RAIL 8-K
FreightCar America, Inc. (RAIL)
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) |
(Commission File Number) | (IRS Employer Identification Number) |
| (Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) |
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(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
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(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
| Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) |
| Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) |
| Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) |
| Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered | ||
| Global Market | ||||
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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).
Emerging Growth Company
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Section 1 – Registrant’s Business and Operations
Item 1.01. Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement
On August 5, 2026, the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of FreightCar America, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), declared a dividend of one preferred share purchase right (a “Right”) for each outstanding share of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of the Company. The dividend is payable on August 5, 2026 to the stockholders of record on August 5, 2026. The description and terms of the Rights are set forth in a Rights Agreement (the “2026 Rights Agreement”) by and between the Company and Computershare Trust Company, N.A., as rights agent. The 2026 Rights Agreement is intended to replace the Company’s Rights Agreement, dated as of September 8, 2025 (the “2025 Rights Agreement”), which expires on August 5, 2026. Other than extending the term, the 2026 Rights Agreement makes no changes to the material terms and conditions of the 2025 Rights Agreement.
The 2026 Rights Agreement is similar to stockholder rights plans adopted by other public companies and is intended to protect the interests of the Company and its stockholders by reducing the likelihood that any person or group gains control of the Company through open market accumulation or other tactics without paying an appropriate control premium. In general terms, it works by imposing a significant penalty upon any person or group that acquires beneficial ownership of 15% or more of the outstanding common stock of the Company without the approval of the Board (or 20% or more in the case of a person or group that is entitled to file, and does file, a Schedule 13G (a “13G Investor”)). The 2026 Rights Agreement should not interfere with any merger or other business combination approved in advance by the Board. The 2026 Rights Agreement also provides that if a stockholder’s beneficial ownership of the Company’s common stock as of the time of the first public announcement of the declaration of the Rights dividend is at or above the applicable protective threshold (including through entry into certain derivative positions), the rights would become exercisable if at any time after such date, the stockholder increases its ownership percentage by 0.001% or more.
A summary of the terms of the 2026 Rights Agreement follows. This description is only a summary, is not complete, and should be read together with, and is qualified in its entirety by, the entire Rights Agreement, which has been filed as an exhibit to this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated herein by reference. A copy of the 2026 Rights Agreement is available free of charge from the Company upon request.
The Rights. The Board authorized the issuance of a Right with respect to each outstanding share of common stock on August 5, 2026. The Rights will initially trade with, and will be inseparable from, the common stock. The Rights will be evidenced only by certificates that represent shares of common stock (or, in the case of uncertificated shares, which is how most holders’ shares are represented, by notations in the book-entry account system that track the ownership of certificated shares). New Rights will accompany any new shares of common stock the Company issues after August 5, 2026 until the Distribution Date described below.
Purchase Price. Each Right will allow its holder to purchase from the Company one one-hundredth of a share of Series E Junior Participating Preferred Stock (a “Preferred Share”) for $42.00 (the “Purchase Price”), once the Rights become exercisable, subject to adjustment. This portion of a Preferred Share will give the stockholder approximately the same dividend, voting and liquidation rights as would one share of common stock. Prior to exercise or exchange, the Right will not give its holder any dividend, voting or liquidation rights.
Exercisability. The Rights will not be exercisable until:
| ● | 10 business days after the public announcement that a person or group has become an “Acquiring Person” by obtaining beneficial ownership of 15% or more of the Company’s outstanding common stock (or 20% or more in the case of a 13G Investor); or |
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| ● | 10 business days (or a later date determined by the Board before any person or group becomes an Acquiring Person) after a person or group begins or announces a tender or exchange offer which, if completed, would result in that person or group becoming an Acquiring Person. |
Shares held by affiliates and associates of an Acquiring Person, and Notional Common Shares (as defined in the 2026 Rights Agreement) held by counterparties to a Derivatives Contract (as defined in the 2026 Rights Agreement) with an Acquiring Person, will be deemed to be beneficially owned by the Acquiring Person.
The date when the Rights become exercisable is the “Distribution Date.” Until that date, the common stock certificates (or, in the case of uncertificated shares, notations in the book-entry account system) will also evidence the associated Rights, and any transfer of shares of common stock will constitute a transfer of the associated Rights. After that date, the Rights will separate from the common stock and be evidenced by Rights certificates that the Company will mail to all eligible holders of common stock. Any Rights held by an Acquiring Person or certain transferees thereof are null and void and may not be exercised.
Consequences of a Person or Group Becoming an Acquiring Person.
| ● | Flip In. If a person or group becomes an Acquiring Person, then the Rights are activated, or “flip in,” and all holders of Rights except the Acquiring Person may, for the Purchase Price determined pursuant to the Agreement, purchase shares of the Company’s common stock at a price per share equal to 50% of the then-current per share market value of the common stock, based on the market price of the common stock prior to such acquisition. |
| ● | Flip Over. If the Company is acquired in a merger or similar transaction after the Distribution Date, then the Rights “flip over” and become exercisable with respect to the Acquiring Person’s stock and all holders of Rights except the Acquiring Person may receive that number of shares of the person with which the Company has engaged in the foregoing transaction that have a market value equal to twice the exercise price of the Right. |
Preferred Share Provisions.
Each one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share, if issued and, subject to adjustment:
| ● | will not be redeemable. |
| ● | will entitle holders to quarterly dividend payments of $0.01 per share, or an amount equal to the dividend paid for such quarter on one share of common stock, whichever is greater. |
| ● | will entitle holders upon the liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of the Company either to receive $1 per share or an amount equal to the payment made in connection therewith on each share of common stock, whichever is greater. |
| ● | will generally have the same voting power as one share of common stock. |
| ● | if shares of the Company’s common stock are converted via a merger, consolidation, or similar transaction, will entitle holders to a per share payment equal to the payment made on one share of common stock. |
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The value of one one-hundredth interest in a Preferred Share should approximate the value of one share of common stock.
Expiration. The Rights will expire, without any further action required of the Board, on July 5, 2027, unless the Expiration Date is advanced or extended or unless the Rights are earlier redeemed or exchanged by the Company, in each case as described below, or upon the occurrence of certain transactions.
Redemption. The Board may redeem the Rights for $0.001 per Right at any time before any person or group becomes an Acquiring Person. The redemption price for the Rights is payable at the option of the Company, in cash, shares of Common Stock or such other form of consideration as the Board of Directors of the Company shall determine. The redemption of the Rights may be made effective at such time, on such basis and with such conditions as the Board of Directors of the Company in its sole discretion may establish. If the Board redeems any Rights, it must redeem all of the Rights. Once the Rights are redeemed, the only right of the holders of Rights will be to receive the redemption price of $0.001 per Right. The redemption price will be adjusted if the Company effects a stock split or stock dividends on its common stock.
Exchange. After a person or group becomes an Acquiring Person, but before an Acquiring Person owns 50% or more of the Company’s outstanding common stock, the Board may extinguish the Rights by exchanging one share of common stock or a security with equivalent value for each Right, other than Rights owned by the Acquiring Person or that otherwise become void.
Anti-Dilution Provisions. The purchase price of the Preferred Shares, the number of Preferred Shares issuable and the number of outstanding Rights may be adjusted in certain circumstances to prevent dilution that may occur as a result of a stock dividend, a stock split, a stock combination, a reclassification or similar events of or relating to the Preferred Shares or the common stock. No adjustments to the Purchase Price of less than 1% will be made.
Amendments. The terms of the 2026 Rights Agreement may be amended by the Board of Directors without the consent of the holders of the Rights. After a person or group becomes an Acquiring Person, the Board of Directors may not amend the 2026 Rights Agreement in a way that adversely affects holders of the Rights as such (other than an Acquiring Person or an affiliate or associate of any Acquiring Person).
The foregoing summary does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Certificate of Designation for the Preferred Shares and the 2026 Rights Agreement, copies of which are attached as Exhibits 3.1 and 4.1, respectively, to this Current Report on Form 8-K and are incorporated by reference herein.
Section 3 – Securities and Trading Markets
Item 3.03. Material Modifications of Rights of Security Holders
See the disclosures in Items 1.01 and 5.03 of this Current Report on Form 8-K, which are incorporated by reference herein.
Section 5 – Corporate Governance and Management
Item 5.03. Amendments to Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws; Change in Fiscal Year
In connection with the adoption of the 2026 Rights Agreement referenced in Item 1.01 above, the Board approved the Certificate of Designation establishing the Preferred Shares and the rights, preferences and privileges thereof. The Certificate of Designation was filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on August 5, 2026. The Certificate of Designation is attached hereto as Exhibit 3.1 and is incorporated herein by reference. The information set forth under Item 1.01 above is incorporated by reference herein.
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Section 8 – Other Events
Item 8.01. Other Events.
On August 5, 2026, the Company issued a press release announcing adoption of the 2026 Rights Agreement. A copy of the press release is attached as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated by reference herein.
Section 9 - Financial Statements and Exhibits
Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits
(d) Exhibits:
| Exhibit Number | Exhibit Description | |
| 3.1 | Certificate of Designation of Series E Junior Participating Preferred Stock, as filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware on August 5, 2026. | |
| 4.1 | Rights Agreement, dated as of August 5, 2026, by and between the Company and Computershare Trust Company, N.A., which includes as Exhibit A, the Form of Certificate of Designation of Series E Junior Participating Preferred Stock, and as Exhibit B, the Form of Right Certificate. | |
| 99.1 | Press Release, dated August 5, 2026. | |
| 104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File (the cover page XBRL tags are embedded in the Inline XBRL document). |
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
| FreightCar America, Inc. | |||
| Date: August 5, 2026 | By: | /s/ Nicholas Randall | |
| Name: | Nicholas Randall | ||
| Title: | President and Chief Executive Officer | ||
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Exhibit 3.1
CERTIFICATE OF DESIGNATION
of
SERIES E JUNIOR PARTICIPATING PREFERRED STOCK
of
FREIGHTCAR AMERICA, INC.
(Pursuant
to Section 151 of the
Delaware General Corporation Law)
FreightCar America, Inc., a corporation organized and existing under the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (hereinafter called the “Corporation”), hereby certifies that the following resolution was adopted by the Board of Directors of the Corporation as required by Section 151 of the General Corporation Law at a meeting duly called and held on August 5, 2026:
RESOLVED, that pursuant to the authority granted to and vested in the Board of Directors of this Corporation (hereinafter called the “Board of Directors” or the “Board”) in accordance with the provisions of the Corporation’s Certificate of Incorporation, the Board of Directors hereby creates a series of Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share, of the Corporation (the “Preferred Stock”), and hereby states the designation and number of shares, and fixes the voting and other powers, preferences and relative, participating, optional or other rights of the shares of such series and the qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof as follows:
Series E Junior Participating Preferred Stock:
Section 1. Designation and Amount. The shares of such series shall be designated as “Series E Junior Participating Preferred Stock” (the “Series E Preferred Stock”) and the number of shares constituting the Series E Preferred Stock shall be 1,000,000. Such number of shares may be increased or decreased by resolution of the Board of Directors; provided that no decrease shall reduce the number of shares of Series E Preferred Stock to a number less than the number of shares then outstanding plus the number of shares reserved for issuance upon the exercise of outstanding options, rights or warrants or upon the conversion of any outstanding securities issued by the Corporation convertible into or exercisable for Series E Preferred Stock.
Section 2. Dividends and Distributions.
(A) Subject to the prior and superior rights of the holders of any shares of any series of Preferred Stock (or any similar stock) ranking prior and superior to the Series E Preferred Stock with respect to dividends, the holders of shares of Series E Preferred Stock, in preference to the holders of Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Common Stock”), of the Corporation, and of any other junior stock, shall be entitled to receive, when, as and if declared by the Board of Directors out of funds legally available for the purpose, quarterly dividends payable in cash on the first day of March, June, September and December in each year (each such date being referred to herein as a “Quarterly Dividend Payment Date”), commencing on the first Quarterly Dividend Payment Date after the first issuance of a share or fraction of a share of Series E Preferred Stock, in an amount per share (rounded to the nearest cent) equal to the greater of (a) $1 or (b) subject to the provision for adjustment hereinafter set forth, 100 times the aggregate per share amount of all cash dividends, and 100 times the aggregate per share amount (payable in kind) of all non-cash dividends or other distributions, other than a dividend payable in shares of Common Stock or a subdivision of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (by reclassification or otherwise), declared on the Common Stock since the immediately preceding Quarterly Dividend Payment Date or, with respect to the first Quarterly Dividend Payment Date, since the first issuance of any share or fraction of a share of Series E Preferred Stock. In the event the Corporation shall at any time declare or pay any dividend on the Common Stock payable in shares of Common Stock, or effect a subdivision or combination or consolidation of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (by reclassification or otherwise than by payment of a dividend in shares of Common Stock) into a greater or lesser number of shares of Common Stock, then in each such case the amount to which holders of shares of Series E Preferred Stock were entitled immediately prior to such event under clause (b) of the preceding sentence shall be adjusted by multiplying such amount by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after such event and the denominator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock that were outstanding immediately prior to such event.
(B) The Corporation shall declare a dividend or distribution on the Series E Preferred Stock as provided in paragraph (A) of this Section immediately after it declares a dividend or distribution on the Common Stock (other than a dividend payable in shares of Common Stock).
(C) Dividends shall begin to accrue and be cumulative on outstanding shares of Series E Preferred Stock from the Quarterly Dividend Payment Date next preceding the date of issue of such shares, unless the date of issue of such shares is prior to the record date for the first Quarterly Dividend Payment Date, in which case dividends on such shares shall begin to accrue from the date of issue of such shares, or unless the date of issue is a Quarterly Dividend Payment Date or is a date after the record date for the determination of holders of shares of Series E Preferred Stock entitled to receive a quarterly dividend and before such Quarterly Dividend Payment Date, in either of which events such dividends shall begin to accrue and be cumulative from such Quarterly Dividend Payment Date. Accrued but unpaid dividends shall not bear interest. Dividends paid on the shares of Series E Preferred Stock in an amount less than the total amount of such dividends at the time accrued and payable on such shares shall be allocated pro rata on a share-by-share basis among all such shares at the time outstanding. The Board of Directors may fix a record date for the determination of holders of shares of Series E Preferred Stock entitled to receive payment of a dividend or distribution declared thereon, which record date shall be not more than 60 days prior to the date fixed for the payment thereof.
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Section 3. Voting Rights. The holders of shares of Series E Preferred Stock shall have the following voting rights:
(A) Subject to the provision for adjustment hereinafter set forth, each share of Series E Preferred Stock shall entitle the holder thereof to 100 votes on all matters submitted to a vote of the stockholders of the Corporation. In the event the Corporation shall at any time declare or pay any dividend on the Common Stock payable in shares of Common Stock, or effect a subdivision or combination or consolidation of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (by reclassification or otherwise than by payment of a dividend in shares of Common Stock) into a greater or lesser number of shares of Common Stock, then in each such case the number of votes per share to which holders of shares of Series E Preferred Stock were entitled immediately prior to such event shall be adjusted by multiplying such number by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after such event and the denominator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock that were outstanding immediately prior to such event.
(B) Except as otherwise provided herein, in any other Certificate of Designation creating a series of Preferred Stock or any similar stock, or by law, the holders of shares of Series E Preferred Stock and the holders of shares of Common Stock and any other capital stock of the Corporation having general voting rights shall vote together as one class on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders of the Corporation.
(C) Except as set forth herein, or as otherwise provided by law, holders of Series E Preferred Stock shall have no special voting rights and their consent shall not be required (except to the extent they are entitled to vote with holders of Common Stock as set forth herein) for taking any corporate action.
Section 4. Certain Restrictions.
(A) Whenever quarterly dividends or other dividends or distributions payable on the Series E Preferred Stock as provided in Section 2 are in arrears, thereafter and until all accrued and unpaid dividends and distributions, whether or not declared, on shares of Series E Preferred Stock outstanding shall have been paid in full, the Corporation shall not:
(i) declare or pay dividends on, make any other distributions on, or redeem or purchase or otherwise acquire for consideration any shares of stock ranking junior (either as to dividends or upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up) to the Series E Preferred Stock other than: (A) such redemptions or purchases that may be deemed to occur upon the exercise of stock options, warrants or similar rights or grant, vesting or lapse of restrictions on the grant of any other performance shares, restricted stock, restricted stock units or other equity awards to the extent that such shares represent all or a portion of (x) the exercise or purchase price of such options, warrants or similar rights or other equity awards and (y) the amount of withholding taxes owed by the recipient of such award in respect of such grant, exercise, vesting or lapse of restrictions; and (B) the repurchase, redemption or other acquisition or retirement for value of any such shares from employees, former employees, directors, former directors, consultants or former consultants of the Corporation or their respective estate, spouse, former spouse or family member, pursuant to the terms of the agreements pursuant to which such shares were acquired;
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(ii) declare or pay dividends, or make any other distributions, on any shares of stock ranking on a parity (either as to dividends or upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up) with the Series E Preferred Stock, except dividends paid ratably on the Series E Preferred Stock and all such parity stock on which dividends are payable or in arrears in proportion to the total amounts to which the holders of all such shares are then entitled; or(iii) redeem or purchase or otherwise acquire for consideration any shares of Series E Preferred Stock, or any shares of stock ranking on a parity with the Series E Preferred Stock, except in accordance with a purchase offer made in writing or by publication (as determined by the Board of Directors) to all holders of such shares upon such terms as the Board of Directors, after consideration of the respective annual dividend rates and other relative rights and preferences of the respective series and classes, shall determine will result in fair and equitable treatment among the respective series or classes.
(B) The Corporation shall not permit any subsidiary of the Corporation to purchase or otherwise acquire for consideration any shares of stock of the Corporation unless the Corporation could, under paragraph (A) of this Section 4, purchase or otherwise acquire such shares at such time and in such manner.
Section 5. Reacquired Shares. Any shares of Series E Preferred Stock purchased or otherwise acquired by the Corporation in any manner whatsoever shall be retired promptly after the acquisition thereof. All such shares shall upon their retirement become authorized but unissued shares of Preferred Stock and may be reissued as part of a new series of Preferred Stock subject to the conditions and restrictions on issuance set forth herein, in the Certificate of Incorporation or in any other Certificate of Designation creating a series of Preferred Stock or any similar stock or as otherwise required by law.
Section 6. Liquidation, Dissolution or Winding Up. Upon any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Corporation, voluntary or otherwise, no distribution shall be made (1) to the holders of shares of stock ranking junior (either as to dividends or upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up) to the Series E Preferred Stock unless, prior thereto, the holders of shares of Series E Preferred Stock shall have received $100 per share, or an amount equal to 100 times the amount paid with respect to one share of Common Stock, whichever is greater, plus an amount equal to accrued and unpaid dividends and distributions thereon, whether or not declared, to the date of such payment, or (2) to the holders of shares of stock ranking on a parity (either as to dividends or upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up) with the Series E Preferred Stock, except distributions made ratably on the Series E Preferred Stock and all such parity stock in proportion to the total amounts to which the holders of all such shares are entitled upon such liquidation, dissolution or winding up. In the event the Corporation shall at any time declare or pay any dividend on the Common Stock payable in shares of Common Stock, or effect a subdivision or combination or consolidation of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (by reclassification or otherwise than by payment of a dividend in shares of Common Stock) into a greater or lesser number of shares of Common Stock, and a proportionate dividend in shares of Series E Preferred Stock or proportionate subdivision or combination or consolidation of the outstanding shares of Series E Preferred Stock is not made at the same time, then in each such case the aggregate amount to which holders of shares of Series E Preferred Stock were entitled immediately prior to such event under the proviso in clause (1) of the preceding sentence shall be adjusted by multiplying such amount by a fraction the numerator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after such event and the denominator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock that were outstanding immediately prior to such event.
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Section 7. Consolidation, Merger, etc., In case the Corporation shall enter into any consolidation, merger, combination or other transaction in which the outstanding shares of Common Stock are exchanged for or changed into other stock or securities, cash and/or any other property, then in any such case each share of Series E Preferred Stock shall at the same time be similarly exchanged or changed into an amount per share, subject to the provision for adjustment hereinafter set forth, equal to 100 times the aggregate amount of stock, securities, cash and/or any other property (payable in kind), as the case may be, into which or for which each share of Common Stock is changed or exchanged. In the event the Corporation shall at any time declare or pay any dividend on the Common Stock payable in shares of Common Stock, or effect a subdivision or combination or consolidation of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (by reclassification or otherwise than by payment of a dividend in shares of Common Stock) into a greater or lesser number of shares of Common Stock, then in each such case the amount set forth in the preceding sentence with respect to the exchange or change of shares of Series E Preferred Stock shall be adjusted by multiplying such amount by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after such event and the denominator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock that were outstanding immediately prior to such event.
Section 8. No Redemption. The shares of Series E Preferred Stock shall not be redeemable.
Section 9. Rank. The Series E Preferred Stock shall rank, with respect to the payment of dividends and the distribution of assets, junior to all series of any other class of the Corporation’s Preferred Stock unless the terms of any such series shall provide otherwise and shall rank senior to the Common Stock as to such matters.
Section 10. Amendment. At any time that any shares of Series E Preferred Stock are outstanding, the Certificate of Incorporation of the Corporation shall not be amended, by merger, consolidation, operation of law or otherwise, in any manner that would materially alter or change the powers, preferences or special rights of the Series E Preferred Stock so as to affect them adversely without the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of the outstanding shares of Series E Preferred Stock, voting separately as a single class.
Section 11. Fractional Shares. Series E Preferred Stock may be issued in fractions of a share that shall entitle the holder, in proportion to such holder’s fractional shares, to exercise voting rights, receive dividends, participate in distributions and to have the benefit of all other rights of holders of Series E Preferred Stock.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Certificate of Designation is executed on behalf of the Corporation as of this 5th day of August, 2026.
| By: | /s/ Nicholas Randall | |
| Name: | Nicholas Randall | |
| Title: | President and Chief Executive Officer |
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Exhibit 4.1
FREIGHTCAR AMERICA, INC.
and
COMPUTERSHARE TRUST COMPANY, N.A.
Rights Agreement
Dated as of August 5, 2026
TABLE OF CONTENTS
| Page
Number | ||
| Section 1. Definitions | 1 | |
| Section 2. Appointment of Rights Agent | 5 | |
| Section 3. Issue of Right Certificates | 6 | |
| Section 4. Form of Right Certificates | 7 | |
| Section 5. Countersignature and Registration | 7 | |
| Section 6. Transfer, Split Up, Combination and Exchange of Right Certificates; Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Right Certificates; Uncertificated Rights | 8 | |
| Section 7. Exercise of Rights; Purchase Price; Expiration Date of Rights | 8 | |
| Section 8. Cancellation and Destruction of Right Certificates | 9 | |
| Section 9. Availability of Preferred Shares | 9 | |
| Section 10. Preferred Shares Record Date | 10 | |
| Section 11. Adjustment of Purchase Price, Number of Shares or Number of Rights | 11 | |
| Section 12. Certificate of Adjusted Purchase Price or Number of Shares | 15 | |
| Section 13. Consolidation, Merger or Sale or Transfer of Assets or Earning Power | 16 | |
| Section 14. Fractional Rights and Fractional Shares | 18 | |
| Section 15. Rights of Action | 19 | |
| Section 16. Agreement of Right Holders | 19 | |
| Section 17. Right Certificate Holder Not Deemed a Stockholder | 20 | |
| Section 18. Concerning the Rights Agent | 20 | |
| Section 19. Merger or Consolidation or Change of Name of Rights Agent | 20 | |
| Section 20. Duties of Rights Agent | 21 | |
| Section 21. Change of Rights Agent | 22 | |
| Section 22. Issuance of New Right Certificates | 22 | |
| Section 23. Redemption | 23 | |
| Section 24. Exchange | 23 | |
| Section 25. Notice of Certain Events | 24 | |
| Section 26. Notices | 25 | |
| Section 27. Supplements and Amendments | 25 | |
| Section 28. Successors | 26 | |
| Section 29. Benefits of this Agreement | 26 | |
| Section 30. Determinations and Actions by the Board of Directors | 26 | |
| Section 31. Severability | 26 | |
| Section 32. Governing Law | 26 | |
| Section 33. Counterparts | 26 | |
| Section 34. Descriptive Headings | 26 | |
| Section 35. [Reserved] | 26 | |
| Section 36. Force Majeure | 26 | |
| Section 37. Confidentiality | 26 | |
| Signatures | 27 |
Exhibit A - Form of Certificate of Designation
Exhibit B - Form of Right Certificate
RIGHTS AGREEMENT
Rights Agreement, dated as of August 5, 2026 (this “Agreement”), by and between FreightCar America, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and Computershare Trust Company, N.A., a federally chartered trust company, as rights agent (the “Rights Agent”).
The Board of Directors of the Company has adopted resolutions creating a series of preferred stock designated as “Series E Junior Participating Preferred Stock” and authorized and declared a dividend of one preferred share purchase right (a “Right”) for each Common Share (as hereinafter defined) of the Company outstanding at the close of business on August 5, 2026 (the “Record Date”), each Right initially representing the right to purchase one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share (as hereinafter defined), upon the terms and subject to the conditions herein set forth, and has further authorized and directed the issuance of one Right with respect to each Common Share that shall become outstanding between the Record Date and the earliest of the Distribution Date, the Redemption Date and the Expiration Date (as such terms are hereinafter defined); provided, however, that Rights may be issued with respect to Common Shares that shall become outstanding after the Distribution Date and prior to the Expiration Date in accordance with Section 22.
Accordingly, in consideration of the premises and the mutual agreements herein set forth, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:
Section 1. Definitions. For purposes of this Agreement, section references are internal references unless otherwise indicated and the following terms have the meanings indicated:
(a) “Acquiring Person” shall mean any Person that, together with all Affiliates and Associates of such Person, shall be the Beneficial Owner of 15% or more of the Common Shares of the Company then outstanding, but shall not include the Company, any Subsidiary of the Company, any employee benefit plan of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company, or any entity holding Common Shares for or pursuant to the terms of any such plan; provided, however, that no Person that, together with all Affiliates and Associates of such Person, is the Beneficial Owner of Common Shares of the Company representing less than 20% of the Common Shares of the Company then outstanding, and that is entitled to file, and files, a statement on Schedule 13G (“Schedule 13G”) pursuant to Rule 13d-1(b) or Rule 13d-1(c) of the General Rules and Regulations under the Exchange Act (as such term is hereinafter defined) as in effect at the time of the public announcement of the declaration of the Rights dividend with respect to the Common Shares Beneficially Owned by such Person (a “13G Investor”), shall be deemed to be an “Acquiring Person”; provided further, however, that a Person that was deemed a 13G Investor shall no longer be deemed such if it files a statement on Schedule 13D pursuant to Rule 13d-1(a), 13d-1(e), 13d-1(f) or 13d-1(g) of the General Rules and Regulations under the Exchange Act as in effect at the time of the public announcement of the declaration of the Rights dividend with respect to the Common Shares Beneficially Owned by such Person, and shall be deemed an Acquiring Person if it is the Beneficial Owner of 15% or more of the Common Shares of the Company then outstanding at any point from the time it first files such a statement on Schedule 13D.
Notwithstanding the foregoing,
(i) no Person that is not a 13G Investor and that Beneficially Owns, as of the time of the first public announcement of the declaration of the Rights dividend, 15% or more of the Common Shares of the Company then outstanding and (ii) no Person that is a 13G Investor and that Beneficially Owns, as of the time of the first public announcement of the declaration of the Rights dividend, 20% or more of the Common Shares of the Company then outstanding, shall become an Acquiring Person unless and until such Person shall, after the time of the public announcement of the declaration of the Rights dividend, increase its Beneficial Ownership of the then outstanding Common Shares (other than as a result of an acquisition of Common Shares by the Company) to an amount equal to or greater than the greater of (x) 15% of the Common Shares of the Company then outstanding (in the case of a Person that is not then a 13G Investor) or 20% of the Common Shares of the Company then outstanding (in the case of a Person that is then a 13G Investor) or (y) the sum of (i) the lowest Beneficial Ownership of such Person as a percentage of the outstanding Common Shares as of any time from and after the time of the public announcement of the declaration of the Rights dividend plus (ii) 0.001%;
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(ii) no Person shall become an “Acquiring Person” as the result of an acquisition of Common Shares by the Company that, by reducing the number of Common Shares of the Company outstanding, increases the proportionate number of Common Shares of the Company Beneficially Owned by such Person to 15% (20% in the case of a 13G Investor) or more of the Common Shares of the Company then outstanding; provided, however, that if a Person shall become the Beneficial Owner of 15% (20% in the case of a 13G Investor) or more of the Common Shares of the Company then outstanding by reason of share purchases by the Company and shall, after the public announcement of such share purchases by the Company, become the Beneficial Owner of any additional Common Shares of the Company (other than pursuant to a dividend or distribution paid or made by the Company on the outstanding Common Shares or pursuant to a split or subdivision of the outstanding Common Shares), then such Person shall be deemed to be an “Acquiring Person” unless, upon becoming the Beneficial Owner of such additional Common Shares, such Person does not Beneficially Own 15% (20% in the case of a 13G Investor) or more of the Common Shares of the Company then outstanding;
(iii) if the Board of Directors of the Company determines in good faith that a Person that would otherwise be an “Acquiring Person”, as defined pursuant to the foregoing provisions, has become such inadvertently, and such Person divests as promptly as practicable a sufficient number of Common Shares so that such Person would no longer be an “Acquiring Person”, then such Person shall not be deemed to be an “Acquiring Person” for any purposes of this Agreement;
(iv) if a bona fide swaps dealer that would otherwise be an “Acquiring Person” has become so as a result of its actions in the ordinary course of its business that the Board of Directors of the Company determines, in its sole discretion, were taken without the intent or effect of evading or assisting any other Person to evade the purposes and intent of this Agreement, or otherwise seeking to control or influence the management or policies of the Company, then, and unless and until the Board of Directors of the Company shall otherwise determine, such Person shall not be deemed to be an “Acquiring Person” for any purposes of this Agreement;
(v) no Person shall become an “Acquiring Person” solely as result of any unilateral grant of any security by the Company or through the exercise of any options, warrants, rights or similar interests (including restricted stock) granted by the Company to its directors, officers and employees; and
(vi) no Person shall become an “Acquiring Person” solely as the result of the acquisition by such Person of Beneficial Ownership of shares of Common Shares from an individual who, on the later of the date hereof and the first public announcement of this Agreement, is the Beneficial Owner of 10% or more of the Common Shares then outstanding if such Common Shares are received by such Person upon such individual’s death pursuant to such individual’s will or pursuant to a charitable trust created by such individual for estate planning purposes.
(b) “Affiliate” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Rule 12b-2 of the General Rules and Regulations under the Exchange Act as in effect on the date of this Agreement.
(c) “Associate” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Rule 12b-2 of the General Rules and Regulations under the Exchange Act as in effect on the date of this Agreement.
(d) A Person shall be deemed the “Beneficial Owner” of and shall be deemed to “Beneficially Own” any securities:
(i) that such Person or any of such Person’s Affiliates or Associates beneficially owns, directly or indirectly, within the meaning of Rule 13d-3 of the General Rules and Regulations under the Exchange Act;
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(ii) that such Person or any of such Person’s Affiliates or Associates has (A) the right or obligation to acquire (whether such right is exercisable, or such obligation is required to be performed, immediately or only after the passage of time, upon compliance with regulatory requirements, upon the satisfaction of conditions (whether or not within the control of such Person) or otherwise) pursuant to any agreement, arrangement or understanding (whether or not in writing) (other than customary agreements with and between underwriters and selling group members with respect to a bona fide public offering of securities), or upon the exercise of conversion rights, exchange rights, rights (other than the Rights), warrants or options, or otherwise; provided, however, that a Person shall not be deemed the Beneficial Owner of, or to Beneficially Own, (w) securities tendered pursuant to a tender or exchange offer made by or on behalf of such Person or any of such Person’s Affiliates or Associates until such tendered securities are accepted for purchase or exchange, (x) securities that such Person has a right to acquire upon the exercise of Rights at any time prior to the time that any Person becomes an Acquiring Person, (y) securities issuable upon the exercise of Rights from and after the time that any Person becomes an Acquiring Person if such Rights were acquired by such first Person or any of such first Person’s Affiliates or Associates prior to the Distribution Date or pursuant to Section 3(a) or Section 22 (“Original Rights”) or pursuant to Section 11(i) or Section 11(n) with respect to an adjustment to Original Rights, or (z) securities that such Person or any of such Person’s Affiliates or Associates may acquire, does or do acquire or may be deemed to have the right to acquire, pursuant to any merger or other acquisition agreement between the Company and such Person (or one or more of such Person’s Affiliates or Associates) if such agreement has been approved by the Board of Directors of the Company prior to such Person’s becoming an Acquiring Person; or (B) the right to vote pursuant to any agreement, arrangement or understanding (whether or not in writing); provided, however, that a Person shall not be deemed the Beneficial Owner of, or to Beneficially Own, any security by reason of such agreement, arrangement or understanding if the agreement, arrangement or understanding to vote such security (1) arises solely from a revocable proxy or consent given to such Person in response to a public proxy or consent solicitation made pursuant to, and in accordance with, the applicable rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act and (2) is not also then reportable on Schedule 13D under the Exchange Act (or any comparable or successor report); or (C) investment power, which includes the power to dispose or direct the disposition thereof;
(iii) that are Beneficially Owned, directly or indirectly, by any other Person (or any Affiliate or Associate of such other Person) and with respect to which such first Person or any of such first Person’s Affiliates or Associates has any agreement, arrangement or understanding (whether or not in writing) (other than customary agreements with and between underwriters and selling group members with respect to a bona fide public offering of securities) for the purpose of acquiring, holding, voting (except to the extent contemplated by the proviso in clause (b) of subparagraph (ii) of this definition of Beneficial Owner) or disposing of any securities of the Company; or
(iv) that are Beneficially Owned, directly or indirectly, by a Counterparty (or any of such Counterparty’s Affiliates or Associates) under any Derivatives Contract (without regard to any short or similar position under the same or any other Derivatives Contract) to which such Person or any of such Person’s Affiliates or Associates is a Receiving Party (as such terms are defined in the definition of Derivatives Contract); provided, however, that the number of Common Shares that a Person is deemed to Beneficially Own pursuant to this clause (iv) in connection with a particular Derivatives Contract shall not exceed the number of Notional Common Shares (as such term is hereinafter defined) with respect to such Derivatives Contract; provided further that the number of securities Beneficially Owned by each Counterparty (including its Affiliates and Associates) under a Derivatives Contract shall for purposes of this clause (iv) be deemed to include all securities that are Beneficially Owned, directly or indirectly, by any other Counterparty (or any of such other Counterparty’s Affiliates or Associates) under any Derivatives Contract to which such first Counterparty (or any of such first Counterparty’s Affiliates or Associates) is a Receiving Party, with this proviso being applied to successive Counterparties as appropriate; provided, however, that no Person who is an officer, director or employee of an Exempt Person (as such term is hereinafter defined) shall be deemed, solely by reason of such Person’s status or authority as such, to be the “Beneficial Owner” of, to have “Beneficial Ownership” of or to “Beneficially Own” any securities that are “Beneficially Owned” (as defined in this Section 1(d)), including, without limitation, in a fiduciary capacity, by an Exempt Person or by any other such officer, director or employee of an Exempt Person. Notwithstanding anything in this definition of “Beneficial Owner” to the contrary, (x) no Person engaged in business as an underwriter of securities shall be the “Beneficial Owner” of any securities acquired through such Person’s participation in good faith in a firm commitment underwriting until the expiration of forty (40) calendar days after the date of such acquisition; and (y) no Person shall be deemed the “Beneficial Owner” of any security if such Person is a “clearing agency” (as defined in Section 3(a)(23) of the Exchange Act) and has acquired such security solely as a result of such status.
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Notwithstanding anything in this definition of Beneficial Ownership to the contrary, the phrase “then outstanding,” when used with reference to a Person’s Beneficial Ownership of securities of the Company, shall mean the number of such securities then issued and outstanding together with the number of such securities not then actually issued and outstanding that are issuable by the Company and that such Person would be deemed to Beneficially Own hereunder but the number of securities not then issued and outstanding that such Person is otherwise deemed to Beneficially Own for purposes of this Agreement shall not be included for the purpose of computing the percentage of the outstanding securities Beneficially Owned by any other Person (unless such other Person is also deemed to Beneficially Own for purposes of this Agreement such securities not outstanding).
(e) “Book Entry” shall mean an uncertificated Common Share or Preferred Share registered in book-entry form.
(f) “Business Day” shall mean any day other than a Saturday, a Sunday, or a day on which banking institutions in the State of New York are authorized or obligated by applicable law or executive order to close.
(g) “Certificate of Incorporation” shall mean the Certificate of Amendment of Certificate of Ownership and Merger of FreightCar America, Inc. into FCA Acquisition Corp., dated April 1, 2005, as filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware, as the same may be amended and/or restated from time to time.
(h) “Close of Business” on any given date shall mean 5:00 P.M., New York time, on such date; provided, however, that, if such date is not a Business Day, it shall mean 5:00 P.M., New York time, on the next succeeding Business Day.
(i) “Common Shares” when used with reference to the Company shall mean the shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of the Company. “Common Shares” when used with reference to any Person other than the Company shall mean the common stock (or, in the case of any entity other than a corporation, the equivalent equity interest) with the greatest voting power of such other Person or, if such other Person is a Subsidiary of another Person, the Person or Persons that ultimately control such first-mentioned Person.
(j) “Customer Identification Program” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 34.
(k) “Derivatives Contract” means a contract between two parties (the “Receiving Party” and the “Counterparty”) that is designed to produce economic benefits and risks to the Receiving Party that substantially correspond to the ownership by the Receiving Party of a number of Common Shares specified or referenced in such contract (the number of Common Shares corresponding to such economic benefits and risks, the “Notional Common Shares”), regardless of whether (i) obligations under such contract are required or permitted to be settled through the delivery of cash, Common Shares or other property, or (ii) such contract conveys any voting rights in Common Shares, without regard to any short position under the same or any other Derivatives Contract. For the avoidance of doubt, interests in broad-based index options, broad-based index futures and broad-based publicly traded market baskets of stocks approved for trading by the appropriate federal governmental authority shall not be deemed to be Derivatives Contracts.
(l) “Common Stock Equivalents” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 11(a)(iii).
(m) “Distribution Date” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3(a).
(n) “Exchange Act” shall mean the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
(o) “Exchange Ratio” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 24(a).
(p) “Exempt Person” shall mean the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company, in each case, including, without limitation, in its fiduciary capacity, or any employee benefit plan of the Company or of any Subsidiary of the Company, or any entity or trustee holding (or acting in a fiduciary capacity in respect of) Common Shares for or pursuant to the terms of any such plan or for the purpose of funding any such plan or funding other employee benefits for employees of the Company or of any Subsidiary of the Company.
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(q) “Expiration Date” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 7(a).
(r) “Nasdaq” shall mean The Nasdaq Stock Market.
(s) “New York Stock Exchange” shall mean the New York Stock Exchange.
(t) “Ownership Statements” means, with respect to any Book Entry Common Share, current ownership statements issued to the record holder thereof in lieu of a certificate representing such Common Share.
(u) “Person” shall mean any individual, partnership, firm, corporation, limited liability company, association, trust, limited liability partnership, joint venture, unincorporated organization or other entity, and shall include any successor (by merger or otherwise) of such entity, as well as any “group” as defined in Rule 13d-5(b)(1) under the Exchange Act.
(v) “Preferred Shares” shall mean shares of Series E Junior Participating Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share, of the Company having the rights and preferences set forth in the Form of Certificate of Designation attached to this Agreement as Exhibit A.
(w) “Purchase Price” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 7(b).
(x) “Record Date” shall have the meaning set forth in the second paragraph of this Agreement.
(y) “Redemption Date” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 7(a).
(z) “Redemption Price” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 23(a).
(aa) “Right” shall have the meaning set forth in the second paragraph of this Agreement.
(bb) “Right Certificate” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3(a).
(cc) “Shares Acquisition Date” shall mean the first date of the public announcement by the Company or an Acquiring Person that an Acquiring Person has become such, or such earlier date as a majority of the Board of Directors of the Company shall become aware of the existence of an Acquiring Person.
(dd) “Subsidiary” of any Person shall mean any corporation or other entity of which a majority of the voting power of the voting equity securities or equity interests, or securities or other ownership interests having ordinary voting power sufficient to elect a majority of the board of directors or other persons performing similar functions, is owned, directly or indirectly, by such Person, and any corporation or other entity that is otherwise controlled by such Person.
(ee) [Reserved]
(ff) “Trading Day” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 11(d).
(gg) “Trust” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 24(e).
(hh) “Trust Agreement” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 24(e).
Section 2. Appointment of Rights Agent. The Company hereby appoints the Rights Agent to act as rights agent for the Company in accordance with the express terms and conditions hereof (and no implied terms and conditions), and the Rights Agent hereby accepts such appointment. The Company may from time to time appoint such co-rights agents as it may deem necessary or desirable, upon ten (10) days’ prior written notice to the Rights Agent setting forth the respective duties of the Rights Agent and any co-rights agent(s). The Rights Agent shall have no duty to supervise, and shall in no event be liable for, the acts or omissions of any such co-rights agent(s). In the event the Company appoints one or more co-rights agent(s), the respective duties of the Rights Agent and any co-rights agent(s) shall be as the Company shall determine; provided, however, that such duties and determination are consistent with the terms and provisions of this Agreement and that contemporaneously with such appointment, if any, the Company shall notify the Rights Agent in writing thereof.
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Section 3. Issue of Right Certificates. Until the Close of Business on the earlier of (i) the tenth (10th) Business Day after the Shares Acquisition Date or (ii) the tenth (10th) Business Day (or such later date as may be determined by action of the Board of Directors of the Company prior to such time as any Person becomes an Acquiring Person) after the date of the commencement by any Person (other than an Exempt Person) of, or of the first public announcement of the intention of any Person (other than an Exempt Person) to commence, a tender or exchange offer the consummation of which would result in any Person (other than an Exempt Person) becoming an Acquiring Person (the earlier of such dates being herein referred to as the “Distribution Date”), provided, however, that the Distribution Date shall in no event be prior to the Record Date, (x) the Rights will be evidenced (subject to the provisions of Section 3(b)) by the certificates for Common Shares of the Company (or, in the case of Book Entry Common Shares of the Company, by notation in accounts reflecting ownership of such Common Shares) registered in the names of the holders thereof (which certificates and Book Entry Common Shares, as applicable, shall also be deemed to be Right Certificates) and not by separate Right Certificates, and (y) the Rights (and the right to receive Right Certificates therefor) will be transferable only in connection with the transfer of Common Shares of the Company. As soon as practicable after the Distribution Date, the Company will prepare and execute, the Rights Agent will countersign, and the Company will send or cause to be sent (or the Rights Agent will, if requested to do so by the Company and provided with all necessary documentation and information in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Rights Agent, send) by first-class, insured, postage-prepaid, mail, to each record holder of Common Shares of the Company as of the Close of Business on the Distribution Date (other than any Acquiring Person or any Associate or Affiliate of an Acquiring Person), at the address of such holder shown on the records of the Company or the transfer agent or registrar for the Common Shares, a Right Certificate, in substantially the form of Exhibit B attached hereto (a “Right Certificate”), evidencing one Right for each Common Share so held, subject to adjustment as provided herein. As of the Distribution Date, the Rights will be evidenced solely by such Right Certificates. The Company shall promptly notify the Rights Agent in writing upon the occurrence of the Distribution Date and, if such notification is given orally, the Company shall confirm the same in writing within two (2) Business Days. Until such written notice is received by the Rights Agent, the Rights Agent may presume conclusively for all purposes that the Distribution Date has not occurred.
(a) With respect to certificates representing Common Shares of the Company (or Book Entry Common Shares of the Company) outstanding as of the Record Date, until the Distribution Date, the Rights will be evidenced by such certificates or book-entry notations registered in the names of the holders thereof. Until the Distribution Date (or the earlier of the Redemption Date or the Expiration Date), the surrender for transfer of any certificate representing Common Shares (or transfer of any Book Entry Common Shares) outstanding on the Record Date shall also constitute the transfer of the Rights associated with the Common Shares of the Company represented thereby.
(b) Rights shall, without any further action, be issued in respect of all Common Shares issued or disposed of by the Company after the Record Date but prior to the earlier of the Distribution Date and the Expiration Date, or in certain circumstances provided in Section 22, the Distribution Date. Certificates for Common Shares (or Book Entry Common Shares) that become outstanding (including, without limitation, reacquired Common Shares referred to in the penultimate sentence of this paragraph (b)) after the Record Date but prior to the earliest of the Distribution Date and the Expiration Date, or in certain circumstances provided in Section 22, after the Distribution Date, shall have impressed on, printed on, written on or otherwise affixed to them a legend in substantially the following form:
This certificate also evidences and entitles the holder hereof to certain Rights as set forth in that certain Rights Agreement, dated as of August 5, 2026, as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time (the “Agreement”), by and between FreightCar America, Inc. (the “Company”) and Computershare Trust Company, N.A., or any successor rights agent thereto, as Rights Agent, the terms of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference and a copy of which is on file at the principal executive offices of the Company. Under certain circumstances, as set forth in the Agreement, such Rights will be evidenced by separate certificates and will no longer be evidenced by this certificate. The Company will mail to the holder of this certificate a copy of the Agreement without charge after receipt of a written request therefor. As set forth in the Agreement, Rights that are or were acquired or Beneficially Owned by any Person (as such terms are defined in the Agreement) that becomes an Acquiring Person (as such term is defined in the Agreement) or an Associate or Affiliate thereof (each term as defined in the Agreement) will become null and void and non-transferable.
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With respect to any Book Entry Common Share(s) of the Company, such legend shall be included in the Ownership Statement(s) in respect of such Common Share(s) or in a notice to the record holder(s) of such Common Share(s) in accordance with applicable law. With respect to such certificates containing the foregoing legend, or any notice containing the foregoing legend delivered to holders of Book Entry Common Shares, until the earliest of the Distribution Date, the Redemption Date or the Expiration Date, the Rights associated with the Common Shares of the Company represented by such certificates shall be evidenced by such certificates or such Book Entry Common Shares alone, and the surrender for transfer of any such certificate or the transfer of any Book Entry Common Share shall also constitute the transfer of the Rights associated with the Common Shares of the Company represented thereby. In the event the Company purchases or acquires any Common Shares of the Company after the Record Date but prior to the Distribution Date, any Rights associated with such Common Shares of the Company shall be deemed canceled and retired so that the Company shall not be entitled to exercise any Rights associated with the Common Shares of the Company that are no longer outstanding. Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 3(b), neither the omission of a legend nor the failure to deliver the notice of such legend required hereby shall affect the enforceability of any part of this Agreement or the rights of any holder of the Rights.
Section 4. Form of Right Certificates. The Right Certificates (and the forms of election to purchase shares and of assignment to be printed on the reverse thereof) shall be substantially in the form set forth in Exhibit B attached hereto, and may have such marks of identification or designation and such legends, summaries or endorsements printed thereon as the Company may deem appropriate (which shall not affect the rights, duties, liabilities, protections or responsibilities of the Rights Agent hereunder) and as are not inconsistent with the provisions of this Agreement, or as may be required to comply with any applicable law or with any applicable rule or regulation made pursuant thereto or with any applicable rule or regulation of any stock exchange or interdealer quotation system on which the Rights may from time to time be listed or quoted, or to conform to usage. Subject to the terms and conditions hereof, the Right Certificates shall entitle the holders thereof to purchase such number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share as shall be set forth therein at the price per one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share set forth therein (the “Purchase Price”), but the number of such one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share and the Purchase Price shall be subject to adjustment as provided herein.
Section 5. Countersignature and Registration. The Right Certificates shall be executed on behalf of the Company by its Chairman of the Board, its Chief Executive Officer, its President, any of its Vice Presidents or its Treasurer, either manually or by facsimile or electronic signature, and shall be attested by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Company, either manually or by facsimile signature. The Right Certificates shall be countersigned by an authorized signatory of the Rights Agent, either manually or by facsimile or electronic signature, and shall not be valid for any purpose unless countersigned. In case any officer of the Company who shall have signed any of the Right Certificates shall cease to be such officer of the Company before countersignature by the Rights Agent and issuance and delivery by the Company, such Right Certificates, nevertheless, may be countersigned by the Rights Agent and issued and delivered by the Company with the same force and effect as though the individual who signed such Right Certificates had not ceased to be such officer of the Company. Any Right Certificate may be signed on behalf of the Company by any individual who, at the actual date of the execution of such Right Certificate, shall be a proper officer of the Company to sign such Right Certificate, although at the date of the execution of this Agreement such individual was not such an officer. In case any authorized signatory of the Rights Agent who has countersigned any Right Certificate ceases to be an authorized signatory of the Rights Agent before issuance and delivery by the Company, such Right Certificate, nevertheless, may be issued and delivered by the Company with the same force and effect as though the person who countersigned such Right Certificate had not ceased to be an authorized signatory of the Rights Agent; and any Right Certificate may be countersigned on behalf of the Rights Agent by any person who, at the actual date of the countersignature of such Right Certificate, is properly authorized to countersign such Right Certificate, although at the date of the execution of this Agreement any such person was not so authorized.
Following the Distribution Date, upon receipt by the Rights Agent of notice to that effect and all other relevant documentation and information referred to in Section 3, the Rights Agent will keep or cause to be kept, at its office or offices designated for such purpose, books for registration and transfer of the Right Certificates issued hereunder. Such books shall show the names and addresses of the respective holders of the Right Certificates, the number of Rights evidenced on its face by each of the Right Certificates and the date of each of the Right Certificates.
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Section 6. Transfer, Split Up, Combination and Exchange of Right Certificates; Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Right Certificates; Uncertificated Rights. Subject to the provisions of Section 14, at any time after the Close of Business on the Distribution Date, and at or prior to the Close of Business on the earlier of the Redemption Date or the Expiration Date, any Right Certificate or Right Certificates (other than Right Certificates representing Rights that have become null and void pursuant to Section 11(a)(ii) or that have been exchanged pursuant to Section 24) may be transferred, split up, combined or exchanged for another Right Certificate or Right Certificates entitling the registered holder to purchase a like number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share as the Right Certificate or Right Certificates surrendered then entitled such holder to purchase. Any registered holder desiring to transfer, split up, combine or exchange any Right Certificate or Right Certificates shall make such request in writing delivered to the Rights Agent, and shall surrender the Right Certificate or Right Certificates to be transferred, split up, combined or exchanged at the office or offices of the Rights Agent designated for such purpose, along with a signature guarantee (if required) and such other and further documentation as the Company or the Rights Agent may reasonably request. The Right Certificates are transferable only on the registry books of the Rights Agent. Neither the Rights Agent nor the Company shall be obligated to take any action whatsoever with respect to the transfer of any such surrendered Right Certificate until the registered holder shall have properly completed and duly executed the certificate contained in the form of assignment on the reverse side of such Right Certificate, shall have provided such additional evidence of the identity of the Beneficial Owner (or former Beneficial Owner) thereof and of the Rights evidenced thereby and the Affiliates and Associates of such Beneficial Owner (or former Beneficial Owner) thereof, or of any other Person with which such Beneficial Owner or any of such Beneficial Owner’s Affiliates or Associates has any agreement, arrangement or understanding (whether or not in writing) for the purpose of acquiring, holding, voting or disposing of securities of the Company, as the Company or the Rights Agent may reasonably request and shall have paid, pursuant and subject to the applicable provisions of this Agreement, a sum sufficient to cover any tax and/or charge that may be imposed in connection with any transfer, split up, combination or exchange of Right Certificates. Thereupon, the Rights Agent, subject to the provisions of this Agreement, shall countersign (by manual or facsimile signature) and deliver to the Person entitled thereto a Right Certificate or Right Certificates, as the case may be, as so requested, registered in such name or names as may be designated by the surrendering registered holder. The Rights Agent shall promptly forward any such sum collected by it to the Company or to such Person(s) as the Company shall specify by written notice. The Rights Agent shall not have any duty or obligation to take any action under any provision/section of this Agreement that requires the payment of taxes and/or charges unless and until it is satisfied that all such payments have been made.
Subject to the provisions of this Agreement, at any time after the Distribution Date and prior to the Expiration Date, upon receipt by the Company and the Rights Agent of evidence reasonably satisfactory to them of the loss, theft, destruction or mutilation of a Right Certificate, and, in case of loss, theft or destruction, of indemnity or security reasonably satisfactory to them, along with such other and further documentation as the Company or the Rights Agent may reasonably request, and reimbursement to the Company and the Rights Agent of all reasonable expenses incidental thereto, and upon surrender to the Rights Agent and cancellation of the Right Certificate if mutilated, the Company will execute and deliver a new Right Certificate of like tenor to the Rights Agent for countersignature and delivery to the registered holder in lieu of the Right Certificate so lost, stolen, destroyed or mutilated.
Notwithstanding any other provisions hereof, the Company and the Rights Agent may amend this Agreement to provide for uncertificated Rights in addition to or in place of Rights evidenced by Right Certificates to the extent permitted by applicable law.
Section 7. Exercise of Rights; Purchase Price; Expiration Date of Rights. The registered holder of any Right Certificate may exercise the Rights evidenced thereby (except as otherwise provided herein), in whole or in part, at any time after the Distribution Date, upon surrender of the Right Certificate, with the form of election to purchase and the certificate on the reverse side thereof properly completed and duly executed (with such signature duly guaranteed, if required), to the Rights Agent at the office or offices of the Rights Agent designated for such purpose, together with payment of the Purchase Price for each one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share (or other securities, cash or other assets, as the case may be) as to which the Rights are exercised, and an amount equal to any tax and/or charge required to be paid under Section 9, at or prior to the earliest of (i) the Close of Business on July 5, 2027 (the “Expiration Date”), (ii) the time at which the Rights are redeemed as provided in Section 23 (the “Redemption Date”), (iii) the closing of any merger or other acquisition transaction involving the Company pursuant to an agreement of the type described in Sections 1(d)(ii)(A)(z) and 13(f) at which time the Rights are terminated or (iv) the time at which such Rights are exchanged as provided in this Agreement. Except for those provisions herein that expressly survive the termination of this Agreement, this Agreement shall terminate at such time as the Rights are no longer exercisable hereunder.
(a) The Purchase Price for each one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share purchasable pursuant to the exercise of a Right shall initially be $42.00 and the number of one one-hundredth of a share of Preferred Shares or other securities or property to be acquired upon exercise of a right shall be subject to adjustment from time to time as provided in Section 11 or 13, and shall be payable in lawful money of the United States of America in accordance with paragraph (c) below.
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(b) Except as otherwise provided herein, upon receipt of a Right Certificate representing exercisable Rights, with the form of election to purchase properly completed and duly executed, accompanied by payment of the aggregate Purchase Price for the Preferred Shares (or other securities, cash or other assets, as the case may be) to be purchased and an amount equal to any applicable tax and/or charge required to be paid by the holder of such Right Certificate in accordance with Section 9 by cash or by certified check, cashier’s check or money order payable to the order of the Company, the Rights Agent shall thereupon promptly (i) (A) requisition from any transfer agent of the Preferred Shares (or make available if the Rights Agent is the transfer agent) certificates for the number of Preferred Shares (or other securities, cash or other assets, as the case may be) to be purchased and the Company hereby irrevocably authorizes and directs any such transfer agent to comply with all such requests, or (B) requisition from the depositary agent depositary receipts representing such number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share as are to be purchased (in which case certificates for the Preferred Shares represented by such receipts shall be deposited by the transfer agent of the Preferred Shares with such depositary agent) and the Company hereby authorizes and directs such depositary agent to comply with such request(s); (ii) when necessary to comply with this Agreement, requisition from the Company the amount of cash to be paid in lieu of issuance of fractional shares in accordance with Section 14; (iii) after receipt of such certificates or depositary receipts, cause the same to be delivered to or upon the order of the registered holder of such Right Certificate, registered in such name or names as may be designated by such holder; and (iv) when necessary to comply with this Agreement, after receipt, promptly deliver such cash to or upon the order of the registered holder of such Right Certificate.
(c) In the event that the Company is obligated to issue securities of the Company other than Preferred Shares (including Common Shares) of the Company pursuant to Section 11(a), the Company will make all arrangements necessary so that such other securities are available for distribution by the Rights Agent.
(d) Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, neither the Rights Agent nor the Company shall be obligated to undertake any action with respect to a registered holder of Rights or other securities upon the occurrence of any purported transfer or exercise of Rights pursuant to Section 6 or this Section 7 unless such registered holder shall have (i) properly completed and duly executed the certification contained in the form of assignment or form of election to purchase set forth on the reverse side of the Right Certificate surrendered for such transfer or exercise, (ii) tendered the Purchase Price (and an amount equal to any applicable tax and/or charge required to be paid by the holder of such Right Certificate in accordance with Section 9) to the Company in the manner set forth in Section 7(c), and (iii) provided such additional evidence of the identity of the Beneficial Owner (or former Beneficial Owner) or Affiliates or Associates thereof, or of any other Person with which such Beneficial Owner or any of such Beneficial Owner’s Affiliates or Associates has any agreement, arrangement or understanding (whether or not in writing) for the purpose of acquiring, holding, voting or disposing of securities of the Company, as the Company or the Rights Agent may reasonably request.
(e) In case the registered holder of any Right Certificate shall properly exercise less than all of the Rights evidenced thereby, a new Right Certificate evidencing Rights equivalent to the Rights remaining unexercised shall be issued by the Rights Agent to the registered holder of such Right Certificate or to such holder’s duly authorized assigns, subject to the provisions of Section 14.
Section 8. Cancellation and Destruction of Right Certificates. All Right Certificates surrendered for the purpose of exercise, transfer, split up, combination or exchange shall, if surrendered to the Company or to any of its agents, be delivered to the Rights Agent for cancellation or in canceled form, or, if delivered or surrendered to the Rights Agent, shall be canceled by it, and no Right Certificates shall be issued in lieu thereof except as expressly permitted by any of the provisions of this Agreement. The Company shall deliver to the Rights Agent for cancellation and retirement, and the Rights Agent shall so cancel and retire, any other Right Certificate purchased or acquired by the Company otherwise than upon the exercise thereof. The Rights Agent shall deliver all canceled Right Certificates to the Company, or shall, at the written request of the Company, destroy such canceled Right Certificates, and, in such case, shall deliver a certificate of destruction thereof to the Company.
Section 9. Availability of Preferred Shares.
(a) The Company covenants and agrees that it will cause to be reserved and kept available out of its authorized and unissued Preferred Shares or any Preferred Shares held in its treasury the number of Preferred Shares that will be sufficient to permit the exercise in full of all outstanding Rights in accordance with Section 7. The Company covenants and agrees that it will take all such action(s) as may be necessary to ensure that all Preferred Shares (or Common Shares and other securities, as the case may be) delivered upon the exercise of Rights shall, at the time of delivery of the certificates for such Preferred Shares (or Common Shares and other securities, as the case may be) (subject to payment of the Purchase Price), be duly and validly authorized and issued and fully paid and nonassessable shares.
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(b) The Company further covenants and agrees that it will pay when due and payable any and all federal and state transfer taxes and charges that may be payable in respect of the issuance or delivery of the Right Certificates or of any Preferred Shares (or other securities of the Company) upon the exercise of Rights. However, the Company shall not be required to pay any transfer tax that may be payable in respect of any transfer or delivery of Right Certificates to a Person other than, or the issuance or delivery of certificates or depositary receipts for the Preferred Shares (or other securities of the Company) in a name other than that of, the registered holder of the Right Certificate evidencing the Rights surrendered for exercise or to issue or to deliver any certificates or depositary receipts for Preferred Shares (or other securities of the Company) upon the exercise of any Rights until any such taxes shall have been paid (any such taxes being payable by the holder of such Right Certificate at the time of surrender) or until it has been established to the Company’s reasonable satisfaction that no such taxes are due.
(c) From and after such time as the Rights become exercisable, the Company shall use its best efforts, if then necessary to permit the issuance of Preferred Shares upon the exercise of Rights, to register and qualify such Preferred Shares under the Securities Act and any applicable state securities or “Blue Sky” laws (to the extent exemptions therefrom are not available), cause such registration statement and qualifications to become effective as soon as possible after such filing and keep such registration and qualifications effective (with a prospectus at all times meeting the requirements of the Securities Act) until the earlier of the date as of which the Rights are no longer exercisable for such securities and the Expiration Date. The Company may temporarily suspend, for a period of time not to exceed 120 days, the exercisability of the Rights in order to prepare and file a registration statement under the Securities Act and permit it to become effective. Upon any such suspension, the Company shall issue a public announcement stating that the exercisability of the Rights has been temporarily suspended, as well as a public announcement at such time as the suspension is no longer in effect, in each case, with simultaneous written notice to the Rights Agent. Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, the Rights shall not be exercisable in any jurisdiction unless the requisite qualification(s) in such jurisdiction shall have been obtained and until a registration statement under the Securities Act shall have been declared effective, unless an exemption therefrom is available.
(d) So long as the Preferred Shares issuable upon the exercise of Rights may be listed or admitted to trading on any national securities exchange, the Company shall use its best efforts to cause, from and after such time as the Rights become exercisable, all shares reserved for such issuance to be listed or admitted to trading on such exchange upon official notice of issuance upon such exercise.
Section 10. Preferred Shares Record Date. Each Person in whose name any certificate for Preferred Shares or other securities is issued upon the exercise of Rights shall for all purposes be deemed to have become the holder of record of the Preferred Shares or other securities represented thereby on, and such certificate shall be dated, the date upon which the Right Certificate evidencing such Rights was duly surrendered with the forms of election and certification properly completed and duly executed and payment of the Purchase Price (and any applicable transfer taxes) was made; provided, however, that, if the date of such surrender and payment is a date upon which the transfer books of the Company for such Preferred Shares or other securities are closed, such Person shall be deemed to have become the record holder of such shares on, and such certificate shall be dated, the next succeeding Business Day on which the transfer books of the Company for such Preferred Shares or other securities are open. Prior to the exercise of the Rights evidenced thereby, the holder of a Right Certificate shall not be entitled to any rights of a holder of Preferred Shares for which the Rights shall be exercisable, including, without limitation, the right to vote, to receive dividends or other distributions or to exercise any preemptive rights, and shall not be entitled to receive any notice of any proceedings of the Company, except as provided herein.
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Section 11. Adjustment of Purchase Price, Number of Shares or Number of Rights. The Purchase Price, the number of Preferred Shares or other securities or property purchasable upon exercise of each Right and the number of Rights outstanding are subject to adjustment from time to time as provided in this Section 11.
(a) (i) In the event the Company shall at any time after the date of this Agreement (A) declare and pay a dividend on the Preferred Shares payable in Preferred Shares, (B) subdivide the outstanding Preferred Shares, (C) combine the outstanding Preferred Shares into a smaller number of Preferred Shares or (D) issue any shares of its capital stock in a reclassification of the Preferred Shares (including any such reclassification in connection with a share exchange, consolidation or merger in which the Company is the continuing or surviving corporation), except as otherwise provided in this Section 11(a), the Purchase Price in effect at the time of the record date for such dividend or of the effective date of such subdivision, combination or reclassification, and the number and kind of shares of capital stock issuable upon exercise of a Right as of the record date for such dividend or the effective date of such subdivision, combination or reclassification shall be proportionately adjusted so that the holder of any Right exercised after such time shall be entitled to receive the aggregate number and kind of shares of capital stock that, if such Right had been exercised immediately prior to such date and at a time when the Preferred Shares transfer books of the Company were open, such holder would have owned upon such exercise and been entitled to receive by virtue of such dividend, subdivision, combination or reclassification; provided, however, that in no event shall the consideration to be paid upon the exercise of one Right be less than the aggregate par value of the shares of capital stock of the Company issuable upon exercise of one Right.
(ii) Subject to Section 24, in the event any Person becomes an Acquiring Person, each holder of a Right shall thereafter have the right to receive, upon exercise thereof at a price equal to the then current Purchase Price multiplied by the number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share for which a Right is then exercisable (without regard to this Section 11(a)(ii)), in accordance with the terms of this Agreement and in lieu of Preferred Shares, such number of Common Shares of the Company as shall equal the result obtained by (A) multiplying the then current Purchase Price (as so adjusted) by the number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share for which a Right is then exercisable and dividing that product by (B) 50% of the then current per share market price of the Common Shares of the Company (determined pursuant to Section 11(d)) on the date of the occurrence of such event. In the event that any Person shall become an Acquiring Person and the Rights shall then be outstanding, the Company shall not take any action that would eliminate or diminish the benefits intended to be afforded by the Rights.
Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, from and after the occurrence of such event, any Rights that are or were acquired or Beneficially Owned by (A) any Acquiring Person (or any Affiliate or Associate of such Acquiring Person), (B) a transferee of any Acquiring Person (or of any such Affiliate or Associate) who becomes a transferee after the occurrence of such event or (C) a transferee of any Acquiring Person (or of any such Affiliate or Associate) who became a transferee prior to or concurrently with the occurrence of such event pursuant to either (x) a transfer (whether or not for consideration) from such Acquiring Person to holders of its equity securities or to any Person with whom it has any continuing agreement, arrangement or understanding (whether or not in writing) regarding the transferred Rights or (y) a transfer that the Board of Directors of the Company has determined is part of a plan, arrangement or understanding that has the purpose or effect of avoiding the provisions of this paragraph, and subsequent transferees, either direct transferees or transferees through one or more intermediate transferees, of such Persons, shall be null and void without any further action, and any holder of such Rights shall thereafter have no right to exercise such Rights under any provision of this Agreement or otherwise. No Right Certificate shall be issued pursuant to Section 3 or Section 6 that represents Rights Beneficially Owned by an Acquiring Person or other Person whose Rights would be null and void pursuant to the preceding sentence or any Associate or Affiliate thereof; no Right Certificate shall be issued at any time upon the transfer of any Rights to an Acquiring Person or other Person whose Rights would be null and void pursuant to the preceding sentence or any Associate or Affiliate thereof or to any nominee of such Acquiring Person, Associate or Affiliate or with respect to any Common Shares otherwise deemed to be Beneficially Owned by any of the foregoing; and any Right Certificate delivered to the Rights Agent for transfer to an Acquiring Person or other Person whose Rights would be null and void pursuant to the preceding sentence shall be canceled. The Company shall give the Rights Agent written notice of the identity, if known, of any such Acquiring Person, Associate or Affiliate, or the nominee of any of the foregoing, and the Rights Agent may rely on such written notice in carrying out its duties under this Agreement and shall be deemed not to have any knowledge of the identity of any such Acquiring Person, Associate or Affiliate, or the nominee of any of the foregoing, unless and until it shall have received such written notice. From and after the occurrence of an event specified in Section 13(a), any Rights that theretofore have not been exercised pursuant to this Section 11(a)(ii) shall thereafter be exercisable only in accordance with Section 13 and not pursuant to this Section 11(a)(ii).
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(iii) The Company may, at its option, substitute for a Common Share issuable upon the exercise of Rights in accordance with the foregoing subparagraph (ii) a number of Preferred Shares or fraction thereof such that the current per share market price of one Preferred Share multiplied by such number or fraction is equal to the current per share market price of one Common Share. In the event that there shall not be sufficient Common Shares issued but not outstanding or authorized but unissued to permit the exercise in full of the Rights in accordance with the foregoing subparagraph (ii), the Board of Directors of the Company shall, with respect to such deficiency, to the extent permitted by applicable law and any material agreements then in effect to which the Company is a party, (A) determine the excess (such excess, the “Spread”) of (1) the value of the Common Shares issuable upon the exercise of a Right in accordance with the foregoing subparagraph (ii) (the “Current Value”) over (2) the Purchase Price (as adjusted in accordance with the foregoing subparagraph (ii)), and (B) with respect to each Right (other than Rights that have become void pursuant to the foregoing subparagraph (ii)), make adequate provision to substitute for the Common Shares issuable in accordance with the foregoing subparagraph (ii) upon exercise of the Right and payment of the Purchase Price (as adjusted in accordance therewith), (1) cash, (2) a reduction in such Purchase Price, (3) Preferred Shares or other equity securities of the Company (including, without limitation, shares or fractions of shares of preferred stock that, by virtue of having dividend, voting and liquidation rights substantially comparable to those of the Common Shares, are determined by the Board of Directors of the Company to have substantially the same value as the Common Shares (such Preferred Shares and shares or fractions of shares of preferred stock are hereinafter referred to as “Common Stock Equivalents”)), (4) debt securities of the Company, (5) other assets or (6) any combination of the foregoing having a value, which, when added to the value of the Common Shares issued upon the exercise of such Right(s), shall have an aggregate value equal to the Current Value (less the amount of any reduction in such Purchase Price), where such aggregate value has been determined by the Board of Directors of the Company; provided, however, that if the Company shall not make adequate provision to deliver value pursuant to clause (B) above within thirty (30) days following the date a Person became an Acquiring Person, then the Company shall be obligated to deliver, to the extent permitted by applicable law and any material agreements then in effect to which the Company is a party, upon the surrender for the exercise of a Right and without requiring payment of such Purchase Price, Common Shares (to the extent available), and then, if necessary, such number or fractions of Preferred Shares (to the extent available) and then, if necessary, cash, which shares and/or cash have an aggregate value equal to the Spread. If, upon the occurrence of a Person first becoming an Acquiring Person, the Board of Directors of the Company shall determine that it is likely that sufficient additional Common Shares could be authorized for issuance upon exercise in full of the Rights, then, if the Board of Directors of the Company so elects, the thirty (30) day period set forth above may be extended to the extent necessary, but not for more than ninety (90) days after the date a Person became an Acquiring Person, in order that the Company may seek stockholder approval for the authorization of such additional shares (such thirty (30) day period, as it may be extended, is herein called the “Substitution Period”). To the extent that the Company determines that some action need be taken pursuant to the second and/or third sentence of this Section 11(a)(iii), the Company (x) shall provide, subject to Section 11(a)(ii) and the last sentence of this Section 11(a)(iii), that such action shall apply uniformly to all outstanding Rights and (y) may suspend the exercisability of the Rights until the expiration of the Substitution Period in order to seek any authorization of additional shares and/or to decide the appropriate form of distribution to be made pursuant to such second sentence and to determine the value thereof. In the event of any such suspension, the Company shall issue a public announcement stating that the exercisability of the Rights has been temporarily suspended, as well as a public announcement at such time as the suspension is no longer in effect, in each case, with simultaneous written notice to the Rights Agent. For purposes of this Section 11(a)(iii), the per share value of the Common Shares shall be the current per share market price (as determined pursuant to Section 11(d)(i)) on the date a Person became an Acquiring Person and the per share or fractional value of any Common Stock Equivalent shall be deemed to equal the current per share market price of the Common Shares. The Board of Directors of the Company may, but shall not be required to, establish procedures to allocate the right to receive Common Shares upon the exercise of the Rights among the holders of Rights pursuant to this Section 11(a)(iii).
(b) In case the Company shall fix a record date for the issuance of rights, options or warrants to all holders of Preferred Shares entitling them (for a period expiring within 45 calendar days after such record date) to subscribe for or purchase Preferred Shares (or shares having the same rights, privileges and preferences as the Preferred Shares (“Equivalent Preferred Shares”)) or securities convertible into Preferred Shares or Equivalent Preferred Shares at a price per Preferred Share or Equivalent Preferred Share (or having a conversion price per share, if a security convertible into Preferred Shares or Equivalent Preferred Shares) less than the then current per share market price of the Preferred Shares (as determined pursuant to Section 11(d)) on such record date, the Purchase Price to be in effect after such record date shall be determined by multiplying the Purchase Price in effect immediately prior to such record date by a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the number of Preferred Shares or Equivalent Preferred Shares outstanding on such record date plus the number of Preferred Shares or Equivalent Preferred Shares that the aggregate offering price of the total number of Preferred Shares and/or Equivalent Preferred Shares so to be offered (and/or the aggregate initial conversion price of the convertible securities so to be offered) would purchase at such current market price and the denominator of which shall be the number of Preferred Shares or Equivalent Preferred Shares outstanding on such record date plus the number of additional Preferred Shares and/or Equivalent Preferred Shares to be offered for subscription or purchase (or into which the convertible securities so to be offered are initially convertible); provided, however, that in no event shall the consideration to be paid upon the exercise of one Right be less than the aggregate par value of the shares of capital stock of the Company issuable upon exercise of one Right. In case such subscription price may be paid in consideration a part or all of which shall be in a form other than cash, the value of such consideration shall be as determined by the Board of Directors of the Company, whose determination shall be described in a written statement filed with the Rights Agent. Preferred Shares owned by or held for the account of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company shall not be deemed outstanding for the purpose of any such computation. Such adjustment shall be made successively whenever such a record date is fixed; and, in the event that such rights, options or warrants are not so issued, the Purchase Price shall be adjusted to be the Purchase Price that would then be in effect if such record date had not been fixed.
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(c) In case the Company shall fix a record date for the making of a distribution to all holders of the Preferred Shares (including any such distribution made in connection with a share exchange, consolidation or merger in which the Company is the continuing or surviving corporation) of evidences of indebtedness or assets (other than a regular quarterly cash dividend or a dividend payable in Preferred Shares) or subscription rights or warrants (excluding those referred to in Section 11(b)), the Purchase Price to be in effect after such record date shall be determined by multiplying the Purchase Price in effect immediately prior to such record date by a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the then current per share market price of the Preferred Shares on such record date, less the fair market value (as determined by the Board of Directors of the Company, whose determination shall be described in a written statement filed with the Rights Agent) of the portion of the assets or evidences of indebtedness so to be distributed or of such subscription rights or warrants applicable to one Preferred Share and the denominator of which shall be such then current per share market price of the Preferred Shares on such record date; provided, however, that in no event shall the consideration to be paid upon the exercise of one Right be less than the aggregate par value of the shares of capital stock of the Company to be issued upon the exercise of one Right. Such adjustments shall be made successively whenever such a record date is fixed; and, in the event that such distribution is not so made, the Purchase Price shall again be adjusted to be the Purchase Price that would then be in effect if such record date had not been fixed.
(d) (i) Except as otherwise provided herein, for the purpose of any computation hereunder, the “current per share market price” of any security (a “Security” for the purpose of this Section 11(d)(i)) on any date shall be deemed to be the average of the daily closing prices per share of such Security for the thirty (30) consecutive Trading Days immediately prior to but not including such date; provided, however, that in the event that the current per share market price of the Security is determined during a period following the announcement by the issuer of such Security of (A) a dividend or distribution on such Security payable in shares of such Security or Securities convertible into such shares, or (B) any subdivision, combination or reclassification of such Security and prior to but not including the expiration of the thirty (30) Trading Days after but not including the ex-dividend date for such dividend or distribution, or the record date for such subdivision, combination or reclassification, then, and in each such case, the current per share market price shall be appropriately adjusted to reflect the current market price per share equivalent of such Security. The closing price for each day shall be the last sale price, regular way, reported at or prior to 4:00 P.M. Eastern time or, in case no such sale takes place on such day, the average of the closing bid and asked prices, regular way, reported as of 4:00 P.M. Eastern time, in either case, as reported in the principal consolidated transaction reporting system with respect to securities listed or admitted to trading on the New York Stock Exchange or Nasdaq or, if the Security is not listed or admitted to trading on the New York Stock Exchange or Nasdaq, as reported in the principal consolidated transaction reporting system with respect to securities listed on the principal national securities exchange on which the Security is listed or admitted to trading or, if the Security is not listed or admitted to trading on any national securities exchange, the last quoted price reported at or prior to 4:00 P.M. Eastern time or, if not so quoted, the average of the high bid and low asked prices in the over-the-counter market, as reported as of 4:00 P.M. Eastern time by Nasdaq or such other system then in use, or, if on any such date the Security is not quoted by any such organization, the average of the closing bid and asked prices as furnished by a professional market maker making a market in the Security selected by the Board of Directors of the Company. The term “Trading Day” shall mean a day on which the principal national securities exchange on which the Security is listed or admitted to trading is open for the transaction of business, or, if the Security is not listed or admitted to trading on any national securities exchange, a Business Day.
(ii) For the purpose of any computation hereunder, if the Preferred Shares are publicly traded, the “current per share market price” of the Preferred Shares shall be determined in accordance with the method set forth in Section 11(d)(i). If the Preferred Shares are not publicly traded and the Common Shares are publicly traded, the “current per share market price” of the Preferred Shares shall be conclusively deemed to be the current per share market price of the Common Shares as determined pursuant to Section 11(d)(i) (appropriately adjusted to reflect any stock split, stock dividend or similar transaction occurring after the date hereof), multiplied by one hundred (or, from and after the occurrence of any event specified in the last sentence of Section 2(A) of the Certificate of Designation of the Preferred Shares, such adjusted number as determined pursuant to such sentence). If neither the Common Shares nor the Preferred Shares are publicly traded, “current per share market price” shall mean the fair value per share as determined by the Board of Directors of the Company, whose determination shall be described in a written statement filed with the Rights Agent.
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(e) No adjustment in the Purchase Price shall be required unless such adjustment would require an increase or decrease of at least 1% in the Purchase Price; provided, however, that any adjustments that by reason of this Section 11(e) are not required to be made shall be carried forward and taken into account in any subsequent adjustment. All calculations under this Section 11 shall be made to the nearest cent or to the nearest one one-millionth of a Preferred Share or one ten-thousandth of any other share or security, as the case may be. Notwithstanding the first sentence of this Section 11(e), any adjustment required by this Section 11 shall be made no later than the date of the expiration of the right to exercise any Rights.
(f) If, as a result of an adjustment made pursuant to Section 11(a), the holder of any Right thereafter exercised shall become entitled to receive any shares of capital stock of the Company other than Preferred Shares, thereafter the Purchase Price and the number of such other shares so receivable upon the exercise of any Right shall be subject to adjustment from time to time in a manner and on terms as nearly equivalent as practicable to the provisions with respect to the Preferred Shares contained in Sections 11(a) through (c), 11(e), 11(h), 11(i) and 11(m), inclusive, and the provisions of Sections 7, 9, 10 and 13 with respect to the Preferred Shares shall apply on like terms to any such other shares.
(g) All Rights originally issued by the Company subsequent to any adjustment made to the Purchase Price hereunder shall evidence the right to purchase, at the adjusted Purchase Price, the number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share purchasable from time to time hereunder upon exercise of the Rights, all subject to further adjustment as provided herein.
(h) Unless the Company shall have exercised its election as provided in Section 11(i), upon each adjustment of the Purchase Price as a result of the calculations made in Sections 11(b) and (c), each Right outstanding immediately prior to the making of such adjustment shall thereafter evidence the right to purchase, at the adjusted Purchase Price, that number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share (calculated to the nearest one one-millionth of a Preferred Share) obtained by (A) multiplying (x) the number of one one-hundredths of a share covered by a Right immediately prior to this adjustment by (y) the Purchase Price in effect immediately prior to such adjustment of the Purchase Price and (B) dividing the product so obtained by the Purchase Price in effect immediately after such adjustment of the Purchase Price.
(i) The Company may elect, on or after the date of any adjustment of the Purchase Price, to adjust the number of Rights in substitution for any adjustment in the number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share purchasable upon the exercise of a Right. Each of the Rights outstanding after such adjustment of the number of Rights shall be exercisable for the number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share for which a Right was exercisable immediately prior to such adjustment. Each Right held of record prior to such adjustment of the number of Rights shall become that number of Rights (calculated to the nearest one ten-thousandth) obtained by dividing the Purchase Price in effect immediately prior to adjustment of the Purchase Price by the Purchase Price in effect immediately after adjustment of the Purchase Price. The Company shall make a public announcement of its election to adjust the number of Rights, indicating the record date for the adjustment, and, if known at the time, the amount of the adjustment to be made. This record date may be the date on which the Purchase Price is adjusted or any day thereafter, but, if the Right Certificates have been issued, shall be at least ten (10) days later than the date of the public announcement. If Right Certificates have been issued, upon each adjustment of the number of Rights pursuant to this Section 11(i), the Company shall, as promptly as practicable, cause to be distributed to holders of record of Right Certificates on such record date Right Certificates evidencing, subject to Section 14, the additional Rights to which such holders shall be entitled as a result of such adjustment, or, at the option of the Company, shall cause to be distributed to such holders of record in substitution and replacement for the Right Certificates held by such holders prior to the date of adjustment, and upon surrender thereof, if required by the Company, new Right Certificates evidencing all of the Rights to which such holders shall be entitled after such adjustment. Right Certificates so to be distributed shall be issued, executed and countersigned in the manner provided for herein, and shall be registered in the names of the holders of record of Right Certificates on the record date specified in the public announcement.
(j) Irrespective of any adjustment or change in the Purchase Price or in the number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share issuable upon the exercise of the Rights, the Right Certificates theretofore and thereafter issued may continue to express the Purchase Price and the number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share that were expressed in the initial Right Certificates issued hereunder.
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(k) Before taking any action that would cause an adjustment reducing the Purchase Price below one one-hundredth of the then par value, if any, of the Preferred Shares or other capital stock issuable upon exercise of the Rights, the Company shall take any corporate action that may, in the opinion of its counsel, be necessary in order that the Company may validly and legally issue fully paid and nonassessable Preferred Shares or such other securities at such adjusted Purchase Price.
(l) In any case in which this Section 11 shall require that an adjustment in the Purchase Price be made effective as of a record date for a specified event, the Company may elect to defer until the occurrence of such event the issuing to the holder of any Right exercised after such record date of the Preferred Shares and other capital stock or securities of the Company, if any, issuable upon such exercise over and above the Preferred Shares and other capital stock or securities of the Company, if any, issuable upon such exercise on the basis of the Purchase Price in effect prior to such adjustment; provided, however, that the Company shall deliver to such holder a due bill or other appropriate instrument evidencing such holder’s right to receive such additional shares upon the occurrence of the event requiring such adjustment.
(m) Anything in this Section 11 to the contrary notwithstanding, the Company shall be entitled to make such adjustments to the Purchase Price, in addition to those adjustments expressly required by this Section 11, as and to the extent that it, in its sole discretion, shall determine to be advisable in order that any consolidation or subdivision of the Preferred Shares, issuance wholly for cash of any Preferred Shares at less than the current market price, issuance wholly for cash of Preferred Shares or securities that by their terms are convertible into or exchangeable for Preferred Shares, dividends on Preferred Shares payable in Preferred Shares or issuance of rights, options or warrants referred to in Section 11(b), hereafter made by the Company to holders of the Preferred Shares shall not be taxable to such stockholders.
(n) Anything in this Agreement to the contrary notwithstanding, in the event that, at any time after the date of this Agreement and prior to the Distribution Date, the Company shall (i) declare and pay any dividend on the Common Shares payable in Common Shares, or (ii) effect a subdivision, combination or consolidation of the Common Shares (by reclassification or otherwise than by payment of dividends in Common Shares) into a greater or lesser number of Common Shares, then, in any such case, the number of Rights associated with each Common Share then outstanding, or issued or delivered thereafter, shall be proportionately adjusted so that the number of Rights thereafter associated with each Common Share following any such event shall equal the result obtained by multiplying the number of Rights associated with each Common Share immediately prior to such event by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of Common Shares outstanding immediately before such event and the denominator of which is the number of Common Shares outstanding immediately after such event. The adjustments provided for in this Section 11(n) shall be made successively whenever such a dividend is declared or paid or such a subdivision, combination or consolidation is effected.
(o) The Company agrees that, after the earlier of the Distribution Date or the Shares Acquisition Date, it will not, except as permitted by Section 23, Section 24 or Section 27, take (or permit any Subsidiary to take) any action if at the time such action is taken it is reasonably foreseeable that such action will diminish substantially or eliminate the benefits intended to be afforded by the Rights.
Section 12. Certificate of Adjusted Purchase Price or Number of Shares. Whenever an adjustment is made or any event affecting the Rights or their exercisability (including, without limitation, an event that causes the Rights to become null and void) occurs as provided in Section 11 or 13, the Company shall promptly (a) prepare a certificate setting forth such adjustment and a brief statement of the facts accounting for such adjustment, (b) file with the Rights Agent and with each transfer agent for the Common Shares or the Preferred Shares a copy of such certificate and (c) if such adjustment occurs at any time after the Distribution Date, mail a brief summary thereof to each holder of a Right Certificate in accordance with Section 25. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, the failure of the Company to make such certification or give such notice shall not affect the validity of such adjustment or the force or effect of the requirement for such adjustment. The Rights Agent shall be fully protected in relying on any such certificate and on any adjustment or statement therein contained and shall not be deemed to have knowledge of any such adjustment or event unless and until it shall have received such certificate.
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Section 13. Consolidation, Merger or Sale or Transfer of Assets or Earning Power.
(a) In the event, directly or indirectly, at any time after a Person has become an Acquiring Person, (a) the Company shall consolidate with, or merge with and into, any other Person, (b) any Person shall merge with and into the Company and the Company shall be the continuing or surviving corporation of such merger and, in connection with such merger, all or part of the Common Shares shall be changed into or exchanged for stock or other securities of any other Person (or the Company) or cash or any other property, or (c) the Company shall sell or otherwise transfer (or one or more of its Subsidiaries shall sell or otherwise transfer), in one or more transactions, assets or earning power aggregating 50% or more of the assets or earning power of the Company and its Subsidiaries (taken as a whole) to any other Person other than the Company or one or more of its wholly-owned Subsidiaries, then, upon the first occurrence of such event, proper provision shall be made so that: (i) each holder of a Right (other than Rights that have become void pursuant to Section 11(a)(ii)) shall thereafter have the right to receive, upon the exercise thereof at a price equal to the then current Purchase Price (as theretofore adjusted in accordance with Section 11(a)(ii)), in accordance with the terms of this Agreement and in lieu of Preferred Shares or Common Shares of the Company, such number of validly authorized and issued, fully paid, non-assessable and freely tradeable Common Shares of such Principal Party (as such term is hereinafter defined), not subject to any liens, encumbrances, rights of first refusal or other adverse claims, as shall equal the result obtained by dividing (A) the then current Purchase Price (as theretofore adjusted in accordance with Section 11(a)(ii)) by (B) 50% of the then current per share market price of the Common Shares of such Principal Party (determined pursuant to Section 11(d)) on the date of consummation of such consolidation, merger, sale or transfer; provided, however, that the Purchase Price (as theretofore adjusted in accordance with Section 11(a)(ii)) and the number of Common Shares of such Principal Party so receivable upon the exercise of a Right shall be subject to further adjustment as appropriate in accordance with Section 11(f) to reflect any events occurring in respect of the Common Shares of such Principal Party after the occurrence of such consolidation, merger, sale or transfer; (ii) the issuer of such Common Shares shall thereafter be liable for, and shall assume, by virtue of such consolidation, merger, sale or transfer, all of the obligations and duties of the Company pursuant to this Agreement; (iii) the term “Company” shall thereafter be deemed to refer to such issuer; and (iv) such issuer shall take such steps (including, but not limited to, the reservation of a sufficient number of its Common Shares in accordance with Section 9) in connection with the consummation of any such transaction as may be necessary to assure that the provisions hereof shall thereafter be applicable, as nearly as reasonably may be, in relation to the Common Shares thereafter deliverable upon the exercise of the Rights; provided that, upon the subsequent occurrence of any consolidation, merger, sale or transfer of assets or other extraordinary transaction in respect of such Principal Party, each holder of a Right shall thereupon be entitled to receive, upon exercise of a Right and payment of the Purchase Price as provided in this Section 13(a), such cash, shares, rights, warrants and other property that such holder would have been entitled to receive had such holder, at the time of such transaction, owned the Common Shares of such Principal Party receivable upon the exercise of a Right pursuant to this Section 13(a), and such Principal Party shall take such steps (including, but not limited to, reservation of shares of stock) as may be necessary to permit the subsequent exercise of the Rights in accordance with the terms hereof for such cash, shares, rights, warrants and other property.
(b) “Principal Party” shall mean:
(i) in the case of any transaction described in clause (i) or (ii) of the first sentence of Section 13(a): (A) the Person that is the issuer of the securities into which the Common Shares are converted in such merger or consolidation, or, if there is more than one such issuer, the issuer Common Shares of which have the greatest aggregate market value of shares outstanding, or (B) if no securities are so issued, (x) the Person that is the other party to the merger, if such Person survives said merger, or, if there is more than one such Person, the Person the Common Shares of which have the greatest aggregate market value of shares outstanding or (y) if the Person that is the other party to the merger does not survive the merger, the Person that does survive the merger (including the Company if it survives) or (z) the Person resulting from the consolidation; and
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(ii) in the case of any transaction described in clause (iii) of the first sentence of Section 13(a), the Person that is the party receiving the greatest portion of the assets or earning power transferred pursuant to such transaction or transactions, or, if each Person that is a party to such transaction or transactions receives the same portion of the assets or earning power so transferred or if the Person receiving the greatest portion of the assets or earning power cannot be determined, whichever of such Persons is the issuer of the Common Shares having the greatest aggregate market value of shares outstanding;
provided, however, that in any such case described in the foregoing clause (b)(i) or (b)(ii), if the Common Shares of such Person are not at such time or have not been continuously over the preceding 12-month period registered under Section 12 of the Exchange Act, then (1) if such Person is a direct or indirect Subsidiary of another Person the Common Shares of which are and have been so registered, the term “Principal Party” shall refer to such other Person, or (2) if such Person is a Subsidiary, directly or indirectly, of more than one Person, the Common Shares of all of which are and have been so registered, the term “Principal Party” shall refer to whichever of such Persons is the issuer of Common Shares having the greatest aggregate market value of shares outstanding, or (3) if such Person is owned, directly or indirectly, by a joint venture formed by two or more Persons that are not owned, directly or indirectly, by the same Person, the rules set forth in clauses (1) and (2) above shall apply to each of the owners having an interest in the venture as if the Person owned by the joint venture were a Subsidiary of both or all of such joint venturers, and the Principal Party, in each such case, shall bear the obligations set forth in this Section 13 in the same ratio as its interest in such Person bears to the total of such interests.
(c) The Company shall not consummate any consolidation, merger, sale or transfer referred to in Section 13(a) unless prior thereto the Company and the Principal Party involved therein shall have executed and delivered to the Rights Agent an agreement confirming that the requirements of Sections 13(a) and (b) shall promptly be performed in accordance with their terms and that such consolidation, merger, sale or transfer of assets shall not result in a default by the Principal Party under this Agreement as the same shall have been assumed by the Principal Party pursuant to Sections 13(a) and (b) and providing that, as soon as practicable after executing such agreement pursuant to this Section 13, the Principal Party will:
(i) prepare and file a registration statement under the Securities Act, if necessary, with respect to the Rights and the securities purchasable upon exercise of the Rights on an appropriate form, use its best efforts to cause such registration statement to become effective as soon as practicable after such filing and use its best efforts to cause such registration statement to remain effective (with a prospectus at all times meeting the requirements of the Securities Act) until the Expiration Date and similarly comply with applicable state securities laws;
(ii) use its best efforts, if the Common Shares of the Principal Party shall be listed or admitted to trading on the New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq or another national securities exchange, to list or admit to trading (or continue the listing of) the Rights and the securities purchasable upon exercise of the Rights on the New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq or such other securities exchange, or, if the Common Shares of the Principal Party shall not be listed or admitted to trading on the New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq or another national securities exchange, to cause the Rights and the securities receivable upon exercise of the Rights to be authorized for quotation on any other system then in use;
(iii) deliver to holders of the Rights historical financial statements for the Principal Party that comply in all respects with the requirements for registration on Form 10 (or any successor form) under the Exchange Act; and
(iv) obtain waivers of any rights of first refusal or preemptive rights in respect of the Common Shares of the Principal Party subject to purchase upon the exercise of outstanding Rights.
(d) In case the Principal Party has a provision in any of its authorized securities or in its certificate of incorporation or by-laws or other instrument governing its affairs, which provision would have the effect of (i) causing such Principal Party to issue (other than to holders of Rights pursuant to this Section 13), in connection with, or as a consequence of, the consummation of a transaction referred to in this Section 13, Common Shares or Common Stock Equivalents of such Principal Party at less than the then current market price per share thereof (determined pursuant to Section 11(d)) or securities exercisable for, or convertible into, Common Shares or Common Stock Equivalents of such Principal Party at less than such then current market price, or (ii) providing for any special payment, tax or similar provision in connection with the issuance of the Common Shares of such Principal Party pursuant to the provisions of this Section 13, then, in such event, the Company hereby agrees with each holder of Rights that it shall not consummate any such transaction unless prior thereto the Company and such Principal Party shall have executed and delivered to the Rights Agent a supplemental agreement providing that the provision in question of such Principal Party shall have been canceled, waived or amended, or that the authorized securities shall be redeemed, so that the applicable provision will have no effect in connection with, or as a consequence of, the consummation of the proposed transaction.
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(e) The Company covenants and agrees that it shall not, at any time after any Person becomes an Acquiring Person, enter into any transaction of the type described in clauses (i) through (iii) of Section 13(a) if (i) at the time of or immediately after such consolidation, merger, sale, transfer or other transaction there are any rights, warrants or other instruments or securities outstanding or agreements in effect which would substantially diminish or otherwise eliminate the benefits intended to be afforded by the Rights, (ii) prior to, simultaneously with or immediately after such consolidation, merger, sale, transfer or other transaction, the stockholders of the Person that constitutes, or would constitute, the Principal Party for purposes of Section 13(b) shall have received a distribution of Rights previously owned by such Person or any of its Affiliates or Associates or (iii) the form or nature of organization of the Principal Party would preclude or limit the exercisability of the Rights.
(f) Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, in the event of any merger or other acquisition transaction involving the Company pursuant to a merger or other acquisition agreement between the Company and any Person (or one or more of such Person’s Affiliates or Associates), which agreement has been approved by the Board of Directors of the Company prior to any Person becoming an Acquiring Person, this Agreement and the rights of holders of Rights hereunder shall be terminated in accordance with Section 7(a).
Section 14. Fractional Rights and Fractional Shares.
(a) The Company shall not be required to issue fractions of Rights (except prior to the Distribution Date in accordance with Section 11(n)) or to distribute Right Certificates that evidence fractional Rights. If the Company determines not to issue fractional Rights, then in lieu of such fractional Rights, there shall be paid to the registered holders of the Right Certificates with regard to which such fractional Rights would otherwise be issuable an amount in cash equal to the same fraction of the current market value of a whole Right. For the purposes of this Section 14(a), the current market value of a whole Right shall be the closing price of the Rights for the Trading Day immediately prior to the date on which such fractional Rights would have been otherwise issuable. The closing price for any day shall be the last sale price, regular way, or, in case no such sale takes place on such day, the average of the closing bid and asked prices, regular way, in either case, as reported in the principal consolidated transaction reporting system with respect to securities listed or admitted to trading on the New York Stock Exchange or Nasdaq or, if the Rights are not listed or admitted to trading on the New York Stock Exchange or Nasdaq, as reported in the principal consolidated transaction reporting system with respect to securities listed on the principal national securities exchange on which the Rights are listed or admitted to trading or, if the Rights are not listed or admitted to trading on any national securities exchange, the last quoted price or, if not so quoted, the average of the high bid and low asked prices in the over-the-counter market, as reported by any system then in use or, if on any such date the Rights are not quoted by any such organization, the average of the closing bid and asked prices as furnished by a professional market maker making a market in the Rights selected by the Board of Directors of the Company. If on any such date no such market maker is making a market in the Rights, the fair value of the Rights on such date as determined by the Board of Directors of the Company shall be used.
(b) The Company shall not be required to issue fractions of Preferred Shares (other than fractions that are integral multiples of one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share) or to distribute certificates which evidence fractional Preferred Shares (other than fractions that are integral multiples of one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share) upon exercise or exchange of the Rights. Fractions of Preferred Shares in integral multiples of one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share may, at the election of the Company, be evidenced by depositary receipts, pursuant to an appropriate agreement between the Company and a depositary selected by it; provided that such agreement shall provide that the holders of such depositary receipts shall have all of the rights, privileges and preferences to which they are entitled as beneficial owners of the Preferred Shares represented by such depositary receipts. In lieu of fractional Preferred Shares that are not integral multiples of one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share, the Company shall pay to the registered holders of Right Certificates at the time such Rights are exercised or exchanged as herein provided an amount in cash equal to the same fraction of the current market value of one Preferred Share. For the purposes of this Section 14(b), the current market value of a Preferred Share shall be the closing price of a Preferred Share (as determined pursuant to Section 14(a)) for the Trading Day immediately prior to the date of such exercise or exchange.
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(c) The Company shall not be required to issue fractions of Common Shares or to distribute certificates that evidence fractional Common Shares upon the exercise or exchange of Rights. In lieu of such fractional Common Shares, the Company shall pay to the registered holders of the Right Certificates with regard to which such fractional Common Shares would otherwise be issuable an amount in cash equal to the same fraction of the current market value of a whole Common Share. For purposes of this Section 14(c), the current market value of one Common Share for which a Right is exercisable shall be deemed to be the closing price of one Common Share (as determined in accordance with Section 11(d)(i)) on the Trading Day immediately prior to the date of such exercise.
(d) The holder of a Right, by the acceptance of the Right, expressly waives such holder’s right to receive any fractional Rights or any fractional shares upon exercise or exchange of a Right (except as provided above).
(e) Whenever a payment for fractional Rights or fractional shares is to be made by the Rights Agent, the Company shall (i) promptly prepare and deliver to the Rights Agent a certificate setting forth in reasonable detail the facts related to such payments and the prices and/or formulas utilized in calculating such payments, and (ii) provide sufficient monies to the Rights Agent in the form of fully collected funds to make such payments. The Rights Agent shall be fully protected in relying upon such a certificate and shall have no duty with respect to, and shall not be deemed to have knowledge of, any payment for fractional Rights or fractional shares under any section of this Agreement relating to the payment of fractional Rights or fractional shares unless and until the Rights Agent shall have received such a certificate and sufficient monies.
Section 15. Rights of Action. All rights of action in respect of this Agreement, excepting the rights of action given to the Rights Agent pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, including under Sections 18 and/or 20, are vested in the respective registered holders of the Right Certificates (and, prior to the Distribution Date, the registered holders of the Common Shares); and any registered holder of any Right Certificate (or, prior to the Distribution Date, any registered holder of Common Shares), without the consent of the Rights Agent or of the holder of any other Right Certificate (or, prior to the Distribution Date, of the Common Shares), may, in such holder’s own behalf and for such holder’s own benefit, enforce, and may institute and maintain any suit, action or proceeding against the Company to enforce, or otherwise act in respect of, such holder’s right to exercise the Rights evidenced by such Right Certificate (or, prior to the Distribution Date, such Common Shares) in the manner provided in such Right Certificate and in this Agreement. Without limiting the foregoing or any remedies available to the holders of Rights, it is specifically acknowledged that the holders of Rights would not have an adequate remedy at law for any breach of this Agreement, and will be entitled to specific performance of the obligations under, and injunctive relief against actual or threatened violations of the obligations of any Person subject to, this Agreement.
Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, neither the Company nor the Rights Agent shall have any liability to any holder of a Right or other Person as a result of its inability to perform any of its obligations under this Agreement by reason of any preliminary or permanent injunction or other order, judgment, decree or ruling (whether interlocutory or final) issued by a court or by a governmental, regulatory, self-regulatory or administrative agency or commission, or by any statute, rule, regulation or executive order promulgated or enacted by any governmental authority, prohibiting or otherwise restraining performance of such obligations.
Section 16. Agreement of Right Holders. Every holder of a Right, by accepting the same, consents and agrees with the Company and the Rights Agent and with every other holder of a Right that:
(a) prior to the Distribution Date, the Rights will be transferable only in connection with the transfer of the Common Shares;
(b) after the Distribution Date, the Right Certificates are transferable (subject to the provisions of this Agreement) only on the registry books of the Rights Agent if surrendered at the office or offices of the Rights Agent designated for such purpose, duly endorsed or accompanied by a proper instrument of transfer; and
(c) the Company and the Rights Agent may deem and treat the person in whose name the Right Certificate (or, prior to the Distribution Date, the associated Common Share certificate (or Book Entry Common Share)) is registered as the absolute owner thereof and of the Rights evidenced thereby (notwithstanding any notations of ownership or writing on the Right Certificate or the associated Common Shares certificate (or Book Entry Common Share) made by anyone other than the Company or the Rights Agent) for all purposes whatsoever, and neither the Company nor the Rights Agent, subject to Section 7(e), shall be affected by any notice to the contrary.
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Section 17. Right Certificate Holder Not Deemed a Stockholder. No holder, as such, of any Right shall be entitled to vote, receive dividends or be deemed for any purpose the holder of the Preferred Shares or any other securities of the Company that may at any time be issuable on the exercise or exchange of the Rights represented thereby, nor shall anything contained herein or in any Right Certificate be construed to confer upon the holder of any Right Certificate, as such, any of the rights of a stockholder of the Company or any right to vote for the election of directors or upon any matter submitted to stockholders at any meeting thereof, or to give or withhold consent to any corporate action, or to receive notice of meetings or other actions affecting stockholders (except as provided in Section 25), or to receive dividends or subscription rights, or otherwise, until the Right or Rights evidenced by such Right Certificate shall have been exercised or exchanged in accordance with the provisions hereof.
Section 18. Concerning the Rights Agent. The Company agrees to pay to the Rights Agent reasonable compensation for all services rendered by it hereunder in accordance with a fee schedule to be mutually agreed upon and, from time to time, on demand of the Rights Agent, to reimburse the Rights Agent for all of its reasonable expenses and counsel fees and other disbursements incurred in the preparation, negotiation, delivery, amendment, administration and execution of this Agreement and the exercise and performance of its duties hereunder. The Company also agrees to indemnify the Rights Agent for, and to hold it harmless against, any loss, liability, damage, judgment, fine, penalty, claim, demand, settlement or expense (including, without limitation, the reasonable fees and expenses of legal counsel), incurred without gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct on the part of the Rights Agent (which gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct must be determined by a final, non-appealable judgment, order, decree or ruling of a court of competent jurisdiction), for any action taken, suffered or omitted to be taken by the Rights Agent in connection with the acceptance, administration, exercise and performance of its duties under this Agreement, including the costs and expenses of defending against any claim of liability in connection herewith.
The Rights Agent shall be protected and shall incur no liability for, or in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted to be taken by it in connection with, its acceptance and administration of this Agreement and the exercise and performance of its duties hereunder in reliance upon any Right Certificate or certificate representing the Preferred Shares, the Common Shares or any other securities of the Company, instrument of assignment or transfer, power of attorney, endorsement, affidavit, letter, notice, direction, consent, certificate, statement, or other paper or document believed by it to be genuine and to be signed, executed and, where necessary, verified or acknowledged, by the proper Person or Persons, or otherwise upon the advice or opinion of counsel as set forth in Section 20. The Rights Agent shall not be deemed to have knowledge of any event of which it was supposed to receive notice thereof hereunder, and the Rights Agent shall be fully protected and shall incur no liability for failing to take action in connection therewith, unless and until it has received such notice in writing. The provisions of this Section 18 and Section 20 shall survive the termination or expiration of this Agreement, the exercise or expiration of the Rights and the resignation, replacement or removal of the Rights Agent.
Section 19. Merger or Consolidation or Change of Name of Rights Agent. Any Person into which the Rights Agent or any successor Rights Agent may be merged or with which it may be consolidated, or any Person resulting from any merger or consolidation to which the Rights Agent or any successor Rights Agent shall be a party, or any Person succeeding to the stock transfer or shareowner services business of the Rights Agent or any successor Rights Agent, shall be the successor to the Rights Agent under this Agreement without the execution or filing of any paper or document or any further act on the part of any of the parties hereto; provided that such Person would be eligible for appointment as a successor Rights Agent under the provisions of Section 21. In case at the time such successor Rights Agent shall succeed to the agency created by this Agreement, any of the Right Certificates shall have been countersigned but not delivered, any such successor Rights Agent may adopt the countersignature of the predecessor Rights Agent and deliver such Right Certificates so countersigned; and, in case at that time any of the Right Certificates shall not have been countersigned, any successor Rights Agent may countersign such Right Certificates either in the name of the predecessor Rights Agent or in the name of the successor Rights Agent; and, in all such cases, such Right Certificates shall have the full force provided in the Right Certificates and in this Agreement.
In case at any time the name of the Rights Agent shall be changed and at such time any of the Right Certificates shall have been countersigned but not delivered, the Rights Agent may adopt the countersignature under its prior name and deliver the Right Certificates so countersigned; and, in case at that time any of the Right Certificates shall not have been countersigned, the Rights Agent may countersign such Right Certificates either in its prior name or in its changed name; and, in all such cases, such Right Certificates shall have the full force provided in the Right Certificates and in this Agreement.
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Section 20. Duties of Rights Agent. The Rights Agent undertakes the duties and obligations imposed by this Agreement upon the following terms and conditions, by all of which the Company and the holders of Right Certificates, by their acceptance thereof, shall be bound:
(a) The Rights Agent may consult with legal counsel (who may be legal counsel for the Company or an employee of the Rights Agent), and the advice or opinion of such counsel shall be full and complete authorization and protection to the Rights Agent and the Rights Agent shall incur no liability for or in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted to be taken by it in the absence of bad faith and in accordance with such advice or opinion.
(b) Whenever in the performance of its duties under this Agreement the Rights Agent shall deem it necessary or desirable that any fact or matter (including, without limitation, the identity of an Acquiring Person and the determination of the current per share market price of any security) be proved or established by the Company prior to taking, suffering or omitting to take any action hereunder, such fact or matter (unless other evidence in respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed) may be deemed to be conclusively proved and established by a certificate signed by any one of the President and Chief Executive Officer or any Executive or Senior Vice President and by the Treasurer or any Assistant Treasurer or the Secretary or any Assistant Secretary of the Company and delivered to the Rights Agent; and such certificate shall be full and complete authorization and protection to the Rights Agent, and the Rights Agent shall incur no liability for any action taken, suffered or omitted to be taken by it in the absence of bad faith under the provisions of this Agreement in reliance upon such a certificate.
(c) The Rights Agent shall be liable hereunder only for its own gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct (which gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct must be determined by a final, non-appealable order, judgment, decree or ruling of a court of competent jurisdiction). Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, in no event will the Rights Agent be liable for special, indirect or consequential loss or damage of any kind whatsoever (including, but not limited to, lost profits), even if the Rights Agent has been advised of the likelihood of such loss or damage and regardless of the form of action. Any liability of the Rights Agent under this Agreement will be limited to the amount of annual fees paid by the Company to the Rights Agent.
(d) The Rights Agent shall not be liable for or by reason of any of the statements of fact or recitals contained in this Agreement or in the Right Certificates (except its countersignature thereof) or be required to verify the same, but all such statements and recitals are and shall be deemed to have been made by the Company only.
(e) The Rights Agent shall not have any liability or be under any responsibility in respect of the validity of this Agreement or the execution and delivery hereof (except the due execution hereof by the Rights Agent) or in respect of the validity or execution of any Right Certificate (except its countersignature thereof); nor shall it be liable or responsible for any breach by the Company of any covenant or condition contained in this Agreement or in any Right Certificate; nor shall it be liable or responsible for any change in the exercisability of the Rights (including the Rights becoming null and void pursuant to Section 11(a)(ii)) or any adjustment in the terms of the Rights (including the manner, method or amount thereof) provided for in Section 3, 11, 13, 23 or 24, or the ascertaining of the existence of facts that would require any such change or adjustment (except with respect to the exercise of Rights evidenced by Right Certificates after receipt of a certificate furnished pursuant to Section 12 describing such change or adjustment upon which the Rights Agent may rely); nor shall it by any act hereunder be deemed to make any representation or warranty as to the authorization or reservation of any Preferred Shares to be issued pursuant to this Agreement or any Right Certificate or as to whether any Preferred Shares or other securities will, when issued, be validly authorized and issued, fully paid and nonassessable.
(f) The Company agrees that it will perform, execute, acknowledge and deliver or cause to be performed, executed, acknowledged and delivered all such further and other acts, instruments and assurances as may reasonably be required by the Rights Agent for the carrying out or performing by the Rights Agent of the provisions of this Agreement.
(g) The Rights Agent is hereby authorized and directed to accept instructions with respect to the performance of its duties hereunder from the President and Chief Executive Officer or any Executive or Senior Vice President or the Secretary or any Assistant Secretary or the Treasurer or any Assistant Treasurer of the Company and to apply to such officers for advice or instructions in connection with its duties, and it shall not be liable for any action taken, suffered or omitted to be taken by it in the absence of bad faith in accordance with the instructions of any such officer or for any delay in acting while waiting for those instructions.
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(h) The Rights Agent and any stockholder, director, Affiliate, officer or employee of the Rights Agent may buy, sell or deal in any of the Rights or other securities of the Company or become pecuniarily interested in any transaction in which the Company may be interested, or contract with or lend money to the Company or otherwise act as fully and freely as though it were not Rights Agent under this Agreement. Nothing herein shall preclude the Rights Agent from acting in any other capacity for the Company or for any other Person.
(i) The Rights Agent may execute and exercise any of the rights or powers hereby vested in it or perform any duty hereunder either itself (through its directors, officers and employees) or by or through its attorneys or agents, and the Rights Agent shall not be answerable or accountable for any act, default, neglect or misconduct of any such attorneys or agents or for any loss to the Company resulting from any such act, default, neglect or misconduct, absent gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct (which gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct must be determined by a final, non-appealable order, judgment, decree or ruling of a court of competent jurisdiction) in the selection and continued employment thereof.
(j) If, with respect to any Right Certificate surrendered to the Rights Agent for exercise or transfer, the certificate contained in the form of assignment or the form of election to purchase set forth on the reverse thereof, as the case may be, has not been completed to certify that the holder is not an Acquiring Person (or an Affiliate or Associate thereof) or a transferee thereof, the Rights Agent shall not take any further action with respect to such requested exercise or transfer without first consulting with the Company.
Section 21. Change of Rights Agent. The Rights Agent or any successor Rights Agent may resign and be discharged from its duties under this Agreement upon 30 days’ notice in writing mailed to the Company and, in the event that the Rights Agent or one of its Affiliates is not also the transfer agent for the Company, to each transfer agent of the Common Shares or the Preferred Shares by registered or certified mail. In the event the transfer agency relationship in effect between the Company and the Rights Agent terminates, the Rights Agent will be deemed to have resigned automatically and be discharged from its duties as Rights Agent under this Agreement as of the effective date of such termination and the Company shall be responsible for sending any required notice relating to such termination. The Company may remove the Rights Agent or any successor Rights Agent (with or without cause) upon 30 days’ notice in writing, mailed to the Rights Agent or successor Rights Agent, as the case may be, and to each transfer agent of the Common Shares or the Preferred Shares by registered or certified mail, and, following the Distribution Date, to the holders of the Right Certificates by first-class mail. If the Rights Agent shall resign or be removed or shall otherwise become incapable of acting, the Company shall appoint a successor to the Rights Agent. If the Company shall fail to make such appointment within a period of thirty (30) days after giving notice of such removal or after it has been notified in writing of such resignation or incapacity by the resigning or incapacitated Rights Agent or by the holder of a Right Certificate (which holder shall, with such notice, submit such holder’s Right Certificate for inspection by the Company), then the incumbent Rights Agent or registered holder of any Right Certificate may apply to any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a new Rights Agent. Any successor Rights Agent, whether appointed by the Company or by such a court, shall be either (a) a Person organized and doing business under the laws of the United States of America, in good standing, that is authorized under such laws to exercise corporate trust or stock transfer or shareowner services powers and is subject to supervision or examination by applicable federal or state authority or authorities and that has, together with its Affiliates, at the time of its appointment as Rights Agent, a combined capital and surplus of at least $50 million or (b) an Affiliate of such Person. After appointment, the successor Rights Agent shall be vested with the same powers, rights, duties and responsibilities as if it had been originally named as Rights Agent without further act or deed; but the predecessor Rights Agent shall deliver and transfer to the successor Rights Agent any property at the time held by it hereunder, and execute and deliver any further assurance, conveyance, act or deed necessary for the purpose. Not later than the effective date of any such appointment, the Company shall file notice thereof in writing with the predecessor Rights Agent and each transfer agent of the Common Shares or the Preferred Shares, and, following the Distribution Date, mail a notice thereof in writing to the registered holders of the Right Certificates. Failure to give any notice provided for in this Section 21, however, or any defect therein, shall not affect the legality or validity of the resignation or removal of the Rights Agent or the appointment of the successor Rights Agent, as the case may be.
Section 22. Issuance of New Right Certificates. Notwithstanding any of the provisions of this Agreement or of the Rights to the contrary, the Company may, at its option, issue new Right Certificates evidencing Rights in such form as may be approved by the Board of Directors of the Company to reflect any adjustment or change in the Purchase Price and the number or kind or class of shares or other securities or property purchasable under the Right Certificates made in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement. In addition, in connection with the issuance or sale of Common Shares following the Distribution Date and prior to the Expiration Date, the Company may with respect to Common Shares so issued or sold (i) pursuant to the exercise of stock options, (ii) under any employee plan or arrangement, (iii) upon the exercise, conversion or exchange of securities, notes or debentures issued by the Company or (iv) pursuant to a contractual obligation of the Company, in each case, existing prior to the Distribution Date, issue Rights Certificates representing the appropriate number of Rights in connection with such issuance or sale.
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Section 23. Redemption. (a) The Board of Directors of the Company may, at its option, at any time prior to the occurrence of any Person becoming an Acquiring Person, redeem all but not less than all of the then outstanding Rights at a redemption price of $0.001 per Right, appropriately adjusted to reflect any stock split, stock dividend or similar transaction in respect of the Common Shares occurring after the date hereof (such redemption price being hereinafter referred to as the “Redemption Price”). The redemption of the Rights by the Board of Directors of the Company may be made effective at such time, on such basis and with such conditions as the Board of Directors of the Company, in its sole discretion, may establish. The Redemption Price shall be payable, at the option of the Company, in cash, Common Shares or such other form of consideration as the Board of Directors of the Company shall determine.
(b) Immediately upon the action of the Board of Directors of the Company ordering the redemption of the Rights pursuant to paragraph (a) of this Section 23 (or at such later time as the Board of Directors of the Company may establish for the effectiveness of such redemption), and without any further action and without any notice, the right to exercise the Rights will terminate and the only right thereafter of the holders of Rights shall be to receive the Redemption Price. The Company shall promptly give public notice of any such redemption (with prompt written notice to the Rights Agent); provided, however, that the failure to give, or any defect in, any such notice shall not affect the validity of such redemption. Within ten (10) days after such action of the Board of Directors of the Company ordering the redemption of the Rights (or at such later time as the Board of Directors of the Company may establish for the effectiveness of such redemption), the Company shall mail a notice of redemption to all of the holders of the then outstanding Rights at their last addresses as they appear upon the registry books of the Rights Agent or, prior to the Distribution Date, on the registry books of the transfer agent for the Common Shares. Any notice that is mailed in the manner herein provided shall be deemed given, whether or not the holder receives the notice. Each such notice of redemption will state the method by which the payment of the Redemption Price will be made.
Section 24. Exchange. (a) The Board of Directors of the Company may, at its option, at any time after any Person becomes an Acquiring Person, exchange all or part of the then outstanding and exercisable Rights (which shall not include Rights that have become null and void pursuant to the provisions of Section 11(a)(ii)) for Common Shares at an exchange ratio of one Common Share per Right, appropriately adjusted to reflect any stock split, stock dividend or similar transaction occurring in respect of the Common Shares after the date hereof (such exchange ratio being hereinafter referred to as the “Exchange Ratio”). Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Board of Directors of the Company shall not be empowered to effect such exchange at any time after any Acquiring Person becomes the Beneficial Owner of 50% or more of the Common Shares then outstanding. From and after the occurrence of an event specified in Section 13(a), any Rights that theretofore have not been exchanged pursuant to this Section 24(a) shall thereafter be exercisable only in accordance with Section 13 and may not be exchanged pursuant to this Section 24(a).
(b) Immediately upon the effectiveness of the action of the Board of Directors of the Company ordering the exchange of any Rights pursuant to paragraph (a) of this Section 24 and without any further action and without any notice, the right to exercise such Rights shall terminate and the only right thereafter of a holder of such Rights shall be to receive that number of Common Shares equal to the number of such Rights held by such holder multiplied by the Exchange Ratio. The Company shall promptly give public notice of any such exchange (with prompt written notice to the Rights Agent); provided, however, that the failure to give, or any defect in, such notice shall not affect the validity of such exchange. The Company promptly shall mail a notice of any such exchange to all of the holders of such Rights at their last addresses as they appear upon the registry books of the Rights Agent. Any notice that is mailed in the manner herein provided shall be deemed given, whether or not the holder receives the notice. Each such notice of exchange will state the method by which the exchange of the Common Shares for Rights will be effected, and, in the event of any partial exchange, the number of Rights that will be exchanged. Any partial exchange shall be effected pro rata based on the number of Rights (other than Rights that have become null and void pursuant to the provisions of Section 11(a)(ii)) held by each holder of Rights.
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(c) The Company may at its option substitute, and in the event that there shall not be sufficient Common Shares issued but not outstanding or authorized but unissued to permit any exchange of Rights as contemplated in accordance with this Section 24, the Company shall substitute to the extent of such insufficiency, for each Common Share that would otherwise be issuable upon exchange of a Right, a number of Preferred Shares or fraction thereof such that the current per share market price of one Preferred Share multiplied by such number or fraction is equal to the current per share market price of one Common Share as of the date of such exchange.
(d) The Company shall not be required to issue fractions of Common Shares or to distribute certificates that evidence fractional Common Shares. If the Company decides not to issue fractional shares, then in lieu of such fractional Common Shares, the Company shall pay to the registered holders of the Right Certificates with regard to which such fractional Common Shares would otherwise be issuable an amount in cash equal to the same fraction of the current market value of a whole Common Share. For the purposes of this paragraph (d), the current market value of a whole Common Share shall be the closing price of a Common Share (as determined pursuant to the second sentence of Section 11(d)(i)) for the Trading Day immediately prior to the date of exchange pursuant to this Section 24.
(e) The exchange of the Rights by the Board of Directors of the Company may be made effective at such time, on such basis and with such conditions as the Board of Directors of the Company, in its sole discretion, may establish. Upon declaring an exchange pursuant to this Section 24, or as promptly as reasonably practicable thereafter, the Company may implement such procedures as it deems appropriate, in its sole discretion, for the purpose of ensuring that the Common Shares (or such other consideration) issuable upon an exchange pursuant to this Section 24 are not received by holders of Rights that have become null and void pursuant to Section 11(a)(ii). Before effecting an exchange pursuant to this Section 24, the Board of Directors of the Company, at its sole option, may direct the Company to enter into a Trust Agreement in such form and with such terms as the Board of Directors of the Company shall then approve (the “Trust Agreement”). If the Board of Directors of the Company so directs, the Company shall enter into the Trust Agreement and the Company shall issue to the trust created by the Trust Agreement (the “Trust”) all or a portion (as designated by the Board of Directors of the Company) of the Common Shares and other securities, if any, distributable pursuant to the exchange, and all stockholders entitled to distribution of such shares or other securities (and any dividends or distributions made thereon after the date on which such shares or other securities are deposited in the Trust) shall be entitled to receive a distribution of such shares or other securities (and any dividends or distributions made thereon after the date on which such shares or other securities are deposited in the Trust) only from the Trust and solely upon compliance with all relevant terms and provisions of the Trust Agreement. Prior to effecting an exchange and registering Common Shares (or other such securities) in any Person’s name, including any nominee or transferee of a Person, the Company may require (or cause the trustee of the Trust to require), as a condition thereof, that any holder of Rights provide evidence, including, without limitation, the identity of the Beneficial Owners thereof and their Affiliates and Associates (or former Beneficial Owners thereof and their Affiliates and Associates) as the Company reasonably requests in order to determine if such Rights are null and void. Any Common Shares or other securities issued at the direction of the Board of Directors of the Company in connection herewith shall be validly issued, fully paid and nonassessable Common Shares or of such other securities (as the case may be).
Section 25. Notice of Certain Events. (a) In case the Company shall, at any time after the earlier of the Shares Acquisition Date and the Distribution Date, propose (i) to pay any dividend payable in stock of any class to the holders of the Preferred Shares or to make any other distribution to the holders of the Preferred Shares (other than a regular quarterly cash dividend), (ii) to offer to the holders of the Preferred Shares rights or warrants to subscribe for or to purchase any additional Preferred Shares or shares of stock of any class or any other securities, rights or options, (iii) to effect any reclassification of the Preferred Shares (other than a reclassification involving only the subdivision or combination of outstanding Preferred Shares), (iv) to effect the liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company, or (v) to declare or pay any dividend on the Common Shares payable in Common Shares or to effect a subdivision, combination or consolidation of the Common Shares (by reclassification or otherwise than by payment of dividends in Common Shares), then, in each such case, the Company shall give to the Rights Agent and each holder of a Right Certificate, in accordance with Section 26, a notice of such proposed action, which shall specify the record date for the purposes of such dividend, distribution or offering of rights or warrants, or the date on which such reclassification, combination, subdivision, consolidation, liquidation, dissolution or winding up is to take place and the date of participation therein by the holders of the Common Shares and/or Preferred Shares, if any such date is to be fixed, and such notice shall be so given in the case of any action covered by clause (i) or (ii) above at least ten (10) days prior to the record date for determining holders of the Preferred Shares for purposes of such action, and, in the case of any such other action, at least ten (10) days prior to the date of the taking of such proposed action or the date of participation therein by the holders of the Common Shares and/or Preferred Shares, whichever shall be the earlier. The failure to give notice required by this Section 25 or any defect therein shall not affect the legality or validity of the action taken by the Company or the vote upon any such action.
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(b) In case the event set forth in Sections 11(a)(ii) or Section 13 shall occur, then the Company shall, as soon as practicable thereafter, give to each holder of a Right Certificate (or, if occurring prior to the Distribution Date, the holders of the Common Shares of the Company), in accordance with Section 26, a notice of the occurrence of such event, which notice shall describe such event and the consequences of such event to holders of Rights under Section 11(a)(ii) or Section 13 and all references in the preceding paragraph to Preferred Shares shall be deemed thereafter to refer to Common Shares of the Company or, if appropriate, other securities.
Section 26. Notices. Notices or demands authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the Rights Agent or by the holder of any Right to or on the Company shall be sufficiently given or made if sent by overnight delivery service or first-class or express United States mail, FedEx or United Parcel Service or any other nationally recognized courier service, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed by the Company in writing with the Rights Agent) as follows:
FreightCar America, Inc.
125 South Wacker Drive
Suite 1500
Chicago, Illinois 60606
Attention: Nicholas Randall
Subject to the provisions of Section 21, any notice or demand authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the Company or by the holder of any Right to or on the Rights Agent shall be sufficiently given or made if in writing and sent by overnight delivery service or first-class mail, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed by the Rights Agent in writing with the Company) as follows:
Computershare Trust Company, N.A.
150 Royall Street
Canton, MA 02021
Attention: Client Services
With a copy to:
Computershare Trust Company, N.A.
150 Royall Street
Canton, MA 02021
Attention: Legal Department
Notices or demands authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the Company or the Rights Agent to the holder of any Right Certificate shall be sufficiently given or made if sent by first-class mail, postage prepaid, addressed to such holder at the address of such holder as shown on the registry books of the Company.
Section 27. Supplements and Amendments. Except as provided in the third sentence of this Section 27, for so long as the Rights are then redeemable, the Company may, and the Rights Agent shall, if directed by the Company, from time to time supplement or amend this Agreement in any respect without the approval of any holders of the Rights. At any time when the Rights are no longer redeemable, except as provided in the third sentence of this Section 27, the Company may, and the Rights Agent shall, if the Company so directs, supplement or amend this Agreement without the approval of any holders of the Rights, provided that no such supplement or amendment may (a) adversely affect the interests of the holders of Rights as such (other than an Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate of any Acquiring Person), (b) cause this Agreement again to become amendable other than in accordance with this sentence or (c) cause the Rights again to become redeemable. Notwithstanding anything contained in this Agreement to the contrary, no supplement or amendment shall be made that changes the Redemption Price. Any such supplement or amendment shall be evidenced by a writing signed by the Company and the Rights Agent. Upon the delivery of a certificate from an appropriate officer of the Company that states that the proposed supplement or amendment is in compliance with the terms of this Section 27, the Rights Agent shall execute such supplement or amendment; provided, however, that the Rights Agent may, but shall not be obligated to, enter into any supplement or amendment that affects the Rights Agent’s own rights, duties, or obligations under this Agreement.
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Section 28. Successors. All the covenants and provisions of this Agreement by or for the benefit of the Company or the Rights Agent shall bind and inure to the benefit of their respective successors and assigns hereunder.
Section 29. Benefits of this Agreement. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to give to any Person other than the Company, the Rights Agent and the registered holders of the Right Certificates (and, prior to the Distribution Date, the Common Shares) any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under this Agreement; but this Agreement shall be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the Company, the Rights Agent and the registered holders of the Right Certificates (and, prior to the Distribution Date, the Common Shares).
Section 30. Determinations and Actions by the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors of the Company shall have the exclusive power and authority to administer this Agreement and to exercise the rights and powers specifically granted to the Board of Directors of the Company or to the Company, or as may be necessary or advisable in the administration of this Agreement, including, without limitation, the right and power to (i) interpret the provisions of this Agreement and (ii) make all determinations deemed necessary or advisable for the administration of this Agreement (including, without limitation, a determination to redeem or not redeem the Rights or to amend or not amend this Agreement). All such actions, calculations, interpretations and determinations that are done or made by the Board of Directors of the Company in good faith shall be final, conclusive and binding on the Company, the Rights Agent, the holders of the Rights, as such, and all other parties.
Nothing in this Section 30 nor this Agreement shall modify the fiduciary duties of the directors to the Company and its stockholders, nor eliminate or otherwise limit the liability of the directors for breaches of fiduciary duty.
Section 31. Severability. If any term, provision, covenant or restriction of this Agreement is held by a court of competent jurisdiction or other applicable authority to be invalid, void or unenforceable, the remainder of the terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated; provided, however, that, if any such excluded term, provision, covenant or restriction shall adversely affect the rights, immunities, duties or obligations of the Rights Agent, the Rights Agent shall be entitled to resign immediately.
Section 32. Governing Law. This Agreement and each Right Certificate issued hereunder shall be deemed to be a contract made under the laws of the State of Delaware and for all purposes shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of such State applicable to contracts to be made and performed entirely within such State.
Section 33. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts and each of such counterparts shall for all purposes be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute but one and the same instrument. A signature to this Agreement executed and/or transmitted electronically shall have the same authority, effect and enforceability as an original signature.
Section 34. Descriptive Headings. Descriptive headings of the several Sections of this Agreement are inserted for convenience only and shall not control or affect the meaning or construction of any of the provisions hereof.
Section 35. Reserved.
Section 36. Force Majeure. The Rights Agent will not be liable for any delay or failure in performance when such delay or failure arises from circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including, without limitation, acts of God, acts of government in its sovereign or contractual capacity, acts of public enemy or terrorists, acts of civil or military authority, war, riots, civil strife, terrorism, blockades, sabotage, rationing, embargoes, epidemics, pandemics, outbreaks of infectious diseases or any other public health crises, earthquakes, fire, flood, other natural disaster, quarantine or any other employee restrictions, power shortages or failures, utility or communication failures or delays, labor disputes, strikes, or shortages, supply shortages, equipment failures, or software malfunctions.
Section 37. Confidentiality. The Rights Agent and the Company agree that all books, records, information and data pertaining to the business of the other party, including inter alia, personal, non-public holder information, which are exchanged or received pursuant to the negotiation or the carrying out of this Agreement, including the fees for services set forth in any applicable schedule, shall remain confidential, and shall not be voluntarily disclosed to any other person, except as may be required by applicable law, including, without limitation, pursuant to subpoenas from state or federal government authorities (e.g., in divorce and criminal actions).
[SIGNATURE PAGE FOLLOWS]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed, all as of the day and year first above written.
| FREIGHTCAR AMERICA, INC. | |||
| By: | /s/ Nicholas Randall | ||
| Name: | Nick Randall | ||
| Title: | President and Chief Executive Officer | ||
| COMPUTERSHARE TRUST COMPANY, N.A., as Rights Agent | |||
| By: | /s/ Patrick Hayes | ||
| Name: | Patrick Hayes | ||
| Title: | Manager, Client Management | ||
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Exhibit A
FORM
of
CERTIFICATE OF DESIGNATION
of
SERIES E JUNIOR PARTICIPATING PREFERRED STOCK
of
FREIGHTCAR AMERICA, INC.
(Pursuant
to Section 151 of the
Delaware General Corporation Law)
FreightCar America, Inc., a corporation organized and existing under the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (hereinafter called the “Corporation”), hereby certifies that the following resolution was adopted by the Board of Directors of the Corporation as required by Section 151 of the General Corporation Law at a meeting duly called and held on August 5, 2026:
RESOLVED, that pursuant to the authority granted to and vested in the Board of Directors of this Corporation (hereinafter called the “Board of Directors” or the “Board”) in accordance with the provisions of the Corporation’s Certificate of Incorporation, the Board of Directors hereby creates a series of Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share, of the Corporation (the “Preferred Stock”), and hereby states the designation and number of shares, and fixes the voting and other powers, preferences and relative, participating, optional or other rights of the shares of such series and the qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof as follows:
Series E Junior Participating Preferred Stock:
Section 1. Designation and Amount. The shares of such series shall be designated as “Series E Junior Participating Preferred Stock” (the “Series E Preferred Stock”) and the number of shares constituting the Series E Preferred Stock shall be 1,000,000. Such number of shares may be increased or decreased by resolution of the Board of Directors; provided that no decrease shall reduce the number of shares of Series E Preferred Stock to a number less than the number of shares then outstanding plus the number of shares reserved for issuance upon the exercise of outstanding options, rights or warrants or upon the conversion of any outstanding securities issued by the Corporation convertible into or exercisable for Series E Preferred Stock.
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Section 2. Dividends and Distributions.
(A) Subject to the prior and superior rights of the holders of any shares of any series of Preferred Stock (or any similar stock) ranking prior and superior to the Series E Preferred Stock with respect to dividends, the holders of shares of Series E Preferred Stock, in preference to the holders of Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Common Stock”), of the Corporation, and of any other junior stock, shall be entitled to receive, when, as and if declared by the Board of Directors out of funds legally available for the purpose, quarterly dividends payable in cash on the first day of March, June, September and December in each year (each such date being referred to herein as a “Quarterly Dividend Payment Date”), commencing on the first Quarterly Dividend Payment Date after the first issuance of a share or fraction of a share of Series E Preferred Stock, in an amount per share (rounded to the nearest cent) equal to the greater of (a) $1 or (b) subject to the provision for adjustment hereinafter set forth, 100 times the aggregate per share amount of all cash dividends, and 100 times the aggregate per share amount (payable in kind) of all non-cash dividends or other distributions, other than a dividend payable in shares of Common Stock or a subdivision of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (by reclassification or otherwise), declared on the Common Stock since the immediately preceding Quarterly Dividend Payment Date or, with respect to the first Quarterly Dividend Payment Date, since the first issuance of any share or fraction of a share of Series E Preferred Stock. In the event the Corporation shall at any time declare or pay any dividend on the Common Stock payable in shares of Common Stock, or effect a subdivision or combination or consolidation of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (by reclassification or otherwise than by payment of a dividend in shares of Common Stock) into a greater or lesser number of shares of Common Stock, then in each such case the amount to which holders of shares of Series E Preferred Stock were entitled immediately prior to such event under clause (b) of the preceding sentence shall be adjusted by multiplying such amount by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after such event and the denominator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock that were outstanding immediately prior to such event.
(B) The Corporation shall declare a dividend or distribution on the Series E Preferred Stock as provided in paragraph (A) of this Section immediately after it declares a dividend or distribution on the Common Stock (other than a dividend payable in shares of Common Stock).
(C) Dividends shall begin to accrue and be cumulative on outstanding shares of Series E Preferred Stock from the Quarterly Dividend Payment Date next preceding the date of issue of such shares, unless the date of issue of such shares is prior to the record date for the first Quarterly Dividend Payment Date, in which case dividends on such shares shall begin to accrue from the date of issue of such shares, or unless the date of issue is a Quarterly Dividend Payment Date or is a date after the record date for the determination of holders of shares of Series E Preferred Stock entitled to receive a quarterly dividend and before such Quarterly Dividend Payment Date, in either of which events such dividends shall begin to accrue and be cumulative from such Quarterly Dividend Payment Date. Accrued but unpaid dividends shall not bear interest. Dividends paid on the shares of Series E Preferred Stock in an amount less than the total amount of such dividends at the time accrued and payable on such shares shall be allocated pro rata on a share-by-share basis among all such shares at the time outstanding. The Board of Directors may fix a record date for the determination of holders of shares of Series E Preferred Stock entitled to receive payment of a dividend or distribution declared thereon, which record date shall be not more than 60 days prior to the date fixed for the payment thereof.
Section 3. Voting Rights. The holders of shares of Series E Preferred Stock shall have the following voting rights:
(A) Subject to the provision for adjustment hereinafter set forth, each share of Series E Preferred Stock shall entitle the holder thereof to 100 votes on all matters submitted to a vote of the stockholders of the Corporation. In the event the Corporation shall at any time declare or pay any dividend on the Common Stock payable in shares of Common Stock, or effect a subdivision or combination or consolidation of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (by reclassification or otherwise than by payment of a dividend in shares of Common Stock) into a greater or lesser number of shares of Common Stock, then in each such case the number of votes per share to which holders of shares of Series E Preferred Stock were entitled immediately prior to such event shall be adjusted by multiplying such number by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after such event and the denominator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock that were outstanding immediately prior to such event.
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(B) Except as otherwise provided herein, in any other Certificate of Designation creating a series of Preferred Stock or any similar stock, or by law, the holders of shares of Series E Preferred Stock and the holders of shares of Common Stock and any other capital stock of the Corporation having general voting rights shall vote together as one class on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders of the Corporation.
(C) Except as set forth herein, or as otherwise provided by law, holders of Series E Preferred Stock shall have no special voting rights and their consent shall not be required (except to the extent they are entitled to vote with holders of Common Stock as set forth herein) for taking any corporate action.
Section 4. Certain Restrictions.
(A) Whenever quarterly dividends or other dividends or distributions payable on the Series E Preferred Stock as provided in Section 2 are in arrears, thereafter and until all accrued and unpaid dividends and distributions, whether or not declared, on shares of Series E Preferred Stock outstanding shall have been paid in full, the Corporation shall not:
(i) declare or pay dividends on, make any other distributions on, or redeem or purchase or otherwise acquire for consideration any shares of stock ranking junior (either as to dividends or upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up) to the Series E Preferred Stock other than: (A) such redemptions or purchases that may be deemed to occur upon the exercise of stock options, warrants or similar rights or grant, vesting or lapse of restrictions on the grant of any other performance shares, restricted stock, restricted stock units or other equity awards to the extent that such shares represent all or a portion of (x) the exercise or purchase price of such options, warrants or similar rights or other equity awards and (y) the amount of withholding taxes owed by the recipient of such award in respect of such grant, exercise, vesting or lapse of restrictions; and (B) the repurchase, redemption or other acquisition or retirement for value of any such shares from employees, former employees, directors, former directors, consultants or former consultants of the Corporation or their respective estate, spouse, former spouse or family member, pursuant to the terms of the agreements pursuant to which such shares were acquired;
(ii) declare or pay dividends, or make any other distributions, on any shares of stock ranking on a parity (either as to dividends or upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up) with the Series E Preferred Stock, except dividends paid ratably on the Series E Preferred Stock and all such parity stock on which dividends are payable or in arrears in proportion to the total amounts to which the holders of all such shares are then entitled; or(iii) redeem or purchase or otherwise acquire for consideration any shares of Series E Preferred Stock, or any shares of stock ranking on a parity with the Series E Preferred Stock, except in accordance with a purchase offer made in writing or by publication (as determined by the Board of Directors) to all holders of such shares upon such terms as the Board of Directors, after consideration of the respective annual dividend rates and other relative rights and preferences of the respective series and classes, shall determine will result in fair and equitable treatment among the respective series or classes.
(B) The Corporation shall not permit any subsidiary of the Corporation to purchase or otherwise acquire for consideration any shares of stock of the Corporation unless the Corporation could, under paragraph (A) of this Section 4, purchase or otherwise acquire such shares at such time and in such manner.
Section 5. Reacquired Shares. Any shares of Series E Preferred Stock purchased or otherwise acquired by the Corporation in any manner whatsoever shall be retired promptly after the acquisition thereof. All such shares shall upon their retirement become authorized but unissued shares of Preferred Stock and may be reissued as part of a new series of Preferred Stock subject to the conditions and restrictions on issuance set forth herein, in the Certificate of Incorporation or in any other Certificate of Designation creating a series of Preferred Stock or any similar stock or as otherwise required by law.
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Section 6. Liquidation, Dissolution or Winding Up. Upon any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Corporation, voluntary or otherwise, no distribution shall be made (1) to the holders of shares of stock ranking junior (either as to dividends or upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up) to the Series E Preferred Stock unless, prior thereto, the holders of shares of Series E Preferred Stock shall have received $100 per share, or an amount equal to 100 times the amount paid with respect to one share of Common Stock, whichever is greater, plus an amount equal to accrued and unpaid dividends and distributions thereon, whether or not declared, to the date of such payment, or (2) to the holders of shares of stock ranking on a parity (either as to dividends or upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up) with the Series E Preferred Stock, except distributions made ratably on the Series E Preferred Stock and all such parity stock in proportion to the total amounts to which the holders of all such shares are entitled upon such liquidation, dissolution or winding up. In the event the Corporation shall at any time declare or pay any dividend on the Common Stock payable in shares of Common Stock, or effect a subdivision or combination or consolidation of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (by reclassification or otherwise than by payment of a dividend in shares of Common Stock) into a greater or lesser number of shares of Common Stock, and a proportionate dividend in shares of Series E Preferred Stock or proportionate subdivision or combination or consolidation of the outstanding shares of Series E Preferred Stock is not made at the same time, then in each such case the aggregate amount to which holders of shares of Series E Preferred Stock were entitled immediately prior to such event under the proviso in clause (1) of the preceding sentence shall be adjusted by multiplying such amount by a fraction the numerator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after such event and the denominator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock that were outstanding immediately prior to such event.
Section 7. Consolidation, Merger, etc., In case the Corporation shall enter into any consolidation, merger, combination or other transaction in which the outstanding shares of Common Stock are exchanged for or changed into other stock or securities, cash and/or any other property, then in any such case each share of Series E Preferred Stock shall at the same time be similarly exchanged or changed into an amount per share, subject to the provision for adjustment hereinafter set forth, equal to 100 times the aggregate amount of stock, securities, cash and/or any other property (payable in kind), as the case may be, into which or for which each share of Common Stock is changed or exchanged. In the event the Corporation shall at any time declare or pay any dividend on the Common Stock payable in shares of Common Stock, or effect a subdivision or combination or consolidation of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (by reclassification or otherwise than by payment of a dividend in shares of Common Stock) into a greater or lesser number of shares of Common Stock, then in each such case the amount set forth in the preceding sentence with respect to the exchange or change of shares of Series E Preferred Stock shall be adjusted by multiplying such amount by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after such event and the denominator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock that were outstanding immediately prior to such event.
Section 8. No Redemption. The shares of Series E Preferred Stock shall not be redeemable.
Section 9. Rank. The Series E Preferred Stock shall rank, with respect to the payment of dividends and the distribution of assets, junior to all series of any other class of the Corporation’s Preferred Stock unless the terms of any such series shall provide otherwise and shall rank senior to the Common Stock as to such matters.
Section 10. Amendment. At any time that any shares of Series E Preferred Stock are outstanding, the Certificate of Incorporation of the Corporation shall not be amended, by merger, consolidation, operation of law or otherwise, in any manner that would materially alter or change the powers, preferences or special rights of the Series E Preferred Stock so as to affect them adversely without the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of the outstanding shares of Series E Preferred Stock, voting separately as a single class.
Section 11. Fractional Shares. Series E Preferred Stock may be issued in fractions of a share that shall entitle the holder, in proportion to such holder’s fractional shares, to exercise voting rights, receive dividends, participate in distributions and to have the benefit of all other rights of holders of Series E Preferred Stock.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this Certificate of Designation is executed on behalf of the Corporation as of this__day of __________, 2026.
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Exhibit B
Form of Right Certificate
| Certificate No. R- | ___ Rights |
NOT EXERCISABLE AFTER THE EXPIRATION DATE (AS DEFINED IN THE AGREEMENT) OR EARLIER IF REDEMPTION OR EXCHANGE OCCURS. THE RIGHTS ARE SUBJECT TO REDEMPTION AT $0.001 PER RIGHT AND TO EXCHANGE ON THE TERMS SET FORTH IN THE AGREEMENT. UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES, AS SET FORTH IN THE AGREEMENT, RIGHTS THAT ARE OR WERE BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY OR TRANSFERRED TO ANY PERSON (AS DEFINED IN THE AGREEMENT) THAT BECOMES AN ACQUIRING PERSON (AS DEFINED IN THE AGREEMENT) OR AN ASSOCIATE OR AFFILIATE (EACH AS DEFINED IN THE AGREEMENT), OR CERTAIN TRANSFEREES THEREOF, SHALL BECOME NULL AND VOID AND NON-TRANSFERABLE.
Right Certificate
FREIGHTCAR AMERICA, INC.
This certifies that _______________, or registered assigns, is the registered owner of the number of Rights set forth above, each of which entitles the owner thereof, subject to the terms, provisions and conditions of the Rights Agreement, dated as of August 5, 2026 (the “Agreement”), by and between FreightCar America, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and Computershare Trust Company, N.A., as rights agent (the “Rights Agent”), to purchase from the Company at any time after the Distribution Date (as such term is defined in the Agreement) and prior to 5:00 P.M., New York time, on ___________, 20__, at the office or offices of the Rights Agent designated for such purpose, or at the office of its successor as Rights Agent, one one-hundredth of a fully paid, non-assessable share of Series E Junior Participating Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share, of the Company (the “Preferred Shares”), at a purchase price of $42.00 per one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share (the “Purchase Price”), upon presentation and surrender of this Right Certificate with the Form of Election to Purchase duly executed. The number of Rights evidenced by this Right Certificate (and the number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share that may be purchased upon the exercise hereof) set forth above, and the Purchase Price set forth above, are the number and Purchase Price as of ___________, 20__, based on the Preferred Shares as constituted at such date. As provided in the Agreement, the Purchase Price and the number of one one-hundredths of a Preferred Share (or other securities or property, as the case may be) that may be purchased upon the exercise of the Rights and the number of Rights evidenced by this Right Certificate are subject to modification and adjustment upon the occurrence of certain events.
This Right Certificate is subject to all of the terms, provisions and conditions of the Agreement, which terms, provisions and conditions are hereby incorporated herein by reference and made a part hereof and to which Agreement reference is hereby made for a full description of the rights, limitations of rights, obligations, duties and immunities hereunder of the Rights Agent, the Company and the holders of the Right Certificates. Copies of the Agreement are on file at the principal executive offices of the Company. The Company will mail to the holder of this Right Certificate a copy of the Agreement without charge after receipt of a written request therefor.
B-1
This Right Certificate, with or without other Right Certificates, upon surrender at the office or offices of the Rights Agent designated for such purpose, may be exchanged for another Right Certificate or Right Certificates of like tenor and date evidencing Rights entitling the holder to purchase a like aggregate number of Preferred Shares as the Rights evidenced by the Right Certificate or Right Certificates surrendered shall have entitled such holder to purchase. If this Right Certificate shall be exercised in part, the holder shall be entitled to receive upon surrender hereof another Right Certificate or Right Certificates for the number of whole Rights not exercised.
Subject to the provisions of the Agreement, the Rights evidenced by this Right Certificate (i) may be redeemed by the Company at a redemption price of $0.001 per Right or (ii) may be exchanged in whole or in part for Preferred Shares or shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $0.01 per share.
No fractional Preferred Shares or common shares of the Company will be issued upon the exercise or exchange of any Right or Rights evidenced hereby (other than fractions that are integral multiples of one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share, which may, at the election of the Company, be evidenced by depositary receipts), but, in lieu thereof, a cash payment will be made, as provided in the Agreement.
No holder of this Right Certificate shall be entitled to vote or receive dividends or be deemed for any purpose the holder of the Preferred Shares or of any other securities of the Company that may at any time be issuable on the exercise or exchange hereof, nor shall anything contained in the Agreement or herein be construed to confer upon the holder hereof, as such, any of the rights of a stockholder of the Company or any right to vote for the election of directors or upon any matter submitted to stockholders at any meeting thereof, or to give or withhold consent to any corporate action, or to receive notice of meetings or other actions affecting stockholders (except as provided in the Agreement), or to receive dividends or subscription rights, or otherwise, until the Right or Rights evidenced by this Right Certificate shall have been exercised or exchanged as provided in the Agreement.
This Right Certificate shall not be valid or obligatory for any purpose until it shall have been countersigned by the Rights Agent.
WITNESS the facsimile signature of the proper officers of the Company.
Dated as of ________, _______.
| Attest: | FREIGHTCAR AMERICA, INC. | |||||
| By | ||||||
| Name: | Name: | |||||
| Title: | Title: | |||||
Countersigned: COMPUTERSHARE TRUST COMPANY, N.A., as Rights Agent |
||||||
| By | ||||||
| Name: | ||||||
| Title: | ||||||
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Form of Reverse Side of Right Certificate
FORM OF ASSIGNMENT
(To be executed by the registered holder if such holder desires to transfer the Right Certificate.)
| FOR VALUE RECEIVED ________________ hereby sells, assigns and transfers unto _________________________________________________ |
| (Please print name and address of transferee) |
____________ Rights represented by this Right Certificate, together with all right, title and interest therein, and does hereby irrevocably constitute and appoint Attorney to transfer such Rights on the books of the within-named Company, with full power of substitution.
Dated: ______________________
| Signature |
Signature Guaranteed:
All signatures must be guaranteed by a bank, trust company, broker, dealer or other eligible institution participating in a recognized signature guarantee medallion program.
..............................................................................................................
(To be completed)
The undersigned hereby certifies that the Rights evidenced by this Right Certificate are not Beneficially Owned by, and were not acquired by the undersigned from, and are not being assigned to, an Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate thereof (as such terms are defined in the Agreement).
| Signature |
Form of Reverse Side of Right Certificate - continued
FORM OF ELECTION TO PURCHASE
(To be executed if holder desires to exercise Rights represented by the Right Certificate.)
To: FREIGHTCAR AMERICA, INC.
The undersigned hereby irrevocably elects to exercise Rights represented by this Right Certificate to purchase the Preferred Shares (or other securities or property, as the case may be) issuable upon the exercise of such Rights and requests that certificates for such Preferred Shares (or other such securities) be issued in the name of:
Please
insert social security
or other identifying number
(Please print name and address)
If such number of Rights shall not be all of the Rights evidenced by this Right Certificate, a new Right Certificate for the balance remaining of such Rights shall be registered in the name of and delivered to:
Please
insert social security
or other identifying number
(Please print name and address)
Dated: _______
| Signature |
(Signature must conform to holder specified on Right Certificate)
Signature Guaranteed:
All signatures must be guaranteed by a bank, trust company, broker, dealer or other eligible institution participating in a recognized signature guarantee medallion program.
..............................................................................................................
(To be completed).
The undersigned hereby certifies that the Rights evidenced by this Right Certificate are not Beneficially Owned by, and were not acquired by the undersigned from, and are not being assigned to, an Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate thereof (as such terms are defined in the Agreement).
| Signature |
NOTICE
The signature in the Form of Assignment or Form of Election to Purchase, as the case may be, must conform to the name as written upon the face of this Right Certificate in every particular, without alteration or enlargement or any change whatsoever.
In the event the certification set forth above in the Form of Assignment or the Form of Election to Purchase, as the case may be, is not completed, such Assignment or Election to Purchase will not be honored.
Exhibit 99.1
The Board of Directors of FreightCar America, Inc. Adopts a Limited Duration Stockholder Rights Plan
08/05/2026
Protects Long-Term Value for All Stockholders
CHICAGO, August 05, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FreightCar America, Inc. (NASDAQ: RAIL) (the “Company” or “FreightCar”) announced today that its Board of Directors (the “Board”) has adopted a limited duration stockholder rights plan (the “Rights Plan”) to protect the best interests of all FreightCar America, Inc. stockholders. The Rights Plan is intended to replace the Company’s existing limited duration rights plan, which expires on August 5, 2026.
“Our Board of Directors and management believe strongly in the direction of the company and its prospects for long-term value creation. Following an analysis of our current position, the Board determined it was important to adopt a new rights plan to protect the interests of all the Company’s stockholders,” said Jim Meyer, Chairman of FreightCar America.
The Rights Plan is intended to enable all stockholders to realize the long-term value of their investment, provide an opportunity for all stockholders to receive fair and equal treatment in the event of any proposed takeover of the Company, and to reduce the likelihood that any person or group gains control of the Company through open-market accumulation or other tactics without paying an appropriate control premium. The Rights Plan is also intended to provide the Board with sufficient time to make informed judgments and take actions that are in the best interests of FreightCar and all of its stockholders. The Rights Plan is not intended to deter good faith offers or preclude the Board from taking actions that it believes are in the best interest of the Company and its stockholders.
“We remain confident in the outlook for our company, as we continue to drive execution across our business. As a result of our commercial and operating initiatives, we are achieving industry leading margins despite relatively low volumes, while at the same time growing our share of new railcar orders, which reached approximately 45% in Q2. This success is a testament to our relentless focus on our customers,” said Nick Randall, President and Chief Executive Officer of FreightCar America. “We have also grown our higher-margin aftermarket business through strategic and disciplined acquisitions, which will result in a broader and more balanced rail business that generates more consistent revenues across the cycle. We believe we are well-positioned to perform in the current environment and accelerate performance further as sector demand returns,” Randall concluded.
About the Rights Plan
The Rights Plan is similar to the Company’s existing limited duration rights plan and plans adopted by other publicly-traded companies. In connection with the adoption of the Rights Plan, the Board of Directors declared a non-cash dividend distribution of one preferred share purchase right for each share of the Company’s common stock outstanding as of August 5, 2026, the record date. In general terms, the rights will become exercisable only if a person or group acquires 15% or more of the outstanding common stock of the Company without the approval of the Board (or 20% or more in the case of passive investors who are eligible to, and do, report their holdings on Schedule 13G). In the event that the rights become exercisable, each right will entitle stockholders (other than the acquiring person or group) to buy shares of FreightCar’s common stock at a 50% discount. The rights of the acquiring person or group in that event will become void and not exercisable.
This announcement is a summary only and is qualified by reference to the full text of the Rights Plan. Additional details regarding the Rights Plan will be contained in a Form 8-K to be filed by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
About FreightCar America
FreightCar America, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, is a leading designer, producer and supplier of railroad freight cars, railcar parts and components. We also specialize in railcar repairs, complete railcar rebody services and railcar conversions that repurpose idled rail assets back into revenue service. Since 1901, our customers have trusted us to build quality railcars that are critical to economic growth and instrumental to the North American supply chain. To learn more about FreightCar America, visit www.freightcaramerica.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains statements relating to our expected financial performance, financial condition, and/or future business prospects, events and/or plans that are “forward-looking statements” as defined under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements represent our estimates and assumptions only as of the date of this press release. Our actual results may differ materially from the results described in or anticipated by our forward-looking statements due to certain risks and uncertainties. These risks and uncertainties relate to, among other things, the cyclical nature of our business; adverse geopolitical, economic and market conditions, including inflation; material disruption in the movement of rail traffic for deliveries; fluctuating costs of raw materials, including steel and aluminum; delays in the delivery of raw materials; our ability to maintain relationships with our suppliers of railcar components; our reliance upon a small number of customers that represent a large percentage of our sales; the variable purchase patterns of our customers and the timing of completion; delivery and customer acceptance of orders; the highly competitive nature of our industry; the risk of lack of acceptance of our new railcar offerings; potential unexpected changes in laws, rules, and regulatory requirements, including tariffs and trade barriers (including recent United States tariffs imposed or threatened to be imposed on China, Canada, Mexico and other countries and any retaliatory actions taken by such countries); and other competitive factors. The factors listed above are not exhaustive. New factors emerge from time to time that may cause our business not to develop as we expect, and it is not possible for us to predict all of them. We expressly disclaim any duty to provide updates to any forward-looking statements made in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
For more information, please contact:
[email protected]