agreement shall make available to the Administrative Agent an Incremental Term Loan (the “Amendment No. 10 Term A Loan”) for the Borrower in an aggregate principal amount equal to $20,000,000 in immediately available funds on the Amendment No. 10 Effective Date. For the avoidance of doubt, the Amendment No. 10 Term A Loan shall constitute an Extended Term A Loan under the Amended Credit Agreement and shall be treated as a single tranche of Term A Loans together with the other outstanding Extended Term A Loans on the Amendment No. 10 Effective Date.
(c)The Augmenting Lender under the Amended Credit Agreement shall make available to the Administrative Agent an additional Extended Revolving Commitment (the “Amendment No. 10 Revolving Commitment”) for the Borrower in an aggregate principal amount equal to $15,000,000 on the Amendment No. 10 Effective Date. For the avoidance of doubt, the Amendment No. 10 Revolving Commitment shall constitute an Extended Revolving Commitment and shall increase the aggregate amount of the Extended Revolving Commitments available to the Borrower under and in accordance with the Amended Credit Agreement on the Amendment No. 10 Effective Date.
(d)The Augmenting Lender shall make available to the Administrative Agent such amounts in immediately available funds as the Administrative Agent shall determine, for the benefit of the Extended Revolving Lenders, as being required in order to cause, after giving effect to the Amendment No. 10 Revolving Commitment and the use of such amounts to make payments to such other
Extended Revolving Lenders, each Extended Revolving Lender’s portion of the outstanding Extended Revolving Loans of all the Extended Revolving Lenders to equal its Applicable Percentage of such outstanding Extended Revolving Loans. The parties hereto agree that the Administrative Agent is authorized to make such reallocations, sales, assignments or other relevant actions to the extent necessary to effect the transactions contemplated by this Amendment and, to the extent applicable, (i) such reallocation, sales, assignments and other relevant actions shall be deemed to have been effected by way of Assignment and Assumptions, without the payment of any related assignment fee, and no other documents or instruments shall be, or shall be required to be, executed in connection with such assignments (all of which are hereby waived) and (ii) such reallocation shall satisfy the assignment provisions of Section 9.04 of the Existing Credit Agreement and the Amended Credit Agreement, as the case may be. The parties hereto hereby waive any limitations, conditions, notices and notice periods required under the Existing Credit Agreement or the Amended Credit Agreement in connection with any assignment, reallocation, payment, prepayment, Commitment reduction or increase, or funding of any amounts pursuant to this Amendment.
(e)Neither the execution, delivery and acceptance of this Amendment nor any of the terms, covenants, conditions or other provisions set forth herein are intended, nor shall they be deemed or construed, to effect a novation of any liens or Secured Obligations under the Existing Credit Agreement or to pay, extinguish, release, satisfy or discharge (i) the Secured Obligations under the Existing Credit Agreement, (ii) the liability of any Loan Party under the Existing Credit Agreement or the other Loan Documents executed and delivered in connection therewith or any Secured Obligations or other obligations evidenced thereby, or (iii) any mortgages, deeds of trust, liens, security interests or contractual or legal rights securing all or any part of such Secured Obligations.
3.Conditions of Effectiveness. The effectiveness of this Amendment is subject to the following conditions precedent:
(a)(a) the Administrative Agent shall have received (i) counterparts of this Amendment duly executed by (v) the Borrower, (w) the Augmenting Lender, (x) the Administrative Agent, (y) each Issuing Bank and (z) the Swingline Lender and (ii) an Omnibus Reaffirmation duly executed by the Loan Parties;
(b)(b) the Administrative Agent shall have received (i) a certificate of the Borrower, dated the Amendment No. 10 Effective Date and executed by its Secretary or Assistant Secretary, which shall (A) certify the resolutions of its Board of Directors, members or other governing body approving or consenting to the Amendment No. 10 Term A Loan and the Amendment No. 10 Revolving Commitment, (B) identify by name and title and bear the signatures of the officers of the Borrower authorized to sign this Amendment and the other Loan Documents to which it is a party and its Financial Officers, and (C) contain appropriate attachments, including the charter, articles or certificate of organization or incorporation of the Borrower recently certified by the relevant authority of the jurisdiction of organization of the Borrower and a true and correct copy of its bylaws or operating, management or partnership agreement, or other organizational or governing documents, and a long form good standing certificate for the Borrower from its jurisdiction of organization, (ii) a certificate of the Borrower signed by its Financial Officer certifying (x) as to the conditions set forth in Sections 3(c) and 3(d) of this Amendment and (y) that after giving effect (including giving effect on a Pro Forma Basis) to each of the Amendment No. 10 Revolving Commitment made available and the Amendment No. 10 Term A Loan funded (assuming that each of the Amendment No. 10 Revolving Commitment and the Amendment N
o. 10 Term A Loan are fully drawn), in each case, on the Amendment No. 10 Effective Date, (A) the Senior Secured Leverage Ratio (on a Pro Forma Basis) shall not exceed 2.50 to 1.00, (B) the Borrower shall be in compliance (on a Pro Forma Basis) with the covenants contained in Section 6.11 of the Amended Credit Agreement and (C) the aggregate amount of all increases and Incremental Term Loans does not exceed an amount equal to U.S. $200,000,000 minus the aggregate outstanding principal amount of all Permitted Term Debt and (iii) favorable written opinions (addressed to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders and dated the Amendment No. 10 Effective Date) of Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c., counsel for the Loan Parties, substantially similar to the form delivered on the Effective Date and in each case in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and its counsel;
(c)(c) the representations and warranties of the Loan Parties set forth in the Amended Credit Agreement and each other Loan Document shall be true and correct in all material respects on and as of the Amendment No. 10 Effective Date (it being understood and agreed that any such representation or warranty which relates to a specified prior date shall be required to be true and correct in all material respects only as of such specified prior date, and that any such representation or warranty which is subject to any materiality qualifier shall be required to be true and correct in all respects);
(d)(d) no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing or would result from the occurrence of the Amendment No. 10 Effective Date and the consummation of the transactions to occur on such date;
(e)(e) the Loan Parties shall have provided all information reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent and each Lender to allow such Lender or the Administrative Agent to conduct flood due diligence and flood insurance compliance with respect to any Mortgaged Real Property reasonably satisfactory to each Lender and the Administrative Agent and the Administrative Agent shall have received confirmation (which confirmation may be delivered via email) from each Lender of the foregoing;
(f)(f) (i) the Administrative Agent shall have received, at least five days prior to the Amendment No. 10 Effective Date, all documentation and other information regarding the Borrower requested by the Augmenting Lender in connection with applicable “know your customer” and anti-money laundering rules and regulations, including the Patriot Act, to the extent requested in writing of the Borrower by the Augmenting Lender at least 10 days prior to the Amendment No. 10 Effective Date and (ii) to the extent that (A) the Borrower qualifies as a “legal entity customer” under the Beneficial Ownership Regulation and (B) the Augmenting Lender has requested in a written notice to the Borrower at least 10 days prior to the Amendment No. 10 Effective Date, at least five days prior to the Amendment No. 10 Effective Date, the Augmenting Lender shall have received a Beneficial Ownership Certification in relation to the Borrower (provided that, upon the execution and delivery by the Augmenting Lender of its signature page to this Amendment, the condition set forth in this clause (f)(ii) shall be deemed to be satisfied); and
(g)(g) the Administrative Agent shall have received payment of the Administrative Agent’s and its affiliates’ reasonable out-of-pocket expenses (including reasonable out-of-pocket fees and expenses of counsel for the Administrative Agent) in connection with this Amendment to the extent invoiced reasonably in advance of the date hereof.
The Administrative Agent shall notify in writing the Borrower and the Lenders of the Amendment No. 10 Effective Date, and such notice shall be conclusive and binding.
4.Post-Closing Deliveries of the Borrower. Within forty-five (45) days after the Amendment No. 10 Effective Date, or such later date as the Administrative Agent agrees in its sole discretion (which agreement can be by e-mail), the Administrative Agent shall have received a counterpart of an amendment, restatement, amendment and restatement, modification or supplement to each Mortgage duly executed by the applicable Loan Party and the Administrative Agent in respect of the applicable Mortgaged Real Property, pursuant to the terms of the Loan Documents and in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent. The parties hereto acknowledge and agree that any failure to comply with this Section 4 shall constitute an Event of Default under the Amended Credit Agreement.
5.Representations and Warranties of the Borrower. The Borrower hereby represents and warrants as follows:
(a)This Amendment and the Amended Credit Agreement constitute legal, valid and binding obligations of the Borrower and are enforceable against the Borrower in accordance with their terms, subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or other laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and subject to general principles of equity, regardless of whether considered in a proceeding in equity or at law.
(b)As of the date hereof and after giving effect to the terms of this Amendment, (i) no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing and (ii) the representations and warranties of the Borrower set forth in the Amended Credit Agreement are true and correct in all material respects as of the date hereof (it being understood and agreed that any such representation or warranty which relates to a specified prior date shall be required to be true and correct in all material respects only as of such specified prior date, and that any such representation or warranty which is subject to any materiality qualifier shall be required to be true and correct in all respects).
6.Reference to and Effect on the Credit Agreement.
(a)Upon the effectiveness of this Amendment, on and after the date hereof, each reference in the Amended Credit Agreement to “this Agreement,” “hereunder,” “hereof,” “herein” or words of like import shall mean and be a reference to the Amended Credit Agreement after giving effect to the transactions contemplated hereby.
(b)The Borrower hereby (i) agrees that this Amendment and the transactions contemplated hereby shall not limit or diminish its obligations arising under or pursuant to the Loan Documents to which it is a party, (ii) reaffirms all of its obligations under the Existing Credit Agreement and the other Loan Documents to which it is a party and (iii) acknowledges and agrees that, except as specifically amended above, the Amended Credit Agreement and all other documents, instruments and agreements executed and/or delivered in connection therewith shall remain in full force and effect and are hereby ratified and confirmed.
(c)The execution, delivery and effectiveness of this Amendment shall not operate as a waiver of any right, power or remedy of the Administrative Agent or the Lenders, nor constitute a waiver of any provision of the Amended Credit Agreement or any other documents, instruments and agreements executed and/or delivered in connection therewith.
(d)This Amendment is a Loan Document, an Augmenting Lender Supplement and an Incremental Term Loan Amendment.
7.Costs and Expenses. The Borrower shall pay on demand all reasonable costs and expenses of the Administrative Agent (including the reasonable fees, costs and expenses of counsel to the Administrative Agent) incurred in connection with the preparation, execution and delivery of this Amendment.
8.Governing Law. THIS AMENDMENT SHALL BE CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH AND GOVERNED BY THE LAW OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK. The parties hereto agree that the provisions of Sections 9.09 and 9.10 of the Amended Credit Agreement are hereby incorporated by reference, mutatis mutandis.
9.Execution. This Amendment may be executed in any number of counterparts (and by different parties hereto on different counterparts), each of which shall be deemed to constitute an original, but all of which when taken together shall constitute a single contract. Delivery of an executed counterpart of a signature page of this Amendment by facsimile or other electronic imaging shall be effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart of this Amendment. For the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of Section 9.06(b) of the Amended Credit Agreement shall apply to this Amendment.
10.Headings. Section headings used herein are for convenience of reference only, are not part of this Amendment and shall not affect the construction of, or be taken into consideration in interpreting, this Amendment.
11.[Signature Pages Follow]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Amendment has been duly executed as of the day and year first above written.
| QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.,<br><br>as the Borrower | |
|---|---|
| By /s/ Kelly A. Vanderboom | |
| Name: Kelly A. Vanderboom | |
| Title: Executive Vice President & Treasurer; Head of QAS Operations |
Signature Page to Amendment No. 10
Quad/Graphics, Inc.
| JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., as the Administrative Agent, as a Lender, as an Issuing Bank and as Swingline Lender | |
|---|---|
| By: /s/ Kristin Jang | |
| Name: Kristin Jang | |
| Title: Vice President |
Signature Page to Amendment No. 10
Quad/Graphics, Inc.
U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, as an Issuing Bank and as a Lender
By: /s/ Gina Ge
Name: Gina Ge
Title: Vice President
Signature Page to Amendment No. 10
Quad/Graphics, Inc.
PNC BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, as an Issuing Bank and as a Lender
By: /s/ Andrew Klvana
Name: Andrew Klvana
Title: Senior Vice President
Signature Page to Amendment No. 10
Quad/Graphics, Inc.
BMO BANK N.A., as an Issuing Bank and as a Lender
By: /s/ David Doran
Name: David Doran
Title: Director
Signature Page to Amendment No. 10
Quad/Graphics, Inc.
BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., as an Issuing Bank and as a Lender
By: /s/ Thomas L Carroll
Name: Thomas L Carroll
Title: Senior Vice President
Signature Page to Amendment No. 10
Quad/Graphics, Inc.
CITIZENS BANK, N.A., as an Issuing Bank and as a Lender
By: /s/ Martin Rohan
Name: Martin Rohan
Title: Senior Vice President
Signature Page to Amendment No. 10
Quad/Graphics, Inc.
FIFTH THIRD BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, as a Lender and an Issuing Bank
By: /s/ James Disher
Name: James Disher
Title: Senior Vice President
Signature Page to Amendment No. 10
Quad/Graphics, Inc.
| Augmenting Lender: | |
|---|---|
| FLAGSTAR BANK, N.A. | |
| By _/s/ Kathleen Scherrer____________________ | |
| Name: Kathleen Scherrer | |
| Title: VP |
15
1750083892
EXHIBIT A
Amendments to Existing Credit Agreement
[See attached]
EXHIBIT A

SECOND AMENDED AND RESTATED CREDIT AGREEMENT1
dated as of
April 28, 2014 and as amended December 18, 2014, February 10, 2017,
January 31, 2019, June 29, 2020, November 2, 2021, March 25, 2022, January 24, 2023, January 4, 2024
and, October 18, 2024 and August 20, 2025
among
QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC.,
as the Borrower,
The Lenders Party Hereto,
JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.,
as Administrative Agent,
and
BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., BMO BANK, N.A., PNC BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,
U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, CITIZENS BANK, N.A. and FIFTH THIRD BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION,
as Co-Syndication Agents,
JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A.,
U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, PNC CAPITAL MARKETS LLC, BMO CAPITAL MARKETS CORP.,
BOFA SECURITIES, INC. and CITIZENS BANK, N.A.,
as Joint Lead Arrangers and Joint Bookrunners
1 Modifications to titles effective as of the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date.
772480394.131750083943
TABLE OF CONTENTS
| ARTICLE I Definitions | 1 |
|---|---|
| SECTION 1.01 Defined Terms | 1 |
| SECTION 1.02 Classification of Loans and Borrowings | 54 |
| SECTION 1.03 Terms Generally | 55 |
| SECTION 1.04 Accounting Terms; GAAP | 55 |
| SECTION 1.05 Status of Obligations | 56 |
| SECTION 1.06Interest Rates; Benchmark Notification | 57 |
| SECTION 1.07 Letter of Credit Amounts | 57 |
| SECTION 1.08 Divisions | 58 |
| SECTION 1.09 Exchange Rates and Currency Equivalents | 58 |
| SECTION 1.10 Limited Condition Transactions | 58 |
| SECTION 1.11 Conversion of Non-Extended Exposure | 59 |
| ARTICLE II The Credits | 60 |
| SECTION 2.01 Commitments | 60 |
| SECTION 2.02 Loans and Borrowings | 60 |
| SECTION 2.03 Requests for Borrowings | 61 |
| SECTION 2.04 [Reserved] | 62 |
| SECTION 2.05 Swingline Loans | 62 |
| SECTION 2.06 Letters of Credit | 64 |
| SECTION 2.07 Funding of Borrowings | 70 |
| SECTION 2.08 Interest Elections | 70 |
| SECTION 2.09 Termination and Reduction of Commitments | 72 |
| SECTION 2.10 Repayment and Amortization of Loans; Evidence of Debt | 72 |
| SECTION 2.11 Prepayment of Loans | 74 |
| SECTION 2.12 Fees | 77 |
| SECTION 2.13 Interest | 78 |
| SECTION 2.14 Market Disruption and Alternate Rate of Interest | 79 |
| SECTION 2.15 Increased Costs | 82 |
| SECTION 2.16 Break Funding Payments | 84 |
| SECTION 2.17 Taxes | 84 |
| SECTION 2.18 Payments Generally; Allocation of Proceeds; Sharing of Set-offs | 88 |
| SECTION 2.19 Mitigation Obligations; Replacement of Lenders | 90 |
| SECTION 2.20 Expansion Option | 91 |
| SECTION 2.21 Returned Payments | 93 |
| SECTION 2.22 Judgment Currency | 93 |
| SECTION 2.23 Senior Debt | 93 |
| SECTION 2.24 Loan Repurchases | 93 |
| SECTION 2.25 Defaulting Lenders | 95 |
| SECTION 2.26 MIRE Events | 97 |
| ARTICLE III Representations and Warranties | 97 |
| SECTION 3.01 Organization; Powers; Subsidiaries | 98 |
| SECTION 3.02 Authorization; Enforceability | 98 |
| SECTION 3.03 Governmental Approvals; No Conflicts | 98 |
| SECTION 3.04 Financial Condition; No Material Adverse Change | 99 |
| --- | --- |
| SECTION 3.05 Properties | 99 |
| SECTION 3.06 Litigation, Environmental and Labor Matters | 99 |
| SECTION 3.07 Compliance with Laws and Agreements | 100 |
| SECTION 3.08 Investment Company Status | 100 |
| SECTION 3.09 Taxes | 100 |
| SECTION 3.10 ERISA | 100 |
| SECTION 3.11 Disclosure | 101 |
| SECTION 3.12 Margin Regulations | 101 |
| SECTION 3.13 Solvency | 101 |
| SECTION 3.14 No Default | 102 |
| SECTION 3.15 Insurance | 102 |
| SECTION 3.16 No Burdensome Restrictions | 102 |
| SECTION 3.17 Liens; Security Interest in Collateral | 102 |
| SECTION 3.18 Anti-Corruption Laws and Sanctions | 102 |
| SECTION 3.19 Employment Matters | 103 |
| SECTION 3.20 Affected Financial Institutions | 103 |
| SECTION 3.21 Plan Assets; Prohibited Transactions | 103 |
| ARTICLE IV Conditions | 103 |
| SECTION 4.01 Effective Date | 103 |
| SECTION 4.02 Each Credit Event | 104 |
| ARTICLE V Affirmative Covenants | 105 |
| SECTION 5.01 Financial Statements and Other Information | 105 |
| SECTION 5.02 Notices of Material Events | 107 |
| SECTION 5.03 Existence; Conduct of Business | 107 |
| SECTION 5.04 Payment of Obligations | 107 |
| SECTION 5.05 Maintenance of Properties; Insurance | 108 |
| SECTION 5.06 Books and Records | 108 |
| SECTION 5.07 Compliance with Laws and Material Contractual Obligations | 109 |
| SECTION 5.08 Use of Proceeds | 109 |
| SECTION 5.09 Loan Party Guarantors; Pledges; Additional Collateral; Further Assurances | 109 |
| SECTION 5.10 Designation of Restricted Subsidiaries and Unrestricted Subsidiaries | 112 |
| SECTION 5.11 Post-Closing Covenant | 114 |
| SECTION 5.12 Accuracy of Information | 114 |
| ARTICLE VI Negative Covenants | 114 |
| SECTION 6.01 Indebtedness | 114 |
| SECTION 6.02 Liens | 117 |
| SECTION 6.03 Fundamental Changes and Asset Sales | 118 |
| SECTION 6.04 Investments, Loans, Advances, Guarantees and Acquisitions | 121 |
| SECTION 6.05 Swap Agreements | 123 |
| SECTION 6.06 Transactions with Affiliates | 124 |
| SECTION 6.07 Restricted Payments | 124 |
| SECTION 6.08 Restrictive Agreements | 125 |
| SECTION 6.09 Subordinated Indebtedness/Unsecured Indebtedness | 125 |
| SECTION 6.10 Sale and Leaseback Transactions | 127 |
| SECTION 6.11 Financial Covenants | 127 |
| --- | --- |
| SECTION 6.12 Change in Fiscal Year | 127 |
| ARTICLE VII Events of Default | 127 |
| SECTION 7.01 Events of Default | 127 |
| ARTICLE VIII The Administrative Agent | 130 |
| SECTION 8.01 Authorization and Action | 130 |
| SECTION 8.02 Administrative Agent’s Reliance, Indemnification, Etc | 133 |
| SECTION 8.03 Posting of Communications | 134 |
| SECTION 8.04 The Administrative Agent Individually | 135 |
| SECTION 8.05 Successor Administrative Agent | 135 |
| SECTION 8.06 Acknowledgments of Lenders and Issuing Banks. | 136 |
| SECTION 8.07 Collateral Matters | 138 |
| SECTION 8.08 Credit Bidding | 139 |
| SECTION 8.09 Certain ERISA Matters | 140 |
| SECTION 8.10 Borrower Communications | 141 |
| ARTICLE IX Miscellaneous | 143 |
| SECTION 9.01 Notices | 143 |
| SECTION 9.02 Waivers; Amendments | 144 |
| SECTION 9.03 Expenses; Indemnity; Damage Waiver | 147 |
| SECTION 9.04 Successors and Assigns | 148 |
| SECTION 9.05 Survival | 153 |
| SECTION 9.06 Counterparts; Integration; Effectiveness; Electronic Execution | 154 |
| SECTION 9.07 Severability | 155 |
| SECTION 9.08 Right of Setoff | 155 |
| SECTION 9.09 Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Consent to Service of Process | 155 |
| SECTION 9.10 WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL | 156 |
| SECTION 9.11 Headings | 157 |
| SECTION 9.12 Confidentiality | 157 |
| SECTION 9.13 Patriot Act | 158 |
| SECTION 9.14 Several Obligations; Nonreliance; Violation of Law | 158 |
| SECTION 9.15 Disclosure | 158 |
| SECTION 9.16 Appointment for Perfection | 158 |
| SECTION 9.17 Interest Rate Limitation | 158 |
| SECTION 9.18 Subordination of Intercompany Indebtedness | 159 |
| SECTION 9.19 No Advisory or Fiduciary Responsibility | 159 |
| SECTION 9.20 Acknowledgment and Consent to Bail-In of Affected Financial Institutions | 160 |
| SECTION 9.21 Additional Lender Consents | 161 |
| SECTION 9.22 Acknowledgement Regarding Any Supported QFCs | 161 |
| ARTICLE X Existing Credit Agreement | 162 |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
(Continued)
SCHEDULES:
Schedule 1.01(a) – Senior Secured Note Collateral
Schedule 1.01(b) – Existing Leveraged Leases; Existing Leveraged Lease Collateral Schedule 1.01(c) – Departing Lender Schedule
Schedule 2.01 – Revolving Commitments; Outstanding Term A Loans Schedule 2.06 – Existing Letters of Credit
Schedule 2.10 - Amortization Schedule 3.01 – Subsidiaries
Schedule 3.03 – Governmental Consents Schedule 3.05 – Properties; Lease Disputes Schedule 3.06(a) – Litigation
Schedule 3.06(b) – Environmental Schedule 3.10(a) – US Benefits Schedule 3.10(b) – ERISA Event Schedule 3.15 – Insurance
Schedule 5.09(c) – Excluded Real Property Schedule 5.11 – Post-Closing Deliveries Schedule 6.01(b) – Existing Indebtedness Schedule 6.02 – Liens
Schedule 6.04 – Investments
Schedule 6.08 – Restrictive Agreements
EXHIBITS:
Exhibit A – Form of Assignment and Assumption
Exhibit B – Form of Opinion of Loan Parties’ Counsel (Foley & Lardner LLP) Exhibit C – Form of Increasing Lender Supplement
Exhibit D – Form of Augmenting Lender Supplement Exhibit E – List of Closing Documents
Exhibit F – Form of Compliance Certificate Exhibit G – Auction Procedures
Exhibit H – Form(s) of Note(s)
Exhibit I – Senior Secured Note Agreement Provisions
Exhibit J-1 – Form of U.S. Tax Certificate (Foreign Lenders That Are Not Partnerships) Exhibit J-2 – Form of U.S. Tax Certificate (Foreign Participants That Are Not Partnerships) Exhibit J-3 – Form of U.S. Tax Certificate (Foreign Participants That Are Partnerships) Exhibit J-4 – Form of U.S. Tax Certificate (Foreign Lenders That Are Partnerships)
Exhibit K-1 – [reserved] Exhibit K-2 – [reserved]
Exhibit L– Form of Solvency Certificate
SECOND AMENDED AND RESTATED CREDIT AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”)
dated as of April 28, 2014 among QUAD/GRAPHICS, INC. as the Borrower, the LENDERS from time to time party hereto, JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., as Administrative Agent, and BANK OF AMERICA, N.A., BMO BANK, N.A., PNC BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, CITIZENS BANK, N.A. and FIFTH THIRD BANK, NATIONAL
ASSOCIATION, as Co-Syndication Agents.
The Borrower, certain of the Lenders and the Administrative Agent are parties to the below-defined Existing Credit Agreement. The parties hereto agree that the Existing Credit Agreement is hereby amended and restated as follows:
ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS
SECTION 1.01 Defined Terms. As used in this Agreement, the following terms have the meanings specified below:
“ABR”, when used in reference to any Loan (including Swingline Loans) or Borrowing denominated in U.S. Dollars, refers to whether such Loan, or the Loans comprising such Borrowing, are bearing interest at a rate determined by reference to the Alternate Base Rate; provided, that with respect to Swingline Loans, such interest rate shall be the one-month Adjusted Term SOFR Rate, or, if such rate is then unavailable, the Alternate Base Rate or such other interest rate as mutually agreed upon by the Borrower and the applicable Swingline Lender.
“Acquisition” means an acquisition (whether by purchase, merger, amalgamation, consolidation or otherwise) or series of related acquisitions by any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary of (i) all or substantially all the assets of, (ii) a substantial or material portion or percentage of the assets of (including, without limitation, all of a Person’s assets located in a country or political subdivision thereof) or (iii) all or substantially all of the Equity Interests in, a Person or division or line of business of a Person.
“Additional Term A Loans” has the meaning assigned to such term in Amendment No. 8. “Adjusted Daily Simple RFR” means, (i) with respect to any RFR Borrowing
denominated in Pounds Sterling, an interest rate per annum equal to (a) the Daily Simple RFR for Pounds
Sterling, plus (b) 0.0326% per annum and (ii) with respect to any RFR Borrowing denominated in U.S. Dollars, an interest rate per annum equal to the sum of (a) the Daily Simple RFR for Dollars, plus (b) 0.10%; provided that, if the Adjusted Daily Simple RFR Rate as so determined would be less than the Floor, such rate shall be deemed to be equal to the Floor for the purposes of this Agreement.
“Adjusted EURIBOR Rate” means, with respect to any Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in euros for any Interest Period, an interest rate per annum equal to (a) the EURIBOR Rate for such Interest Period multiplied by (b) the Statutory Reserve Rate; provided that if the Adjusted EURIBOR Rate as so determined would be less than the Floor, such rate shall be deemed to be equal to the Floor for the purposes of this Agreement.
“Adjusted Term SOFR Rate” means, with respect to any Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in U.S. Dollars for any Interest Period, an interest rate per annum equal to (a) the Term SOFR Rate for such Interest Period, plus (b) 0.10%; provided that if the Adjusted Term SOFR Rate as so
determined would be less than the Floor, such rate shall be deemed to be equal to the Floor for the purposes of this Agreement.
“Adjusted TIBOR Rate” means, with respect to any Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in Japanese Yen for any Interest Period, an interest rate per annum equal to (a) the TIBOR Rate for such Interest Period multiplied by (b) the Statutory Reserve Rate; provided that if the Adjusted TIBOR Rate as so determined would be less than the Floor, such rate shall be deemed to be equal to the Floor for the purposes of this Agreement.
“Administrative Agent” means JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (including its branches and affiliates), in its capacity as administrative agent for the Lenders hereunder.
“Administrative Questionnaire” means an Administrative Questionnaire in a form supplied by the Administrative Agent.
“Affected Financial Institution” means (a) any EEA Financial Institution or (b) any UK Financial Institution.
“Affiliate” means, with respect to a specified Person, another Person that directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, Controls or is Controlled by or is under common Control with the Person specified.
“Agreed Currencies” means (i) U.S. Dollars, (ii) euro, (iii) Pounds Sterling, (iv) Japanese Yen, and (v) any other Foreign Currency that is a lawful currency that is readily available, freely transferable, not restricted and freely convertible into U.S. Dollars, and that is agreed to by the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and each of the Revolving Lenders and Issuing Banks; provided, however, that Letters of Credit may be denominated in any other currency as separately agreed among the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and the applicable Issuing Bank.
“Aggregate Commitment” means the aggregate amount of the Commitments of all of the Lenders, as reduced or increased from time to time pursuant to the terms and conditions hereof.
“Aggregate Credit Exposure” means, at any time, the aggregate of the Credit Exposures of all of the Lenders.
“Alternate Base Rate” means, for any day, a rate per annum equal to the greatest of
(a) the Prime Rate in effect on such day, (b) the NYFRB Rate in effect on such day plus ½ of 1% and
(c) the Adjusted Term SOFR Rate for a one month Interest Period as published two U.S. Government Securities Business Days prior to such day (or if such day is not a U.S. Government Securities Business Day, the immediately preceding U.S. Government Securities Business Day) plus 1%, provided that for the purpose of this definition, the Adjusted Term SOFR Rate for any day shall be based on the Term SOFR Reference Rate at approximately 5:00 a.m. Chicago time on such day (or any amended publication time for the Term SOFR Reference Rate, as specified by the CME Term SOFR Administrator in the Term SOFR Reference Rate methodology). Any change in the Alternate Base Rate due to a change in the Prime Rate, the NYFRB Rate or the Adjusted Term SOFR Rate shall be effective from and including the effective date of such change in the Prime Rate, the NYFRB Rate or the Adjusted Term SOFR Rate, respectively. If the Alternate Base Rate is being used as an alternate rate of interest pursuant to Section
2.14 (for the avoidance of doubt, only until the Benchmark Replacement has been determined pursuant to Section 2.14(b)), then the Alternate Base Rate shall be the greater of clauses (a) and (b) above and shall be determined without reference to clause (c) above. For the avoidance of doubt, if the Alternate Base
Rate as determined pursuant to the foregoing would be less than 2.00%, such rate shall be deemed to be 2.00% for purposes of this Agreement.
“Amendment No. 2 Effective Date” means February 10, 2017.
“Amendment No. 3” means that certain Amendment No. 3 to Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of January 31, 2019, by and among the Borrower, the financial institutions party thereto and the Administrative Agent.
“Amendment No. 3 Effective Date” means January 31, 2019.
“Amendment No. 3 Reaffirmation Agreement” means that certain Omnibus Reaffirmation, Joinder and Amendment of Loan Documents, dated as of the Amendment No. 3 Effective Date, by and among the Loan Parties and the Administrative Agent.
“Amendment No. 4” means that certain Amendment No. 4 to Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of June 29, 2020, by and among the Borrower, the financial institutions party thereto and the Administrative Agent.
“Amendment No. 4 Effective Date” means June 29, 2020.
“Amendment No. 5” means that certain Amendment No. 5 to Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of November 2, 2021, by and among the Borrower, the financial institutions party thereto and the Administrative Agent.
“Amendment No. 5 Effective Date” means November 2, 2021.
“Amendment No. 5 Reaffirmation Agreement” means that certain Omnibus Reaffirmation and Amendment of Loan Documents, dated as of the Amendment No. 5 Effective Date, by and among the Loan Parties and the Administrative Agent.
“Amendment No. 7 Effective Date” means January 24, 2023.
“Amendment No. 8” means that certain Amendment No. 8 to Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of the Amendment No. 8 Effective Date, by and among the Borrower, the financial institutions party thereto and the Administrative Agent.
“Amendment No. 8 Effective Date” means January 4, 2024.
“Amendment No. 8 Reaffirmation Agreement” means that certain Omnibus Reaffirmation and Amendment of Loan Documents, dated as of the Amendment No. 8 Effective Date, by and among the Loan Parties and the Administrative Agent.
“Amendment No. 9” means that certain Amendment No. 9 to Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date, by and among the Borrower, the financial institutions party thereto and the Administrative Agent.
“Amendment No. 9 Effective Date” means October 18, 2024.
“Amendment No. 9 Reaffirmation Agreement” means that certain Omnibus Reaffirmation and Amendment of Loan Documents, dated as of the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date, by and among the Loan Parties and the Administrative Agent.
“Amendment No. 10” means that certain Amendment No. 10 to Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of the Amendment No. 10 Effective Date, by and among the Borrower, the financial institutions party thereto, the Administrative Agent, each Issuing Bank and the Swingline Lender.
“Amendment No. 10 Effective Date” means August 20, 2025.
“Amendment No. 10 Reaffirmation Agreement” means that certain Omnibus Reaffirmation and Amendment of Loan Documents, dated as of the Amendment No. 10 Effective Date, by and among the Loan Parties and the Administrative Agent.
“Amendment No. 10 Term A Loan” has the meaning assigned to such term in the Amendment No. 10.
“Annual Asset Sale Limitation” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6.03(a)(v)(F).
“Anti-Corruption Laws” means the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, and the rules and regulations thereunder, the UK Bribery Act, and all other laws, rules, and regulations of any jurisdiction applicable to the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries from time to time concerning or relating to bribery or corruption.
“Applicable Margin” means, for any day:
(a)with respect to any Non-Extended Term Benchmark Loan, Non-Extended RFR Loan, Non-Extended ABR Loan and the Commitment Fee for Non-Extended Revolving Commitments, the applicable rate per annum set forth below, based on the Total Leverage Ratio applicable on such date:
| Total Leverage Ratio: | Margin for Non-Extended Term<br><br>Benchmark Loans and Non-Extended RFR Loans | Margin for Non-Extended ABR Loans | Commitment Fee Rate for<br><br>Non-Extended Revolving Commitments | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Less than 1.75 to 1.00 | 2.00% | 1.00% | 0.25% |
| Level 2 | Greater than or equal to 1.75 to<br><br>1.00 but less than<br><br>2.25 to 1.00 | 2.25% | 1.25% | 0.30% |
| Level 3 | Greater than or equal to 2.25 to<br><br>1.00 but less than<br><br>2.75 to 1.00 | 2.50% | 1.50% | 0.35% |
| Level 4 | Greater than or equal to 2.75 to<br><br>1.00 but less than<br><br>3.25 to 1.00 | 2.75% | 1.75% | 0.40% |
| Total Leverage Ratio: | Margin for Non-Extended Term<br><br>Benchmark Loans and Non-Extended RFR Loans | Margin for Non-Extended ABR Loans | Commitment Fee Rate for<br><br>Non-Extended Revolving Commitments | |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Level 5 | Greater than or equal to 3.25 to<br><br>1.00 but less than<br><br>3.50 to 1.00 | 3.00% | 2.00% | 0.45% |
| Level 6 | Greater than or equal to 3.50 to 1.00 | 3.50% | 2.50% | 0.50% |
and
(b)with respect to any Extended Term Benchmark Loan, Extended RFR Loan, Extended ABR Loan and the Commitment Fee for Extended Revolving Commitments, the applicable rate per annum set forth below, based on the Total Leverage Ratio applicable on such date:
| Total Leverage Ratio: | Margin for Extended Term<br><br>Benchmark Loans and Extended RFR Loans | Margin for Extended ABR Loans | Commitment Fee Rate for Extended Revolving Commitments | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Less than 1.75 to 1.00 | 2.50% | 1.50% | 0.25% |
| Level 2 | Greater than or equal to 1.75 to<br><br>1.00 but less than<br><br>2.25 to 1.00 | 2.75% | 1.75% | 0.30% |
| Level 3 | Greater than or equal to 2.25 to<br><br>1.00 but less than<br><br>2.75 to 1.00 | 3.00% | 2.00% | 0.35% |
| Level 4 | Greater than or equal to 2.75 to<br><br>1.00 but less than<br><br>3.25 to 1.00 | 3.25% | 2.25% | 0.40% |
| Level 5 | Greater than or equal to 3.25 to<br><br>1.00 but less than<br><br>3.50 to 1.00 | 3.50% | 2.50% | 0.45% |
| Level 6 | Greater than or equal to 3.50 to 1.00 | 4.00% | 3.00% | 0.50% |
For purposes of the foregoing,
(i)if at any time the Borrower fails to deliver the Financials on or before the date the Financials are due pursuant to Section 5.01, Level 6 of each of the foregoing pricing grids shall
be deemed applicable for the period commencing five (5) Business Days after the required date of delivery and ending on the date which is five (5) Business Days after the Financials are actually delivered, after which the Level shall be determined in accordance with the table above as applicable;
(ii)adjustments, if any, to the Level then in effect shall be effective five (5) Business Days after the Administrative Agent has received the applicable Financials (it being understood and agreed that each change in Level shall apply during the period commencing on the effective date of such change and ending on the date immediately preceding the effective date of the next such change);
(iii)notwithstanding the foregoing, as of the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date, Level 3 of the pricing grid set forth in the foregoing clause (b) is in effect with respect to Extended Loans and the Commitment Fee for Extended Revolving Commitments; provided that, Level 3 of the pricing grid set forth in the foregoing clause (a) shall continue to apply to Non-Extended Loans and the Commitment Fee for Non-Extended Revolving Commitments until the first date on which the Borrower delivers to the Administrative Agent a compliance certificate pursuant to Section 5.01(c) demonstrating its compliance with all financial covenants set forth in Section
6.11 as required to be in effect for the Fiscal Quarter ending September 30, 2024; and
(iv)notwithstanding the foregoing, if at any time the Administrative Agent determines that the Financials upon which the Applicable Margin was determined were incorrect (based on a restatement or fraud), or any ratio or compliance information in a compliance certificate or other certification was incorrectly calculated, relied on incorrect information or was otherwise not accurate, true or correct, the Borrower shall be required to retroactively pay any additional amount that the Borrower would have been required to pay if such Financials, compliance certificate or other information had been accurate and/or computed correctly at the time they were delivered.
“Applicable Parties” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 8.03(c). “Applicable Percentage” means, with respect to any Lender:
(a)with respect to Revolving Loans, LC Exposure or Swingline Loans, a percentage equal to a fraction the numerator of which is such Lender’s Revolving Commitment and the denominator of which is the aggregate Revolving Commitments of all Revolving Lenders (if the Revolving Commitments have terminated or expired, the Applicable Percentages shall be determined based upon such Lender’s share of the aggregate Revolving Credit Exposures at that time);
(b)with respect to the Term A Loans, a percentage equal to a fraction the numerator of which is such Lender’s funded Term A Loans and the denominator of which is the aggregate funded Term A Loans of all Term A Loan Lenders; and
(c)with respect to Credit Exposure, a percentage equal to a fraction, the numerator of which is such Lender’s Credit Exposure and the denominator of which is the Aggregate Credit Exposure;
provided, that in the case of Section 2.25 when a Defaulting Lender shall exist, such Defaulting Lender’s Revolving Commitment, Revolving Credit Exposure and funded Term A Loans shall be disregarded in calculations of the Applicable Percentage.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, on and after the Non-Extended Maturity Date, the term “Applicable Percentage” shall be determined without reference to Non-Extended Revolving Commitments, Non-Extended Revolving Loans and Non-Extended Term A Loans.
“Applicable Pledge Percentage” means 100%, but 65% in the case of a pledge by a Loan Party of the Equity Interests of a Foreign Subsidiary.
“Approved Borrower Portal” has the meaning assigned to it in Section 8.10(a). “Approved Electronic Platform” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 8.03. “Approved Fund” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.04.
“Assignment and Assumption” means an assignment and assumption agreement entered into by a Lender and an assignee (with the consent of any party whose consent is required by Section 9.04), and accepted by the Administrative Agent, in the form of Exhibit A or any other form (including electronic records generated by the use of an electronic platform) approved by the Administrative Agent.
“Asset Sale Allowance” means, with respect to all Prepayment Events described in clause (a) thereof that occur on or after the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date, an aggregate amount equal to the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $50,000,000 if the Total Net Leverage Ratio is greater than 3.00 to
1.00 (giving effect to the applicable transaction, event or occurrence on a Pro Forma Basis); provided, that if the Loan Parties and the Restricted Subsidiaries retained amounts in excess of the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $50,000,000 when the Total Net Leverage Ratio was less than or equal to 3.00 to 1.00 (when no Prepayment Event is deemed to occur) for use in compliance with this Agreement, and the Total Net Leverage Ratio subsequently is greater than 3.00 to 1.00, no such excess amount shall be required to be applied as a mandatory prepayment under Section 2.11.
“Asset Sale and Purchase Offset” means, with respect to any consecutive four Fiscal Quarter period (whether forward-looking or backward-looking), the netting of Net Proceeds received by the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary in respect of any asset sale, transfer, lease or other Disposition against the purchase price paid by the Borrower or a Restricted Subsidiary for any real property, equipment or other tangible assets (excluding inventory) to be used in the business of the Borrower or the Restricted Subsidiaries; provided, that with respect to any asset sale, transfer, lease or other Disposition or asset purchase where the consideration therefor is at least the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $10,000,000 and for any directly related asset sales, transfers, leases or other Dispositions or asset purchases where the consideration therefor is at least the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $20,000,000, (i) assets sold, transferred, leased or otherwise Disposed of by the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries that are Domestic Subsidiaries in an aggregate amount not in excess of the below-defined “Netting Cap” may be netted against assets acquired by Restricted Subsidiaries that are Foreign Subsidiaries, (ii) assets sold, transferred, leased or otherwise Disposed of by Restricted Subsidiaries that are Foreign Subsidiaries not in excess of the Netting Cap may be netted against assets acquired by the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries that are Domestic Subsidiaries (excluding assets of Loan Parties that do not constitute Collateral), (iii) no netting limitation shall apply to sales and purchases by (a) the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries that are Domestic Subsidiaries that are netted against one another or (b) Restricted Subsidiaries that are Foreign Subsidiaries that are netted against one another, and (iv) acquired assets subject to Liens in favor of Persons other than the Administrative Agent may be netted against any asset sale, transfer, lease or other Disposition, so long as the aggregate of such sales, transfers, leases and other Dispositions does not exceed the Netting Cap. For purposes hereof, “Netting Cap” means the U.S.
Dollar Amount of U.S. $250,000,000, with asset sales, transfers, leases and Dispositions under the foregoing clauses (i), (ii) and (iv) counting toward such U.S. $250,000,000 amount.
“Attributable Receivables Indebtedness” at any time means the principal amount of Indebtedness which (i) if a Permitted Receivables Facility is structured as a secured lending or other similar agreement, constitutes the principal amount of such Indebtedness or (ii) if a Permitted Receivables Facility is structured as a purchase agreement or other similar agreement, would be outstanding at such time under the Permitted Receivables Facility if the same were structured as a secured lending agreement rather than a purchase agreement or such other similar agreement (whether such amount is described as “capital” or otherwise).
“Auction Manager” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.24(a).
“Auction Notice” means an auction notice given by the Borrower in accordance with the Auction Procedures with respect to a Purchase Offer.
“Auction Procedures” means the auction procedures with respect to Purchase Offers set forth in Exhibit G hereto.
“Augmenting Lender” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.20. “Availability Period” means, with respect to Revolving Loans, the period from and
including the Effective Date to but excluding the earlier of the Extended Maturity Date and the date of
termination of all of the Revolving Commitments.
“Available Tenor” means, as of any date of determination and with respect to the then-current Benchmark for any Agreed Currency, as applicable, any tenor for such Benchmark (or component thereof) or payment period for interest calculated with reference to such Benchmark (or component thereof), as applicable, that is or may be used for determining the length of an Interest Period for any term rate or otherwise, for determining any frequency of making payments of interest calculated pursuant to this Agreement as of such date and not including, for the avoidance of doubt, any tenor for such Benchmark that is then-removed from the definition of “Interest Period” pursuant to clause (e) of Section 2.14.
“Bail-In Action” means the exercise of any Write-Down and Conversion Powers by the applicable Resolution Authority in respect of any liability of an Affected Financial Institution.
“Bail-In Legislation” means (a) with respect to any EEA Member Country implementing Article 55 of Directive 2014/59/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of the European Union, the implementing law, regulation, rule or requirement for such EEA Member Country from time to time that is described in the EU Bail-In Legislation Schedule and (b) with respect to the United Kingdom, Part I of the United Kingdom Banking Act 2009 (as amended from time to time) and any other law, regulation or rule applicable in the United Kingdom relating to the resolution of unsound or failing banks, investment firms or other financial institutions or their affiliates (other than through liquidation, administration or other insolvency proceedings).
“Banking Services” means each and any of the following bank services provided to any Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary by any Lender or any of its Affiliates: (a) credit cards for commercial customers (including, without limitation, commercial credit cards and purchasing cards),
(b) stored value cards, (c) merchant processing services and (d) treasury management services (including,
without limitation, controlled disbursement, automated clearinghouse transactions, return items, any direct debit scheme or arrangement, overdrafts and interstate depository network services).
“Banking Services Agreement” means any agreement entered into by any Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary in connection with Banking Services.
“Banking Services Obligations” means any and all obligations of the Loan Parties or Restricted Subsidiaries, whether absolute or contingent and howsoever and whensoever created, arising, evidenced or acquired (including all renewals, extensions and modifications thereof and substitutions therefor) in connection with Banking Services.
“Bankruptcy Code” means Title 11 of the United States Code entitled “Bankruptcy,” as now or hereafter in effect, or any successor thereto, as hereafter amended.
“Bankruptcy Event” means, with respect to any Person, such Person becomes the subject of a voluntary or involuntary bankruptcy or insolvency proceeding, or has had a receiver, conservator, trustee, administrator, custodian, assignee for the benefit of creditors or similar Person charged with the reorganization or liquidation of its business appointed for it, or, in the good faith determination of the Administrative Agent, has taken any action in furtherance of, or indicating its consent to, approval of, or acquiescence in, any such proceeding or appointment or has had any order for relief in such proceeding entered in respect thereof, provided that a Bankruptcy Event shall not result solely by virtue of any ownership interest, or the acquisition of any ownership interest, in such Person by a Governmental Authority or instrumentality thereof, unless such ownership interest results in or provides such Person with immunity from the jurisdiction of courts within the United States or from the enforcement of judgments or writs of attachment on its assets or permits such Person (or such Governmental Authority or instrumentality) to reject, repudiate, disavow or disaffirm any contracts or agreements made by such Person.
“Benchmark” means, initially, with respect to any (i) RFR Loan in any Agreed Currency, the applicable Relevant Rate for such Agreed Currency or (ii) Term Benchmark Loan, the Relevant Rate for such Agreed Currency; provided that if a Benchmark Transition Event and the related Benchmark Replacement Date have occurred with respect to the applicable Relevant Rate or the then-current Benchmark for such Agreed Currency, then “Benchmark” means the applicable Benchmark Replacement to the extent that such Benchmark Replacement has replaced such prior benchmark rate pursuant to clause (b) of Section 2.14.
“Benchmark Replacement” means, for any Available Tenor, the first alternative set forth in the order below that can be determined by the Administrative Agent for the applicable Benchmark Replacement Date; provided that, in the case of any Loan denominated in a Foreign Currency, “Benchmark Replacement” shall mean the alternative set forth in (2) below:
(1)in the case of any Loan denominated in U.S. Dollars, the Adjusted Daily Simple RFR for Dollars; and
(2)the sum of: (a) the alternate benchmark rate that has been selected by the Administrative Agent and the Borrower as the replacement for the then-current Benchmark for the applicable Corresponding Tenor giving due consideration to (i) any selection or recommendation of a replacement benchmark rate or the mechanism for determining such a rate by the Relevant Governmental Body or (ii) any evolving or then-prevailing market convention for determining a benchmark rate as a replacement for the then-current Benchmark for syndicated credit facilities denominated in the applicable
Agreed Currency at such time in the United States and (b) the related Benchmark Replacement Adjustment.
If the Benchmark Replacement as determined pursuant to clause (1) or (2) above would be less than the Floor, the Benchmark Replacement will be deemed to be the Floor for the purposes of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents.
“Benchmark Replacement Adjustment” means, with respect to any replacement of the then-current Benchmark with an Unadjusted Benchmark Replacement for any applicable Interest Period and Available Tenor for any setting of such Unadjusted Benchmark Replacement, the spread adjustment, or method for calculating or determining such spread adjustment, (which may be a positive or negative value or zero) that has been selected by the Administrative Agent and the Borrower for the applicable Corresponding Tenor giving due consideration to (i) any selection or recommendation of a spread adjustment, or method for calculating or determining such spread adjustment, for the replacement of such Benchmark with the applicable Unadjusted Benchmark Replacement by the Relevant Governmental Body on the applicable Benchmark Replacement Date and/or (ii) any evolving or then-prevailing market convention for determining a spread adjustment, or method for calculating or determining such spread adjustment, for the replacement of such Benchmark with the applicable Unadjusted Benchmark Replacement for syndicated credit facilities denominated in the applicable Agreed Currency at such time.
“Benchmark Replacement Conforming Changes” means, with respect to any Benchmark Replacement and/or any Term Benchmark Loan denominated in U.S. Dollars, any technical, administrative or operational changes (including changes to the definition of “Alternate Base Rate,” the definition of “Business Day,” the definition of “U.S. Government Securities Business Day,” the definition of “RFR Business Day,” the definition of “Interest Period,” timing and frequency of determining rates and making payments of interest, timing of borrowing requests or prepayment, conversion or continuation notices, length of lookback periods, the applicability of breakage provisions, and other technical, administrative or operational matters) that the Administrative Agent decides may be appropriate to reflect the adoption and implementation of such Benchmark and to permit the administration thereof by the Administrative Agent in a manner substantially consistent with market practice (or, if the Administrative Agent decides that adoption of any portion of such market practice is not administratively feasible or if the Administrative Agent determines that no market practice for the administration of such Benchmark exists, in such other manner of administration as the Administrative Agent decides is reasonably necessary in connection with the administration of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents).
“Benchmark Replacement Date” means, with respect to any Benchmark, the earliest to occur of the following events with respect to such then-current Benchmark:
(1)in the case of clause (1) or (2) of the definition of “Benchmark Transition Event,” the later of (a) the date of the public statement or publication of information referenced therein and (b) the date on which the administrator of such Benchmark (or the published component used in the calculation thereof) permanently or indefinitely ceases to provide all Available Tenors of such Benchmark (or such component thereof); or
(2)in the case of clause (3) of the definition of “Benchmark Transition Event,” the first date on which such Benchmark (or the published component used in the calculation thereof) has been or, if such Benchmark is a term rate, all Available Tenors of such Benchmark (or component thereof) have been determined and announced by the regulatory supervisor for the administrator of such Benchmark (or such component thereof) to be no longer representative; provided, that such non-representativeness will
be determined by reference to the most recent statement or publication referenced in such clause (3) and even if such Benchmark (or component thereof) or, if such Benchmark is a term rate, any Available Tenor of such Benchmark (or such component thereof) continues to be provided on such date.
For the avoidance of doubt, (i) if the event giving rise to the Benchmark Replacement Date occurs on the same day as, but earlier than, the Reference Time in respect of any determination, the Benchmark Replacement Date will be deemed to have occurred prior to the Reference Time for such determination and (ii) the “Benchmark Replacement Date” will be deemed to have occurred in the case of clause (1) or (2) with respect to any Benchmark upon the occurrence of the applicable event or events set forth therein with respect to all then-current Available Tenors of such Benchmark (or the published component used in the calculation thereof).
“Benchmark Transition Event” means, with respect to any Benchmark, the occurrence of one or more of the following events with respect to such then-current Benchmark:
(1)a public statement or publication of information by or on behalf of the administrator of such Benchmark (or the published component used in the calculation thereof) announcing that such administrator has ceased or will cease to provide all Available Tenors of such Benchmark (or such component thereof), permanently or indefinitely, provided that, at the time of such statement or publication, there is no successor administrator that will continue to provide such Benchmark (or such component thereof) or, if such Benchmark is a term rate, any Available Tenor of such Benchmark (or such component thereof);
(2)a public statement or publication of information by the regulatory supervisor for the administrator of such Benchmark (or the published component used in the calculation thereof), the Federal Reserve Board, the NYFRB, the CME Term SOFR Administrator, the central bank for the Agreed Currency applicable to such Benchmark, an insolvency official with jurisdiction over the administrator for such Benchmark (or such component), a resolution authority with jurisdiction over the administrator for such Benchmark (or such component) or a court or an entity with similar insolvency or resolution authority over the administrator for such Benchmark (or such component), in each case, which states that the administrator of such Benchmark (or such component) has ceased or will cease to provide such Benchmark (or such component thereof) or, if such Benchmark is a term rate, all Available Tenors of such Benchmark (or such component thereof) permanently or indefinitely; provided that, at the time of such statement or publication, there is no successor administrator that will continue to provide such Benchmark (or such component thereof) or, if such Benchmark is a term rate, any Available Tenor of such Benchmark (or such component thereof); or
(3)a public statement or publication of information by the regulatory supervisor for the administrator of such Benchmark (or the published component used in the calculation thereof) announcing that such Benchmark (or such component thereof) or, if such Benchmark is a term rate, all Available Tenors of such Benchmark (or such component thereof) are no longer, or as of a specified future date will no longer be, representative.
For the avoidance of doubt, a “Benchmark Transition Event” will be deemed to have occurred with respect to any Benchmark if a public statement or publication of information set forth above has occurred with respect to each then-current Available Tenor of such Benchmark (or the published component used in the calculation thereof).
“Benchmark Unavailability Period” means, with respect to any Benchmark, the period (if any) (x) beginning at the time that a Benchmark Replacement Date pursuant to clauses (1) or (2) of that definition has occurred if, at such time, no Benchmark Replacement has replaced such then-current
Benchmark for all purposes hereunder and under any Loan Document in accordance with Section 2.14 and (y) ending at the time that a Benchmark Replacement has replaced such then-current Benchmark for all purposes hereunder and under any Loan Document in accordance with Section 2.14.
“Beneficial Ownership Certification” means a certification regarding beneficial ownership or control as required by the Beneficial Ownership Regulation.
“Beneficial Ownership Regulation” means 31 C.F.R. § 1010.230.
“Benefit Plan” means any of (a) an “employee benefit plan” (as defined in Section 3(3) of ERISA) (other than a Multiemployer Plan) that is subject to Title I of ERISA, (b) a “plan” as defined in Section 4975 of the Code to which Section 4975 of the Code applies, and (c) any Person whose assets include (for purposes of the Plan Asset Regulations or otherwise for purposes of Title I of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code) the assets of any such “employee benefit plan” or “plan”.
“Borrower” means Quad/Graphics, Inc., a Wisconsin corporation.
“Borrowing” means (a) Revolving Loans of the same Type and currency, made, converted or continued on the same date and, in the case of Term Benchmark Loans, as to which a single Interest Period is in effect, (b) a Swingline Loan, and (c) Term A Loans of the same Type, made, converted or continued on the same date and, in the case of Term Benchmark Loans, as to which a single Interest Period is in effect.
“Borrowing Request” means a request by the Borrower for a Borrowing in accordance with Section 2.03, which shall be substantially in the form approved by the Administrative Agent and separately provided to the Borrower.
“Burdensome Restrictions” means any consensual encumbrance or restriction of the type described in clause (a) or (b) of Section 6.08 (without giving effect to any exceptions described in clauses
(i) through (vi) of such Section 6.08).
“Business Day” means, any day (other than a Saturday or a Sunday) on which banks are open for business in New York City; provided that, in addition to the foregoing, a Business Day shall be
(a) in relation to Loans denominated in Pounds Sterling, any day (other than a Saturday or a Sunday) on which banks are open for business in London, (b) in relation to Loans denominated in Japanese Yen and in relation to the calculation or computation of TIBOR or the Japanese Prime Rate, any day (other than a Saturday or a Sunday) on which banks are open for business in Japan, (c) in relation to Loans denominated in euro and in relation to the calculation or computation of EURIBOR, any day which is a TARGET Day, (d) in relation to RFR Loans and any interest rate settings, fundings, disbursements, settlements or payments of any such RFR Loan, or any other dealings in the applicable Agreed Currency of such RFR Loan, any such day that is only an RFR Business Day; and (e) in relation to Loans referencing the Adjusted Term SOFR Rate and any interest rate settings, fundings, disbursements, settlements or payments of any such Loans referencing the Adjusted Term SOFR Rate or any other dealings of such Loans referencing the Adjusted Term SOFR Rate, any such day that is a U.S. Government Securities Business Day.
“Capital Expenditures” means, without duplication, any expenditure or commitment to expend money for any purchase or other acquisition of any asset which would be classified as a fixed or capital asset on a consolidated balance sheet of the Consolidated Financial Covenant Entities prepared in accordance with GAAP.
“Capital Lease Obligations” of any Person means the obligations of such Person to pay rent or other amounts under any lease of (or other arrangement conveying the right to use) real or personal property, or a combination thereof, which obligations are required to be classified and accounted for as capital leases or financing leases on a balance sheet of such Person under GAAP, and the amount of such obligations shall be the capitalized amount thereof determined in accordance with GAAP.
“CBR Loan” means a Loan that bears interest at a rate determined by reference to the Central Bank/Prime Rate.
“CBR Spread” means the Applicable Margin applicable to such Loan that is replaced by
a CBR Loan.
“Central Bank/Prime Rate” means, the greater of (I)(A) for any Loan denominated in (a) Pounds Sterling, the Bank of England (or any successor thereto)’s “Bank Rate” as published by the Bank of England (or any successor thereto) from time to time, (b) euro, one of the following three rates as may be selected by the Administrative Agent in its reasonable discretion: (1) the fixed rate for the main refinancing operations of the European Central Bank (or any successor thereto), or, if that rate is not published, the minimum bid rate for the main refinancing operations of the European Central Bank (or any successor thereto), each as published by the European Central Bank (or any successor thereto) from time to time, (2) the rate for the marginal lending facility of the European Central Bank (or any successor thereto), as published by the European Central Bank (or any successor thereto) from time to time or (3) the rate for the deposit facility of the central banking system of the Participating Member States, as published by the European Central Bank (or any successor thereto) from time to time, (c) Japanese Yen, the Japanese Prime Rate, and (d) any other Foreign Currency determined after the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date, a central bank rate as determined by the Administrative Agent in its reasonable discretion plus (B) the applicable Central Bank/Prime Rate Adjustment and (II) the Floor.
“Central Bank/Prime Rate Adjustment” means, for any day, for any Loan denominated in
(a) euro, a rate equal to the difference (which may be a positive or negative value or zero) of (i) the average of the Adjusted EURIBOR Rate for the five most recent Business Days preceding such day for which the EURIBOR Screen Rate was available (excluding, from such averaging, the highest and the lowest Adjusted EURIBOR Rate applicable during such period of five Business Days), minus (ii) the Central Bank/Prime Rate in respect of euro in effect on the last Business Day in such period, (b) Pounds Sterling, a rate equal to the difference (which may be a positive or negative value or zero) of (i) the average of Adjusted Daily Simple RFR for Sterling Borrowings for the five most recent RFR Business Days preceding such day for which Adjusted Daily Simple RFR for Borrowings in Pounds Sterling was available (excluding, from such averaging, the highest and the lowest such Adjusted Daily Simple RFR applicable during such period of five RFR Business Days), minus (ii) the Central Bank/Prime Rate in respect of Pounds Sterling in effect on the last RFR Business Day in such period, (c) Japanese Yen, a rate equal to the difference (which may be a positive or negative value or zero) of (i) the average of the Adjusted TIBOR Rate for the five most recent Business Days preceding such day for which the TIBOR Screen Rate was available (excluding, from such averaging, the highest and the lowest Adjusted TIBOR Rate applicable during such period of five Business Days), minus (ii) the Central Bank/Prime Rate in respect of Japanese Yen in effect on the last RFR Business Day in such period and (d) any other Foreign Currency determined after the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date, a Central Bank/Prime Rate Adjustment as determined by the Administrative Agent in its reasonable discretion. For purposes of this definition,
(x) the term Central Bank/Prime Rate shall be determined disregarding clause (B) of the definition of
such term and (y) each of the EURIBOR Rate and the TIBOR Rate on any day shall be based on the EURIBOR Screen Rate or the TIBOR Screen Rate, as applicable, on such day at approximately the time
referred to in the definition of such term for deposits in the applicable Agreed Currency for a maturity of one month.
“Change in Control” means any event which results in the legal or beneficial ownership of shares of Voting Stock (as defined below) of the Borrower granting the holder or holders thereof a majority of the votes for the election of the majority of the Board of Directors (or other supervisory board) of the Borrower being owned by any person or entity (or group of persons or entities) acting in concert other than any one or more of the following acting in concert: (i) the respective spouses and descendants of Harry V. Quadracci, Harry R. Quadracci or Thomas A. Quadracci and/or the spouses of any such descendants, (ii) the respective executors, administrators, guardians or conservators of the estates of any of Harry V. Quadracci, Harry R. Quadracci, Thomas A. Quadracci or the Persons described in clause (i) above, (iii) trustees holding shares of Voting Stock of the Borrower for the benefit of any of the persons described in clause (i) or (ii) above and (iv) any employee stock ownership plan of the Borrower (together, the “Permitted Holders”). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the transfer of legal or beneficial ownership of all of the shares of Voting Stock of the Borrower to a new entity shall not be a Change in Control if a majority of the Voting Stock of such new entity is owned by Permitted Holders. In the event such a transfer occurs, the foregoing definition of “Change in Control” shall be construed with respect to the new entity that owns all of the Voting Stock of the Borrower (as opposed to the Borrower itself). For purposes of this definition, “Voting Stock” means Securities of any class or classes, the holders of which are ordinarily, in the absence of contingencies, entitled to elect a majority of the corporate directors (or persons performing similar functions), and “Securities” shall have the same meaning as in Section 2(1) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
“Change in Law” means the occurrence, after the date of this Agreement (or with respect to any Lender, if later, the date on which such Lender becomes a party to this Agreement), of any of the following: (a) the adoption or taking effect of any law, rule, regulation or treaty, (b) any change in any law, rule, regulation or treaty or in the administration, interpretation, implementation or application thereof by any Governmental Authority, or (c) compliance by any Lender or Issuing Bank (or, for purposes of Section 2.15(b), by any lending office of such Lender or by such Lender’s or Issuing Bank’s holding company, if any) with any request, rules, guideline, requirement or directive (whether or not having the force of law) of any Governmental Authority made or issued after the date of this Agreement; provided, however, that notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, (i) the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and all requests, rules, guidelines, requirements or directives thereunder, issued in connection therewith or in the implementation thereof, and (ii) all requests, rules, guidelines, requirements and directives promulgated by the Bank for International Settlements, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (or any successor or similar authority) or the United States or foreign regulatory authorities, in each case pursuant to Basel III, shall in each case be deemed to be a “Change in Law” regardless of the date enacted, adopted, issued or implemented.
“Charges” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.17.
“Class”, when used in reference to (a) any Loan or Borrowing, refers to whether such Loan, or the Loans comprising such Borrowing, are Term A Loans, Revolving Loans or Swingline Loans, (b) any Term A Loan or Term A Borrowing, refers to whether such Term A Loans, or the Term A Loans comprising such Borrowing, are Non-Extended Term A Loans or Extended Term A Loans, (c) any Revolving Loan or Revolving Borrowing, refers to whether such Revolving Loans, or the Revolving Loans comprising such Borrowing, are Non-Extended Revolving Loans or Extended Revolving Loans,
(d) any Commitment, refers to whether such Commitments are Term A Loan Commitments or Revolving Commitments, (e) any Revolving Commitment, refers to whether such Revolving Commitments are Non-Extended Revolving Commitments or Extended Revolving Commitments, (f) any Lender, refers to whether such Lenders are Term A Loan Lenders, Revolving Lenders or Swingline Lenders, (g) any
Revolving Lender, refers to whether such Revolving Lenders are Non-Extended Revolving Lenders or Extended Revolving Lenders and (h) any Term Loan Lender, refers to whether such Term Loan Lenders are Non-Extended Term A Loan Lenders or Extended Term A Loan Lenders.
“CME Term SOFR Administrator” means CME Group Benchmark Administration Limited as administrator of the forward-looking term Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) (or a successor administrator).
“Co-Syndication Agent” means Bank of America, N.A., BMO Bank, N.A., PNC Bank, National Association, U.S. Bank National Association, Citizens Bank, N.A. and Fifth Third Bank, National Association, each in its capacity as co-syndication agent hereunder.
“Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended from time to time. “Collateral” means any and all property owned, leased or operated by each Loan Party
and each other Person granting a Lien under the Collateral Documents, and any and all other property of
any Loan Party, now existing or hereafter acquired, that may at any time be or become subject to a security interest or Lien in favor of the Administrative Agent, on behalf of itself and the Holders of Secured Obligations, to secure the Secured Obligations.
“Collateral Documents” means, collectively, the Security Agreement, the Mortgages, the Dutch Share Pledge and all other agreements, instruments and documents executed in connection with this Agreement that are intended to create, perfect or evidence Liens to secure the Secured Obligations, including, without limitation, all other security agreements, pledge agreements, financing statements, mortgages, hypothecs, debentures, assignments and deeds of trust, guarantees, subordination agreements, pledges, powers of attorney, consents, assignments, contracts, notices, leases and all other written matter whether heretofore, now, or hereafter executed by the Loan Parties or the Restricted Subsidiaries and delivered to the Administrative Agent.
“Collateral Release” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.02(e).
“Commitment” means, with respect to each Lender, the sum of such Lender’s Revolving
Commitment and Term A Loan Commitment.
“Commitment Fee” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.12(a).
“Commitment Fee Rate” for any Class of Revolving Commitments, has the meaning
assigned to such term in clause (a) or (b) of the definition of Applicable Margin, as applicable, for such Class of Revolving Commitments.
“Commodity Exchange Act” means the Commodity Exchange Act (7 U.S.C. § 1 et seq.), as amended from time to time, and any successor statute.
“Communications” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 8.03(c).
“Connection Income Taxes” means Other Connection Taxes that are imposed on or
measured by net income (however denominated) or that are franchise Taxes or branch profits Taxes.
“Consolidated EBITDA” means, for the Consolidated Financial Covenant Entities, Consolidated Net Income plus, to the extent deducted from revenues in determining Consolidated Net Income, (i) Consolidated Interest Expense, (ii) expense for taxes paid or accrued, (iii) depreciation,
(iv) amortization, (v) unusual or non-recurring non-cash expenses or losses incurred other than in the
ordinary course of business, including any writedown of goodwill, long-lived asset, or intangible asset impairment, (vi) non-cash expenses related to stock based compensation, (vii) Transaction Charges, (viii) amounts paid with respect to MEPP Exit Expenses, (ix) Permitted Cash Restructuring Charges, (x) losses from defeasance, repurchase, redemption, retirement or acquisition of the Senior Secured Notes or other Indebtedness, (xi) [reserved], (xii) (A) net cost savings and operating expense reductions actually implemented by the Borrower or related to a Permitted Acquisition which have been taken or will be taken within eighteen (18) months from the applicable closing date for such Acquisition and (B) synergies projected to be realized as a result of actions taken in connection with such Acquisition, in each case, to the extent reasonably identifiable and factually supportable and so long as the aggregate amount added back to Consolidated EBITDA for any measurement period pursuant to this clause (xii) does not exceed 20% of Consolidated EBITDA for such Period (calculated prior to giving effect to any add-backs pursuant to this clause (xii)), minus, to the extent included in Consolidated Net Income, (xiii) interest income, (xiv) income tax credits and refunds (to the extent not netted from tax expense), (xv) income or gains from defeasance, repurchase, redemption, retirement or acquisition of the Senior Secured Notes or other Indebtedness and (xvi) unusual or non-recurring income or gains realized other than in the ordinary course of business, all calculated for the Consolidated Financial Covenant Entities in accordance with GAAP on a consolidated basis (except as otherwise provided in the definition of Transaction Charges). For the purposes of calculating Consolidated EBITDA for any period of four consecutive Fiscal Quarters (each, a “Reference Period”), (i) if at any time during such Reference Period a Consolidated Financial Covenant Entity shall have made any Material Disposition, the Consolidated EBITDA for such Reference Period shall be reduced by an amount equal to the Consolidated EBITDA (if positive) attributable to the property that is the subject of such Material Disposition for such Reference Period or increased by an amount equal to the Consolidated EBITDA (if negative) attributable thereto for such Reference Period, and (ii) if during such Reference Period a Consolidated Financial Covenant Entity shall have made a Material Acquisition, Consolidated EBITDA for such Reference Period shall be calculated on a Pro Forma Basis after giving effect thereto as if such Material Acquisition occurred on the first day of such Reference Period. As used in this definition, “Material Acquisition” means any Acquisition that involves the payment of consideration (including, without limitation, assumptions of Indebtedness and issuances of seller notes) by a Consolidated Financial Covenant Entity in excess of the
U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $50,000,000; and “Material Disposition” means any sale, transfer or
Disposition of a subsidiary, a line of business, a division or an operating unit (with the understanding that the sale of a manufacturing plant shall not constitute a Material Disposition for purposes hereof) by a Consolidated Financial Covenant Entity to any unrelated third party that yields gross proceeds in excess of the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $50,000,000. Any cash payment made with respect to any non-cash charge that is added back in computing Consolidated EBITDA for any period shall be subtracted in computing Consolidated EBITDA for the period in which such cash payment is made. No non-cash gain shall be deducted from a computation of Consolidated EBITDA to the extent it represents the reversal of an accrual or reserve for a potential cash item that reduced Consolidated EBITDA in any prior period.
“Consolidated Financial Covenant Entities” means the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries, together with all Persons in which the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries own no more than 50% of the voting Equity Interests thereof and which are included in the Borrower’s consolidated financials under either the equity or cost method of accounting in accordance with GAAP; provided, that no Unrestricted Subsidiary shall be included in the foregoing.
“Consolidated Interest Expense” means, with reference to any period, the interest expense (including without limitation interest expense under Capital Lease Obligations that is treated as interest in accordance with GAAP) of the Consolidated Financial Covenant Entities calculated on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP for such period with respect to (a) all outstanding
Indebtedness of the Consolidated Financial Covenant Entities allocable to such period in accordance with GAAP (including, without limitation, all commissions, discounts and other fees and charges owed with
respect to letters of credit and bankers acceptance financing and net costs under interest rate Swap Agreements to the extent such net costs are allocable to such period in accordance with GAAP) and (b) the interest component of all Attributable Receivables Indebtedness of the Consolidated Financial Covenant Entities for such period.
“Consolidated Net Income” means, for any period, the consolidated net income (or loss) of the Consolidated Financial Covenant Entities, determined on a consolidated basis (without duplication) in accordance with GAAP; provided that there shall be excluded the income (or deficit) of any Person accrued prior to the date such Person becomes a Consolidated Financial Covenant Entity, or prior to the date it is merged into or consolidated with a Consolidated Financial Covenant Entity. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth herein, no gain received by the Borrower as a result of a repurchase of Term Loans under Section 2.24 shall be included in any determination of Consolidated Net Income.
“Consolidated Net Indebtedness” means, at any date and without duplication, the aggregate principal amount of all Indebtedness of the Consolidated Financial Covenant Entities at such date, determined on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP plus the aggregate amount of Indebtedness of the Consolidated Financial Covenant Entities relating to the maximum drawing amount of all letters of credit outstanding and to all bankers’ acceptances plus all Indebtedness described in the foregoing of another Person guaranteed by the Consolidated Financial Covenant Entities; minus the aggregate amount of unrestricted cash and Permitted Investments of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries at such time maintained in accounts in the United States and that are not subject to any Liens other than Liens permitted pursuant to Section 6.02(a); provided, however, that no Pension and Post-Employment Benefit Amounts shall be included in any determination hereof; provided, further, that if Consolidated Net Indebtedness as so determined shall be less than zero at any time, Consolidated Net Indebtedness shall be deemed to be zero at such time. For the avoidance of doubt, Consolidated Net Indebtedness includes all Attributable Receivables Indebtedness.
“Consolidated Net Worth” means, at any time, the consolidated shareholders’ equity of the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries (including all redeemable common stock) calculated on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP.
“Consolidated Senior Secured Net Indebtedness” means, at any date and without duplication, the aggregate principal amount of Consolidated Net Indebtedness that (x) is secured by a Lien on any property of the Consolidated Financial Covenant Entities and (y) is not Subordinated Indebtedness.
“Consolidated Total Assets” means, as of the date of any determination thereof, the aggregate book value of the total assets of the Consolidated Financial Covenant Entities calculated in accordance with GAAP on a consolidated basis as of such date.
“Consolidated Total Indebtedness” means, at any date and without duplication, the aggregate principal amount of all Indebtedness of the Consolidated Financial Covenant Entities at such date, determined on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP plus the aggregate amount of Indebtedness of the Consolidated Financial Covenant Entities relating to the maximum drawing amount of all letters of credit outstanding and to all bankers’ acceptances plus all Indebtedness described in the foregoing of another Person guaranteed by the Consolidated Financial Covenant Entities; provided, however, that no Pension and Post-Employment Benefit Amounts shall be included in any determination
hereof. For the avoidance of doubt, Consolidated Total Indebtedness includes all Attributable Receivables Indebtedness.
“Control” means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management or policies of a Person, whether through the ability to exercise voting power, by contract or otherwise. “Controlling” and “Controlled” have meanings correlative thereto.
“Corresponding Obligations” has the meaning assigned to such term in the Dutch Share
Pledge.
“Corresponding Tenor” with respect to any Available Tenor means, as applicable, either a tenor (including overnight) or an interest payment period having approximately the same length (disregarding business day adjustment) as such Available Tenor.
“Credit Event” means a Borrowing, the issuance, amendment, renewal or extension of a Letter of Credit, an LC Disbursement or any of the foregoing.
“Credit Exposure” means, as to any Lender at any time, the aggregate of (a) such Lender’s Revolving Credit Exposure at such time plus (b) an amount equal to the aggregate principal amount of its Term Loans outstanding at such time.
“Credit Party” means the Administrative Agent, any Issuing Bank, any Swingline Lender or any other Lender.
“Daily Simple RFR” means, for any day (an “RFR Interest Day”), an interest rate per annum equal to, for any RFR Loan denominated in (i) Pounds Sterling, SONIA for the day that is five (5) RFR Business Days prior to (A) if such RFR Interest Day is an RFR Business Day, such RFR Interest Day or (B) if such RFR Interest Day is not an RFR Business Day, the RFR Business Day immediately preceding such RFR Interest Day and (ii) U.S. Dollars (following a Benchmark Transition Event and Benchmark Replacement Date with respect to the Term SOFR Rate), Daily Simple SOFR. Any change in Daily Simple RFR due to a change in the applicable RFR shall be effective from and including the effective date of such change in the RFR without notice to the Borrower.
“Daily Simple SOFR” means, for any day (a “SOFR Rate Day”), a rate per annum equal to SOFR for the day (such day “SOFR Determination Date”) that is five (5) RFR Business Days prior to
(i) if such SOFR Rate Day is an RFR Business Day, such SOFR Rate Day or (ii) if such SOFR Rate Day is not an RFR Business Day, the RFR Business Day immediately preceding such SOFR Rate Day, in each case, as such SOFR is published by the SOFR Administrator on the SOFR Administrator’s Website. Any change in Daily Simple SOFR due to a change in SOFR shall be effective from and including the effective date of such change in SOFR without notice to the Borrower. If by 5:00 p.m. (New York City time) on the second (2nd) RFR Business Day immediately following any SOFR Determination Date, SOFR in respect of such SOFR Determination Date has not been published on the SOFR Administrator’s Website and a Benchmark Replacement Date with respect to the Daily Simple SOFR has not occurred, then SOFR for such SOFR Determination Date will be SOFR as published in respect of the first preceding RFR Business Day for which such SOFR was published on the SOFR Administrator’s Website.
“Default” means any event or condition which constitutes an Event of Default or which upon notice, lapse of time or both would, unless cured or waived, become an Event of Default.
“Defaulting Lender” means any Lender that (a) has failed, within two Business Days of the date required to be funded or paid, to (i) fund any portion of its Loans, (ii) fund any portion of its
the Administrative Agent in writing that such failure is the result of such Lender’s good faith determination that a condition precedent to funding (specifically identified and including the particular default, if any) has not been satisfied, (b) has notified the Borrower or any Credit Party in writing, or has made a public statement to the effect, that it does not intend or expect to comply with any of its funding obligations under this Agreement (unless such writing or public statement indicates that such position is based on such Lender’s good faith determination that a condition precedent (specifically identified and including the particular default, if any) to funding a Loan under this Agreement cannot be satisfied) or generally under other agreements in which it commits to extend credit, (c) has failed, within three Business Days after request by a Credit Party, acting in good faith, to provide a certification in writing from an authorized officer of such Lender that it will comply with its obligations (and is financially able to meet such obligations as of the date of certification) to fund prospective Loans and participations in then outstanding Letters of Credit and Swingline Loans under this Agreement, provided that such Lender shall cease to be a Defaulting Lender pursuant to this clause (c) upon such Credit Party’s receipt of such certification in form and substance satisfactory to it and the Administrative Agent, or (d) has become (or has a Parent that has become) the subject of (A) a Bankruptcy Event or (B) a Bail-In Action.
“Departing Lender” means each “Revolving Lender” under the Existing Credit Agreement that does not have a Revolving Commitment hereunder and is identified on the Departing Lender Schedule hereto.
“Departing Lender Schedule” means Schedule 1.01(c) hereto, which schedule identifies each Departing Lender as of the Effective Date.
“Disposition” or “Dispose” means the sale, transfer, license, lease or other disposition (in one transaction or in a series of transactions and whether effected pursuant to a Division or otherwise) of any property by any Person (including any sale and leaseback transaction and any issuance of Equity Interests by a Subsidiary of such Person), including any sale, assignment, transfer or other disposal, with or without recourse, of any notes or accounts receivable or any rights and claims associated therewith.
“Disregarded Entity” means an entity that is disregarded as separate from its owner for
U.S. federal income tax purposes.
“Disqualified Institution” means the competitors of the Borrower or its Subsidiaries, set forth in a list (the “DQ List”) provided to the Administrative Agent in an email to JPMDQ_Contact@jpmorgan.com prior to the Amendment No. 3 Effective Date.
“Dividing Person” has the meaning assigned to it in the definition of “Division”. “Division” means the division of the assets, liabilities and/or obligations of a Person (the
“Dividing Person”) among two or more Persons (whether pursuant to a “plan of division” or similar
arrangement), which may or may not include the Dividing Person and pursuant to which the Dividing Person may or may not survive.
“Division Successor” means any Person that, upon the consummation of a Division of a Dividing Person, holds all or any portion of the assets, liabilities and/or obligations previously held by such Dividing Person immediately prior to the consummation of such Division. A Dividing Person which retains any of its assets, liabilities and/or obligations after a Division shall be deemed a Division Successor upon the occurrence of such Division.
“Domestic Subsidiary” means a Subsidiary organized under the laws of a jurisdiction located in the United States of America.
“Dutch Share Pledge” means the deed of a disclosed pledge over shares in the capital of Q/g Holland B.V., dated as of April 28, 2014, by and among the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and Q/g Holland B.V.
“ECP” means an “eligible contract participant” as defined in Section 1(a)(18) of the Commodity Exchange Act or any regulations promulgated thereunder and the applicable rules issued by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and/or the SEC.
“EEA Financial Institution” means (a) any credit institution or investment firm established in any EEA Member Country which is subject to the supervision of an EEA Resolution Authority, (b) any entity established in an EEA Member Country which is a parent of an institution described in clause (a) of this definition, or (c) any financial institution established in an EEA Member Country which is a subsidiary of an institution described in clauses (a) or (b) of this definition and is subject to consolidated supervision with its parent.
“EEA Member Country” means any of the member states of the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.
“EEA Resolution Authority” means any public administrative authority or any Person entrusted with public administrative authority of any EEA Member Country (including any delegee) having responsibility for the resolution of any EEA Financial Institution.
“Effective Date” means the date on which the conditions specified in Section 4.01 are satisfied (or waived in accordance with Section 9.02).
“Electronic Signature” means an electronic sound, symbol, or process attached to, or associated with, a contract or other record and adopted by a Person with the intent to sign, authenticate or accept such contract or record.
“Environmental Laws” means all laws, statutes, rules, regulations, codes, by-laws, ordinances, orders, decrees, judgments, injunctions, notices or binding agreements issued, promulgated or entered into by any Governmental Authority, and any principle of common law, in each case relating in any way to the environment, preservation or reclamation of natural resources, the management, release or threatened release of any Hazardous Material or to health and safety matters.
“Environmental Liability” means any liability, contingent or otherwise (including any liability for damages, costs of environmental remediation, fines, penalties or indemnities), of a Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary directly or indirectly resulting from or based upon (a) violation of any Environmental Law, (b) the generation, use, handling, transportation, storage, treatment or disposal of any Hazardous Materials, (c) exposure to any Hazardous Materials, (d) the release or threatened release of any Hazardous Materials into the environment or (e) any contract, agreement or other consensual arrangement pursuant to which liability is assumed or imposed with respect to any of the foregoing.
“Equity Interests” means shares of capital stock, partnership interests, membership interests in a limited liability company, beneficial interests in a trust or other equity ownership interests in a Person, and any warrants, options or other rights entitling the holder thereof to purchase or acquire any such equity interest, but excluding any debt securities convertible into any of the foregoing.
“ERISA” means the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended from time to time, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
“ERISA Affiliate” means any trade or business (whether or not incorporated) that, together with a Loan Party, is treated as a single employer under Section 414(b) or (c) of the Code or Section 4001(14) of ERISA or, solely for purposes of Section 302 of ERISA and Section 412 of the Code, is treated as a single employer under Section 414 of the Code.
“ERISA Event” means, except as set forth on Schedule 3.10(b), (a) any “reportable event”, as defined in Section 4043 of ERISA or the regulations issued thereunder with respect to a Pension Plan (other than an event for which the 30-day notice period is waived); (b) the failure to satisfy the “minimum funding standard”, as defined in Section 412 of the Code or Section 302 of ERISA, whether or not waived; (c) the filing pursuant to Section 412(c) of the Code or Section 302(c) of ERISA of an application for a waiver of the minimum funding standard with respect to any Pension Plan; (d) the incurrence by a Loan Party or any of its ERISA Affiliates of any liability under Title IV of ERISA with respect to the termination of any Pension Plan; (e) the receipt by a Loan Party or any ERISA Affiliate from the PBGC or a plan administrator of any notice relating to an intention to terminate any Pension Plan or Pension Plans or to appoint a trustee to administer any Pension Plan; (f) the incurrence by a Loan Party or any of its ERISA Affiliates of any liability with respect to the withdrawal or partial withdrawal of a Loan Party or any of its ERISA Affiliates from any Pension Plan or Multiemployer Plan; or (g) the receipt by a Loan Party or any ERISA Affiliate of any notice, or the receipt by any Multiemployer Plan from a Loan Party or any ERISA Affiliate of any notice, concerning the imposition upon a Loan Party or any of its ERISA Affiliates of Withdrawal Liability or a determination that a Multiemployer Plan is, or is expected to be, insolvent, within the meaning of Title IV of ERISA.
“EU” means the European Union.
“EU Bail-In Legislation Schedule” means the EU Bail-In Legislation Schedule published by the Loan Market Association (or any successor Person), as in effect from time to time.
“EURIBOR Rate” means, with respect to any Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in Euros and for any Interest Period, the EURIBOR Screen Rate, two TARGET Days prior to the commencement of such Interest Period.
“EURIBOR Screen Rate” means the euro interbank offered rate administered by the European Money Markets Institute (or any other person which takes over the administration of that rate) for the relevant period displayed (before any correction, recalculation or republication by the administrator) on page EURIBOR01 of the Thomson Reuters screen (or any replacement Thomson Reuters page which displays that rate) or on the appropriate page of such other information service which publishes that rate from time to time in place of Thomson Reuters as published at approximately 11:00
a.m. Brussels time two TARGET Days prior to the commencement of such Interest Period. If such page or service ceases to be available, the Administrative Agent may specify another page or service displaying the relevant rate after consultation with the Borrower.
“euro”, “Euro” and/or “EUR” means the single currency of the Participating Member States of the EU.
“Event of Default” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 7.01.
“Exchange Rate” means, for any Foreign Currency, the rate of exchange therefor as described in clause (b) of the definition of “U.S. Dollar Amount”.
“Excluded Swap Obligation” means, with respect to any Loan Party, any Specified Swap Obligation if, and to the extent that, all or a portion of the Guarantee of such Loan Party of, or the grant by such Loan Party of a security interest to secure, such Specified Swap Obligation (or any Guarantee thereof) is or becomes illegal under the Commodity Exchange Act or any rule, regulation or order of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (or the application or official interpretation of any thereof) by virtue of such Loan Party’s failure for any reason to constitute an ECP at the time the Guarantee of such Loan Party or the grant of such security interest becomes effective with respect to such Specified Swap Obligation. If a Specified Swap Obligation arises under a master agreement governing more than one swap, such exclusion shall apply only to the portion of such Specified Swap Obligation that is attributable to swaps for which such Guarantee or security interest is or becomes illegal.
“Excluded Taxes” means any of the following Taxes imposed on or with respect to a Recipient or required to be withheld or deducted from a payment to a Recipient, (a) Taxes imposed on or measured by net income (however denominated), franchise Taxes, and branch profits Taxes, in each case,
(i) imposed as a result of such Recipient being organized under the laws of, or having its principal office or, in the case of any Lender, its applicable lending office located in, the jurisdiction imposing such Tax (or any political subdivision thereof) or (ii) that are Other Connection Taxes, (b) in the case of a Lender,
U.S. federal withholding Taxes imposed on amounts payable to or for the account of such Lender with respect to an applicable interest in a Loan, Letter of Credit or Commitment pursuant to a law in effect on the date on which (i) such Lender acquires such interest in the Loan, Letter of Credit or Commitment (other than pursuant to an assignment request by the Borrower under Section 2.19(b)) or (ii) such Lender changes its lending office, except in each case to the extent that, pursuant to Section 2.17, amounts with respect to such Taxes were payable either to such Lender’s assignor immediately before such Lender acquired the applicable interest in a Loan, Letter of Credit or Commitment or to such Lender immediately before it changed its lending office, (c) Taxes attributable to such Recipient’s failure to comply with Section 2.17(f), and (d) any withholding Taxes imposed under FATCA.
“Existing Credit Agreement” means the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of July 26, 2011, by and among the Borrower, the lenders party thereto and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as Administrative Agent, as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified prior to the date hereof.
“Existing Letter of Credit” means any Letter of Credit issued under this Agreement that is outstanding as of the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date and set forth on Schedule 2.06.
“Existing Leveraged Lease Collateral” means those assets of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries identified on Schedule 1.01(b).
“Existing Leveraged Leases” means the leveraged leases identified in Schedule 1.01(b). “Extended Loan” means any Extended Revolving Loan or Extended Term A Loan. “Extended Maturity Date” means October 18, 2029.
“Extended Revolving Commitment” means, with respect to each Lender, the commitment, if any, to make Revolving Loans and to acquire participations in Letters of Credit and Swingline Loans hereunder, expressed as an amount representing the maximum aggregate amount of such Lender’s Revolving Credit Exposure hereunder, as such commitment may be (a) reduced or
terminated from time to time pursuant to Section 2.09, (b) increased from time to time pursuant to Section 2.20, and (c) reduced or increased from time to time pursuant to assignments by or to such Revolving Lender pursuant to Section 9.04. The amount of each Revolving Lender’s Extended Revolving Commitment as of the Amendment No. 910 Effective Date is set forth as its “Extended Revolving Commitment” on Schedule 2.01 or in the Assignment and Assumption pursuant to which such Revolving Lender shall have assumed its Extended Revolving Commitment, as applicable. The Extended Revolving Commitments shall include any Revolving Commitments converted to Extended Revolving Commitments pursuant to Section 1.11
“Extended Revolving Lender” means, as of any date of determination, each Lender that has an Extended Revolving Commitment or, if the Extended Revolving Commitments have terminated or expired, a Lender with Extended Revolving Loans.
“Extended Revolving Loan” means a Revolving Loan made by a Lender pursuant to Section 2.01(a) in accordance with such Lender’s Extended Revolving Commitment.
“Extended Term A Loan Lender” means, as of any date of determination, each Lender that holds Extended Term A Loans.
“Extended Term A Loans” means, at any time on or after the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date, any Term A Loans that were initially set forth under the column “Extended Term A Loans” on Schedule 2.01, any Amendment No. 10 Term A Loans made by the Term A Loan Lenders pursuant to Amendment No. 10 on the Amendment No. 10 Effective Date or any Term A Loans converted to Extended Term A Loans pursuant to Section 1.11. The aggregate outstanding principal amount of the Extended Term A Loans on the Amendment No. 10 Effective Date is $358,102,065.77.
“FATCA” means Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Code, as of the date of this Agreement (or any amended or successor version that is substantively comparable and not materially more onerous to comply with), any current or future regulations or official interpretations thereof, any agreement entered into pursuant to Section 1471(b)(1) of the Code and any fiscal or regulatory legislation, rules or practices adopted pursuant to any intergovernmental agreement, treaty or convention among Governmental Authorities and implementing such Sections of the Code.
“Federal Funds Effective Rate” means, for any day, the rate calculated by the NYFRB based on such day’s federal funds transactions by depositary institutions (as determined in such manner as shall be set forth on the NYFRB’s Website from time to time) and published on the next succeeding Business Day by the NYFRB as the effective federal funds rate. For the avoidance of doubt, if the Federal Funds Effective Rate as so determined would be less than zero, such rate shall be deemed to be zero for the purposes of this Agreement.
“Federal Reserve Board” means the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System of the United States of America.
“Financial Officer” means the chief financial officer, principal accounting officer, treasurer or controller of the Borrower or any other Loan Party, as applicable.
“Financials” means the annual or quarterly financial statements, and accompanying certificates and other documents, of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries, together with all other Consolidated Financial Covenant Entities as calculated in accordance with GAAP, as required to be delivered pursuant to Section 5.01(a) or 5.01(b).
“First Tier Foreign Subsidiary” means each Foreign Subsidiary with respect to which any one or more of the Borrower or any other Loan Party or their respective Domestic Subsidiaries directly owns or controls more than 50% of such Foreign Subsidiary’s issued and outstanding Equity Interests.
“Fiscal Quarter” means, for the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries, each calendar quarter occurring during a Fiscal Year (i.e. the quarters ending March 31st, June 30th, September 30th and December 31st of a Fiscal Year).
“Fiscal Year” means, for the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries, each calendar year ending on December 31st.
“Fitch” means Fitch Ratings, Inc. and any successor thereto.
“Flood Insurance Laws” means, collectively, (i) the National Flood Insurance Reform Act of 1994 (which comprehensively revised the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 and the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973) or any successor statute thereto, as in effect from time to time, (ii) the Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2004 or any successor statute thereto, as in effect from time to time and
(iii) the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 or any successor statute thereto, as in effect from time to time.
“Floor” means the benchmark rate floor, if any, provided in this Agreement initially (as of the execution of this Agreement, the modification, amendment or renewal of this Agreement or otherwise) with respect to the Adjusted Term SOFR Rate, Adjusted EURIBOR Rate, Adjusted TIBOR Rate, each Adjusted Daily Simple RFR or Central Bank/Prime Rate, as applicable. For the avoidance of doubt the initial Floor for each of Adjusted Term SOFR Rate, Adjusted EURIBOR Rate, Adjusted TIBOR Rate, each Adjusted Daily Simple RFR and each Central Bank/Prime Rate shall be 0.75% per annum.
“Foreign Currencies” means Agreed Currencies other than U.S. Dollars.
“Foreign Currency Letter of Credit” means a Letter of Credit denominated in a Foreign
Currency.
“Foreign Lender” means (a) if the Borrower is a U.S. Person, a Lender that is neither a
U.S. Person nor a Disregarded Entity that is treated for U.S. federal income Tax purposes as having as its sole owner a Person that is a U.S. Person, and (b) if the Borrower is not a U.S. Person, a Lender that is resident or organized under the laws of a jurisdiction other than that in which the Borrower is resident for tax purposes.
“Foreign Subsidiary” means any Subsidiary which is not a Domestic Subsidiary.
“Free Cash Flow” means, for each Fiscal Year, the excess, if any, of (a) the sum, without duplication, of (i) Consolidated Net Income for such Fiscal Year (net of taxes paid or accrued during such Fiscal Year), (ii) the amount of all non-cash charges (including depreciation and amortization) deducted in determining Consolidated Net Income for such Fiscal Year, (iii) decreases in Working Capital during such Fiscal Year, and (iv) the aggregate net amount of non-cash loss on the Disposition of property permitted under this Agreement by the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries (other than sales of inventory in the ordinary course of business), to the extent deducted in arriving at such Consolidated Net Income for such Fiscal Year minus (b) the sum, without duplication, of (i) the amount of all non-cash credits included in arriving at such Consolidated Net Income, (ii) the aggregate amount
actually paid by the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries in cash during such Fiscal Year on account of Capital Expenditures permitted under this Agreement (with the understanding that, for purposes of this clause (ii), (1) no deduction shall be made for the principal amount of Indebtedness directly incurred in connection with such Capital Expenditures, and (2) the Consolidated Financial Covenant Entities shall be entitled to deduct amounts paid in respect of Capital Expenditures permitted under this Agreement that are financed with the Net Proceeds of asset sales or Dispositions that are not required to be applied as prepayments under Section 2.11, or that already have been applied as prepayments under Section 2.11),
(iii) the aggregate amount of all prepayments of Revolving Loans and Swingline Loans during such Fiscal Year to the extent accompanying permanent optional reductions of the Revolving Commitments and all optional prepayments of the Term Loans during such Fiscal Year, (iv) the aggregate amount of all regularly scheduled principal payments of Long-Term Debt of the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries during such Fiscal Year that are permitted under this Agreement (including certain bankruptcy-related obligations of World Color Press in an aggregate amount not to exceed the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $25,000,000 in the aggregate, the Term Loans, the Senior Secured Notes, the Existing Leveraged Leases and the Polish Subsidiary Credit Facility, but excluding payments in respect of any revolving credit facility to the extent there is not a corresponding and equivalent permanent reduction in revolving loan commitments thereunder), (v) increases in Working Capital for such Fiscal Year, (vi) the aggregate amount of cash payments made during such Fiscal Year on account of obligations in respect of pensions and other post-employment benefits in excess of amounts expensed for such obligations during such Fiscal Year, and (vii) the aggregate net amount of non-cash gains on Dispositions of property permitted under this Agreement by the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries (other than sales of inventory in the ordinary course of business), to the extent included in arriving at such Consolidated Net Income. Notwithstanding the foregoing or anything to the contrary set forth herein, (x) no portion of Consolidated Net Income corresponding with a Consolidated Financial Covenant Entity that is not a Loan Party or a Restricted Subsidiary shall be included in a computation of Free Cash Flow, other than any amount thereof that is distributed by such non-Loan Party or non-Subsidiary thereof to a Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary, which distributed amount shall be included in a computation of Free Cash Flow and (y) Net Proceeds resulting from a Prepayment Event described in clause (a) or (b) of the definition thereof shall not constitute Free Cash Flow for purposes hereof, and any prepayment of the Secured Obligations with such Net Proceeds shall be governed by Section 2.11(b).
“Free Cash Flow Percentage” means (i) 0% at any time the Total Leverage Ratio is less than or equal to 3.00 to 1.00 and (ii) 50% at any time the Total Leverage Ratio exceeds 3.00 to 1.00, in each case, as the Total Leverage Ratio will be tested as and when required in connection with a Free Cash Flow Prepayment Date.
“Free Cash Flow Prepayment Date” means the earlier to occur of the date on which the Borrower is required to deliver to the Administrative Agent the annual audited financials required by Section 5.01(a) for any Fiscal Year and the date on which such annual audited financials are actually delivered for such Fiscal Year.
“GAAP” means generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of
America.
“Governmental Authority” means the government of the United States of America, any other nation or any political subdivision thereof, whether state, provincial or local, and any agency, authority, instrumentality, regulatory body, court, central bank, department, commission, board, office or other entity exercising executive, legislative, judicial, taxing, regulatory or administrative powers or
functions of or pertaining to government (including any supra-national bodies such as the European Union or the European Central Bank).
“Guarantee” of or by any Person (the “guarantor”) means any obligation, contingent or otherwise, of the guarantor guaranteeing or having the economic effect of guaranteeing any Indebtedness or other obligation of any other Person (the “primary obligor”) in any manner, whether directly or indirectly, and including any obligation of the guarantor, direct or indirect, (a) to purchase or pay (or advance or supply funds for the purchase or payment of) such Indebtedness or other obligation or to purchase (or to advance or supply funds for the purchase of) any security for the payment thereof, (b) to purchase or lease property, securities or services for the purpose of assuring the owner of such Indebtedness or other obligation of the payment thereof, (c) to maintain working capital, equity capital or any other financial statement condition or liquidity of the primary obligor so as to enable the primary obligor to pay such Indebtedness or other obligation or (d) as an account party in respect of any letter of credit or letter of guaranty issued to support such Indebtedness or obligation; provided, that the term Guarantee shall not include endorsements for collection or deposit in the ordinary course of business; provided, however, that notwithstanding the foregoing, obligations in respect of performance bonds and commercial letters of credit shall not constitute obligations subject hereto (whether as direct obligations or Guarantees thereof) until such time as the aggregate obligations thereunder (whether or not drawn) exceed the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $50,000,000.
“Hazardous Materials” means all contaminants, vibrations, sound, odor, explosive or radioactive substances or wastes and all hazardous or toxic substances, wastes or other pollutants, including petroleum or petroleum distillates, asbestos or asbestos containing materials, polychlorinated biphenyls, radon gas, infectious or medical wastes and all other substances or wastes of any nature regulated pursuant to any Environmental Law.
“Historical Used Equipment” means items of equipment or fixtures owned by a Loan Party as of the Amendment No. 4 Effective Date that were at some point used in the ordinary course in the day-to-day operations of such Loan Party (including, without limitation, underutilized equipment and equipment located at Plants Designated For Closure or Sale), in each case, to the extent such equipment or fixture is being retired or is otherwise obsolete, scrap, worn out or no longer useful to the conduct of the business of the Loan Parties.
“Holders of Secured Obligations” means the holders of the Secured Obligations from time to time and shall include (i) each Lender and each Issuing Bank in respect of its Loans and LC Exposure, respectively, (ii) the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Banks and the Lenders in respect of all other present and future obligations and liabilities of the Borrower, the other Loan Parties and the Restricted Subsidiaries of every type and description arising under or in connection with this Agreement or any other Loan Document, (iii) each Lender and Affiliate of such Lender in respect of Swap Agreements and Banking Services Agreements entered into with such Person by a Loan Party or a Restricted Subsidiary, (iv) each Lender and Affiliate of such Lender in respect of Banking Services Agreements entered into with such Person by a Loan Party or a Restricted Subsidiary, (v) each Person who is a Lender (or who was a Lender at the time such Loan Party or such Restricted Subsidiary entered into such Swap Agreement) and Affiliate of such Person in respect of Swap Agreements entered into with such Person by a Loan Party or a Restricted Subsidiary, (vi) each indemnified party under Section 9.03 in respect of the obligations and liabilities of the Borrower to such Person hereunder and under the other Loan Documents, and (vii) their respective successors and (in the case of a Lender, permitted) transferees and assigns.
“Hostile Acquisition” means (a) the acquisition of the Equity Interests of a Person through a tender offer or similar solicitation of the owners of such Equity Interests which has not been
approved (prior to such acquisition) by the board of directors (or any other applicable governing body) of such Person or by similar action if such Person is not a corporation and (b) any such acquisition as to which such approval has been withdrawn.
“IEDB Transfers” means transfers of title to equipment or real property of the Borrower or one or more Restricted Subsidiaries to state or local industrial or economic development boards or corporations (or similar Governmental Authorities) in connection with tax restructurings by the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary; provided, that (x) the Borrower or the applicable Restricted Subsidiary shall retain the full use, benefit and enjoyment of such equipment or real estate, (y) the Administrative Agent shall maintain a Lien upon such equipment or real property with the priority required by the Collateral Documents, to the extent such equipment or real property constitutes (or is required to constitute) Collateral, and (z) such transfer shall not limit, inhibit, or impair the Administrative Agent’s rights or remedies in respect of such equipment or real estate.
“Immaterial Foreign Subsidiary” means, on any date of determination, any Foreign Subsidiary with assets less than U.S. $25,000,000; provided, that if all such Foreign Subsidiaries concurrently subject to actions or events described in Sections 7.01(h), (i) or (j) shall have assets of greater than U.S. $50,000,000 in the aggregate, then no Foreign Subsidiary shall constitute an Immaterial Foreign Subsidiary, and any event under such clauses shall constitute an Event of Default, irrespective of such Foreign Subsidiary’s assets.
“Increasing Lender” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.20. “Incremental Term Loan” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.20.
“Incremental Term Loan Amendment” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section
2.20.
“Indebtedness” of any Person means, without duplication, (a) all obligations of such Person for borrowed money or with respect to deposits or advances of any kind, (b) all obligations of such Person evidenced by bonds, debentures, notes or similar instruments, (c) all obligations of such Person upon which interest charges are customarily paid, (d) all obligations of such Person under conditional sale or other title retention agreements relating to property acquired by such Person, (e) all obligations of such Person in respect of the deferred purchase price of property or services (excluding (1) current accounts payable incurred in the ordinary course of business, (2) obligations to officers, directors and employees evidencing deferred compensation, and (3) guaranteed salary continuation amounts resulting from and which are payable upon the death of an officer, director or employee), (f) all Indebtedness of others secured by (or for which the holder of such Indebtedness has an existing right, contingent or otherwise, to be secured by) any Lien on property owned or acquired by such Person, whether or not the Indebtedness secured thereby has been assumed, (g) all Guarantees by such Person of Indebtedness of others, (h) all Off-Balance Sheet Liabilities of such Person and all Attributable Receivables Indebtedness of such Person, (i) all Capital Lease Obligations of such Person, (j) all obligations, contingent or otherwise, of such Person as an account party in respect of letters of credit and letters of guaranty, (k) all obligations, contingent or otherwise, of such Person in respect of bankers’ acceptances, (l) the aggregate amount of all net obligations (whether absolute or contingent) under Swap Agreements of such Person (with net amount being the termination value thereof), (m) earn-out payments to the extent fully and finally determined and (n) obligations of such Person under Sale and Leaseback Transactions; provided, however, that obligations in respect of performance bonds and commercial letters of credit shall not constitute Indebtedness until such time as the aggregate obligations thereunder (whether or not drawn) exceed the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $25,000,000. The Indebtedness of any Person shall include the Indebtedness of any other entity (including any partnership in which such Person
is a general partner) to the extent such Person is liable therefor as a result of such Person’s ownership interest in or other relationship with such entity, except to the extent the terms of such Indebtedness provide that such Person is not liable therefor. The Indebtedness of the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries shall exclude Pension and other Post-Employment Benefit Amounts and MEPP Exit Expenses.
“Indemnified Taxes” means (a) Taxes, other than Excluded Taxes, imposed on or with respect to any payment made by or on account of any obligation of any Loan Party under any Loan Document and (b) to the extent not otherwise described in clause (a) hereof, Other Taxes.
“Indemnitee” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.03(b). “Ineligible Institution” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.04(b).
“Interest Coverage Ratio” means, for any period of four consecutive Fiscal Quarters of the Borrower, the ratio of (a) Consolidated EBITDA for such period to (b) cash Consolidated Interest Expense for such period.
“Interest Election Request” means a request by the Borrower to convert or continue a Borrowing in accordance with Section 2.08, which shall be substantially in the form approved by the Administrative Agent and separately provided to the Borrower.
“Interest Payment Date” means (a) with respect to any ABR Loan (other than a Swingline Loan), the last day of each Fiscal Quarter and each Maturity Date, (b) with respect to any RFR Loan, (1) each date that is on the numerically corresponding day in each calendar month that is one month after the Borrowing of such Loan (or, if there is no such numerically corresponding day in such month, then the last day of such month) and (2) each Maturity Date, (c) with respect to any Term Benchmark Loan, the last day of each Interest Period applicable to the Borrowing of which such Loan is a part and, in the case of a Term Benchmark Borrowing with an Interest Period of more than three months’ duration, each day prior to the last day of such Interest Period that occurs at intervals of three months’ duration after the first day of such Interest Period, and each Maturity Date and (d) with respect to any Swingline Loan, the day that such Loan is required to be repaid and each Maturity Date.
“Interest Period” means with respect to any Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in Dollars, Euros or Yen, the period commencing on the date of such Borrowing and ending on the numerically corresponding day in the calendar month that is one, three or six months thereafter (in each case, subject to the availability for the Benchmark applicable to the relevant Loan or Commitment for any Agreed Currency), as the Borrower may elect; provided, that (i) if any Interest Period would end on a day other than a Business Day, such Interest Period shall be extended to the next succeeding Business Day unless such next succeeding Business Day would fall in the next calendar month, in which case such Interest Period shall end on the next preceding Business Day, (ii) any Interest Period that commences on the last Business Day of a calendar month (or on a day for which there is no numerically corresponding day in the last calendar month of such Interest Period) shall end on the last Business Day of the last calendar month of such Interest Period and (iii) no tenor that has been removed from this definition pursuant to Section 2.14(f) shall be available for specification in such Borrowing Request or Interest Election Request. For purposes hereof, the date of a Borrowing initially shall be the date on which such Borrowing is made and, in the case of a Revolving Borrowing, thereafter shall be the effective date of the most recent conversion or continuation of such Borrowing.
“Issuing Bank” means (i) JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., in its capacity as an issuer of Letters of Credit hereunder, (ii) each Lender specified on Schedule 2.06 as an issuer of an Existing Letter
of Credit, but solely in respect of any such Existing Letter of Credit (it being understood and agreed that no Lender specified on Schedule 2.06 shall be required to issue, amend or extend any Letter of Credit hereunder), (iii) Bank of America, N.A., U.S. Bank National Association, PNC Bank, National Association, BMO Bank, N.A. and Citizens Bank, N.A., each in its capacity as an issuer of Letters of Credit hereunder, and (iv) each other Lender that agrees to act as an Issuing Bank hereunder and that is approved by the Borrower and the Administrative Agent, in each case, through itself or through one of its designated affiliates or branch offices and together with its successors in such capacity as provided in Section 2.06(i). Each Issuing Bank may, in its discretion, arrange for one or more Letters of Credit to be issued by Affiliates of such Issuing Bank, in which case the term “Issuing Bank” shall include any such Affiliate with respect to Letters of Credit issued by such Affiliate. Each reference herein to the “Issuing Bank” in connection with a Letter of Credit or other matter shall be deemed to be a reference to the relevant Issuing Bank with respect thereto.
“Issuing Bank Sublimits” means, as of the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date, (i)
U.S. $13,350,000, in the case of JPMorgan, (ii) U.S. $17,500,000, in the case of U.S. Bank National Association and (iii) U.S. $13,330,000 in the case of each of PNC Bank, National Association, BMO Bank, N.A., Bank of America, N.A. and Citizens Bank, N.A, or, in each case, such greater amount as may be agreed between such Issuing Bank and the Borrower, and notified to the Administrative Agent. After the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date, the Issuing Bank Sublimit of an Issuing Bank may be modified from time to time by agreement between such Issuing Bank and the Borrower, and notified to the Administrative Agent.
“Japanese Prime Rate” means for any Loan denominated in Japanese Yen the greater of
(a) (i) the Japanese local bank prime rate plus (ii) the Japanese Prime Rate Adjustment and (b) the Floor.
“Japanese Prime Rate Adjustment” means, for any day, for any Loan denominated in Japanese Yen, a rate equal to the difference (which may be a positive or negative value or zero) of (i) the average of the TIBOR Rate for the five most recent Business Days preceding such day for which the TIBOR Screen Rate was available (excluding, from such averaging, the highest and the lowest TIBOR Rate applicable during such period of five Business Days) minus (ii) the Japanese Prime Rate in effect on the last Business Day in such period; provided, that for purposes of this definition, the Japanese Prime Rate shall be determined disregarding clause (a)(ii) of the definition of such term. For purposes of this definition, the TIBOR Rate on any day shall be based on the TIBOR Screen Rate on such day at approximately the time referred to in the definition of such term for deposits in Japanese Yen for a maturity of one month.
“Japanese Yen” or “Yen” means the lawful currency of Japan.
“Joint Lead Arrangers” means JPMorgan, U.S. Bank National Association, PNC Capital Markets LLC, BMO Capital Markets Corp., BofA Securities, Inc. and Citizens Bank, N.A. in their capacities as joint lead arrangers and joint bookrunners.
“JPMorgan” means JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. and its successors and assigns. “LC Collateral Account” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.06(j).
“LC Disbursement” means a payment made by an Issuing Bank pursuant to a Letter of
Credit.
“LC Exposure” means, at any time, the sum of (a) the aggregate undrawn U.S. Dollar Amount of all Letters of Credit outstanding at such time plus (b) the aggregate U.S. Dollar Amount of all
LC Disbursements that have not yet been reimbursed by or on behalf of the Borrower at such time. The LC Exposure of any Revolving Lender at any time shall be its Applicable Percentage of the total LC Exposure at such time.
“Lenders” means the Persons listed on Schedule 2.01 and any other Person that shall have become a Lender hereunder pursuant to Section 2.20 or pursuant to an Assignment and Assumption or otherwise, other than any such Person that ceases to be a party hereto pursuant to an Assignment and Assumption or otherwise. Unless the context otherwise requires, the term “Lenders” includes the Swingline Lenders and the Issuing Banks.
“Letter of Credit” means a letter of credit issued pursuant to Section 2.06 hereof. “Letter of Credit Agreement” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.06(b). “Liabilities” means any losses, claims (including intraparty claims), demands, damages
or liabilities of any kind.
“Lien” means, with respect to any asset, (a) any mortgage, deed of trust, lien, pledge, hypothecation, encumbrance, charge or security interest in, on or of such asset, (b) the interest of a vendor or a lessor under any conditional sale agreement, capital lease or title retention agreement (or any financing lease having substantially the same economic effect as any of the foregoing) relating to such asset, but excluding the interest of a lessor under an operating lease or a lease which is or would have been an operating lease on the date of this Agreement, but is subsequently required to be included on a balance sheet as a result of a change in GAAP, and (c) in the case of securities, any purchase option, call or similar right of a third party with respect to such securities.
“Limited Condition Transaction” means any Restricted Payment, Permitted Acquisition, acquisition or other investment or transaction permitted hereunder or that is consented to in writing by the Required Lenders that the Borrower or one or more of its Restricted Subsidiaries is contractually committed to consummate (it being understood that such commitment may be subject to conditions precedent, which conditions precedent may be amended, satisfied or waived in accordance with the terms of the applicable agreement) and whose consummation is not conditioned on the availability of, or on obtaining, third party financing; provided that, in the event the consummation of any such Permitted Acquisition, acquisition or other investment shall not have occurred within ninety (90) days following the signing of the applicable contractual commitment (or, if applicable to a Restricted Payment, following the declaration thereof) (provided that a term sheet, letter of intent, or similar shall not be considered a contractual commitment), such Restricted Payment, Permitted Acquisition, acquisition or other investment shall no longer constitute a Limited Condition Transaction for any purpose.
“LLC” means any Person that is a limited liability company under the laws of its jurisdiction of formation.
“Loan Documents” means this Agreement, including schedules and exhibits hereto, and any agreements entered into in connection herewith by the Borrower or any Loan Party with or in favor of the Administrative Agent and/or the Lenders, including any promissory notes issued pursuant to Section 2.10 of this Agreement, any Letter of Credit applications and Letter of Credit Agreements and any other agreements between the Borrower and an Issuing Bank regarding the issuance by such Issuing Bank of Letters of Credit hereunder and/or the respective rights and obligations between the Borrower and such Issuing Bank in connection thereunder, the Collateral Documents, the Loan Party Guaranty, the Amendment No. 3 Reaffirmation Agreement, the Amendment No. 5 Reaffirmation Agreement, the Amendment No. 8 Reaffirmation Agreement, the Amendment No. 9 Reaffirmation Agreement, the
Amendment No. 10 Reaffirmation Agreement and all other agreements, instruments, documents and certificates identified in Section 4.01 executed and delivered to, or in favor of, the Administrative Agent or any Lenders, any amendments, modifications or supplements thereto or waivers thereof, and including all other pledges, powers of attorney, consents, assignments, contracts, notices, letter of credit agreements, legal opinions issued in connection with the other Loan Documents, UCC filings, flood determinations and all other written matter whether heretofore, now or hereafter executed by or on behalf of any Loan Party, or any employee of any Loan Party, and delivered to the Administrative Agent or any Lender in connection with this Agreement, any other Loan Document or the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby. Any reference in this Agreement or any other Loan Document to a Loan Document shall include all appendices, exhibits or schedules thereto, and all amendments, restatements, supplements or other modifications thereto, and shall refer to this Agreement or such Loan Document as the same may be in effect at any and all times such reference becomes operative.
“Loan Parties” means, collectively, the Borrower and the Loan Party Guarantors.
“Loan Party Guarantor” means, with respect to all of the Secured Obligations, (x) each Material Domestic Subsidiary that is a Restricted Subsidiary and that is required to become a party to the Loan Party Guaranty or that is designated as a Loan Party Guarantor under the Loan Party Guaranty by the Borrower (including pursuant to a joinder or supplement thereto) and (y) each Subsidiary organized under the laws of Mexico (or a political subdivision thereof); provided, that no Collateral shall be required to secure such Mexican Subsidiary’s guaranty obligations unless granted in accordance with Section 5.09 hereof; provided, further, that no Receivables Entity shall be required to be a Loan Party Guarantor so long as it remains party to a Permitted Receivables Facility. The Loan Party Guarantors as of the Effective Date are identified as such in Schedule 3.01 hereto.
“Loan Party Guaranty” means that certain Second Amended and Restated Loan Party Guaranty dated as of the date hereof and executed by each Loan Party in favor of the Administrative Agent, as amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time.
“Loans” means the loans made by the Lenders to the Borrower pursuant to this Agreement (including, without limitation, the Revolving Loans and the Term Loans).
“Local Time” means (i) Chicago, IL time in the case of a Loan, Borrowing or LC Disbursement denominated in U.S. Dollars and (ii) local time at the place of the relevant Loan or Borrowing (or such earlier local time as is necessary for the relevant funds to be received and transferred to the Administrative Agent for same day value on the date the relevant reimbursement obligation is due) in the case of a Loan or Borrowing which is denominated in a Foreign Currency.
“Long-Term Debt” means any Indebtedness that, in accordance with GAAP, constitutes (or, when incurred, constituted) a long-term liability.
“Margin Stock” means margin stock within the meaning of Regulations T, U and X, as
applicable.
“Material Adverse Effect” means any event, development or circumstance that has had or could reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on (a) the business, assets, liabilities, results of operations, property or financial condition of the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries taken as a whole, (b) the ability of the Loan Parties taken as a whole to perform their obligations under the Loan Documents as and when such obligations are required to be performed thereunder, or (c) the validity or enforceability of any Loan Document or the rights or remedies of the Administrative Agent or
the Lenders under such Loan Document or the perfection or priority of any material Lien granted by a Loan Party in favor of the Administrative Agent or any Holder of Secured Obligations.
“Material Domestic Subsidiary” means each Domestic Subsidiary (a) that is a Restricted Subsidiary and (b)(i) which, together with its Subsidiaries, as of the end of the most recent Fiscal Quarter of the Borrower, for the period of four consecutive Fiscal Quarters then ended, for which financial statements have been delivered (or were required to have been delivered) pursuant to Section 5.01, contributed greater than five percent (5%) of Consolidated EBITDA for such period or (ii) which, together with its Subsidiaries, contributed greater than five percent (5%) of Consolidated Total Assets as of such date; provided that, if at any time the aggregate amount of that portion of Consolidated EBITDA or Consolidated Total Assets of all Domestic Subsidiaries that are Restricted Subsidiaries but are not Material Domestic Subsidiaries exceeds ten percent (10%) of Consolidated EBITDA for any such period or ten percent (10%) of Consolidated Total Assets as of the end of any such Fiscal Quarter, the Borrower (or, in the event the Borrower has failed to do so within ten (10) days, the Administrative Agent, provided that the Administrative Agent will consult with the Borrower as part of such process) shall designate sufficient Domestic Subsidiaries that are Restricted Subsidiaries as “Material Domestic Subsidiaries” to cause that portion of Consolidated EBITDA or Consolidated Total Assets held by Domestic Subsidiaries that are Restricted Subsidiaries but are not Material Domestic Subsidiaries to equal or be less than ten percent (10%) of Consolidated EBITDA or Consolidated Total Assets, as applicable, and such designated Restricted Subsidiaries shall for all purposes of this Agreement constitute Material Domestic Subsidiaries on and after the date of such designation; provided, further, if a Domestic Subsidiary that is a Restricted Subsidiary which does not meet the aforementioned 5% requirement is designated by the Borrower as a Material Domestic Subsidiary, becomes a Loan Party Guarantor, and delivers all applicable Collateral Documents in accordance with Section 5.09, then such Subsidiary shall be deemed to be a Material Domestic Subsidiary for purposes hereof, and shall not be counted toward the 10% non-Material Domestic Subsidiary basket described above.
“Material Foreign Subsidiary” means each Foreign Subsidiary that is a Restricted Subsidiary which, together with its Subsidiaries, (i) as of the end of the most recent Fiscal Quarter of the Borrower, for the period of four consecutive Fiscal Quarters then ended, for which financial statements have been delivered (or were required to have been delivered) pursuant to Section 5.01, contributed greater than five percent (5%) of Consolidated EBITDA for such period or (ii) contributed greater than five percent (5%) of Consolidated Total Assets as of such date; provided that, if at any time the aggregate amount of that portion of Consolidated EBITDA or Consolidated Total Assets of all Foreign Subsidiaries that are Restricted Subsidiaries but not Material Foreign Subsidiaries exceeds fifteen percent (15%) of Consolidated EBITDA for any such period or fifteen percent (15%) of Consolidated Total Assets as of the end of any such Fiscal Quarter, the Borrower (or, in the event the Borrower has failed to do so within ten (10) days, the Administrative Agent, provided that the Administrative Agent will consult with the Borrower as part of such process) shall designate sufficient Foreign Subsidiaries that are Restricted Subsidiaries as “Material Foreign Subsidiaries” to cause that portion of Consolidated EBITDA or Consolidated Total Assets held by Foreign Subsidiaries that are Restricted Subsidiaries but not Material Foreign Subsidiaries to equal or be less than fifteen percent (15%) of Consolidated EBITDA or Consolidated Total Assets, as applicable, and such designated Restricted Subsidiaries shall for all purposes of this Agreement constitute Material Foreign Subsidiaries on and after the date of such designation; provided, further, if a Foreign Subsidiary that is a Restricted Subsidiary which does not meet the aforementioned 5% requirement is designated by the Borrower as a Material Foreign Subsidiary, and such Subsidiary’s Equity Interests are pledged to the Administrative Agent in accordance with this Agreement (if such pledge is required at all), then such Subsidiary shall be deemed to be a Material Foreign Subsidiary for purposes hereof, and shall not be counted toward the 10% non-Material Foreign Subsidiary basket described above.
“Material Indebtedness” means Indebtedness (other than the Loans and Letters of Credit), or obligations in respect of one or more Swap Agreements, of any one or more of the Loan Parties and Restricted Subsidiaries in an aggregate principal amount exceeding the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $50,000,000. For purposes of determining Material Indebtedness, the “principal amount” of the obligations of any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary in respect of any Swap Agreement at any time shall be the maximum aggregate amount (giving effect to any netting agreements) that such Person would be required to pay if such Swap Agreement were terminated at such time.
“Maturity Date” means the Extended Maturity Date or the Non-Extended Maturity Date, as applicable; provided, however, in each case, if such date is not a Business Day, the Maturity Date shall be the next preceding Business Day.
“Maximum Rate” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.17.
“MEPP Exit Expense” means expenses not in excess of the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S.
$150,000,000 which may be incurred by the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries in connection with the termination of or withdrawal from certain Multi-Employer Plans.
“MIRE Event” means, if there are any Mortgaged Real Properties at such time, any increase, extension or renewal of any of the Commitments or Loans (including any Incremental Term Loans or any other incremental credit facilities pursuant to Section 2.20 or otherwise, but excluding (i) any continuation or conversion of Borrowings, (ii) the making of any Loan or (iii) the issuance, renewal or extension of Letters of Credit).
“Moody’s” means Moody’s Investors Service, Inc. and any successor thereto. “Mortgage” means each mortgage, charge, deed of trust, hypothec or other agreement (if
any) which conveys or evidences a Lien in favor of the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the
Administrative Agent and the Holders of Secured Obligations, on real property of a Loan Party, including any amendment, restatement, modification or supplement thereto.
“Mortgage Instrument” means (x) such title reports, title insurance, flood certifications, FEMA forms (where applicable), flood insurance (where applicable), opinions of counsel, surveys, appraisals, environmental reports (if any), and environmental indemnity signed by each of the Loan Parties granting a Mortgage as are requested by, and in form and substance reasonably acceptable to, the Administrative Agent, in accordance with this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, and (y) such other items reasonably required by Administrative Agent with respect to each parcel of real property owned by any Loan Party as of the Effective Date subject to a Mortgage, including, without limitation, leasehold mortgage protection agreements; provided, however, that with respect to those real properties identified by the Borrower to the Administrative Agent on or prior to the Effective Date as those being owned or to be owned by the Loan Parties on the Effective Date, the Administrative Agent confirms it has received all environmental reports and appraisals required by it.
“Mortgaged Real Property” means each parcel of real property subject to, or required to be subject to, pursuant to any Loan Document, a Mortgage.
“Multiemployer Plan” means a multiemployer plan as defined in Section 4001(a)(3) of ERISA as to which a Loan Party or any ERISA Affiliate incurs or otherwise has any obligation or liability, contingent or otherwise.
“Net Proceeds” means, with respect to any event, (a) the cash proceeds received in respect of such event including (i) any cash received in respect of any non-cash proceeds (including any cash payments received by way of deferred payment of principal pursuant to a note or installment receivable or purchase price adjustment receivable or otherwise, but excluding any interest payments), but only as and when received, (ii) in the case of a casualty, insurance proceeds and (iii) in the case of a condemnation or similar event, condemnation awards and similar payments, net of (b) the sum of (i) all fees and out-of-pocket expenses paid to third parties (other than Affiliates) in connection with such event, (ii) in the case of a sale, transfer or other Disposition of an asset (including pursuant to a sale and leaseback transaction or a casualty or a condemnation or similar proceeding), the amount of all payments required to be made as a result of such event to repay Indebtedness (other than Loans) secured by such asset or otherwise subject to mandatory prepayment as a result of such event and (iii) the amount of all taxes paid (or reasonably estimated to be payable) and the amount of any reserves established to fund contingent liabilities reasonably estimated to be payable, and that are directly attributable to such event (as determined reasonably and in good faith by a Financial Officer).
“Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plan” means an unfunded plan, arrangement, program or agreement maintained primarily for the purpose of providing deferred compensation, including supplemental and excess benefits, for a select group of management or highly compensated employees within the meaning of Section 201(2), 301(a)(3) and 401(a)(1) of ERISA and Department of Labor Regulations Section 2520.104-23.
“Non Consenting Lender” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.02(d).
“Non-Extended Loan” means any Non-Extended Revolving Loan or Non-Extended Term
A Loan.
“Non-Extended Maturity Date” means November 2, 2026.
“Non-Extended Revolving Commitment” means, with respect to each Lender, the commitment, if any, to make Revolving Loans and to acquire participations in Letters of Credit and Swingline Loans hereunder, expressed as an amount representing the maximum aggregate amount of such Lender’s Revolving Credit Exposure hereunder, as such commitment may be (a) reduced or terminated from time to time pursuant to Section 2.09, (b) increased from time to time pursuant to Section 2.20, and (c) reduced or increased from time to time pursuant to assignments by or to such Revolving Lender pursuant to Section 9.04. The amount of each Revolving Lender’s Non-Extended Revolving Commitment as of the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date is set forth as its “Non-Extended Revolving Commitment” on Schedule 2.01 or in the Assignment and Assumption pursuant to which such Revolving Lender shall have assumed its Non-Extended Revolving Commitment, as applicable.
“Non-Extended Revolving Lender” means, as of any date of determination, each Lender that has a Non-Extended Revolving Commitment or, if the Non-Extended Revolving Commitments have terminated or expired, a Lender with Non-Extended Revolving Loans.
“Non-Extended Revolving Loan” means a Revolving Loan made by a Lender pursuant to Section 2.01(a) in accordance with such Lender’s Non-Extended Revolving Commitment.
“Non-Extended Term A Loan Lender” means, as of any date of determination, each Lender that holds Non-Extended Term A Loans.
“Non-Extended Term A Loans” means, at any time on or after the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date, any Term A Loans that were initially set forth under the column “Non-Extended Term A Loans” on Schedule 2.01.
“NYFRB” means the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
“NYFRB Rate” means, for any day, the greater of (a) the Federal Funds Effective Rate in effect on such day and (b) the Overnight Bank Funding Rate in effect on such day (or for any day that is not a Business Day, for the immediately preceding Business Day); provided that if none of such rates are published for any day that is a Business Day, the term “NYFRB Rate” means the rate for a federal funds transaction quoted at 11:00 a.m. on such day received by the Administrative Agent from a federal funds broker of recognized standing selected by it; provided, further, that if any of the aforesaid rates shall be less than zero, such rate shall be deemed to be zero for purposes of this Agreement.
“NYFRB’s Website” means the website of the NYFRB at http://www.newyorkfed.org, or any successor source.
“Obligations” means all unpaid principal of and accrued and unpaid interest on the Loans, all LC Exposure, all accrued and unpaid fees and all expenses, charges, reimbursements, indemnities and other obligations and indebtedness (including interest and fees accruing during the pendency of any bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or other similar proceeding by or against the Borrower or any Affiliate thereof, regardless of whether allowed or allowable in such proceeding), obligations, covenants, duties and liabilities of the Loan Parties and the Restricted Subsidiaries to any of the Lenders, the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Banks or any indemnified party, individually or collectively, in their respective capacities as Lenders, Administrative Agent, Issuing Banks or other indemnified parties, existing on the Effective Date or arising thereafter, direct or indirect (including those acquired by assumption), joint or several, absolute or contingent, matured or unmatured, liquidated or unliquidated, secured or unsecured, arising by contract, operation of law or otherwise, arising or incurred under this Agreement or any of the other Loan Documents, or otherwise with respect to any Loan or Letter of Credit; provided that the definition of “Obligations” shall not create or include any guarantee by any Loan Party of (or grant of security interest by any Loan Party to support, as applicable) any Excluded Swap Obligations of such Loan Party for purposes of determining any obligations of any Loan Party. Without limiting the foregoing, the Obligations include the obligation of the Borrower to reimburse any amount in respect of any of the foregoing that the Administrative Agent or any Lender, in each case in its sole discretion, may elect to pay or advance on behalf of the Borrower.
“OFAC” means the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the
Treasury.
“Off-Balance Sheet Liability” of a Person means (a) any repurchase obligation or liability of such Person with respect to accounts or notes receivable sold by such Person, (b) any indebtedness, liability or obligation under any so-called “synthetic lease” transaction entered into by such Person, or (c) any indebtedness, liability or obligation arising with respect to any other transaction to which such Person is a party which is the functional equivalent of or takes the place of borrowing but which does not constitute a liability on the balance sheets of such Person.
“Other Connection Taxes” means, with respect to any Recipient, Taxes imposed as a result of a present or former connection between such Recipient and the jurisdiction imposing such Tax (other than connections arising from such Recipient having executed, delivered, become a party to, performed its obligations under, received payments under, received or perfected a security interest under,
engaged in any other transaction pursuant to or enforced any Loan Document, or sold or assigned an interest in any Loan, Letter of Credit or Loan Document).
“Other Taxes” means all present or future stamp, court or documentary, intangible, recording, filing or similar Taxes that arise from any payment made under, from the execution, delivery, performance, enforcement or registration of, from the receipt or perfection of a security interest under, or otherwise with respect to, any Loan Document, except any such Taxes that are Other Connection Taxes imposed with respect to an assignment (other than an assignment made pursuant to Section 2.19(b)).
“Overnight Bank Funding Rate” means, for any day, the rate comprised of both overnight federal funds and overnight eurodollar transactions denominated in U.S. Dollars by U.S.–managed banking offices of depository institutions (as such composite rate shall be determined by the NYFRB as set forth on the NYFRB’s Website from time to time) and published on the next succeeding Business Day by the NYFRB as an overnight bank funding rate.
“Overnight Rate” means, for any day, (a) with respect to any amount denominated in
U.S. Dollars, the NYFRB Rate and (b) with respect to any amount denominated in a Foreign Currency, an overnight rate determined by the Administrative Agent or the Issuing Banks, as the case may be, in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank compensation.
“Parallel Debt” has the meaning assigned to such term in the Dutch Share Pledge. “Parent” means, with respect to any Lender, any Person as to which such Lender is,
directly or indirectly, a subsidiary.
“Participant” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.04(c)(i). “Participant Register” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.04(c)(ii).
“Participating Member State” means any member state of the EU that adopts or has adopted the euro as its lawful currency in accordance with legislation of the EU relating to Economic and Monetary Union.
“Patriot Act” means the USA PATRIOT Act (Title III of Pub. L. 107-56 (signed into law October 26, 2001)).
“Payment Office” of the Administrative Agent means, for each Foreign Currency, the office, branch, affiliate or correspondent bank of the Administrative Agent for such currency as specified from time to time by the Administrative Agent to the Borrower and each Revolving Lender.
“PBGC” means the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation referred to and defined in ERISA and any successor entity performing similar functions.
“Pension and Post-Employment Benefit Amounts” means liabilities for pensions and other post-employment benefits which are or would be properly reflected on a consolidated balance sheet of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries in accordance with GAAP.
“Pension Plan” means any Benefit Plan subject to the provisions of Title IV of ERISA or Section 412 of the Code or Section 302 of ERISA, and in respect of which a Loan Party or any ERISA Affiliate thereof is (or, if such plan were terminated, would under Section 4069 of ERISA be deemed to be) an “employer” as defined in Section 3(5) of ERISA.
“Permitted Acquisition” means any Acquisition (whether by purchase, merger, amalgamation, consolidation or otherwise but excluding in any event a Hostile Acquisition) if, at the time of and immediately after giving effect thereto:
(a)no Default has occurred and is continuing or would arise after giving effect thereto;
(b)such Person or division or line of business is engaged in the same or a similar line of business as a Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary or business reasonably related or complementary thereto;
(c)all actions required to be taken with respect to any acquired or newly formed Restricted Subsidiary under Section 5.09 shall have been taken;
(d)subject to the remainder of this definition, the Loan Parties and the Restricted Subsidiaries are in compliance, on a Pro Forma Basis after giving effect to such Acquisition (but without giving effect to any synergies or cost savings), with the covenants contained in Section 6.11 recomputed as of the last day of the most recently ended Fiscal Quarter of the Borrower for which financial statements are available, as if such acquisition (and any related incurrence or repayment of Indebtedness, with any new Indebtedness being deemed to be amortized over the applicable testing period in accordance with its terms) had occurred on the first day of each relevant period for testing such compliance and, if the aggregate consideration paid in respect of such acquisition exceeds the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $150,000,000 (including, without limitation, fully and finally determined deferred purchase price amounts, fully and finally determined earn-out payments, assumptions of Indebtedness, and issuances of seller notes), the Borrower shall have delivered to the Administrative Agent a certificate of a Financial Officer of the Borrower to such effect, together with all relevant financial information, statements and projections requested by the Administrative Agent;
(e)in the case of a merger, amalgamation or consolidation involving a Loan Party or a Restricted Subsidiary, a Loan Party or a Restricted Subsidiary, as applicable, is the surviving entity or successor entity of such merger, amalgamation and/or consolidation;
(f)[reserved]; and
(g)if the Total Leverage Ratio is or will be greater than 3.00 to 1.00 at the time of, or after giving effect on a Pro Forma Basis to, any acquisition, the aggregate consideration paid in respect of such acquisition (including, without limitation, fully and finally determined deferred purchase price amounts, fully and finally determined earn-out payments, assumptions of Indebtedness, and issuances of seller notes) shall not exceed the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $100,000,000 (with the understanding that such U.S. $100,000,000 limitation shall not apply when the Total Leverage Ratio is or will be less than or equal to 3.00 to 1.00 at the time of, or after giving effect on a Pro Forma Basis, to the applicable acquisition).
“Permitted Acquisition Debt” means Indebtedness corresponding with assets or a Restricted Subsidiary acquired pursuant to a Permitted Acquisition; provided, that the following restrictions and limitations shall govern such Indebtedness:
(i)such Indebtedness is not incurred in contemplation of the applicable Permitted
Acquisition;
(ii)the aggregate principal amount thereof, when taken together with all other consideration paid in respect of such Permitted Acquisition, does not exceed any limit on Permitted Acquisition consideration;
(iii)the Borrower is in compliance, on a Pro Forma Basis, with Section 6.11 after any incurrence of such Indebtedness (or any increase in the aggregate principal amount thereof or extension of the stated maturity date therefor permitted under clause (iv) below) and no Default is then outstanding or would result therefrom;
(iv)the aggregate principal amount thereof shall not be increased and the stated maturity date therefor shall not be extended beyond the date in effect at the time the applicable Permitted Acquisition is consummated, and such Indebtedness shall not otherwise be refinanced, renewed or replaced with Indebtedness of a similar type; provided, that the foregoing shall not apply (x) if a Foreign Subsidiary is the primary obligor for such Indebtedness, (y) if such Indebtedness is unsecured or only secured by real property that does not constitute (and is not required to constitute) Collateral, or (z) with respect to up to the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $25,000,000 in the aggregate of Permitted Acquisition Debt owing by the Borrower and/or any Domestic Subsidiary that is a Restricted Subsidiary and that is secured by assets other than real estate, so long as, with respect to the Permitted Acquisition Debt subject to this clause (z), the aggregate principal amount thereof does not increase beyond such U.S. $25,000,000 limitation, no assets shall secure such Permitted Acquisition Debt other than those securing such Indebtedness at the time the corresponding Permitted Acquisition is consummated, and no Person guarantees such Indebtedness other than the Borrower, and then only on an unsecured basis and if the Total Net Leverage Ratio is less than 3.00 to 1.00 on a Pro Forma Basis after giving effect to the Permitted Acquisition corresponding therewith and the entry into such guaranty by the Borrower;
(v)if a Foreign Subsidiary that is a Restricted Subsidiary is the primary obligor for such Indebtedness, such Indebtedness is permitted under (and counts toward the limitation set forth in)
Section 6.01(l); and
(vi)if a Foreign Subsidiary is the primary obligor for such Indebtedness, no Domestic Subsidiary that is a Restricted Subsidiary shall guaranty such Indebtedness, neither the Borrower nor any Domestic Subsidiary that is a Restricted Subsidiary shall grant any Lien to secure such Indebtedness, a Foreign Subsidiary that is a Restricted Subsidiary shall be entitled to grant a Lien to secure such Indebtedness only if such Lien is otherwise permitted under Section 6.02, and the Borrower may only guaranty such Indebtedness, on an unsecured basis, if the Total Net Leverage Ratio is less than 3.00 to
1.00 on a Pro Forma Basis after giving effect to the Permitted Acquisition corresponding therewith and the entry into such guaranty.
“Permitted Cash Restructuring Charges” means an aggregate amount for any Fiscal Year in respect of cash restructuring charges not in excess of U.S. $100,000,000; provided, that amounts in excess of U.S. $25,000,000 for any Fiscal Year shall be limited to (i) plant closures, (ii) employee severance payments, (iii) equipment relocation and (iv) lease and contract termination costs; provided, further, that all calculations of savings from synergies resulting under or in connection with the foregoing clauses (i) through (iv) shall be required to be approved by the Administrative Agent prior to the inclusion thereof.
“Permitted Corporate Restructuring Transactions” means transactions entered into to facilitate corporate restructurings otherwise permitted by this Agreement or lawful tax planning (and in any event unrelated to an insolvency, bankruptcy, workout or similar event), which transactions are comprised of loans, capital contributions, or other transfers (in each case consisting exclusively of book entries, cash (by wire or otherwise) or intercompany obligations and not any other type of asset) (a) by
Loan Parties to non-Loan Party Subsidiaries that are Restricted Subsidiaries, (b) by non-Loan Party Subsidiaries that are Restricted Subsidiaries to Loan Parties, (c) by Loan Parties or Restricted Subsidiaries to Unrestricted Subsidiaries or (d) by Unrestricted Subsidiaries to Loan Parties or Restricted Subsidiaries, but only if the amount of such transfers is returned to the applicable Person in the same form as made (i.e., a cash capital contribution shall be returned in cash) promptly, but in no event later than the Business Day next following the date of the initial transfer; provided, however, that (A) if any of the foregoing transactions shall involve transfers of funds from the Borrower or a Subsidiary to the Borrower or any other Subsidiary, such transfers shall be accomplished by (i) book entries on the accounts of the Borrower or such Subsidiary maintained with the Administrative Agent or (ii) wire transfers to accounts of the Borrower or such Subsidiary maintained with the Administrative Agent or its Affiliates; (B) such transactions shall not be detrimental to the interests of the Lenders and shall occur at a time when no Default shall have occurred and be continuing; and (C) the Borrower has given the Administrative Agent at least 10 days (or such lesser number of days as the Administrative Agent may agree) prior written notice of its intent to engage in or cause such transactions, accompanied by a reasonably detailed description of same.
“Permitted Encumbrances” means:
(a)Liens imposed by law for taxes, assessments and other governmental charges that are not yet due or have not been delinquent for in excess of ninety (90) days, or are being contested in compliance with Section 5.04; provided, that no more than the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $50,000,000 of aggregate obligations subject to Liens under this clause (a) may be delinquent for more than 90 days and constitute Permitted Encumbrances;
(b)carriers’, warehousemen’s, mechanics’, materialmen’s, repairmen’s, landlords’ and other like Liens imposed by law, arising in the ordinary course of business and securing obligations that are not overdue by more than thirty (30) days or obligations in an aggregate amount not in excess of the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $50,000,000, or which are being contested in compliance with Section 5.04;
(c)pledges and deposits made in the ordinary course of business in compliance with workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance and other social security laws or regulations;
(d)deposits to secure the performance of bids, trade contracts, leases, statutory obligations, surety and appeal bonds, performance bonds and other obligations of a like nature, in each case in the ordinary course of business;
(e)judgment Liens in respect of judgments that do not constitute an Event of Default under Section 7.01(k);
(f)easements, zoning restrictions, zoning by-laws, municipal by-laws and regulations, development agreements, site plan agreements, municipal agreements, encroachment agreements, restrictive covenants and other restrictions, reservations, covenants, conditions, rights-of-way and similar encumbrances on real property imposed by law or arising in the ordinary course of business that do not secure any monetary obligations and do not materially detract from the value of the affected property or materially interfere with the ordinary conduct of business of the applicable Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary and notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, with respect to leasehold interests under which a Loan Party or a Restricted Subsidiary is the tenant, mortgages, obligations, liens and other encumbrances affecting the landlord’s interest in the real property; and
(g)title defects, encroachments or irregularities which are of a minor nature and which in the aggregate do not materially impair the value of any real property or the use of the affected property for the purpose for which it is used by that Person;
provided, that the term “Permitted Encumbrances” shall not include any Lien securing Indebtedness. “Permitted Foreign Subsidiary Indebtedness Amount” means, with respect to any
incurrence of any Indebtedness or guaranty, (a) the U.S. Dollar Amount of the greater of U.S.
$200,000,000 and 10% of Consolidated Total Assets (as determined based upon the last audited financials received by the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 5.01(a)) at any time the Total Leverage Ratio is equal to or less than 3.00 to 1.00 (both before and after giving effect thereto on a Pro Forma Basis), and (b) an aggregate amount not to at any time exceed the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S.
$100,000,000 at any time the Total Leverage Ratio is greater than 3.00 to 1.00 (either before and after giving effect thereto on a Pro Forma Basis), provided, that (i) if any Indebtedness or guarantee was permitted because the Total Leverage Ratio was equal to or less than 3.00 to 1.00 (both before and after giving effect thereto on a Pro Forma Basis), but subsequent thereto, the Total Leverage Ratio exceeds
3.00 to 1.00, such Indebtedness or guarantee shall remain a permitted transaction under this definition and (ii) the availability of the U.S. $100,000,000 amount set forth in the foregoing clause (b) shall be reduced by the aggregate principal amount of all Indebtedness or guarantees incurred when the Total Leverage Ratio was equal to or less than 3.00 to 1.00 (both before and after giving effect thereto on a Pro Forma Basis).
“Permitted Investments” means:
(a)direct obligations of, or obligations the principal of and interest on which are unconditionally guaranteed by, the United States of America (or by any agency thereof to the extent such obligations are backed by the full faith and credit of the United States of America), in each case maturing within one year from the date of acquisition thereof;
(b)investments in commercial paper maturing within 270 days from the date of acquisition thereof and having, at such date of acquisition, the highest credit rating obtainable from S&P, Moody’s, or Fitch;
(c)investments in certificates of deposit, banker’s acceptances and time deposits maturing within 180 days from the date of acquisition thereof issued or guaranteed by or placed with, and money market deposit accounts issued or offered by, any domestic office of any commercial bank organized under the laws of the United States of America or any State thereof which has a combined capital and surplus and undivided profits of not less than U.S. $500,000,000;
(d)fully collateralized repurchase agreements with a term of not more than thirty (30) days for securities described in clause (a) above and entered into with a financial institution satisfying the criteria described in clause (c) above; and
(e)money market funds that (i) comply with the criteria set forth in SEC Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act of 1940, (ii) are rated AAA by S&P and Aaa by Moody’s and (iii) have portfolio assets of at least U.S. $5,000,000,000.
“Permitted Note Collateral” means (i) those assets of the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries identified on Schedule 1.01(a) and (ii) additional equipment and real estate owned by the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries to the extent permitted under Section 6.02(l).
“Permitted Private Placement Debt” means private placement term (and not revolving) Indebtedness incurred by the Borrower or one or more Restricted Subsidiaries, which Indebtedness shall be similar to the Senior Secured Notes and shall not be evidenced by a high yield offering, asset securitization transaction, revolving credit facility or other similar credit facility (including tranche B term loans, tranche C term loans, or similar institutional term loans); provided, that the aggregate outstanding principal balance of all such Indebtedness shall not exceed U.S. $125,000,000 at any time.
“Permitted Receivables Facility” means the receivables facility or facilities created under the Permitted Receivables Facility Documents, providing for the sale, transfer or pledge by the Borrower and/or one or more other Receivables Sellers of Permitted Receivables Facility Assets (thereby providing financing to the Borrower and the Receivables Sellers) either (i) to the Receivables Entity (either directly or through another Receivables Seller), which in turn shall sell, transfer or pledge interests in the respective Permitted Receivables Facility Assets to third-party lenders or investors pursuant to the Permitted Receivables Facility Documents (with the Receivables Entity permitted to issue or convey purchaser interests, investor certificates, purchased interest certificates or other similar documentation evidencing interests in the Permitted Receivables Facility Assets) in return for the cash used by the Receivables Entity to purchase the Permitted Receivables Facility Assets from the Borrower and/or the respective Receivables Sellers, or (ii) directly to third-party investors on a true-sale basis and applying securitization principles (both from a legal and an accounting perspective), in return for cash, pursuant to the Permitted Receivables Facility Documents, in each case as more fully set forth in the Permitted Receivables Facility Documents.
“Permitted Receivables Facility Assets” means (i) Receivables (whether now existing or arising in the future) of the Borrower and the Subsidiaries which are transferred, sold or pledged to the Receivables Entity pursuant to the Permitted Receivables Facility and any related Permitted Receivables Related Assets which are also so transferred, sold or pledged to the Receivables Entity and all proceeds thereof and (ii) loans to the Borrower and the Subsidiaries secured by Receivables (whether now existing or arising in the future) and any Permitted Receivables Related Assets of the Borrower and the Subsidiaries which are made pursuant to the Permitted Receivables Facility.
“Permitted Receivables Facility Documents” means each of the documents and agreements entered into in connection with the Permitted Receivables Facility, including all documents and agreements relating to the issuance, funding and/or purchase of certificates and purchased interests or the incurrence of loans, as applicable, all of which documents and agreements shall be in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent, in each case as such documents and agreements may be amended, modified, supplemented, refinanced or replaced from time to time so long as (i) any such amendments, modifications, supplements, refinancings or replacements do not impose any conditions or requirements on the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries that are more restrictive in any material respect than those in existence immediately prior to any such amendment, modification, supplement, refinancing or replacement, (ii) any such amendments, modifications, supplements, refinancings or replacements are not adverse in any way to the interests of the Lenders and (iii) any such amendments, modifications, supplements, refinancings or replacements are otherwise in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent.
“Permitted Receivables Related Assets” means any other assets that are customarily transferred, sold and/or pledged or in respect of which security interests are customarily granted in connection with asset securitization transactions involving receivables similar to Receivables and any collections or proceeds of any of the foregoing (including, without limitation, lock-boxes, deposit accounts, records in respect of Receivables and collections in respect of Receivables).
“Permitted Term Debt” means term, and not revolving, Indebtedness that is owing by the Borrower (which Indebtedness may take the form of senior secured or junior secured notes, in each case whether issued in a public offering, Rule 144A or other private placement, or senior secured or junior secured term loans, in each case, with any such Indebtedness being secured on terms contemplated by Section 6.02(m)) and (i) has a final maturity date that occurs no earlier than 91 days after the Extended Maturity Date is scheduled to occur, (ii) the representations, warranties, covenants and events of default set forth in the agreements, documents and instruments evidencing such Indebtedness are not more onerous or restrictive in any material respect than those set forth in the Loan Documents (with the understanding that any financial covenant, negative covenant or event of default that is more onerous or restrictive (or, with respect to events of default, is triggered more quickly or is tied to a standard that is more easily violated than one set forth in the Loan Documents) shall be automatically deemed to be material for purposes hereof) and (iii) such Indebtedness shall not receive the benefit of Guarantees or other credit support unless the Holders of Secured Obligations also receive the benefit thereof on an equal and ratable basis, or on a senior basis (and the documentation in respect of such ratable or junior sharing being in form and substance acceptable to the Administrative Agent); provided, that the aggregate outstanding principal balance of all such Indebtedness shall not at any time exceed an amount equal to U.S. $500,000,000 minus the aggregate amount of all increases of the Revolving Commitments and Incremental Term Loans made pursuant to Section 2.20.
“Person” means any natural person, corporation, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, association, company, partnership, Governmental Authority or other entity.
“Plan Asset Regulations” means 29 CFR § 2510.3-101 et seq., as modified by Section 3(42) of ERISA, as amended from time to time.
“Plants Designated For Closure or Sale” means manufacturing plants owned, leased or subleased by Loan Parties or their Subsidiaries as of the Amendment No. 4 Effective Date that are sold, transferred, assigned, leased, subleased, earlier terminated or otherwise Disposed of to Persons that are not Affiliates, or that are closed or otherwise cease operations in order to achieve synergies and cost savings, or because such plants are underutilized or unprofitable.
“Pledge Subsidiary” means, subject to the Applicable Pledge Percentage, (i) each Domestic Subsidiary and (ii) each First Tier Foreign Subsidiary.
“Polish Subsidiary” means Quad/Winkowski SP.ZO.O, an entity organized under the
laws of Poland.
“Polish Subsidiary Credit Facility” means that certain Facilities Agreement dated December 16, 2008 by and between Quad/Winkowski SP.ZO.O, as Borrower, and Bank Polska Kasa Opieka S.A. as Lender, as it may be amended, supplemented, or otherwise modified from time to time.
“Pounds Sterling” or “Sterling” means the lawful currency of the United Kingdom. “Prepayment Event” means the following:
(a)any sale, transfer or other Disposition (including pursuant to a Sale and Leaseback Transaction) of any property or asset of any Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary, other than (1) sales, transfers or Dispositions described in Sections 6.03(a)(iii), (a)(iv), (a)(v)(A) through (E), and (a)(vi) through (a)(viii), (2) any sale, transfer or Disposition by a Foreign Subsidiary that is a Restricted Subsidiary unless the Net Proceeds resulting therefrom are transferred (via dividend, distribution or otherwise) to a Loan Party, (3) any sale, transfer or other Disposition of any Existing Leveraged Lease
Collateral or Permitted Note Collateral, or other assets permitted hereunder to secure the Senior Secured Notes, the Existing Leveraged Leases or any Permitted Private Placement Debt, if the Net Proceeds resulting therefrom are required, pursuant to the terms of the Senior Secured Notes as in effect on the Effective Date, the Existing Leveraged Leases as in effect on the Effective Date, or such Permitted Private Placement Debt as in effect on the date of incurrence thereof, as applicable, to prepay Indebtedness owing thereunder as a mandatory prepayment or in order to reduce the amount of such Indebtedness in order to remain in compliance with overcollateralization, asset coverage or other similar covenants or requirements, or if such Net Proceeds must continue to secure the Senior Secured Notes, the Existing Leveraged Leases or such Permitted Private Placement Debt, as applicable, and are prohibited as of the Effective Date (or the incurrence date for the applicable Permitted Private Placement Debt) to be used for any other purpose, and (4) amounts under Permitted Corporate Restructuring Transactions;
(b)any casualty or other insured damage to, or any taking under power of eminent domain or by condemnation or similar proceeding of, any property or asset of any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary (subject to the reinvestment provisions set forth in Section 2.11);
(c)the occurrence of a Free Cash Flow Prepayment Date; provided, that (i) no Free Cash Flow Prepayment Date shall be deemed to occur prior to March 31, 2020 and (ii) the Total Leverage Ratio will be tested by the Borrower on each Free Cash Flow Prepayment Date for the Fiscal Year corresponding with such Free Cash Flow Prepayment Date to determine whether a Prepayment Event has occurred;
(d)the incurrence of any Indebtedness under clauses (n) or (r) of Section 6.01; or
(e)the consummation of one or more Sale and Leaseback Transactions where the aggregate cash consideration resulting therefrom exceeds the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $25,000,000.
“Prime Rate” means the rate of interest last quoted by The Wall Street Journal as the “Prime Rate” in the U.S. or, if The Wall Street Journal ceases to quote such rate, the highest per annum interest rate published by the Federal Reserve Board in Federal Reserve Statistical Release H.15 (519) (Selected Interest Rates) as the “bank prime loan” rate or, if such rate is no longer quoted therein, any similar rate quoted therein (as determined by the Administrative Agent) or any similar release by the Federal Reserve Board (as determined by the Administrative Agent). Each change in the Prime Rate shall be effective from and including the date such change is publicly announced or quoted as being effective.
“Proceeding” means any claim, litigation, investigation, action, suit, arbitration or administrative, judicial or regulatory action or proceeding in any jurisdiction.
“Pro Forma Basis” means, with respect to any event and to the Administrative Agent’s reasonable satisfaction, that the Borrower is in compliance on a pro forma basis as of the end of the four fiscal quarter period most recently ended on or prior to such date for which financial statements have been delivered pursuant to Section 5.01, with the applicable covenant, calculation or requirement herein recomputed as if the event with respect to which compliance on a Pro Forma Basis is being tested had occurred on the first day of such four fiscal quarter period, all as further provided under Section 1.04(b).
“PTE” means a prohibited transaction class exemption issued by the U.S. Department of Labor, as any such exemption may be amended from time to time.
“Purchase Agreement” means (i) the Arrangement Agreement, dated as of January 25, 2010, between the Borrower and World Color Press, (ii) the Plan of Arrangement to be submitted to the
Quebec Superior Court and (iii) all exhibits, schedules and disclosure letters thereto, as the same may be amended or modified.
“Purchase Offer” means an offer by the Borrower to purchase Term Loans pursuant to modified Dutch auctions conducted in accordance with the Auction Procedures and otherwise in accordance with Section 2.24.
“Receivables” means all accounts receivable (including, without limitation, all rights to payment created by or arising from sales of goods, leases of goods or the rendition of services rendered no matter how evidenced whether or not earned by performance (whether constituting accounts, general intangibles, chattel paper or otherwise)).
“Receivables Entity” means a wholly-owned Restricted Subsidiary which engages in no activities other than in connection with the financing of accounts receivable of the Receivables Sellers and which is designated (as provided below) as the “Receivables Entity” (a) no portion of the Indebtedness or any other obligations (contingent or otherwise) of which (i) is guaranteed by the Borrower or any other Restricted Subsidiary (excluding guarantees of obligations (other than the principal of, and interest on, Indebtedness)) pursuant to Standard Securitization Undertakings, (ii) is recourse to or obligates the Borrower or any other Restricted Subsidiary in any way (other than pursuant to Standard Securitization Undertakings) or (iii) subjects any property or asset of the Borrower or any other Restricted Subsidiary, directly or indirectly, contingently or otherwise, to the satisfaction thereof, other than pursuant to Standard Securitization Undertakings, (b) with which neither the Borrower nor any other Restricted Subsidiary has any contract, agreement, arrangement or understanding (other than pursuant to the Permitted Receivables Facility Documents (including with respect to fees payable in the ordinary course of business in connection with the servicing of accounts receivable and related assets)) on terms less favorable to the Borrower or such Restricted Subsidiary than those that might be obtained at the time from persons that are not Affiliates of the Borrower, and (c) to which neither the Borrower nor any other Restricted Subsidiary has any obligation to maintain or preserve such entity’s financial condition or cause such entity to achieve certain levels of operating results. Any such designation shall be evidenced to the Administrative Agent by filing with the Administrative Agent an officer’s certificate of the Borrower certifying that, to the best of such officer’s knowledge and belief after consultation with counsel, such designation complied with the foregoing conditions.
“Receivables Sellers” means the Borrower and the Subsidiaries that are from time to time party to the Permitted Receivables Facility Documents (other than any Receivables Entity).
“Recipient” means (a) the Administrative Agent, (b) any Lender and (c) any Issuing Bank, as applicable.
“Reference Time” with respect to any setting of the then-current Benchmark means (1) if such Benchmark is the Term SOFR Rate, 5:00 a.m., Chicago time, on the day that is two U.S. Government Securities Business Days preceding the date of such setting, (2) if such Benchmark is EURIBOR Rate, 11:00 a.m. Brussels time two TARGET Days preceding the date of such setting, (3) if such Benchmark is TIBOR Rate, 11:00 a.m. Japan time two Business Days preceding the date of such setting, (4) if the RFR for such Benchmark is SONIA, then four RFR Business Days prior to such setting,
(5) if, following a Benchmark Transition Event and its related Benchmark Replacement Date in respect of the Term SOFR Rate, the RFR for such Benchmark is Daily Simple SOFR, then four (4) Business Days prior to such setting, or (6) if such Benchmark is none of the Term SOFR Rate, the EURIBOR Rate, the TIBOR Rate, SONIA or Daily Simple SOFR, the time determined by the Administrative Agent in its reasonable discretion.
“Register” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.04.
“Regulation D” means Regulation D of the Federal Reserve Board, as in effect from time to time and all official rulings and interpretations thereunder or thereof.
“Regulation T” means Regulation T of the Federal Reserve Board, as in effect from time to time and all official rulings and interpretations thereunder or thereof.
“Regulation U” means Regulation U of the Federal Reserve Board, as in effect from time to time and all official rulings and interpretations thereunder or thereof.
“Regulation X” means Regulation X of the Federal Reserve Board, as in effect from time to time and all official rulings and interpretations thereunder or thereof.
“Reinvestment Period” means, with respect to any Net Proceeds to be applied as a mandatory prepayment under Section 2.11, 360 days after receipt by the applicable Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary of such Net Proceeds.
“Related Parties” means, with respect to any specified Person, such Person’s Affiliates and the respective directors, officers, employees, agents, advisors and representatives of such Person and such Person’s Affiliates.
“Relevant Governmental Body” means (i) with respect to a Benchmark Replacement in respect of Loans denominated in U.S. Dollars, the Federal Reserve Board and/or the NYFRB, or a committee officially endorsed or convened by the Federal Reserve Board and/or the NYFRB or, in each case, any successor thereto, (ii) with respect to a Benchmark Replacement in respect of Loans denominated in Pounds Sterling, the Bank of England, or a committee officially endorsed or convened by the Bank of England or, in each case, any successor thereto, (iii) with respect to a Benchmark Replacement in respect of Loans denominated in euros, the European Central Bank, or a committee officially endorsed or convened by the European Central Bank or, in each case, any successor thereto,
(iv)with respect to a Benchmark Replacement in respect of Loans denominated in Japanese Yen, the Bank of Japan, or a committee officially endorsed or convened by the Bank of Japan or, in each case, any successor thereto, and (v) with respect to a Benchmark Replacement in respect of Loans denominated in any other currency, (a) the central bank for the currency in which such Benchmark Replacement is denominated or any central bank or other supervisor which is responsible for supervising either (1) such Benchmark Replacement or (2) the administrator of such Benchmark Replacement or (b) any working group or committee officially endorsed or convened by (1) the central bank for the currency in which such Benchmark Replacement is denominated, (2) any central bank or other supervisor that is responsible for supervising either (A) such Benchmark Replacement or (B) the administrator of such Benchmark Replacement, (3) a group of those central banks or other supervisors or (4) the Financial Stability Board or any part thereof.
“Relevant Rate” means (i) with respect to any Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in U.S. Dollars, the Adjusted Term SOFR Rate, (ii) with respect to any Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in Euros, the Adjusted EURIBOR Rate, (iii) with respect to any Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in Japanese Yen, the Adjusted TIBOR Rate, and (iv) with respect to any RFR Borrowing denominated in Pounds Sterling or U.S. Dollars, the applicable Adjusted Daily Simple RFR, as applicable.
“Relevant Screen Rate” means (i) with respect to any Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in U.S. Dollars, the Term SOFR Reference Rate, (ii) with respect to any Term Benchmark
Borrowing denominated in euros, the EURIBOR Screen Rate, or (iii) with respect to any Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in Japanese Yen, the TIBOR Screen Rate, as applicable.
“Required Lenders” means, at any time, Lenders having Credit Exposures and unused Commitments representing more than 50% of the Aggregate Credit Exposure and unused Aggregate Commitment at such time.
“Requirement of Law” means, as to any Person, the Certificate of Incorporation and By-Laws or other organizational or governing documents of such Person, and any law, treaty, rule or regulation or determination of an arbitrator or a court or other Governmental Authority, in each case applicable to or binding upon such Person or any of its property or to which such Person or any of its property is subject.
“Resolution Authority” means an EEA Resolution Authority or, with respect to any UK Financial Institution, a UK Resolution Authority.
“Responsible Officer” means any Financial Officer, the Chief Executive Officer of the Borrower, and the general counsel of the Borrower.
“Restricted Intercompany Transactions” means, without duplication, each of the following to occur subsequent to the Effective Date:
(a)all sales, transfers, assignments and other Dispositions of assets, other than Historical Used Equipment, by Loan Parties to non-Loan Party Restricted Subsidiaries, and by Loan Parties or Restricted Subsidiaries to Unrestricted Subsidiaries, Affiliates of any Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary, or Persons in which a Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary owns no more than 50% of the voting Equity Interests thereof;
(b)Indebtedness of non-Loan Party Restricted Subsidiaries to Loan Parties, and Indebtedness of Unrestricted Subsidiaries, Affiliates of any Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary, or Persons in which a Loan Party or other Restricted Subsidiary owns no more than 50% of the voting Equity Interests thereof to Loan Parties or Restricted Subsidiaries, including, without limitation, all loans and advances described in Section 6.04 (with all such Indebtedness being calculated on an outstanding or drawn basis, and with Indebtedness directly owing between two parties being netted against each other);
(c)all investments by Loan Parties in non-Loan Party Restricted Subsidiaries, and all investments by Loan Parties and Restricted Subsidiaries in Unrestricted Subsidiaries, Affiliates of any Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary, and Persons in which a Loan Party or other Restricted Subsidiary owns no more than 50% of the voting Equity Interests thereof;
(d)Guarantees by Loan Parties of Indebtedness owing by non-Loan Party Domestic Subsidiaries that are Restricted Subsidiaries and Guarantees by Loan Parties and Restricted Subsidiaries of Indebtedness owing by (i) Domestic Subsidiaries thereof that are Unrestricted Subsidiaries, (ii) Affiliates of any Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary organized under the laws of the United States of America (or political subdivisions thereof) and (iii) Persons organized under the laws of the United States of America (or political subdivisions thereof) and in which a Loan Party or other Restricted Subsidiary owns no more than 50% of the voting Equity Interests thereof (including, without limitation, Guarantees consisting of Letters of Credit issued hereunder for the benefit of any such Person); provided, that a payment by the applicable guarantor in respect of any such guarantee shall not constitute an
additional Restricted Intercompany Transaction for purposes of determining compliance with the Restricted Intercompany Transaction Amount;
(e)(i) a Loan Party’s repurchase of its Equity Interests from a non-Loan Party Restricted Subsidiary and (ii) a Loan Party’s or a Restricted Subsidiary’s repurchase of its Equity Interests from an Unrestricted Subsidiary;
(f)a Permitted Acquisition by the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary of any Person designated as an Unrestricted Subsidiary at the time of such Permitted Acquisition; and
(g)any designation of any Restricted Subsidiary as an Unrestricted Subsidiary in accordance with Section 5.10(a).
“Restricted Intercompany Transactions Amount” means, in respect of Restricted Intercompany Transactions, an aggregate amount not to at any time exceed the U.S. Dollar Amount of
U.S. $25,000,000; provided, that the aggregate amount of Restricted Intercompany Transactions at any time shall be determined net of the aggregate amount of all dividends, distributions and similar amounts received by the holder thereof in respect of any investment constituting a Restricted Intercompany Transaction, and by the amount of Net Proceeds received by such holder upon the sale of any such investment.
“Restricted Payment” means any dividend or other distribution (whether in cash, securities or other property) with respect to any Equity Interests in any Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary, or any payment (whether in cash, securities or other property), including any sinking fund or similar deposit, on account of the purchase, redemption, retirement, acquisition, cancellation or termination of any such Equity Interests in such Loan Party or such Restricted Subsidiary or any option, warrant or other right to acquire any such Equity Interests in such Loan Party or such Restricted Subsidiary.
“Restricted Subsidiary” means any Subsidiary that is not an Unrestricted Subsidiary. “Retiree Welfare Plan” means any employee benefit welfare plan as defined in
Section 3(1) of ERISA in respect of which a Loan Party or an ERISA Affiliate is an “employer” as
defined in Section 3(5) of ERISA and which provides benefits to employees after termination of employment other than as required by Part 6 of Title I of ERISA.
“Reuters” means, as applicable, Thomson Reuters Corp., Refinitiv, or any successor
thereto.
“Revaluation Date” means: (a) with respect to any Loan denominated in any Foreign Currency, each of the following: (i) the date of the Borrowing of such Loan and (ii) (A) with respect to any Term Benchmark Loan, each date of a conversion into or continuation of such Loan pursuant to the terms of this Agreement and (B) with respect to any RFR Loan, each date that is on the numerically corresponding day in each calendar month that is one month after the Borrowing of such Loan (or, if there is no such numerically corresponding day in such month, then the last day of such month); (b) with respect to any Letter of Credit denominated in a Foreign Currency, each of the following: (i) the date on which such Letter of Credit is issued, (ii) the first Business Day of each calendar month and (iii) the date of any amendment of such Letter of Credit that has the effect of increasing the face amount thereof; (c) the Non-Extended Maturity Date; and (d) any additional date as the Administrative Agent may determine at any time when an Event of Default exists.
“Revolving Commitment” means, with respect to each Lender, the Extended Revolving Commitment or the Non-Extended Revolving Commitment, if any, of such Lender. The aggregate amount of the Revolving Lenders’ Revolving Commitments on the Amendment No. 910 Effective Date is
U.S. $324,590,077.07339,590,077.07. For the avoidance of doubt, at all times prior to the Non-Extended Maturity Date, all Revolving Commitments (including any obligation of the Revolving Lenders to make Revolving Loans and to acquire participations in Letters of Credit and Swingline Loans hereunder) shall be treated as a single tranche and on a ratable basis across all Classes of Revolving Commitments, except as otherwise provided under Sections 2.09(a) and 2.10(a).
“Revolving Credit Exposure” means, with respect to any Revolving Lender at any time, the sum of the outstanding principal U.S. Dollar Amount of such Revolving Lender’s Revolving Loans and its LC Exposure and Swingline Exposure at such time.
“Revolving Lender” means, as of any date of determination, each Lender that has a Revolving Commitment or, if all of the Revolving Commitments have terminated or expired, a Lender with Revolving Credit Exposure.
“Revolving Loan” means a Loan made pursuant to Section 2.01(a).
“Revolving Loan Maturity Date” means, with respect to any Lender, the Maturity Date applicable to the Revolving Commitment or Revolving Loans of such Lender.
“RFR”, means, for any RFR Loan denominated in (a) Pounds Sterling, SONIA and (b)
U.S. Dollars solely following a Benchmark Transition Event and Benchmark Replacement Date with respect to the Term SOFR Rate, Daily Simple SOFR.
“RFR Borrowing” means, as to any Borrowing, the RFR Loans comprising such
Borrowing.
“RFR Business Day” means, for any Loan denominated in (a) Pounds Sterling, any day except for (i) a Saturday, (ii) a Sunday or (iii) a day on which banks are closed for general business in London and (b) U.S. Dollars, a U.S. Government Securities Business Day.
“RFR Interest Day” has the meaning specified in the definition of “Daily Simple RFR”.
“RFR Loan” means a Loan that bears interest at a rate based on the Adjusted Daily
Simple RFR.
“S&P” means Standard & Poor’s Rating Services, a Standard & Poor’s Financial Services LLC business, and any successor thereto.
“Sale and Leaseback Transaction” means any sale or other transfer of any property or asset by any Person with the intent to lease such property or asset as lessee.
“Sanctioned Country” means, at any time, a country, region or territory which is itself the subject or target of any Sanctions (at the time of the Amendment No. 7 Effective Date, the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic, the Crimea, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson Regions of Ukraine, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria).
“Sanctioned Person” means, any Person subject or target of any Sanctions, including (a) any Person listed in any Sanctions-related list of designated Persons maintained by the U.S. government, including by OFAC, the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Commerce or the United Nations
Security Council, the EU, any EU member state, His Majesty’s Treasury of the United Kingdom, or other relevant sanctions authority, (b) any Person operating, organized or resident in a Sanctioned Country or
(c) any Person owned or controlled by any such Person or Persons described in the foregoing clauses (a) or (b) (including, without limitation for purposes of defining a Sanctioned Person, as ownership and control may be defined and/or established in and/or by any applicable laws, rules, regulations, or orders).
“Sanctions” means all economic or financial sanctions, trade embargoes or similar restrictions imposed, administered or enforced from time to time by (a) the U.S. government, including those administered by OFAC or the U.S. Department of State or (b) the United Nations Security Council, the EU, any EU member state, His Majesty’s Treasury of the United Kingdom, or other relevant sanctions authority.
“SEC” means the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
“Secured Obligations” means all Obligations, together with all (i) Banking Services Obligations and (ii) Swap Obligations; provided that the definition of “Secured Obligations” shall not create or include any guarantee by any Loan Party of (or grant of security interest by any Loan Party to support, as applicable) any Excluded Swap Obligations of such Loan Party for purposes of determining any obligations of any Loan Party.
“Securities Act” means the United States Securities Act of 1933.
“Security Agreement” means that certain Second Amended and Restated Pledge and Security Agreement (including any and all supplements thereto), dated as of the date hereof, among the Loan Parties and the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Administrative Agent and the Holders of Secured Obligations, and any other pledge or security agreement entered into, after the date of this Agreement by any other Loan Party (as required by this Agreement or any other Loan Document), or any other Person, as the same may be amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time.
“Senior Secured Indebtedness” means, individually or collectively as the context may require, the Revolving Loans, the Term A Loans, the Senior Secured Notes, and any Permitted Private Placement Debt.
“Senior Secured Leverage Ratio” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section
6.11(c).
“Senior Secured Note Agreement” means that certain Note Agreement dated as of September 1, 1995 between the Borrower and certain Restricted Subsidiaries, as Obligors, and the Purchasers named therein, as it may be amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time.
“Senior Secured Notes” means all notes issued from time to time pursuant to the Senior Secured Note Agreement, including without limitation, the Senior Secured Notes outstanding as of the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date. As of June 30, 2024, the aggregate outstanding principal amount of the Senior Secured Notes was U.S. $1,500,000.
“SOFR” means a rate equal to the secured overnight financing rate as administered by the SOFR Administrator.
“SOFR Administrator” means the NYFRB (or a successor administrator of the secured overnight financing rate).
“SOFR Administrator’s Website” means the NYFRB’s Website, currently at http://www.newyorkfed.org, or any successor source for the secured overnight financing rate identified as such by the SOFR Administrator from time to time.
“SOFR Determination Date” has the meaning specified in the definition of “Daily
Simple SOFR”.
“SOFR Rate Day” has the meaning specified in the definition of “Daily Simple SOFR”. “Solvency Certificate” means a certificate signed by the chief financial officer, chief
accounting officer or other financial officer of the Borrower substantially in the form attached hereto as Exhibit L or any other form approved by the Administrative Agent.
“SONIA” means, with respect to any Business Day, a rate per annum equal to the Sterling Overnight Index Average for such Business Day published by the SONIA Administrator on the SONIA Administrator’s Website on the immediately succeeding Business Day.
“SONIA Administrator” means the Bank of England (or any successor administrator of the Sterling Overnight Index Average).
“SONIA Administrator’s Website” means the Bank of England’s website, currently at http://www.bankofengland.co.uk, or any successor source for the Sterling Overnight Index Average identified as such by the SONIA Administrator from time to time.
“Specified Representations” means the representations and warranties in respect of the Loan Parties made pursuant to Sections 3.01, 3.02, 3.03(b) (solely as it relates to the organizational documents of the Loan Parties), 3.08, 3.12, 3.13, 3.14 (solely as it relates to compliance with Section 5.08), 3.17 (provided that any such representation or warranty relating to perfection of Liens shall be limited in a customary manner for “SunGard” or “certain funds” provisions as reasonably agreed by the Administrative Agent and the Borrower) and 3.18.
“Specified Swap Obligation” means, with respect to any Loan Party, any obligation to pay or perform under any agreement, contract or transaction that constitutes a “swap” within the meaning of Section 1a(47) of the Commodity Exchange Act or any rules or regulations promulgated thereunder.
“Standard Securitization Undertakings” means representations, warranties, covenants and indemnities entered into by the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary in connection with the Permitted Receivables Facility which are reasonably customary in an accounts receivable financing transaction.
“Statutory Reserve Rate” means a fraction (expressed as a decimal), the numerator of which is the number one and the denominator of which is the number one minus the aggregate of the maximum reserve percentage (including any marginal, special, emergency or supplemental reserves) expressed as a decimal established by the Federal Reserve Board to which the Administrative Agent is subject with respect to the Adjusted EURIBOR Rate or Adjusted TIBOR Rate, as applicable, for eurocurrency funding (currently referred to as “eurocurrency liabilities” in Regulation D) or any other reserve ratio or analogous requirement of any central banking or financial regulatory authority imposed in respect of the maintenance of the Commitments or the funding of the Loans. Such reserve percentage shall include those imposed pursuant to Regulation D. Term Benchmark Loans for which the associated Benchmark is adjusted by reference to the Statutory Reserve Rate (per the related definition of such Benchmark) shall be deemed to constitute eurocurrency funding and to be subject to such reserve
requirements without benefit of or credit for proration, exemptions or offsets that may be available from time to time to any Lender under Regulation D or any comparable regulation. The Statutory Reserve Rate shall be adjusted automatically on and as of the effective date of any change in any reserve percentage.
“Subordinated Indebtedness” means any Indebtedness for borrowed money of any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary that is extended or offered by a Person that is not a Consolidated Financial Covenant Entity or an Affiliate thereof, and the payment of which is contractually subordinated to payment of the Secured Obligations.
“subsidiary” means, with respect to any Person (the “parent”) at any date, any corporation, limited liability company, partnership, association or other entity the accounts of which would be consolidated with those of the parent in the parent’s consolidated financial statements if such financial statements were prepared in accordance with GAAP as of such date, as well as any other corporation, limited liability company, partnership, association or other entity (a) of which securities or other ownership interests representing more than 50% of the equity or more than 50% of the ordinary voting power or, in the case of a partnership, more than 50% of the general partnership interests are, as of such date, owned, controlled or held, or (b) that is, as of such date, otherwise Controlled by the parent and/or one or more subsidiaries of the parent.
“Subsidiary” means any subsidiary of the Borrower or any other Loan Party. Persons in which Loan Parties and Subsidiaries thereof own no more than 50% of the voting Equity Interests thereof shall not constitute Subsidiaries.
“Swap Agreement” means any agreement with respect to any swap, forward, future or derivative transaction or option or similar agreement involving, or settled by reference to, one or more rates, currencies, commodities, equity or debt instruments or securities, or economic, financial or pricing indices or measures of economic, financial or pricing risk or value or any similar transaction or any combination of these transactions; provided that no phantom stock or similar plan providing for payments only on account of services provided by current or former directors, officers, employees or consultants of the Loan Parties or Restricted Subsidiaries shall be a Swap Agreement.
“Swap Obligations” means any and all obligations of any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary, whether absolute or contingent and howsoever and whensoever created, arising, evidenced or acquired (including all renewals, extensions and modifications thereof and substitutions therefor), under
(a) any and all Swap Agreements permitted hereunder with a Person who is a Lender (or who was a Lender at the time such Loan Party or such Restricted Subsidiary entered into such Swap Agreement) or an Affiliate of such Person, and (b) any and all cancellations, buy backs, reversals, terminations or assignments of any such Swap Agreement transaction.
“Swingline Exposure” means, at any time, the aggregate principal amount of all Swingline Loans outstanding at such time. The Swingline Exposure of any Lender at any time shall be the sum of (a) its Applicable Percentage of the total Swingline Exposure at such time other than with respect to any Swingline Loans made by such Lender in its capacity as a Swingline Lender and (b) the aggregate principal amount of all Swingline Loans made by such Lender as a Swingline Lender outstanding at such time (less the amount of participations funded by the other Lenders in such Swingline Loans).
“Swingline Lender” means, collectively and individually as the context shall require, each of JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. and such other Revolving Lenders as may be mutually agreed between the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and such Revolving Lender, each in its capacity as a
lender of Swingline Loans hereunder. As of the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date, JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. is the sole Swingline Lender.
“Swingline Loan” means a Loan made by a Swingline Lender pursuant to Section 2.05(a). All Swingline Loans shall be denominated in Dollars.
“T2” means the real time gross settlement system operated by the Eurosystem, or any successor system.
“TARGET Day” means any day on which T2 (or, if such payment system ceases to be operative, such other payment system, if any, determined by the Administrative Agent to be a suitable replacement) is open for the settlement of payments in Euro. “Taxes” means all present or future taxes, levies, imposts, duties, deductions, withholdings (including backup withholding), value added taxes, or any other goods and services, use or sales taxes, assessments, fees or other charges imposed by any Governmental Authority, including any interest, additions to tax or penalties applicable thereto.
“Term A Loan Commitment” means (a) as to any Lender, such Lender’s Applicable Percentage of the Term A Loans and (b) as to all Lenders, the aggregate outstanding principal amount of the Term A Loans.
“Term A Loan Credit Exposure” means, as to any Term A Loan Lender at any time, an amount equal to the aggregate principal amount of its Term A Loans outstanding at such time.
“Term A Loan Lender” means, as of any date of determination, each Lender having a Term A Loan Commitment or that holds Term A Loans.
“Term A Loan Maturity Date” means, with respect to any Lender, the Maturity Date applicable to the Term A Loans of such Lender.
“Term A Loans” means the term loans made by the Term A Loan Lenders to the Borrower pursuant to Section 2.01(b) (prior to giving effect to Amendment No. 5), any “Specified Term A Loans” (as defined in Amendment No. 5) made by the Term A Loan Lenders pursuant to Amendment No. 5 on the Amendment No. 5 Effective Date, any Additional Term A Loans made by the Term A Loan Lenders pursuant to Amendment No. 8 on the Amendment No. 8 Effective Date and, any “Specified Term A Loans” (as defined in Amendment No. 9) made by the Term A Loan Lenders pursuant to Amendment No. 9 on the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date and any Amendment No. 10 Term A Loans made by the Term A Loan Lenders pursuant to Amendment No. 10 on the Amendment No. 10 Effective Date. The aggregate outstanding principal amount of the Term A Loans on the Amendment No. 910 Effective Date is $365,748,214.00370,738,943.88.
“Term Benchmark” when used in reference to any Loan or Borrowing, refers to whether such Loan, or the Loans comprising such Borrowing, are bearing interest at a rate determined by reference to the Adjusted Term SOFR Rate, the Adjusted EURIBOR Rate or the Adjusted TIBOR Rate.
“Term Loan Lenders” means Term A Loan Lenders. “Term Loans” means the Term A Loans.
“Term SOFR Determination Day” has the meaning assigned to it under the definition of Term SOFR Reference Rate.
“Term SOFR Rate” means, with respect to any Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in U.S. Dollars and for any tenor comparable to the applicable Interest Period, the Term SOFR Reference Rate at approximately 5:00 a.m., Chicago time, two U.S. Government Securities Business Days prior to the commencement of such tenor comparable to the applicable Interest Period, as such rate is published by the CME Term SOFR Administrator.
“Term SOFR Reference Rate” means, for any day and time (such day, the “Term SOFR Determination Day”), with respect to any Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in U.S. Dollars and for any tenor comparable to the applicable Interest Period, the rate per annum published by the CME Term SOFR Administrator and identified by the Administrative Agent as the forward-looking term rate based on SOFR. If by 5:00 pm (New York City time) on such Term SOFR Determination Day, the “Term SOFR Reference Rate” for the applicable tenor has not been published by the CME Term SOFR Administrator and a Benchmark Replacement Date with respect to the Term SOFR Rate has not occurred, then, so long as such day is otherwise a U.S. Government Securities Business Day, the Term SOFR Reference Rate for such Term SOFR Determination Day will be the Term SOFR Reference Rate as published in respect of the first preceding U.S. Government Securities Business Day for which such Term SOFR Reference Rate was published by the CME Term SOFR Administrator, so long as such first preceding U.S. Government Securities Business Day is not more than five (5) U.S. Government Securities Business Days prior to such Term SOFR Determination Day.
“TIBOR Rate” means, with respect to any Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in Japanese Yen and for any Interest Period, the TIBOR Screen Rate two Business Days prior to the commencement of such Interest Period.
“TIBOR Screen Rate” means the Tokyo interbank offered rate administered by the Ippan Shadan Hojin JBA TIBOR Administration (or any other person which takes over the administration of that rate) for the relevant currency and period displayed on page DTIBOR01 of the Reuters screen (or, in the event such rate does not appear on such Reuters page or screen, on any successor or substitute page on such screen that displays such rate, or on the appropriate page of such other information service that publishes such rate as selected by the Administrative Agent from time to time in its reasonable discretion) as published at approximately 1:00 p.m. Japan time two Business Days prior to the commencement of such Interest Period.
“Total Leverage Ratio” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6.11(a). “Total Net Leverage Ratio” means, as of the end of the most recent Fiscal Quarter of the
Borrower, the ratio of (i) Consolidated Net Indebtedness to (ii) Consolidated EBITDA for the period of
the then most-recently ended four (4) consecutive Fiscal Quarters, all calculated for the Consolidated Financial Covenant Entities on a consolidated basis.
“Transaction Charges” means, for any period, the sum of cash fees, costs, expenses, commissions, or other cash charges incurred during such period in connection with (i) the Transactions,
(ii) Acquisitions and (iii) the acquisition by the Borrower of the Equity Interests of Brown Printing Company pursuant to that certain Partnership Interest Purchase Agreement, dated as of April 4, 2014, among Quad/Graphics Printing Corp., Gruner + Jahr Printing and Publishing Co. and the partners of Gruner + Jahr Printing and Publishing Co., including, without limitation, professional, merger and acquisitions advisory, financing, and accounting fees, costs and expenses (in the case of the foregoing clauses (i) through (ii), to the extent they are not capitalized); provided that, notwithstanding the foregoing, the aggregate amount of all such fees, costs, expenses, commissions and other charges
included as “Transaction Charges” pursuant to the foregoing clause (ii) shall not exceed $10,000,000 following the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date.
“Transactions” means the execution, delivery and performance by the Loan Parties of this Agreement, Amendment No. 3, Amendment No. 5, Amendment No. 8, Amendment No. 9, Amendment No. 10 and the other Loan Documents, the borrowing of Loans and other credit extensions, the use of the proceeds thereof and the issuance of Letters of Credit hereunder.
“Type”, when used in reference to any Loan or Borrowing, refers to whether the rate of interest on such Loan, or on the Loans comprising such Borrowing, is determined by reference to the Adjusted Term SOFR Rate, the Adjusted EURIBOR Rate, the Adjusted TIBOR Rate, any Central Bank/Prime Rate, the Alternate Base Rate or the Adjusted Daily Simple RFR.
“UCC” means the Uniform Commercial Code as in effect from time to time in the State of New York or any other state the laws of which are required to be applied in connection with the issue of perfection of security interests.
“UK Financial Institution” means any BRRD Undertaking (as such term is defined under the PRA Rulebook (as amended from time to time) promulgated by the United Kingdom Prudential Regulation Authority) or any person falling within IFPRU 11.6 of the FCA Handbook (as amended from time to time) promulgated by the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority, which includes certain credit institutions and investment firms, and certain affiliates of such credit institutions or investment firms.
“UK Resolution Authority” means the Bank of England or any other public administrative authority having responsibility for the resolution of any UK Financial Institution.
“Unadjusted Benchmark Replacement” means the applicable Benchmark Replacement excluding the related Benchmark Replacement Adjustment.
“Unfunded Commitment” means, with respect to each Lender, the Revolving Commitment of such Lender less its Revolving Credit Exposure; provided, that, as to any Lender, clause
(a) of the definition of “Swingline Exposure” shall only be applicable in calculating a Lender’s Revolving Credit Exposure to the extent such Lender shall have funded its respective participations in the outstanding Swingline Loans.
“Unliquidated Obligations” means, at any time, any Secured Obligations (or portion thereof) that are contingent in nature or unliquidated at such time, including any Secured Obligation that is: (i) an obligation to reimburse a bank for drawings not yet made under a letter of credit issued by it;
(ii) any other obligation (including any guarantee) that is contingent in nature at such time; or (iii) an obligation to provide collateral to secure any of the foregoing types of obligations.
“Unrestricted Subsidiary” means any Subsidiary designated by the Borrower as an Unrestricted Subsidiary pursuant to Section 5.10 subsequent to the Effective Date, unless designated as a Restricted Subsidiary pursuant to Section 5.10.
“Unsecured Indebtedness” means Indebtedness for borrowed money of a Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary that (1) is extended or offered by a Person that is not a Consolidated Financial Covenant Entity or an Affiliate thereof, (2) is not secured by a Lien and (3) is not Subordinated Indebtedness.
“U.S. Dollar Amount” of any currency at any time means (i) the amount of such currency if such currency is U.S. Dollars, (ii) if such amount is expressed in a Foreign Currency, the equivalent of such amount in U.S. Dollars determined by using the rate of exchange for the purchase of U.S. Dollars with the Foreign Currency last provided (either by publication or otherwise provided to the Administrative Agent) by Reuters on the Business Day (New York City time) immediately preceding the date of determination or if such service ceases to be available or ceases to provide a rate of exchange for the purchase of U.S. Dollars with the Foreign Currency, as provided by such other publicly available information service which provides that rate of exchange at such time in place of Reuters chosen by the Administrative Agent in its sole discretion (or if such service ceases to be available or ceases to provide such rate of exchange, the equivalent of such amount in U.S. Dollars as determined by the Administrative Agent using any method of determination it deems appropriate in its sole discretion) and (c) if such amount is denominated in any other currency, the equivalent of such amount in U.S. Dollars as determined by the Administrative Agent using any method of determination it deems appropriate in its sole discretion.
“U.S. Dollars”, “Dollars” or “$” or “U.S. $” refers to lawful money of the United States
of America.
“U.S. Government Securities Business Day” means any day except for (i) a Saturday, (ii) a Sunday or (iii) a day on which the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association recommends that the fixed income departments of its members be closed for the entire day for purposes of trading in United States government securities.
“U.S. Lender” means, with respect to a Borrower that is a U.S. Person, a Lender that is not a Foreign Lender.
“U.S. Person” means a “United States person” within the meaning of Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code.
“U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.17(f)(ii)(B)(3).
“Weighted Average Life to Maturity” means, when applied to any Indebtedness at any date, the number of years obtained by dividing: (a) the sum of the products obtained by multiplying (i) the amount of each then remaining installment, sinking fund, serial maturity or other required payments of principal, including payment at final maturity, in respect thereof, by (ii) the number of years (calculated to the nearest one-twelfth) that will elapse between such date and the making of such payment; by (b) the then outstanding principal amount of such Indebtedness.
“Withdrawal Liability” means liability to a Multiemployer Plan as a result of a complete or partial withdrawal from such Multiemployer Plan, as such terms are defined in Part I of Subtitle E of Title IV of ERISA.
“World Color Press” means Quad/Graphics Canada, Inc. (formerly known as World Color Press Inc.), a corporation organized under the laws of Canada.
“Working Capital” means, at any date, the excess of current assets of the Consolidated Financial Covenant Entities on such date over current liabilities of the Consolidated Financial Covenant Entities on such date, all determined on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP.
“Write-Down and Conversion Powers” means, (a) with respect to any EEA Resolution Authority, the write-down and conversion powers of such EEA Resolution Authority from time to time under the Bail-In Legislation for the applicable EEA Member Country, which write-down and conversion powers are described in the EU Bail-In Legislation Schedule, and (b) with respect to the United Kingdom, any powers of the applicable Resolution Authority under the Bail-In Legislation to cancel, reduce, modify or change the form of a liability of any UK Financial Institution or any contract or instrument under which that liability arises, to convert all or part of that liability into shares, securities or obligations of that person or any other person, to provide that any such contract or instrument is to have effect as if a right had been exercised under it or to suspend any obligation in respect of that liability or any of the powers under that Bail-In Legislation that are related to or ancillary to any of those powers.
SECTION 1.02 Classification of Loans and Borrowings. For purposes of this Agreement, Loans may be classified and referred to by Class (e.g., a “Revolving Loan” or an “Extended Loan”) or by Type (e.g., a “Term Benchmark Loan”) or by Class and Type (e.g., a “Term Benchmark Revolving Loan” or an “Extended Term Benchmark Loan”). Borrowings also may be classified and referred to by Class (e.g., a “Revolving Borrowing” or an “Extended Borrowing”) or by Type (e.g., a “Term Benchmark Borrowing”) or by Class and Type (e.g., a “Term Benchmark Revolving Borrowing” or an “Extended Term Benchmark Borrowing”).
SECTION 1.03 Terms Generally. The definitions of terms herein shall apply equally to the singular and plural forms of the terms defined. Whenever the context may require, any pronoun shall include the corresponding masculine, feminine and neuter forms. The words “include”, “includes” and “including” shall be deemed to be followed by the phrase “without limitation”. The word “will” shall be construed to have the same meaning and effect as the word “shall”. The word “law” shall be construed as referring to all statutes, rules, regulations, codes and other laws (including official rulings and interpretations thereunder having the force of law or with which affected Persons customarily comply), and all judgments, orders and decrees, of all Governmental Authorities. Unless the context requires otherwise (a) any definition of or reference to any agreement, instrument or other document herein shall be construed as referring to such agreement, instrument or other document as from time to time amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified (subject to any restrictions on such amendments, restatements, supplements or modifications set forth herein), (b) any definition of or reference to any statute, law, rule or regulation shall be construed as referring thereto as from time to time amended, supplemented or otherwise modified (including by succession of comparable successor laws), (c) any reference herein to any Person shall be construed to include such Person’s successors and assigns (subject to any restrictions on assignment set forth herein) and, in the case of any Governmental Authority, any other Governmental Authority that shall have succeeded to any or all functions thereof,
(d) the words “herein”, “hereof” and “hereunder”, and words of similar import, shall be construed to
refer to this Agreement in its entirety and not to any particular provision hereof, (e) all references herein to Articles, Sections, Exhibits and Schedules shall be construed to refer to Articles and Sections of, and Exhibits and Schedules to, this Agreement and (f) the words “asset” and “property” shall be construed to have the same meaning and effect and to refer to any and all tangible and intangible assets and properties, including cash, securities, accounts and contract rights.
SECTION 1.04 Accounting Terms; GAAP.
(a)Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, all terms of an accounting or financial nature shall be construed in accordance with GAAP, as in effect from time to time; provided that, notwithstanding the foregoing or any other provision contained herein, all terms of an accounting or financial nature used herein shall be construed, and all computations of amounts and ratios referred to herein shall be made (i) without giving effect to any election under Accounting Standards Codification 825-10-25 (or any other Accounting Standards Codification or Financial Accounting Standard having a
similar result or effect) to value any Indebtedness or other liabilities of the Borrower or any Subsidiary at “fair value”, as defined therein and (ii) without giving effect to any treatment of Indebtedness in respect of convertible debt instruments under Accounting Standards Codification 470-20 (or any other Accounting Standards Codification or Financial Accounting Standard having a similar result or effect) to value any such Indebtedness in a reduced or bifurcated manner as described therein, and such Indebtedness shall at all times be valued at the full stated principal amount thereof; provided further that, if the Borrower notifies the Administrative Agent that the Borrower requests an amendment to any provision hereof to eliminate the effect of any change occurring after the date hereof in GAAP (including any change from GAAP to International Financial Reporting Standards) or in the application thereof on the operation of such provision (or if the Administrative Agent notifies the Borrower that the Required Lenders request an amendment to any provision hereof for such purpose), regardless of whether any such notice is given before or after such change in GAAP or in the application thereof, then such provision shall be interpreted on the basis of GAAP as in effect and applied immediately before such change shall have become effective until such notice shall have been withdrawn or such provision amended in accordance herewith. Notwithstanding the foregoing or anything to the contrary set forth herein, to the extent a change in GAAP occurs which results in operating leases being treated or classified as capital leases, such change shall not be given effect under the Loan Documents (including, without limitation, in any computation of financial covenants), and the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries shall continue to provide financial reporting which differentiates between operating leases and capital leases and does not treat leases as Indebtedness in the same manner as reported as of the Effective Date.
(b)All pro forma computations required to be made hereunder giving effect to any acquisition or Disposition, or issuance, incurrence or assumption of Indebtedness, or other transaction shall, in each case, be calculated giving pro forma effect thereto (and, in the case of any pro forma computation made hereunder to determine whether such acquisition or Disposition, or issuance, incurrence or assumption of Indebtedness, or other transaction is permitted to be consummated hereunder, to any other such transaction consummated since the first day of the period covered by any component of such pro forma computation and on or prior to the date of such computation) as if such transaction had occurred on the first day of the period of four consecutive Fiscal Quarters ending with the most recent Fiscal Quarter for which financial statements shall have been (or are required to have been) delivered pursuant to Section 5.01(a) or 5.01(b) (or, prior to the delivery of any such financial statements, ending with the last Fiscal Quarter included in the financial statements referred to in Section 3.04(a)), and, to the extent applicable, to the historical earnings and cash flows associated with the assets acquired or Disposed of (but without giving effect to any synergies or cost savings) and any related incurrence or reduction of Indebtedness, all in accordance with Article 11 of Regulation S-X under the Securities Act, but in all cases (excluding Consolidated Total Assets) subject to the terms and conditions (including any caps or other limitations) set forth in the definition of Consolidated EBITDA and any defined terms used therein and (ii) any such calculation made by reference to, or requiring pro forma compliance with, any of the financial covenants shall be made by reference to the applicable financial covenant levels required under Section 6.11 for the Fiscal Quarter during which such acquisition, Disposition or other transaction was consummated (or, if there is no financial covenant required to be tested during such fiscal quarter, the financial covenant level for the first testing period scheduled to occur after the date of such calculation); provided that, notwithstanding the foregoing, when calculating the Total Leverage Ratio for purposes of the definition of “Applicable Margin” and when calculating the Total Leverage Ratio, Senior Secured Leverage Ratio or Interest Coverage Ratio for purposes of determining compliance with Section
6.11 (other than for the purpose of determining pro forma compliance with Section 6.11 as a condition to
taking any action under this Agreement), the foregoing events described in this paragraph that occurred subsequent to the end of the applicable testing period shall not be given pro forma effect. In addition to the foregoing, and notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, to the extent any Indebtedness is incurred or assumed in connection with any transaction permitted hereunder, any pro forma determination of the Total Net Leverage Ratio or Senior Secured Leverage Ratio or compliance
with Section 6.11(c) required to be made under this Agreement in connection with such transaction shall be made without including the proceeds of such incurred or assumed Indebtedness for purposes of cash netting in the definition of Consolidated Net Indebtedness. If any Indebtedness bears a floating rate of interest and is being given pro forma effect, the interest on such Indebtedness shall be calculated as if the rate in effect on the date of determination had been the applicable rate for the entire period (taking into account any Swap Agreement applicable to such Indebtedness).
SECTION 1.05 Status of Obligations. In the event that the Borrower or any other Loan Party shall at any time issue or have outstanding any Subordinated Indebtedness, the Borrower shall take or cause such other Loan Party to take all such actions as shall be necessary to cause the Secured Obligations to constitute senior indebtedness (however denominated) in respect of such Subordinated Indebtedness and to enable the Administrative Agent and the Lenders to have and exercise any payment blockage or other remedies available or potentially available to holders of senior indebtedness under the terms of such Subordinated Indebtedness. Without limiting the foregoing, the Secured Obligations are hereby designated as “senior indebtedness” and as “designated senior indebtedness” and words of similar import under and in respect of any indenture or other agreement or instrument under which such Subordinated Indebtedness is outstanding and are further given all such other designations as shall be required under the terms of any such Subordinated Indebtedness in order that the Lenders may have and exercise any payment blockage or other remedies available or potentially available to holders of senior indebtedness under the terms of such Subordinated Indebtedness.
SECTION 1.06 Interest Rates; Benchmark Notification. The interest rate on a Loan denominated in U.S. Dollars or any other Agreed Currency may be derived from an interest rate benchmark that may be discontinued or is, or may in the future become, the subject of regulatory reform. Upon the occurrence of a Benchmark Transition Event, Section 2.14(b) provides a mechanism for determining an alternative rate of interest. The Administrative Agent does not warrant or accept any responsibility for, and shall not have any liability with respect to, the administration, submission, performance or any other matter related to any interest rate used in this Agreement, or with respect to any alternative or successor rate thereto, or replacement rate thereof, including without limitation, whether the composition or characteristics of any such alternative, successor or replacement reference rate will be similar to, or produce the same value or economic equivalence of, the existing interest rate being replaced or have the same volume or liquidity as did any existing interest rate prior to its discontinuance or unavailability. The Administrative Agent and its affiliates and/or other related entities may engage in transactions that affect the calculation of any interest rate used in this Agreement or any alternative, successor or alternative rate (including any Benchmark Replacement) and/or any relevant adjustments thereto, in each case, in a manner adverse to the Borrower. The Administrative Agent may select information sources or services in its reasonable discretion to ascertain any interest rate used in this Agreement, any component thereof, or rates referenced in the definition thereof, in each case pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, and shall have no liability to the Borrower, any Lender or any other person or entity for damages of any kind, including direct or indirect, special, punitive, incidental or consequential damages, costs, losses or expenses (whether in tort, contract or otherwise and whether at law or in equity), for any error or calculation of any such rate (or component thereof) provided by any such information source or service.
SECTION 1.07 Letter of Credit Amounts. Unless otherwise specified herein, the amount of a Letter of Credit at any time shall be deemed to be the U.S. Dollar Amount of the stated amount of such Letter of Credit available to be drawn at such time; provided that with respect to any Letter of Credit that, by its terms or the terms of any Letter of Credit Agreement related thereto, provides for one or more automatic increases in the available amount thereof, the amount of such Letter of Credit shall be deemed to be the U.S. Dollar Amount of the maximum amount of such Letter of Credit after giving effect to all such increases, whether or not such maximum amount is available to be drawn at such
time. For all purposes of this Agreement, if on any date of determination a Letter of Credit has expired by its terms but any amount may still be drawn thereunder by reason of the operation of Article 29(a) of the Uniform Customs and Practice for Documentary Credits, International Chamber of Commerce Publication No. 600 (or such later version thereof as may be in effect at the applicable time) or Rule 3.13 or Rule 3.14 of the International Standby Practices, International Chamber of Commerce Publication No. 590 (or such later version thereof as may be in effect at the applicable time) or similar terms of the Letter of Credit itself, or if compliant documents have been presented but not yet honored, such Letter of Credit shall be deemed to be “outstanding” and “undrawn” in the amount so remaining available to be paid, and the obligations of the Borrower and each Lender shall remain in full force and effect until the Issuing Bank and the Lenders shall have no further obligations to make any payments or disbursements under any circumstances with respect to any Letter of Credit.
SECTION 1.08 Divisions. For all purposes under the Loan Documents, in connection with any division or plan of division under Delaware law (or any comparable event under a different jurisdiction’s laws): (a) if any asset, right, obligation or liability of any Person becomes the asset, right, obligation or liability of a different Person, then it shall be deemed to have been transferred from the original Person to the subsequent Person, and (b) if any new Person comes into existence, such new Person shall be deemed to have been organized and acquired on the first date of its existence by the holders of its Equity Interests at such time.
SECTION 1.09 Exchange Rates and Currency Equivalents. (a) The Administrative Agent or the applicable Issuing Bank, as applicable, shall determine the U.S. Dollar Amount of Borrowings or Letter of Credit extensions denominated in Foreign Currencies. Such U.S. Dollar Amount shall become effective as of the applicable Revaluation Date and shall be the U.S. Dollar Amount of such amounts until the next Revaluation Date to occur. Except for purposes of financial statements delivered by the Borrower hereunder or calculating financial covenants hereunder or except as otherwise provided herein, the applicable amount of any Agreed Currency (other than U.S. Dollars) for purposes of the Loan Documents shall be such U.S. Dollar Amount as so determined by the Administrative Agent or the applicable Issuing Bank, as applicable.
(b) Wherever in this Agreement in connection with a Borrowing, conversion, continuation or prepayment of a Term Benchmark Loan or an RFR Loan or the issuance, amendment or extension of a Letter of Credit, an amount, such as a required minimum or multiple amount, is expressed in U.S. Dollars, but such Borrowing, Loan or Letter of Credit is denominated in a Foreign Currency, such amount shall be the U.S. Dollar Amount of such amount (rounded to the nearest unit of such Foreign Currency, with 0.5 of a unit being rounded upward), as determined by the Administrative Agent or the applicable Issuing Bank, as the case may be.
SECTION 1.10 Limited Condition Transactions. In connection with any action being taken in connection with a Limited Condition Transaction, for purposes of:
(a)determining compliance with any provision of this Agreement which requires the calculation of any financial ratio or test;
(b)testing availability under baskets set forth in this Agreement; or
(c)determining the accuracy of any representation or warranty or the existence of any Default or Event of Default,
in each case, at the option of the Borrower (the Borrower’s election to exercise such option in connection with any Limited Condition Transaction, an “LCT Election”), the date of determination of
whether any such action is permitted hereunder shall be deemed to be the date the definitive agreement for such Limited Condition Transaction is entered into (or, in the case of a Restricted Payment, may be the date of declaration thereof) (the “LCT Test Date”), and if, after giving pro forma effect to the Limited Condition Transaction, the Borrower or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries would have been permitted to take such action on the relevant LCT Test Date in compliance with such ratio, test or basket or other provision, such ratio, test or basket shall be deemed to have been complied with; provided, however, that notwithstanding the foregoing and/or any LCT Election, no an Event of Default pursuant to Section 7.01(a), (b), (h) or (i) shall be continuing immediately prior to or after giving effect to the consummation of any Limited Condition Transaction on the date of such consummation. For the avoidance of doubt, if the Borrower has made an LCT Election and any of the ratios, tests or baskets or other provision for which compliance was determined or tested as of the LCT Test Date would have failed to have been satisfied as a result of fluctuations in any such ratio, test or basket or other provision, including due to fluctuations in Consolidated EBITDA, Consolidated Interest Expense or Consolidated Total Assets, at or prior to the consummation of the relevant transaction or action, such baskets, tests or ratios will not be deemed to have failed to have been satisfied as a result of such fluctuations. If the Borrower has made an LCT Election for any Limited Condition Transaction, then in connection with any event or transaction occurring after the relevant LCT Test Date and prior to the earlier of the date on which such Limited Condition Transaction is consummated or the date that the definitive agreement for such Limited Condition Transaction is terminated or expires (or, if applicable in the case of a Restricted Payment, the date scheduled for such Restricted Payment occurs) without consummation of such Limited Condition Transaction (a “Subsequent Transaction”) in connection with which a ratio, test or basket availability calculation must be made on a Pro Forma Basis or giving pro forma effect to such Subsequent Transaction, for purposes of determining whether such ratio, test or basket availability has been complied with under this Agreement, any such ratio, test or basket shall be required to be satisfied on a Pro Forma Basis assuming such Limited Condition Transaction and the other transactions (including any funding, incurrence or assumption of Commitments, Loans, Incremental Term Loans (or commitments in respect thereof) or other Indebtedness) in connection therewith have been consummated. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Borrower may not rely on this Section 1.10 for purposes of satisfaction of the conditions set forth in Section 4.02; provided that, in the case of any Incremental Term Loan the proceeds of which are, substantially concurrently with the receipt thereof, solely to be used by the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary to finance, in whole or in part, a Limited Condition Transaction, then (1) Section 4.02(b) shall be limited to no Event of Default under Section 7.01(a), (b), (h) or (i) having occurred, being continuing or resulting therefrom, (2) the Borrower shall only be required to satisfy the requirements of Section 4.02(a) as of the date on which the binding agreement for such Limited Condition Transaction is entered into (or, if applicable in the case of a Restricted Payment, the date of declaration thereof) and (3) the representations and warranties so given in respect of the funding of such Loan or Borrowing shall be limited to the Specified Representations.
SECTION 1.11 Conversion of Non-Extended Exposure. At any time following the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date and prior to the Non-Extended Maturity Date, (a) any Non-Extended Revolving Lender may request to convert its Non-Extended Revolving Commitment to an Extended Revolving Commitment and (b) any Non-Extended Term A Loan Lender may request to convert its Non-Extended Term A Loan to an Extended Term A Loan (any such request, an “Extension Request”), in each case, by providing irrevocable written notice of such request to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent, which notice shall be signed by an authorized officer of the applicable Lender, shall set forth the aggregate principal amount of Non-Extended Revolving Commitments and/or Non-Extended Term A Loans subject to such Extension Request and shall otherwise be in form and substance acceptable to the Administrative Agent; provided that not less than all of the Non-Extended Revolving Commitments held by the applicable Lender and not less than all of the Non-Extended Term A Loans held by the applicable Lender, as the case may be, shall be subject to the such Extension Request unless otherwise agreed by the Administrative Agent; provided further that the effectiveness of any Extension Request shall be subject
to the prior written consent of the Borrower and the Administrative Agent (it being understood and agreed that, if the Borrower or the Administrative Agent does not advise the applicable Lender of its consent to such Extension Request within five (5) Business Days following receipt of such Extension Request, the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, as the case may be, shall be deemed to have not consented to such Extension Request). If both the Borrower and the Administrative Agent consent to any such Extension Request as provided above, the Non-Extended Revolving Commitment subject to such Extension Request and the Non-Extended Term A Loan subject to such Extension Request, as the case may be, shall be irrevocably converted at such time to an Extended Revolving Commitment or an Extended Term A Loan, as applicable, in such amounts as set forth in the applicable Extension Request and shall constitute an Extended Revolving Commitment or an Extended Term A Loan, as applicable, for all purposes hereunder at all times on and after such date. Within a reasonable time after the effective date of any Extension Request, the Administrative Agent shall, and is hereby authorized and directed to, revise Schedule 2.01 and Schedule 2.10 to reflect such conversion and shall distribute such revised Schedules to each of the Lenders and the Borrower, whereupon such revised Schedules shall replace the old Schedules, as applicable, and become part of this Agreement.
ARTICLE II
THE CREDITS
SECTION 2.01 Commitments.
(a)Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, each Revolving Lender (severally and not jointly) agrees to make Revolving Loans to the Borrower in Agreed Currencies from time to time during the Availability Period in an aggregate principal amount that will not result (after giving effect to any application of proceeds of such Borrowing pursuant to Section 2.10) in (i) the U.S. Dollar Amount of such Revolving Lender’s Revolving Credit Exposure exceeding such Revolving Lender’s Revolving Commitment, or (ii) the U.S. Dollar Amount of the aggregate Revolving Credit Exposures exceeding the aggregate Revolving Commitments. Within the foregoing limits and subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, the Borrower may borrow, prepay and reborrow Revolving Loans in Agreed Currencies.
(b)The Term A Loans outstanding immediately prior to the Amendment No. 910 Effective Date were made in accordance with and pursuant to Section 2.01(b) (or any other applicable Loan Document as contemplated by the definition of “Term A Loans”) prior to giving effect to Amendment No. 910. The applicable Term A Loan Lenders shall make the “Specified Term A Loans” (as defined in Amendment No. 9)10 Term A Loan to the Borrower in a single drawing in U.S. Dollars on the Amendment No. 910 Effective Date pursuant to Amendment No. 910. After giving effect to the funding of such “Specifiedthe Amendment No. 10 Term A Loans”Loan on the Amendment No. 910 Effective Date, all of the Term A Loans shall have been funded in full and no Lender shall have any commitment to fund any additional Term A Loans. No amount in respect of the Term A Loans may be reborrowed once it has been repaid or prepaid.
SECTION 2.02 Loans and Borrowings.
(a)Each Revolving Loan (other than a Swingline Loan) shall be made as part of a Borrowing consisting of Revolving Loans of the same Class and Type made by the Revolving Lenders ratably in accordance with their respective Revolving Commitments. The failure of any Lender to make any Loan required to be made by it shall not relieve any other Lender of its obligations hereunder; provided that the Commitments of the Lenders are several and no Lender shall be responsible for any other Lender’s failure to make Loans as required. Any Swingline Loan shall be made in accordance with the procedures set forth in Section 2.05. The Term Loans shall amortize as required under Section 2.10(a).
(b)Subject to Section 2.14, each Borrowing shall be comprised (i) in the case of Borrowings in U.S. Dollars, entirely of ABR Loans, Term Benchmark Loans or RFR Loans and (ii) in the case of Borrowings in any other Agreed Currency, entirely of Term Benchmark Loans or RFR Loans, as applicable, in each case of the same Agreed Currency, as the Borrower may request in accordance herewith; provided that all Borrowings made on the Effective Date must be made as ABR Borrowings (unless the Borrower and the Administrative Agent have entered into a funding indemnity letter, in form and substance acceptable to the Administrative Agent, with respect to Term Benchmark Loans on the Effective Date, in which case such rates will be available on such date) but may be converted to Term Benchmark Borrowings in accordance with Section 2.08. Each Swingline Loan requested in U.S. Dollars shall be an ABR Loan (subject to the rate options set forth in the definition of ABR). Each Lender at its option may make any Term Benchmark Loan or ABR Loan by causing any domestic or foreign branch or Affiliate of such Lender to make such Loan (and in the case of an Affiliate, the provisions of Sections 2.14, 2.15, 2.16 and 2.17 shall apply to such Affiliate to the same extent as to such Lender); provided that any exercise of such option shall not affect the obligation of the Borrower to repay such Loan in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.
(c)At the commencement of each Interest Period for any Term Benchmark Borrowing, such Borrowing shall be in an aggregate amount that is an integral multiple of U.S. $1,000,000 and not less than the U.S. Dollar Amount of $1,000,000. At the time that each ABR Revolving Borrowing and RFR Borrowing is made, such Borrowing shall be in an aggregate amount that is an integral multiple of the
U.S. Dollar Amount of $1,000,000 and not less than the U.S. Dollar Amount of $1,000,000; provided that an ABR Revolving Borrowing may be in an aggregate amount that is equal to the entire unused balance of the total Revolving Commitments, or that is required to finance the reimbursement of an LC Disbursement as contemplated by Section 2.06(e). Each Swingline Loan shall be in an amount that is an integral multiple of the U.S. Dollar Amount of $100,000 and not less than the U.S. Dollar Amount of
$1,000,000. Borrowings of more than one Type and Class may be outstanding at the same time; provided that there shall not at any time be more than a total of fourteen (14) Term Benchmark Borrowings and RFR Borrowings outstanding.
(d)Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the Borrower shall not be entitled to request, or to elect to convert or continue, any Borrowing if the Interest Period requested with respect thereto would end after any Maturity Date then in effect.
SECTION 2.03 Requests for Borrowings. To request a Borrowing, the Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent of such request by submitting a Borrowing Request (which shall be irrevocable and signed by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower) (a) (i) in the case of a Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in U.S. Dollars, not later than 12:00 noon, Local Time, three (3) U.S. Government Securities Business Days before the date of the proposed Borrowing, (ii) in the case of a Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in euros or Japanese Yen, not later than 11:00 a.m., Local Time, three (3) Business Days before the date of the proposed Borrowing and (iii) in the case of an RFR Borrowing, not later than 11:00 a.m., New York City time, (A) in the case of an RFR Borrowing denominated in U.S. Dollars, five (5) U.S. Government Securities Business Days and (B) in the case of an RFR Borrowing denominated in Pounds Sterling, five (5) RFR Business Days, in each case, before the date of the proposed Borrowing, or (b) in the case of an ABR Borrowing, not later than 12:00 noon, Local Time, on the date of the proposed Borrowing (so long as such day is a Business Day); provided that any such notice of an ABR Revolving Borrowing to finance the reimbursement of an LC Disbursement as contemplated by Section 2.06(e) may be given not later than 10:00 a.m., Local Time, on the date of the proposed Borrowing; provided further that, if such Borrowing Request is submitted by electronic mail or through an Approved Borrower Portal, the foregoing signature requirement may be waived at the sole discretion of the Administrative Agent. Each such Borrowing Request shall specify the following information in compliance with Section 2.02:
(i)whether such Borrowing is in respect of Revolving Loans or Term A Loans;
(ii)the aggregate principal amount of the requested Borrowing and the Agreed Currency in which such Borrowing is to be denominated;
(iii)the date of such Borrowing, which shall be a Business Day;
(iv)whether such Borrowing is to be an ABR Borrowing, a Term Benchmark Borrowing or an RFR Borrowing;
(v)in the case of a Term Benchmark Borrowing, the initial Interest Period to be applicable thereto, which shall be a period contemplated by the definition of the term “Interest Period”; and
(vi)the location and number of the Borrower’s account to which funds are to be disbursed, which shall comply with the requirements of Section 2.07.
If no election as to the currency of Borrowing is specified, then such Borrowing shall be made in U.S. Dollars. If no election as to the Type of Borrowing is specified, then, in the case of a Borrowing denominated in U.S. Dollars, the requested Borrowing shall be, if then available, a Term Benchmark Borrowing with a one-month Interest Period (with ABR otherwise being applied). If no Interest Period is specified with respect to any requested Term Benchmark Borrowing, then the Borrower shall be deemed to have selected an Interest Period of one month’s duration. Promptly following receipt of a Borrowing Request in accordance with this Section (but in any event on the same Business Day such Borrowing Request is received by the Administrative Agent (or, if received later than the time specified above, on the following Business Day)), the Administrative Agent shall advise each Lender of the details thereof and of the amount of such Lender’s Loan to be made as part of the requested Borrowing.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event shall the Borrower be permitted to request pursuant to this Section 2.03, a CBR Loan or, prior to a Benchmark Transition Event and Benchmark Replacement Date with respect to the Term SOFR Rate, an RFR Loan bearing interest based on Daily Simple SOFR (it being understood and agreed that the Daily Simple SOFR and/or a Central Bank/Prime Rate shall only apply to the extent provided in Sections 2.08(e) (solely with respect to the Central Bank/Prime Rate), 2.14(a) and 2.14(f), as applicable).
SECTION 2.04 [Reserved].
SECTION 2.05 Swingline Loans.
(a)Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, from time to time during the Availability Period, each Swingline Lender may, in such Swingline Lender’s sole discretion (and no Swingline Lender shall have any obligation to), make Swingline Loans in U.S. Dollars to the Borrower in an aggregate principal amount at any time outstanding that will not result in (i) the aggregate principal amount of outstanding Swingline Loans exceeding U.S. $75,000,000, (ii) the U.S. Dollar Amount of the total Revolving Credit Exposures exceeding the aggregate Revolving Commitments or (iii) the U.S. Dollar Amount of any Lender’s Revolving Credit Exposure exceeding its Revolving Commitment; provided that a Swingline Lender shall not be required to make a Swingline Loan to refinance an outstanding Swingline Loan. Within the foregoing limits and subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, the Borrower may borrow, prepay and reborrow Swingline Loans.
(b)To request a Swingline Loan, the Borrower shall submit a written notice to the Administrative Agent by telecopy or electronic mail (or transmit by electronic communication including an Approved Borrower Portal, if arrangements for such transmission have been approved by the Administrative Agent) not later than 12:00 noon, New York City time, on the day of a proposed Swingline Loan. Each such notice shall be in a form approved by the Administrative Agent, shall be irrevocable and shall specify the requested Swingline Lender, the requested date (which shall be a Business Day) and amount of the requested Swingline Loan. The Administrative Agent will promptly advise the Swingline Lender of any such notice received from the Borrower. The Swingline Lender shall promptly notify the Administrative Agent and the Borrower if it agrees to extend such requested Swingline Loan, which notice shall include the rate of interest payable in respect of such Swingline Loan pursuant to Section 2.13(a). Unless such Swingline Lender has received notice (by telephone or in writing) from the Administrative Agent (including at the request of any Swingline Lender) prior to the proposed Swingline Borrowing (A) directing such Swingline Lender not to make such Swingline Loan as a result of the limitations set forth in Section 2.05(a) or (B) that one or more of the applicable conditions specified in Section 4.02 is not then satisfied, then, such consenting Swingline Lender shall make the requested Swingline Loan available to the Borrower by means of a credit to the general deposit account of the Borrower with the Administrative Agent designated for such purpose (or, in the case of a Swingline Loan made to finance the reimbursement of an LC Disbursement as provided in Section 2.06(e), by remittance to the applicable Issuing Bank) by 4:00 p.m., Local Time, on the requested date of such Swingline Loan. In the event a Swingline Lender declines to extend a requested Swingline Loan, the Borrower may request that any another Swingline Lender extend the requested Swingline Loan in the manner set forth above. The Administrative Agent will promptly advise the Swingline Lenders of the making of any such Swingline Borrowing.
(c)Any Swingline Lender may by written notice given to the Administrative Agent not later than 10:00 a.m., Local Time, on any Business Day require the Revolving Lenders to acquire participations on such Business Day in all or a portion of its Swingline Loans outstanding. Such notice shall specify the aggregate amount of Swingline Loans in which the Revolving Lenders will participate. Promptly upon receipt of such notice, the Administrative Agent will give notice thereof to each Revolving Lender specifying in such notice such Lender’s Applicable Percentage of such Swingline Loan or Loans. Each Revolving Lender hereby absolutely and unconditionally agrees, promptly upon receipt of notice as provided above, to pay to the Administrative Agent, for the account of such Swingline Lender, such Lender’s Applicable Percentage of such Swingline Loan or Loans. Each Revolving Lender acknowledges and agrees that its obligations to acquire participations in Swingline Loans pursuant to this paragraph and to make payments in respect of such acquired participations are absolute and unconditional and shall not be affected by any circumstance whatsoever, including the occurrence and continuance of a Default or reduction or termination of the Commitments, and that each such payment shall be made without any offset, abatement, withholding or reduction whatsoever. Each Revolving Lender shall comply with its obligation under this paragraph by wire transfer of immediately available funds, in the same manner as provided in Section 2.07 with respect to Loans made by such Lender (and Section 2.07 shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to the payment obligations of the Lenders), and the Administrative Agent shall promptly pay to such Swingline Lender the amounts so received by it from the Revolving Lenders. The Administrative Agent shall notify the Borrower of any participations in any Swingline Loan acquired pursuant to this paragraph, and thereafter payments in respect of such Swingline Loan shall be made to the Administrative Agent and not to such Swingline Lender. Any amounts received by a Swingline Lender from the Borrower (or other party on behalf of the Borrower) in respect of a Swingline Loan after receipt by such Swingline Lender of the proceeds of a sale of participations therein shall be promptly remitted to the Administrative Agent; any such amounts received
by the Administrative Agent shall be promptly remitted by the Administrative Agent to the Revolving Lenders that shall have made their payments pursuant to this paragraph and to such Swingline Lender, as their interests may appear; provided that any such payment so remitted shall be repaid to such Swingline Lender or to the Administrative Agent, as applicable, if and to the extent such payment is required to be refunded to the Borrower for any reason. The purchase of participations in a Swingline Loan pursuant to this paragraph shall not relieve the Borrower of any default in the payment thereof.
(d)Any Swingline Lender may be replaced at any time by written agreement among the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the replaced Swingline Lender and the successor Swingline Lender. The Administrative Agent shall notify the Lenders of any such replacement of a Swingline Lender. At the time any such replacement shall become effective, the Borrower shall pay all unpaid interest accrued for the account of the replaced Swingline Lender pursuant to Section 2.13(a). From and after the effective date of any such replacement, (x) the successor Swingline Lender shall have all the rights and obligations of the replaced Swingline Lender under this Agreement with respect to Swingline Loans made thereafter and (y) references herein to the term “Swingline Lender” or “Swingline Lenders” shall be deemed to refer to such successor or to any previous Swingline Lender, or to such successor and all previous Swingline Lenders, as the context shall require. After the replacement of a Swingline Lender hereunder, the replaced Swingline Lender shall remain a party hereto and shall continue to have all the rights and obligations of a Swingline Lender under this Agreement with respect to Swingline Loans made by it prior to its replacement, but shall not be required to make additional Swingline Loans.
(e)Subject to the appointment and acceptance of a successor Swingline Lender, any Swingline Lender may resign as a Swingline Lender at any time upon thirty days’ prior written notice to the Administrative Agent, the Borrower and the Lenders, in which case, such Swingline Lender shall be replaced in accordance with Section 2.05(d) above.
(f)Swingline Lender Agreements. Unless otherwise requested by the Administrative Agent, each Swingline Lender (other than JPMorgan) shall report in writing to the Administrative Agent (i) promptly following the end of each calendar month, the aggregate amount of Swingline Loans extended by it and outstanding at the end of such month, (ii) on each Business Day on which the Borrower makes any payment under any Swingline Loan, the date of such payment under such Swingline Loan and the amount of such payment, (iii) on any Business Day on which the Borrower fails to make any payment under any Swingline Loan required to be made to such Swingline Lender on such day, the date of such failure and the amount of such payment, and (iv) on any other Business Day, such other information as the Administrative Agent shall reasonably request.
SECTION 2.06 Letters of Credit. (a) General. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, the Borrower may request the issuance of Letters of Credit denominated in Agreed Currencies for its own account and for the benefit of the Borrower or any Subsidiary thereof, in a form reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent and the applicable Issuing Bank, at any time and from time to time during the Availability Period; provided that no Issuing Bank shall be required (but may decide, in its sole discretion) to issue, amend or extend a Letter of Credit if such issuance, amendment or extension would result in more than a total of twenty (20) Letters of Credit outstanding hereunder. In the event of any inconsistency between the terms and conditions of this Agreement and the terms and conditions of any Letter of Credit Agreement, the terms and conditions of this Agreement shall control. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Issuing Bank shall have no obligation hereunder to issue, and shall not issue, any Letter of Credit the proceeds of which would be made available to any Person (i) to fund any activity or business of or with any Sanctioned Person, or in any country or territory that, at the time of such funding, is the subject of any Sanctions, (ii) in any manner that would result in a violation of any Sanctions by any party to this Agreement or (iii) in any manner that would result in a violation of one or more policies of the Issuing Bank applicable to letters of credit. Notwithstanding that
a Letter of Credit issued or outstanding hereunder supports any obligations of, or is for the account of, a Subsidiary, or states that a Subsidiary is the “account party,” “applicant,” “customer,” “instructing party,” or the like of or for such Letter of Credit, and without derogating from any rights of the applicable Issuing Bank (whether arising by contract, at law, in equity or otherwise) against such Subsidiary in respect of such Letter of Credit, the Borrower unconditionally and irrevocably agrees that, in connection with any Letter of Credit issued for the support of any Subsidiary’s obligations as provided in this paragraph, the Borrower will be fully responsible for the reimbursement of LC Disbursements in accordance with the terms hereof, the payment of interest thereon, any indemnification in connection therewith and the payment of fees due under Section 2.12(b) to the same extent as if it were the sole account party in respect of such Letter of Credit (including to reimburse any and all drawings thereunder) (the Borrower hereby irrevocably waiving any and all defenses that might otherwise be available to it as a guarantor or surety of any or all of the obligations of such a Subsidiary that is an account party in respect of any such Letter of Credit). The Borrower hereby acknowledges that the issuance of such Letters of Credit for its Subsidiaries inures to the benefit of the Borrower, and that the Borrower’s business derives substantial benefits from the businesses of such Subsidiaries.
(b)Notice of Issuance, Amendment, Renewal, Extension; Certain Conditions. To request the issuance of a Letter of Credit (or the amendment, renewal or extension of an outstanding Letter of Credit), the Borrower shall hand deliver or telecopy (or transmit by electronic communication, including an Approved Borrower Portal, if arrangements for doing so have been approved by the applicable Issuing Bank) to the applicable Issuing Bank and the Administrative Agent (at least 3 Business Days in advance of the requested date of issuance, amendment, renewal or extension) a notice requesting the issuance of a Letter of Credit, or identifying the Letter of Credit to be amended, renewed or extended, and specifying the date of issuance, amendment, renewal or extension (which shall be a Business Day), the date on which such Letter of Credit is to expire (which shall comply with paragraph (c) of this Section), the amount of such Letter of Credit, the Agreed Currency thereof, the name and address of the beneficiary thereof and such other information as shall be necessary to prepare, amend, renew or extend such Letter of Credit. If requested by the applicable Issuing Bank, the Borrower also shall submit a letter of credit application on such Issuing Bank’s standard form in connection with any request for a Letter of Credit (each a “Letter of Credit Agreement”). A Letter of Credit shall be issued, amended, renewed or extended only if (and upon issuance, amendment, renewal or extension of each Letter of Credit the Borrower shall be deemed to represent and warrant that), after giving effect to such issuance, amendment, renewal or extension (i) the LC Exposure shall not exceed U.S. $80,000,000, (ii) no Lender’s U.S. Dollar Amount of Revolving Credit Exposure shall exceed its Revolving Commitment, (iii) the U.S. Dollar Amount of the aggregate of the Revolving Credit Exposures shall not exceed the aggregate Revolving Commitments and
(iv) with respect to any Issuing Bank, the U.S. Dollar Amount of the aggregate undrawn amount of all
outstanding Letters of Credit issued by such Issuing Bank at such time plus the U.S. Dollar Amount of the aggregate amount of all LC Disbursements made by such Issuing Bank that have not yet been reimbursed by or on behalf of the Borrower at such time shall not exceed such Issuing Bank’s Issuing Bank Sublimit. Each Letter of Credit denominated in a Foreign Currency shall have an undrawn face amount of at least the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $500,000. The Borrower may, at any time and from time to time, reduce the Issuing Bank Sublimit of any Issuing Bank with the consent of such Issuing Bank; provided that the Borrower shall not reduce the Issuing Bank Sublimit of any Issuing Bank if, after giving effect of such reduction, the conditions set forth in clauses (i) through (iv) above shall not be satisfied.
An Issuing Bank shall not be under any obligation to issue, amend or extend any Letter of Credit
if:
(i)any order, judgment or decree of any Governmental Authority or arbitrator shall by its terms purport to enjoin or restrain such Issuing Bank from issuing, amending or extending
such Letter of Credit, or request that such Issuing Bank refrain from issuing, amending or extending such Letter of Credit, or any law applicable to such Issuing Bank shall prohibit, the issuance, amendment or extension of letters of credit generally or such Letter of Credit in particular, or any such order, judgment or decree, or law shall impose upon such Issuing Bank with respect to such Letter of Credit any restriction, reserve or capital or liquidity requirement (for which such Issuing Bank is not otherwise compensated hereunder) not in effect on the Effective Date, or shall impose upon such Issuing Bank any unreimbursed loss, cost or expense that was not applicable on the Effective Date and that such Issuing Bank in good faith deems material to it; or
(ii)the issuance, amendment or extension of such Letter of Credit would violate one or more policies of such Issuing Bank applicable to letters of credit generally.
(c)Expiration Date. Each Letter of Credit shall expire (or be subject to termination by notice from the applicable Issuing Bank to the beneficiary thereof) at or prior to the close of business on the earlier of (i) the date one year after the date of the issuance of such Letter of Credit (or, in the case of any renewal or extension thereof, one year after such renewal or extension) and (ii) the date that is five
(5) Business Days prior to the Extended Maturity Date; provided, however, that a Letter of Credit may expire subsequent to the Extended Maturity Date (but in no event later than one (1) year after the Extended Maturity Date) if, no later than 90 days prior to the Extended Maturity Date, the Borrower deposits with the Administrative Agent such amounts (to cover such obligations in connection with the applicable Letter of Credit) as required by Section 2.06(j).
(d)Participations. By the issuance of a Letter of Credit (or an amendment to a Letter of Credit increasing the amount or extending the term thereof) and without any further action on the part of the applicable Issuing Bank or the Revolving Lenders, such Issuing Bank hereby grants to each Revolving Lender, and each Revolving Lender hereby acquires from such Issuing Bank, a participation in such Letter of Credit equal to such Lender’s Applicable Percentage of the U.S. Dollar Amount available to be drawn under such Letter of Credit. In consideration and in furtherance of the foregoing, each Revolving Lender hereby absolutely and unconditionally agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent, for the account of the applicable Issuing Bank, such Lender’s Applicable Percentage of each LC Disbursement made by such Issuing Bank and not reimbursed by the Borrower on the date due as provided in paragraph (e) of this Section, or of any reimbursement payment required to be refunded to the Borrower for any reason. Each Revolving Lender acknowledges and agrees that its obligations to acquire participations pursuant to this paragraph in respect of Letters of Credit and to make payments in respect of such acquired participations are absolute and unconditional and shall not be affected by any circumstance whatsoever, including any amendment, renewal or extension of any Letter of Credit or the occurrence and continuance of a Default or reduction or termination of the Commitments, and that each such payment shall be made without any offset, abatement, withholding or reduction whatsoever.
(e)Reimbursement. If an Issuing Bank shall make any LC Disbursement in respect of a Letter of Credit, the Borrower shall reimburse such LC Disbursement by paying to the Administrative Agent an amount, in U.S. Dollars, equal to the U.S. Dollar Amount of such LC Disbursement, calculated as of the date such Issuing Bank made such LC Disbursement (or if such Issuing Bank shall so elect in its sole discretion by notice to the Borrower, in such other Agreed Currency which was paid by such Issuing Bank pursuant to such LC Disbursement in an amount equal to such LC Disbursement) not later than 12:00 noon, Local Time, on the date that such LC Disbursement is made, if the Borrower shall have received notice of such LC Disbursement prior to 10:00 a.m., Local Time, on such date, or, if such notice has not been received by the Borrower prior to such time on such date, then not later than 12:00 noon, Local Time, on (i) the Business Day that the Borrower receives such notice, if such notice is received prior to 10:00 a.m., Local Time, on the day of receipt, or (ii) the Business Day immediately following the
day that the Borrower receives such notice, if such notice is not received prior to such time on the day of receipt; provided that, if such LC Disbursement is not less than the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S.
$500,000, the Borrower may, subject to the conditions to borrowing set forth herein, request in accordance with Section 2.03 or 2.05 that such payment be financed with an ABR Revolving Borrowing or Swingline Loan in the U.S. Dollar Amount of such LC Disbursement and, to the extent so financed, the Borrower’s obligation to make such payment shall be discharged and replaced by the resulting ABR Revolving Borrowing or Swingline Loan, as applicable. If the Borrower fails to make such payment when due, the Administrative Agent shall notify each Revolving Lender of the applicable LC Disbursement of the payment then due from the Borrower in respect thereof and such Revolving Lender’s Applicable Percentage thereof. Promptly following receipt of such notice, each Revolving Lender shall pay to the Administrative Agent an amount, in U.S. Dollars, equal to the U.S. Dollar Amount of its Applicable Percentage of the payment then due from the Borrower, in the same manner as provided in Section 2.07 with respect to Loans made by such Revolving Lender (and Section 2.07 shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to the payment obligations of the Revolving Lenders), and the Administrative Agent shall promptly pay to such Issuing Bank the amounts so received by it from the Revolving Lenders. Promptly following receipt by the Administrative Agent of any payment from the Borrower pursuant to this paragraph, the Administrative Agent shall distribute such payment to the applicable Issuing Bank or, to the extent that Revolving Lenders have made payments pursuant to this paragraph to reimburse such Issuing Bank, then to such Lenders and such Issuing Bank as their interests may appear. Any payment made by a Revolving Lender pursuant to this paragraph to reimburse an Issuing Bank for any LC Disbursement (other than the funding of ABR Revolving Loans or Swingline Loans as contemplated above) shall not constitute a Loan and shall not relieve the Borrower of its obligation to reimburse such LC Disbursement. If the Borrower’s reimbursement of, or obligation to reimburse, any amounts in any Foreign Currency would subject the Administrative Agent, any Issuing Bank or any Lender to any stamp duty, ad valorem charge or similar tax that would not be payable if such reimbursement were made or required to be made in U.S. Dollars, the Borrower shall, at its option, either
(x) pay the amount of any such tax requested by the Administrative Agent, the relevant Issuing Bank or
the relevant Lender or (y) reimburse each LC Disbursement made in such Foreign Currency in U.S. Dollars, in an amount equal to the U.S. Dollar Amount, calculated using the applicable Exchange Rate on the date such LC Disbursement is made, of such LC Disbursement.
(f)Obligations Absolute. The Borrower’s obligation to reimburse LC Disbursements as provided in paragraph (e) of this Section shall be absolute, unconditional and irrevocable, and shall be performed strictly in accordance with the terms of this Agreement under any and all circumstances whatsoever and irrespective of (i) any lack of validity or enforceability of any Letter of Credit, any Letter of Credit Agreement or this Agreement, or any term or provision therein, (ii) any draft or other document presented under a Letter of Credit proving to be forged, fraudulent or invalid in any respect or any statement therein being untrue or inaccurate in any respect, (iii) payment by an Issuing Bank under a Letter of Credit against presentation of a draft or other document that does not comply with the terms of such Letter of Credit, (iv) any other event or circumstance whatsoever, whether or not similar to any of the foregoing, that might, but for the provisions of this Section, constitute a legal or equitable discharge of, or provide a right of setoff against, the Borrower’s obligations hereunder or (v) any adverse change in the relevant exchange rates or in the availability of the relevant Foreign Currency to the Borrower or any Subsidiary or in the relevant currency markets generally. Neither the Administrative Agent, the Revolving Lenders nor the Issuing Banks, nor any of their respective Related Parties, shall have any liability or responsibility by reason of or in connection with the issuance or transfer of any Letter of Credit or any payment or failure to make any payment thereunder (irrespective of any of the circumstances referred to in the preceding sentence), or any error, omission, interruption, loss or delay in transmission or delivery of any draft, document, notice or other communication under or relating to any Letter of Credit (including any document required to make a drawing thereunder), any error in interpretation of technical terms, any error in translation or any consequence arising from causes beyond
the control of the applicable Issuing Bank; provided that the foregoing shall not be construed to excuse such Issuing Bank from liability to the Borrower to the extent of any direct damages (as opposed to special, indirect, consequential or punitive damages, claims in respect of which are hereby waived by the Borrower to the extent permitted by applicable law) suffered by the Borrower that are caused by such Issuing Bank’s failure to exercise care when determining whether drafts and other documents presented under a Letter of Credit comply with the terms thereof. The parties hereto expressly agree that, in the absence of gross negligence or willful misconduct on the part of an Issuing Bank (as finally determined by a court of competent jurisdiction), such Issuing Bank shall be deemed to have exercised care in each such determination. In furtherance of the foregoing and without limiting the generality thereof, the parties agree that, with respect to documents presented which appear on their face to be in substantial compliance with the terms of a Letter of Credit, the applicable Issuing Bank may, in its sole discretion, either accept and make payment upon such documents without responsibility for further investigation, regardless of any notice or information to the contrary, or refuse to accept and make payment upon such documents if such documents are not in strict compliance with the terms of such Letter of Credit.
(g)Disbursement Procedures. Each Issuing Bank for any Letter of Credit shall, within the time allowed by applicable law or the specific terms of the Letter of Credit following its receipt thereof, examine all documents purporting to represent a demand for payment under a Letter of Credit. Such Issuing Bank shall promptly after such examination notify the Administrative Agent and the Borrower by telephone (confirmed by telecopy or electronic mail) of such demand for payment and whether such Issuing Bank has made or will make an LC Disbursement thereunder; provided that such notice need not be given prior to payment by the applicable Issuing Bank and any failure to give or delay in giving such notice shall not relieve the Borrower of its obligation to reimburse such Issuing Bank and the Revolving Lenders with respect to any such LC Disbursement.
(h)Interim Interest. If an Issuing Bank shall make any LC Disbursement, then, unless the Borrower shall reimburse such LC Disbursement in full on the date such LC Disbursement is made, the unpaid amount thereof shall bear interest, for each day from and including the date such LC Disbursement is made to but excluding the date that the Borrower reimburses such LC Disbursement, at the rate per annum then applicable to Extended ABR Revolving Loans (or in case such LC Disbursement is denominated in a Foreign Currency, at the applicable Overnight Rate for such Agreed Currency plus the then effective Applicable Margin with respect to Extended Term Benchmark Loans) and such interest shall be due and payable on the date when such reimbursement is payable; provided that, if the Borrower fails to reimburse such LC Disbursement when due pursuant to paragraph (e) of this Section, then Section 2.13(c) shall apply. Interest accrued pursuant to this paragraph shall be for the account of the applicable Issuing Bank, except that interest accrued on and after the date of payment by any Lender pursuant to paragraph (e) of this Section to reimburse such Issuing Bank shall be for the account of such Lender to the extent of such payment.
(i)Replacement and Resignation of Issuing Bank.
(i)An Issuing Bank may be replaced at any time by written agreement among the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the replaced Issuing Bank and the successor Issuing Bank. The Administrative Agent shall notify the Revolving Lenders of any such replacement of such Issuing Bank. At the time any such replacement shall become effective, the Borrower shall pay all unpaid fees accrued for the account of the replaced Issuing Bank pursuant to Section 2.12(b). From and after the effective date of any such replacement, (i) the successor Issuing Bank shall have all the rights and obligations of an Issuing Bank under this Agreement with respect to Letters of Credit to be issued thereafter and (ii) references herein to the term “Issuing Bank” shall be deemed to refer to such successor or to any previous Issuing Bank, or to such successor and all previous Issuing Banks, as the context shall require. After the replacement of an Issuing
Bank hereunder, the replaced Issuing Bank shall remain a party hereto and shall continue to have all the rights and obligations of an Issuing Bank under this Agreement with respect to Letters of Credit then outstanding and issued by it prior to such replacement, but shall not be required to issue additional Letters of Credit or extend or otherwise amend any existing Letter of Credit.
(ii)Subject to the requirements set forth in the definition of “Issuing Bank Sublimit” and the appointment and acceptance of a successor Issuing Bank, any Issuing Bank may resign as an Issuing Bank at any time upon thirty days’ prior written notice to the Administrative Agent, the Borrower and the Lenders, in which case, such resigning Issuing Bank shall be replaced in accordance with Section 2.06(i)(i) above.
(j)Cash Collateralization. If any Event of Default shall occur and be continuing, on the Business Day that the Borrower receives notice from the Administrative Agent or the Required Lenders (or, if the maturity of the Loans has been accelerated, Revolving Lenders with LC Exposure representing greater than 50% of the total LC Exposure) demanding the deposit of cash collateral pursuant to this paragraph, the Borrower shall deposit in one or more accounts with the Administrative Agent, in the name of the Administrative Agent and for the benefit of the Revolving Lenders (the “LC Collateral Account”), an amount in cash equal to 105% of the U.S. Dollar Amount of the LC Exposure as of such date plus any accrued and unpaid interest thereon; provided that (i) the portions of such amount attributable to undrawn Foreign Currency Letters of Credit or LC Disbursements in a Foreign Currency that the Borrower is not late in reimbursing shall be deposited in the applicable Foreign Currencies in the actual amounts of such undrawn Letters of Credit and LC Disbursements and (ii) the obligation to deposit such cash collateral shall become effective immediately, and such deposit shall become immediately due and payable, without demand or other notice of any kind, upon the occurrence of any Event of Default with respect to the Borrower described in Section 7.01(h) or (i). For purposes of this paragraph, Foreign Currency LC Exposure shall be calculated using the applicable Exchange Rate on the date notice demanding cash collateralization is delivered to the Borrower. The Borrower also shall deposit cash collateral pursuant to this paragraph as and to the extent required by Section 2.11. Such deposit shall be held by the Administrative Agent as collateral for the payment and performance of the Secured Obligations. The Administrative Agent shall have exclusive dominion and control, including the exclusive right of withdrawal, over such account and the Borrower hereby grants the Administrative Agent a security interest in the LC Collateral Account. Other than any interest earned on the investment of such deposits, which investments shall be made at the option and sole discretion of the Administrative Agent and at the Borrower’s risk and expense, such deposits shall not bear interest. Interest or profits, if any, on such investments shall accumulate in such account. Moneys in such account shall be applied by the Administrative Agent to reimburse the applicable Issuing Bank for LC Disbursements for which it has not been reimbursed, together with related fees, costs and customary processing charges, and, to the extent not so applied, shall be held for the satisfaction of the reimbursement obligations of the Borrower for the LC Exposure at such time or, if the maturity of the Loans has been accelerated (but subject to the consent of Revolving Lenders with LC Exposure representing greater than 50% of the total LC Exposure), be applied to satisfy other Secured Obligations. If the Borrower is required to provide an amount of cash collateral hereunder as a result of the occurrence of an Event of Default, such amount (to the extent not applied as aforesaid) shall be returned to the Borrower within three (3) Business Days after all Events of Default have been cured or waived. If a Letter of Credit is cash collateralized under Section 2.06(c), the foregoing collateralization requirements shall be required to be satisfied in respect of such Letter of Credit. In addition, and without limiting the foregoing or paragraph (c) of this Section, if any LC Exposure remains outstanding after the expiration date specified in said paragraph (c) or if cash collateral is otherwise required by the terms of Section 2.06(c), the Borrower shall immediately deposit into the Collateral Account an amount in cash (as provided above) equal to 105% of the U.S. Dollar Amount of such LC Exposure as of such date plus any accrued and unpaid interest thereon.
(k)Intentionally Omitted.
(l)Conversion. In the event that the Loans become immediately due and payable on any date pursuant to Section 7.01, all amounts (i) that the Borrower is at the time or thereafter becomes required to reimburse or otherwise pay to the Administrative Agent in respect of LC Disbursements made under any Foreign Currency Letter of Credit (other than amounts in respect of which the Borrower has deposited cash collateral pursuant to paragraph (j) above, if such cash collateral was deposited in the applicable Foreign Currency to the extent so deposited or applied), (ii) that the Lenders are at the time or thereafter become required to pay to the Administrative Agent and the Administrative Agent is at the time or thereafter becomes required to distribute to an Issuing Bank pursuant to paragraph (e) of this Section in respect of unreimbursed LC Disbursements made under any Foreign Currency Letter of Credit and (iii) of each Lender’s participation in any Foreign Currency Letter of Credit under which an LC Disbursement has been made shall, automatically and with no further action required, be converted into the U.S. Dollar Amount, calculated using the Exchange Rates on such date (or in the case of any LC Disbursement made after such date, on the date such LC Disbursement is made), of such amounts. On and after such conversion, all amounts accruing and owed to the Administrative Agent, any Issuing Bank or any Lender in respect of the obligations described in this paragraph shall accrue and be payable in
U.S. Dollars at the rates otherwise applicable hereunder.
(m)Issuing Bank Agreements. Unless otherwise requested by the Administrative Agent, each Issuing Bank shall report in writing to the Administrative Agent (i) promptly following the end of each calendar month, the aggregate amount of Letters of Credit issued by it and outstanding at the end of such month, (ii) on or prior to each Business Day on which such Issuing Bank expects to issue, amend, renew or extend any Letter of Credit, the date of such issuance, amendment, renewal or extension, and the aggregate face amount of the Letter of Credit to be issued, amended, renewed or extended by it and outstanding after giving effect to such issuance, amendment, renewal or extension occurred (and whether the amount thereof changed), it being understood that such Issuing Bank shall not permit any issuance, renewal, extension or amendment resulting in an increase in the amount of any Letter of Credit to occur without first obtaining written confirmation from the Administrative Agent that it is then permitted under this Agreement, (iii) on each Business Day on which such Issuing Bank makes any payment under any Letter of Credit, the date of such payment under such Letter of Credit and the amount of such payment,
(iv) on any Business Day on which the Borrower fails to reimburse any payment under any Letter of Credit required to be reimbursed to such Issuing Bank on such day, the date of such failure and the amount of such payment and (v) on any other Business Day, such other information as the Administrative Agent shall reasonably request.
SECTION 2.07 Funding of Borrowings. (a) Each Lender shall make each Loan to be made by it hereunder on the proposed date thereof solely by wire transfer of immediately available funds, by 12:00 noon, New York City time, to the account of the Administrative Agent most recently designated by it for such purpose by notice to the Lenders; provided that Swingline Loans shall be made as provided in Section 2.05. Except in respect of the provisions of this Agreement covering the reimbursement of Letters of Credit, the Administrative Agent will make such Loans available to the Borrower by promptly crediting the funds so received in the aforesaid account of the Administrative Agent, to an account of the Borrower maintained with the Administrative Agent in New York City and designated by the Borrower in the applicable Borrowing Request; provided that ABR Revolving Loans made to finance the reimbursement of an LC Disbursement as provided in Section 2.06(e) shall be remitted by the Administrative Agent to the applicable Issuing Bank.
(b) Unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice from a Lender prior to the proposed date of any Borrowing that such Lender will not make available to the Administrative Agent such Lender’s share of such Borrowing, the Administrative Agent may assume that such Lender has
made such share available on such date in accordance with paragraph (a) of this Section and may, in reliance upon such assumption, make available to the Borrower a corresponding amount. In such event, if a Lender has not in fact made its share of the applicable Borrowing available to the Administrative Agent, then the applicable Lender and the Borrower severally agree to pay to the Administrative Agent forthwith on demand such corresponding amount with interest thereon, for each day from and including the date such amount is made available to the Borrower to but excluding the date of payment to the Administrative Agent, at (i) in the case of such Lender, the greater of the applicable Overnight Rate and a rate determined by the Administrative Agent in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank compensation or (ii) in the case of the Borrower, the interest rate applicable to Extended ABR Loans, or in the case of Foreign Currencies, in accordance with such market practice, in each case, as applicable. If such Lender pays such amount to the Administrative Agent, then such amount shall constitute such Lender’s Loan included in such Borrowing.
SECTION 2.08 Interest Elections. (a) Each Borrowing initially shall be of the Type and Agreed Currency specified in the applicable Borrowing Request and, in the case of a Term Benchmark Borrowing, shall have an initial Interest Period as specified in such Borrowing Request. Thereafter, the Borrower may elect to convert such Borrowing to a different Type or to continue such Borrowing and, in the case of a Term Benchmark Borrowing, may elect Interest Periods therefor, all as provided in this Section. The Borrower may elect different options with respect to different portions of the affected Borrowing, in which case each such portion shall be allocated ratably among the Lenders holding the Loans comprising such Borrowing, and the Loans comprising each such portion shall be considered a separate Borrowing. This Section shall not apply to Swingline Borrowings, which may not be converted or continued.
(b)To make an election pursuant to this Section, the Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent of such election by delivery to the Administrative Agent of an Interest Election Request by the time that a Borrowing Request would be required under Section 2.03 if the Borrower were requesting a Borrowing of the Type resulting from such election to be made on the effective date of such election. Each such Interest Election Request shall be irrevocable and shall be signed by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower; provided that, if such Interest Election Request is submitted through an Approved Borrower Portal, the foregoing signature requirement may be waived at the sole discretion of the Administrative Agent. Notwithstanding any contrary provision herein, this Section shall not be construed to permit the Borrower to (i) change the currency or Class of any Borrowing, (ii) elect an Interest Period for Term Benchmark Loans that does not comply with Section 2.02(d), (iii) convert any Borrowing to a Borrowing of a Type not available under the Class of commitments pursuant to which such Borrowing was made or (iv) notwithstanding the foregoing, in no event shall the Borrower be permitted to request pursuant to this Section 2.08 a CBR Loan or, prior to a Benchmark Transition Event and Benchmark Replacement Date with respect to the Term SOFR Rate, an RFR Loan bearing interest based on Daily Simple SOFR (it being understood and agreed that a Central Bank/Prime Rate and Daily Simple SOFR shall only apply to the extent provided in Sections 2.08(e) (solely with respect to the Central Bank/Prime Rate), 2.14(a) and 2.14(f), as applicable).
(c)Each Interest Election Request shall specify the following information in compliance with Section 2.02:
(i)the Agreed Currency and principal amount of Borrowing to which such Interest Election Request applies and, if different options are being elected with respect to different portions thereof, the portions thereof to be allocated to each resulting Borrowing (in which case the information to be specified pursuant to clauses (iii) and (iv) below shall be specified for each resulting Borrowing);
(ii)the effective date of the election made pursuant to such Interest Election Request, which shall be a Business Day;
(iii)whether the resulting Borrowing is to be an ABR Borrowing (in the case of Borrowings denominated in U.S. Dollars), RFR Borrowing or a Term Benchmark Borrowing; and
(iv)if the resulting Borrowing is a Term Benchmark Borrowing, the Interest Period to be applicable thereto after giving effect to such election, which Interest Period shall be a period contemplated by the definition of the term “Interest Period”.
If any such Interest Election Request requests a Term Benchmark Borrowing but does not specify an Interest Period, then the Borrower shall be deemed to have selected an Interest Period of one month’s duration, as applicable.
(d)Promptly following receipt of an Interest Election Request, the Administrative Agent shall advise each Lender of the details thereof and of such Lender’s portion of each resulting Borrowing.
(e)If the Borrower fails to deliver a timely Interest Election Request with respect to a Term Benchmark Borrowing prior to the end of the Interest Period applicable thereto, then, unless such Borrowing is repaid as provided herein, at the end of such Interest Period (i) in the case of a Borrowing denominated in U.S. Dollars, such Borrowing shall be continued as a Term Benchmark Borrowing with a one-month Interest Period, if Term Benchmark Borrowings are then available; otherwise it shall be converted to a ABR Borrowing, and (ii) in the case of a Borrowing denominated in a Foreign Currency, such Borrowing shall automatically continue as a Term Benchmark Borrowing in the same Agreed Currency with an Interest Period of one month. Notwithstanding any contrary provision hereof, if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing and the Administrative Agent, at the request of the Required Lenders, so notifies the Borrower, then, so long as an Event of Default is continuing (i) no outstanding Borrowing may be converted to or continued as a Term Benchmark Borrowing or an RFR Borrowing and (ii) unless repaid, (x)(A) each Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in Dollars shall be converted to an ABR Borrowing at the end of the Interest Period applicable thereto and (B) each RFR Borrowing denominated in Dollars shall be converted to an ABR Borrowing immediately and (y) each Term Benchmark Borrowing and each RFR Borrowing, in each case denominated in a Foreign Currency shall bear interest at the Central Bank/Prime Rate for the applicable Agreed Currency plus the CBR Spread; provided that, if the Administrative Agent determines (which determination shall be conclusive and binding absent manifest error) that the Central Bank/Prime Rate for the applicable Agreed Currency cannot be determined, any outstanding affected Term Benchmark Loans denominated in any Agreed Currency other than U.S. Dollars shall either be (A) converted to an ABR Borrowing denominated in
U.S. Dollars (in an amount equal to the U.S. Dollar Amount of such Foreign Currency) at the end of the
Interest Period, as applicable, therefor or (B) prepaid at the end of the applicable Interest Period, as applicable, in full; provided that if no election is made by the Borrower by the earlier of (x) the date that is three Business Days after receipt by the Borrower of such notice and (y) the last day of the current Interest Period for the applicable Term Benchmark Loan, the Borrower shall be deemed to have elected clause (A) above.
SECTION 2.09 Termination and Reduction of Commitments. (a) Unless previously terminated, (i) the Non-Extended Revolving Commitments shall terminate on the Non-Extended Maturity Date and (ii) the Extended Revolving Commitments shall terminate on the Extended Maturity Date. For the avoidance of doubt, as of the Amendment No. 910 Effective Date, all commitments in respect of Term A Loans have terminated.
(b)The Borrower may at any time terminate, or from time to time reduce, the Revolving Commitments; provided that (i) each reduction of the Revolving Commitments shall be in an amount that is an integral multiple of the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $1,000,000 and not less than the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $5,000,000 and (ii) the Borrower shall not terminate or reduce the Revolving Commitments if, after giving effect to any concurrent prepayment of the Revolving Loans in accordance with Section 2.11, the U.S. Dollar Amount of the Revolving Credit Exposures would exceed the aggregate of the Revolving Commitments.
(c)The Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent of any election to terminate or reduce the Revolving Commitments under paragraph (b) of this Section at least three (3) Business Days prior to the effective date of such termination or reduction, specifying such election and the effective date thereof. Promptly following receipt of any notice, the Administrative Agent shall advise the applicable Lenders of the contents thereof. Each notice delivered by the Borrower pursuant to this Section shall be irrevocable; provided that a notice of termination of the Commitments delivered by the Borrower may state that such notice is conditioned upon the effectiveness of other credit facilities or other transactions specified therein, in which case such notice may be revoked by the Borrower (by notice to the Administrative Agent on or prior to the specified effective date) if such condition is not satisfied. Any termination or reduction of the Commitments shall be permanent. Except as provided in Section 2.09(a), each reduction of the Revolving Commitments under this Agreement shall be made ratably among all of the Revolving Lenders in accordance with their respective Revolving Commitments.
(d)The aggregate of the Revolving Commitments shall be permanently and ratably reduced by the amount of each prepayment required to be made in respect of Revolving Loans, LC Exposure and/or Swingline Loans under Section 2.11(b)(iii). Each such commitment reduction shall occur concurrently with the applicable prepayment giving rise thereto.
SECTION 2.10 Repayment and Amortization of Loans; Evidence of Debt.
(a)The Borrower hereby unconditionally promises to pay:
(i)to the Administrative Agent on the Non-Extended Maturity Date (x) for the account of the Non-Extended Revolving Lenders (A) the then unpaid principal amount of each Non-Extended Revolving Loan in the currency of such Loan, (B) all accrued and unpaid interest in respect of any Non-Extended Revolving Loans, (C) all accrued and unpaid Commitment Fees and participation fees in respect of any Non-Extended Revolving Commitments or Revolving Credit Exposure of any Non-Extended Revolving Lender, and (D) all other Obligations owing to the Non-Extended Revolving Lenders in respect of any Revolving Credit Exposure of such Lenders, and (y) for the account of the applicable Lenders, all unreimbursed participations and LC Disbursements in respect of Letters of Credit and Swingline Loans actually funded by any of the Revolving Lenders;
(ii)to the Administrative Agent for the account of the Extended Revolving Lenders on the Extended Maturity Date, the then unpaid principal amount of each Extended Revolving Loan in the currency of such Loan, together with all other outstanding or accrued and unpaid Obligations; and
(iii)to the Administrative Agent for the account of the applicable Swingline Lender, the then unpaid principal amount of each Swingline Loan (A) on each Maturity Date and (B) to the extent the aggregate outstanding principal amount of all Swingline Loans exceeds the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $10,000,000, on the first date after the applicable Swingline Loan is made that is the 15th or last day of a calendar month and is at least two (2) Business Days after such
Swingline Loan is made; provided that on each date that a Revolving Borrowing is made, the Borrower shall repay all Swingline Loans then outstanding and the proceeds of any such Borrowing shall be applied by the Administrative Agent to repay any Swingline Loans outstanding.
(b)The Borrower shall repay the Term A Loans of each Class on the last day of each applicable Fiscal Quarter and in such amounts as set forth opposite each such Fiscal Quarter for such Class of Term A Loan on Schedule 2.10 (subject to adjustment pursuant to Section 2.11 as a result of prepayments). To the extent not previously paid, the Borrower hereby irrevocably and unconditionally promises to pay (i) to the Administrative Agent for the account of the Non-Extended Term A Loan Lenders, all unpaid Non-Extended Term A Loans in U.S. Dollars on the Non-Extended Maturity Date and (ii) to the Administrative Agent for the account of the Extended Term A Loan Lenders, all unpaid Extended Term A Loans in U.S. Dollars on the Extended Maturity Date, in each case, together with any outstanding or accrued and unpaid Obligations owing to such Class of Term Loan Lender.
(c)Each Lender shall maintain in accordance with its usual practice an account or accounts evidencing the indebtedness of the Borrower to such Lender resulting from each Loan made by such Lender, including the amounts of principal and interest payable and paid to such Lender from time to time hereunder.
(d)The Administrative Agent shall maintain accounts in which it shall record (i) the amount of each Loan made hereunder, the Class, the Agreed Currency and Type thereof and the Interest Period applicable thereto, (ii) the amount of any principal or interest due and payable or to become due and payable from the Borrower to each Lender hereunder and (iii) the amount of any sum received by the Administrative Agent hereunder for the account of the Lenders and each Lender’s share thereof.
(e)The entries made in the accounts maintained pursuant to paragraph (c) or (d) of this Section shall be prima facie evidence of the existence and amounts of the obligations recorded therein; provided that the failure of any Lender or the Administrative Agent to maintain such accounts or any error therein shall not in any manner affect the obligation of the Borrower to repay the Loans in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.
(f)Any Lender may request that Loans made by it be evidenced by a promissory note. In such event, the Borrower shall prepare, execute and deliver to such Lender a promissory note payable to the order of such Lender (or, if requested by such Lender, to such Lender and its registered assigns) and in a form approved by the Borrower and the Administrative Agent (with the form attached hereto as Exhibit H being so approved). Thereafter, the Loans evidenced by such promissory note and interest thereon shall at all times (including after assignment pursuant to Section 9.04) be represented by one or more promissory notes in such form payable to the order of the payee named therein (or, if such promissory note is a registered note, to such payee and its registered assigns).
(g)On the Non-Extended Maturity Date, in addition to the payments required under Sections 2.10(a) and (b):
(i)the Borrower shall pay to each Extended Revolving Lender all accrued and unpaid participation fees owing to any Extended Revolving Lender as of such date;
(ii)all of the LC Exposure of Non-Extended Revolving Lenders shall be reallocated among the Extended Revolving Lenders in accordance with their respective Applicable Percentages, but only to the extent the sum of the U.S. Dollar Amount of all Extended Revolving
Lenders’ Revolving Credit Exposures does not exceed the aggregate Extended Revolving Commitments; and
(iii)if the reallocation described in clause (g)(ii) above cannot, or can only partially, be effected, the Borrower shall within one (1) Business Day following notice by the Administrative Agent cash collateralize, for the benefit of the Issuing Banks only, the Borrower’s obligations corresponding to such LC Exposure (in each case after giving effect to any partial reallocation pursuant to clause (g)(ii) above) in accordance with the procedures set forth in Section 2.06(j) for so long as such LC Exposure is outstanding.
SECTION 2.11 Prepayment of Loans.
(a)Subject to Section 2.11(e), in the event and on each occasion that the U.S. Dollar Amount of the aggregate Revolving Credit Exposures of all Lenders exceeds the aggregate of the Revolving Commitments (including, without limitation, as a result of the occurrence of the Non-Extended Maturity Date or any reallocation of Revolving Credit Exposures in connection therewith), then the Borrower shall prepay the Revolving Loans, LC Exposure and/or Swingline Loans in such amount equal to the excess (or, if applicable, cash collateralize LC Exposure in a manner acceptable to the Administrative Agent). In the event and on each occasion that the aggregate Swingline Exposures of all Swingline Lenders exceeds U.S. $75,000,000, then the Borrower shall prepay the Swingline Loans in such amount equal to the excess.
(b)Subject to the remainder of this Section 2.11, the Borrower shall immediately prepay the Term Loans as follows:
(i)upon the occurrence of a Prepayment Event described in clause (a) or (b) of the definition of “Prepayment Event”, if, at the time thereof or after giving effect thereto on a Pro Forma Basis, the Total Leverage Ratio is or will be greater than 3.00 to 1.00, 100% of the Net Proceeds of such Prepayment Event shall be applied to prepay the Term Loans; provided, however, that the Asset Sale Allowance shall not be required to be paid under this Section 2.11(b); provided, further, that if the Asset Sale Allowance is fully utilized in a Fiscal Year, an amount of additional Net Proceeds resulting under clause (a) of the definition of “Prepayment Event” not in excess of the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $2,000,000 may be retained by the Loan Parties and the Restricted Subsidiaries during such Fiscal Year and not applied pursuant to this Section 2.11(b);
(ii)upon the occurrence of a Prepayment Event described in clause (c) of the definition of “Prepayment Event”, the then applicable Free Cash Flow Percentage of such Free Cash Flow shall be paid on the applicable Free Cash Flow Prepayment Date (with such prepayment, if any, being accompanied by a certification signed by a Financial Officer of the Borrower certifying the manner in which Free Cash Flow and the resulting prepayment were calculated, which certification shall be in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to Administrative Agent);
all such amounts payable pursuant to the foregoing clauses (b)(i) and (ii) shall be applied, subject to Section 2.11(g), first ratably to all scheduled Term A Loan principal payments required to be made during the immediately succeeding four Fiscal Quarters following the applicable Prepayment Event (including on any Maturity Date) (with such Net Proceeds being applied ratably across all such scheduled Term Loan principal payments), and second ratably to all remaining outstanding Term A Loans ratably across all remaining scheduled principal payments therefor (including any Maturity Date). The Borrower shall provide the Administrative Agent with written notice (in form and substance reasonably acceptable
to the Administrative Agent) as of the applicable repayment date scheduling the Senior Secured Indebtedness so repaid, including, without limitation, the actual amounts applied to each item of Senior Secured Indebtedness. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the case of any event described in clause (a) or
(b) of the definition of the term “Prepayment Event”, if the Borrower shall deliver to the Administrative Agent a certificate of a Financial Officer to the effect that the relevant Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary in respect thereof intends to apply the Net Proceeds from such event (or a portion thereof specified in such certificate), within the Reinvestment Period, to acquire (or replace or rebuild) real property, equipment or other tangible assets (excluding inventory) to be used in the business of the Loan Parties or Restricted Subsidiaries, and certifying that no Default has occurred and its continuing, then no prepayment shall be required pursuant to Section 2.11(b)(i) in respect of the Net Proceeds specified in such certificate; and (y) to the extent any of such Net Proceeds have not been so applied by the end of the Reinvestment Period, a prepayment shall be required to be made at the end of such Reinvestment Period in an amount equal to those Net Proceeds that have not been so applied;
(iii)upon the occurrence of a Prepayment Event described in clause (d) of the definition of “Prepayment Event”, (A) if, at the time thereof or after giving effect thereto on a Pro Forma Basis, the Total Leverage Ratio is or will be greater than (or, in the case of Indebtedness incurred in reliance on Section 6.01(n), greater than or equal to) 3.00 to 1.00, the Borrower shall prepay the Secured Obligations with 100% of the Net Proceeds of such Prepayment Event or (B) if, at the time thereof or after giving effect thereto on a Pro Forma Basis, the Total Leverage Ratio is or will be less than 3.00 to 1.00, the Borrower shall prepay the Secured Obligations with 50% of the Net Proceeds of such Prepayment Event arising from the incurrence of Indebtedness in reliance on Section 6.01(n), in each case, as follows: first ratably to all scheduled Term Loan principal payments required to be made during the immediately succeeding four Fiscal Quarters following the incurrence of such Indebtedness (including on any Maturity Date) (with such Net Proceeds being applied ratably across all such scheduled Term Loan principal payments), second ratably to all remaining outstanding Term Loans ratably across all remaining scheduled principal payments therefor (including any Maturity Date) (with the understanding that amounts shall be applied chronologically beginning with the first such Maturity Date and ending with the last Maturity Date); third to all then outstanding Swingline Loans; fourth ratably to all then outstanding Revolving Loans; and fifth, to cash collateralize LC Exposure in an account with the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 2.06(j) (in the case of the foregoing clauses third, fourth and fifth, with a corresponding permanent reduction of the Revolving Commitments of all Revolving Lenders as contemplated by Section 2.09(d)); and
(iv)upon the occurrence of a Prepayment Event described in clause (e) of the definition of “Prepayment Event”, if, at the time thereof or after giving effect thereto on a Pro Forma Basis, the Total Leverage Ratio is or will be greater than 3.00 to 1.00, the Borrower shall prepay the Secured Obligations with 100% of the Net Proceeds of such Prepayment Event as follows: first ratably to all scheduled Term Loan principal payments required to be made during the immediately succeeding four Fiscal Quarters following the date on which the applicable Sale and Leaseback Transaction giving rise to such Net Proceeds is consummated (with such Net Proceeds being applied ratably across all such scheduled Term Loan principal payments), and second ratably to all remaining outstanding Term Loans ratably across all remaining scheduled principal payments therefor (including any Maturity Date) (with the understanding that amounts shall be applied chronologically beginning with the first such Maturity Date and ending with the last such Maturity Date).
(c)If the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary incurs Permitted Private Placement Debt, and at the time thereof, or after giving effect thereto on a Pro Forma Basis, (i) the Total Leverage Ratio is or will be greater than 3.00 to 1.00, and (ii) Permitted Note Collateral securing or required to secure such
Indebtedness includes or shall include equipment or real estate constituting Collateral, then, on the date on which such Indebtedness is incurred, the Borrower shall prepay the Loans in an amount equal to the lesser of the Net Proceeds resulting from such incurrence and the aggregate net book value of the Collateral to be released in accordance with Section 6.02(l) to secure such Indebtedness. Such amounts shall be applied, first ratably to all scheduled Term A Loan principal payments required to be made during the immediately succeeding four Fiscal Quarters following the incurrence of such Indebtedness (including on any Maturity Date) (with such Net Proceeds being applied ratably across all such scheduled Term Loan principal payments), second ratably to all remaining outstanding Term A Loans ratably across all remaining scheduled principal payments therefor (including any Maturity Date), third to all then outstanding Swingline Loans, fourth ratably to all then outstanding Revolving Loans; and fifth, to cash collateralize LC Exposure in an account with the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 2.06(j) (in the case of the foregoing clauses third, fourth and fifth, with a corresponding permanent reduction of the Revolving Commitments of all Revolving Lenders); provided, that if all principal amounts owing in respect of Term A Loans have been repaid, and no Revolving Credit Exposure is then outstanding, the Revolving Commitments of all Revolving Lenders shall still be reduced by the amount that otherwise was available to prepay Revolving Loans had they been outstanding.
(d)The Borrower shall have the right at any time and from time to time to prepay any Borrowing in whole or in part, subject to prior notice in accordance with the provisions of this Section 2.11. The Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent (and, in the case of prepayment of a Swingline Loan, each Swingline Lender) by telecopy or electronic communication, including an Approved Borrower Portal, if arrangements for doing so have been approved by the Administrative Agent (and, if relevant, the respective Swingline Lenders) of any prepayment hereunder (i) in the case of prepayment of a Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in U.S. Dollars, not later than 12:00 noon, Local Time, three (3) Business Days before the date of prepayment, (ii) in the case of prepayment of a Term Benchmark Borrowing denominated in a Foreign Currency, not later than 12:00 noon, Local Time, four (4) Business Days before the date of prepayment, (iii) in the case of prepayment of an RFR Revolving Borrowing, not later than 11:00 a.m., New York City time, five (5) RFR Business Days before the date of prepayment, (iv) in the case of prepayment of a CBR Loan, four (4) Business Days before the date of prepayment, (v) in the case of prepayment of an ABR Borrowing, not later than 12:00 noon, Local Time, on the date of such prepayment (so long as such day is a Business Day) and (vi) in the case of prepayment of a Swingline Loan, not later than 12:00 noon, Local Time, on the date of prepayment. Any optional prepayment of a Term Loan shall be in an amount equal to at least U.S. $1,000,000 (or, if the remaining principal balance of the Term A Loans is less than U.S. $1,000,000, the aggregate of such remaining principal balance). Each such notice shall be irrevocable and shall specify the prepayment date and the principal amount of each Borrowing or portion thereof to be prepaid; provided that, if a notice of prepayment is given in connection with a conditional notice of termination of the Commitments as contemplated by Section 2.09, then such notice of prepayment may be revoked if such notice of termination is revoked in accordance with Section 2.09. Promptly following receipt of any such notice relating to a Borrowing, the Administrative Agent shall advise the Lenders of the contents thereof. Each partial prepayment of any Borrowing shall be in an amount that would be permitted in the case of an advance of a Borrowing of the same Type as provided in Section 2.02. Each voluntary prepayment of a Borrowing pursuant to this Section 2.11(d) shall be applied ratably to the Loans included in the prepaid Borrowing as directed by the Borrower. Each mandatory prepayment of Revolving Credit Exposure required under any of Sections 2.11(a), (c) and (e) shall be applied ratably to the applicable Revolving Credit Exposures of all of the Revolving Lenders as required under such Sections; provided that any such mandatory prepayment of Revolving Credit Exposure occurring on or after the Non-Extended Maturity Date shall be applied solely to the Revolving Credit Exposures of the Extended Revolving Lenders. Each mandatory prepayment of Term Loans required under any of Sections 2.11(b) and (c) shall be applied to
such Term Loans as provided thereunder. Prepayments shall be accompanied by (i) accrued interest to the extent required by Section 2.13 and (ii) break funding payments pursuant to Section 2.16.
(e)On any Revaluation Date, if the sum of the aggregate principal U.S. Dollar Amount of all of the outstanding Revolving Loans denominated in Foreign Currencies plus all other then outstanding Revolving Credit Exposures (calculated as of the most recent Revaluation Date with respect to each Credit Event), exceeds the aggregate of the Revolving Commitments (including, without limitation, as a result of fluctuations in currency exchange rates or as a result of the occurrence of the Non-Extended Maturity Date or any reallocation of Revolving Credit Exposures in connection therewith), the Borrower shall immediately repay Swingline Loans or Revolving Loans or cash collateralize LC Exposure in an account with the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 2.06(j), as applicable, in an aggregate principal amount sufficient to cause the U.S. Dollar Amount of the aggregate Revolving Credit Exposures (so calculated) to be equal or less than the aggregate of the Revolving Commitments.
SECTION 2.12 Fees. (a) The Borrower agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent for the account of each Revolving Lender a commitment fee (the “Commitment Fee”), which shall accrue (i) in the case of Non-Extended Revolving Lenders, at the Commitment Fee Rate for Non-Extended Revolving Commitments on the daily amount of the excess of the aggregate of the Non-Extended Revolving Commitments over the aggregate Revolving Credit Exposures of the Non-Extended Revolving Lenders during the period from and including the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date to but excluding the date on which the Non-Extended Revolving Commitments terminate and (ii) in the case of Extended Revolving Lenders, at the Commitment Fee Rate for Extended Revolving Commitments on the daily amount of the excess of the aggregate of the Extended Revolving Commitments over the aggregate Revolving Credit Exposures of the Extended Revolving Lenders during the period from and including the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date to but excluding the date on which the Extended Revolving Commitments terminate (in each case, with such determination made on a quarterly basis and at any other time Commitment Fees are required to be paid); provided, that the aggregate principal amount of Swingline Loans shall not be included in any determination of Revolving Credit Exposure for purposes of calculating the Commitment Fee. Accrued Commitment Fees shall be payable in arrears on the fifteen (15th) day following the last day of each Fiscal Quarter of each Fiscal Year and to the applicable Class of Revolving Lenders on the date on which the Revolving Commitments of such Class terminate, commencing on the first such date to occur after the date hereof. All Commitment Fees shall be computed on the basis of a year of 360 days and shall be payable for the actual number of days elapsed (including the first day but excluding the last day).
(b)The Borrower agrees to pay (i) to the Administrative Agent for the account of each Revolving Lender of each Class (including the Administrative Agent in its capacity as a Revolving Lender) a participation fee with respect to its participations in Letters of Credit, which shall accrue at the same Applicable Margin used to determine the interest rate applicable to Term Benchmark Loans made by such Lender of such Class on the U.S. Dollar Amount available to be drawn under each outstanding Letter of Credit during the period from and including the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date to but excluding the later of the date on which such Lender’s Revolving Commitment terminates and the date on which such Lender ceases to have any LC Exposure and (ii) to each Issuing Bank for its own account a fronting fee, which shall accrue at the rate of 0.125% per annum on the U.S. Dollar Amount available to be drawn under each outstanding Letter of Credit hereunder issued by such Issuing Bank during the period from and including the Effective Date to but excluding the later of the date of termination of all of the Revolving Commitments and the date on which there ceases to be any LC Exposure with respect to Letters of Credit issued by such Issuing Bank, as well as such Issuing Bank’s standard fees and commissions with respect to the issuance, amendment, cancellation, negotiation, transfer, presentment, renewal or extension of any Letter of Credit or processing of drawings thereunder. Unless otherwise specified above, participation fees and fronting fees accrued through and including the last day of each
Fiscal Quarter of each Fiscal Year shall be payable on the fifteenth (15th) day following such last day, commencing on the first such date to occur after the Effective Date; provided that all such fees shall be payable on the date on which all of the Revolving Commitments terminate and any such fees accruing after the date on which all of the Revolving Commitments terminate shall be payable on demand. Any other fees payable to an Issuing Bank pursuant to this paragraph shall be payable within ten (10) days after demand. All participation fees and fronting fees shall be computed on the basis of a year of 360 days and shall be payable for the actual number of days elapsed (including the first day but excluding the last day).
(c)The Borrower agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent, for its own account, fees payable in the amounts and at the times separately agreed upon between the Borrower and the Administrative Agent.
(d)All fees payable hereunder shall be paid on the dates due, in U.S. Dollars and immediately available funds, to the Administrative Agent (or to the applicable Issuing Bank, in the case of fees payable to it) for distribution, in the case of Commitment Fees and participation fees, to the applicable Lenders. Fees paid shall not be refundable under any circumstances.
SECTION 2.13 Interest.
(a)The Loans comprising each ABR Borrowing shall bear interest at the Alternate Base Rate plus the Applicable Margin; provided that Swingline Loans may bear interest at such other rate as may be mutually agreed to by the Borrower and the applicable Swingline Lender.
(b)The Loans comprising each Term Benchmark Borrowing shall bear interest at the Adjusted Term SOFR Rate, the Adjusted EURIBOR Rate or the Adjusted TIBOR Rate, as applicable, for the Interest Period in effect for such Borrowing plus the Applicable Margin. Unless subject to Section 2.13(a), Swingline Loans shall bear interest at the Adjusted Term SOFR Rate applicable for a one month Interest Period plus the Applicable Margin for Extended Loans, regardless of the actual duration of such Borrowing. Each RFR Loan shall bear interest at a rate per annum equal to the applicable Adjusted Daily Simple RFR plus the Applicable Margin.
(c)Notwithstanding the foregoing, if any principal of or interest on any Loan or any fee or other amount payable by the Borrower hereunder is not paid when due, whether at stated maturity, upon acceleration or otherwise, or an Event of Default occurs under Section 7.01(h), (i) or (j), all of the Obligations shall automatically bear interest at a rate per annum equal to (i) in the case of the principal amount of the Obligations, 2% plus the rate otherwise applicable thereto as provided in the preceding paragraphs of this Section or (ii) in the case of any other amount, 2% plus the rate applicable to Extended ABR Revolving Loans as provided in paragraph (a) of this Section. If any other Event of Default occurs, upon the election of the Required Lenders, the Obligations shall bear interest at a rate per annum equal to
(i) in the case of the principal amount of the Obligations, 2% plus the rate otherwise applicable thereto as provided in the preceding paragraphs of this Section or (ii) in the case of any other amount, 2% plus the rate applicable to Extended Revolving ABR Loans as provided in paragraph (a) of this Section. The Required Lenders may rescind such election at any time in their sole discretion (notwithstanding any provision of Section 9.02 requiring the consent of “each Lender directly affected thereby” for reductions in interest rates).
(d)Accrued interest on each Loan shall be payable in arrears on each Interest Payment Date for such Loan and, in the case of Revolving Loans of any Class, upon termination of the Revolving Commitments of such Class; provided that (i) interest accrued pursuant to paragraph (c) of this Section shall be payable on demand, (ii) in the event of any repayment or prepayment of any Loan (other
than a prepayment of an ABR Revolving Loan prior to the end of the Availability Period), accrued interest on the principal amount repaid or prepaid shall be payable on the date of such repayment or prepayment and (iii) in the event of any conversion of any Term Benchmark Loan prior to the end of the current Interest Period therefor, accrued interest on such Loan shall be payable on the effective date of such conversion.
(e)Interest computed by reference to the Term SOFR Rate or Daily Simple SOFR, the EURIBOR Rate, or the TIBOR Rate, and the Alternate Base Rate (except when based on the Prime Rate) hereunder shall be computed on the basis of a year of 360 days. Interest computed by reference to the Daily Simple RFR with respect to Pounds Sterling, the Central Bank/Prime Rate or the Alternate Base Rate only at times when the Alternate Base Rate is based on the Prime Rate shall be computed on the basis of a year of 365 days (or 366 days in a leap year). In each case interest shall be payable for the actual number of days elapsed (including the first day but excluding the last day). All interest hereunder on any Loan shall be computed on a daily basis based upon the outstanding principal amount of such Loan as of the applicable date of determination. A determination of the applicable Alternate Base Rate, Adjusted Term SOFR Rate, Term SOFR Rate, Adjusted EURIBOR Rate, EURIBOR Rate, Adjusted TIBOR Rate, TIBOR Rate, Central Bank/Prime Rate, Adjusted Daily Simple RFR or Daily Simple RFR shall be determined by the Administrative Agent, and such determination shall be conclusive absent manifest error.
SECTION 2.14 Market Disruption and Alternate Rate of Interest.
(a) Subject to clauses (b), (c), (d), (e) and (f) of this Section 2.14, if:
(i)the Administrative Agent determines (which determination shall be conclusive absent manifest error) (A) prior to the commencement of any Interest Period for a Term Benchmark Borrowing, that adequate and reasonable means do not exist for ascertaining the Adjusted Term SOFR Rate, the Adjusted EURIBOR Rate or the Adjusted TIBOR Rate (including because the Relevant Screen Rate is not available or published on a current basis), for the applicable Agreed Currency and such Interest Period or (B) at any time, that adequate and reasonable means do not exist for ascertaining the applicable Adjusted Daily Simple RFR for the applicable Agreed Currency; or
(ii)the Administrative Agent is advised by the Required Lenders that (A) prior to the commencement of any Interest Period for a Term Benchmark Borrowing, the Adjusted Term SOFR Rate, the Adjusted EURIBOR Rate or the Adjusted TIBOR Rate for the applicable Agreed Currency and such Interest Period will not adequately and fairly reflect the cost to such Lenders (or Lender) of making or maintaining their Loans (or its Loan) included in such Borrowing for the applicable Agreed Currency and such Interest Period or (B) at any time, the applicable Adjusted Daily Simple RFR for the applicable Agreed Currency will not adequately and fairly reflect the cost to such Lenders (or Lender) of making or maintaining their Loans (or its Loan) included in such Borrowing for the applicable Agreed Currency;
then the Administrative Agent shall give notice thereof to the Borrower and the Lenders by telephone, telecopy or electronic mail as promptly as practicable thereafter and, until (x) the Administrative Agent notifies the Borrower and the Lenders that the circumstances giving rise to such notice no longer exist with respect to the relevant Benchmark and (y) the Borrower delivers a new Interest Election Request in accordance with the terms of Section 2.08 or a new Borrowing Request in accordance with the terms of Section 2.03, (A) for Loans denominated in Dollars, any Interest Election Request that requests the conversion of any Borrowing to, or continuation of any Borrowing as, a Term Benchmark Borrowing and any Borrowing Request that requests a
Term Benchmark Borrowing, such Borrowing shall instead be deemed to be an Interest Election Request or a Borrowing Request, as applicable, for (x) an RFR Borrowing denominated in U.S. Dollars if the Adjusted Daily Simple RFR for U.S. Dollar Borrowings is not also the subject of Section 2.14(a)(i) or (ii) above, or (y) an ABR Borrowing if the Adjusted Daily Simple RFR for
U.S. Dollar Borrowings is also the subject of Section 2.14(a)(i) or (ii) above and (B) for Loans denominated in a Foreign Currency, any Interest Election Request that requests the conversion of any Borrowing to, or continuation of any Borrowing as, a Term Benchmark Borrowing and any Borrowing Request that requests a Term Benchmark Borrowing or an RFR Borrowing, in each case, for the relevant Benchmark, shall be ineffective; provided that if the circumstances giving rise to such notice affect only one Type of Borrowings, then the other Types of Borrowings shall be permitted. Furthermore, if any Term Benchmark Loan or RFR Loan in any Agreed Currency is outstanding on the date of the Borrower’s receipt of the notice from the Administrative Agent referred to in this Section 2.14(a) with respect to a Relevant Rate applicable to such Term Benchmark Loan or RFR Loan, then until (x) the Administrative Agent notifies the Borrower and the Lenders that the circumstances giving rise to such notice no longer exist with respect to the relevant Benchmark and (y) the Borrower delivers a new Interest Election Request in accordance with the terms of Section 2.08 or a new Borrowing Request in accordance with the terms of Section 2.03, (A) for Loans denominated in Dollars, (1) any Term Benchmark Loan shall on the last day of the Interest Period applicable to such Loan, be converted by the Administrative Agent to, and shall constitute, (x) an RFR Borrowing denominated in Dollars so long as the Adjusted Daily Simple RFR for Dollar Borrowings is not also the subject of Section 2.14(a)(i) or (ii) above or (y) an ABR Loan if the Adjusted Daily Simple RFR for Dollar Borrowings also is the subject of Section 2.14(a)(i) or (ii) above, on such day, and (2) any RFR Loan shall on and from such day be converted by the Administrative Agent to, and shall constitute an ABR Loan and (B) for Loans denominated in a Foreign Currency, (1) any Term Benchmark Loan shall, on the last day of the Interest Period applicable to such Loan bear interest at the Central Bank/Prime Rate for the applicable Foreign Currency plus the CBR Spread; provided that, if the Administrative Agent determines (which determination shall be conclusive and binding absent manifest error) that the Central Bank/Prime Rate for the applicable Foreign Currency cannot be determined, any outstanding affected Term Benchmark Loans denominated in any Foreign Currency shall, at the Borrower’s election prior to such day: (A) be prepaid by the Borrower on such day or (B) solely for the purpose of calculating the interest rate applicable to such Term Benchmark Loan, such Term Benchmark Loan denominated in any Foreign Currency shall be deemed to be a Term Benchmark Loan denominated in Dollars and shall accrue interest at the same interest rate applicable to Term Benchmark Loans denominated in Dollars at such time, and (2) any RFR Loan shall on and from such day bear interest at the Central Bank/Prime Rate for the applicable Foreign Currency plus the CBR Spread; provided that, if the Administrative Agent determines (which determination shall be conclusive and binding absent manifest error) that the Central Bank/Prime Rate for the applicable Foreign Currency cannot be determined, any outstanding affected RFR Loans denominated in any Foreign Currency, at the Borrower’s election, shall either (1) be converted into ABR Loans denominated in U.S. Dollars (in an amount equal to the Dollar Amount of such Foreign Currency) immediately or (2) be prepaid in full immediately.
(b)Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein or in any other Loan Document, if a Benchmark Transition Event and its related Benchmark Replacement Date have occurred prior to the Reference Time in respect of any setting of the then-current Benchmark, then (x) if a Benchmark Replacement is determined in accordance with clause (1) of the definition of “Benchmark Replacement” with respect to U.S. Dollars for such Benchmark Replacement Date, such Benchmark Replacement will replace such Benchmark (including any related adjustments) for all purposes hereunder and under any Loan Document in respect of such Benchmark setting and subsequent Benchmark settings without any amendment to, or further action or consent of any other party to, this Agreement or any other Loan
Document and (y) if a Benchmark Replacement is determined in accordance with clause (2) of the definition of “Benchmark Replacement” with respect to any Agreed Currency for such Benchmark Replacement Date, such Benchmark Replacement will replace such Benchmark for all purposes hereunder and under any Loan Document in respect of any Benchmark setting at or after 5:00 p.m. (New York City time) on the fifth (5th) Business Day after the date notice of such Benchmark Replacement is provided to the Lenders without any amendment to, or further action or consent of any other party to, this Agreement or any other Loan Document so long as the Administrative Agent has not received, by such time, written notice of objection to such Benchmark Replacement from Lenders comprising the Required Lenders of each affected Class.
(c)Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein or in any other Loan Document, the Administrative Agent will have the right to make Benchmark Replacement Conforming Changes from time to time and, notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein or in any other Loan Document, any amendments implementing such Benchmark Replacement Conforming Changes will become effective without any further action or consent of any other party to this Agreement or any other Loan Document.
(d)The Administrative Agent will promptly notify the Borrower and the Lenders of (i) any occurrence of a Benchmark Transition Event, (ii) the implementation of any Benchmark Replacement,
(i)the effectiveness of any Benchmark Replacement Conforming Changes, (iv) the removal or reinstatement of any tenor of a Benchmark pursuant to clause (e) below and (v) the commencement or conclusion of any Benchmark Unavailability Period. Any determination, decision or election that may be made by the Administrative Agent or, if applicable, any Lender (or group of Lenders) pursuant to this Section 2.14, including any determination with respect to a tenor, rate or adjustment or of the occurrence or non-occurrence of an event, circumstance or date and any decision to take or refrain from taking any action or any selection, will be conclusive and binding absent manifest error and may be made in its or their sole discretion and without consent from any other party to this Agreement or any other Loan Document, except, in each case, as expressly required pursuant to this Section 2.14.
(e)Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein or in any other Loan Document, at any time (including in connection with the implementation of a Benchmark Replacement), (i) if the then-current Benchmark is a term rate (including the Term SOFR Rate, EURIBOR Rate or TIBOR Rate) and either (A) any tenor for such Benchmark is not displayed on a screen or other information service that publishes such rate from time to time as selected by the Administrative Agent in its reasonable discretion or (B) the regulatory supervisor for the administrator of such Benchmark has provided a public statement or publication of information announcing that any tenor for such Benchmark is or will be no longer representative, then the Administrative Agent may modify the definition of “Interest Period” for any Benchmark settings at or after such time to remove such unavailable or non-representative tenor and
(ii) if a tenor that was removed pursuant to clause (i) above either (A) is subsequently displayed on a screen or information service for a Benchmark (including a Benchmark Replacement) or (B) is not, or is no longer, subject to an announcement that it is or will no longer be representative for a Benchmark (including a Benchmark Replacement), then the Administrative Agent may modify the definition of “Interest Period” for all Benchmark settings at or after such time to reinstate such previously removed tenor.
(f)Upon the Borrower’s receipt of notice of the commencement of a Benchmark Unavailability Period, any Borrower may revoke any request for (i) a Term Benchmark Borrowing, conversion to or continuation of Term Benchmark Loans to be made, converted or continued or (ii) an RFR Borrowing or conversion to RFR Loans, in each case, during any Benchmark Unavailability Period and, failing that, either (x) the Borrower will be deemed to have converted any request for a Term Benchmark Borrowing or RFR Borrowing, as applicable, denominated in Dollars into a request for a Borrowing of or conversion to (A) an RFR Borrowing denominated in Dollars so long as the Adjusted
Daily Simple RFR for Dollar Borrowings is not the subject of a Benchmark Transition Event or (B) an ABR Borrowing if the Adjusted Daily Simple RFR for Dollar Borrowings is the subject of a Benchmark Transition Event, or (y) any request relating to a Term Benchmark Borrowing or RFR Borrowing denominated in a Foreign Currency shall be ineffective. During any Benchmark Unavailability Period or at any time that a tenor for the then-current Benchmark is not an Available Tenor, the component of ABR based upon the then-current Benchmark or such tenor for such Benchmark, as applicable, will not be used in any determination of ABR. Furthermore, if any Term Benchmark Loan or RFR Loan in any Agreed Currency is outstanding on the date of the Borrower’s receipt of notice of the commencement of a Benchmark Unavailability Period with respect to a Relevant Rate applicable to such Term Benchmark Loan or RFR Loan, then until such time as a Benchmark Replacement for such Agreed Currency is implemented pursuant to this Section 2.14:
(i)for Loans denominated in U.S. Dollars, (1) any Term Benchmark Loan shall on the last day of the Interest Period applicable to such Loan, be converted by the Administrative Agent to, and shall constitute, (x) an RFR Loan denominated in U.S. Dollars so long as the Adjusted Daily Simple RFR for U.S. Dollar Borrowings is not the subject of a Benchmark Transition Event or (y) an ABR Loan if the Adjusted Daily Simple RFR for U.S. Dollar Borrowings is the subject of a Benchmark Transition Event, on such day and (2) any RFR Loan shall on and from such day, be converted by the Administrative Agent to, and shall constitute an ABR Loan; and
(ii)for Loans denominated in a Foreign Currency, (1) any Term Benchmark Loan shall, on the last day of the Interest Period applicable to such Loan bear interest at the Central Bank/Prime Rate for the applicable Foreign Currency plus the CBR Spread; provided that, if the Administrative Agent determines (which determination shall be conclusive and binding absent manifest error) that the Central Bank/Prime Rate for the applicable Foreign Currency cannot be determined, any outstanding affected Term Benchmark Loans denominated in any Foreign Currency shall, at the Borrower’s election prior to such day: (A) be prepaid by the Borrower on such day or (B) solely for the purpose of calculating the interest rate applicable to such Term Benchmark Loan, such Term Benchmark Loan denominated in any Foreign Currency shall be deemed to be a Term Benchmark Loan denominated in Dollars and shall accrue interest at the same interest rate applicable to Term Benchmark Loans denominated in Dollars at such time, and
(2) any RFR Loan shall bear interest at the Central Bank/Prime Rate for the applicable Foreign Currency plus the CBR Spread; provided that, if the Administrative Agent determines (which determination shall be conclusive and binding absent manifest error) that the Central Bank/Prime Rate for the applicable Foreign Currency cannot be determined, any outstanding affected RFR Loans denominated in any Foreign Currency, at the Borrower’s election, shall either (A) be converted into ABR Loans denominated in Dollars (in an amount equal to the Dollar Amount of such Foreign Currency) immediately or (B) be prepaid in full immediately.
SECTION 2.15 Increased Costs. (a) If any Change in Law by any Governmental Authority having jurisdiction over the Administrative Agent, the relevant Lender or Issuing Bank or its respective holding company shall:
(i)impose, modify or deem applicable any reserve, special deposit, liquidity or similar requirement (including any compulsory loan requirement, insurance charge or other assessment) against assets of, deposits with or for the account of, or credit extended by, any Lender (except any such reserve requirement reflected in the Adjusted EURIBOR Rate or Adjusted TIBOR Rate, as applicable) or any Issuing Bank;
(ii)impose on any Lender, any Issuing Bank or the Administrative Agent or the applicable offshore interbank market for the applicable Agreed Currency any other condition, cost or expense (other than Taxes) affecting this Agreement or Loans made by such Lender or any Letter of Credit or participation therein; or
(iii)subject any Recipient to any Taxes on its loans, loan principal, letters of credit, commitments, or other obligations, or its deposits, reserves, other liabilities or capital attributable thereto (other than (A) Indemnified Taxes, (B) Taxes described in clauses (b) through (d) of the definition of Excluded Taxes or (C) Connection Income Taxes);
and the result of any of the foregoing shall be to: (A) increase the cost to such Person of making, continuing, converting into or maintaining any Loan or of maintaining its obligation to make any such Loan (including, without limitation, pursuant to any conversion of any Borrowing denominated in an Agreed Currency into a Borrowing denominated in any other Agreed Currency) or to increase the cost to such Person of participating in, issuing or maintaining any Letter of Credit, (B) reduce the amount of any sum received or receivable by such Person, whether of principal, interest or otherwise (including, without limitation, pursuant to any conversion of any Borrowing denominated in an Agreed Currency into a Borrowing denominated in any other Agreed Currency), or (C) directly or indirectly reduce the effective return to such Person in respect of any such Loan or any Borrowing otherwise received or receivable by such Lender or such Issuing Bank under this Agreement (including, without limitation, pursuant to any conversion of any Borrowing denominated in an Agreed Currency into a Borrowing denominated in any other Agreed Currency), then the Borrower will pay to such Person such additional amount or amounts as will compensate such Person for such additional costs incurred or reduction suffered.
(b)If any Lender or any Issuing Bank determines that any Change in Law by any Governmental Authority having jurisdiction over such Lender or Issuing Bank or its respective holding company regarding capital or liquidity requirements has or would have the effect of reducing the rate of return on such Lender’s or such Issuing Bank’s capital or on the capital of such Lender’s or such Issuing Bank’s holding company, if any, as a consequence of this Agreement or the Loans made by, or participations in Letters of Credit held by, such Lender, or the Letters of Credit issued by such Issuing Bank, to a level below that which such Lender or such Issuing Bank or such Lender’s or such Issuing Bank’s holding company could have achieved but for such Change in Law (taking into consideration such Lender’s or such Issuing Bank’s policies and the policies of such Lender’s or such Issuing Bank’s holding company with respect to capital adequacy and liquidity), then from time to time the Borrower will pay to such Lender or such Issuing Bank, as the case may be, such additional amount or amounts as will compensate such Lender or such Issuing Bank or such Lender’s or such Issuing Bank’s holding company for any such reduction suffered.
(c)A certificate of a Lender or an Issuing Bank setting forth the amount or amounts necessary to compensate such Lender or such Issuing Bank or its holding company, as the case may be, as specified in paragraph (a) or (b) of this Section shall be delivered to the Borrower (with such certificate including reasonable detail as to the amounts so owing) and shall be conclusive absent manifest error. The Borrower shall pay such Lender or such Issuing Bank, as the case may be, the amount shown as due on any such certificate within ten (10) days after receipt thereof.
(d)Failure or delay on the part of any Lender or any Issuing Bank to demand compensation pursuant to this Section shall not constitute a waiver of such Lender’s or such Issuing Bank’s right to demand such compensation; provided that no Borrower shall be required to compensate a Lender or an Issuing Bank pursuant to this Section for any increased costs or reductions incurred more than 180 days prior to the date that such Lender or such Issuing Bank, as the case may be, notifies the Borrower of the Change in Law giving rise to such increased costs or reductions and of such Lender’s or such Issuing
Bank’s intention to claim compensation therefor; provided further that, if the Change in Law giving rise to such increased costs or reductions is retroactive, then the 180-day period referred to above shall be extended to include the period of retroactive effect thereof.
SECTION 2.16 Break Funding Payments.
(a)With respect to Loans that are not RFR Loans, in the event of (i) the payment of any principal of any Term Benchmark Loan other than on the last day of an Interest Period applicable thereto (including as a result of an Event of Default or an optional or mandatory prepayment of Loans), (ii) the conversion of any Term Benchmark Loan other than on the last day of the Interest Period applicable thereto, (iii) the failure to borrow, convert, continue or prepay any Term Benchmark Loan on the date specified in any notice delivered pursuant hereto (regardless of whether such notice may be revoked under Section 2.11(b) and is revoked in accordance therewith), (iv) the assignment of any Term Benchmark Loan other than on the last day of the Interest Period applicable thereto as a result of a request by the Borrower pursuant to Section 2.19 or (v) the failure by the Borrower to make any payment of any Loan or drawing under any Letter of Credit (or interest due thereof) denominated in a Foreign Currency on its scheduled due date or any payment thereof in a different currency, then, in any such event, the Borrower shall compensate each Lender for the loss, cost and expense attributable to such event. A certificate of any Lender setting forth any amount or amounts that such Lender is entitled to receive pursuant to this Section shall be delivered to the Borrower and shall be conclusive absent manifest error. The Borrower shall pay such Lender the amount shown as due on any such certificate within 10 days after receipt thereof.
(b)With respect to RFR Loans, in the event of (i) the payment of any principal of any RFR Loan other than on the Interest Payment Date applicable thereto (including as a result of an Event of Default or an optional or mandatory prepayment of Loans), (ii) the failure to borrow or prepay any RFR Loan on the date specified in any notice delivered pursuant hereto (regardless of whether such notice may be revoked under Section 2.11(b) and is revoked in accordance therewith), (iii) the assignment of any RFR Loan other than on the Interest Payment Date applicable thereto as a result of a request by the Borrower pursuant to Section 2.19 or (iv) the failure by the Borrower to make any payment of any Loan or drawing under any Letter of Credit (or interest due thereof) denominated in a Foreign Currency on its scheduled due date or any payment thereof in a different currency, then, in any such event, the Borrower shall compensate each Lender for the loss, cost and expense attributable to such event. A certificate of any Lender setting forth any amount or amounts that such Lender is entitled to receive pursuant to this Section shall be delivered to the Borrower and shall be conclusive absent manifest error. The Borrower shall pay such Lender the amount shown as due on any such certificate within 10 days after receipt thereof.
SECTION 2.17 Taxes. (a) Payments Free of Taxes. Any and all payments by or on account of any obligation of any Loan Party under any Loan Document shall be made without deduction or withholding for any Taxes, except as required by applicable law. If any applicable law (as determined in the good faith discretion of an applicable withholding agent) requires the deduction or withholding of any Tax from any such payment by a withholding agent, then the applicable withholding agent shall be entitled to make such deduction or withholding and shall timely pay the full amount deducted or withheld to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with applicable law and, if such Tax is an Indemnified Tax, then the sum payable by the applicable Loan Party shall be increased as necessary so that after such deduction or withholding has been made (including such deductions and withholdings applicable to additional sums payable under this Section 2.17) the applicable Recipient receives an amount equal to the sum it would have received had no such deduction or withholding been made.
(b)Payment of Other Taxes by the Borrower. The Borrower shall timely pay to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with applicable law, or at the option of the Administrative Agent timely reimburse it for, Other Taxes.
(c)Indemnification by the Loan Parties. The Loan Parties shall jointly and severally indemnify each Recipient, within ten (10) days after written demand therefor, for the full amount of any Indemnified Taxes (including Indemnified Taxes imposed or asserted on or attributable to amounts payable under this Section) payable or paid by such Recipient or required to be withheld or deducted from a payment to such Recipient and any reasonable expenses arising therefrom or with respect thereto, whether or not such Indemnified Taxes were correctly or legally imposed or asserted by the relevant Governmental Authority. A certificate as to the amount of such payment or liability delivered to the Borrower by a Lender (with a copy to the Administrative Agent), or by the Administrative Agent on its own behalf or on behalf of a Lender, shall be conclusive absent manifest error.
(d)Evidence of Payments. As soon as practicable after any payment of Taxes by any Loan Party to a Governmental Authority pursuant to this Section 2.17, such Loan Party shall deliver to the Administrative Agent the original or a certified copy of a receipt issued by such Governmental Authority evidencing such payment, a copy of the return reporting such payment or other evidence of such payment reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent.
(e)[INTENTIONALLY OMITTED].
(f)Status of Lenders. (i) Any Lender that is entitled to an exemption from or reduction of withholding Tax with respect to payments made under any Loan Document shall deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent, at the time or times reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, such properly completed and executed documentation reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent as will permit such payments to be made without withholding or at a reduced rate of withholding. In addition, any Lender, if reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, shall deliver such other documentation prescribed by applicable law or reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent as will enable the Borrower or the Administrative Agent to determine whether or not such Lender is subject to backup withholding or information reporting requirements. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the preceding two sentences, the completion, execution and submission of such documentation (other than such documentation set forth in Section 2.17(f)(ii)(A), (ii)(B) and (ii)(D) below) shall not be required if in the Lender’s reasonable judgment such completion, execution or submission would subject such Lender to any material unreimbursed cost or expense or would materially prejudice the legal or commercial position of such Lender.
(ii)Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, in the event that the Borrower is a U.S. Person:
(A)any U.S. Lender shall deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent on or prior to the date on which such Lender becomes a Lender under this Agreement (and from time to time thereafter upon the reasonable request of the Borrower or the Administrative Agent), an executed copy of IRS Form W-9 certifying that such Lender is exempt from U.S. federal backup withholding tax;
(B)any Foreign Lender shall, to the extent it is legally entitled to do so, deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent (in such number of copies as shall be requested by the recipient) on or prior to the date on which such Foreign Lender becomes a Lender under this Agreement (and from time to time thereafter upon the
reasonable request of the Borrower or the Administrative Agent), whichever of the following is applicable:
(1)in the case of a Foreign Lender claiming the benefits of an income tax treaty to which the United States is a party (x) with respect to payments of interest under any Loan Document, an executed copy of IRS Form W-8BEN-E or IRS Form W-8BEN establishing an exemption from, or reduction of, U.S. federal withholding Tax pursuant to the “interest” article of such tax treaty and (y) with respect to any other applicable payments under any Loan Document, IRS Form W-8BEN-E or IRS Form W-8BEN establishing an exemption from, or reduction of, U.S. federal withholding Tax pursuant to the “business profits” or “other income” article of such tax treaty;
(2)in the case of a Foreign Lender claiming that its extension of credit will generate U.S. effectively connected income, an executed copy of IRS Form W-8ECI;
(3)in the case of a Foreign Lender claiming the benefits of the exemption for portfolio interest under Section 881(c) of the Code, (x) a certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit J-1 to the effect that such Foreign Lender is not a “bank” within the meaning of Section 881(c)(3)(A) of the Code, a “10 percent shareholder” of the Borrower within the meaning of Section 881(c)(3)(B) of the Code, or a “controlled foreign corporation” described in Section 881(c)(3)(C) of the Code (a “U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate”) and (y) an executed copy of IRS Form W-8BEN-E or IRS Form W-8BEN;
(4)to the extent a Foreign Lender is not the beneficial owner, an executed copy of IRS Form W-8IMY, accompanied by IRS Form W-8ECI, IRS Form W-8BEN-E or IRS Form W-8BEN, a U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit J-2 or Exhibit J-3, IRS Form W-9, and/or other certification documents from each beneficial owner, as applicable; provided that if the Foreign Lender is a partnership and one or more direct or indirect partners of such Foreign Lender are claiming the portfolio interest exemption, such Foreign Lender may provide a U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit J-4 on behalf of each such direct and indirect partner; or
(5)for purposes of furnishing the U.S. Tax Compliance Certificate as described in the foregoing clauses (3) and (4), if a Foreign Lender (or a foreign Participant) is a Disregarded Entity, the Foreign Lender will submit such certificate based on the status of the Person that is treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as being the sole owner of such Lender or Participant;
(C)any Foreign Lender shall, to the extent it is legally entitled to do so, deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent (in such number of copies as shall be requested by the recipient) on or prior to the date on which such Foreign Lender becomes a Lender under this Agreement (and from time to time thereafter upon the reasonable request of the Borrower or the Administrative Agent), executed copies of any other form prescribed by applicable law as a basis for claiming exemption from or a reduction in U.S. federal withholding Tax, duly completed, together with such
supplementary documentation as may be prescribed by applicable law to permit the Borrower or the Administrative Agent to determine the withholding or deduction required to be made; and
(D)if a payment made to a Lender under any Loan Document would be subject to U.S. federal withholding Tax imposed by FATCA if such Lender were to fail to comply with the applicable reporting requirements of FATCA (including those contained in Section 1471(b) or 1472(b) of the Code, as applicable), such Lender shall deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent at the time or times prescribed by law and at such time or times reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent such documentation prescribed by applicable law (including as prescribed by Section 1471(b)(3)(C)(i) of the Code) and such additional documentation reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent as may be necessary for the Borrower and the Administrative Agent to comply with their obligations under FATCA and to determine that such Lender has complied with such Lender’s obligations under FATCA or to determine the amount to deduct and withhold from such payment. Solely for purposes of this clause (D), “FATCA” shall include any amendments made to FATCA after the date of this Agreement.
Each Lender agrees that if any form or certification it previously delivered expires or becomes obsolete or inaccurate in any respect, it shall update such form or certification or promptly notify the Borrower and the Administrative Agent in writing of its legal inability to do so.
(g)Indemnification by the Lenders. Each Lender shall severally indemnify the Administrative Agent, within ten (10) days after demand therefor, for (i) any Indemnified Taxes attributable to such Lender (but only to the extent that any Loan Party has not already indemnified the Administrative Agent for such Indemnified Taxes and without limiting the obligation of the Loan Parties to do so), (ii) any Taxes attributable to such Lender’s failure to comply with the provisions of Section 9.04(c) relating to the maintenance of a Participant Register and (iii) any Excluded Taxes attributable to such Lender, in each case, that are payable or paid by the Administrative Agent in connection with any Loan Document, and any reasonable expenses arising therefrom or with respect thereto, whether or not such Taxes were correctly or legally imposed or asserted by the relevant Governmental Authority. A certificate as to the amount of such payment or liability delivered to any Lender by the Administrative Agent shall be conclusive absent manifest error. Each Lender hereby authorizes the Administrative Agent to set off and apply any and all amounts at any time owing to such Lender under any Loan Document or otherwise payable by the Administrative Agent to the Lender from any other source against any amount due to the Administrative Agent under this paragraph (g).
(h)Treatment of Certain Refunds. If any party determines, in its reasonable discretion exercised in good faith, that it has received a refund of any Taxes as to which it has been indemnified pursuant to this Section 2.17 (including by the payment of additional amounts pursuant to this Section 2.17), it shall pay to the indemnifying party an amount equal to such refund (but only to the extent of indemnity payments made under this Section 2.17 with respect to the Taxes giving rise to such refund), net of all out-of-pocket expenses (including Taxes) of such indemnified party and without interest (other than any interest paid by the relevant Governmental Authority with respect to such refund). Such indemnifying party, upon the request of such indemnified party, shall repay to such indemnified party the amount paid over pursuant to this paragraph (h) (plus any penalties, interest or other charges imposed by the relevant Governmental Authority) in the event that such indemnified party is required to repay such refund to such Governmental Authority. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this paragraph (h), in no event will the indemnified party be required to pay any amount to an indemnifying party pursuant to this paragraph (h) the payment of which would place the indemnified party in a less favorable net after-Tax
position than the indemnified party would have been in if the Tax subject to indemnification and giving rise to such refund had not been deducted, withheld or otherwise imposed and the indemnification payments or additional amounts with respect to such Tax had never been paid. This paragraph shall not be construed to require any indemnified party to make available its Tax returns (or any other information relating to its Taxes that it deems confidential) to the indemnifying party or any other Person.
(i)Survival. Each party’s obligations under this Section 2.17 shall survive the resignation or replacement of the Administrative Agent or any assignment of rights by, or the replacement of, a Lender, the termination of the Commitments and the repayment, satisfaction or discharge of all obligations under any Loan Document.
(j)Defined Terms. For purposes of this Section 2.17, the term “Lender” includes the Issuing Bank and the term “applicable law” includes FATCA.
SECTION 2.18 Payments Generally; Allocation of Proceeds; Sharing of Set-offs.
(a)(i) Except with respect to principal of and interest on Loans denominated in a Foreign Currency, the Borrower shall make each payment or prepayment required to be made by it hereunder (whether of principal, interest, fees or reimbursement of LC Disbursements, or of amounts payable under Section 2.15, 2.16 or 2.17, or otherwise) in Dollars prior to 12:00 noon, New York City time, on the date when due or the date fixed for any prepayment hereunder and (ii) all payments with respect to principal and interest on Loans denominated in a Foreign Currency shall be made in such Foreign Currency not later than the applicable time specified by the Administrative Agent on the dates specified herein, in each case, in immediately available funds, without setoff, recoupment or counterclaim. Any amounts received after such time on any date may, in the discretion of the Administrative Agent, be deemed to have been received on the next succeeding Business Day for purposes of calculating interest thereon. All such payments shall be made to the Administrative Agent at 383 Madison Avenue, New York, New York or, in the case of a Credit Event denominated in a Foreign Currency, the Administrative Agent’s Payment Office for such currency, except payments to be made directly to the applicable Issuing Bank or applicable Swingline Lender as expressly provided herein and except that payments pursuant to Sections 2.15, 2.16, 2.17 and 9.03 shall be made directly to the Persons entitled thereto. The Administrative Agent shall distribute any such payments denominated in the same currency received by it for the account of any other Person to the appropriate recipient promptly following receipt thereof. If any payment hereunder shall be due on a day that is not a Business Day, the date for payment shall be extended to the next succeeding Business Day, and, in the case of any payment accruing interest, interest thereon shall be payable for the period of such extension. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions of this Section, if, after the making of any Credit Event in any Foreign Currency, currency control or exchange regulations are imposed in the country which issues such currency with the result that the type of currency in which the Credit Event was made (the “Original Currency”) no longer exists or the Borrower is not able to make payment to the Administrative Agent for the account of the Lenders in such Original Currency, then all payments to be made by the Borrower hereunder in such currency shall instead be made when due in U.S. Dollars in an amount equal to the U.S. Dollar Amount (as of the date of repayment) of such payment due, it being the intention of the parties hereto that the Borrower takes all risks of the imposition of any such currency control or exchange regulation. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Administrative Agent may require that any payments due under this Agreement be made in the United States. If, for any reason, the Borrower is prohibited by any law from making any required payment hereunder in a Foreign Currency, such Borrower shall make such payment in Dollars in the Dollar Amount of the Foreign Currency payment amount.
(b)Any payment or proceeds of Collateral received by the Administrative Agent (i) not constituting either (A) a specific payment of principal, interest, fees or other sum payable under the Loan Documents (which shall be applied as specified by the Borrower), or (B) prior to the occurrence of an Event of Default, a mandatory prepayment (which shall be applied in accordance with Section 2.11), or
(ii) after an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing and the Administrative Agent so elects or the Required Lenders so direct, such funds shall be applied ratably first, to pay any fees, indemnities, or expense reimbursements including amounts then due to the Administrative Agent and the Issuing Banks from the Borrower (other than in connection with Banking Services Obligations or Swap Obligations), second, to pay any fees, indemnities or expense reimbursements then due to the Lenders from the Borrower (other than in connection with Banking Services Obligations or Swap Obligations), third, to pay interest then due and payable on the Loans ratably, fourth, to prepay principal on the Loans and unreimbursed LC Disbursements (with amounts applied to the Term Loans in inverse order of maturity), to payment of any amounts owing with respect to Swap Obligations and Banking Services Obligations and to pay an amount to the Administrative Agent equal to one hundred five percent (105%) of the aggregate undrawn face amount of all outstanding Letters of Credit and the aggregate amount of any unpaid LC Disbursements, to be held as cash collateral for such Obligations, ratably, and fifth, to the payment of any other Secured Obligation due to the Administrative Agent, any Issuing Bank or any Lender. Notwithstanding the foregoing, amounts received from any Loan Party shall not be applied to any Excluded Swap Obligation of such Loan Party. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Agreement, unless so directed by the Borrower, or unless a Default is in existence, neither the Administrative Agent nor any Lender shall apply any payment which it receives to any Term Benchmark Loan of a Class, except (a) on the expiration date of the Interest Period applicable to any such Term Benchmark Loan or (b) in the event, and only to the extent, that there are no outstanding ABR Loans of the same Class and, in any event, the Borrower shall pay the break funding payment required in accordance with Section 2.16. The Administrative Agent and the Lenders shall have the continuing and exclusive right to apply and reverse and reapply any and all such proceeds and payments to any portion of the Secured Obligations. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, this Section 2.18(b) may not be amended, waived or otherwise modified without the prior written consent of each Lender.
(c)At the election of the Administrative Agent, all regularly scheduled payments of principal, interest, LC Disbursements, fees, premiums, reimbursable expenses (including, without limitation, all reimbursement for fees and expenses pursuant to Section 9.03), and other regularly scheduled payments due under the Loan Documents by a Loan Party, may be paid from the proceeds of Borrowings made hereunder whether made following a request by the Borrower pursuant to Section 2.03 or a deemed request as provided in this Section or may be deducted from any deposit account of the Borrower maintained with the Administrative Agent. The Borrower hereby irrevocably authorizes (i) the Administrative Agent to make a Borrowing for the purpose of paying each regularly scheduled payment of principal, interest and fees as it becomes due hereunder or any other amount due under the Loan Documents and agrees that all such amounts charged shall constitute Loans (including Swingline Loans) and that all such Borrowings shall be deemed to have been requested pursuant to Sections 2.03 or 2.05, as applicable and (ii) the Administrative Agent, each Lender, and each Affiliate thereof to charge such account maintained with JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. as mutually agreed upon between the Borrower and the Administrative Agent for each regularly scheduled payment of principal, interest and fees as it becomes due hereunder or any other regularly scheduled payment due under the Loan Documents.
(d)If, except as expressly provided herein, any Lender shall, by exercising any right of set-off or counterclaim or otherwise, obtain payment in respect of any principal of or interest on any of its Loans or participations in LC Disbursements or Swingline Loans resulting in such Lender receiving payment of a greater proportion of the aggregate amount of its Loans and participations in LC Disbursements and Swingline Loans and accrued interest thereon than the proportion received by any
other similarly situated Lender, then the Lender receiving such greater proportion shall purchase (for cash at face value) participations in the Loans and participations in LC Disbursements and Swingline Loans of other Lenders to the extent necessary so that the benefit of all such payments shall be shared by all such Lenders ratably in accordance with the aggregate amount of principal of and accrued interest on their respective Loans and participations in LC Disbursements and Swingline Loans; provided that (i) if any such participations are purchased and all or any portion of the payment giving rise thereto is recovered, such participations shall be rescinded and the purchase price restored to the extent of such recovery, without interest, and (ii) the provisions of this paragraph shall not be construed to apply to any payment made by the Borrower pursuant to and in accordance with the express terms of this Agreement or any payment obtained by a Lender as consideration for the assignment of or sale of a participation in any of its Loans or participations in LC Disbursements and Swingline Loans to any assignee or participant, other than to the Borrower or any Subsidiary or Affiliate thereof (as to which the provisions of this paragraph shall apply). The Borrower consents to the foregoing and agrees, to the extent it may effectively do so under applicable law, that, subject to the terms of this Agreement, any Lender acquiring a participation pursuant to the foregoing arrangements may exercise against the Borrower rights of set-off and counterclaim with respect to such participation as fully as if such Lender were a direct creditor of the Borrower in the amount of such participation.
(e)Unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice from the Borrower prior to the date on which any payment is due to the Administrative Agent for the account of the relevant Lenders or the relevant Issuing Banks pursuant to the terms hereof or any other Loan Document (including any date that is fixed for prepayment by notice from the Borrower to the Administrative Agent pursuant to Section 2.11(a)) that the Borrower will not make such payment or prepayment, the Administrative Agent may assume that the Borrower has made such payment on such date in accordance herewith and may, in reliance upon such assumption, distribute to the relevant Lenders or the relevant Issuing Banks, as the case may be, the amount due. In such event, if the Borrower has not in fact made such payment, then each of the relevant Lenders or the relevant Issuing Banks, as the case may be, severally agrees to repay to the Administrative Agent forthwith on demand the amount so distributed to such Lender or such Issuing Bank with interest thereon, for each day from and including the date such amount is distributed to it to but excluding the date of payment to the Administrative Agent, at the greater of the applicable Overnight Rate and a rate determined by the Administrative Agent in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank compensation.
SECTION 2.19 Mitigation Obligations; Replacement of Lenders.
(a)If (i) any Lender requests compensation under Section 2.15, or (ii) if the Borrower is required to pay any Indemnified Taxes or additional amounts to any Lender or any Governmental Authority for the account of any Lender pursuant to Section 2.17 or (iii) any Lender becomes a Defaulting Lender, then such Lender shall use reasonable efforts to designate a different lending office for funding or booking its Loans hereunder or to assign its rights and obligations hereunder to another of its offices, branches or Affiliates, if, in the judgment of such Lender, such designation or assignment
(i) would eliminate or reduce amounts payable pursuant to Section 2.15 or 2.17, as the case may be, in the future and (ii) would not subject such Lender to any unreimbursed cost or expense and would not otherwise be disadvantageous to such Lender. The Borrower hereby agrees to pay all reasonable costs and expenses incurred by any Lender in connection with any such designation or assignment; provided, that the Borrower shall not be required to pay such costs or expenses if such designation results in requests for compensation or additional amounts in excess of those made prior to such designation, and the Borrower shall not be required to pay such excess amount of compensation or excess additional amount.
(b)If any Lender requests compensation under Section 2.15, or if the Borrower is required to pay any Indemnified Taxes or additional amounts to any Lender or any Governmental Authority for the account of any Lender pursuant to Section 2.17, or if any Lender becomes a Defaulting Lender, then the Borrower may, at its sole expense and effort, upon notice to such Lender and the Administrative Agent, require such Lender to assign and delegate, without recourse (in accordance with and subject to the restrictions contained in Section 9.04), all its interests, rights (other than its existing rights to payments pursuant to Sections 2.15 and 2.17) and obligations under the Loan Documents to an assignee (other than an Ineligible Institution) that shall assume such obligations (which assignee may be another Lender, if a Lender accepts such assignment); provided that (i) other than with respect to assignments by Defaulting Lenders to non-Defaulting Lenders, the Borrower shall have received the prior written consent of the Administrative Agent (and if a Revolving Commitment is being assigned, each Issuing Bank and each Swingline Lender), which consents shall not unreasonably be withheld, (ii) such Lender shall have received payment of an amount equal to the outstanding principal of its Loans and participations in LC Disbursements and Swingline Loans, accrued interest thereon, accrued fees and all other amounts payable to it hereunder, from the assignee (to the extent of such outstanding principal and accrued interest and fees) or the Borrower (in the case of all other amounts) and (iii) in the case of any such assignment resulting from a claim for compensation under Section 2.15 or payments required to be made pursuant to Section 2.17, such assignment will result in a reduction in such compensation or payments. A Lender shall not be required to make any such assignment and delegation if, prior thereto, as a result of a waiver by such Lender or otherwise, the circumstances entitling the Borrower to require such assignment and delegation cease to apply. Each party hereto agrees that (a) an assignment required pursuant to this paragraph may be effected pursuant to an Assignment and Assumption executed by the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and the assignee (or, to the extent applicable, an agreement incorporating an Assignment and Assumption by reference pursuant to an Approved Electronic Platform as to which the Administrative Agent and such parties are participants), and (b) the Lender required to make such assignment need not be a party thereto in order for such assignment to be effective and shall be deemed to have consented to an be bound by the terms thereof; provided that, following the effectiveness of any such assignment, the other parties to such assignment agree to execute and deliver such documents necessary to evidence such assignment as reasonably requested by the applicable Lender, provided that any such documents shall be without recourse to or warranty by the parties thereto.
SECTION 2.20 Expansion Option. The Borrower may from time to time elect to increase the Extended Revolving Commitments or enter into one or more tranches of incremental term loans (each an “Incremental Term Loan”), in each case in minimum increments of U.S. $25,000,000, so long as, after giving effect thereto, (a) the Senior Secured Leverage Ratio (on a Pro Forma Basis) shall not exceed 2.50 to 1.00 or (b) the aggregate amount of all such increases and Incremental Term Loans does not exceed an amount equal to U.S. $200,000,000 minus the aggregate outstanding principal amount of all Permitted Term Debt. The Borrower may arrange for any such increase or Incremental Term Loan to be provided by one or more Lenders (each Lender so agreeing to an increase in its Extended Revolving Commitment or to participate in such Incremental Term Loans, an “Increasing Lender”), or by one or more new banks, financial institutions or other entities (each such new bank, financial institution or other entity, an “Augmenting Lender”), to increase their existing Extended Revolving Commitments, extend Extended Revolving Commitments or participate in such Incremental Term Loans, as the case may be; provided, that (i) each Augmenting Lender shall be subject to the approval of the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and, in the case of any increase in the Extended Revolving Commitments, each Issuing Bank and the Swingline Lender, each such consent not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed; provided, that no Ineligible Institution may be an Augmenting Lender and (ii) (x) in the case of an Increasing Lender, the Borrower and such Increasing Lender execute an agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit C hereto, and (y) in the case of an Augmenting Lender, the Borrower and such Augmenting Lender execute an agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit D hereto. No consent of any Lender (other than the Lenders participating in the increase or Incremental Term Loan) shall be
required for any increase in Extended Revolving Commitments or any Incremental Term Loans pursuant to this Section 2.20. Increases, new Extended Revolving Commitments and Incremental Term Loans created pursuant to this Section 2.20 shall become effective on the date agreed by the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and the relevant Increasing Lenders or Augmenting Lenders and the Administrative Agent shall notify each Lender thereof. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no increase in the Extended Revolving Commitments (or in the Extended Revolving Commitment of any Lender) or tranche of Incremental Term Loans shall become effective under this paragraph unless, subject to Section 1.10 in the case of an Incremental Term Loan, (i) on the proposed date of the effectiveness of such increase or Incremental Term Loans, (A) the conditions set forth in paragraphs (a) and (b) of Section 4.02 shall be satisfied or waived by the Required Lenders and the Administrative Agent shall have received a certificate to that effect dated such date and executed by a Financial Officer of the Borrower and (B) the Borrower shall be in compliance (on a Pro Forma Basis) with the covenants contained in Section 6.11 (which calculation shall assume that such increase or Incremental Term Loans, as the case may be, are fully drawn) and (ii) the Administrative Agent shall have received documents and opinions consistent with those delivered on the Effective Date as to the power and authority of the Borrower to borrow hereunder after giving effect to such increase. On the effective date of any increase in the Extended Revolving Commitments, (i) each relevant Increasing Lender and Augmenting Lender shall make available to the Administrative Agent such amounts in immediately available funds as the Administrative Agent shall determine, for the benefit of the other Lenders, as being required in order to cause, after giving effect to such increase and the use of such amounts to make payments to such other Lenders, each Lender’s portion of the outstanding Revolving Loans of all the Lenders to equal its Applicable Percentage of such outstanding Revolving Loans, and (ii) the Borrower shall be deemed to have repaid and reborrowed all of its outstanding Revolving Loans as of the date of any increase in the Extended Revolving Commitments (with such reborrowing to be made ratably by all Revolving Lenders (after giving effect to such increase) and consist of the Types of Revolving Loans specified by the Borrower to the Administrative Agent). The deemed payments made pursuant to clause (ii) of the immediately preceding sentence shall be accompanied by payment of all accrued interest on the amount prepaid and, in respect of each Term Benchmark Loan, shall be subject to indemnification by the Borrower pursuant to the provisions of Section 2.16 if the deemed payment occurs other than on the last day of the related Interest PeriodsAdministrative Agent shall make such other adjustments among the Lenders with respect to the Revolving Loans then outstanding and amounts of principal, interest, commitment fees and other amounts paid or payable with respect thereto as shall be necessary, in the opinion of the Administrative Agent, in order to effect such reallocation. The Extended Revolving Commitments added or increased hereby and Extended Revolving Loans made in connection therewith shall be subject to the same terms and conditions (including, without limitation, payment terms, pricing, fees, maturity dates, and collateral requirements) as all other Extended Revolving Loans and Extended Revolving Commitments hereunder. In no event shall the fees, interest rates and other compensation offered or paid in respect of additional or increased Extended Revolving Commitments under this Section 2.20 have higher rates, fees or compensation that amounts paid and payable to the then existing Extended Revolving Lenders in respect of their Extended Revolving Commitments and Extended Revolving Loans. The Incremental Term Loans (a) shall rank pari passu in right of payment with the Revolving Loans and the Term A Loans, (b) shall not mature earlier than the Extended Maturity Date (but may have amortization prior to such date) and shall not have a shorter Weighted Average Life to Maturity than, the Extended Term A Loans and (c) shall be treated substantially the same as (and in any event no more favorably than) the Revolving Loans and the Term A Loans; provided, that:
(i)the terms and conditions applicable to any tranche of Incremental Term Loans maturing after the Extended Maturity Date may provide for material additional or different financial or other covenants or prepayment requirements applicable only during periods after the Extended Maturity Date; and
(ii)the applicable interest rate margins and (subject to the foregoing clause (b)) amortization schedule applicable to any Incremental Term Loan shall be determined by the Borrower and the Lenders thereunder.
Incremental Term Loans may be made hereunder pursuant to an amendment or restatement (an “Incremental Term Loan Amendment”) of this Agreement and, as appropriate, the other Loan Documents, executed by the Borrower, each Increasing Lender participating in such tranche, each Augmenting Lender participating in such tranche, if any, and the Administrative Agent. The Incremental Term Loan Amendment may, without the consent of any other Lenders, effect such amendments to this Agreement and the other Loan Documents as may be necessary or appropriate, in the reasonable opinion of the Administrative Agent, to effect the provisions of this Section 2.20. Nothing contained in this Section 2.20 shall constitute, or otherwise be deemed to be, a commitment on the part of any Lender to increase its Revolving Commitment hereunder, or provide Incremental Term Loans, at any time. In connection with any increase of the Extended Revolving Commitments or Incremental Term Loans pursuant to this Section 2.20, any Augmenting Lender becoming a party hereto shall (1) execute such documents and agreements as the Administrative Agent may reasonably request and (2) provide to the Administrative Agent, its name, address, tax identification number and/or such other information as shall be necessary for the Administrative Agent to comply with “know your customer” and anti-money laundering rules and regulations, including without limitation, the Patriot Act.
SECTION 2.21 Returned Payments. If after receipt of any payment which is applied to the payment of all or any part of the Secured Obligations, the Administrative Agent or any Holder of Secured Obligations is for any reason compelled to surrender such payment or proceeds to any Person because such payment or application of proceeds is invalidated, declared fraudulent, set aside, determined to be void or voidable as a preference, impermissible setoff, or a diversion of trust funds, or for any other reason, then the Secured Obligations or part thereof intended to be satisfied shall be revived and continued and this Agreement shall continue in full force as if such payment or proceeds had not been received by the Administrative Agent or such Holder of Secured Obligations. The provisions of this Section 2.21 shall be and remain effective notwithstanding any contrary action which may have been taken by the Administrative Agent or any Holder of Secured Obligations in reliance upon such payment or application of proceeds. The provisions of this Section 2.21 shall survive the termination of this Agreement.
SECTION 2.22 Judgment Currency. If for the purposes of obtaining judgment in any court it is necessary to convert a sum due from the Borrower hereunder in the currency expressed to be payable herein (the “specified currency”) into another currency, the parties hereto agree, to the fullest extent that they may effectively do so, that the rate of exchange used shall be that at which in accordance with normal banking procedures the Administrative Agent could purchase the specified currency with such other currency at the Administrative Agent’s main New York City office on the Business Day preceding that on which final, non-appealable judgment is given. The obligations of the Borrower in respect of any sum due to any Lender or the Administrative Agent hereunder shall, notwithstanding any judgment in a currency other than the specified currency, be discharged only to the extent that on the Business Day following receipt by such Lender or the Administrative Agent (as the case may be) of any sum adjudged to be so due in such other currency such Lender or the Administrative Agent (as the case may be) may in accordance with normal, reasonable banking procedures purchase the specified currency with such other currency. If the amount of the specified currency so purchased is less than the sum originally due to such Lender or the Administrative Agent, as the case may be, in the specified currency, the Borrower agrees, to the fullest extent that it may effectively do so, as a separate obligation and notwithstanding any such judgment, to indemnify such Lender or the Administrative Agent, as the case may be, against such loss, and if the amount of the specified currency so purchased exceeds (a) the sum originally due to any Lender or the Administrative Agent, as the case may be, in the specified currency
and (b) any amounts shared with other Lenders as a result of allocations of such excess as a disproportionate payment to such Lender under Section 2.18, such Lender or the Administrative Agent, as the case may be, agrees to remit such excess to the Borrower.
SECTION 2.23 Senior Debt. The Borrower hereby designates all Secured Obligations now or hereinafter incurred or otherwise outstanding, and agrees that the Secured Obligations shall at all times constitute, senior indebtedness and designated senior indebtedness, or terms of similar import, which are entitled to the benefits of the subordination provisions of all Subordinated Indebtedness.
SECTION 2.24 Loan Repurchases. (a) Subject to the terms and conditions set forth or referred to below, the Borrower may from time to time, at its discretion, conduct modified Dutch auctions in order to purchase Term Loans (as determined by the Borrower), each such Purchase Offer to be managed exclusively by JPMorgan Securities LLC (in such capacity, the “Auction Manager”), so long as the following conditions are satisfied:
(i)the Required Lenders shall have consented in writing to the Borrower’s delivery of such Purchase Offer and the proposed repurchase of the applicable Term A Loans, and each Purchase Offer shall be conducted in accordance with the procedures, terms and conditions set forth in this Section 2.24 and the Auction Procedures;
(ii)no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing on the date of the delivery of each Auction Notice and at the time of purchase of any Term Loans in connection with any Purchase Offer;
(iii)the principal amount (calculated on the face amount thereof) of the Term Loans that the Borrower offers to purchase in any such Purchase Offer shall be no less than U.S.
$25,000,000 (unless another amount is agreed to by the Administrative Agent) (across all such Classes);
(iv)after giving effect to any purchase of Term Loans pursuant to this Section 2.24, there shall be no Revolving Credit Exposure other than undrawn amounts of Letters of Credit;
(v)the aggregate principal amount (calculated on the face amount thereof) of all Term Loans so purchased by the Borrower shall automatically be cancelled and retired by the Borrower on the settlement date of the relevant purchase (and may not be resold), and in no event shall the Borrower be entitled to any vote hereunder in connection with such Term Loans;
(vi)no more than one Purchase Offer with respect to any Class may be ongoing at any one time;
(vii)[reserved];
(viii)the Borrower represents and warrants that no Loan Party shall have any material non-public information with respect to the Loan Parties or their Subsidiaries, or with respect to the securities of any such Person, that (A) has not been previously disclosed in writing to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders (other than because such Lender does not wish to receive such material non-public information) prior to such time and (B) could reasonably be expected to have a material effect upon, or otherwise be material to, a Lender’s decision to participate in the Purchase Offer; and
(ix)at the time of each purchase of Term Loans through a Purchase Offer, the Borrower shall have delivered to the Auction Manager an officer’s certificate of a Responsible Officer certifying as to compliance with preceding clause (viii).
(b)The Borrower must terminate any Purchase Offer if it fails to satisfy one or more of the conditions set forth above which are required to be met at the time which otherwise would have been the time of purchase of the Term Loans pursuant to such Purchase Offer. If the Borrower commences any Purchase Offer (and all relevant requirements set forth above which are required to be satisfied at the time of the commencement of such Purchase Offer have in fact been satisfied), and if at such time of commencement the Borrower reasonably believes that all required conditions set forth above which are required to be satisfied at the time of the consummation of such Purchase Offer shall be satisfied, then the Borrower shall have no liability to any Term Loan Lender for any termination of such Purchase Offer as a result of its failure to satisfy one or more of the conditions set forth above which are required to be met at the time which otherwise would have been the time of consummation of such Purchase Offer, and any such failure shall not result in any Default or Event of Default hereunder. With respect to all purchases of Term Loans made by the Borrower pursuant to this Section 2.24, (x) the Borrower shall pay on the settlement date of each such purchase all accrued and unpaid interest (except to the extent otherwise set forth in the relevant offering documents), if any, on the purchased Term Loans up to the settlement date of such purchase and (y) such purchases (and the payments made by the Borrower and the cancellation of the purchased Loans, in each case in connection therewith) shall not constitute voluntary or mandatory payments or prepayments for purposes of Section 2.11 hereof.
(c)The Administrative Agent and the Lenders hereby consent to the Purchase Offers and the other transactions effected pursuant to and in accordance with the terms of this Section 2.24 (provided that no Lender shall have an obligation to participate in any such Purchase Offer). For the avoidance of doubt, it is understood and agreed that the provisions of Section 2.16, Section 2.17 and Section 9.04 will not apply to the purchases of Term Loans pursuant to Purchase Offers made pursuant to and in accordance with the provisions of this Section 2.24. The Auction Manager acting in its capacity as such hereunder shall be entitled to the benefits of the provisions of Article VIII and Section 9.03 to the same extent as if each reference therein to the “Administrative Agent” were a reference to the Auction Manager, and the Administrative Agent shall cooperate with the Auction Manager as reasonably requested by the Auction Manager in order to enable it to perform its responsibilities and duties in connection with each Purchase Offer.
SECTION 2.25 Defaulting Lenders. Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, if any Lender becomes a Defaulting Lender, then the following provisions shall apply for so long as such Lender is a Defaulting Lender:
(a)fees shall cease to accrue on the unfunded portion of the Revolving Commitment of such Defaulting Lender pursuant to Section 2.12;
(b)any payment of principal, interest, fees or other amounts received by the Administrative Agent for the account of such Defaulting Lender (whether voluntary or mandatory, at maturity, pursuant to Section 2.18(b) or otherwise) or received by the Administrative Agent from a Defaulting Lender pursuant to Section 9.08 shall be applied at such time or times as may be determined by the Administrative Agent as follows: first, to the payment of any amounts owing by such Defaulting Lender to the Administrative Agent hereunder; second, if such Defaulting Lender is a Revolving Lender, to the payment on a pro rata basis of any amounts owing by such Defaulting Lender to the Issuing Bank or Swingline Lender hereunder; third, if such Defaulting Lender is a Revolving Lender, to cash collateralize the Issuing Bank’s LC Exposure with respect to such Defaulting Lender in accordance with this Section; fourth, as the Borrower may request (so long as no Default or Event of Default exists), to the funding of
any Loan in respect of which such Defaulting Lender has failed to fund its portion thereof as required by this Agreement, as determined by the Administrative Agent; fifth, if so determined by the Administrative Agent and the Borrower, to be held in a deposit account and released pro rata in order to (x) satisfy such Defaulting Lender’s potential future funding obligations with respect to Loans under this Agreement and
(y) if such Defaulting Lender is a Revolving Lender, cash collateralize the Issuing Bank’s future LC Exposure with respect to such Defaulting Lender with respect to future Letters of Credit issued under this Agreement, in accordance with this Section; sixth, to the payment of any amounts owing to the Lenders of the applicable Class and, if such Defaulting Lender is a Revolving Lender, the Issuing Bank or Swingline Lender as a result of any judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction obtained by any such Lender, the Issuing Bank or Swingline Lender against such Defaulting Lender as a result of such Defaulting Lender’s breach of its obligations under this Agreement or under any other Loan Document; seventh, so long as no Default or Event of Default exists, to the payment of any amounts owing to the Borrower as a result of any judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction obtained by the Borrower against such Defaulting Lender as a result of such Defaulting Lender’s breach of its obligations under this Agreement or under any other Loan Document; and eighth, to such Defaulting Lender or as otherwise directed by a court of competent jurisdiction; provided that if (x) such payment is a payment of the principal amount of any Loans or LC Disbursements in respect of which such Defaulting Lender has not fully funded its appropriate share, and (y) such Loans were made or the related Letters of Credit were issued at a time when the conditions set forth in Section 4.02 were satisfied or waived, such payment shall be applied solely to pay the Loans of, and LC Disbursements owed to, all non-Defaulting Lenders of the applicable Class or Classes on a pro rata basis prior to being applied to the payment of any Loans of, or LC Disbursements owed to, such Defaulting Lender until such time as all Loans and funded and unfunded participations in the Borrower’s obligations corresponding to such Defaulting Lender’s LC Exposure and Swingline Loans are held by the Lenders of the applicable Class or Classes pro rata in accordance with the applicable Commitments without giving effect to clause (d) below. Any payments, prepayments or other amounts paid or payable to a Defaulting Lender that are applied (or held) to pay amounts owed by a Defaulting Lender or to post cash collateral pursuant to this Section shall be deemed paid to and redirected by such Defaulting Lender, and each Lender irrevocably consents hereto;
(c)the Commitment and Credit Exposure of such Defaulting Lender shall not be included in determining whether the Required Lenders have taken or may take any action hereunder (including any consent to any amendment, waiver or other modification pursuant to Section 9.02); provided that, except as otherwise provided in Section 9.02, this clause (c) shall not apply to the vote of a Defaulting Lender in the case of an amendment, waiver or other modification requiring the consent of such Lender or each Lender directly affected thereby;
(d)if such Defaulting Lender is a Revolving Lender and any Swingline Exposure or LC Exposure exists at the time such Lender becomes a Defaulting Lender then:
(i)all or any part of the Swingline Exposure and LC Exposure of such Defaulting Lender (other than, in the case of a Defaulting Lender that is a Swingline Lender, the portion of such Swingline Exposure referred to in clause (b) of the definition of such term) shall be reallocated among the non-Defaulting Lenders that are Revolving Lenders in accordance with their respective Applicable Percentages, but only to the extent the sum of the U.S. Dollar Amount of all non-Defaulting Lenders’ Revolving Credit Exposures plus such Defaulting Lender’s Swingline Exposure and LC Exposure does not exceed the total of all non-Defaulting Lenders’ Revolving Commitments;
(ii)if the reallocation described in clause (i) above cannot, or can only partially, be effected, the Borrower shall within one (1) Business Day following notice by the Administrative Agent (x) first, prepay such Swingline Exposure and (y) second, cash collateralize for the benefit
of the Issuing Banks only the Borrower’s obligations corresponding to such Defaulting Lender’s LC Exposure (in each case after giving effect to any partial reallocation pursuant to clause
(i)above) in accordance with the procedures set forth in Section 2.06(j) for so long as such LC Exposure is outstanding;
(iii)if the Borrower cash collateralizes any portion of such Defaulting Lender’s LC Exposure pursuant to clause (ii) above, the Borrower shall not be required to pay any fees to such Defaulting Lender pursuant to Section 2.12(b) with respect to such Defaulting Lender’s LC Exposure during the period such Defaulting Lender’s LC Exposure is cash collateralized;
(iv)if the LC Exposure of the non-Defaulting Lenders is reallocated pursuant to clause (i) above, then the fees payable to the Revolving Lenders pursuant to Sections 2.12(a) and 2.12(b) shall be adjusted in accordance with such non-Defaulting Lenders’ Applicable Percentages; and
(v)if all or any portion of such Defaulting Lender’s LC Exposure is neither reallocated nor cash collateralized pursuant to clause (i) or (ii) above, then, without prejudice to any rights or remedies of any Issuing Bank or any other Lender hereunder, all letter of credit fees payable under Section 2.12(b) with respect to such Defaulting Lender’s LC Exposure shall be payable to the applicable Issuing Bank until and to the extent that such LC Exposure is reallocated and/or cash collateralized; and
(e)if such Defaulting Lender is a Revolving Lender, then for so long as such Revolving Lender is a Defaulting Lender, the Swingline Lender shall not be required to fund any Swingline Loan and no Issuing Bank shall be required to issue, amend or increase any Letter of Credit, unless it is satisfied that the related exposure and such Defaulting Lender’s then outstanding LC Exposure will be 100% covered by the Revolving Commitments of the non-Defaulting Lenders and/or cash collateral will be provided by the Borrower in accordance with Section 2.25(d), and Swingline Exposure related to any such newly made Swingline Loan or LC Exposure related to any newly issued or increased Letter of Credit shall be allocated among non-Defaulting Lenders in a manner consistent with Section 2.25(c)(i) (and such Defaulting Lender shall not participate therein).
If (i) a Bankruptcy Event or a Bail-In Action with respect to a Parent of any Revolving Lender shall occur following the date hereof and for so long as such event shall continue or (ii) the Swingline Lender or any Issuing Bank has a good faith belief that any Revolving Lender has defaulted in fulfilling its obligations under one or more other agreements in which such Lender commits to extend credit, the Swingline Lender shall not be required to fund any Swingline Loan and no Issuing Bank shall be required to issue, amend or increase any Letter of Credit, unless the Swingline Lender or such Issuing Bank, as the case may be, shall have entered into arrangements with the Borrower or such Lender, satisfactory to the Swingline Lender or such Issuing Bank, as the case may be, to defease any risk to it in respect of such Lender hereunder.
In the event that each of the Administrative Agent, the Borrower and, if the applicable Defaulting Lender is a Revolving Lender, the Issuing Banks and the Swingline Lender agrees that a Defaulting Lender has adequately remedied all matters that caused such Lender to be a Defaulting Lender, then, if such Defaulting Lender is a Revolving Lender, the Swingline Exposure and LC Exposure of the Revolving Lenders shall be readjusted to reflect the inclusion of such Lender’s Revolving Commitment and on the date of such readjustment such Lender shall purchase at par such of the Loans of the other Lenders (other than Swingline Loans) as the Administrative Agent shall determine may be necessary in order for such Lender to hold such Loans in accordance with its Applicable Percentage.
SECTION 2.26 MIRE Events. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth herein, no MIRE Event may be closed until the date that is (a) if there are no Mortgaged Real Properties in a “special flood hazard area” in any Flood Insurance Rate Map published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (or any successor agency), ten (10) Business Days or (b) if there are any Mortgaged Real Properties in a “special flood hazard area”, thirty (30) days, in each case, after the Administrative Agent has delivered to the Lenders the following documents in respect of such real property: (i) a completed flood hazard determination from a third party vendor; (ii) if such real property is located in a “special flood hazard area”, (A) a notification to the applicable Loan Parties of that fact and (if applicable) notification to the applicable Loan Parties that flood insurance coverage is not available and
(B)evidence of the receipt by the applicable Loan Parties of such notice; and (iii) if required by applicable Flood Insurance Laws, evidence of required flood insurance with respect to which flood insurance has been made available under applicable Flood Insurance Laws; provided that any such MIRE Event may be closed prior to such period expiring if the Administrative Agent shall have received confirmation from each Lender that such Lender has completed any necessary flood insurance due diligence to its reasonable satisfaction.
ARTICLE III
REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES
The Borrower represents and warrants to the Lenders that:
SECTION 3.01 Organization; Powers; Subsidiaries. Each Loan Party and each Material Domestic Subsidiary that is a Restricted Subsidiary is duly organized or formed, validly existing and (other than, prior to satisfaction of the requirements of Section 5.11, Quad Media Solutions, LLC) in good standing or equivalent status under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, has all requisite power and authority to carry on its business as now conducted and, except where the failure to do so, individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, is qualified to do business in, and is in good standing or equivalent status in, every jurisdiction where such qualification is required. Except as could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect or as otherwise permitted pursuant to Section 6.03, each Subsidiary of the Borrower that is not a Material Domestic Subsidiary but is a Restricted Subsidiary is duly organized or formed, validly existing and in good standing or equivalent status under the laws of the jurisdiction of its organization, has all requisite power and authority to carry on its business as now conducted and is qualified to do business in, and is in good standing or equivalent status in, every jurisdiction where such qualification is required. No Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary organized under the laws of the State of Wisconsin is the subject of a proceeding under Wisconsin Statutes section 180.1421 to cause its dissolution except, with respect to all Loan Parties and other Restricted Subsidiaries other than the Borrower, to the extent that such dissolution could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. Each applicable Loan Party and Restricted Subsidiary has filed with the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions any required annual report for its most recently completed report year, except, with respect to all Loan Parties and other Restricted Subsidiaries other than the Borrower, to the extent that failure to file could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. No filing has been made by any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary with the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions of a decree of dissolution except as otherwise permitted pursuant to Section 6.03. Schedule 3.01 hereto (as supplemented from time to time) identifies each Subsidiary, noting whether such Subsidiary is a Material Domestic Subsidiary and/or a Restricted Subsidiary or Unrestricted Subsidiary, the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization, as the case may be, the percentage of issued and outstanding shares of each class of its capital stock or other equity interests owned by the applicable Loan Party and the other Subsidiaries and, if such percentage is not 100% (excluding directors’ qualifying shares as required by law), a description of each class issued and outstanding. All of the outstanding shares of capital stock
and other equity interests of each Restricted Subsidiary are validly issued and outstanding and fully paid and nonassessable except as required by Wisconsin Statutes section 180.0622 and all such shares and other equity interests indicated on Schedule 3.01 as owned by the Loan Parties or other Restricted Subsidiaries are owned, beneficially and of record, by such Loan Parties or Restricted Subsidiaries free and clear of all Liens other than those created under the Loan Documents. Except as disclosed on Schedule 3.01, there are no outstanding commitments or other obligations of any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary to issue, and no options, warrants or other rights of any Person to acquire, any shares of any class of capital stock or other equity interests of any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary.
SECTION 3.02 Authorization; Enforceability. The Transactions are within each Loan Party’s corporate or other organizational powers and have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate or other organizational and, if required, shareholder action. The Loan Documents to which each Loan Party is a party have been duly executed and delivered by such Loan Party and constitute a legal, valid and binding obligation of such Loan Party, enforceable in accordance with its terms, subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or other laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and subject to general principles of equity, regardless of whether considered in a proceeding in equity or at law.
SECTION 3.03 Governmental Approvals; No Conflicts. The Transactions (a) do not require any material consent or approval of, registration or filing with, or any other action by, any Governmental Authority, (i) except such as have been obtained or made and are in full force and effect, and (ii) except for filings necessary to perfect Liens created pursuant to the Loan Documents, (b) except for those set forth in Schedule 3.03, will not violate any applicable law or regulation or the charter, by-laws or other organizational documents of any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary or any order of any Governmental Authority, (c) will not violate or result in a default under any indenture, agreement or other instrument in an aggregate principal amount of at least the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S.
$50,000,000, or where payments due thereunder or amounts received thereunder equal at least the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $50,000,000, that is binding upon any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary or its assets, or give rise to a right thereunder to require any payment to be made by any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary, and (d) will not result in the creation or imposition of, or the requirement to create, any Lien on any asset of any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary, except Liens created pursuant to the Loan Documents.
SECTION 3.04 Financial Condition; No Material Adverse Change.
(a)The Borrower has heretofore furnished to the Lenders its consolidated balance sheet and statements of income, shareholders’ equity and cash flows as of and for the Fiscal Year ended December 31, 2020 reported on by Deloitte & Touche LLP, independent public accountants. All such financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position and results of operations and cash flows of the Borrower and its consolidated Restricted Subsidiaries, as of such dates and for such periods in accordance with GAAP.
(b)Since December 31, 2020, there has been no event, development or circumstance that has had or could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
SECTION 3.05 Properties. (a) As of the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date, Schedule
3.05 sets forth the address of each parcel of real property that is owned by each Loan Party and has a net book value in excess of the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $1,000,000 or leased or subleased by each Loan Party pursuant to a lease or sublease with annual net rent in excess of the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S.
$1,000,000. Except as set forth in Schedule 3.05, each of such leases and subleases with annual rents
and other payments equal to or in excess of the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $10,000,000 is valid and enforceable in accordance with its terms and is in full force and effect, and no default by any Loan Party, and to the knowledge of any Responsible Officer of either Loan Party, by any other party, to any such lease or sublease exists. Each of the Loan Parties and the Restricted Subsidiaries has good and indefeasible title to, or valid leasehold interests (except for any subleases or sublicenses of such property which have been disclosed in writing to the Administrative Agent and where the book value thereof or annual rents and other payments in respect thereof are less than the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S.
$10,000,000) in, all its real and personal property material to its business, except for minor defects in title that do not interfere with its ability to conduct its business as currently conducted or to utilize such properties for their intended purposes, in each case, free of all Liens other than those permitted by Section 6.02. With respect to owned, leased or subleased properties where the book value, annual rents or other payments are less than the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $10,000,000, no more than the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $50,000,000 in the aggregate of such properties fail to comply with this Section 3.05.
(b) Each Loan Party and each Restricted Subsidiary owns, or is licensed to use, all trademarks, tradenames, copyrights, patents and other intellectual property material to its business, and the use thereof by such Loan Party or such Restricted Subsidiary, as applicable, does not infringe upon the rights of any other Person, except for any such infringements that, individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
SECTION 3.06 Litigation, Environmental and Labor Matters. (a) Other than those items identified in Schedule 3.06(a) hereto, there are no actions, suits, proceedings or investigations by or before any arbitrator or Governmental Authority pending against or, to the knowledge of a Responsible Officer, threatened in writing against or affecting any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary (i) as to which there is a reasonable possibility of an adverse determination and that, if adversely determined, could reasonably be expected, individually or in the aggregate, to result in a Material Adverse Effect or
(ii)that involve this Agreement or the Transactions. There are no strikes, lockouts, slowdowns, or other labor controversies pending against or, to the knowledge of any Responsible Officer, threatened in writing against or affecting any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary which has or threatens to have a material impact on the Lenders.
(b)Other than those items identified in Schedule 3.06(b) hereto and any other matters that, individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, none of the Loan Parties or any of the Restricted Subsidiaries (i) has failed to comply with any Environmental Law or to obtain, maintain or comply with any permit, license, certificate of approval or other approval required under any Environmental Law, (ii) has become subject to any Environmental Liability, (iii) has received, through a Responsible Officer thereof, written notice of any claim with respect to any Environmental Liability or (iv) knows, through a Responsible Officer thereof, of any basis for any Environmental Liability.
(c)None of the Loan Parties or the Restricted Subsidiaries is in default under or not in compliance with any law, regulation, rule or order, or any obligation under any agreement or instrument, where the failure to comply therewith has a Material Adverse Effect.
SECTION 3.07 Compliance with Laws and Agreements. Each of the Loan Parties and the Restricted Subsidiaries is in compliance with all laws, regulations and orders of any Governmental Authority applicable to it or its property and all indentures, agreements and other instruments binding upon it or its property, except where the failure to do so, individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
SECTION 3.08 Investment Company Status. None of the Loan Parties or the Restricted Subsidiaries is an “investment company” as defined in, or subject to regulation under, the Investment Company Act of 1940.
SECTION 3.09 Taxes. Each Loan Party and each Restricted Subsidiary has timely filed or caused to be filed all material Tax returns and reports required to have been filed (including, without limitation, all U.S. Federal tax returns), and has paid or caused to be paid all Taxes required to have been paid by it, except (a) Taxes that are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings and for which the applicable Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary, as applicable, has set aside on its books adequate reserves or (b) to the extent that the failure to do so could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
SECTION 3.10 ERISA. Schedule 3.10(a) is a complete and correct list of, and separately identifies, all (a) Pension Plans, (b) Multiemployer Plans and (c) Retiree Welfare Plans in effect on the Effective Date. Except as described in Schedule 3.10(a), each Benefit Plan which is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code as currently in effect has been determined to be so qualified, and each trust related to such Benefit Plan has been determined to be exempt from federal income tax under Section 501(a) of the Code as currently in effect, and no event has taken place which could reasonably be expected to cause the loss of such qualified and exempt status. With respect to each Pension Plan, the Loan Parties and all ERISA Affiliates have satisfied the minimum funding standard under Section 412(a) of the Code and paid all minimum required contributions and all required installments on or before the due dates provided under Section 430(j) of the Code except to the extent that failure to do so could not reasonably be expected to result in the imposition of a lien corresponding with an obligation in excess of the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $20,000,000 or the institution of termination proceedings by the PBGC. With respect to each Multiemployer Plan, the Loan Parties and all ERISA Affiliates have satisfied all required contributions and installments on or before the applicable due dates except to the extent that failure to do so could not reasonably be expected to result in the imposition of any withdrawal liability in excess of the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $50,000,000. Except for events, acts and failures to act that would not reasonably be expected to result in liabilities in excess of the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $50,000,000 in the aggregate, (x) each Benefit Plan is in compliance with applicable provisions of ERISA, the Code and other Requirements of Law, (y) there are no existing, pending or threatened claims (other than routine claims for benefits in the normal course), sanctions, actions, lawsuits or other proceedings or investigation involving any Benefit Plan to which any Loan Party or ERISA Affiliate incurs or otherwise has or could have an obligation or any liability and (z) no ERISA Event is reasonably expected to occur. Except as disclosed in the financial statements delivered to the Lenders prior to the Amendment No. 3 Effective Date, the aggregate costs of benefits to be provided under all Retiree Welfare Plans and all Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plans could not reasonably be expected to result in a material liability to the Loan Parties during the term of this Agreement. As of the Amendment No. 3 Effective Date, the Loan Parties have provided the Lenders with copies of the most recent Form 5500 and actuarial report for each Pension Plan, the most recent actuarial report for each Retiree Welfare Plan and an estimate of the December 31, 2017 aggregate liability of all Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plans.
SECTION 3.11 Disclosure. (a) The Borrower has disclosed to the Lenders all agreements, instruments and corporate or other restrictions to which it or any of the Restricted Subsidiaries is subject, and all other matters known to it, that, individually or in the aggregate, could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. Neither the Information Memorandum nor any of the other reports, financial statements, certificates or other information furnished by or on behalf of the Loan Parties and their Subsidiaries to the Administrative Agent or any Lender in connection with the negotiation of this Agreement or delivered hereunder (as modified or supplemented by other information so furnished) contains any material misstatement of fact or omits to state any material fact
necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, when taken as a whole; provided that, with respect to projected financial information, the Borrower represents only that such information was prepared by Responsible Officers thereof in good faith based upon assumptions believed by such Responsible Officer to be reasonable at the time.
(b) As of the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date, to the best knowledge of the Borrower, the information included in the Beneficial Ownership Certification provided on or prior to the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date to any Lender in connection with this Agreement is true and correct in all respects.
SECTION 3.12 Margin Regulations. No part of the proceeds of any Loan or Letter of Credit have been used or will be used, whether directly or indirectly, for any purpose that entails a violation of any of the Regulations of the Federal Reserve Board, including Regulations T, U and X. Neither the Borrower nor any Subsidiary thereof is engaged or will engage principally, or as one of its material activities, in the business of purchasing or carrying Margin Stock, or extending credit for the purpose of purchasing or carrying Margin Stock. Following the application of the proceeds of each Borrowing or drawing under each Letter of Credit, not more than 25% of the value of the assets (either of the Borrower only or of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis) will be Margin Stock.
SECTION 3.13 Solvency. (a) Immediately after giving effect to Amendment No. 9 on the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date and on each date on which the Borrower remakes its representations and warranties under Section 4.02, (i) the fair value of the assets of the Loan Parties and the Restricted Subsidiaries, at a fair valuation, when taken as a whole, will exceed their debts and liabilities (including without limitation the Obligations), subordinated, contingent or otherwise; (ii) the present fair saleable value of the property of the Loan Parties and the Restricted Subsidiaries, when taken as a whole, will be greater than the amount that will be required to pay the probable liability of their debts and other liabilities, subordinated, contingent or otherwise, as such debts and other liabilities become absolute and matured; (iii) the Loan Parties and the Restricted Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, will be able to pay their debts and liabilities, subordinated, contingent or otherwise, as such debts become due and liabilities become absolute and matured; and (iv) the Loan Parties and the Restricted Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, will not have unreasonably small capital with which to conduct the business in which they are engaged as such business is now conducted and is proposed to be conducted after the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date. The amount of any contingent liability at any time shall be computed as the amount that, in light of all of the facts and circumstances existing at such time, represents the amount that can reasonably be expected to become an actual or matured liability.
(b) No Loan Party intends to, or will permit any of its Restricted Subsidiaries to, and no Loan Party believes that it or any of its Restricted Subsidiaries will, incur debts beyond the ability of such Loan Party and its Restricted Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, to pay such debts as they mature, taking into account the timing of and amounts of cash to be received by the Loan Parties and the Restricted Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, and the timing of the amounts of cash to be payable on or in respect of its Indebtedness or the Indebtedness of the Loan Parties and the Restricted Subsidiaries, taken as a whole.
SECTION 3.14 No Default. The Borrower is in full compliance with this Agreement and no Default or Event of Default has occurred and is continuing.
SECTION 3.15 Insurance. Schedule 3.15 sets forth a description of all insurance maintained by or on behalf of the Loan Parties and the Restricted Subsidiaries as of the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date. As of the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date, no Loan Party has received notice of nonpayment of any premiums due with respect to, or cancellation of, any insurance policies described on Schedule 3.15. All such insurance is offered by financially sound and reputable insurance companies and
is in such amounts and covering such properties and risks as are adequate and customary for companies of the same or similar size engaged in the same or similar business and in the same or similar location as the Loan Parties and the Restricted Subsidiaries.
SECTION 3.16 No Burdensome Restrictions. No Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary is subject to any Burdensome Restrictions except Burdensome Restrictions permitted under Section 6.08.
SECTION 3.17 Liens; Security Interest in Collateral. There are no Liens on any of the real or personal properties of any Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary other than those Liens permitted under Section 6.02. Subject to the Security Agreement and the U.S. $50,000,000 allowance described in Section 7.01(q), the provisions of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents create legal, valid and perfected Liens on all the Collateral in favor of the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Administrative Agent and the Holders of Secured Obligations, and such Liens constitute perfected and continuing Liens on the Collateral, securing the Secured Obligations, enforceable against the applicable Loan Party and all third parties, and having priority over all other Liens on the Collateral except (a) to the extent permitted under Section 6.02 and (b) in the case of (i) Permitted Encumbrances, to the extent any such Permitted Encumbrances would have priority over the Liens in favor of the Administrative Agent pursuant to any applicable law and (ii) Liens perfected only by possession (including possession of any certificate of title) to the extent the Administrative Agent has not obtained or does not maintain possession of such Collateral.
SECTION 3.18 Anti-Corruption Laws and Sanctions. The Borrower has implemented and maintains in effect policies and procedures designed to ensure compliance by the Borrower, its Subsidiaries and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents with Anti-Corruption Laws and applicable Sanctions, and the Borrower, its Subsidiaries and their respective officers and employees and to the knowledge of the Borrower its directors and agents, are in compliance with Anti-Corruption Laws and applicable Sanctions in all material respects. None of (a) the Borrower, any Subsidiary or to the knowledge of the Borrower or such Subsidiary any of their respective directors, officers or employees, or (b) to the knowledge of the Borrower, any agent of the Borrower or any Subsidiary that will act in any capacity in connection with or benefit from the credit facility established hereby, is a Sanctioned Person. No Borrowing or Letter of Credit, use of proceeds or other transaction contemplated by this Agreement will violate Anti-Corruption Laws or applicable Sanctions.
SECTION 3.19 Employment Matters. The hours worked by and any payments made to employees of the Loan Parties and the Restricted Subsidiaries have not been in material violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Employee Standards Act (Ontario) or any other applicable Federal, state, provincial, local or foreign law dealing with such matters, other than such violations where the sole remedy thereof is the payment of damages which, in the aggregate, do not exceed the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $25,000,000. All material payments due from any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary, or for which any claim may be made against any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary, on account of wages and employee health and welfare insurance and other benefits have been paid or accrued as a liability on the books of the Loan Party or such Restricted Subsidiary.
SECTION 3.20 Affected Financial Institutions. No Loan Party is an Affected Financial Institution.
SECTION 3.21 Plan Assets; Prohibited Transactions. None of the Borrower or any of its Subsidiaries is an entity deemed to hold “plan assets” (within the meaning of the Plan Asset Regulations), and neither the execution, delivery or performance of the Transactions, including the
making of any Loan and the issuance of any Letter of Credit hereunder, will give rise to a non-exempt prohibited transaction under Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code.
ARTICLE IV
CONDITIONS
SECTION 4.01 Effective Date This Agreement and the rights and obligations of the parties hereunder will become effective on the date on which each of the following conditions has been satisfied (or waived in accordance with Section 9.02):
(a)The Administrative Agent (or its counsel) shall have received from each party hereto either (A) a counterpart of this Agreement signed on behalf of such party or (B) written evidence satisfactory to the Administrative Agent (which may include telecopy or electronic transmission of a signed signature page of this Agreement) that such party has signed a counterpart of this Agreement.
(b)The Administrative Agent shall have received favorable written opinions (addressed to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders and dated the Effective Date) of Foley & Lardner LLP, counsel for the Loan Parties, substantially in the form of Exhibit B. The Borrower hereby requests such counsel to deliver such opinions.
(c)The Administrative Agent shall have received those agreements, documents and certificates listed in the list of closing documents attached hereto as Exhibit E.
(d)The representations and warranties of the Loan Parties set forth in each Loan Document shall be true and correct in all material respects on and as of the Effective Date.
(e)No injunction or temporary restraining order exists and no litigation has commenced or is otherwise pending which would prohibit the effectiveness hereof or the extension of any Loan or issuance of any Letter of Credit.
(f)The Administrative Agent shall have received evidence that all regulatory, legal and other third-party approvals necessary, or, in its reasonable discretion, advisable, in connection with the Transactions and the continuing operations of the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries shall have been obtained and be in full force and effect.
(g)The Administrative Agent shall have a first priority perfected security interest in the Collateral, subject to Permitted Liens, as required by the Collateral Documents.
(h)The Administrative Agent, the Lenders and their respective Affiliates shall have received all fees and other amounts due and payable on or prior to the Effective Date, including, to the extent invoiced, reimbursement or payment of all out-of-pocket expenses required to be reimbursed or paid by the Borrower hereunder. All “Term Loans” outstanding under the Existing Credit Agreement, together with all accrued and unpaid interest thereon, shall have been repaid in full and each Departing Lender shall have received payment in full of all of the “Obligations” owing to it under the Existing Credit Agreement (other than obligations to pay fees and expenses with respect to which the Borrower has not received an invoice, “Swap Obligations”, contingent indemnity obligations and other contingent obligations owing to it under the “Loan Documents” as defined in the Existing Credit Agreement).
(i)The Lenders shall have received (i) satisfactory audited consolidated financial statements of the Borrower for the three most recent fiscal years ended prior to the Effective Date as to which such
financial statements are available, (ii) satisfactory unaudited interim consolidated financial statements of the Borrower for each quarterly period ended subsequent to the date of the latest financial statements delivered pursuant to clause (i) of this paragraph as to which such financial statements are available and
(iii)subject to Section 9.12, satisfactory financial statement projections through and including the Borrower’s 2019 fiscal year, together with such information as the Administrative Agent and the Lenders shall reasonably request (including, without limitation, a detailed description of the assumptions used in preparing such projections).
(j)No Default shall have occurred or shall be continuing.
The Administrative Agent shall notify the Borrower and the Lenders of the Effective Date, and such notice shall be conclusive and binding.
SECTION 4.02 Each Credit Event. Subsequent to the Effective Date, the obligation of each Lender to make a Loan on the occasion of any Borrowing, and of the Issuing Banks to issue, amend, renew or extend any Letter of Credit, is subject to the satisfaction of the following conditions:
(a)The representations and warranties of the Loan Parties set forth in each Loan Document shall be true and correct in all material respects on and as of the date of such Borrowing or the date of issuance, amendment, renewal or extension of such Letter of Credit, as applicable (it being understood and agreed that any such representation or warranty which relates to a specified prior date shall be required to be true and correct in all material respects only as of such specified prior date, and that any such representation or warranty which is subject to any materiality qualifier shall be required to be true and correct in all respects).
(b)At the time of and immediately after giving effect to such Borrowing or the issuance, amendment, renewal or extension of such Letter of Credit, as applicable, no Default shall have occurred and be continuing.
Each Borrowing and each issuance, amendment, renewal or extension of a Letter of Credit shall be deemed to constitute a representation and warranty by the Borrower on the date thereof as to the matters specified in this Section 4.02.
ARTICLE V
AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS
Until the Commitments have expired or been terminated and the principal of and interest on each Loan and all fees payable hereunder shall have been paid in full and all Letters of Credit shall have expired or terminated, in each case, without any pending draw, and all LC Disbursements shall have been reimbursed, the Borrower, for itself, the other Loan Parties and the Restricted Subsidiaries, covenants and agrees with the Lenders that, on and after the Effective Date:
SECTION 5.01 Financial Statements and Other Information. The Borrower will furnish to the Administrative Agent and each Lender:
(a)within ninety (90) days after the end of each Fiscal Year of the Borrower (or, if earlier, by the date that the Annual Report on Form 10-K of the Borrower for such Fiscal Year would be required to be filed under the rules and regulations of the SEC, giving effect to any automatic extension available thereunder for the filing of such form) (commencing with the Fiscal Year ended December 31, 2018), its audited consolidated balance sheet and related statements of operations, shareholders’ equity and cash
flows as of the end of and for such year, setting forth in each case in comparative form the figures for the previous Fiscal Year, all reported on by Deloitte & Touche LLP or other independent public accountants of recognized national standing (without a “going concern” or like qualification or exception and without any qualification commentary or exception as to the scope of such audit) to the effect that such consolidated financial statements present fairly in all material respects the financial condition and results of operations of the Borrower and its consolidated Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP consistently applied; provided, that all financials provided under this Section 5.01 shall include financial information for all Consolidated Financial Covenant Entities;
(b)within forty-five (45) days after the end of each of the first three Fiscal Quarters of each Fiscal Year of the Borrower (or, if earlier, by the date that the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of the Borrower for such Fiscal Quarter would be required to be filed under the rules and regulations of the SEC, giving effect to any automatic extension available thereunder for the filing of such form) (commencing with the Fiscal Quarter ended March 31, 2019), its consolidated balance sheet and related statements of operations, shareholders’ equity and cash flows as of the end of and for such Fiscal Quarter and the then elapsed portion of the Fiscal Year, setting forth in each case in comparative form the figures for the corresponding period or periods of (or, in the case of the balance sheet, as of the end of) the previous Fiscal Year, all certified by one of its Financial Officers as presenting fairly in all material respects the financial condition and results of operations of the Borrower and its consolidated Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP consistently applied, subject to normal year-end audit adjustments and the absence of footnotes; provided, that all financials provided under this Section 5.01 shall include financial information for all Consolidated Financial Covenant Entities;
(c)concurrently with any delivery of financial statements under clause (a) or (b) above, a certificate of a Financial Officer of the Borrower in substantially the form of Exhibit F (i) certifying as to whether a Default has occurred and, if a Default has occurred, specifying the details thereof and any action taken or proposed to be taken with respect thereto, (ii) setting forth reasonably detailed calculations demonstrating compliance with Section 6.11 and setting forth the Total Net Leverage as of the end of the applicable period, (iii) at any time any Subsidiary shall be designated as an Unrestricted Subsidiary, setting forth a condensed consolidating balance sheet and related income statement (including depreciation and amortization) for (A) the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries taken as a whole and (B) the Unrestricted Subsidiaries taken as a whole, in each case, in form and substance and with such level of detail as reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent and (iv) stating whether any change in GAAP or in the application thereof has occurred since the date of the audited financial statements referred to in Section 3.04 which has had a material effect on such financial statements and, if any such change has occurred, specifying the effect of such change on the financial statements accompanying such certificate;
(d)concurrently with any delivery of financial statements under clause (a) above, if such certificate is available (with the Borrower using commercially reasonably efforts to obtain such certificates), a certificate of the accounting firm that reported on such financial statements stating whether they obtained knowledge during the course of their examination of such financial statements of any Default (which certificate may be limited to the extent required by accounting rules or guidelines);
(e)promptly after the same become publicly available, copies of all periodic and other reports, proxy statements and other materials filed by any Loan Party or any Subsidiary thereof with the SEC (if applicable), or any Governmental Authority succeeding to any or all of the functions of said Commission (if applicable), or with any national securities exchange (if applicable), provided that such materials shall be deemed delivered on the date when they become publicly available at no cost on EDGAR;
(f)on each Free Cash Flow Prepayment Date, a certificate from a Financial Officer of the Borrower indicating whether a Prepayment Event has occurred on such date and certifying the manner in which the Total Leverage Ratio, and, if applicable, Free Cash Flow and any resulting prepayment were calculated, which certifications shall be in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent; and
(g)promptly following any request therefor, (x) such other information regarding the operations, business affairs and financial condition of any Loan Party or Subsidiary thereof, or compliance with the terms of this Agreement, as the Administrative Agent or any Lender (through the Administrative Agent) may reasonably request and (y) information and documentation reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent or any Lender for purposes of compliance with applicable “know your customer” and anti-money laundering rules and regulations, including the Patriot Act and the Beneficial Ownership Regulation.
Documents required to be delivered pursuant to clauses (a) and (b) of this Section 5.01 (to the extent any such documents are included in materials otherwise filed with the SEC) may be delivered electronically and if so delivered, shall be deemed to have been delivered on the date on which such documents are filed for public availability on the SEC’s Electronic Data Gathering and Retrieval System; provided that the Borrower shall notify (which may be by facsimile or electronic mail) the Administrative Agent of the filing of any such documents and provide to the Administrative Agent by electronic mail electronic versions (i.e., soft copies) of such documents (and the Administrative Agent shall promptly distribute such notice and electronic version to the Lenders). The Administrative Agent shall have no obligation to request the delivery of or to maintain paper copies of the documents referred to above, and in any event shall have no responsibility to monitor compliance by the Borrower with any such request by a Lender for delivery, and each Lender shall be solely responsible for timely accessing posted documents or requesting delivery of paper copies of such document to it and maintaining its copies of such documents. Notwithstanding anything contained herein, in every instance the Borrower shall be required to provide paper copies of the compliance certificates required by clause (c) of this Section 5.01 to the Administrative Agent.
SECTION 5.02 Notices of Material Events. The Borrower (without duplication) will furnish to the Administrative Agent (for prompt distribution to each Lender) written notice of the following:
(a)the occurrence of any Default (such notice to be provided within two (2) Business Days after a Responsible Officer becomes aware of such occurrence);
(b)the filing of any pleading, notice of appeal, communication of counsel or other document regarding any legal action or potential legal action or the commencement of any action, suit, investigation or proceeding, by or before any arbitrator or Governmental Authority against or affecting any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary, including pursuant to any applicable Environmental Laws, that if adversely determined, could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect;
(c)promptly, and in any event within five (5) days after (i) the failure to pay a minimum required contribution or installment to a Pension Plan on or before the due date provided under Section 430 of the Code; (ii) the failure to pay a required contribution or installment to a Multiemployer Plan on or before the applicable due date; (iii) the occurrence of an ERISA Event with a notice describing such ERISA Event, and any action that any Loan Party or ERISA Affiliate proposes to take with respect thereto, together with a copy of any notices received from or filed with the PBGC, IRS, Multiemployer Plan or other Pension Plan pertaining thereto; and (iv) any officer of any Loan Party or any ERISA Affiliate knows or has reason to know, a Pension Plan is in “at risk” status within the meaning of Section
430(j) of the Code, except as disclosed in writing by the Borrower to the Administrative Agent prior to the Effective Date;
(d)any other development that to the knowledge of a Responsible Officer results in, or could reasonably be expected to result in, a Material Adverse Effect; and
(e)any change in the information provided in the Beneficial Ownership Certification delivered to such Lender that would result in a change to the list of beneficial owners identified in such certification.
Each notice delivered under this Section (i) shall be in writing, (ii) shall contain a heading or a reference line that reads “Notice under Section 5.02 of Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement dated April 28, 2014” and (iii) shall be accompanied by a statement of a Financial Officer or other executive officer of the Borrower setting forth the details of the event or development requiring such notice and any action taken or proposed to be taken with respect thereto.
SECTION 5.03 Existence; Conduct of Business. Except as otherwise permitted by Section 3.01, the Borrower will, and will cause each other Loan Party and each Restricted Subsidiary to, do or cause to be done all things necessary to preserve, renew and keep in full force and effect its legal existence and the rights, qualifications, licenses, permits, privileges, franchises, governmental authorizations and intellectual property rights material to the conduct of its business, and maintain all requisite authority to conduct its business in each jurisdiction in which its business is conducted; provided that the foregoing shall not prohibit any merger, amalgamation, consolidation, Division, liquidation or dissolution permitted under Section 6.03.
SECTION 5.04 Payment of Obligations. The Borrower will, and will cause each other Loan Party and each Restricted Subsidiary to, pay its obligations, including Tax liabilities, that, if not paid, could result in a Material Adverse Effect before the same shall become delinquent or in default, except where (a) the validity or amount thereof is being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings, (b) the applicable Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary has set aside on its books adequate reserves with respect thereto in accordance with GAAP and (c) the failure to make payment pending such contest could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
SECTION 5.05 Maintenance of Properties; Insurance. The Borrower will, and will cause each other Loan Party and each Restricted Subsidiary to, except with respect to Plants Designated for Closure or Sale, Historical Used Equipment and property described in Section 6.03(a)(v)(B), (a) keep and maintain all property (including all Collateral) material to the conduct of its business in good working order and condition, ordinary wear and tear excepted, and (b) maintain with financially sound and reputable carriers (i) insurance in such amounts and covering such properties and risks as are adequate and customary for companies of the same or similar size engaged in the same or similar business and in the same or similar location as the Loan Parties and Restricted Subsidiaries and (ii) all insurance required pursuant to the Collateral Documents. The Borrower will furnish to the Lenders, upon request of the Administrative Agent, information in reasonable detail as to the insurance so maintained. The Borrower shall deliver to the Administrative Agent endorsements (x) to all “All Risk” physical damage insurance policies on all of the Loan Parties’ tangible personal property and assets (other than the assets securing the Senior Secured Notes, the Polish Subsidiary Credit Facility, the Existing Leveraged Leases or Permitted Private Placement Debt) and business interruption insurance policies naming the Administrative Agent as lender loss payee, and (y) to all general liability and other liability policies of the Loan Parties naming the Administrative Agent an additional insured. In the event any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary at any time or times hereafter shall fail to obtain or maintain any of the policies or insurance required herein or to pay any premium in whole or in part relating
thereto, then the Administrative Agent, without waiving or releasing any obligations or resulting Default hereunder, may at any time or times thereafter (but shall be under no obligation to do so) obtain and maintain such policies of insurance and pay such premiums and take any other action with respect thereto which the Administrative Agent deems advisable. All sums so disbursed by the Administrative Agent shall constitute part of the Obligations, payable as provided in this Agreement. The Borrower (x) will furnish to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders prompt written notice of any casualty or other insured damage to any material portion of the Collateral or the commencement of any action or proceeding for the taking of any material portion of the Collateral or interest therein under power of eminent domain or by condemnation or similar proceeding, provided that notification requirement shall not apply at any time when the Total Net Leverage Ratio is no greater than 3.00 to 1.00 and (y) will ensure that the net proceeds of any such event (whether in the form of insurance proceeds, condemnation awards or otherwise) are collected and applied in accordance with the applicable provisions of this Agreement and the Collateral Documents. If at any time any Mortgaged Real Property is located in a designated “special flood hazard area” with respect to which flood insurance has been made available under applicable Flood Insurance Laws, the Loan Parties will (i) maintain fully paid flood hazard insurance on such Mortgaged Real Property on such terms and in such amounts as required by The National Flood Insurance Reform Act of 1994, and (ii) provide within thirty (30) days (or such longer period as the Administrative Agent shall agree) evidence of such coverage as Administrative Agent may reasonably request, including, without limitation, (x) copies of any such flood insurance policies naming the Administrative Agent as loss payee and (y) the applicable Loan Party’s application for a flood insurance policy plus proof of premium payment, in each case to the extent requested by the Administrative Agent.
SECTION 5.06 Books and Records. The Borrower will, and will cause each other Loan Party and each Restricted Subsidiary to, keep proper books of record and account in which full, true and correct entries are made of all dealings and transactions in relation to its business and activities in all material respects. The Borrower will, and will cause each other Loan Party and each Restricted Subsidiary thereof to, permit any representatives designated by the Administrative Agent (including employees of the Administrative Agent or any consultants, accountants, lawyers and appraisers retained by the Administrative Agent), upon reasonable prior notice, to visit and inspect its properties, to examine and make extracts from its books and records, including environmental assessment reports and Phase I and Phase II studies, and to discuss its affairs, finances and condition with its officers and independent accountants, all at such reasonable times and as often as reasonably requested. The Borrower acknowledges that the Administrative Agent, after exercising its rights of inspection, may prepare and distribute to the Lenders certain reports pertaining to the Loan Parties’ and Restricted Subsidiaries’ assets for internal use by the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and the Lenders.
SECTION 5.07 Compliance with Laws and Material Contractual Obligations. The Borrower will, and will cause each other Loan Party and each Restricted Subsidiary to, (i) comply with all laws, rules, regulations and orders of any Governmental Authority applicable to it or its property (including without limitation Environmental Laws) and (ii) perform in all material respects its obligations under material agreements to which it is a party, in each case with respect to each of clause
(i) and clause (ii) except where the failure to do so, individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. The Borrower will maintain in effect and enforce policies and procedures designed to ensure compliance by the Borrower, its Subsidiaries and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents with Anti-Corruption Laws and applicable Sanctions.
SECTION 5.08 Use of Proceeds. The proceeds of:
(a)the Revolving Loans and Swingline Loans will be used: (i) to finance the working capital needs and general corporate purposes of the Loan Parties and the Restricted Subsidiaries in the ordinary
course of business; (ii) to refinance Indebtedness of the Borrower and its Subsidiaries to the extent otherwise permitted hereunder; and (iii) to consummate Permitted Acquisitions (subject to the following proviso) and make Restricted Payments permitted under Section 6.07; and
(b)the Term A Loans will be used as provided in this Agreement prior to the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date and otherwise to refinance certain existing Indebtedness of the Borrower and to finance the working capital needs and general corporate purposes of the Loan Parties and the Restricted Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business; provided, that, in each case under this Section 5.08:
(A)no part of the proceeds of any Loan or Letter of Credit will be used, whether directly or indirectly, for any purpose that entails a violation of any of the regulations of the Federal Reserve Board, including Regulations T, U and X; and
(B)the Borrower will not request any Borrowing or Letter of Credit, and the Borrower shall not use, and shall procure that its Subsidiaries and its or their respective directors, officers, employees and agents shall not use, the proceeds of any Borrowing or Letter of Credit
(x)in furtherance of an offer, payment, promise to pay, or authorization of the payment or giving of money, or anything else of value, to any Person in violation of any Anti-Corruption Laws,
(y)for the purpose of funding, financing or facilitating any activities, business or transaction of or with any Sanctioned Person, or in any Sanctioned Country, to the extent such activities, business or transaction would be prohibited by Sanctions if conducted by a corporation incorporated in the United States or in a European Union member state or (z) in any manner that would result in the violation of any Sanctions applicable to any party hereto.
SECTION 5.09 Loan Party Guarantors; Pledges; Additional Collateral; Further Assurances.
(a)As promptly as possible but in any event within forty-five (45) days (or such later date as may be agreed upon by the Administrative Agent) after any Subsidiary qualifies independently as (including as a result of a Division, with respect to each applicable Division Successor), or is designated by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent as, a Loan Party Guarantor pursuant to the definitions of “Material Domestic Subsidiary” or “Loan Party Guarantor”, the Borrower shall provide the Administrative Agent with written notice thereof setting forth information in reasonable detail describing the material assets of such Person and shall cause (x) each Division Successor and (y) each such other Subsidiary which also qualifies as a Loan Party Guarantor to deliver to the Administrative Agent a joinder to each of the Loan Party Guaranty and the Security Agreement (in each case in the form contemplated thereby) pursuant to which such Subsidiary agrees to be bound by the terms and provisions thereof, to be accompanied by appropriate corporate resolutions, other corporate documentation, other Collateral Documents to the extent contemplated by this Section 5.09 or the Security Agreement, and legal opinions in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and its counsel. The Borrower shall cause each such Person to be designated as a Loan Party at the time the aforementioned deliveries are made. Such Person also shall constitute a Restricted Subsidiary during the period it constitutes a Loan Party. If any Loan Party Guarantor ceases to be a Material Domestic Subsidiary at any time, the Borrower may request that such Subsidiary be released from its guaranty, and the Administrative Agent, upon receipt of evidence in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to it that such Loan Party Guarantor is no longer a Material Domestic Subsidiary, shall release such Subsidiary from its guaranty and release the liens on and security interests in the assets of such Subsidiary (in each case at the Borrower’s expense); provided, that after giving effect to such release, the Borrower shall be in compliance with Section 6.04. The Borrower may designate in writing Domestic Subsidiaries that are Restricted Subsidiaries which do not qualify as Material Domestic Subsidiaries as Loan Party Guarantors, and the Borrower shall cause such Persons to become subject to all applicable
Collateral Documents and other Loan Documents. The Administrative Agent shall, upon written request by the Borrower and at the Borrower’s cost and expense, release from the Collateral Documents and other Loan Documents any Subsidiary which is not a Material Domestic Subsidiary, including, without limitation, any Subsidiary which no longer qualifies as a Material Domestic Subsidiary pursuant to the definition thereof; provided, that after giving effect to such release, the Borrower shall be in compliance with Section 6.04. The Lenders hereby authorize the Administrative Agent to release such a Subsidiary from the Loan Party Guaranty and its Collateral Documents; provided, that if such Subsidiary subsequently qualifies as a Material Domestic Subsidiary pursuant to the definition thereof, such Subsidiary shall be required to re-deliver a joinder to the Loan Party Guaranty and its Collateral Documents in accordance with this Section 5.09. Notwithstanding the foregoing or anything to the contrary set forth herein, on and after the Amendment No. 4 Effective Date, each Subsidiary of the Borrower organized under the laws of Mexico (or a political subdivision thereof) shall become a Loan Party Guarantor under agreements, documents and instruments consistent with the foregoing and reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent that are governed by the laws of New York and enforceable under the laws of New York and the laws of Mexico. No such Subsidiary shall be required to deliver Collateral Documents to secure its obligations under the Loan Documents unless otherwise agreed to by the Borrower and the Administrative Agent. The delivery of such documents shall be subject to the timing requirements set forth above, along with the requirements for the delivery of ancillary documents, such as legal opinions.
(b)The Borrower will cause, and will cause each other Loan Party to cause, all of its owned property (whether real (subject to Section 5.09(c) below), personal, tangible, intangible, or mixed), to be subject at all times to first priority, perfected Liens in favor of the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Holders of Secured Obligations to secure the Secured Obligations in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Collateral Documents, subject in any case to Liens permitted by Section 6.02 and any exceptions thereto permitted in the Security Agreement. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Borrower will (i) subject to Section 5.09(e) below, cause the Applicable Pledge Percentage of the issued and outstanding Equity Interests of each Pledge Subsidiary directly owned by a Loan Party to be subject at all times to a first priority, perfected Lien in favor of the Administrative Agent to secure the Secured Obligations in accordance with the terms and conditions of the Collateral Documents or such other pledge and security documents as the Administrative Agent shall reasonably request and (ii) if required pursuant to paragraph (c) of this Section, will, and will cause each Loan Party to, promptly deliver Mortgages and Mortgage Instruments with respect to any real property owned by such Loan Party to the extent, and within such time period as is, reasonably required by the Administrative Agent. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no such pledge agreement in respect of the Equity Interests of a Foreign Subsidiary or in respect of any assets related to such Equity Interests shall be required hereunder to the extent the Administrative Agent or its counsel determines that such pledge would not provide material credit support for the benefit of the Holders of Secured Obligations pursuant to legally valid, binding and enforceable pledge agreements.
(c)Without limiting the foregoing, the Borrower will, and will cause each Loan Party and each of the Subsidiaries thereof to, execute and deliver, or cause to be executed and delivered, to the Administrative Agent such documents, agreements and instruments, and will take or cause to be taken such further actions (including the filing and recording of financing statements, fixture filings, mortgages, deeds of trust, hypothecs and other documents and such other actions or deliveries of the type required by Section 4.01, as applicable), which may be required by law or which the Administrative Agent may, from time to time, reasonably request to carry out the terms and conditions of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents and to ensure perfection and priority of the Liens created or intended to be created by the Collateral Documents, all at the expense of the Borrower; provided, however, that, for purposes of this Section 5.09(c) and Section 5.09(d) below, no Mortgage or Mortgage Instruments shall be required with respect to (i) any leasehold property, (ii) subject to the remainder of this Section 5.09(c),
any real property owned or acquired by any Loan Party on or after the Effective Date if the book value therefor is less than the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $10,000,000 (provided that the aggregate book value of all real property subject to this clause (ii) shall not exceed the U.S. Dollar Amount of $75,000,000 at any time), (iii) any real property constituting Plants Designated For Closure or Sale upon the acquisition thereof, in each case so long as such real property is sold, transferred, assigned, leased, subleased, terminated or otherwise Disposed not later than 24 months following the date such real property is acquired (provided that the Administrative Agent may, in its sole and absolute discretion, agree to an extension of up to 6 additional months for any property under this clause (iii)), (iv) subject to the remainder of this Section 5.09(c), any real property owned by any Loan Party on the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date with a book value of less than the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $10,000,000 and listed on Schedule 5.09(c) or (v) if the cost of perfecting a Lien in such property, in the Administrative Agent’s sole discretion, is excessive in light of the value of such property. On and after the Amendment No. 4 Effective Date, if any asset constituting Permitted Note Collateral no longer secures the Permitted Private Placement Debt or Senior Secured Notes, then the Borrower shall provide written notice thereof to the Administrative Agent at least 10 days prior to the date on which the Lien on such asset is released. Thereafter, the Borrower promptly will cause such asset to be subjected to a Lien securing the Secured Obligations and will take, and cause the other Loan Parties to take, such actions as shall be necessary or reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent to grant and perfect such Liens, including actions described in this Section, all at the expense of the Borrower.
(d)If any assets (excluding any real property or improvements thereto or any interest therein (unless required pursuant to paragraph (c) of this Section)) are acquired by a Loan Party after the Effective Date (other than assets constituting Collateral under the Security Agreement that become subject to the Lien under the Security Agreement upon acquisition thereof), with respect to which additional action is required to perfect the Lien or security interest of the Administrative Agent, the Borrower will notify the Administrative Agent thereof, and, if requested by the Administrative Agent, and if the cost of perfecting a Lien in such property, in the Administrative Agent’s sole discretion, is not excessive in light of the value of such property, the Borrower will cause such assets to be subjected to a Lien securing the Secured Obligations and will take, and cause the other Loan Parties to take, such actions as shall be necessary or reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent to grant and perfect such Liens, including actions described in paragraph (c) of this Section, all at the expense of the Borrower. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Administrative Agent shall not receive a Lien on any asset constituting an “Excluded Asset” under and as defined in the Security Agreement or any Permitted Note Collateral.
(e)No Loan Party shall be required to deliver Collateral Documents governed by the laws of the jurisdiction of organization of any First Tier Foreign Subsidiary in respect of the pledge to the Administrative Agent of Equity Interests in such First Tier Foreign Subsidiary unless such First Tier Foreign Subsidiary is a Material Foreign Subsidiary (in which case any such Loan Party shall be required to deliver such Collateral Documents). No Loan Party shall otherwise be required to take any actions to perfect the Administrative Agent’s Lien in such First Tier Foreign Subsidiary’s Equity Interests other than such Loan Party’s entry into the Security Agreement and the filing of a UCC-1 financing statement against such Loan Party which includes such Equity Interests as part of the collateral subject thereto.
(f)Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth herein, the Administrative Agent shall not enter into any Mortgage in respect of any real property acquired by any Loan Party after the Amendment No. 2 Effective Date until the date that is (a) if such Mortgage relates to a property not located in a “special flood hazard area”, ten (10) Business Days or (b) if such Mortgage relates to a property located in a “special flood hazard area”, thirty (30) days, in each case, after the Administrative Agent has delivered to the Lenders the following documents in respect of such real property: (i) a completed flood hazard determination from a third party vendor; (ii) if such real property is located in a
“special flood hazard area”, (A) a notification to the applicable Loan Parties of that fact and (if applicable) notification to the applicable Loan Parties that flood insurance coverage is not available and
(B) evidence of the receipt by the applicable Loan Parties of such notice; and (iii) if required by applicable Flood Insurance Laws, evidence of required flood insurance with respect to which flood insurance has been made available under applicable Flood Insurance Laws; provided that any such mortgage may be entered into prior to such period expiring if the Administrative Agent shall have received confirmation from each Lender that such Lender has completed any necessary flood insurance due diligence to its reasonable satisfaction.
SECTION 5.10 Designation of Restricted Subsidiaries and Unrestricted Subsidiaries.
(a)Each of the Borrower’s Subsidiaries shall be designated as a Restricted Subsidiary or an Unrestricted Subsidiary at all times, and in the absence of a designation as an Unrestricted Subsidiary in accordance with this Section 5.10, each Subsidiary of the Borrower shall be a Restricted Subsidiary. Schedule 3.01 sets forth such designations for the Borrower’s Subsidiaries as of the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date. Each Subsidiary that is acquired or formed (including by way of merger or consolidation) after the Amendment No. 4 Effective Date shall be deemed to be designated as a Restricted Subsidiary at the time of acquisition or formation thereof unless it is designated as an Unrestricted Subsidiary by written notice to the Administrative Agent not less than ten (10) Business Days (but subject in all cases to the conditions set forth below) prior to the acquisition or formation thereof, with the understanding that the Borrower may change such designation in accordance with the following. Upon at least ten (10) Business Days’ prior written notice to the Administrative Agent, and subject to satisfaction of the following requirements, the Borrower may at any time and from time to time change a Subsidiary’s designation as a Restricted Subsidiary or an Unrestricted Subsidiary:
(i)No such change in designation shall be made unless, immediately before and after such change, no Default shall have occurred and be continuing or shall otherwise result therefrom;
(ii)Immediately after giving effect to such change, the Borrower shall be in compliance, on a Pro Forma Basis, with the covenants set forth in Section 6.11 (and, as a condition precedent to the effectiveness of any such change, the Borrower shall deliver to the Administrative Agent a certificate of a Financial Officer setting forth in reasonable detail the calculations demonstrating such compliance);
(iii)No Unrestricted Subsidiary shall be re-designated as a Restricted Subsidiary unless at least one full Fiscal Quarter has passed since the Fiscal Quarter in which such Unrestricted Subsidiary was designated as such;
(iv)The designation of a Subsidiary (other than a Material Domestic Subsidiary) as a Restricted Subsidiary or an Unrestricted Subsidiary shall not be changed at any time the Total Net Leverage Ratio (before and, on a Pro Forma Basis, after giving effect to the proposed re-designation) is equal to or greater than 3.25 to 1.00. The designation of a Material Domestic Subsidiary as a Restricted Subsidiary shall not be changed at any time the Total Net Leverage Ratio (before and, on a Pro Forma Basis, after giving effect to the proposed re-designation) is equal to or greater than 3.00 to 1.00;
(v)No Restricted Subsidiary shall be designated as an Unrestricted Subsidiary unless after giving effect thereto the aggregate amount of all such designations, when taken together with all other Restricted Intercompany Transactions, shall not exceed the Restricted Intercompany Transaction Amount; provided, that (A) in the case of any designation of a
Material Domestic Subsidiary as an Unrestricted Subsidiary, the amount of such designation shall be deemed to be an amount (not less than zero) equal to the total assets of such Subsidiary minus the outstanding funded debt of such Subsidiary as of the date of such designation and (B) in the case of any designation of a Restricted Subsidiary (other than a Material Domestic Subsidiary) as an Unrestricted Subsidiary, the amount of such designation shall be deemed to be an amount (not less than zero) equal to the book net worth of such Subsidiary as of the date of such designation;
(vi)No Material Domestic Subsidiary shall be designated as an Unrestricted Subsidiary without the Administrative Agent’s prior written consent (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld); provided, that the Borrower shall have certified to the Administrative Agent in writing, and in a manner reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent (including supporting detail therefor, if so requested by the Administrative Agent), that, after giving effect to such designation (and the removal of such Loan Party Guarantor as a Material Domestic Subsidiary) on a Pro Forma Basis, no Restricted Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party Guarantor shall constitute (or be required to be designated as) a Material Domestic Subsidiary in accordance with the definition thereof; provided, further, that the Administrative Agent is authorized by the Lenders to release any Loan Party Guarantor designated as an Unrestricted Subsidiary pursuant to this clause (vi) from the Loan Party Guaranty and to release its Liens on the assets of such Loan Party Guarantor;
(vii)No Loan Party Guarantor shall be designated as an Unrestricted Subsidiary;
(viii)No Unrestricted Subsidiary may (A) own Equity Interests in any Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary, (B) own any assets of any Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary, (C) hold any Indebtedness owing by any Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary or (D) hold a Lien on any property of a Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary;
(ix)After giving effect to such designation as an Unrestricted Subsidiary, such Unrestricted Subsidiary shall not own any intellectual property that is material to the business of the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries; provided that the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries may grant non-exclusive licenses of any intellectual property to any Unrestricted Subsidiary in the ordinary course of business so long as the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries retain the beneficial ownership and the same rights to use such intellectual property as held prior to such license; and
(x)No Subsidiary that is designated as a “Restricted Subsidiary” (or analogous concept) under the Senior Secured Notes or any other Indebtedness of the Borrower or any Subsidiary shall be designated as an Unrestricted Subsidiary hereunder unless it is also designated as an “Unrestricted Subsidiary” under the Senior Secured Notes and all such other Indebtedness.
(b)Each Subsidiary that constitutes an Unrestricted Subsidiary shall be treated as a third-party that is a non-Affiliate, and shall not receive the benefit of any provision allowing for transactions between the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries. The Borrower’s or any Subsidiary’s investment in an Unrestricted Subsidiary shall constitute an investment in a non-Affiliated third party that is subject to Section 6.04.
(c)If, at any time, any Unrestricted Subsidiary fails to meet any requirements of an Unrestricted Subsidiary, it shall thereafter cease to be an Unrestricted Subsidiary for purposes of this
Agreement and shall thereafter constitute a Restricted Subsidiary, with all of its Indebtedness, Liens, Investments and other actions and transactions being subject to the terms of this Agreement.
SECTION 5.11 Post-Closing Covenant. Notwithstanding the delivery requirements set forth in the Loan Documents, the parties hereto hereby agree to the following timing requirements in respect of the deliveries set forth on Schedule 5.11.
SECTION 5.12 Accuracy of Information. The Borrower will ensure that any information, including financial statements or other documents, furnished to the Administrative Agent or the Lenders in connection with this Agreement or any amendment or modification hereof or waiver hereunder contains no material misstatement of fact or omits to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, and the furnishing of such information shall be deemed to be a representation and warranty by the Borrower on the date thereof as to the matters specified in this Section.
ARTICLE VI
NEGATIVE COVENANTS
Until the Commitments have expired or terminated and the principal of and interest on each Loan and all fees payable hereunder have been paid in full and all Letters of Credit have expired or terminated, in each case, without any pending draw, and all LC Disbursements shall have been reimbursed, the Borrower, for itself, the other Loan Parties and the Restricted Subsidiaries, covenants and agrees with the Lenders that, on and after the Effective Date:
SECTION 6.01 Indebtedness. No Loan Party will, or will permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, create, incur, assume or permit to exist any Indebtedness, except:
(a)the Secured Obligations;
(b)Indebtedness and guarantees thereof existing on the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date and set forth in Schedule 6.01(b) and extensions, renewals and replacements of any such Indebtedness with Indebtedness of a similar type that does not increase the outstanding principal amount thereof (without giving effect to accrued interest, fees or transaction costs with respect to such Indebtedness);the Senior Secured Notes and the Existing Leveraged Leases, in each case together with extensions, increases (including subsequent issuances), renewals and replacements thereof; provided, that no such extension, renewal, increase or replacement shall be consummated in contravention of the agreements, documents and instruments evidencing the Senior Secured Notes or the Existing Leveraged Leases, as applicable;
(d)Indebtedness of any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary to any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary; provided that such Indebtedness is permitted under Section 6.04;
(e)Guarantees by a Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary of Indebtedness of any Loan Party, any Subsidiary, any Affiliate of any Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary, or any Person in which a Loan Party or other Restricted Subsidiary owns no more than 50% of the voting Equity Interests thereof; provided that (i) any such Indebtedness of any Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary so Guaranteed is permitted by this Section 6.01, (ii) such Guarantees are permitted under Section 6.04, and
(iii) Guarantees permitted under this clause (e) shall be subordinated to the Secured Obligations of the
applicable Loan Party or Subsidiary on the same terms as the Indebtedness so Guaranteed is subordinated to the Secured Obligations;
(f)Indebtedness of any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary incurred to finance the acquisition, construction or improvement of any fixed or capital assets, including Capital Lease Obligations and any Indebtedness assumed in connection with the acquisition of any such assets or secured by a Lien on any such assets prior to the acquisition thereof, and extensions, renewals and replacements of any such Indebtedness that do not increase the outstanding principal amount thereof (without giving effect to accrued interest, fees or transaction costs with respect to such Indebtedness); provided that (i) such Indebtedness is incurred prior to or within ninety (90) days after such acquisition or the completion of such construction or improvement and (ii) the Borrower is in compliance on a Pro Forma Basis with Section 6.11 after the incurrence thereof;
(g)Indebtedness of any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary as an account party in respect of (i) trade letters of credit or (ii) constituting obligations in respect of Swap Obligations and hedging and swap arrangements permitted under Section 6.05;
(h)Unsecured Indebtedness and Subordinated Indebtedness of the Loan Parties so long as the Borrower shall be in compliance with Section 6.09 and, upon incurrence thereof, Section 6.11 on a Pro Forma Basis;
(i)Indebtedness owed to any Person providing workers’ compensation, health, disability or other employee benefits or property, casualty or liability insurance, pursuant to reimbursement or indemnification obligations to such Person, in each case incurred in the ordinary course of business;
(j)Indebtedness of any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary as an account party in respect of performance bonds, bid bonds, appeal bonds, surety bonds and similar obligations, in each case provided in the ordinary course of business;
(k)the Polish Subsidiary Credit Facility, together with extensions, increases, renewals and replacements thereof (with the Borrower being in compliance on a Pro Forma Basis with Section 6.11 after any incurrence thereunder or increase in the aggregate principal amount thereof);
(l)Indebtedness of Foreign Subsidiaries that are Restricted Subsidiaries so long as the aggregate principal amount thereof, when aggregated (without duplication) with the aggregate principal amount of all guarantees permitted under Section 6.04(e)(i), does not at any time exceed the Permitted Foreign Subsidiary Indebtedness Amount; provided, that the Borrower is in compliance, on a Pro Forma Basis, with Section 6.11 after any incurrence of such Indebtedness or increase in the aggregate principal amount of such Indebtedness;
(m)Indebtedness incurred under industrial revenue bonds so long as not in contravention with Section 6.02;
(n)Indebtedness of the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary incurred pursuant to Permitted Receivables Facilities so long as the aggregate outstanding principal amount of all Attributable Receivables Indebtedness permitted under this clause (n) does not exceed the U.S. Dollar Amount of
U.S. $250,000,000 at any time; provided, however, that (1) no more than the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S.
$150,000,000 of such Attributable Receivables Indebtedness shall be outstanding at any time the Total Leverage Ratio is equal to or greater than 3.00 to 1.00 (including before and after giving effect on a Pro Forma Basis to any incurrence of such Indebtedness, and with the Total Leverage Ratio giving effect, on a Pro Forma Basis, to any fundings or purchases to be made under such Permitted Receivables Facilities),
(2) the availability of such U.S. $150,000,000 amount shall be reduced by the aggregate of all Attributable Receivables Indebtedness incurred when the Total Leverage Ratio was less than 3.00 to 1.00, and (3) at any time the Total Leverage Ratio is equal to or greater than 3.00 to 1.00 and any Attributable Receivables Indebtedness is outstanding, the excess of aggregate Revolving Commitments over aggregate Revolving Credit Exposures shall be at least U.S. $100,000,000 (with the Borrower having up to sixty (60) days to comply with this clause (3) after the date on which the Total Leverage Ratio is equal to or greater than 3.00 to 1.00);
(o)Operating leases classified as Indebtedness under GAAP;
(p)Indebtedness evidencing Sale and Leaseback Transactions permitted under Sections 6.03 and 6.10;
(q)Indebtedness permitted under Section 6.04;
(r)Permitted Private Placement Debt so long as the Borrower is in compliance, on a Pro Forma Basis, with Section 6.11 immediately before and after any incurrence of such Indebtedness and no Default is then outstanding or would result therefrom;
(s)Permitted Term Debt so long as the Borrower is in compliance, on a Pro Forma Basis, with Section 6.11 immediately before and after any incurrence of such Indebtedness and no Default is then outstanding or would result therefrom;
(t)Permitted Acquisition Debt; provided, that the aggregate outstanding principal amount of Permitted Acquisition Debt shall not exceed the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $25,000,000; and
(u)Indebtedness arising under Permitted Corporate Restructuring Transactions.
In addition to the foregoing, subsequent to the Collateral Release, the Borrower shall not at any time permit (A) Priority Debt (as defined in Schedule II of the Senior Secured Note Agreement (as in effect on the date hereof) (a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit I)) to exceed an amount equal to 15% of Consolidated Net Worth (as defined in the Senior Secured Note Agreement as in effect on the date hereof) unless (1) the Required Lenders approve the applicable excess Indebtedness and Liens and (2) the Administrative Agent and the Holders of Secured Obligations are equally and ratably secured therewith on terms and conditions and pursuant to documentation acceptable to the Required Lenders; provided, that such equal and ratable Liens, if granted at all, shall be granted within 30 days after the incurrence of the excess Indebtedness and Liens, (B) the aggregate outstanding principal amount of Indebtedness of Domestic Subsidiaries (other than (1) Indebtedness described in Section 6.01(a), (d), (f), (g)(i), (i), (j), (m), (n), (o), (p) or (u), (2) Guarantees by a Loan Party Guarantor of Indebtedness of the Borrower permitted under this Section 6.01 or (3) Guarantees permitted under the following clause (C)) to exceed the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $250,000,000 or (C) the aggregate principal amount of the Guarantees of Indebtedness by a Loan Party in respect of Indebtedness owing by any Foreign Subsidiary, any Affiliate of a Loan Party organized under the laws of a jurisdiction other than the United States of America (or political subdivision thereof) or any Person that is organized under the laws of a jurisdiction other than the United States of America (or political subdivision thereof) and in which a Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary owns no more than 50% of the voting Equity Interests thereof to exceed the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $200,000,000; provided, further, that the Loan Parties also shall be permitted to guaranty, in excess of the foregoing limitation, up to the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $100,000,000 of Indebtedness owing under the Polish Subsidiary Credit Facility so long as the Indebtedness so guaranteed is permitted under Section 6.01(k).
SECTION 6.02 Liens. No Loan Party will, or will permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, create, incur, assume or permit to exist any Lien on any property or asset now owned or hereafter acquired by it, or assign or sell any income or revenues (including accounts receivable) or rights in respect of any thereof, except the following; provided, however, that other than as permitted under clause
(v)below, no Lien shall be permitted hereunder in respect of any asset or property (including any Equity Interest) located in Mexico or owned or Controlled by a Person organized under the laws of Mexico (or a political subdivision thereof):
(a)Liens created pursuant to any Loan Document;
(b)Permitted Encumbrances;
(c)any Lien on any property or asset of any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary existing on the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date and set forth in Schedule 6.02; provided that (i) such Lien shall not apply to any other property or asset of such Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary unless permitted elsewhere under this Section 6.02, and (ii) such Lien shall secure only those obligations which it secures on the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date and extensions, renewals and replacements thereof that do not increase the outstanding principal amount thereof (without giving effect to accrued interest, fees or transaction costs with respect to such Indebtedness), except for such increases as may be permitted under Section 6.01(k) or (l);
(d)any Lien on Existing Leveraged Lease Collateral that secures Indebtedness evidenced by the Existing Leveraged Leases and that is permitted under Section 6.01(c), together with any Lien on any other property or asset of a Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary that is permitted elsewhere under this Section 6.02 and that is used to secure such Indebtedness in respect of the Existing Leveraged Leases that is permitted under Section 6.01(c);
(e)Liens on property or assets acquired by a Loan Party or a Restricted Subsidiary after the Effective Date; provided, that no such Liens shall be permitted on and after the Amendment No. 4 Effective Date;
(f)Liens on the assets or property of any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiaries in connection with Sale and Leaseback Transactions that comply with the requirements of Section 6.10;
(g)Liens on fixed or capital assets acquired, constructed or improved by any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary; provided that (i) such security interests secure Indebtedness permitted by clause (f) of Section 6.01, (ii) such security interests and the Indebtedness secured thereby are incurred prior to or within ninety (90) days after such acquisition or the completion of such construction or improvement, (iii) the Indebtedness secured thereby does not exceed the cost of acquiring, constructing or improving such fixed or capital assets; and (iv) such security interests shall not apply to any other property or assets of any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary;
(h)Liens arising under Permitted Receivables Facilities where the Attributable Receivable Indebtedness thereunder is permitted under Section 6.01(n);
(i)Liens securing the Polish Subsidiary Credit Facility to the extent the Indebtedness in respect thereof is permitted under Section 6.01(k); provided, that only assets owned by the Polish Subsidiary shall secure the Polish Subsidiary Credit Facility;
(j)Liens securing hedging obligations of Loan Parties arising under non-speculative natural gas swaps; provided, that (x) no more than the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $50,000,000 in the aggregate
of such obligations (as determined based on the termination value thereof) shall be owing to any Person that is not a Holder of Secured Obligations and (y) such obligations owing to non-Holders of Secured Obligations shall be secured solely with cash and cash equivalents;
(k)Liens securing obligations owing under and in connection with industrial revenue bonds; provided, that no more than the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $50,000,000 in aggregate principal amount of such bonds may be secured pursuant to this clause;
(l)Liens securing the Senior Secured Notes and Permitted Private Placement Debt; provided, that (i) no assets other than Permitted Note Collateral shall secure the Senior Secured Notes and the Permitted Private Placement Debt and (ii) equipment and real estate constituting or required to constitute Collateral (and so not listed on Schedule 1.01(a)) may secure the Senior Secured Notes and Permitted Private Placement Debt only if the aggregate net book value thereof, when taken together with all assets sold, transferred or assigned during the applicable Fiscal Year pursuant to Section 6.03(a)(v)(F), does not exceed the Annual Asset Sale Limitation; provided, further, that the Administrative Agent is hereby authorized by the Lenders to release its Lien upon the applicable equipment and real estate if no Default is then outstanding or would result therefrom, and the Borrower has certified to the Administrative Agent in writing, and in a manner reasonably acceptable to the Administrative Agent (including supporting detail therefor, if so requested by the Administrative Agent), that the requirements of this Section 6.02(l) have been satisfied (and the Administrative Agent shall provide copies of any such release to the Lenders); Liens securing Permitted Term Debt; provided, that if the Borrower or applicable Restricted Subsidiary wishes to grant a Lien on Collateral to secure Permitted Term Debt, then such Lien shall only be permitted hereunder and may only remain outstanding if the Secured Obligations are secured equally and ratably with such Permitted Term Debt, or the Lien securing the Permitted Term Debt is junior in priority to the Lien securing the Secured Obligations, and, in either case, the holders of such Permitted Term Debt shall at all times be subject to an intercreditor agreement with the Administrative Agent, on behalf of the Lenders, that is in form and substance acceptable to the Required Lenders;
(n)Liens securing Indebtedness of Foreign Subsidiaries permitted under Section 6.01(l), which Liens are granted upon assets of Foreign Subsidiaries;
(o)Liens securing Permitted Acquisition Debt on, as applicable, the assets subject to the related Permitted Acquisition or the assets of a Restricted Subsidiary subject to the related Permitted Acquisition; provided, that on and after the Amendment No. 4 Effective Date, no Lien shall secure Permitted Acquisition Debt; and
(p)Liens on assets of the Loan Parties and the Restricted Subsidiaries not otherwise permitted above so long as the aggregate principal amount of the Indebtedness subject to such Liens does not exceed the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $25,000,000 in the aggregate at any time.
SECTION 6.03 Fundamental Changes and Asset Sales.
(a)No Loan Party will, or will permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, merge into, or amalgamate or consolidate with any other Person, or permit any other Person to merge into, or amalgamate or consolidate with it, consummate a Division as the Dividing Person or sell, transfer, lease or otherwise Dispose of any of its assets (including pursuant to a Sale and Leaseback Transaction), or any of the Equity Interests of any of the Subsidiaries (in each case, whether now owned or hereafter acquired), or liquidate or dissolve, except that, if at the time thereof and immediately after giving effect thereto no Default shall have occurred and be continuing:
(i)any Person may merge into the Borrower in a transaction in which the Borrower is the surviving corporation; provided that any such merger arising in connection with an Acquisition shall not be permitted unless also permitted by Section 6.04;
(ii)(a) any Restricted Subsidiary may merge into or amalgamate with a Loan Party in a transaction in which the surviving entity or successor entity is a Loan Party; provided, however, that (1) any such merger involving the Borrower must result in the Borrower as the survivor thereof, and (2) if arising in connection with an Acquisition, shall not be permitted unless also permitted by Section 6.04, and (b) any non-Loan Party Subsidiary that is a Restricted Subsidiary may merge into or amalgamate with another non-Loan Party Subsidiary that is a Restricted Subsidiary; provided, that, if arising in connection with an Acquisition, shall not be permitted unless also permitted by Section 6.04;
(iii)any of the following sales, transfers, leases or other Disposition may occur:
(A)any Restricted Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party may sell, transfer, lease or otherwise Dispose of its assets to a Loan Party;
(B)any Loan Party may sell, transfer, lease or otherwise Dispose of its assets to any other Loan Party;
(C)IEDB Transfers;
(D)any Restricted Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party may sell, transfer, lease or otherwise Dispose of its assets to any other Restricted Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party;
(E)any Loan Party may sell, transfer, lease or otherwise Dispose of its assets to any Restricted Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party, and any Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary may sell, transfer lease or otherwise Dispose of its assets to any Unrestricted Subsidiary, any Affiliate of any Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary, or any Person in which a Loan Party or other Restricted Subsidiary owns no more than 50% of the voting Equity Interests thereof, so long as the aggregate net book value of all such assets, when taken together with all other Restricted Intercompany Transactions, does not exceed the Restricted Intercompany Transactions Amount; and
(F)any Loan Party may sell, transfer, lease or otherwise Dispose of Historical Used Equipment to any Restricted Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party, and any Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary may sell, transfer lease or otherwise Dispose of Historical Used Equipment to any Unrestricted Subsidiary, any Affiliate of any Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary, or any Person in which a Loan Party or other Restricted Subsidiary owns no more than 50% of the voting Equity Interests thereof; provided, that the aggregate net book value of all sales, transfers, leases and Dispositions made in reliance on this clause (F) (excluding any Dispositions made in reliance on this clause
(F) prior to the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date) shall not exceed (i) the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $125,000,000 at any time the Total Leverage Ratio is less than 3.00 to
1.00 (both before and after giving effect thereto on a Pro Forma Basis), or (ii) the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $50,000,000 at any time the Total Leverage Ratio is equal to or greater than 3.00 to 1.00 (both before and after giving effect thereto on a Pro Forma Basis); provided, further, that if a sale, transfer, lease or Disposition was permitted because the Total Leverage Ratio was less than 3.00 to 1.00 (both before and after giving
effect thereto on a Pro Forma Basis), but subsequent thereto, the Total Leverage Ratio equals or exceeds 3.00 to 1.00, such sale, transfer, lease or Disposition shall remain a permitted transaction under this clause (F), but no further sales, transfers, leases or Dispositions shall be permitted hereunder until such time as the Total Leverage Ratio is less than 3.00 to 1.00 and the Loan Parties have not otherwise reached the above-mentioned U.S. $125,000,000 limitation;
(iv)the Borrower or any Restricted Subsidiary may sell Receivables under Permitted Receivables Facilities (subject to the limitation on Attributable Receivables Indebtedness under Section 6.01(n)) at any time;
(v)the Loan Parties and the Restricted Subsidiaries may:
(A)sell inventory in the ordinary course of business;
(B)effect sales, trade-ins or Dispositions of used, obsolete, scrap, worn out or surplus equipment or property for value if such equipment is located at Plants Designated for Closure or Sale or otherwise in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice;
(C)enter into licenses of technology in the ordinary course of business;
(D)sell, transfer, assign, lease or otherwise Dispose of owned, or sublease, assign or earlier terminate leases or subleases in connection with leaseholds or subleaseholds for, Plants Designated for Closure or Sale; provided, that the aggregate net book value for all Plants Designated for Closure or Sale that are sold, transferred, assigned, Disposed of, leased, subleased or early terminated on or after the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date shall not exceed the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $150,000,000;
(E)[Reserved]
(F)make any other sales, transfers, leases or Dispositions (including Sale and Leaseback Transactions that comply with Section 6.10) that, together with all other property of the Loan Parties and the Restricted Subsidiaries previously leased, sold or Disposed of as permitted by this clause (F) following the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date, and as determined based on net book value for all property subject to such sales, transfers, leases or other Dispositions, does not exceed 35% of Consolidated Total Assets, and with such sales, transfers, leases and Dispositions in any Fiscal Year not exceeding 15% of Consolidated Total Assets (the “Annual Asset Sale Limitation”); provided, that (i) Consolidated Total Assets shall be computed based upon the most recently audited financials provided by the Borrower to the Administrative Agent under Section 5.01(a), and (ii) computations of the Borrower’s compliance with this clause (F) shall be made after giving effect to the Asset Sale and Purchase Offset, with the transactions permitted to be credited toward the Asset Sale and Purchase Offset not counting toward the limitations set forth in this clause (F);
provided, further, all sales, transfers, leases and other Dispositions permitted under this Section 6.03(a)(v) shall be for fair market value and, other than with respect to clauses (v)(B), (v)(C) (with respect to cross-licensing of technology where the consideration for the issuance of a license is (1) the receipt of a different license of comparable value, (2) the receipt of Equity Interests in a Person (or the enhancement of the value of existing Equity Interests in such Person) or (3) an interest in a joint
development arrangement (or the enhancement of value under an existing joint development agreement), in which case no cash consideration is required), (v)(D) and (v)(E), at least 75% of the consideration paid therefor shall be in cash when the Total Net Leverage Ratio, on a Pro Forma Basis giving effect to the applicable transaction, is equal to or greater than 3.00 to 1.00;
(vi)any Restricted Subsidiary may liquidate or dissolve if the Borrower determines in good faith that such liquidation or dissolution is in its best interests and is not materially disadvantageous to the Lenders, and, if such Restricted Subsidiary is a Loan Party, such Loan Party’s assets and property (including revenues) are transferred to another Loan Party;
(vii)a Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary may engage in Permitted Corporate Restructuring Transactions; and
(viii)any Restricted Subsidiary that is an LLC may consummate a Division as the Dividing Person if, immediately upon the consummation of the Division, the assets of the applicable Dividing Person are held by one or more Restricted Subsidiaries at such time (or, in the case of a Division of a Restricted Subsidiary that is a Loan Party, the assets of such applicable Dividing Person are held by a wholly-owned Restricted Subsidiary which is (or shall simultaneously become, pursuant to Section 5.09(a)) a Loan Party), or, with respect to assets not so held by one or more Restricted Subsidiaries, such Division, in the aggregate, would otherwise result in a Disposition permitted by Section 6.03(a)(iv); provided that any such Division involving a Person that is not a wholly-owned Subsidiary immediately prior to such Division shall not be permitted unless it is also permitted by Section 6.04; provided, further, that notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, any Subsidiary which is a Division Successor resulting from a Division of assets of a Material Domestic Subsidiary may not be deemed to be a non-Material Domestic Subsidiary at the time of or in connection with the applicable Division.
(b)No Loan Party will, or will permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, engage to any material extent in any business other than businesses of the type conducted by the Loan Parties and the Restricted Subsidiaries on the date of execution of this Agreement and businesses reasonably related or complementary thereto.
(c)Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, no Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary shall consummate any transaction that results in the Disposition (whether by way of any Restricted Payment, investment, Lien, sale, conveyance, transfer or other Disposition, and whether in a single transaction or a series of transactions) of intellectual property that is material to the business of the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries to any Unrestricted Subsidiary or Affiliate of the Borrower that is not a Loan Party; provided that the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries may grant non-exclusive licenses of any intellectual property to any Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party in the ordinary course of business so long as the Borrower and its Restricted Subsidiaries retain the beneficial ownership and the same rights to use such intellectual property as held prior to such license.
SECTION 6.04 Investments, Loans, Advances, Guarantees and Acquisitions. No Loan Party will, or will permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, purchase, hold or acquire (including pursuant to any merger or consolidation with, or as a Division Successor pursuant to the Division of, any Person that was not a wholly owned Restricted Subsidiary prior to such merger or consolidation or Division) any capital stock, evidences of indebtedness or other securities (including any option, warrant or other right to acquire any of the foregoing) of, make or permit to exist any loans or advances to, Guarantee any obligations of, or make or permit to exist any investment or any other interest in, any other Person, or
purchase or otherwise acquire (in one transaction or a series of transactions) any Person or any assets of any other Person constituting a business unit, except:
(a)Permitted Investments;
(b)Permitted Acquisitions (with the understanding that a Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary may use proceeds of Indebtedness to consummate a Permitted Acquisition so long as such Indebtedness is permitted under the Loan Documents); provided, that all such Permitted Acquisitions of any Person designated as an Unrestricted Subsidiary at the time of such Permitted Acquisition, when aggregated with all other Restricted Intercompany Transactions, shall not at any time exceed the Restricted Intercompany Transactions Amount;
(c)[reserved];
(d)loans or advances made by:
(i)a Loan Party to another Loan Party;
(ii)a Loan Party to any Restricted Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party, subject to the proviso at the end of this Section 6.04(d);
(iii)any non-Loan Party Subsidiary that is a Restricted Subsidiary to a Loan Party;
(iv)any non-Loan Party Subsidiary that is a Restricted Subsidiary to any other non-Loan Party Subsidiary that is a Restricted Subsidiary; and
(v)any Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary to any Unrestricted Subsidiary, any Affiliate of any Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary, or any Person in which a Loan Party or other Restricted Subsidiary owns no more than 50% of the voting Equity Interests thereof, subject to the proviso at the end of this Section 6.04(d);
provided, that all such loans and advances covered by (d)(ii) and (d)(v), when aggregated with all other Restricted Intercompany Transactions, shall not at any time exceed the Restricted Intercompany Transactions Amount;
(e)Guarantees of Indebtedness by:
(i)a Loan Party in respect of Indebtedness owing by any Foreign Subsidiary, any Affiliate of a Loan Party organized under the laws of a jurisdiction other than the United States of America (or political subdivision thereof) or any Person that is organized under the laws of a jurisdiction other than the United States of America (or political subdivision thereof) and in which a Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary owns no more than 50% of the voting Equity Interests thereof; provided, that the aggregate principal amount of all such guarantees, when aggregated (without duplication) with the aggregate principal amount of all Indebtedness of Foreign Subsidiaries permitted pursuant to Section 6.01(l), does not at any time exceed the Permitted Foreign Subsidiary Indebtedness Amount;
(ii)a Loan Party in respect of Indebtedness owing by another Loan Party;
(iii)a Restricted Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party in respect of Indebtedness owing by any other Restricted Subsidiary that is not a Loan Party;
(iv)a Loan Party in respect of Indebtedness owing by a non-Loan Party Domestic Subsidiary that is a Restricted Subsidiary; provided, that the aggregate principal amount of such guaranty obligations, when taken together with all other Restricted Intercompany Transactions, does not at any time exceed the Restricted Intercompany Transactions Amount; and
(v)a Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary that is a Domestic Subsidiary in respect of Indebtedness owing by (A) Domestic Subsidiaries thereof that are Unrestricted Subsidiaries, (B) Affiliates thereof organized under the laws of the United States of America (or political subdivisions thereof) and (C) Persons organized under the laws of the United States of America (or political subdivisions thereof) and in which a Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary owns no more than 50% of the voting Equity Interests thereof; provided, that the aggregate principal amount of such guaranty obligations, when taken together with all other Restricted Intercompany Transactions, does not at any time exceed the Restricted Intercompany Transactions Amount;
(f)investments by the Loan Parties and Restricted Subsidiaries in Equity Interests in Subsidiaries, Affiliates of any Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary, and Persons in which a Loan Party or other Restricted Subsidiary owns no more than 50% of the voting Equity Interests thereof (with the aggregate amount of outstanding investments being reduced at any time and from time to time by all dividends, distributions and similar amounts received by the holder of an investment, and by the amount of Net Proceeds received by such holder upon the sale of such investment); provided, that all such investments by Loan Parties in non-Loan Party Restricted Subsidiaries and by Loan Parties and Restricted Subsidiaries in Unrestricted Subsidiaries, Affiliates of any Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary and Persons in which a Loan Party or other Restricted Subsidiary owns no more than 50% of the voting Equity Interests thereof (in each case other than Receivables Entities), when aggregated with all other Restricted Intercompany Transactions, shall not at any time exceed the Restricted Intercompany Transactions Amount;
(g)Guarantees constituting Indebtedness permitted by Section 6.01 (other than Guarantees by a Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary of Indebtedness of any Loan Party, any Subsidiary, any Affiliate of any Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary, or any Person in which a Loan Party or other Restricted Subsidiary owns no more than 50% of the voting Equity Interests thereof);
(h)Swap Agreements entered into by any Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary to the extent permitted by Section 6.05;
(i)any investments, loans or advances existing on the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date as set forth on Schedule 6.04;
(j)investments resulting from Permitted Corporate Restructuring Transactions; and
(k)any other investment, guarantee, loan or advance (other than Acquisitions) so long as the aggregate outstanding amount of all such investments, guarantees, loans and advances at any time does not exceed the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $50,000,000.
SECTION 6.05 Swap Agreements. No Loan Party will, or will permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, enter into any Swap Agreement or hedging or swap arrangement, except (a) Swap Agreements entered into to hedge or mitigate risks to which any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary has actual exposure (other than those in respect of Equity Interests of any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary), (b) Swap Agreements entered into in order to effectively cap, collar or exchange interest rates (from fixed to floating rates, from one floating rate to another floating rate or otherwise) with
respect to any interest-bearing liability or investment of any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary, and
(c) non-speculative foreign currency exchange swaps or hedges. In addition, no Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary will incur or otherwise be liable for hedging obligations in an aggregate net amount (based on termination value) in excess of the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $75,000,000 where the counterparty thereto is not a Holder of Secured Obligations and such hedging obligations arise under non-speculative natural gas swaps.
SECTION 6.06 Transactions with Affiliates. No Loan Party will, or will permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, sell, lease or otherwise transfer any property or assets to, or purchase, lease or otherwise acquire any property or assets from, or otherwise engage in any other transactions with, any of its Affiliates, except (a) in the ordinary course of business at prices and on terms and conditions not less favorable to such Loan Party or such Restricted Subsidiary than could be obtained on an arm’s-length basis from unrelated third parties, (b) transactions between or among the Loan Parties and wholly owned Restricted Subsidiaries not involving any other Affiliate, or transactions between two non-Loan Party Subsidiaries that are Restricted Subsidiaries, (c) any Indebtedness incurred in accordance with Section 6.01, (d) any Restricted Payment permitted by Section 6.07, (e) any Permitted Investment, (f) compensation of officers, directors and employees in connection with their services to Loan Parties and Restricted Subsidiaries, including, without limitation, the provision of services to or for the direct or indirect benefit of such officers, directors and employees so long as such services are provided at prices and on terms and conditions not more favorable than those that could be obtained on an arm’s-length basis from unrelated third parties and (g) any transaction with an Unrestricted Subsidiary constituting a Restricted Intercompany Transaction permitted hereunder or otherwise permitted pursuant to Section 6.04(k).
SECTION 6.07 Restricted Payments. No Loan Party will, or will permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, declare or make, or agree to pay or make, directly or indirectly, any Restricted Payment, except:
(a)the Borrower may declare and pay dividends with respect to its Equity Interests payable solely in additional shares of its common stock;
(b)Restricted Subsidiaries may declare and pay dividends ratably with respect to their Equity Interests;
(c)the Borrower and the Restricted Subsidiaries may make Restricted Payments pursuant to and in accordance with stock option plans or other benefit plans for management or employees of the Borrower or such Restricted Subsidiaries;
(d)the following repurchases of Equity Interests may occur so long as no Event of Default is then outstanding or would result therefrom and reasonable consideration is given therefor: (1) a non-Loan Party may repurchase its Equity Interests from a Loan Party, (2) a Loan Party may repurchase its Equity Interests from another Loan Party, (3) a non-Loan Party may repurchase its Equity Interests from another non-Loan Party, (4) a Loan Party may repurchase its Equity Interests from a non-Loan Party Restricted Subsidiary and (5) a Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary may repurchase its Equity Interests from an Unrestricted Subsidiary, so long as, solely for purposes of the foregoing clauses (4) and (5), the aggregate consideration therefor, when taken together with all other Restricted Intercompany Transactions, does not exceed the Restricted Intercompany Transactions Amount;
(e)Restricted Payments under Permitted Corporate Restructuring Transactions;
(f)[Reserved]; and
(g)other Restricted Payments so long as at the time thereof and immediately after giving effect (including giving effect on a Pro Forma Basis) thereto and any Indebtedness incurred or assumed in connection therewith (i) no Default or Event of Default then exists or would result therefrom, (ii) the Borrower is in compliance with the financial covenants set forth in Section 6.11 and (iii) the Total Leverage Ratio is less than 2.50 to 1.00; provided that, notwithstanding the foregoing, the aggregate amount of all Restricted Payments made on or after the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date in reliance on this clause (g) shall not exceed (x) $100,000,000 if, at the time of making any such Restricted Payment or immediately after giving effect thereto on a Pro Forma Basis, the Total Leverage Ratio is or will be greater than or equal to 2.50 to 1.00 but less than 2.75 to 1.00 or (y) $60,000,000 if, at the time of making any such Restricted Payment or immediately after giving effect thereto on a Pro Forma Basis, the Total Leverage Ratio is or will be greater than or equal to 2.75 to 1.00; provided further that, notwithstanding the foregoing, (A) the Borrower may pay regularly scheduled cash dividends payable ratably in respect of its issued and outstanding Class A and Class B common equity in reliance on the immediately foregoing clause (x) (but, for the avoidance of doubt, subject to available capacity under such clause (x)) if, at the time of making any such Restricted Payment, the Total Leverage Ratio as of the end of the most recently ended Fiscal Quarter as set forth in the most recent compliance certificate delivered to the Administrative Agent in accordance with Section 5.01(c) was less than 2.75 to 1.00, provided that the aggregate amount of all Restricted Payments made on or after the Amendment No. 9 Effective in reliance on this clause (A) shall not exceed $20,000,000 and (B) in no event shall the aggregate amount of all Restricted Payments made on or after the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date in reliance on any of the provisos to this clause (g) exceed $100,000,000.
SECTION 6.08 Restrictive Agreements. Except for agreements set forth on Schedule 6.08, no Loan Party will, or will permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, directly or indirectly, enter into, incur or permit to exist any agreement or other arrangement that prohibits, restricts or imposes any condition upon (a) the ability of any Loan Party to create, incur or permit to exist any Lien upon any of its property or assets, or (b) the ability of any Loan Party to pay dividends or other distributions with respect to holders of its Equity Interests or, with respect to any Loan Party, to make or repay loans or advances to any Loan Party or any other Restricted Subsidiary or to Guarantee Indebtedness of any Loan Party or any other Restricted Subsidiary; provided that (i) the foregoing shall not apply to restrictions and conditions imposed by law or by any Loan Document, (ii) the foregoing shall not prohibit any Foreign Subsidiary that is a Restricted Subsidiary from entering into agreements that contain financial covenants which require compliance with financial tests without explicitly addressing the ability of such Foreign Subsidiary to take any action described in clause (b) of this section, (iii) the foregoing shall not apply to customary restrictions and conditions contained in agreements relating to a Permitted Receivables Facility or the sale of a Restricted Subsidiary pending such sale, provided such restrictions and conditions apply only to the Restricted Subsidiary that is to be sold and such sale is permitted hereunder,
(iv) clause (a) of the foregoing shall not apply to restrictions or conditions imposed by any agreement
relating to secured Indebtedness permitted by this Agreement if such restrictions or conditions apply only to the property or assets securing such Indebtedness, (v) clause (a) of the foregoing shall not apply to customary provisions in leases and other contracts restricting the assignment thereof and (vi) the foregoing shall not apply to restrictions or conditions imposed by an agreement evidencing Indebtedness permitted under this Agreement so long as such restrictions and conditions permit and do not limit or restrict the financings evidenced by the Loan Documents (including all grants of Collateral in connection herewith and all payments of principal, interest, fees, costs and expenses required hereby), and so long as such restrictions and conditions, taken as a whole, are not more restrictive or limiting than those set forth in the Loan Documents (with the understanding that customary covenants in public debt or Rule 144A offerings shall not be deemed to be more restrictive). Notwithstanding the foregoing or anything to the contrary set forth herein, no Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary shall enter into or otherwise be subject
to any agreement, document or instrument that prohibits or limits its ability to grant the Administrative Agent a Lien upon its assets located in Mexico.
SECTION 6.09 Subordinated Indebtedness/Unsecured Indebtedness.
(a)Restrictions. No Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary shall incur, be liable for, guaranty or otherwise be subject to Subordinated Indebtedness or Unsecured Indebtedness unless: (i) such Subordinated Indebtedness or Unsecured Indebtedness has a final maturity date that occurs at least 180 days after the Extended Maturity Date; (ii) with respect to both the Unsecured Indebtedness and the Subordinated Indebtedness, no principal prepayment thereof or defeasance, purchase, redemption or acquisition thereof (whether voluntary or mandatory) shall be made unless no Default is then outstanding or would result therefrom and the Borrower, on a Pro Forma Basis after giving effect thereto, is in compliance with Section 6.11; provided, that no such voluntary prepayment, defeasance, purchase, redemption or acquisition shall be permitted if the Senior Secured Leverage Ratio is or will be greater than 3.00 to 1.00 or the Total Net Leverage Ratio is or will be greater than 3.50 to 1.00, in each case, at the time of, or after giving effect on a Pro Forma Basis to, such voluntary prepayment, defeasance, purchase, redemption or acquisition, unless such voluntary prepayment, defeasance, purchase, redemption or acquisition is made pursuant to a refinancing of the applicable Indebtedness with Unsecured Indebtedness or Subordinated Indebtedness incurred in compliance with this Section 6.09; provided, further, for the avoidance of doubt, no proceeds of Loans or other extensions of credit under the Loan Documents shall be used to make any payment in respect of such Unsecured Indebtedness or Subordinated Indebtedness (including on the scheduled maturity date therefor) in contravention of the foregoing proviso’s requirements in respect of the Senior Secured Leverage Ratio and the Total Net Leverage Ratio; (iii) with respect to Unsecured Indebtedness, the agreements, documents and instruments evidencing such Unsecured Indebtedness may only provide that up to 5% of the aggregate outstanding principal amount thereof be scheduled to be paid in any Fiscal Year, with the understanding that all such scheduled principal payments shall also be subject to the restriction set forth in the foregoing clause (ii); and (iv) with respect to the Subordinated Indebtedness, no scheduled principal payments shall be permitted until at least 180 days after the Extended Maturity Date. Any refinancing, replacement, extension, increase, substitution, renewal, supplement or modification of Subordinated Indebtedness or Unsecured Indebtedness shall be subject to the requirements of this Section 6.09. No Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary may be liable for, Guarantee or otherwise be subject to, or pay, defease, purchase, redeem or acquire (or agree to pay, defease, purchase, redeem or acquire), any Indebtedness owing by any Unrestricted Subsidiary, except as permitted pursuant to Sections 6.04(d)(v), (e)(v) or (f).
(b)No More Favorable Terms. Without in any way limiting the foregoing provisions of this Section 6.09, no Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary shall be a party to, enter into or amend, restate, supplement or otherwise modify any indenture, note or other agreement evidencing or governing the Senior Secured Notes or any Subordinated Indebtedness or Unsecured Indebtedness of any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary that (i) contains any covenant binding on any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary or any of their respective assets, (ii) contains any event of default causing, or permitting holders of such Indebtedness to cause, such Indebtedness to become due prior to its stated maturity, or
(iii) requires any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary to provide, or otherwise gives any holder of any such Indebtedness the benefit of, a guaranty that, in the case of any of the foregoing clauses (i), (ii) and (iii), is (x) not substantially provided for in this Agreement or the other Loan Documents or (y) is more favorable to the holder of such Indebtedness than the comparable covenant, default or guaranty set forth in the Loan Documents (collectively, a “More Favorable Term”), unless this Agreement and/or any relevant Loan Document shall be amended or supplemented to provide substantially the same covenant, default or guaranty, as applicable, prior to the effectiveness of the More Favorable Term; provided that, if no such amendment or supplement is entered into by the relevant parties, the applicable More Favorable Term shall be automatically incorporated herein without any further action by any party
hereto. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no term or provision of the Senior Secured Notes and the Senior Secured Note Agreement shall constitute a More Favorable Term during any period when the outstanding aggregate principal amount of the Senior Secured Notes is less than or equal to U.S. $75,000,000.
SECTION 6.10 Sale and Leaseback Transactions. No Loan Party will, or will permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, enter into any Sale and Leaseback Transaction, other than Sale and Leaseback Transactions (a) in respect of which the cash consideration received for the asset or property being sold or otherwise transferred therewith is an amount not less than the fair market value of such asset or property, or (b) that are consummated within 180 days after such Loan Party or such Restricted Subsidiary acquires or completes the construction of the asset or property being sold or otherwise transferred therewith; provided that the Loan Parties and the Restricted Subsidiaries shall not be required to comply with this clause (b) in respect of any Sale and Leaseback Transaction consummated on or after the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date so long as the aggregate fair market value of all such assets and properties subject to this proviso (determined as of the time of acquisition or completion of construction for each such asset or property) does not exceed U.S. $150,000,000.
SECTION 6.11 Financial Covenants.
(a)Maximum Total Leverage Ratio. The Borrower will not permit the ratio (the “Total Leverage Ratio”), determined as of the end of each of its Fiscal Quarters, of (i) Consolidated Total Indebtedness to (ii) Consolidated EBITDA for the period of the then most-recently ended four (4) consecutive Fiscal Quarters, all calculated for the Consolidated Financial Covenant Entities on a consolidated basis, to be greater than 3.50 to 1.00 for the Fiscal Quarter ending September 30, 2024 and each Fiscal Quarter thereafter.
(b)[reserved].
(c)Maximum Senior Secured Leverage Ratio. The Borrower will not permit the ratio (the “Senior Secured Leverage Ratio”), determined as of the end of each of its Fiscal Quarters, of (i) Consolidated Senior Secured Net Indebtedness to (ii) Consolidated EBITDA for the period of the then most-recently ended four (4) consecutive Fiscal Quarters, all calculated for the Consolidated Financial Covenant Entities on a consolidated basis, to be greater than 3.00 to 1.00 for the Fiscal Quarter ending September 30, 2024 and each Fiscal Quarter thereafter.
(d)Minimum Interest Coverage Ratio. The Borrower will not permit the Interest Coverage Ratio, determined as of the end of each of its Fiscal Quarters for the period of the then most-recently ended four (4) consecutive Fiscal Quarters, to be less than 3.00 to 1.00.
SECTION 6.12 Change in Fiscal Year. The Consolidated Financial Covenant Entities will not change the end of each of their Fiscal Years from December 31st without the Administrative Agent’s prior written consent (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld, and with the Borrower agreeing to make such changes to the Loan Documents that are reasonably requested by the Administrative Agent to give effect to such change in Fiscal Years).
ARTICLE VII
EVENTS OF DEFAULT
SECTION 7.01 Events of Default. If any of the following events (“Events of Default”) shall occur:
(a)the Borrower shall fail to pay any principal of any Loan or any reimbursement obligation in respect of any LC Disbursement when and as the same shall become due and payable and in the Agreed Currency required hereunder, whether at the due date thereof or at a date fixed for prepayment thereof or otherwise;
(b)the Borrower shall fail to pay any interest on any Loan or any fee or any other amount (other than an amount referred to in clause (a) of this Article) payable under this Agreement or any other Loan Document, when and as the same shall become due and payable and in the Agreed Currency required hereunder, and such failure shall continue unremedied for a period of three (3) Business Days;
(c)any representation or warranty made or deemed made by or on behalf of any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary in or in connection with this Agreement or any other Loan Document or any amendment or modification hereof or thereof or waiver hereunder or thereunder, or in any report, certificate, financial statement or other document furnished pursuant to or in connection with this Agreement or any other Loan Document or any amendment or modification hereof or thereof or waiver hereunder or thereunder, shall prove to have been materially inaccurate when made or deemed made;
(d)any Loan Party shall fail to observe or perform any covenant, condition or agreement contained in Section 5.02, 5.03 (with respect to such Loan Party’s existence), 5.08, 5.09, 5.10 or 5.11 or Article VI;
(e)any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary shall fail to observe or perform any covenant, condition or agreement contained in this Agreement (other than those specified in clause (a),
(b) or (d) of this Article) or any other Loan Document, and such failure shall continue unremedied for a period of thirty (30) days after the earlier of (x) actual knowledge of a Responsible Officer and (y) notice thereof from the Administrative Agent to the Borrower (which notice will be given at the request of any Lender);
(f)any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary shall fail to make any payment (whether of principal or interest and regardless of amount) in respect of any Material Indebtedness, when and as the same shall become due and payable or within any applicable grace period;
(g)any event or condition occurs that results in any Material Indebtedness becoming due prior to its scheduled maturity or that enables or permits (with or without the giving of notice, the lapse of time or both) the holder or holders of any Material Indebtedness or any trustee or agent on its or their behalf to cause any Material Indebtedness to become due, or to require the prepayment, repurchase, redemption or defeasance thereof, prior to its scheduled maturity; provided that this clause (g) shall not apply to (i) secured Indebtedness that becomes due as a result of the voluntary sale or transfer of the property or assets securing such Indebtedness or other voluntary prepayment or (ii) Indebtedness that is not yet due, if the applicable Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary has not received written notice of default from the holder or holders of such Indebtedness or any trustee or agent on its or their behalf;
(h)an involuntary proceeding shall be commenced or an involuntary petition shall be filed seeking (i) liquidation, reorganization, arrangement or other relief in respect of any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary (other than any Immaterial Foreign Subsidiary) or its debts, or of a substantial part of its assets, under any Federal, state, provincial or foreign bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or similar law now or hereafter in effect or (ii) the appointment of a receiver, trustee, custodian, sequestrator, conservator or similar official for any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary (other than any Immaterial Foreign Subsidiary) or for a substantial part of its assets or (iii) possession, foreclosure, seizure or retention, sale or other Disposition of, or other proceedings to enforce security over any substantial part of the assets of any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary (other than any Immaterial
Foreign Subsidiary), and, in any such case, such proceeding or petition shall continue undismissed for sixty (60) days or an order or decree approving or ordering any of the foregoing shall be entered;
(i)any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary (other than any Immaterial Foreign Subsidiary) shall (i) voluntarily commence any proceeding or file any plan of arrangement, proposal or petition or make an assignment or motion seeking liquidation, reorganization or other relief under any Federal, state or foreign bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or similar law now or hereafter in effect,
(ii) consent to the institution of, or fail to contest in a timely and appropriate manner, any proceeding or petition described in clause (h) of this Article, (iii) apply for or consent to the appointment of a receiver, trustee, custodian, sequestrator, conservator or similar official for any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary (other than any Immaterial Foreign Subsidiary) or for a substantial part of its assets, (iv) file an answer admitting the material allegations of a petition filed against it in any such proceeding, (v) make a general assignment for the benefit of creditors or (vi) take any action for the purpose of effecting any of the foregoing;
(j)any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary (other than any Immaterial Foreign Subsidiary) shall become unable, admit in writing its inability or fail generally to pay its debts as they become due;
(k)one or more judgments for the payment of money in an aggregate amount in excess of the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $50,000,000 shall be rendered against any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary or any combination thereof and shall either not be fully covered by independent third-party insurance or shall remain undischarged for a period of thirty (30) consecutive days during which execution shall not be effectively stayed, and any action shall be legally taken by a judgment creditor to attach or levy upon any assets of any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary to enforce any such judgment and such action is not stayed within 30 days;
(l)an ERISA Event shall have occurred that, in the opinion of the Required Lenders, when taken together with all other ERISA Events that have occurred, could reasonably be expected to result in a liability in excess of the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $50,000,000 or the imposition of a Lien in excess of U.S. $20,000,000 under Title IV of ERISA, or a Loan Party or an ERISA Affiliate thereof shall fail to make a contribution payment to a Pension Plan on or before the applicable due date which could reasonably be expected to result in the imposition of a Lien in excess of U.S. $50,000,000 under Section 430(k) of the Code or Section 303(k) of ERISA;
(m)[reserved];
(n)a Change in Control shall occur;
(o)the occurrence of any “default”, as defined in any Loan Document (other than this Agreement) or the breach of any of the terms or provisions of any Loan Document (other than this Agreement), which default or breach continues beyond any period of grace therein provided (or, if no grace period is provided in such Loan Document, such default or breach continues for a period of thirty
(30) days after the earlier of (x) actual knowledge of a Responsible Officer and (y) notice thereof from the Administrative Agent to the Borrower (which notice will be given at the request of any Lender));
(p)the Loan Party Guaranty shall for any reason cease to be valid, binding and enforceable in accordance with its terms or any action shall be taken to discontinue or to assert the invalidity or unenforceability of the Loan Party Guaranty, or any Loan Party Guarantor shall fail to comply with any of the terms or provisions of the Loan Party Guaranty and such failure has not been cured during any applicable grace period therefor (including, without limitation, by the Borrower’s removing the affected
Restricted Subsidiary from its status as a Loan Party Guarantor pursuant to Section 5.09(a) hereof, to the extent the Borrower is permitted to remove such Person and only so long as no other Event of Default is then outstanding), or any Loan Party Guarantor shall deny that it has any further liability under the Loan Party Guaranty, or shall give notice to such effect;
(q)any Collateral Document shall for any reason fail to create a valid and perfected first priority security interest and Lien in any Collateral purported to be covered thereby, except as permitted by the terms of such Collateral Document, or any Collateral Document shall for any reason cease to be valid, binding and enforceable in accordance with its terms, or any action shall be taken to discontinue or to assert the invalidity or unenforceability of any Collateral Document, or any Loan Party shall fail to comply with any of the terms or provisions of any Collateral Document; provided, however, that no Event of Default shall occur under this clause (q) if the aggregate book value of Collateral that is required to be, but is not subject to, a first priority perfected security interest or Lien is at any time less than or equal to the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $50,000,000; or
(r)with respect to any Loan Document not covered by clauses (p) and (q) above, any material provision of any Loan Document shall for any reason cease to be valid, binding and enforceable in accordance with the terms of such Loan Document or any action shall be taken to discontinue or to assert the invalidity or unenforceability of any material provision of any of the Loan Documents;
then, and if an Event of Default occurs (other than an event with respect to the Borrower described in Sections 7.01(h) or (i)), and at any time thereafter during the continuance of such Event of Default, the Administrative Agent may with the consent of the Required Lenders, and shall at the request of the Required Lenders, by notice to the Borrower, take any or all of the following actions, at the same or different times: (i) terminate the Commitments, and thereupon the Commitments shall terminate immediately, (ii) declare the Loans then outstanding to be due and payable in whole (or in part, in which case any principal not so declared to be due and payable may thereafter be declared to be due and payable), and thereupon the principal of the Loans so declared to be due and payable, together with accrued interest thereon and all fees and other obligations of the Borrower accrued hereunder and under the other Loan Documents, shall become due and payable immediately, without presentment, demand, protest or other notice of any kind, all of which are hereby waived by the Borrower, (iii) require cash collateral for the LC Exposure as required in Section 2.06(j) hereof and (iv) exercise on behalf of itself, the Lenders and the Issuing Banks all rights and remedies available to it, the Lenders and the Issuing Banks under the Loan Documents and Applicable Law; and in case of any Event of Default with respect to the Borrower described in Sections 7.01(h) or (i), the Commitments shall automatically terminate and the principal of the Loans then outstanding and cash collateral for the LC Exposure, together with accrued interest thereon and all fees and other Secured Obligations accrued hereunder and under the other Loan Documents, shall automatically become due and payable, the obligation of the Borrower to cash collateralize the LC Exposure as provided in clause (iii) above shall automatically become effective, in each case, without presentment, demand, protest or other notice of any kind, all of which are hereby waived by the Borrower. In addition to any other rights and remedies granted to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders in the Loan Documents, the Administrative Agent on behalf of the Holders of Secured Obligations may exercise all rights and remedies of a secured party under the UCC or any other applicable law.
ARTICLE VIII
THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT
SECTION 8.01 Authorization and Action. (a) Each Lender and each Issuing Bank hereby irrevocably appoints the entity named as Administrative Agent in the heading of this Agreement
and its successors and assigns to serve as the administrative agent under the Loan Documents and each Lender and each Issuing Bank authorizes the Administrative Agent to take such actions as agent on its behalf, including execution of subordination agreements in respect of Subordinated Indebtedness, and to exercise such powers under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents as are delegated to the Administrative Agent under such agreements and to exercise such powers as are reasonably incidental thereto. In addition, to the extent required under the laws of any jurisdiction other than within the United States, each Lender and each Issuing Bank hereby grants to the Administrative Agent any required powers of attorney to execute and enforce any Collateral Document governed by the laws of such jurisdiction on such Lender’s or such Issuing Bank’s behalf. Without limiting the foregoing, each Lender and each Issuing Bank hereby authorizes the Administrative Agent to execute and deliver, and to perform its obligations under, each of the Loan Documents to which the Administrative Agent is a party, to exercise all rights, powers and remedies that the Administrative Agent may have under such Loan Documents.
(b)As to any matters not expressly provided for herein and in the other Loan Documents (including enforcement or collection), the Administrative Agent shall not be required to exercise any discretion or take any action, but shall be required to act or to refrain from acting (and shall be fully protected in so acting or refraining from acting) upon the written instructions of the Required Lenders (or such other number or percentage of the Lenders as shall be necessary, pursuant to the terms in the Loan Documents), and, unless and until revoked in writing, such instructions shall be binding upon each Lender and each Issuing Bank; provided, however, that the Administrative Agent shall not be required to take any action that (i) the Administrative Agent in good faith believes exposes it to liability unless the Administrative Agent receives an indemnification and is exculpated in a manner satisfactory to it from the Lenders and the Issuing Banks with respect to such action or (ii) is contrary to this Agreement or any other Loan Document or applicable law, including any action that may be in violation of the automatic stay under any requirement of law relating to bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization or relief of debtors or that may effect a forfeiture, modification or termination of property of a Defaulting Lender in violation of any requirement of law relating to bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization or relief of debtors; provided, further, that the Administrative Agent may seek clarification or direction from the Required Lenders prior to the exercise of any such instructed action and may refrain from acting until such clarification or direction has been provided. Except as expressly set forth in the Loan Documents, the Administrative Agent shall not have any duty to disclose, and shall not be liable for the failure to disclose, any information relating to the Borrower, any Subsidiary or any Affiliate of any of the foregoing that is communicated to or obtained by the Person serving as Administrative Agent or any of its Affiliates in any capacity. Nothing in this Agreement shall require the Administrative Agent to expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur any financial liability in the performance of any of its duties hereunder or in the exercise of any of its rights or powers if it shall have reasonable grounds for believing that repayment of such funds or adequate indemnity against such risk or liability is not reasonably assured to it.
(c)In performing its functions and duties hereunder and under the other Loan Documents, the Administrative Agent is acting solely on behalf of the Lenders and the Issuing Banks (except in limited circumstances expressly provided for herein relating to the maintenance of the Register), and its duties are entirely mechanical and administrative in nature. The motivations of the Administrative Agent are commercial in nature and not to invest in the general performance or operations of the Borrower. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing:
(i)the Administrative Agent does not assume and shall not be deemed to have assumed any obligation or duty or any other relationship as the agent, fiduciary or trustee of or for any Lender, any Issuing Bank or holder of any other obligation other than as expressly set forth herein and in the other Loan Documents, regardless of whether a Default or an Event of
Default has occurred and is continuing (and it is understood and agreed that the use of the term “agent” (or any similar term) herein or in any other Loan Document with reference to the Administrative Agent is not intended to connote any fiduciary duty or other implied (or express) obligations arising under agency doctrine of any applicable law, and that such term is used as a matter of market custom and is intended to create or reflect only an administrative relationship between contracting parties); additionally, each Lender agrees that it will not assert any claim against the Administrative Agent based on an alleged breach of fiduciary duty by the Administrative Agent in connection with this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby;
(ii)where the Administrative Agent is required or deemed to act as a trustee in respect of any Collateral over which a security interest has been created pursuant to a Loan Document expressed to be governed by the laws of the Netherlands, or is required or deemed to hold any Collateral “on trust” pursuant to the foregoing, the obligations and liabilities of the Administrative Agent to the Holders of Secured Obligations in its capacity as trustee shall be excluded to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law;
(iii)nothing in this Agreement or any Loan Document shall require the Administrative Agent to account to any Lender for any sum or the profit element of any sum received by the Administrative Agent for its own account;
(d)The Administrative Agent may perform any of its duties and exercise its rights and powers hereunder or under any other Loan Document by or through any one or more sub-agents appointed by the Administrative Agent. The Administrative Agent and any such sub-agent may perform any of their respective duties and exercise their respective rights and powers through their respective Related Parties. The exculpatory provisions of this Article shall apply to any such sub-agent and to the Related Parties of the Administrative Agent and any such sub-agent, and shall apply to their respective activities pursuant to this Agreement. The Administrative Agent shall not be responsible for the negligence or misconduct of any sub-agent except to the extent that a court of competent jurisdiction determines in a final and nonappealable judgment that the Administrative Agent acted with gross negligence or willful misconduct in the selection of such sub-agent.
(e)None of any Co-Syndication Agent or any Joint Lead Arranger shall have obligations or duties whatsoever in such capacity under this Agreement or any other Loan Document and shall incur no liability hereunder or thereunder in such capacity, but all such persons shall have the benefit of the indemnities provided for hereunder.
(f)In case of the pendency of any proceeding with respect to any Loan Party under any Federal, state or foreign bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or similar law now or hereafter in effect, the Administrative Agent (irrespective of whether the principal of any Loan or any other obligation shall then be due and payable as herein expressed or by declaration or otherwise and irrespective of whether the Administrative Agent shall have made any demand on the Borrower) shall be entitled and empowered (but not obligated) by intervention in such proceeding or otherwise:
(i)to file and prove a claim for the whole amount of the principal and interest owing and unpaid in respect of the Loans, LC Disbursements and all other Obligations that are owing and unpaid and to file such other documents as may be necessary or advisable in order to have the claims of the Lenders, the Issuing Banks and the Administrative Agent (including any claim under Sections 2.12, 2.13, 2.15, 2.17 and 9.03) allowed in such judicial proceeding; and
(ii)to collect and receive any monies or other property payable or deliverable on any such claims and to distribute the same;
and any custodian, receiver, assignee, trustee, liquidator, sequestrator or other similar official in any such proceeding is hereby authorized by each Lender and each Issuing Bank and each other Holder of Secured Obligations to make such payments to the Administrative Agent and, in the event that the Administrative Agent shall consent to the making of such payments directly to the Lenders and the Issuing Banks or the other Holders of Secured Obligations, to pay to the Administrative Agent any amount due to it, in its capacity as the Administrative Agent, under the Loan Documents (including under Section 9.03). Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to authorize the Administrative Agent to authorize or consent to or accept or adopt on behalf of any Lender or Issuing Bank any plan of reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition affecting the Obligations or the rights of any Lender or Issuing Bank or to authorize the Administrative Agent to vote in respect of the claim of any Lender or Issuing Bank in any such proceeding.
(g)The provisions of this Article are solely for the benefit of the Administrative Agent, the Lenders and the Issuing Banks, and, except solely to the extent of the Borrower’s rights to consent pursuant to and subject to the conditions set forth in this Article, none of the Borrower, any Loan Party or any Subsidiary, or any of their respective Affiliates, shall have any rights as a third party beneficiary under any such provisions. Each Holder of Secured Obligations, whether or not a party hereto, will be deemed, by its acceptance of the benefits of the Guarantees of the Obligations provided under the Loan Documents, to have agreed to the provisions of this Article.
SECTION 8.02 Administrative Agent’s Reliance, Indemnification, Etc. (a) Neither the Administrative Agent nor any of its Related Parties shall be (i) liable for any action taken or omitted to be taken by such party, the Administrative Agent or any of its Related Parties under or in connection with this Agreement or the other Loan Documents (x) with the consent of or at the request of the Required Lenders (or such other number or percentage of the Lenders as shall be necessary, or as the Administrative Agent shall believe in good faith to be necessary, under the circumstances as provided in the Loan Documents) or (y) in the absence of its own gross negligence or willful misconduct (such absence to be presumed unless otherwise determined by a court of competent jurisdiction by a final and nonappealable judgment) or (ii) responsible in any manner to any of the Lenders for any recitals, statements, representations or warranties made by any Loan Party or any officer thereof contained in this Agreement or any other Loan Document or in any certificate, report, statement or other document referred to or provided for in, or received by the Administrative Agent under or in connection with, this Agreement or any other Loan Document (including, for the avoidance of doubt, in connection with the Administrative Agent’s reliance on any Electronic Signature transmitted by telecopy, emailed pdf. or any other electronic means that reproduces an image of an actual executed signature page) or for the value, validity, effectiveness, genuineness, enforceability or sufficiency of this Agreement or any other Loan Document or for any failure of any Loan Party to perform its obligations hereunder or thereunder.
(b)The Administrative Agent shall be deemed not to have knowledge of any (A) notice of any of the events or circumstances set forth or described in Section 5.02 unless and until written notice thereof stating that it is a “notice under Section 5.02” in respect of this Agreement and identifying the specific clause under said Section is given to the Administrative Agent by the Borrower, or (B) notice of any Default or Event of Default unless and until written notice thereof (stating that it is a “notice of Default” or a “notice of an Event of Default”) is given to the Administrative Agent by the Borrower, a Lender or an Issuing Bank, and the Administrative Agent shall not be responsible for or have any duty to ascertain or inquire into (i) any statement, warranty or representation made in or in connection with any
Loan Document, (ii) the contents of any certificate, report or other document delivered thereunder or in connection therewith, (iii) the performance or observance of any of the covenants, agreements or other terms or conditions set forth in any Loan Document or the occurrence of any Default or Event of Default,
(iv) the sufficiency, validity, enforceability, effectiveness or genuineness of any Loan Document or any other agreement, instrument or document, (v) the satisfaction of any condition set forth in Article IV or elsewhere in any Loan Document, other than to confirm receipt of items (which on their face purport to be such items) expressly required to be delivered to the Administrative Agent or satisfaction of any condition that expressly refers to the matters described therein being acceptable or satisfactory to the Administrative Agent, or (vi) the creation, perfection or priority of Liens on the Collateral. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Administrative Agent shall not be liable for, or be responsible for any Liability, cost or expense suffered by the Borrower, any Loan Party, any Subsidiary, any Lender or any Issuing Bank as a result of, any determination of the Revolving Credit Exposure, any of the component amounts thereof or any portion thereof attributable to each Lender or each Issuing Bank, or any Exchange Rate or U.S. Dollar Amount.
(c)Without limiting the foregoing, the Administrative Agent (i) may treat the payee of any promissory note as its holder until such promissory note has been assigned in accordance with Section 9.04, (ii) may rely on the Register to the extent set forth in Section 9.04(b), (iii) may consult with legal counsel (including counsel to the Borrower), independent public accountants and other experts selected by it, and shall not be liable for any action taken or omitted to be taken in good faith by it in accordance with the advice of such counsel, accountants or experts, (iv) makes no warranty or representation to any Lender or Issuing Bank and shall not be responsible to any Lender or Issuing Bank for any statements, warranties or representations made by or on behalf of any Loan Party in connection with this Agreement or any other Loan Document, (v) in determining compliance with any condition hereunder to the making of a Loan, or the issuance of a Letter of Credit, that by its terms must be fulfilled to the satisfaction of a Lender or an Issuing Bank, may presume that such condition is satisfactory to such Lender or Issuing Bank unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice to the contrary from such Lender or Issuing Bank sufficiently in advance of the making of such Loan or the issuance of such Letter of Credit and (vi) shall be entitled to rely on, and shall incur no liability under or in respect of this Agreement or any other Loan Document by acting upon, any notice, consent, certificate or other instrument or writing (which writing may be a fax, any electronic message, Internet or intranet website posting or other distribution) or any statement made to it orally or by telephone and believed by it to be genuine and signed or sent or otherwise authenticated by the proper party or parties (whether or not such Person in fact meets the requirements set forth in the Loan Documents for being the maker thereof).
SECTION 8.03 Posting of Communications. (a) The Borrower agrees that the Administrative Agent may, but shall not be obligated to, make any Communications available to the Lenders and the Issuing Bank by posting the Communications on IntraLinks™, DebtDomain, SyndTrak, ClearPar or any other electronic platform chosen by the Administrative Agent to be its electronic transmission system (the “Approved Electronic Platform”).
(b)Although the Approved Electronic Platform and its primary web portal are secured with generally-applicable security procedures and policies implemented or modified by the Administrative Agent from time to time (including, as of the Amendment No. 3 Effective Date, a user ID/password authorization system) and the Approved Electronic Platform is secured through a per-deal authorization method whereby each user may access the Approved Electronic Platform only on a deal-by-deal basis, each of the Lenders, the Issuing Banks and the Borrower acknowledges and agrees that the distribution of material through an electronic medium is not necessarily secure, that the Administrative Agent is not responsible for approving or vetting the representatives or contacts of any Lender that are added to the Approved Electronic Platform, and that there may be confidentiality and other risks associated with such distribution. Each of the Lenders, the Issuing Banks and the Borrower hereby approves distribution of
the Communications through the Approved Electronic Platform and understands and assumes the risks of such distribution.
(c)THE APPROVED ELECTRONIC PLATFORM AND THE COMMUNICATIONS ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE”. THE APPLICABLE PARTIES (AS DEFINED BELOW) DO NOT WARRANT THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE COMMUNICATIONS, OR THE ADEQUACY OF THE APPROVED ELECTRONIC PLATFORM AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM LIABILITY FOR ERRORS OR OMISSIONS IN THE APPROVED ELECTRONIC PLATFORM AND THE COMMUNICATIONS. NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY RIGHTS OR FREEDOM FROM VIRUSES OR OTHER CODE DEFECTS, IS MADE BY THE APPLICABLE PARTIES IN CONNECTION WITH THE COMMUNICATIONS OR THE APPROVED ELECTRONIC PLATFORM. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT, ANY JOINT LEAD ARRANGER, ANY CO-SYNDICATION AGENT OR ANY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE RELATED PARTIES (COLLECTIVELY, “APPLICABLE PARTIES”) HAVE ANY LIABILITY TO ANY LOAN PARTY, ANY LENDER, ANY ISSUING BANK OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FOR DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING DIRECT OR INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, LOSSES OR EXPENSES (WHETHER IN TORT, CONTRACT OR OTHERWISE) ARISING OUT OF ANY LOAN PARTY’S OR THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT’S TRANSMISSION OF COMMUNICATIONS THROUGH THE INTERNET OR THE APPROVED ELECTRONIC PLATFORM.
“Communications” means, collectively, any notice, demand, communication, information, document or other material provided by or on behalf of any Loan Party pursuant to any Loan Document or the transactions contemplated therein which is distributed by the Administrative Agent, any Lender or any Issuing Bank by means of electronic communications pursuant to this Section, including through an Approved Electronic Platform.
(d)Each Lender and Issuing Bank agrees that notice to it (as provided in the next sentence) specifying that Communications have been posted to the Approved Electronic Platform shall constitute effective delivery of the Communications to such Lender or such Issuing Bank, as applicable, for purposes of the Loan Documents. Each Lender and Issuing Bank agrees (i) to notify the Administrative Agent in writing (which could be in the form of electronic communication) from time to time of such Lender’s or Issuing Bank’s (as applicable) email address to which the foregoing notice may be sent by electronic transmission and (ii) that the foregoing notice may be sent to such email address.
(e)Each of the Lenders, the Issuing Banks and the Borrower agrees that the Administrative Agent may, but (except as may be required by applicable law) shall not be obligated to, store the Communications on the Approved Electronic Platform in accordance with the Administrative Agent’s generally applicable document retention procedures and policies.
(f)Nothing herein shall prejudice the right of the Administrative Agent, any Lender or any Issuing Bank to give any notice or other communication pursuant to any Loan Document in any other manner specified in such Loan Document.
SECTION 8.04 The Administrative Agent Individually. With respect to its Commitment, Loans (including Swingline Loans), Letter of Credit Commitments and Letters of Credit, the Person serving as the Administrative Agent shall have and may exercise the same rights and powers hereunder and is subject to the same obligations and liabilities as and to the extent set forth herein for any other Lender or Issuing Bank, as the case may be. The terms “Issuing Bank”, “Lenders”, “Required
Lenders” and any similar terms shall, unless the context clearly otherwise indicates, include the Administrative Agent in its individual capacity as a Lender, Issuing Bank, as one of the Required Lenders, as applicable. The Person serving as the Administrative Agent and its Affiliates may accept deposits from, lend money to, own securities of, act as the financial advisor or in any other advisory capacity for and generally engage in any kind of banking, trust or other business with, the Borrower, any Loan Party, any Subsidiary or any Affiliate of any of the foregoing as if such Person was not acting as the Administrative Agent and without any duty to account therefor to the Lenders or the Issuing Banks.
SECTION 8.05 Successor Administrative Agent. (a) The Administrative Agent may resign at any time by giving thirty (30) days’ prior written notice thereof to the Lenders, the Issuing Banks and the Borrower, whether or not a successor Administrative Agent has been appointed; provided that such resignation shall not affect the rights of the Administrative Agent pursuant to the Parallel Debt and the Administrative Agent shall continue to hold such rights until the effective assignment thereof by the Administrative Agent to a successor agent. Upon any such resignation, the Required Lenders shall have the right to appoint a successor Administrative Agent. If no successor Administrative Agent shall have been so appointed by the Required Lenders, and shall have accepted such appointment, within thirty
(30) days after the retiring Administrative Agent’s giving of notice of resignation, then the retiring Administrative Agent may, on behalf of the Lenders and the Issuing Banks, appoint a successor Administrative Agent, which shall be a bank with an office in New York, New York or an Affiliate of any such bank. In either case, such appointment shall be subject to the prior written approval of the Borrower (which approval may not be unreasonably withheld and shall not be required while an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing). Upon the acceptance of any appointment as Administrative Agent by a successor Administrative Agent, such successor Administrative Agent shall succeed to, and become vested with, all the rights, powers, privileges and duties of the retiring Administrative Agent. Upon the acceptance of appointment as Administrative Agent by a successor Administrative Agent, the retiring Administrative Agent shall be discharged from its duties and obligations under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents. Prior to any retiring Administrative Agent’s resignation hereunder as Administrative Agent, the retiring Administrative Agent shall take such action as may be reasonably necessary to assign to the successor Administrative Agent its rights as Administrative Agent under the Loan Documents. The Administrative Agent will reasonably cooperate in assigning its rights under the Parallel Debt to any such successor agent and will reasonably cooperate in transferring all rights under the Dutch Share Pledge to such successor agent.
(b) Notwithstanding paragraph (a) of this Section, in the event no successor Administrative Agent shall have been so appointed and shall have accepted such appointment within thirty (30) days after the retiring Administrative Agent gives notice of its intent to resign, the retiring Administrative Agent may give notice of the effectiveness of its resignation to the Lenders, the Issuing Banks and the Borrower, whereupon, on the date of effectiveness of such resignation stated in such notice, (i) the retiring Administrative Agent shall be discharged from its duties and obligations hereunder and under the other Loan Documents; provided that, solely for purposes of maintaining any security interest granted to the Administrative Agent under any Collateral Document for the benefit of the Holders of Secured Obligations, the retiring Administrative Agent shall continue to be vested with such security interest as collateral agent for the benefit of the Holders of Secured Obligations, and continue to be entitled to the rights set forth in such Collateral Document and Loan Document, and, in the case of any Collateral in the possession of the Administrative Agent, shall continue to hold such Collateral, in each case until such time as a successor Administrative Agent is appointed and accepts such appointment in accordance with this Section (it being understood and agreed that the retiring Administrative Agent shall have no duty or obligation to take any further action under any Collateral Document, including any action required to maintain the perfection of any such security interest); and (ii) the Required Lenders shall succeed to and become vested with all the rights, powers, privileges and duties of the retiring Administrative Agent; provided that (A) all payments required to be made hereunder or under any other Loan Document to the
Administrative Agent for the account of any Person other than the Administrative Agent shall be made directly to such Person and (B) all notices and other communications required or contemplated to be given or made to the Administrative Agent shall directly be given or made to each Lender and Issuing Bank. Following the effectiveness of the Administrative Agent’s resignation from its capacity as such, the provisions of this Article and Section 9.03, as well as any exculpatory, reimbursement and indemnification provisions set forth in any other Loan Document, shall continue in effect for the benefit of such retiring Administrative Agent, its sub-agents and their respective Related Parties in respect of any actions taken or omitted to be taken by any of them while the retiring Administrative Agent was acting as Administrative Agent and in respect of the matters referred to in the proviso under clause (i) above.
SECTION 8.06 Acknowledgments of Lenders and Issuing Banks.
(a)Each Lender and each Issuing Bank represents and warrants that (i) the Loan Documents set forth the terms of a commercial lending facility, (ii) in participating as a Lender, it is engaged in making, acquiring or holding commercial loans and in providing other facilities set forth herein as may be applicable to such Lender or Issuing Bank, in each case in the ordinary course of business, and not for the purpose of investing in the general performance or operations of the Borrower, or for the purpose of purchasing, acquiring or holding any other type of financial instrument such as a security (and each Lender and each Issuing Bank agrees not to assert a claim in contravention of the foregoing, such as a claim under the federal or state securities law), (iii) it has, independently and without reliance upon the Administrative Agent, any Joint Lead Arranger or any other Lender, or any of the Related Parties of any of the foregoing, and based on such documents and information as it has deemed appropriate, made its own credit analysis and decision to enter into this Agreement as a Lender, and to make, acquire or hold Loans hereunder and (iv) it is sophisticated with respect to decisions to make, acquire and/or hold commercial loans and to provide other facilities set forth herein, as may be applicable to such Lender or such Issuing Bank, and either it, or the Person exercising discretion in making its decision to make, acquire and/or hold such commercial loans or to provide such other facilities, is experienced in making, acquiring or holding such commercial loans or providing such other facilities. Each Lender also acknowledges that it will, independently and without reliance upon the Administrative Agent, any Joint Lead Arranger or any other Lender, or any of the Related Parties of any of the foregoing, and based on such documents and information (which may contain material, non-public information within the meaning of the United States securities laws concerning the Borrower, the Loan Parties and their respective Affiliates) as it shall from time to time deem appropriate, continue to make its own decisions in taking or not taking action under or based upon this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any related agreement or any document furnished hereunder or thereunder.
(b)Each Lender, by delivering its signature page to this Agreement on the Effective Date, or delivering its signature page to an Assignment and Assumption or any other Loan Document pursuant to which it shall become a Lender hereunder, shall be deemed to have acknowledged receipt of, and consented to and approved, each Loan Document and each other document required to be delivered to, or be approved by or satisfactory to, the Administrative Agent or the Lenders on the Effective Date.
(c)(i) Each Lender hereby agrees that (x) if the Administrative Agent notifies such Lender that the Administrative Agent has determined in its sole discretion that any funds received by such Lender from the Administrative Agent or any of its Affiliates (whether as a payment, prepayment or repayment of principal, interest, fees or otherwise; individually and collectively, a “Payment”) were erroneously transmitted to such Lender (whether or not known to such Lender), and demands the return of such Payment (or a portion thereof), such Lender shall promptly, but in no event later than one Business Day thereafter (or such later date as the Administrative Agent, may, in its sole discretion, specify in writing), return to the Administrative Agent the amount of any such Payment (or portion thereof) as to which such a demand was made in same day funds, together with interest thereon (except
to the extent waived in writing by the Administrative Agent) in respect of each day from and including the date such Payment (or portion thereof) was received by such Lender to the date such amount is repaid to the Administrative Agent at the greater of the applicable Overnight Rate and a rate determined by the Administrative Agent in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank compensation from time to time in effect, and (y) to the extent permitted by applicable law, such Lender shall not assert, and hereby waives, as to the Administrative Agent, any claim, counterclaim, defense or right of set-off or recoupment with respect to any demand, claim or counterclaim by the Administrative Agent for the return of any Payments received, including without limitation any defense based on “discharge for value” or any similar doctrine. A notice of the Administrative Agent to any Lender under this Section 8.06(c) shall be conclusive, absent manifest error.
(ii)Each Lender hereby further agrees that if it receives a Payment from the Administrative Agent or any of its Affiliates (x) that is in a different amount than, or on a different date from, that specified in a notice of payment sent by the Administrative Agent (or any of its Affiliates) with respect to such Payment (a “Payment Notice”) or (y) that was not preceded or accompanied by a Payment Notice, it shall be on notice, in each such case, that an error has been made with respect to such Payment. Each Lender agrees that, in each such case, or if it otherwise becomes aware a Payment (or portion thereof) may have been sent in error, such Lender shall promptly notify the Administrative Agent of such occurrence and, upon demand from the Administrative Agent, it shall promptly, but in no event later than one Business Day thereafter (or such later date as the Administrative Agent, may, in its sole discretion, specify in writing), return to the Administrative Agent the amount of any such Payment (or portion thereof) as to which such a demand was made in same day funds, together with interest thereon (except to the extent waived in writing by the Administrative Agent) in respect of each day from and including the date such Payment (or portion thereof) was received by such Lender to the date such amount is repaid to the Administrative Agent at the greater of the applicable Overnight Rate and a rate determined by the Administrative Agent in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank compensation from time to time in effect.
(iii)The Borrower and each other Loan Party hereby agrees that (x) in the event an erroneous Payment (or portion thereof) are not recovered from any Lender that has received such Payment (or portion thereof) for any reason, the Administrative Agent shall be subrogated to all the rights of such Lender with respect to such amount and (y) an erroneous Payment shall not pay, prepay, repay, discharge or otherwise satisfy any Obligations owed by the Borrower or any other Loan Party.
(iv)Each party’s obligations under this Section 8.06(c) shall survive the resignation or replacement of the Administrative Agent or any transfer of rights or obligations by, or the replacement of, a Lender, the termination of the Commitments or the repayment, satisfaction or discharge of all Obligations under any Loan Document.
SECTION 8.07 Collateral Matters. (a) Except with respect to the exercise of setoff rights in accordance with Section 9.08 or with respect to the right of a Holder of Secured Obligations to file a proof of claim in an insolvency proceeding, no Holder of Secured Obligations shall have any right individually to realize upon any of the Collateral or to enforce any Guarantee of the Secured Obligations, it being understood and agreed that all powers, rights and remedies under the Loan Documents may be exercised solely by the Administrative Agent on behalf of the Holders of Secured Obligations in accordance with the terms thereof. The Holders of Secured Obligations confirm that any amount irrevocably received by the Administrative Agent in satisfaction of all or part of the Parallel Debt be deemed a satisfaction of a pro rata portion of the Corresponding Obligations.
(b)In furtherance of the foregoing and not in limitation thereof, no arrangements in respect of Banking Services the obligations under which constitute Secured Obligations and no Swap Agreement the obligations under which constitute Secured Obligations, will create (or be deemed to create) in favor of any Holder of Secured Obligations that is a party thereto any rights in connection with the management or release of any Collateral or of the obligations of any Loan Party under any Loan Document. By accepting the benefits of the Collateral, each Holder of Secured Obligations that is a party to any Banking Services Agreement or Swap Agreement in respect of Swap Obligations, as applicable, shall be deemed to have appointed the Administrative Agent to serve as administrative agent and collateral agent under the Loan Documents and agreed to be bound by the Loan Documents as a Holder of Secured Obligations thereunder, subject to the limitations set forth in this paragraph.
(c)The Holders of Secured Obligations irrevocably authorize the Administrative Agent, at its option and in its discretion, to release any Lien granted to or held by the Administrative Agent upon any Collateral (i) as described in Sections 5.09(a), 6.02(l), 9.02(c) and 9.02(e); (ii) as permitted by, but only in accordance with, the terms of the applicable Loan Document; or (iii) if approved, authorized or ratified in writing by the Required Lenders, unless such release is required to be approved by all of the Lenders hereunder. Upon request by the Administrative Agent at any time, the Lenders will confirm in writing the Administrative Agent’s authority to release particular types or items of Collateral pursuant hereto. Upon any sale or transfer of assets constituting Collateral which is permitted pursuant to the terms of any Loan Document (including a permitted transfer to a Restricted Subsidiary other than a Loan Party), or consented to in writing by the Required Lenders or all of the Lenders, as applicable, and upon at least five Business Days’ prior written request by the Borrower to the Administrative Agent, the Administrative Agent shall (and is hereby irrevocably authorized by the Lenders to) execute such documents as may be necessary to evidence the release of the Liens granted to the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Holders of Secured Obligations herein or pursuant hereto upon the Collateral that was sold or transferred; provided, however, that (i) the Administrative Agent shall not be required to execute any such document on terms which, in the Administrative Agent’s opinion, would expose the Administrative Agent to liability or create any obligation or entail any consequence other than the release of such Liens without recourse or warranty, and (ii) such release shall not in any manner discharge, affect or impair the Secured Obligations or any Liens upon (or obligations of any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary in respect of) all interests retained by any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary, including (without limitation) the proceeds of the sale, all of which shall continue to constitute part of the Collateral. Any execution and delivery by the Administrative Agent of documents in connection with any such release shall be without recourse to or warranty by the Administrative Agent. The Administrative Agent shall not be responsible for or have a duty to ascertain or inquire into any representation or warranty regarding the existence, value or collectability of the Collateral, the existence, priority or perfection of the Administrative Agent’s Lien thereon or any certificate prepared by any Loan Party in connection therewith, nor shall the Administrative Agent be responsible or liable to the Lenders or any other Holder of Secured Obligations for any failure to monitor or maintain any portion of the Collateral.
(d)Each of the Lenders, on behalf of itself and any of its Affiliates that are Holders of Secured Obligations, irrevocably authorizes the Administrative Agent, at its option and in its discretion,
(x) to subordinate any Lien on any assets granted to or held by the Administrative Agent under any Loan Document to the holder of any Lien on such property that is permitted by Section 6.02(g) or (y) in the event that the Borrower shall have advised the Administrative Agent that, notwithstanding the use by the Borrower of commercially reasonable efforts to obtain the consent of such holder (but without the requirement to pay any sums to obtain such consent) to permit the Administrative Agent to retain its liens (on a subordinated basis as contemplated by clause (x) above), the holder of such other Indebtedness requires, as a condition to the extension of such credit, that the Liens on such assets granted to or held by
the Administrative Agent under any Loan Document be released, to release the Administrative Agent’s Liens on such assets.
(e)In no event shall any amendment, waiver or consent hereunder result in (i) the subordination of the Liens on all or substantially all of the Collateral securing the Secured Obligations or
(ii)subordination of the right of payment of the Secured Obligations, in each case, without the prior written consent of each Lender.
SECTION 8.08 Credit Bidding. The Holders of Secured Obligations hereby irrevocably authorize the Administrative Agent, at the direction of the Required Lenders, to credit bid all or any portion of the Obligations (including by accepting some or all of the Collateral in satisfaction of some or all of the Obligations pursuant to a deed in lieu of foreclosure or otherwise) and in such manner purchase (either directly or through one or more acquisition vehicles) all or any portion of the Collateral (a) at any sale thereof conducted under the provisions of the Bankruptcy Code, including under Sections 363, 1123 or 1129 of the Bankruptcy Code, or any similar laws in any other jurisdictions to which a Loan Party is subject, or (b) at any other sale, foreclosure or acceptance of collateral in lieu of debt conducted by (or with the consent or at the direction of) the Administrative Agent (whether by judicial action or otherwise) in accordance with any applicable law. In connection with any such credit bid and purchase, the Obligations owed to the Holders of Secured Obligations shall be entitled to be, and shall be, credit bid by the Administrative Agent at the direction of the Required Lenders on a ratable basis (with Obligations with respect to contingent or unliquidated claims receiving contingent interests in the acquired assets on a ratable basis that shall vest upon the liquidation of such claims in an amount proportional to the liquidated portion of the contingent claim amount used in allocating the contingent interests) for the asset or assets so purchased (or for the equity interests or debt instruments of the acquisition vehicle or vehicles that are issued in connection with such purchase). In connection with any such bid, (i) the Administrative Agent shall be authorized to form one or more acquisition vehicles and to assign any successful credit bid to such acquisition vehicle or vehicles, (ii) each of the ratable interests of the Holders of Secured Obligations in the Obligations which were credit bid shall be deemed without any further action under this Agreement to be assigned to such vehicle or vehicles for the purpose of closing such sale, (iii) the Administrative Agent shall be authorized to adopt documents providing for the governance of the acquisition vehicle or vehicles (provided that any actions by the Administrative Agent with respect to such acquisition vehicle or vehicles, including any Disposition of the assets or equity interests thereof, shall be governed, directly or indirectly, by, and the governing documents shall provide for, control by the vote of the Required Lenders or their permitted assignees under the terms of this Agreement or the governing documents of the applicable acquisition vehicle or vehicles, as the case may be, irrespective of the termination of this Agreement and without giving effect to the limitations on actions by the Required Lenders contained in Section 9.02 of this Agreement), (iv) the Administrative Agent on behalf of such acquisition vehicle or vehicles shall be authorized to issue to each of the Holders of Secured Obligations, ratably on account of the relevant Obligations which were credit bid, interests, whether as equity, partnership interests, limited partnership interests or membership interests, in any such acquisition vehicle and/or debt instruments issued by such acquisition vehicle, all without the need for any Holder of Secured Obligations or acquisition vehicle to take any further action, and (v) to the extent that Obligations that are assigned to an acquisition vehicle are not used to acquire Collateral for any reason (as a result of another bid being higher or better, because the amount of Obligations assigned to the acquisition vehicle exceeds the amount of Obligations credit bid by the acquisition vehicle or otherwise), such Obligations shall automatically be reassigned to the Holders of Secured Obligations pro rata with their original interest in such Obligations and the equity interests and/or debt instruments issued by any acquisition vehicle on account of such Obligations shall automatically be cancelled, without the need for any Holder of Secured Obligations or any acquisition vehicle to take any further action. Notwithstanding that the ratable portion of the Obligations of each Holder of Secured Obligations are deemed assigned to the acquisition vehicle or vehicles as set forth in clause (ii) above, each Holder of
Secured Obligations shall execute such documents and provide such information regarding the Holder of Secured Obligations (and/or any designee of the Holder of Secured Obligations (which will receive interests in or debt instruments issued by such acquisition vehicle)) as the Administrative Agent may reasonably request in connection with the formation of any acquisition vehicle, the formulation or submission of any credit bid or the consummation of the transactions contemplated by such credit bid.
SECTION 8.09 Certain ERISA Matters. (a) Each Lender (x) represents and warrants, as of the date such Person became a Lender party hereto, to, and (y) covenants, from the date such Person became a Lender party hereto to the date such Person ceases being a Lender party hereto, for the benefit of, the Administrative Agent, and each Joint Lead Arranger and their respective Affiliates, and not, for the avoidance of doubt, to or for the benefit of the Borrower or any other Loan Party, that at least one of the following is and will be true:
(i)such Lender is not using “plan assets” (within the meaning of the Plan Asset Regulations) of one or more Benefit Plans in connection with the Loans, the Letters of Credit or the Commitments,
(ii)the transaction exemption set forth in one or more PTEs, such as PTE 84-14 (a class exemption for certain transactions determined by independent qualified professional asset managers), PTE 95-60 (a class exemption for certain transactions involving insurance company general accounts), PTE 90-1 (a class exemption for certain transactions involving insurance company pooled separate accounts), PTE 91-38 (a class exemption for certain transactions involving bank collective investment funds) or PTE 96-23 (a class exemption for certain transactions determined by in-house asset managers), is applicable with respect to such Lender’s entrance into, participation in, administration of and performance of the Loans, the Letters of Credit, the Commitments and this Agreement,
(iii)(A) such Lender is an investment fund managed by a “Qualified Professional Asset Manager” (within the meaning of Part VI of PTE 84-14), (B) such Qualified Professional Asset Manager made the investment decision on behalf of such Lender to enter into, participate in, administer and perform the Loans, the Letters of Credit, the Commitments and this Agreement, (C) the entrance into, participation in, administration of and performance of the Loans, the Letters of Credit, the Commitments and this Agreement satisfies the requirements of sub-sections (b) through (g) of Part I of PTE 84-14 and (D) to the best knowledge of such Lender, the requirements of subsection (a) of Part I of PTE 84-14 are satisfied with respect to such Lender’s entrance into, participation in, administration of and performance of the Loans, the Letters of Credit, the Commitments and this Agreement, or
(iv)such other representation, warranty and covenant as may be agreed in writing between the Administrative Agent, in its sole discretion, and such Lender.
(b)In addition, unless sub-clause (i) in the immediately preceding clause (a) is true with respect to a Lender or such Lender has not provided another representation, warranty and covenant as provided in sub-clause (iv) in the immediately preceding clause (a), such Lender further (x) represents and warrants, as of the date such Person became a Lender party hereto, to, and (y) covenants, from the date such Person became a Lender party hereto to the date such Person ceases being a Lender party hereto, for the benefit of, the Administrative Agent, and each Joint Lead Arranger and their respective Affiliates, and not, for the avoidance of doubt, to or for the benefit of the Borrower or any other Loan Party, that none of the Administrative Agent, or any Joint Lead Arranger or any of their respective Affiliates is a fiduciary with respect to the Collateral or the assets of such Lender (including in
connection with the reservation or exercise of any rights by the Administrative Agent under this Agreement, any Loan Document or any documents related hereto or thereto).
(c)The Administrative Agent and each Joint Lead Arranger hereby informs the Lenders that each such Person is not undertaking to provide investment advice or to give advice in a fiduciary capacity, in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, and that such Person has a financial interest in the transactions contemplated hereby in that such Person or an Affiliate thereof (i) may receive interest or other payments with respect to the Loans, the Letters of Credit, the Commitments, this Agreement and any other Loan Documents, (ii) may recognize a gain if it extended the Loans, the Letters of Credit or the Commitments for an amount less than the amount being paid for an interest in the Loans, the Letters of Credit or the Commitments by such Lender or (iii) may receive fees or other payments in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, the Loan Documents or otherwise, including structuring fees, commitment fees, arrangement fees, facility fees, upfront fees, underwriting fees, ticking fees, agency fees, administrative agent or collateral agent fees, utilization fees, minimum usage fees, letter of credit fees, fronting fees, deal-away or alternate transaction fees, amendment fees, processing fees, term out premiums, banker’s acceptance fees, breakage or other early termination fees or fees similar to the foregoing.
SECTION 8.10 Borrower Communications.
(a)The Administrative Agent, the Lenders and the Issuing Banks agree that the Borrower may, but shall not be obligated to, make any Borrower Communications to the Administrative Agent through an electronic platform chosen by the Administrative Agent to be its electronic transmission system (the “Approved Borrower Portal”).
(b)Although the Approved Borrower Portal and its primary web portal are secured with generally-applicable security procedures and policies implemented or modified by the Administrative Agent from time to time (including, as of the Effective Date, a user ID/password authorization system), each of the Lenders, each of the Issuing Banks and the Borrower acknowledges and agrees that the distribution of material through an electronic medium is not necessarily secure, that the Administrative Agent is not responsible for approving or vetting the representatives or contacts of the Borrower that are added to the Approved Borrower Portal, and that there may be confidentiality and other risks associated with such distribution. Each of the Lenders, each of the Issuing Banks and the Borrower hereby approves distribution of Borrower Communications through the Approved Borrower Portal and understands and assumes the risks of such distribution.
(c)THE APPROVED BORROWER PORTAL IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE”. THE APPLICABLE PARTIES (AS DEFINED BELOW) DO NOT WARRANT THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE BORROWER COMMUNICATION, OR THE ADEQUACY OF THE APPROVED BORROWER PORTAL AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM LIABILITY FOR ERRORS OR OMISSIONS IN THE APPROVED BORROWER PORTAL AND THE BORROWER COMMUNICATIONS. NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY RIGHTS OR FREEDOM FROM VIRUSES OR OTHER CODE DEFECTS, IS MADE BY THE APPLICABLE PARTIES IN CONNECTION WITH THE BORROWER COMMUNICATIONS OR THE APPROVED BORROWER PORTAL. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT, ANY ARRANGER, ANY CO-DOCUMENTATION AGENT, ANY SYNDICATION AGENT OR ANY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE RELATED PARTIES (COLLECTIVELY, “APPLICABLE PARTIES”) HAVE ANY LIABILITY TO ANY LOAN PARTY, ANY LENDER, ANY ISSUING BANK OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FOR DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING DIRECT OR INDIRECT, SPECIAL,
INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, LOSSES OR EXPENSES (WHETHER IN TORT, CONTRACT OR OTHERWISE) ARISING OUT OF THE BORROWER’S TRANSMISSION OF BORROWER COMMUNICATIONS THROUGH THE INTERNET OR THE APPROVED BORROWER PORTAL, EXCEPT AS A RESULT OF THE GROSS NEGLIGENCE OR WILLFUL MISCONDUCT OF AN APPLICABLE PARTY AS DETERMINED BY A COURT OF COMPETENT JURISDICTION IN A FINAL AND NONAPPEALABLE JUDGMENT.
“Borrower Communications” means, collectively, any Borrowing Request, Interest Election Request, notice of prepayment, notice requesting the issuance, amendment or extension of a Letter of Credit or other notice, demand, communication, information, document or other material provided by or on behalf of the Borrower pursuant to any Loan Document or the transactions contemplated therein which is distributed by the Borrower to the Administrative Agent through an Approved Borrower Portal.
(a)Each of the Lenders, each of the Issuing Banks and the Borrower agrees that the Administrative Agent may, but (except as may be required by applicable law) shall not be obligated to, store the Borrower Communications on the Approved Borrower Portal in accordance with the Administrative Agent’s generally applicable document retention procedures and policies.
(b)Nothing herein shall prejudice the right of the Borrower to give any notice or other communication pursuant to any Loan Document in any other manner specified in such Loan Document.
ARTICLE IX
MISCELLANEOUS
SECTION 9.01 Notices. (a) Except in the case of notices and other communications expressly permitted to be given by telephone (and subject to paragraph (b) below), all notices and other communications provided for herein shall be in writing and shall be delivered by hand or overnight courier service, mailed by certified or registered mail or sent by telecopy or e-mail, as follows:
(i)if to the Borrower, to it at N61W23044 Harry’s Way, Sussex, WI, 53089, United States, Attention of Kelly Vanderboom, Executive Vice President, Treasurer and Head of QAS Operations and Logistics, with a copy to Dana B. Gruen, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary and Chief Risk and Compliance Officer;
(ii)if to the Administrative Agent from the Borrower, to JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., at the address separately provided to the Borrower;
(iii)if to the Administrative Agent from the Lenders, to JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., 131 S Dearborn St, Floor 04, Chicago, IL, 60603-5506, United States;
(iv)if to an Issuing Bank, to it at the address separately provided to the Borrower;
(v)if to any of Swingline Lenders, at the address separately provided to the Borrower; and
(vi)if to any other Lender, to it at its address (or telecopy number) set forth in its Administrative Questionnaire.
Notices sent by hand or overnight courier service, or mailed by certified or registered mail, shall be deemed to have been given when received; notices sent by facsimile shall be deemed to have been given when sent (except that, if not given during normal business hours for the recipient, shall be deemed to have been given at the opening of business on the next business day for the recipient). Notices delivered through Approved Electronic Platforms or Approved Borrower Portals, to the extent provided in paragraph (b) below, shall be effective as provided in said paragraph (b).
(b)Notices and other communications to the Borrower, any Loan Party, the Lenders, the Administrative Agent and the Issuing Banks hereunder may be delivered or furnished by using Approved Electronic Platforms or Approved Borrower Portals (as applicable), in each case, pursuant to procedures approved by the Administrative Agent; provided that the foregoing shall not apply to notices pursuant to Article II unless otherwise agreed by the Administrative Agent and the applicable Lender. The Administrative Agent or the Borrower may, in its discretion, agree to accept notices and other communications to it hereunder by electronic communications pursuant to procedures approved by it; provided that approval of such procedures may be limited to particular notices or communications.
Unless the Administrative Agent otherwise prescribes, (i) notices and other communications sent to an e-mail address shall be deemed received upon the sender’s receipt of an acknowledgement from the intended recipient (such as by the “return receipt requested” function, as available, return e-mail or other written acknowledgement), and (ii) notices or communications posted to an Internet or intranet website shall be deemed received upon the deemed receipt by the intended recipient, at its e-mail address as described in the foregoing clause (i), of notification that such notice or communication is available and identifying the website address therefor; provided that, for both clauses
(i) and (ii) above, if such notice, email or other communication is not sent during the normal business hours of the recipient, such notice or communication shall be deemed to have been sent at the opening of business on the next business day for the recipient.
(c)Any party hereto may change its address or telecopy number for notices and other communications hereunder by notice to the other parties hereto. All notices and other communications given to any party hereto in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement shall be deemed to have been given on the date of receipt.
SECTION 9.02 Waivers; Amendments. (a) No failure or delay by the Administrative Agent, any Issuing Bank or any Lender in exercising any right or power hereunder or under any other Loan Document shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any such right or power, or any abandonment or discontinuance of steps to enforce such a right or power, preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right or power. The rights and remedies of the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Banks and the Lenders hereunder and under the other Loan Documents are cumulative and are not exclusive of any rights or remedies that they would otherwise have. No waiver of any provision of any Loan Document or consent to any departure by any Loan Party or Restricted Subsidiary therefrom shall in any event be effective unless the same shall be permitted by paragraph (b) of this Section, and then such waiver or consent shall be effective only in the specific instance and for the purpose for which given. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the making of a Loan or issuance of a Letter of Credit shall not be construed as a waiver of any Default, regardless of whether the Administrative Agent, any Lender or any Issuing Bank may have had notice or knowledge of such Default at the time.
(b)Except as provided in Sections 2.14(b) and (c), and except as provided in Section 2.20 (as in effect on the Amendment No. 5 Effective Date), neither this Agreement nor any provision hereof may be waived, amended or modified except pursuant to an agreement or agreements in writing entered
into by the Borrower and the Required Lenders or by the Borrower and the Administrative Agent with the consent of the Required Lenders; provided that no such agreement shall:
(i)increase or extend the Commitment of any Lender without the written consent of such Lender,
(ii)reduce the principal amount of any Loan or LC Disbursement or reduce the rate of interest thereon, or reduce any fees payable hereunder, without the written consent of each Lender directly affected thereby,
(iii)amend, modify or waive the requirements of Section 2.11(b), including, without limitation, solely for purposes thereof, each definition used therein or otherwise directly related thereto (such as, but not limited to, the definitions of Asset Sale Allowance, Free Cash Flow, Free Cash Flow Percentage, and Prepayment Event), without the written consent of (1) Term A Loan Lenders holding more than 50% of the aggregate principal amount of the Term A Loans and unused Term A Loan Commitments at such time and (2) Revolving Lenders holding more than 50% of the aggregate of the Revolving Credit Exposures and unused Revolving Commitments at such time,
(iv)postpone the scheduled date of payment of the principal amount of any Loan or LC Disbursement, or any interest thereon (other than the waiver of default interest), or any fees payable hereunder, or reduce the amount of, waive or excuse any such payment, or postpone the scheduled date of expiration of any Commitment (other than with respect to the foregoing, any reduction of the amount of, or any extension of the payment date for, the mandatory prepayments required under Section 2.11 in each case which shall require the approval of the Lenders identified in the foregoing Section 9.02(b)(iii)), without the written consent of each Lender directly affected thereby; provided, that (x) no extension of the Revolving Loan Maturity Date shall be deemed to directly affect any Term Loan Lender, and subject to the following clause (z), the only Lenders entitled to vote to extend the Revolving Loan Maturity Date shall be those Revolving Lenders directly affected thereby (with the understanding that an extension of the Revolving Loan Maturity Date shall not apply to any Revolving Lender that does not approve such extension), (y) no change in the Applicable Margin for such approving Revolving Lenders shall require the approval of any Lenders other than all such approving Revolving Lenders (which all would be subject to the same change), and (z) no other amendment or modification shall be made in connection with an extension of the Revolving Loan Maturity Date (including, without limitation, amendments to or modifications of covenants or Events of Default) without the approval of the Lenders otherwise required under this Section 9.02; provided, further, that
(A) no extension of the Term A Loan Maturity Date shall be deemed to directly affect any
Revolving Lender, and subject to the following clause (C), the only Lenders entitled to vote to extend the Term A Loan Maturity Date shall be those Term A Loan Lenders directly affected thereby (with the understanding that an extension of the Term A Loan Maturity Date shall not apply to any Term A Loan Lender that does not approve such extension), (B) no change in the Applicable Margin for such approving Term A Loan Lenders shall require the approval of any Lenders other than all such approving Term A Loan Lenders (which all would be subject to the same change), and (C) no other amendment or modification shall be made in connection with an extension of the Term A Loan Maturity Date (including, without limitation, amendments to or modifications of covenants or Events of Default) without the approval of the Lenders otherwise required under this Section 9.02,
(v)change Section 2.18(b) or (d) in a manner that would alter the pro rata sharing of payments required thereby or the order of payments provided therein or change Section 2.09(c)
in a manner that would alter the pro rata reduction of Revolving Commitments, without the written consent of each Lender,
(vi)change any of the provisions of this Section or the definition of “Required Lenders” or any other provision hereof specifying the number or percentage of Lenders required to waive, amend or modify any rights hereunder or make any determination or grant any consent hereunder, without the written consent of each Lender (it being understood that, solely with the consent of the parties prescribed by Section 2.20 to be parties to an Incremental Term Loan Amendment, Incremental Term Loans may be included in the determination of Required Lenders on substantially the same basis as the Revolving Commitments, the Revolving Loans and the Term Loans are included on the Effective Date),
(vii)release all or substantially all of the Loan Party Guarantors from their obligations under the Loan Party Guaranty without the written consent of each Lender; provided, that no release provided for in Section 5.09 shall require the vote of any Lender under this clause (vii),
(viii)except as set forth in Section 9.02(e), release all or substantially all of the Collateral, without the written consent of each Lender; provided, that no release provided for in Section 5.09 shall require the vote of any Lender under this clause (viii), or
(ix)subordinate the Liens on all or substantially all of the Collateral or subordinate the right of payment of the Secured Obligations without the written consent of each Lender;
provided further that (A) no such agreement shall amend, modify or otherwise affect the rights or duties of the Administrative Agent, an Issuing Bank or the Swingline Lender hereunder without the prior written consent of the Administrative Agent, such Issuing Bank or the Swingline Lender, as the case may be, (B) no such agreement shall amend or modify Section 2.25 without the prior written consent of the Administrative Agent, each Issuing Bank and the Swingline Lender and (C) the parties hereto shall not amend or modify the provisions of Section 2.06 or any letter of credit application and any bilateral agreement between the Borrower and any Issuing Bank regarding such Issuing Bank’s Issuing Bank Sublimit or the respective rights and obligations between the Borrower and such Issuing Bank in connection with the issuance of Letters of Credit without the prior written consent of such Issuing Bank. The Administrative Agent may also amend Schedule 2.01 to reflect assignments entered into pursuant to Section 9.04. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no consent with respect to any amendment, waiver or other modification of this Agreement shall be required of any Defaulting Lender, except with respect to any amendment, waiver or other modification referred to in clause (i), (ii) or (iv) of the first proviso of this paragraph and then only in the event such Defaulting Lender shall be directly affected by such amendment, waiver or other modification.
(c)The Lenders hereby irrevocably authorize the Administrative Agent, at its option and in its sole discretion, to (1) release any Liens granted to the Administrative Agent by the Loan Parties on any Collateral (i) upon the termination of all Commitments, payment and satisfaction in full in cash of all Secured Obligations (other than Unliquidated Obligations), and the cash collateralization of all Unliquidated Obligations in a manner satisfactory to the Administrative Agent (with a corresponding release of the Loan Party Guarantors from the Loan Party Guaranty), (ii) constituting property being sold or disposed of if the Borrower certifies to the Administrative Agent that the sale or disposition is made in compliance with the terms of this Agreement (and the Administrative Agent may rely conclusively on any such certificate, without further inquiry); provided, that there also shall be a corresponding release of a Loan Party Guarantor from the Loan Party Guaranty if such Loan Party Guarantor’s Equity Interests are the subject of such permitted sale or disposition, (iii) constituting property leased to a Loan Party
under a lease which has expired or been terminated in a transaction permitted under this Agreement, or
(iv) as required to effect any sale or other disposition of such Collateral in connection with any exercise of remedies of the Administrative Agent and the Lenders pursuant to Article VII (including, if applicable, a corresponding release of a Loan Party Guarantor from the Loan Party Guaranty), and (2) take any actions deemed appropriate by it in connection with the grant by any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary of Liens of the type described in clauses (c) through (o) of Section 6.02 (including without limitation, by executing appropriate lien releases or lien subordination agreements in favor of the holder or holders of such Liens, in either case solely with respect to the item or items of equipment or other assets subject to such Liens). Any such release shall not in any manner discharge, affect, or impair the Obligations or any Liens (other than those expressly being released) upon (or obligations of the Loan Parties in respect of) all interests retained by the Loan Parties, including the proceeds of any sale, all of which shall continue to constitute part of the Collateral.
(d)If, in connection with any proposed amendment, waiver or consent requiring the consent of “each Lender” or “each Lender directly affected thereby,” the consent of the Required Lenders is obtained, but the consent of other necessary Lenders is not obtained (any such Lender whose consent is necessary but not obtained being referred to herein as a “Non Consenting Lender”), then the Borrower may elect to replace a Non Consenting Lender as a Lender party to this Agreement, provided that, concurrently with such replacement, (i) another bank or other entity which is reasonably satisfactory to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent shall agree, as of such date, to purchase for cash the Loans and other Obligations due to the Non Consenting Lender pursuant to an Assignment and Assumption and to become a Lender for all purposes under this Agreement and to assume all obligations of the Non Consenting Lender to be terminated as of such date and to comply with the requirements of clause (b) of Section 9.04, and (ii) the Borrower shall pay to such Non Consenting Lender in same day funds on the day of such replacement (1) all interest, fees and other amounts then accrued but unpaid to such Non Consenting Lender by the Borrower hereunder to and including the date of termination, including, without limitation payments due to such Non Consenting Lender under Sections 2.15 and 2.17, and (2) an amount, if any, equal to the payment which would have been due to such Lender on the day of such replacement under Section 2.16 had the Loans of such Non Consenting Lender been prepaid on such date rather than sold to the replacement Lender.
(e)So long as no Default is then outstanding or would result therefrom, the Administrative Agent, on its behalf and on behalf of the Holders of Secured Obligations, at the Borrower’s written request (with such written request being delivered to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders at least 30, but not more than 60, days prior to the date of the proposed release), shall release its Liens upon the Collateral (such release, the “Collateral Release”) if (i) the Loans, as evaluated immediately after the proposed release, would be rated, on an unsecured basis and with a stable outlook, either BBB or better by S&P or Baa2 or better by Moody’s, with the applicable rating being issued no more than 60 days prior to the date on which such release is to occur, and with the Administrative Agent and the Lenders having received copies of such applicable rating from S&P or Moody’s, as the case may be, and (ii) as of the date of such release and immediately after giving effect to such release, the sum of all Indebtedness (as defined in the Senior Secured Note Agreement as in effect on the date hereof) secured by liens, other than a lien permitted pursuant to Section 5[y] (a) through (d) of Schedule II of the Senior Secured Note Agreement (as in effect on the date hereof), on any assets of the Borrower or any Subsidiary (as defined in the Senior Secured Note Agreement as in effect on the date hereof) shall not exceed 15% of Consolidated Net Worth (as defined in the Senior Secured Note Agreement as in effect on the date hereof).
SECTION 9.03 Expenses; Indemnity; Damage Waiver. (a) The Borrower shall pay
(i)all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the Administrative Agent and its Affiliates, including the reasonable fees, charges and disbursements of counsel for the Administrative Agent
(including local counsel), in connection with the syndication and distribution (including, without limitation, via the internet or through a service such as Intralinks) of the credit facilities provided for herein, the preparation and administration of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents or any amendments, modifications or waivers of the provisions hereof or thereof (whether or not the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby shall be consummated), (ii) all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the Issuing Banks in connection with the issuance, amendment, renewal or extension of any Letter of Credit or any demand for payment thereunder and (iii) all out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the Administrative Agent, any Issuing Bank or any Lender, including the fees, charges and disbursements of any counsel for the Administrative Agent, any Issuing Bank or any Lender (including local counsel), in connection with the enforcement, collection or protection of its rights in connection with this Agreement and any other Loan Document, including its rights under this Section, or in connection with the Loans made or Letters of Credit issued hereunder, including all such out-of-pocket expenses incurred during any workout, restructuring or negotiations in respect of such Loans or Letters of Credit.
(b)The Borrower shall indemnify the Administrative Agent, the Joint Lead Arrangers, each Issuing Bank and each Lender, and each Related Party of any of the foregoing Persons (each such Person being called an “Indemnitee”) against, and hold each Indemnitee harmless from, any and all Liabilities and related expenses, including the fees, charges and disbursements of any counsel for any Indemnitee, incurred by or asserted against any Indemnitee arising out of, in connection with, or as a result of (i) the execution or delivery of any Loan Document or any agreement or instrument contemplated thereby, the performance by the parties hereto of their respective obligations thereunder or the consummation of the Transactions or any other transactions contemplated hereby, (ii) any Loan or Letter of Credit or the use of the proceeds therefrom (including any refusal by an Issuing Bank to honor a demand for payment under a Letter of Credit if the documents presented in connection with such demand do not strictly comply with the terms of such Letter of Credit), (iii) any actual or alleged presence or release of Hazardous Materials on or from any property owned or operated by any Loan Party or any Restricted Subsidiary, or any Environmental Liability related in any way to any Loan Party or any of their Subsidiaries, or (iv) any actual or prospective Proceeding, whether based on contract, tort or any other theory, whether brought by a third party or by the Borrower or any of its Affiliates, and regardless of whether any Indemnitee is a party thereto; provided that such indemnity shall not, as to any Indemnitee, be available (i) to the extent that such Liabilities or related expenses result from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of, or material breach of an enforceable contractual obligation by, such Indemnitee (or any affiliate thereof or their respective officers, directors, employees, employers, advisors and agents, in each case acting on such Indemnitee’s behalf or at such Indemnitee’s direction), in each case, as determined by a court of competent jurisdiction by final and non-appealable judgment or (ii) if the applicable loss, claim, damage, liability or expense arises solely as a result of a dispute among Indemnitees that did not involve actions or omissions of the Borrower or its Subsidiaries (other than claims brought by an Indemnitee against the Joint Lead Arrangers, any Issuing Bank, any Swingline Lender or the Administrative Agent or any Person acting in any similar role or title in their capacities as such). This Section 9.03(b) shall not apply with respect to Taxes other than any Taxes that represent losses, claims or damages arising from any non-Tax claim.
(c)To the extent that the Borrower fails to pay any amount required to be paid by it to the Administrative Agent, an Issuing Bank or a Swingline Lender under paragraph (a) or (b) of this Section, each Lender severally agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent, and each Revolving Lender severally agrees to pay to such Issuing Bank or such Swingline Lender, as the case may be, such Lender’s Applicable Percentage (determined as of the time that the applicable unreimbursed expense or indemnity payment is sought) of such unpaid amount (it being understood that the Borrower’s failure to pay any such amount shall not relieve the Borrower of any default in the payment thereof); provided that the unreimbursed expense or indemnified loss, claim, damage, liability or related expense, as the case may
be, was incurred by or asserted against the Administrative Agent, such Issuing Bank or such Swingline Lender in its capacity as such.
(d)To the extent permitted by applicable law, the Borrower shall not assert, and hereby waives, any claim against any Indemnitee for any Liabilities (i) arising from the use by others of information or other materials obtained through telecommunications, electronic or other information transmission systems (including the Internet), or (ii) on any theory of liability, for special, indirect, consequential or punitive damages (as opposed to direct or actual damages) arising out of, in connection with, or as a result of, this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any agreement or instrument contemplated hereby or thereby, the Transactions, any Loan or Letter of Credit or the use of the proceeds thereof.
(e)The Borrower shall not, without the prior written consent of an Indemnitee (which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed), effect any settlement of any pending or threatened Proceedings in respect of which indemnity could have been sought hereunder by such Indemnitee unless (i) such settlement includes an unconditional release of such Indemnitee in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to such Indemnitee from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such Proceedings and (ii) does not include any statement as to or any admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of any Indemnitee or any injunctive relief or other non-monetary remedy. The Borrower acknowledges that any failure to comply with its obligations under the preceding sentence may cause irreparable harm to the Indemnitees.
(f)All amounts due under this Section shall be payable not later than fifteen (15) days after written demand therefor.
SECTION 9.04 Successors and Assigns. (a) The provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns permitted hereby (including any Affiliate of an Issuing Bank that issues any Letter of Credit), except that
(i) the Borrower may not assign or otherwise transfer any of its rights or obligations hereunder without the prior written consent of each Lender (and any attempted assignment or transfer by the Borrower without such consent shall be null and void) and (ii) no Lender may assign or otherwise transfer its rights or obligations hereunder except in accordance with this Section. Nothing in this Agreement, express or implied, shall be construed to confer upon any Person (other than the parties hereto, their respective successors and assigns permitted hereby (including any Affiliate of an Issuing Bank that issues any Letter of Credit), Participants (to the extent provided in paragraph (c) of this Section) and, to the extent expressly contemplated hereby, the Related Parties of each of the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Banks and the Lenders) any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or by reason of this Agreement.
(b)(i) Subject to the conditions set forth in paragraph (b)(ii) below, any Lender may assign to one or more Persons (other than an Ineligible Institution) all or a portion of its rights and obligations under this Agreement (including all or a portion of its Commitments, participations in Letters of Credit and the Loans at the time owing to it) with the prior written consent (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed) of:
(A)the Borrower; provided that no consent of the Borrower shall be required for an assignment to a Lender, an Affiliate of a Lender, an Approved Fund or, if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, any other assignee; provided, further, that the otherwise required prior written consent of the Borrower to an assignment will be
deemed to have been given if the Borrower has not objected to such assignment within ten Business Days after a request for such consent;
(B)the Administrative Agent; provided that no consent of the Administrative Agent shall be required for an assignment of (x) any Revolving Commitment to an assignee that is a Lender (other than a Defaulting Lender) with a Revolving Commitment immediately prior to giving effect to such assignment and (y) all or any portion of a Term Loan to a Lender, an Affiliate of a Lender or an Approved Fund; and
(C)each Issuing Bank and the Swingline Lender (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld); provided that (i) no consent therefrom shall be required for an assignment of all or any portion of a Term Loan and (ii) no consent of an Issuing Bank or Swingline Lender, as applicable, shall be required if (x) an Event of Default occurs with respect to the Borrower under Section 7.01(h) or 7.01(i) and (y) such Issuing Bank or Swingline Lender, as applicable, has no outstanding Letters of Credit or Swingline Loans, as applicable, at that time.
(ii)Assignments shall be subject to the following additional conditions:
(A)except in the case of an assignment to a Lender or an Affiliate of a Lender or an Approved Fund or an assignment of the entire remaining amount of the assigning Lender’s Commitment or Loans of any Class, the amount of the Commitment or Loans of the assigning Lender subject to each such assignment (determined as of the date the Assignment and Assumption with respect to such assignment is delivered to the Administrative Agent) shall not be less than (x) U.S. $1,000,000 in respect of Term A Loans and (y) the U.S. Dollar Amount of U.S. $5,000,000 in respect of Revolving Loans, unless, in each case, each of the Borrower and the Administrative Agent otherwise consent, provided that no such consent of the Borrower shall be required if an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing;
(B)each partial assignment shall be made as an assignment of a proportionate part of all the assigning Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement, provided that this clause shall not be construed to prohibit the assignment of a proportionate part of all the assigning Lender’s rights and obligations in respect of one Class of Commitments or Loans;
(C)the parties to each assignment shall execute and deliver to the Administrative Agent (x) an Assignment and Assumption or (y) to the extent applicable, an agreement incorporating an Assignment and Assumption by reference pursuant to an Approved Electronic Platform as to which the Administrative Agent and the parties to the Assignment and Assumption are participants, together with a processing and recordation fee of U.S. $3,500, such fee to be paid by either the assigning Lender or the assignee Lender or shared between such Lenders; provided, that no such U.S. $3,500 fee shall be required to be paid in conjunction with assignments between a Lender and an Approved Fund or Affiliate thereof; provided, further, with respect to the replacement of any Non Consenting Lender pursuant to Section 9.02(d), each party hereto agrees that (i) an assignment required pursuant to this paragraph may be effected pursuant to an Assignment and Assumption executed by the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and the assignee (or, to the extent applicable, an agreement incorporating an Assignment and Assumption by reference pursuant to an Approved Electronic Platform as to which the
Administrative Agent and such parties are participants), and (ii) the Non Consenting Lender required to make such assignment need not be a party thereto in order for such assignment to be effective and shall be deemed to have consented to an be bound by the terms thereof; provided further that, following the effectiveness of any such assignment, the other parties to such assignment agree to execute and deliver such documents necessary to evidence such assignment as reasonably requested by the applicable Lender, provided that any such documents shall be without recourse to or warranty by the parties thereto;
(D)the assignee, if it shall not be a Lender, shall deliver to the Administrative Agent an Administrative Questionnaire in which the assignee designates one or more credit contacts to whom all syndicate-level information (which may contain material non-public information about the Loan Parties, their affiliates and their related parties or their respective securities) will be made available and who may receive such information in accordance with the assignee’s compliance procedures and applicable laws, including Federal and state securities laws;
(E)no Ineligible Institution shall constitute a permitted assignee under this Agreement; and
(F)notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, in no event shall any assignment (x) result in (or permit) any increase of the aggregate amount of Non-Extended Revolving Commitments, Non-Extended Revolving Loans or Non-Extended Term A Loans, as the case may be, or (y) modify or change the Class of
(x) any Revolving Commitment as an Extended Revolving Commitment or Non-Extended Revolving Commitment, (y) any Revolving Loan as an Extended Revolving Loan or Non-Extended Revolving Loan or (z) any Term A Loan as an Extended Term A Loan or Non-Extended Term A Loan, in each case, from the Class initially applicable to such Commitment or Loan on the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date.
For the purposes of this Section 9.04(b), the terms “Approved Fund” and “Ineligible Institution” have the following meanings:
“Approved Fund” means any Person (other than a natural person) that is engaged in making, purchasing, holding or investing in bank loans and similar extensions of credit in the ordinary course of its business and that is administered or managed by (a) a Lender, (b) an Affiliate of a Lender or
(c)an entity or an Affiliate of an entity that administers or manages a Lender.
“Ineligible Institution” means (a) a natural person, (b) a Defaulting Lender or its Parent,
(c) so long as no Event of Default under any of Sections 7.01(a), (b), (h) or (i) then exists, a Disqualified Institution, (d) except with respect to assignments made pursuant to Section 2.24, the Borrower, any of its Subsidiaries or any of its Affiliates, or (e) a company, investment vehicle or trust for, or owned and operated for the primary benefit of, a natural person or relative(s) thereof.
(iii)Subject to acceptance and recording thereof pursuant to paragraph (b)(iv) of this Section, from and after the effective date specified in each Assignment and Assumption the assignee thereunder shall be a party hereto and, to the extent of the interest assigned by such Assignment and Assumption, have the rights and obligations of a Lender under this Agreement, and the assigning Lender thereunder shall, to the extent of the interest assigned by such Assignment and Assumption, be released from its obligations under this Agreement (and, in the
case of an Assignment and Assumption covering all of the assigning Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement, such Lender shall cease to be a party hereto but shall continue to be entitled to the benefits of Sections 2.15, 2.16, 2.17 and 9.03). Any assignment or transfer by a Lender of rights or obligations under this Agreement that does not comply with this Section 9.04 shall be treated for purposes of this Agreement as a sale by such Lender of a participation in such rights and obligations in accordance with paragraph (c) of this Section.
(iv)The Administrative Agent, acting for this purpose as a non-fiduciary agent of the Borrower, shall maintain at one of its offices a copy of each Assignment and Assumption delivered to it and a register for the recordation of the names and addresses of the Lenders, and the Commitment of, and principal amount (and stated interest) of the Loans and LC Disbursements owing to, each Lender pursuant to the terms hereof from time to time (the “Register”). The entries in the Register shall be conclusive absent manifest error, and the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Banks and the Lenders may treat each Person whose name is recorded in the Register pursuant to the terms hereof as a Lender hereunder for all purposes of this Agreement, notwithstanding notice to the contrary. The Register shall be available for inspection by the Borrower, the Issuing Banks and any Lender, at any reasonable time and from time to time upon reasonable prior notice.
(v)Upon its receipt of (x) a duly completed Assignment and Assumption executed by an assigning Lender and an assignee or (y) to the extent applicable, an agreement incorporating an Assignment and Assumption by reference pursuant to an Approved Electronic Platform as to which the Administrative Agent and the parties to the Assignment and Assumption are participants, the assignee’s completed Administrative Questionnaire (unless the assignee shall already be a Lender hereunder), the processing and recordation fee referred to in paragraph
(b)of this Section and any written consent to such assignment required by paragraph (b) of this Section, the Administrative Agent shall accept such Assignment and Assumption and record the information contained therein in the Register; provided that if either the assigning Lender or the assignee shall have failed to make any payment required to be made by it pursuant to Section 2.05(c), 2.06(d) or (e), 2.07(b), 2.18(e) or 9.03(c), the Administrative Agent shall have no obligation to accept such Assignment and Assumption and record the information therein in the Register unless and until such payment shall have been made in full, together with all accrued interest thereon. No assignment shall be effective for purposes of this Agreement unless it has been recorded in the Register as provided in this paragraph.
(c)(i) Any Lender may, without the consent of, or notice to, the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, any Issuing Bank or any Swingline Lender, sell participations to one or more banks or other entities (a “Participant”), other than an Ineligible Institution, in all or a portion of such Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement (including all or a portion of its Commitments and the Loans owing to it); provided that (A) such Lender’s obligations under this Agreement shall remain unchanged, (B) such Lender shall remain solely responsible to the other parties hereto for the performance of such obligations and (C) the Borrower, the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Banks and the other Lenders shall continue to deal solely and directly with such Lender in connection with such Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement. Any agreement or instrument pursuant to which a Lender sells such a participation shall provide that such Lender shall retain the sole right to enforce this Agreement and to approve any amendment, modification or waiver of any provision of this Agreement; provided that such agreement or instrument may provide that such Lender will not, without the consent of the Participant, agree to any amendment, modification or waiver described in the first proviso to Section 9.02(b) that affects such Participant. Subject to paragraph (c)(ii) of this Section, the Borrower agrees that each Participant shall be entitled to the benefits of Sections 2.15, 2.16 and 2.17 (subject to the requirements and limitations therein, including the requirements under Section 2.17(f) (it being
understood that the documentation required under Section 2.17(f) shall be delivered to the participating Lender)) to the same extent as if it were a Lender and had acquired its interest by assignment pursuant to paragraph (b) of this Section; provided that such Participant agrees to be subject to the provisions of Sections 2.18 and 2.19 as if it were an assignee under paragraph (b) of this Section. To the extent permitted by law, each Participant also shall be entitled to the benefits of Section 9.08 as though it were a Lender, provided such Participant agrees to be subject to Sections 2.18(d) as though it were a Lender.
(ii) A Participant shall not be entitled to receive any greater payment under Section 2.15 or 2.17 than the applicable Lender would have been entitled to receive with respect to the participation sold to such Participant, unless the sale of the participation to such Participant is made with the Borrower’s prior written consent and except to the extent such entitlement to receive a greater payment results from a Change in Law that occurs after the Participant acquired the applicable participation. A Participant that would be a Foreign Lender if it were a Lender shall not be entitled to the benefits of Section 2.17 unless the Borrower is notified of the participation sold to such Participant and such Participant agrees, for the benefit of the Borrower, to comply with Section 2.17(f) as though it were a Lender (it being understood that the documentation required under Section 2.17(f) shall be delivered to the participating Lender). Each Lender that sells a participation shall, acting solely for this purpose as a non-fiduciary agent of the Borrower, maintain a register on which it enters the name and address of each Participant and the principal amounts (and stated interest) of each Participant’s interest in the obligations under the Loan Documents (the “Participant Register”); provided that no Lender shall have any obligation to disclose all or any portion of the Participant Register to any Person (including the identity of any Participant or any information relating to a Participant’s interest in the obligations under any Loan Document) except to the extent that such disclosure is necessary to establish that such interest is in registered form under Section 5f.103-1(c) of the United States Treasury Regulations. The entries in the Participant Register shall be conclusive absent manifest error, and such Lender shall treat each Person whose name is recorded in the Participant Register as the owner of such participation for all purposes of this Agreement notwithstanding any notice to the contrary. For the avoidance of doubt, the Administrative Agent (in its capacity as Administrative Agent) shall have no responsibility for maintaining a Participant Register.
(d)Any Lender may at any time pledge or assign a security interest in all or any portion of its rights under this Agreement to secure obligations of such Lender, including without limitation any pledge or assignment to secure obligations to a Federal Reserve Bank or other central bank having jurisdiction over such Lender, and this Section shall not apply to any such pledge or assignment of a security interest; provided that no such pledge or assignment of a security interest shall release a Lender from any of its obligations hereunder or substitute any such pledgee or assignee for such Lender as a party hereto.
(e)Disqualified Institutions.
(i)Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in this Agreement, (x) the Borrower shall promptly notify the Administrative Agent at any time a Financial Officer of the Borrower becomes aware of an existing or prospective Lender constituting a Disqualified Institution and (y) Disqualified Institutions (1) will not (a) have the right to receive information, reports or other materials provided to Lenders by the Borrower, the Administrative Agent or any other Lender, (b) attend or participate in meetings attended by the Lenders and the Administrative Agent, or (c) access any electronic site established for the Lenders or confidential communications from counsel to or financial advisors of the Administrative Agent or the Lenders and (2) for purposes of any consent to any amendment, waiver or modification of, or any action under, and for the purpose of any direction to the Administrative Agent or any Lender to
undertake any action (or refrain from taking any action) under this Agreement or any other Loan Document, each Disqualified Institution will be deemed to have consented in the same proportion as the Lenders that are not Disqualified Institutions consented to such matter.
(ii)If any assignment or participation is made to any Disqualified Institution without the Borrower’s prior written consent in violation of this Section 9.04, the Borrower may, at its sole expense and effort, upon notice to such Disqualified Institution and the Administrative Agent, require such Disqualified Institution to assign to one or more assignees, without recourse, all of its interest, rights and obligations under this Agreement in accordance with and subject to the restrictions contained in this Section 9.04. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, the Borrower retains the right to take legal action and seek compensation against any Lender who assigned any Commitments, Loans or participation to any Disqualified Institution, in violation of this Section 9.04.
(iii)Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth herein, (x) the Administrative Agent may provide the contents of the DQ List to any Lender (and, on or prior to the Amendment No. 3 Effective Date, the Administrative Agent has provided the contents of the DQ List to the Persons who are Lenders on the Amendment No. 3 Effective Date), Participant, or any prospective assignee or Participant, (y) the Administrative Agent shall not be liable for any loss, cost or expense resulting from any assignment or participation made to or held by a Disqualified Institution, and (z) the Administrative Agent shall not have any duty to ascertain, monitor or enforce compliance by any Lender, Participant, or any prospective assignee or Participant of the DQ List. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in this Agreement, if the Borrower consents in writing to an Assignment and Assumption to any Person, such Person shall not be considered a Disqualified Institution, whether or not they would otherwise be considered a Disqualified Institution pursuant to this Agreement. If any Loans or Commitments are assigned to a Disqualified Institution in contravention of the foregoing, such Disqualified Institution, upon the written demand of the Borrower, shall be required to assign such Loans or Commitments to a Person that is not a Disqualified Institution or if such Disqualified Institution cannot assign such Loans or Commitments, such Disqualified Institution shall not constitute a Lender with respect to any of the voting and information rights of Lenders under the Loan Documents.
SECTION 9.05 Survival. All covenants, agreements, representations and warranties made by the Loan Parties in the Loan Documents and in the certificates or other instruments delivered in connection with or pursuant to this Agreement or any other Loan Document shall be considered to have been relied upon by the other parties hereto and shall survive the execution and delivery of the Loan Documents and the making of any Loans and issuance of any Letters of Credit, regardless of any investigation made by any such other party or on its behalf and notwithstanding that the Administrative Agent, any Issuing Bank or any Lender may have had notice or knowledge of any Default or incorrect representation or warranty at the time any credit is extended hereunder, and shall continue in full force and effect as long as the principal of or any accrued interest on any Loan or any fee or any other amount payable under this Agreement or any other Loan Document is outstanding and unpaid or any Letter of Credit is outstanding and so long as the Commitments have not expired or terminated. The provisions of Sections 2.15, 2.16, 2.17, 2.21 and 9.03 and Article VIII shall survive and remain in full force and effect regardless of the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, the repayment of the Loans, the expiration or termination of the Letters of Credit and the Commitments or the termination of this Agreement or any other Loan Document or any provision hereof or thereof.
SECTION 9.06 Counterparts; Integration; Effectiveness; Electronic Execution.
(a)This Agreement may be executed in counterparts (and by different parties hereto on different counterparts), each of which shall constitute an original, but all of which when taken together shall constitute a single contract. This Agreement, the other Loan Documents and any separate letter agreements with respect to (i) fees payable to the Administrative Agent and (ii) the reductions of the Issuing Bank Sublimits of any Issuing Bank constitute the entire contract among the parties relating to the subject matter hereof and supersede any and all previous agreements and understandings, oral or written, relating to the subject matter hereof. Except as provided in Section 4.01, this Agreement shall become effective when it shall have been executed by the Administrative Agent and when the Administrative Agent shall have received counterparts hereof which, when taken together, bear the signatures of each of the other parties hereto, and thereafter shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns.
(b)Delivery of an executed counterpart of a signature page of (x) this Agreement, (y) any other Loan Document and/or (z) any document, amendment, approval, consent, information, notice (including, for the avoidance of doubt, any notice delivered pursuant to Section 9.01), certificate, request, statement, disclosure or authorization related to this Agreement, any other Loan Document and/or the transactions contemplated hereby and/or thereby (each an “Ancillary Document”) that is an Electronic Signature transmitted by telecopy, emailed pdf. or any other electronic means that reproduces an image of an actual executed signature page shall be effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart of this Agreement, such other Loan Document or such Ancillary Document, as applicable. The words “execution,” “signed,” “signature,” “delivery,” and words of like import in or relating to this Agreement, any other Loan Document and/or any Ancillary Document shall be deemed to include Electronic Signatures, deliveries or the keeping of records in any electronic form (including deliveries by telecopy, emailed pdf. or any other electronic means that reproduces an image of an actual executed signature page), each of which shall be of the same legal effect, validity or enforceability as a manually executed signature, physical delivery thereof or the use of a paper-based recordkeeping system, as the case may be; provided that nothing herein shall require the Administrative Agent to accept Electronic Signatures in any form or format without its prior written consent and pursuant to procedures approved by it; provided, further, without limiting the foregoing, (i) to the extent the Administrative Agent has agreed to accept any Electronic Signature, the Administrative Agent and each of the Lenders shall be entitled to rely on such Electronic Signature purportedly given by or on behalf of the Borrower or any other Loan Party without further verification thereof and without any obligation to review the appearance or form of any such Electronic signature and (ii) upon the request of the Administrative Agent or any Lender, any Electronic Signature shall be promptly followed by a manually executed counterpart. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Borrower and each Loan Party hereby (A) agrees that, for all purposes, including without limitation, in connection with any workout, restructuring, enforcement of remedies, bankruptcy proceedings or litigation among the Administrative Agent, the Lenders, the Borrower and the Loan Parties, Electronic Signatures transmitted by telecopy, emailed pdf. or any other electronic means that reproduces an image of an actual executed signature page and/or any electronic images of this Agreement, any other Loan Document and/or any Ancillary Document shall have the same legal effect, validity and enforceability as any paper original, (B) the Administrative Agent and each of the Lenders may, at its option, create one or more copies of this Agreement, any other Loan Document and/or any Ancillary Document in the form of an imaged electronic record in any format, which shall be deemed created in the ordinary course of such Person’s business, and destroy the original paper document (and all such electronic records shall be considered an original for all purposes and shall have the same legal effect, validity and enforceability as a paper record), (C) waives any argument, defense or right to contest the legal effect, validity or enforceability of this Agreement, any other Loan Document and/or any Ancillary Document based solely on the lack of paper original copies of this Agreement, such other Loan Document and/or such Ancillary Document, respectively, including with respect to any signature pages thereto and (D) waives any claim against any Lender-Related Person for any Liabilities arising solely from the Administrative Agent’s and/or any Lender’s reliance on or use of
Electronic Signatures and/or transmissions by telecopy, emailed pdf. or any other electronic means that reproduces an image of an actual executed signature page, including any Liabilities arising as a result of the failure of the Borrower and/or any Loan Party to use any available security measures in connection with the execution, delivery or transmission of any Electronic Signature.
SECTION 9.07 Severability. Any provision of any Loan Document held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall, as to such jurisdiction, be ineffective to the extent of such invalidity, illegality or unenforceability without affecting the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions thereof; and the invalidity of a particular provision in a particular jurisdiction shall not invalidate such provision in any other jurisdiction.
SECTION 9.08 Right of Setoff. If an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, subsequent to an election by the Administrative Agent or the Required Lenders, each Lender, each Issuing Bank and each of their respective Affiliates is hereby authorized at any time and from time to time, to the fullest extent permitted by law, to set off and apply any and all deposits (general or special, time or demand, provisional or final and in whatever currency denominated), except payroll and trust accounts, at any time held and other obligations at any time owing by such Lender, such Issuing Bank or any such Affiliate to or for the credit or the account of any Loan Party against any of and all the Secured Obligations now or hereafter existing under this Agreement or any other Loan Document to such Lender or such Issuing Bank or their respective Affiliates, irrespective of whether or not such Lender, Issuing Bank or Affiliate shall have made any demand under the Loan Documents and although such obligations may be contingent or unmatured or are owed to a branch office or Affiliate of such Lender or such Issuing Bank different from the branch office or Affiliate holding such deposit or obligated on such indebtedness; provided that in the event that any Defaulting Lender shall exercise any such right of setoff, (x) all amounts so set off shall be paid over immediately to the Administrative Agent for further application in accordance with the provisions of Section 2.25 and, pending such payment, shall be segregated by such Defaulting Lender from its other funds and deemed held in trust for the benefit of the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Banks, and the Lenders, and (y) the Defaulting Lender shall provide promptly to the Administrative Agent a statement describing in reasonable detail the Secured Obligations owing to such Defaulting Lender as to which it exercised such right of setoff. The rights of each Lender, each Issuing Bank and their respective Affiliates under this Section are in addition to other rights and remedies (including other rights of setoff) that such Lender, such Issuing Bank or their respective Affiliates may have. Each Lender and Issuing Bank agrees to notify the Borrower and the Administrative Agent promptly after any such setoff and application; provided that the failure to give such notice shall not affect the validity of such setoff and application.
SECTION 9.09 Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Consent to Service of Process. (a) This Agreement and the other Loan Documents shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the law of the State of New York.
(b)To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the Borrower hereby irrevocably and unconditionally submits, for itself and its property, to the exclusive jurisdiction of the United States District Court of the Southern District of New York sitting in the Borough of Manhattan (or if such court lacks subject matter jurisdiction, the Supreme Court of the State of New York sitting in the Borough of Manhattan) and any appellate court from any thereof, in any action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or any other Loan Document or the transactions relating hereto or thereto, or for recognition or enforcement of any judgment, and each of the parties hereto hereby irrevocably and unconditionally agrees that all claims in respect of any such action or proceeding may (and any such claims, cross-claims or third party claims brought against the Administrative Agent or any of its Related Parties may only) be heard and determined in such Federal (to the extent permitted by law) or New York State court. Each of the parties hereto agrees that a final judgment in any such action or proceeding shall
be conclusive and may be enforced in other jurisdictions by suit on the judgment or in any other manner provided by law. Nothing in this Agreement or in any other Loan Document shall (i) affect any right that the Administrative Agent, any Issuing Bank or any Lender may otherwise have to bring any action or proceeding relating to this Agreement or any other Loan Document against any Loan Party or its properties in the courts of any jurisdiction, (ii) waive any statutory, regulatory, common law, or other rule, doctrine, legal restriction, provision or the like providing for the treatment of bank branches, bank agencies, or other bank offices as if they were separate juridical entities for certain purposes, including Uniform Commercial Code Sections 4-106, 4-A-105(1)(b), and 5-116(b), UCP 600 Article 3 and ISP98 Rule 2.02, and URDG 758 Article 3(a), or (iii) affect which courts have or do not have personal jurisdiction over the issuing bank or beneficiary of any Letter of Credit or any advising bank, nominated bank or assignee of proceeds thereunder or proper venue with respect to any litigation arising out of or relating to such Letter of Credit with, or affecting the rights of, any Person not a party to this Agreement, whether or not such Letter of Credit contains its own jurisdiction submission clause.
(c)The Borrower hereby irrevocably and unconditionally waives, to the fullest extent it may legally and effectively do so, any objection which it may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or any other Loan Document in any court referred to in paragraph (b) of this Section. Each of the parties hereto hereby irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the defense of an inconvenient forum to the maintenance of such action or proceeding in any such court.
(d)Each party to this Agreement irrevocably consents to service of process in the manner provided for notices in Section 9.01. Nothing in this Agreement or any other Loan Document will affect the right of any party to this Agreement to serve process in any other manner permitted by law.
(e)Each of the Lenders and the Administrative Agent hereby irrevocably and unconditionally agrees that, notwithstanding the governing law provisions of any applicable Loan Document, any claims brought against the Administrative Agent by any Lender or Holder of Secured Obligations relating to this Agreement, any other Loan Document, the Collateral or the consummation or administration of the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the law of the State of New York.
SECTION 9.10 WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL. EACH PARTY HERETO HEREBY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT, ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY OR THEREBY (WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT OR ANY OTHER THEORY). EACH PARTY HERETO (A) CERTIFIES THAT NO REPRESENTATIVE, AGENT OR ATTORNEY OF ANY OTHER PARTY HAS REPRESENTED, EXPRESSLY OR OTHERWISE, THAT SUCH OTHER PARTY WOULD NOT, IN THE EVENT OF LITIGATION, SEEK TO ENFORCE THE FOREGOING WAIVER AND (B) ACKNOWLEDGES THAT IT AND THE OTHER PARTIES HERETO HAVE BEEN INDUCED TO ENTER INTO THIS AGREEMENT BY, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE MUTUAL WAIVERS AND CERTIFICATIONS IN THIS SECTION.
SECTION 9.11 Headings. Article and Section headings and the Table of Contents used herein are for convenience of reference only, are not part of this Agreement and shall not affect the construction of, or be taken into consideration in interpreting, this Agreement.
SECTION 9.12 Confidentiality. Each of the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Banks and the Lenders agrees to maintain the confidentiality of the Information (as defined below), except that
Information may be disclosed (a) to its and its Affiliates’ and its and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents, including accountants, legal counsel and other advisors (it being understood that the Persons to whom such disclosure is made will be informed of the confidential nature of such Information and instructed to keep such Information confidential), (b) to the extent requested by any Governmental Authority (including any self-regulatory authority, such as the National Association of Insurance Commissioners), (c) to the extent required by applicable laws or regulations or by any subpoena or similar legal process, (d) to any other party to this Agreement, (e) in connection with the exercise of any remedies hereunder or under any other Loan Document or any suit, action or proceeding relating to this Agreement or any other Loan Document or the enforcement of rights hereunder or thereunder, (f) subject to an agreement containing provisions substantially the same as those of this Section, to (i) any assignee of or Participant in, or any prospective assignee of or Participant in, any of its rights or obligations under this Agreement or (ii) any actual or prospective counterparty (or its advisors) to any swap or derivative transaction relating to the Borrower and each of its obligations, (g) on a confidential basis to (1) any rating agency in connection with rating the Borrower or its Subsidiaries or the credit facilities provided for herein or (2) the CUSIP Service Bureau or any similar agency in connection with the issuance and monitoring of CUSIP numbers with respect to the credit facilities provided for herein, (h) with the consent of the Borrower or (i) to the extent such Information
(1) becomes publicly available other than as a result of a breach of this Section or (2) becomes available
to the Administrative Agent, any Issuing Bank or any Lender on a nonconfidential basis from a source other than the Borrower. For the purposes of this Section, “Information” means all information received from the Borrower relating to the Borrower or its business, other than any such information that is available to the Administrative Agent, the Issuing Bank or any Lender on a nonconfidential basis prior to disclosure by the Borrower and other than information pertaining to this Agreement routinely provided by arrangers to data service providers, including league table providers, that serve the lending industry; provided that, in the case of information received from the Borrower after the date hereof, such information is clearly identified at the time of delivery as confidential. Any Person required to maintain the confidentiality of Information as provided in this Section shall be considered to have complied with its obligation to do so if such Person has exercised the same degree of care to maintain the confidentiality of such Information as such Person would accord to its own confidential information.
EACH LENDER ACKNOWLEDGES THAT INFORMATION AS DEFINED IN SECTION 9.12 FURNISHED TO IT PURSUANT TO THIS AGREEMENT MAY INCLUDE MATERIAL NON-PUBLIC INFORMATION CONCERNING THE BORROWER AND ITS RELATED PARTIES OR THEIR RESPECTIVE SECURITIES, AND CONFIRMS THAT IT HAS DEVELOPED COMPLIANCE PROCEDURES REGARDING THE USE OF MATERIAL NON-PUBLIC INFORMATION AND THAT IT WILL HANDLE SUCH MATERIAL NON-PUBLIC INFORMATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH THOSE PROCEDURES AND APPLICABLE LAW, INCLUDING FEDERAL AND STATE SECURITIES LAWS.
ALL INFORMATION, INCLUDING REQUESTS FOR WAIVERS AND AMENDMENTS, FURNISHED BY THE BORROWER OR THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT PURSUANT TO, OR IN THE COURSE OF ADMINISTERING, THIS AGREEMENT WILL BE SYNDICATE-LEVEL INFORMATION, WHICH MAY CONTAIN MATERIAL NON-PUBLIC INFORMATION ABOUT THE BORROWER AND ITS AFFILIATES, THE LOAN PARTIES AND THEIR RELATED PARTIES OR THEIR RESPECTIVE SECURITIES. ACCORDINGLY, EACH LENDER REPRESENTS TO THE BORROWER AND THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT THAT IT HAS IDENTIFIED IN ITS ADMINISTRATIVE QUESTIONNAIRE A CREDIT CONTACT WHO MAY RECEIVE INFORMATION THAT MAY CONTAIN MATERIAL NON-PUBLIC INFORMATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH ITS COMPLIANCE PROCEDURES AND APPLICABLE LAW.
For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in this Section 9.12 shall prohibit any Person from voluntarily disclosing or providing any Information within the scope of this confidentiality provision to any governmental, regulatory or self-regulatory organization (any such entity, a “Regulatory Authority”) to the extent that any such prohibition on disclosure set forth in this Section 9.12 shall be prohibited by the laws or regulations applicable to such Regulatory Authority.
SECTION 9.13 Patriot Act. Each Lender that is subject to the requirements of the Patriot Act hereby notifies each Loan Party that pursuant to the requirements of the Patriot Act, it is required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies such Loan Party, which information includes the name and address of such Loan Party and other information that will allow such Lender to identify such Loan Party in accordance with the Patriot Act.
SECTION 9.14 Several Obligations; Nonreliance; Violation of Law. The respective obligations of the Lenders hereunder are several and not joint and the failure of any Lender to make any Loan or perform any of its obligations hereunder shall not relieve any other Lender from any of its obligations hereunder. Each Lender hereby represents that it is not relying on or looking to any margin stock for the repayment of the Borrowings provided for herein. Anything contained in this Agreement to the contrary notwithstanding, neither any Issuing Bank nor any Lender shall be obligated to extend credit to the Borrower in violation of any Requirement of Law.
SECTION 9.15 Disclosure. The Borrower and each Lender hereby acknowledges and agrees that the Administrative Agent and/or its Affiliates from time to time may hold investments in, make other loans to or have other relationships with any Loan Party, their respective Subsidiaries or their respective Affiliates.
SECTION 9.16 Appointment for Perfection. Each Lender hereby appoints each other Lender as its agent for the purpose of perfecting Liens, for the benefit of the Administrative Agent and the Holders of Secured Obligations, in assets which, in accordance with Article 9 of the UCC or any other applicable law, can be perfected only by possession or control. Should any Lender (other than the Administrative Agent) lawfully obtain possession or control of any such Collateral, such Lender shall notify the Administrative Agent thereof, and, promptly upon the Administrative Agent’s request therefor shall deliver such Collateral to the Administrative Agent or otherwise deal with such Collateral in accordance with the Administrative Agent’s instructions.
SECTION 9.17 Interest Rate Limitation. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, if at any time the interest rate applicable to any Loan, together with all fees, charges and other amounts which are treated as interest on such Loan under applicable law (collectively, the “Charges”), shall exceed the maximum lawful rate (the “Maximum Rate”) which may be contracted for, charged, taken, received or reserved by the Lender holding such Loan in accordance with applicable law, the rate of interest payable in respect of such Loan hereunder, together with all Charges payable in respect thereof, shall be limited to the Maximum Rate and to the extent lawful, the interest and Charges that would have been payable in respect of such Loan but were not payable as a result of the operation of this Section shall be cumulated and the interest and Charges payable to such Lender in respect of other Loans or periods shall be increased (but not above the Maximum Rate therefor) until such cumulated amount, together with interest thereon at the applicable Overnight Rate to the date of repayment, shall have been received by such Lender.
SECTION 9.18 Subordination of Intercompany Indebtedness. The Borrower agrees that any and all claims of the Borrower against any Loan Party with respect to any “Intercompany Indebtedness” (as hereinafter defined), any endorser, obligor or any other guarantor of all or any part of the Secured Obligations, or against any of its property shall be subordinate and subject in right of
payment to the prior payment, in full and in cash, of all Secured Obligations; provided that, and not in contravention of the foregoing, so long as no Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the Borrower may make loans to and receive payments in the ordinary course with respect to such Intercompany Indebtedness from each such guarantor, including, the Loan Parties, to the extent permitted by the terms of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents. Notwithstanding any right of the Borrower to ask, demand, sue for, take or receive any payment from any guarantor, including the Loan Parties, all rights, liens and security interests of the Borrower, whether now or hereafter arising and howsoever existing, in any assets of any such guarantor shall be and are subordinated to the rights of the Holders of Secured Obligations in those assets. The Borrower shall not have any right to foreclose upon any such asset, whether by judicial action or otherwise, unless and until all of the Secured Obligations (other than Unliquidated Obligations) shall have been fully paid and satisfied (in cash) and all financing arrangements pursuant to any Loan Document among the Borrower and the Holders of Secured Obligations (or any Affiliate thereof) have been terminated. If, at any time after the occurrence and during the continuance of an Event of Default, all or any part of the assets of any such guarantor, or the proceeds thereof, are subject to any distribution, division or application to the creditors of such guarantor, whether partial or complete, voluntary or involuntary, and whether by reason of liquidation, bankruptcy, arrangement, receivership, assignment for the benefit of creditors or any other action or proceeding, or if the business of any such guarantor is dissolved or if substantially all of the assets of any such guarantor are sold, then, and in any such event (such events being herein referred to as an “Insolvency Event”), any payment or distribution of any kind or character, either in cash, securities or other property, which shall be payable or deliverable upon or with respect to any Indebtedness of any guarantor, including the Loan Parties, to the Borrower (“Intercompany Indebtedness”) shall be paid or delivered directly to the Administrative Agent for application on any of the Secured Obligations, due or to become due, until such Secured Obligations (other than Unliquidated Obligations) shall have first been fully paid and satisfied (in cash). Should any payment, distribution, security or instrument or proceeds thereof be received by the Borrower at any time after the occurrence and during the continuation of an Event of Default upon or with respect to the Intercompany Indebtedness after an Insolvency Event prior to the satisfaction of all of the Secured Obligations (other than Unliquidated Obligations) and the termination of all financing arrangements pursuant to any Loan Document among the Borrower and the Holders of Secured Obligations (and their Affiliates), the Borrower shall receive and hold the same in trust, as trustee, for the benefit of the Holders of Secured Obligations and shall forthwith deliver the same to the Administrative Agent, for the benefit of the Holders of Secured Obligations, in precisely the form received (except for the endorsement or assignment of the Borrower where necessary), for application to any of the Secured Obligations, due or not due, and, until so delivered, the same shall be held in trust by the Borrower as the property of the Holder of Secured Obligations. If the Borrower fails to make any such endorsement or assignment to the Administrative Agent, the Administrative Agent or any of its officers or employees are irrevocably authorized to make the same. The Borrower agrees that until the Secured Obligations (other than Unliquidated Obligations) have been paid in full (in cash) and satisfied and all financing arrangements pursuant to any Loan Document among the Borrower and the Holders of Secured Obligations (and their Affiliates) have been terminated, the Borrower will not assign or transfer to any Person (other than the Administrative Agent) any claim the Borrower has or may have against any guarantor, including the Loan Parties.
SECTION 9.19 No Advisory or Fiduciary Responsibility. In connection with all aspects of each transaction contemplated hereby (including in connection with any amendment, waiver or other modification hereof or of any other Loan Document), the Borrower acknowledges and agrees, and acknowledges its Subsidiaries’ understanding, that: (i) (A) the arranging and other services regarding this Agreement provided by the Credit Parties are arm’s-length commercial transactions between the Borrower and its Affiliates, on the one hand, and the Credit Parties and their Affiliates, on the other hand, (B) the Borrower has consulted its own legal, accounting, investment, regulatory, tax and other advisors to the extent it has deemed appropriate and that no Credit Party is advising the Borrower as to
any such matters in any jurisdiction, and (C) the Borrower is capable of evaluating, and understands and accepts, the terms, risks and conditions of the transactions contemplated hereby and by the other Loan Documents and that the Credit Parties shall have no responsibility or liability to the Borrower with respect thereto; (ii) (A) each of the Credit Parties and their Affiliates is and has been acting solely as a principal and, except as expressly agreed in writing by the relevant parties, has not been, is not, and will not be acting as an advisor (financial or otherwise), agent or fiduciary for the Borrower or any of its Affiliates, or any other Person and (B) no Credit Party or any of its Affiliates has any obligation to the Borrower or any of its Affiliates with respect to the transactions contemplated hereby except, in the case of a Credit Party, those obligations expressly set forth herein and in the other Loan Documents; and
(iii) each of the Credit Parties and their respective Affiliates may be engaged in a broad range of transactions that involve interests that differ from those of the Borrower and its Affiliates, and no Credit Party or any of its Affiliates has any obligation to disclose any of such interests to the Borrower or its Affiliates. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Borrower hereby waives and releases any claims that it may have against each of the Credit Parties and their Affiliates with respect to any breach or alleged breach of agency or fiduciary duty in connection with this Agreement and any aspect of any transaction contemplated hereby.
The Borrower further acknowledges and agrees, and acknowledges its Subsidiaries’ understanding, that each Credit Party, together with its Affiliates, in addition to providing or participating in commercial lending facilities such as that provided hereunder, is a full service securities or banking firm engaged in securities trading and brokerage activities as well as providing investment banking and other financial services. In the ordinary course of business, any Credit Party may provide investment banking and other financial services to, and/or acquire, hold or sell, for its own accounts and the accounts of customers, equity, debt and other securities and financial instruments (including bank loans and other obligations) of, the Borrower and other companies with which it may have commercial or other relationships. With respect to any securities and/or financial instruments so held by any Credit Party or any of its customers, all rights in respect of such securities and financial instruments, including any voting rights, will be exercised by the holder of the rights, in its sole discretion.
In addition, the Borrower acknowledges and agrees, and acknowledges its Subsidiaries’ understanding, that each Credit Party and its affiliates may be providing debt financing, equity capital or other services (including financial advisory services) to other companies in respect of which the Borrower or its Subsidiaries may have conflicting interests regarding the transactions described herein and otherwise. No Credit Party will use confidential information obtained from the Borrower by virtue of the transactions contemplated by the Loan Documents or its other relationships with the Borrower in connection with the performance by such Credit Party of services for other companies, and no Credit Party will furnish any such information to other companies. The Borrower also acknowledges that no Credit Party has any obligation to use in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Loan Documents, or to furnish to the Borrower, confidential information obtained from other companies.
SECTION 9.20 Acknowledgment and Consent to Bail-In of Affected Financial Institutions. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in any Loan Document or in any other agreement, arrangement or understanding among any such parties, each party hereto acknowledges that any liability of any Affected Financial Institution arising under any Loan Document may be subject to the Write-Down and Conversion Powers of an applicable Resolution Authority and agrees and consents to, and acknowledges and agrees to be bound by:
(a)the application of any Write-Down and Conversion Powers by an applicable Resolution Authority to any such liabilities arising hereunder which may be payable to it by any party hereto that is an Affected Financial Institution; and
(b)the effects of any Bail-In Action on any such liability, including, if applicable:
(i)a reduction in full or in part or cancellation of any such liability;
(ii)a conversion of all, or a portion of, such liability into shares or other instruments of ownership in such Affected Financial Institution, its parent entity, or a bridge institution that may be issued to it or otherwise conferred on it, and that such shares or other instruments of ownership will be accepted by it in lieu of any rights with respect to any such liability under this Agreement or any other Loan Document; or
(iii)the variation of the terms of such liability in connection with the exercise of the Write-Down and Conversion Powers of any applicable Resolution Authority.
SECTION 9.21 Additional Lender Consents. Notwithstanding anything in any Loan Document to the contrary, no amendment or other modification of this Agreement or any other Loan Document shall (a) release all or substantially all of the value of the Guarantees of the Loan Party Guarantors without the written consent of each Lender (provided, that no release provided for in Section
5.09 (as in effect on the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date) shall require the vote of any Lender under this clause (a)), (b) subordinate the Liens on all or any portion of the Collateral without the written consent of each Lender, in each case, except to the extent such release or subordination is otherwise permitted by any Loan Document (as in effect on the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date) or (c) amend, waive or otherwise modify this Section 9.21 without the written consent of each Lender.
SECTION 9.22 Acknowledgement Regarding Any Supported QFCs. To the extent that the Loan Documents provide support, through a guarantee or otherwise, for Swap Agreements or any other agreement or instrument that is a QFC (such support “QFC Credit Support” and each such QFC a “Supported QFC”), the parties acknowledge and agree as follows with respect to the resolution power of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and Title II of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (together with the regulations promulgated thereunder, the “U.S. Special Resolution Regimes”) in respect of such Supported QFC and QFC Credit Support (with the provisions below applicable notwithstanding that the Loan Documents and any Supported QFC may in fact be stated to be governed by the laws of the State of New York and/or of the United States or any other state of the United States):
In the event a Covered Entity that is party to a Supported QFC (each, a “Covered Party”) becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, the transfer of such Supported QFC and the benefit of such QFC Credit Support (and any interest and obligation in or under such Supported QFC and such QFC Credit Support, and any rights in property securing such Supported QFC or such QFC Credit Support) from such Covered Party will be effective to the same extent as the transfer would be effective under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if the Supported QFC and such QFC Credit Support (and any such interest, obligation and rights in property) were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States. In the event a Covered Party or a BHC Act Affiliate of a Covered Party becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, Default Rights under the Loan Documents that might otherwise apply to such Supported QFC or any QFC Credit Support that may be exercised against such Covered Party are permitted to be exercised to no greater extent than such Default Rights could be exercised under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if the Supported QFC and the Loan Documents were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States. Without limitation of the foregoing, it is understood and agreed that rights and remedies of the parties with respect to a Defaulting Lender shall in no event affect the rights of any Covered Party with respect to a Supported QFC or any QFC Credit Support.
For purposes hereof, the following terms have the following meanings:
“BHC Act Affiliate” of a party means an “affiliate” (as such term is defined under, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. 1841(k)) of such party.
“Covered Entity” means:
(i)a “covered entity” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12
C.F.R. § 252.82(b);
(ii)a “covered bank” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R.
§ 47.3(b); or
(iii)a “covered FSI” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R.
§ 382.2(b).
“Default Right” has the meaning assigned to that term in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §§ 252.81, 47.2 or 382.1, as applicable.
“QFC” has the meaning assigned to the term “qualified financial contract” in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. 5390(c)(8)(D).
ARTICLE X
EXISTING CREDIT AGREEMENT
The Borrower, the Lenders and the Administrative Agent agree that, upon (i) the execution and delivery of this Agreement by each of the parties hereto and (ii) satisfaction (or waiver by the aforementioned parties) of the conditions precedent set forth in Section 4.1, the terms and provisions of the Existing Credit Agreement shall be and hereby are amended, superseded and restated in their entirety by the terms and provisions of this Agreement. This Agreement is not intended to and shall not constitute a novation of the Existing Credit Agreement or the Indebtedness created thereunder. The commitment of each Lender that is a party to the Existing Credit Agreement shall, on the Effective Date, automatically be deemed amended and the only commitments shall be those hereunder. Without limiting the foregoing, upon the effectiveness hereof: (a) all loans and letters of credit incurred under the Existing Credit Agreement which are outstanding on the Effective Date (after giving effect to the payments described in clause (e) below) shall continue as Loans and Letters of Credit under (and shall be governed by the terms of) this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, (b) all references in the “Loan Documents” (as defined in the Existing Credit Agreement) to the “Administrative Agent”, the “Credit Agreement” and the “Loan Documents” shall be deemed to refer to the Administrative Agent, this Agreement and the Loan Documents, (c) all obligations constituting “Obligations” under the Existing Credit Agreement with any Lender or any Affiliate of any Lender which are outstanding on the Effective Date (after giving effect to the payments described in clause (e) below) shall continue as Obligations under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents, (d) the Administrative Agent shall make such reallocations, sales, assignments or other relevant actions in respect of each Lender’s credit and loan exposure under the Existing Credit Agreement as are necessary in order that each such Lender’s Revolving Credit Exposure hereunder reflects such Lender’s ratable share of the aggregate Revolving Credit Exposures on the Effective Date, and the Borrower hereby agrees to compensate each Lender (including each Departing Lender) for any and all losses, costs and expenses incurred by such Lender in connection with the sale and assignment of any Term Benchmark Loans on the terms and in the manner set forth in Section 2.16 hereof and (e) upon the effectiveness hereof, (i) all “Term Loans” outstanding
under the Existing Credit Agreement, together with all accrued and unpaid interest thereon, shall be repaid in full and (ii) each Departing Lender’s “Revolving Loan Commitment” under the Existing Credit Agreement shall be terminated, each Departing Lender shall have received payment in full of all of the “Obligations” owing to it under the Existing Credit Agreement (other than obligations to pay fees and expenses with respect to which the Borrower has not received an invoice, “Swap Obligations” and “Unliquidated Obligations” (as such terms are defined in the Existing Credit Agreement)) and each Departing Lender shall not be a Lender hereunder.
[Signature Pages Follow]
[SIGNATURE PAGES ON FILE WITH ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT]
SCHEDULE 2.01 REVOLVING COMMITMENTS
| Revolving Lender | Non-Extended Revolving Commitment | Extended Revolving Commitment | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. | --- | $38,700,000.00 | ||
| U.S. Bank National Association | --- | $38,700,000.00 | ||
| PNC Bank, N.A. | --- | $38,700,000.00 | ||
| Fifth Third Bank, National Association | --- | $28,800,000.00 | ||
| BMO Bank N.A. | --- | $38,700,000.00 | ||
| Bank of America, N.A. | --- | $38,700,000.00 | ||
| Citizens Bank, N.A. | --- | $38,700,000.00 | ||
| The Northern Trust Company | --- | $11,350,000.00 | ||
| Wheaton Bank & Trust Company, N.A. | --- | $14,500,000.00 | ||
| HSBC Bank USA, N.A. | --- | $8,250,000.00 | ||
| Associated Bank, N.A. | --- | $11,750,000.00 | ||
| Flagstar Bank, N.A. | --- | $15,000,000.00 | ||
| KeyBank National Association | $10,315,077.07 | --- | ||
| Goldman Sachs Bank USA | $7,425,000.00 | --- | ||
| Total | $17,740,077.07 | $306,850,000.00321,850, 000.00 | Schedule 2.01 | |
| --- |
OUTSTANDING TERM A LOANS2
| Term A Lender | Non-Extended Term A Loans | Extended Term A Loans |
|---|---|---|
| JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. | --- | $43,620,295.6441,984,53 4.59 |
| U.S. Bank National Association | --- | $43,620,295.6041,984,53 4.50 |
| PNC Bank, N.A. | --- | $43,620,295.6041,984,53 4.50 |
| Fifth Third Bank, National Association | --- | $31,200,000.0030,030,00 0.00 |
| BMO Bank N.A. | --- | $43,620,295.6041,984,53 4.50 |
| Bank of America, N.A. | --- | $43,620,295.5841,984,53 4.50 |
| Citizens Bank, N.A. | --- | $43,620,295.5841,984,53 4.50 |
| The Northern Trust Company | --- | $14,324,647.2613,787,47 2.99 |
| Wheaton Bank & Trust Company, N.A. | --- | $20,360,527.4019,597,00 7.63 |
| HSBC Bank USA, N.A. | --- | $10,417,925.2710,027,25 3.06 |
| Associated Bank, N.A. | --- | $13,250,000.0012,753,12 5.00 |
| Flagstar Bank, N.A. | --- | $20,000,000.00 |
| KeyBank National Association | $14,473,340.47 | --- |
| Goldman Sachs Bank USA | $0.00 | --- |
| Total | $14,473,340.47 | $351,274,873.53358,102, 065.77 |
2 As of the Amendment No. 9 Effective Date.
| Schedule 2.01 |
|---|
SCHEDULE 2.10
AMORTIZATION
| Fiscal Quarter Ending | Non-Extended Term A Loans | Extended Term A Loans | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 31, 2024 | $573,894.49 | $4,390,935.92 | ||
| March 31, 2025 | $573,894.49 | $4,390,935.92 | ||
| June 30, 2025 | $688,673.38 | $4,390,935.92 | ||
| September 30, 2025 | $688,673.38 | $4,390,935.924,650,676.<br><br>18 | ||
| December 31, 2025 | $688,673.38 | $6,586,403.886,976,014.<br><br>27 | ||
| March 31, 2026 | $688,673.38 | $6,586,403.886,976,014.<br><br>27 | ||
| June 30, 2026 | $918,231.18 | $6,586,403.886,976,014.<br><br>27 | ||
| September 30, 2026 | $918,231.18 | $6,586,403.886,976,014.<br><br>27 | ||
| December 31, 2026 | --- | $8,781,871.849,301,352.<br><br>36 | ||
| March 31, 2027 | --- | $8,781,871.849,301,352.<br><br>36 | ||
| June 30, 2027 | --- | $8,781,871.849,301,352.<br><br>36 | ||
| September 30, 2027 | --- | $8,781,871.849,301,352.<br><br>36 | ||
| December 31, 2027 | --- | $8,781,871.849,301,352.<br><br>36 | ||
| March 31, 2028 | --- | $8,781,871.849,301,352.<br><br>36 | ||
| June 30, 2028 | --- | $8,781,871.849,301,352.<br><br>36 | ||
| September 30, 2028 | --- | $8,781,871.849,301,352.<br><br>36 | ||
| December 31, 2028 | --- | Schedule 2.10 | ||
| --- | ||||
| $10,977,339.8011,626,6 90.45 | ||||
| --- | --- | --- | ||
| March 31, 2029 | --- | $10,977,339.8011,626,6 90.45 | ||
| June 30, 2029 | --- | $10,977,339.8011,626,6 90.45 | ||
| September 30, 2029 | --- | $10,977,339.8011,626,6 90.45 | ||
| Schedule 2.10 | ||||
| --- |
Document
Exhibit 10.15
Quad/Graphics, Inc.
Executive Severance Plan
September 2016
| Contents | ||
|---|---|---|
| Article 1. | Establishment and Term of the Plan | 2 |
| Article 2. | Definitions | 2 |
| Article 3. | Severance Benefits | 6 |
| Article 4. | Confidentiality and Noncompetition | 8 |
| Article 5. | Excise Tax | 10 |
| Article 6. | Legal Fees and Notice | 11 |
| Article 7. | Successors and Assignment | 12 |
| Article 8. | Miscellaneous | 12 |
Quad/ Graphics, Inc.
Executive Severance Plan
Article 1. Establishment and Term of the Plan
1.1 Establishment of the Plan. Quad/Graphics, Inc. (hereinafter referred to as the "Company") hereby establishes a severance plan to be known as the "Quad/Graphics, Inc. Executive Severance Plan" (the "Plan"). The Plan provides severance benefits to certain employees of the Company ("Executives") who (A) are listed in Appendix A and (B) have executed an acknowledgement and agreement to be bound by the terms of this Plan, upon certain terminations of their employment from the Company
The Company considers the establishment and maintenance of a sound and vital management team to be essential to protecting and enhancing the best interests of the Company and its stockholders. The Company desires to mitigate the risk of departure or distraction of management personnel to the detriment of the Company and its stockholders by increasing the retention incentives provided to its management team through severance protections that are competitive with the Company's peers.
Accordingly, the Board has determined that appropriate steps should be taken to reinforce and encourage the continued attention and dedication of members of the Company's management to their assigned duties without distraction in circumstances arising from the possibility of a termination of employment or the possibility of a Change in Control of the Company.
1.2 Initial Term. This Plan will commence on September 15, 2016 (the “Effective Date”) and shall continue in effect for a period of three (3) years (the “Initial Term”).
1.3 Successive Periods; Notice. The term of this Plan shall automatically be extended for one (1) additional year at the end of the Initial Term, and then again after each successive one (1) year period thereafter (each such one (1) year period following the Initial Term is referred to as a “Successive Period”). However, the Board or the Committee may terminate this Plan at the end of the Initial Term, or at the end of any Successive Period thereafter, by giving the then-covered Executives written notice of intent to terminate the Plan, delivered prior to the September 15th preceding the year in which such Initial Term or Successive Period is scheduled to end. If such notice is properly delivered by the Company, this Plan, along with all corresponding rights, duties, and covenants, shall automatically expire at the end of the Initial Term or Successive Period then in progress. Each Executive shall be required to provide the Company with at least sixty (60) days’ notice prior to terminating his or her employment other than for Good Reason or for Limited Good Reason.
1.4 Change in Control Renewal. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 1.3 above, in the event that a Change in Control of the Company occurs during the Initial Term or any Successive Period, upon the effective date of such Change in Control, the term of this Plan shall automatically and irrevocably be renewed for a period of two (2) years from the effective date of such Change in Control and this Plan cannot be terminated prior to the end of such period. Further, this Plan shall be assumed and continued to the extent required by Section 7.1 herein. This Plan shall thereafter automatically terminate following such two (2) year Change in Control renewal period.
Article 2. Definitions
2.1 Whenever used in this Plan, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below and, when the meaning is intended, the initial letter of the word is capitalized.
(a) “Affiliate” means any person or entity from time to time controlling, controlled by or under common control with the Company. For this purpose, the terms “controlling,” “controlled by” or “under common control with” mean direct or indirect ownership of more than fifty percent (50%) of the voting power of another entity. “Applicable Affiliates” means those Affiliates identified with respect to each Executive on Appendix B; “Applicable Foreign Affiliates” means those Applicable Affiliates identified on Appendix B as being incorporated in a jurisdiction other than a state in the United States; and “Applicable U.S. Affiliates” means those Applicable Affiliates identified on Appendix B as being incorporated in a state in the United States.
(b) “Base Salary” means the greater of the Executive’s annual rate of salary, whether or not deferred, at: (i) the Effective Date of Termination, or (ii) at the date of the Change in Control.
(c) “Beneficiary” means the persons or entities designated or deemed designated by the Executive pursuant to Section 8.6 herein.
(d) “Board” means the Board of Directors of the Company.
(e) “Cause” shall mean:
(i) any intentional and willful act of Executive involving fraud, embezzlement or theft of the assets of the Company or any of its Affiliates or the assets of customers of the Company or any of its Affiliates; or
(ii) gross misconduct on the part of the Executive that is intentional and willful and that materially and demonstrably causes serious financial injury to the Company or any of its Affiliates; or
(iii) Executive’s conviction of or plea of nolo contendere to a felony; or
(iv) any breach by Executive of Section 4.1(b) or 4.1(c) that materially and demonstrably causes serious financial injury to the Company or any of its Affiliates; or
(v) any breach of Section 4.1(a); or
(vi) any intentional, willful and material failure of Executive to perform Executive's employment duties (other than any such failure resulting from Executive's Disability) for thirty (30) days after the Board delivers a written demand for performance to Executive that specifically identifies the manner in which the Board believes that Executive has not substantially performed Executive's employment duties. For purposes of this paragraph, no act or failure to act on the part of Executive shall be considered "intentional "or "willful" unless it is done, or omitted to be done, by Executive in bad faith and without reasonable belief that Executive's act or omission was in the best interests of the Company and its Affiliates, and any act or failure to act based upon authority pursuant to the Company’s written policies or advice of counsel for the Company shall be conclusively presumed to be done, or omitted to be done, by Executive in good faith and in the best interests of the Company and its Affiliates.
(f) “Change in Control” shall mean:
(i) a sale, in one transaction or series of related transactions, of the Company's stock or Quad/Graphics, Inc. Voting Trust certificates, its merger, consolidation, reorganization or other transaction, the result of which is that voting control sufficient to elect a majority of the Board (or the Board of Directors of any Surviving Entity (as defined in Section 7.1 herein)) no longer resides (A) in the Quad/Graphics, Inc. Voting Trust and any successor thereto, or (B) collectively in the family of Harry V. and Betty Quadracci, their lineal descendants, trusts, estates, foundations and other entities established for their benefit or effectively controlled by some or all of them; or
(ii) a sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company to an entity that is not controlled by one or more of the entities described in 2(f)(i)(A) or (B) above.
Notwithstanding anything in this Plan to the contrary, to the extent any provision of this Plan would cause a payment or benefit not exempt from the requirements of Code Section 409A to be made because of the occurrence of a Change in Control, then such payment or benefit shall not be made unless such Change in Control also constitutes a "change in ownership," "change in effective control" or "change in ownership of a substantial portion of the Company's assets" within the meaning of Code Section 409A. Any payment that would have been made except for the application of the preceding sentence shall be made in accordance with the payment schedule that would have applied in the absence of the applicable Change in Control (and other Executive rights that are tied to a Change in Control shall not be affected by this paragraph).
(g) “Code” means the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and any successors thereto.
(h) “Committee” means the Compensation Committee of the Board or any other committee appointed by the Board to perform the functions of the Compensation Committee.
(i) “Company” means Quad/Graphics, Inc., a Wisconsin corporation, or any successor thereto as provided in Article 7 herein.
(j) “Disability” shall mean with respect to an Executive that if, as a result of the Executive’s incapacity due to physical or mental illness, the Executive is considered disabled within the meaning of the Company’s long-term disability insurance plan or, in the absence of such plan, the Executive is unable to perform the essential duties, responsibilities and functions of his position with the Company as a result of any mental or physical disability or incapacity that lasts for a period of one hundred and eighty (180) consecutive days even with reasonable accommodations of such disability or incapacity provided by the Company or if providing such accommodations would be unreasonable, all as determined by the Committee in its good faith judgment. Each Executive shall cooperate in all respects with the Company if a question arises as to whether the Executive has become Disabled (including, without limitation, submitting to an examination by a medical doctor or other health care specialists selected by the Company and authorizing such medical doctor or such other health care specialist to discuss the Executive’s condition with the Company).
(k) “Effective Date” means the commencement date of this Plan as specified in Section 1.2 of this Plan.
(l) “Effective Date of Termination” means the date on which a Qualifying Change in Control Termination or a Qualifying General Severance Termination occurs, as defined hereunder.
(m) “Good Reason” shall mean without the Executive’s express written consent the occurrence of any one or more of the following:
(i) The Company materially reduces the amount of the Executive’s then current Base Salary or annual bonus target (other than any change that applies to substantially all other executive officers); or
(ii) The Company requires the Executive to be based at a location in excess of sixty (60) miles from the location of the Executive’s principal job location or office as of the effective date of the Executive’s participation in the Plan; or
(iii) A material diminution in the Executive’s title, authority, power, duties, reporting requirements, or responsibilities or the assignment of duties to the Executive which are materially inconsistent with the Executive’s position; or
(iv) The failure of the Company to obtain the express assumption of, and agreement to perform under, this Plan when such action is required pursuant to Section 7.1 herein; or
(v) Any other action or inaction by the Company that constitutes a material breach by the Company of the terms and conditions of this Plan.
For purposes of this Plan, the Executive is not entitled to assert that the termination is for Good Reason unless the Executive gives the Board written notice of the event or events which are the basis for such claim within ninety (90) days after the event or events occur, describing such claim in reasonably sufficient detail to allow the Board to address the event or events and a period of not less than thirty (30) days after such notice to cure or fully remedy the alleged condition.
(n) “Inventions” shall mean all designs, discoveries, improvements, ideas, and works of authorship, whether or not patentable, trademarkable or copyrightable, including, without limitation, any novel or improved products, software, computer programs, processes, machines, promotional and advertising materials, data processing systems, circuits, mask works, flowcharts, algorithms, drawings, blue prints, schematics and other manufacturing and sales techniques, that were developed, generated or produced by Executive, either solely or jointly with others, at any time during Executive’s employment with the Company and either (i) relate to (A) the business of the Company or any of its Affiliates or (B) the actual or demonstrably anticipated research or development of the Company or any of its Affiliates, (ii) result from any work performed by Executive for or on behalf of the Company or any of its Affiliates or (iii) are developed using property, assets, or Protected Information of the Company or its Affiliates.
(o) “Limited Good Reason” shall mean without the Executive’s express written consent the occurrence of the Company reducing the amount of the Executive’s then current Base Salary by more than 10% (other than any change that applies to substantially all other executive officers). For purposes of this Plan, the Executive is not entitled to assert that the termination is for Limited Good Reason unless the Executive gives the Board written notice of the event that is the basis for such claim within ninety (90) days after the event occurs, describing such claim in reasonably sufficient detail to allow the Board to address the event, and a period of not less than thirty (30) days after such notice to cure or fully remedy the alleged condition.
(p) “Notice of Termination” shall mean a written notice which shall indicate the specific termination provision in this Plan relied upon, and shall set forth in reasonable detail the facts and circumstances claimed to provide a basis for termination of the Executive’s employment under the provision so indicated.
(q) “Protected Information” shall mean proprietary business and other information of the Company and its Affiliates which is confidential and not generally known to, or readily ascertainable by, competitors of the Company or its Affiliates including, but not limited to: customer lists (including lists of potential customers); information regarding customer relationships, needs, or practices; skills, experience, compensation, incentives, and evaluations for employees; nonpublic financial information; sources of supply; processes; strategic plans; business methods; investment strategies and plans; sales and marketing plans and materials; future market and product plans; pricing information; research and development techniques, processes, product development, work processes or methodologies; analytical analyses; product analyses; inventions, formulas, or techniques; efficiency data and testing data; technology; drawings, engineering, code, code writing, software and hardware development and platform information; and internal memoranda and policies; provided, however, that information that is (i) in the public domain (other than as a result of a breach of this Plan or other unlawful means), (ii) approved for immediate release by the Company for use and disclosure without restriction, (iii) lawfully obtained from third parties who are not bound by a confidentiality agreement with the Company or its Affiliates, or (iv) independently developed without reliance on other Protected Information is not Protected Information.
(r) “Qualifying Change in Control Termination” means a termination of employment from the Company and its Affiliates under the following circumstances:
(i) An involuntary termination of the Executive’s employment by the Company for reasons other than Cause, death or Disability pursuant to a Notice of Termination delivered to the Executive by the Company upon or within 24 months after a Change in Control; or
(ii) A voluntary termination by the Executive for Good Reason pursuant to a Notice of Termination delivered to the Company by the Executive upon or within 24 months after a Change in Control.
Termination of employment shall have the same meaning as "separation from service" within the meaning of Treasury Regulation §1.409A-1(h). Anything in this Plan to the contrary notwithstanding, (A) if a Change in Control occurs and if the Executive's employment was terminated under circumstances that would have constituted a Qualifying Change in Control Termination except that it took place during the period from ninety (90) days prior to the date on which a definitive transaction agreement contemplating a Change in Control is signed until the consummation of such Change in Control, rather than on or after the Change in Control, and if it is reasonably demonstrated by the Executive that such termination of employment was due to the Change in Control, then for all purposes of this Plan such termination of employment shall be deemed a "Qualifying Change in Control Termination," with the applicable Severance Benefits (less any Severance Benefits that have previously been paid) being paid on the later of sixty (60) days after the termination or the Change in Control, and (B) if the Change in Control is a sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company and the purchaser of the assets in the Change in Control (or one of its affiliates) offers the Executive continuing employment following the Change in Control on substantially the same terms and conditions as were in effect prior to the Change in Control, then the Executive shall not be deemed to have a Qualifying Change in Control Termination solely by virtue of the termination of the Executive's employment with the Company upon the Change in Control and commencement of such continuing employment with the purchaser or one of its affiliates immediately after the Change in Control.
(s) “Qualifying General Severance Termination” means a termination of employment from the Company and its Affiliates under the following circumstances:
(i) An involuntary termination of the Executive’s employment by the Company for reasons other than Cause, death or Disability pursuant to a Notice of Termination delivered to the Executive by the Company at any time other than upon or within 24 months after a Change in Control; or
(ii) A voluntary termination by the Executive for Limited Good Reason pursuant to a Notice of Termination delivered to the Company by the Executive at any time other than upon or within 24 months after a Change in Control.
Termination of employment shall have the same meaning as "separation from service" within the meaning of Treasury Regulation §1.409A-1(h).
(t) “Restricted Products/Services” collectively means (i) products or services that compete with (A) the products or services that were sold, provided, or offered for sale by the Company or the Applicable U.S. Affiliates within the continental United States (“Restricted U.S. Products/Services”), or (B) the products or services that were sold, provided, or offered for sale by the Applicable Foreign Affiliates in any country of the world (“Restricted Foreign Products”), within the twenty-four (24) months prior to Executive’s Effective Date of Termination; and (ii) products or services that were the subject of documented research, development, or pre-production efforts by the Company or any of the Applicable Affiliates, within the twenty-four (24) months prior to Executive’s Effective Date of Termination and regarding which the Executive had knowledge of Protected Information or Trade Secrets or personal involvement in customer relationships (“Other Restricted Products/Services”).
(u) “Severance Benefits” means the payment of compensation following a Qualifying Change in Control Termination or (as appropriate) a Qualifying General Severance Termination as provided in Article 3 herein.
(v) “Trade Secrets” means information of the Company, including a formula, pattern, compilation, program, device, method, technique or process to which all of the following apply: (i) the information derives independent economic value, actual or potential, from not being known to, and not being readily ascertainable by proper means by, other persons who can obtain economic value from its disclosure or use, and (ii) the information is the subject of efforts to maintain its secrecy that are reasonable under the circumstances.
Article 3. Severance Benefits
3.1 Right to Severance Benefits
(a) Change in Control Severance Benefits. The Executive shall be entitled to receive, from the Company, Change in Control Severance Benefits, as described in Section 3.2 herein, if a Qualifying Change in Control Termination of the Executive’s employment has occurred.
(b) General Severance Benefits. Executive shall be entitled to receive, from the Company, General Severance Benefits, as described in Section 3.3 herein, if a Qualifying General Severance Termination of the Executive’s employment has occurred that is not a Qualifying Change in Control Termination.
(c) No Severance Benefits. The Executive shall not be entitled to receive Severance Benefits if the Executive’s employment with the Company ends for reasons other than a Qualifying Change in Control Termination or a Qualifying General Severance Termination.
(d) General Release and Acknowledgement of Restrictive Covenants. As a condition to receiving and retaining Severance Benefits under either Section 3.2 (other than Section 3.2(a) to the extent required by law) or Section 3.3 (other than Section 3.3(a) to the extent required by law) herein, the Executive shall be obligated to execute a general release of claims in favor of the Company, its current and former affiliates and shareholders, and the current and former directors, officers, employees, and agents of the Company in a form acceptable to the Company. The general release of claims must be provided to the Company prior to the thirtieth (30th) day following the Effective Date of Termination; provided that the Company provides the form of release within fifteen (15) days following the Effective Date of Termination.
(e) No Duplication of Severance Benefits. If the Executive becomes entitled to Severance Benefits, the Severance Benefits provided for under Section 3.2 or Section 3.3 hereunder shall be in lieu of all other severance payments or other benefits provided to the Executive under any other Company-related severance plans, programs, or agreements.
3.2 Description of Change in Control Severance Benefits. In the event the Executive becomes entitled to receive Change in Control Severance Benefits, as provided in Section 3.1(a) herein, the Company shall provide the Executive with the following:
(a) A lump-sum amount paid promptly following the Effective Date of Termination equal to the Executive’s unpaid Base Salary, accrued vacation pay, unreimbursed business expenses, and all other items earned by and owed to the Executive through and including the Effective Date of Termination.
(b) A lump-sum amount paid on the sixtieth (60th) calendar day following the Effective Date of Termination equal to the product of (i) two (2) and (ii) the sum of the following: (A) the Executive’s Base Salary and (B) the Executive’s annual target bonus opportunity in the year of termination (or, if more favorable to the Executive, the Executive’s annual target bonus opportunity for the year of the Change in Control).
(c) A lump-sum amount, paid on the sixtieth (60th) calendar day following the Effective Date of Termination, equal to the Executive’s then current target bonus opportunity established under the bonus plan in which the Executive is then participating, for the plan year in which a Qualifying Change in Control Termination occurs (or, if the target bonus opportunity has not yet been established for such plan year, the target bonus opportunity for the prior year), adjusted on a pro rata basis based on the number of days the Executive was actually employed during the bonus plan year in which the Qualifying Change in Control Termination occurs.
(d) A lump-sum amount paid on the sixtieth (60) calendar day following the Effective Date of Termination equal to the product of (i) two (2) and (ii) the annual employer contributions for the Executive’s medical and life insurance coverage in effect for the year of termination. For purposes of calculating this amount, the employer contribution should be based on the same coverage level and cost to the Executive as in effect immediately prior to the Executive’s Effective Date of Termination.
(e) Treatment of outstanding long-term incentives shall be in accordance with Section 3.4 herein.
(f) Outplacement services through the provider of the Company’s choice with the total cost not to exceed $50,000. In no event shall such outplacement services continue for more than two (2) years following the Effective Date of Termination.
(g) Full vesting of the Executive’s accrued benefit as of the Effective Date of Termination under the Company’s Supplemental Executive Retirement Plan (or any successor plan thereto).
3.3 Description of General Severance Benefits. In the event the Executive becomes entitled to receive General Severance Benefits, as provided in Section 3.1(b) herein, the Company shall provide the Executive (or his dependents, if applicable, in the case of group health, dental and life insurance benefits) with the following:
(a) A lump-sum amount paid promptly following the Effective Date of Termination equal to the Executive’s accrued and unpaid Base Salary, accrued vacation pay, unreimbursed business expenses, and all other items earned by and owed to the Executive through and including the Effective Date of Termination.
(b) An amount equal to the sum of the following: (A) the Executive’s Base Salary and (B) the Executive’s annual target bonus opportunity in the year of termination, paid in substantially equal installments in accordance with the Company’s customary payroll practices over the twelve (12) month period commencing on the first payroll date following the sixtieth (60th) calendar day after the Effective Date of Termination.
(c) A lump sum amount, if any, paid within two and one half months after the end of the calendar year that includes the Effective Date of Termination, equal to the actual bonus that would have been payable to the Executive for the calendar year that includes the Effective Date of Termination based on actual performance if the Executive had remained
employed through the end of such calendar year; provided however, that such amount shall be adjusted on a pro rata basis based on the number of days the Executive was actually employed during the bonus plan year in which the Qualifying General Severance Termination occurs.
(d) Group health, dental and life insurance benefits for twelve (12) months following the Effective Date of Termination to the extent that such benefits were in effect for the Executive and his family as of the Effective Date of Termination, subject to the Executive’s timely election of group health and/or dental continuation coverage pursuant to COBRA or similar state laws and timely payment of his or her share of the applicable premiums at the same rate (if any) he or she was paying before the Effective Date of Termination. Benefit continuation under this paragraph shall be concurrent with any coverage under the Company’s plans pursuant to COBRA or similar state laws. Such benefits shall be terminated to the extent permitted by COBRA (for health and dental coverage) at such time as Executive has obtained new employment and is covered by benefits which in the aggregate are comparable to such continued benefits. The Executive shall promptly notify the Company when he or she becomes employed after the Effective Date of Termination and shall provide such reasonable cooperation as the Company requests with respect to determining whether the Executive is covered by comparable benefits with such new employer. If provision of health or dental benefits under this paragraph would subject the Company or its benefits arrangements to a penalty or adverse tax treatment, then the Company shall provide a cash payment to the Executive in an amount reasonably determined by the Company to be equivalent to the portion of the COBRA premiums that the Company would have paid for such benefits.
(e) Treatment of outstanding long-term incentives shall be in accordance with Section 3.4 herein.
(f) Outplacement services through the provider of the Company’s choice with the total cost not to exceed $50,000. In no event shall such outplacement services continue for more than two (2) years following the Effective Date of Termination.
3.4 Impact on Long-Term Incentives. All awards will be paid pursuant to the long-term incentive plan under which the award was granted, the related award agreement, or the Board’s discretion.
Article 4. Confidentiality and Noncompetition
4.1 During the Executive’s employment with the Company and in the event the Executive has a termination of employment (regardless of whether the Executive becomes entitled to receive Change in Control Severance Benefits or General Severance Benefits as provided in Sections 3.2 and 3.3 herein), the following shall apply:
(a) Noncompetition. Executive acknowledges that he or she has obtained and will continue to obtain during employment with the Company, knowledge of Protected Information and Trade Secrets, and had personal involvement in the Company’s customer relationships, that would, in the event Executive were to unfairly use or disclose that Protected Information or Trade Secrets or employ that personal involvement on behalf of a competitor of the Company or of any Applicable Affiliate, cause irreparable harm to the Company and/or the Applicable Affiliates. In return for at-will employment with the Company, and in consideration of the Executive’s inclusion under this Plan, during the Executive’s employment and for a period of twenty-four (24) months after the Executive’s Effective Date of Termination (the “Noncompete Period”), the Executive shall not directly or indirectly (as a director, officer, employee, shareholder, investor, partner, consultant or otherwise) provide services under circumstances in which (i) disclosure or use of Protected Information or Trade Secrets known to Executive, or (ii) use of Executive’s personal involvement in the Company’s or any Applicable Affiliate’s customer relationships, would reasonably be considered competitively beneficial to any other company, business, person or entity (including the Executive) who/which: (A) produces or sells, or plans to produce or sell, Restricted U.S. Products/Services within the continental United States, (B) produces or sells, or plans to produce or sell, Restricted Foreign Products in any country of the world in which the Applicable Foreign Affiliates sold products or services during the twenty-four (24) months prior to Executive’s Effective Date of Termination, or (C) produces or sells, or plans to produce or sell, Other Restricted Products/Services in either the continental United States or in any country of the world in which the Applicable Foreign Affiliates sold products or services during the twenty-four (24) months prior to Executive’s Effective Date of Termination.
Nothing in this Plan shall prohibit Executive's ownership of securities of a corporation that is listed on a national securities exchange or traded in the national over-the-counter market in an amount that does not exceed (together with any indirect or attributed ownership) five percent (5%) of the outstanding shares of any such corporation.
(b) Nonsolicitation of Customers. For a period of twenty-four (24) months after the Executive’s Effective Date of Termination, the Executive shall not solicit, for the purpose of selling Restricted Products/Services, any customer of the Company or any Applicable Affiliate:
(i) to whom/which the Company or its Applicable Affiliates have sold or provided Restricted Products/Services during the twenty-four (24) months prior to the Executive’s Effective Date of Termination; and
(ii) with respect to whom/which the Executive received Protected Information or had substantial personal involvement in the customer relationship during the twenty-four (24) months prior to the Executive’s Effective Date of Termination.
(c) Nonsolicitation of Employees and Contractors. During the Executive’s employment and for a period of twenty-four (24) months after the Executive’s Effective Date of Termination, the Executive shall not directly or indirectly:
(i) solicit any individual who is employed or engaged as a contractor by the Company or the Applicable Affiliates and is someone with whom the Executive had personal contact or about whom Executive has learned (by name or by role) because of Executive’s access to Protected Information during the twenty-four (24) months prior to the Executive’s Effective Date of Termination (an “Employee/Contractor”) for employment with, or as a provider of services to, a company, business, entity or person who competes with the Company or the Applicable Affiliates;
(ii) engage in discussions encouraging any Employee/Contractor to terminate his/her employment or engagement with the Company or any Applicable Affiliates;
(iii) in any way prompt any Employee/Contractor to diminish the services he/she/it provides to the Company or any Applicable Affiliates; or
(iv) iv. assist any third party with respect to any of the foregoing.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing in this Section shall:
(i) prohibit the Executive from offering employment to, or having an independent contractor relationship with, any such person who initiates employment or independent contractor relationship discussions with Executive’s then-current employer without any direct or indirect solicitation or involvement by Executive; or
(ii) during the term of the Executive’s employment with the Company, restrict the Executive from encouraging any Employee/Contractor of the Company or any Applicable Affiliate to resign or to terminate his/her/its contractual relationship with the Company or any Applicable Affiliate, or from terminating any Employee/Contractor of the Company or any Applicable Affiliates, provided that such discussions are in the best interest of the Company or the Applicable Affiliates.
(d) Confidentiality. The Company has advised the Executive and the Executive acknowledges that it is the policy of the Company to maintain as secret and confidential all Protected Information and that Protected Information has been and will be developed at substantial cost and effort to the Company and the Applicable Affiliates. The Executive shall not, at any time during the Executive’s employment with the Company or its Affiliates, and for a period of twenty-four (24) months after the Executive’s Effective Date of Termination, directly or indirectly, divulge, furnish, or make accessible to any person, firm, corporation, association, or other entity (otherwise than as may be required in the regular course of the Executive’s employment), any Protected Information, or cause any such Protected Information of the Company or an Applicable Affiliate to enter the public domain. Notwithstanding the limitations set forth above, the Executive understands and agrees to maintain the the secrecy of, and not to misappropriate, threaten to misappropriate or provide any assistance to anyone seeking to ascertain or reverse engineer, any Trade Secret of the Company or any Applicable Affiliates without limitation, except as provided under applicable trade secret law. This Plan is in addition to and not in lieu of any obligations to protect the Company’s Trade Secrets and Protected Information pursuant to the Company’s written policies concerning Trade Secrets and Protected Information. Notwithstanding anything in this Plan to the contrary, nothing herein is intended to discourage or restrict the Executive from reporting any theft of Trade Secrets
pursuant to the Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016 (“DTSA”) or other applicable state or federal law. The DTSA prohibits retaliation against an employee because of whistleblower activity in connection with the disclosure of Trade Secrets, so long as any such disclosure is made either (i) in confidence to an attorney or a federal, state, or local government official and solely to report or investigate a suspected violation of the law, or (ii) under seal in a complaint or other document filed in a lawsuit or other proceeding. Nothing in this Plan shall limit, curtail or diminish the Company’s statutory rights under the DTSA, any applicable state law regarding trade secrets or common law.
(e) Executive Acknowledgement. Recognizing the specialized nature of the Company and the Applicable Affiliates, Executive acknowledges and agrees that the duration, geographic scope and activity restrictions of the covenants set forth in paragraphs (a) through (d) of this Article 4 are reasonable, are necessary to protect the Company’s legitimate business interests, do not violate public policy, and will not prevent the Executive from earning a living.
(f) Return of Information and Other Property. On or before the last day of the Executive’s employment with the Company (or any other time upon the Company’s request), Executive shall deliver to the Company the original and all copies of all documents, records and property of any nature whatsoever, including, without limitation, telephones, computers, automobiles and other tangible personal property and any records, documents or property created by Executive that are in Executive’s possession or control and that are the property of the Company or any of its Affiliates, except as authorized in writing or pursuant to the Company’s then-existing policies permitting the withdrawing Executive to retain computers, cell phones or other items of Company property for their personal use. Executive further agrees that, within ten (10) days following the Executive’s Effective Date of Termination, the Executive shall deliver to the Company a certificate to the effect that all Protected Information and Company Trade Secrets stored on any computer owned by the Executive or owned by any person residing with the Executive have been deleted.
(g) Assignment/Cooperation. Executive hereby assigns to the Company all of the Executive’s right, title and interest in and to all Inventions. During Executive’s employment with the Company and at all times thereafter, upon the request of an authorized executive officer of the Company, Executive shall do any reasonable act and thing to assist the Company in any way to vest in the Company all of Executive’s right, title and interest in and to all Inventions and to obtain, defend and enforce the Company’s rights in all Inventions including, without limitation, agreeing to testify in any suit or other proceeding involving any Invention or document, to review, return or sign all documents that the Company reasonably determines to be necessary or proper, and to apply for, obtain or enforce any patents or copyrights relating to any Invention. If, after reasonable effort, the Company cannot secure Executive’s signature on any document or thing needed in connection with the actions specified in this paragraph, Executive hereby irrevocably designates and appoints the Company and its duly authorized officers and agents as Executive’s agent to act for and on Executive’s behalf to execute, verify, and file any documents or do any other reasonable act or thing to further the purposes of this paragraph with the same force and effect as if executed or done by Executive. The Company shall compensate Executive at a reasonable rate for time actually spent assisting the Company with any of the foregoing after the last day of Executive’s employment with the Company. Executive further waives all claims of any nature whatsoever which Executive now has or may in the future obtain for infringement of any rights assigned under this Plan or otherwise.
(h) Nondisparagement. At all times, the Executive agrees not to disparage the Company or otherwise make comments harmful to the Company’s reputation. However, nothing in this provision will be construed to prevent the Executive from (i) testifying in response to a lawfully served subpoena, giving truthful testimony under oath, or otherwise complying with a lawful court or agency order; (ii) filing a charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (or cross-filing any equivalent fair employment charge with any state or local fair employment agency); (iii) cooperating with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or any federal, state, or local fair employment agency; or (iv) filing a complaint or cooperating with any other government or law enforcement agency.
Article 5. Excise Tax
5.1 Best Net. It is the object of this paragraph to provide for the maximum after-tax income to each Executive with respect to any payment or distribution to or for the benefit of the Executive, whether paid or payable or distributed or distributable pursuant to the Plan or any other plan, arrangement or agreement, that would be subject to the excise tax imposed by Section 4999 of the Code) or any similar federal, state or local tax that may hereafter be imposed (a “Payment”) (Section 4999 of the Code or any similar federal, state or local tax are collectively referred to as the “Excise Tax”). Accordingly, before any Payments are made under this Plan, a determination will be made as to which of two alternatives will
maximize such Executive’s after-tax proceeds, and the Company must notify the Executive in writing of such determination. The first alternative is the payment in full of all Payments potentially subject to the Excise Tax. The second alternative is the payment of only a part of the Executive’s Payments so that the Executive receives the largest payment and benefits possible without causing the Excise Tax to be payable by the Executive. This second alternative is referred to in this paragraph as “Limited Payment”. The Executive’s Payments shall be paid only to the extent permitted under the alternative determined to maximize the Executive’s after-tax proceeds, and the Executive shall have no rights to any greater payments on his or her Payments. If Limited Payment applies, Payments shall be reduced in a manner that would not result in the Executive incurring an additional tax under Code Section 409A.
(a) Accordingly, Payments not constituting nonqualified deferred compensation under Code Section 409A shall be reduced first, in this order but only to the extent that doing so avoids the Excise Tax (e.g., accelerated vesting or payment provisions in an award will be ignored to the extent that such provisions would trigger the Excise Tax):
(i) Payment of the Severance Benefits to the extent such payments do not constitute deferred compensation under Code Section 409A.
(ii) Awards that can be earned based on performance (“Performance-Based Awards”), but excluding Performance-Based Awards subject to Code Section 409A.
(iii) Awards that can be earned solely on the passage of time (“Service-Based Awards”), but excluding Service-Based Awards subject to Code Section 409A.
(iv) Awards of stock options and SARs under a Company omnibus or incentive plan.
(b) Then, if the foregoing reductions are insufficient, Payments constituting deferred compensation under Code Section 409A shall be reduced, in this order:
(i) Payment of the Severance Benefits to the extent such payments constitute deferred compensation under Code Section 409A.
(ii) Performance-Based Awards subject to Code Section 409A.
(iii) Service-Based Awards subject to Code Section 409A.
In the event of conflict between the order of reduction under this Plan and the order provided by any other Company document governing a Payment, then the order under this Plan shall control.
All determinations required to be made under this Article 5 shall be made by the Company's external auditor or another nationally recognized firm selected by the Company (the "Accounting Firm") which shall provide detailed supporting calculations both to the Company and the Executive within ten (10) business days of the termination of employment giving rise to benefits under the Plan, or such earlier time as is requested by the Company. All fees, costs and expenses (including, but not limited to, the costs of retaining experts) of the Accounting Firm shall be borne by the Company. In the event the Accounting Firm determines that the Payments shall be reduced, it shall furnish the Executive with a written opinion to such effect. The determination by the Accounting Firm shall be binding upon the Company and the Executive.
Article 6. Legal Fees and Notice
6.1 Payment of Legal Fees. Except as otherwise agreed to by the parties, the Company shall pay the Executive for costs of litigation or other disputes including, without limitation, reasonable attorneys’ fees incurred by the Executive in asserting any claims or defenses under this Plan, except that the Executive shall bear his/her own costs of such litigation or disputes (including, without limitation, attorneys’ fees) if the court (or arbitrator) finds in favor of the Company with respect to any material claims or defenses asserted by the Executive.
6.2 Notice. Any notices, requests, demands, or other communications provided for by this Plan shall be sufficient if in writing and if sent by registered or certified mail to the Executive at the last address he or she has filed in writing with the Company or, in the case of the Company, at its principal offices.
Article 7. Successors and Assignment
7.1 Successors to the Company. The Company shall require any person or entity (a) to which the Company sells, assigns or transfers all or substantially all of its business and assets, (b) into which the Company merges or consolidates or otherwise combines (where the Company does not survive such combination) or (c) that otherwise acquires or becomes a successor to the Company, whether or not in connection with a Change in Control (a “Surviving Entity”) to expressly in writing assume and agree to perform under this Plan in the same manner and to the same extent that the Company would be required to perform if no such transaction had taken place; provided that no such express assumption or agreement shall be required to the extent such assumption and obligation to perform occurs automatically by operation of law or to the extent the Surviving Entity is otherwise required to perform under this Plan without such assumption. Regardless of whether such agreement is executed, the terms of this Plan shall be binding upon any Surviving Entity in accordance with the operation of law and such Surviving Entity shall be deemed the “Company” for purposes of this Plan.
7.2 Assignment by the Executive. This Plan shall inure to the benefit of and be enforceable by the Executive’s personal or legal representatives, executors, administrators, successors, heirs, distributees, devisees, and legatees. If the Executive dies while any amount would still be payable to him or her hereunder had he or she continued to live, all such amounts, unless otherwise provided herein, shall be paid in accordance with the terms of this Plan to the Executive’s Beneficiary.
Article 8. Miscellaneous
8.1 Code Section 409A. To the extent applicable, it is intended that the Plan comply with the provisions of Code Section 409A. The Plan will be administered and interpreted in a manner consistent with this intent, and any provision that would cause the Plan to fail to satisfy Code Section 409A will have no force and effect until amended to comply therewith (which amendment may be retroactive to the extent permitted by Code Section 409A). Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, for all purposes of this Plan, Executive shall not be deemed to have had a termination of employment until Executive has incurred a separation from service as defined in Treasury Regulation §1.409A-1(h) and, solely to the extent required to avoid accelerated taxation and/or tax penalties under Code Section 409A, payment of the amounts payable under the Plan that would otherwise be payable during the six-month period after the date of termination shall instead be paid on the first business day after the expiration of such six-month period, plus interest thereon, at a rate equal to the applicable "Federal short-term rate" (as defined in Code Section 1274(d)) for the month in which such date of termination occurs, from the respective dates on which such amounts would otherwise have been paid until the actual date of payment. In addition, for purposes of the Plan, each amount to be paid and each installment payment shall be construed as a separate, identified payment for purposes of Code Section 409A. With respect to expenses eligible for reimbursement under the terms of this Plan: (i) the amount of such expenses eligible for reimbursement in any taxable year shall not affect the expenses eligible for reimbursement in another taxable year; and (ii) any reimbursements of such expenses shall be made no later than the end of the calendar year following the calendar year in which the related expenses were incurred, except, in each case, to the extent that the right to reimbursement does not provide for a "deferral of compensation" within the meaning of Code Section 409A.
8.2 Employment Status. Except as may be provided under any other agreement between the Executive and the Company, the employment of the Executive by the Company is “at will” and may be terminated by either the Executive or the Company at any time, subject to applicable law.
8.3 Entire Plan. This Plan supersedes any prior agreements or understandings, oral or written, between the parties hereto, with respect to the subject matter hereof, and constitutes the entire agreement of the parties with respect thereto. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing sentence, this Plan completely supersedes any and all prior employment agreements entered into by and between the Company and the Executive, and all amendments thereto, in their entirety.
8.4 Severability. In the event that any provision or portion of this Plan shall be determined to be invalid or unenforceable for any reason, the remaining provisions of this Plan shall be unaffected thereby and shall remain in full force and effect.
8.5 Tax Withholding. The Company may withhold from any benefits payable under this Plan all federal, state, city, or other taxes as may be required pursuant to any law or governmental regulation or ruling.
8.6 Beneficiaries. The Executive may designate one (1) or more persons or entities as the primary and/or contingent beneficiaries of any amounts to be received under this Plan. Such designation must be in the form of a signed writing acceptable to the Board or the Board’s designee. The Executive may make or change such designation at any time. The last designation filed with the Company prior to the date of the Executive’s will be applicable.
8.7 Payment Obligation Absolute. The Company’s obligation to make the payments provided for herein shall be absolute and unconditional, and shall not be affected by any circumstances, including, without limitation, any offset, counterclaim, recoupment, defense, or other right which the Company may have against the Executive or anyone else.
The Executive shall not be obligated to seek other employment in mitigation of the amounts payable or arrangements made under any provision of this Plan, and the obtaining of any such other employment shall in no event affect any reduction of the Company's obligations to make the payments and arrangements required to be made under this Plan.
8.8 Contractual Rights to Benefits. Subject to approval and ratification by the Board, this Plan establishes and vests in the Executive a contractual right to the benefits to which he or she is entitled hereunder. However, nothing herein contained shall require or be deemed to require, or prohibit or be deemed to prohibit, the Company to segregate, earmark, or otherwise set aside any funds or other assets, in trust or otherwise, to provide for any payments to be made or required hereunder.
8.9 Modification; Survival. No provision of this Plan may be modified, waived, or discharged in a manner adverse to an Executive unless such modification, waiver, or discharge is agreed to in a writing signed by the affected Executive and by an authorized member of the Committee, or by the respective parties’ legal representatives and successors. Additional executives may be added to Appendix A by the Committee from time to time provided that the Executive meets the requirements of Section 1.1. The termination of this Plan pursuant to Section 1.3 or Section 1.4 shall not affect (A) any obligation of the Company to pay any Severance Benefits due to a Qualifying Change in Control Termination or a Qualifying General Severance Termination occurring prior to the effective date of such termination or (B) the obligations of the Executives pursuant to Article 4.
8.10 Gender and Number. Except where otherwise indicated by the context, any masculine term used herein also shall include the feminine; the plural shall include the singular and the singular shall include the plural.
8.11 Applicable Law. To the extent not preempted by the laws of the United States, the internal laws of the state of Wisconsin (without regard to its laws concerning choice of law) shall be the controlling law in all matters relating to this Plan.
[Signature page follows]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Company has executed this Plan on this 15th day of September 2016.
Quad/Graphics, Inc.
By: /s/ J. Joel Quadracci
Name: J. Joel Quadracci
Title: Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
14
Document
Exhibit 21
Subsidiaries of Quad/Graphics, Inc. (Wisconsin) as of December 31, 2025
| Name | Domicile |
|---|---|
| Chemical Research/Technology, LLC | Wisconsin |
| Child Day Care and Learning Services, LLC | Wisconsin |
| Duplainville Transport, Inc. | Wisconsin |
| Quad Packaging, Inc. | Wisconsin |
| Quad/Air, LLC | Wisconsin |
| Quad/Graphics Canada, LLC | Wisconsin |
| Quad/Graphics Commercial & Specialty, LLC | Wisconsin |
| Quad/Graphics Marketing, LLC | Wisconsin |
| Quad/Greenfield, LLC | Wisconsin |
| Quad Logistics Holdings, LLC | Wisconsin |
| Quad/Med, LLC | Wisconsin |
| Quad/Med Quality Group, Inc.** | Wisconsin |
| Quad/Tech, Inc. | Wisconsin |
| Rise Interactive SRL | Argentina |
| Quad/Graphics Investments Ltd. | British Virgin Islands |
| QuadMed Medical Clinics of California, Inc.* | California |
| Quad/Graphics Vancouver Corp. | Canada |
| CG Packaging Company, Limited | China |
| Quad/Graphics Colombia S.A.S. | Colombia |
| QG Printing II LLC | Connecticut |
| Copac Global Packaging, LLC | Delaware |
| New Diversified Mailing Services, LLC | Delaware |
| New Electronic Printing Systems, LLC | Delaware |
| Openfirst, LLC | Delaware |
| Quad/Argentina, Inc. | Delaware |
| Quad/Brazil, Inc. | Delaware |
| Quad/Graphics Printing LLC | Delaware |
| Quad Logistics Services, LLC | Delaware |
| Rise Interactive Global, LLC | Delaware |
| Rise Interactive Media & Analytics, LLC | Delaware |
| World Color Capital II, LLC | Delaware |
| Quad/Graphics Guatemala S.A. | Guatemala |
| Quad Hong Kong Limited | Hong Kong |
| Global Packaging Ltd. | Hong Kong |
| Quad Shared Services India Private Limited | India |
| Name | Domicile |
| --- | --- |
| Graphic Image, Inc. | Iowa |
| Ivie & Associates, LLC | Iowa |
| Quad/Graphics Mauritius Ltd. | Mauritius |
| Proyeccion Industrial S.A. de C.V. | Mexico |
| Quad/Graphics Mexico D.F. S.A. de C.V. | Mexico |
| Quad/Graphics Mexico Holding S.A. de C.V. | Mexico |
| Quad/Graphics Queretaro S.A. de C.V. | Mexico |
| Reproducciones Fotomecanicas S.A. de C.V. | Mexico |
| Medical Care Innovation, P.C.* | Michigan |
| Periscope, Inc. | Minnesota |
| Quad/Graphics Peru S.R.L. | Peru |
| Domitz Sp. z o.o | Poland |
| Quad Media Solutions, LLC | Texas |
| CG Packaging Co., Ltd. | Thailand |
| QW Ukraine, LLC | Ukraine |
| CG Global Solutions Company, Ltd. | Vietnam |
______________________________
*The Company holds a contractual controlling interest not based on a majority of voting rights.
**The Company indirectly holds a controlling equity interest as a beneficial owner.
Document
Exhibit 23
CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM
We consent to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statements (Form S-8 No. 333-168924, 333-183161, 333-192127, 333-212843, 333-232917, 333-241029, 333-273603, and 333-289087) of our reports dated February 18, 2026, with respect to the consolidated financial statements of Quad/Graphics, Inc., and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting of Quad/Graphics, Inc., included in this Annual Report (Form 10-K) for the year ended December 31, 2025.
/s/ Ernst & Young LLP
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
February 18, 2026
Document
Exhibit 31.1
Certification of the Chief Executive Officer
Pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) or 15d-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
I, J. Joel Quadracci, certify that:
1.I have reviewed this Annual Report on Form 10-K of Quad/Graphics, Inc.;
2.Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;
3.Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;
4.The registrant's other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:
(a)Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;
(b)Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;
(c)Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and
(d)Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant's most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant's fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant's internal control over financial reporting; and
5.The registrant's other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant's auditors and the audit committee of the registrant's board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):
(a)All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant's ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and
(b)Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting.
| Date: | February 18, 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| /s/ J. Joel Quadracci | ||
| J. Joel Quadracci | ||
| Chairman and Chief Executive Officer |
Document
Exhibit 31.2
Certification of the Chief Financial Officer
Pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) or 15d-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
I, Anthony C. Staniak, certify that:
1.I have reviewed this Annual Report on Form 10-K of Quad/Graphics, Inc.;
2.Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;
3.Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;
4.The registrant's other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:
(a)Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;
(b)Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;
(c)Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and
(d)Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant's most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant's fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant's internal control over financial reporting; and
5.The registrant's other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant's auditors and the audit committee of the registrant's board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):
(a)All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant's ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and
(b)Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting.
| Date: | February 18, 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| /s/ Anthony C. Staniak | ||
| Anthony C. Staniak | ||
| Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer |
Document
Exhibit 32
Written Statement of the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer
Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350
Solely for the purposes of complying with 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, we, the undersigned Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of Quad/Graphics, Inc. (the “Company”), hereby certify, based on our knowledge, that the Annual Report on Form 10-K of the Company for the year ended December 31, 2025 (the “Report”), fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and that information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.
| /s/ J. Joel Quadracci |
|---|
| J. Joel Quadracci |
| Chairman and Chief Executive Officer |
| /s/ Anthony C. Staniak |
| Anthony C. Staniak |
| Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer |
Date: February 18, 2026