UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM
CURRENT REPORT
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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. ☐
Introductory Note.
On February 9, 2026 (the “Closing Date”), Waters Corporation, a Delaware corporation (“Waters”), and Becton, Dickinson and Company, a New Jersey corporation (“BD”), announced that they consummated the previously announced spin-off of BD’s Biosciences and Diagnostic Solutions business (the “SpinCo Business”) and combination of the SpinCo Business with Waters. In accordance with the terms and conditions of the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of July 13, 2025 (the “Merger Agreement”), by and among Waters, BD, Augusta SpinCo Corporation, a Delaware corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of BD (“SpinCo”), and Beta Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of Waters (“Merger Sub”), and the Separation Agreement, dated as of July 13, 2025 (the “Separation Agreement”), by and among Waters, BD and SpinCo, as amended by that certain Amendment No. 1, by and among Waters, BD and SpinCo, dated as of February 9, 2026, (1) BD transferred, and SpinCo accepted and assumed, all of the rights, titles and interests to and under certain assets and liabilities relating to the SpinCo Business such that the SpinCo Business was separated from the remainder of BD’s businesses (the “Separation”), (2) following the Separation, BD distributed, on a pro rata basis (the “Distribution”), one share of SpinCo common stock, par value $0.01 per share (“SpinCo Common Stock”), to each holder of BD common stock (other than any subsidiary of BD) as of the close of business on February 5, 2026 (the “Record Date”, and such holders of BD common stock as of the Record Date, the “Record Date BD Shareholders”) and (3) following the Distribution, Merger Sub merged with and into SpinCo, with SpinCo as the surviving entity (the “Merger”), and each share of SpinCo Common Stock (except for any such shares held as treasury stock, or held by BD, SpinCo or any subsidiary of BD, if any, which shares were canceled) was converted into the right to receive 0.135343148384084 shares of common stock, $0.01 par value per share, of Waters (“Waters Common Stock”) (collectively, the “Transactions”). In addition, pursuant to the terms of the Separation Agreement, prior to the Distribution and the Merger, SpinCo made a cash payment to BD of $4.0 billion. Upon completion of the Distribution and the Merger, Waters issued 38,541,851 shares of Waters Common Stock to the Record Date BD Shareholders. As a result, the Record Date BD Shareholders owned approximately 39.2% of the outstanding shares of Waters Common Stock, and former Waters shareholders owned approximately 60.8% of the outstanding shares of Waters Common Stock, in each case, on a fully diluted basis. As a result of the Merger, Merger Sub ceased to exist as a separate legal entity, and SpinCo became a wholly owned subsidiary of Waters.
| Item 1.01. | Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement. |
Transaction Agreements
On the Closing Date, in connection with the consummation of the Transactions and in accordance with the Merger Agreement and the Separation Agreement, Waters, BD and SpinCo, entered into certain additional agreements, including:
| • | a Tax Matters Agreement (the “Tax Matters Agreement”), which governs the parties’ respective rights, responsibilities and obligations with respect to taxes, tax attributes, the preparation and filing of tax returns, responsibility for and preservation of the expected tax-free status of the transactions contemplated by the Separation Agreement and certain other tax matters; |
| • | an Employee Matters Agreement (the “Employee Matters Agreement”), which governs, among other things, the parties’ obligations with respect to current and former employees of BD and of the SpinCo Business; |
| • | an Intellectual Property Matters Agreement (the “Intellectual Property Matters Agreement”), which allocates rights and interests in certain intellectual property rights relating to the SpinCo Business and BD; and |
| • | a Transition Services Agreement (the “Transition Services Agreement”), which governs, among other things, the parties’ respective rights and obligations with respect to the provision of certain transition services. |
A summary of the material terms of the Tax Matters Agreement, Employee Matters Agreement, Intellectual Property Matters Agreement and Transition Services Agreement described above is also contained in the section entitled “Additional Agreements Related to the Separation, the Distribution and the Merger” in Waters’ Registration Statement on Form S-4 (Registration No. 333-292087), as amended, which was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 23, 2025 (the “Waters Registration Statement”), which description is incorporated herein by reference. Each of the foregoing descriptions does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of each of the Tax Matters Agreement, Employee Matters Agreement, Intellectual Property Matters Agreement and Transition Services Agreement, as applicable, copies of which are attached hereto as Exhibits 10.1, 10.2, 10.3 and 10.4, respectively, and incorporated herein by reference.
Financing Matters
Term Loan Credit Agreement
In connection with the Transactions, on January 8, 2026, SpinCo entered into a Term Loan Credit Agreement with the lenders named therein, Barclays Bank PLC, as administrative agent (the “Agent”), and the other parties party thereto (the “Credit Agreement”). On the February 6, 2026 (the “Funding Date”), SpinCo borrowed $4.0 billion of unsecured term loans under the Credit Agreement, consisting of a $3.5 billion tranche which will mature and be payable in full 364 days after the Funding Date (“Tranche 1”) and a $500.0 million tranche which will mature and be payable in full on the second anniversary of the Funding Date (“Tranche 2”), and such funds were used by SpinCo on the Funding Date to finance a cash distribution to BD in connection with the Transactions.
Upon consummation of the Transactions, SpinCo became a wholly owned subsidiary of Waters and in connection therewith, Waters entered into a Parent Guarantee Agreement on the Closing Date (the “Parent Guarantee Agreement”), by and among Waters, SpinCo and the Agent, to add Waters as a guarantor of the obligations of SpinCo under the Credit Agreement. The subsidiaries of Waters that had provided a guaranty of the obligations under (i) the Amendment and Restatement Agreement, dated as of May 22, 2025 in respect of that certain Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of September 17, 2021, and amended as of March 3, 2023, by and among Waters and certain of its subsidiaries, as guarantors, with the lenders and issuing banks party thereto, and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as administrative agent and (ii) the note purchase agreements governing Waters’ outstanding senior guaranteed notes, prior to the consummation of the Transactions, have also entered into a Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement on the Closing Date (the “Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement”), by and among such subsidiaries, Waters, SpinCo and the Agent, pursuant to which such subsidiaries have guaranteed the obligations of SpinCo under the Credit Agreement.
Borrowings under the Credit Agreement bear interest at a fluctuating rate per annum equal to, at SpinCo’s option, an alternate base rate or Term SOFR rate, in each case, plus an applicable margin calculated based on Waters’ public debt ratings. The applicable margin ranges from 87.5 basis points to 135 basis points per annum over Term SOFR and 0 basis points to 35 basis points per annum over the alternate base rate, and, in the case of Tranche 1 loans, will increase every 90 days after the Closing Date by up to an additional 25 basis points, in each case, as determined in accordance with the provisions of the Credit Agreement.
Voluntary prepayments of the loans and voluntary reductions of the unutilized portion of the commitments under the Credit Agreement are permissible without penalty (other than customary SOFR loan breakage), subject to certain conditions pertaining to minimum notice and minimum prepayment and reduction amounts. The loans and/or commitments under Tranche 1 must be automatically and permanently prepaid or reduced, as applicable, upon receipt of net cash proceeds in respect of certain debt incurrences, equity issuances and sales or other dispositions of certain assets of SpinCo or its subsidiaries, in each case, subject to certain exceptions.
The Credit Agreement contains affirmative and negative covenants, including limitations on subsidiary debt, liens, sale and leaseback transactions, mergers and certain restrictive agreements, as well as financial covenants requiring maintenance of a leverage ratio not to exceed 3.50 to 1.00 as of the last day of any fiscal quarter (which may be increased to 4.25 to 1.00 at Waters’ election as of the last day of the fiscal quarter during which Waters closes a material acquisition for which the aggregate consideration involves cash in the amount of $500.0 million or more, with such increase automatically applying to the consummation of the Transactions) and an interest coverage ratio of at least 3.50 to 1.00 that will apply unless Waters obtains a certain public corporate rating set forth in the Credit Agreement. The Credit Agreement contains certain representations, warranties and events of default (which are, in some cases, subject to certain exceptions, thresholds and grace periods) including, but not limited to, non-payment of principal and interest, failure to perform or observe covenants, breaches of representations and warranties and certain bankruptcy-related events.
The foregoing descriptions of each of the Credit Agreement, Parent Guarantee Agreement and Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement do not purport to be complete and are qualified in their entirety by reference to the full text of each of the Credit Agreement, Parent Guarantee Agreement or Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement, as applicable, copies of which are attached hereto as Exhibits 10.5, 10.6 and 10.7, respectively, and incorporated herein by reference.
| Item 2.01. | Completion of Acquisition or Disposition of Assets. |
The information set forth in the Introductory Note and Item 1.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K is incorporated herein by reference.
| Item 2.03. | Creation of a Direct Financial Obligation or an Obligation under an Off-Balance Sheet Arrangement of a Registrant. |
The information set forth in Item 1.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K with respect to the Credit Agreement, the Parent Guarantee Agreement and the Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement is incorporated herein by reference.
| Item 5.02. | Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers. |
Appointment of New Director
In connection with the closing of the Transactions and in accordance with the terms of the Merger Agreement, the board of directors (the “Board”) of Waters increased the size of the Board from 10 to 11 members and appointed Claire M. Fraser, Ph.D. to the Board, effective February 9, 2026, to fill the vacancy so created. Dr. Fraser will serve as a director until Waters’ 2026 annual meeting of stockholders (the “2026 AGM”) or until her earlier resignation, death or removal.
The Board has determined that Dr. Fraser meets the independence standards established under the New York Stock Exchange corporate governance listing standards. There are no related party transactions between Waters and Dr. Fraser that would require disclosure under Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K.
Dr. Fraser will receive the standard compensation paid by Waters to all of its non-employee directors. Following her initial appointment to the Board, Dr. Fraser will be awarded an initial equity grant valued at $229,166, comprised of 50% of such value in the form of a restricted stock award and 50% of such value in the form of a non-qualified stock option award, both of which will vest on the first anniversary of the Closing Date. Dr. Fraser will also be entitled to a prorated cash retainer for her service for the period from her appointment until the 2026 AGM in accordance with Waters’ non-employee director compensation program, as well as Board meeting fees and expense reimbursement.
| Item 7.01 | Regulation FD Disclosure. |
On February 9, 2026, Waters issued a press release announcing the closing of the Transactions and related matters. A copy of the press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated by reference herein.
The information (including Exhibit 99.1) being furnished pursuant to this Item 7.01 shall not be deemed to be “filed” for the purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section and shall not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, regardless of any general incorporation language in such filing.
| Item 9.01 | Financial Statements and Exhibits. |
| (a) | Financial Statements of the SpinCo Business |
The audited historical combined financial statements of the SpinCo Business as of September 30, 2025 and 2024, and for each of the three years in the period ended September 30, 2025, and the notes related thereto, were included in the Waters Registration Statement, and are incorporated herein by reference.
| (b) | Pro Forma Information |
The pro forma financial information required by this Item 9.01(b) was included in the Waters Registration Statement and is incorporated herein by reference.
| (c) | Not applicable |
| (d) | Exhibits |
The following documents are filed herewith unless otherwise indicated.
| * | Schedules (or similar attachments) to this Exhibit have been omitted in accordance with Item 601(a)(5) and/or Item 601(b)(2) of Regulation S-K. Waters Corporation agrees to furnish supplementally a copy of all omitted schedules to the Securities and Exchange Commission on a confidential basis upon request. |
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
Date: February 9, 2026
| WATERS CORPORATION | ||
| By: | /s/ Amol Chaubal | |
| Amol Chaubal | ||
| Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | ||
Exhibit 2.2
AMENDMENT
TO
SEPARATION AGREEMENT
This AMENDMENT TO SEPARATION AGREEMENT (this “Amendment”), dated as of February 9, 2026, to the Separation Agreement, dated as of July 13, 2025 (as it may be amended, restated, and/or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Agreement”) is by and among Becton, Dickinson and Company, a New Jersey corporation (the “Company”), Waters Corporation, a Delaware corporation (“RMT Partner”), and Augusta SpinCo Corporation, a Delaware corporation (“SpinCo”). All capitalized terms used in this Amendment that are not defined in this Amendment shall have the meanings ascribed to such terms in the Agreement.
WHEREAS, in accordance with Section 10.12 of the Agreement, the Parties desire to amend the Agreement as set forth in this Amendment.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises, and of the covenants and agreements set forth herein, the parties agree as follows:
| 1. | Article I of the Agreement is hereby amended to add the following definition, in the appropriate alphabetical order: |
““Interim Operating Agreements” means, collectively, the Interim Operating Agreements to be entered into between one or more members of the Company Group, on the one hand, and one or more of the members of the SpinCo Group, on the other hand, and the Delayed Closing Interim Operating Agreement to be entered into among the Company, SpinCo and RMT Partner, in each case in connection with the consummation of the Distribution.”
| 2. | Article I of the Agreement is hereby amended to replace the definition of “Final SpinCo Cash” with the following: |
““Final SpinCo Cash” shall mean (a) the SpinCo Cash as of the Cut-Off Time as determined pursuant to Section 2.11 plus (b) $1,164,669.50 (to the extent such amount has been paid by a member of the Company Group to BD Rapid Diagnostics (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. following the Effective Time).”
| 3. | Section 2.8(b) of the Agreement is hereby amended by the addition of the below text at the end of such section: |
“In addition, the provisions of Section 2.8(a) shall not apply to any of the agreements set forth on Schedule 2.8(b) (the “Specified Intercompany Agreements”) or to any of the provisions thereof, it being expressly agreed that such Specified Intercompany Agreements shall remain in full force and effect (except as modified pursuant to this Section 2.8(b)), for the sole purpose of facilitating the compliance by the Company and the other members of the Company Group in performing under the Transition
Services Agreement and the Interim Operating Agreements (the “Specified Intercompany Agreement Purpose). Effective as of the Distribution Time and in accordance with applicable Law, SpinCo and each member of the SpinCo Group, on the one hand, and the Company and each member of the Company Group, on the other hand, hereby agree that each of the Specified Intercompany Agreements shall be deemed to be automatically amended such that (i) any indemnification provisions, or other provisions which might give rise to any liability of one party to such agreement to another party, shall be deemed to be removed from the applicable agreement, (ii) the agreement shall automatically terminate (without liability of any party thereunder) at such time as it is no longer necessary to facilitate the Specified Intercompany Agreement Purpose and (iii) each other provision of any such agreement inconsistent with the Specified Intercompany Agreement Purpose shall be eliminated. The Parties agree that the Specified Intercompany Agreements are being maintained in effect solely to facilitate the Specified Intercompany Agreement Purpose, and each of SpinCo and RMT Partner does hereby remise, release and forever discharge the Company and the members of the Company Group from any liability under the Specified Intercompany Agreements. Each Party shall, at the reasonable request of the other Party(ies), document an amendment or restatement of a Specified Intercompany Agreement (the initial draft of which will be prepared by the Company) as may be reasonably necessary to effectuate the foregoing. The Parties shall cooperate in good faith following the Distribution Time to identify and enter into (the initial draft of which will be prepared by the Company) any additional agreements, arrangements, commitments or understandings (the “Additional Intercompany Agreements”) reasonably necessary to fulfill the Specified Intercompany Agreement Purpose. The terms relating to the Specified Intercompany Agreements set forth in this paragraph shall apply to Additional Intercompany Agreements mutatis mutandis.”
| 4. | Schedule 1.7(a) of the Agreement is hereby amended to add the following item at the end of such schedule: |
“16. The office space and land located on Tullastrasse 8-12, Postfach 10 16 29, Heidelberg, 69126, Germany.”
| 5. | Article II of the Agreement is hereby amended to add the following as Section 2.20 of the Agreement: |
“2.20. The Company and RMT Partner shall cooperate in good faith to separate the shared facilities located at each of the real properties set forth on Schedule 2.20 (the “Shared Real Property”), it being understood that with respect to each Shared Real Property, (i) RMT Partner shall bear all of the costs and expenses in connection with the separation of the Shared Real Property up to one million dollars ($1,000,000) and (ii) all costs and expenses in excess of one million dollars ($1,000,000) shall be borne fifty percent (50%) by RMT Partner and fifty percent (50%) by the Company.”
| 6. | No Further Modification. Except as expressly provided in this Amendment, all the terms, conditions and provisions of the Agreement remain unchanged and in full force and effect. This Amendment is limited precisely as written and shall not be deemed to modify any other term or condition of the Agreement or any of the documents referred to therein. |
| 7. | Effect of Amendment. This Amendment shall form a part of the Agreement for all purposes, and each party thereto and hereto shall be bound hereby. From and after the execution of this Amendment by the parties hereto, each reference in the Agreement to “this Agreement”, the “Agreement”, “hereunder”, “hereof” or words of like import, and each reference to the Agreement in any other agreements, documents or instruments executed and delivered pursuant to, or in connection with, the Agreement, will mean and be a reference to the Agreement as amended by this Amendment. Notwithstanding the foregoing, all references in the Agreement or any exhibit or schedule thereto to “the date hereof” or the “date of this Agreement” shall refer to July 13, 2025. |
| 8. | Incorporation by Reference. Sections 10.1 (Counterparts; Entire Agreement; Corporate Power), 10.3 (Governing Law; Submission to Jurisdiction; Waiver of Jury Trial), 10.4 (Assignability), 10.5 (Third-Party Beneficiaries), 10.6 (Notices), 10.7 (Severability), 10.9 (Headings), 10.12 (Amendments), 10.13 (Interpretation) and 10.16 (Mutual Drafting; Precedence) of the Agreement are hereby incorporated herein by reference, mutatis mutandis, as if fully set forth herein. |
[Remainder of Page Left Intentionally Blank]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have caused this Amendment to be executed as of the date first written above.
| BECTON, DICKINSON AND COMPANY | ||||
| By: | /s/ Vitor Roque | |||
| Name: | Vitor Roque | |||
| Title: | Chief Financial Officer | |||
| AUGUSTA SPINCO CORPORATION | ||||
| By: | /s/ Stephanie M. Kelly | |||
| Name: | Stephanie M. Kelly | |||
| Title: | Vice President and Secretary | |||
| WATERS CORPORATION | ||||
| By: | /s/ Udit Batra | |||
| Name: | Udit Batra | |||
| Title: | President and Chief Executive Officer | |||
[Signature Page to Amendment to Separation Agreement]
Exhibit 10.1
TAX MATTERS AGREEMENT
BY AND AMONG
BECTON, DICKINSON AND COMPANY,
AUGUSTA SPINCO CORPORATION
AND
WATERS CORPORATION
February 9, 2026
TABLE OF CONTENTS
| Page | ||||||
| SECTION 1. | DEFINITION OF TERMS | 2 | ||||
| SECTION 2. | ALLOCATION OF TAX LIABILITIES | 13 | ||||
| Section 2.01 |
General Rule | 13 | ||||
| Section 2.02 |
Employment Taxes | 13 | ||||
| Section 2.03 |
Delayed SpinCo Assets; Delayed SpinCo Liabilities; Delayed Company Assets; Delayed Company Liabilities | 13 | ||||
| Section 2.04 |
Straddle Period Tax Allocation | 13 | ||||
| SECTION 3. | PREPARATION AND FILING OF TAX RETURNS. | 13 | ||||
| Section 3.01 |
General | 13 | ||||
| Section 3.02 |
Responsibility for Preparation and Filing | 14 | ||||
| Section 3.03 |
Tax Reporting Practices | 14 | ||||
| Section 3.04 |
Consolidated or Combined Tax Returns | 14 | ||||
| Section 3.05 |
Right to Review and Consent to Tax Returns | 15 | ||||
| Section 3.06 |
Refunds, Carrybacks and Amended Tax Returns | 16 | ||||
| Section 3.07 |
Apportionment of Tax Attributes | 17 | ||||
| SECTION 4. | INDEMNIFICATION PAYMENTS | 17 | ||||
| Section 4.01 |
Indemnification Payments | 17 | ||||
| SECTION 5. | TAX BENEFITS AND COMPANY TAX ATTRIBUTES | 18 | ||||
| Section 5.01 |
Tax Benefits | 18 | ||||
| Section 5.02 |
VAT Credits | 19 | ||||
| SECTION 6. | INTENDED TAX TREATMENT | 19 | ||||
| Section 6.01 |
Restrictions on SpinCo and RMT Partner | 19 | ||||
| Section 6.02 |
Restrictions on the Company | 21 | ||||
| Section 6.03 |
Liability for Distribution Tax-Related Losses | 22 | ||||
| SECTION 7. | COOPERATION AND RELIANCE | 22 | ||||
| Section 7.01 |
Assistance and Cooperation | 22 | ||||
| Section 7.02 |
Income Tax Return Information | 23 | ||||
| Section 7.03 |
Non-Performance | 23 | ||||
| Section 7.04 |
Costs | 24 | ||||
| SECTION 8. | TAX RECORDS | 24 | ||||
| Section 8.01 |
Retention of Tax Records | 24 | ||||
| Section 8.02 |
Access to Tax Records | 24 | ||||
| SECTION 9. | TAX CONTESTS | 25 | ||||
| Section 9.01 |
Notice | 25 | ||||
| Section 9.02 |
Control of Tax Contests | 25 | ||||
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| SECTION 10. | EFFECTIVE DATE; TERMINATION OF PRIOR INTERCOMPANY TAX ALLOCATION AGREEMENTS | 27 | ||||
| SECTION 11. | SURVIVAL OF OBLIGATIONS | 27 | ||||
| SECTION 12. | TREATMENT OF PAYMENTS; TAX GROSS UP | 27 | ||||
| Section 12.01 |
Treatment of Tax Indemnity and Tax Benefit Payments | 27 | ||||
| Section 12.02 |
Tax Gross Up | 28 | ||||
| Section 12.03 |
Interest on Late Payments | 28 | ||||
| SECTION 13. | DISAGREEMENTS | 28 | ||||
| Section 13.01 |
Discussion | 28 | ||||
| Section 13.02 |
Escalation | 28 | ||||
| Section 13.03 |
Referral to Tax Advisor for Computational Disputes | 29 | ||||
| Section 13.04 |
Injunctive Relief | 29 | ||||
| SECTION 14. | EXPENSES | 29 | ||||
| SECTION 15. | GENERAL PROVISIONS | 29 | ||||
| Section 15.01 |
Notices | 29 | ||||
| Section 15.02 |
Waiver | 30 | ||||
| Section 15.03 |
Severability | 31 | ||||
| Section 15.04 |
Authority | 31 | ||||
| Section 15.05 |
Further Action | 31 | ||||
| Section 15.06 |
Integration | 31 | ||||
| Section 15.07 |
Interpretation | 31 | ||||
| Section 15.08 |
No Double Recovery | 32 | ||||
| Section 15.09 |
Counterparts | 33 | ||||
| Section 15.10 |
Governing Law | 33 | ||||
| Section 15.11 |
Submission to Jurisdiction; Waiver of Jury Trial | 33 | ||||
| Section 15.12 |
Amendment | 34 | ||||
| Section 15.13 |
Company Subsidiaries or SpinCo Subsidiaries | 34 | ||||
| Section 15.14 |
Successors | 34 | ||||
| Section 15.15 |
Assignability | 34 | ||||
| Section 15.16 |
No Fiduciary Relationship | 34 | ||||
| Section 15.17 |
Mutual Drafting; Precedence | 34 | ||||
| Section 15.18 |
Injunctions | 34 | ||||
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TAX MATTERS AGREEMENT
This TAX MATTERS AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) is entered into by and among Becton, Dickinson and Company, a New Jersey corporation (the “Company”), Augusta SpinCo Corporation, a Delaware corporation (“SpinCo,” and together with the Company, the “Separation Parties,” and each a “Separation Party”), and Waters Corporation, a Delaware corporation (“RMT Partner,” and together with the Company and SpinCo, the “Parties,” and each a “Party”).
RECITALS
WHEREAS, the Company, acting through itself and its direct and indirect Subsidiaries, currently conducts the Company Business and the SpinCo Business;
WHEREAS, SpinCo is a wholly owned Subsidiary of the Company;
WHEREAS, the Company intends to separate the SpinCo Business from the Company Business and to cause the SpinCo Assets to be transferred to SpinCo and the other members of the SpinCo Group and to cause the SpinCo Liabilities to be assumed by SpinCo and other members of the SpinCo Group, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Separation Agreement by and among the Company, SpinCo and RMT Partner (the “Separation Agreement”);
WHEREAS, in connection with the Separation, SpinCo will make the SpinCo Cash Distribution;
WHEREAS, after the Separation and pursuant to the Separation Agreement, the Company will distribute to the holders of Company Common Stock all outstanding shares of the SpinCo Common Stock by means of a pro rata distribution;
WHEREAS, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, it is intended that the Contribution and the Distribution, taken together, shall qualify as a “reorganization” within the meaning of Sections 355(a) and 368(a)(1)(D) of the Code;
WHEREAS, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the Distribution is intended to qualify as tax-free under Section 355(a) of the Code to holders of Company Common Stock and as tax-free to the Company under Section 361(c) of the Code;
WHEREAS, immediately following the Distribution and pursuant to the Merger Agreement, Merger Sub, a wholly owned subsidiary of RMT Partner, will merge with and into SpinCo, with SpinCo as the surviving entity (the “Merger”), all upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement;
WHEREAS, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, it is the intention of the Parties that the Merger qualify as a “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code in which no income, gain or loss will be recognized by the Company, SpinCo, Merger Sub, or the holders of SpinCo Common Stock (except as relates to the receipt by holders of SpinCo Common Stock of cash in lieu of fractional shares);
WHEREAS, in connection with the Contribution, Distribution and Merger, the Parties desire to provide for and agree upon the allocation between the Parties of liabilities, and entitlements to refunds thereof, for certain Taxes arising prior to, at the time of, and subsequent to the Contribution, Distribution and Merger, and to provide for and agree upon other matters relating to Taxes and to set forth certain covenants and indemnities relating to the Intended Tax Treatment and the intended tax treatment of certain other transactions.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and the terms, conditions, covenants and provisions of this Agreement, each of the Parties mutually covenants and agrees as follows:
Section 1. Definition of Terms. For purposes of this Agreement (including the recitals hereof), the following terms have the following meanings:
“Affiliate” means any entity that is directly or indirectly Controlled by either the person in question or an Affiliate of such person. As used in this paragraph, “Control” means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of a person, whether through ownership of voting securities, by contract or otherwise. The term Affiliate shall refer to Affiliates of a person as determined immediately after the Merger.
“Agreement” means this Tax Matters Agreement.
“Business Day” has the meaning set forth in the Merger Agreement.
“Capital Stock” means all classes or series of capital stock of a Separation Party or RMT Partner, including (i) common stock, (ii) all options, warrants and other rights to acquire such capital stock, (iii) all instruments properly treated as stock of the Separation Party or RMT Partner for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and (iv) all other equity, debt, derivative, or other instruments or agreements that confer upon the holder thereof any voting rights with respect to the Separation Party or RMT Partner.
“CFC Member” shall mean any member of the SpinCo Group which is treated, immediately prior to Closing, as a “controlled foreign corporation” as defined in Section 957 of the Code.
“CFC Taxes” shall mean any Tax liability imposed with respect to amounts required to be included under Sections 951 or 951A of the Code (and any deemed dividend pursuant to Sections 78 and 960(a)(1) of the Code attributable to such amount) with respect to any CFC Member that is attributable to the portion of the Straddle Period of such CFC Member that ends on the Closing Date.
“Chosen Courts” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 15.12.
“Claiming Separation Party” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3.06(a)(i).
“Code” means the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
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“Company” has the meaning set forth in the first sentence of this Agreement.
“Company Business” has the meaning set forth in the Separation Agreement.
“Company Consolidated Return” means any U.S. federal consolidated Income Tax Return required to be filed by the Company as the “common parent” of an “affiliated group” (in each case, within the meaning of Section 1504 of the Code), and any consolidated, combined, unitary or similar Income Tax Return required to be filed by the Company or a member of the Company Group as common parent (or analogous concept) under a similar or analogous provision of state, local or non-U.S. Law.
“Company Common Stock” has the meaning set forth in the Separation Agreement.
“Company Consolidated Taxes” means any Taxes attributable to any Company Consolidated Return.
“Company Merger Tax Opinion” has the meaning set forth in the Merger Agreement.
“Company Tainting Act” means (a) any action (or the failure to take any action) within its control by the Company or any member of the Company Group (including entering into any agreement, understanding or arrangement or any negotiations with respect to any transaction or series of transactions), (b) any event (or series of events) involving the Capital Stock of the Company, any assets of the Company or any assets of any member of the Company Group, or (c) any breach by the Company or any member of the Company Group of any representation, warranty or covenant made by them in the Merger Agreement or the Transaction Documents, including this Agreement, in each case, that would affect the Intended Tax Treatment or otherwise cause a Separation Transaction to fail to qualify for its intended tax treatment set forth on Exhibit A; provided, however, that the term “Company Tainting Act” shall not include any action expressly required or permitted by the Merger Agreement or the Transaction Documents (other than this Agreement).
“Company Taxes” means, without duplication, (a) any Company Consolidated Taxes, (b) any Taxes that are attributable to the Company Business, (c) any Taxes (i) on gain recognized under Treasury Regulations Section 1.1502-19(b) in connection with an excess loss account with respect to the stock of SpinCo or any member of the SpinCo Group at the time of the Distribution, (ii) on net deferred gains taken into account under Treasury Regulations Section 1.1502-13(d) with respect to deferred intercompany transactions between a SpinCo Group member and a Company Group member and (iii) under similar or corresponding provisions of state, local or non-U.S. Law, (d) any Taxes attributable to a Company Tainting Act, (e) any Taxes (including CFC Taxes) of SpinCo, a member of the SpinCo Group or the SpinCo Business attributable to any Pre-Distribution Period, and (f) Taxes (including Transfer Taxes) attributable to the Separation Transactions, in the case of each of clauses (a) through (f) (other than clause (d)), other than Taxes described in clause (b) or (c) of the definition of “SpinCo Taxes.”
“Contribution” has the meaning set forth in the Separation Agreement.
“Controlling Separation Party” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 9.02(a).
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“Dispute” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 13.01.
“Distribution” has the meaning set forth in the Separation Agreement.
“Distribution Date” shall have the meaning set forth in the Separation Agreement.
“Distribution Taxes” means any and all Taxes (a) required to be paid by or imposed on a Separation Party or any of its Affiliates resulting from, or directly arising in connection with, the failure of the Contribution (including the SpinCo Cash Distribution) and the Distribution, taken together, to qualify as a reorganization described in Sections 355(a) and 368(a)(1)(D) of the Code; (b) required to be paid by or imposed on a Separation Party or any of its Affiliates resulting from, or directly arising in connection with, the failure of the stock distributed in the Distribution to constitute “qualified property” for purposes of Sections 355(d), 355(e) and 361(c) of the Code (or any corresponding provision of the Tax Laws of other jurisdictions); or (c) required to be paid by or imposed on a Separation Party or any of its Affiliates resulting from the failure of any Separation Transaction to qualify for its intended tax treatment as set forth on Exhibit A.
“Distribution Tax Opinion” has the meaning set forth in the Merger Agreement.
“Distribution Tax-Related Losses” means (a) all Distribution Taxes imposed pursuant to any Final Determination and (b) all reasonable accounting, legal and other professional fees and court costs incurred in connection with such Distribution Taxes.
“Due Date” means the date (taking into account all valid extensions) upon which a Tax Return is required to be filed with or Taxes are required to be paid to a Tax Authority, whichever is applicable.
“Excess Borrowed Amount” means an amount equal to the excess of (A) the amount borrowed under the SpinCo Financing and/or Permanent SpinCo Financing as described in clause (i) of the definition of Permitted Leverage Distribution over (B) the SpinCo Cash Distribution (for the avoidance of doubt, after taking into account any adjustments pursuant to Section 3.1(c)(ii) of the Merger Agreement).
“Effective Time” has the meaning set forth in the Merger Agreement.
“Employee Matters Agreement” has the meaning set forth in the Separation Agreement.
“Extraordinary Transaction” means any action that is not in the ordinary course of business, but shall not include any action expressly required by the Merger Agreement or any Transaction Document (including the Separation Agreement) or any action undertaken pursuant to the Contribution, the SpinCo Cash Distribution, the Distribution or the other Separation Transactions but shall include the Permitted Transfer and transfers described in clause (ii) of the definition of Permitted Leverage Distribution.
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“Final Determination” means the final resolution of liability for any Tax, which resolution may be for a specific issue or adjustment or for a taxable period, (a) by IRS Form 870 or 870-AD (or any successor forms thereto), on the date of acceptance by or on behalf of the taxpayer, or by a comparable form under the Laws of a state, local or non-U.S. taxing jurisdiction, except that a Form 870 or 870-AD or comparable form shall not constitute a Final Determination to the extent that it reserves (whether by its terms or by operation of law) the right of the taxpayer to file a claim for refund or the right of the Tax Authority to assert a further deficiency in respect of such issue or adjustment or for such taxable period (as the case may be); (b) by a decision, judgment, decree or other order by a court of competent jurisdiction, which has become final and unappealable; (c) by a closing agreement or accepted offer in compromise under Sections 7121 or 7122 of the Code, or a comparable agreement under the Laws of a state, local or non-U.S. taxing jurisdiction; (d) by any allowance of a refund or credit in respect of an overpayment of Tax, but only after the expiration of all periods during which such refund may be recovered (including by way of offset) by the jurisdiction imposing such Tax; (e) by a final settlement resulting from a treaty-based competent authority determination or (f) by any other final disposition, including by reason of the expiration of the applicable statute of limitations or by mutual agreement of the Separation Parties.
“Governmental Authority” has the meaning set forth in the Merger Agreement.
“Group” means the Company Group or the SpinCo Group, or both, as the context requires.
“Income Taxes” means:
| (a) | all Taxes based upon, measured by, or calculated with respect to (i) net income or profits (including, any capital gains, minimum tax or any Tax on items of tax preference, but not including sales, use, real or personal property, gross or net receipts, value added, excise, leasing, transfer or similar Taxes) or (ii) multiple bases (including, corporate franchise, doing business and occupation Taxes) if one or more bases upon which such Tax is determined is described in clause (a)(i) above; and |
| (b) | any related interest and any penalties, additions to such Tax or additional amounts imposed with respect thereto by any Tax Authority. |
“Income Tax Returns” means all Tax Returns that relate to Income Taxes.
“Intended Tax Treatment” means the following U.S. federal income Tax consequences in connection with the Separation, the Contribution, the SpinCo Cash Distribution, the Distribution, the Merger and certain related transactions:
(a) the qualification of the Contribution (including the SpinCo Cash Distribution) and Distribution, taken together, as a “reorganization” under Sections 355(a) and 368(a)(1)(D) of the Code;
(b) the nonrecognition of gain or loss by the Company on the receipt of the SpinCo Cash Distribution and any other cash received by the Company pursuant to the Contribution, except to the extent the amount of the SpinCo Cash Distribution and any such other cash exceeds the Company’s adjusted tax basis in the assets transferred to SpinCo pursuant to the Contribution and assuming the Company transfers to creditors or distributes to shareholders the cash received in the SpinCo Cash Distribution and any such other cash received by the Company in pursuance of the plan of reorganization within the meaning of Section 361(b)(1) of the Code;
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(c) the qualification of the Distribution as a transaction in which the SpinCo Common Stock distributed to holders of Company Common Stock is “qualified property” for purposes of Sections 355 and 361(c) of the Code (and neither Section 355(d) nor Section 355(e) of the Code causes such SpinCo Common Stock to be treated as other than “qualified property” for such purposes);
(d) the nonrecognition of income, gain or loss by the Company and SpinCo on the Contribution and the Distribution under Sections 355, 361 and/or 1032 of the Code, as applicable, other than intercompany items or excess loss accounts, if any, taken into account pursuant to the Treasury Regulations promulgated pursuant to Section 1502 of the Code;
(e) the nonrecognition of income, gain or loss by holders of Company Common Stock upon the receipt of SpinCo Common Stock in the Distribution under Section 355 of the Code, excluding any recipient of SpinCo Common Stock described in Section 3.4 of the Separation Agreement;
(f) the nonrecognition of income, gain or loss by the Company on the distribution of the proceeds of the SpinCo Cash Distribution to Company creditors or shareholders under Section 361(b) of the Code; and
(g) the qualification of the Merger as a “reorganization” within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code in which no income, gain or loss will be recognized by the Company, SpinCo, Merger Sub or the holders of SpinCo Common Stock (except as relates to the receipt by holders of SpinCo Common Stock of cash in lieu of fractional shares).
“IRS” means the United States Internal Revenue Service.
“IRS Ruling” has the meaning set forth on Exhibit C.
“Law” shall mean any national, supranational, federal, state, provincial, local or similar law (including common law), statute, code, order, ordinance, rule, regulation, treaty (including any income tax treaty), license, Permit, decree, injunction, binding judicial or administrative interpretation or other requirement, in each case, enacted, promulgated, issued or entered by a Governmental Authority.
“Merger” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals.
“Merger Agreement” has the meaning set forth in the Separation Agreement.
“Merger Sub” has the meaning set forth in the Separation Agreement.
“Non-Controlling Separation Party” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 9.02(b).
“Overlap Shareholders” has the meaning set forth in the Merger Agreement.
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“Parties” and “Party” have the meanings set forth in the first sentence of this Agreement.
“Past Practices” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3.03(a).
“Payor” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 4.01(a).
“Permanent SpinCo Financing” has the meaning set forth in the Merger Agreement.
“Permitted Leverage Distribution” means, in the event of any adjustment to the SpinCo Cash Distribution pursuant to Section 3.1(c)(ii) of the Merger Agreement, (i) the borrowing prior to or after the Distribution by SpinCo pursuant to the SpinCo Financing and/or Permanent SpinCo Financing in an amount equal to the SpinCo Cash Distribution (without taking into account any adjustments pursuant to Section 3.1(c)(ii) of the Merger Agreement) and (ii) the transfer of cash (in the form of a distribution or loan) by SpinCo to RMT Partner after the Merger in an amount equal to the Excess Borrowed Amount in order to fund any RMT Partner Special Dividend.
“Permitted Repurchase” means a purchase by RMT Partner of RMT Partner’s outstanding stock to the extent (i) (x) the IRS Ruling includes a ruling substantially to the effect that a redemption or repurchase of RMT Partner’s stock meeting certain conditions will be treated as being made on a pro rata basis from all holders of RMT Partner’s stock (except with respect to persons specified in the IRS Ruling as excluded from such treatment (“Excluded Shareholders”)) for purposes of testing the effect of the redemption or repurchase on the Distribution under Section 355(e) of the Code, (y) such purchase fully satisfies such conditions in the IRS Ruling and (z) at the time of such purchase, no person that owns (for purposes of Section 355(e) of the Code) RMT Partner’s stock is an Excluded Shareholder, such that the purchase by RMT Partner would be treated pursuant to the IRS Ruling as being made on a completely pro rata basis from all holders of RMT Partner’s stock, and (ii) either (A) such purchase meets the requirements of Section 4.05(1)(b) of Revenue Procedure 96-30, 1996-1 C.B. 696 (without regard to the effect of Revenue Procedure 2003-48, 2003-29 I.R.B. 86 on Revenue Procedure 96-30); provided, that for purposes of Revenue Procedure 96-30, unless otherwise set forth in the IRS Ruling, “20 percent of the outstanding stock of the corporation” shall be determined based on RMT Partner’s stock outstanding after the Merger, or (B) the IRS Ruling includes a ruling substantially to the effect that a redemption or repurchase of RMT Partner’s stock meeting certain conditions that does not otherwise satisfy clause (A) hereof will not be evidence that the Distribution was used principally as a device for the distribution of earnings and profits under Section 355(a)(1)(B) of the Code, and such purchase fully satisfies such conditions in the IRS Ruling.
“Permitted Transfer” means the contribution of all of the SpinCo Common Stock by RMT Partner to Waters Technologies Corporation, a Delaware corporation and direct wholly-owned Subsidiary of RMT Partner that is a member of the consolidated group for U.S. federal income Tax purposes of which RMT Partner is the common parent, following the Merger in a transaction that (i) qualifies in whole for non-recognition of gain or loss pursuant to Section 351(a) of the Code and (ii) is described in Section 368(a)(2)(C) of the Code and Treasury Regulations Section 1.368-2(k).
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“Person” means an individual, a partnership, a corporation, a limited liability company, an association, a joint stock company, a trust, a joint venture, an unincorporated organization or a governmental entity or any department, agency or political subdivision thereof, without regard to whether any entity is treated as disregarded for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
“Post-Distribution Period” means any Tax Period beginning after the Distribution Date, and, in the case of any Straddle Period, the portion of such Straddle Period beginning the day after the Distribution Date.
“Post-Distribution Ruling” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 6.01.
“Pre-Distribution Period” means any Tax Period ending on or before the Distribution Date, and, in the case of any Straddle Period, the portion of such Straddle Period ending on the Distribution Date.
“Preferred Stock Recapitalization” has the meaning set forth in the Separation Agreement.
“Preferred Stock Exchange” has the meaning set forth in the Separation Agreement.
“Preliminary Tax Advisor” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 13.03.
“Privilege” means any privilege that may be asserted under applicable Law, including, any privilege arising under or relating to the attorney-client relationship (including the attorney-client and work product privileges), the accountant-client privilege and any privilege relating to internal evaluation processes.
“Proposed Acquisition Transaction” means a transaction or series of transactions (or any agreement, understanding or arrangement, within the meaning of Section 355(e) of the Code and Treasury Regulations Section 1.355-7, or any other Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder, to enter into a transaction or series of transactions), whether such transaction is supported by SpinCo or RMT Partner management or shareholders, is a hostile acquisition, or otherwise, as a result of which SpinCo or RMT Partner would merge or consolidate with any other Person or as a result of which any Person or any group of related Persons would (directly or indirectly) acquire, or have the right to acquire, any shares of Capital Stock from SpinCo or RMT Partner and/or one or more holders of outstanding shares of Capital Stock. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a Proposed Acquisition Transaction shall not include (i) the adoption by SpinCo or RMT Partner of a shareholder rights plan described in Revenue Ruling 90-11, 1990-1 C.B. 10, (ii) issuances by SpinCo or RMT Partner that satisfy Safe Harbor VIII (relating to acquisitions in connection with a person’s performance of services) or Safe Harbor IX (relating to acquisitions by a retirement plan of an employer), in each case, of Treasury Regulations Section 1.355-7(d), (iii) acquisitions of stock that satisfy Safe Harbor VII (related to public trading) of Treasury Regulations Section 1.355-7(d), (iv) any Permitted Repurchases or (v) a Permitted Transfer. For purposes of determining whether a transaction constitutes an indirect acquisition, any recapitalization resulting in a shift of voting power or any redemption of shares of stock shall be treated as an indirect acquisition of shares of stock by the non-exchanging shareholders. This definition and the application thereof are intended to monitor compliance with Section 355(e) of the Code and shall be interpreted accordingly. Any clarification of, or change in, the statute or Treasury Regulations promulgated under Section 355(e) of the Code shall be incorporated in this definition and its interpretation. For the avoidance of doubt, the Merger, standing alone, shall not constitute a Proposed Acquisition Transaction.
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“Redactable Information” means any information that a Separation Party, in its good faith judgment, considers to be confidential and not germane to the other Separation Party’s obligations under this Agreement or any Transaction Documents.
“Refund” means any refund (or credit in lieu thereof) of Taxes (including any overpayment of Taxes that can be refunded or, alternatively, applied to other Taxes payable), including any interest paid on or with respect to such refund of Taxes; provided, however, the amount of the refund of Taxes shall be net of any reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in obtaining such refund and any Taxes imposed by any Tax Authority on the receipt of the refund.
“Reorganization Step Plan” has the meaning set forth in the Separation Agreement.
“Required Separation Party” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 4.01(a).
“Responsible Separation Party” means, with respect to any Tax Return, the Separation Party having responsibility for preparing and filing such Tax Return under this Agreement.
“Restricted Period” means the period beginning at the Effective Time and ending on the two (2)-year anniversary of the day after the Distribution Date; provided, however, that solely with respect to the matters described on Exhibit B, the term “Restricted Period” shall mean the period beginning at the Effective Time and ending on the earlier of (x) the end of the business carry-forward period set forth in the tax ruling described in Exhibit B and (y) the five (5)-year anniversary of the day after the consummation of the matter described under the heading Transaction on Exhibit B.
“Retention Date” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 8.01.
“RMT Partner” has the meaning set forth in the first sentence of this Agreement.
“RMT Partner Merger Tax Opinion” has the meaning set forth in the Merger Agreement.
“RMT Partner Special Dividend” has the meaning set forth in the Merger Agreement.
“Ruling Request” means (i) the letter dated September 10, 2025 filed by the Company on September 11, 2025 with the IRS requesting a ruling regarding the Intended Tax Treatment or (ii) any letter filed by the Company or its Subsidiaries with a Tax Authority requesting a ruling regarding any intended tax treatment of a Separation Transaction that is described on Exhibit A attached hereto (including, in each case, all attachments, exhibits and other materials submitted with such ruling request letter and any amendment or supplement to such letter).
“Separation” has the meaning set forth in the Separation Agreement.
“Separation Agreement” has the meaning set forth in in the Recitals.
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“Separation Parties” and “Separation Party” have the meanings set forth in the first sentence of this Agreement.
“Separation Transactions” means those transactions undertaken by the Separation Parties and their Affiliates pursuant to the Reorganization Step Plan to separate ownership of the SpinCo Business from ownership of the Company Business.
“SpinCo” has the meaning set forth in the first sentence of this Agreement.
“SpinCo Assets” has the meaning set forth in the Separation Agreement.
“SpinCo Business” has the meaning set forth in the Separation Agreement.
“SpinCo Cash Distribution” has the meaning set forth in the Separation Agreement.
“SpinCo Common Stock” has the meaning set forth in the Separation Agreement.
“SpinCo Financing” has the meaning set forth in the Merger Agreement.
“SpinCo Group” has the meaning set forth in the Separation Agreement.
“SpinCo Liabilities” has the meaning set forth in the Separation Agreement.
“SpinCo Tainting Act” means (a) any action (or the failure to take any action) within its control by SpinCo or any member of the SpinCo Group (including entering into any agreement, understanding or arrangement or any negotiations with respect to any transaction or series of transactions) that, (b) any event (or series of events) involving the Capital Stock of SpinCo or RMT Partner, any assets of SpinCo or any assets of any member of the SpinCo Group that, or (c) any breach by SpinCo or any member of the SpinCo Group of any representation, warranty or covenant made by them in the Merger Agreement or the Transaction Documents, including this Agreement, that, in each case, would affect the Intended Tax Treatment or otherwise cause a Separation Transaction to fail to qualify for its intended tax treatment as set forth on Exhibit A; provided, however, that the term “SpinCo Tainting Act” shall not include any action expressly required or permitted by the Merger Agreement or the Transaction Documents (other than this Agreement) or undertaken pursuant to, or prior to, the Distribution.
“SpinCo Taxes” means, without duplication, (a) any Taxes of SpinCo or a member of the SpinCo Group attributable to any Post-Distribution Period, (b) any Taxes attributable to a SpinCo Tainting Act and (c) any Taxes attributable to an Extraordinary Transaction effected after the Effective Time on the Distribution Date by SpinCo or a member of the SpinCo Group at the direction of RMT Partner (or at the direction of a Subsidiary or Affiliate of RMT Partner).
“Straddle Period” means any Tax Period that begins on or before and ends after the Distribution Date.
“Subsidiary” has the meaning set forth in the Separation Agreement.
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“Tax” or “Taxes” means (a) any income, gross income, gross receipts, profits, capital stock, franchise, withholding, payroll, custom duties, social security, workers compensation, unemployment, disability, property, ad valorem, stamp, excise, severance, occupation, service, sales, use, license, lease, transfer, import, export, value added, escheat or unclaimed property liability, alternative minimum, estimated or other tax (including any fee, assessment or other charge in the nature of or in lieu of any tax) imposed by any governmental entity or political subdivision thereof, and any interest, penalties, additions to tax or additional amounts in respect of the foregoing; and (b) all liabilities in respect of any items described in clause (a) payable by reason of assumption, transferee or successor liability, operation of Law or Treasury Regulations Section 1.1502-6(a) (or any predecessor or successor thereof or any analogous or similar provision under Law), in each case, including any Taxes resulting from an adjustment of any item of income, gain, loss, deduction, credit, or any other item affecting Taxes of a taxpayer pursuant to a Final Determination.
“Tax Advisor” means a tax counsel or accountant of recognized standing in the relevant jurisdiction.
“Tax Attribute” means a net operating loss, capital loss, tax credit carryover, earnings and profits, previously taxed income, tax bases, separate limitation loss, investment credit, foreign tax credit, excess charitable contribution, general business credit, overall foreign loss or any other Tax Item that could affect a Tax.
“Tax Authority” means, with respect to any Tax, the governmental entity or political subdivision thereof that imposes such Tax and the agency (if any) charged with the collection of such Tax for such entity or subdivision.
“Tax Benefit” means any refund, credit or other item that causes a reduction in liability for Taxes.
“Tax Contest” means an audit, review, examination or any other administrative or judicial proceeding with the purpose or effect of redetermining Taxes (including any administrative or judicial review of any claim for refund).
“Tax Counsel” has the meaning set forth in the Merger Agreement.
“Tax Item” means any item of income, gain, loss, deduction, expense or credit, or other attribute that may have the effect of increasing or decreasing any Tax.
“Tax Law” means the law of any governmental entity or political subdivision thereof relating to any Tax.
“Tax Opinions/Rulings” means (x) (i) the formal written opinions or similar memoranda of Tax Counsel regarding the Intended Tax Treatment, in connection with the Contribution, the SpinCo Cash Distribution, the Distribution or the Merger or otherwise with respect to the Separation Transactions, including the Distribution Tax Opinion, and the Company Merger Tax Opinion, and (ii) the RMT Partner Merger Tax Opinion and (y) the rulings by the IRS or other Tax Authority received in respect of a Ruling Request delivered to Company or its Subsidiaries in connection with the Contribution, the SpinCo Cash Distribution, the Distribution or the Merger or otherwise with respect to the Separation Transactions.
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“Tax Period” means, with respect to any Tax, the period for which the Tax is reported, as provided under the Code or other applicable Tax Law.
“Tax Records” means any Tax Returns, Tax Return work papers, documentation relating to any Tax Contests and any other books of account or records (whether or not in written, electronic or other tangible or intangible forms and whether or not stored on electronic or any other medium) required to be maintained under the Code or other applicable Tax Laws or under any record retention agreement with any Tax Authority.
“Tax Return” means any report of Taxes due, any claim for refund of Taxes paid, any information return with respect to Taxes or any other similar report, statement, declaration or document required to be filed under the Code or other Tax Law, including any attachments, schedules, exhibits or other materials submitted with any of the foregoing, and including any amendments or supplements to any of the foregoing.
“Transaction Document” has the meaning set forth in the Merger Agreement.
“Transfer Tax” means any sales, use, value-added, goods and services, privilege, transfer (including real property transfer), recordation, registration, documentary, stamp, duty or similar Tax imposed with respect to the Separation Transactions.
“Treasury Regulations” means the regulations promulgated from time to time under the Code as in effect for the relevant Tax Period.
“Unqualified Tax Opinion” means an unqualified “will” opinion of a Tax Advisor, on which the Separation Parties may rely to the effect that a transaction will not (i) affect the Intended Tax Treatment, or (ii) cause any Separation Transaction to fail to qualify for the intended tax treatment as set forth on Exhibit A. Any such opinion must assume that the Contribution, the SpinCo Cash Distribution, the Distribution and the Merger would have qualified for the Intended Tax Treatment, and that other Separation Transactions would have qualified for the intended tax treatment as set forth on Exhibit A, if the transaction in question did not occur.
“VAT” means: (i) any Tax imposed in compliance with the Council Directive of 28 November 2006 on the common system of value added tax (EC Directive 2006/112), including in the United Kingdom in accordance with VATA 1994; (ii) any goods and services or sales and service Tax imposed by any Tax Authority; and (iii) any other Tax of a similar nature, whether imposed in a member state of the European Union in substitution for, or levied in addition to, such Tax referred to in clauses (i) or (ii), or imposed elsewhere.
“VAT Credit” means any credit, offset or receivable arising out of a payment of VAT where liability for such VAT is allocated to the Company or any member of the Company Group under this Agreement.
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Section 2. Allocation of Tax Liabilities.
Section 2.01 General Rule.
(a) Company Liability. The Company shall be liable for, and shall indemnify and hold harmless the SpinCo Group from and against (x) any liability for Company Taxes and (y) any Distribution Tax-Related Losses for which the Company is responsible pursuant to Section 6.03.
(b) SpinCo Liability. SpinCo shall be liable for, and shall indemnify and hold harmless the Company Group from and against (x) any liability for SpinCo Taxes and (y) any Distribution Tax-Related Losses for which SpinCo is responsible pursuant to Section 6.03.
Section 2.02 Employment Taxes. Liability for employment taxes shall be determined pursuant to the Employee Matters Agreement.
Section 2.03 Delayed SpinCo Assets; Delayed SpinCo Liabilities; Delayed Company Assets; Delayed Company Liabilities. The Parties acknowledge and agree that, notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, this Agreement shall not in any way affect or modify the Parties’ rights and obligations under Section 2.4 of the Separation Agreement.
Section 2.04 Straddle Period Tax Allocation. The Company and SpinCo shall take all actions necessary or appropriate to close the taxable year of SpinCo and each member of the SpinCo Group for all Tax purposes as of the close of the Distribution Date to the extent permissible or required under applicable Law, including, if permitted under applicable Tax Law, making the election under Treasury Regulations Section 1.245A-5(e)(3) with respect to each CFC Member and any corresponding or similar elections under state, local or non-U.S. law. If applicable Law does not require or permit SpinCo or any member of the SpinCo Group, as the case may be, to close its taxable year on the Distribution Date, then the allocation of income or deductions required to determine any Taxes or other amounts attributable to the portion of the Straddle Period ending on, or beginning after, the Distribution Date shall be made by means of a closing of the books and records of SpinCo or such member of the SpinCo Group as of the close of the Distribution Date; provided that exemptions, allowances or deductions that are calculated on an annual or periodic basis shall be allocated between such portions in proportion to the number of days in each such portion; provided, further, that real property and other property or similar periodic Taxes shall be apportioned on a per diem basis. For the avoidance of doubt, any CFC Taxes for the Pre-Distribution Period will be determined as if the taxable year of any CFC Member that includes the Distribution Date ended at the end of the Distribution Date.
Section 3. Preparation and Filing of Tax Returns.
Section 3.01 General. Tax Returns shall be prepared and filed when due (including extensions) in accordance with this Section 3. The Separation Parties shall provide, and shall cause their Affiliates to provide, assistance and cooperation to one another in accordance with Section 7 with respect to the preparation and filing of Tax Returns, including providing information required to be provided in Section 7.
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Section 3.02 Responsibility for Preparation and Filing
(a) Company Consolidated Returns. Notwithstanding Section 3.02(b), the Company shall prepare and file all Company Consolidated Returns. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, for all Tax purposes, the Parties shall report any Extraordinary Transactions that are effected by the SpinCo Group on the Distribution Date after the Effective Time (except for any Extraordinary Transactions effected at the direction of the Company Group) as occurring on the day after the Distribution Date to the extent permitted by Treasury Regulations Section 1.1502-76(b)(1)(ii)(B) or any similar or analogous provision of state, local or non-U.S. Law.
(b) Each Separation Party shall prepare and timely file, or cause to be prepared and timely filed, taking into account applicable extensions, all Tax Returns required to be filed by such Separation Party or any of its Subsidiaries and shall pay, or cause to be paid, all Taxes shown as due and payable on such Tax Returns with respect to a Pre-Distribution Period or Straddle Period, subject to any right to indemnification under Section 2.
Section 3.03 Tax Reporting Practices.
(a) General Rule. With respect to any Tax Return that either Separation Party has the obligation and right to prepare and file, or cause to be prepared and filed, under Section 3.02, such Tax Return shall be prepared in accordance with past practices, accounting methods, elections or conventions (“Past Practices”), to the extent such Tax Return may reasonably be expected the affect the Tax liability of the other Separation Party, except as otherwise required by applicable Law. During the Restricted Period, if either Separation Party files any portion of a Tax Return in a manner inconsistent with Past Practices, such Separation Party shall promptly notify the other Separation Party of all such inconsistencies reasonably prior to the submission of such Tax Return. SpinCo shall not be permitted to make any change in any of its methods of accounting for Tax purposes for any Pre-Distribution Period, unless otherwise required by a Final Determination.
(b) Reporting of Separation. The Tax treatment of the Separation Transactions reported on any Tax Return shall be (i) consistent with the treatment thereof provided in the Intended Tax Treatment and on Exhibit A, (ii) as relates to Preferred Stock Recapitalization and Preferred Stock Exchange, consistent with the treatment thereof provided in Section 3.1(d) of the Separation Agreement, and (iii) as relates to any shares of SpinCo Common Stock that are distributed in the Distribution to a Subsidiary of the Company that is a member of the Company Group, consistent with the treatment thereof provided in Section 3.4 of the Separation Agreement. The Tax treatment of the Separation Transactions reported on any Tax Return filed by RMT Partner, SpinCo, or their Subsidiaries shall be consistent with the Tax treatment on any Tax Return filed or to be filed by the Company or any member of the Company Group or caused or to be caused to be filed by the Company or any member of the Company Group.
Section 3.04 Consolidated or Combined Tax Returns.
(a) SpinCo will elect and join and will cause its Affiliates to elect and join, in filing any consolidated, combined or unitary Tax Returns that the Company determines in good faith are required to be filed or that the Company chooses to file pursuant to Section 3.02 with respect to any Pre-Distribution Period.
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(b) With respect to all Company Consolidated Returns for the taxable year which includes the Distribution Date, the Company shall use the closing of the books method under Treasury Regulations Section 1.1502-76.
Section 3.05 Right to Review and Consent to Tax Returns.
(a) To the extent a Responsible Separation Party files any Tax Return that reflects (i) Taxes for which the other Separation Party would reasonably be expected to be liable, including as a result of adjustments to the amount of Taxes reported on such Tax Return, (ii) the Contribution, the SpinCo Cash Distribution, the Distribution and/or the Merger, (iii) a Separation Transaction, or (iv) any other information that could reasonably be expected to impact the Tax liability of the other Separation Party, the Responsible Separation Party shall submit to the other Separation Party a draft of such Tax Return at least forty-five (45) days prior to the Due Date for such Tax Return for the other Separation Party’s review, comment and approval (such approval not to be unreasonably delayed, conditioned or withheld). The other Separation Party shall have access to any and all data and information necessary for the preparation of all such Tax Returns and the Separation Parties shall cooperate fully in the preparation and review of such Tax Returns; provided that the providing Separation Party may redact from such information and documents any Redactable Information. No later than thirty (30) days after receipt of such Tax Returns, the other Separation Party shall have a right to object to such Tax Return (or items with respect thereto) by written notice to the Responsible Separation Party; such written notice shall contain such disputed item (or items) and the basis for its objection; provided that if such other Separation Party does not provide such written objection within thirty (30) days after receipt such other Separation Party shall be deemed to approve such Tax Return for purposes of this Section 3.05.
(b) If a Separation Party objects by proper written notice described in Section 3.05(a), the Separation Parties shall act in good faith to resolve any such dispute as promptly as practicable; provided, however, that, notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, if the Separation Parties have not resolved the disputed item or items by the day five (5) Business Days prior to the Due Date of such Tax Return, such Tax Return shall be filed as prepared pursuant to this Section 3.05 (revised to reflect all initially disputed items that the Separation Parties have agreed upon prior to such date).
(c) In the event a Tax Return is filed that includes any disputed item for which proper notice was given pursuant to Section 3.05(a) that was not finally resolved and agreed upon, such disputed item (or items) shall be resolved in accordance with Section 13. In the event that the resolution of such disputed item (or items) in accordance with Section 13 with respect to a Tax Return is inconsistent with such Tax Return as filed, the Responsible Separation Party (with cooperation from the other Separation Party) shall, as promptly as practicable, amend such Tax Return to properly reflect the final resolution of the disputed item (or items). In the event that the amount of Taxes shown to be due and owing on a Tax Return is adjusted as a result of a resolution pursuant to Section 13, proper adjustment shall be made to the amounts previously paid or required to be paid in accordance with Section 4 in a manner that reflects such resolution.
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(d) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, SpinCo and the Company shall cooperate with respect to the preparation of any transfer pricing documentation relating to the SpinCo Business required to be prepared with respect to a Tax Return for any Pre-Distribution Period or Straddle Period.
Section 3.06 Refunds, Carrybacks and Amended Tax Returns.
(a) Refunds.
(i) Each Separation Party (and its Affiliates) (the “Claiming Separation Party”) shall be entitled to Refunds that relate to Taxes for which it (or its Affiliates) is liable under this Agreement or for which it has previously paid. For the avoidance of doubt, to the extent that a particular Refund may be allocable to multiple Parties, the portion of such Refund to which each Party will be entitled shall be determined by comparing the amount of payments made by a Party to a Tax Authority or to the other Party (and reduced by the amount of payments received from the other Party) pursuant to Sections 2 and 3 with the Tax liability of such Party as determined under Section 2.01, taking into account the facts as utilized for purposes of claiming such Refund.
(ii) Any Refund or portion thereof to which a Claiming Separation Party is entitled pursuant to this Section 3.06(a) that is received or deemed to have been received as described herein by the other Separation Party (or its Affiliates) shall be paid by such other Separation Party to the Claiming Separation Party in immediately available funds in accordance with Section 4 (net of any reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in obtaining such Refund, including any Taxes imposed or payable in respect of the receipt or accrual thereof). To the extent a Separation Party (or its Affiliates) applies or causes to be applied an overpayment of Taxes as a credit toward or a reduction in Taxes otherwise payable (or a Tax Authority requires such application in lieu of a Refund) and such Refund, if received, would have been payable by such Separation Party to the Claiming Separation Party pursuant to this Section 3.06(a), such Separation Party shall be deemed to have actually received a Refund to the extent thereof on the date on which the overpayment is applied to reduce Taxes otherwise payable.
(iii) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, any Separation Party that has received a payment in respect of a Refund pursuant to this Section 3.06(a) shall be liable for any Taxes that become due and payable as a result of the subsequent adjustment, if any, to the Refund claim.
(iv) The Separation Parties shall cooperate in good faith with any reasonable request by the other Separation Party to pursue any Refund to which such other Separation Party may be entitled under Section 3.06(a)(i).
(b) Carrybacks.
(i) Each of the Separation Parties shall be permitted (but not required) to carry back (or to cause its Affiliates to carry back) a Tax Attribute realized in a Post-Distribution Period or a Straddle Period to a Pre-Distribution Period or a Straddle Period only if such carryback cannot reasonably result in the other Separation Party (or its Affiliates) being liable for additional Taxes. If a carryback could reasonably result in the other Separation Party (or its Affiliates) being liable for additional Taxes, such carryback shall be permitted only if such other Separation Party consents to such carryback.
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(ii) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, any Separation Party that has claimed (or caused one or more of its Affiliates to claim) a Tax Attribute carryback shall be liable for any Taxes that result from such carryback claim or become due and payable as a result of the subsequent adjustment, if any, to the carryback claim.
(iii) A Separation Party shall be entitled to any Refund that is attributable to, and would not have arisen but for, a carryback of a Tax Attribute by such Separation Party pursuant to the provisions set forth in this Section 3.06(b).
(c) Amended Tax Returns. Other than as required by this Agreement or applicable Law, SpinCo shall not file any amended Tax Return for a member of the SpinCo Group that relates to (i) a Pre-Distribution Period or (ii) any Tax Return which the Company is entitled to review pursuant to Section 3.05(a), without the prior written consent of the Company, provided that for amendments of Tax Returns described in clause (ii), the Company’s consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed.
Section 3.07 Apportionment of Tax Attributes. The Company shall reasonably determine in good faith, and advise SpinCo in writing of, the amount of any Tax Attributes arising in a Pre-Distribution Period that shall be allocated or apportioned to the SpinCo Group under applicable Law; provided that this Section 3.07 shall not be construed as obligating the Company to undertake an “earnings & profits study” or similar determinations. The Company Group and the SpinCo Group agree to compute all Taxes for Post-Distribution Periods consistently with the determination of the allocation of Tax Attributes pursuant to this Section 3.07 unless otherwise required by a Final Determination. To the extent that the amount of any Tax Attribute is later reduced or increased as a result of a Final Determination, such reduction or increase shall be allocated to the Party to which such Tax Attribute was allocated pursuant to this Section 3.07.
Section 4. Indemnification Payments.
Section 4.01 Indemnification Payments.
(a) If any Separation Party (the “Payor”) or any Affiliate of the Payor is required under applicable Tax Law to pay to a Tax Authority a Tax that another Separation Party (the “Required Separation Party”) is liable for under this Agreement, the Payor shall provide notice to the Required Separation Party for the amount due, accompanied by evidence of payment and a statement detailing the Taxes paid and describing in reasonable detail the particulars relating thereto. Such Required Separation Party shall have a period of thirty (30) days after the receipt of notice to respond thereto. Unless the Required Separation Party disputes the amount it is liable for under this Agreement, the Required Separation Party shall reimburse the Payor within forty-five (45) days of delivery by the Payor of the notice described above. To the extent the Required Separation Party does not agree with the amount the Payor claims the Required Separation Party is liable for under this Agreement, the dispute shall be resolved in accordance with Section 13.
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(b) Any Tax indemnity payment required to be made by the Required Separation Party pursuant to this Agreement shall be reduced by any corresponding Tax Benefit payment required to be made to the Required Separation Party by the other Separation Party pursuant to Section 5. For the avoidance of doubt, a Tax Benefit payment is treated as corresponding to a Tax indemnity payment to the extent the Tax Benefit realized is attributable to the same Tax Item (or adjustment of such Tax Item pursuant to a Final Determination) that gave rise to the Tax indemnity payment. Any foreign tax credits or deductions under U.S. Tax Law claimed by RMT Partner or any member of the SpinCo Group as a result of any CFC Taxes for the Pre-Distribution Period (as determined pursuant to Section 2.04) shall be treated as Tax Benefits corresponding to such CFC Taxes.
(c) All indemnification payments under this Agreement shall be made by the Company directly to SpinCo and by SpinCo directly to the Company; provided, however, that if the Separation Parties mutually agree with respect to any such indemnification payment, any member of the Company Group, on the one hand, may make such indemnification payment to any member of the SpinCo Group, on the other hand, and vice versa. All indemnification payments shall be treated in the manner described in Section 12.
Section 5. Tax Benefits and Company Tax Attributes.
Section 5.01 Tax Benefits.
(a) If a member of the SpinCo Group realizes any Tax Benefit as a result of an adjustment pursuant to a Final Determination to any Taxes for which a member of the Company Group is liable hereunder, or if a member of the Company Group realizes any Tax Benefit as a result of an adjustment pursuant to a Final Determination to any Taxes for which a member of the SpinCo Group is liable hereunder, SpinCo or the Company, as the case may be, shall make a payment to the other company within one hundred twenty (120) Business Days following such realization of the Tax Benefit, in an amount equal to such Tax Benefit (net of any reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in obtaining such Tax Benefit, including any Taxes imposed or payable in respect of the receipt or accrual thereof). For the avoidance of doubt, if such Tax Benefit results in the reduction of an indemnity payment pursuant to Section 4.01(b), no payment shall be required under this Section 5.01(a) to the extent the Required Separation Party reduced its Tax indemnity payment under Section 4.01(b). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, any Separation Party that has been paid such Tax Benefit pursuant to this Section 5.01 (or has their Tax indemnity obligation pursuant to Section 4.01(b) reduced) shall be liable for any Taxes that become due and payable as a result of the subsequent adjustment, if any, to such Tax Benefit.
(b) No later than one hundred twenty (120) Business Days after a Tax Benefit described in Section 5.01(a) is realized by a member of the Company Group or a member of the SpinCo Group, the Company (if a member of the Company Group realizes such Tax Benefit) or SpinCo (if a member of the SpinCo Group realizes such Tax Benefit) shall provide the other
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Separation Party with notice of the amount payable to such other Separation Party by the Company or SpinCo pursuant to this Section 5. In the event that the Company or SpinCo disagrees with any such calculation described in this Section 5.01(b), the Company or SpinCo shall so notify the other Separation Party in writing within thirty (30) Business Days of receiving the written calculation set forth above in this Section 5.01(b). The Company and SpinCo shall endeavor in good faith to resolve such disagreement, and, failing that, the amount payable under this Section 5 shall be determined in accordance with the disagreement resolution provisions of Section 13 as promptly as practicable.
Section 5.02 VAT Credits. In the event that a member of the SpinCo Group realizes, in a Post-Distribution Period, a Tax Benefit arising from a VAT Credit, SpinCo shall make a payment to the Company of the amount of such Tax Benefit (net of any reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred in obtaining such Tax Benefit, including any Taxes imposed or payable in respect of the receipt or accrual thereof) within thirty (30) Business Days; provided, however, that if the Separation Parties mutually agree with respect to any such payment, any member of the SpinCo Group may make such payment to any member of the Company Group. The Company shall be liable for any Taxes that become due and payable as a result of a subsequent adjustment to any Tax Benefit arising from a VAT Credit and shall make a payment to SpinCo of the amount of such Taxes within thirty (30) Business Days of SpinCo providing notice to the Company of such subsequent adjustment.
Section 6. Intended Tax Treatment
Section 6.01 Restrictions on SpinCo and RMT Partner. During the Restricted Period SpinCo and RMT Partner shall not:
(a) enter into any Proposed Acquisition Transaction, approve any Proposed Acquisition Transaction for any purpose, or allow any Proposed Acquisition Transaction to occur with respect to SpinCo;
(b) merge or consolidate with any other Person (other than pursuant to the Merger) or liquidate or partially liquidate, or cause or permit any member of the SpinCo Group that was the “controlled corporation” in a Separation Transaction step intended to qualify under Section 355 of the Code to engage in such a transaction;
(c) approve or allow the discontinuance, cessation, or sale or other transfer (to an Affiliate of otherwise, and including any transaction treated as a sale or transfer for U.S. federal income tax purposes) of more than thirty percent (30%) of the consolidated gross assets of, or a material change in the active conduct of, any trade or business on which SpinCo (or any member of the SpinCo Group that was the “controlled corporation” in a Separation Transaction step intended to qualify under Section 355 of the Code) relied for purposes of satisfying the requirements of Section 355(b) of the Code, as described in the IRS Ruling (in the case of a sale or other transfer of assets, (x) excluding (i) sales or other dispositions in the ordinary course of business, (ii) sales or other dispositions to a Person that is disregarded as an entity separate from the transferor for U.S. federal income tax purposes, (iii) any cash paid to acquire assets from an unrelated Person in an arm’s-length transaction, (iv) any cash paid in mandatory or optional repayment (or pre-payment) of any indebtedness of the transferor or any member of the
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transferor’s “separate affiliated group” (within the meaning of Section 355(b)(3) of the Code), (v) any sale or other disposition (including any sale or disposition structured as a merger or consolidation) to any Person that is a member of the “separate affiliated group” (within the meaning of Section 355(b)(3) of the Code) of each member of the SpinCo Group that relied on such trade or business for purposes of satisfying the requirements of Section 355(b) of the Code (as described in the IRS Ruling), (vi) a Permitted Transfer or (vii) a Permitted Leverage Distribution, and (y) measuring the percentage of assets sold or transferred based on fair market values as of the Distribution Date (or other relevant Separation Transaction step intended to qualify under Section 355 of the Code));
(d) sell or otherwise dispose of more than thirty percent (30%) of the consolidated gross assets of SpinCo’s “separate affiliated group” (within the meaning of Section 355(b)(3) of the Code), or approve or allow the sale or other disposition (to an Affiliate or otherwise) of more than thirty percent (30%) of the consolidated gross assets of SpinCo’s “separate affiliated group” (within the meaning of Section 355(b)(3) of the Code) (in each case, (x) excluding (i) sales or other dispositions in the ordinary course of business, (ii) sales or other dispositions to a Person that is disregarded as an entity separate from the transferor for U.S. federal income tax purposes, (iii) any cash paid to acquire assets from an unrelated Person in an arm’s-length transaction, (iv) any cash paid in mandatory or optional repayment (or pre-payment) of any indebtedness of SpinCo or any member of the SpinCo Group, (v) any sale or other disposition (including any sale or disposition structured as a merger or consolidation) to any member of SpinCo’s “separate affiliated group” (within the meaning of Section 355(b)(3) of the Code), (vi) a Permitted Transfer or (vii) a Permitted Leverage Distribution, and (y) measuring the percentage of assets sold or disposed of based on fair market values as of the Distribution Date);
(e) amend SpinCo’s certificate of incorporation (or other organizational documents), or take any other action or approve or allow the taking of any action, whether through a stockholder vote or otherwise, affecting the voting rights of SpinCo stock;
(f) issue shares of a new class of non-voting stock, or otherwise issue shares of stock that could reasonably be expected to have adverse consequences under Section 355(e) of the Code; provided that an issuance under this Section 6.01(f) shall not be reasonably expected to have adverse consequences under Section 355(e) to the extent the issuance satisfies Safe Harbor VIII (relating to acquisitions in connection with a person’s performance of services) or Safe Harbor IX (relating to acquisitions by a retirement plan of an employer), in each case, of Treasury Regulations Section 1.355-7(d);
(g) purchase, directly or through any Affiliate, any of RMT Partner’s outstanding stock, other than any Permitted Repurchases;
(h) with respect to the Distribution and the Separation Transactions described on Exhibit A, take any action or fail to take any action, or permit any member of the SpinCo Group to take any action or fail to take any action, that is inconsistent with any representation or covenant made in the Tax Opinions/Rulings or the Ruling Request;
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(i) take any action or permit any other member of the SpinCo Group to take any action (including any transactions with a third-party or any transaction with any Separation Party) that, individually or in the aggregate (taking into account other transactions described in this Section 6.01), would be reasonably likely to adversely affect (A) the Intended Tax Treatment of the Contribution, the SpinCo Cash Distribution, the Distribution or the Merger or (B) the intended tax treatment of any Separation Transaction under U.S. federal, state, local or non-U.S. Tax Law, as described on Exhibit A; or
(j) take or permit any other member of the SpinCo Group to take any action described on Exhibit B.
provided, however, that SpinCo or RMT Partner shall be permitted to take such action or one or more actions set forth in the foregoing clauses (b) through (i) if, prior to taking any such actions, SpinCo or RMT Partner shall (1) have received a favorable private letter ruling from the IRS, or a ruling from another Tax Authority that confirms that such action or actions will not result in Distribution Taxes, taking into account such actions and any other relevant transactions in the aggregate (a “Post-Distribution Ruling”), in form and substance satisfactory to the Company in its discretion, which discretion shall be reasonably exercised in good faith solely to prevent the imposition of Distribution Taxes (which discretion shall include consideration of the reasonableness of any representations made in connection with such Post-Distribution Ruling), (2) have received an Unqualified Tax Opinion, in form and substance satisfactory to the Company in its discretion, which discretion shall be reasonably exercised in good faith solely to prevent the imposition of Distribution Taxes or (3) have received written notice from the Company that it has waived (which waiver shall be withheld by the Company in its sole and absolute discretion) the requirement to obtain such Post-Distribution Ruling and/or Unqualified Tax Opinion. SpinCo and RMT Partner shall provide a copy of the Post-Distribution Ruling or the Unqualified Tax Opinion described in this paragraph to the Company as soon as practicable prior to taking or failing to take any action set forth in the foregoing clauses (b) through (i). The Company’s evaluation of a Post-Distribution Ruling or Unqualified Tax Opinion may consider, among other factors, the appropriateness or reasonableness of any underlying assumptions, representations and covenants made in connection with such Post-Distribution Ruling or Unqualified Tax Opinion. SpinCo shall bear all costs and expenses of securing any such Post-Distribution Ruling or Unqualified Tax Opinion and shall reimburse the Company for all reasonable out-of-pocket costs and expenses that the Company Group may incur in seeking to obtain or evaluate any such Post-Distribution Ruling or Unqualified Tax Opinion. For the avoidance of doubt, the presence of a Post-Distribution Ruling or Unqualified Tax Opinion shall not relieve SpinCo or RMT Partner from any indemnification obligations otherwise present under this Agreement.
Section 6.02 Restrictions on the Company. During the Restricted Period, the Company shall not:
(a) with respect to the Distribution, take any action or fail to take any action, or permit any member of the Company Group to take any action or fail to take any action, that is inconsistent with any representation or covenant made in the Tax Opinions/Rulings or the Ruling Request; or
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(b) take any action or permit any other member of the Company Group to take any action (including any transactions with a third-party or any transaction with any Separation Party) that, individually or in the aggregate (taking into account other transactions described in this Section 6.02), would be reasonably likely to adversely affect (A) the Intended Tax Treatment of the Contribution, the SpinCo Cash Distribution, the Distribution or the Merger or (B) the intended tax treatment of any Separation Transaction under U.S. federal, state, local or non-U.S. Tax Law, as described on Exhibit A.
Section 6.03 Liability for Distribution Tax-Related Losses. In the event that Distribution Taxes become due and payable to a Tax Authority pursuant to a Final Determination, then, notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement:
(a) if such Distribution Taxes are attributable to a Company Tainting Act, then the Company shall be responsible for any Distribution Tax-Related Losses;
(b) if such Distribution Taxes are attributable to a SpinCo Tainting Act, then SpinCo shall be responsible for any Distribution Tax-Related Losses;
(c) if such Distribution Taxes are attributable to both a Company Tainting Act and a SpinCo Tainting Act, responsibility for such Distribution Tax-Related Losses shall be allocated between the Company and SpinCo according to relative fault; provided, however, that if such Distribution Taxes result from the application of Section 355(e) of the Code to the Distribution, (i) the Company shall be one hundred percent (100%) responsible for any Distribution Tax-Related Losses if a Company Tainting Act causes the application of Section 355(e) of the Code and a SpinCo Tainting Act does not cause the application of Section 355(e) of the Code, and (ii) SpinCo shall be one hundred percent (100%) responsible for any Distribution Tax-Related Losses if a SpinCo Tainting Act cause the application of Section 355(e) of the Code and a Company Tainting Act does not cause the application of Section 355(e) of the Code;
(d) if such Distribution Taxes are attributable to the failure of the Intended Tax Treatment because of an issue with respect to the computation or availability of Overlap Shareholders, then (i) the Company shall be responsible for a portion of any Distribution Tax-Related Losses equal to 39.2% multiplied by the total amount of such Distribution Tax-Related Losses, and (ii) SpinCo shall be responsible for a portion of any Distribution Tax-Related Losses equal to the 60.8% multiplied by the total amount of such Distribution Tax-Related Losses; and
(e) if such Distribution Taxes (i) are not attributable to a Company Tainting Act or a SpinCo Tainting Act and (ii) are not attributable to an issue with respect to the computation or availability of Overlap Shareholders, then the Company shall be one hundred percent (100%) responsible for any Distribution Tax-Related Losses.
Section 7. Cooperation and Reliance.
Section 7.01 Assistance and Cooperation.
(a) Subject to Section 7.01(b), the Separation Parties shall cooperate (and cause their respective Affiliates to cooperate) with each other and with each other’s agents, including accounting firms and legal counsel, in connection with Tax matters relating to the Separation Parties and their Affiliates including (i) preparation and filing of Tax Returns, (ii) determining the liability for and amount of any Taxes due (including estimated Taxes) or the right to and amount of any refund of Taxes, (iii) examinations of Tax Returns and (iv) any administrative or
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judicial proceeding in respect of Taxes assessed or proposed to be assessed. Such cooperation shall include making all information and documents in their possession relating to the other Separation Party and its Affiliates available to such other Separation Party as provided in Section 8. Each of the Separation Parties shall also make available to the other, as reasonably requested and available, personnel (including officers, directors, employees and agents of the Separation Parties or their respective Affiliates) responsible for preparing, maintaining and interpreting information and documents relevant to Taxes, and personnel reasonably required as witnesses or for purposes of providing information or documents in connection with any administrative or judicial proceedings relating to Taxes.
(b) Any information or documents provided under this Section 7 shall be kept confidential by the Separation Party receiving the information or documents, except as may otherwise be necessary in connection with the filing of Tax Returns or in connection with any administrative or judicial proceedings relating to Taxes. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement or any other agreement, (i) neither the Company nor any Company Affiliate shall be required to provide SpinCo, any SpinCo Affiliate, or any other Person access to or copies of any information or procedures (including the proceedings of any Tax Contest) other than information or procedures that relate to SpinCo, the business or assets of SpinCo or any of SpinCo Affiliate and (ii) in no event shall the Company or any Company Affiliate be required to provide SpinCo, any SpinCo Affiliate, or any other Person access to or copies of any information if such action could reasonably be expected to result in the waiver of any Privilege. In addition, in the event that the Company determines that the provision of any information or documents to SpinCo or any SpinCo Affiliate could be commercially detrimental, violate any Law or agreement or waive any Privilege, the Parties shall use reasonable best efforts to permit compliance with this Section 7 in a manner that avoids any such harm or consequence.
Section 7.02 Income Tax Return Information. SpinCo and the Company acknowledge that time is of the essence in relation to any request for information, assistance or cooperation made by the Company or SpinCo pursuant to Section 7.01 or this Section 7.02. Each Separation Party shall provide to the other Separation Party information and documents relating to its Group required by the other Separation Party to prepare Tax Returns, provided that the providing Separation Party may redact from such information and documents any Redactable Information. Any information or documents the Responsible Separation Party requires to prepare such Tax Returns shall be provided in such form as the Responsible Separation Party reasonably requests and in sufficient time for the Responsible Separation Party to file such Tax Returns on a timely basis.
Section 7.03 Non-Performance. If a Separation Party (or any of its Affiliates) fails to comply with any of its obligations set forth in this Section 7 upon reasonable request and notice by the other Separation Party (or any of its Affiliates) and such failure results in the imposition of additional Taxes, the non-performing Separation Party shall be liable in full for such additional Taxes.
Section 7.04 Costs. Each Separation Party shall devote the personnel and resources necessary in order to carry out this Section 7 and shall make its employees available on a mutually convenient basis to provide explanations of any documents or information provided hereunder. Each Separation Party shall carry out its responsibilities under this Section 7 at its own cost and expense.
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Section 8. Tax Records.
Section 8.01 Retention of Tax Records. Each Separation Party shall preserve and keep all Tax Records exclusively relating to the assets and activities of its Group for Pre-Distribution Periods, and the Company shall preserve and keep all other Tax Records relating to Taxes of the Groups for Pre-Distribution Periods, for so long as the contents thereof may become material in the administration of any matter under the Code or other applicable Tax Law, but in any event until the later of (i) the expiration of any applicable statutes of limitations, or (ii) seven (7) years after the Distribution Date (such later date, the “Retention Date”). After the Retention Date, each Separation Party may dispose of such Tax Records upon ninety (90) Business Days’ prior written notice to the other Separation Party. If, prior to the Retention Date, (a) a Separation Party reasonably determines that any Tax Records which it would otherwise be required to preserve and keep under this Section 8 are no longer material in the administration of any matter under the Code or other applicable Tax Law as relates to the other Separation Party and such other Separation Party agrees, then such first Separation Party may dispose of such Tax Records upon ninety (90) Business Days’ prior notice to the other Separation Party. Any notice of an intent to dispose given pursuant to this Section 8.01 shall include a list of the Tax Records to be disposed of describing in reasonable detail each file, book or other record accumulation being disposed, provided that Redactable Information may be redacted from such list and such detail. The notified Separation Party shall have the opportunity, at its cost and expense, to copy or remove, within such ninety (90) Business Day period, all or any part of such Tax Records, provided that the notifying Separation Party may redact from such Tax Records, prior to such copying or removal, any Redactable Information. If, at any time prior to the Retention Date, a Separation Party determines to decommission or otherwise discontinue any computer program or information technology system used to access or store any Tax Records, then such Separation Party may decommission or discontinue such program or system upon ninety (90) Business Days’ prior notice to the other Separation Party and the other Separation Party shall have the opportunity, at its cost and expense, to copy, within such ninety (90)-day period, all or any part of the underlying data relating to the Tax Records accessed by or stored on such program or system, provided that the notifying Separation Party may redact from such Tax Records, prior to such copying or removal, any Redactable Information.
Section 8.02 Access to Tax Records. The Separation Parties and their respective Affiliates shall make available to each other for inspection and copying during normal business hours upon reasonable notice all Tax Records (and, for the avoidance of doubt, any pertinent underlying data accessed or stored on any computer program or information technology system) in their possession and shall permit the other Separation Party and its Affiliates, authorized agents and representatives and any representative of a Tax Authority or other Tax auditor direct access during normal business hours upon reasonable notice to any computer program or information technology system used to access or store any Tax Records, in each case to the extent reasonably required by the other Separation Party in connection with the preparation of Tax Returns or financial accounting statements, audits, litigation or the resolution of items under this Agreement, provided that Redactable Information may be redacted from any such provided Tax Records. To the extent any Tax Records are required to be or are otherwise transferred by the Separation Parties or their respective Affiliates to any person other than an Affiliate, the Separation Party or its respective Affiliate shall transfer such records to the other Separation Party at such time.
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Section 9. Tax Contests.
Section 9.01 Notice. Each of the Separation Parties shall provide prompt notice to the other Separation Party of any written communication from a Tax Authority regarding any pending or threatened Tax audit, assessment or proceeding or other Tax Contest of which it becomes aware related to Taxes for which it is indemnified by the other Separation Party hereunder or for which it may be required to indemnify the other Separation Party hereunder. Such notice shall attach copies of the pertinent portion of any written communication from a Tax Authority and contain factual information (to the extent known) describing any asserted Tax liability in reasonable detail and shall be accompanied by copies of any notice and other documents received from any Tax Authority in respect of any such matters, provided that Redactable Information may be redacted from any such copies and documents so provided.
Section 9.02 Control of Tax Contests.
(a) Controlling Separation Party. In the case of any Tax Contest with respect to any Tax Return, the Separation Party that would be primarily liable under this Agreement to pay the applicable Tax Authority the Taxes resulting from such Tax Contest shall administer and control such Tax Contest (the “Controlling Separation Party”). Notwithstanding the previous sentence:
(i) In the case of any Tax Contest with respect to the Intended Tax Treatment or the tax treatment of any Separation Transaction, the Company shall be the Controlling Separation Party; provided, however, if SpinCo may reasonably be expected to become liable to make any indemnification payment under this Agreement in connection with the resolution of such Tax Contest, SpinCo shall have the right to jointly control the Tax Contest to the extent relating to Taxes for which SpinCo may reasonably be expected to indemnify under this Agreement, and the Company shall not settle any such Tax Contest without the prior written consent of SpinCo (not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed) to the extent such settlement relates to Taxes for which SpinCo may reasonably be expected to indemnify under this Agreement.
(ii) In the case of any Tax Contest related to any Tax Return required to be filed by a member of the SpinCo Group pursuant to Section 3.02 for which the Company is the Controlling Separation Party, (i) the Company shall keep SpinCo informed in a timely manner of all actions taken or proposed to be taken by the Company with respect to such Tax Contest; and (ii) the Company shall not settle any such Tax Contest without the prior written consent of RMT Partner (not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed) to the extent such settlement relates to Taxes for which SpinCo or RMT Partner may reasonably be expected to indemnify under this Agreement or would otherwise reasonably be expected to materially and adversely impact the Tax liability of any member of the SpinCo Group in any Post-Distribution Period.
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(b) Information Rights. Unless waived by the Separation Parties in writing, in connection with any potential adjustment in a Tax Contest as a result of which adjustment the other non-controlling Separation Party (the “Non-Controlling Separation Party”) may reasonably be expected to become liable to make any indemnification payment (or any payment under Section 5) under this Agreement to the Controlling Separation Party under this Agreement: (i) the Controlling Separation Party shall keep the Non-Controlling Separation Party informed in a timely manner of all actions taken or proposed to be taken by the Controlling Separation Party with respect to such potential adjustment in such Tax Contest; (ii) the Controlling Separation Party shall provide the Non-Controlling Separation Party copies of any written materials relating to such potential adjustment in such Tax Contest received from any Tax Authority; (iii) the Controlling Separation Party shall timely provide the Non-Controlling Separation Party with copies of any correspondence or filings submitted to any Tax Authority or judicial authority in connection with such potential adjustment in such Tax Contest; (iv) the Controlling Separation Party shall consult with the Non-Controlling Separation Party (including, without limitation, regarding the use of outside advisors to assist with the Tax Contest) and offer the Non-Controlling Separation Party a reasonable opportunity to comment before submitting any written materials prepared or furnished in connection with such potential adjustment in such Tax Contest and (v) the Controlling Separation Party shall defend such Tax Contest diligently and in good faith, provided that a Separation Party providing any copies, documents, or materials required to be provided under this Section 9.02(b) may redact from such copies, documents, or materials any Redactable Information. The failure of the Controlling Separation Party to take any action specified in the preceding sentences with respect to the Non-Controlling Separation Party shall not relieve the Non-Controlling Separation Party of any liability and/or obligation which it may have to the Controlling Separation Party under this Agreement except to the extent that the Non-Controlling Separation Party was actually harmed by such failure, and in no event shall such failure relieve the Non-Controlling Separation Party from any other liability or obligation which it may have to the Controlling Separation Party.
(c) Tax Contest Participation. Unless waived by the Separation Parties in writing, the Controlling Separation Party shall provide the Non-Controlling Separation Party with written notice reasonably in advance of, and the Non-Controlling Separation Party shall have the right to attend, any formally scheduled meetings with Tax Authorities or hearings or proceedings before any judicial authorities in connection with any potential adjustment in a Tax Contest pursuant to which the Non-Controlling Separation Party may reasonably be expected to become liable to make any indemnification payment (or any payment under Section 5) to the Controlling Separation Party under this Agreement. The failure of the Controlling Separation Party to provide any notice specified in this Section 9.02(c) to the Non-Controlling Separation Party shall not relieve the Non-Controlling Separation Party of any liability and/or obligation which it may have to the Controlling Separation Party under this Agreement except to the extent that the Non-Controlling Separation Party was actually harmed by such failure, and in no event shall such failure relieve the Non-Controlling Separation Party from any other liability or obligation which it may have to the Controlling Separation Party.
(d) Power of Attorney. Each member of the SpinCo Group shall execute and deliver to the Company (or such member of the Company Group as the Company shall designate) any power of attorney or other similar document reasonably requested by the Company (or such designee) in connection with any Tax Contest (as to which the Company is the Controlling Separation Party) described in this Section 9. Each member of the Company Group shall execute and deliver to SpinCo (or such member of the SpinCo Group as SpinCo shall designate) any power of attorney or other similar document requested by SpinCo (or such designee) in connection with any Tax Contest (as to which SpinCo is the Controlling Separation Party) described in this Section 9.
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(e) Costs. All external out-of-pocket costs and expenses that are incurred by the Controlling Separation Party with respect to a Tax Contest related to an adjustment which the Non-Controlling Separation Party may reasonably be expected to become liable to make any indemnification payment under this Agreement shall be shared by the Separation Parties according to each Separation Party’s relative share of the potential Tax liability with respect to the Tax Contest as determined under this Agreement; provided, however, that a Non-Controlling Separation Party shall not be liable for fees payable to outside advisors to the extent that the Controlling Separation Party failed to consult with the Non-Controlling Separation Party pursuant to Section 9.02(b). If the Controlling Separation Party incurs out-of-pocket costs and expenses to be shared under this Section 9.02(e) during a fiscal quarter, such Controlling Separation Party shall provide notice to the Non-Controlling Separation Party within thirty (30) days after the end of such fiscal quarter for the amount due from such Non-Controlling Separation Party pursuant to this Section 9.02(e), describing in reasonable detail the particulars relating thereto. Such Non-Controlling Separation Party shall have a period of thirty (30) days after the receipt of notice to respond thereto. Unless the Non-Controlling Separation Party disputes the amount it is liable for under this Section 9.02(e), the Non-Controlling Separation Party shall reimburse the Controlling Separation Party within forty-five (45) days of delivery by the Controlling Separation Party of the notice described above. To the extent the Non-Controlling Separation Party does not agree with the amount the Controlling Separation Party claims the Non-Controlling Separation Party is liable for under this Section 9.02(e), the dispute shall be resolved in accordance with Section 13. During the first month of each fiscal quarter in which it expects to incur costs for which reimbursement may be sought under this Section 9.02(e), the Controlling Separation Party will provide the Non-Controlling Separation Party with a good faith estimate of such costs.
Section 10. Effective Date; Termination of Prior Intercompany Tax Allocation Agreements. This Agreement shall be effective as of the date hereof. As of the date hereof, (a) all prior intercompany Tax allocation agreements or arrangements between one or more members of the Company Group, on the one hand, and one or more members of the SpinCo Group, on the other hand, shall be terminated; and (b) amounts due under such agreements as of the date hereof shall be settled as of the date hereof. Upon such termination and settlement, no further payments by or to the Company or by or to SpinCo with respect to such agreements shall be made, and all other rights and obligations resulting from such agreements between the Separation Parties and their Affiliates shall cease at such time.
Section 11. Survival of Obligations. The representations, warranties, covenants and agreements set forth in this Agreement shall be unconditional and absolute and shall remain in effect without limitation as to time.
Section 12. Treatment of Payments; Tax Gross Up.
Section 12.01 Treatment of Tax Indemnity and Tax Benefit Payments. In the absence of any change in Tax treatment under the Code or other applicable Tax Law,
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(a) any Tax indemnity payments made by a Separation Party under this Agreement shall be treated for Tax purposes by the payor and the recipient as distributions or capital contributions, as appropriate, occurring immediately before the Distribution (but only to the extent the payment does not relate to a Tax allocated to the payor in accordance with Section 1552 of the Code or the Treasury Regulations thereunder or Treasury Regulations Section 1.1502-33(d) (or under corresponding principles of other applicable Tax Laws)) or as payments of an assumed or retained liability, and
(b) any Tax Benefit payments made by a Separation Party under Section 5 shall be treated for Tax purposes by the payor and the recipient as distributions or capital contributions, as appropriate, occurring immediately before the Distribution (but only to the extent the payment does not relate to a Tax allocated to the payor in accordance with Section 1552 of the Code or the Treasury Regulations thereunder or Treasury Regulations Section 1.1502-33(d) (or under corresponding principles of other applicable Tax Laws)) or as payments of an assumed or retained liability.
Section 12.02 Tax Gross Up. If, notwithstanding the manner in which Tax indemnity payments and Tax Benefit payments were reported, there is an adjustment to the Tax liability of a Separation Party as a result of its receipt of a payment pursuant to this Agreement, such payment shall be appropriately adjusted so that the amount of such payment, reduced by all Income Taxes payable with respect to the receipt thereof (but taking into account all correlative Tax Benefits resulting from the payment of such Income Taxes), shall equal the amount of the payment which the Separation Party receiving such payment would otherwise be entitled to receive pursuant to this Agreement.
Section 12.03 Interest on Late Payments. With respect to any payment between the Parties pursuant to this Agreement not made by the due date set forth in this Agreement for such payment, any unpaid amounts shall accrue interest in accordance with the provisions of Section 5.2 of the Separation Agreement.
Section 13. Disagreements.
Section 13.01 Discussion. The Separation Parties mutually desire that friendly collaboration will continue between them. Accordingly, they will try, and they will cause their respective Group members to try, to resolve in an amicable manner all disagreements and misunderstandings connected with their respective rights and obligations under this Agreement, including any amendments hereto. In furtherance thereof, in the event of any dispute or disagreement (a “Dispute”) between any member of the Company Group and any member of the SpinCo Group as to the interpretation of any provision of this Agreement or the performance of obligations hereunder, the Tax departments of the Separation Parties shall negotiate in good faith to resolve the Dispute.
Section 13.02 Escalation. If such good faith negotiations do not resolve the Dispute, then the matter, upon written request of either Separation Party, will be referred for resolution to representatives of the Separation Parties at a senior level of management of the Separation Parties pursuant to the procedures set forth in Article VII of the Separation Agreement.
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Section 13.03 Referral to Tax Advisor for Computational Disputes. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 13, with respect to any Dispute under this Agreement involving computational matters, if the Separation Parties are not able to resolve the Dispute through the discussion process set forth in Section 13.01, then the Separation Parties shall not refer the dispute to the escalation process set forth in Section 13.02, but rather the Dispute will be referred to a Tax Advisor acceptable to each of the Separation Parties to act as an arbitrator in order to resolve the Dispute. In the event that the Separation Parties are unable to agree upon a Tax Advisor within fifteen (15) days following the completion of the discussion process, the Separation Parties shall each separately retain an independent, nationally recognized law or accounting firm (each, a “Preliminary Tax Advisor”), which Preliminary Tax Advisors shall jointly select a Tax Advisor on behalf of the Separation Parties to act as an arbitrator in order to resolve the Dispute. The Tax Advisor may, in its discretion, obtain the services of any third-party appraiser, accounting firm or consultant that the Tax Advisor deems necessary to assist it in resolving such disagreement. The Tax Advisor shall furnish written notice to the Separation Parties of its resolution of any such Dispute as soon as practical, but in any event no later than thirty (30) days after its acceptance of the matter for resolution. Any such resolution by the Tax Advisor will be conclusive and binding on the Separation Parties. Following receipt of the Tax Advisor’s written notice to the Separation Parties of its resolution of the Dispute, the Separation Parties shall each take or cause to be taken any action necessary to implement such resolution of the Tax Advisor. Each Separation Party shall pay its own fees and expenses (including the fees and expenses of its representatives) incurred in connection with the referral of the matter to the Tax Advisor (and the Preliminary Tax Advisors, if any). All fees and expenses of the Tax Advisor (and the Preliminary Tax Advisors, if any) in connection with such referral shall be shared equally by the Separation Parties.
Section 13.04 Injunctive Relief. Nothing in this Section 13 will prevent either Separation Party from seeking injunctive relief if any delay resulting from the efforts to resolve the Dispute through the process set forth above could result in serious and irreparable injury to either Separation Party. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the Company and SpinCo are the only members of their respective Group entitled to commence a dispute resolution procedure under this Agreement, and each of the Company and SpinCo will cause its respective Group members not to commence any dispute resolution procedure other than as provided in this Section 13.
Section 14. Expenses. Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, each Separation Party and its Affiliates shall bear their own expenses incurred in connection with preparation of Tax Returns, Tax Contests and other matters related to Taxes under the provisions of this Agreement.
Section 15. General Provisions.
Section 15.01 Notices. All notices, requests, claims, demands or other communications under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be given or made (and except as provided herein, shall be deemed to have been duly given or made upon receipt) by delivery in person, by overnight courier service, by certified mail, return receipt requested, or by electronic mail (“e-mail”), so long as confirmation of receipt of such e-mail is requested and received, to the respective Parties at the following addresses (or at such other address for a Party as shall be specified in a notice given in accordance with this Section 15.01):
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if to the Company to:
Becton, Dickinson and Company
1 Becton Drive
Franklin Lakes, New Jersey 07417
Telephone: (201) 847-6800
Attention: Joseph LaSala
Chief Counsel-Transactions/M&A
Email: [#####]
with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
51 West 52nd Street
New York, NY 10019
Telephone: (212) 403-1000
Attention: David K. Lam; Jenna E. Levine
E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]
if to RMT Partner or SpinCo, to:
Waters Corporation
34 Maple Street
Milford, MA 01757
Telephone: (508) 478-2000
Attention: General Counsel
Email: [#####]
with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
Kirkland & Ellis LLP
601 Lexington Ave
New York, NY 10022
Telephone: (212) 446-4800
Attention: Daniel E. Wolf, P.C.; David M. Klein, P.C.;
Allie M. Wein, P.C. Steven M. Choi
E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected];
[email protected]; [email protected]
A Party may change the address for receiving notices under this Agreement by providing written notice of the change of address to the other Parties.
Section 15.02 Waiver. No provisions of any Agreement shall be deemed waived, amended, supplemented or modified by a Party, unless such waiver, amendment, supplement or modification is in writing and signed by the authorized representative of the Party against whom it is sought to enforce such waiver, amendment, supplement or modification. A Party is not prevented from enforcing
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any right, remedy or condition in the Party’s favor because of any failure or delay in exercising any right or remedy or in requiring satisfaction of any condition, except to the extent that the Party specifically waives the same in writing. A written waiver given for one matter or occasion is effective only in that instance and only for the purpose stated. A waiver once given is not to be construed as a waiver for any other matter or occasion. Any enumeration of a Party’s rights and remedies in this Agreement is not intended to be exclusive, and a Party’s rights and remedies are intended to be cumulative to the extent permitted by law and include any rights and remedies authorized in law or in equity.
Section 15.03 Severability. If any provision of this Agreement or the application thereof to any Person or circumstance is determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, void or unenforceable, the remaining provisions hereof or thereof, or the application of such provision to Persons or circumstances or in jurisdictions other than those as to which it has been held invalid or unenforceable, shall remain in full force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated thereby. Upon such determination, the Parties shall negotiate in good faith in an effort to agree upon such a suitable and equitable provision to effect the original intent of the Parties.
Section 15.04 Authority. Each of the Parties represents to the other that (a) it has the corporate or other requisite power and authority to execute, deliver and perform this Agreement, (b) the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate or other action, (c) it has duly and validly executed and delivered this Agreement, and (d) this Agreement is a legal, valid and binding obligation, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms, subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or other similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and general equity principles.
Section 15.05 Further Action. The Parties shall execute and deliver all documents, provide all information and take or refrain from taking action as may be necessary or appropriate to achieve the purposes of this Agreement, including the execution and delivery to the other Parties and their Affiliates and representatives of such powers of attorney or other authorizing documentation as is reasonably necessary or appropriate in connection with Tax Contests (or portions thereof) under the control of such other Parties in accordance with Section 9.
Section 15.06 Integration. This Agreement, together with each of the exhibits and schedules appended hereto constitutes the final agreement among the Parties, and is the complete and exclusive statement of the Parties’ agreement on the matters contained herein. All prior and contemporaneous negotiations and agreements among the Parties with respect to the matters contained herein are superseded by this Agreement, as applicable. In the event of any inconsistency between this Agreement and the Separation Agreement, or any other agreements relating to the transactions contemplated by the Separation Agreement, with respect to matters addressed herein, the provisions of this Agreement shall control.
Section 15.07 Interpretation. As used in this Agreement, (a) words in the singular shall be deemed to include the plural and vice versa and words of one gender shall be deemed to include the other genders as the context requires; (b) the terms “hereof,” “herein,” and “herewith” and words of similar import shall, unless otherwise stated, be construed to refer to the applicable Transaction Document as a whole (including all of the Schedules, Exhibits and Appendices hereto and
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thereto) and not to any particular provision of any Transaction Document; (c) Article, Section, Schedule, Exhibit and Appendix references are to the Articles, Sections, Schedules, Exhibits and Appendices to the applicable Transaction Document unless otherwise specified; (d) unless otherwise stated, all references to any agreement (including each Transaction Document) shall be deemed to include the exhibits, schedules and annexes (including all Schedules, Exhibits and Appendices) to such agreement; (e) the word “including” and words of similar import when used in the applicable Transaction Document shall mean “including, without limitation,” unless otherwise specified; (f) the word “or” shall be disjunctive but not exclusive; (g) the word “extent” in the phrase “to the extent” shall mean the degree to which a subject or other thing extends, and such phrase shall not mean simply “if”; (h) unless otherwise specified in a particular case, the word “days” refers to calendar days; provided, that if any action is to be taken or given on or by a particular calendar day, and such calendar day is not a business day, then such action may be deferred until the next business day; (i)(A) references to “business day” shall mean any day other than a Saturday, a Sunday or a day on which banking institutions are generally authorized or required by Law to close in New York, New York, and (B) when calculating the period of time before which or following which any act is to be done or step taken pursuant to this Agreement, the date that is the reference date in calculating such period shall be excluded and if the last day of such period is not a business day, the period shall end on the next succeeding business day; (j) references herein to this Agreement or any other agreement contemplated herein shall be deemed to refer to this Agreement or such other agreement as of the date on which it is executed and as it may be amended, modified or supplemented thereafter, unless otherwise specified; (k) unless expressly stated to the contrary in any Transaction Document, all references to “the date hereof,” “the date of this Agreement,”“hereby” and “hereupon” and words of similar import shall all be references to the date set forth in Section 10.13 of the Separation Agreement; (l) references to “paragraphs” or “clauses” shall be to separate paragraphs or clauses of the Section or subsection in which the reference occurs; (m) derivative forms of defined terms will have correlative meanings; (n) any Law defined or referred to in this Agreement or in any agreement or instrument that is referred to herein means such Law as from time to time amended, modified or supplemented, including (in the case of statutes) by succession of comparable successor Laws and the related regulations thereunder and published interpretations thereof; (o) references to any federal, state, local or foreign statute or Law shall include all rules and regulations promulgated thereunder; (p) references to any Person include references to such Person’s successors and permitted assigns, and in the case of any Governmental Authority, to any Person succeeding to its functions and capacities; (q) the terms “writing,” “written” and comparable terms refer to printing, typing and other means of reproducing words (including electronic media) in a visible form; (r) all monetary figures shall be in United States dollars unless otherwise specified; and (s) all accounting terms used herein and not expressly defined herein shall have the meanings given to them under GAAP, unless the context otherwise requires.
Section 15.08 No Double Recovery. No provision of this Agreement shall be construed to provide an indemnity or other recovery for any costs, damages or other amounts for which the damaged Party has been fully compensated under any other provision of this Agreement or under any other agreement or action at law or equity. Unless expressly required in this Agreement, a Party shall not be required to exhaust all remedies available under other agreements or at law or equity before recovering under the remedies provided in this Agreement.
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Section 15.09 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one (1) or more counterparts, all of which shall be considered one and the same agreement, and shall become effective when one (1) or more counterparts have been signed by each of the Parties and delivered to the other Party.
Section 15.10 Governing Law. This Agreement (and any claims or disputes arising out of or related hereto or to the transactions contemplated hereby or to the inducement of any party to enter herein, whether for breach of contract, tortious conduct or otherwise and whether predicated on common law, statute or otherwise), unless expressly provided herein, shall be governed by and construed and interpreted in accordance with the Laws of the State of Delaware irrespective of the choice of laws principles of the State of Delaware including all matters of validity, construction, effect, enforceability, performance and remedies.
Section 15.11 Submission to Jurisdiction; Waiver of Jury Trial.
(a) Each Party hereto irrevocably agrees that any litigation relating to any Dispute with respect to this Agreement and the rights and obligations arising hereunder, or for recognition and enforcement of any judgment in respect of this Agreement and the rights and obligations arising hereunder brought by the other Party hereto or its successors or assigns, shall be brought and determined exclusively in the Delaware Court of Chancery and any state appellate court therefrom within the State of Delaware (or, solely in the case that the Delaware Court of Chancery declines to accept jurisdiction over a particular matter, any state or federal court within the State of Delaware) (the “Chosen Courts”). Each of the Parties hereto hereby irrevocably submits with regard to any such Dispute for itself and in respect of its property, generally and unconditionally, to the personal jurisdiction of the Chosen Courts and agrees that it will not bring any action relating to this Agreement or any of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement in any court other than the Chosen Courts. Each of the Parties hereto hereby irrevocably waives, and agrees not to assert, by way of motion, as a defense, counterclaim or otherwise, in any Dispute with respect to this Agreement, (i) any claim that it is not personally subject to the jurisdiction of the Chosen Courts, (ii) any claim that it or its property is exempt or immune from jurisdiction of any such court or from any legal process commenced in such courts (whether through service of notice, attachment prior to judgment, attachment in aid of execution of judgment, execution of judgment or otherwise) and (iii) to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Law, any claim that (A) the Dispute in such court is brought in an inconvenient forum, (B) the venue of such Dispute is improper or (C) this Agreement, or the subject matter hereof, may not be enforced in or by such courts. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable Law, each Party hereto hereby consents to the service of process in accordance with Section 15.01; provided that (I) nothing herein shall affect the right of any Party to serve legal process in any other manner permitted by Law and (II) each such Party’s consent to jurisdiction and service contained in this Section 15.12(a) is solely for the purpose referred to in this Section 15.12(a) and shall not be deemed to be a general submission to said courts or in the State of Delaware other than for such purpose.
(b) EACH PARTY HERETO IRREVOCABLY WAIVES ANY AND ALL RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY DISPUTE ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.
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Section 15.12 Amendments. No provisions of this Agreement shall be deemed waived, amended, supplemented or modified by a Party, unless such waiver, amendment, supplement or modification is in writing and signed by the authorized representative of the Party against whom it is sought to enforce such waiver, amendment, supplement or modification; provided, that no waiver by RMT Partner, amendment, supplement or modification of this Agreement shall be deemed effective unless signed by the authorized representative of RMT Partner.
Section 15.13 Company Subsidiaries or SpinCo Subsidiaries. If, at any time, the Company or SpinCo acquires or creates one or more Subsidiaries that are includable in the Company Group or SpinCo Group, as the case may be, they shall be subject to this Agreement and all references to the Company Group or SpinCo Group, as the case may be, herein shall thereafter include a reference to such Subsidiaries.
Section 15.14 Successors. This Agreement shall be binding on and inure to the benefit of any successor by merger, acquisition of assets, or otherwise, to any of the Parties hereto (including, but not limited to, any successor of the Company or SpinCo succeeding to the Tax attributes of either under Section 381 of the Code), to the same extent as if such successor had been an original Party to this Agreement. As of the Effective Time, this Agreement shall be binding on RMT Partner and RMT Partner shall be subject to the obligations and restrictions imposed on SpinCo hereunder and, for the avoidance of doubt, any restrictions applicable to SpinCo shall apply to RMT Partner mutatis mutandis.
Section 15.15 Assignability. This Agreement shall be binding on and inure to the benefit of the Parties, and their respective successors and permitted assigns; provided, however, that no Party may assign its rights or delegate its obligations under this Agreement without the express prior written consent of all other Parties.
Section 15.16 No Fiduciary Relationship. The duties and obligations of the Parties, and their respective successors and permitted assigns, contained herein are the extent of the duties and obligations contemplated by this Agreement; nothing in this Agreement is intended to create a fiduciary relationship between the Parties hereto, or any of their successors and permitted assigns, or create any relationship or obligations other than those explicitly described.
Section 15.17 Mutual Drafting; Precedence. This Agreement shall be deemed to be the joint work product of the Parties and any rule of construction that a document shall be interpreted or construed against a drafter of such document shall not be applicable.
Section 15.18 Injunctions. The Parties agree and acknowledge that the failure to perform under this Agreement will cause an actual, immediate and irreparable harm and injury and that the Parties would not have any adequate remedy at law in the event that any of the provisions of this Agreement were not performed in accordance with their specific terms or were otherwise breached. Accordingly, it is agreed that, each of the Parties shall be entitled to an injunction or injunctions to prevent breaches or threatened breaches of this Agreement by any other Party and to specifically enforce the terms and provisions of this Agreement in any court having jurisdiction, such remedy being in addition to any other remedy to which they may be entitled at law or in equity.
[Signature page follows.]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each Party has caused this Agreement to be executed on its behalf by a duly authorized officer on the date first set forth above.
| BECTON, DICKINSON AND COMPANY, a New Jersey corporation | ||
| By: | /s/ Stephanie M. Kelly | |
| Name: Stephanie M. Kelly | ||
| Title: Chief Securities and Governance Counsel, Corporate Secretary | ||
| AUGUSTA SPINCO CORPORATION, a Delaware corporation | ||
| By: | /s/ Stephanie M. Kelly | |
| Name: Stephanie M. Kelly | ||
| Title: Vice President and Secretary | ||
| WATERS CORPORATION, a Delaware Corporation | ||
| By: | /s/ Udit Batra | |
| Name: Udit Batra | ||
| Title: President and Chief Executive Officer | ||
[Signature Page to Tax Matters Agreement]
Exhibit 10.2
EMPLOYEE MATTERS AGREEMENT
BY AND AMONG
WATERS CORPORATION,
BECTON, DICKINSON AND COMPANY
AND
AUGUSTA SPINCO CORPORATION
DATED AS OF FEBRUARY 9, 2026
TABLE OF CONTENTS
| ARTICLE I DEFINITIONS | 1 | |||||
| Section 1.01. |
Definitions |
1 | ||||
| ARTICLE II GENERAL PRINCIPLES FOR ALLOCATION OF LIABILITIES | 5 | |||||
| Section 2.01. |
General Principles |
5 | ||||
| Section 2.02. |
Comparable Compensation and Benefits |
7 | ||||
| Section 2.03. |
Service Credit; Health and Welfare Plans |
9 | ||||
| Section 2.04. |
Benefit Plans |
9 | ||||
| ARTICLE III ASSIGNMENT OF EMPLOYEES | 11 | |||||
| Section 3.01. |
Transfer of Employees |
11 | ||||
| Section 3.02. |
Individual Agreements |
13 | ||||
| Section 3.03. |
SpinCo Delayed Transfer Employees |
14 | ||||
| Section 3.04. |
Consultation with Labor Representatives; Labor Agreements |
15 | ||||
| ARTICLE IV EQUITY AND OTHER INCENTIVE COMPENSATION | 15 | |||||
| Section 4.01. |
Equity Incentive Awards |
15 | ||||
| Section 4.02. |
Non-Equity Incentive Plans |
17 | ||||
| Section 4.03. |
Director Compensation |
18 | ||||
| ARTICLE V U.S. RETIREMENT PLANS | 18 | |||||
| Section 5.01. |
Company Defined Benefit Plan |
18 | ||||
| Section 5.02. |
SpinCo 401(k) Plan |
18 | ||||
| ARTICLE VI NONQUALIFIED DEFERRED COMPENSATION PLANS | 20 | |||||
| Section 6.01. |
Establishment of SpinCo Deferred Compensation Plan and SpinCo Directors’ Plan |
20 | ||||
| Section 6.02. |
Company Nonqualified Plans |
20 | ||||
| Section 6.03. |
Distributions |
20 | ||||
| ARTICLE VII WELFARE BENEFIT PLANS | 21 | |||||
| Section 7.01. |
Welfare Plans |
21 | ||||
| Section 7.02. |
Vacation, Holidays and Leaves of Absence |
22 | ||||
| Section 7.03. |
Severance and Unemployment Compensation |
23 | ||||
| Section 7.04. |
Workers’ Compensation |
23 | ||||
-i-
| ARTICLE VIII NON-U.S. EMPLOYEES | 23 | |||||
| ARTICLE IX MISCELLANEOUS | 24 | |||||
| Section 9.01. |
Information Sharing and Access |
24 | ||||
| Section 9.02. |
Preservation of Rights to Amend |
25 | ||||
| Section 9.03. |
Fiduciary Matters |
25 | ||||
| Section 9.04. |
Further Assurances |
25 | ||||
| Section 9.05. |
Reimbursement of Costs and Expenses |
25 | ||||
| Section 9.06. |
Dispute Resolution |
26 | ||||
| Section 9.07. |
Third-Party Beneficiaries |
26 | ||||
| Section 9.08. |
Incorporation of Separation Agreement Provisions |
26 | ||||
-ii-
EMPLOYEE MATTERS AGREEMENT
This EMPLOYEE MATTERS AGREEMENT, dated as of February 9, 2026 (this “Agreement”), is by and among Becton, Dickinson and Company, a New Jersey corporation (the “Company”), Waters Corporation, a Delaware corporation (“RMT Partner”) and Augusta SpinCo Corporation, a Delaware corporation (“SpinCo”).
R E C I T A L S:
WHEREAS, pursuant to the Separation Agreement, dated as of July 13, 2025 (the “Separation Agreement”), by and among the Company, SpinCo and RMT Partner, the Company and SpinCo have set out the terms on which, and the conditions subject to which, they will implement the Separation and the Distribution (in each case as defined in the Separation Agreement);
WHEREAS, pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of July 13, 2025 (the “Merger Agreement”), by and among the Company, SpinCo, RMT Partner and Beta Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Merger Sub”), immediately following the Distribution, Merger Sub will merge with and into SpinCo with SpinCo as the surviving entity (the “Merger”), whereupon each share of SpinCo Common Stock will be converted into the right to receive a number of shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of RMT Partner, all upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement;
WHEREAS, in connection with the foregoing and in addition to the matters addressed by the Separation Agreement, the Parties desire to enter into this Agreement to set forth the terms and conditions of certain employment, compensation and benefit matters; and
WHEREAS, the Parties acknowledge that this Agreement, the Merger Agreement, the Separation Agreement and the other Transaction Documents (as defined in the Merger Agreement) represent the integrated agreement of the Company, SpinCo and RMT Partner relating to the Separation and the Distribution, are being entered into together and would not have been entered into independently.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual agreements, provisions and covenants contained in this Agreement, and for other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the Parties, intending to be legally bound, hereby agree as follows:
ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS
Section 1.01. Definitions. For purposes of this Agreement, the following terms have the meanings set forth below, and capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined herein shall have the meaning ascribed to them in the Separation Agreement.
“Agreement” shall have the meaning set forth in the Preamble to this Agreement and shall include all Schedules hereto and all amendments, modifications, and changes hereto entered into pursuant to Section 9.08.
“Applicable Exchange” shall mean the securities exchange as may at the applicable time be the principal market for shares of Company Common Stock or RMT Partner Common Stock, as applicable.
“Benefit Plan” shall have the meaning set forth in the Merger Agreement.
“COBRA” shall mean the U.S. Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985, as codified at Section 601 et seq. of ERISA and at Section 4980B of the Code.
“Company” shall have the meaning set forth in the Preamble.
“Company 401(k) Plan” shall mean the BD 401(k) Plan.
“Company Awards” shall mean Company SAR Awards, Company PSU Awards, and Company TVU Awards, collectively.
“Company Benefit Plan” shall have the meaning set forth in the Merger Agreement, but shall not include any SpinCo Benefit Plan.
“Company Board” shall have the meaning set forth in the Recitals.
“Company Common Stock” shall have the meaning set forth in the Merger Agreement.
“Company Deferred Compensation Plan” shall mean the Deferred Compensation and Retirement Benefit Restoration Plan.
“Company Directors’ Plan” shall mean the 1996 Directors’ Deferral Plan.
“Company Defined Benefit Plan” shall mean the BD Retirement Plan.
“Company Group Employee” shall mean each employee of the Company and its Subsidiaries as of immediately prior to the Distribution Time who is not a SpinCo Group Employee.
“Company LTIP” shall mean the 2004 Employee and Director Equity-Based Compensation Plan.
“Company Non-Employee Director” means an individual who serves or served as a non-employee director of the Company Board.
“Company PSU Award” shall mean an award of performance-based restricted stock units granted pursuant to the Company LTIP that is outstanding as of immediately prior to the Distribution Time.
“Company SAR Award” shall mean an award of stock appreciation rights corresponding to shares of common stock of the Company granted under the Company LTIP that is outstanding as of immediately prior to the Distribution Time.
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“Company TVU Award” shall mean an award of time-based restricted stock units granted pursuant to the Company LTIP that is outstanding as of immediately prior to the Distribution Time.
“Company Welfare Plan” shall mean any Company Benefit Plan which is a Welfare Plan.
“Determination Time” shall have the meaning set forth in the Merger Agreement.
“Employee” shall mean any Company Group Employee or SpinCo Group Employee.
“Equity Award Exchange Ratio” shall mean the quotient, rounded down to four decimal places, obtained by dividing (a) the average volume weighted average trading price of a share of Company Common Stock trading “regular way with due bills” on the Applicable Exchange (i.e., inclusive of SpinCo value) for the five (5) consecutive trading days ending two (2) trading days prior to the date on which the Determination Time occurs by (b) the average volume weighted average trading price of a share of RMT Partner Common Stock trading on the Applicable Exchange for the five (5) consecutive trading days ending two (2) trading days prior to the date on which the Determination Time occurs, in each case as reported by Bloomberg, L.P.
“ERISA” shall mean the U.S. Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, and the regulations promulgated thereunder.
“Former Employee” shall mean any individual who is a former employee of the Company Group as of the Distribution Time and who is not a SpinCo Group Employee.
“Group” shall mean either the SpinCo Group or the Company Group, as the context requires.
“HIPAA” shall mean the U.S. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, as amended, and the regulations promulgated thereunder.
“Individual Agreement” shall mean any individual (a) employment contract or offer letter, (b) retention, severance or change in control agreement, (c) expatriate (including any international assignee) contract or agreement (including agreements and obligations regarding repatriation, relocation, equalization of Taxes and living standards in the host country), or (d) other agreement containing restrictive covenants (including confidentiality, non-competition and non-solicitation provisions) between a member of the Company Group and a SpinCo Group Employee, as in effect immediately prior to the Distribution Time.
“Labor Agreement” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 2.01.
“Parties” shall mean the parties to this Agreement.
“Requesting Party” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 9.05.
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“RMT Partner Benefit Plan” shall have the meaning set forth in the Merger Agreement.
“RMT Partner Common Stock” shall have the meaning set forth in the Merger Agreement.
“RMT Partner SAR Award” shall mean a stock appreciation right corresponding to shares of RMT Partner Common Stock.
“RMT Partner TVU Award” shall mean an award of time-based restricted stock units corresponding to shares of RMT Partner Common Stock.
“Separation” shall have the meaning set forth in the Recitals.
“Separation Agreement” shall have the meaning set forth in the Recitals.
“SpinCo” shall have the meaning set forth in the Preamble.
“SpinCo 401(k) Plan” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 5.02(a).
“SpinCo Benefit Plan” shall have the meaning set forth in the Merger Agreement.
“SpinCo Deferred Compensation Plan” shall mean the SpinCo Deferred Compensation Plan, to be adopted by SpinCo as of the Distribution Time pursuant to Section 2.04(a) and Article VI.
“SpinCo Delayed Employment Period” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3.03.
“SpinCo Delayed Transfer Employee” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3.03.
“SpinCo Directors’ Plan” shall mean the SpinCo Directors’ Plan, to be adopted by SpinCo as of the Distribution Time pursuant to Section 2.04(a) and Article VI.
“SpinCo Group Employee” shall mean (i) each employee of the Company and its Subsidiaries who is set forth on Schedule A attached hereto (such schedule, the “SpinCo Group Employee Roster” and, for clarity, the SpinCo Group Employee Roster may be anonymized if so required by applicable Law or in connection with the Company’s fulfillment of works council obligations) (other than any such individual who is no longer employed by the Company and its Subsidiaries as of immediately prior to the Distribution Time), and (ii) each employee hired by the Company and its Subsidiaries subsequent to July 13, 2025 in compliance with the terms of the Merger Agreement whose services are primarily or exclusively dedicated to the SpinCo Business (in all cases, including any such individual who is not actively working as of the Distribution Time as a result of an illness, injury or leave of absence approved by the Company Human Resources department or otherwise taken in accordance with applicable Law); provided, however, that, subject to the compliance of the RMT Partner and its Affiliates with this Agreement and applicable Law, any individual who refuses to, or objects to his or her, or does not provide consent to, transfer
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his or her employment from the Company Group to the SpinCo Group and who remains employed by the Company Group following the Distribution Time shall be treated as a Former Employee for purposes of this Agreement (provided that this proviso does not apply with respect to the allocation of Liabilities in respect of severance or other termination payments or benefits in connection with the Transactions, which is governed by Section 7.03(b)).
“SpinCo Welfare Plan” shall mean a Welfare Plan established, sponsored, maintained, contributed to or designated by RMT Partner or any member of the SpinCo Group for the benefit of SpinCo Group Employees.
“Transactions” shall have the meaning set forth in the Merger Agreement.
“Transferred Director” shall mean each non-employee director of RMT Partner as of immediately following the Effective Time who served on the Company Board immediately prior to the Distribution Time.
“Welfare Plan” shall mean any “welfare plan” (as defined in Section 3(1) of ERISA) or a “cafeteria plan” under Section 125 of the Code, and any benefits offered thereunder, and any other plan offering health benefits (including medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, mental health, substance abuse and retiree health), disability benefits, or life, accidental death and dismemberment, and business travel insurance, pre-Tax premium conversion benefits, dependent care assistance programs, employee assistance programs, contribution funding toward a health savings account, or flexible spending accounts.
ARTICLE II
GENERAL PRINCIPLES FOR ALLOCATION OF LIABILITIES
Section 2.01. General Principles. All provisions herein shall be subject to the requirements of all applicable Law and any collective bargaining, works council or similar agreement with any labor union, works council or other labor representative (each, a “Labor Agreement”). Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, if the terms of a Labor Agreement or applicable Law require that any Assets or Liabilities be retained or assumed by, or transferred to, a Party in a manner that is different than what is set forth in this Agreement and such requirements cannot be superseded pursuant to an agreement between the parties hereto, the Company and SpinCo shall inform RMT Partner promptly of such requirement and must confer with RMT Partner on this different allocation of Assets or Liabilities, and such retention, assumption or transfer shall be made in accordance with the terms of such Labor Agreement and applicable Law and shall not be made as otherwise set forth in this Agreement; provided that, in such case, the Parties shall take all necessary action to preserve the economic terms of the allocation of Assets and Liabilities contemplated by this Agreement. Except as otherwise provided herein, the provisions of this Agreement shall apply in respect of all jurisdictions.
(a) Acceptance and Assumption of SpinCo Liabilities. Except as otherwise provided by this Agreement (and without limitation of the Company’s and SpinCo’s obligations under the Transition Services Agreement), on or prior to the Distribution Time, but in any case prior to the Distribution, SpinCo and the applicable SpinCo Designees shall accept, assume and agree faithfully to perform, discharge and fulfill all of the following Liabilities in accordance with
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their respective terms (each of which shall be considered a SpinCo Liability), regardless of when or where such Liabilities arose or arise or whether the facts on which they are based occurred prior to, at or subsequent to the Distribution Time, regardless of where or against whom such Liabilities are asserted or determined (including any Liabilities arising out of claims made by the Company’s or SpinCo’s respective directors, officers, Employees, Former Employees, agents, Subsidiaries or Affiliates against any member of the Company Group or the SpinCo Group) or whether asserted or determined prior to the date hereof, and regardless of whether arising from or alleged to arise from negligence, recklessness, violation of Law, fraud or misrepresentation by any member of the Company Group or the SpinCo Group, or any of their respective directors, officers, Employees, Former Employees, agents, Subsidiaries or Affiliates:
(i) any and all wages, salaries, incentive compensation, equity compensation, commissions, bonuses and any other employee compensation or benefits payable to or on behalf of any SpinCo Group Employees after the Distribution Time, without regard to when such wages, salaries, incentive compensation, equity compensation, commissions, bonuses or other employee compensation or benefits are or may have been awarded or earned, provided, however, for any such compensation or benefits that are earned prior to the Distribution Time, solely to the extent included in Net Working Capital or SpinCo Indebtedness;
(ii) any and all Liabilities under a SpinCo Benefit Plan; and
(iii) any and all Liabilities expressly assumed or retained by any member of the SpinCo Group pursuant to this Agreement.
(b) Acceptance and Assumption of Company Liabilities. Except as otherwise provided by this Agreement, on or prior to the Distribution Time, but in any case prior to the Distribution, the Company and certain members of the Company Group designated by the Company shall accept, assume and agree faithfully to perform, discharge and fulfill all of the following Liabilities in accordance with their respective terms (each of which shall be considered a Company Liability), regardless of when or where such Liabilities arose or arise, or whether the facts on which they are based occurred prior to, at or subsequent to the Distribution Time, regardless of where or against whom such Liabilities are asserted or determined (including any Liabilities arising out of claims made by the Company’s or SpinCo’s respective directors, officers, Employees, Former Employees, agents, Subsidiaries or Affiliates against any member of the Company Group or the SpinCo Group) or whether asserted or determined prior to the date hereof, and regardless of whether arising from or alleged to arise from negligence, recklessness, violation of Law, fraud or misrepresentation by any member of the Company Group or the SpinCo Group, or any of their respective directors, officers, Employees, Former Employees, agents, Subsidiaries or Affiliates:
(i) any and all wages, salaries, incentive compensation, equity compensation, commissions, bonuses and any other employee compensation or benefits payable to or on behalf of any Company Group Employees or Former Employees, without regard to when such wages, salaries, incentive compensation, equity compensation, commissions, bonuses or other employee compensation or benefits are or may have been awarded or earned;
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(ii) any and all Liabilities under a Company Benefit Plan, other than compensation or benefits liabilities for SpinCo Group Employees under a Company Benefit Plan that are included in Net Working Capital or SpinCo Indebtedness;
(iii) without limiting Section 2.01(b)(ii) with respect to Liabilities under a Company Benefit Plan, any and all Liabilities, to the extent not included in Net Working Capital or SpinCo Indebtedness, for the compensation or employee benefits of all SpinCo Group Employees that are earned prior to the Distribution Time;
(iv) any and all Liabilities arising out of the wage/hour class action /representative action lawsuits in California prior to or pending as of the date hereof, including Items 10, 11 and 18 on Section 5.8 of the SpinCo Disclosure Schedule, whether relating to SpinCo Group Employees, Company Group Employees or Former Employees; and
(v) any and all Liabilities expressly assumed or retained by any member of the Company Group pursuant to this Agreement.
(c) Unaddressed Liabilities. Nothing in this Agreement shall require a transfer of Liabilities with respect to a Benefit Plan except as specifically set forth herein or as otherwise required by applicable Law. To the extent that this Agreement does not address particular Liabilities under any Benefit Plan and the Parties later determine that they should be allocated in connection with the Distribution, the Parties shall agree in good faith on the allocation, taking into account the handling of comparable Liabilities under this Agreement.
(d) Non-U.S. Employees. SpinCo Group Employees who are residents outside of the United States or otherwise are subject to non-U.S. Law and their related benefits and Liabilities shall be treated in the same manner as the SpinCo Group Employees, respectively, who are residents of the United States and are not subject to non-U.S. Law; provided that to the extent a local Transfer Document addresses employment, compensation or benefit matters, the terms of such local Transfer Document shall govern in respect of such matters in the applicable jurisdiction. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, all actions taken with respect to non-U.S. Company Group Employees, Former Employees, and SpinCo Group Employees or any such employee who is a U.S. Employee working in non-U.S. jurisdictions, including any action under a Benefit Plan, shall be subject to and accomplished in accordance with applicable Law of the applicable jurisdiction and SpinCo may make such changes, modifications or amendments to the SpinCo Benefit Plans or RMT Partner Benefit Plans as may be required by applicable Law, vendor limitations or as are necessary to reflect the Separation.
Section 2.02. Comparable Compensation and Benefits. Following the Distribution Time through the first anniversary of the Distribution Time (or, if earlier, until the date of termination of employment of the relevant Continuing Employee (as defined below)), SpinCo or its applicable Affiliate shall provide or cause to be provided to each SpinCo Group Employee as of immediately prior to the Distribution Time who is employed by SpinCo or its Affiliates after the Distribution Time (“Continuing Employee”) with: (i) base salary or wage rate no less than that in effect for such Continuing Employee immediately prior to the Distribution Time, (ii) target annual cash incentive compensation opportunities that are no less favorable than those in effect for such Continuing
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Employee immediately prior to the Distribution Time and (iii) severance benefits no less favorable than those in effect for such SpinCo Group Employee immediately prior to the Distribution Time (except that Continuing Employees who are above job group 8 as of immediately prior to the Distribution Time shall, upon an involuntary termination without Cause (as defined in the 2020 Equity Incentive Plan of RMT Partner), be provided with severance benefits that are no less favorable than those provided to similarly situated employees of RMT Partner and its Affiliates, provided that the amount of severance payment for such Continuing Employees shall be no less than the sum of annual base salary and target annual bonus). Following the Distribution Time through (x) December 31, 2026 (if the Distribution Time occurs prior to or on June 30, 2026) or (y) the first anniversary of the Distribution Time (if the Distribution Time occurs after June 30, 2026) (or, if earlier, until the date of termination of employment of the relevant Continuing Employee (as defined below)), SpinCo or its applicable Affiliate shall provide or cause to be provided to each Continuing Employee with: (i) retirement benefits (including qualified and non-qualified benefits), or a combination of cash compensation and retirement benefits, that are no less favorable in the aggregate than those retirement benefits in effect for such Continuing Employee immediately prior to the Distribution Time and (ii) other employee benefits (excluding long-term incentive compensation opportunities, retiree welfare benefits, retention, and other one-time or non-recurring compensation or benefits) that are no less favorable in the aggregate than those in effect for such Continuing Employee immediately prior to the Distribution Time (subject to the same exclusions). RMT Partner shall provide to each Continuing Employee long-term incentive compensation opportunities that are no less favorable than those provided to similarly situated employees of RMT Partner in the first quarter of 2027, subject to continued employment through the grant date; provided that the period between the date on which the Company would typically grant long-term incentive compensation in the fourth calendar quarter of 2026 and the date when RMT Partner grants long-term incentive compensation in the first quarter of 2027 shall be accounted for by either (x) increasing the grant date value of 2027 awards for each Continuing Employee (for example, if such period were three months, the grant date value of awards granted to each Continuing Employee shall be 125% of the grant date value of awards granted to similarly situated RMT Partner employees) or (y) in addition to 2027 awards, providing each Continuing Employee with cash awards with equivalent value corresponding to such period (for example, if such period were three months, 25% of the annual grant date value of awards granted to similarly situated RMT Partner employees) and vesting terms no less favorable than those applicable to RMT Partner’s 2027 annual long-term incentive compensation grant. If the Closing Date occurs prior to the date on which RMT Partner long-term incentive compensation awards are made in the first calendar quarter of 2026, Continuing Employees will not be eligible to receive such awards, except that RMT Partner may elect to make an award to each Continuing Employee equivalent to a portion reflecting the gap period described in the proviso to the preceding sentence (for example, if such period were three months, then 25%) of the value of the 2026 annual award for a similarly situated RMT Partner employee in lieu of its obligations with respect to 2027 annual awards under the proviso to the preceding sentence. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing provisions of this paragraph, RMT Partner shall make an employer contribution to each participant under the SpinCo Deferred Compensation Plan at the same time (around February or March 2027) and in the same amount as such contribution would have been made in respect of 2026 under the Company Deferred Compensation Plan had such participant remained employed by the Company through the date of such contribution.
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Section 2.03. Service Credit; Health and Welfare Plan Transitional Credits. As of the Distribution Time (or, if later, the end date of the applicable benefits coverage pursuant to the Transition Services Agreement), the SpinCo Benefit Plans shall, and RMT Partner or SpinCo shall, or shall cause its applicable Subsidiary or the applicable RMT Partner Benefit Plan to, recognize the service of each Continuing Employee with the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or predecessor entities at or before the Distribution Time for purposes of eligibility to participate, vesting, equity award exercisability, determining the level of severance and paid-time-off benefits and for any other purposes required by applicable non-U.S. Law, to the same extent and for the same purposes that such service was recognized under the corresponding Company Benefit Plans prior to the Distribution Time, except the foregoing shall not apply (a) to the extent that credit for such service would result in duplication of compensation or benefits or (b) for any purpose under any defined benefit pension plans or retiree health or welfare plans. RMT Partner or SpinCo shall, or shall cause its applicable Subsidiary to (a) waive (or, solely with respect to fully insured benefit plans, use commercially reasonable efforts to waive) as of and after the Distribution Time (or, if later, the end date of the applicable benefits coverage pursuant to the Transition Services Agreement) any limitation on health and welfare benefit coverage of Continuing Employees due to pre-existing conditions, waiting periods, active employment requirements and requirements to show evidence of good health under any applicable health and welfare benefit plan of RMT Partner, SpinCo or its applicable Subsidiary to the extent such pre-existing conditions, waiting periods, active employment requirements and requirements to show evidence of good health were not applicable under the corresponding Company Benefit Plan as of immediately before the Distribution Date (or, if later, the end date of the applicable benefits coverage pursuant to the Transition Services Agreement); and (b) if the Distribution Date (or, if later, the end date of the applicable benefits coverage pursuant to the Transition Services Agreement) does not occur at the end of the plan year of the applicable Company Benefit Plan, credit each Continuing Employee with all deductible payments, co-payments and co-insurance paid by and credited to the Continuing Employee under the applicable Company Benefit Plan prior to the Distribution Date (or, if later, the end date of the applicable benefits coverage pursuant to the Transition Services Agreement) during the year in which the Distribution Date (or, if later, the end date of the applicable benefits coverage pursuant to the Transition Services Agreement) occurs for the purpose of determining the extent to which the Continuing Employee has satisfied the corresponding applicable deductible or similar requirements.
Section 2.04. Benefit Plans.
(a) Establishment of SpinCo Benefit Plans. As of no later than the Distribution Time (or, if later, the end date of the applicable benefits coverage pursuant to the Transition Services Agreement or such other time as is set forth herein), SpinCo shall, or shall cause the members of the SpinCo Group to, adopt or designate Benefit Plans (and related trusts), to the extent applicable, as contemplated and in accordance with the terms of this Agreement. For the avoidance of doubt, such designated Benefit Plans may be existing RMT Partner Benefit Plans, existing SpinCo Benefit Plans, or new plans sponsored, maintained or contributed to by RMT Partner or its applicable Affiliate (and any such new plan shall constitute a SpinCo Benefit Plan under this Agreement regardless of whether sponsored by SpinCo or its Subsidiaries). Prior to the Distribution Time, the Company Group, the SpinCo Group, and the RMT Partner shall cooperate to ensure the smooth transfer of SpinCo Group Employees into the SpinCo Benefit Plans, RMT Partner Benefit Plans or such new plans, as applicable, as of the Distribution Time or such later date as coverage under the Company Benefit Plans would end for such Continuing Employees under the terms of such Company Benefit Plans, or such later end date of the applicable benefits coverage pursuant to the Transition Services Agreement.
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(b) Retention by SpinCo of SpinCo Benefit Plans. From and after the Distribution Time, the SpinCo Group shall retain all of the SpinCo Benefit Plans, including all related Liabilities and Assets, and any related trusts and other funding vehicles and insurance contracts of any such plans other than as specifically provided in this Agreement.
(c) Plans Not Required to Be Established. With respect to any Benefit Plan not addressed in this Agreement, the Parties shall agree in good faith on the treatment of such plan taking into account the handling of any comparable plan under this Agreement, and SpinCo shall not have an obligation to continue to maintain any such plan with respect to the provision of future benefits from and after the Distribution Time.
(d) Participation in Company Benefit Plans. Except as otherwise set forth in this Agreement or the Transition Services Agreement or as required by the terms of the applicable Company Benefit Plan, effective as of the Distribution Time, (i) all Continuing Employees shall cease actively participating in, and accruing benefits under, the Company Benefit Plans, and (ii) SpinCo and each member of the SpinCo Group, to the extent applicable, shall cease to be a participating company in any Company Benefit Plan.
(e) No Obligation to Maintain Benefit Plans. Nothing in this Agreement shall preclude the Company, SpinCo or any member of their respective Group, at any time after the Distribution Time, from amending, merging, modifying, terminating, eliminating, reducing or otherwise altering in any respect any particular SpinCo Benefit Plan, RMT Partner Benefit Plan, Company Benefit Plan, any benefit under any SpinCo Benefit Plan, RMT Partner Benefit Plan, or Company Benefit Plan, or any trust, insurance policy or funding vehicle related to any SpinCo Benefit Plan, RMT Partner Benefit Plan, or Company Benefit Plan, or any employment or other service arrangement with SpinCo Group Employees, Company Group Employees, independent contractors or vendors (to the extent permitted by applicable Law).
(f) Transfers of Plan Assets. Except as expressly provided in this Agreement or as required by applicable Law, nothing in this Agreement shall require the Company or any member of the Company Group to transfer to the SpinCo Group any Assets of any member of the Company Group or of any Company Benefit Plan.
(g) Information and Operation. Each Party shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to provide the other Party with information describing each Benefit Plan election made by an Employee or Former Employee that may have application to such Party’s Benefit Plans from and after the Distribution Time, and each Party shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to administer its Benefit Plans using those elections, including any beneficiary designations. Each Party shall, upon reasonable request, use its commercially reasonable efforts to provide the other Party and the other Party’s respective Affiliates, agents, and vendors all information reasonably necessary to the other Party’s operation or administration of its Benefit Plans.
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(h) No Duplication or Acceleration of Benefits. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the Separation Agreement, the Merger Agreement or any other Transaction Document, no participant in any Benefit Plan shall receive service credit or benefits to the extent that receipt of such service credit or benefits would result in duplication of benefits provided to such participant by the corresponding Benefit Plan or any other plan, program or arrangement sponsored or maintained by a member of the Group that sponsors the corresponding Benefit Plan. Furthermore, unless expressly provided for in this Agreement, the Separation Agreement, the Merger Agreement or any other Transaction Document or required by applicable Law, no provision in this Agreement shall be construed to create any right to accelerate vesting, distributions or entitlements under any Benefit Plan sponsored or maintained by a member of the Company Group, member of the SpinCo Group, or RMT Partner on the part of any Employee or Former Employee.
(i) Transition Services. The Parties acknowledge that the Company Group or the SpinCo Group may provide administrative services for certain of the other Party’s compensation and benefit programs for a transitional period under the terms of the Transition Services Agreement. The Parties agree to enter into a business associate agreement (if required by HIPAA or other applicable health information privacy Laws) in connection with such Transition Services Agreement.
(j) Beneficiaries. References to SpinCo Group Employees, Company Group Employees, Former Employees and current and former non-employee directors of either the Company or SpinCo shall be deemed to refer to their beneficiaries, dependents, survivors and alternate payees, as applicable.
ARTICLE
IIIASSIGNMENT OF EMPLOYEES
Section 3.01. Transfer of Employees.
(a) Assignment and Transfer of Employees; Updates to SpinCo Group Employee Roster. Except as otherwise provided in this Article III, effective as of no later than the Distribution Time and except as otherwise agreed by the Parties, the applicable member of the Company Group shall have taken such actions as are necessary to ensure that (i) each SpinCo Group Employee (other than an Inactive Employee) is employed by a member of the SpinCo Group as of immediately after the Distribution Time, and (ii) each Company Group Employee is employed by a member of the Company Group as of immediately after the Distribution Time. Each of the Parties agrees to execute, and to seek to have the applicable Employees execute, such documentation, if any, as may be necessary to reflect such assignment and/or transfer (including automatic transfer, transfer via tripartite transfer agreement, offer and acceptance or any other applicable transfer mechanism). Between July 13, 2025 and the Closing Date, no less frequently than once per quarter, the Company Group shall provide RMT Partner with an updated SpinCo Group Employee Roster, which update shall include any new hires and employment terminations. Additionally, between July 13, 2025 and the Closing Date, the Company Group agrees that it will reasonably cooperate with RMT Partner in its efforts to recruit for and fill open positions necessary to run the SpinCo Group Business (including providing information regarding open positions as reasonably requested by RMT Partner in accordance with applicable Law and the Transaction Documents), it being understood that this sentence shall not be construed as limiting any applicable restrictions on RMT Partner’s ability to solicit employees of the Company Group or as requiring the Company Group to cooperate with RMT Partner’s solicitation of employees of the Company Group.
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(b) Employees with Work Visas or Permits. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 3.01, any SpinCo Group Employee who, immediately prior to the Distribution Time, is unable to transfer to the SpinCo Group due to a work or training visa or permit that authorizes employment only by a member of the Company Group, shall remain employed by such member of the Company Group following the Distribution Time until the visa or permit is amended or transferred or a new visa or permit is granted to authorize employment by a member of the SpinCo Group. Any such SpinCo Group Employee shall be treated as a SpinCo Delayed Transfer Employee for purposes of this Agreement. As of the Distribution Time, to the extent not otherwise required for purposes of the individual’s continued employment with the Company Group, the applicable member of the Company Group shall cease to serve and SpinCo shall commence to serve as the sponsoring and petitioning employer for U.S. immigration law purposes with respect to such SpinCo Delayed Transfer Employees. The Company Group will use reasonable best efforts to assist the SpinCo Group in obtaining the amendment or transfer of any such visa or permit, including by providing SpinCo with necessary information. SpinCo shall assume all immigration-related obligations and liabilities that arise in connection with the submission of petitions, applications or other filings to certain US government authorities within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Customs and Border Protection), the U.S. Department of Labor or the U.S. Department of State (including any U.S. embassy or consular post) requesting the grant of employment-based nonimmigrant and immigrant visa benefits on behalf of these persons. The Parties intend that SpinCo or the applicable member of the SpinCo Group (by agreeing to employ any such SpinCo Group Employees and agreeing, as a sponsoring employer, to assume the immigration-related obligations and liabilities described above) shall be considered the successor in interest to the applicable member of the Company Group for U.S. immigration law.
(c) Inactive Employees. Each SpinCo Group Employee who is on long-term disability under a Company Benefit Plan as of the Distribution Time (or, if later, the end date of the applicable benefits coverage pursuant to the Transition Services Agreement) (each, an “Inactive Employee”) shall become or remain, as applicable, an employee of the Company or one of its Affiliates (other than the SpinCo Group). If an Inactive Employee returns to active employment within six (6) months following the Closing Date, and the Company reasonably promptly notifies RMT Partner of such Inactive Employee’s return to active employment, RMT Partner shall, or shall cause one of its Affiliates (including, following the Closing, SpinCo) to, offer employment to the applicable Inactive Employee on terms consistent with the requirements of Section 2.02, with such employment to be effective as of the date on which he or she commences active employment with RMT Partner or such Affiliate.
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(d) At-Will Status. Nothing in this Agreement shall create any obligation on the part of any member of the Company Group or any member of the SpinCo Group to (i) continue the employment of any Employee or permit the return from a leave of absence for any period after the date of this Agreement (except as required by applicable Law) or (ii) change the employment status of any Employee from “at-will,” to the extent that such Employee is an “at-will” employee under applicable Law. Except as provided in this Agreement, this Agreement shall not limit the ability of the Company Group or the SpinCo Group to change the position, compensation or benefits of any Employees for performance-related, business or any other reason.
(e) Severance. The Parties acknowledge and agree that the Separation, the Distribution and the assignment, transfer or continuation of the employment of Employees as contemplated by this Section 3.01 shall not be deemed an involuntary termination of employment entitling any SpinCo Group Employee or Company Group Employee to severance, termination indemnities or other similar payments or benefits, except as otherwise required by applicable Laws. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing or of Section 2.02, the Company and its Affiliates (prior to the Closing) and RMT Partner and its Affiliates (on and after the Closing) shall take such actions as are necessary to ensure that terms and conditions of employment for SpinCo Group Employees located in jurisdictions outside of the United States are sufficient to avoid triggering severance, termination indemnities or other similar payments or benefits in connection with the Transactions.
(f) Payroll and Related Taxes. SpinCo shall (i) be responsible for all payroll obligations, Tax withholding and reporting obligations, and associated government audit assessments; and (ii) furnish a Form W-2 or similar earnings statement, in each case, for all Employees employed by a member of the SpinCo Group with respect to the period during which they were employed by a member of the SpinCo Group before the Distribution Date and for all SpinCo Group Employees following the Distribution Time. The Company shall (A) be responsible for all payroll obligations, Tax withholding and reporting obligations, and associated government audit assessments; and (B) furnish a Form W-2 or similar earnings statement, in each case, for all Employees employed by a member of the Company Group with respect to the period during which they were employed by a member of the Company Group before Distribution Date and for all Company Group Employees following the Distribution Time.
Section 3.02. Individual Agreements.
(a) Assignment by the Company. To the extent necessary, the Company shall assign, or cause an applicable member of the Company Group to assign, to SpinCo or another member of the SpinCo Group, as designated by SpinCo, Individual Agreements, with such assignment to be effective as of no later than the Distribution Date; provided, however, that to the extent that assignment of any such Individual Agreement is not permitted by the terms of such agreement or by applicable Law, effective as of the Distribution Date, each member of the SpinCo Group shall be considered to be a successor to each member of the Company Group, for purposes of, and a third-party beneficiary with respect to, such agreement, such that each member of the SpinCo Group shall enjoy all of the rights and benefits under such agreement (including rights and benefits as a third-party beneficiary), with respect to the business operations of the SpinCo Group; provided, further, that in no event shall the Company Group be permitted to enforce any Individual Agreement (including any agreement containing non-competition or non-solicitation covenants) against a SpinCo Group Employee for action taken in such individual’s capacity as a SpinCo Group Employee other than on behalf of the SpinCo Group as requested by the SpinCo Group in its capacity as a third-party beneficiary.
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(b) Assumption by SpinCo. Effective as of no later than the Distribution Date, SpinCo shall, or shall cause the members of the SpinCo Group to, assume and honor any Individual Agreement.
Section 3.03. SpinCo Delayed Transfer Employees. In the case of a SpinCo Group Employee who is employed by a member of the Company Group as of immediately prior to the Distribution Time and whose employment cannot commence with, or be transferred to, the SpinCo Group or whose transfer of employment to the SpinCo Group is otherwise delayed (other than due to a SpinCo Group Employee having given or received a notice of termination of employment or redundancy or refusing to, or objecting to, or not providing consent to, transfer his or her employment from the Company Group to the SpinCo Group or to remain employed by SpinCo Group) (a “SpinCo Delayed Transfer Employee”), the Parties shall cooperate in good faith (including entering into any leasing or other agreements, as permitted by applicable Law) to cause such SpinCo Delayed Transfer Employee to provide services to the SpinCo Group while remaining employed by the Company Group until such time as such SpinCo Delayed Transfer Employee’s employment can be transferred to the SpinCo Group or otherwise terminates with the Company Group. The Parties shall cooperate in good faith to cause each SpinCo Delayed Transfer Employee to commence employment with a member of the SpinCo Group as soon as reasonably practicable following the Closing Date as permitted by applicable Law in such a manner that, to the maximum extent possible under applicable Law, does not trigger the right of such SpinCo Group Employee to redundancy, severance, termination or similar pay and is otherwise consistent with the terms and conditions of this Agreement and applicable Law or Labor Agreement. In respect of the SpinCo Delayed Transfer Employees, unless otherwise specified, references to “Distribution Time,” “Distribution Date” and “Effective Time” throughout this Agreement shall be treated as references to the first date and time at which the applicable SpinCo Delayed Transfer Employee’s employment commences with or transfers to a member of the SpinCo Group. Notwithstanding the delayed transfer of a SpinCo Delayed Transfer Employee, from and after the Distribution Time or, if earlier, the date of the applicable SpinCo Delayed Transfer Employee’s termination of employment (the “SpinCo Delayed Employment Period”), any Liability related to a SpinCo Delayed Transfer Employee in respect of the SpinCo Delayed Employment Period (including with respect to compensation and benefits paid by Company) shall be considered a SpinCo Liability, unless otherwise agreed to in any agreement negotiated by the Parties in connection with the provision of services of any SpinCo Delayed Transfer Employee to the SpinCo Group following the Distribution Time; provided that, during such period, the SpinCo Group shall receive the benefit of such SpinCo Delayed Transfer Employee’s services and shall, subject to applicable Law, have day-to-day operational control over such SpinCo Delayed Transfer Employee; and provided, further, that such Liabilities do not arise out of the Company Group’s violation of any applicable Law, gross negligence or willful misconduct. Notwithstanding the foregoing, for purposes of Section 4.01, each SpinCo Delayed Transfer Employee will be treated as a Company Group Employee as of the Distribution Time. To the extent any SpinCo Delayed Transfer Employee holds outstanding Company Awards (for this purpose disregarding the phrases “that is outstanding as of immediately prior to the Distribution Time” in the definitions of Company SAR Award, Company TVU Award and Company PSU Award) as of immediately prior to the date on which he or she becomes employed by the SpinCo Group, RMT Partner or their Affiliates (the “Transfer Date”), such Company Awards shall be converted into corresponding RMT Partner equity awards in the same manner as provided under Section 4.01, except that references therein to “Distribution Time” and “Effective Time” and references in the “Equity Award Exchange Ratio” definition to
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“Determination Time” shall be deemed to refer to the Transfer Date for this purpose. In the event of a change in capitalization that occurs to either the Company or RMT Partner that would frustrate the purpose of the preceding sentence, the Parties shall cooperate in good faith to implement an adjustment ratio that preserves the intent and maintains the value of the Company Awards as of immediately prior to and after the applicable Transfer Date.
Section 3.04. Consultation with Labor Representatives; Labor Agreements. The Parties shall cooperate in order for the Company Group to fulfill any obligations to notify, inform and/or consult with any labor union, works council or other labor representative regarding the Transactions to the extent required by Law or a Labor Agreement, and the Company Group agrees to take all actions reasonably necessary to fulfill such obligations. No later than as of immediately before the Distribution Time, (a) SpinCo shall have taken, or caused another member of the SpinCo Group to take, all actions that are necessary (if any) for SpinCo or another member of the SpinCo Group to (i) assume any Labor Agreements in effect with respect to SpinCo Group Employees (excluding obligations thereunder with respect to any Company Group Employees or Former Employees, to the extent applicable) and (ii) unless otherwise provided in this Agreement, assume and honor any obligations of the Company Group under any Labor Agreements as such obligations relate to SpinCo Group Employees, and (b) the Company shall have taken, or caused another member of the Company Group to take, all actions that are necessary (if any) for the Company or another member of the Company Group to (i) assume any Labor Agreements in effect with respect to Company Employees and Former Employees (excluding obligations thereunder with respect to any SpinCo Group Employees) and (ii) unless otherwise provided in this Agreement, assume and honor any obligations of the SpinCo Group under any Labor Agreements as such obligations relate to Company Group Employees and Former Employees.
ARTICLE IV
EQUITY AND OTHER INCENTIVE COMPENSATION
Section 4.01. Equity Incentive Awards.
(a) SAR Awards. Each Company SAR Award that is outstanding as of immediately prior to the Distribution Time (whether vested or unvested) and that is held by a SpinCo Group Employee shall be converted, as of the Effective Time, into an RMT Partner SAR Award and shall, except as otherwise provided in this Section 4.01, be subject to the same terms and conditions (including with respect to vesting and expiration) after the Effective Time as were applicable to such Company SAR Award immediately prior to the Distribution Time (with such administrative and non-substantive changes as are reasonably required to reflect the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, the Separation Agreement and/or Merger Agreement); provided, however, that from and after the Effective Time:
(i) the number of shares of RMT Partner Common Stock underlying such RMT Partner SAR Award shall be equal to the product, rounded down to the nearest whole share, of (A) the number of shares of Company Common Stock subject to the corresponding Company SAR Award immediately prior to the Distribution Time, multiplied by (B) the Equity Award Exchange Ratio; and
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(ii) the per-share exercise price of such RMT Partner SAR Award shall be equal to the quotient, rounded up to the nearest cent, of (A) the per-share exercise price of the corresponding Company SAR Award immediately prior to the Distribution Time, divided by (B) the Equity Award Exchange Ratio.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 4.01(a), the exercise price, the number of shares of RMT Partner Common Stock underlying each RMT Partner SAR Award and the terms and conditions of exercise of such awards shall be determined in a manner consistent with the requirements of Section 409A of the Code.
(b) TVU Awards. Each Company TVU Award that is outstanding as of immediately prior to the Distribution Time (whether vested or unvested) and that is held by a SpinCo Group Employee shall be converted, as of the Effective Time, into an RMT Partner TVU Award and shall, except as otherwise provided in this Section 4.01, be subject to the same terms and conditions (including with respect to settlement and vesting) after the Effective Time as were applicable to such Company TVU Award immediately prior to the Distribution Time (with such administrative and non-substantive changes as are reasonably required to reflect the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, the Separation Agreement and/or Merger Agreement); provided, however, that from and after the Effective Time, the number of shares of RMT Partner Common Stock subject to such RMT Partner TVU Award shall be equal to the product, rounded to the nearest whole share (or, with respect to SpinCo Group Employees located in France, Australia, Canada, Singapore, rounded down to the nearest whole share), of (i) the number of shares of Company Common Stock subject to the corresponding Company TVU Award immediately prior to the Distribution Time, multiplied by (ii) the Equity Award Exchange Ratio.
(c) PSU Awards. Each Company PSU Award that is outstanding as of immediately prior to the Distribution Time (whether vested or unvested) and that is held by a SpinCo Group Employee shall be converted, as of the Effective Time, into an RMT Partner TVU Award and shall, except as otherwise provided in this Section 4.01, be subject to the same terms and conditions (including with respect to settlement and vesting) after the Effective Time as were applicable to such Company PSU Award immediately prior to the Distribution Time (except that performance conditions shall no longer apply) (with such administrative and non-substantive changes as are reasonably required to reflect the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, the Separation Agreement and/or Merger Agreement); provided, however, that from and after the Effective Time, the number of shares of RMT Partner Common Stock subject to such RMT Partner TVU Award shall be equal to the product, rounded to the nearest whole share (or, with respect to SpinCo Group Employees located in France, Australia, Canada, Singapore, rounded down to the nearest whole share), of (i) the number of shares of Company Common Stock subject to the corresponding Company PSU Award immediately prior to the Distribution Time based on target performance, multiplied by (ii) the Equity Award Exchange Ratio.
(d) Company Awards Held by Company Group Employees, Former Employees and Company Non-Employee Directors. Each Company Award that is held by a Company Group Employee, Former Employee or non-employee member of the Company Board and that is outstanding immediately prior to the Distribution Time shall remain denominated, as of immediately following the Distribution Time, in shares of Company Common Stock; provided that the Company may adjust the terms of Company Awards (including any applicable performance metrics) as the Company determines, in its sole discretion, to be appropriate to preserve the value of such awards as of immediately prior to and immediately following the Distribution Time.
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(e) Termination of Employment. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 4.01, in the event of a SpinCo Group Employee’s termination of employment as of or within one year following the Effective Time by RMT Partner or any of its Subsidiaries by action of the RMT Partner or its Subsidiaries for a reason other than Cause (as defined in the Company’s 2004 Employee and Director Equity-Based Compensation Plan), any outstanding and unvested RMT Partner SAR Awards and RMT Partner TVU Awards granted to such SpinCo Group Employee pursuant to this Section 4.01 shall fully vest as of such termination of employment.
(f) Necessary Actions. RMT Partner agrees to file or have on file the appropriate registration statements at or promptly following the Effective Time with respect to the shares of RMT Partner Common Stock issuable in respect of the RMT Partner SAR Awards and RMT Partner TVU Awards granted in conversion of Company Awards pursuant to this Section 4.01. The Parties shall take such additional actions as are deemed necessary or advisable to effectuate the foregoing provisions of this Section 4.01, including, to the extent applicable, compliance with securities Laws and other legal requirements associated with equity compensation awards in affected non-U.S. jurisdictions.
Section 4.02. Non-Equity Incentive Plans.
(a) SpinCo Non-Equity Incentives. With respect to all non-equity incentive awards or entitlements (the “Cash Incentive Awards”) that are or may become payable to SpinCo Group Employees for any performance periods that are open as of the Distribution Date, on the first payroll date following the Distribution Date, the Company shall pay the Liabilities corresponding to the portion of such performance period from the beginning of such open performance period through the Distribution Date, based on actual performance extrapolated through the end of such performance period and prorated based on the number of days from the beginning of such open performance period through the Distribution Date. In respect of the portion of the RMT Partner performance period following the Distribution Date, each SpinCo Group Employee shall participate in incentive plans made available to similarly situated employees of RMT Partner, with the same target bonus opportunity as such SpinCo Group Employee’s Cash Incentive Award in effect as of the Distribution Date, prorated for the portion of the RMT Partner performance year from the Distribution Date to the end of the RMT Partner performance year.
(b) Company Non-Equity Incentives. The Company Group shall assume or retain all Liabilities with respect to any non-equity incentive awards that would otherwise be payable to Company Group Employees or Former Employees for any performance periods that are open as of the Distribution Date. The Company Group shall also determine for the Company Group Employees or Former Employees (i) the extent to which established performance criteria (as interpreted by the Company Group, in its sole discretion) have been met, and (ii) the payment level for each Company Group Employee or Former Employee. The Company Group shall assume or retain all Liabilities with respect to any such incentive awards payable to Company Group Employees or Former Employees for any performance periods that are open as of the Distribution Time and thereafter, and no member of the SpinCo Group shall have any obligations with respect thereto.
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(c) SpinCo Retained Incentive Plans. From and following the Distribution Date, the SpinCo Group shall assume or retain any incentive plan for the exclusive benefit of SpinCo Group Employees, whether or not sponsored by the SpinCo Group, and shall be solely responsible for all Liabilities thereunder from and after the Distribution Time.
Section 4.03. Director Compensation. The Company shall be responsible for the payment of any fees for service on the Company Board that are earned at, before, or after the Distribution Time, and SpinCo shall not have any responsibility for any such payments, except as otherwise provided in Section 4.01 or Article VI. With respect to any Transferred Director, RMT Partner shall provide compensation in respect of the Transferred Director’s service on the Board of Directors of RMT Partner following the Distribution Time (including equity award grant and cash fees in respect of any partial year of service) in accordance with RMT Partner’s director compensation program as in effect from time to time and the Company shall not have any responsibility for any such payments. RMT Partner shall pay fees to Transferred Directors in respect of the quarter in which the Distribution Time occurs; provided that the Company shall pay RMT Partner an amount equal to the portion of such payment that is attributable to Transferred Directors’ service to the Company on and prior to the Distribution Time as soon as practicable following the Distribution Time.
ARTICLE V
RETIREMENT PLANS
Section 5.01. Company Defined Benefit Plan. The Company shall, and shall cause its Affiliates (other than the SpinCo Group) to, retain the sponsorship of, and all Liabilities at any time arising under, pursuant to or in connection with, the Company Defined Benefit Plan as of the Distribution Time, and notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the Separation Agreement or Merger Agreement, no member of the SpinCo Group shall assume or retain any Liability with respect to the Company Defined Benefit Plan. Following the Distribution Time, no Continuing Employee shall be credited with any additional service under the Company Defined Benefit Plan.
Section 5.02. SpinCo 401(k) Plan.
(a) Establishment of SpinCo 401(k) Plan. Effective on the Distribution Date, SpinCo or RMT Partner shall, or shall cause its Subsidiary to, adopt or designate a qualified defined contribution plan (the “SpinCo 401(k) Plan”) intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code with the related trust thereunder exempt under Section 501(a) of the Code. Immediately prior to the Distribution Date, SpinCo Group Employees shall cease active participation in the Company 401(k) Plan, and upon the Distribution Date, Continuing Employees shall be eligible to commence participation in the SpinCo 401(k) Plan and receive a distribution of their account balances under the Company 401(k) Plan. Any minimum age or service requirements contained in the SpinCo 401(k) Plan with respect to eligibility to participate generally or eligibility to share in any employer contributions under such plan shall be waived or deemed satisfied for Continuing Employees to the extent waived or satisfied under the Company 401(k) Plan immediately prior to the Distribution Date. Any service or end of year employment requirements contained in the Company 401(k) Plan with respect to eligibility to share in any employer contributions under such plan shall be waived or deemed satisfied for Continuing Employees such that such Continuing Employees can receive the portion of such contribution with respect to compensation paid prior to the Distribution Time, and the Company shall take all actions necessary to ensure that all Continuing Employees’ accounts under the Company 401(k) Plan are fully vested as of the Distribution Time.
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(b) Rollover of Account Balances. As soon as practicable after the Distribution Date, the Company, SpinCo and RMT Partner shall take any and all actions as may be required to permit each Continuing Employee to elect to make rollover contributions of “eligible rollover distributions” (within the meaning of Section 402(c)(4) of the Code) in cash (and, subject to the immediately following sentence, loan notes) in an amount equal to the entire eligible rollover distribution distributable to such Continuing Employee from the Company 401(k) Plan to SpinCo 401(k) Plan if so elected by the applicable Continuing Employee in accordance with the terms of the Company 401(k) Plan and applicable Law. The Parties shall cooperate and take commercially reasonable efforts to prevent a default of any Continuing Employees’ loans under the Company 401(k) Plan as a result of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, the Separation Agreement and/or Merger Agreement, which shall include allowing a distribution and rollover of loan notes if the applicable Continuing Employee complies with reasonable procedures established by the SpinCo 401(k) Plan administrator to effect a group rollover of loans in connection with the Transactions.
(c) Distribution Rights. No SpinCo Group Employee shall be entitled to a right to a distribution of his or her benefit under the Company 401(k) Plan as a result of the Separation itself or the assignment of his or her transfer of employment contemplated by Section 3.01 prior to the Distribution, but shall be entitled to such right on account of the Distribution and Merger.
Section 5.03. Non-U.S. Pension Plans.
(a) Effective as of no later than the Distribution Time, SpinCo shall, or shall cause the members of the SpinCo Group to, assume all Liabilities relating to non-U.S. SpinCo Group Employees (and their dependents and beneficiaries) under Company Benefit Plans that provide defined benefit pension, termination indemnities or similar retirement or post-employment benefits (including post-employment medical and life insurance benefits), which assumption shall be in conjunction with a transfer of assets in accordance with applicable Law in the case of each such Company Benefit Plan that is funded. The amount of unfunded or underfunded Liabilities, if any, under each such Company Benefit Plan after taking into account such transferred assets with respect to such plan shall be included in the calculation of SpinCo Indebtedness. For the avoidance of doubt, the preceding sentence shall only apply if such transfer of defined benefit pension, termination indemnities or similar Liabilities from the Company Group to the SpinCo Group is required by applicable Law.
(b) The Company shall cause the applicable member of the Company Group or the SpinCo Group to take such actions as are necessary to ensure that effective as of no later than the Closing, (i) all Liabilities under any SpinCo Benefit Plan that covers or provides benefits to any Person who is not a SpinCo Group Employee associated with plan participants who are not SpinCo Group Employees shall, along with a proportionate share of the assets of such plans as determined under applicable Law, be transferred to retirement plans maintained by the Company Group, and (ii) all such Persons who are not SpinCo Group Employees cease participation in such SpinCo Benefit Plans effective as of no later than the Closing.
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ARTICLE VI
NONQUALIFIED DEFERRED COMPENSATION PLANS
Section 6.01. Establishment of SpinCo Deferred Compensation Plan and SpinCo Directors’ Plan. Effective as of no later than the Distribution Time, (i) the SpinCo Group shall establish the SpinCo Deferred Compensation Plan, which shall have substantially the same terms as of immediately prior to the Distribution Time as the Company Deferred Compensation Plan, other than with respect to the defined benefit portions of the Company Deferred Compensation Plan; (ii) the SpinCo Group shall establish the SpinCo Directors’ Plan, which shall have substantially the same terms as of immediately prior to the Distribution Time as the Company Directors’ Plan; and (iii) SpinCo shall and shall cause the SpinCo Group Deferred Compensation Plan or the SpinCo Directors’ Plan, as applicable, to assume, as of no later than the Distribution Time, all Liabilities under the Company Deferred Compensation Plan related to the SpinCo Group Employees (other than defined benefit Liabilities) (the “SpinCo Employee Deferred Compensation Liabilities”) and all Liabilities under the Company Directors’ Plan related to the Transferred Directors (the “SpinCo Director Deferred Compensation Liabilities”), and the Company Deferred Compensation Plan and Company Directors’ Plan shall have no further obligations related to the SpinCo Group Employees (other than defined benefit Liabilities), or to the Transferred Directors from and following the Distribution Time. The assumption by SpinCo and the SpinCo Deferred Compensation Plan of the portion of SpinCo Employee Deferred Compensation Liabilities that is denominated in shares of Company Common Stock shall be effectuated by the conversion of such shares of Company Common Stock into shares of RMT Partner Common Stock based on the Equity Award Exchange Ratio, such that the applicable portion of the accounts of the applicable SpinCo Group Employees under the SpinCo Group Deferred Compensation Plan shall be denominated in shares of RMT Partner Common Stock. Notwithstanding the foregoing, SpinCo may make such changes, modifications or amendments to the SpinCo Deferred Compensation Plan and the SpinCo Directors’ Plan as may be required by applicable Law or as are necessary and appropriate to reflect the Separation and Distribution or as SpinCo otherwise determines to be advisable.
Section 6.02. Company Nonqualified Plans. From and after the Distribution Time (or, if later, the end date of the applicable benefits coverage pursuant to the Transition Services Agreement), no SpinCo Group Employees or Transferred Directors shall participate in or accrue any benefits under the Company Deferred Compensation Plan or the Company Directors’ Plan, as applicable, and the Company shall continue to be responsible for Liabilities in respect of Company Group Employees, Former Employees and Company Non-Employee Directors under the Company Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Plan and Company Directors’ Plan.
Section 6.03. Distributions. The parties acknowledge that none of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement, the Separation Agreement, the Merger Agreement or any other Transaction Document will trigger a payment or distribution of compensation under the Company Deferred Compensation Plan or the SpinCo Deferred Compensation Plan.
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ARTICLE VII
WELFARE BENEFIT PLANS
Section 7.01. Welfare Plans.
(a) Establishment of SpinCo Welfare Plans. Effective as of the Distribution Time or such later date as coverage under the Company Benefit Plans would end for such Continuing Employees under the terms of such Company Benefit Plans, or such later end date of the applicable benefits coverage pursuant to the Transition Services Agreement, RMT Partner or SpinCo shall, or shall cause its Subsidiary to, adopt or designate the SpinCo Welfare Plans in which such SpinCo Group Employees may participate immediately after such time. Beginning on the Distribution Date or such later date as coverage under the Company Benefit Plans would end for such Continuing Employees under the terms of such Company Benefit Plans, or such later end date of the applicable benefits coverage pursuant to the Transition Services Agreement, SpinCo Group Employees who are employed by SpinCo or members of the SpinCo Group as of such date shall cease active participation in all Company Welfare Plans. Without limiting the generality of Section 9.02, SpinCo may modify the terms of the SpinCo Welfare Plans as it deems necessary and appropriate.
(b) Welfare Plan Liabilities. From and after the Distribution Time, the Company Group shall retain all Liabilities relating to, arising out of or resulting from health and welfare coverage or claims incurred by or on behalf of SpinCo Group Employees under the Company Benefit Plans that are Welfare Plans before, at or after the Distribution Time, regardless of when such claims are reported. Effective as of the Distribution Time, the SpinCo Group shall retain or assume, as applicable, all Liabilities relating to, arising out of or resulting from health and welfare coverage or claims incurred by or on behalf of Continuing Employees under the SpinCo Benefit Plans and RMT Partner Benefit Plans that are Welfare Plans from and after the Distribution Time.
(c) COBRA. Effective as of the Distribution Time, the SpinCo Group shall be responsible for (i) all Liabilities with respect to continuation coverage under COBRA and any state continuation coverage requirements relating to any Continuing Employee (including any covered dependents thereof) whose qualifying event occurs after the Distribution Time other than under a Company Benefit Plan (which is addressed by clause (ii)), and (ii) the amounts set forth in the Transition Services Agreement with respect to continuation coverage under COBRA and any state continuation coverage requirements relating to any Continuing Employee (including any covered dependents thereof) whose qualifying event occurs under a Company Benefit Plan after the Distribution Time. The Company Group shall retain all Liabilities with respect to continuation of coverage under COBRA and any state continuation coverage requirements with respect to (i) any Company Group Employee or Former Employee (including any covered dependents thereof) and (ii) any “M&A qualified beneficiary” (as defined in Treasury Regulation Section 54.4980B-9).
(d) Reimbursement Account Plans.
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(i) Effective as of the Distribution Time (or, if later, the end date of the applicable benefits coverage pursuant to the Transition Services Agreement), the Continuing Employees shall cease to be active participants in the flexible reimbursement account plans of the Company and its Affiliates (the “Company Reimbursement Account Plan”), and the Company Group shall retain all Assets and Liabilities in respect of the Company Reimbursement Account Plan. Effective as of no later than the Distribution Time (or, if later, the end date of the applicable benefits coverage pursuant to the Transition Services Agreement), RMT Partner or SpinCo shall, or shall cause one of their Affiliates to, adopt or designate flexible reimbursement account plans in which Continuing Employees shall be eligible to participate (the “SpinCo Reimbursement Account Plan”).
(ii) If the Distribution Time (or, if later, the end date of the applicable benefits coverage pursuant to the Transition Services Agreement) does not occur at the end of the plan year of the Company Reimbursement Account Plan, this Section 7.01(d)(ii) shall apply. The Parties shall take all steps necessary or appropriate so that the account balances (whether positive or negative) (the “Transferred Account Balances”) under the Company Reimbursement Account Plan of each Continuing Employee who has elected to participate therein in the year in which the Distribution Time (or, if later, the end date of the applicable benefits coverage pursuant to the Transition Services Agreement) occurs shall be transferred, as soon as practicable following the Distribution Time (or, if later, the end date of the applicable benefits coverage pursuant to the Transition Services Agreement), from the Company Reimbursement Account Plan to the SpinCo Reimbursement Account Plan. The SpinCo Reimbursement Account Plan shall assume responsibility for all outstanding claims under the Company Reimbursement Account Plan of each Continuing Employee for the year in which the Distribution Time (or, if later, the end date of the applicable benefits coverage pursuant to the Transition Services Agreement) occurs and shall assume and agree to perform the obligations of the analogous Company Reimbursement Account Plan from and after the Distribution Time (or, if later, the end date of the applicable benefits coverage pursuant to the Transition Services Agreement). As soon as practicable after the Distribution Time (or, if later, the end date of the applicable benefits coverage pursuant to the Transition Services Agreement), and in any event within 30 days after the amount of the Transferred Account Balances is determined or such later date as mutually agreed upon by the Parties, the Company shall pay SpinCo the net aggregate amount of the Transferred Account Balances if such amount is positive, and SpinCo shall pay the Company the net aggregate amount of the Transferred Account Balances if such amount is negative.
Section 7.02. Vacation, Holidays and Leaves of Absence. From and following the Distribution Time, unless otherwise required by applicable Law, (a) without limiting the SpinCo Group’s assumption of Liabilities under Section 2.01(a), the SpinCo Group shall credit and allow each SpinCo Group Employee to use any vacation or other paid time off accrued as of the Distribution Time in accordance with the terms of the applicable SpinCo Benefit Plan or RMT Partner Benefit Plan as in effect immediately after to the Distribution Time, and (b) the Company Group shall retain all Liabilities with respect to vacation, holiday, annual leave or other leave of absence, and required payments related thereto, for each Company Group Employee and Former Employee. For clarity, in the event that the Company Group is required under applicable Law to pay out accrued vacation or other paid time off for any SpinCo Group Employee in connection with the Transactions, no such vacation or other paid time off shall be credited to the applicable SpinCo Group Employee pursuant to this paragraph but the amount of such payment shall be an assumed Liability pursuant to Section 2.01(a).
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Section 7.03. Severance and Unemployment Compensation.
(a) From and following the Distribution Time, (i) the SpinCo Group shall retain any and all Liabilities to, or relating to, Continuing Employees in respect of severance and unemployment compensation for terminations of employment occurring after the Distribution Time, and (ii) subject to Section 7.03(b), the Company Group shall retain any and all Liabilities to, or relating to all Company Group Employees and Former Employees in respect of severance and unemployment compensation, regardless of whether the event giving rise to the Liability occurred before, at or after the Distribution Time.
(b) The SpinCo Group shall assume any and all Liabilities in respect of severance, termination indemnities or other similar payments or similar benefits arising out of, relating to or resulting from the transfer of SpinCo Group Employees from the Company Group to the SpinCo Group or otherwise in connection with the Transactions solely to the extent such Liabilities arise out of, relate to or result from noncompliance by the RMT Partner or the SpinCo Group with applicable Law or this Agreement (including Section 2.02), including any such Liabilities that arise in respect of any applicable notice and/or severance obligations, obligations to transfer or obligations to notify and/or consult in compliance with a Labor Agreement or applicable Law.
Section 7.04. Workers’ Compensation. With respect to claims for workers’ compensation under a self-insured workers’ compensation program, (a) the SpinCo Group shall be responsible for claims in respect of SpinCo Group Employees whether the injury giving rise to such claim first occurred before, at or after the Distribution Time, it being understood that (i) current claims related to injuries first occurring prior to the Distribution Date shall be reflected in Net Working Capital and (ii) the long-term claim reserve for workers’ compensation claims related to injuries first occurring prior to the Distribution Date shall be included in SpinCo Indebtedness, and (b) the Company Group shall be responsible for all claims in respect of all Company Group Employees and Former Employees, whether the injury giving rise to such claim occurred before, at or after the Distribution Time. The treatment of workers’ compensation claims by SpinCo with respect to Company insurance policies shall be governed by Section 5.1 of the Separation Agreement.
ARTICLE VIII
NON-U.S. EMPLOYEES
All actions taken under this Agreement with respect to benefits and Liabilities related to SpinCo Group Employees who are residents outside of the United States or otherwise subject to non-U.S. Law shall be subject to and accomplished in accordance with applicable Laws or regulations of countries outside of the United States in the custom of the applicable jurisdictions (including, as set forth in Section 2.01 above, as required by any applicable Labor Agreement). Except as otherwise may be expressly set forth in this Agreement or applicable local Transfer Documents, in the event that such applicable Law does not require the Company and/or SpinCo to take any specific action with respect to any such benefit or Liability, such benefits and Liabilities shall be treated in the same manner as those related to SpinCo Group Employees, respectively, who are residents of the United States and are not subject to non-U.S. Law. For the avoidance of doubt, the Parties shall, in consultation with the other Parties, have the authority to adjust any treatment described in this Agreement with respect to SpinCo Group Employees who are located outside of the United States in order to ensure compliance with the applicable Laws or regulations of countries outside of the United States or to preserve the tax benefits provided under local tax law or regulation before the Distribution; provided that the Parties shall take all necessary action to preserve the economic terms of the allocation of Assets and Liabilities contemplated by this Agreement.
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ARTICLE IX
MISCELLANEOUS
Section 9.01. Information Sharing and Access.
(a) Sharing of Information. Subject to any limitations imposed by applicable Law, each of the Company and SpinCo (acting directly or through members of the Company Group or the SpinCo Group, respectively) shall provide to the other Party and to RMT Partner and its authorized agents and vendors all information necessary (including information for purposes of determining benefit eligibility, participation, vesting, calculation of benefits) on a timely basis under the circumstances for the Party to perform its duties under this Agreement. Such information shall include information relating to equity awards under stock plans. To the extent that such information is maintained by a third-party vendor, each Party shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to require the third-party vendor to provide the necessary information and assist in resolving discrepancies or obtaining missing data.
(b) Transfer of Personnel Records and Authorization. Subject to any limitation imposed by applicable Law and to the extent that it has not done so before the Distribution Time, the Company shall transfer to SpinCo any and all employment records (including any Form I-9, Form W-2 or other IRS forms) with respect to SpinCo Group Employees and other records reasonably required by SpinCo to enable SpinCo properly to carry out its obligations under this Agreement and to continue to employ the SpinCo Group Employees following the Distribution Time. Such transfer of records generally shall occur as soon as administratively practicable at or after the Distribution Time. Each Party shall permit the other Party and RMT Partner reasonable access to its Employee records, to the extent reasonably necessary for such accessing Party to carry out its obligations hereunder.
(c) Access to Records. To the extent not inconsistent with this Agreement, the Separation Agreement or any applicable privacy protection Laws or regulations, reasonable access to Employee-related and benefit plan related records after the Distribution Time shall be provided to members of the Company Group and members of the SpinCo Group pursuant to the terms and conditions of Article VI of the Separation Agreement.
(d) Maintenance of Records. With respect to retaining, destroying, transferring, sharing, copying and permitting access to all Employee-related information, the Company and SpinCo shall comply with all applicable Laws, regulations and internal policies, and shall indemnify and hold harmless each other from and against any and all Liability, Actions, and damages that arise from a failure (by the indemnifying Party or its Subsidiaries or their respective agents) to so comply with all applicable Laws, regulations and internal policies applicable to such information. Except to the extent inconsistent with this Agreement, Section 6.5 (Record Retention) of the Separation Agreement shall apply to Employee-related records as if set forth herein mutatis mutandis.
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(e) Cooperation. Each Party shall use commercially reasonable efforts to cooperate and work together to unify, consolidate and share (to the extent permissible under applicable privacy/data protection Laws) all relevant documents, resolutions, government filings, data, payroll, employment and benefit plan information on regular timetables and cooperate as needed with respect to (i) any claims under or audit of or litigation with respect to any employee benefit plan, policy or arrangement contemplated by this Agreement, (ii) efforts to seek a determination letter, private letter ruling or advisory opinion from the IRS or U.S. Department of Labor on behalf of any employee benefit plan, policy or arrangement contemplated by this Agreement, (iii) any filings that are required to be made or supplemented to the IRS, U.S. Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, U.S. Department of Labor or any other Governmental Authority, and (iv) any audits by a Governmental Authority or corrective actions, relating to any Benefit Plan, labor or payroll practices; provided, however, that requests for cooperation must be reasonable and not interfere with daily business operations.
(f) Confidentiality. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, all confidential records and data relating to Employees to be shared or transferred pursuant to this Agreement shall be subject to Section 6.9 of the Separation Agreement and the requirements of applicable Law.
Section 9.02. Preservation of Rights to Amend. Except as specifically set forth in this Agreement, the rights of each member of the Company Group and each member of the SpinCo Group to amend, waive, or terminate any plan, arrangement, agreement, program, or policy referred to herein shall not be limited in any way by this Agreement.
Section 9.03. Fiduciary Matters. The Company and SpinCo each acknowledges that actions required to be taken pursuant to this Agreement may be subject to fiduciary duties or standards of conduct under ERISA or other applicable Law, and no Party shall be deemed to be in violation of this Agreement if it fails to comply with any provisions hereof based upon its good-faith determination (as supported by advice from counsel experienced in such matters) that to do so would violate such a fiduciary duty or standard. Each Party shall be responsible for taking such actions as are deemed necessary and appropriate to comply with its own fiduciary responsibilities and shall fully release and indemnify the other Party for any Liabilities caused by the failure to satisfy any such responsibility. Nothing contained in this Agreement is intended to make a Party a fiduciary to the other Parties’ Benefit Plans.
Section 9.04. Further Assurances. Each Party hereto shall take, or cause to be taken, any and all reasonable actions, including the execution, acknowledgment, filing and delivery of any and all documents and instruments that any other Party hereto may reasonably require in order to effect the intent and purpose of this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby.
Section 9.05. Reimbursement of Costs and Expenses. The Parties shall promptly reimburse one another, upon reasonable request of the Party requesting reimbursement (the “Requesting Party”) as soon as practicable, but in any event within 30 days of receipt of an invoice detailing all costs, expenses and other Liabilities paid or incurred by the Requesting Party (or any of its Affiliates), and any other substantiating documentation as the other Party shall reasonably request, that are, or have been made pursuant to this Agreement, the responsibility of the other Party (or any of its Affiliates) including those Liabilities, if any, under Section 7.01(a). Each Party shall provide 30 days’ notice if it anticipates sending an invoice hereunder.
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Section 9.06. Dispute Resolution. The dispute resolution procedures set forth in Article VII of the Separation Agreement shall apply to any dispute, controversy or claim arising out of or relating to this Agreement.
Section 9.07. Third-Party Beneficiaries. The provisions of this Agreement are solely for the benefit of the Parties and are not intended to confer upon any other Person except the Parties any rights or remedies hereunder. There are no third-party beneficiaries of this Agreement and this Agreement shall not provide any Third Person with any remedy, claim, Liability, reimbursement, claim of action or other right in excess of those existing without reference to this Agreement. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, (a) nothing in this Agreement is intended to amend any employee benefit plan or affect the applicable plan sponsor’s right to amend or terminate any employee benefit plan pursuant to the terms of such plan and (b) the provisions of this Agreement are solely for the benefit of the Parties, and no current or former Employee, officer, director, or independent contractor or any other individual associated therewith shall be regarded for any purpose as a third-party beneficiary of this Agreement.
Section 9.08. Incorporation of Separation Agreement Provisions. Article X of the Separation Agreement is incorporated herein by reference and shall apply to this Agreement as if set forth herein mutatis mutandis.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have caused this Employee Matters Agreement to be executed by their duly authorized representatives as of the date first written above.
| BECTON, DICKINSON AND COMPANY | ||
| By: | /s/ Stephanie M. Kelly | |
| Name: Stephanie M. Kelly | ||
| Title: Chief Securities and Governance Counsel, Corporate Secretary | ||
| AUGUSTA SPINCO CORPORATION | ||
| By: | /s/ Stephanie M. Kelly | |
| Name: Stephanie M. Kelly | ||
| Title: Vice President and Secretary | ||
| WATERS CORPORATION | ||
| By: | /s/ Udit Batra | |
| Name: Udit Batra | ||
| Title: President and Chief Executive Officer | ||
[Signature Page to Employee Matters Agreement]
Exhibit 10.3
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MATTERS AGREEMENT
BY AND AMONG
BECTON, DICKINSON AND COMPANY,
WATERS CORPORATION
AND
AUGUSTA SPINCO CORPORATION
DATED AS OF FEBRUARY 9, 2026
TABLE OF CONTENTS
| Page | ||||||
| ARTICLE I |
| |||||
| DEFINITIONS AND INTERPRETATION |
| |||||
| Section 1.1 | Definitions |
1 | ||||
| Section 1.2 | Other Definitions |
4 | ||||
| ARTICLE II |
| |||||
| INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LICENSES |
| |||||
| Section 2.1 | License to SpinCo Licensees of Company Licensed Patents |
4 | ||||
| Section 2.2 | License to Company Licensees of SpinCo Licensed Patents |
5 | ||||
| Section 2.3 | License to SpinCo Licensees of Company Licensed Other IP |
5 | ||||
| Section 2.4 | License to Company Licensees of SpinCo Licensed Other IP |
5 | ||||
| Section 2.5 | License to SpinCo for Specified Virtual Field Tools |
5 | ||||
| Section 2.6 | Rights of Subsidiaries |
5 | ||||
| Section 2.7 | Sublicensing |
6 | ||||
| Section 2.8 | No Other Rights |
6 | ||||
| ARTICLE III |
| |||||
| ADDITIONAL TERMS |
| |||||
| Section 3.1 | Bankruptcy Rights |
6 | ||||
| Section 3.2 | Confidentiality |
7 | ||||
| Section 3.3 | Improvements |
7 | ||||
| ARTICLE IV |
| |||||
| NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES; LIABILITY |
| |||||
| Section 4.1 | No Other Representations or Warranties |
8 | ||||
| Section 4.2 | General Disclaimer |
8 | ||||
| Section 4.3 | Limitation of Liability |
8 | ||||
| ARTICLE V |
| |||||
| TERM |
| |||||
| Section 5.1 | Term and Termination |
9 | ||||
| Section 5.2 | Survival |
9 | ||||
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| ARTICLE VI |
| |||||
| MISCELLANEOUS |
| |||||
| Section 6.1 | No Obligation |
9 | ||||
| Section 6.2 | Amendment and Waivers |
9 | ||||
| Section 6.3 | Notices |
9 | ||||
| Section 6.4 | Successors and Assigns |
11 | ||||
| Section 6.5 | Severability |
11 | ||||
| Section 6.6 | Governing Law; Jurisdiction and Forum; Waiver of Jury Trial |
12 | ||||
| Section 6.7 | Counterparts |
13 | ||||
| Section 6.8 | Interpretation |
13 | ||||
| Section 6.9 | No Third-Party Beneficiaries |
13 | ||||
| Section 6.10 | Entire Agreement |
13 | ||||
| Section 6.11 | Specific Performance |
14 | ||||
| Section 6.12 | Relationship of the Parties |
14 | ||||
SCHEDULES & EXHIBITS
| Schedule I | Exclusively Licensed Patents | |
| Exhibit A | Specified Virtual Field Tools |
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INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MATTERS AGREEMENT
This INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MATTERS AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”), dated as of February 9, 2026 (the “Effective Date”), is entered into by and among Becton, Dickinson and Company, a New Jersey corporation (“Company”), Augusta SpinCo Corporation, a Delaware corporation (“SpinCo”) and Waters Corporation, a Delaware corporation (“RMT Partner” and, together with the Company and SpinCo, the “Parties,” and each, individually, a “Party”).
R E C I T A L S:
WHEREAS, the Company, RMT Partner, and SpinCo are parties to that certain Separation Agreement, dated as of July 13, 2025 (the “Separation Agreement”) (capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meaning given to such terms in the Separation Agreement), pursuant to which, subject to the terms and conditions set forth therein, the Company has agreed to transfer, and cause certain of its Subsidiaries to transfer, to the SpinCo Group, and SpinCo has agreed to accept and assume from the Company and such Subsidiaries, the SpinCo Assets and the SpinCo Liabilities (the “Separation”);
WHEREAS, the Company, RMT Partner, SpinCo and Beta Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and wholly owned Subsidiary of RMT Partner, are parties to that certain Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of July 13, 2025 (the “Merger Agreement” and, together with the Separation Agreement, the “Separation and Merger Agreements”), pursuant to which, subject to the terms and conditions set forth therein, Merger Sub will merge with and into SpinCo, with SpinCo surviving the merger as a wholly owned Subsidiary of RMT Partner;
WHEREAS, to facilitate and provide for an orderly transition in connection with the Separation, Company Licensors wish to grant to SpinCo Licensees licenses to certain Company Licensed Patents and Company Licensed Other IP, and SpinCo Licensors wish to grant to Company Licensees, licenses to certain SpinCo Patents and SpinCo Other IP, in each case, as and to the extent set forth herein; and
WHEREAS, this Agreement is a “Transaction Document” pursuant to the Separation and Merger Agreements.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and mutual covenants contained herein and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the Parties hereby agree as follows:
ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS AND INTERPRETATION
Section 1.1 Definitions. As used herein, the following terms have the meanings set forth below. Capitalized terms that are not defined in this Agreement have the meanings set forth in the Separation Agreement.
(a) “Affiliate” has the meaning set forth in the Separation Agreement.
(b) “Change of Control” means, with respect to a Party: (i) a merger or consolidation of such Party with a Third Party, but only if the voting securities of such Party outstanding immediately prior thereto (or, if such voting securities are converted or exchanged in such merger or consolidation, any securities into which such voting securities have been converted or exchanged) neither represents (x) at least fifty percent (50%) of the combined voting power of the surviving entity of such merger or consolidation nor (y) at least fifty percent (50%) of the ultimate parent of such surviving entity immediately after such merger or consolidation; (ii) a transaction or series of related transactions (other than a merger or consolidation, which is addressed in clause (i)) in which a Third Party, together with its Affiliates, becomes the beneficial owner of fifty percent (50%) or more of the combined voting power of the outstanding securities of such Party; or (iii) the sale or other transfer to a Third Party, directly or indirectly, of all or substantially all of such Party’s assets or business to which the subject matter of this Agreement relates.
(c) “Combined Product” means any product or service of a Licensee in the applicable Licensee Field, using, implementing, or incorporating all or any portion of any product of the applicable Licensee Business, or any feature, functionality, or technology thereof.
(d) “Company Business” has the meaning set forth in the Separation Agreement.
(e) “Company Field” means the field of the Company Business as of the Distribution Date, including any improvements, enhancements, or natural evolutions or extensions thereof.
(f) “Company Licensed Other IP” means the Intellectual Property Rights (other than Patents, Marks, and Internet Properties) that are owned or Controlled by Company Licensors as of immediately after the Distribution and (i) embodied in or by any of the SpinCo Technology or (ii) were used in or practiced in connection with the SpinCo Business during the twelve (12) months prior to the Distribution Date.
(g) “Company Licensed Patents” means (i)(A) the Patents set forth in Schedule I (the “Exclusively Licensed Patents”), and the Patents owned by the Company Licensors as of the Distribution Date and Practiced by the operation of the SpinCo Business in the twelve (12) months prior to the Distribution Date, (B) any Patent that issues after the Effective Date that claims priority to any Patent in clauses (A), and (C) any foreign counterparts to any of the foregoing, and (ii) any Patents Controlled by the Company Licensors as of the Distribution Date and Practiced by the SpinCo Business in the twelve (12) months prior to the Distribution Date.
(h) “Company Licensees” means the Company and its current and future Subsidiaries but only for so long as such Person is a Subsidiary of the Company accordance with Section 2.6.
(i) “Company Licensors” means the Company and its Subsidiaries as of the Effective Date.
(j) “Company Technology” means any and all Technology, including any know-how or knowledge of any employees of the Company Business, used, held for use, or practiced in, or necessary for, or incorporated or embodied in, the operation or products of the Company Business.
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(k) “Controlled” means, with respect to any Intellectual Property Rights (other than Marks and Internet Properties) owned by a third party as of the Distribution Time, the applicable Licensor has the ability to grant a license or other rights in, to or under such Intellectual Property Rights on the terms and conditions set forth herein without violating any Contract between such Licensor and such third party in effect as of the Distribution Time and without payment or the granting of any additional consideration for the grant of such license.
(l) “Licensee(s)” means the Company Licensees or the SpinCo Licensees, as applicable, in their capacities as the licensees or grantees of the licenses or rights granted to them by the SpinCo Licensors or the Company Licensors, as applicable, pursuant to Article II.
(m) “Licensee Field” means (i) with respect to the Company Licensees, the Company Field, or (ii) with respect to the SpinCo Licensees, the SpinCo Field.
(n) “Licensee Business” means (i) with respect to the Company Licensees, the Company Business, or (ii) with respect to the SpinCo Licensees, the SpinCo Business.
(o) “Licensor(s)” means the Company Licensors or the SpinCo Licensors, as applicable, in their capacities as the licensors or grantors of any licenses or rights granted to the SpinCo Licensees or the Company Licensees, as applicable, pursuant to Article II.
(p) “Practiced” means, with respect to a Patent, to engage in conduct that, absent ownership of such Patent, or a license under such Patent of the scope set forth in Section 2.1, would infringe a claim of such Patent.
(q) “SpinCo Business” has the meaning set forth in the Separation Agreement.
(r) “SpinCo Field” the field of the SpinCo Business as of the Distribution Date, together with any improvements, enhancements, or natural evolutions or extensions thereof.
(s) “SpinCo Licensed Other IP” means the (a) SpinCo Intellectual Property and (b) Intellectual Property Rights Controlled by the SpinCo Group as of the Distribution Date (in each case, other than Patents, Marks, and Internet Properties) that are (i) embodied in or by any Company Technology or (ii) used in or practiced in connection with the Company Business in the twelve (12) months prior to the Distribution Date.
(t) “SpinCo Licensed Patents” means (i)(A) the Patents included in the SpinCo Intellectual Property, (B) any Patent that issues after the Effective Date that claims priority to any Patent in clauses (B), and (C) any foreign counterparts to any of the foregoing, and (ii) any Patents Controlled by SpinCo Licensors as of the Distribution Date.
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(u) “SpinCo Licensees” means RMT Partner and its current and future Subsidiaries (including SpinCo) but only for so long as such Person is a Subsidiary of RMT Partner in accordance with Section 2.6.
(v) “SpinCo Licensors” means the SpinCo Group and any other Person acquiring Intellectual Property (or rights therein) under the Separation Agreement, Merger Agreement or any other Transaction Document.
(w) “Specified Virtual Field Tools” has the meaning set forth in Exhibit A attached hereto.
(x) “Subsidiary” has the meaning set forth in the Separation Agreement.
Section 1.2 Other Definitions. As used herein, the following terms have the meanings set forth in the Sections set forth below.
| Term |
Section | |
| Acquired Business | Section 6.4 | |
| Acquired Party | Section 6.4 | |
| Acquiring Party | Section 6.4 | |
| Agreement | Preamble | |
| Bankruptcy Code | Section 3.1 | |
| Effective Date | Preamble | |
| Exclusively Licensed Patents | Section 1.1(f) | |
| Merger Agreement | Recitals | |
| Party | Preamble | |
| RMT Partner | Preamble | |
| Separation | Recitals | |
| Separation Agreement | Recitals | |
| Separation and Merger Agreements | Recitals | |
| SpinCo | Preamble |
ARTICLE II
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LICENSES
Section 2.1 License to SpinCo Licensees of Company Licensed Patents. The Company Licensors agree to grant, and hereby grant, to the SpinCo Licensees a worldwide, fully paid, royalty-free, irrevocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable (except as set forth in Section 6.4), non-sublicensable (except as set forth in Section 2.7) license under the Company Licensed Patents to use, make, have made, sell, offer for sale or import any Combined Products or other products of the SpinCo Business, provide any service in respect of the SpinCo Business, and practice any method or process claimed under the Company Licensed Patents in connection with the SpinCo Business (including any improvements, enhancements, or natural evolutions or extensions thereof), in each case, only in the SpinCo Field; provided, that the foregoing license, solely with respect to the Exclusively Licensed Patents, shall be exclusive (including as to Company Licensors) solely for devices and systems developed specifically for drawing blood from a patient into a blood culture tube.
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Section 2.2 License to Company Licensees of SpinCo Licensed Patents. The SpinCo Licensors agree to grant, and hereby grant, to the Company Licensees a worldwide, fully paid, royalty-free, irrevocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable (except as set forth in Section 6.4), non-sublicensable (except as set forth in Section 2.7) license under the SpinCo Licensed Patents to use, make, have made, sell, offer for sale or import any Combined Products or other product of the Company Business, provide any service in respect of the Company Business, and practice any method or process claimed under the SpinCo Licensed Patents in connection with the Company Business (including any improvements, enhancements, or natural evolutions or extensions thereof), in each case, only in the Company Field.
Section 2.3 License to SpinCo Licensees of Company Licensed Other IP. The Company Licensors agree to grant, and hereby grant, to the SpinCo Licensees a worldwide, fully paid, royalty-free, irrevocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable (except as set forth in Section 6.4), non-sublicensable (except as set forth in Section 2.7) license under the Company Licensed Other IP to use, reproduce, distribute, disclose, make, modify, improve, display and perform, create derivative works of, and otherwise exploit any SpinCo Technology, Combined Products or other SpinCo Assets or otherwise operate the SpinCo Business (including any improvements, enhancements, or natural evolutions or extensions thereof), in each case, only in the SpinCo Field; provided that the foregoing license does not extend to Specified Virtual Field Tools or any Intellectual Property embodied therein that are subject to the license in Section 2.5.
Section 2.4 License to Company Licensees of SpinCo Licensed Other IP. The SpinCo Licensors agree to grant, and hereby grant, to the Company Licensees a worldwide, fully paid, royalty-free, irrevocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable (except as set forth in Section 6.4), non-sublicensable (except as set forth in Section 2.7) license under the SpinCo Licensed Other IP to use, reproduce, distribute, disclose, make, modify, improve, display and perform, create derivative works of, and otherwise exploit any Company Technology, Combined Products or other Company Assets or otherwise operate the Company Business (including any improvements, enhancements, or natural evolutions or extensions thereof), in each case, only in the Company Field.
Section 2.5 License to SpinCo for Specified Virtual Field Tools. Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, Company Licensors agree to grant, and hereby grant, to the SpinCo Licensees the licenses to the Specified Virtual Field Tools in accordance with the terms set forth in Exhibit A.
Section 2.6 Rights of Subsidiaries.
(a) All rights and licenses granted in Section 2.1, Section 2.2, Section 2.3, Section 2.4 and Section 2.5 are granted to RMT Partner and Company as a Licensee, respectively, and to any entity that is a Subsidiary of such Licensee, but only for so long as such entity is a Subsidiary of the Licensee, and, except as set forth in Section 2.6(b), will terminate with respect to such entity when it ceases to be a Subsidiary of the Licensee.
(b) Notwithstanding the foregoing, if such entity ceases to be a Subsidiary of Licensee, including by way of a divestiture, spin-off, split-off or similar transaction, the licenses granted in Section 2.1, Section 2.2, Section 2.3, Section 2.4 and Section 2.5, as applicable, shall continue to apply to such Subsidiary, but only with respect to the line of business that it is engaged in at the effective time of such cessation as a Subsidiary of Licensee; provided that such entity or its successor agrees in writing to be bound by the terms and conditions of this Agreement, including any license limitations. In the event that such Subsidiary is acquired by a Third Party, the licenses granted herein will not extend to any products, business or operations of such Third Party that exist prior to the date of the consummation of such transaction.
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Section 2.7 Sublicensing.
(a) The SpinCo Licensees and the Company Licensees may sublicense, through one or more tiers, the licenses and rights granted to them under Section 2.3 and Section 2.4, respectively, to a Third Party solely in connection with the operation of such Licensee’s business in the ordinary course, including in connection with the exploitation or licensing of its respective Technology, products and services; provided that (i) each Licensee shall, and shall cause its sublicensees to, comply with Section 3.2; (ii) each Licensee shall not disclose such Trade Secrets or confidential information of the other Party (including Technology that embodies such Trade Secrets or confidential information) to a Third Party, except in connection with the disclosure of such Party’s own confidential information or Trade Secrets of at least comparable importance and value; and (iii) each Licensee shall be responsible and liable hereunder for any act or omission of a sublicensee as if such act or omission were taken by Licensee directly.
(b) The SpinCo Licensees and the Company Licensees may sublicense, the Patents licensed to them under Section 2.1 and Section 2.2, respectively, (i) to a Third Party to exercise its “make” or “have made” rights only with respect to its own products, including private label or original equipment manufacturer (OEM) versions of such products, (ii) to any of their respective contractors, distributors, resellers, manufacturers, integrators, suppliers, end users, or customers, or any commercial partners or service providers included in the ordinary course of business in the supply chain of the operation of the applicable Licensee Business, use in connection with the respective Licensees’ products or services or in support of the applicable Licensees Business, and not for the independent use or benefit of such third parties. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the exclusive license granted to the SpinCo Licensees in Section 2.1 with respect to the Exclusively Licensed Patents shall be freely sublicenseable.
Section 2.8 No Other Rights. No Licensee shall exercise the respective Intellectual Property licensed to such Licensee in Section 2.1, Section 2.2, Section 2.3, Section 2.4 and Section 2.5, respectively, in a manner that violates any limitations on such license.
ARTICLE III
ADDITIONAL TERMS
Section 3.1 Bankruptcy Rights. All rights and licenses granted to a Party or its Subsidiaries as Licensee hereunder, are, for purposes of Section 365(n) of the United States Bankruptcy Code (the “Bankruptcy Code”), licenses of intellectual property within the scope of Section 101 of the Bankruptcy Code. The Licensors acknowledge that the Licensees, as licensees of such rights and licenses hereunder, will retain and may fully exercise all of their rights and elections under the Bankruptcy Code. Each Party irrevocably waives all arguments and defenses arising under 11 U.S.C. § 365(c)(1) or successor provisions to the effect that applicable Law excuses such Party from accepting performance from or rendering performance to a Person other than the debtor or debtor-in-possession as a basis for opposing assumption of this Agreement in a case under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code to the extent that such consent is required under 11 U.S.C. § 365(c)(1) or any successor statute.
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Section 3.2 Confidentiality.
(a) Notwithstanding the transfer or disclosure of any Technology or grant or retention of any license to a Trade Secret or other proprietary right in confidential information to or by a Party hereunder, each Party agrees on behalf of itself and its Subsidiaries that (a) it (and each of its Subsidiaries) shall treat the Trade Secrets and confidential information licensed or disclosed to it by the other Party under this Agreement with at least the same degree of care as they treat their own similar Trade Secrets and confidential information, but in no event with less than reasonable care, and (b) neither Party (nor any of its Subsidiaries) may use or disclose such Trade Secrets or confidential information, as applicable, except in accordance with its respective license granted in Article II. Nothing herein will limit either Party’s ability to enforce its rights against any Third Party that misappropriates or attempts to misappropriate any Trade Secret or confidential information from it, regardless of whether it is an owner or licensee of such Trade Secret or confidential information. Notwithstanding the foregoing, each Party may disclose the Trade Secrets and confidential information of the other Party pursuant to a valid order or requirement of a court or government agency if: (i) such disclosing Party gives prompt written notice to the other Party to give such other Party the opportunity to prevent disclosure or protect its Trade Secrets and confidential information, and (ii) such disclosing Party shall reasonably cooperate with any efforts by the other Party to seek confidential treatment of the information to be disclosed; provided that such disclosure shall not affect the other Party’s obligations to treat the information as a Trade Secret or confidential information.
(b) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, each Party acknowledges and agrees that the other Party’s confidentiality and security obligations with respect to Trade Secrets and confidential information set forth in this Agreement do not apply to any such Trade Secrets or confidential information that the recipient can demonstrate: (i) are publicly available or is otherwise in the public domain at the time of disclosure; (ii) become part of the public domain after disclosure by any means other than breach of this Agreement by the recipient; (iii) are obtained by the recipient, free of any obligations of confidentiality, from a third party who has a lawful right to disclose it; or (iv) is independently developed by the recipient by persons not having access to, or prior knowledge of, any such Trade Secrets or confidential information.
Section 3.3 Improvements. As between the Parties, each Party will retain all its right, title and interest, including all Intellectual Property Rights it may have or develop, in and to any improvements, enhancements, or modifications that are made by or on behalf of such Party, including in the exercise of the licenses granted to it under this Agreement, subject to the ownership of the other Party in the underlying Intellectual Property Rights and provided that the foregoing shall not be deemed or interpreted to grant or transfer any rights between the Parties. Unless otherwise agreed by the Parties in writing, neither Party shall have any obligation to disclose, provide or license to the other Party any improvements, enhancements, or modifications made by or for a Party.
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ARTICLE IV
NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES; LIABILITY
Section 4.1 No Other Representations or Warranties. ALL LICENSES AND RIGHTS GRANTED HEREUNDER ARE GRANTED ON AN AS-IS BASIS WITHOUT REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WHATSOEVER, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, CUSTOM, TRADE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, NON-VIOLATION OR NON-MISAPPROPRIATION OF THIRD-PARTY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, ARE MADE OR GIVEN BY OR ON BEHALF OF A PARTY. ALL SUCH REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES, WHETHER ARISING BY OPERATION OF LAW OR OTHERWISE, ARE HEREBY EXPRESSLY EXCLUDED AND DISCLAIMED; PROVIDED, THAT NOTHING IN THIS SECTION 4.1 SHALL SERVE IN ANY WAY TO LIMIT THE REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES MADE IN THE MERGER AGREEMENT WHICH SHALL BE SOLELY GOVERNED BY, AND SUBJECT TO THE LIMITATIONS AND REMEDIES SET FORTH IN, THE MERGER AGREEMENT.
Section 4.2 General Disclaimer. Nothing contained in this Agreement shall be construed as:
(a) a warranty or representation by either Party as to the validity, enforceability or scope of any Intellectual Property;
(b) an agreement by either Party to maintain any Intellectual Property in force;
(c) an agreement by either Party to bring or prosecute actions or suits against any Third Party for infringement of Intellectual Property or any other right, or conferring upon either Party any right to bring or prosecute actions or suits against any Third Party for infringement of Intellectual Property or any other right;
(d) conferring upon either Party by implication, estoppel or otherwise, any license or other right, except the licenses and rights expressly granted hereunder;
(e) conferring upon either Party any right to use in advertising, publicity or otherwise any Mark, trade name or names, or any contraction, abbreviation or simulations thereof, of the other Party; or
(f) an obligation to provide any technical information, know-how, consultation, technical services or other assistance or deliverables to the other Party.
Section 4.3 Limitation of Liability. IN NO EVENT SHALL EITHER PARTY, ITS AFFILIATES OR THEIR RESPECTIVE REPRESENTATIVES BE LIABLE TO THE OTHER PARTY UNDER THIS AGREEMENT FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL OR PUNITIVE, EXEMPLARY, SPECULATIVE OR SIMILAR DAMAGES IN ANY WAY RELATING TO OR ARISING FROM THIS AGREEMENT OR THE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LICENSED HEREIN.
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ARTICLE V
TERM
Section 5.1 Term and Termination. Except as expressly set forth herein, the term of this Agreement shall commence on the Effective Date and shall continue until the expiration of the last-to-expire of the Intellectual Property licensed under this Agreement, if ever; provided that the term of the Patent licenses granted pursuant to Section 2.1 and Section 2.2, respectively, shall end upon the expiration of the last Patents licensed thereunder, respectively. The irrevocability of the licenses granted pursuant to Section 2.1, Section 2.2, Section 2.3, Section 2.4 and Section 2.5 shall not limit the availability of damages, specific performance or other legal or equitable remedies of the Parties.
Section 5.2 Survival. The terms and conditions of the following provisions will survive termination of this Agreement: Article I, Article IV, this Section 5.2 and Article VI. The termination of this Agreement will not relieve either Party of any Liability under this Agreement that accrued prior to such termination.
ARTICLE VI
MISCELLANEOUS
Section 6.1 No Obligation. Nothing set forth herein shall restrict a Licensor from transferring, assigning, pledging, or licensing any Intellectual Property owned by it and licensed to a Licensee hereunder; provided that any sale, transfer, or assignment or exclusive license of any Intellectual Property licensed to a Licensee hereunder shall be subject to the licenses granted in this Agreement.
Section 6.2 Amendment and Waivers. This Agreement may not be modified or amended, except by an instrument or instruments in writing signed by the Party against whom enforcement of any such modification or amendment is sought. Any Party may, only by an instrument in writing, waive compliance by the other Party with any term or provision of this Agreement on the part of such other Party to be performed or complied with. The waiver by any Party of a breach of any term or provision of this Agreement shall not be construed as a waiver of any subsequent breach. No failure or delay by any Party in exercising any right, power or privilege hereunder shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise thereof preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right, power or privilege.
Section 6.3 Notices. All notices, requests, claims, demands or other communications under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be given or made (and, except as provided herein, shall be deemed to have been duly given or made upon receipt) by delivery in person, by overnight courier service, by certified mail, return receipt requested, by facsimile, or by electronic mail (“e-mail”), so long as confirmation of receipt of such facsimile or e-mail is requested and received, to the respective Parties at the following addresses (or at such other address for a Party as shall be specified in a notice given in accordance with this Section 6.3):
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(a) If to Company (or any of its Subsidiaries in their capacity as either a Licensor or a Licensee):
Becton, Dickinson and Company
1 Becton Drive
Franklin Lakes, New Jersey 07417
Telephone: (201) 847-6800
Attention: Joseph LaSala
Chief Counsel—Transactions/M&A
E-mail: [#####]
with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
51 West 52nd Street
New York, NY 10019
Telephone: (212) 403-1000
Attention: David K. Lam; Jenna E. Levine
E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]
(b) If to SpinCo (or any of its Subsidiaries in its capacity as either a Licensor or Licensee):
Augusta SpinCo Corporation
34 Maple Street
Milford, MA 01757
Telephone: (508) 478-2000
Attention: General Counsel
Email: [#####]
with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
Kirkland & Ellis LLP
601 Lexington Ave
New York, NY 10022
Telephone: (212) 446-4800
Attention: Daniel E. Wolf; P.C.; David M. Klein, P.C.; Allie M. Wein, P.C., Steven M. Choi
E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected];
[email protected]; [email protected]
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(c) If to RMT Partner (or any of its Subsidiaries in its capacity as either a Licensor or Licensee):
Waters Corporation
34 Maple Street
Milford, MA 01757
Telephone: (508) 478-2000
Attention: General Counsel
Email: [#####]
with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
Kirkland & Ellis LLP
601 Lexington Ave
New York, NY 10022
Telephone: (212) 446-4800
Attention: Daniel E. Wolf; P.C.; David M. Klein, P.C.; Allie M. Wein, P.C., Steven M. Choi
E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected];
[email protected]; [email protected]
Any Party may, by notice to the other Party, change the address to which such notices are to be given or made.
Section 6.4 Successors and Assigns. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of and be enforceable by the Parties and their respective permitted successors and assigns; provided that neither this Agreement nor any of the rights and benefits of a Licensee Party hereunder may be assigned to, or assumed by, a Third Party (whether by operation of Law or otherwise) without the express prior written consent of the other Party or as provided under Section 2.6. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no such consent shall be required for the assignment or assumption of a Party’s rights, licenses or obligations under Article II in whole or in relevant part, in connection with, or as a result of, a Change of Control of a Party (such Party, the “Acquired Party”) or the sale or other disposition of a substantial business, or substantial assets (such as product lines or service lines) of a business, of a Party or its Affiliates to which this Agreement relates (such business or assets, the “Acquired Business”); provided that the resulting, surviving or transferee Person or acquirer of the Acquired Business (the “Acquiring Party”) assumes all the applicable obligations of the Acquired Party by operation of Law or by express assignment, as the case may be. Any purported assignment in violation of this Section 6.4 shall be null and void.
Section 6.5 Severability. If any provision of this Agreement or the application thereof to any Person or circumstance is determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, void or unenforceable, the remaining provisions hereof, or the application of such provision to Persons or circumstances or in jurisdictions other than those as to which it has been held invalid or unenforceable, shall remain in full force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated thereby. Upon such determination, the Parties shall negotiate in good faith in an effort to agree upon such a suitable and equitable provision to effect the original intent of the Parties.
11
Section 6.6 Governing Law; Jurisdiction and Forum; Waiver of Jury Trial.
(a) This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed and enforced in accordance with, the Laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to any choice or conflict of law provision or rule (whether of the State of Delaware or any other jurisdiction) that would cause the application of the Laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of Delaware. The Parties expressly waive any right they may have, now or in the future, to demand or seek the application of a governing Law other than the Law of the State of Delaware. In addition, each of the Parties hereto irrevocably (i) submits to the personal jurisdiction of the Delaware Court of Chancery in and for New Castle County, or in the event (but only in the event) that such Delaware Court of Chancery does not have subject matter jurisdiction over such dispute, the United States District Court for the District of Delaware, or in the event (but only in the event) that such United States District Court also does not have jurisdiction over such dispute, any Delaware State court sitting in New Castle County (and in each case, appellate courts therefrom), in the event any dispute (whether in contract, tort or otherwise) arises out of this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby, (ii) agrees that it will not attempt to deny or defeat such personal jurisdiction by motion or other request for leave from any such court, (iii) waives any objection to the laying of venue of any Action relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby in such court, (iv) waives and agrees not to plead or claim in any such court that any Action relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby brought in any such court has been brought in an inconvenient forum, and (v) agrees that it will not bring any Action relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby in any court other than the Delaware Court of Chancery in and for New Castle County, or in the event (but only in the event) that such Delaware Court of Chancery does not have subject matter jurisdiction over such Action, the United States District Court for the District of Delaware, or in the event (but only in the event) that such United States District Court also does not have jurisdiction over such Action, any Delaware State court sitting in New Castle County (and, in each case, appellate courts therefrom). Each Party agrees that service of process upon such Party in any such Action shall be effective if notice is given in accordance with Section 6.3.
(b) EACH PARTY TO THIS AGREEMENT WAIVES TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY ACTION, PROCEEDING OR COUNTERCLAIM BROUGHT BY ANY OF THEM AGAINST THE OTHER ARISING OUT OF OR IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH THIS AGREEMENT, THE SEPARATION AGREEMENT, THE TRANSACTION DOCUMENTS OR ANY OTHER AGREEMENTS EXECUTED IN CONNECTION HEREWITH OR THEREWITH OR THE ADMINISTRATION HEREOF OR THEREOF OR THE SALE OR ANY OF THE OTHER TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREIN OR THEREIN. NO PARTY TO THIS AGREEMENT SHALL SEEK A JURY TRIAL IN ANY LAWSUIT, PROCEEDING, COUNTERCLAIM OR ANY OTHER LITIGATION PROCEDURE BASED UPON, OR ARISING OUT OF, THIS AGREEMENT OR THE OTHER TRANSACTION DOCUMENTS OR ANY RELATED INSTRUMENTS. NO PARTY WILL SEEK TO CONSOLIDATE ANY SUCH ACTION IN WHICH A JURY TRIAL HAS BEEN WAIVED WITH ANY OTHER ACTION IN WHICH A JURY TRIAL CANNOT BE OR HAS NOT BEEN WAIVED. EACH PARTY TO THIS AGREEMENT CERTIFIES THAT IT HAS BEEN INDUCED TO ENTER INTO THIS AGREEMENT BY, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE MUTUAL WAIVERS AND CERTIFICATIONS SET FORTH IN THIS SECTION 6.6(b). NO PARTY HAS IN ANY WAY AGREED WITH OR REPRESENTED TO ANY OTHER PARTY THAT THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION 6.6(b) WILL NOT BE FULLY ENFORCED IN ALL INSTANCES.
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Section 6.7 Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, and by the different parties in separate counterparts, each of which when executed shall be deemed to be an original but all of which taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement. Delivery of an executed counterpart of a signature page to this Agreement by fax or other electronic method shall be as effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart of this Agreement.
Section 6.8 Interpretation. In this Agreement, (a) words in the singular shall be deemed to include the plural and vice versa and words of one gender shall be deemed to include the other genders as the context requires; (b) the terms “hereof,” “herein” and “herewith” and words of similar import shall, unless otherwise stated, be construed to refer to this Agreement as a whole (including all of the Schedules, Annexes and Exhibits hereto) and not to any particular provision of this Agreement; (c) Article, Section, Exhibit, Annex and Schedule references are to the Articles, Sections, Exhibits, Annexes and Schedules to this Agreement unless otherwise specified; (d) unless otherwise stated, all references to any agreement shall be deemed to include the exhibits, schedules and annexes to such agreement; (e) the word “including” and words of similar import when used in this Agreement shall mean “including, without limitation,” unless otherwise specified; (f) the word “or” shall not be exclusive; (g) the word “extent” in the phrase “to the extent” shall mean the degree to which a subject or other thing extends, and such phrase shall not mean simply “if”; (h) unless otherwise specified in a particular case, the word “days” refers to calendar days; (i) references to “business day” shall mean any day other than a Saturday, a Sunday or a day on which banking institutions are generally authorized or required by Law to close in the United States or Franklin Lakes, New Jersey; (j) references herein to this Agreement or any other agreement contemplated herein shall be deemed to refer to this Agreement or such other agreement as of the date on which it is executed and as it may be amended, modified or supplemented thereafter, unless otherwise specified; and (k) unless expressly stated to the contrary in this Agreement, all references to “the date hereof,” “the date of this Agreement,” “hereby” and “hereupon” and words of similar import shall all be references to February 9, 2026.
Section 6.9 No Third-Party Beneficiaries. This Agreement and the Schedules hereto are not intended to confer in or on behalf of any Person not a Party to this Agreement (and their successors and assigns), other than their Subsidiaries that are granted rights under this Agreement, any rights, benefits, causes of action or remedies with respect to the subject matter or any provision hereof.
Section 6.10 Entire Agreement. This Agreement, the Separation Agreement and the other Transaction Documents and the Exhibits, Schedules and appendices hereto and thereto contain the entire agreement between the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof, supersede all previous agreements, negotiations, discussions, writings, understandings, commitments and conversations with respect to such subject matter, and there are no agreements or understandings between the Parties other than those set forth or referred to herein or therein. This Agreement, the Separation Agreement, and the other Transaction Documents govern the arrangements in connection with the Separation and the Distribution and would not have been entered into independently.
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Section 6.11 Specific Performance. The Parties hereto agree that irreparable damage, for which monetary damages (even if available) would not be an adequate remedy, would occur in the event that the Parties hereto do not perform any provision of this Agreement in accordance with its specified terms or otherwise breach such provisions. Accordingly, the Parties acknowledge and agree that the Parties shall be entitled to an injunction, specific performance and other equitable relief to prevent breaches or threatened breaches of this Agreement and to enforce specifically the terms and provisions hereof, in addition to any other remedy to which they are entitled in Law or in equity; provided that such remedy does not include the termination of any license granted hereunder or otherwise impose and limits or restrictions on the scope of any such license that are in addition to those limits and restrictions set forth herein. Each of the Parties agrees that it will not oppose the granting of an injunction, specific performance and other equitable relief on the basis that the other Party has an adequate remedy at Law or that any award of specific performance is not an appropriate remedy for any reason at Law or in equity. Any Party seeking an injunction or injunctions to prevent breaches of this Agreement and to enforce specifically the terms and provisions of this Agreement shall not be required to provide any bond or other security in connection with such order or injunction.
Section 6.12 Relationship of the Parties. Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to create a partnership, joint venture or similar relationship between the Parties. Neither Party is the agent, employee, joint venturer, partner, franchisee or representative of the other Party. Each Party specifically acknowledges that it does not have the authority to, and shall not, incur any obligations or responsibilities on behalf of the other Party. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, each Party (and its officers, directors, agents, employees and members) shall not hold themselves out as employees, agents, representatives or franchisees of the other Party or enter into any agreements on such Party’s behalf.
[Remainder of page left blank intentionally; signature page follows]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties hereto have executed this Agreement as of the date first written above.
| AUGUSTA SPINCO CORPORATION | ||
| By: | /s/ Stephanie M. Kelly | |
| Name: Stephanie M. Kelly | ||
| Title: Vice President and Secretary | ||
| WATERS CORPORATION | ||
| By: | /s/ Udit Batra | |
| Name: Udit Batra | ||
| Title: President and Chief Executive Officer | ||
| BECTON DICKINSON, AND COMPANY | ||
| By: | /s/ Stephanie M. Kelly | |
| Name: Stephanie M. Kelly | ||
| Title: Chief Securities and Governance Counsel, Corporate Secretary | ||
[Signature Page to Intellectual Property Matters Agreement]
Exhibit 10.4
TRANSITION SERVICES AGREEMENT
BY AND AMONG
BECTON, DICKINSON AND COMPANY,
AUGUSTA SPINCO CORPORATION,
AND
WATERS CORPORATION
DATED AS OF FEBRUARY 9, 2026
TABLE OF CONTENTS
| Page | ||||||
| ARTICLE I DEFINITIONS | 1 | |||||
| Section 1.01. |
Definitions |
1 | ||||
| ARTICLE II SERVICES | 6 | |||||
| Section 2.01. |
Services |
6 | ||||
| Section 2.02. |
Performance of Services |
7 | ||||
| Section 2.03. |
Charges for Services |
8 | ||||
| Section 2.04. |
Reimbursement for Out-of-Pocket Costs and Expenses |
9 | ||||
| Section 2.05. |
Changes in the Performance of Services |
10 | ||||
| Section 2.06. |
Transitional Nature of Services |
10 | ||||
| Section 2.07. |
Subcontracting |
11 | ||||
| Section 2.08. |
Local Agreements |
12 | ||||
| Section 2.09. |
Service Limitations |
12 | ||||
| Section 2.10. |
System Shut Down |
13 | ||||
| Section 2.11. |
Use of Services |
13 | ||||
| ARTICLE III OTHER ARRANGEMENTS | 13 | |||||
| Section 3.01. |
Access |
13 | ||||
| ARTICLE IV BILLING; TAXES | 15 | |||||
| Section 4.01. |
Procedure |
15 | ||||
| Section 4.02. |
Late Payments |
15 | ||||
| Section 4.03. |
Taxes |
15 | ||||
| Section 4.04. |
No Set-Off |
16 | ||||
| ARTICLE V TERM AND TERMINATION | 16 | |||||
| Section 5.01. |
Term |
16 | ||||
| Section 5.02. |
Early Termination |
17 | ||||
| Section 5.03. |
Extension of Services |
18 | ||||
| Section 5.04. |
Interdependencies |
18 | ||||
| Section 5.05. |
Effect of Termination |
19 | ||||
| Section 5.06. |
Information Transmission |
19 | ||||
| ARTICLE VI CONFIDENTIALITY; PROTECTIVE ARRANGEMENTS | 19 | |||||
| Section 6.01. |
Company, SpinCo, and RMT Partner Obligations |
19 | ||||
| Section 6.02. |
No Release; Return or Destruction |
20 | ||||
| Section 6.03. |
Privacy and Data Protection Laws |
20 | ||||
| Section 6.04. |
Protective Arrangements |
20 | ||||
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| ARTICLE VII LIMITED LIABILITY AND INDEMNIFICATION | 21 | |||||
| Section 7.01. |
Limitations on Liability |
21 | ||||
| Section 7.02. |
Third-Party Claims |
22 | ||||
| Section 7.03. |
Indemnification Procedures |
22 | ||||
| ARTICLE VIII MISCELLANEOUS |
22 | |||||
| Section 8.01. |
Mutual Cooperation |
22 | ||||
| Section 8.02. |
Further Assurances |
22 | ||||
| Section 8.03. |
Audit Assistance |
23 | ||||
| Section 8.04. |
Title to Intellectual Property |
23 | ||||
| Section 8.05. |
Independent Contractors |
23 | ||||
| Section 8.06. |
Counterparts; Entire Agreement; Corporate Power |
24 | ||||
| Section 8.07. |
Governing Law |
25 | ||||
| Section 8.08. |
Assignability |
25 | ||||
| Section 8.09. |
Third-Party Beneficiaries |
25 | ||||
| Section 8.10. |
Notices |
25 | ||||
| Section 8.11. |
Severability |
26 | ||||
| Section 8.12. |
Force Majeure |
27 | ||||
| Section 8.13. |
Headings |
27 | ||||
| Section 8.14. |
Survival of Covenants |
27 | ||||
| Section 8.15. |
Waivers of Default |
27 | ||||
| Section 8.16. |
Dispute Resolution |
27 | ||||
| Section 8.17. |
Specific Performance |
28 | ||||
| Section 8.18. |
Amendments |
28 | ||||
| Section 8.19. |
Precedence of Schedules |
28 | ||||
| Section 8.20. |
Interpretation |
28 | ||||
| Section 8.21. |
Mutual Drafting |
29 | ||||
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TRANSITION SERVICES AGREEMENT
This TRANSITION SERVICES AGREEMENT, dated as of February 9, 2026 (this “Agreement”), is entered into by and among Becton, Dickinson and Company, a New Jersey corporation (“Company”), Augusta SpinCo Corporation, a Delaware corporation and wholly owned Subsidiary of the Company (“SpinCo”), and Waters Corporation, a Delaware corporation (“RMT Partner” and, together with the Company and SpinCo, the “Parties,” and each, individually, a “Party”).
R E C I T A L S:
WHEREAS, the Company, RMT Partner and SpinCo are parties to that certain Separation Agreement, dated as of July 13, 2025 (the “Separation Agreement”) (capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meaning given to such terms in the Separation Agreement) pursuant to which, subject to the terms and conditions set forth therein, the Company has agreed to transfer, and cause certain of its Subsidiaries to transfer, to the SpinCo Group, and SpinCo has agreed to accept and assume from the Company and such Subsidiaries, the SpinCo Assets and the SpinCo Liabilities (the “Separation”);
WHEREAS, the Company, RMT Partner, SpinCo and Beta Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and wholly owned Subsidiary of RMT Partner, are parties to that certain Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of July 13, 2025 (the “Merger Agreement”) pursuant to which, subject to the terms and conditions set forth therein, Merger Sub will merge with and into SpinCo, with SpinCo surviving the merger as a wholly owned Subsidiary of RMT Partner;
WHEREAS, in order to facilitate and provide for an orderly transition in connection with the Separation, the Parties desire to enter into this Agreement which sets forth the terms of certain relationships and other agreements among the Parties as set forth herein; and
WHEREAS, this Agreement is a “Transaction Document” pursuant to the Separation Agreement and the Merger Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and mutual covenants contained in this Agreement and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the Parties, intending to be legally bound, hereby agree as follows:
ARTICLE I
DEFINITIONS
Section 1.01. Definitions. For purposes of this Agreement, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
“Action” shall mean any demand, action, claim, dispute, suit, countersuit, arbitration, inquiry, subpoena, proceeding or investigation of any nature (whether criminal, civil, legislative, administrative, regulatory, prosecutorial or otherwise) by or before any federal, state, local, foreign or international Governmental Authority or any arbitration or mediation tribunal.
“Additional Services” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 2.01(c).
“Affiliate” has the meaning set forth in the Merger Agreement.
“Agreement” has the meaning set forth in the Preamble.
“Applications” shall mean those software applications used in the operation of the SpinCo Business or Company Business, or otherwise accessed in connection with this Agreement, as applicable, including those that are set forth on Exhibit 1 (Commercial Apps), Exhibit 3a (North America ERP), Exhibit 3b (EMEA ERP), Exhibit 3c (Greater Asia ERP), Exhibit 3d (LATAM ERP) and Exhibit 4 (Non-ERP Apps) to Schedule A-1. All Applications shall be hosted and used exclusively on or through the Host System throughout the term of this Agreement.
“Baseline Period” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.01(b).
“Charge” and “Charges” have the meaning set forth in Section 2.03.
“Company” has the meaning set forth in the Preamble.
“Company Business” has the meaning set forth in the Separation Agreement.
“Confidential Information” shall mean all Information that is either confidential or proprietary.
“Connection Agreement” shall mean the Connection Agreement by and between Service Recipient and Service Provider attached hereto as Schedule B.
“Contract” shall have the meaning set forth in the Merger Agreement.
“Consents” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.02(b).
“Cutover” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.06.
“Dispute” has the meaning set forth in Section 8.16(a).
“Distribution Date” has the meaning set forth in the Separation Agreement.
“Effective Time” shall have the meaning set forth in the Merger Agreement.
“e-mail” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 8.10.
“ERP-Related Service” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 5.03(c).
“ERP Cloning Expenses” shall mean all Expenses incurred by the Company (as Service Provider) or any of its Subsidiaries in connection with providing or preparing to provide the ERP Cloning Service, whether incurred prior to or after the date of this Agreement.
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“ERP Cloning Service” shall mean the TGS.06.02 (ERP and Associated Peripheral Systems Cloning) service set forth on Schedule A-1 hereto; provided that in no event shall the ERP Cloning Service require the Company (as Service Provider) or any of its Subsidiaries to incur any costs or expenses in connection with (a) integrating the cloned systems and environments for SpinCo (as the Service Recipient) or system interfacing with boundary applications, in each case, within SpinCo’s (as the Service Recipient) environment (e.g., connecting cloned systems to SpinCo’s (as Service Recipient) applications), or (b) contractual licenses related to the cloned systems and environments or providing support in connection with such contractual licenses (each of which shall be the sole responsibility of SpinCo (as the Service Recipient)).
“Excluded Service” shall mean any service or function set forth in Schedule A-2 hereto, and any other service or function that the Parties mutually agree in writing after the date of this Agreement will not be provided under the terms of this Agreement.
“Exit and Migration Plan” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.06.
“Expenses” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.04.
“Extension Charge” has the meaning set forth in Section 5.03(a).
“Fees” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.01.
“Force Majeure” shall mean, with respect to a Party, an event beyond the reasonable control of such Party (or any Person acting on its behalf), which event (a) does not arise or result from the fault or negligence of such Party (or any Person acting on its behalf) and (b) by its nature would not reasonably have been foreseen by such Party (or such Person), or, if it would reasonably have been foreseen, was unavoidable, and includes acts of God, acts of civil or military authority, acts of terrorism, cyberattacks, embargoes, epidemics, pandemics, war, riots, insurrections, fires, explosions, earthquakes, floods, unusually severe weather conditions, labor problems or unavailability of parts, or, in the case of computer systems, any significant and prolonged failure in electrical or air conditioning equipment. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the receipt by a Party of an unsolicited takeover offer or other acquisition proposal, even if unforeseen or unavoidable, and such Party’s response thereto shall not be deemed an event of Force Majeure.
“Governmental Authority” shall mean any nation or government, any state, municipality or other political subdivision thereof, and any entity, body, agency, commission, department, board, bureau, court, tribunal or other instrumentality, whether federal, state, local, domestic, foreign or multinational, exercising executive, legislative, judicial, regulatory, administrative or other similar functions of, or pertaining to, a government and any executive official thereof.
“Host Systems” shall mean those information technology systems and platforms (a) selected by Service Provider (i) to host the Applications or (ii) for use in connection with the performance of Services, or (b) otherwise utilized by Service Provider and necessary for Service Recipient to receive a Service in connection with this Agreement.
“Indemnitees” has the meaning set forth in Section 7.02.
“Individual Users” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.01(b).
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“Information” shall mean information in written, oral, electronic or other tangible or intangible forms, stored in any medium, including studies, reports, records, books, contracts, instruments, surveys, discoveries, ideas, concepts, know-how, techniques, designs, specifications, drawings, blueprints, diagrams, models, prototypes, samples, flow charts, data, computer data, disks, diskettes, tapes, computer programs or other software, marketing plans, customer names, communications by or to attorneys (including attorney-client privileged communications), memos and other materials prepared by attorneys or under their direction (including attorney work product), and other technical, financial, employee or business information or data; provided that Information does not include Intellectual Property.
“Intellectual Property” has the meaning set forth in the Separation Agreement.
“Interest Payment” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.02.
“Law” shall mean any national, foreign, international, multinational, supranational, federal, state, provincial, local or similar law (including common law), statute, code, order, directive, guidance, ordinance, rule, regulation, treaty (including any income tax treaty), license, Permit, authorization, approval, consent, decree, injunction, binding judicial or administrative interpretation or other requirement, in each case, enacted, promulgated, issued or entered by a Governmental Authority.
“Level of Service” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.02(b).
“Liabilities” shall mean all debts, guarantees, assurances, commitments, liabilities, responsibilities, Losses, remediation, deficiencies, fines, settlements, sanctions, costs, interest and obligations of any nature or kind, whether accrued or fixed, absolute or contingent, matured or unmatured, accrued or not accrued, asserted or unasserted, liquidated or unliquidated, foreseen or unforeseen, known or unknown, reserved or unreserved, or determined or determinable, including those arising under any Law, Action (including any Third-Party Claim) or order, writ, judgment, injunction, decree, stipulation, determination or award entered by or with any Governmental Authority or arbitration tribunal, and those arising under any Contract, release or warranty, or any fines, damages or equitable relief that is imposed, in each case, including all costs and expenses relating thereto.
“Local Agreement” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.08.
“Losses” shall mean actual losses (including any diminution in value), costs, damages, penalties and expenses (including legal and accounting fees and expenses and costs of investigation and litigation), whether or not involving a Third-Party Claim.
“Non ERP-Related Service” means any Service that is not an ERP-Related Service.
“Omitted Services” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 2.01(b).
“Parties” shall mean the parties to this Agreement.
“Permits” shall mean permits, approvals, authorizations, consents, licenses or certificates issued by any Governmental Authority.
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“Person” shall mean an individual, a general or limited partnership, a corporation, a trust, a joint venture, an unincorporated organization, a limited liability entity, any other entity and any Governmental Authority.
“Reference Amount” shall mean, with respect to any Service, the amount set forth on Schedule A-1 or Schedule A-3 as applicable to such Service.
“Representatives” shall mean, with respect to any Person, any of such Person’s directors, officers, employees, agents, consultants, advisors, accountants, attorneys or other representatives.
“RMT Partner” has the meaning set forth in the Preamble.
“Separation” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals.
“Separation Agreement” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals.
“Service Extension” has the meaning set forth in Section 5.03.
“Service Period” shall mean, with respect to any Service, the period commencing on the Distribution Date and ending on the earliest of (i) the date that a Party terminates the provision of such Service pursuant to Section 5.02, and (ii) the date specified for termination of such Service in Schedule A-1 or Schedule A-3 hereto (as extended pursuant to Section 5.03).
“Service Provider” shall mean, with respect to any Service, the Party providing such Service.
“Service Recipient” shall mean, with respect to any Service, the Party receiving such Service, which shall be either (a) SpinCo with respect to Services to be provided to RMT Partner or its Subsidiaries or (b) the Company with respect to Services to be provided to the Company or its Subsidiaries.
“Services” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.01(a).
“SpinCo” has the meaning set forth in the Preamble.
“SpinCo Business” has the meaning set forth in the Separation Agreement.
“Subsidiary” shall mean, with respect to any Person, any corporation, limited liability company, joint venture or partnership of which such Person (a) beneficially owns, either directly or indirectly, more than fifty percent (50%) of (i) the total combined voting power of all classes of voting securities, (ii) the total combined economic interests, or (iii) the capital or profit interests, in the case of a partnership; or (b) otherwise has the power to vote, either directly or indirectly, sufficient securities to elect a majority of the board of directors or similar governing body.
“Tax Matters Agreement” shall mean that certain Tax Matters Agreement, dated as of the date hereof, by and among the Company, SpinCo and RMT Partner.
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“Taxes” shall have the meaning set forth in the Tax Matters Agreement.
“Taxing Authority” shall have the meaning set forth in the Tax Matters Agreement.
“Term” has the meaning set forth in Section 5.01.
“Termination Charges” shall mean, with respect to the termination of any Service pursuant to Section 5.02(a)(i), any and all costs, fees and expenses (other than any severance or retention costs, unless otherwise specified with respect to a particular Service on the Schedules hereto or in the other Transaction Documents) payable by Service Provider or its Subsidiaries to a Third Party which would not have been payable but for the early termination of such Service.
“Third Party” shall mean any Person other than the Parties or any of their respective Affiliates.
“Third-Party Claim” shall mean any Action commenced by any Third Party against any Party or any of its Affiliates.
“Transaction Taxes” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.03(a).
“Work Product” has the meaning set forth in Section 8.04.
“Year Two Non ERP Early Termination Savings” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 2.03.
ARTICLE II
SERVICES
Section 2.01. Services.
(a) Commencing as of the Effective Time, Service Provider agrees to provide, or to cause one or more of its Subsidiaries to provide, to Service Recipient, or any Subsidiary of Service Recipient, the applicable services (the “Services”) set forth on Schedule A-1 hereto.
(b) If, after the date of this Agreement, Service Recipient identifies a service (other than a Service or an Excluded Service) (i) that Service Provider provided to Service Recipient within eighteen (18) months prior to the Distribution Date (the “Baseline Period”), (ii) that Service Recipient reasonably needs in order for the SpinCo Business or the Company Business, as applicable, to continue to operate in substantially the same manner in which the SpinCo Business or the Company Business, as applicable, operated prior to the Distribution Date, and (iii) where all or substantially all of the assets and resources used to provide such service have not been transferred to Service Recipient or its Affiliates, then following the written request of Service Recipient to Service Provider within one hundred and eighty (180) days after the Distribution Date requesting such additional services, Service Provider shall commence providing such requested services (such additional services, the “Omitted Services”). Service Recipient and Service Provider shall negotiate in good faith to agree on the terms for the provision of such Omitted Service as a “Service” under this Agreement. In connection with any Omitted Services, the Parties shall in good faith negotiate the terms of a supplement to Schedule A-1, which terms
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shall be consistent with the terms of similar Services provided under this Agreement. Service Recipient shall not be required to pay any incremental Fees to Service Provider for the provision of any Omitted Service during the initial Service Period for such Service as set forth on Schedule A-1. Upon the mutual written agreement of the Parties, the supplement to Schedule A-1 shall describe in reasonable detail the nature, scope, Service Period(s), termination provisions and other terms applicable to such Omitted Services in a manner similar to that in which the Services are described in the existing Schedule A-1. Each supplement to Schedule A-1, as agreed to in writing by the Parties, shall be deemed part of this Agreement as of the date of such agreement and the Omitted Services set forth therein shall be deemed “Services” provided under this Agreement, in each case subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement.
(c) If Service Recipient identifies services (including special projects) other than those set forth on Schedule A-1, Excluded Services or Omitted Services that Service Recipient desires that Service Provider provide to Service Recipient (an “Additional Service”), then Service Recipient may submit a written request to supplement Schedule A-3 hereto to include such Additional Services to Service Provider and Service Provider agrees to consider such request in good faith. If Service Provider, acting reasonably and in good faith, agrees to provide such Additional Service, then the Parties shall negotiate the terms for the provision of any such Additional Service and the payment therefor in good faith and document such agreed terms in a supplement to Schedule A-3 which shall describe in reasonable detail the nature, scope, Fees, Service Period(s), termination provisions and other terms applicable to such Additional Services in a manner similar to that in which the Services are described in Schedule A-1. Any supplement to Schedule A-3, as agreed to in writing by the Parties, shall be deemed part of this Agreement as of the date of such agreement and the Additional Services set forth therein shall be deemed “Services” provided under this Agreement, in each case subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement.
Section 2.02. Performance of Services.
(a) Subject to Section 2.05, Service Provider shall perform, or shall cause one or more of its Subsidiaries to perform, all Services with reasonable skill and care and in a manner that is based on its past practice and that is substantially similar in care, diligence, skill, nature, quality and timeliness to analogous services provided by Service Provider during the Baseline Period and in accordance with any other requirements set forth on Schedule A-1 or Schedule A-3 with respect to such Services.
(b) Nothing in this Agreement shall require Service Provider to perform or cause to be performed any Service to the extent that the manner of such performance would constitute a violation of any applicable Law. If Service Provider is or becomes aware of the potential for any such violation, Service Provider shall promptly advise Service Recipient of such potential violation, and the Parties will mutually seek an alternative that addresses such potential violation. Service Provider shall use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain, and Service Recipient agrees to cooperate in good faith in connection with Service Provider’s efforts to obtain, any necessary Third Party consents, authorizations, waivers, approvals, or sublicenses (“Consents”) required under any contract or agreement with a Third Party to allow Service Provider to perform, or cause to be performed, or to allow Service Recipient to receive, all Services to be provided hereunder. All reasonable and documented out-of-pocket costs and expenses (if
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any) incurred by Service Provider or any of its Subsidiaries in connection with obtaining any such Consent that are not identified and quantified in Schedule A-1 or Schedule A-3 hereto shall be borne equally by Service Provider and Service Recipient (e.g., fifty percent (50%) each). If, with respect to a Service, the Service Provider, despite the use of such commercially reasonable efforts, is unable to obtain a required Consent, Service Provider shall promptly notify Service Recipient and will use commercially reasonable efforts to seek to arrange a reasonable alternative for the provision of such Service that is substantially the same in all material respects as the benefit provided under or by the relevant Service for which the Consent was required, at no incremental cost to Service Recipient. Unless otherwise provided with respect to a specific Service on the Schedules, Service Provider shall not be obligated to perform or to cause to be performed any Service in a manner that is materially more burdensome (with respect to service quality or quantity) than analogous services provided to Service Recipient or its applicable functional group or Subsidiary during the Baseline Period (collectively referred to as the “Level of Service”).
(c) (i) Neither Service Provider nor any of its Subsidiaries shall be required to perform or to cause to be performed any of the Services for the benefit of any Third Party or any other Person other than Service Recipient and its Subsidiaries, and (ii) EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY PROVIDED IN THIS AGREEMENT, EACH PARTY ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT SERVICE PROVIDER MAKES NO OTHER REPRESENTATIONS OR GRANTS ANY WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, EITHER IN FACT OR BY OPERATION OF LAW, BY STATUTE OR OTHERWISE, WITH RESPECT TO THE SERVICES. SERVICE PROVIDER SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY OTHER WARRANTIES, WHETHER WRITTEN OR ORAL, OR EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING ANY WARRANTY OF QUALITY, MERCHANTABILITY, OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR USE OR PURPOSE OR THE NON-INFRINGEMENT OF ANY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS OF THIRD PARTIES.
(d) Each Party shall be responsible for its own compliance with any and all Laws applicable to its performance under this Agreement. No Party shall knowingly take any action in violation of any such applicable Law that results in Liability being imposed on the other Party. In the event any Service is provided by or to a Subsidiary of any Party, such Party shall (i) cause each such Subsidiary to comply with its obligations as a Service Provider or a Service Recipient, as applicable, as set forth in this Agreement in respect of such Services and (ii) remain fully responsible for its and each such Subsidiary’s compliance with their respective obligations (including, if applicable, the performance of such Subsidiary as Service Provider) under this Agreement and applicable Law.
Section 2.03. Charges for Services.
(a) SpinCo (in its capacity as Service Recipient with respect to Services to be provided to RMT Partner or its Subsidiaries) shall pay to the Company (in its capacity as Service Provider with respect to such Services) the following fees for the Services (collectively, “SpinCo Charges”): In the first twelve (12) months following the Effective Date (“Year One”), SpinCo (in its capacity as Service Recipient) shall pay the Company the following fees for the Services: (i) $7,416,667 per month; plus (ii) the applicable monthly fee for any Additional Service set forth on Schedule A-3 provided during Year One; plus (iii) any applicable monthly Extension Charges for Services provided in Year One. In the second twelve (12) months following the Effective Date
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(“Year Two”), SpinCo (in its capacity as Service Recipient) shall pay the Company the following fees for the Services: (v) $7,416,667 per month; plus (w) the applicable monthly fee for any Additional Service set forth on Schedule A-3 provided during Year Two; plus (x) any applicable monthly Extension Charges for Services provided in Year Two; minus (y) any monthly fees for ERP-Related Services provided during Year Two identified in Schedule A-1 or Schedule A-3 not incurred by SpinCo (in its capacity as Service Recipient) due to Early Termination of such Services in accordance with Section 5.02; minus (z) any monthly fees for Non ERP-Related Services provided during Year Two identified in Schedule A-1 or Schedule A-3 not incurred by SpinCo (in its capacity as Service Recipient) due to Early Termination of such Services in accordance with Section 5.02 (“Year Two Non ERP Early Termination Savings”); provided that the Year Two Non ERP Early Termination Savings shall in no event be greater than an amount so that SpinCo (in its capacity as Service Recipient) pays at least twenty-five million dollars ($25,000,000) for Non ERP-Related Services during Year Two.
(b) The Company (in its capacity as Service Recipient with respect to Services to be provided to the Company or its Subsidiaries) shall pay to SpinCo (in its capacity as Service Provider with respect to such Services) the following fees for the Services: (i) the fees set forth on Schedule A-1; plus (ii) the applicable monthly fee for any Additional Service set forth on Schedule A-3; plus (iii) any applicable monthly Extension Charges (the “Company Charges”, together with the SpinCo Charges, the “Charges”).
Section 2.04. Reimbursement for Out-of-Pocket Costs and Expenses.
(a) SpinCo (in its capacity as Service Recipient with respect to Services to be provided to RMT Partner or its Subsidiaries) shall reimburse the Company (in its capacity as Service Provider with respect to such Services) for reasonable, documented out-of-pocket costs and expenses incurred by the Company or any of its Subsidiaries in connection with providing the Services (including reasonable travel-related expenses) to the extent that such costs and expenses were not taken into account when the initial SpinCo Charges were determined (“SpinCo Expenses”), subject to the following sentence. SpinCo (in its capacity as Service Recipient with respect to Services to be provided to RMT Partner or its Subsidiaries) shall reimburse the Company (in its capacity as Service Provider with respect to such Services) for the first twenty-five million dollars ($25,000,000) of ERP Cloning Expenses, and the Parties shall bear equally (e.g., fifty percent (50%) each) any ERP Cloning Expenses in excess of twenty-five million dollars ($25,000,000); provided, that if the Company and SpinCo mutually agree that the Company will deliver a cloned system and environment for either of the S/4 application or Manhattan application, SpinCo and RMT Partner shall be responsible for one hundred percent (100%) of the ERP Cloning Expenses for such S/4 or Manhattan cloning activities, as applicable (it being understood that such ERP Cloning Expenses for S/4 or Manhattan cloning activities, as applicable, shall not count towards the twenty-five million dollar ($25,000,000) threshold described earlier in this sentence). SpinCo shall reimburse the Company at the Closing for any ERP Cloning Expenses incurred prior to the Closing. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Company shall not incur any SpinCo Expenses that exceed $200,000 in the aggregate without SpinCo’s written pre-approval (which shall not be unreasonably withheld); provided that such limitation on Expenses shall not apply to (1) ERP Cloning Expenses or (2) expenses specified in Schedule A-1 or Schedule A-3 hereto.
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(b) The Company (in its capacity as Service Recipient with respect to Services to be provided to the Company or its Subsidiaries) shall reimburse SpinCo (in its capacity as Service Provider with respect to such Services) for reasonable, documented out-of-pocket costs and expenses incurred by SpinCo or any of its Subsidiaries in connection with providing the Services (including reasonable travel-related expenses) to the extent that such costs and expenses were not taken into account when the initial Company Charges were determined (“Company Expenses”, together with the SpinCo Expenses, “Expenses”). Notwithstanding the foregoing, SpinCo shall not incur any Company Expenses that exceed $25,000 in the aggregate without the Company’s written pre-approval (which shall not be unreasonably withheld).
Section 2.05. Changes in the Performance of Services. Subject to the performance standards for Services set forth in Sections 2.02(a), 2.02(b) and 2.02(c), Service Provider may make changes from time to time in the manner of performing the Services if Service Provider is making similar changes in performing analogous services for itself and if Service Provider furnishes to Service Recipient reasonable prior written notice (in content and timing) of such changes; provided, however, that (i) Service Provider shall be responsible for any increase in Fees as a result of such changes and (ii) such changes shall not result in a breach of this Agreement in any material respect. At Service Provider’s request, Service Recipient shall perform any software or process validation updates or processes to test any change in the Services that are reasonably necessary in order for Wave to receive the Services.
Section 2.06. Transitional Nature of Services. The Parties acknowledge the transitional nature of the Services and that each of SpinCo and RMT Partner shall be ultimately responsible for planning and preparing the transition to its own internal organization or other Third Parties the provision of the Services provided to it hereunder (the “Cutover”). SpinCo as Service Recipient will develop a draft written exit and migration plan (the “Exit and Migration Plan”) within ninety (90) days from the date hereof, which will set forth how SpinCo will transition from each Service where it is Service Recipient in a timely and efficient manner, in accordance with this Agreement and no later than the end of the Service Period for such Service, such that all Services have been so transitioned prior to the expiration of the applicable Service term. The Exit and Migration Plan will include, among other things, (A) a plan developed by SpinCo and timetable for the Cutover, including the potential separation of Services by region, (B) the respective responsibilities of the Parties with respect to the Cutover, (C) the phases of migration of each of the Services from SpinCo (as Service Recipient), (D) safeguards for the Parties to minimize disruption to their business relationships with Third Parties, (E) safeguards to minimize, to the extent reasonably possible, disruption to the Company Business or the SpinCo Business, as applicable, and the continuing operations of Service Provider and its relevant Affiliates, (F) any know-how and knowledge transfer reasonably required for the smooth transition of Services to SpinCo, (G) contingencies, and (H) plans for provision of regular employee data extracts at a mutually agreed upon cadence and in the current format on Service Provider’s system, with mutually agreed-upon data elements provided to SpinCo for purposes of reporting and analytics. The Exit and Migration Plan shall be presented by SpinCo to the senior leadership teams of the Company and RMT Partner, and SpinCo shall consider in good faith any revisions reasonably proposed by the Company. The Company will reasonably consult and discuss the Exit and Migration Plan with SpinCo upon SpinCo’s reasonable request and will use commercially reasonable efforts to provide SpinCo with information reasonably requested by SpinCo in connection with SpinCo’s development and fulfillment of the Exit and Migration Plan. SpinCo’s delay in performing or
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failure to perform any of its obligations to develop and update the Exit and Migration Plan set forth in this Section 2.06 shall (without prejudice to the responsibilities of SpinCo and RMT Partner with respect to the Cutover) be excused (and SpinCo shall not be liable to the Company) if and to the extent such delay or failure results from the Company’s breach of the foregoing sentence. SpinCo will inform the Company of any material developments or changes that would reasonably be expected to impair SpinCo’s ability to adhere to the Exit and Migration Plan. SpinCo (as Service Recipient) shall use commercially reasonable efforts to complete the Cutover and transition off, and eliminate its and its Affiliates’ dependency on, each Service consistent with the Exit and Migration Plan in all material respects. Service Provider shall have no obligation to perform any Services following the Term. The Parties will complete their responsibilities under the Exit and Migration Plan within the Term and in accordance with the performance standard for Services set forth in Sections 2.02(a), 2.02(b) and 2.02(c). The Parties shall (i) devote reasonably adequate time and resources, including by providing personnel resources with sufficient knowledge and experience, to develop and fulfill the Exit and Migration Plan, and (ii) in good faith, work together to develop, review and update the Exit and Migration Plan. Each Party shall promptly notify the other Parties in the event that it is unable to (or has reasonable grounds to suspect that it may be unable to) meet its obligations under or in connection with the Exit and Migration Plan.
Section 2.07. Subcontracting. Service Provider may hire or engage one or more Third Parties to perform any or all of its obligations under this Agreement to the extent (i) such Third Party is selected by Service Provider (acting with the same degree of care in selecting any Third Parties as it would if such Third Party was being retained to provide similar services to Service Provider); (ii) such Third Party is a Subsidiary of Service Provider, (iii) such Service was delegated or subcontracted to such Third Party with respect to the SpinCo Business or Company Business, as applicable, as of immediately prior to the Distribution Date, or (iv) following the Distribution Date, Service Provider uses such Third Party to provide the same or substantially similar service to Service Provider’s own business; provided, further, that, in each case of (i) – (iv), (a) such delegation does not result in any increase in Fees and (b) in the case of any engagement of a Third Party that is not engaged to provide Services as of the date hereof, Service Provider provides reasonable advance written notice to Service Recipient of any Third Party so engaged. Service Provider shall in all cases remain responsible (as primary obligor) for all of its obligations under this Agreement with respect to the scope of the Services, the performance standard for Services set forth in Sections 2.02(a), 2.02(b) and 2.02(c) and the content of the Services provided to Service Recipient. Service Provider shall be liable for any breach of its obligations under this Agreement by any Third Party service provider engaged by Service Provider. Subject to the confidentiality provisions set forth in Article VI, Service Provider shall, and shall cause its Affiliates to, provide, upon fifteen (15) business days’ prior written notice, any Information within Service Provider’s or its Affiliates’ control that Service Recipient reasonably requests in connection with any Services being provided to Service Recipient by a Third Party, including any applicable invoices, agreements documenting the arrangements between such Third Party and Service Provider and other supporting documentation; provided, further, however, that Service Recipient shall make no more than one such request per Third Party during any calendar quarter.
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Section 2.08. Local Agreements. Each Party recognizes and agrees that it may be necessary or desirable to separately document certain matters relating to the Services provided hereunder in various jurisdictions from time to time or to otherwise modify the scope or nature of such Services, in each case to the extent necessary to comply with applicable Law. If such an agreement or modification of any of the Services is required by applicable Law, or if the applicable Parties mutually determine entry into such an agreement or modification of Services would be desirable, in each case in order for Service Provider or its Subsidiaries to provide any of the Services in a particular jurisdiction, Service Provider and Service Recipient shall, or shall cause their applicable Subsidiaries to, enter into local implementing agreements (as each may be amended and in effect from time to time, each a “Local Agreement”) in form and content reasonably acceptable to the applicable Parties; provided that the execution or performance of any such Local Agreement shall in no way alter or modify any term or condition of this Agreement or the effect of any such term or condition, except to the extent expressly specified in such Local Agreement. Except as used in this Section 2.08, any references herein to this Agreement and the Services to be provided hereunder, shall include any Local Agreement and any local services to be provided thereunder. Except as expressly set forth in any Local Agreement, in the event of a conflict between the terms contained in a Local Agreement and the terms contained in this Agreement (including the applicable Schedules), the terms in this Agreement shall take precedence.
Section 2.09. Service Limitations. Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary:
(a) for purposes of this Agreement, except as and to the extent necessary for the receipt of any Services by Service Recipient, as mutually agreed between the Parties, or as otherwise set forth on a Schedule hereto and subject to Article III, Service Provider shall have no obligation to provide Service Recipient with access to or use of any Service Provider information technology systems, information technology, platforms, networks, applications, software databases or computer hardware;
(b) Service Provider shall not be obligated to provide and shall not be deemed to be providing any advice with respect to legal, financial, accounting, insurance, regulatory or tax matters to Service Recipient or any of its Representatives as part of or in connection with the Services or otherwise under this Agreement; provided, however, that such limitation shall not prohibit knowledge transfer, status updates or the sharing of any non-privileged information related to the operation of the SpinCo Business or Company Business, as applicable;
(c) Service Provider shall have no obligation to prepare or deliver any notification or report to any Governmental Authority or other Person on behalf of Service Recipient or any of its Representatives in connection with the Services, except as set forth on the Schedules hereto; notwithstanding the foregoing, Service Provider shall reasonably cooperate with and provide reasonable assistance to Service Recipient in connection with the preparation of any such notifications or reports to the extent necessary to provide the Services (for the avoidance of doubt, this Service limitation shall not affect any requirements under any other Transaction Document);
(d) in no event shall Service Provider or its Affiliates have any obligation to favor Service Recipient or any of its Affiliates’ operation of its businesses over its own business operations or those of its Affiliates;
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(e) Subject to Section 2.02(a), Service Provider shall not be required to hire any additional employees, maintain the employment of any one or more specific employees, or purchase, lease or license any additional equipment, software (including additional seats or instances under existing software license agreements) or other resources; and
(f) Except as set forth herein, Service Provider shall not be required to bear or pay any costs related to the conversion of the Service Recipient’s data at Service Recipient’s request (other than any costs mutually agreed by Service Provider and Service Recipient, it being understood that, in agreeing to any such costs, the Parties shall take into account the time, effort and complexity of any action of Service Provider), nor shall Service Provider have any obligation to provide data migration support, including any data transformation, data cleansing or data insertion, with respect to historical or transactional data, other than extraction and transfer of Service Recipient’s data, in each case, in the format maintained by Service Provider, which shall be free of charge.
Section 2.10. System Shut Down. Service Provider shall have the right to shut down temporarily for maintenance or similar purposes the operation of any facilities or systems providing any Service whenever in Service Provider’s reasonable judgment such action is necessary or advisable for general maintenance or emergency purposes; provided that without limiting the immediately following sentence, Service Provider will use commercially reasonable efforts to schedule non-emergency general maintenance impacting the Services so as not to materially disrupt the operation of the SpinCo Business or the Company Business, as applicable, by Service Recipient. Service Provider will provide Service Recipient advance notice of any shut down for (i) general maintenance purposes or other planned shut down and (ii) to the extent practicable, any emergency shutdown or maintenance.
Section 2.11. Use of Services. Service Provider shall not be required to provide Services to any Person other than Service Recipient and its Subsidiaries, or in connection with the operation of any business other than the SpinCo Business or the Company Business, as applicable, in each case in substantially the same manner in which, and for substantially the same purpose as, such Services were used by the Service Recipient in connection with the operation of such business during the Baseline Period. Service Recipient shall not, and shall not permit its or any of its Subsidiaries’ Representatives to, resell any Services to any Third Party (or, in the case of Services where the Service Recipient is SpinCo, to any Affiliate of SpinCo other than SpinCo or its Subsidiaries) or permit the use of any Services by any Third Party.
ARTICLE III
OTHER ARRANGEMENTS
Section 3.01. Access.
(a) Upon reasonable advance notice, each Party shall, and shall cause its Subsidiaries to, allow the other Party and its Subsidiaries and their respective Representatives reasonable access during normal business hours to the facilities, Information, systems, infrastructure and personnel of such Party and its Subsidiaries to the extent and as required for such Party and its Subsidiaries to perform or receive the Services or otherwise perform or fulfill their obligations under this Agreement and, as applicable, for Service Provider to verify the
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adequacy of Service Provider’s internal controls over information technology, reporting of financial data and related processes employed in connection with Service Provider’s provision of the Services, including in connection with verifying Service Provider’s compliance with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (for the avoidance of doubt, this Section 3.01(a) shall not require Service Recipient to establish additional internal controls or comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002); provided that (i) such access shall not unreasonably interfere with any of the business or operations of either Party or any of its Subsidiaries and (ii) in the event that a Party determines that providing such access could violate any applicable Law or agreement or waive any attorney-client privilege, then the Parties shall use commercially reasonable efforts to permit such access in a manner that avoids any such consequence. Each Party agrees that all of its and its Subsidiaries’ employees shall, and that it shall direct its Representatives’ employees to, when on the property of the other Party or its Subsidiaries, or when given access to any facilities, Information, systems, infrastructure or personnel of such Party or its Subsidiaries, conform to the policies and procedures of such Party and its Subsidiaries, as applicable, concerning health, safety, confidentiality, conduct and security which are made known or provided to the accessing Party from time to time.
(b) Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, including the Connection Agreement, during the term of this Agreement, Service Provider will permit Service Recipient and its personnel (the “Individual Users”) to access the Host Systems and the Applications (on or through the Host Systems), in each case, for the purpose of receiving, and to the extent reasonably necessary to receive, the Services as expressly contemplated by the Services themselves, or otherwise to the extent reasonably necessary to perform its obligations in connection with this Agreement, and in each case in accordance with the terms and conditions expressly stated in this Agreement and the Connection Agreement. Individual Users are authorized to access the Applications and the Host Systems with the prior permission of Service Provider and subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, including the foregoing sentence, and the Connection Agreement, and only to the extent that such authorized Individual Users have a need to access the Host Systems or use the Applications in connection with this Agreement.
(c) Neither Party shall, and each Party shall cause each of its Representatives and Individual Users not to, knowingly introduce or otherwise expose any Host System or any Application to any (a) computer code or instructions (e.g., malicious code or viruses) that may disrupt, damage, or interfere with the Host System or any Application or other software or firmware stored or operated thereon, (b) device that is capable of automatically or remotely stopping any Host System or Application from operating, in whole or in part (e.g., passwords, fuses or time bombs), (c) “back doors” or “trap doors” which allow for any access or bypassing of any security feature of the Host System or any Application or (d) any barriers designed for, or having the effect of, preventing Service Provider from accessing all or any portion of its systems, software or data.
(d) SpinCo (in its capacity as Service Recipient with respect to Services to be provided to RMT Partner or its Subsidiaries), shall, at its sole expense, (a) provide all network connectivity necessary for each of its Representatives and each Individual User to connect to the Host Systems (other than the connectivity that the Company (as Service Provider with respect to such Services) shall provide as set forth on the Schedules hereto) and (b) comply, and cause each of its Representatives and each Individual User to comply, with the terms and conditions set forth in the applicable Company Cybersecurity & Digital Risk Policy provided to SpinCo and the Connection Agreement and in Section 3.01(a), Section 3.01(b) and Section 3.01(c).
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ARTICLE IV
BILLING; TAXES
Section 4.01. Procedure. On a monthly basis, the Service Provider shall invoice Service Recipient in arrears for the following: (i) the applicable Charges and the Extension Charges (if any) incurred in the prior month, and (ii) the applicable Expenses (including, with respect to the Company as Service Provider, the ERP Cloning Expenses) incurred in the prior month, including reasonable documentation related thereto pursuant to Section 2.03 (the “Fees”). Charges and Extension Charges for the Services shall be charged to and payable by Service Recipient. Undisputed amounts payable pursuant to this Agreement shall be paid by wire transfer or Automated Clearing House payment (or such other method of payment as may be agreed between the Parties from time to time) to Service Provider (as directed by Service Provider), which undisputed amounts shall be due in arrears within sixty (60) days of Service Recipient’s receipt of each invoice for Fees. All amounts due and payable hereunder shall be paid in U.S. dollars. In the event of any billing dispute, Service Recipient shall promptly pay any undisputed amount as set forth in this Section 4.01.
Section 4.02. Late Payments. Charges and Extension Charges not paid when due pursuant to this Agreement and which are not disputed in good faith (and any amounts billed or otherwise invoiced or demanded and properly payable that are not paid within ten (10) days of the receipt of such bill, invoice or other demand) shall accrue interest at a rate per annum equal to six percent (6%) (the “Interest Payment”).
Section 4.03. Taxes.
(a) Service Recipient shall bear any and all sales, use, value-added, excise, transfer, stamp, documentary, recordation, goods and services and other similar Taxes (but, for the avoidance of doubt, excluding any Taxes imposed on Service Providers net income (however denominated), branch profit taxes, franchise taxes or gross receipts) imposed on or in connection with the provision of Services to Service Recipient (collectively, “Transaction Taxes”). Service Provider and Service Recipient shall cooperate to minimize any Transaction Taxes and in obtaining any refund, return or rebate, or applying an exemption or zero-rating for Services giving rise to any Transaction Taxes, including by filing any exemption or other similar forms or providing valid tax identification number or other relevant registration numbers, certificates or other documents. Service Recipient and Service Provider shall cooperate regarding any requests for information, audit, or similar request by any Taxing Authority concerning Transaction Taxes payable with respect to Services provided pursuant to this Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Service Provider shall be responsible for any Transaction Taxes (but only to the extent in the nature of, or constituting, penalties or interest) imposed as a result of (i) a failure to timely remit (or failure to remit) any Transaction Taxes to the applicable Taxing Authority to the extent Service Recipient timely remits such Covered Taxes to Service Provider or Service Recipient’s failure to do so results from Service Provider’s failure to timely charge or provide notice of such
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Transaction Taxes to Service Recipient or (ii) improper filing of any Tax Return related to such Transaction Taxes. If Service Provider receives any refund of Transaction Taxes that are borne by Service Recipient pursuant to this Agreement, Service Provider shall promptly pay, or cause to be paid, to Service Recipient the amount of such refund (net of any additional Taxes Service Provider incurs as a result of the receipt of such refund).
(b) Service Recipient shall be entitled to deduct and withhold from any payments to Service Provider any Taxes that Service Recipient is required by applicable Law to deduct and withhold and shall pay such Taxes to the applicable Taxing Authority. If Service Recipient is so required to withhold or deduct any amount for or on account of Taxes from any payment made pursuant to this Agreement, Service Recipient shall (i) promptly notify Service Provider of such required deduction or withholding and the amount of payment due from Service Recipient, (ii) make such deductions or withholdings as are required by applicable Law and (iii) pay the full amount deducted or withheld to the relevant Taxing Authority. Other than Transaction Taxes, Service Recipient shall not be required to pay any additional amounts to Service Provider to account for, or otherwise compensate Service Provider for, any deduction or withholding for or on account of Taxes. If Service Recipient is required to deduct or withhold any amount for or on account of Transaction Taxes from any payment made pursuant to this Agreement, Service Recipient will pay to Service Provider such additional amounts as may be necessary so that the net amount received by Service Provider after such withholding or deduction will not be less than the amount Service Provider would have received if such Transaction Taxes had not been withheld. In the event Service Provider receives a credit against Taxes otherwise payable as a result of the withholding of Transaction Taxes for which Service Recipient paid additional amounts to Service Provider, Service Provider shall pay to Service Recipient the amount of such credit.
(c) Each Party shall be solely responsible for its own income Taxes with respect to amounts received in connection with this Agreement.
Section 4.04. No Set-Off. Except as mutually agreed to in writing by Service Provider and Service Recipient, neither Service Recipient nor any of its Affiliates shall have any right of set-off or other similar rights with respect to any amounts owed to Service Provider or any of its Subsidiaries pursuant to this Agreement on account of any obligation owed by Service Provider or any of its Subsidiaries to Service Recipient or any of its Subsidiaries.
ARTICLE V
TERM AND TERMINATION
Section 5.01. Term. This Agreement shall commence at the Effective Time and shall terminate upon the earliest to occur of (a) the later of (i) the twenty-four (24) month anniversary of this Agreement and (ii) the last date on which Service Provider is obligated to provide any Service to Service Recipient in accordance with the terms of this Agreement and (b) the mutual written agreement of the Parties to terminate this Agreement in its entirety (the “Term”). Unless otherwise terminated pursuant to Section 5.02, this Agreement shall terminate with respect to each Service as of the close of business on the last day of the Service Period for such Service.
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Section 5.02. Early Termination.
(a) Without prejudice to Service Recipient’s rights with respect to Force Majeure, Service Recipient may from time to time terminate this Agreement with respect to the entirety of any Service (or, other than for a Service (other than Service TGS.02.01 on Schedule A-1 hereto) that is in a Service Extension Period, a portion thereof) without terminating all or any other Services set forth on the same Schedule as such terminated Service (it being understood that, other than Service TGS.02.01 on Schedule A-1 hereto, Service Recipient may not terminate any Service in part during a Service Extension Period for such Service):
(i) for any reason or no reason, upon the giving of at least sixty (60) days’ prior written notice (or such other number of days specified in Schedule A-1 or Schedule A-3 hereto) to Service Provider; provided, however, that any such termination may only be effective as of the last day of a month unless otherwise mutually agreed and shall be subject to the obligation to pay any applicable Termination Charges pursuant to Section 5.05; or
(ii) if Service Provider has failed to perform any of its material obligations under this Agreement with respect to such Service, and such failure to perform materially and adversely affects the provision of such Service or Service Recipient or an Affiliate thereof or the SpinCo Business or the Company Business, as applicable, and such failure shall continue to be uncured by Service Provider for a period of at least forty-five (45) days after receipt by Service Provider of written notice of such failure from Service Recipient.
(b) Service Provider may terminate this Agreement with respect to the entirety or portion of any Service at any time upon prior written notice to Service Recipient if Service Recipient has failed to make payment of Fees which are not disputed in good faith for such Service when due, and such failure shall continue to be uncured by Service Recipient for a period of at least thirty (30) days after receipt by Service Recipient of a written notice of such failure from Service Provider; provided, however, that Service Provider shall not be entitled to terminate this Agreement with respect to the applicable Service if, as of the end of such period, there remains a good-faith Dispute between the Parties (undertaken in accordance with the terms of Section 8.16) as to whether Service Recipient has cured the applicable failure.
(c) The Schedules hereto shall be updated to label any terminated Service (or portion thereof) as “terminated”. For the avoidance of doubt, the termination of any Service (or portion thereof) during Year One shall not reduce the amount of SpinCo Charges or SpinCo Expenses payable hereunder. If any Service on Schedule A-1 or Schedule A-3 hereto has been terminated in part during Year Two, then Service Provider and Service Recipient shall negotiate in good faith to agree on reduced Fees for such Service that shall reflect the cost (including both Fees and Expenses) to Service Provider of providing the remaining portion of such Service; provided that the Fees for such Service shall be automatically reduced commensurate with any corresponding reductions in Service Provider’s actual costs (including reductions in any pass-through costs) to provide such Service; provided, further, that in no event shall the Year Two Non ERP Early Termination Savings be greater than an amount so that Service Recipient pays at least twenty-five million dollars ($25,000,000) for Non ERP-Related Services during Year Two.
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(d) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, Service Recipient may not terminate this Agreement with respect to all or any part of any ERP-Related Service prior to the date that is eighteen (18) months after the date hereof.
Section 5.03. Extension of Services. Service Recipient may extend, by providing Service Provider with advance written notice, the Service Period of any Service (other than Service COM.07) beyond the initial Service Period of such Service (each such extension, a “Service Extension”) as follows:
(a) Service Recipient may extend any Service that has an initial Service Period ending no later than the one-year anniversary of the Closing and is not an ERP-Related Service (other than Service COM.07) for one (1) additional period of ninety (90) days beyond the initial Service Period of such Service; provided, that Service Recipient shall pay to Service Provider during such Service Extension period a monthly amount equal to 105% of the Reference Amount for such Service;
(b) Service Recipient may extend any Service that has an initial Service Period ending after the one-year anniversary of the Closing and is not an ERP-Related Service for up to two (2) additional periods of ninety (90) days beyond the initial Service Period of such Service (provided that the aggregate term for any such Service may not exceed twenty-four (24) months from the Closing); provided, that Service Recipient shall pay to Service Provider (i) during the first Service Extension period for a Service a monthly amount equal to 105% of the Reference Amount for such Service, and (ii) during the second Service Extension period for a Service a monthly amount equal to 110% of the Reference Amount for such Service; and
(c) Service Recipient may extend any Service (1) that is identified as having an “ERP Dependency” on Schedule A-1 hereto and (2) for which the Cutover is not complete (an “ERP-Related Service”) for up to four (4) additional periods of ninety (90) days beyond the initial Service Period of such Service; provided, that Service Recipient shall pay to Service Provider (i) during the first Service Extension period for a Service a monthly amount equal to 105% of the Reference Amount for such Service, (ii) during the second Service Extension period for a Service a monthly amount equal to 110% of the Reference Amount for such Service, (i) during the third Service Extension period for a Service a monthly amount equal to 115% of the Reference Amount for such Service, and (iv) during the fourth Service Extension period for a Service a monthly amount equal to 120% of the Reference Amount for such Service.
Any Services provided pursuant to such Service Extensions shall be deemed “Services” provided under this Agreement, in each case subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, and the fees payable under this Agreement for each Service subject to a Service Extension are referred to as “Extension Charges”.
Section 5.04. Interdependencies. The Parties acknowledge and agree that there may be interdependencies among the Services being provided under this Agreement, including as set forth on Schedule A-1 or Schedule A-3. Upon any request by Service Recipient to terminate any Service early pursuant to Section 5.02(a)(i), Service Provider shall respond to Service Recipient’s request within ten (10) business days identifying whether (i) any such interdependencies exist with respect to the particular Service that Service Recipient is seeking to terminate pursuant to Section 5.02 and (ii) in the case of such termination, Service Provider’s ability to provide a particular Service
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in accordance with this Agreement would be materially and adversely affected by such termination of another Service. Service Recipient may, within five (5) business days of receipt of such response by Service Provider, withdraw its termination notice. If Service Recipient does not withdraw its termination notice within such five (5) business day period, Service Provider’s obligation to provide such Service shall terminate automatically with the termination of such interdependent Service.
Section 5.05. Effect of Termination. The termination of a Service during the first twelve (12) months of the Term shall not alter the Charges payable under this Agreement. Upon the termination of any Service pursuant to this Agreement, Service Recipient shall pay Service Provider any applicable Termination Charges (i) to the extent set forth in Schedule A-1 or Schedule A-3 or (ii) identified to Service Recipient in writing in response to any termination notice (provided that Service Recipient may withdraw its termination notice within five (5) days of receipt of such termination notice, in which case the applicable Service shall not be terminated). Termination Charges shall not be payable in the event that Service Recipient terminates any Service pursuant to Section 5.02(a)(ii). The Parties agree to use commercially reasonable efforts to minimize any applicable Termination Charges. In connection with the termination of any Service, the provisions of this Agreement not relating solely to such terminated Service shall survive any such termination, and in connection with a termination of this Agreement, Article I, this Article V, Article VII and Article VIII, and Liability for all due and unpaid Fees and Termination Charges (if applicable) shall continue to survive indefinitely.
Section 5.06. Information Transmission. Service Provider, on behalf of itself and its Subsidiaries, shall provide or make available, or cause to be provided or made available, to Service Recipient, in accordance with Section 6.1 of the Separation Agreement, any Information received or computed by Service Provider for the benefit of Service Recipient concerning the relevant Service during the Service Period; provided, however, that, except as otherwise agreed to in writing by the Parties (a) Service Provider shall not have any obligation to provide, or cause to be provided, Information in any non-standard format, (b) except as set forth in Section 2.09(f), Service Provider and its Subsidiaries shall be reimbursed for their reasonable costs in accordance with Sections 6.3 and 6.11 of the Separation Agreement, as applicable, for creating, gathering, copying, transporting and otherwise providing such Information and (c) Service Provider shall use commercially reasonable efforts to maintain any such Information in accordance with Section 6.4 of the Separation Agreement.
ARTICLE VI
CONFIDENTIALITY; PROTECTIVE ARRANGEMENTS
Section 6.01. Company, SpinCo, and RMT Partner Obligations. Subject to Section 6.04, until the six (6)-year anniversary of the date of the termination of this Agreement in its entirety (or with respect to trade secrets, for so long as such trade secret remains otherwise protectable as a trade secret), each of Company, SpinCo, and RMT Partner, on behalf of itself and each of its Subsidiaries, agrees to hold, and to cause its respective Representatives to hold, in strict confidence, with at least the same degree of care that applies to Company’s Confidential Information pursuant to policies in effect as of the Effective Time, all Confidential Information concerning the other Party or its Subsidiaries or their respective businesses that is either in its possession (including Confidential Information in its possession prior to the date hereof) or furnished by such other Party or such
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other Party’s Subsidiaries or their respective Representatives at any time pursuant to this Agreement, and shall not use any such Confidential Information other than for such purposes as may be expressly permitted hereunder, except, in each case, to the extent that such Confidential Information (a) is in the public domain or is generally available to the public, other than as a result of a disclosure by such Party or any of its Subsidiaries or any of their respective Representatives in violation of this Agreement; (b) is lawfully acquired from other sources by such Party or any of its Subsidiaries, which sources are not themselves known by such Party or any of its Subsidiaries to be bound by a confidentiality obligation or other contractual, legal or fiduciary obligation of confidentiality with respect to such Confidential Information; (c) is independently developed or generated without reference to or use of the Confidential Information of the other Party or any of its Subsidiaries; or (d) was in such Party’s or its Subsidiaries’ possession on a non-confidential basis prior to the time of disclosure to such Party and at the time of such disclosure was not known by such Party or any of its Subsidiaries to be prohibited from being disclosed by a confidentiality obligation or other contractual, legal or fiduciary obligation of confidentiality with respect to such Confidential Information. If any Confidential Information of a Party or any of its Subsidiaries is disclosed to the other Party or any of its Subsidiaries in connection with providing the Services, then such disclosed Confidential Information shall be used only as required to perform such Services.
Section 6.02. No Release; Return or Destruction. Each Party agrees (a) not to release or disclose, or permit to be released or disclosed, any Confidential Information of the other Party addressed in Section 6.01 to any other Person, except its Representatives who need to know such Confidential Information in their capacities as such (who shall be advised of their obligations hereunder with respect to such Confidential Information) and except in compliance with Section 6.04, and (b) to use commercially reasonable efforts to maintain such Confidential Information in accordance with Section 6.4 of the Separation Agreement. Without limiting the foregoing, when any such Confidential Information is no longer needed for the purposes contemplated by the Separation Agreement, this Agreement or any other Transaction Document, each Party will promptly after request of the other Party either return to the other Party all such Confidential Information in a tangible form (including all copies thereof and all notes, extracts or summaries based thereon) or notify the other Party in writing that it has destroyed such information (and such copies thereof and such notes, extracts or summaries based thereon); provided that the Parties may retain electronic back-up versions of such Confidential Information maintained on routine computer system backup tapes, disks or other backup storage devices; and provided, further, that any such retained back-up information shall remain subject to the confidentiality provisions of this Agreement.
Section 6.03. Privacy and Data Protection Laws. Each Party shall comply with all applicable state, federal and foreign privacy and data protection Laws that are applicable to the provision of the Services under this Agreement. Service Provider shall process any Personal Data pertaining to the SpinCo Business in accordance with the privacy principles and requirements set forth in Service Provider’s Global Privacy Policy.
Section 6.04. Protective Arrangements. In the event that a Party or any of its Subsidiaries either determines on the advice of its counsel that it is required to disclose any information pursuant to applicable Law or receives any request or demand under lawful process or from any Governmental Authority to disclose or provide information of the other Party (or any of its Subsidiaries) that is
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subject to the confidentiality provisions hereof, such Party shall notify the other Party (to the extent legally permitted) as promptly as practicable under the circumstances prior to disclosing or providing such information and shall cooperate, at the expense of the other Party, in seeking any appropriate protective order requested by the other Party. In the event that such other Party fails to receive such appropriate protective order in a timely manner and the Party receiving the request or demand reasonably determines that its failure to disclose or provide such information shall actually prejudice the Party receiving the request or demand, then the Party that received such request or demand may thereafter disclose or provide information to the extent required by such Law (as so advised by its counsel) or by lawful process or such Governmental Authority and will exercise reasonable efforts to obtain assurance that confidential treatment will be accorded to such Confidential Information, and the disclosing Party shall promptly provide the other Party with a copy of the information so disclosed, in the same form and format so disclosed, together with a list of all Persons to whom such information was disclosed, in each case to the extent legally permitted. The obligations in this Article VI shall survive any expiration or termination of this Agreement for six (6) years after the date of expiration or termination of this Agreement; provided, however, that, with respect to each trade secret of a Party or its Affiliates, such obligations shall continue as long as such trade secret remains otherwise protectable as a trade secret.
ARTICLE VII
LIMITED LIABILITY AND INDEMNIFICATION
Section 7.01. Limitations on Liability.
(a) SUBJECT TO SECTION 7.02, THE LIABILITIES OF EACH PARTY AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES AND THEIR RESPECTIVE REPRESENTATIVES, COLLECTIVELY, UNDER THIS AGREEMENT FOR ANY ACT OR FAILURE TO ACT IN CONNECTION HEREWITH (INCLUDING THE PERFORMANCE OR BREACH OF THIS AGREEMENT), OR FROM THE SALE, DELIVERY, PROVISION OR USE OF ANY SERVICES PROVIDED UNDER OR CONTEMPLATED BY THIS AGREEMENT, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE AND STRICT LIABILITY) OR OTHERWISE, SHALL NOT EXCEED THE HIGHER OF (I) $85,000,000 AND (II) AGGREGATE CHARGES PAID OR PAYABLE UNDER THIS AGREEMENT.
(b) IN NO EVENT SHALL ANY PARTY, ITS SUBSIDIARIES OR THEIR RESPECTIVE REPRESENTATIVES BE LIABLE TO ANY OTHER PARTY FOR ANY LOST PROFITS, SPECIAL, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE, EXEMPLARY, REMOTE, SPECULATIVE OR SIMILAR DAMAGES IN EXCESS OF COMPENSATORY DAMAGES OF THE OTHER PARTY IN CONNECTION WITH THE PERFORMANCE OF THIS AGREEMENT REGARDLESS OF WHETHER SUCH PARTY HAS BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF, OR THE FORESEEABILITY OF, SUCH DAMAGES (OTHER THAN ANY SUCH LIABILITY WITH RESPECT TO A THIRD-PARTY CLAIM), AND EACH PARTY HEREBY WAIVES ON BEHALF OF ITSELF, ITS SUBSIDIARIES AND ITS REPRESENTATIVES ANY CLAIM FOR SUCH DAMAGES, WHETHER ARISING IN CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE.
(c) The limitations in Section 7.01(a) and Section 7.01(b) shall not apply in respect of any Liability arising out of or in connection with a Party’s (i) Liability for breaches of confidentiality under Article VI, (ii) gross negligence, willful misconduct or fraud, or (iii) the Parties’ respective obligations under Section 7.02.
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Section 7.02. Third-Party Claims. In addition to (but not in duplication of) its other indemnification obligations (if any) under the Separation Agreement, this Agreement or any other Transaction Document, (A) each Party shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless the other Party, its Subsidiaries and each of their respective Representatives, and each of the successors and assigns of any of the foregoing (collectively, the “ Indemnitees”), from and against any and all claims of Third Parties relating to, arising out of or resulting from (1) breaches of confidentiality under Article VI, or (2) gross negligence, willful misconduct or fraud, and (B) Service Recipient shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless Service Provider and its Indemnitees from and against any and all claims of Third Parties relating to, arising out of or resulting from, Service Recipient’s use or receipt of the Services provided by Service Provider hereunder, in each case, other than Third-Party Claims (i) arising out of (x) the gross negligence, willful misconduct or fraud of any Indemnitee or (y) the failure to obtain any Consent, or (ii) with respect to Taxes which are handled exclusively by Section 4.03.
Section 7.03. Indemnification Procedures. The procedures for indemnification set forth in Article IV of the Separation Agreement shall govern claims for indemnification under this Agreement.
ARTICLE VIII
MISCELLANEOUS
Section 8.01. Mutual Cooperation. Each Party shall, and shall cause its Subsidiaries to, cooperate with the other Party and its Subsidiaries in connection with the performance of the Services hereunder; provided, however, that such cooperation shall not unreasonably disrupt the normal operations of such Party or its Subsidiaries; and, provided, further, that this Section 8.01 shall not require such Party to incur any out-of-pocket costs or expenses unless and except as expressly provided in this Agreement or otherwise agreed to in writing by the Parties.
Section 8.02. Further Assurances. Subject to the terms of this Agreement, each Party shall take, or cause to be taken, any and all reasonable actions, including the execution, acknowledgment, filing and delivery of any and all documents and instruments that any other Party may reasonably request in order to effect the intent and purpose of this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby.
Section 8.03. Audit Assistance. Each of the Parties and their respective Subsidiaries are or may be subject to regulation and audit by a Governmental Authority (including a Taxing Authority), standards organizations, customers or other parties to contracts with such Parties or their respective Subsidiaries under applicable Law, standards or contract provisions. If a Governmental Authority, standards organization, customer or other party to a contract with a Party or its Subsidiary exercises its right to examine or audit such Party’s or its Subsidiary’s books, records, documents or accounting practices and procedures pursuant to such applicable Law, standards or contract provisions, and such examination or audit relates to the Services, then the other Party shall provide, at the sole cost and expense of the requesting Party, all assistance reasonably requested by the Party that is subject to the examination or audit in responding to such examination or audits or requests for Information, to the extent that such assistance or Information is within the reasonable control of the cooperating Party and is related to the Services.
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Section 8.04. Title to Intellectual Property.
(a) Nothing set forth in this Agreement shall or is intended to transfer or assign any Intellectual Property from one Party the other (except as expressly set forth in Section 8.04(b)). Except as expressly provided in Section 8.04(b) and Section 8.04(c), Service Recipient acknowledges and agrees that it shall acquire no right, title, and interest in or to any Intellectual Property which are owned or licensed by Service Provider by reason of the provision of the Services hereunder.
(b) Service Provider acknowledges and agrees that, to the extent any deliverables created or developed by Service Provider in the performance of the Services are exclusively related to and exclusively developed for the applicable SpinCo Business or Company Business, Service Recipient shall own all right, title, and interest in or to such deliverables and any Intellectual Property therein that is exclusively related to or exclusively developed for the SpinCo Business or Company Business (as applicable) (“Work Product”). Service Provider (on behalf of itself and its Affiliates) hereby assigns to Service Recipient all right, title, and interest in and to all Work Product, and hereby waives any and all moral rights that it may have in any Work Product.
(c) Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, with respect to each Service, Service Provider hereby grants to Service Recipient a personal, limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free, non-sublicensable (except to any of its Affiliates or subcontractors engaged for the benefit of Service Recipient), non-assignable (except as expressly provided in Section 8.08) license on an “as is,” warranty-free basis, (i) solely during the Service Period of such Service, under any Intellectual Property of Service Provider to use, access, copy and otherwise exploit, as the case may be, any deliverables (including documents, software and data) provided or otherwise made available by Service Provider to Service Recipient in connection with the Services, in each case solely to the extent necessary for Service Recipient to receive and use such Service as provided for and in accordance with this Agreement, and to otherwise receive and enjoy such Service for their intended purpose and (ii) perpetually, to continue to use any deliverables .that Service Provider was required to provide to the Service Recipient and intended for use by Service Recipient beyond the relevant Service Period, provided such that deliverables are used in the same manner it was used during the relevant Service Period.
(d) No Party shall not remove or alter any copyright, trademark, confidentiality or other proprietary notices that appear on any Intellectual Property owned or licensed by another Party, and shall reproduce any such notices on any and all copies thereof. No Party shall not attempt to decompile, translate, reverse engineer or make excessive copies of any Intellectual Property owned or licensed by another Party.
Section 8.05. Independent Contractors. The Parties each acknowledge and agree that they are separate entities, each of which has entered into this Agreement for independent business reasons. The relationships of the Parties hereunder are those of independent contractors and nothing contained herein shall be deemed to create a joint venture, partnership or any other relationship between the Parties. Employees performing Services hereunder do so on behalf of, under the direction of, and as employees of, Service Provider, and Service Recipient shall have no right, power or authority to direct such employees, unless otherwise specified with respect to a particular Service on the Schedules hereto.
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Section 8.06. Counterparts; Entire Agreement; Corporate Power.
(a) This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, all of which shall be considered one and the same agreement, and shall become effective when one or more counterparts have been signed by each of the Parties and delivered to the other Party.
(b) This Agreement, the Separation Agreement and the other Transaction Documents and the Exhibits, Schedules and appendices hereto and thereto contain the entire agreement between the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof, supersede all previous agreements, negotiations, discussions, writings, understandings, commitments and conversations with respect to such subject matter, and there are no agreements or understandings between the Parties other than those set forth or referred to herein or therein. This Agreement, the Separation Agreement, and the other Transaction Documents govern the arrangements in connection with the Separation and Distribution and would not have been entered into independently.
(c) Company represents on behalf of itself and, to the extent applicable, each of its Subsidiaries, SpinCo represents on behalf of itself and, to the extent applicable, each of its Subsidiaries, and RMT Partner represents on behalf of itself, and, to the extent applicable, each of its Subsidiaries, as follows:
(i) each such Person has the requisite corporate or other power and authority and has taken all corporate or other action necessary in order to execute, deliver and perform this Agreement and to consummate the transactions contemplated hereby; and
(ii) this Agreement has been duly executed and delivered by it and constitutes a valid and binding agreement of it and is enforceable in accordance with the terms hereof.
(d) Each Party acknowledges and agrees that delivery of an executed counterpart of a signature page to this Agreement (whether executed by manual, stamp or mechanical signature) by facsimile or by e-mail in portable document format (PDF) shall be effective as delivery of such executed counterpart of this Agreement. Each Party expressly adopts and confirms each such facsimile, stamp or mechanical signature (regardless of whether delivered in person, by mail, by courier, by facsimile or by e-mail in portable document format (PDF)) made in its respective name as if it were a manual signature delivered in person, agrees that it will not assert that any such signature or delivery is not adequate to bind such Party to the same extent as if it were signed manually and delivered in person and agrees that, at the reasonable request of the other Party at any time, it will as promptly as reasonably practicable cause this Agreement to be manually executed (any such execution to be as of the date of the initial date thereof) and delivered in person, by mail or by courier.
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Section 8.07. Governing Law. This Agreement (and any claims or disputes arising out of or related hereto or to the transactions contemplated hereby or to the inducement of any Party to enter herein, whether for breach of contract, tortious conduct or otherwise and whether predicated on common law, statute or otherwise) shall be governed by and construed and interpreted in accordance with the Laws of the State of Delaware, irrespective of the choice of Laws principles of the State of Delaware, including all matters of validity, construction, effect, enforceability, performance and remedies.
Section 8.08. Assignability. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the Parties and their respective successors and permitted assigns; provided, however, that neither Party may assign its rights or delegate its obligations under this Agreement without the express prior written consent of the other Party. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Service Provider may assign this Agreement or all of its rights or obligations hereunder to any Affiliate without Service Recipient’s prior written consent (but with notice to the Service Recipient) solely to the extent such Affiliate can continue to deliver the Services hereunder without interruption.
Section 8.09. Third-Party Beneficiaries. Except as provided in Article VII with respect to the Service Provider Indemnitees and the Service Recipient Indemnitees in their respective capacities as such, (a) the provisions of this Agreement are solely for the benefit of the Parties and are not intended to confer upon any other Person except the Parties any rights or remedies hereunder, and (b) there are no other third-party beneficiaries of this Agreement and this Agreement shall not provide any other Third Party with any remedy, claim, Liability, reimbursement, claim of action or other right in excess of those existing without reference to this Agreement.
Section 8.10. Notices. All notices, requests, claims, demands or other communications under this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be given or made (and except as provided herein shall be deemed to have been duly given or made upon receipt) by delivery in person, by overnight courier service, by certified mail, return receipt requested, by facsimile, or by electronic mail (“e-mail”), so long as confirmation of receipt of such facsimile or e-mail is requested and received, to the respective Parties at the following addresses (or at such other address for a Party as shall be specified in a notice given in accordance with this Section 8.10):
If to Company, to:
Becton, Dickinson and Company
1 Becton Drive
Franklin Lakes, New Jersey 07417
Telephone: (201) 847-6800
Attention: Joseph LaSala
Chief Counsel-Transactions/M&A
Email: [#####]
with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
51 West 52nd Street
New York, NY 10019
Telephone: (212) 403-1000
Attention: David K. Lam; Jenna E. Levine
E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]
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If to SpinCo, to:
Augusta SpinCo Corporation
34 Maple Street
Milford, MA 01757
Attention: General Counsel
E-mail: [#####]
Kirkland & Ellis LLP
601 Lexington Avenue,
New York, NY 10022
Telephone: (212) 446-4800
Attention: Daniel E. Wolf, P.C.; David M. Klein, P.C.; Allie M. Wein, P.C.;
Steven M. Choi
E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected];
[email protected]; [email protected]
If to RMT Partner, to:
Waters Corporation
34 Maple Street
Milford, MA 01757
Telephone: (508) 478-2000
Attention: General Counsel
E-mail: [#####]
with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
Kirkland & Ellis LLP
601 Lexington Avenue,
New York, NY 10022
Telephone: (212) 446-4800
Attention: Daniel E. Wolf, P.C.; David M. Klein, P.C.; Allie M. Wein, P.C.;
Steven M. Choi
E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected];
[email protected]; [email protected]
Any Party may, by notice to the other Party, change the address to which such notices are to be given or made.
Section 8.11. Severability. If any provision of this Agreement or the application thereof to any Person or circumstance is determined by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, void or unenforceable, the remaining provisions hereof, or the application of such provision to Persons or circumstances or in jurisdictions other than those as to which it has been held invalid or unenforceable, shall remain in full force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated thereby. Upon such determination, the Parties shall negotiate in good faith in an effort to agree upon such a suitable and equitable provision to effect the original intent of the Parties.
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Section 8.12. Force Majeure. No Party shall be deemed in default of this Agreement for any delay or failure to fulfill any obligation (other than a payment obligation) hereunder so long as and to the extent to which any delay or failure in the fulfillment of such obligation is prevented, frustrated, hindered or delayed as a consequence of circumstances of Force Majeure. Without limiting the termination rights contained in this Agreement, in the event of any such excused delay, the time for performance of such obligation (other than a payment obligation) shall be extended for a period equal to the time lost by reason of the delay. A Party claiming the benefit of this provision shall, as soon as reasonably practicable after the occurrence of any such event, (a) provide written notice to the other Party of the nature and extent of any such Force Majeure condition and (b) use commercially reasonable efforts to remove any such causes and resume performance under this Agreement as soon as reasonably practicable (and in no event later than the date that the affected Party resumes analogous performance under any other agreement for itself, its Affiliates or any Third Party) unless this Agreement has previously been terminated under Article V or this Section 8.12.
Section 8.13. Headings. The Article, Section and Paragraph headings contained in this Agreement are for reference purposes only and shall not affect in any way the meaning or interpretation of this Agreement.
Section 8.14. Survival of Covenants. Except as expressly set forth in this Agreement, the covenants, representations and warranties and other agreements contained in this Agreement, and Liability for the breach of any obligations contained herein, shall survive the Effective Time and shall remain in full force and effect thereafter.
Section 8.15. Waivers of Default. Waiver by any Party of any default by the other Party of any provision of this Agreement shall not be deemed a waiver by the waiving Party of any subsequent or other default, nor shall it prejudice the rights of the waiving Party. No failure or delay by any Party in exercising any right, power or privilege under this Agreement shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall a single or partial exercise thereof prejudice any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right, power or privilege.
Section 8.16. Dispute Resolution.
(a) In the event of any controversy, dispute or claim (a “Dispute”) arising out of or relating to any Party’s rights or obligations under this Agreement (whether arising in contract, tort or otherwise), calculation or allocation of the costs of any Service or otherwise arising out of or relating in any way to this Agreement (including the interpretation or validity of this Agreement), such Dispute shall be resolved in accordance with the dispute resolution process referred to in Article VII of the Separation Agreement.
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(b) In any Dispute regarding the amount of a Fee or a Termination Charge, if such Dispute is finally resolved pursuant to the dispute resolution process set forth or referred to in Section 8.16(a) and it is determined that the Fee or the Termination Charge, as applicable, that Service Provider has invoiced Service Recipient, and that Service Recipient has paid to Service Provider, is greater or less than the amount that the Fee or the Termination Charge, as applicable, should have been, then (i) if it is determined that Service Recipient has overpaid the Fee or the Termination Charge, as applicable, Service Provider shall within ten (10) calendar days after such determination reimburse Service Recipient an amount of cash equal to such overpayment, plus the Interest Payment, accruing from the date of payment by Service Recipient to the time of reimbursement by Service Provider, and (ii) if it is determined that Service Recipient has underpaid the Fee or the Termination Charge, as applicable, Service Recipient shall within thirty (30) calendar days after such determination reimburse Service Provider an amount of cash equal to such underpayment, plus the Interest Payment, accruing from the date such payment originally should have been made by Service Recipient to the time of payment by Service Recipient.
Section 8.17. Specific Performance. Subject to Section 8.16, in the event of any actual or threatened default in, or breach of, any of the terms, conditions and provisions of this Agreement, the Party or Parties who are, or are to be, thereby aggrieved shall have the right to specific performance and injunctive or other equitable relief in respect of its rights or their rights under this Agreement, in addition to any and all other rights and remedies at law or in equity, and all such rights and remedies shall be cumulative. The Parties agree that the remedies at law for any breach or threatened breach, including monetary damages, are inadequate compensation for any loss and that any defense in any Action for specific performance that a remedy at law would be adequate is waived. Any requirements for the securing or posting of any bond with such remedy are hereby waived by each of the Parties. Unless otherwise agreed in writing, Service Provider shall continue to provide Services and the Parties shall honor all other commitments under this Agreement during the course of dispute resolution pursuant to the provisions of Section 8.16 and this Section 8.17 with respect to all matters not subject to such Dispute; provided, however, that this obligation shall only exist during the term of this Agreement.
Section 8.18. Amendments. No provisions of this Agreement shall be deemed waived, amended, supplemented or modified by a Party, unless such waiver, amendment, supplement or modification is in writing and signed by the authorized representative of the Party against whom enforcement of such waiver, amendment, supplement or modification is sought.
Section 8.19. Precedence of Schedules. Each Schedule attached to or referenced in this Agreement is hereby incorporated into and shall form a part of this Agreement; provided, however, that the terms contained in such Schedule shall only apply with respect to the Services provided under that Schedule. In the event of a conflict between the terms contained in an individual Schedule and the terms in the body of this Agreement, the terms in the body of this Agreement shall take precedence. No terms contained in individual Schedules shall otherwise modify the terms of this Agreement.
Section 8.20. Interpretation. In this Agreement, (a) words in the singular shall be deemed to include the plural and vice versa and words of one gender shall be deemed to include the other genders as the context requires; (b) the terms “hereof,” “herein” and “herewith” and words of similar import shall, unless otherwise stated, be construed to refer to this Agreement as a whole (including all of the Schedules, Annexes and Exhibits hereto) and not to any particular provision of this Agreement; (c) Article, Section, Exhibit, Annex and Schedule references are to the Articles, Sections, Exhibits, Annexes and Schedules to this Agreement unless otherwise specified; (d) unless otherwise stated, all references to any agreement shall be deemed to include the exhibits, schedules and annexes to such agreement; (e) the word “including” and words of similar import when used in this
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Agreement shall mean “including, without limitation,” unless otherwise specified; (f) the word “or” shall not be exclusive; (g) the word “extent” in the phrase “to the extent” shall mean the degree to which a subject or other thing extends, and such phrase shall not mean simply “if”; (h) unless otherwise specified in a particular case, the word “days” refers to calendar days; (i) references to “business day” shall mean any day other than a Saturday, a Sunday or a day on which banking institutions are generally authorized or required by Law to close in the United States or Franklin Lakes, New Jersey; (j) references herein to this Agreement or any other agreement contemplated herein shall be deemed to refer to this Agreement or such other agreement as of the date on which it is executed and as it may be amended, modified or supplemented thereafter, unless otherwise specified; and (k) unless expressly stated to the contrary in this Agreement, all references to “the date hereof,” “the date of this Agreement,” “hereby” and “hereupon” and words of similar import shall all be references to February 9, 2026.
Section 8.21. Mutual Drafting. This Agreement shall be deemed to be the joint work product of the Parties and any rule of construction that a document shall be interpreted or construed against a drafter of such document shall not be applicable to this Agreement.
[Remainder of page intentionally left blank]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have caused this Agreement to be executed by their duly authorized representatives as of the date first written above.
| BECTON, DICKINSON AND COMPANY | ||
| By: | /s/ Stephanie M. Kelly | |
| Name: Stephanie M. Kelly | ||
| Title: Chief Securities and Governance Counsel, Corporate Secretary | ||
| AUGUSTA SPINCO CORPORATION | ||
| By: | /s/ Stephanie M. Kelly | |
| Name: Stephanie M. Kelly | ||
| Title: Vice President and Secretary | ||
| WATERS CORPORATION | ||
| By: | /s/ Udit Batra | |
| Name: Udit Batra | ||
| Title: President and Chief Executive Officer | ||
[Signature Page to Transition Services Agreement]
Exhibit 10.5
TERM LOAN CREDIT AGREEMENT
dated as of
January 8, 2026
among
AUGUSTA SPINCO CORPORATION,
the LENDERS party hereto,
and
BARCLAYS BANK PLC,
as Administrative Agent
CITIBANK, N.A.,
as Syndication Agent,
and
THE FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS IDENTIFIED HEREIN AS ACTING IN THEIR RESPECTIVE ROLES,
as Joint Lead Arrangers, Joint Bookrunners and Documentation Agents
TABLE OF CONTENTS
| Page | ||||
| ARTICLE I |
| |||
| Definitions |
| |||
| SECTION 1.01. Defined Terms |
2 | |||
| SECTION 1.02. Classification of Loans and Borrowings |
32 | |||
| SECTION 1.03. Terms Generally |
32 | |||
| SECTION 1.04. Accounting Terms; GAAP |
32 | |||
| SECTION 1.05. Interest Rates; Benchmark Notification |
33 | |||
| SECTION 1.06. [Reserved] |
33 | |||
| SECTION 1.07. Divisions |
33 | |||
| ARTICLE II |
| |||
| The Credits |
| |||
| SECTION 2.01. Commitments |
34 | |||
| SECTION 2.02. Loans and Borrowings |
34 | |||
| SECTION 2.03. Notice of Borrowings |
35 | |||
| SECTION 2.04. [Reserved] |
35 | |||
| SECTION 2.05. Funding of Borrowings |
35 | |||
| SECTION 2.06. Repayment of Borrowings; Evidence of Debt |
36 | |||
| SECTION 2.07. Interest Elections |
37 | |||
| SECTION 2.08. Optional Termination and Reduction of Commitments |
38 | |||
| SECTION 2.09. Optional Prepayment of Loans |
38 | |||
| SECTION 2.10. Mandatory Reduction of Commitments and Prepayment of Loans |
39 | |||
| SECTION 2.11. Fees |
41 | |||
| SECTION 2.12. Interest |
41 | |||
| SECTION 2.13. Alternate Rate of Interest |
42 | |||
| SECTION 2.14. Increased Costs |
45 | |||
| SECTION 2.15. Break Funding Payments |
46 | |||
| SECTION 2.16. Taxes |
46 | |||
| SECTION 2.17. Payments Generally; Pro Rata Treatment; Sharing of Setoffs |
50 | |||
| SECTION 2.18. Mitigation Obligations; Replacement of Lenders |
52 | |||
| SECTION 2.19. Defaulting Lenders |
53 | |||
| SECTION 2.20. Substitution of the Parent or WTC as the Borrower |
53 | |||
| ARTICLE III |
| |||
| Representations and Warranties |
| |||
| SECTION 3.01. Corporate Existence and Standing |
54 | |||
| SECTION 3.02. Authorization; No Violation |
54 | |||
| SECTION 3.03. Governmental Consents |
55 | |||
| SECTION 3.04. Validity |
55 | |||
| SECTION 3.05. Use of Proceeds |
55 | |||
| SECTION 3.06. Litigation |
55 | |||
| SECTION 3.07. Financial Statements; No Material Adverse Change |
55 | |||
| SECTION 3.08. Investment Company Act |
56 | |||
| SECTION 3.09. Taxes |
56 | |||
| SECTION 3.10. ERISA |
56 | |||
| SECTION 3.11. Regulation U |
56 | |||
| SECTION 3.12. Environmental Matters |
56 | |||
| SECTION 3.13. Disclosure |
56 | |||
| SECTION 3.14. Subsidiary Guarantors |
57 | |||
| SECTION 3.15. Anti-Corruption Laws and Sanctions |
57 | |||
| SECTION 3.16. Affected Financial Institutions |
57 | |||
| SECTION 3.17. Solvency |
57 | |||
| ARTICLE IV |
| |||
| Conditions |
| |||
| SECTION 4.01. Conditions to Effectiveness |
57 | |||
| SECTION 4.02. Conditions to the Closing Date |
58 | |||
| SECTION 4.03. Actions Between Effective Date and Commitment Termination Date |
61 | |||
| ARTICLE V |
| |||
| Affirmative Covenants |
| |||
| SECTION 5.01. Payment of Taxes, Etc. |
62 | |||
| SECTION 5.02. Preservation of Existence, Etc. |
62 | |||
| SECTION 5.03. Compliance with Laws, Etc. |
62 | |||
| SECTION 5.04. Keeping of Books |
63 | |||
| SECTION 5.05. Inspection |
63 | |||
| SECTION 5.06. Reporting Requirements |
63 | |||
| SECTION 5.07. Use of Proceeds |
65 | |||
| SECTION 5.08. Guarantee Requirement |
65 | |||
| ARTICLE VI |
| |||
| Negative Covenants |
| |||
| SECTION 6.01. Subsidiary Debt |
66 | |||
| SECTION 6.02. Liens Securing Debt |
66 | |||
| SECTION 6.03. Sale and Leaseback Transactions |
67 | |||
| SECTION 6.04. Merger, Consolidation, Etc. |
67 | |||
| SECTION 6.05. Change in Business |
68 | |||
| SECTION 6.06. Certain Restrictive Agreements |
68 | |||
| SECTION 6.07. Leverage Ratio |
68 | |||
| SECTION 6.08. Interest Coverage Ratio |
69 | |||
ii
| ARTICLE VII |
| |||
| Events of Default |
| |||
| ARTICLE VIII |
| |||
| The Administrative Agent |
| |||
| SECTION 8.01. Authorization and Action |
71 | |||
| SECTION 8.02. Administrative Agent’s Reliance, Limitation of Liability, Etc. |
73 | |||
| SECTION 8.03. Posting of Communications; Approved Borrower Portal |
75 | |||
| SECTION 8.04. The Administrative Agent Individually |
76 | |||
| SECTION 8.05. Successor Administrative Agent |
76 | |||
| SECTION 8.06. Acknowledgements of Lenders |
77 | |||
| SECTION 8.07. Certain ERISA Matters |
80 | |||
| ARTICLE IX |
| |||
| Miscellaneous |
| |||
| SECTION 9.01. Notices |
81 | |||
| SECTION 9.02. Waivers; Amendments |
82 | |||
| SECTION 9.03. Expenses; Indemnity; Damage Waiver |
83 | |||
| SECTION 9.04. Successors and Assigns |
85 | |||
| SECTION 9.05. Survival |
88 | |||
| SECTION 9.06. Counterparts; Integration; Effectiveness; Electronic Execution |
88 | |||
| SECTION 9.07. Severability |
89 | |||
| SECTION 9.08. Right of Setoff |
90 | |||
| SECTION 9.09. Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Consent to Service of Process |
90 | |||
| SECTION 9.10. WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL |
91 | |||
| SECTION 9.11. Headings |
92 | |||
| SECTION 9.12. Confidentiality |
92 | |||
| SECTION 9.13. Conversion of Currencies |
93 | |||
| SECTION 9.14. Release of Subsidiary Guarantors |
93 | |||
| SECTION 9.15. USA PATRIOT Act and Beneficial Ownership Regulation |
93 | |||
| SECTION 9.16. No Fiduciary Duty, etc. |
94 | |||
| SECTION 9.17. Non-Public Information |
95 | |||
| SECTION 9.18. Acknowledgement and Consent to Bail-In of Affected Financial Institutions |
95 | |||
| SECTION 9.19. Acknowledgement Regarding Any Supported QFCs |
96 | |||
iii
SCHEDULES
Schedule 2.01 Commitment Schedule
| EXHIBITS |
||
| Form of |
||
| A |
Assignment and Assumption | |
| B |
Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement | |
| C |
Parent Guarantee Agreement | |
| D |
Promissory Note | |
| E |
US Tax Certificate | |
| F |
Joinder Agreement | |
| G |
Solvency Certificate |
iv
TERM LOAN AGREEMENT dated as of January 8, 2026, among AUGUSTA SPINCO CORPORATION, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), the LENDERS party hereto, and BARCLAYS BANK PLC, as Administrative Agent.
Recitals
WHEREAS, pursuant to a Separation Agreement, dated as of July 13, 2025 (giving effect to amendments in the manner set forth in Section 4.02(b), and together with all schedules and exhibits thereto, and including the Reorganization Step Plan (as defined therein), the “Separation Agreement”), among Becton, Dickinson and Company (“BD”), the Company and Waters Corporation (the “Parent”), among other things (i) BD will transfer or cause to be contributed, assigned, transferred, conveyed or delivered (the “Contribution”) to the Company, or to the applicable member of the Company’s group of affiliated companies, the capital stock of certain entities and certain assets, liabilities and operations of BD’s Biosciences and Diagnostic Solutions businesses (together with certain assets and liabilities related to such business, collectively, the “Contributed Business”), (ii) prior to and as a condition to the Stock Distribution (as defined below) the Company will make a cash distribution to BD of approximately $4.0 billion, as may be adjusted pursuant to the terms of the Acquisition Agreement (as defined below) (the “Special Cash Payment”), and (iii) following the Contribution and the Special Cash Payment, BD will distribute 100% of the outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock to the stockholders of BD on a pro rata basis and for no consideration (the “Stock Distribution” and together with the Contribution, the “Separation”);
WHEREAS, pursuant to an agreement and plan of merger, dated as of July 13, 2025 (giving effect to amendments in the manner set forth in Section 4.02(b), and together with all schedules and exhibits thereto, the “Acquisition Agreement”), among BD, the Company, the Parent and Beta Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation and wholly owned Subsidiary of the Parent (“Merger Sub”), among other things, and following the Separation (i) Merger Sub will merge with and into the Company, with the Company continuing as the surviving corporation, and as a result of such merger the Company will become a wholly owned Subsidiary of the Parent, (ii) the shares of the Company’s common stock that were distributed in the Stock Distribution will be automatically converted into the right to receive a specified number of shares of the common stock of the Parent (the events described in (i) and (ii), collectively, the “Acquisition”; the date of consummation of the Acquisition pursuant to the terms of the Acquisition Agreement, the “Acquisition Effective Date”) and (iii) in connection with the Acquisition and to the extent required under the terms of the Acquisition Agreement, the Parent may make a cash distribution to the holders of its common stock of up to $4.0 billion, as may be adjusted pursuant to the terms of the Acquisition Agreement (the “RMT Partner Special Cash Payment”);
WHEREAS, the Special Cash Payment, the RMT Partner Special Cash Payment (if applicable) and related fees and expenses are expected to be financed from the issuance by the Company of senior unsecured notes pursuant to a registered public offering or a Rule 144A or other private placement (the “Senior Notes”) and the borrowing of the Tranche 2 Loans hereunder (together with the Senior Notes, collectively, the “Permanent Financing”), Tranche 1 Loans or a combination of the foregoing;
WHEREAS, the Separation, the Special Cash Payment, the RMT Partner Special Cash Payment, the Acquisition, the Permanent Financing, the borrowing of the Loans hereunder, as well as any other debt securities issued by any member of the Group (including any debt securities convertible or exchangeable into equity securities or hybrid debt-equity securities) and term loans (other than the Loans hereunder), and the payment of fees and expenses in connection with the foregoing are collectively referred to herein as the “Transactions”;
WHEREAS, in connection with the foregoing, the Company has requested the Lenders (such term and each other capitalized term used and not otherwise defined herein having the meaning assigned to it in Section 1.01) to make available to the Company a term loan facility in an aggregate principal amount of $4,000,000,000, comprised of (i) a $3,500,000,000 Tranche 1 and (ii) a $500,000,000 Tranche 2, in each case having the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement; and
WHEREAS, the Lenders are willing to establish the term loan facility referred to in the preceding paragraph upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth herein.
NOW THEREFORE, the parties hereto agree as follows:
ARTICLE I
Definitions
SECTION 1.01. Defined Terms. As used in this Agreement, the following terms have the meanings specified below:
“ABR”, when used in reference to any Loan or Borrowing, refers to whether such Loan, or the Loans comprising such Borrowing, are bearing interest at a rate determined by reference to the Alternate Base Rate. All ABR Loans shall be denominated in US Dollars.
“Acquisition” has the meaning assigned to such term in the Recitals to this Agreement.
“Acquisition Effective Date” has the meaning assigned to such term in the Recitals to this Agreement.
“Acquisition Agreement” has the meaning assigned to such term in the Recitals to this Agreement.
“Administrative Agent” means Barclays Bank PLC (or any of its designated branch offices or affiliates), in its capacity as administrative agent for the Lenders hereunder.
“Administrative Questionnaire” means an Administrative Questionnaire in a form supplied by the Administrative Agent to the Borrower or any Lender, as the context requires.
“Affected Financial Institution” means (a) any EEA Financial Institution or (b) any UK Financial Institution.
2
“Affiliate” means, with respect to a specified Person, another Person that directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, Controls or is Controlled by or is under common Control with the specified Person.
“Agent-Related Person” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.03(c).
“Agreement” means this Term Loan Credit Agreement, as amended from time to time in accordance with the terms hereof.
“Agreement Currency” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.13(b).
“Alternate Base Rate” means, for any day, a rate per annum equal to the greatest of (a) the Prime Rate in effect on such day, (b) the NYFRB Rate in effect on such day plus 1/2 of 1% per annum and (c) the Term SOFR Rate for a one-month Interest Period as published two U.S. Government Securities Business Days prior to such day (or if such day is not a U.S. Government Securities Business Day, the immediately preceding U.S. Government Securities Business Day) plus 1% per annum. For purposes of clause (c) above, the Term SOFR Rate on any day shall be based on the Term SOFR Reference Rate at approximately 5:00 a.m., Chicago time, on such day (or any amended publication time for the Term SOFR Reference Rate, as specified by the CME Term SOFR Administrator in the Term SOFR Reference Rate methodology). If the Alternate Base Rate is being used as an alternate rate of interest pursuant to Section 2.13 (for the avoidance of doubt, only until the Benchmark Replacement has been determined pursuant to Section 2.13(b)), then the Alternate Base Rate shall be the greater of clauses (a) and (b) above and shall be determined without reference to clause (c) above. Any change in the Alternate Base Rate due to a change in the Prime Rate, the NYFRB Rate or the Term SOFR Rate shall be effective from and including the effective date of such change in the Prime Rate, the NYFRB Rate or the Term SOFR Rate, respectively. For the avoidance of doubt, if the Alternate Base Rate as determined pursuant to the foregoing would be less than zero, such rate shall be deemed to be zero for purposes of this Agreement.
“Ancillary Document” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.06(a).
“Anti-Corruption Laws” means the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977 and the rules and regulations thereunder, the UK Bribery Act 2010 and all other laws, rules, and regulations applicable to the Company (or, on and after the Acquisition Effective Date, the Parent) or any of their respective Subsidiaries from time to time concerning or relating to bribery or corruption.
“Applicable Creditor” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.13(b).
“Applicable Parties” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 8.03(b).
3
“Applicable Rate” means, with respect to each Tranche, the applicable rate per annum set forth under the appropriate caption in the table below, based upon the Ratings by S&P and Moody’s, respectively, applicable on such date to the Index Debt:
| Tranche 2 Loans: From Closing Date and thereafter
Tranche 1 Loans: From |
Tranche 1 Loans only: From 90 days after Closing Date through 179 days after Closing Date |
Tranche 1 Loans only: From 180 days after Closing Date through 269 days after Closing Date |
Tranche 1 Loans only: From 270 days after Closing Date and thereafter |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Category: |
Rating |
Term SOFR Spread (basis points per annum) |
ABR Spread (basis points per annum) |
Term SOFR Spread (basis points per annum) |
ABR Spread (basis points per annum) |
Term SOFR Spread (basis points per annum) |
ABR Spread (basis points per annum) |
Term SOFR Spread (basis points per annum) |
ABR Spread (basis points per annum) |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Category 1 |
A2/A or greater | 87.5 | 0.0 | 112.5 | 12.5 | 137.5 | 37.5 | 162.5 | 62.5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Category 2 |
A3/A- | 100.0 | 0.0 | 125 | 25.0 | 150.0 | 50.0 | 175 | 75.0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Category 3 |
Baa1/BBB+ | 107.5 | 7.5 | 132.5 | 32.5 | 157.5 | 57.5 | 182.5 | 82.5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Category 4 |
Baa2/BBB | 122.5 | 22.5 | 147.5 | 47.5 | 172.5 | 72.5 | 197.5 | 97.5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Category 5 |
Baa3/BBB- or lower | 135.0 | 35.0 | 160 | 60.0 | 185 | 85.0 | 210 | 110 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
For purposes of determining the Rating for the Applicable Rate, (i) if the Ratings established by both Rating Agencies shall fall within the same Category, the applicable Category shall be deemed to be such Category; (ii) if, only one Rating Agency shall have in effect a Rating, the applicable Category shall be deemed to be the Category in which such Rating falls; (iii) if the Ratings established or deemed to have been established by both Rating Agencies shall each fall within different Categories from each other, the applicable Category shall be deemed to be
4
determined based on the higher of the two Ratings unless such Ratings differ by two or more Categories, in which case the applicable Category will be deemed to be one Category below the higher of such Categories; (iv) if, neither Rating Agency shall have in effect a Rating (other than by reason of the circumstances referred to in the last sentence), then the Applicable Rate shall be deemed to be Category 5 in the pricing grid; and (v) if the Ratings established or deemed to have been established by the Rating Agencies shall be changed (other than as a result of a change in the rating system of Moody’s or S&P), such change shall be effective as of the third Business Day following the date on which it is first announced by the applicable rating agency, irrespective of when notice of such change shall have been furnished by the Borrower to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders pursuant to Section 5.06(i) or otherwise. Initially, the Applicable Rate shall be based upon Category 4, subject to any higher or lower ratings publicly announced prior to the Closing Date to give effect to the Acquisition. Thereafter, each change in the Applicable Rate shall apply during the period commencing on the effective date of such change and ending on the date immediately preceding the effective date of the next such change. If the rating system of Moody’s or S&P shall change, or if any such Rating Agency shall cease to be in the business of rating corporate debt obligations, the Borrower and the Lenders shall negotiate in good faith to amend this definition to reflect such changed rating system or the unavailability of ratings from such Rating Agency and, pending the effectiveness of any such amendment, the applicable Category shall be determined by reference to the Rating most recently in effect prior to such change or cessation.
“Approved Borrower Portal” means any electronic platform chosen by the Administrative Agent to be its electronic transmission system.
“Approved Electronic Platform” has the meaning assigned to it in Section 8.03.
“Arrangers” means the collective reference to (x) with respect to Tranche 1, Barclays Bank PLC and Citibank, N.A. and (y) with respect to Tranche 2, Barclays Bank PLC, Citibank, N.A., JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., BofA Securities, Inc., Citizens Bank, N.A., HSBC Bank USA, National Association, PNC Capital Markets LLC, Truist Securities, Inc., DNB Carnegie, Inc., KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc., TD Bank, N.A. and U.S. Bank National Association, in each case, in their capacities as the joint lead arrangers for the relevant Tranche of the credit facility established hereunder.
“Assignment and Assumption” means an assignment and assumption entered into by a Lender and an assignee (with the consent of any party whose consent is required by Section 9.04), and accepted by the Administrative Agent, in the form of Exhibit A or any other form approved by the Administrative Agent.
“Attributable Debt” means, in connection with any Sale and Leaseback Transaction, the present value (discounted in accordance with GAAP at the discount rate implied in the lease) of the obligations of the lessee for rental payments during the term of the lease.
“Available Tenor” means, as of any date of determination and with respect to the then-current Benchmark for US Dollars, any tenor for such Benchmark (or component thereof) or payment period for interest calculated with reference to such Benchmark (or component thereof), as applicable, that is or may be used for determining the length of an Interest Period for any term rate or otherwise, for determining any frequency of making payments of interest calculated pursuant to this Agreement as of such date and not including, for the avoidance of doubt, any tenor for such Benchmark that is then-removed from the definition of “Interest Period” pursuant to clause (f) of Section 2.13.
5
“Available USD Cash” means, at any time, the amount of Unrestricted Cash held at such time by any member of the Group, other than Unrestricted Cash held in currencies other than US Dollars.
“Availability Period” means the period from and including the Effective Date to and including the Commitment Termination Date or such earlier date of termination of the Commitments hereunder.
“Bail-In Action” means the exercise of any Write-Down and Conversion Powers by the applicable Resolution Authority in respect of any liability of an Affected Financial Institution.
“Bail-In Legislation” means (a) with respect to any EEA Member Country implementing Article 55 of Directive 2014/59/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of the European Union, the implementing law, regulation rule or requirement for such EEA Member Country from time to time which is described in the EU Bail-In Legislation Schedule and (b) with respect to the United Kingdom, Part I of the United Kingdom Banking Act 2009 (as amended from time to time) and any other law, regulation or rule applicable in the United Kingdom relating to the resolution of unsound or failing banks, investment firms or other financial institutions or their affiliates (other than through liquidation, administration or other insolvency proceedings).
“Bankruptcy Event” means, with respect to any Person, such Person becomes the subject of a voluntary or involuntary bankruptcy or insolvency proceeding, or has had a receiver, conservator, trustee, administrator, custodian, assignee for the benefit of creditors or similar Person charged with the reorganization or liquidation of its business appointed for it, or, in the good faith determination of the Administrative Agent, has taken any action in furtherance of, or indicating its consent to, approval of, or acquiescence in, any such proceeding or appointment or has had any order for relief in such proceeding entered in respect thereof; provided that a Bankruptcy Event shall not result solely by virtue of any ownership interest, or the acquisition of any ownership interest, in such Person by a Governmental Authority or instrumentality thereof, unless such ownership interest results in or provides such Person with immunity from the jurisdiction of courts within the United States of America or from the enforcement of judgments or writs of attachment on its assets or permits such Person (or such Governmental Authority or any instrumentality) to reject, repudiate, disavow or disaffirm any agreements made by such Person.
“BD” has the meaning assigned to such term in the Recitals to this Agreement.
“Benchmark” means, initially, the Term SOFR Rate; provided that if a Benchmark Transition Event, and the related Benchmark Replacement Date have occurred with respect to Term SOFR Rate or the then-current Benchmark, then “Benchmark” means the applicable Benchmark Replacement to the extent that such Benchmark Replacement has replaced such prior benchmark rate pursuant to clause (b) of Section 2.13.
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“Benchmark Replacement” means, for any Available Tenor, the first alternative set forth in the order below that can be determined by the Administrative Agent for the applicable Benchmark Replacement Date:
(1) Daily Simple SOFR; and
(2) the sum of: (a) the alternate benchmark rate that has been selected by the Administrative Agent and the Borrower as the replacement for the then-current Benchmark for the applicable Corresponding Tenor giving due consideration to (i) any selection or recommendation of a replacement benchmark rate or the mechanism for determining such a rate by the Relevant Governmental Body or (ii) any evolving or then-prevailing market convention for determining a benchmark rate as a replacement for the then-current Benchmark for syndicated credit facilities denominated in US Dollars and (b) the related Benchmark Replacement Adjustment.
If the Benchmark Replacement as determined pursuant to clause (1) or (2) above would be less than the Floor, the Benchmark Replacement will be deemed to be the Floor for the purposes of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents.
“Benchmark Replacement Adjustment” means, with respect to any replacement of the then-current Benchmark with an Unadjusted Benchmark Replacement for any applicable Interest Period and Available Tenor for any setting of such Unadjusted Benchmark Replacement, the spread adjustment, or method for calculating or determining such spread adjustment (which may be a positive or negative value or zero), that has been selected by the Administrative Agent and the Borrower for the applicable Corresponding Tenor giving due consideration to (a) any selection or recommendation of a spread adjustment, or method for calculating or determining such spread adjustment, for the replacement of such Benchmark with the applicable Unadjusted Benchmark Replacement by the Relevant Governmental Body on the applicable Benchmark Replacement Date and/or (b) any evolving or then-prevailing market convention for determining a spread adjustment, or method for calculating or determining such spread adjustment, for the replacement of such Benchmark with the applicable Unadjusted Benchmark Replacement for syndicated credit facilities denominated in US Dollars.
“Benchmark Replacement Conforming Changes” means, with respect to any Benchmark Replacement and/or any Term Benchmark Loan, any technical, administrative or operational changes (including changes to the definition of “Alternate Base Rate”, the definition of “Business Day”, the definition of “U.S. Government Securities Business Day”, the definition of “Interest Period”, timing and frequency of determining rates and making payments of interest, timing of borrowing requests or prepayment, conversion or continuation notices, length of lookback periods, the applicability of breakage provisions, and other technical, administrative or operational matters) that the Administrative Agent decides in its reasonable discretion, in consultation with the Borrower, may be appropriate to reflect the adoption and implementation of such Benchmark Replacement and to permit the administration thereof by the Administrative Agent in a manner substantially consistent with market practice (or, if the Administrative Agent decides that adoption of any portion of such market practice is not administratively feasible or if the Administrative Agent determines that no market practice for the administration of such Benchmark Replacement exists, in such other manner of administration as the Administrative Agent decides, in consultation with the Borrower, is reasonably necessary in connection with the administration of this Agreement and the other Loan Documents).
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“Benchmark Replacement Date” means, with respect to any Benchmark, the earliest to occur of the following events with respect to such then-current Benchmark:
(1) in the case of clause (1) or (2) of the definition of “Benchmark Transition Event”, the later of (a) the date of the public statement or publication of information referenced therein and (b) the date on which the administrator of such Benchmark (or the published component used in the calculation thereof) permanently or indefinitely ceases to provide all Available Tenors of such Benchmark (or such component thereof); or
(2) in the case of clause (3) of the definition of “Benchmark Transition Event”, the first date on which such Benchmark (or the published component used in the calculation thereof) has been determined and announced by the regulatory supervisor for the administrator of such Benchmark (or such component thereof) to be no longer representative; provided, that such non-representativeness will be determined by reference to the most recent statement or publication referenced in such clause (c) and even if any Available Tenor of such Benchmark (or such component thereof) continues to be provided on such date.
For the avoidance of doubt, (i) if the event giving rise to the Benchmark Replacement Date occurs on the same day as, but earlier than, the Reference Time in respect of any determination, the Benchmark Replacement Date will be deemed to have occurred prior to the Reference Time for such determination and (ii) the “Benchmark Replacement Date” will be deemed to have occurred in the case of clause (1) or (2) with respect to any Benchmark upon the occurrence of the applicable event or events set forth therein with respect to all then-current Available Tenors of such Benchmark (or the published component used in the calculation thereof).
“Benchmark Transition Event” means, with respect to any Benchmark, the occurrence of one or more of the following events with respect to such then-current Benchmark:
(1) a public statement or publication of information by or on behalf of the administrator of such Benchmark (or the published component used in the calculation thereof) announcing that such administrator has ceased or will cease to provide all Available Tenors of such Benchmark (or such component thereof), permanently or indefinitely; provided that, at the time of such statement or publication, there is no successor administrator that will continue to provide such Benchmark (or such component thereof) or, if such Benchmark is a term rate, any Available Tenor of such Benchmark (or such component thereof);
(2) a public statement or publication of information by the regulatory supervisor for the administrator of such Benchmark (or the published component used in the calculation thereof), the Board, the NYFRB, the CME Term SOFR Administrator, an insolvency official with jurisdiction over the administrator for such Benchmark (or such component), a resolution authority with jurisdiction over the administrator for such Benchmark (or such component) or a court or an entity with similar insolvency or resolution authority over the administrator for such Benchmark (or such component), in each case, which states that the administrator of such Benchmark (or such component) has ceased or will cease to provide such Benchmark (or such
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component thereof) or, if such Benchmark is a term rate, all Available Tenors of such Benchmark (or such component thereof) permanently or indefinitely; provided that, at the time of such statement or publication, there is no successor administrator that will continue to provide such Benchmark (or such component thereof) or, if such Benchmark is a term rate, any Available Tenor of such Benchmark (or such component thereof); or
(3) a public statement or publication of information by the regulatory supervisor for the administrator of such Benchmark (or the published component used in the calculation thereof) announcing that such Benchmark (or such component thereof) or, if such Benchmark is a term rate, all Available Tenors of such Benchmark (or such component thereof) are no longer, or as of a specified future date will no longer be, representative.
For the avoidance of doubt, a “Benchmark Transition Event” will be deemed to have occurred with respect to any Benchmark if a public statement or publication of information set forth above has occurred with respect to each then-current Available Tenor of such Benchmark (or the published component used in the calculation thereof).
“Benchmark Unavailability Period” means, with respect to any Benchmark, the period (if any) (x) beginning at the time that a Benchmark Replacement Date pursuant to clauses (1) or (2) of that definition has occurred if, at such time, no Benchmark Replacement has replaced such then-current Benchmark for all purposes hereunder and under any Loan Document in accordance with Section 2.13 and (y) ending at the time that a Benchmark Replacement has replaced such then-current Benchmark for all purposes hereunder and under any Loan Document in accordance with Section 2.13.
“Beneficial Ownership Certification” means a certification regarding beneficial ownership or control as required by the Beneficial Ownership Regulation.
“Beneficial Ownership Regulation” means 31 C.F.R. § 1010.230.
“Benefit Plan” means any (a) “employee benefit plan” (as defined in ERISA) that is subject to Title I of ERISA, (b) “plan” as defined in Section 4975 of the Code or (c) Person whose assets include (for purposes of ERISA Section 3(42) or otherwise for purposes of Title I of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code) the assets of any such “employee benefit plan” or “plan.”
“BHC Act Affiliate” of a party means an “affiliate” (as such term is defined under, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. 1841(k)) of such party.
“Board” means the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve system of the United States of America.
“Bookrunners” means the collective reference to (x) with respect to Tranche 1, Barclays Bank PLC and Citibank, N.A., and (y) with respect to Tranche 2, Barclays Bank PLC, Citibank, N.A., JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., BofA Securities, Inc., Citizens Bank, N.A., HSBC Bank USA, National Association, PNC Capital Markets LLC and Truist Securities, Inc., in each case, in their capacities as the joint bookrunners for the relevant Tranche of the credit facility established hereunder.
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“Borrower” means the Company or, after the execution and delivery of a Joinder Agreement by the Successor Borrower and the satisfaction of the other requirements set forth in Section 2.20, the Successor Borrower.
“Borrower Communications” means, collectively, any Borrowing Request, Interest Election Request, notice of prepayment or other notice, demand, communication, information, document or other material provided by or on behalf of the Borrower pursuant to any Loan Document or the transactions contemplated therein which is distributed by the Borrower to the Administrative Agent through an Approved Borrower Portal.
“Borrower Succession Date” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.20.
“Borrowing” means Loans of the same Type and Tranche, made, converted or continued on the same date and, in the case of Term SOFR Loans, as to which a single Interest Period is in effect.
“Borrowing Minimum” means $5,000,000.
“Borrowing Multiple” means $1,000,000.
“Borrowing Request” means a request by the Borrower for a Borrowing in accordance with Section 2.03.
“Business Day” means any day (other than a Saturday or a Sunday) on which banks are open for business in New York City; provided, that when used in connection with a Term SOFR Loan and any interest rate settings, fundings, disbursements, settlements or payments of any such Loans referencing the Term SOFR Rate or any other dealings of such Loans referencing the Term SOFR Rate, the term “Business Day” shall also exclude any day that is not a U.S. Government Securities Business Day.
“CFC” means (a) any Person that is a “controlled foreign corporation” (within the meaning of Section 957), but only if a “United States person” (within the meaning of Section 7701(a)(30)) that is an Affiliate of a Loan Party is, with respect to such Person, a “United States shareholder” (within the meaning of Section 951(b)) described in Section 951(a)(1); and (b) each Subsidiary of any Person described in clause (a). For purposes of this definition, all Section references are to the Code.
“CFC Holdco” means a Subsidiary that has no material assets (as determined in good faith by the Borrower) other than equity interests or equity interests and Debt in one or more CFCs or Domestic Subsidiaries that are themselves CFC Holdcos in accordance with the foregoing.
“Change in Law” means (a) the adoption of any law, rule, regulation or treaty after the date of this Agreement, (b) any change in any law, rule, regulation or treaty or in the interpretation or application thereof by any Governmental Authority after the date of this Agreement or (c) compliance by any Lender or by any lending office of such Lender or by such Lender’s holding company with any request, rule, guideline or directive (whether or not having the force of law) of any Governmental Authority made or issued after the date of this Agreement; provided that, notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, (i) the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and
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Consumer Protection Act and all requests, rules, guidelines or directives thereunder or issued in connection therewith and (ii) all requests, rules guidelines or directives concerning capital adequacy and liquidity promulgated by the Bank for International Settlements, the Basel Committee on Banking Regulations and Supervisory Practices (or any successor similar authority) or the United States financial regulatory authorities, in each case pursuant to Basel III, shall in each case be deemed to be a “Change in Law”, whether enacted, adopted, promulgated or issued before or after the date of this Agreement.
“Change of Control” means (x) prior to the Stock Distribution, BD ceases to own, directly or indirectly, 100% of the issued and outstanding capital stock of the Company, and (y) on and after the Acquisition Effective Date, (a) the acquisition of ownership, directly or indirectly, by any Person or group (within the meaning of the Exchange Act as in effect on the date hereof) whereby that Person or group is or becomes the “beneficial owner” (as defined in Rules 13d-3 and 13d-5 of the Exchange Act as in effect on the date hereof) of shares representing more than 30% of the aggregate ordinary voting power represented by the issued and outstanding capital stock of the Parent, (b) occupation of a majority of the seats (other than vacant seats) on the board of directors of the Parent by Persons who were not (i) directors of the Parent on the date hereof or (ii) nominated, appointed or approved prior to their election, by the board of directors of the Parent or (c)(i) prior to the Borrower Succession Date, the Parent ceases to own, directly or indirectly, 100% of the issued and outstanding capital stock of the Company (other than as a result of a transaction permitted under Section 6.04) or (ii) solely if WTC is the Successor Borrower, then on and after the Borrower Succession Date, the Parent ceases to own, directly or indirectly, 100% of the issued and outstanding capital stock of WTC (other than as a result of a transaction permitted under Section 6.04), it being understood in all cases that the Transactions (including, without limitation, the Stock Distribution and the consummation of the Acquisition on the Acquisition Effective Date) shall not constitute a Change of Control.
“Closing Date” means the first date during the Availability Period upon which all the conditions of Section 4.02 shall have been satisfied or waived in accordance with Section 9.02.
“CME Term SOFR Administrator” means CME Group Benchmark Administration Limited as administrator of the forward-looking term Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) (or a successor administrator).
“Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
“Commitments” means the Tranche 1 Commitments and the Tranche 2 Commitments.
“Commitment Fee” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.11(a).
“Commitment Fee Rate” means 0.10% per annum.
“Commitment Letter” means that certain Amended and Restated Commitment Letter dated July 29, 2025 among the Company and the Arrangers (as amended, restated or supplemented from time to time).
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“Commitment Termination Date” means the first to occur of (a) the consummation of the Special Cash Payment and RMT Partner Special Cash Payment without using the Loans, (b) the termination of the Acquisition Agreement in accordance with its terms prior to the consummation of the Acquisition (notice of which the Borrower agrees to provide to the Administrative Agent promptly upon such termination), and (c) 11:59 p.m., New York City time, on the date that is the fifth Business Days after the “Outside Date” (as defined in the Acquisition Agreement as in effect on the Original Signing Date) as it may be extended in accordance with the terms of Section 9.1(b) of the Acquisition Agreement in effect as of the Original Signing Date (not to be extended beyond a period of 15 months from the Original Signing Date).
“Communications” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 8.03(b).
“Company” has the meaning assigned to such term in the heading of this Agreement.
“Confidential Information Memorandum” means the Confidential Information Memorandum dated July 16, 2025, distributed to the Lenders, together with the appendices thereto.
“Consolidated Debt” means all Debt of the Group, determined on a consolidated basis (including any Debt incurred by any Special Purpose Finance Subsidiary); provided that, notwithstanding the foregoing, Consolidated Debt shall not include (a) any Debt incurred to finance a Material Acquisition until the earlier of (i) the closing of any such Material Acquisition or (ii) the date on which the relevant definitive documentation in respect of such Material Acquisition has terminated or expired without the closing of such Material Acquisition, and (b) any Debt under or in respect of any Receivables Financing Transaction.
“Consolidated EBITDA” means, for any period, the consolidated net income (loss) of the Group for such period plus, to the extent deducted in computing such consolidated net income for such period, the sum (without duplication) of (a) Consolidated Interest Expense, (b) consolidated income tax expense, (c) depreciation and amortization expense, (d) stock-based employee compensation expense related to any grant of stock options or restricted stock to the extent deducted from such consolidated net income for such period pursuant to Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification No. 718 (Compensation – Stock Compensation), (e) extraordinary, unusual or non-recurring non-cash expenses or losses, (f) all transaction, integration, restructuring and other fees, costs and expenses for such period that relate to any acquisition, merger, consolidation, investment, sale or other business combination or related transactions, and (g) all charges with respect to litigation for such period, minus, to the extent added in computing such consolidated net income for such period, extraordinary gains, all determined on a consolidated basis.
“Consolidated Interest Expense” means, for any period, the interest expense of the Group for such period determined on a consolidated basis in accordance with GAAP, but excluding deferred financing fees.
“Consolidated Net Tangible Assets” means the total amount of assets that would be included on a consolidated balance sheet of the Group (and which shall reflect the deduction of applicable reserves) after deducting therefrom all current liabilities of the Group and all Intangible Assets.
“Consolidated Total Assets” means the total amount of assets that would be included on a consolidated balance sheet of the Group.
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“Contributed Business” has the meaning assigned to such term in the Recitals to this Agreement.
“Contributed Business Financial Information” has the meaning assigned to it in Section 4.02(d)(ii).
“Contributed Business Representations” means such representations and warranties made by or with respect to the Contributed Business in the Acquisition Agreement as are material to the interests of the Arrangers and the Lenders (in each case, in their respective capacities as such), but only to the extent that Parent or its affiliates (x) have the right to not consummate the Acquisition (taking into account any applicable cure provisions) or to terminate their respective obligations or (y) otherwise do not have an obligation to close, in each case, under the Acquisition Agreement as a result of a failure of such representations and warranties in the Acquisition Agreement to be true and correct.
“Control” means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management or policies of a Person, whether through the ability to exercise voting power, by contract or otherwise. “Controlling” and “Controlled” have meanings correlative thereto.
“Corresponding Tenor” with respect to any Available Tenor means, as applicable, either a tenor (including overnight) or an interest payment period having approximately the same length (disregarding business day adjustment) as such Available Tenor.
“Covered Entity” means any of the following:
| (i) | a “covered entity” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 252.82(b); |
| (ii) | a “covered bank” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 47.3(b); or |
| (iii) | a “covered FSI” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 382.2(b). |
“Covered Party” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.19.
“Credit Party” means the Administrative Agent and each Lender.
“Daily Simple SOFR” means, for any day (a “SOFR Rate Day”), a rate per annum equal to SOFR for the day that is five U.S. Government Securities Business Days prior to (a) if such SOFR Rate Day is a U.S. Government Securities Business Day, such SOFR Rate Day or (b) if such SOFR Rate Day is not a U.S. Government Securities Business Day, the U.S. Government Securities Business Day immediately preceding such SOFR Rate Day, in each case, as such SOFR is published by the SOFR Administrator on the SOFR Administrator’s Website; provided that if Daily Simple SOFR as so determined would be less than the Floor, such rate shall be deemed to be equal to the Floor for the purposes of this Agreement. Any change in Daily Simple SOFR due to a change in SOFR shall be effective from and including the effective date of such change in
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SOFR without notice to the Borrower. If by 5:00 p.m. (New York City time) on the second U.S. Government Securities Business Day immediately following any Term SOFR Determination Day, SOFR in respect of such Term SOFR Determination Day has not been published on the SOFR Administrator’s Website and a Benchmark Replacement Date with respect to the Daily Simple SOFR has not occurred, then SOFR for such Term SOFR Determination Day will be SOFR as published in respect of the first preceding U.S. Government Securities Business Day for which such SOFR was published on the SOFR Administrator’s Website.
“Debt” means, with respect to any Person and without duplication, all indebtedness of such Person for borrowed money or for the deferred purchase price of property or services, all accrued or contingent obligations in respect of letters of credit, all capitalized lease obligations, all indebtedness of others secured by assets of any member of the Group, all guarantees of Debt of others (but excluding guarantees issued for customer advance payments) and all obligations under Hedging Agreements. For the avoidance of doubt, “Debt” shall not include (a) pension liabilities under any employee pension benefit plan, (b) tender bid bonds, customer performance guarantees and similar suretyship obligations issued in the ordinary course of business that are not letters of credit and which, in each case, do not constitute a guarantee of any Debt of others and (c) earnouts and other acquisition consideration that (i) individually or in the aggregate, does not exceed 50% of Consolidated EBITDA for the most recently ended four fiscal quarter period and (ii) is not past due by more than 90 days.
“Debtor Relief Laws” means the Bankruptcy Code of the United States, and all other liquidation, conservatorship, bankruptcy, examinership, court protection, assignment for the benefit of creditors, moratorium, rearrangement, receivership, insolvency, reorganization, or similar debtor relief laws of the United States or any other jurisdiction from time to time in effect and affecting the rights of creditors generally.
“Default” means any event or condition which constitutes an Event of Default or which upon notice, lapse of time or both would, unless cured or waived, become an Event of Default.
“Default Right” has the meaning assigned to that term in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §§ 252.81, 47.2 or 382.1, as applicable.
“Defaulting Lender” means any Lender that (a) has failed, within two Business Days of the date required to be funded or paid, (i) to fund any portion of its Loans or (ii) to pay to any Credit Party any other amount required to be paid by it hereunder, unless, in the case of clause (i) above, such Lender notifies the Administrative Agent in writing that such failure is the result of such Lender’s good faith determination that a condition precedent to funding (specifically identified in such writing, including, if applicable, by reference to a specific Default) has not been satisfied, (b) has notified the Borrower or any Credit Party in writing, or has made a public statement, to the effect that it does not intend or expect to comply with any of its funding obligations under this Agreement (unless such writing or public statement indicates that such position is based on such Lender’s good-faith determination that a condition precedent (specifically identified in such writing, including, if applicable, by reference to a specific Default) to funding a Loan cannot be satisfied) or generally under other agreements in which it commits to extend credit, (c) has failed, within three Business Days after request by a Credit Party made in good faith to provide a certification in writing from an authorized officer of such Lender that it
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will comply with its obligations (and is financially able to meet such obligations) to fund prospective Loans; provided that such Lender shall cease to be a Defaulting Lender pursuant to this clause (c) upon such Credit Party’s receipt of such certification in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to it and the Administrative Agent, (d) has (i) become the subject of a Bankruptcy Event or a Bail-In Action, (ii) had a receiver, conservator, trustee, administrator, assignee for the benefit of creditors or similar Person charged with reorganization or liquidation of its business or a custodian appointed for it or (iii) taken any action in furtherance of, or indicated its consent to, approval of or acquiescence in any such proceeding or appointment or (e) has a direct or indirect parent company that has (i) become the subject of a Bankruptcy Event or a Bail-In Action, (ii) had a receiver, conservator, trustee, administrator, assignee for the benefit of creditors or similar Person charged with reorganization or liquidation of its business or a custodian appointed for it or (iii) taken any action in furtherance of, or indicated its consent to, approval of or acquiescence in any such proceeding or appointment; provided that (A) a Lender shall not be a Defaulting Lender under clause (e) above unless (1) such Lender shall have been requested, and shall have failed for five Business Days after such request, to provide cash collateral or make other arrangements satisfactory to the Borrower, the Administrative Agent to ensure the performance of its obligations hereunder and (2) any one or more of the Borrower, the Administrative Agent shall have notified the others and such Lender that such Lender is a Defaulting Lender and (B) a Lender shall not be a Defaulting Lender solely by virtue of the ownership or acquisition of any equity interest in that Lender or any direct or indirect parent company thereof by a Governmental Authority.
“Documentation Agents” means the collective reference to JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., BofA Securities, Inc., Citizens Bank, N.A., HSBC Bank USA, National Association, PNC Capital Markets LLC, Truist Bank, DNB Bank ASA, New York Branch, KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc., TD Bank, N.A. and U.S. Bank National Association, in their capacities as the documentation agents with respect to each Tranche of the credit facility established hereto.
“Domestic Subsidiary” means any Subsidiary that is incorporated under the laws of the United States or its territories or possessions.
“EEA Financial Institution” means (a) any credit institution or investment firm established in any EEA Member Country that is subject to the supervision of an EEA Resolution Authority, (b) any entity established in an EEA Member Country that is a parent of an institution described in clause (a) of this definition or (c) any financial institution established in an EEA Member Country that is a subsidiary of an institution described in clause (a) or (b) of this definition and is subject to consolidated supervision with its parent.
“EEA Member Country” means (a) any member state of the European Union, (b) Iceland, (c) Liechtenstein and (d) Norway.
“EEA Resolution Authority” means any public administrative authority or any Person entrusted with public administrative authority of any EEA Member Country (including any delegee) having responsibility for the resolution of any EEA Financial Institution.
“Effective Date” means the first date all the conditions precedent in Section 4.01 are satisfied or waived in accordance with Section 9.02.
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“Electronic Signature” means an electronic sound, symbol or process attached to, or associated with, a contract or other record and adopted by a Person with the intent to sign, authenticate or accept such contract or record.
“EMU Legislation” means the legislative measures of the European Union for the introduction of, changeover to or operation of the Euro in one or more member states.
“Environmental Laws” means all federal, state, local and foreign laws, rules and regulations relating to the release, emission, disposal, storage and related handling of waste materials, pollutants and hazardous substances.
“ERISA” means the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974.
“ERISA Event” means (a) any “reportable event”, as defined in Section 4043 of ERISA or the regulations issued thereunder with respect to a Plan (other than an event for which the 30 day notice period is waived), (b) any failure to satisfy the “minimum funding standard” (as defined in Section 412 of the Code or Section 302 of ERISA) with respect to a Plan, whether or not waived, (c) the filing pursuant to Section 412(c) of the Code or Section 302(c) of ERISA of an application for a waiver of the minimum funding standard with respect to any Plan, (d) the incurrence by the Company (or, on and after the Acquisition Effective Date, the Parent) or any member of the ERISA Group of any liability under Title IV of ERISA with respect to the termination of any Plan, (e) the receipt by the Company (or, on and after the Acquisition Effective Date, the Parent) or any member of the ERISA Group from the PBGC or a plan administrator of any notice relating to an intention to terminate any Plan or Plans or to appoint a trustee to administer any Plan, (f) the incurrence by the Company (or, on and after the Acquisition Effective Date, the Parent) or any member of the ERISA Group of any liability with respect to the withdrawal or partial withdrawal from any Plan or Multiemployer Plan, (g) the receipt by the Company (or, on and after the Acquisition Effective Date, the Parent) or any member of the ERISA Group of any notice concerning the imposition of Withdrawal Liability or a determination that a Multiemployer Plan is, or is expected to be, insolvent within the meaning of Section 4245 of ERISA or (h) the occurrence, with respect to any Plan, of a nonexempt “prohibited transaction” (within the meaning of Section 4975 of the Code or Section 406 of ERISA) with respect to which the Company (or, on and after the Acquisition Effective Date, the Parent) could otherwise be liable.
“ERISA Group” means all members of a controlled group of corporations and all trades or businesses (whether or not incorporated) under common control which, together with the Company (or, on and after the Acquisition Effective Date, the Parent), are treated as a single employer under Section 414(b), (c), (m) or (o) of the Code.
“EU Bail-In Legislation Schedule” means the EU Bail-In Legislation Schedule published by the Loan Market Association (or any successor Person), as in effect from time to time.
“Event of Default” has the meaning assigned to such term in Article VII.
“Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the SEC promulgated thereunder, as amended.
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“Excluded Subsidiary” means at any time (a) any Foreign Subsidiary, (b) any subsidiary of a Foreign Subsidiary, (c) any Domestic Subsidiary that is a disregarded entity for United States Federal income tax purposes substantially all of the assets of which consist of equity interests in one or more Foreign Subsidiaries, (d) any Subsidiary that is prohibited or restricted by applicable law from providing a guarantee of the Obligations or if such guarantee would require governmental (including regulatory) consent, approval, license or authorization, (e) any special purpose securitization vehicle (or similar entity), (f) any Special Purpose Finance Subsidiary, (g) any Subsidiary that is a not-for profit organization, (h) any other Subsidiary with respect to which, in the reasonable judgment of the Administrative Agent and the Borrower, the cost or other consequences (including any adverse tax consequences) of providing the Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement shall be excessive in view of the benefits to be obtained by the Lenders therefrom, (i) any Subsidiary, including other Subsidiaries acquired or organized after the Effective Date that, together with their own Subsidiaries on a combined consolidated basis, shall not, individually or in the aggregate for all such Subsidiaries under this clause (i), have accounted for more than 5% of Consolidated Total Assets or more than 5% of the consolidated total revenues of the Group at the end of, or for the period of four fiscal quarters ended with, the most recent fiscal quarter of the Parent for which financial statements shall have been delivered pursuant to Section 5.06(a) or (b) (or, prior to the delivery of any such financial statements, the most recent fiscal quarter of the Parent for which consolidated financial statements of the Parent are available), and (j) any CFC Holdco, it being understood that in no event shall the following constitute an Excluded Subsidiary: (x) any Subsidiary that guarantees the Parent’s senior, unsecured notes or any other senior indebtedness of the Parent or any Debt incurred pursuant to Section 6.01(c) or any Subsidiary that guarantees or is the primary obligor of the Senior Notes or (y) the Company, if the Company guarantees any indebtedness referred in the immediately preceding subclause (x) or is the primary obligor with respect to any senior, unsecured notes.
“Excluded Taxes” means, any of the following Taxes imposed with respect to any Lender or the Administrative Agent or required to be withheld or deducted from a payment to any Lender or the Administrative Agent, (a) income taxes imposed on (or measured by) its net income and franchise taxes imposed in lieu of net income taxes, in each case imposed by the United States of America (or any political subdivision thereof), or by the jurisdiction (or any political subdivision thereof) under which such recipient is organized or in which its principal office or any lending office from which it makes Loans, or by reason of any present or former connection between such Lender and the jurisdiction of the Governmental Authority imposing such Tax or any political subdivision or taxing authority thereof or therein (other than any such connection arising solely from such Lender, as the case may be, having executed, delivered, become a party to or performed its obligations or received a payment under, engaged in any other transaction pursuant to, or enforced, any Loan Document, or sold or assigned an interest in any Loan Document), (b) any branch profit taxes imposed by the United States of America or any similar tax imposed by any other jurisdiction described in clause (a) above, (c) in the case of a Lender, US federal withholding Taxes imposed on amounts payable to or for the account of such Lender with respect to an applicable interest in a Loan or Commitment pursuant to a law in effect on the date on which (i) such Lender acquires such interest in such Loan or Commitment (other than pursuant to an assignment request by the Borrower under Section 2.18) or (ii) such Lender changes its lending office, except in each case to the extent that, pursuant to Section 2.16, amounts with respect to such Taxes were payable either to such Lender’s assignor immediately before such Lender acquired the applicable interest in such Loan or Commitment or to such Lender immediately before it changed its lending office, (d) any withholding tax that is attributable to such Lender’s failure to timely comply with Section 2.16(f) or (e) any withholding Taxes imposed under FATCA.
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“Existing Parent Credit Agreement” means the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement dated as of May 22, 2025, among the Parent, the lenders from time to time party thereto and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., as administrative agent, as in effect on the date hereof and as it may be amended, modified or restated from time to time.
“FATCA” means Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Code, as of the date of this Agreement (or any amended or successor version that is substantively comparable and not materially more onerous to comply with) and any current or future regulations or official interpretations thereof, any applicable intergovernmental agreements between a non-U.S. jurisdiction and the United States with respect thereto and any law, regulation, or other official guidance enacted relating to such an intergovernmental agreement, and any agreements entered into pursuant to Section 1471(b)(1) of the Code.
“Federal Funds Effective Rate” means, for any day, the rate calculated by the NYFRB based on such day’s federal funds transactions by depository institutions, as determined in such manner as shall be set forth on the NYFRB’s Website from time to time, and published on the next succeeding Business Day by the NYFRB as the effective federal funds rate; provided that if the Federal Funds Effective Rate as so determined would be less than zero, such rate shall be deemed to be zero for the purposes of this Agreement.
“Fee Letter” means that certain Amended and Restated Fee Letter dated July 29, 2025 among the Company and the Arrangers (as amended, restated or supplemented from time to time).
“Fitch” means Fitch Ratings, Inc., or any successor to its rating business.
“Floor” means the benchmark rate floor, if any, provided in this Agreement initially (as of the Effective Date, the modification, amendment or renewal of this Agreement or otherwise) with respect to the Term SOFR Rate or Daily Simple SOFR, as applicable. The initial floor for each of the Term SOFR Rate and Daily Simple SOFR shall be 0.00%.
“Foreign Subsidiary” means any Subsidiary that is not incorporated under the laws of the United States or its territories or possessions.
“GAAP” means generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America.
“Governmental Authority” means any nation or government, any federal, state, local or other political subdivision thereof and any entity exercising executive, legislative, judicial, taxing, regulatory or administrative functions of or pertaining to government (including any supra-national body exercising such powers or functions, such as the European Union or the European Central Bank).
“Group” means (x) prior to the Acquisition Effective Date, the Company and its Subsidiaries that constitute part of the Contributed Business, (y) after the Acquisition Effective Date, the Parent and its Subsidiaries and (z) any other Person which has been established by the Company directly or indirectly for purposes of financing the Special Cash Payment.
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“Guarantee Requirement” means, on and after the Acquisition Effective Date (x) with respect to the Parent, that the Parent shall have executed and delivered the Parent Guarantee Agreement on the Acquisition Effective Date and complied with the other requirements set forth in Section 5.08 (provided that the Parent shall automatically be released from its obligations as a Guarantor under the Parent Guarantee Agreement in the event that the Borrower Succession Date occurs and Parent is the Successor Borrower) and (y) with respect to each Subsidiary of the Borrower that guarantees the Parent’s senior, unsecured notes or other senior indebtedness of the Parent or any Debt incurred pursuant to Section 6.01(c) or guarantees or is the primary obligor with respect to the Senior Notes, that the Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement (or a supplement referred to in Section 16 thereof) shall have been executed by each such Subsidiary (other than any Excluded Subsidiary) existing at such time, shall have been delivered to the Administrative Agent and shall be in full force and effect (provided that WTC shall automatically be released from its obligations as Guarantor under the Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement in the event that the Borrower Succession Date occurs and WTC is the Successor Borrower); provided, however, that (a) in the case of a Subsidiary that becomes subject to the Guarantee Requirement after the Acquisition Effective Date, the Guarantee Requirement shall be satisfied with respect to such Subsidiary if a supplement to the Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement is executed by such Subsidiary, delivered to the Administrative Agent and in full force and effect no later than (i) 30 days after the date on which such Subsidiary becomes subject to the Guarantee Requirement or (ii) such other date as the Administrative Agent may reasonably determine, but in any case no later than 60 days after the date on which such Subsidiary becomes subject to the Guarantee Requirement and (b) a Subsidiary Guarantor shall automatically be released from its obligations under the Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement (including any supplement referred to in Section 16 thereof) and no longer be subject to the Guarantee Requirement in the event that (i) the Borrower delivers a written notice to the Administrative Agent certifying that such Subsidiary Guarantor is an Excluded Subsidiary or (ii) such Subsidiary Guarantor ceases to guarantee the Parent’s senior, unsecured notes, does not guarantee any other senior indebtedness of the Parent or any Debt incurred pursuant to Section 6.01(c) and does not guarantee and is not is the primary obligor with respect to the Senior Notes.
“Guarantors” means (x) each Subsidiary Guarantor and (y) the Parent, upon execution and delivery of the Parent Guarantee Agreement to the Administrative Agent on the Acquisition Effective Date; provided, however, that the Successor Borrower shall cease to be a Guarantor upon becoming the Borrower hereunder pursuant to Section 2.20; provided further that there shall be no Guarantors prior to the Acquisition Effective Date.
“Hedging Agreement” means any interest rate protection agreement, foreign currency exchange agreement or other interest or currency exchange rate hedging arrangement. The “principal amount” of the obligations of any Person in respect of any Hedging Agreement at any time shall be the maximum aggregate amount (giving effect to any netting agreements) that such Person would be required to pay if such Hedging Agreement were terminated at such time.
“Indemnified Taxes” means Taxes other than (a) Excluded Taxes and (b) Other Taxes.
“Indemnitee” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.03(b).
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“Index Debt” means senior, unsecured, long-term indebtedness for borrowed money of the Parent that is not guaranteed by any other Person or subject to any other credit enhancement other than by, or subject to, a guarantee by a Subsidiary that is also a Subsidiary Guarantor.
“Information” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.12.
“Intangible Assets” means all assets of the Group that would be treated as intangibles in conformity with GAAP on a consolidated balance sheet of the Group.
“Interest Coverage Ratio” means, for any period, the ratio of (a) Consolidated EBITDA for such period to (b) Consolidated Interest Expense for such period.
“Interest Election Request” means a request by the Borrower to convert or continue a Borrowing in accordance with Section 2.07.
“Interest Payment Date” means (a) with respect to any ABR Loan, the last day of each March, June, September and December and the Maturity Date (b) with respect to any Term SOFR Loan, the last day of each Interest Period applicable to the Borrowing of which such Loan is a part and, in the case of a Term SOFR Borrowing with an Interest Period of more than three months’ duration, each day prior to the last day of such Interest Period that occurs at intervals of three months’ duration after the first day of such Interest Period and the Maturity Date.
“Interest Period” means, with respect to any Term SOFR Borrowing, initially for the Borrowing occurring on the Closing Date, if selected by the Borrower, the period commencing on the Closing Date and ending on the next succeeding month-end date after such Borrowing and, thereafter, the period commencing on the date of the continuation or conversion of such Borrowing and ending on the numerically corresponding day in the calendar month that is one, three or six months thereafter (in each case, subject to the availability for the then-current Benchmark), as the Borrower may elect; provided that (i) if any Interest Period would end on a day other than a Business Day, such Interest Period shall be extended to the next succeeding Business Day unless such next succeeding Business Day would fall in the next calendar month, in which case such Interest Period shall end on the next preceding Business Day, (ii) any Interest Period that commences on the last Business Day of a calendar month (or on a day for which there is no numerically corresponding day in the last calendar month of such Interest Period) shall end on the last Business Day of the last calendar month of such Interest Period and (iii) no tenor that has been removed from this definition pursuant to Section 2.13(f) shall be available for specification in any Borrowing Request or Interest Election Request. For purposes hereof, the date of a Borrowing initially shall be the date on which such Borrowing is made, and thereafter shall be the effective date of the most recent conversion or continuation of such Borrowing.
“Joinder Agreement” means a Joinder Agreement to be executed by the Successor Borrower pursuant to Section 2.20 substantially in the form of Exhibit F.
“Judgment Currency” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.13.
“Lender-Related Person” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.03(a).
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“Lenders” means the Persons listed on Schedule 2.01 and any other Person that shall have become a party hereto pursuant to an Assignment and Assumption, other than any such Person that shall have ceased to be a party hereto pursuant to an Assignment and Assumption.
“Leverage Ratio” means, at any time, the ratio of (a) Consolidated Debt at such time minus the lesser of (i) Available USD Cash at such time and (ii) $150,000,000 to (b) Consolidated EBITDA for the most recent period of four consecutive fiscal quarters of the Parent ended at or prior to such time; provided, that in the event any Material Acquisition shall have been completed during such period of four consecutive fiscal quarters, the Leverage Ratio shall be computed giving pro forma effect to such Material Acquisition (and to any related incurrence or repayment of Debt) as if it had been completed at the beginning of such period.
“Leverage Ratio Increase Election” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6.07.
“Leverage Ratio Increase Period” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 6.07.
“Liabilities” means any losses, claims (including intraparty claims), demands, damages or liabilities of any kind.
“Lien” means, with respect to any asset, any mortgage, deed of trust, lien, pledge, hypothecation, encumbrance, charge or security interest in, on or of such asset.
“Loan Documents” means this Agreement and any agreements entered into in connection with the commercial lending facility made available hereunder by the Borrower with or in favor of the Administrative Agent and/or the Lenders, including the Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement, the Parent Guarantee Agreement, any Joinder Agreement and each Promissory Note delivered pursuant to this Agreement.
“Loan Parties” means the Borrower and the Guarantors.
“Loans” means the Tranche 1 Loans and the Tranche 2 Loans.
“Margin Stock” has the meaning assigned to such term in Regulation U issued by the Board.
“Material Acquisition” means (a) the acquisition by any member of the Group of assets of or an interest in another Person (including the Acquisition) or (b) the merger or consolidation of the Parent with another corporation; provided that, in each case, the aggregate consideration therefor involves cash in the amount of $500,000,000 or more.
“Material Adverse Effect” means (a) a material adverse effect on the business, assets, operations or financial condition of the Group, taken as a whole or (b) a material adverse effect on the validity or enforceability of any one or more provisions of any of the Loan Documents that, taken as a whole, are material.
“Material Debt” means Consolidated Debt in an aggregate principal amount of $100,000,000 or more.
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“Material Subsidiary” means each Subsidiary of the Company (or, on and after the Acquisition Effective Date, of the Parent), other than Subsidiaries designated by the Borrower from time to time that in the aggregate do not account for more than 15% of the consolidated revenues of the Group for the period of four fiscal quarters most recently ended or more than 15% of the consolidated assets of the Group at the end of such period.
“Maturity Date” means, the earlier of (a) (x) with respect to Tranche 1, the date that is 364 days after the Closing Date and (y) with respect to Tranche 2, the date that is the second anniversary of the Closing Date and (b) the date on which the maturity of the Loans is accelerated in accordance with the terms hereof; provided, however, in each case, if such date is not a Business Day, the Maturity Date shall be the next preceding Business Day.
“Merger Sub” has the meaning assigned to such term in the Recitals to this Agreement.
“MNPI” means material information concerning any member of the Group and their securities that has not been disseminated in a manner making it available to investors generally, within the meaning of Regulation FD under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act.
“Moody’s” means Moody’s Investors Service, Inc., or any successor to its rating business.
“Multiemployer Plan” means a multiemployer plan as defined in Section 4001(a)(3) of ERISA to which the Company (or, on and after the Acquisition Effective Date, the Parent) contributes or has liability (including on account of any member of the ERISA Group).
“Net Cash Proceeds” means (a) with respect to the issuance, sale or incurrence of debt securities or Debt for borrowed money, the excess of (i) cash actually received by the applicable member of the Group in connection therewith (or for purposes of mandatory reductions of the Tranche 1 Commitments, received into escrow) over (ii) the sum of the underwriting or issuance discounts, commissions, fees and other expenses incurred by the applicable member of the Group in connection therewith; (b) with respect to the issuance and sale of any equity securities of the applicable member of the Group, the excess of (i) the cash actually received by the applicable member of the Group in connection therewith over (ii) the underwriting or issuance discounts, commissions, fees and other expenses incurred by the applicable member of the Group in connection therewith; and (c) with respect to a sale or other disposition of any property or assets of the applicable member of the Group, the excess, if any, of (i) the cash actually received by the applicable member of the Group in connection therewith (including any cash received by way of deferred payment pursuant to, or by monetization of, a note receivable or otherwise, but only as and when so received) over (ii) the sum of (A) payments made to retire any purchase money or indebtedness that is secured by such asset and that is required to be repaid in connection with the sale or other disposition thereof (other than Tranche 1 Loans), (B) the fees, costs and expenses incurred by the applicable member of the Group in connection therewith (including attorneys’ fees, accountants’ fees, investment banking fees, survey costs, title insurance premiums, and related search and recording charges, other customary expenses and brokerage, consultant and other customary fees actually incurred in connection therewith), (C) taxes and tax distributions reasonably estimated to be payable in connection with such transaction (including sales, use and other transfer taxes, deed or mortgage recording taxes) and (D) the amount of reserves established by any member of the Group in good faith and pursuant to commercially reasonable practices for adjustment in respect of the sale price of such property or assets in accordance with applicable generally accepted accounting principles, provided that if the amount of such reserves exceeds the required amount thereof, then such excess, upon the determination thereof, shall then constitute Net Cash Proceeds.
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“Non-US Lender” means a Lender that is not a US Person.
“NYFRB” means the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
“NYFRB’s Website” means the website of the NYFRB at http://www.newyorkfed.org, or any successor source.
“NYFRB Rate” means, for any day, the greater of (a) the Federal Funds Effective Rate in effect on such day and (b) the Overnight Bank Funding Rate in effect on such day (or for any day that is not a Business Day, for the immediately preceding Business Day); provided that if none of such rates are published for any day that is a Business Day, the term “NYFRB Rate” means the rate for a federal funds transaction quoted at 11:00 a.m. on such day received by the Administrative Agent from a federal funds broker of recognized standing selected by it in a manner consistent with prevailing market practice for syndicated loans; provided, further, that if any of the aforesaid rates as so determined be less than zero, such rate shall be deemed to be zero for purposes of this Agreement.
“Obligations” means the due and punctual payment of (a) the principal of and premium, if any, and interest (including interest accruing during the pendency of any bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or other similar proceeding, regardless of whether allowed or allowable in such proceeding) on the Loans made to the Borrower, when and as due, whether at maturity, by acceleration, upon one or more dates set for prepayment or otherwise and (b) all other monetary obligations, including fees, costs, expenses and indemnities, whether primary, secondary, direct, contingent, fixed or otherwise (including monetary obligations incurred during the pendency of any bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or other similar proceeding, regardless of whether allowed or allowable in such proceeding), of the Loan Parties under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents.
“Original Signing Date” shall mean July 13, 2025.
“Other Taxes” means any and all present or future recording, stamp, documentary, intangible, recording, filing or similar taxes, charges or levies arising from any payment made hereunder or from the execution, delivery, performance or enforcement of, or otherwise with respect to, this Agreement or any other Loan Document, except such taxes, charges or levies incurred by reason of a voluntary sale or assignment (other than an assignment made pursuant to Section 2.18) of an interest in a Loan Document.
“Overnight Bank Funding Rate” means, for any day, the rate comprised of both overnight federal funds and overnight eurodollar transactions denominated in US Dollars by U.S.-managed banking offices of depository institutions, as such composite rate shall be determined by the NYFRB as set forth on the NYFRB’s Website from time to time, and published on the next succeeding Business Day by the NYFRB as an overnight bank funding rate.
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“Parent Financial Information” has the meaning assigned to it in Section 4.02(d)(A).
“Parent Guarantee Agreement” means a Parent Guarantee Agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit C, to be executed and delivered on the Acquisition Effective Date by the Parent in favor of the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Lenders pursuant to Section 5.08.
“Participant” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.04(e).
“Participant Register” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.04(e).
“Payment” has the meaning assigned to it in Section 8.06(b).
“Payment Notice” has the meaning assigned to it in Section 8.06(b).
“PBGC” means the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation referred to and defined in ERISA and any successor entity performing similar functions.
“Person” means any natural person, corporation, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, association, company, partnership, Governmental Authority or other entity.
“Plan” means any employee pension benefit plan (other than a Multiemployer Plan) subject to the provisions of Title IV of ERISA or Section 412 of the Code or Section 302 of ERISA, and in respect of which the Company (or, on and after the Acquisition Effective Date, the Parent) or any member of its ERISA Group is (or, if such plan were terminated, would under Section 4069 of ERISA be deemed to be) an “employer” as defined in Section 3(5) of ERISA.
“Prime Rate” means the rate of interest last quoted by The Wall Street Journal as the “Prime Rate” in the U.S. or, if The Wall Street Journal ceases to quote such rate, the highest per annum interest rate published by the Board in Federal Reserve statistical Release H.15 (519) as the “bank prime loan” rate or, if such rate is no longer quoted therein, any similar rate quoted therein (as determined by the Administrative Agent) or any similar release by the Board (as determined by the Administrative Agent). Each change in the Prime Rate shall be effective from and including the date such change is publicly announced or quoted as being effective.
“Proceeding” means any claim, litigation, investigation, action, suit, arbitration or administrative, judicial or regulatory action or proceeding in any jurisdiction.
“Promissory Note” means a promissory note substantially in the form of Exhibit D.
“PTE” means a prohibited transaction class exemption issued by the U.S. Department of Labor, as any such exemption may be amended from time to time.
“Qualifying Loan Facility” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.10(c).
“QFC” has the
meaning assigned to the term “qualified financial contract” in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with,
12 U.S.C. 5390(c)(8)(D).
“QFC Credit Support” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.19.
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“Rating” means a rating of Index Debt by any Rating Agency, as announced in a public release by such Rating Agency.
“Rating Agency” means each of S&P and Moody’s.
“Receivables Financing Transaction” means any transaction or series of transactions entered into by any member of the Group pursuant to which such party consummates a “true sale” of its receivables to a non-related third party on market terms as determined in good faith by the Borrower; provided that such Receivables Financing Transaction is (a) non-recourse to the Group and their assets, other than any recourse that is customarily provided by a seller in connection with a “true sale” of receivables on a non- recourse basis and (b) consummated pursuant to customary contracts, arrangements or agreements entered into with respect to the “true sale” of receivables on market terms for similar transactions.
“Reference Time” with respect to any setting of the then-current Benchmark means (1) if such Benchmark is the Term SOFR Rate, 5:00 a.m. (Chicago time) on the day that is two U.S. Government Securities Business Days preceding the date of such setting or (2) if such Benchmark is not the Term SOFR Rate, the time determined by the Administrative Agent in its reasonable discretion.
“Register” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.04(c).
“Related Fund” means, with respect to any Lender that is a fund that invests in bank loans, any other fund that invests in bank loans and is managed by the same investment advisor as such Lender or by an Affiliate of such investment advisor.
“Related Parties” means, with respect to any specified Person, such Person’s Affiliates and the respective directors, officers, members, partners, trustees, employees, trustees, agents and advisors of such Person and such Person’s Affiliates.
“Relevant Governmental Body” means, with respect to a Benchmark Replacement in respect of Loans denominated in US Dollars, the Board and/or the NYFRB, or a committee officially endorsed or convened by the Board and/or the NYFRB or, in each case, any successor thereto.
“Relevant Rate” means the Term SOFR Rate.
“Relevant Screen Rate” means the Term SOFR Reference Rate.
“Required Lenders” means, at any time, Lenders having aggregate unused Commitments and aggregate unpaid principal amount of Loans outstanding at such time, representing more than 50% of the total unused Commitments and total unpaid principal amount of Loans outstanding at such time.
“Required Tranche 1 Lenders” means, at any time, Lenders having aggregate unused Tranche 1 Commitments and aggregate unpaid principal amount of Tranche 1 Loans outstanding at such time, representing more than 50% of the total unused Tranche 1 Commitments and total unpaid principal amount of Tranche 1 Loans outstanding at such time.
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“Required Tranche 2 Lenders” means, at any time, Lenders having aggregate unused Tranche 2 Commitments and aggregate unpaid principal amount of Tranche 2 Loans outstanding at such time, representing more than 50% of the total unused Tranche 2 Commitments and total unpaid principal amount of Tranche 2 Loans outstanding at such time.
“Resolution Authority” means an EEA Resolution Authority or, with respect to any UK Financial Institution, a UK Resolution Authority.
“Responsible Officer” of any Person, means the chief executive officer, the chief financial officer, the principal accounting officer, the treasurer or the controller of such Person, and any other officer of such Person with responsibility for the administration of the obligations of such Person under this Agreement.
“Reuters” means, as applicable, Thomson Reuters Corp., Refinitiv, or any successor thereto.
“RMT Partner Special Cash Payment” has the meaning assigned to such term in the Recitals to this Agreement.
“S&P” means S&P Global Ratings, a division of S&P Global Inc., or any successor to its rating business.
“Sale and Leaseback Transaction” means any arrangement whereby any member of the Group, directly or indirectly, shall sell or transfer any property, real or personal, used or useful in its business, whether now owned or hereafter acquired, and thereafter rent or lease such property or other property which it intends to use for substantially the same purpose or purposes as the property being sold or transferred.
“Sanctioned Country” means, at any time, a country, region or territory which is itself the subject or target of Sanctions that are applicable to transactions with such country or Persons operating, organized or resident therein generally, and not merely to transactions with specifically designated Persons or industries therein (at the time of this Agreement, the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic, the Crimea, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson Regions of Ukraine, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria).
“Sanctioned Person” means, at any time, any Person Subject or target of any Sanctions, including (a) any Person listed in any Sanctions-related list of designated Persons maintained by (i) the U.S. government, including by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the U.S. Department of State or the U.S. Department of Commerce or (ii) the European Union or His Majesty’s Treasury of the United Kingdom, (b) any Person operating, organized, located or resident in a Sanctioned Country and (c) any Person known to the Company (or, on and after the Acquisition Effective Date, the Parent) to be controlled by any Person or Persons described in the foregoing clauses (a) and (b) (including, without limitation for purposes of defining a Sanctioned Person, as ownership and control may be defined and/or established in and/or by any applicable laws, rules, regulations or orders).
“Sanctions” means all economic or financial sanctions, trade embargoes or similar restrictions imposed, administered or enforced from time to time by (a) the U.S. government, including those administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury or the U.S. Department of State or (b) the European Union or His Majesty’s Treasury of the United Kingdom.
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“Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the SEC promulgated thereunder, as amended.
“Senior Notes” has the meaning assigned to such term in the Recitals to this Agreement.
“Separation” has the meaning assigned to such term in the Recitals to this Agreement.
“SOFR” means a rate equal to the secured overnight financing rate as administered by the SOFR Administrator.
“SOFR Administrator” means the NYFRB (or a successor administrator of the secured overnight financing rate).
“SOFR Administrator’s Website” means the NYFRB’s Website, currently at http://www.newyorkfed.org, or any successor source for the secured overnight financing rate identified as such by the SOFR Administrator from time to time.
“Solvency Certificate” means a certificate to be delivered by the chief financial officer, the principal accounting officer, the treasurer or the controller of the Borrower substantially in the form of Exhibit G.
“Solvent” means: (a) the fair value of the assets of the Group, on a consolidated basis, exceeds, on a consolidated basis, their debts and liabilities, subordinated, contingent or otherwise; (b) the present fair saleable value of the property of the Group, on a consolidated basis, is greater than the amount that will be required to pay the probable liability, on a consolidated basis, of their debts and other liabilities, subordinated, contingent or otherwise, as such debts and other liabilities become absolute and matured; (c) the Group, on a consolidated basis, are able to pay their debts and liabilities, subordinated, contingent or otherwise, as such liabilities become absolute and matured; and (d) the Group, on a consolidated basis, are not engaged in, and are not about to engage in, business for which they have unreasonably small capital. For purposes of this definition, the amount of any contingent liability at any time shall be computed as the amount that would reasonably be expected to become an actual and matured liability.
“Special Cash Payment” has the meaning assigned to such term in the Recitals to this Agreement.
“Special Purpose Finance Subsidiary” means any Subsidiary (a) is established for the purpose of incurring, and has no liabilities other than, (i) Debt the proceeds of which will be used to provide financing to any member of the Group, (ii) hedging liabilities related to such Debt, and (iii) de minimis liabilities which are attendant to its existence as a company, (b) conducts no operations, other than de minimis operations that are attendant to its existence as a company, (c) does not own any stock of any other subsidiaries, (d) does not own any assets other than (i) assets of a de minimis value that are attendant to its existence as a company, (ii) assets related to the issuance, administration, and repayment of such Debt, and hedging arrangements related to the foregoing, and (iii) the intercompany loan receivable referred to in clause (e), and (e) may advance the proceeds of such Debt on an intercompany basis to any member of the Group, in each case pursuant to an intercompany loan.
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“Specified Representations” means the representations and warranties made by the Borrower in Section 3.01 (with respect to the Borrower and solely with respect to due organization, existence and good standing in its jurisdiction of organization), Section 3.02 (as it relates to (i) the organizational power and authority of the Borrower to execute, deliver and perform the Term Loan Credit Agreement, (ii) the due authorization and execution and delivery of the Term Loan Credit Agreement by the Borrower; and (iii) no contravention (as it relates to the execution, delivery and performance by the Borrower of the Term Loan Credit Agreement) with organizational documents of the Borrower or any agreements or instruments pursuant to which the Borrower has Debt for borrowed money in a committed or outstanding principal amount in excess of $100,000,000), Section 3.04 (as it relates to enforceability of the Term Loan Credit Agreement against the Borrower), Section 3.05 (as it relates to the second sentence thereof), Section 3.08, Section 3.11 and Section 3.17.
“Statutory Reserve Rate” means a fraction (expressed as a decimal), the numerator of which is the number one and the denominator of which is the number one minus the aggregate of the maximum reserve percentages (including any marginal, special, emergency or supplemental reserves) expressed as a decimal established by the Board to which the Administrative Agent is subject for eurocurrency funding (currently referred to as “Eurocurrency Liabilities” in Regulation D of the Board). Such reserve percentages include, but are not limited to, those imposed pursuant to such Regulation D. The Statutory Reserve Rate shall be adjusted automatically on and as of the effective date of any change in any reserve percentage.
“subsidiary” means, with respect to any Person, any entity with respect to which such Person alone owns, such Person or one or more of its subsidiaries together own, or such Person and any Person Controlling such Person together own, in each case directly or indirectly, capital stock or other equity interests having ordinary voting power to elect a majority of the members of the board of directors of such corporation or other entity or having a majority interest in the capital or profits of such corporation or other entity.
“Subsidiary” means any subsidiary of the Company (or, on and after the Acquisition Effective Date, the Parent).
“Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement” means a Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement substantially in the form of Exhibit B, and all supplements thereto made by the Subsidiary Guarantors in favor of the Administrative Agent for the benefit of the Lenders.
“Subsidiary Guarantors” means each Person that becomes party to a Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement as a Subsidiary Guarantor, and the permitted successors and assigns of each such Person; provided, however, that a Subsidiary Guarantor shall cease to be a Subsidiary Guarantor in the event such Person is released from its obligations under the Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement (including any supplement referred to in Section 16 thereof) as provided in clause (b) of the proviso of the definition of “Guarantee Requirement” or as provided in Section 6 of the Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement.
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“Successor Borrower” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 2.20.
“Supported QFC” has the meaning assigned to such term in Section 9.19.
“Syndication Agent” means Citibank, N.A., in its capacity as the syndication agent with respect to the credit facility established hereby.
“Taxes” means all present or future taxes, levies, imposts, duties, deductions, withholdings (including backup withholdings), valued added taxes or any other goods and services, use or sales taxes, assessments, fees or other charges imposed by any Governmental Authority, including any interest, additions to tax or penalties applicable thereto.
“Term Benchmark” when used in reference to any Loan or Borrowing, refers to whether such Loan, or the Loans comprising such Borrowing, are bearing interest at a rate determined by reference to the Term SOFR Rate.
“Term SOFR”, when used in reference to any Loan or Borrowing, refers to whether such Loan, or the Loans comprising such Borrowing, are bearing interest at a rate determined by reference to the Term SOFR Rate.
“Term SOFR Determination Day” has the meaning assigned to it under the definition of Term SOFR Reference Rate.
“Term SOFR Rate” means, with respect to any Term Benchmark Borrowing and for any tenor comparable to the applicable Interest Period (or with respect to the initial Borrowing to be made on the Closing Date for an Interest Period of less than one month, the tenor applicable to a one-month Interest Period), the Term SOFR Reference Rate at approximately 5:00 a.m., Chicago time, two U.S. Government Securities Business Days prior to the commencement of such tenor comparable to the applicable Interest Period, as such rate is published by the CME Term SOFR Administrator; provided that if the Term SOFR Rate as so determined would be less than the Floor, such rate shall be deemed to be equal to the Floor for the purposes of this Agreement.
“Term SOFR Reference Rate” means, for any day and time (such day, the “Term SOFR Determination Day”), with respect to any Term Benchmark Borrowing and for any tenor comparable to the applicable Interest Period, the rate per annum published by the CME Term SOFR Administrator and identified by the Administrative Agent as the forward-looking term rate based on SOFR. If by 5:00 pm (New York City time) on such Term SOFR Determination Day, the “Term SOFR Reference Rate” for the applicable tenor has not been published by the CME Term SOFR Administrator and a Benchmark Transition Event with respect to the Term SOFR Rate has not occurred, then, so long as such day is otherwise a U.S. Government Securities Business Day, the Term SOFR Reference Rate for such Term SOFR Determination Day will be the Term SOFR Reference Rate as published in respect of the first preceding U.S. Government Securities Business Day for which such Term SOFR Reference Rate was published by the CME Term SOFR Administrator, so long as such first preceding U.S. Government Securities Business Day is not more than five U.S. Government Securities Business Days prior to such Term SOFR Determination Day.
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“Tranche” means Tranche 1 or Tranche 2, as applicable, and “Tranches” means the collective reference to Tranche 1 and Tranche 2.
“Tranche 1” means the Tranche 1 Commitments and Tranche 1 Loans.
“Tranche 1 Commitments” means, with respect to each Lender, the commitment of such Lender to make Tranche 1 Loans on the Closing Date pursuant to Section 2.01, as such commitment may be reduced pursuant to the terms hereof, or as such commitment may be reduced or increased from time to time pursuant to assignments by or to such Lender pursuant to Section 9.04. The initial amount of each Lender’s Tranche 1 Commitment is set forth on Schedule 2.01, or in the Assignment and Assumption pursuant to which such Lender shall have assumed its Tranche 1 Commitment, as applicable. The aggregate amount of the Tranche 1 Commitments on the date hereof is $3,500,000,000.
“Tranche 1 Loans” means the term loans made by the Lenders under the Tranche 1 Commitments to the Borrower on the Closing Date pursuant to Section 2.01.
“Tranche 2” means the Tranche 2 Commitments and Tranche 2 Loans.
“Tranche 2 Commitments” means, with respect to each Lender, the commitment of such Lender to make Tranche 2 Loans on the Closing Date pursuant to Section 2.01, as such commitment may be reduced pursuant to the terms hereof, or as such commitment may be reduced or increased from time to time pursuant to assignments by or to such Lender pursuant to Section 9.04. The initial amount of each Lender’s Tranche 2 Commitment is set forth on Schedule 2.01, or in the Assignment and Assumption pursuant to which such Lender shall have assumed its Tranche 2 Commitment, as applicable. The aggregate amount of the Tranche 2 Commitments on the date hereof is $500,000,000.
“Tranche 2 Loans” means the term loans made by the Lenders under the Tranche 2 Commitments to the Borrower on the Closing Date pursuant to Section 2.01.
“Transactions” has the meaning assigned to such term in the Recitals to this Agreement.
“Type”, when used in reference to any Loan or Borrowing, refers to whether the rate of interest on such Loan, or on the Loans comprising such Borrowing, is determined by reference to the Term SOFR Rate or the Alternate Base Rate.
“UK Financial Institutions” means any BRRD Undertaking (as such term is defined under the PRA Rulebook (as amended from time to time) promulgated by the United Kingdom Prudential Regulation Authority) or any person falling within IFPRU 11.6 of the Financial Conduct Authority Handbook (as amended from time to time) promulgated by the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority, which includes certain credit institutions and investment firms, and certain affiliates of such credit institutions or investment firms.
“UK Resolution Authority” means the Bank of England or any other public administrative authority having responsibility for the resolution of any UK Financial Institution.
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“Unadjusted Benchmark Replacement” means the applicable Benchmark Replacement excluding the related Benchmark Replacement Adjustment.
“Unrestricted Cash” means, as of any date, unrestricted cash and cash equivalents owned by the Group that are not, and are not presently required under the terms of any agreement or other arrangement binding on any member of the Group on such date to be, (a) pledged to or held in one or more accounts under the control of one or more creditors of any member of the Group or (b) otherwise segregated from the general assets of the Group, in one or more special accounts or otherwise, for the purpose of securing or providing a source of payment for indebtedness or other obligations that are or from time to time may be owed to one or more creditors of any member of the Group. It is agreed that cash and cash equivalents held in ordinary deposit or security accounts and not subject to any existing or contingent restrictions on transfer by any member of the Group will not be excluded from Unrestricted Cash by reason of setoff rights or other Liens created by law or by applicable account agreements in favor of the depositary institutions or security intermediaries.
“USA PATRIOT Act” means the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act, Title III of Pub. L. 109-177 (signed into law March 9, 2009).
“US Corporation” means a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia.
“US Dollars” or “$” means the lawful money of the United States of America.
“US Person” means a “United States person” within the meaning of Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code.
“U.S. Government Securities Business Day” means any day except for (i) a Saturday, (ii) a Sunday or (iii) a day on which the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association recommends that the fixed income departments of its members be closed for the entire day for purposes of trading in United States government securities.
“Withdrawal Liability” means liability to a Multiemployer Plan as a result of a complete or partial withdrawal from such Multiemployer Plan, as such terms are defined in Part I of Subtitle E of Title IV of ERISA.
“Withholding Agent” means any Loan Party and the Administrative Agent.
“Write-Down and Conversion Powers” means, (a) with respect to any EEA Resolution Authority, the write-down and conversion powers of such EEA Resolution Authority from time to time under the Bail-In Legislation for the applicable EEA Member Country, which write-down and conversion powers are described in the EU Bail-In Legislation Schedule, and (b) with respect to the United Kingdom, any powers of the applicable Resolution Authority under the Bail-In Legislation to cancel, reduce, modify or change the form of a liability of any UK Financial Institution or any contract or instrument under which that liability arises, to convert all or part of that liability into shares, securities or obligations of that person or any other person, to provide that any such contract or instrument is to have effect as if a right had been exercised under it or to suspend any obligation in respect of that liability or any of the powers under that Bail-In Legislation that are related to or ancillary to any of those powers.
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“WTC” means Waters Technologies Corporation.
SECTION 1.02. Classification of Loans and Borrowings. For purposes of this Agreement, Loans may be classified and referred to by Type (e.g., a “Term SOFR Loan”). Borrowings also may be classified and referred to by Type (e.g., a “Term SOFR Borrowing”).
SECTION 1.03. Terms Generally. The definitions of terms herein shall apply equally to the singular and plural forms of the terms defined. Whenever the context may require, any pronoun shall include the corresponding masculine, feminine and neuter forms. The words “include”, “includes” and “including” shall be deemed to be followed by the phrase “without limitation”. The word “will” shall be construed to have the same meaning and effect as the word “shall”. Unless the context requires otherwise (a) any definition of or reference to any agreement, instrument or other document herein shall be construed as referring to such agreement, instrument or other document as from time to time amended, supplemented or otherwise modified (subject to any restrictions on such amendments, supplements or modifications set forth herein), (b) any reference herein to any Person shall be construed to include such Person’s successors and assigns, (c) the words “herein”, “hereof” and “hereunder” and words of similar import shall be construed to refer to this Agreement in its entirety and not to any particular provision hereof, (d) all references herein to Articles, Sections, Exhibits and Schedules shall be construed to refer to Articles and Sections of, and Exhibits and Schedules to, this Agreement, (e) any reference to any law, rule or regulation herein shall, unless otherwise specified, refer to such law, rule or regulation as amended, modified or supplemented from time to time and (f) the words “asset” and “property” shall be construed to have the same meaning and effect and to refer to any and all tangible and intangible assets and properties, including cash, securities, accounts and contract rights.
SECTION 1.04. Accounting Terms; GAAP. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, all terms of an accounting or financial nature shall be construed in accordance with GAAP as in effect from time to time; provided that if the Borrower notifies the Administrative Agent that the Borrower requests an amendment to any provision hereof to eliminate the effect of any change occurring after the date hereof in GAAP or in the application thereof on the operation of such provision (or if the Administrative Agent notifies the Borrower that the Required Lenders request an amendment to any provision hereof for such purpose), regardless of whether any such notice is given before or after such change in GAAP or in the application thereof, then the parties hereto shall negotiate in good faith to amend this Agreement to eliminate the effect of such change on the operation of such provision and until such provision shall have been amended or such notice withdrawn, such provision shall be interpreted on the basis of GAAP as in effect and applied immediately before such change shall have become effective. Notwithstanding any other provision contained herein, all terms of an accounting or financial nature used herein shall be construed, and all computations of amounts and ratios referred to herein shall be made, (A) without giving effect to (x) any election under Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification 825 (or any other Accounting Standards Codification having a similar result or effect) (and related interpretations) to value any Debt at “fair value”, as defined therein, or (y) any other accounting principle that results in any Debt being reflected on a balance sheet at an amount less than the stated principal amount thereof (or, in the case of Debt issued at a discount (other than an
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underwriting discount) to stated principal amount, the issue price thereof plus accreted discount), (B) without giving effect to any treatment of Debt in respect of convertible debt instruments under Accounting Standards Codification 470-20 (or any other Accounting Standards Codification or Financial Accounting Standard having a similar result or effect) (and related interpretations) to value any such Debt in a reduced or bifurcated manner as described therein, and such Debt shall at all times be valued at the full stated principal amount thereof, and (C) without giving effect to any change in accounting for leases pursuant to GAAP resulting from the implementation of Financial Accounting Standards Board ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), to the extent such adoption would require treating any lease (or similar arrangement conveying the right to use) as a capital lease where such lease (or similar arrangement) would not have been required to be so treated under GAAP as in effect on December 31, 2015.
SECTION 1.05. Interest Rates; Benchmark Notification. The interest rate on a Loan may be derived from an interest rate benchmark that may be discontinued or is, or may in the future become, the subject of regulatory reform. Upon the occurrence of a Benchmark Transition Event, Section 2.13(b) provides a mechanism for determining an alternative rate of interest. The Administrative Agent does not warrant or accept any responsibility for, and shall not have any liability with respect to, the administration, submission, performance or any other matter related to any interest rate used in this Agreement or with respect to any alternative or successor rate thereto, or replacement rate thereof (including, without limitation, (i) any such alternative, successor or replacement rate implemented pursuant to Section 2.13(b) and (ii) the implementation of any Benchmark Replacement Conforming Changes pursuant to Section 2.13(d)), including without limitation, whether the composition or characteristics of any such alternative, successor or replacement reference rate will be similar to, or produce the same value or economic equivalence of, the existing interest rate being replaced or have the same volume or liquidity as did any existing interest rate prior to its discontinuance or unavailability. The Administrative Agent and its affiliates and/or other related entities may engage in transactions that affect the calculation of any interest rate used in this Agreement or any alternative, successor or alternative rate (including any Benchmark Replacement) and/or any relevant adjustments thereto, in each case, in a manner adverse to the Borrower. The Administrative Agent may select information sources or services in its reasonable discretion to ascertain any interest rate used in this Agreement, any component thereof, or rates referenced in the definition thereof, in each case pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, and shall have no liability to the Borrower, any Lender or any other person or entity for damages of any kind, including direct or indirect, special, punitive, incidental or consequential damages, costs, losses or expenses (whether in tort, contract or otherwise and whether at law or in equity), for any error or calculation of any such rate (or component thereof) provided by any such information source or service.
SECTION 1.06. [Reserved].
SECTION 1.07. Divisions. For all purposes under the Loan Documents, in connection with any division or plan of division under Delaware law (or any comparable event under a different jurisdiction’s laws): (a) if any asset, right, obligation or liability of any Person becomes the asset, right, obligation or liability of a different Person, then it shall be deemed to have been transferred from the original Person to the subsequent Person, and (b) if any new Person comes into existence, such new Person shall be deemed to have been organized and acquired on the first date of its existence by the holders of its equity interests at such time.
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ARTICLE II
The Credits
SECTION 2.01. Commitments. Subject to the terms and conditions set forth herein, each Lender agrees:
(a) to make Tranche 1 Loans to the Borrower in US Dollars in a single Borrowing on the Closing Date in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed such Lender’s Tranche 1 Commitment at such time; and
(b) to make Tranche 2 Loans to the Borrower in US Dollars in a single Borrowing on the Closing Date in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed such Lender’s Tranche 2 Commitment at such time.
Amounts borrowed under this Section 2.01 and repaid or prepaid may not be reborrowed.
SECTION 2.02. Loans and Borrowings. Each Loan shall be made as part of a Borrowing consisting of Loans of the same Type and Tranche made by the Lenders ratably in accordance with their respective Commitments under the respective Tranche. The failure of any Lender to make any Loan required to be made by it on the Closing Date shall not relieve any other Lender of its obligations hereunder; provided that the Commitments of the Lenders are several and no Lender shall be responsible for any other Lender’s failure to make Loans as required hereunder.
(a) Subject to Section 2.13, each Borrowing shall be comprised entirely of Term SOFR Loans or ABR Loans as the Borrower may request in accordance herewith. Each Lender at its option may make any Term Benchmark Loan by causing any domestic or foreign branch or Affiliate of such Lender to make such Loan (and in the case of an Affiliate, the provisions of Section 2.13, 2.14, 2.15 and 2.16 shall apply to such Affiliate to the same extent as to such Lender); provided that any exercise of such option shall not affect the obligation of the Borrower to repay such Loan in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.
(b) At the commencement of each Interest Period for any Term Benchmark Borrowing, such Borrowing shall be in an aggregate amount that is at least equal to the Borrowing Minimum and an integral multiple of the Borrowing Multiple; provided that an ABR Borrowing may be made in an aggregate amount that is equal to the aggregate available Commitments under the respective Tranche. Borrowings of more than one Type may be outstanding at the same time; provided that there shall not at any time be more than a total of 10 Term SOFR Borrowings outstanding.
(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the Borrower shall not be entitled to request, or to elect to convert or continue, any Borrowing if the Interest Period requested with respect thereto would end after the applicable Maturity Date.
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SECTION 2.03. Notice of Borrowings. To request a Borrowing, the Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent of such request in writing, by electronic transmission, or by telephone (a) in the case of a Term SOFR Borrowing, not later than 11:00 a.m., New York City time, three U.S. Government Securities Business Days before the date of the proposed Borrowing (or, with respect to a requested Borrowing to be made on the Closing Date, one Business Day before the proposed Borrowing to be made on the Closing Date) and (b) in the case of an ABR Borrowing, not later than 11:00 a.m., New York City time, on the Business Day of the proposed Borrowing. Each such Borrowing Request shall be irrevocable, and, in the case of a telephonic request, shall be confirmed promptly by hand delivery or electronic transmission to the Administrative Agent of a written Borrowing Request in a form approved by the Administrative Agent and signed by the Borrower; provided that, if such Borrowing Request is submitted through an Approved Borrower Portal, the foregoing signature requirement may be waived at the sole discretion of the Administrative Agent. Each such Borrowing Request shall specify the following information in compliance with Section 2.02:
(a) the aggregate principal amount of the requested Borrowing;
(b) the date of the requested Borrowing, which shall be a Business Day;
(c) the Type and Tranche of the requested Borrowing;
(d) in the case of a Term SOFR Borrowing, the initial Interest Period to be applicable thereto, which shall be a period contemplated by the definition of the term “Interest Period”; and
(e) the location and number of the Borrower’s account to which (or applicable wiring instructions pursuant to which) funds are to be disbursed, which shall comply with the requirements of Section 2.05.
If no election as to the Type of a Borrowing is specified, then the requested Borrowing shall be an ABR Borrowing. If no Interest Period is specified with respect to any requested Term SOFR Borrowing, then the Borrower shall be deemed to have selected an Interest Period of one month’s duration. Promptly following receipt of a Borrowing Request in accordance with this Section, the Administrative Agent shall advise each Lender that will make a Loan as part of the requested Borrowing of the details thereof and of the amount of the Loan to be made by such Lender as part of the requested Borrowing.
SECTION 2.04. [Reserved].
SECTION 2.05. Funding of Borrowings. Each Lender shall make each Loan to be made by it hereunder on the proposed Closing Date by wire transfer of immediately available funds by 11:00 a.m., New York City time (or, in the case of an ABR Loan, such later time as shall be at least two hours after the applicable Borrowing Request shall have been delivered), to the account most recently designated by the Administrative Agent for such purpose for Loans of such Type by notice to the applicable Lenders. The Administrative Agent will make such Loans available to the Borrower by promptly crediting the amounts so received, in like funds, to an account of the Borrower in New York City or Boston or as otherwise set forth in the applicable Borrowing Request.
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(a) Unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice from a Lender prior to the proposed date of any Borrowing that such Lender will not make available to the Administrative Agent such Lender’s share of such Borrowing, the Administrative Agent may assume that such Lender has made such share available on such date in accordance with paragraph (a) of this Section and may, in reliance upon such assumption, make available to the Borrower a corresponding amount. In such event, if a Lender has not in fact made its share of the applicable Borrowing available to the Administrative Agent, then the applicable Lender and the Borrower severally agree to pay to the Administrative Agent forthwith on demand such corresponding amount with interest thereon, for each day from and including the date such amount is made available to the Borrower to but excluding the date of payment to the Administrative Agent, at (i) in the case of such Lender, the rate reasonably determined by the Administrative Agent to be the cost to it of funding such amount or (ii) in the case of the Borrower, the interest rate applicable to the subject Loan. If such Lender pays such amount to the Administrative Agent, then such amount shall constitute such Lender’s Loan included in such Borrowing and the Administrative Agent shall return to the Borrower any amount (including interest) paid by the Borrower to the Administrative Agent pursuant to this paragraph.
SECTION 2.06. Repayment of Borrowings; Evidence of Debt. The Borrower hereby unconditionally promises to pay to the Administrative Agent for the accounts of the applicable Lenders the then unpaid principal amount of each Borrowing on the applicable Maturity Date.
(a) Each Lender shall maintain in accordance with its usual practice an account or accounts evidencing the indebtedness of the Borrower to such Lender resulting from each Loan made by such Lender, including the amounts of principal and interest payable and paid to such Lender from time to time hereunder.
(b) The Administrative Agent shall maintain accounts in which it shall record (i) the amount of each Loan made hereunder, Type and Tranche thereof and the Interest Period applicable thereto, (ii) the amount of any principal or interest due and payable or to become due and payable from the Borrower to each Lender hereunder and (iii) the amount of any sum received by the Administrative Agent hereunder for the accounts of the Lenders and each Lender’s share thereof.
(c) The entries made in the accounts maintained pursuant to paragraph (b) or (c) of this Section shall be prima facie evidence of the existence and amounts of the obligations recorded therein; provided that the failure of any Lender or the Administrative Agent to maintain such accounts or any error therein shall not in any manner affect the obligation of the Borrower to repay the Loans in accordance with the terms of this Agreement.
(d) Any Lender may request that Loans made by it to the Borrower be evidenced by a Promissory Note. In such event, the Borrower shall prepare, execute and deliver to such Lender a Promissory Note payable to such Lender (or, if requested by such Lender, to such Lender and its registered assigns) and in a form approved by the Administrative Agent. Thereafter, the Loans evidenced by each such Promissory Note and interest thereon shall at all times (including after assignment pursuant to Section 9.04) be represented by one or more Promissory Notes in such form payable to the payee named therein (or, if such Promissory Note is a registered note, to such payee and its registered assigns).
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SECTION 2.07. Interest Elections. Each Borrowing initially shall be of the Type specified in the applicable Borrowing Request and, in the case of a Term SOFR Borrowing, shall have an initial Interest Period as specified in such Borrowing Request or as otherwise provided in Section 2.03. Thereafter, the Borrower may elect to convert such Borrowing to a different Type or to continue such Borrowing and, in the case of a Term SOFR Borrowing, may elect Interest Periods therefor, all as provided in this Section and on terms consistent with the other provisions of this Agreement. The Borrower may elect different options with respect to different portions of an affected Borrowing, in which case each such portion shall be allocated ratably among the Lenders holding the Loans comprising such Borrowing, and the Loans comprising each such portion shall be considered a separate Borrowing.
(a) To make an election pursuant to this Section, the Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent of such election in writing, by electronic transmission, or by telephone by the time that a Borrowing Request would be required under Section 2.03 if the Borrower were requesting a Borrowing of the Type resulting from such election to be made on the effective date of such election. Each such Interest Election Request shall be irrevocable and, in the case of a telephonic request, shall be confirmed promptly by hand delivery or electronic transmission to the Administrative Agent of a written Interest Election Request in a form approved by the Administrative Agent and signed by the Borrower; provided that, if such Interest Election Request is submitted through an Approved Borrower Portal, the foregoing signature requirement may be waived at the sole discretion of the Administrative Agent. Notwithstanding any contrary provision herein, this Section shall not be construed to permit the Borrower to (i) change the currency of any Borrowing, (ii) convert any Borrowing to a Borrowing of a Type not available under the Commitments pursuant to which such Borrowing was made or for the currency of such Borrowing or (iii) convert Loans from one Tranche to the other Tranche.
(b) Each Interest Election Request shall specify the following information in compliance with Section 2.02:
(i) the Borrowing and Tranche to which such Interest Election Request applies and, if different options are being elected with respect to different portions thereof, the portions thereof to be allocated to each resulting Borrowing (in which case the information to be specified pursuant to clauses (iii) and (iv) below shall be specified for each resulting Borrowing);
(ii) the effective date of the election made pursuant to such Interest Election Request, which shall be a Business Day;
(iii) the Type of the resulting Borrowing; and
(iv) if the resulting Borrowing is to be a Term SOFR Borrowing, the Interest Period to be applicable thereto after giving effect to such election, which shall be a period contemplated by the definition of the term “Interest Period”.
If any such Interest Election Request requests a Term SOFR Borrowing but does not specify an Interest Period, then the Borrower shall be deemed to have selected an Interest Period of one month’s duration.
(c) Promptly following receipt of an Interest Election Request, the Administrative Agent shall advise each Lender holding a Loan to which such request relates of the details thereof and of such Lender’s portion of each resulting Borrowing.
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(d) If the Borrower fails to deliver a timely Interest Election Request with respect to a Term SOFR Borrowing prior to the end of the Interest Period applicable thereto, then, unless such Borrowing is repaid as provided herein, at the end of such Interest Period, such Borrowing shall be converted to an ABR Borrowing.
SECTION 2.08. Optional Termination and Reduction of Commitments.
(a) The Borrower may at any time terminate, or from time to time reduce, without premium or penalty, the Commitments under each Tranche; provided that each reduction of the Commitments under each Tranche shall be in an amount that is an integral multiple of the Borrowing Multiple and not less than the Borrowing Minimum.
(b) The Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent of any election to terminate or reduce the Commitments under this Section at least three Business Days prior to the effective date of such termination or reduction, specifying the effective date of such election and the Tranche in respect of which Commitments are to be terminated or reduced. Each notice delivered by the Borrower pursuant to this Section shall be irrevocable; provided that a notice of termination of the Commitments delivered by the Borrower may state that such notice is conditioned upon the effectiveness of other credit facilities or the closing of any other financing transaction, in which case such notice may be revoked by the Borrower (by notice to the Administrative Agent on or prior to the specified effective date) if such condition is not satisfied. Any termination or reduction of the Commitments shall be permanent. Each reduction of the Commitments shall be applied to the Tranche or Tranches as elected by the Borrower, ratably among the applicable Lenders of the relevant Tranche in accordance with their respective Commitments under such Tranche.
SECTION 2.09. Optional Prepayment of Loans. The Borrower shall have the right at any time and from time to time to prepay any Borrowing of the Borrower under each Tranche in whole or in part, subject to prior notice in accordance with paragraph (c) of this Section.
(a) [Reserved].
(b) Prior to any prepayment of Borrowings hereunder, the Borrower shall select the Borrowing or Borrowings and the Tranche or Tranches to be prepaid and shall specify such selection in the notice of such prepayment pursuant to paragraph (c) of this Section.
(c) The Borrower shall notify the Administrative Agent in writing, by electronic transmission, including an Approved Borrower Portal, if arrangements for doing so have been approved by the Administrative Agent or by telephone (which must be confirmed by electronic transmission, including an Approved Borrower Portal, if arrangements for doing so have been approved by the Administrative Agent) of any prepayment of a Borrowing hereunder (i) in the case of prepayment of a Term SOFR Borrowing, not later than 11:00 a.m., New York City time, three U.S. Government Securities Business Days before the date of such prepayment or (ii) in the case of prepayment of any other Borrowing, not later than 11:00 a.m., New York City time, three Business Days before the date of such prepayment (to the extent practicable, in the case of a prepayment under paragraph (b) above). Each such notice shall be irrevocable and shall specify the prepayment date and the principal amount of each Borrowing and Tranche or portion thereof to be prepaid; provided that a notice of prepayment delivered by the Borrower may state that such
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notice is conditioned upon the effectiveness of other credit facilities or the closing of any other financing transaction, in which case such notice may be revoked by the Borrower (by notice to the Administrative Agent on or prior to the specified effective date) if such condition is not satisfied. Promptly following receipt of any such notice, the Administrative Agent shall advise the applicable Lenders of the contents thereof. Each partial prepayment of any Borrowing shall be in an amount that would be permitted in the case of an advance of a Borrowing of the same Type as provided in Section 2.02. Each prepayment of a Borrowing shall be applied to the Tranche or Tranches as elected by the Borrower, ratably to the Loans under the relevant Tranche included in the prepaid Borrowing. Prepayments shall be accompanied by (i) accrued interest to the extent required by Section 2.12 and (ii) break funding payments pursuant to Section 2.15.
SECTION 2.10. Mandatory Reduction of Commitments and Prepayment of Loans.
(a) All unused Commitments under each Tranche shall automatically terminate after giving effect to the funding of the Loans on the Closing Date. In addition, unless previously terminated, the Commitments under each Tranche shall automatically terminate on the Commitment Termination Date (after giving effect to the funding of any Loans on such date, if applicable).
(b) On or prior to the Closing Date, the aggregate outstanding Tranche 1 Commitments (but not Tranche 2 Commitments) shall be automatically permanently reduced and, after the Closing Date the Tranche 1 Loans (but not Tranche 2 Loans) shall be prepaid, in each case on a US Dollar-for-US Dollar basis (with the US Dollar equivalent of any Net Cash Proceeds or, in the case of a Qualifying Loan Facility, commitments denominated in a currency other than US Dollars determined based on customary exchange rates prevailing at the time of receipt by the Group of such Net Cash Proceeds or such commitments), by the following amounts:
(i) 100% of the Net Cash Proceeds received by any member of the Group after the Effective Date from the issuance and sale of any Senior Notes or any other debt securities issued by any member of the Group (including any debt securities convertible or exchangeable into equity securities or hybrid debt-equity securities) or incurrence of any other Debt for borrowed money (but without duplication of the amount of any Qualifying Loan Facility previously applied to reduce Tranche 1 Commitments), other than (i) revolving credit borrowings under the Existing Parent Credit Agreement or any extension or refinancing thereof or amendment thereof, provided that the aggregate principal amount of Debt outstanding thereunder does not exceed the committed amount thereof as in effect on the Original Signing Date, (ii) intercompany Debt among the members of the Group (and, prior to the Closing Date, among the Company and its Subsidiaries, on one hand, and BD and its Subsidiaries, on the other or, from and after the Closing Date, among the Company and its Subsidiaries, on one hand, and the Parent and its Subsidiaries, on the other), (iii) capital leases, letters of credit, foreign subsidiary working capital facilities, purchase money and equipment financings or other similar obligations or refinancings of the foregoing with Debt of the same or similar form, in each case, incurred in the ordinary course of business, (iv) issuances of commercial paper, (v) Debt of any member of Group incurred to refinance any senior notes or other funded Debt of such member of the Group on the Original Signing Date to the extent so refinanced within 12 months of the stated final maturity thereof, in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed the principal amount so refinanced (plus interest owing thereon and premiums, fees and expenses relating to such refinancing), (vi) Debt incurred by the Parent to fund the RMT Partner Special Cash Payment, and (vii) other Debt since the Effective Date in an aggregate principal amount not exceeding $200,000,000;
39
(ii) 100% of the Net Cash Proceeds received by the Company (or, after the Acquisition Effective Date, the Parent) after the Effective Date from the issuance and sale of any common stock or other equity securities by the Company (or, after the Acquisition Effective Date, the Parent) (including, to the extent not duplicative of clause (i) above, any securities convertible or exchangeable into or exercisable for equity securities or other equity-linked securities), other than (i) issuances pursuant to employee stock plans, compensation plans or other benefit or employee or director incentive arrangements (including, for the avoidance of doubt, employee and director 401(k) plans), (ii) equity securities issued or transferred directly (and not constituting cash proceeds of any issuance of such equity securities) as consideration in connection with any acquisition, (iii) equity issuances pursuant to the Separation Agreement or the Acquisition Agreement (and not constituting a market issuance), and (iv) issuances of common stock or any other equity securities pursuant to the exercise of options to purchase such securities if necessary to effectuate an option direction upon exercise or for withholding of taxes; and
(iii) 100% of the Net Cash Proceeds received by any member of the Group after the Effective Date from the sale or other disposition of any property or assets of any member of the Group (including any Sale and Leaseback Transaction and sales or issuances of equity interests in any member of the Group, but excluding proceeds of any casualty loss or damage to, or any condemnation of, any property or asset of any member of the Group) outside the ordinary course of business, other than (i) sales, issuances and other dispositions between or among the members of the Group, (ii) asset sales or dispositions contemplated by the Separation Agreement and (iii) sales and other dispositions the Net Cash Proceeds of which do not exceed $25,000,000 in any transaction or series of related transactions or $50,000,000 in the aggregate since the Effective Date; provided that if the Borrower shall have given written notice to the Administrative Agent that such member of the Group intends to reinvest such Net Cash Proceeds within 180 days of receipt thereof in long-term assets to be used in the business of such member of the Group, such Net Cash Proceeds (or the portion thereof specified in such notice) shall not be subject to this clause (iii), except if such Net Cash Proceeds are not so reinvested by the end of such 180-day period (or, to the extent committed to be reinvested within such 180-day period, within 270 days of receipt thereof), in which case the portion thereof not so reinvested shall then be subject to the provisions of this clause (iii).
(c) In addition, if any member of the Group enters into any committed but unfunded credit facility (including an amendment to an existing credit facility, other than this Agreement) for the stated purpose of providing financing for the Special Cash Payment or any portion thereof, or a commitment letter or definitive credit or similar agreement with respect thereto has become effective, and the conditions precedent to funding thereunder are no less favorable to such member of the Group or are more favorable to such member of the Group than the conditions set forth in this Agreement to the funding of the Tranche 1 Loans (as determined by the Borrower in good faith) (a “Qualifying Loan Facility”), then the Tranche 1 Commitments shall be automatically reduced on a US Dollar-for-US Dollar basis (with the US Dollar equivalent of any commitments denominated in a currency other than US Dollars determined based on customary exchange rates prevailing at the time of receipt by the Group of such commitments) by the committed amount of such Qualifying Loan Facility.
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(d) Any required reduction of Tranche 1 Commitments resulting from Section 2.10(b) or (c) shall be effective on the same day as such Net Cash Proceeds are received or, in the case of any Qualifying Loan Facility, the date of effectiveness of the definitive credit or similar agreement with respect thereto. Any required prepayment of Tranche 1 Loans resulting from Section 2.10(b) shall be made on or prior to the third Business Day after such Net Cash Proceeds are received by a member of the Group. The Borrower shall provide the Administrative Agent with prompt written notice of any event giving rise to a requirement for a reduction of Tranche 1 Commitments or prepayment of Tranche 1 Loans.
(e) Each reduction of Tranche 1 Commitments resulting from Section 2.10(b) or (c) shall be made ratably among the Lenders under Tranche 1 in accordance with their respective Tranche 1 Commitments. Each partial prepayment of Tranche 1 Loans shall be applied ratably to the Tranche 1 Loans. Prepayments of Tranche 1 Loans shall be without premium or penalty but shall be accompanied by (i) accrued interest to the extent required by Section 2.12 and (ii) break funding payments pursuant to Section 2.15.
(f) There shall be no mandatory prepayments of Tranche 2 Loans or mandatory reductions of Tranche 2 Commitments pursuant to this Section 2.10 (other than to the extent applicable pursuant to paragraph (a) of this Section 2.10).
SECTION 2.11. Fees.
(a) The Borrower agrees to pay to the Administrative Agent for the ratable account of each Lender an undrawn commitment fee (the “Commitment Fee”) in US Dollars at the Commitment Fee Rate on the daily average amount of such Lender’s aggregate unused Commitments, accruing during the period from and including the Effective Date to but excluding the earlier of (x) the last day of the Availability Period and (y) the Closing Date (such earlier date, the “Commitment Fee Date”); provided, that such Commitment Fee is without duplication of the ticking fee set forth in the Fee Letter. The Commitment Fee shall be due and payable on the Commitment Fee Date (or, if such date is not a Business Day, on the next following Business Day), and shall be calculated on the basis of a 360 day year and payable for the actual days elapsed.
(b) The Borrower agrees to pay to (i) the Administrative Agent, for its own account, fees payable in the amounts and at the times separately agreed upon between the Borrower and the Administrative Agent and (ii) the Administrative Agent, for the account of the Lenders, (as applicable) and to the Arrangers, for their own respective accounts, the fees in the amounts and at the times specified in the Fee Letter or otherwise separately agreed in writing.
(c) All fees payable hereunder shall be paid on the dates due, in immediately available funds, to the Administrative Agent for prompt distribution to the Lenders. Fees paid hereunder shall not be refundable.
SECTION 2.12. Interest.
(a) The Loans comprising each ABR Borrowing shall bear interest at the Alternate Base Rate plus the Applicable Rate.
(b) The Loans comprising each Term SOFR Borrowing shall bear interest at the Term SOFR Rate for the Interest Period in effect for such Borrowing, plus the Applicable Rate.
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(c) [Reserved].
(d) Notwithstanding the foregoing, if any principal of or interest on any Loan or any fee payable by the Borrower hereunder is not paid when due, whether at stated maturity, upon acceleration or otherwise, such overdue amount shall bear interest, after as well as before judgment, at a rate per annum equal to (i) in the case of overdue principal of any Loan, 2% per annum plus the rate otherwise applicable to such Loan as provided in the preceding paragraphs of this Section or (ii) in the case of any other amount, 2% per annum plus the rate applicable to ABR Loans as provided in paragraph (a) above.
(e) Accrued interest on each Loan shall be payable by the Borrower in arrears on each Interest Payment Date for such Loan; provided that (i) interest accrued pursuant to paragraph (d) above shall be payable on demand, (ii) in the event of any repayment or prepayment of any Loan (other than a prepayment of an ABR Loan), accrued interest on the principal amount repaid or prepaid shall be payable on the date of such repayment or prepayment and (iii) in the event of any conversion of any Term SOFR Loan prior to the end of the current Interest Period therefor, accrued interest on such Loan shall be payable on the effective date of such conversion.
(f) All interest hereunder shall be computed on the basis of a year of 360 days, except that interest computed by reference to the Alternate Base Rate at times when the Alternate Base Rate is based on the Prime Rate shall be computed on the basis of a year of 365 days, and in each case shall be payable for the actual number of days elapsed (including the first day but excluding the last day). The applicable Alternate Base Rate or Term SOFR Rate shall be determined by the Administrative Agent, and such determination shall be conclusive absent manifest error.
SECTION 2.13. Alternate Rate of Interest.
(a) Subject to clauses (b), (d), (e), (f) and (g) of this Section 2.13, if:
(i) the Administrative Agent determines (which determination shall be conclusive absent manifest error) prior to the commencement of any Interest Period for a Term Benchmark Borrowing, that adequate and reasonable means do not exist for ascertaining the Term SOFR Rate, (including because the Relevant Screen Rate is not available or published on a current basis), for such Interest Period; or
(ii) the Administrative Agent is advised by the Required Lenders that prior to the commencement of any Interest Period for a Term Benchmark Borrowing, the Term SOFR Rate for such Interest Period will not adequately and fairly reflect the cost to such Lenders (or Lender) of making or maintaining their Loans (or its Loan) included in such Borrowing and such Interest Period;
then the Administrative Agent shall give notice thereof to the Borrower and the Lenders by telephone or electronic transmission as promptly as practicable thereafter and, until (x) the Administrative Agent notifies the Borrower and the Lenders that the circumstances giving rise to such notice no longer exist with respect to the relevant Benchmark and (y) the Borrower delivers a new Interest Election Request in accordance with the terms of Section 2.07 or a new Borrowing Request in accordance with the terms of Section 2.03, (A) any Interest Election Request that requests the conversion of any Borrowing to, or continuation of any Borrowing as, a Term
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Benchmark Borrowing shall be ineffective and (B) if any Borrowing Request requests a Term Benchmark Borrowing, such Borrowing shall be made as an ABR Borrowing; provided that if the circumstances giving rise to such notice affect only one Type of Borrowings, then all other Types of Borrowings shall be permitted. Furthermore, if any Term Benchmark Loan is outstanding on the date of the Borrower’s receipt of the notice from the Administrative Agent referred to in this Section 2.13(a) with respect to a Relevant Rate applicable to such Term Benchmark Loan, then until the Administrative Agent notifies the Borrower and the Lenders that the circumstances giving rise to such notice no longer exist, then on the last day of the Interest Period applicable to such Loan, such Loan shall be converted by the Administrative Agent to, and shall constitute, (x) an Daily Simple SOFR Borrowing so long as the Daily Simple SOFR is not also the subject of Section 2.13(a)(i) or (ii) above or (y) an ABR Loan if the Daily Simple SOFR also is the subject of Section 2.13(a)(i) or (ii) above.
(b) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein or in any other Loan Document, if a Benchmark Transition Event and its related Benchmark Replacement Date have occurred prior to the Reference Time in respect of any setting of the then-current Benchmark, then (x) if a Benchmark Replacement is determined in accordance with clause (1) of the definition of “Benchmark Replacement” for such Benchmark Replacement Date, such Benchmark Replacement will replace such Benchmark for all purposes hereunder and under any Loan Document in respect of such Benchmark setting and subsequent Benchmark settings without any amendment to, or further action or consent of any other party to, this Agreement or any other Loan Document and (y) if a Benchmark Replacement is determined in accordance with clause (2) of the definition of “Benchmark Replacement” for such Benchmark Replacement Date, such Benchmark Replacement will replace such Benchmark for all purposes hereunder and under any Loan Document in respect of any Benchmark setting at or after 5:00 p.m. (New York City time) on the fifth (5th) Business Day after the date notice of such Benchmark Replacement is provided to the Lenders without any amendment to, or further action or consent of any other party to, this Agreement or any other Loan Document so long as the Administrative Agent has not received, by such time, written notice of objection to such Benchmark Replacement from Lenders comprising the Required Lenders.
(c) [Reserved].
(d) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein or in any other Loan Document, the Administrative Agent, in consultation with the Borrower, will have the right to make Benchmark Replacement Conforming Changes from time to time and, notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein or in any other Loan Document, any amendments implementing such Benchmark Replacement Conforming Changes will become effective without any further action or consent of any other party to this Agreement or any other Loan Document.
(e) The Administrative Agent will promptly notify the Borrower and the Lenders of (i) any occurrence of a Benchmark Transition Event, (ii) the implementation of any Benchmark Replacement, (iii) the effectiveness of any Benchmark Replacement Conforming Changes, (iv) the removal or reinstatement of any tenor of a Benchmark pursuant to clause (f) below and (v) the commencement or conclusion of any Benchmark Unavailability Period. Any determination, decision or election that may be made by the Administrative Agent or, if applicable, any Lender (or group of Lenders) pursuant to this Section 2.13, including any determination with respect to a
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tenor, rate or adjustment or of the occurrence or non-occurrence of an event, circumstance or date and any decision to take or refrain from taking any action or any selection, will be conclusive and binding absent manifest error and may be made in its or their sole discretion and without consent from any other party to this Agreement or any other Loan Document, except, in each case, as expressly required pursuant to this Section 2.13.
(f) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein or in any other Loan Document, at any time (including in connection with the implementation of a Benchmark Replacement), (i) if the then-current Benchmark is a term rate (including the Term SOFR Rate) and either (A) any tenor for such Benchmark is not displayed on a screen or other information service that publishes such rate from time to time as selected by the Administrative Agent in its reasonable discretion or (B) the regulatory supervisor for the administrator of such Benchmark has provided a public statement or publication of information announcing that any tenor for such Benchmark is or will be no longer representative, then the Administrative Agent may modify the definition of “Interest Period” for any Benchmark settings at or after such time to remove such unavailable or non-representative tenor and (ii) if a tenor that was removed pursuant to clause (i) above either (A) is subsequently displayed on a screen or information service for a Benchmark (including a Benchmark Replacement) or (B) is not, or is no longer, subject to an announcement that it is or will no longer be representative for a Benchmark (including a Benchmark Replacement), then the Administrative Agent may modify the definition of “Interest Period” for all Benchmark settings at or after such time to reinstate such previously removed tenor.
(g) Upon the Borrower’s receipt of notice of the commencement of a Benchmark Unavailability Period, the Borrower may revoke any request for a Term Benchmark Borrowing of, conversion to or continuation of Term Benchmark Loans to be made, converted or continued during any Benchmark Unavailability Period and, failing that the Borrower will be deemed to have converted any request for a Term Benchmark Borrowing into a request for a Borrowing of or conversion to (A) an Daily Simple SOFR Borrowing so long as the Daily Simple SOFR is not the subject of a Benchmark Transition Event or (B) an ABR Borrowing if the Daily Simple SOFR is the subject of a Benchmark Transition Event. During any Benchmark Unavailability Period or at any time that a tenor for the then-current Benchmark is not an Available Tenor, the component of Alternate Base Rate based upon the then-current Benchmark or such tenor for such Benchmark, as applicable, will not be used in any determination of Alternate Base Rate. Furthermore, if any Term Benchmark Loan is outstanding on the date of the Borrower’s receipt of notice of the commencement of a Benchmark Unavailability Period with respect to a Relevant Rate applicable to such Term Benchmark Loan, then until such time as a Benchmark Replacement is implemented pursuant to this Section 2.13, then on the last day of the Interest Period applicable to such Loan (or the next succeeding Business Day if such day is not a Business Day), such Loan shall be converted by the Administrative Agent to, and shall constitute, (x) an Daily Simple SOFR Borrowing so long as the Daily Simple SOFR is not the subject of a Benchmark Transition Event or (y) an ABR Loan if the Daily Simple SOFR is the subject of a Benchmark Transition Event.
Notwithstanding anything herein or in any other Loan Document to the contrary, and to the extent administratively and operationally feasible, the Administrative Agent and the Borrower shall cooperate in good faith and use commercially reasonable efforts to satisfy the standards set forth in Proposed Treasury Regulations Section 1.1001-6 (or any successor Treasury Regulations or other official IRS guidance promulgated that supersedes such proposed Treasury
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Regulations) or to otherwise ensure such that the implementation of an alternate rate of interest shall not be treated as a “modification” (and therefor an exchange) of any Loan for purposes of Treasury Regulations Section 1.1001-3, it being understood that the Administrative Agent shall not be required to take any action under this provision that would cause it or the Lenders any commercially unreasonable burden as determined in good faith by the Administrative Agent.
SECTION 2.14. Increased Costs.
(a) If any Change in Law shall:
(i) impose, modify or deem applicable any reserve, special deposit compulsory loan, insurance charge or similar requirement against assets of, deposits with or for the account of, or credit extended by, any Lender (except any such reserve to the extent reflected in the Term SOFR Rate);
(ii) subject any Lender to any Taxes (other than (A) Indemnified Taxes and (B) Excluded Taxes) on its loans or commitments, or its deposits, reserves, other liabilities or capital attributable thereto; or
(iii) impose on any Lender or the applicable offshore interbank market any other condition affecting this Agreement or Term SOFR Loans made by such Lender therein;
and the result of any of the foregoing shall be to increase the cost to such Lender of making or maintaining any Loan (or of maintaining its obligation to make any such Loan) or to increase the cost to such Lender or to reduce the amount of any sum received or receivable by such Lender hereunder (whether of principal, interest or otherwise), then the Borrower will pay to such Lender such additional amount or amounts as will compensate such Lender for such additional costs incurred or reduction suffered.
(b) If any Lender reasonably determines that any Change in Law regarding capital or liquidity requirements has or would have the effect of reducing the rate of return on such Lender’s capital or on the capital of such Lender’s holding company, if any, as a consequence of this Agreement or the Loans made by such Lender to a level below that which such Lender or such Lender’s holding company could have achieved but for such Change in Law (taking into consideration such Lender’s policies and the policies of such Lender’s holding company with respect to capital adequacy and liquidity), then from time to time the Borrower will pay to such Lender such additional amount or amounts as will compensate such Lender or such Lender’s holding company for any such reduction suffered.
(c) A certificate of a Lender setting forth the amount or amounts necessary to compensate such Lender or such Lender’s holding company, as the case may be, as specified in paragraph (a) or (b) of this Section, and setting forth in reasonable detail the calculations used by such Lender to determine such amount, shall be delivered to the Borrower and shall be conclusive absent manifest error. The Borrower shall pay to such Lender the amount shown as due on any such certificate within 15 Business Days after receipt thereof. Any additional interest owed pursuant to paragraph (b) above shall be determined by the relevant Lender, which determination shall be conclusive absent manifest error, and notified to the Borrower (with copies to the Administrative Agent) at least five Business Days before each date on which interest is payable for the relevant Loan, and such additional interest so notified to the Borrower by such Lender shall be payable to the Administrative Agent for the account of such Lender on each date on which interest is payable for such Loan.
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(d) Failure or delay on the part of any Lender to demand compensation pursuant to this Section shall not constitute a waiver of such Lender’s right to demand such compensation; provided that the Borrower shall not be required to compensate a Lender pursuant to this Section for any increased costs or reductions incurred more than 180 days prior to the date that such Lender notifies the Borrower of the Change in Law giving rise to such increased costs or reductions; provided further that, if the Change in Law giving rise to such increased costs or reductions is retroactive, then the 180 day period referred to above shall be extended to include the period of retroactive effect thereof.
SECTION 2.15. Break Funding Payments. In the event of (a) the payment of any principal of any Term SOFR Loan other than on the last day of an Interest Period applicable thereto (including as a result of an Event of Default or an optional or mandatory prepayment of Loans), (b) the conversion of any Term SOFR Loan to a Loan of a different Type or Interest Period other than on the last day of the Interest Period applicable thereto, (c) the failure to borrow, convert, continue or prepay any Loan on the date specified in any notice delivered pursuant hereto (regardless of whether such notice may be revoked under Section 2.09(c) and is revoked in accordance therewith) or (d) the assignment or deemed assignment of any Term SOFR Loan other than on the last day of the Interest Period applicable thereto as a result of a request by the Borrower pursuant to Section 2.18, then, in any such event, the Borrower shall compensate each Lender for the loss, cost and expense attributable to such event. A certificate of any Lender setting forth any amount or amounts that such Lender is entitled to receive pursuant to this Section, and setting forth in reasonable detail the calculations used by such Lender to determine such amount or amounts, shall be delivered to the Borrower and shall be conclusive absent manifest error. The Borrower shall pay such Lender the amount shown as due on any such certificate within 15 Business Days (or such later date as the Borrower and such Lender may agree) after receipt thereof.
SECTION 2.16. Taxes.
(a) Any and all payments by or on account of the Borrower hereunder or under any other Loan Document shall be made free and clear of and without deduction or withholding for any Taxes, except to the extent required by law. If any applicable law (as determined in the good faith discretion of an applicable Withholding Agent) requires the deduction or withholding of any Tax from any such payment by a Withholding Agent, then the applicable Withholding Agent shall be entitled to make such deduction or withholding and shall timely pay the full amount deducted or withheld to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with applicable law and, if such Tax is an Indemnified Tax, then (i) the sum payable shall be increased as necessary so that after making all required deductions or withholdings (including deductions or withholdings applicable to additional sums payable under this Section) the Administrative Agent or the applicable Lender receives an amount equal to the sum it would have received had no such deductions or withholdings been made, (ii) the Withholding Agent shall make such deductions or withholdings and (iii) the Withholding Agent shall pay the full amount deducted or withheld to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with applicable law.
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(b) In addition, the Loan Parties shall pay any Other Taxes to the relevant Governmental Authority in accordance with applicable law; provided, however, that the Loan Parties shall not be required to pay any such Other Taxes (i) that are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings while the contest is being diligently conducted and (ii) for which adequate reserves are established in accordance with GAAP.
(c) The Borrower shall indemnify the Administrative Agent and each Lender, within 15 Business Days after written demand therefor, for the full amount of any Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes paid by the Administrative Agent or such Lender, as the case may be, on or with respect to any payment by or on account of any obligation of the Borrower hereunder or under any other Loan Document (including Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes imposed or asserted on or attributable to amounts payable under this Section) and any penalties, interest and reasonable expenses arising therefrom or with respect thereto, whether or not such Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes were correctly or legally imposed or asserted by the relevant Governmental Authority. A certificate as to the amount of such payment or liability setting forth in reasonable detail the circumstances giving rise thereto and the calculations used by such Lender to determine the amount thereof delivered to the Borrower by a Lender, or by the Administrative Agent, on its own behalf or on behalf of a Lender, shall be conclusive absent manifest error. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Loan Document, no Loan Party shall be required to make any payment to the Administrative Agent or any Lender pursuant to this Section 2.16 unless such Loan Party receives prior written notice from the Administrative Agent or applicable Lender, as applicable, of such Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes within 180 days of the event giving rise to the claim; provided that if such claim arises by reason of the Change in Law that is retroactive, then the 180 day period referred to above shall be extended to include the period of retroactive effect thereof.
(d) As soon as practicable after any payment of Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes by the Borrower to a Governmental Authority, the Borrower shall deliver to the Administrative Agent the original or a certified copy of a receipt issued by such Governmental Authority evidencing such payment, a copy of the return reporting such payment or other evidence of such payment reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent.
(e) Each Lender shall severally indemnify the Administrative Agent for any Taxes (but, in the case of any Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes, only to the extent that any Loan Party has not already indemnified the Administrative Agent for such Indemnified Taxes or Other Taxes and without limiting the obligation of the Loan Parties to do so) attributable to such Lender that are paid or payable by the Administrative Agent in connection with any Loan Document and any reasonable expenses arising therefrom or with respect thereto, whether or not such Taxes were correctly or legally imposed or asserted by the relevant Governmental Authority. The indemnity under this Section 2.16(e) shall be paid within 10 days after the Administrative Agent delivers to the applicable Lender a certificate stating the amount of Taxes so paid or payable by the Administrative Agent. Such certificate shall be conclusive of the amount so paid or payable absent manifest error. Each Lender hereby authorizes the Administrative Agent to set off and apply any and all amounts at any time owing to such Lender under this Agreement or any other Loan Document or otherwise payable by the Administrative Agent to such Lender from any other source against any amount due to the Administrative Agent under this paragraph.
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(f) Any Lender that is from time to time entitled to an exemption from, or reduction of, any applicable withholding Tax with respect to any payments under any Loan Document shall deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent, at the time or times reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, such properly completed and executed documentation reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent as will permit such payments to be made without, or at a reduced rate of, withholding. In addition, any Lender, if requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, shall deliver such other documentation prescribed by law or reasonably requested by the Borrower or the Administrative Agent as will enable the Borrower or the Administrative Agent to determine whether or not such Lender is subject to any withholding (including backup withholding) or information reporting requirements. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the preceding two sentences, the completion, execution and submission of such documentation (other than such documentation set forth in Section 2.16(f)(i)(A) through (E) below) shall not be required if in the Lender’s judgment such completion, execution or submission would subject such Lender to any material unreimbursed cost or expense or would materially prejudice the legal or commercial position of such Lender. Upon the reasonable request of the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, any Lender shall update any form or certification previously delivered pursuant to this Section 2.16(f). If any form or certification previously delivered pursuant to this Section expires or becomes obsolete or inaccurate in any respect with respect to a Lender, such Lender shall promptly (and in any event within 10 days after such expiration, obsolescence or inaccuracy) notify such Borrower and the Administrative Agent in writing of such expiration, obsolescence or inaccuracy and update the form or certification if it is legally eligible to do so.
(i) Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, any Lender shall, if it is legally eligible to do so, deliver to the Borrower and the Administrative Agent (in such number of copies reasonably requested by the Borrower and the Administrative Agent) on or prior to the date on which such Lender becomes a party hereto (and from time to time thereafter upon the reasonable request of the Borrower or the Administrative Agent), duly completed and executed copies of whichever of the following is applicable:
(A) in the case of a Lender that is a US Person, IRS Form W-9 certifying that such Lender is exempt from US federal backup withholding tax;
(B) in the case of a Non-US Lender legally eligible to claim the benefits of an income tax treaty to which the United States is a party (1) with respect to payments of interest under any Loan Document, IRS Form W-8BEN or IRS Form W-8BEN-E, as applicable, establishing an exemption from, or reduction of, US federal withholding Tax pursuant to the “interest” article of such tax treaty and (2) with respect to any other applicable payments under this Agreement, IRS Form W-8BEN or IRS Form W-8BEN-E, as applicable, establishing an exemption from, or reduction of, US federal withholding Tax pursuant to the “business profits” or “other income” article of such tax treaty;
(C) in the case of a Non-US Lender for whom payments under this Agreement constitute income that is effectively connected with such Lender’s conduct of a trade or business in the United States, IRS Form W-8ECI;
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(D) in the case of a Non-US Lender legally eligible to claim the benefits of the exemption for portfolio interest under Section 881(c) of the Code both (1) IRS Form W-8BEN or IRS Form W-8BEN-E, as applicable and (2) a certificate substantially in the form of Exhibit E (a “US Tax Certificate”) to the effect that such Lender is not (a) a “bank” within the meaning of Section 881(c)(3)(A) of the Code, (b) a “10 percent shareholder” of the Borrower within the meaning of Section 881(c)(3)(B) of the Code (c) a “controlled foreign corporation” described in Section 881(c)(3)(C) of the Code and (d) conducting a trade or business in the United States with which the relevant interest payments are effectively connected;
(E) in the case of a Non-US Lender that is not the beneficial owner of payments made under this Agreement (including a partnership or a participating Lender) (1) an IRS Form W-8IMY on behalf of itself and (2) the relevant forms prescribed in clauses (A), (B), (C), (D) and (F) of this Section 2.16(f)(i) that would be required of each such beneficial owner or partner of such partnership if such beneficial owner or partner were a Lender; provided, however, that if the Lender is a partnership and one or more of its partners are claiming the exemption for portfolio interest under Section 881(c) of the Code, such Lender may provide a US Tax Certificate on behalf of such partners; or
(F) any other form prescribed by law as a basis for claiming exemption from, or a reduction of, US federal withholding Tax together with such supplementary documentation necessary to enable the Borrower or the Administrative Agent to determine the amount of Tax (if any) required by law to be withheld.
(ii) If a payment made to a Lender under any Loan Document would be subject to US federal withholding Tax imposed by FATCA if such Lender were to fail to comply with the applicable reporting requirements of FATCA (including those contained in Section 1471(b) or 1472(b) of the Code, as applicable), such Lender shall deliver to the Withholding Agent, at the time or times prescribed by law and at such time or times reasonably requested by the Withholding Agent, such documentation prescribed by applicable law (including as prescribed by Section 1471(b)(3)(C)(i) of the Code) and such additional documentation reasonably requested by the Withholding Agent as may be necessary for the Withholding Agent to comply with its obligations under FATCA, to determine that such Lender has or has not complied with such Lender’s obligations under FATCA and, as necessary, to determine the amount to deduct and withhold from such payment. Solely for purposes of this Section 2.16(f)(ii), “FATCA” shall include any amendments made to FATCA after the date of this Agreement.
(g) If any party determines, in its sole discretion exercised in good faith, that it has received a refund of any Taxes as to which it has been indemnified pursuant to this Section 2.16 (including additional amounts paid pursuant to this Section 2.16), it shall pay to the indemnifying party an amount equal to such refund (but only to the extent of indemnity payments made under this Section with respect to the Taxes giving rise to such refund), net of all out-of-pocket expenses (including any Taxes) of such indemnified party and without interest (other than any interest paid by the relevant Governmental Authority with respect to such refund). Such indemnifying party, upon the request of such indemnified party, shall repay to such indemnified party the amount paid to such indemnifying party pursuant to the previous sentence (plus any penalties, interest or other charges imposed by the relevant Governmental Authority) in the event such indemnified party is
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required to repay such refund to such Governmental Authority. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 2.16(g), in no event will any indemnified party be required to pay any amount to any indemnifying party pursuant to this Section 2.16(g) to the extent that such payment would place such indemnified party in a less favorable position (on a net after-Tax basis) than such indemnified party would have been in if the Tax subject to indemnification and giving rise to such refund had not been deducted, withheld or otherwise imposed and the indemnification payments or additional amounts giving rise to such refund had never been paid. This Section 2.16(g) shall not be construed to require any indemnified party to make available its Tax returns (or any other information relating to its Taxes which it deems confidential) to the indemnifying party or any other Person.
(h) The Administrative Agent shall assume primary withholding responsibility under Chapters 3 and 4 of the Code and primary Form 1099 and Form 1042-S reporting and backup withholding responsibility with respect to payments it receives on account of any Lender. In furtherance of the foregoing, (i) if the Administrative Agent is a U.S. Person it shall deliver to the Borrower properly completed and duly signed original copies of IRS Form W-9 certifying that it is exempt from federal backup withholding and (ii) if the Administrative Agent is not a U.S. Person it shall deliver to the Borrower properly completed and duly signed copies of Internal Revenue Service Form W-8ECI with respect to payments received on its own behalf and, with respect to payments received on account of any Lender, properly completed and duly signed copies of Internal Revenue Service Form W-8IMY (or successor form) certifying that the Administrative Agent is either (a) a “qualified intermediary” assuming primary withholding responsibility under Chapters 3 and 4 of the Code and primary Form 1099 reporting and backup withholding responsibility for payments it receives for the accounts of others, or (b) a “U.S. branch” and that the payments it receives for the account of others are not effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business in the United States, and in each of clause (a) and (b), that the Administrative Agent is using such form as evidence of its agreement with the Borrower to be treated as a U.S. Person with respect to such payments.
(i) Each party’s obligations under this Section 2.16 shall survive the resignation or replacement of the Administrative Agent or any assignment of rights by, or the replacement of, a Lender, the termination of the Commitments and the repayment, satisfaction or discharge of all obligations under any Loan Document.
(j) For purposes of this Section 2.16, the term “applicable law” includes FATCA.
SECTION 2.17. Payments Generally; Pro Rata Treatment; Sharing of Setoffs.
(a) The Borrower shall make each payment required to be made by it hereunder or under any other Loan Document (whether of principal, interest or fees, or of amounts payable under Section 2.14, 2.15 or 2.16, or otherwise) prior to the time expressly required hereunder (or, if no such time is expressly required, prior to 12:00 noon, New York City time) on the date when due, in immediately available funds, without setoff or counterclaim. Any amounts received after such time on any date may, in the discretion of the Administrative Agent, be deemed to have been received on the next succeeding Business Day for purposes of calculating interest thereon. All such payments shall be made to the Administrative Agent to the applicable account specified in an Administrative Questionnaire provided by the Administrative Agent to the Borrower from time to
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time; provided that payments pursuant to Sections 2.14, 2.15, 2.16 and 9.03 shall be made directly to the Persons entitled thereto and payments pursuant to other Loan Documents shall be made to the Persons specified therein (it being agreed that the Borrower will be deemed to have satisfied their obligations with respect to payments referred to in this proviso if they shall make such payments to the persons entitled thereto in accordance with instructions provided by the Administrative Agent; the Administrative Agent agrees to provide such instructions upon request, and the Borrower will not be deemed to have failed to make such a payment if it shall transfer such payment to an improper account or address as a result of the failure of the Administrative Agent to provide proper instructions). The Administrative Agent shall distribute any such payments received by it for the account of any Lender or other Person promptly following receipt thereof at the appropriate lending office or other address specified by such Lender or other Person. If any payment hereunder shall be due on a day that is not a Business Day, the date for payment shall be extended to the next succeeding Business Day, and, in the case of any payment accruing interest, interest thereon shall be payable for the period of such extension. All payments hereunder of principal or interest in respect of any Loan shall, except or otherwise expressly provided herein, be made in US Dollars. Any payment required to be made by the Administrative Agent hereunder shall be deemed to have been made by the time required if the Administrative Agent shall, at or before such time, have taken the necessary steps to make such payment in accordance with the regulations or operating procedures of the clearing or settlement system used by the Administrative Agent to make such payment.
(b) If any Lender shall, by exercising any right of setoff or counterclaim or otherwise, obtain payment in respect of any principal of or interest on any Tranche of its Loans resulting in such Lender receiving payment of a greater proportion of the aggregate amount of its Loans of such Tranche and accrued interest thereon than the proportion received by any other Lender in respect of such Tranche, then the Lender receiving such greater proportion shall purchase (for cash at face value) participations in the Loans such Tranche of other Lenders to the extent necessary so that the benefit of all such payments shall be shared by the Lenders ratably in accordance with the aggregate amount of their respective Loans of such Tranche and accrued interest thereon; provided that (i) if any such participations are purchased and all or any portion of the payment giving rise thereto is recovered, such participations shall be rescinded and the purchase price restored to the extent of such recovery, without interest and (ii) the provisions of this paragraph shall not be construed to apply to any payment made by the Borrower pursuant to and in accordance with the express terms of this Agreement or any payment obtained by a Lender as consideration for the assignment of or sale of a participation in any of its Loans to any assignee or participant, other than to the Borrower or any Subsidiary or Affiliate thereof (as to which the provisions of this paragraph shall apply). The Borrower consents to the foregoing and agrees, to the extent it may effectively do so under applicable law, that any Lender acquiring a participation pursuant to the foregoing arrangements may exercise against the Borrower rights of setoff and counterclaim with respect to such participation as fully as if such Lender were a direct creditor of the Borrower in the amount of such participation.
(c) Unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice from the Borrower prior to the date on which any payment is due for the account of all or certain of the Lenders hereunder that the Borrower will not make such payment, the Administrative Agent may assume that the Borrower has made such payment on such date in accordance herewith and may, in reliance upon such assumption, distribute to the applicable Lenders the amount due. In such event, if the
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Borrower has not in fact made such payment, then each of the applicable Lenders severally agrees to repay to the Administrative Agent forthwith on demand the amount so distributed to such Lender with interest thereon, for each day from and including the date such amount is distributed to it to but excluding the date of payment to the Administrative Agent, at a rate determined by the Administrative Agent in accordance with banking industry practices on interbank compensation.
(d) If any Lender shall fail to make any payment required to be made by it to the Administrative Agent pursuant to this Agreement, then the Administrative Agent may, in its discretion (notwithstanding any contrary provision hereof), apply any amounts thereafter received by them for the account of such Lender to satisfy such Lender’s obligations to the Administrative Agent until all such unsatisfied obligations are fully paid.
SECTION 2.18. Mitigation Obligations; Replacement of Lenders. If any Lender requests compensation under Section 2.14, or if the Borrower is required to pay any additional amount to any Lender or any Governmental Authority for the account of any Lender pursuant to Section 2.16, then such Lender shall use reasonable efforts to designate a different lending office for funding or booking its Loans hereunder or to assign and delegate its rights and obligations hereunder to another of its offices, branches or Affiliates, if, in the judgment of such Lender, such designation or assignment and delegation (i) would eliminate or reduce amounts payable pursuant to Section 2.14 or 2.16, as the case may be, in the future and (ii) would not subject such Lender to any unreimbursed cost or expense and would not otherwise be disadvantageous to such Lender. The Borrower hereby agrees to pay all reasonable, direct, out-of-pocket costs and expenses incurred by any Lender in connection with any such designation or assignment and delegation.
(a) If (i) any Lender requests compensation under Section 2.14, (ii) any Loan Party is required to pay any additional amount to any Lender or any Governmental Authority for the account of any Lender pursuant to Section 2.16, (iii) any Lender fails to approve any matter requiring the approval of all Lenders or such Lender that has been approved by the Required Lenders or (iv) any Lender becomes a Defaulting Lender, then the Borrower may, at its sole expense and effort, upon notice to such Lender and the Administrative Agent, require such Lender to assign and delegate, without recourse (in accordance with and subject to the restrictions contained in Section 9.04), all its interests, rights and obligations under the Loan Documents to an assignee that shall assume such obligations (which assignee may be another Lender, if a Lender accepts such assignment); provided that (A) the Borrower shall have received the prior written consent of the Administrative Agent, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, (B) such Lender shall have received payment of an amount equal to the outstanding principal of its Loans, accrued interest thereon, accrued fees and all other amounts payable to it hereunder, from the assignee or the Borrower, (C) in the case of any such assignment resulting from a claim for compensation under Section 2.14 or payments required to be made pursuant to Section 2.16, such assignment will result in a reduction in such compensation or payments and (D) in the case of any such assignment resulting from the failure to approve any matter requiring the approval of all Lenders or such Lender, the applicable assignee shall have consented to the applicable matter. A Lender shall not be required to make any such assignment and delegation if, prior thereto, as a result of a waiver by such Lender or otherwise, the circumstances entitling the Borrower to require such assignment and delegation cease to apply. Each party hereto agrees that an assignment and delegation required pursuant to this paragraph may be effected pursuant to an Assignment and Assumption executed by the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and the assignee and that the Lender required to make such assignment and delegation need not be a party thereto.
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SECTION 2.19. Defaulting Lenders. Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, if any Lender becomes a Defaulting Lender, then the following provisions shall apply for so long as such Lender is a Defaulting Lender:
(a) the undrawn Commitment Fee shall cease to accrue on the unused amount of the Commitment of such Defaulting Lender pursuant to Section 2.11(a);
(b) the Commitments and Loans of such Defaulting Lender shall not be included in determining whether the Required Lenders or any other requisite Lenders have taken or may take any action hereunder or under any other Loan Document (including any consent to any amendment, waiver or other modification pursuant to Section 9.02); provided that any amendment, waiver or other modification requiring the consent of all Lenders or all Lenders affected thereby shall, except as otherwise provided in Section 9.02, require the consent of such Defaulting Lender in accordance with the terms hereof;
(c) The provisions of this Section 2.19 shall not impair any right, remedy or recourse that the Borrower may have against any Lender for breach of its obligations hereunder.
SECTION 2.20. Substitution of the Parent or WTC as the Borrower. On and after the date that is 90 days following the Acquisition Effective Date, the Company and the Parent or WTC may elect, so long as no Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, to designate the Parent or WTC, as applicable, as the Borrower (in lieu of the Company) hereunder and under the Loan Documents (such borrower, the “Successor Borrower”), whereupon the Successor Borrower shall assume all the rights and Obligations as Borrower and the Successor Borrower shall be released from its obligations as Guarantor hereunder and under the Loan Documents, subject to the satisfaction of the following conditions (the date on which such conditions are first satisfied, the “Borrower Succession Date”):
(a) delivery of 10 Business Days’ (or such shorter period as may be agreed by the Administrative Agent) prior written notice to the Administrative Agent executed by the Company and the Successor Borrower as to the election to substitute the Successor Borrower as the Borrower;
(b) the execution and delivery by the Successor Borrower to the Administrative Agent of a Joinder Agreement whereby the Successor Borrower shall expressly assume all the rights and Obligations of the Company in its capacity as the Borrower under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents on the Borrower Succession Date;
(c) delivery by the Successor Borrower of all documentation and information as is reasonably requested in writing by the Lenders at least three days prior to the anticipated Borrower Succession Date in connection with applicable “know your customer” and anti-money laundering rules and regulations, including the Patriot Act and the Beneficial Ownership Regulation with respect to the Successor Borrower;
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(d) a customary secretary’s certificate for the Successor Borrower certifying as to (A) the name, incumbency and specimen signature of each Responsible Officer of the Successor Borrower executing the such Joinder Agreement and each other document to be delivered by such Person from time to time in connection herewith and therewith, (B) the resolutions attached thereto and other corporate proceedings relating to the authorization, execution and delivery of the Joinder Agreement and (C) its organizational documents and good standings in the state, province or territory in which it is organized;
(e) a customary opinion of Kirkland and Ellis LLP, as special New York counsel for the Successor Borrower, addressed to the Administrative Agent and each Lender; and
(f) the satisfaction of the Guarantee Requirement with respect to the Company to the extent required hereunder.
Upon the Borrower Succession Date, the Successor Borrower will succeed to, and be substituted for (and assume all rights and Obligations of), the Company solely in its capacity as Borrower under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents.
ARTICLE III
Representations and Warranties
The Company (and upon the execution and delivery of the Parent Guarantee Agreement, the Parent) represents and warrants on each of the Effective Date, the Closing Date, the Acquisition Effective Date and the Borrower Succession Date, as follows, provided that (i) on the Effective Date and the Closing Date the representations made by the Company shall be limited to the Specified Representations and (ii) no representations and warranties are made by the Company prior to the Acquisition Effective Date with respect to the Parent and its subsidiaries:
SECTION 3.01. Corporate Existence and Standing. Each member of the Group is duly organized, validly existing and in good standing under the laws of its jurisdiction of incorporation, except for failures which, individually or in the aggregate, could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect or a material adverse effect on the rights or interests of the Lenders hereunder, and has all requisite authority to conduct its business in each jurisdiction in which the failure so to qualify could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
SECTION 3.02. Authorization; No Violation. The execution, delivery and performance by the Loan Parties of the Loan Documents, the borrowing of Loans and the use of proceeds of such Loans are within each Loan Party’s corporate or partnership powers, have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate or partnership action and do not contravene (i) any Loan Party’s charter, by-laws or other constitutive documents or (ii) any law or contractual restriction binding on or affecting any Loan Party, except for contraventions of contractual restrictions which individually or in the aggregate could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect or a material adverse effect on the rights or interests of the Lender hereunder.
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SECTION 3.03. Governmental Consents. No authorization or approval or other action by, and no notice to or filing with, any Governmental Authority or regulatory body is required for the due execution, delivery and performance by the Loan Parties of this Agreement or the other Loan Documents.
SECTION 3.04. Validity. This Agreement is, and the other Loan Documents when executed and delivered will be, the legal, valid and binding obligations of the Loan Parties party thereto, enforceable against such Loan Parties in accordance with their respective terms, subject to the effect of any applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or similar law affecting creditors’ rights generally and to the effect of general principles of equity (regardless of whether such enforceability is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law).
SECTION 3.05. Use of Proceeds. The Borrower will use the proceeds of the Loans, together with any other proceeds of the Permanent Financing, to pay the Special Cash Payment and fees and expenses related to the Transactions and any proceeds of the Loans in excess of the foregoing may be used to pay all or any portion of the RMT Partner Special Cash Payment. No part of the proceeds of the Loans shall be used by the Borrower or any Subsidiary (A) for the purpose of furthering an offer, payment, promise to pay, or authorization of the payment or giving of money, or anything else of value, to any Person in violation of any Anti-Corruption Laws or (B) for the purpose of funding, financing or facilitating any activities, businesses or transactions of or with any Sanctioned Person, or in any Sanctioned Country, to the extent such activities, businesses or transactions would be prohibited by Sanctions.
SECTION 3.06. Litigation. As of the date hereof, there is no pending or, to the best of the knowledge of the Company (and, on and after the Acquisition Effective Date, the Parent), threatened action or proceeding affecting any member of the Group before any court, Governmental Authority or arbitrator, which could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, or which purports to affect the legality, validity or enforceability of this Agreement or any other Loan Document.
SECTION 3.07. Financial Statements; No Material Adverse Change.
(a) The Contributed Business Financial Information delivered to the Lenders on or prior to the Closing Date fairly presents in all material respects the consolidated financial position and results of operations of the Contributed Business, in the aggregate, as of the respective dates thereof or the periods then ended in conformity with GAAP, in each case except as may be noted therein and subject to the absence of footnote disclosures and to normal and recurring year-end adjustments that are not, individually or in the aggregate, material to the Contributed Business; provided that the Contributed Business Financial Information and the foregoing representations and warranties are qualified by the fact that (A) the Contributed Business has not operated on a separate standalone basis and has historically been reported within BD’s consolidated financial statements, (B) the Contributed Business Financial Information assumes certain allocated charges and credits which do not necessarily reflect amounts that would have resulted from arm’s-length transactions or that the Contributed Business would incur on a standalone basis, and (C) the Contributed Business Financial Information is not necessarily indicative of what the results of operations, financial position and cash flows of the Contributed Business or the members of the Group will be in the future.
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(b) The Parent Financial Information delivered to the Lenders on or prior to the Closing Date fairly present in all material respects the consolidated financial position of the Parent and its Subsidiaries as at such dates and their consolidated results of operations, shareholders’ equity and cash flows for the periods then ended in conformity with GAAP.
(c) There has been, since December 31, 2024, no Material Adverse Effect.
SECTION 3.08. Investment Company Act. The Company (and, on and after the Acquisition Effective Date, the Parent) is not an “investment company” or a company “controlled” by an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940.
SECTION 3.09. Taxes. Each member of the Group has timely filed or caused to be filed all Tax returns and reports required to have been filed by it and has paid or caused to be paid all Taxes required to have been paid by it, except (a) Taxes that are being contested in good faith by appropriate proceedings and for which the member of the Group, as applicable, has set aside on its books adequate reserves or (b) to the extent that the failure to do so could not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
SECTION 3.10. ERISA. No ERISA Event has occurred or is reasonably expected to occur that, when taken together with all other such ERISA Events that have occurred, could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
SECTION 3.11. Regulation U. No member of the Group is engaged in the business of purchasing or carrying Margin Stock. The value of the Margin Stock owned directly or indirectly by any member of the Group which is subject to any arrangement hereunder described in the definition of “indirectly secured” in Section 221.2 of Regulation U issued by the Board represents less than 25% of the value of all assets of the Group subject to such arrangement. For the purpose of making the calculation pursuant to the preceding sentence, to the extent consistent with Regulation U, treasury stock shall be deemed not to be an asset of the Group.
SECTION 3.12. Environmental Matters. The operations of each member of the Group comply in all material respects with all Environmental Laws, the noncompliance with which could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.
SECTION 3.13. Disclosure.
(a) None of the Confidential Information Memorandum or any other information prepared and furnished by or on behalf of the Loan Parties to the Administrative Agent or any Lender in connection with the negotiation of this Agreement or delivered hereunder (as modified or supplemented by other information so furnished) contains or will contain as of the date thereof (or, in the case of any such information that is not dated, the earliest date on which such information is furnished to the Administrative Agent or any Lender) any material misstatement of fact or omits or will omit to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that, with respect to projected financial information, the Company (and, on and after the Acquisition Effective Date, the Parent) represents only that such information was prepared in good faith based upon assumptions believed to be reasonable at the time.
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(b) To the best knowledge of the Company (and, on and after the Acquisition Effective Date, the Parent), the information included in the Beneficial Ownership Certification, if applicable, provided on or prior to the Effective Date, the Closing Date, the Acquisition Effective Date or the Borrower Succession Date, as applicable, to any Lender in connection with this Agreement is true and correct in all respects.
SECTION 3.14. Subsidiary Guarantors. On and after the Acquisition Effective Date, the Subsidiary Guarantors include each Subsidiary of the Parent other than Excluded Subsidiaries and newly-acquired or created Domestic Subsidiaries that are not yet required to have become Subsidiary Guarantors under the definition of “Guarantee Requirement”.
SECTION 3.15. Anti-Corruption Laws and Sanctions. The Company (and, on and after the Acquisition Effective Date, the Parent) has implemented and maintains in effect policies and procedures reasonably designed to ensure compliance by the Group and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents with Anti-Corruption Laws and applicable Sanctions, and each member of the Group and their respective officers and, to the knowledge of the Company (and, on and after the Acquisition Effective Date, the Parent), its directors, employees and agents, are in compliance with Anti-Corruption Laws and applicable Sanctions in all material respects. No member of (a) the Group or to the knowledge of the Company (and, on and after the Acquisition Effective Date, the Parent), any of their respective directors, officers or employees or (b) to the knowledge of the Company (and, on and after the Acquisition Effective Date, the Parent), any agent of the member of the Group that will act in any capacity in connection with or benefit from the credit facility established hereby, is a Sanctioned Person.
SECTION 3.16. Affected Financial Institutions. No member of the Group is an Affected Financial Institution.
SECTION 3.17. Solvency. Immediately after giving effect to the consummation of the Acquisition and the other Transactions, including the making of Loans, and after giving effect to the application of the proceeds of such Loans, the Group, on a consolidated basis, is Solvent.
ARTICLE IV
Conditions
SECTION 4.01. Conditions to Effectiveness. This Agreement shall become effective on the date that each of the following conditions shall have been satisfied (or waived in accordance with Section 9.02):
(a) The Administrative Agent’s receipt of the following, each of which shall be originals or transmitted electronically unless otherwise specified, properly executed by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower (if applicable), dated the Effective Date (or, in the case of certificates of governmental officials, a recent date before the Effective Date) and in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Administrative Agent and each of the Lenders:
(i) executed counterparts of this Agreement, sufficient in number for distribution to the Administrative Agent, each Lender and the Borrower;
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(ii) a customary secretary’s certificate for the Borrower certifying as to (A) the name, incumbency and specimen signature of a Responsible Officer of the Borrower executing the Loan Documents and each other document to be delivered by such Person from time to time in connection herewith and therewith, (B) the resolutions attached thereto and other corporate proceedings relating to the authorization, execution and delivery of the Loan Documents and (C) its organizational documents and good standings in the state, province or territory in which it is organized;
(iii) such customary documents and certifications as the Administrative Agent may reasonably require to evidence that the Borrower is duly organized, validly existing and in good standing;
(iv) a customary opinion of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, as special New York counsel for the Borrower, addressed to the Administrative Agent and each Lender;
(v) upon the reasonable request of any Lender made at least ten days prior to the Effective Date, the Borrower shall have provided to such Lender the documentation and other information so requested in connection with applicable “know your customer” and anti-money-laundering rules and regulations, in each case at least three Business Days prior to the Effective Date; and
(A) upon the reasonable request of a Lender made at least ten Business Days prior to the Effective Date, if the Borrower qualifies as a “legal entity customer” under the Beneficial Ownership Regulation, the Borrower shall deliver a Beneficial Ownership Certification prior to the Effective Date; and
(b) Any and all fees required to be paid pursuant to this Agreement, the Commitment Letter or the Fee Letter on or before the Effective Date shall have been paid.
Without limiting the generality of the provisions of Section 9.02, for purposes of determining compliance with the conditions specified in this Section 4.01, each Lender that has signed this Agreement shall be deemed to have consented to, approved or accepted or to be satisfied with, each document or other matter required thereunder to be consented to or approved by or acceptable or satisfactory to a Lender unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice from such Lender prior to the proposed Effective Date specifying its objection thereto.
SECTION 4.02. Conditions to the Closing Date. The occurrence of the Closing Date and the obligation of each Lender to make its Loans to the Borrower on the Closing Date is subject to satisfaction (or waiver in accordance with Section 9.02) of solely the following conditions precedent during the Availability Period:
(a) the Effective Date shall have occurred.
(b) (i) The Contribution and the Special Cash Payment shall have been (or substantially concurrently with the funding of the Loans, shall be) consummated and (ii) the Arrangers shall have received a certificate from a Responsible Officer of the Company certifying that (x) the conditions for the consummation of the Stock Distribution set forth in the Separation Agreement are (or, substantially concurrently with the funding of the Loans, shall be, or are expected on the
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Closing Date to be), satisfied or waived (other than those conditions that are expected to be satisfied or waived contemporaneously with or prior to the consummation of the Acquisition no later than one Business Day following the Closing Date) and (y) not later than one Business Day following the Closing Date, the Stock Distribution and the Acquisition are expected to be (or, substantially concurrently with the funding of the Loans, shall be) consummated, in each case of clause (i) and (ii)(y), pursuant to, and in all material respects in accordance with, the Separation Agreement and the Acquisition Agreement, as applicable, without giving effect to any amendment, modification or waiver or consent by Parent or its applicable subsidiaries, that is material and adverse to the interests of the Lenders or the Arrangers (in their respective capacities as such) without the Arrangers’ prior written consent (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld, delayed or conditioned), it being understood and agreed that changes in the amount of the Special Cash Payment pursuant to the Acquisition Agreement in effect on the Original Signing Date (other than changes in the amount of the Special Cash Payment effected pursuant to the terms of the Acquisition Agreement in effect on the Original Signing Date) shall not be deemed to be materially adverse to the interests of the Lenders and the Arrangers and shall not require the consent of the Arrangers if, in the case of a reduction of the Special Cash Payment, the Commitments are reduced (A) US Dollar-for-US Dollar with such reduction, less (B) the amount by which the RMT Partner Special Cash Payment is increased pursuant to the terms of the Acquisition Agreement in effect on the Original Signing Date.
(c) Except (i) as otherwise disclosed or identified in (a) the Company SEC Documents (as defined in the Acquisition Agreement as in effect on the Original Signing Date) filed with or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission and publicly available on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s EDGAR database at least one Business Day prior to the Original Signing Date (excluding any disclosures of factors or risks contained or references therein under the captions “Risk Factors” or “Forward-Looking Statements” to the extent they are forward-looking statements and any other similar general, forward-looking, predictive or cautionary statements) or (b) Section 5.6 of the SpinCo Disclosure Schedule (as defined in the Acquisition Agreement as in effect on the Original Signing Date) (or any other section of the SpinCo Disclosure Schedule to the extent that it is reasonably apparent on the face of such disclosure that it is relevant to or applies to the representation or warranty at Section 5.6(b) of the Acquisition Agreement), or (ii) in connection with the process related to the potential separation, disposition or sale of the SpinCo Business (as defined in the Acquisition Agreement as in effect on the Original Signing Date) and the review of strategic alternatives with respect to the SpinCo Business or as contemplated by the Acquisition Agreement or the other Transaction Documents (as defined in the Acquisition Agreement as in effect on the Original Signing Date) (including the reorganizations and transactions undertaken to facilitate the Reorganization (as defined in the Acquisition Agreement as in effect on the Original Signing Date) and the Distribution (as defined in the Acquisition Agreement as in effect on the Original Signing Date)), since September 30, 2024, there has not occurred any event, change, occurrence, circumstance, development or effect that is, or would reasonably be expected to result in, individually or in the aggregate, a SpinCo Material Adverse Effect (as defined in the Acquisition Agreement in effect on the Original Signing Date).
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(d) The Arrangers shall have received:
(i) with respect to the Parent and its Subsidiaries (the “Parent Financial Information”):
(A) (i) audited consolidated financial statements of the Parent, prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP, for each of its three most recent fiscal years ended at least 60 days prior to the Closing Date (and the related audit reports) and (ii) unaudited consolidated financial statements of the Parent, prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP, as of the last day of, and for, any fiscal quarter (other than the fourth fiscal quarter), and the portion of the fiscal year, ended after the date of its most recent audited financial statements delivered pursuant to clause (i) above (and corresponding periods of any prior year) and more than 40 days prior to the Closing Date. The Arrangers hereby acknowledge that the Parent’s public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Exchange Act of any required financial statements will satisfy the requirements of the foregoing clauses (i) and (ii), provided that a subsequent Form 8-K, Item 4.02 has not been filed with respect to the financial statements included therein.
(B) (i) unaudited pro forma consolidated statements of income of the Parent giving effect to the Transactions and any other recent or probable acquisition for each of (A) the most recent fiscal year of the Parent for which audited consolidated financial statements of the Parent are provided pursuant to clause (d)(i)(A)(i) above and (B) the portion of the fiscal year, if any, since the date of such audited consolidated financial statements of the Parent through the date of the most recent unaudited consolidated financial statements of the Parent provided pursuant to clause (d)(i)(A)(ii) above, and (ii) an unaudited pro forma consolidated balance sheet of the Parent giving effect to the Transactions and any other recent or probable acquisition as of the date of the most recent consolidated balance sheet of the Parent provided pursuant to clause (d)(i)(A) (i) or clause (d)(i)(A)(ii), as applicable, in each case, under this clause (d)(i)(B) as would be required by Rule 3-05 and Article 11 of Regulation S-X under the Exchange Act in a current report on Form 8-K based on the Closing Date, regardless of when the Parent files such financial statements, it being understood that to the extent such pro forma financial statements are filed by the Parent or the Borrower with the SEC, the condition set forth in this paragraph shall be deemed satisfied, provided that a subsequent Form 8-K, Item 4.02 has not been filed with respect to the financial statements included therein.
The Arrangers hereby acknowledge receipt of the financial statements for the Parent for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2024 and for the fiscal quarter ended September 27, 2025.
(ii) with respect to the Contributed Business: (i) audited consolidated financial statements of the Contributed Business, prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP, for each of its three most recent fiscal years ended at least 90 days prior to the Closing Date (and the related audit reports); provided that notwithstanding the foregoing in no event shall the Borrower be required to provide such financial statements for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2022 or any period prior thereto and (ii) unaudited consolidated financial statements of the Contributed Business, prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP, as of the last day of, and for, any fiscal quarter (other than the fourth fiscal quarter), and the portion of the fiscal year, ended after the date of its most recent audited financial statements delivered pursuant to clause (i) above (and corresponding periods of any prior year) and more than 60 days prior to the Closing Date. The Arrangers hereby acknowledge that the public filings by the Borrower or any parent entity of the Borrower with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Exchange Act of any such required financial statements with respect to the Contributed Business will satisfy the requirements of the foregoing clauses (i) and (ii), provided that a subsequent Form 8-K, Item 4.02 has not been filed with respect to the financial statements included therein (the “Contributed Business Financial Information”).
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The Arrangers hereby acknowledge receipt of the financial statements for the Contributed Business for the fiscal years ended September 30, 2023, September 30, 2024 and September 30, 2025.
(e) The Arrangers, the Administrative Agent and the Lenders shall have received all fees and invoiced expenses required to be paid on or prior to the Closing Date pursuant to the Commitment Letter, the Fee Letter or this Agreement, in each case, to the extent invoiced at least three Business Days prior to the Closing Date.
(f) At the time of and upon giving effect to the Borrowing and application of the Loans on the Closing Date, (a) the Contributed Business Representations shall be true and correct to the extent required by the definition thereof, (b) the Specified Representations shall be true and correct in all material respects (without duplication of any materiality qualifier set forth therein), except in the case of any Specified Representation that expressly relates to a given date or period, in which case it shall be true and correct in all material respects (without duplication of any materiality qualifier set forth therein) as of the respective date for the respective period and (c) there shall not exist any Event of Default under paragraphs (a) or (g) (solely with respect to the Company) of Article VII of this Agreement.
(g) the Administrative Agent’s receipt of the following, each of which shall be originals or transmitted electronically unless otherwise specified, each properly executed by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower, each dated the Closing Date (or, in the case of the Borrowing Request, prior to the Closing Date):
(i) a customary certificate signed by a Responsible Officer of the Borrower certifying that the conditions specified in Sections 4.02(b), (c) and (f) have been satisfied;
(ii) [reserved];
(iii) a Solvency Certificate; and
(iv) a Borrowing Request.
SECTION 4.03. Actions Between Effective Date and Commitment Termination Date. During the period from and including the Effective Date to and including the earlier of the Commitment Termination Date (after giving effect to any funding of Loans on such date) and the funding of the Loans on the Closing Date, and notwithstanding (a) any failure by a member of the Group to comply with any of the affirmative covenants in Article V or the negative covenants and financial covenants in Article VI, (b) the occurrence of any Event of Default (other than any Event of Default under paragraphs (a) or (g) (solely with respect to the Company) of Article VII of this Agreement) or (c) subject to the parenthetical in clause (b) above, any provision to the contrary in this Agreement, neither the Administrative Agent nor any Lender shall be entitled to (i) rescind, terminate or cancel its Commitments hereunder, or exercise any right or remedy under this Agreement, to the extent to do so would prevent, limit or delay the making of its Loans on the
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Closing Date, (ii) refuse to participate in making its Loans on the Closing Date or (iii) exercise any right of set-off or counterclaim in respect of its Loans to the extent to do so would prevent, limit or delay the making of its Loans on the Closing Date; provided that, for the avoidance of doubt, the making of Loans on the Closing Date shall be subject solely to the satisfaction (or waiver in accordance with Section 9.02) of the conditions precedent set forth in Section 4.02 (the “Funding Conditions”). Notwithstanding the foregoing, (x) the rights and remedies of the Lenders and the Administrative Agent with respect to any Funding Condition shall not be limited in the event that any such Funding Condition is not satisfied on the Closing Date, and (y) immediately after the funding of the Loans on the Closing Date, all of the rights, remedies and entitlements of the Administrative Agent and the Lenders under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents shall be available notwithstanding that such rights, remedies or entitlements were not available prior to such time as a result of this paragraph.
ARTICLE V
Affirmative Covenants
From and after the Acquisition Effective Date and until the principal of, and interest on, each Loan and all fees payable hereunder have been paid in full, the Borrower will (and upon the execution and delivery of the Parent Guarantee Agreement, the Parent will):
SECTION 5.01. Payment of Taxes, Etc. Pay and discharge, and cause each Subsidiary to pay and discharge, before the same shall become delinquent, (i) all Taxes, assessments and governmental charges or levies imposed upon it or upon its income, profit or property and (ii) all lawful claims which, if unpaid, might by law become a lien upon its property; provided, however, that neither the Parent nor any Subsidiary shall be required to pay or discharge any such Tax, assessment, charge or claim which is being contested in good faith and by proper proceedings and with respect to which the Parent shall have established appropriate reserves in accordance with GAAP or where the failure to do so could not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect.
SECTION 5.02. Preservation of Existence, Etc. Preserve and maintain, and cause each Subsidiary to preserve and maintain, its legal existence and the rights, licenses, permits, privileges and franchises material to the conduct of its business, except to the extent that failures to keep in effect such rights, licenses, permits, privileges, franchises and, in the case of Subsidiaries only, legal existence could not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect; provided that the foregoing shall not prohibit any merger, consolidation, liquidation or dissolution not prohibited under Section 6.04.
SECTION 5.03. Compliance with Laws, Etc. Comply, and cause each Subsidiary to comply, with the requirements of all applicable laws, rules, regulations and orders of any Governmental Authority (including, without limitation, all Environmental Laws), noncompliance with which could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect. The Parent will maintain in effect and enforce policies and procedures designed to ensure compliance by each member of the Group and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents with Anti-Corruption Laws and applicable Sanctions.
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SECTION 5.04. Keeping of Books. Keep, and cause each Subsidiary to keep, proper books of record and account in all material respects, in which full and correct entries shall be made of all financial transactions and the assets and business of the Group in accordance with GAAP consistently applied.
SECTION 5.05. Inspection. Permit, and cause each Subsidiary to permit, the Administrative Agent, and its representatives and agents, to inspect any of the properties, corporate books and financial records of the Group, to examine and make copies of the books of account and other financial records of the Group, and to discuss the affairs, finances and accounts of the Group with, and to be advised as to the same by, their respective officers or directors, at such reasonable times and upon reasonable advance notice during normal business hours and intervals as the Administrative Agent may reasonably designate.
SECTION 5.06. Reporting Requirements. Furnish to the Administrative Agent for distribution to each Lender:
(a) As soon as available and in any event within 60 days after the end of each of the first three quarters of each fiscal year of the Parent (or, if earlier, within 15 days after the date required to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, without giving effect to any extension of the time for filing), a consolidated balance sheet of the Parent and the consolidated Subsidiaries as of the end of such quarter and consolidated statements of income and changes in financial position (or consolidated statement of cash flow, as the case may be) of the Parent and the consolidated Subsidiaries for the period commencing at the end of the previous fiscal year and ending with the end of such quarter, certified by the chief financial officer of the Parent as presenting fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position and the consolidated results of operations and cash flows of the Parent and its consolidated Subsidiaries as of the end of and for such fiscal quarter and such portion of such fiscal year in accordance with GAAP;
(b) As soon as available and in any event within 105 days after the end of each fiscal year of the Parent (or, if earlier, within 15 days after the date required to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, without giving effect to any extension of the time for filing), an audited consolidated balance sheet of the Parent and the consolidated Subsidiaries as of the end of such year and audited consolidated statements of income and stockholder’s equity and changes in financial position of the Parent and the consolidated Subsidiaries for such fiscal year and accompanied by a report of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC, independent registered public accounting firm of the Parent, or other independent registered public accounting firm of nationally recognized standing, on the results of their examination of such consolidated annual financial statements of the Parent and the consolidated Subsidiaries, which report shall be reported on without a “going concern” or like qualification or exception, or qualification arising out of the scope of the audit, or shall be otherwise reasonably acceptable to the Required Lenders;
(c) Promptly after the sending or filing thereof, copies of all financial information, reports and proxy materials the Parent files with the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Exchange Act, including, without limitation, all such reports that disclose material litigation pending against any member of the Group or any material noncompliance with any Environmental Law on the part of any member of the Group;
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(d) Together with each delivery of financial statements pursuant to clause (a) or (b) above, a certificate signed by the chief financial officer of the Parent (A) stating that no Default exists or, if any does exist, stating the nature and status thereof and describing the action the Parent proposes to take with respect thereto, (B) demonstrating, in reasonable detail, the calculations used by such officer to determine compliance with the financial covenants contained in Section 6.07 and 6.08 and (C) identifying the subsidiaries, if any, that are “Excluded Subsidiaries” under clause (h) of the definition of such term;
(e) [Reserved];
(f) As soon as possible, and in any event within 30 days after the occurrence of each event the Parent knows is or could reasonably be expected to be an ERISA Event that could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, a statement signed by the chief financial officer of the Parent describing such ERISA Event and the action that the Parent proposes to take with respect thereto;
(g) As soon as possible, and in any event within five Business Days after a Responsible Officer of the Parent shall become aware of the occurrence of each Default, which Default is continuing on the date of such statement, a statement of the chief financial officer of the Parent setting forth details of such Default or event and the action which the Parent proposes to take with respect thereto;
(h) From time to time, such other information as to the business and financial condition of the Group and their compliance with the Loan Documents as the Administrative Agent, or any Lender through the Administrative Agent, may reasonably request;
(i) Promptly after any Rating Agency shall have announced a change in the rating established or deemed to have been established for the Index Debt, written notice of such rating change; and
(j) Promptly following a request therefor, all documentation and other information that a Lender reasonably requests in order to comply with its ongoing obligations under applicable “know your customer” and anti-money laundering rules and regulations, including the USA PATRIOT Act and the Beneficial Ownership Regulation.
Information required to be delivered to the Administrative Agent for distribution to the Lenders pursuant to this Section shall be deemed to have been so delivered or distributed, as the case may be, (i) on the date on which such information, or one or more annual or quarterly reports containing such information, shall have been delivered to the Administrative Agent and posted by the Administrative Agent on an IntraLinks or similar website to which the Lenders have been granted access or (ii) in the case of information referred to in paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of this Section, on the date on which the Parent provides notice to the Administrative Agent that such information is available (A) on the website of the Securities and Exchange Commission at http://www.sec.gov or (B) on the Parent’s website at http://www.waters.com. Information required to be delivered pursuant to this Section may also be delivered by electronic communications pursuant to procedures approved by the Administrative Agent.
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SECTION 5.07. Use of Proceeds. Use the proceeds of Borrowings hereunder for the purposes referred to in the recitals to this Agreement, and not for any purpose that would entail a violation of any applicable law or regulation (including, without limitation, Regulations U and X of the Board). No part of the proceeds of any Borrowing shall be used by the Borrower or any Subsidiary (A) for the purpose of furthering an offer, payment, promise to pay, or authorization of the payment or giving of money, or anything else of value, to any Person in violation of any Anti-Corruption Laws or (B) for the purpose of funding, financing or facilitating any activities, businesses or transactions of or with any Sanctioned Person, or in any Sanctioned Country, to the extent such activities, businesses or transactions would be prohibited by Sanctions.
SECTION 5.08. Guarantee Requirement.
(a) Deliver to the Administrative Agent, on the Acquisition Effective Date, all of the following:
(A) (x) the Parent Guarantee Agreement, duly executed by the Parent, and (y) each Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement (or supplement thereto) that is required to satisfy the Guarantee Requirement;
(B) a customary secretary’s certificate for the Parent and each applicable Subsidiary certifying as to (A) the name, incumbency and specimen signature of each Responsible Officer of such Person executing the Loan Documents to which such Person is or is intended to be a party and each other document to be delivered by such Person from time to time in connection herewith and therewith, (B) the resolutions attached thereto and other corporate proceedings relating to the authorization, execution and delivery of the Loan Documents and (C) its organizational documents and good standings in the state, province or territory in which it is organized;
(C) such documents and certifications as the Administrative Agent may reasonably require to evidence that the Parent and each Subsidiary Guarantor is duly organized, validly existing and in good standing;
(D) upon the reasonable request of any Lender made at least ten days prior to the Acquisition Effective Date, the Parent shall have provided to such Lender the documentation and other information so requested in connection with applicable “know your customer” and anti-money-laundering rules and regulations, in each case at least three Business Days prior to the Acquisition Effective Date;
(E) upon the reasonable request of any Lender made at least ten Business Days prior to the Acquisition Effective Date, if the Parent qualifies as a “legal entity customer” under the Beneficial Ownership Regulation, the Parent shall deliver a Beneficial Ownership Certification; and
(F) a customary opinion of Kirkland and Ellis LLP, as special New York counsel for the Parent, addressed to the Administrative Agent and each Lender.
(b) At all times following the Acquisition Effective Date, cause the Guarantee Requirement to be satisfied.
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ARTICLE VI
Negative Covenants
From and after the Acquisition Effective Date and until the principal of, and interest on, each Loan and all fees payable hereunder have been paid in full, the Borrower will not (and upon the execution and delivery of the Parent Guarantee Agreement, the Parent will not):
SECTION 6.01. Subsidiary Debt. Permit any Subsidiary that is not a Subsidiary Guarantor to create, incur, assume or permit to exist any Debt, except:
(a) Debt created hereunder;
(b) Debt owed to the Parent or any other Subsidiary;
(c) Debt incurred by any Special Purpose Finance Subsidiary; provided that such Debt is not guaranteed by any Person other than the Parent or a Subsidiary Guarantor;
(d) Debt incurred in connection with a Receivables Financing Transaction; provided that the amount of Debt outstanding at any time under this clause (d) shall not exceed $500,000,000; and
(e) other Debt and any refinancings thereof; provided that the sum of (without duplication) (i) the principal amount of all Debt permitted by this clause (e), (ii) the principal amount of all Debt secured by Liens permitted by Section 6.02 and (iii) all Attributable Debt in respect of Sale and Leaseback Transactions (other than Sale and Leaseback Transactions entered into at the time the property subject thereto is acquired or within 90 days thereafter) permitted by Section 6.03 does not at any time exceed the greater of $180,000,000 or 15% of Consolidated Net Tangible Assets.
SECTION 6.02. Liens Securing Debt. Create, incur, assume or permit to exist, or permit any Subsidiary to create, incur, assume or permit to exist, any Lien on any property or asset now owned or hereafter acquired by it securing Debt, except:
(a) Liens that, after giving effect thereto, the sum of (without duplication) (i) all Debt secured by all such Liens, (ii) the principal amount of all Debt of Subsidiaries that are not Subsidiary Guarantors permitted by Section 6.01(c) and (iii) all Attributable Debt in respect of Sale and Leaseback Transactions (other than Sale and Leaseback Transactions entered into at the time the property subject thereto is acquired or within 90 days thereafter) permitted by Section 6.03 does not at any time exceed the greater of $180,000,000 or 15% of Consolidated Net Tangible Assets; and
(b) Liens securing a Receivables Financing Transaction in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $500,000,000.
For the purpose of this Section 6.02, treasury stock, to the extent constituting Margin Stock, shall be deemed not to be an asset of the Parent and its Subsidiaries.
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SECTION 6.03. Sale and Leaseback Transactions. Enter into or be party to, or permit any Subsidiary to enter into or be party to, any Sale and Leaseback Transaction (other than any Sale and Leaseback Transaction entered into at the time the property subject thereto is acquired or within 90 days thereafter) unless after giving effect thereto the sum of (without duplication) (i) all Attributable Debt permitted by this Section, (ii) the principal amount of all Debt of Subsidiaries that are not Subsidiary Guarantors permitted by Section 6.01(c) and (iii) the principal amount of all Debt secured by Liens permitted by Section 6.02(a) does not exceed the greater of $180,000,000 or 15% of Consolidated Net Tangible Assets.
SECTION 6.04. Merger, Consolidation, Etc. In the case of the Parent or the Borrower, as applicable, merge or consolidate with or into, or transfer or permit the transfer of all or substantially all its consolidated assets to, any Person (including by means of one or more mergers or consolidations of or transfers of assets by Subsidiaries), except that the Parent or the Borrower, as applicable, may merge or consolidate with any US Corporation if (i) the Parent or the Borrower, as applicable, shall be the surviving corporation in such merger or consolidation, (ii) immediately after giving effect thereto no Default shall have occurred and be continuing and (iii) the Parent shall be in compliance with the covenants set forth in Section 6.07 and 6.08 as of and for the most recently ended period of four fiscal quarters for which financial statements shall have been delivered pursuant to Section 5.06, giving pro forma effect to such merger or consolidation and any related incurrence or repayment of Debt as if they had occurred at the beginning of such period, and the Administrative Agent shall have received a certificate of the chief financial officer of the Parent setting forth computations demonstrating such compliance.
(a) In the case of any Material Subsidiary (other than the Borrower), merge or consolidate with or into, or transfer all or substantially all its assets to, any Person, except that (i) any Material Subsidiary (other than the Borrower) may merge into or transfer all or substantially all its assets to the Parent or the Borrower, (ii) any Material Subsidiary (other than the Borrower) may merge or consolidate with or transfer all or substantially all its assets to any Subsidiary; provided that if either constituent corporation in such merger or consolidation, or the transferor of such assets, shall be a Subsidiary Guarantor, then the surviving or resulting corporation or the transferee of such assets, as the case may be, must be or at the time of such transaction become a Subsidiary Guarantor and (iii) so long as, at the time of and immediately after giving effect to such transaction, no Default shall have occurred and be continuing, any Material Subsidiary (other than the Borrower) may merge or consolidate with or transfer all or substantially all its assets to any Person other than the Parent, the Borrower or a Subsidiary so long as such transaction would not be prohibited by paragraph (a) above. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing in this paragraph shall (A) so long as, at the time of and immediately after giving effect to such transaction, no Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, prohibit the Parent or any Subsidiary from (1) transferring any assets of such Person to acquire Foreign Subsidiaries, (2) making capital or working capital contributions to Foreign Subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business or (3) selling or otherwise disposing of assets to a Foreign Subsidiary on arm’s-length terms (as determined in good faith by the Borrower or the applicable subsidiary) or (B) require any Foreign Subsidiary to become a Subsidiary Guarantor hereunder.
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(b) In the case of the Parent, permit any Domestic Subsidiary to become a subsidiary of a Foreign Subsidiary; provided that nothing in this paragraph shall prevent the Parent from acquiring, directly or indirectly, any Person that at the time of and immediately after giving effect to such acquisition would constitute a Foreign Subsidiary and would own any Domestic Subsidiary not acquired by it in contemplation of such acquisition; provided further that nothing in this paragraph shall prevent Subsidiaries, if any, that are “Excluded Subsidiaries” under clause (c) of the definition of such term from becoming subsidiaries of Foreign Subsidiaries. For purposes of this Section 6.04, treasury stock, to the extent constituting Margin Stock, shall be deemed not to be an asset of the Parent.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 6.04, the Parent, the Borrower and their respective Subsidiaries may consummate the Transactions.
SECTION 6.05. Change in Business. Fail to be engaged in the business conducted by the Parent and the Subsidiaries on the Acquisition Effective Date (immediately after giving effect to the Transactions) to an extent such that the character of the business conducted by the Parent and the Subsidiaries on the Acquisition Effective Date, taken as a whole, shall be materially changed.
SECTION 6.06. Certain Restrictive Agreements. Enter into, or permit any Subsidiary to enter into, any contract or other agreement that would limit the ability of any Subsidiary to pay dividends or make loans or advances to, or to repay loans or advances from, the Parent or any other Subsidiary, other than (i) customary non-assignment provisions in any lease or sale agreement relating to the assets that are the subject of such lease or sale agreement, (ii) any restriction binding on a Person acquired by the Parent at the time of such acquisition, which restriction is applicable solely to the Person so acquired and its subsidiaries and was not entered into in contemplation of such acquisition, (iii) in connection with any secured Debt permitted under Section 6.02, customary restrictions on the transfer of the collateral securing such Debt and (iv) customary restrictions agreed to by any Subsidiary in connection with any Debt of such Subsidiary permitted under Section 6.01.
SECTION 6.07. Leverage Ratio. Permit the Leverage Ratio as of the end of any fiscal quarter to exceed 3.50:1.00; provided that, following the completion of a Material Acquisition that, on a pro forma basis, giving effect to any related incurrence or repayment of Debt, would result in an increase in the Parent’s Leverage Ratio, if the Parent shall so elect by a notice delivered to the Administrative Agent within 30 days following the completion of such Material Acquisition (it being understood that no such notice shall be required with respect to the Acquisition and the Leverage Ratio Increase Period (as defined below) will automatically apply to the Acquisition) (a “Leverage Ratio Increase Election”), such maximum Leverage Ratio shall be increased to 4.25:1.00 at the end of and for the fiscal quarter during which such Material Acquisition shall have been completed and at the end of and for each of the following three consecutive fiscal quarters (the period during which any such increase in the Leverage Ratio shall be in effect being called a “Leverage Ratio Increase Period”). The Parent may terminate any Leverage Ratio Increase Period by a notice delivered to the Administrative Agent, whereupon, on the last day of the fiscal quarter during which such notice is given and on the last day of each fiscal quarter thereafter until another Leverage Ratio Increase Period has commenced as provided in this Section, the maximum Leverage Ratio shall be 3.50:1.00. If a Leverage Ratio Increase Election shall have been made under this Section, the Parent may not make another Leverage Ratio Increase Election unless, following the termination or expiration of the most recent prior Leverage Ratio Increase Period, the Leverage Ratio as of the last day of at least two consecutive full fiscal quarters of the Parent shall not have exceeded 3.50:1.00 and the Parent may not make more than two Leverage Ratio Increase Elections in the aggregate.
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SECTION 6.08. Interest Coverage Ratio. Permit the Interest Coverage Ratio as of the end of any fiscal quarter for the period of four consecutive fiscal quarters then ended to be less than 3.50:1.00; provided that such ratio shall cease to apply from and after the time that at least two of Moody’s, S&P and Fitch assign the Parent a public corporate rating of at least Baa3/BBB-/BBB-, respectively.
ARTICLE VII
Events of Default
If any of the following events (“Events of Default”) shall occur and be continuing (x) on and after the Effective Date with respect to any Event of Default under clauses (a), (g) (solely with respect to the Company) and (l), or (y) on and after the Acquisition Effective Date, with respect to any of the following Events of Default:
(a) The Borrower shall fail to pay (i) any amount of principal of any Loan, or (ii) any interest, fee or other amount due hereunder and such default shall continue for five days; or
(b) Any representation or warranty made or deemed made by the Parent or any other Loan Party (or any of their respective officers) in connection with this Agreement or any other Loan Document shall prove to have been incorrect in any material respect when made or deemed made; provided, however, that no Event of Default shall be deemed to exist by reason of the incorrectness of any representation or warranty after such incorrectness shall have been cured (other than by disclosure, which shall not be deemed to cure any breach of a representation or warranty); or
(c) The Parent or the Borrower shall fail to maintain its corporate, limited liability company or partnership existence as required by Section 5.02, or the Parent shall fail to comply with the requirements of Section 5.08(a) on the Acquisition Effective Date, or the Parent shall fail for five Business Days to comply with Section 5.06(g), or any member of the Group shall fail to perform or observe any term, covenant or agreement contained in Section 5.07 or Article VI of this Agreement on its part to be performed or observed; or
(d) Any member of the Group shall fail to perform or observe any other term, covenant or agreement contained in this Agreement or any other Loan Document on its part to be performed or observed (other than those failures or breaches referred to in paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) above) and any such failure shall remain unremedied for 30 days after written notice thereof has been given to the Parent or the Borrower by the Administrative Agent or the Required Lenders; or
(e) Any member of the Group shall fail to pay any amount of principal of, interest on or premium with respect to, Material Debt (other than the Loans) when due (whether at scheduled maturity or by required prepayment, acceleration, demand or otherwise) and such failure shall continue beyond the applicable grace period, if any, specified in the agreement or instrument governing such Debt, or any other event shall occur or condition shall exist with respect to Material Debt (other than the Loans) of any member of the Group if the effect of such other event or condition is to cause, or to permit the holder or holders of such debt (or any trustee or agent on their behalf) to cause, such Material Debt to become due, or to require such Material Debt to be prepaid or repurchased, prior to the stated maturity thereof; or
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(f) Any member of the Group shall generally not pay its debts as such debts become due, or shall admit in writing its inability to pay its debts generally; or
(g) Any member of the Group shall make a general assignment for the benefit of creditors; or any proceeding shall be instituted by or against any member of the Group seeking to adjudicate it a bankrupt or insolvent, or seeking liquidation, winding up, reorganization, arrangement, adjustment, protection, relief or composition of it or its debt under any law relating to bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization or relief of debtors, or seeking the entry of an order for relief or the appointment of a receiver, trustee or other similar official for it or for any substantial part of its property; or any member of the Group shall take corporate action to authorize any of the actions set forth above in this paragraph (g); provided that, in the case of any such proceeding filed or commenced against any member of the Group, such event shall not constitute an “Event of Default” hereunder unless either (i) the same shall have remained undismissed or unstayed for a period of 60 days, (ii) an order for relief shall have been entered against any member of the Group under the federal bankruptcy laws as now or hereafter in effect or (iii) any member of the Group shall have taken corporate action consenting to, approving or acquiescing in the commencement or maintenance of such proceeding; or
(h) Any judgment or judgments for the payment of money in excess of $100,000,000 in the aggregate for all such judgments shall be rendered against any member of the Group and (i) enforcement proceedings shall have been commenced by any creditor upon such judgments or (ii) there shall be any period of 10 consecutive days during which stays of enforcement of such judgments, by reason of pending appeals or otherwise, shall not be in effect; or
(i) An ERISA Event shall have occurred that, when taken together with all other ERISA Events that have occurred, could reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect; or
(j) The guarantee of (x) any Subsidiary Guarantor under the Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement or (y) the Parent under the Parent Guarantee Agreement, or the Obligations of the Loan Parties under any Loan Document shall not be (or shall be asserted by the Borrower, the Parent or any Subsidiary Guarantor not to be) valid or in full force and effect;
(k) A Change of Control shall have occurred; or
(l) The Acquisition shall not been consummated pursuant to the terms of the Acquisition Agreement (without giving effect to any amendment or modification, waiver or consent to the Acquisition Agreement that is material and adverse to the interests of the Lenders or the Arrangers (in their respective capacities as such) without the Arrangers’ prior written consent (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld, delayed or conditioned)) within two Business Days following the Closing Date;
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then, and in any such event, subject to Section 4.03, the Administrative Agent shall at the request, or may with the consent, of the Required Lenders, by notice to the Borrower, (i) declare the obligation of each Lender to make Loans hereunder to be terminated, whereupon the same shall forthwith terminate and/or (ii) declare the Loans, all interest accrued and unpaid thereon and all other amounts outstanding or accrued under this Agreement to be forthwith due and payable, whereupon the Loans, all such accrued interest and all such amounts shall become and be forthwith due and payable, without presentment, demand, protest or further notice of any kind, all of which are hereby expressly waived by the Borrower. In the event of the occurrence of an Event of Default under clause (g) of this Article VII (prior to the Acquisition Effective Date, with respect to the Company only), (A) the obligation of each Lender to make Loans hereunder shall automatically be terminated and (B) the Loans, all interest accrued and unpaid thereon and all other amounts outstanding or accrued under this Agreement shall automatically become and be due and payable, without presentment, demand, protest or any notice of any kind, all of which are hereby expressly waived by the Borrower.
ARTICLE VIII
The Administrative Agent
SECTION 8.01. Authorization and Action. Each Lender hereby irrevocably appoints the entity named as Administrative Agent in the heading of this Agreement and its successors and assigns to serve as the administrative agent under the Loan Documents and each Lender authorizes the Administrative Agent to take such actions as agent on its behalf and to exercise such powers under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents as are delegated to the Administrative Agent under such agreements and to exercise such powers as are reasonably incidental thereto. Without limiting the foregoing, each Lender hereby authorizes the Administrative Agent to execute and deliver, and to perform its obligations under, each of the Loan Documents to which the Administrative Agent is a party, and to exercise all rights, powers and remedies that the Administrative Agent may have under such Loan Documents.
(a) As to any matters not expressly provided for herein and in the other Loan Documents (including enforcement or collection), the Administrative Agent shall not be required to exercise any discretion or take any action, but shall be required to act or to refrain from acting (and shall be fully protected in so acting or refraining from acting) upon the written instructions of the Required Lenders (or such other number or percentage of the Lenders as shall be necessary, pursuant to the terms in the Loan Documents), and, unless and until revoked in writing, such instructions shall be binding upon each Lender; provided, however, that the Administrative Agent shall not be required to take any action that (i) the Administrative Agent in good faith believes exposes it to liability unless the Administrative Agent receives an indemnification and is exculpated in a manner satisfactory to it from the Lenders with respect to such action or (ii) is contrary to this Agreement or any other Loan Document or applicable law, including any action that may be in violation of the automatic stay under any requirement of law relating to bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization or relief of debtors or that may effect a forfeiture, modification or termination of property of a Defaulting Lender in violation of any requirement of law relating to bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization or relief of debtors; provided, further, that the Administrative Agent may seek clarification or direction from the Required Lenders prior to the exercise of any such instructed action and may refrain from acting until such clarification or
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direction has been provided. Except as expressly set forth in the Loan Documents, the Administrative Agent shall not have any duty to disclose, and shall not be liable for the failure to disclose, any information relating to any member of the Group or any Affiliate of any of the foregoing that is communicated to or obtained by the Person serving as Administrative Agent or any of its Affiliates in any capacity. Nothing in this Agreement shall require the Administrative Agent to expend or risk its own funds or otherwise incur any financial liability in the performance of any of its duties hereunder or in the exercise of any of its rights or powers if it shall have reasonable grounds for believing that repayment of such funds or adequate indemnity against such risk or liability is not reasonably assured to it.
(b) In performing its functions and duties hereunder and under the other Loan Documents, the Administrative Agent is acting solely on behalf of the Lenders (except in limited circumstances expressly provided for herein relating to the maintenance of the Register), and its duties are entirely mechanical and administrative in nature. The motivations of the Administrative Agent are commercial in nature and not to invest in the general performance or operations of the Borrower. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing:
(i) the Administrative Agent does not assume and shall not be deemed to have assumed any obligation or duty or any other relationship as the agent, fiduciary or trustee of or for any Lender, other than as expressly set forth herein and in the other Loan Documents, regardless of whether a Default or an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing (and it is understood and agreed that the use of the term “agent” (or any similar term) herein or in any other Loan Document with reference to the Administrative Agent is not intended to connote any fiduciary duty or other implied (or express) obligations arising under agency doctrine of any applicable law, and that such term is used as a matter of market custom and is intended to create or reflect only an administrative relationship between contracting parties); additionally, each Lender agrees that it will not assert any claim against the Administrative Agent based on an alleged breach of fiduciary duty by the Administrative Agent in connection with this Agreement and/or the transactions contemplated hereby; and
(ii) nothing in this Agreement or any Loan Document shall require the Administrative Agent to account to any Lender for any sum or the profit element of any sum received by the Administrative Agent for its own account.
(c) The Administrative Agent may perform any of its duties and exercise its rights and powers hereunder or under any other Loan Document by or through any one or more sub-agents appointed by the Administrative Agent. The Administrative Agent and any such sub-agent may perform any of their respective duties and exercise their respective rights and powers through their respective Related Parties. The exculpatory provisions of this Article shall apply to any such sub-agent and to the Related Parties of the Administrative Agent and any such sub-agent, and shall apply to their respective activities pursuant to this Agreement. The Administrative Agent shall not be responsible for the negligence or misconduct of any sub-agent except to the extent that a court of competent jurisdiction determines in a final and nonappealable judgment that the Administrative Agent acted with gross negligence or willful misconduct in the selection of such sub-agent.
(d) None of any Syndication Agent, any Documentation Agent or any Arranger shall have obligations or duties whatsoever in such capacity under this Agreement or any other Loan Document and shall incur no liability hereunder or thereunder in such capacity, but all such persons shall have the benefit of the indemnities provided for hereunder.
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(e) In case of the pendency of any proceeding with respect to any Loan Party under any Debtor Relief Laws now or hereafter in effect, the Administrative Agent (irrespective of whether the principal of any Loan shall then be due and payable as herein expressed or by declaration or otherwise and irrespective of whether the Administrative Agent shall have made any demand on the Borrower) shall be entitled and empowered (but not obligated) by intervention in such proceeding or otherwise:
(i) to file and prove a claim for the whole amount of the principal and interest owing and unpaid in respect of the Loans and all other Obligations that are owing and unpaid and to file such other documents as may be necessary or advisable in order to have the claims of the Lenders and the Administrative Agent (including any claim under Section 2.11, 2.12, 2.14, 2.16 and 9.03) allowed in such judicial proceeding; and
(ii) to collect and receive any monies or other property payable or deliverable on any such claims and to distribute the same;
and any custodian, receiver, assignee, trustee, liquidator, sequestrator or other similar official in any such proceeding is hereby authorized by each Lender to make such payments to the Administrative Agent and, in the event that the Administrative Agent shall consent to the making of such payments directly to the Lenders, to pay to the Administrative Agent any amount due to it, in its capacity as the Administrative Agent, under the Loan Documents (including under Section 9.03). Nothing contained herein shall be deemed to authorize the Administrative Agent to authorize or consent to or accept or adopt on behalf of any Lender any plan of reorganization, arrangement, adjustment or composition affecting the Obligations or the rights of any Lender or to authorize the Administrative Agent to vote in respect of the claim of any Lender in any such proceeding.
(f) The provisions of this Article are solely for the benefit of the Administrative Agent, the Lenders, and, except solely to the extent of the Borrower’s rights to consent pursuant to and subject to the conditions set forth in this Article, no member of the Group, or any of their respective Affiliates, shall have any rights as a third party beneficiary under any such provisions.
SECTION 8.02. Administrative Agent’s Reliance, Limitation of Liability, Etc. Neither the Administrative Agent nor any of its Related Parties shall be (i) liable for any action taken or omitted to be taken by such party, the Administrative Agent or any of its Related Parties under or in connection with this Agreement or the other Loan Documents (x) with the consent of or at the request of the Required Lenders (or such other number or percentage of the Lenders as shall be necessary, or as the Administrative Agent shall believe in good faith to be necessary, under the circumstances as provided in the Loan Documents) or (y) in the absence of its own gross negligence or willful misconduct (such absence to be presumed unless otherwise determined by a court of competent jurisdiction by a final and non-appealable judgment) or (ii) responsible in any manner to any of the Lenders for any recitals, statements, representations or warranties made by any Loan Party or any officer thereof contained in this Agreement or any other Loan Document or in any certificate, report, statement or other document referred to or provided for in, or received
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by the Administrative Agent under or in connection with, this Agreement or any other Loan Document or for the value, validity, effectiveness, genuineness, enforceability or sufficiency of this Agreement or any other Loan Document (including, for the avoidance of doubt, in connection with the Administrative Agent’s reliance on any Electronic Signature transmitted electronically that reproduces an image of an actual executed signature page) or for any failure of any Loan Party to perform its obligations hereunder or thereunder.
(a) The Administrative Agent shall be deemed not to have knowledge of any notice of any Default or Event of Default unless and until written notice thereof (stating that it is a “notice of Default” or a “notice of an Event of Default”) is given to the Administrative Agent by the Borrower, a Lender. Further, the Administrative Agent shall not be responsible for or have any duty to ascertain or inquire into (i) any statement, warranty or representation made in or in connection with any Loan Document, (ii) the contents of any certificate, report or other document delivered thereunder or in connection therewith, (iii) the performance or observance of any of the covenants, agreements or other terms or conditions set forth in any Loan Document or the occurrence of any Default or Event of Default, (iv) the sufficiency, validity, enforceability, effectiveness or genuineness of any Loan Document or any other agreement, instrument or document or (v) the satisfaction of any condition set forth in Article IV of this Agreement or elsewhere in any Loan Document, other than to confirm receipt of items (which on their face purport to be such items) expressly required to be delivered to the Administrative Agent or satisfaction of any condition that expressly refers to the matters described therein being acceptable or satisfactory to the Administrative Agent. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Administrative Agent shall not be liable for, or be responsible for any Liabilities, costs or expenses suffered by any member of the Group, any Lender as a result of, any of the component amounts thereof or any portion thereof attributable to each Lender, or any Exchange Rate or US Dollar Equivalent.
(b) Without limiting the foregoing, the Administrative Agent (i) may treat the payee of any promissory note as its holder until such promissory note has been assigned in accordance with Section 9.04, (ii) may rely on the Register to the extent set forth in Section 9.04(c), (iii) may consult with legal counsel (including counsel to the Borrower), independent public accountants and other experts selected by it, and shall not be liable for any action taken or omitted to be taken in good faith by it in accordance with the advice of such counsel, accountants or experts, (iv) makes no warranty or representation to any Lender and shall not be responsible to any Lender for any statements, warranties or representations made by or on behalf of any Loan Party in connection with this Agreement or any other Loan Document, (v) in determining compliance with any condition hereunder to the making of a Loan, that by its terms must be fulfilled to the satisfaction of a Lender, may presume that such condition is satisfactory to such Lender unless the Administrative Agent shall have received notice to the contrary from such Lender sufficiently in advance of the making of such Loan and (vi) shall be entitled to rely on, and shall incur no liability under or in respect of this Agreement or any other Loan Document by acting upon, any notice, consent, certificate or other instrument or writing (which writing may be a fax, any electronic message, Internet or intranet website posting or other distribution) or any statement made to it orally or by telephone and believed by it to be genuine and signed or sent or otherwise authenticated by the proper party or parties (whether or not such Person in fact meets the requirements set forth in the Loan Documents for being the maker thereof).
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SECTION 8.03. Posting of Communications; Approved Borrower Portal. The Borrower agrees that the Administrative Agent may, but shall not be obligated to, make any Communications available to the Lenders by posting the Communications on IntraLinks™, DebtDomain, SyndTrak, ClearPar or any other electronic platform chosen by the Administrative Agent to be its electronic transmission system (the “Approved Electronic Platform”). The Administrative Agent, the Lenders agree that the Borrower may, but shall not be obligated to, make any Borrower Communications to the Administrative Agent through an Approved Borrower Portal.
(a) Although each of the Approved Electronic Platform and the Approved Borrower Portal and its primary web portal are secured with generally-applicable security procedures and policies implemented or modified by the Administrative Agent from time to time (including, as of the Effective Date, a user ID/password authorization system) and the Approved Electronic Platform is secured through a per-deal authorization method whereby each user may access the Approved Electronic Platform only on a deal-by-deal basis, each of the Lenders and the Borrower acknowledges and agrees that the distribution of material through an electronic medium is not necessarily secure, that the Administrative Agent is not responsible for approving or vetting the representatives or contacts of any Lender that are added to the Approved Electronic Platform, and that there may be confidentiality and other risks associated with such distribution. Each of the Lenders and the Borrower hereby approves distribution of the Communications through the Approved Electronic Platform and understands and assumes the risks of such distribution.
(b) EACH OF THE APPROVED ELECTRONIC PLATFORM, THE APPROVED BORROWER PORTAL AND THE COMMUNICATIONS ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE”. THE APPLICABLE PARTIES (AS DEFINED BELOW) DO NOT WARRANT THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE COMMUNICATIONS OR THE BORROWER COMMUNICATIONS, OR THE ADEQUACY OF THE APPROVED ELECTRONIC PLATFORM AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM LIABILITY FOR ERRORS OR OMISSIONS IN THE APPROVED ELECTRONIC PLATFORM, THE APPROVED BORROWER PORTAL, THE COMMUNICATIONS OR THE BORROWER COMMUNICATIONS. NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY RIGHTS OR FREEDOM FROM VIRUSES OR OTHER CODE DEFECTS, IS MADE BY THE APPLICABLE PARTIES IN CONNECTION WITH THE APPROVED BORROWER PORTAL, THE BORROWER COMMUNICATIONS, THE COMMUNICATIONS OR THE APPROVED ELECTRONIC PLATFORM. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT, ANY ARRANGER, ANY DOCUMENTATION AGENT, ANY SYNDICATION AGENT OR ANY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE RELATED PARTIES (COLLECTIVELY, “APPLICABLE PARTIES”) HAVE ANY LIABILITY TO ANY LOAN PARTY, ANY LENDER OR ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY FOR DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING DIRECT OR INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, LOSSES OR EXPENSES (WHETHER IN TORT, CONTRACT OR OTHERWISE) ARISING OUT OF ANY LOAN PARTY’S OR THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT’S TRANSMISSION OF COMMUNICATIONS THROUGH THE INTERNET OR THE APPROVED ELECTRONIC PLATFORM OR ANY BORROWER’S TRANSMISSION OF BORROWER COMMUNICATIONS THROUGH THE INTERNET OR THE APPROVED BORROWER PORTAL.
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“Communications” means, collectively, any notice, demand, communication, information, document or other material provided by or on behalf of any Loan Party pursuant to any Loan Document or the transactions contemplated therein which is distributed by the Administrative Agent or any Lender by means of electronic communications pursuant to this Section, including through an Approved Electronic Platform.
(c) Each Lender agrees that notice to it (as provided in the next sentence) specifying that Communications have been posted to the Approved Electronic Platform shall constitute effective delivery of the Communications to such Lender for purposes of the Loan Documents. Each Lender agrees (i) to notify the Administrative Agent in writing (which could be in the form of electronic communication) from time to time of such Lender’s email address to which the foregoing notice may be transmitted electronically and (ii) that the foregoing notice may be sent to such email address.
(d) Each of the Lenders and the Borrower agrees that the Administrative Agent may, but (except as may be required by applicable law) shall not be obligated to, store the Communications or the Borrower Communications on the Approved Electronic Platform or the Approved Borrower Portal, as applicable, in accordance with the Administrative Agent’s generally applicable document retention procedures and policies.
(e) Nothing herein shall prejudice the right of the Administrative Agent or any Lender to give any notice or other communication pursuant to any Loan Document in any other manner specified in such Loan Document.
SECTION 8.04. The Administrative Agent Individually. With respect to its Commitment and Loans, the Person serving as the Administrative Agent shall have and may exercise the same rights and powers hereunder and is subject to the same obligations and liabilities as and to the extent set forth herein for any other Lender. The terms “Lenders”, “Required Lenders” and any similar terms shall, unless the context clearly otherwise indicates, include the Administrative Agent in its individual capacity as a Lender or as one of the Required Lenders, as applicable. The Person serving as the Administrative Agent and its Affiliates may accept deposits from, lend money to, own Securities of, act as the financial advisor or in any other advisory capacity for and generally engage in any kind of banking, trust or other business with, any member of the Group or any Affiliate of any of the foregoing as if such Person was not acting as the Administrative Agent and without any duty to account therefor to the Lenders.
SECTION 8.05. Successor Administrative Agent. The Administrative Agent may resign at any time by giving 30 days’ prior written notice thereof to the Lenders and the Borrower, whether or not a successor Administrative Agent has been appointed. Upon any such resignation, the Required Lenders shall have the right, in consultation with the Borrower, to appoint a successor Administrative Agent. If no successor Administrative Agent shall have been so appointed by the Required Lenders, and shall have accepted such appointment, within 30 days after the retiring Administrative Agent’s giving of notice of resignation, then the retiring Administrative Agent may, on behalf of the Lenders, appoint a successor Administrative Agent, which shall be a Bank with an office in New York, New York or an Affiliate of any such bank. Upon the acceptance of any appointment as Administrative Agent by a successor Administrative Agent, such successor Administrative Agent shall succeed to, and become vested with, all the rights, powers, privileges
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and duties of the retiring Administrative Agent. Upon the acceptance of appointment as Administrative Agent by a successor Administrative Agent, the retiring Administrative Agent shall be discharged from its duties and obligations under this Agreement and the other Loan Documents. Prior to any retiring Administrative Agent’s resignation hereunder as Administrative Agent, the retiring Administrative Agent shall take such action as may be reasonably necessary to assign to the successor Administrative Agent its rights as Administrative Agent under the Loan Documents.
(a) Notwithstanding paragraph (a) of this Section, in the event no successor Administrative Agent shall have been so appointed and shall have accepted such appointment within 30 days after the retiring Administrative Agent gives notice of its intent to resign, the retiring Administrative Agent may give notice of the effectiveness of its resignation to the Lenders and the Borrower, whereupon, on the date of effectiveness of such resignation stated in such notice, (i) the retiring Administrative Agent shall be discharged from its duties and obligations hereunder and under the other Loan Documents and (ii) the Required Lenders shall succeed to and become vested with all the rights, powers, privileges and duties of the retiring Administrative Agent; provided that (A) all payments required to be made hereunder or under any other Loan Document to the Administrative Agent for the account of any Person other than the Administrative Agent shall be made directly to such Person and (B) all notices and other communications required or contemplated to be given or made to the Administrative Agent shall directly be given or made to each Lender.
(b) Following the effectiveness of the Administrative Agent’s resignation from its capacity as such, the provisions of this Article and Section 9.03, as well as any exculpatory, reimbursement and indemnification provisions set forth in any other Loan Document, shall continue in effect for the benefit of such retiring Administrative Agent, its sub-agents and their respective Related Parties in respect of any actions taken or omitted to be taken by any of them while the retiring Administrative Agent was acting as Administrative Agent.
SECTION 8.06. Acknowledgements of Lenders . Each Lender represents and warrants that (i) the Loan Documents set forth the terms of a commercial lending facility, (ii) in participating as a Lender, it is engaged in making, acquiring or holding commercial loans and in providing other facilities set forth herein as may be applicable to such Lender in the ordinary course of business, and not for the purpose of investing in the general performance or operations of the Borrower, or for the purpose of purchasing, acquiring or holding any other type of financial instrument such as a security (and each Lender agrees not to assert a claim in contravention of the foregoing, such as a claim under the federal or state securities law), (iii) it has, independently and without reliance upon the Administrative Agent, any Arranger, any Syndication Agent, any Documentation Agent or any other Lender, or any of the Related Parties of any of the foregoing, and based on such documents and information as it has deemed appropriate, made its own credit analysis and decision to enter into this Agreement as a Lender, and to make, acquire or hold Loans hereunder and (iv) it is sophisticated with respect to decisions to make, acquire and/or hold commercial loans and to provide other facilities set forth herein, as may be applicable to such Lender, and either it, or the Person exercising discretion in making its decision to make, acquire and/or hold such commercial loans or to provide such other facilities, is experienced in making, acquiring or holding such commercial loans or providing such other facilities. Each Lender also acknowledges that it will, independently and without reliance upon the Administrative Agent, any Arranger, any Syndication Agent, any Documentation Agent or any other Lender, or any of the Related Parties of any of the
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foregoing, and based on such documents and information (which may contain material, non-public information within the meaning of the United States securities laws concerning the Borrower and its Affiliates) as it shall from time to time deem appropriate, continue to make its own decisions in taking or not taking action under or based upon this Agreement, any other Loan Document or any related agreement or any document furnished hereunder or thereunder.
(a) Each Lender, by delivering its signature page to this Agreement on the Effective Date, or delivering its signature page to an Assignment and Assumption or any other Loan Document pursuant to which it shall become a Lender hereunder, shall be deemed to have acknowledged receipt of, and consented to and approved, each Loan Document and each other document required to be delivered to, or be approved by or satisfactory to, the Administrative Agent or the Lenders on the Effective Date.
(b) Each Lender hereby agrees that (A) if the Administrative Agent notifies such Lender that the Administrative Agent has determined in its sole discretion that any funds received by such Lender from the Administrative Agent or any of its Affiliates (whether as a payment, prepayment or repayment of principal, interest, fees or otherwise; individually and collectively, a “Payment”) were erroneously transmitted to such Lender (whether or not known to such Lender), and demands the return of such Payment (or a portion thereof), such Lender shall promptly, but in no event later than one Business Day thereafter (or such later date as the Administrative Agent may, in its sole discretion, specify in writing), return to the Administrative Agent the amount of any such Payment (or portion thereof) as to which such a demand was made in same day funds, together with interest thereon (except to the extent waived in writing by the Administrative Agent) in respect of each day from and including the date such Payment (or portion thereof) was received by such Lender to the date such amount is repaid to the Administrative Agent at the greater of the NYFRB Rate and a rate determined by the Administrative Agent in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank compensation from time to time in effect, and (B) to the extent permitted by applicable law, such Lender shall not assert, and hereby waives, as to the Administrative Agent, any claim, counterclaim, defense or right of set-off or recoupment with respect to any demand, claim or counterclaim by the Administrative Agent for the return of any Payments received, including without limitation any defense based on “discharge for value” or any similar doctrine. A notice of the Administrative Agent to any Lender under this Section 8.06(b) shall be conclusive, absent manifest error.
(i) Each Lender hereby further agrees that if it receives a Payment from the Administrative Agent or any of its Affiliates (A) that is in a different amount than, or on a different date from, that specified in a notice of Payment sent by the Administrative Agent (or any of its Affiliates) with respect to such Payment (a “Payment Notice”) or (B) that was not preceded or accompanied by a Payment Notice, it shall be on notice, in each such case, that an error has been made with respect to such Payment. Each Lender agrees that, in each such case, or if it otherwise becomes aware a Payment (or portion thereof) may have been sent in error, such Lender shall promptly notify the Administrative Agent of such occurrence and, upon demand from the Administrative Agent, it shall promptly, but in no event later than one Business Day thereafter (or such later date as the Administrative Agent may, in its sole discretion, specify in writing), return to the Administrative Agent the amount of any such Payment (or portion thereof) as to which such a demand was made in same day funds, together with interest thereon (except to the extent waived in writing by the Administrative Agent) in respect of each day from and including the date such Payment (or portion thereof) was received by such Lender to the date such amount is repaid to the Administrative Agent at the greater of the NYFRB Rate and a rate determined by the Administrative Agent in accordance with banking industry rules on interbank compensation from time to time in effect.
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(ii) The Borrower and each other Loan Party hereby agrees that (A) in the event an erroneous Payment (or portion thereof) are not recovered from any Lender that has received such Payment (or portion thereof) for any reason, the Administrative Agent shall be subrogated to all the rights of such Lender with respect to such amount and (B) an erroneous Payment shall not pay, prepay, repay, discharge, or otherwise satisfy any Obligations owed by the Borrower or any other Loan Party; provided that for the avoidance of doubt, immediately preceding clauses (A) and (B) shall not apply to the extent any such erroneous Payment is, and solely with respect to the amount of such erroneous Payment that is, comprised of funds received by the Administrative Agent from the Borrower for the purpose of making such erroneous Payment.
(iii) Each party’s obligations under this Section 8.06(b) shall survive the resignation or replacement of the Administrative Agent or any transfer of rights or obligations by, or the replacement of, a Lender, the termination of the Commitments or the repayment, satisfaction or discharge of all Obligations under any Loan Document.
(c) The Lenders acknowledge that there may be a constant flow of information (including information which may be subject to confidentiality obligations in favor of the Loan Parties) between the Loan Parties and their Affiliates, on the one hand, and Barclays Bank PLC and its Affiliates, on the other hand. Without limiting the foregoing, the Loan Parties or their Affiliates may provide information, including updates to previously provided information to Barclays Bank PLC and/or its Affiliates acting in different capacities, including as Lender, lead bank, arranger or potential securities investor, independent of such entity’s role as administrative agent hereunder. The Lenders acknowledge that neither Barclays Bank PLC nor its Affiliates shall be under any obligation to provide any of the foregoing information to them. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth herein or in any other Loan Document, except for notices, reports and other documents expressly required to be furnished to the Lenders by the Administrative Agent herein, the Administrative Agent shall not have any duty or responsibility to provide, and shall not be liable for the failure to provide, any Lender with any credit or other information concerning the Loans, the Lenders, the business, prospects, operations, property, financial and other condition or creditworthiness of any of the Loan Parties or any of their respective Affiliates that is communicated to, obtained by, or in the possession of, the Administrative Agent or any of its Affiliates in any capacity, including any information obtained by the Administrative Agent in the course of communications among the Administrative Agent and any Loan Party, any Affiliate thereof or any other Person. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any such information may (but shall not be required to) be shared by the Administrative Agent with one or more Lenders, or any formal or informal committee or ad hoc group of such Lenders, including at the direction of a Loan Party.
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SECTION 8.07. Certain ERISA Matters. Each Lender (x) represents and warrants, as of the date such Person became a Lender party hereto, and (y) covenants, from the date such Person became a Lender party hereto to the date such Person ceases being a Lender party hereto, to and for the benefit of, the Administrative Agent, the Arrangers, the Syndication Agents, the Documentation Agents and their respective Affiliates that at least one of the following is and will be true:
(i) such Lender is not using “plan assets” (within the meaning of Section 3(42) of ERISA or otherwise) of one or more Benefit Plans with respect to such Lender’s entrance into, participation in, administration of and performance of the Loans, the Commitments or this Agreement,
(ii) the transaction exemption set forth in one or more PTEs, such as PTE 84-14 (a class exemption for certain transactions determined by independent qualified professional asset managers), PTE 95-60 (a class exemption for certain transactions involving insurance company general accounts), PTE 90-1 (a class exemption for certain transactions involving insurance company pooled separate accounts), PTE 91-38 (a class exemption for certain transactions involving bank collective investment funds) or PTE 96-23 (a class exemption for certain transactions determined by in-house asset managers), is applicable with respect to such Lender’s entrance into, participation in, administration of and performance of the Loans, the Commitments and this Agreement,
(iii) (A) such Lender is an investment fund managed by a “Qualified Professional Asset Manager” (within the meaning of Section VI of PTE 84-14), (B) such Qualified Professional Asset Manager made the investment decision on behalf of such Lender to enter into, participate in, administer and perform the Loans, the Commitments and this Agreement, (C) the entrance into, participation in, administration of and performance of the Loans, the Commitments and this Agreement satisfies the requirements of sub-sections (b) through (g) and (k) of Section I of PTE 84-14 and (D) to the best knowledge of such Lender, the requirements of subsection (a) of Section I of PTE 84-14 are satisfied with respect to such Lender’s entrance into, participation in, administration of and performance of the Loans, the Commitments and this Agreement, or
(iv) such other representation, warranty and covenant (A) as may be agreed in writing between the Administrative Agent, in its sole discretion, and such Lender and (B) as to which the Borrower has provided its written consent (such consent not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed); provided that the Borrower shall be deemed to have consented to such representation, warranty or covenant unless it has objected thereto by written notice to the Administrative Agent within three Business Days after receipt of written notice thereof.
(b) In addition, unless either (1) sub-clause (i) in the immediately preceding clause (a) is true with respect to a Lender or (2) a Lender has provided another representation, warranty and covenant in accordance with sub-clause (iv) in the immediately preceding clause (a), such Lender further (x) represents and warrants, as of the date such Person became a Lender party hereto, to, and (y) covenants, from the date such Person became a Lender party hereto to the date such Person ceases being a Lender party hereto, to and for the benefit of the Administrative Agent, the Arrangers, the syndication Agents, the Documentation Agents and their respective Affiliates, that none of the Administrative Agent, or any Arranger, any Syndication Agent, any Documentation Agent or any of their respective Affiliates is a fiduciary with respect to the assets of such Lender involved in such Lender’s entrance into, participation in, administration of and performance of the Loans, the Commitments and this Agreement (including in connection with the reservation or exercise of any rights by the Administrative Agent under this Agreement, any Loan Document or any documents related hereto or thereto).
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ARTICLE IX
Miscellaneous
SECTION 9.01. Notices.
(a) Except in the case of notices and other communications expressly permitted to be given by telephone or electronic communication as contemplated by paragraph (b) below, all notices and other communications provided for herein shall be in writing and shall be delivered by hand or overnight courier service, mailed by certified or registered mail or transmitted electronically, as follows:
(i) if to the Borrower, to:
(A) Prior to the Acquisition Effective Date: Augusta SpinCo Corporation (c/o Becton, Dickinson and Company), Attention of Laura Frost, Vice President and Treasurer (Telephone No. *****, email: *****);
(B) On and after the Acquisition Effective Date: Waters Corporation, Attention of John Lynch, Vice President, Corporate Treasurer (Telephone No. *****, email: *****);
(ii) if to the Administrative Agent from the Borrower to the address or addresses separately provided to the Borrower;
(iii) if to the Administrative Agent from any Lender, to Barclays Bank PLC, 400 Jefferson Park, Whippany, New Jersey 07981, Attention of US Agency Servicing, email: [email protected]; [email protected], with a copy to Barclays Bank PLC, 400 Jefferson Park, Whippany, New Jersey 07981, Attention of Ozioma Ejiofor, email: *****; *****, telephone: *****;
(iv) if to Barclays Bank PLC in its capacity as a Lender, as follows: Barclays Bank PLC, 400 Jefferson Park, Whippany, New Jersey 07981, Attention of US Agency Servicing, email: [email protected]; [email protected], with a copy to Barclays Bank PLC, 400 Jefferson Park, Whippany, New Jersey 07981, Attention of Ozioma Ejiofor, email: *****; *****, telephone: *****; and
(v) if to any other Lender, to it at its address set forth in its Administrative Questionnaire.
Notices sent by hand or overnight courier service, or mailed by certified or registered mail, shall be deemed to have been given when received; notices sent by fax shall be deemed to have been given when sent (or, if not given during normal business hours for the recipient, shall be deemed to have been given at the opening of business on the next business day for the recipient); and notices delivered through electronic communications or Approved Borrower Portals to the extent provided in paragraph (b) below shall be effective as provided in such paragraph.
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(b) Notices and other communications to the Borrower, the Lenders and the Administrative Agent hereunder may be delivered or furnished by electronic communications (including email and Internet and intranet websites) or Approved Borrower Portals, in each case, pursuant to procedures approved in writing by the Administrative Agent; provided that the foregoing shall not apply to notices under Article II to any Lender if such Lender has notified the Administrative Agent that it is incapable of receiving notices under such Article by electronic communication. Any notices or other communications to the Administrative Agent or the Borrower may be delivered or furnished by electronic communications pursuant to procedures approved in writing by the recipient thereof prior thereto; provided that approval of such procedures may be limited or rescinded by any such Person by notice to each other applicable Person.
(c) Any party hereto may change its address for notices and other communications hereunder by notice to the other parties hereto.
SECTION 9.02. Waivers; Amendments.
(a) No failure or delay by the Administrative Agent or any Lender in exercising any right or power hereunder or under any other Loan Document shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any such right or power, or any abandonment or discontinuance of steps to enforce such a right or power, preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right or power. The rights and remedies of the Administrative Agent and the Lenders hereunder and under the other Loan Documents are cumulative and are not exclusive of any rights or remedies that they would otherwise have. No waiver of any provision of any Loan Document or consent to any departure by any Loan Party therefrom shall in any event be effective unless the same shall be permitted by paragraph (b) of this Section, and then such waiver or consent shall be effective only in the specific instance and for the specific purpose for which given. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the making of a Loan shall not be construed as a waiver of any Default, regardless of whether the Administrative Agent or any Lender may have had notice or knowledge of such Default at the time.
(b) Subject to Sections 2.13(b) and 2.13(d), none of this Agreement, or any other Loan Document or any provision hereof or thereof may be waived, amended or modified except pursuant to an agreement or agreements in writing entered into by the Borrower and the Required Lenders or by the Borrower and the Administrative Agent with the consent of the Required Lenders or, in the case of any other Loan Document, pursuant to an agreement or agreements in writing entered into by the Administrative Agent and the Loan Party or Loan Parties that are parties thereto, in each case with the consent of the Required Lenders; provided that (1) any provision of this Agreement or any other Loan Document may be amended by an agreement in writing entered into by the Borrower and the Administrative Agent to cure any ambiguity, omission, defect or inconsistency so long as, in each case, the Lenders shall have received at least five Business Days’ prior written notice thereof and the Administrative Agent shall not have received, within five Business Days of the date of such notice to the Lenders, a written notice from the Required Lenders stating that the Required Lenders object to such amendment and (2) no such agreement shall
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(i) increase any Commitment of any Lender without the written consent of such Lender, (ii) reduce the principal amount of any Loan or reduce the rate of interest thereon (other than as a result of waiving the applicability of any post-default increase in interest rates and other than as a result of any change to any component definition of the term “Leverage Ratio” herein), or reduce any fees payable hereunder, without the written consent of each Lender adversely affected thereby, (iii) postpone the date of any scheduled payment of the principal amount of any Loan, or any interest thereon, or any fees payable hereunder, or reduce the amount of, waive or excuse any such payment, or postpone the scheduled date of expiration of any Commitment, in each case, without the written consent of each Lender adversely affected thereby, (iv) change Section 2.08(b), Section 2.10(e) or Section 2.17(b), in each case, in a manner that would alter the ratable reduction of Commitments or the pro rata sharing of payments required thereby without the written consent of each Lender adversely affected thereby, or alter the manner in which payments or prepayments of principal, interest or other amounts hereunder shall be applied as among Lenders or Types of Loans without the written consent of each Lender adversely affected thereby, (v) release the Parent from the Parent Guarantee Agreement (except pursuant to Section 2.20), (vi) release all or substantially all of the Subsidiary Guarantors from the Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement (except pursuant to Section 9.14) or (vii) change any of the provisions of this Section or the percentage set forth in the definition of “Required Lenders”, “Required Tranche 1 Lenders”, “Required Tranche 2 Lenders” or any other provision of any Loan Document specifying the number or percentage of Lenders required to waive, amend or modify any rights thereunder or make any determination or grant any consent thereunder, without the written consent of each Lender; provided further that no such agreement shall (i) amend, modify or otherwise affect the rights or duties of the Administrative Agent hereunder or under any other Loan Document without the prior written consent of the Administrative Agent and, without limiting the foregoing, any amendment or other modification of Section 2.19 shall require the prior written consent of the Administrative Agent and (ii) effect any changes affecting Lenders in one Tranche differently than Lenders in another Tranche without the approval of the Required Tranche 1 Lenders or Required Tranche 2 Lenders, as applicable, under each Tranche which is adversely affected thereby; provided further that any amendment or modification that only affects one Tranche and not the other shall require the approval of only the Required Tranche 1 Lenders or Required Tranche 2 Lenders, as applicable, under the affected Tranche and not the Required Lenders. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no consent with respect to any amendment, waiver or other modification of this Agreement or any other Loan Document shall be required of (x) any Defaulting Lender, except with respect to any amendment, waiver or other modification referred to in clause (i), (ii) or (iii) of the first proviso of this paragraph and then only in the event such Defaulting Lender shall be affected by such amendment, waiver or other modification.
SECTION 9.03. Expenses; Indemnity; Damage Waiver. The Borrower shall pay (i) all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the Administrative Agent and its Affiliates, including the reasonable fees, charges and disbursements of counsel for the Administrative Agent, in connection with the syndication of the credit facilities provided for herein, the preparation and administration of this Agreement or the other Loan Documents or any amendments, modifications or waivers of the provisions hereof or thereof (whether or not the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby shall be consummated) and (ii) all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses (including reasonable fees, charges and disbursements of any counsel) incurred by the Administrative Agent, and, following and during the continuance of an Event of Default, any Lender, in connection with the enforcement, collection or protection of its rights in connection with any Loan Document, including its rights under this Section, or in connection with the Loans made, including all such out-of-pocket expenses incurred during any workout, restructuring or negotiations in respect of such Loans.
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(a) To the extent permitted by applicable law (i) the Borrower and any Loan Party shall not assert, and the Borrower and each Loan Party hereby waives, any claim against the Administrative Agent, any Arranger, any Bookrunner, any Syndication Agent, any Documentation Agent and any Lender, and any Related Party of any of the foregoing Persons (each such Person being called a “Lender-Related Person”) for any Liabilities arising from the use by others of information or other materials (including, without limitation, any personal data) obtained through telecommunications, electronic or other information transmission systems (including the Internet, any Approved Electronic Platform and any Approved Borrower Portal), and (ii) no party hereto shall assert, and each such party hereby waives, any Liabilities against any other party hereto, on any theory of liability, for special, indirect, consequential or punitive damages (as opposed to direct or actual damages) arising out of, in connection with, or as a result of, this Agreement, any other Loan Document, or any agreement or instrument contemplated hereby or thereby, the Transactions, any Loan or the use of the proceeds thereof; provided that, nothing in this Section 9.03(a) shall relieve the Borrower or any Loan Party of any obligation it may have to indemnify an Indemnitee, as provided in Section 9.03(c), against any special, indirect, consequential or punitive damages asserted against such Indemnitee by a third party.
(b) The Borrower shall indemnify the Administrative Agent, each Arranger and Bookrunner, each Syndication Agent, each Documentation Agent and each Lender and each Related Party of any of the foregoing Persons (each such Person being called an “Indemnitee”) against, and hold each Indemnitee harmless from, any and all Liabilities and related reasonable out-of-pocket costs or expenses, including the reasonable fees, charges and disbursements of any counsel for any Indemnitee, incurred by or asserted against any Indemnitee arising out of, in connection with, or as a result of (i) the execution or delivery of this Agreement, any other Loan Document, or any agreement or instrument contemplated hereby or thereby and the performance by the parties hereto of their respective obligations hereunder or thereunder or the consummation of the Transactions or any other transactions contemplated hereby, (ii) any Loan or the use of the proceeds therefrom, (iii) any act or omission of the Administrative Agent in connection with the administration of this Agreement; (iv) [reserved]; or (v) any actual or overtly and written threatened Proceeding in any jurisdiction relating to any of the foregoing (including, with respect to clause (i), any such actual or overtly and written threatened Proceeding relating to or arising from the delivery, by or on behalf of any Loan Party, of an executed counterpart of a signature page of any Loan Document or Ancillary Document that is an Electronic Signature), whether or not such Proceeding is brought by the Borrower or any other Loan Party or its or their respective equity holders, Affiliates, creditors or any other third Person and whether based on contract, tort or any other theory and regardless of whether any Indemnitee is a party thereto; provided that such indemnity shall not, as to any Indemnitee, be available to the extent that such Liabilities or related expenses are determined by a court of competent jurisdiction by final and non-appealable judgment to have resulted primarily from the gross negligence or willful misconduct of such Indemnitee in performing its activities or in furnishing its commitments or services under this Agreement.
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(c) Each Lender severally agrees to pay any amount required to be paid by the Borrower under paragraphs (a), (b) or (c) of this Section 9.03 to the Administrative Agent and each Related Party of any of the foregoing Persons (each, an “Agent-Related Person”) (to the extent not reimbursed by the Borrower and without limiting the obligation of the Borrower to do so), ratably according to their respective pro rata share in effect on the date on which such payment is sought under this Section (or, if such payment is sought after the date upon which the Commitments shall have terminated and the Loans shall have been paid in full, ratably in accordance with such pro rata immediately prior to such date), and agrees to indemnify and hold each Agent-Related Person harmless from and against any and all Liabilities and related expenses, including the fees, charges and disbursements of any kind whatsoever that may at any time (whether before or after the payment of the Loans) be imposed on, incurred by or asserted against such Agent-Related Person in any way relating to or arising out of the Commitments, this Agreement, any of the other Loan Documents or any documents contemplated by or referred to herein or therein or the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby or any action taken or omitted by such Agent-Related Person under or in connection with any of the foregoing; provided that the unreimbursed expense or Liability or related expense, as the case may be, was incurred by or asserted against such Agent-Related Person in its capacity as such; provided further that no Lender shall be liable for the payment of any portion of such Liabilities, costs, expenses or disbursements that are found by a final and nonappealable decision of a court of competent jurisdiction to have resulted primarily from such Agent-Related Party’s gross negligence or willful misconduct. The agreements in this Section shall survive the termination of this Agreement and the payment of the Loans and all other amounts payable hereunder. For purposes hereof, a Lender’s “pro rata share” shall be determined based upon its share of the unused Commitments at the time.
(d) All amounts due under this Section shall be payable within 15 Business Days after receipt by the Borrower of a reasonably detailed invoice therefor.
SECTION 9.04. Successors and Assigns.
(a) The provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns permitted hereby, except that (other than a substitution of the Successor Borrower as the Borrower pursuant to Section 2.20) the Borrower may not assign or otherwise transfer any of its rights or obligations hereunder without the prior written consent of each Lender (and any attempted assignment or transfer by the Borrower without such consent shall be null and void). Nothing in this Agreement, expressed or implied, shall be construed to confer upon any Person (other than the parties hereto, their respective successors and assigns permitted hereby and, to the extent expressly contemplated hereby, Participants (to the extent provided in paragraph (e) of this Section), the Arrangers, the syndication Agents, the Documentation Agents, the Bookrunners and the Related Parties of the Administrative Agent, the Arrangers, the syndication Agents, the Documentation Agents, the Bookrunners and the Lenders) any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or by reason of this Agreement.
(b) No Lender shall assign to any Person (other than an Affiliate of such Lender) all or a portion of its rights and obligations under this Agreement prior to the funding of the Loans on the Closing Date without the Borrower’s prior written consent (in its sole discretion). After the funding of the Loans on the Closing Date, any Lender may assign to one or more assignees all or a portion of its rights and obligations under this Agreement (including all or a portion of its Commitments and the Loans or other amounts at the time owing to it under any or all Tranches) other than to a Defaulting Lender, to any natural person or to the Borrower or any of its Affiliates;
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provided that (i) except in the case of an assignment to a Lender, the Administrative Agent (and in the case of an assignment of all or a portion of a Commitment) and, except (A) in the case of an assignment to a Lender, an Affiliate of a Lender or a Related Fund of any Lender or (B) if an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, the Borrower, must give their prior written consent to such assignment (provided, that (x) no such consent shall be unreasonably withheld or delayed and (y) the Borrower shall be deemed to have consented to any such assignment unless it shall object thereto by written notice to the Administrative Agent within 10 Business Days after having received notice thereof), (ii) unless an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, except in the case of an assignment to a Lender, an Affiliate of a Lender or a Related Fund of any Lender or an assignment of the entire remaining amount of the assigning Lender’s Commitments and outstanding Loans, the amount of the Commitments and outstanding Loans of the assigning Lender subject to each such assignment (determined as of the date the Assignment and Assumption with respect to such assignment is delivered to the Administrative Agent) shall not be less than $5,000,000 unless each of the Borrower and the Administrative Agent otherwise consent, (iii) the parties to each assignment shall execute and deliver to the Administrative Agent an Assignment and Assumption, together with a processing and recordation fee of $3,500 and (iv) the assignee, if it shall not be a Lender, shall deliver to the Administrative Agent an Administrative Questionnaire in which the assignee designates one or more credit contacts to whom all syndicate-level information (which may contain MNPI) will be made available and who may receive such information in accordance with the assignee’s compliance procedures and applicable law, including Federal, State and foreign Securities laws. Subject to acceptance and recording thereof pursuant to paragraph (d) of this Section, from and after the effective date specified in each Assignment and Assumption the assignee thereunder shall be a party hereto and, to the extent of the interest assigned by such Assignment and Assumption, have the rights and obligations of a Lender under this Agreement, and the assigning Lender thereunder shall, to the extent of the interest assigned by such Assignment and Assumption, be released from its obligations under this Agreement (and, in the case of an Assignment and Assumption covering all of the assigning Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement, such Lender shall cease to be a party hereto but shall continue to be entitled to the benefits of Section 2.14, 2.15, 2.16 and 9.03). At the time of any assignment, the assignee shall provide to the Borrower the documentation described in Section 2.16(g). Any assignment or transfer by a Lender of rights or obligations under this Agreement that does not comply with this paragraph shall be treated for purposes of this Agreement as a sale by such Lender of a participation in such rights and obligations in accordance with paragraph (e) of this Section.
(c) The Administrative Agent, acting for this purpose as a non-fiduciary agent of the Borrower, shall maintain at one of its offices in the City of New York a copy of each Assignment and Assumption delivered to it and records of the names and addresses of the Lenders, and the Commitment of, and principal amount (and stated interest) of the Loans owing to, each Lender pursuant to the terms hereof from time to time (the “Register”). The entries in the Register shall be conclusive, and the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and the Lenders shall treat each Person whose name is recorded in the Register pursuant to the terms hereof as a Lender hereunder for all purposes of this Agreement, notwithstanding notice to the contrary. The Register shall be available for inspection by the Borrower and, as to entries relating to it, any Lender, at any reasonable time and from time to time upon reasonable prior notice, and any other person as reasonably necessary to establish that an applicable Commitment, Loan or other obligation is in registered form under Section 5f.103-1 of the United States Treasury Regulations.
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(d) Upon its receipt of a duly completed Assignment and Assumption executed by an assigning Lender and an assignee, the assignee’s completed Administrative Questionnaire (unless the assignee shall already be a Lender hereunder), the processing and recordation fee referred to in paragraph (b) of this Section and any written consent to such assignment required by paragraph (b) of this Section, the Administrative Agent shall accept such Assignment and Assumption and record the information contained therein in the Register. No assignment shall be effective for purposes of this Agreement unless it has been recorded in the Register as provided in this paragraph.
(e) No Lender shall sell participations in all or a portion of such Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement to any Person (other than an Affiliate of such Lender) prior to the funding of the Loans on the Closing Date without the Borrower’s prior written consent (in its sole discretion). After the funding of the Loans on the Closing Date, any Lender may, without the consent of the Borrower or the Administrative Agent, sell participations to one or more banks or other entities other than a Defaulting Lender (a “Participant”) in all or a portion of such Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement (including all or a portion of its Commitment and the Loans owing to it); provided that (i) such Lender’s obligations under this Agreement shall remain unchanged, (ii) such Lender shall remain solely responsible to the other parties hereto for the performance of such obligations and (iii) the Borrower, the Administrative Agent and the other Lenders shall continue to deal solely and directly with such Lender in connection with such Lender’s rights and obligations under this Agreement. Any agreement or instrument pursuant to which a Lender sells such a participation shall provide that (A) such Lender shall retain the sole right to enforce this Agreement and to approve any amendment, modification or waiver of any provision of this Agreement and (B) such Participant shall be bound by the provisions of Section 9.12 as if such Participant were a Lender; provided that such agreement or instrument may provide that such Lender will not, without the consent of the Participant, agree to any amendment, modification or waiver described in clause (i), (ii), (iii) or (vii) of the first proviso to Section 9.02(b) that affects such Participant. Subject to paragraph (f) of this Section, the Borrower agrees that each Participant shall be entitled to the benefits of Section 2.14, 2.15, 2.16 and 9.08 to the same extent as if it were a Lender and had acquired its interest by assignment pursuant to paragraph (b) of this Section. Each Lender that sells a participation shall, acting solely for this purpose as a non-fiduciary agent of the Borrower, maintain a register on which it enters the name and address of each Participant and the principal amounts (and stated interest) of each Participant’s interest in the Loans or other obligations under this Agreement (the “Participant Register”); provided that no Lender shall have any obligation to disclose all or any portion of the Participant Register to any Person (including the identity of any Participant or any information relating to a Participant’s interest in any Commitments, Loans or its other obligations under any Loan Document) except to the extent that such disclosure is necessary to establish that such Commitment, Loan or other obligation is in registered form under Section 5f.103-1(c) of the United States Treasury Regulations. The entries in the Participant Register shall be conclusive absent manifest error, and such Lender shall treat each person whose name is recorded in the Participant Register as the owner of such participation for all purposes of this Agreement notwithstanding any notice to the contrary.
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(f) A Participant shall not be entitled to receive any greater payment under Section 2.14 or 2.16 than the applicable Lender would have been entitled to receive with respect to the participation sold to such Participant, unless the sale of the participation to such Participant is made with the Borrower’s prior written consent. A Participant shall not be entitled to the benefits of Section 2.16 unless the Borrower is notified of the participation sold to such Participant and such Participant agrees, for the benefit of the Borrower, to comply with Section 2.16(f) as though it were a Lender. A Participant shall receive all information delivered under or in connection with this Agreement directly from the Lender from which it shall have purchased its participation, and the Borrower shall not have any obligation to furnish any such information directly to any Participant.
(g) Any Lender may at any time pledge or assign a security interest in all or any portion of its rights under this Agreement to secure obligations of such Lender, including any pledge or assignment to secure obligations to a Federal Reserve Bank or, in the case of a Lender that is an investment fund, to the trustee under the indenture to which such fund is a party, and this Section shall not apply to any such pledge or assignment of a security interest; provided that no such pledge or assignment of a security interest shall release a Lender from any of its obligations hereunder or substitute any such pledgee or assignee for such Lender as a party hereto.
SECTION 9.05. Survival. All covenants, agreements, representations and warranties made by the Loan Parties herein or in any other Loan Document or in the certificates or other instruments delivered in connection with or pursuant to this Agreement or any other Loan Document shall be considered to have been relied upon by the other parties hereto or thereto and shall survive the execution and delivery of this Agreement and any other Loan Document and the making of any Loans, regardless of any investigation made by any such other party or on its behalf and notwithstanding that the Administrative Agent or any Lender may have had notice or knowledge of any Default or incorrect representation or warranty at the time any credit is extended hereunder, and shall continue in full force and effect as long as the principal of or any accrued interest on any Loan or any fee or any other amount payable under this Agreement or any other Loan Document is outstanding and unpaid and so long as the Commitments have not expired or terminated. The provisions of Section 2.14, 2.15, 2.16, 9.03 and 9.12 and Article VIII shall survive and remain in full force and effect regardless of the consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby, the repayment of the Loans, the expiration or termination the Commitments or the termination of this Agreement or any other Loan Document or any provision hereof or thereof; provided, however, that the provisions of Section 9.12 shall expire two years after the later of (i) the repayment of the Loans and the expiration or termination of the Commitments and (ii) the termination of this Agreement.
SECTION 9.06. Counterparts; Integration; Effectiveness; Electronic Execution.
(a) Any Loan Document may be executed in counterparts (and by different parties hereto on different counterparts), each of which shall constitute an original, but all of which when taken together shall constitute a single contract. This Agreement, the other Loan Documents and any separate letter agreements with respect to fees payable to the Administrative Agent constitute the entire contract among the parties relating to the subject matter hereof and supersede any and all previous agreements and understandings, oral or written, relating to the subject matter hereof. This Agreement shall become effective on the Effective Date, and thereafter shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their respective successors and assigns.
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(b) Delivery of an executed counterpart of a signature page of (x) any Loan Document and/or (y) any document, amendment, approval, consent, information, notice (including, for the avoidance of doubt, any notice delivered pursuant to Section 9.01), certificate, request, statement, disclosure or authorization related to this Agreement, any other Loan Document and/or the transactions contemplated hereby and/or thereby (each an “Ancillary Document”) that is an Electronic Signature transmitted electronically that reproduces an image of an actual executed signature page shall be effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart of this Agreement, such other Loan Document or such Ancillary Document, as applicable. The words “execution”, “signed”, “signature”, “delivery”, and words of like import in or relating to this Agreement, any other Loan Document and/or any Ancillary Document shall be deemed to include Electronic Signatures, deliveries or the keeping of records in any electronic form (including deliveries by electronic transmission that reproduces an image of an actual executed signature page), each of which shall be of the same legal effect, validity or enforceability as a manually executed signature, physical delivery thereof or the use of a paper-based recordkeeping system, as the case may be; provided that nothing herein shall require the Administrative Agent to accept Electronic Signatures in any form or format without its prior written consent and pursuant to procedures approved by it; provided, further, without limiting the foregoing, (i) to the extent the Administrative Agent has agreed to accept any Electronic Signature, the Administrative Agent and each of the Lenders shall be entitled to rely on such Electronic Signature purportedly given by or on behalf of the Borrower or any other Loan Party without further verification thereof and without any obligation to review the appearance or form of any such Electronic Signature and (ii) upon the request of the Administrative Agent or any Lender, any Electronic Signature shall be promptly followed by a manually executed counterpart. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Borrower and each Loan Party hereby (A) agrees that, for all purposes, including without limitation, in connection with any workout, restructuring, enforcement of remedies, bankruptcy proceedings or litigation among the Administrative Agent, the Lenders, the Borrower and the Loan Parties, Electronic Signatures transmitted electronically that reproduces an image of an actual executed signature page and/or any electronic images of this Agreement, any other Loan Document and/or any Ancillary Document shall have the same legal effect, validity and enforceability as any paper original, (B) the Administrative Agent and each of the Lenders may, at its option, create one or more copies of this Agreement, any other Loan Document and/or any Ancillary Document in the form of an imaged electronic record in any format, which shall be deemed created in the ordinary course of such Person’s business, and destroy the original paper document (and all such electronic records shall be considered an original for all purposes and shall have the same legal effect, validity and enforceability as a paper record), (C) waives any argument, defense or right to contest the legal effect, validity or enforceability of this Agreement, any other Loan Document and/or any Ancillary Document based solely on the lack of paper original copies of this Agreement, such other Loan Document and/or such Ancillary Document, respectively, including with respect to any signature pages thereto and (D) waives any claim against any Lender-Related Person for any Liabilities arising solely from the Administrative Agent’s and/or any Lender’s reliance on or use of Electronic Signatures and/or electronic transmission that reproduces an image of an actual executed signature page, including any Liabilities arising as a result of the failure of the Borrower and/or any Loan Party to use any available security measures in connection with the execution, delivery or transmission of any Electronic Signature.
SECTION 9.07. Severability. Any provision of this Agreement held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any jurisdiction shall, as to such jurisdiction, be ineffective to the extent of such invalidity, illegality or unenforceability without affecting the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions hereof; and the invalidity of a particular provision in a particular jurisdiction shall not invalidate such provision in any other jurisdiction.
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SECTION 9.08. Right of Setoff. If an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing and each Lender, and each Affiliate of any of the foregoing, is hereby authorized at any time and from time to time, to the fullest extent permitted by law, to set off and apply any and all deposits (general or special, time or demand, provisional or final and in whatever currency denominated) at any time held and other obligations at any time owing by such Lender or Affiliate to or for the credit or the account of the Borrower against any of and all the obligations of the Borrower then due and payable under this Agreement or any other Loan Document held by such Lender, irrespective of whether or not such Lender shall have made any demand under this Agreement and although such obligations may be unmatured or are owed to a Branch office or Affiliate of such Lender different from the branch office or Affiliate holding such deposit or obligated on such indebtedness; provided that in the event that any Defaulting Lender shall exercise any such right of setoff, the Defaulting Lender shall provide promptly to the Administrative Agent a statement describing in reasonable detail the Obligations owing to such Defaulting Lender as to which it exercised such right of setoff. The rights of each Lender, and each Affiliate of any of the foregoing, under this Section are in addition to other rights and remedies (including other rights of setoff) that such Lender or Affiliate may have. Each Lender agrees to notify the Borrower and the Administrative Agent promptly after any such setoff and application; provided that the failure to give such notice shall not affect the validity of such setoff and application.
SECTION 9.09. Governing Law; Jurisdiction; Consent to Service of Process. This Agreement shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the law of the state of New York, provided that (a) the interpretation of the definition of the SpinCo Material Adverse Effect (as defined in the Acquisition Agreement as in effect on the Original Signing Date) and whether or not a SpinCo Material Adverse Effect has occurred, (b) the determination of the accuracy of any Contributed Business Representations and whether as a result of any failure of such representations and warranties to be true and correct the Parent or any of its affiliates (i) have the right to not consummate the Acquisition or to terminate their respective obligations or (ii) otherwise do not have an obligation to close, in each case, under the Acquisition Agreement and (c) the determination of (i) whether the Contribution and the Special Cash Payment have been consummated and (ii) whether (x) the conditions for the consummation of the Stock Distribution set forth in the Separation Agreement have been satisfied or waived (other than those conditions that are expected to be satisfied or waived contemporaneously with or prior to the consummation of the Acquisition no later than two Business Days following the Closing Date) and (y) not later than two Business Days following the Closing Date, the Stock Distribution and the Acquisition shall have been consummated pursuant to, and in all material respects in accordance with, the Separation Agreement and the Acquisition Agreement, as applicable, in each case, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the internal laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to the laws of any other jurisdiction that might be applied because of the conflicts of laws principles of the State of Delaware.
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(a) Each of the Lenders and the Administrative Agent hereby irrevocably and unconditionally agrees that, notwithstanding the governing law provisions of any applicable Loan Document, any claims brought against the Administrative Agent or any of its Related Parties relating to this Agreement, any other Loan Document or the consummation or administration of the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the law of the state of New York without regard to principles of conflicts of laws that would result in the application of the law of any other state.
(b) Each of the parties hereto hereby irrevocably and unconditionally submits, for itself and its property, to the exclusive jurisdiction of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York sitting in the Borough of Manhattan (or if such court lacks subject matter jurisdiction, the Supreme Court of the State of New York sitting in the Borough of Manhattan), and any appellate court from any thereof, in any action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or any other Loan Document or the transactions relating hereto or thereto, or for recognition or enforcement of any judgment, and each of the parties hereto hereby irrevocably and unconditionally agrees that all claims in respect of any such action or proceeding may (and any such claims, cross-claims or third party claims brought against the Administrative Agent or any of its Related Parties may only) be heard and determined in such Federal (to the extent permitted by law) or New York State court. Each of the parties hereto agrees that a final judgment in any such action or proceeding shall be conclusive and may be enforced in other jurisdictions by suit on the judgment or in any other manner provided by law. Nothing in this Agreement or in any other Loan Document shall (i) affect any right that the Administrative Agent or any Lender may otherwise have to bring any action or proceeding relating to this Agreement against the Borrower or its properties in the courts of any jurisdiction or (ii) waive any statutory, regulatory, common law, or other rule, doctrine, legal restriction, provision or the like providing for the treatment of bank branches, bank agencies, or other bank offices as if they were separate juridical entities for certain purposes, including Uniform Commercial Code sections 4-106, 4-A-105(1)(b), and 5-116(b), UCP 600 Article 3 and ISP98 Rule 2.02, and URDG 758 Article 3(a).
(c) Each of the parties hereto hereby irrevocably and unconditionally waives, to the fullest extent it may legally and effectively do so, any objection which it may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or any other Loan Document in any court referred to in paragraph (c) of this Section. Each of the parties hereto hereby irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the defense of an inconvenient forum to the maintenance of such action or proceeding in any such court.
(d) Each party to this Agreement irrevocably consents to service of process in the manner provided for notices in Section 9.01. Nothing in this Agreement or any other Loan Document will affect the right of any party to this Agreement to serve process in any other manner permitted by law.
SECTION 9.10. WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL. EACH PARTY HERETO HEREBY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT, ANY OTHER LOAN DOCUMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY OR THEREBY (WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT OR ANY OTHER THEORY). EACH PARTY HERETO (A) CERTIFIES THAT NO REPRESENTATIVE, AGENT OR ATTORNEY OF ANY
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OTHER PARTY HAS REPRESENTED, EXPRESSLY OR OTHERWISE, THAT SUCH OTHER PARTY WOULD NOT, IN THE EVENT OF LITIGATION, SEEK TO ENFORCE THE FOREGOING WAIVER AND (B) ACKNOWLEDGES THAT IT AND THE OTHER PARTIES HERETO HAVE BEEN INDUCED TO ENTER INTO THIS AGREEMENT BY, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE MUTUAL WAIVERS AND CERTIFICATIONS IN THIS SECTION.
SECTION 9.11. Headings. Article and Section headings and the Table of Contents used herein are for convenience of reference only, are not part of this Agreement and shall not affect the construction of, or be taken into consideration in interpreting, this Agreement.
SECTION 9.12. Confidentiality. The Administrative Agent and each Lender agrees to maintain the confidentiality of the Information (as defined below), except that Information may be disclosed (a) to its Affiliates and its and their respective directors, members, partners, officers, employees and agents, including accountants, legal counsel and other advisors, to Related Funds’ directors and officers and to any direct or indirect contractual counterparty in swap agreements (it being understood that each Person to whom such disclosure is made will be informed of the confidential nature of such Information and instructed to keep such Information confidential), (b) to the extent requested by any Governmental Authority (including (i) any self-regulatory authority, such as the National Association of Insurance Commissioners and (ii) in connection with a pledge or assignment permitted under Section 9.04(g)), (c) to the extent required by applicable laws or regulations or by any subpoena or similar legal process, (d) to any other party to this Agreement, (e) to the extent required or advisable in the judgment of counsel in connection with any suit, action or proceeding relating to the enforcement of rights of the Administrative Agent or the Lenders against the Borrower under this Agreement or any other Loan Document, (f) subject to an agreement containing provisions substantially the same as those of this Section, to any assignee of or Participant in, or any prospective assignee of or Participant in, any of its rights or obligations under this Agreement, (g) with the consent of the Borrower, (h) to any actual or prospective credit insurance provider (or its Related Parties) relating to the Borrower and its obligations hereunder or (i) to the extent such Information (i) becomes publicly available other than as a result of a breach of this Section of which the Administrative Agent or such Lender is aware or (ii) becomes available to the Administrative Agent or any Lender on a nonconfidential basis from a source other than the Borrower other than as a result of a breach of this Section of which the Administrative Agent or such Lender is aware. For the purposes of this Section, “Information” means all information received from the Borrower or the Parent relating to the Borrower, the Parent or their respective business, other than (A) any such information that is available to the Administrative Agent or any Lender on a nonconfidential basis prior to disclosure by the Borrower other than as a result of a breach of this Section of which the Administrative Agent or such Lender is aware and (B) information pertaining to this Agreement routinely provided by arrangers of credit facilities to data service providers, including league table providers, that serve the lending industry. Any Person required to maintain the confidentiality of Information as provided in this Section shall be considered to have complied with its obligation to do so if such Person has exercised the same degree of care to maintain the confidentiality of such Information as such Person would accord to its own confidential information.
For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in this Section 9.12 shall prohibit any Person from voluntarily disclosing or providing any Information within the scope of this confidentiality provision to any governmental, regulatory or self-regulatory organization (any such entity, a “Regulatory Authority”) to the extent that any such prohibition on disclosure set forth in this Section 9.12 shall be prohibited by the laws or regulations applicable to such Regulatory Authority.
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SECTION 9.13. Conversion of Currencies.
(a) If, for the purpose of obtaining judgment in any court, it is necessary to convert a sum owing hereunder in one currency into another currency, each party hereto agrees, to the fullest extent that it may effectively do so, that the rate of exchange used shall be that at which in accordance with normal banking procedures in the relevant jurisdiction the first currency could be purchased with such other currency on the Business Day immediately preceding the day on which final judgment is given.
(b) The obligations of the Borrower in respect of any sum due to any party hereto or any holder of the obligations owing hereunder (the “Applicable Creditor”) shall, notwithstanding any judgment in a currency (the “Judgment Currency”) other than the currency in which such sum is stated to be due hereunder (the “Agreement Currency”), be discharged only to the extent that, on the Business Day following receipt by the Applicable Creditor of any sum adjudged to be so due in the Judgment Currency, the Applicable Creditor may in accordance with normal banking procedures in the relevant jurisdiction purchase the Agreement Currency with the Judgment Currency; if the amount of the Agreement Currency so purchased is less than the sum originally due to the Applicable Creditor in the Agreement Currency, the Borrower agrees, as a separate obligation and notwithstanding any such judgment, to indemnify the Applicable Creditor against such loss. The obligations of the Borrower contained in this Section 9.13 shall survive the termination of this Agreement and the payment of all other amounts owing hereunder.
SECTION 9.14. Release of Subsidiary Guarantors. Notwithstanding any contrary provision herein or in any other Loan Document, if (a) the Borrower shall request the release under the Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement of any Subsidiary to be sold or otherwise disposed of (including through the sale or disposition of any Subsidiary owning any such Subsidiary) to a Person other than the Borrower or a Subsidiary in a transaction permitted under the terms of this Agreement and shall deliver to the Administrative Agent a certificate to the effect that such sale or other disposition will comply with the terms of this Agreement, or (b) a Subsidiary Guarantor is automatically released pursuant to clause (b) of the definition of “Guarantee Requirement”, the Administrative Agent, if satisfied that the applicable certificate is correct (in the case of this clause (b)), shall, without the consent of any Lender, execute and deliver all such instruments, releases or other agreements, and take all such further actions, as shall be necessary to effectuate the release of such Subsidiary at the time of or at any time after the completion of such sale or other disposition or after notice of any automatic release is given to the Administrative Agent, as applicable.
SECTION 9.15. USA PATRIOT Act and Beneficial Ownership Regulation. Each Lender hereby notifies the Borrower that pursuant to the requirements of the USA PATRIOT Act and/or the Beneficial Ownership Regulation, it is required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies the Borrower which information includes the name and address of the Borrower and other information that will allow such Lender to identify the Loan Parties in accordance with the USA PATRIOT Act and/or the Beneficial Ownership Regulation.
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SECTION 9.16. No Fiduciary Duty, etc.
(a) The Borrower acknowledges and agrees, and acknowledges its Subsidiaries’ understanding, that no Credit Party will have any obligations except those obligations expressly set forth herein and in the other Loan Documents and each Credit Party is acting solely in the capacity of an arm’s length contractual counterparty to the Borrower with respect to the Loan Documents and the transactions contemplated herein and therein and not as a financial advisor or a fiduciary to, or an agent of, the Borrower or any other person. The Borrower agrees that it will not assert any claim against any Credit Party based on an alleged breach of fiduciary duty by such Credit Party in connection with this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby. Additionally, the Borrower acknowledges and agrees that no Credit Party is advising the Borrower as to any legal, tax, investment, accounting, regulatory or any other matters in any jurisdiction. The Borrower shall consult with its own advisors concerning such matters and shall be responsible for making its own independent investigation and appraisal of the transactions contemplated herein or in the other Loan Documents, and the Credit Parties shall have no responsibility or liability to the Borrower with respect thereto.
(b) The Borrower further acknowledges and agrees, and acknowledges its Subsidiaries’ understanding, that each Credit Party, together with its Affiliates, in addition to providing or participating in commercial lending facilities such as that provided hereunder, is a full service securities or banking firm engaged in securities trading and brokerage activities as well as providing investment banking and other financial services. In the ordinary course of business, any Credit Party may provide investment banking and other financial services to, and/or acquire, hold or sell, for its own accounts and the accounts of customers, equity, debt and other securities and financial instruments (including bank loans and other obligations) of, the Borrower and other companies with which the Borrower may have commercial or other relationships. With respect to any securities and/or financial instruments so held by any Credit Party or any of its customers, all rights in respect of such securities and financial instruments, including any voting rights, will be exercised by the holder of the rights, in its sole discretion.
(c) In addition, the Borrower acknowledges and agrees, and acknowledges its Subsidiaries’ understanding, that each Credit Party and its affiliates may be providing debt financing, equity capital or other services (including financial advisory services) to other companies in respect of which the Loan Parties may have conflicting interests regarding the transactions described herein and otherwise. No Credit Party will use confidential information obtained from the Borrower by virtue of the transactions contemplated by the Loan Documents or its other relationships with the Borrower in connection with the performance by such Credit Party of services for other companies, and no Credit Party will furnish any such information to other companies. The Borrower also acknowledges that no Credit Party has any obligation to use in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Loan Documents, or to furnish to the Borrower, confidential information obtained from other companies.
(d) Each of the parties hereto acknowledges that (i) Barclays Capital Inc. has been retained by the Parent (or one of its affiliates) as financial advisor (in such capacity, a “Buy-Side Financial Advisor”) in connection with the Acquisition and (ii) Citi has been retained by BD (or one of its affiliates) as financial advisor (in such capacity, a “Sell-Side Financial Advisor” and together with the Buy-Side Financial Advisor, the “Financial Advisors”). Each of the parties hereto
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agrees to such retention, and further agrees not to assert any claim it might allege based on any actual or potential conflicts of interest that might be asserted to arise or result from, on the one hand, the engagement of each such Financial Advisors and, on the other hand, the relationships of Barclays, Citi and their respective affiliates with the Borrower, the Parent or BD as described and referred to herein.
SECTION 9.17. Non-Public Information.
(a) EACH LENDER ACKNOWLEDGES THAT INFORMATION AS DEFINED IN SECTION 9.12 FURNISHED TO IT PURSUANT TO THIS AGREEMENT MAY INCLUDE MNPI CONCERNING THE BORROWER, THE PARENT AND THEIR RESPECTIVE RELATED PARTIES OR THEIR RESPECTIVE SECURITIES, AND CONFIRMS THAT IT HAS DEVELOPED COMPLIANCE PROCEDURES REGARDING THE USE OF MNPI AND THAT IT WILL HANDLE SUCH MNPI IN ACCORDANCE WITH THOSE PROCEDURES AND APPLICABLE LAW, INCLUDING FEDERAL AND STATE SECURITIES LAWS.
(b) ALL INFORMATION, INCLUDING REQUESTS FOR WAIVERS AND AMENDMENTS, FURNISHED BY THE BORROWER, THE PARENT OR THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT PURSUANT TO, OR IN THE COURSE OF ADMINISTERING, THIS AGREEMENT WILL BE SYNDICATE-LEVEL INFORMATION, WHICH MAY CONTAIN MNPI ABOUT THE BORROWER, THE PARENT, THE LOAN PARTIES AND THEIR RELATED PARTIES OR THEIR RESPECTIVE SECURITIES. ACCORDINGLY, EACH LENDER REPRESENTS TO THE BORROWER AND THE ADMINISTRATIVE AGENT THAT IT HAS IDENTIFIED IN ITS ADMINISTRATIVE QUESTIONNAIRE A CREDIT CONTACT WHO MAY RECEIVE INFORMATION THAT MAY CONTAIN MNPI IN ACCORDANCE WITH ITS COMPLIANCE PROCEDURES AND APPLICABLE LAW.
SECTION 9.18. Acknowledgement and Consent to Bail-In of Affected Financial Institutions. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in any Loan Document or in any other agreement, arrangement or understanding among any such parties, each party hereto acknowledges that any liability of any Affected Financial Institution arising under any Loan Document may be subject to the Write-Down and Conversion Powers of the applicable Resolution Authority and agrees and consents to, and acknowledges and agrees to be bound by:
(a) the application of any Write-Down and Conversion Powers by the applicable Resolution Authority to any such liabilities arising hereunder that may be payable to it by any party hereto that is an Affected Financial Institution; and
(b) the effects of any Bail-In Action on any such liability, including, if applicable:
(i) a reduction in full or in part or cancellation of any such liability;
(ii) a conversion of all, or a portion of, such liability into shares or other instruments of ownership in such Affected Financial Institution, its parent entity, or a Bridge institution that may be issued to it or otherwise conferred on it, and that such shares or other instruments of ownership will be accepted by it in lieu of any rights with respect to any such liability under this Agreement or any other Loan Document; or
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(iii) the variation of the terms of such liability in connection with the exercise of the Write-Down and Conversion Powers of the appliable Resolution Authority.
SECTION 9.19. Acknowledgement Regarding Any Supported QFCs. To the extent that the Loan Documents provide support, through a guarantee or otherwise, for Hedging Agreements or any other agreement or instrument that is a QFC (such support “QFC Credit Support” and each such QFC a “Supported QFC”), the parties acknowledge and agree as follows with respect to the resolution power of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation under the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and Title II of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (together with the regulations promulgated thereunder, the “U.S. Special Resolution Regimes”) in respect of such Supported QFC and QFC Credit Support (with the provisions below applicable notwithstanding that the Loan Documents and any Supported QFC may in fact be stated to be governed by the laws of the state of New York and/or of the United States or any other state of the United States):
In the event a Covered Entity that is party to a Supported QFC (each, a “Covered Party”) becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, the transfer of such Supported QFC and the benefit of such QFC Credit Support (and any interest and obligation in or under such Supported QFC and such QFC Credit Support, and any rights in property securing such Supported QFC or such QFC Credit Support) from such Covered Party will be effective to the same extent as the transfer would be effective under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if the supported QFC and such QFC Credit Support (and any such interest, obligation and rights in property) were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States. In the event a Covered Party or a BHC Act Affiliate of a Covered Party becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, Default Rights under the Loan Documents that might otherwise apply to such Supported QFC or any QFC Credit Support that may be exercised against such Covered Party are permitted to be exercised to no greater extent than such Default Rights could be exercised under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if the supported QFC and the Loan Documents were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States. Without limitation of the foregoing, it is understood and agreed that rights and remedies of the parties with respect to a Defaulting Lender shall in no event affect the rights of any Covered Party with respect to a Supported QFC or any QFC Credit Support.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed by their respective officers thereunto duly authorized, as of the date first above written.
| AUGUSTA SPINCO CORPORATION | ||||
| By:
|
/s/ Laura Frost | |||
| Name: | Laura Frost | |||
| Title: | Vice President and Treasurer | |||
[SIGNATURE PAGE TO TERM LOAN AGREEMENT]
| BARCLAYS BANK PLC, in its individual capacity, as a Lender and as Administrative Agent | ||||
| By:
|
/s/ Ronnie Glenn | |||
| Name: | Ronnie Glenn | |||
| Title: | Director | |||
[SIGNATURE PAGE TO TERM LOAN AGREEMENT]
| CITIBANK, N.A., in its individual capacity, as a Lender and as Syndication Agent | ||||
| By:
|
/s/ Richard Rivera | |||
| Name: | Richard Rivera | |||
| Title: | Vice President | |||
[SIGNATURE PAGE TO TERM LOAN AGREEMENT]
| JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., in its individual capacity, as a Lender | ||||
| By:
|
/s/ Gregory T. Martin | |||
| Name: | Gregory T. Martin | |||
| Title: | Executive Director | |||
[SIGNATURE PAGE TO TERM LOAN AGREEMENT]
| Bank of America, N.A, in its individual capacity, as a Lender | ||||
| By:
|
/s/ H. Hope Walker | |||
| Name: | H. Hope Walker | |||
| Title: | Senior Vice President | |||
[SIGNATURE PAGE TO TERM LOAN AGREEMENT]
| Citizens Bank, N.A., in its individual capacity, as a Lender | ||||
| By:
|
/s/ Tricia E. Lebo | |||
| Name: | Tricia E. Lebo | |||
| Title: | Managing Director | |||
| By:
|
/s/ Karmyn D. Paul | |||
| Name: | Karmyn D. Paul | |||
| Title: | Senior Vice President | |||
[SIGNATURE PAGE TO TERM LOAN AGREEMENT]
| HSBC BANK USA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, in its individual capacity, as a Lender | ||||
| By:
|
/s/ Virginia Cosenza | |||
| Name: | Virginia Cosenza | |||
| Title: | Senior Vice President #23310 | |||
[SIGNATURE PAGE TO TERM LOAN AGREEMENT]
| PNC Bank, National Association, in its individual capacity, as a Lender | ||||
| By:
|
/s/ Garreth Boyle | |||
| Name: | Garreth Boyle | |||
| Title: | Senior Vice President | |||
[SIGNATURE PAGE TO TERM LOAN AGREEMENT]
| TRUIST BANK, in its individual capacity, as a Lender | ||||
| By:
|
/s/ Anton Brykalin | |||
| Name: | Anton Brykalin | |||
| Title: | Director | |||
[SIGNATURE PAGE TO TERM LOAN AGREEMENT]
| DNB CAPITAL LLC, in its individual capacity, as a Lender | ||||
| By:
|
/s/ David Meisner | |||
| Name: | David Meisner | |||
| Title: | First Vice President | |||
| By:
|
/s/ Irina Benimovich | |||
| Name: | Irina Benimovich | |||
| Title: | Vice President | |||
[SIGNATURE PAGE TO TERM LOAN AGREEMENT]
| KeyBank National Association, in its individual capacity, as a Lender | ||||
| By:
|
/s/ Alyssa Suckow | |||
| Name: | Alyssa Suckow | |||
| Title: | Senior Vice President | |||
[SIGNATURE PAGE TO TERM LOAN AGREEMENT]
| TD Bank, N.A., in its individual capacity, as a Lender | ||||
| By:
|
/s/ Nicholas Rizzo | |||
| Name: | Nicholas Rizzo | |||
| Title: | Vice President | |||
[SIGNATURE PAGE TO TERM LOAN AGREEMENT]
| U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, in its individual capacity, as a Lender | ||||
| By:
|
/s/ Jason Kunis | |||
| Name: | Jason Kunis | |||
| Title: | Assistant Vice President | |||
[SIGNATURE PAGE TO TERM LOAN AGREEMENT]
| Webster Bank, National Association, in its individual capacity, as a Lender | ||||
| By:
|
/s/ Samuel Pepe | |||
| Name: | Samuel Pepe | |||
| Title: | Managing Director | |||
[SIGNATURE PAGE TO TERM LOAN AGREEMENT]
Exhibit 10.6
PARENT GUARANTEE AGREEMENT
PARENT GUARANTEE AGREEMENT dated as of February 9, 2026, among AUGUSTA SPINCO CORPORATION, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), WATERS CORPORATION (the “Parent”) and BARCLAYS BANK PLC, as administrative agent (the “Administrative Agent”) for the Lenders (as defined in the Credit Agreement referred to below).
Reference is made to the Term Loan Agreement dated as of January 8, 2026 (as amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Credit Agreement”), among the Borrower (as defined below), the lenders from time to time party thereto (the “Lenders”), and the Administrative Agent. Capitalized terms used herein and not defined herein shall have the meanings assigned to such terms in the Credit Agreement.
Pursuant to the terms of the Credit Agreement, initially the Company and, after the execution of a Joinder Agreement and the satisfaction of the other requirements set forth in Section 2.20 of the Credit Agreement, the Parent or WTC, is acting as the Borrower under and pursuant to the terms of the Credit Agreement (the Company, the Parent or WTC, as applicable at such time, the “Borrower”).
The Lenders have agreed to make Loans to the Borrower pursuant to, and upon the terms and subject to the conditions specified in, the Credit Agreement. The Parent acknowledges that it will derive substantial benefit from the making of the Loans by the Lenders. The Parent is willing to execute this Parent Guarantee Agreement (this “Agreement”).
Accordingly, the parties hereto agree as follows:
SECTION 1. Guarantee. The Parent unconditionally guarantees, jointly with the Subsidiary Guarantors and severally, as a primary obligor and not merely as a surety, the due and punctual payment of (a) the principal of and premium, if any, and interest (including interest accruing during the pendency of any bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or other similar proceeding, regardless of whether allowed or allowable in such proceeding) on the Loans made to the Borrower, when and as due, whether at maturity, by acceleration, upon one or more dates set for prepayment or otherwise and (b) all other monetary obligations, including fees, costs, expenses and indemnities, whether primary, secondary, direct, contingent, fixed or otherwise (including monetary obligations incurred during the pendency of any bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or other similar proceeding, regardless of whether allowed or allowable in such proceeding), of the Loan Parties under the Credit Agreement and the other Loan Documents (all the obligations referred to in the preceding clauses (a) and (b) being collectively called the “Obligations”). The Parent agrees that the Obligations may be extended or renewed, in whole or in part, and that the Borrower may be substituted as set forth in Section 2.20 of the Credit Agreement, without notice to or further assent from it, and that it will remain bound upon its guarantee notwithstanding any extension or renewal of any Obligation or any such substitution as set forth in Section 2.20 of the Credit Agreement.
The Parent further agrees that the due and punctual payment of such Obligations may be extended or renewed, in whole or in part, without notice to or further assent from it, and that it will remain bound upon its guarantee hereunder notwithstanding any such extension or renewal of any such Obligation.
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The Parent waives presentment to, demand of payment from and protest to the Borrower of any of the Obligations, and also waives notice of acceptance of its obligations and notice of protest for nonpayment. The obligations of the Parent hereunder shall not be affected by (a) the failure of any Agent or Lender to assert any claim or demand or to enforce any right or remedy against any Loan Party under the provisions of the Credit Agreement, any other Loan Document or otherwise, (b) any extension or renewal of any of the Obligations, (c) any rescission, waiver, amendment or modification of, or release from, any of the terms or provisions of the Credit Agreement, or any other Loan Document or agreement, (d) any default, failure or delay, willful or otherwise, in the performance of any of the Obligations or (e) any other act, omission or delay to do any other act which may or might in any manner or to any extent vary the risk of the Parent or otherwise operate as a discharge of a guarantor as a matter of law or equity or which would impair or eliminate any right of the Parent to subrogation.
The Parent further agrees that its agreement hereunder constitutes a guarantee of payment when due (whether or not any bankruptcy or similar proceeding shall have stayed the accrual or collection of any of the Obligations or operated as a discharge thereof) and not merely of collection, and waives any right to require that any resort be had by any Agent or Lender to any balance of any deposit account or credit on the books of any Agent or Lender in favor of the Borrower or any other Person.
The obligations of the Parent hereunder shall not be subject to any reduction, limitation, impairment or termination for any reason, including any claim of waiver, release, surrender, alteration or compromise of any of the Obligations, and shall not be subject to any defense or setoff, counterclaim, recoupment or termination whatsoever, by reason of the invalidity, illegality or unenforceability of any of the Obligations (including lack of due authorization or execution of the Credit Agreement, any Loan Document or any other instrument or agreement), any impossibility in the performance of any of the Obligations or otherwise. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the obligations of the Parent hereunder shall not be discharged or impaired or otherwise affected by the failure of the Administrative Agent or any Lender to assert any claim or demand or to enforce any remedy under the Credit Agreement, any other Loan Document or any other instrument or agreement, by any waiver or modification of any provision of any thereof, by any default, failure or delay, willful or otherwise, in the performance of the Obligations, or by any other act or omission that may or might in any manner or to any extent vary the risk of the Parent or that would otherwise operate as a discharge of the Parent as a matter of law or equity (other than the payment in full in cash of all the Obligations).
The Parent further agrees that its obligations hereunder shall continue to be effective or be reinstated, as the case may be, if at any time payment, or any part thereof, of any Obligation is rescinded or must otherwise be restored by any Agent or Lender upon the bankruptcy or reorganization of the Borrower or otherwise.
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In furtherance of the foregoing and not in limitation of any other right which any Agent or Lender may have at law or in equity against the Parent by virtue hereof, upon the failure of the Borrower to pay any Obligation when and as the same shall become due, whether at maturity, by acceleration, after notice of prepayment or otherwise, the Parent hereby promises to and will, upon receipt of written demand by any Agent or Lender, forthwith pay, or cause to be paid, to the applicable Agent or Lender in cash an amount equal to the unpaid principal amount of such Obligations then due, together with accrued and unpaid interest thereon. The Parent further agrees that if payment in respect of any Obligation shall be due in a currency other than US Dollars and/or at a place of payment other than New York and if, by reason of any Change in Law, disruption of currency or foreign exchange markets, war or civil disturbance or other event, payment of such Obligation in such currency or at such place of payment shall be impossible or, in the reasonable judgment of any Agent or Lender, not consistent with the protection of its rights or interests, then, at the election of the Administrative Agent, the Parent shall make payment of such Obligation in US Dollars (based upon the applicable exchange rate determined by the Administrative Agent in effect on the date of payment) and/or in New York, and shall indemnify each Agent and Lender against any losses or reasonable out-of-pocket expenses that it shall sustain as a result of such alternative payment.
Upon payment by the Parent of any sums as provided above, all rights of the Parent against the Borrower arising as a result thereof by way of right of subrogation or otherwise shall in all respects be subordinated and junior in right of payment to the prior indefeasible payment in full of all the Obligations owed by the Borrower to the Agents and the Lenders.
Nothing shall discharge or satisfy the liability of the Parent hereunder except the full performance and payment of the Obligations.
SECTION 2. Defenses of the Borrower Waived. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the Parent waives any defense based on or arising out of any defense of the Borrower or any other Guarantor or the unenforceability of the Obligations or any part thereof from any cause, or the cessation from any cause of the liability of the Borrower or any other Guarantor, other than the final payment in full in cash of the Obligations. The Administrative Agent and the Lenders may, at their election, foreclose on any security held by one or more of them by one or more judicial or nonjudicial sales, accept an assignment of any such security in lieu of foreclosure, compromise or adjust any part of the Obligations, make any other accommodation with the Borrower, the Parent or any other Guarantor or exercise any other right or remedy available to them against the Borrower, the Parent or any other Guarantor, without affecting or impairing in any way the liability of the Parent hereunder except to the extent the Obligations have been fully, finally and indefeasibly paid in cash. Pursuant to applicable law, the Parent waives any defense arising out of any such election even though such election operates, pursuant to applicable law, to impair or to extinguish any right of reimbursement or subrogation or other right or remedy of the Parent against the Borrower or any other Guarantor or any security.
SECTION 3. Indemnity, Contribution, Subrogation and Subordination.
(a) In addition to all such rights of indemnity and subrogation as the Parent may have under applicable law (but subject to paragraph (b) of this Section), the Borrower agrees that in the event a payment in respect of any obligation shall be made by the Parent under this Agreement, the Borrower shall indemnify the Parent for the full amount of such payment and the Parent shall be subrogated to the rights of the Person to whom such payment shall have been made to the extent of such payment. The provisions of this paragraph (a) shall be enforceable solely by the Parent and may be waived by the Parent without the consent of the Administrative Agent or the Lenders.
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(b) Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, all rights of the Parent under paragraph (a) of this Section and all other rights of the Parent of indemnity, contribution or subrogation under applicable law or otherwise shall be fully subordinated to the indefeasible payment in full in cash of the Obligations. No failure on the part of the Borrower or any Guarantor to make the payments required by this Section (or any other payments required under applicable law or otherwise) shall in any respect limit the obligations and liabilities of the Parent with respect to its obligations hereunder, and the Parent shall remain liable for the full amount of the obligations of the Guarantor hereunder. The subordination effected by this paragraph (b) shall prohibit (i) any exercise of a set-off in respect of the subordinated obligations, (ii) the commencement of any action seeking to enforce the subordinated obligations and (iii) the assignment of subordinated obligations. The Parent receiving any payment in respect of a subordinated obligation in violation of this paragraph (b) shall be deemed to have received such payment in trust for the benefit of the Administrative Agent and immediately turn over such amount to the Administrative Agent for application in respect of the Obligations.
SECTION 4. Information. The Parent assumes all responsibility for being and keeping itself informed of the Borrower’s and the other Guarantors’ financial condition and assets, and of all other circumstances bearing upon the risk of nonpayment of the Obligations and the nature, scope and extent of the risks that the Parent assumes and incurs hereunder, and agrees that none of the Administrative Agent or the Lenders will have any duty to advise the Parent of information known to it or any of them regarding such circumstances or risks.
SECTION 5. Representations and Warranties; Agreements. The Parent represents and warrants as to itself that all representations and warranties relating to it contained in any Loan Document to which it is a party are true and correct in all material respects. The Parent agrees that the provisions of Section 2.17 of the Credit Agreement shall apply equally to each Guarantor with respect to payments made by it hereunder.
SECTION 6. Termination. The Guarantee made hereunder (a) shall, subject to clause (b) below, terminate when all the Obligations have been paid in full and the Lenders have no further commitment to lend under the Credit Agreement (other than contingent Obligations that survive termination of the Credit Agreement or for which no claim has yet been made) and (b) shall continue to be effective or be reinstated, as the case may be, if at any time payment, or any part thereof, of any Obligation is rescinded or must otherwise be restored by the Administrative Agent or any Lender or any Guarantor upon the bankruptcy or reorganization of the Borrower, any Guarantor or otherwise. The Guarantee of the Parent shall be automatically released on the Borrower Succession Date if the Parent shall assume all rights and Obligations of the Company as Borrower pursuant to Section 2.20 of the Credit Agreement.
SECTION 7. Binding Agreement; Assignments. Whenever in this Agreement any of the parties hereto is referred to, such reference shall be deemed to include the successors and assigns of such party; and all covenants, promises and agreements by or on behalf of the Parent that are contained in this Agreement shall bind and inure to the benefit of each party hereto and their respective successors and assigns. This Agreement shall become effective as to the Parent
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when a counterpart hereof executed on behalf of the Parent shall have been delivered to the Administrative Agent, and a counterpart hereof shall have been executed on behalf of the Administrative Agent, and thereafter shall be binding upon the Parent and the Administrative Agent and their respective successors and assigns, and shall inure to the benefit of the Parent, the Administrative Agent and the Lenders, and their respective successors and assigns, except that the Parent shall not have the right to assign its rights or obligations hereunder or any interest herein, and any such attempted assignment shall be void.
SECTION 8. Waivers; Amendment. (a) No failure or delay of the Administrative Agent or any Lender in exercising any power or right hereunder shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any such right or power, or any abandonment or discontinuance of steps to enforce such a right or power, preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right or power. The rights and remedies of the Administrative Agent or any Lender hereunder or under the Credit Agreement or any other Loan Document are cumulative and are not exclusive of any rights or remedies that they would otherwise have. No waiver of any provision of this Agreement or any other Loan Document or consent to any departure by the Parent therefrom shall in any event be effective unless the same shall be permitted by paragraph (b) below, and then such waiver or consent shall be effective only in the specific instance and for the purpose for which given. No notice or demand on the Parent in any case shall entitle the Parent to any other or further notice or demand in similar or other circumstances.
(b) Neither this Agreement nor any provision hereof may be waived, amended or modified except pursuant to a written agreement entered into between the Parent to which such waiver, amendment or modification relates and the Administrative Agent (with the prior written consent of the Lenders or the Required Lenders if required under the Credit Agreement).
SECTION 9. GOVERNING LAW. THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.
SECTION 10. Notices. All communications and notices hereunder shall be in writing and given as provided in Section 9.01 of the Credit Agreement. All communications and notices hereunder to the Parent shall be given to it in care of the Borrower.
SECTION 11. Survival of Agreement; Severability. (a) All covenants, agreements, representations and warranties made by the Parent herein and in the certificates or other instruments prepared or delivered in connection with or pursuant to this Agreement shall be considered to have been relied upon by the Administrative Agent and the Lenders and shall survive the making by the Lenders of the Loans, regardless of any investigation made by any of them or on their behalf, and shall continue in full force and effect as long as the principal of or any accrued interest on any Loan or any other fee or amount payable under this Agreement or any other Loan Document is outstanding and unpaid and as long as the Commitments have not been terminated.
(b) In the event any one or more of the provisions contained in this Agreement should be held invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions contained herein shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby (it being understood that the invalidity of a particular provision in a particular jurisdiction shall not in and of itself affect the validity of such provision in any other jurisdiction). The parties shall endeavor in good-faith negotiations to replace the invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions with valid provisions the economic effect of which comes as close as possible to that of the invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions.
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SECTION 12. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, each of which shall constitute an original, but all of which when taken together shall constitute a single contract, and shall become effective as provided in Section 7. Delivery of an executed signature page to this Agreement by facsimile or other electronic transmission shall be as effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart of this Agreement.
SECTION 13. Rules of Interpretation. The rules of interpretation specified in Sections 1.03, 1.04 and 1.05 of the Credit Agreement shall be applicable to this Agreement.
SECTION 14. Jurisdiction; Consent to Service of Process. (a) The Parent hereby irrevocably and unconditionally submits, for itself and its property, to the exclusive jurisdiction of any New York State court or Federal court of the United States of America sitting in New York City, and any appellate court from any thereof, in any action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement, or for recognition or enforcement of any judgment, and each of the parties hereto hereby irrevocably and unconditionally agrees that all claims in respect of any such action or proceeding may be heard and determined in such New York State or, to the extent permitted by law, in such Federal court. Each of the parties hereto agrees that a final judgment in any such action or proceeding shall be conclusive and may be enforced in other jurisdictions by suit on the judgment or in any other manner provided by law. Nothing in this Agreement shall affect any right that the Administrative Agent or any Lender may otherwise have to bring any action or proceeding relating to this Agreement against the Parent or its properties in the courts of any jurisdiction.
(b) The Parent hereby irrevocably and unconditionally waives, to the fullest extent it may legally and effectively do so, any objection that it may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement in any New York State or Federal court. Each of the parties hereto hereby irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the defense of an inconvenient forum to the maintenance of such action or proceeding in any such court.
(c) Each party to this Agreement irrevocably consents to service of process in the manner provided for notices in Section 10. Nothing in this Agreement will affect the right of any party to this Agreement to serve process in any other manner permitted by law.
SECTION 15. WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL. EACH PARTY HERETO HEREBY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN RESPECT OF ANY LITIGATION DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF, UNDER OR IN CONNECTION WITH THIS AGREEMENT. EACH PARTY HERETO (A) CERTIFIES THAT NO REPRESENTATIVE, AGENT OR ATTORNEY OF ANY OTHER PARTY HAS REPRESENTED, EXPRESSLY OR OTHERWISE, THAT SUCH OTHER PARTY WOULD NOT, IN THE EVENT OF LITIGATION, SEEK TO ENFORCE THE FOREGOING WAIVER AND (B) ACKNOWLEDGES THAT IT AND THE OTHER PARTIES HERETO HAVE BEEN INDUCED TO ENTER INTO THIS AGREEMENT BY, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE MUTUAL WAIVERS AND CERTIFICATIONS IN THIS SECTION.
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SECTION 16. [Reserved].
SECTION 17. Right of Setoff. If an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, each of the Administrative Agent and the Lenders is hereby authorized at any time and from time to time, to the fullest extent permitted by law, to set off and apply any and all deposits (general or special, time or demand, provisional or final) at any time held and other Debt at any time owing by such Person to or for the credit or the account of the Parent against any or all the obligations of the Parent now or hereafter existing under this Agreement held by such Person, irrespective of whether or not such Person shall have made any demand under this Agreement and although such obligations may be unmatured. The rights of each Person under this Section are in addition to other rights and remedies (including other rights of setoff) which such Person may have.
SECTION 18. Conversion of Currencies. (a) If, for the purpose of obtaining judgment in any court, it is necessary to convert a sum owing hereunder in one currency into another currency, each party hereto agrees, to the fullest extent that it may effectively do so, that the rate of exchange used shall be that at which in accordance with normal banking procedures in the relevant jurisdiction the first currency could be purchased with such other currency on the Business Day immediately preceding the day on which final judgment is given.
(b) The obligations of the Parent in respect of any sum due to any party hereto or any holder of the obligations owing hereunder (the “Applicable Creditor”) shall, notwithstanding any judgment in a currency (the “Judgment Currency”) other than the currency in which such sum is stated to be due hereunder (the “Agreement Currency”), be discharged only to the extent that, on the Business Day following receipt by the Applicable Creditor of any sum adjudged to be so due in the Judgment Currency, the Applicable Creditor may in accordance with normal banking procedures in the relevant jurisdiction purchase the Agreement Currency with the Judgment Currency; if the amount of the Agreement Currency so purchased is less than the sum originally due to the Applicable Creditor in the Agreement Currency, the Parent agrees, as a separate obligation and notwithstanding any such judgment, to indemnify the Applicable Creditor against such loss. The obligations of the Parent contained in this Section 18 shall survive the termination of this Agreement and the payment of all other amounts owing hereunder.
[Signatures follow]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have duly executed this Agreement as of the day and year first above written.
| AUGUSTA SPINCO CORPORATION | ||
| By: | /s/ Laura Frost | |
| Name: Laura Frost | ||
| Title: Vice President and Treasurer | ||
| WATERS CORPORATION | ||
| By: | /s/ Udit Batra | |
| Name: Udit Batra | ||
| Title: President and Chief Executive Officer | ||
| BARCLAYS BANK PLC, as Administrative Agent | ||
| By: | /s/ Ronnie Glenn | |
| Name: Ronnie Glenn | ||
| Title: Director | ||
[Signature Page to Parent Guarantee Agreement]
Exhibit 10.7
SUBSIDIARY GUARANTEE AGREEMENT
SUBSIDIARY GUARANTEE AGREEMENT dated as of February 9, 2026, among AUGUSTA SPINCO CORPORATION, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), WATERS CORPORATION (the “Parent”), each of the subsidiaries of the Parent listed on Schedule I hereto or becoming a party hereto as provided in Section 16 (the “Subsidiary Guarantors”), and BARCLAYS BANK PLC, as administrative agent (the “Administrative Agent”) for the Lenders (as defined in the Credit Agreement referred to below).
Reference is made to the Term Loan Agreement dated as of January 8, 2026 (as amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Credit Agreement”), among the Borrower (as defined below), the lenders from time to time party thereto (the “Lenders”), and the Administrative Agent. Capitalized terms used herein and not defined herein shall have the meanings assigned to such terms in the Credit Agreement.
Pursuant to the terms of the Credit Agreement, initially the Company and, after the execution of a Joinder Agreement and the satisfaction of the other requirements set forth in Section 2.20 of the Credit Agreement, the Parent or WTC, is acting as the Borrower under and pursuant to the terms of the Credit Agreement (the Company, the Parent or WTC, as applicable at such time, the “Borrower”).
The Lenders have agreed to make Loans to the Borrower pursuant to, and upon the terms and subject to the conditions specified in, the Credit Agreement. Each of the Subsidiary Guarantors acknowledges that it will derive substantial benefit from the making of the Loans by the Lenders. The Subsidiary Guarantors are willing to execute this Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement (this “Agreement”).
Accordingly, the parties hereto agree as follows:
SECTION 1. Guarantee. Each Subsidiary Guarantor unconditionally guarantees, jointly with the other Guarantors and severally, as a primary obligor and not merely as a surety, the due and punctual payment of (a) the principal of and premium, if any, and interest (including interest accruing during the pendency of any bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or other similar proceeding, regardless of whether allowed or allowable in such proceeding) on the Loans made to the Borrower, when and as due, whether at maturity, by acceleration, upon one or more dates set for prepayment or otherwise and (b) all other monetary obligations, including fees, costs, expenses and indemnities, whether primary, secondary, direct, contingent, fixed or otherwise (including monetary obligations incurred during the pendency of any bankruptcy, insolvency, receivership or other similar proceeding, regardless of whether allowed or allowable in such proceeding), of the Loan Parties under the Credit Agreement and the other Loan Documents (all the obligations referred to in the preceding clauses (a) and (b) being collectively called the “Obligations”). Each Subsidiary Guarantor agrees that the Obligations may be extended or renewed, in whole or in part, and that the Borrower may be substituted as set forth in Section 2.20 of the Credit Agreement, without notice to or further assent from it, and that it will remain bound upon its guarantee notwithstanding any extension or renewal of any Obligation or any such substitution as set forth in Section 2.20 of the Credit Agreement.
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Each Subsidiary Guarantor further agrees that the due and punctual payment of such Obligations may be extended or renewed, in whole or in part, without notice to or further assent from it, and that it will remain bound upon its guarantee hereunder notwithstanding any such extension or renewal of any such Obligation.
Each Subsidiary Guarantor waives presentment to, demand of payment from and protest to the Borrower of any of the Obligations, and also waives notice of acceptance of its obligations and notice of protest for nonpayment. The obligations of the Subsidiary Guarantors hereunder shall not be affected by (a) the failure of any Agent or Lender to assert any claim or demand or to enforce any right or remedy against any Loan Party under the provisions of the Credit Agreement, any other Loan Document or otherwise, (b) any extension or renewal of any of the Obligations, (c) any rescission, waiver, amendment or modification of, or release from, any of the terms or provisions of the Credit Agreement, or any other Loan Document or agreement, (d) any default, failure or delay, willful or otherwise, in the performance of any of the Obligations or (e) any other act, omission or delay to do any other act which may or might in any manner or to any extent vary the risk of any Subsidiary Guarantor or otherwise operate as a discharge of a guarantor as a matter of law or equity or which would impair or eliminate any right of any Subsidiary Guarantor to subrogation.
Each Subsidiary Guarantor further agrees that its agreement hereunder constitutes a guarantee of payment when due (whether or not any bankruptcy or similar proceeding shall have stayed the accrual or collection of any of the Obligations or operated as a discharge thereof) and not merely of collection, and waives any right to require that any resort be had by any Agent or Lender to any balance of any deposit account or credit on the books of any Agent or Lender in favor of the Borrower or any other Person.
The obligations of the Subsidiary Guarantors hereunder shall not be subject to any reduction, limitation, impairment or termination for any reason, including any claim of waiver, release, surrender, alteration or compromise of any of the Obligations, and shall not be subject to any defense or setoff, counterclaim, recoupment or termination whatsoever, by reason of the invalidity, illegality or unenforceability of any of the Obligations (including lack of due authorization or execution of the Credit Agreement, any Loan Document or any other instrument or agreement), any impossibility in the performance of any of the Obligations or otherwise. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the obligations of each Subsidiary Guarantor hereunder shall not be discharged or impaired or otherwise affected by the failure of the Administrative Agent or any Lender to assert any claim or demand or to enforce any remedy under the Credit Agreement, any other Loan Document or any other instrument or agreement, by any waiver or modification of any provision of any thereof, by any default, failure or delay, willful or otherwise, in the performance of the Obligations, or by any other act or omission that may or might in any manner or to any extent vary the risk of any Subsidiary Guarantor or that would otherwise operate as a discharge of each Subsidiary Guarantor as a matter of law or equity (other than the payment in full in cash of all the Obligations).
Each Subsidiary Guarantor further agrees that its obligations hereunder shall continue to be effective or be reinstated, as the case may be, if at any time payment, or any part thereof, of any Obligation is rescinded or must otherwise be restored by any Agent or Lender upon the bankruptcy or reorganization of the Borrower or otherwise.
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In furtherance of the foregoing and not in limitation of any other right which any Agent or Lender may have at law or in equity against any Subsidiary Guarantor by virtue hereof, upon the failure of the Borrower to pay any Obligation when and as the same shall become due, whether at maturity, by acceleration, after notice of prepayment or otherwise, each Subsidiary Guarantor hereby promises to and will, upon receipt of written demand by any Agent or Lender, forthwith pay, or cause to be paid, to the applicable Agent or Lender in cash an amount equal to the unpaid principal amount of such Obligations then due, together with accrued and unpaid interest thereon. Each Subsidiary Guarantor further agrees that if payment in respect of any Obligation shall be due in a currency other than US Dollars and/or at a place of payment other than New York and if, by reason of any Change in Law, disruption of currency or foreign exchange markets, war or civil disturbance or other event, payment of such Obligation in such currency or at such place of payment shall be impossible or, in the reasonable judgment of any Agent or Lender, not consistent with the protection of its rights or interests, then, at the election of the Administrative Agent, such Subsidiary Guarantor shall make payment of such Obligation in US Dollars (based upon the applicable exchange rate determined by the Administrative Agent in effect on the date of payment) and/or in New York, and shall indemnify each Agent and Lender against any losses or reasonable out-of-pocket expenses that it shall sustain as a result of such alternative payment.
Upon payment by any Subsidiary Guarantor of any sums as provided above, all rights of such Subsidiary Guarantor against the Borrower arising as a result thereof by way of right of subrogation or otherwise shall in all respects be subordinated and junior in right of payment to the prior indefeasible payment in full of all the Obligations owed by the Borrower to the Agents and the Lenders.
Nothing shall discharge or satisfy the liability of any Subsidiary Guarantor hereunder except the full performance and payment of the Obligations.
SECTION 2. Defenses of the Borrower Waived. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, each of the Subsidiary Guarantors waives any defense based on or arising out of any defense of the Borrower or any other Guarantor or the unenforceability of the Obligations or any part thereof from any cause, or the cessation from any cause of the liability of the Borrower or any other Guarantor, other than the final payment in full in cash of the Obligations. The Administrative Agent and the Lenders may, at their election, foreclose on any security held by one or more of them by one or more judicial or nonjudicial sales, accept an assignment of any such security in lieu of foreclosure, compromise or adjust any part of the Obligations, make any other accommodation with the Borrower, any Subsidiary Guarantor or any other Guarantor or exercise any other right or remedy available to them against the Borrower, any Subsidiary Guarantor or any other Guarantor, without affecting or impairing in any way the liability of any Subsidiary Guarantor hereunder except to the extent the Obligations have been fully, finally and indefeasibly paid in cash. Pursuant to applicable law, each of the Subsidiary Guarantors waives any defense arising out of any such election even though such election operates, pursuant to applicable law, to impair or to extinguish any right of reimbursement or subrogation or other right or remedy of such Subsidiary Guarantor against the Borrower or any other Subsidiary Guarantor or Guarantor, as the case may be, or any security.
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SECTION 3. Indemnity, Contribution, Subrogation and Subordination.
(a) In addition to all such rights of indemnity and subrogation as the Subsidiary Guarantors may have under applicable law (but subject to paragraph (c) of this Section), the Borrower agrees that in the event a payment in respect of any obligation shall be made by any Subsidiary Guarantor under this Agreement, the Borrower shall indemnify such Subsidiary Guarantor for the full amount of such payment and such Subsidiary Guarantor shall be subrogated to the rights of the Person to whom such payment shall have been made to the extent of such payment. The provisions of this paragraph (a) shall be enforceable solely by the Subsidiary Guarantors and may be waived by the Subsidiary Guarantors without the consent of the Administrative Agent or the Lenders.
(b) Each Subsidiary Guarantor (a “Contributing Party”) agrees (subject to paragraph (c) of this Section) that, in the event a payment shall be made by any other Subsidiary Guarantor in respect of any Obligation and such other Subsidiary Guarantor (the “Claiming Party”) shall not have been fully indemnified by the Borrower as provided in paragraph (a) of this Section, the Contributing Party shall indemnify the Claiming Party in an amount equal to the amount of such payment multiplied by a fraction of which the numerator shall be the net worth of the Contributing Party on the date hereof and the denominator shall be the aggregate net worth of all the Subsidiary Guarantors on the date hereof (or, in the case of any Subsidiary Guarantor becoming a Subsidiary Guarantor after the date hereof, the date of such Subsidiary Guarantor becoming a Subsidiary Guarantor). Any Contributing Party making any payment to a Claiming Party pursuant to this paragraph (b) shall (subject to paragraph (c) of this Section) be subrogated to the rights of such Claiming Party under paragraph (a) of this Section to the extent of such payment. The provisions of this paragraph (b) shall be enforceable solely by the Subsidiary Guarantors and may be waived by the Subsidiary Guarantors without the consent of the Administrative Agent or the Lenders.
(c) Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, all rights of the Subsidiary Guarantors under paragraphs (a) and (b) of this Section and all other rights of the Guarantors of indemnity, contribution or subrogation under applicable law or otherwise shall be fully subordinated to the indefeasible payment in full in cash of the Obligations. No failure on the part of the Borrower or any Subsidiary Guarantor to make the payments required by this Section (or any other payments required under applicable law or otherwise) shall in any respect limit the obligations and liabilities of any Subsidiary Guarantor with respect to its obligations hereunder, and each Subsidiary Guarantor shall remain liable for the full amount of the obligations of such Subsidiary Guarantor hereunder. The subordination effected by this paragraph (c) shall prohibit (i) any exercise of a set-off in respect of the subordinated obligations, (ii) the commencement of any action seeking to enforce the subordinated obligations and (iii) the assignment of subordinated obligations. Any Subsidiary Guarantor receiving any payment in respect of a subordinated obligation in violation of this paragraph (c) shall be deemed to have received such payment in trust for the benefit of the Administrative Agent and immediately turn over such amount to the Administrative Agent for application in respect of the Obligations.
SECTION 4. Information. Each of the Subsidiary Guarantors assumes all responsibility for being and keeping itself informed of the Borrower’s and the other Subsidiary Guarantors’ financial condition and assets, and of all other circumstances bearing upon the risk of nonpayment of the Obligations and the nature, scope and extent of the risks that such Subsidiary Guarantor assumes and incurs hereunder, and agrees that none of the Administrative Agent or the Lenders will have any duty to advise any of the Subsidiary Guarantors of information known to it or any of them regarding such circumstances or risks.
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SECTION 5. Representations and Warranties; Agreements. Each of the Subsidiary Guarantors represents and warrants as to itself that all representations and warranties relating to it contained in any Loan Document to which it is a party are true and correct in all material respects. Each of the Subsidiary Guarantors agrees that the provisions of Section 2.17 of the Credit Agreement shall apply equally to each Guarantor with respect to payments made by it hereunder.
SECTION 6. Termination. The Guarantees made hereunder (a) shall, subject to clause (b) below, terminate when all the Obligations have been paid in full and the Lenders have no further commitment to lend under the Credit Agreement (other than contingent Obligations that survive termination of the Credit Agreement or for which no claim has yet been made) and (b) shall continue to be effective or be reinstated, as the case may be, if at any time payment, or any part thereof, of any Obligation is rescinded or must otherwise be restored by the Administrative Agent or any Lender or any Subsidiary Guarantor upon the bankruptcy or reorganization of the Borrower, any Subsidiary Guarantor or otherwise. The Guarantee of any Subsidiary Guarantor shall be automatically released if all the capital stock of such Subsidiary Guarantor owned by the Borrower or any Subsidiary shall be sold in a transaction not prohibited by the terms of the Credit Agreement.
SECTION 7. Binding Agreement; Assignments. Whenever in this Agreement any of the parties hereto is referred to, such reference shall be deemed to include the successors and assigns of such party; and all covenants, promises and agreements by or on behalf of the Subsidiary Guarantors that are contained in this Agreement shall bind and inure to the benefit of each party hereto and their respective successors and assigns. This Agreement shall become effective as to any Subsidiary Guarantor when a counterpart hereof executed on behalf of such Subsidiary Guarantor shall have been delivered to the Administrative Agent, and a counterpart hereof shall have been executed on behalf of the Administrative Agent, and thereafter shall be binding upon such Subsidiary Guarantor and the Administrative Agent and their respective successors and assigns, and shall inure to the benefit of such Subsidiary Guarantor, the Administrative Agent and the Lenders, and their respective successors and assigns, except that no Subsidiary Guarantor shall have the right to assign its rights or obligations hereunder or any interest herein, and any such attempted assignment shall be void. This Agreement shall be construed as a separate agreement with respect to each Subsidiary Guarantor and may be amended, modified, supplemented, waived or released with respect to any Subsidiary Guarantor without the approval of any other Subsidiary Guarantor and without affecting the obligations of any other Subsidiary Guarantor hereunder.
SECTION 8. Waivers; Amendment. (a) No failure or delay of the Administrative Agent or any Lender in exercising any power or right hereunder shall operate as a waiver thereof, nor shall any single or partial exercise of any such right or power, or any abandonment or discontinuance of steps to enforce such a right or power, preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right or power. The rights and remedies of the Administrative Agent or any Lender hereunder or under the Credit Agreement or any other Loan Document are cumulative and are not exclusive of any rights or remedies that they would otherwise have. No waiver of any provision of this Agreement or any other Loan Document or consent to any departure by any Subsidiary Guarantor therefrom shall in any event be effective unless the same shall be permitted by paragraph (b) below, and then such waiver or consent shall be effective only in the specific instance and for the purpose for which given. No notice or demand on any Subsidiary Guarantor in any case shall entitle such Subsidiary Guarantor to any other or further notice or demand in similar or other circumstances.
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(b) Neither this Agreement nor any provision hereof may be waived, amended or modified except pursuant to a written agreement entered into between the Subsidiary Guarantors to which such waiver, amendment or modification relates and the Administrative Agent (with the prior written consent of the Lenders or the Required Lenders if required under the Credit Agreement).
SECTION 9. GOVERNING LAW. THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.
SECTION 10. Notices. All communications and notices hereunder shall be in writing and given as provided in Section 9.01 of the Credit Agreement. All communications and notices hereunder to each Subsidiary Guarantor shall be given to it in care of the Borrower.
SECTION 11. Survival of Agreement; Severability. (a) All covenants, agreements, representations and warranties made by the Subsidiary Guarantors herein and in the certificates or other instruments prepared or delivered in connection with or pursuant to this Agreement shall be considered to have been relied upon by the Administrative Agent and the Lenders and shall survive the making by the Lenders of the Loans, regardless of any investigation made by any of them or on their behalf, and shall continue in full force and effect as long as the principal of or any accrued interest on any Loan or any other fee or amount payable under this Agreement or any other Loan Document is outstanding and unpaid and as long as the Commitments have not been terminated.
(b) In the event any one or more of the provisions contained in this Agreement should be held invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions contained herein shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby (it being understood that the invalidity of a particular provision in a particular jurisdiction shall not in and of itself affect the validity of such provision in any other jurisdiction). The parties shall endeavor in good-faith negotiations to replace the invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions with valid provisions the economic effect of which comes as close as possible to that of the invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions.
SECTION 12. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in counterparts, each of which shall constitute an original, but all of which when taken together shall constitute a single contract, and shall become effective as provided in Section 7. Delivery of an executed signature page to this Agreement by facsimile or other electronic transmission shall be as effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart of this Agreement.
SECTION 13. Rules of Interpretation. The rules of interpretation specified in Sections 1.03, 1.04 and 1.05 of the Credit Agreement shall be applicable to this Agreement.
6
SECTION 14. Jurisdiction; Consent to Service of Process. (a) Each Subsidiary Guarantor hereby irrevocably and unconditionally submits, for itself and its property, to the exclusive jurisdiction of any New York State court or Federal court of the United States of America sitting in New York City, and any appellate court from any thereof, in any action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement, or for recognition or enforcement of any judgment, and each of the parties hereto hereby irrevocably and unconditionally agrees that all claims in respect of any such action or proceeding may be heard and determined in such New York State or, to the extent permitted by law, in such Federal court. Each of the parties hereto agrees that a final judgment in any such action or proceeding shall be conclusive and may be enforced in other jurisdictions by suit on the judgment or in any other manner provided by law. Nothing in this Agreement shall affect any right that the Administrative Agent or any Lender may otherwise have to bring any action or proceeding relating to this Agreement against any Subsidiary Guarantor or its properties in the courts of any jurisdiction.
(b) Each Subsidiary Guarantor hereby irrevocably and unconditionally waives, to the fullest extent it may legally and effectively do so, any objection that it may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement in any New York State or Federal court. Each of the parties hereto hereby irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the defense of an inconvenient forum to the maintenance of such action or proceeding in any such court.
(c) Each party to this Agreement irrevocably consents to service of process in the manner provided for notices in Section 10. Nothing in this Agreement will affect the right of any party to this Agreement to serve process in any other manner permitted by law.
SECTION 15. WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL. EACH PARTY HERETO HEREBY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN RESPECT OF ANY LITIGATION DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF, UNDER OR IN CONNECTION WITH THIS AGREEMENT. EACH PARTY HERETO (A) CERTIFIES THAT NO REPRESENTATIVE, AGENT OR ATTORNEY OF ANY OTHER PARTY HAS REPRESENTED, EXPRESSLY OR OTHERWISE, THAT SUCH OTHER PARTY WOULD NOT, IN THE EVENT OF LITIGATION, SEEK TO ENFORCE THE FOREGOING WAIVER AND (B) ACKNOWLEDGES THAT IT AND THE OTHER PARTIES HERETO HAVE BEEN INDUCED TO ENTER INTO THIS AGREEMENT BY, AMONG OTHER THINGS, THE MUTUAL WAIVERS AND CERTIFICATIONS IN THIS SECTION.
SECTION 16. Additional Subsidiary Guarantors. Pursuant to Section 5.08 of the Credit Agreement, certain additional Subsidiaries may be required under the terms of the Credit Agreement from time to time to enter into this Agreement as Subsidiary Guarantors. Upon execution and delivery by the Administrative Agent and a Subsidiary of an instrument in the form of Annex I attached hereto, such Subsidiary shall become a Subsidiary Guarantor hereunder with the same force and effect as if originally named as a Subsidiary Guarantor herein. The execution and delivery of such instrument shall not require the consent of any Subsidiary Guarantor hereunder. The rights and obligations of each Subsidiary Guarantor hereunder shall remain in full force and effect notwithstanding the addition of any new Subsidiary Guarantor as a party to this Agreement.
7
SECTION 17. Right of Setoff. If an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing, each of the Administrative Agent and the Lenders is hereby authorized at any time and from time to time, to the fullest extent permitted by law, to set off and apply any and all deposits (general or special, time or demand, provisional or final) at any time held and other Debt at any time owing by such Person to or for the credit or the account of any Subsidiary Guarantor against any or all the obligations of such Subsidiary Guarantor now or hereafter existing under this Agreement held by such Person, irrespective of whether or not such Person shall have made any demand under this Agreement and although such obligations may be unmatured. The rights of each Person under this Section are in addition to other rights and remedies (including other rights of setoff) which such Person may have.
SECTION 18. Conversion of Currencies. (a) If, for the purpose of obtaining judgment in any court, it is necessary to convert a sum owing hereunder in one currency into another currency, each party hereto agrees, to the fullest extent that it may effectively do so, that the rate of exchange used shall be that at which in accordance with normal banking procedures in the relevant jurisdiction the first currency could be purchased with such other currency on the Business Day immediately preceding the day on which final judgment is given.
(b) The obligations of each Subsidiary Guarantor in respect of any sum due to any party hereto or any holder of the obligations owing hereunder (the “Applicable Creditor”) shall, notwithstanding any judgment in a currency (the “Judgment Currency”) other than the currency in which such sum is stated to be due hereunder (the “Agreement Currency”), be discharged only to the extent that, on the Business Day following receipt by the Applicable Creditor of any sum adjudged to be so due in the Judgment Currency, the Applicable Creditor may in accordance with normal banking procedures in the relevant jurisdiction purchase the Agreement Currency with the Judgment Currency; if the amount of the Agreement Currency so purchased is less than the sum originally due to the Applicable Creditor in the Agreement Currency, such Subsidiary Guarantor agrees, as a separate obligation and notwithstanding any such judgment, to indemnify the Applicable Creditor against such loss. The obligations of the Subsidiary Guarantors contained in this Section 18 shall survive the termination of this Agreement and the payment of all other amounts owing hereunder.
[Signatures follow]
8
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have duly executed this Agreement as of the day and year first above written.
| AUGUSTA SPINCO CORPORATION | ||
| By: | /s/ Laura Frost | |
| Name: Laura Frost | ||
| Title: Vice President and Treasurer | ||
| WATERS CORPORATION | ||
| By: | /s/ Udit Batra | |
| Name: Udit Batra | ||
| Title: President and Chief Executive Officer | ||
| BARCLAYS BANK PLC, as Administrative Agent | ||
| By: | /s/ Ronnie Glenn | |
| Name: Ronnie Glenn | ||
| Title: Director | ||
[Signature Page to Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement]
Annex I
to the Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement
SUPPLEMENT NO. 1 (“Supplement”) dated as of February 9, 2026, to the SUBSIDIARY GUARANTEE AGREEMENT dated as of February 9, 2026, among AUGUSTA SPINCO CORPORATION, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), WATERS CORPORATION (the “Parent”), each of the subsidiaries of the Parent listed on Schedule I hereto or becoming a party hereto as provided in Section 16 (the “Subsidiary Guarantors”), and BARCLAYS BANK PLC, as administrative agent (the “Administrative Agent”) for the Lenders (as defined in the Credit Agreement referred to below).
(i) Reference is made to the Term Loan Agreement dated as of January 8, 2026 (as amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Credit Agreement”), among the Borrower (as defined below), the lenders from time to time party thereto (the “Lenders”), and the Administrative Agent.
(ii) Capitalized terms used and not otherwise defined herein shall have the meanings assigned to such terms in the Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement and the Credit Agreement.
(iii) Pursuant to the terms of the Credit Agreement, initially the Company and, after the execution of a Joinder Agreement and the satisfaction of the other requirements set forth in Section 2.20 of the Credit Agreement, the Parent or WTC, is acting as the Borrower under and pursuant to the terms of the Credit Agreement (the Company, the Parent or WTC, as applicable at such time, the “Borrower”).
(iv) The Subsidiary Guarantors have entered into the Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement. The undersigned Subsidiary of the Parent (the “New Subsidiary Guarantor”) is executing this Supplement in accordance with the requirements of the Credit Agreement to become a Subsidiary Guarantor under the Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement as consideration for Loans previously made.
Accordingly, the Administrative Agent and the New Subsidiary Guarantor agree as follows:
SECTION 1. In accordance with Section 16 of the Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement, the New Subsidiary Guarantor by its signature below becomes a Subsidiary Guarantor under the Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement with the same force and effect as if originally named therein as a Subsidiary Guarantor and the New Subsidiary Guarantor hereby (a) agrees to all the terms and provisions of the Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement applicable to it as a Subsidiary Guarantor thereunder and (b) represents and warrants that the representations and warranties made by it as a Subsidiary Guarantor thereunder are true and correct on and as of the date hereof. Each reference to a “Subsidiary Guarantor” in the Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement shall be deemed to include the New Subsidiary Guarantor. The Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
SECTION 2. The New Subsidiary Guarantor represents and warrants to the Administrative Agent and the Lenders that this Supplement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by it and constitutes its legal, valid and binding obligation, enforceable against it in accordance with its terms, subject to applicable bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, moratorium or other laws affecting creditors’ rights generally and subject to general principles of equity, regardless of whether considered in a proceeding in equity or at law.
SECTION 3. This Supplement may be executed in counterparts, each of which shall constitute an original, but all of which when taken together shall constitute a single contract. This Supplement shall become effective when the Administrative Agent shall have received counterparts of this Supplement that, when taken together, bear the signatures of the New Subsidiary Guarantor and the Administrative Agent. Delivery of an executed signature page to this Supplement by facsimile transmission shall be as effective as delivery of a manually executed counterpart of this Supplement.
SECTION 4. Except as expressly supplemented hereby, the Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement shall remain in full force and effect.
SECTION 5. THIS SUPPLEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.
SECTION 6. In case any one or more of the provisions contained in this Supplement should be held invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions contained herein and in the Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby (it being understood that the invalidity of a particular provision hereof in a particular jurisdiction shall not in and of itself affect the validity of such provision in any other jurisdiction). The parties hereto shall endeavor in good-faith negotiations to replace the invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions with valid provisions the economic effect of which comes as close as possible to that of the invalid, illegal or unenforceable provisions.
SECTION 7. All communications and notices hereunder shall be in writing and given as provided in Section 10 of the Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement.
SECTION 8. The New Subsidiary Guarantor agrees to reimburse the Administrative Agent for its reasonable out-of-pocket expenses in connection with this Supplement, including the fees, disbursements and other charges of counsel for the Administrative Agent.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the New Subsidiary Guarantor and the Administrative Agent have duly executed this Supplement to the Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement as of the day and year first above written.
| ENVIRONMENTAL RESOURCE ASSOCIATES, INC. | ||
| By: | /s/ Keeley A. Aleman | |
| Name: Keeley A. Aleman | ||
| Title: Secretary | ||
| TA INSTRUMENTS - WATERS L.L.C. | ||
| By: Waters Technologies Corporation, its Managing Member | ||
| By: | /s/ Amol Chaubal | |
| Name: Amol Chaubal | ||
| Title: Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | ||
| WATERS ASIA LIMITED | ||
| By: | /s/ John E. Lynch | |
| Name: John E. Lynch | ||
| Title: Treasurer | ||
| WATERS TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION | ||
| By: | /s/ Amol Chaubal | |
| Name: Amol Chaubal | ||
| Title: Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | ||
[Signature Page to Supplement to Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement]
| WYATT TECHNOLOGY, LLC | ||
| By: Waters Technologies Corporation, its sole Member | ||
| By: | /s/ Amol Chaubal | |
| Name: Amol Chaubal | ||
| Title: Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | ||
| BARCLAYS BANK PLC, as Administrative Agent | ||
| By: | /s/ Ronnie Glenn | |
| Name: Ronnie Glenn | ||
| Title: Director | ||
[Signature Page to Supplement to Subsidiary Guarantee Agreement]
Schedule I
Subsidiary Guarantors
| Environmental Resource Associates, Inc. | Colorado | |
| TA Instruments – Waters L.L.C. | Delaware | |
| Waters Asia Limited | Delaware | |
| Waters Technologies Corporation | Delaware | |
| Wyatt Technology, LLC | California |
Exhibit 23.1
Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
We consent to the incorporation by reference in Registration Statement Nos. 333-160507, 333-183721, 333-239020 and 333-288030 on Form S-8 of Waters Corporation of our report dated December 11, 2025, relating to the combined financial statements of the Biosciences and Diagnostic Solutions Business of Becton, Dickinson and Company as of September 30, 2025 and 2024 and for each of the three years in the period ended September 30, 2025, which appear in Amendment No. 1 to the Registration Statement (No. 333-292087) on Form S-4 of Waters Corporation and are incorporated by reference in this Current Report on Form 8-K of Waters Corporation.
/s/ Ernst & Young LLP
New York, New York
February 8, 2026
Exhibit 99.1
Waters Completes Combination with BD’s Biosciences & Diagnostic Solutions Businesses
| • | Announces appointment of Claire M. Fraser, Ph.D., to its Board of Directors |
| • | Forms a global life sciences and diagnostics leader focused on high-volume testing in regulated applications |
| • | Announces formation of four divisions: Waters Analytical Sciences, Waters Biosciences, Waters Advanced Diagnostics, and Waters Materials Sciences |
MILFORD, Mass., February 9, 2026 – Waters Corporation (NYSE: WAT) (“Waters”) today announced it has completed the previously announced combination with the Biosciences & Diagnostic Solutions businesses of Becton, Dickinson and Company (NYSE: BDX) (“BD”). The transaction forms a global life sciences and diagnostics leader, equipped with best-in-class technologies, and an industry-leading financial outlook. The Company also announced the appointment of Claire M. Fraser, Ph.D., to its Board of Directors (the “Waters Board”), increasing the size of the Waters Board to a total of 11 members.
Dr. Fraser is a globally acclaimed genome scientist, with three decades of experience managing large research institutes. Most recently, she served as Director of The Institute for Genome Sciences, which she founded in 2007, at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where she also served as a Professor of Medicine and Microbiology and Immunology. Dr. Fraser received a B.S. in Biology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY, and a Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
“As we reach this important milestone, I want to welcome our new colleagues to Waters and Dr. Claire Fraser to our Board,” said Flemming Ørnskov, M.D., M.P.H., Chairman, Waters. “Dr. Fraser is an internationally recognized scientist with an extensive background in genomics, infectious diseases, and molecular diagnostics. We will benefit from her expertise and deep knowledge of the business to help oversee our next era of growth and value creation.”
“Our combination with BD’s Biosciences & Diagnostic Solutions businesses marks a pivotal moment for Waters, bringing together world-class scientific expertise across chemistry, physics, and biology, with rich histories of innovation,” said Udit Batra, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer, Waters. “As we enter this next chapter, our focus is clear: address our customers’ unmet needs, deliver long-term value for our shareholders, and provide solutions that advance global health. Through our category-defining products and shared culture of innovation, I am confident that together we will accelerate the benefits of pioneering science.”
With the transaction now closed, Waters has established four divisions that reflect the Company’s continued focus on high-volume testing in regulated applications and its decisive expansion into high-growth adjacent markets. The divisions bring together leading scientific teams to support the development and manufacturing of large and small molecule therapeutics and food and environmental testing, and to advance specialty diagnostics in attractive molecular, microbiology, and multiplex applications.
| • | Waters Analytical Sciences (formerly Waters Division, excluding Waters Clinical Business): comprised of products, service, and compliant informatics linked to separations science and physical molecular characterization, including liquid chromatography instruments, chemistry consumables, and mass spectrometry, UV, light scattering, and particle analysis detection technologies. |
| • | Waters Biosciences (formerly BD Biosciences): comprised of products, service, and informatics linked to the field of biology, spanning cellular sorting and analysis, including flow cytometry instruments and reagents, and single-cell multiomics solutions. |
| • | Waters Advanced Diagnostics (formerly BD Diagnostic Solutions and Waters Clinical Business): comprised of products and service for high-value diagnostic workflows in regulated clinical settings. This includes microbiology, molecular, LC-MS-based multiplex testing, automation solutions, and point-of-care testing. |
| • | Waters Materials Sciences (formerly TA Division): comprised of products, service, and informatics spanning a diverse range of materials characterization techniques, including thermal analysis, rheology, and microcalorimetry, serving batteries, electronics, and pharmaceutical applications. |
Transaction Information
The combination was effected through a Reverse Morris Trust transaction, where BD’s Biosciences & Diagnostic Solutions businesses (the “Business”) were spun off into a separate entity which merged with a wholly owned subsidiary of Waters, and thus became a wholly owned subsidiary of Waters. Upon consummation of the transaction, Waters shareholders prior to the closing of the transaction owned common stock representing 60.8% of the combined company on a fully diluted basis and BD shareholders owned 39.2% of the combined company on a fully diluted basis. In connection with the transaction, BD shareholders will receive approximately 0.135 shares of Waters common stock for each share of BD common stock that they held as of the close of business on February 5, 2026, the record date for the spin-off, with cash in lieu of any fractional shares of Waters common stock.
Barclays served as financial advisor to Waters, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as lead legal counsel.
About Waters Corporation
Waters Corporation (NYSE: WAT) is a global leader in life sciences and diagnostics, dedicated to accelerating the benefits of pioneering science through analytical technologies, informatics, and service. With a focus on regulated, high-volume testing environments, our innovative portfolio harnesses deep scientific expertise across chemistry, physics, and biology. We collaborate with customers around the world to advance the release of effective, high-quality medicines, ensure the safety of food and water, and drive better patient outcomes by detecting diseases earlier, managing routine infections, and combating antibiotic resistance. Through a shared culture of relentless innovation, our passionate team of ~16,000 colleagues turn scientific challenges into breakthroughs that improve lives worldwide. For more information, please visit www.waters.com/combination.
Cautionary Statement
This release contains “forward-looking” statements regarding future results and events, including statements regarding the expected benefits of the transaction. For this purpose, any statements that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed forward-looking statements. Without limiting the foregoing, the words “will,” “feels”, “believes”, “anticipates”, “plans”, “expects”, “intends”, “suggests”, “appears”, “estimates”, “projects” and similar expressions, whether in the negative or affirmative, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Our actual future results may differ significantly from the results discussed in the forward-looking statements within this release for a variety of reasons, including and without limitation, risks or uncertainties related to, and expectations regarding our ability to realize commercial success subsequent to the completion of our acquisition of the Business and other risk factors detailed from time to time in Waters’ reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Such factors and others that are discussed more fully in the sections entitled “Forward-Looking Statements” and “Risk Factors” of Waters’ annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 as filed with the SEC, which discussions are incorporated by reference in this release, as updated by Waters’ subsequent filings with the SEC. The forward-looking statements included in this release represent Waters’ estimates or views as of the date of this release and should not be relied upon as representing Waters’ estimates or views as of any date subsequent to the date of this release. Except as required by law, Waters does not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements.
Contacts
Molly Gluck
Head of External Communications
Waters Corporation
508.498.9732
Caspar Tudor
Head of Investor Relations
Waters Corporation
508.482.3448
Exhibit 99.2
INDEX TO COMBINED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
F-1
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Shareholders and the Board of Directors of Becton, Dickinson and Company
Opinion on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying combined balance sheets of the Biosciences and Diagnostic Solutions Business of Becton, Dickinson and Company (“BDS Business”) as of September 30, 2025 and 2024, the combined statements of income, comprehensive income and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended September 30, 2025 and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “combined financial statements”). In our opinion, the combined financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the BDS Business at September 30, 2025 and 2024, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended September 30, 2025, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
Basis for Opinion
These financial statements are the responsibility of the BDS Business’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the BDS Business’s financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the BDS Business in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB and in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The BDS Business is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audits, we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the BDS Business’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.
Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
Critical Audit Matter
The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective or complex judgments. The communication of the critical audit matter does not alter in any way our opinion on the combined financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.
F-2
| Income taxes – Application of Separate Return Method | ||
| Description of the Matter |
As discussed in Notes 1 and 11, the income tax provision and related income tax accounts on the balance sheet in the combined financial statements were calculated as if the BDS Business filed a separate tax return as a standalone entity. As a result, the recognition and measurement of certain items reflected in the combined financial statements may be different than how they are reflected in the Becton, Dickinson and Company’s consolidated financial statements. The BDS Business recognized a combined provision for income taxes of $70 million for the year ended September 30, 2025, a liability for unrecognized tax benefits of $54 million, deferred tax assets net of valuation allowance of $222 million and deferred tax liabilities, net of $94 million as of September 30, 2025.
Auditing the BDS Business’s income tax accounts is especially challenging because of the complexities and significant management judgment in the allocations and assumptions necessary to prepare the income tax accounts on a separate return basis as a standalone entity. | |
| How We Addressed the Matter in Our Audit |
To evaluate the BDS Business’s income tax provision and related income tax accounts on the balance sheet, we performed audit procedures that included, among others, testing management’s assumptions and attribution of current and deferred income tax assets and liabilities of Becton, Dickinson and Company to the BDS Business, and evaluation of applicable tax law, tax regulations and other regulatory guidance. We also involved our tax subject matter professionals in our testing over the income tax provision, deferred income taxes, uncertain tax positions and transfer pricing. We also evaluated the adequacy of the BDS Business’s income tax disclosures included in Note 1 and 11 to the combined financial statements in relation to these matters. | |
We have served as the BDS Business’s auditor since 2025.
/s/ Ernst & Young LLP
New York, New York
December 11, 2025
F-3
BDS Business
Years Ended September 30
| Millions of dollars | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||||
| Revenues: |
||||||||||||
| Product sales |
$ | 2,866 | $ | 2,945 | $ | 3,026 | ||||||
| Service sales |
430 | 398 | 368 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
| Total net sales |
3,296 | 3,343 | 3,394 | |||||||||
| Operating costs and expenses: |
||||||||||||
| Cost of product sales |
1,390 | 1,443 | 1,426 | |||||||||
| Cost of service sales |
276 | 270 | 270 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
| Total cost of sales |
1,666 | 1,713 | 1,696 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
| Selling and administrative expense |
865 | 866 | 849 | |||||||||
| Research and development expense |
321 | 306 | 342 | |||||||||
| Integration, restructuring and transaction expense |
5 | 89 | 55 | |||||||||
| Other operating income, net |
— | (2 | ) | (5 | ) | |||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
| Total Operating Costs and Expenses |
2,857 | 2,972 | 2,937 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
| Operating Income |
439 | 371 | 457 | |||||||||
| Other expense, net |
(16 | ) | (5 | ) | (3 | ) | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
| Income Before Income Taxes |
423 | 366 | 454 | |||||||||
| Income tax provision |
70 | 45 | 39 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
| Net Income |
$ | 353 | $ | 321 | $ | 415 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
See notes to combined financial statements.
F-4
Combined Statements of Comprehensive Income
BDS Business
Years Ended September 30
| Millions of dollars | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||||
| Net Income |
$ | 353 | $ | 321 | $ | 415 | ||||||
| Other Comprehensive Income, Net of Tax |
||||||||||||
| Foreign currency translation adjustments |
20 | 38 | 81 | |||||||||
| Other Comprehensive Income, Net of Tax |
20 | 38 | 81 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
| Comprehensive Income |
$ | 373 | $ | 359 | $ | 496 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
See notes to combined financial statements.
F-5
BDS Business
September 30
| Millions of dollars | 2025 | 2024 | ||||||
| Assets |
||||||||
| Current Assets |
||||||||
| Cash and equivalents |
$ | 74 | $ | 64 | ||||
| Trade receivables, net |
597 | 572 | ||||||
| Inventories, net |
743 | 695 | ||||||
| Prepaid expenses and other |
133 | 133 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Total Current Assets |
1,547 | 1,464 | ||||||
| Property, Plant and Equipment, Net |
647 | 662 | ||||||
| Goodwill |
896 | 886 | ||||||
| Other Intangibles, Net |
179 | 226 | ||||||
| Other Assets |
762 | 738 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Total Assets |
$ | 4,031 | $ | 3,976 | ||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Liabilities and Parent’s Equity |
||||||||
| Current Liabilities |
||||||||
| Accounts payable |
$ | 197 | $ | 217 | ||||
| Accrued expenses and other liabilities |
300 | 324 | ||||||
| Salaries, wages and related items |
153 | 156 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Total Current Liabilities |
650 | 697 | ||||||
| Deferred Income Taxes and Other Liabilities |
413 | 427 | ||||||
| Parent’s Equity |
||||||||
| Accumulated other comprehensive loss |
(92 | ) | (112 | ) | ||||
| Net parent investment |
3,060 | 2,964 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Total Parent’s Equity |
2,968 | 2,852 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Total Liabilities and Parent’s Equity |
$ | 4,031 | $ | 3,976 | ||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
See notes to combined financial statements.
F-6
Combined Statements of Cash Flows
BDS Business
Years Ended September 30
| Millions of dollars | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||||
| Operating Activities |
||||||||||||
| Net income |
$ | 353 | $ | 321 | $ | 415 | ||||||
| Adjustments to net income to derive net cash provided by operating activities: |
||||||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization |
170 | 174 | 169 | |||||||||
| Share-based compensation |
43 | 44 | 46 | |||||||||
| Impairment of intangible assets |
31 | — | — | |||||||||
| Loss on settlement of investment |
10 | — | — | |||||||||
| Pension and other postretirement benefit expense |
8 | 16 | 21 | |||||||||
| Deferred income taxes |
(25 | ) | (45 | ) | (51 | ) | ||||||
| Contingent consideration fair value adjustment |
— | (7 | ) | (17 | ) | |||||||
| Change in operating assets and liabilities: |
||||||||||||
| Trade receivables, net |
(18 | ) | 49 | (87 | ) | |||||||
| Inventories, net |
(45 | ) | 5 | 5 | ||||||||
| Prepaid expenses and other |
(28 | ) | (15 | ) | (4 | ) | ||||||
| Accounts payable, income taxes and other liabilities |
(44 | ) | 68 | (66 | ) | |||||||
| Other, net |
7 | 31 | (60 | ) | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
| Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities |
462 | 641 | 371 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
| Investing Activities |
||||||||||||
| Capital expenditures |
(50 | ) | (64 | ) | (73 | ) | ||||||
| Investment in placed instruments |
(82 | ) | (81 | ) | (91 | ) | ||||||
| Acquisition, net of cash acquired |
(12 | ) | — | — | ||||||||
| Acquisitions of intangible assets |
(9 | ) | (10 | ) | (8 | ) | ||||||
| Other, net |
10 | 8 | (7 | ) | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
| Net Cash Used for Investing Activities |
(143 | ) | (147 | ) | (179 | ) | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
| Financing Activities |
||||||||||||
| Net transfers to Parent |
(309 | ) | (470 | ) | (174 | ) | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
| Net Cash Used for Financing Activities |
(309 | ) | (470 | ) | (174 | ) | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
| Net Increase in Cash and equivalents |
10 | 24 | 18 | |||||||||
| Opening Cash and equivalents |
64 | 40 | 22 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
| Closing Cash and equivalents |
$ | 74 | $ | 64 | $ | 40 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
See notes to combined financial statements.
F-7
Notes to Combined Financial Statements
BDS Business
Millions of dollars, or as otherwise specified
Note 1 — Background and Basis of Presentation
Background
On July 13, 2025, Becton, Dickinson and Company (“BD” or the “Parent”) entered into a definitive agreement to combine the Biosciences and Diagnostic Solutions Businesses of BD (together, the “Company” or the “BDS Business”) through an initial spin-off, followed by a merger executed as a Reverse Morris Trust transaction with Waters Corporation (“Waters” and such transaction, the “Transaction”). In order to effect the Transaction, Waters and BD entered into a number of agreements, including a merger and separation agreement. These agreements provide for (1) the separation of the BDS Business from BD’s other businesses and the subsequent transfer of the BDS Business into Augusta SpinCo Corporation (“SpinCo”) and its subsidiaries, (2) a cash distribution to BD up to $4 billion, subject to certain adjustments (the “SpinCo Cash Distribution”), (3) the delivery to BD shareholders of all of the issued and outstanding shares of SpinCo Common Stock held by BD by way of a pro rata distribution, and (4) the merger of SpinCo with Beta Merger Sub, Inc. (“Merger Sub”), with SpinCo continuing as the surviving corporation of the merger and becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of Waters. The BDS Business is composed of instruments and informatics, reagents, single-cell multiomics tools, and a range of products focused on microbiology and infectious disease diagnostics, including molecular testing, cervical cancer screening, microbiology automation, and point-of-care solutions. SpinCo had no assets, liabilities, operations, or commitments and contingencies during the periods presented in these combined financial statements and will not have any assets, liabilities, operations or commitments in respect of the BDS Business until such business’ assets and liabilities are transferred to SpinCo. These combined financial statements reflect the combined historical results of operations, financial position and cash flows of the BDS Business.
The Transaction is expected to close around the end of the first quarter of calendar year 2026, subject to receipt of required regulatory approvals, Waters shareholder approval, compliance with applicable U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) requirements, the receipt of a private letter ruling from the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) regarding certain matters germane to the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the transactions, and satisfaction of other customary closing conditions. There are no assurances as to when the planned spin-off will be completed, if at all.
Basis of Presentation
The combined financial statements have been derived from BD’s historical accounting records and were prepared on a stand-alone basis in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC. The assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses of the BDS Business have been reflected in these combined financial statements on a historical cost basis, as included in the consolidated financial statements of BD, using the historical accounting policies applied by BD. Historically, separate financial statements have not been prepared for the BDS Business and it has not operated as a stand-alone business from BD. The historical results of operations, financial position and cash flows of the BDS Business presented in these combined financial statements may not be indicative of what they would have been had the BDS Business actually been an independent stand-alone company, nor are they necessarily indicative of the BDS Business’s future results of operations, financial position and cash flows.
BDS Business has historically functioned together with other BD businesses. Accordingly, the BDS Business relied on certain of BD’s Corporate and Life Sciences segment support functions to operate. BD’s Life Sciences segment includes three organizational units, including the Biosciences, Diagnostic Solutions, and Specimen Management Businesses. The combined financial statements include all revenues and costs directly attributable
F-8
to the BDS Business, as well as an allocation of expenses related to certain BD corporate functions and shared functions within BD’s Life Sciences segment (Note 5). These expenses have been allocated to the BDS Business on a pro rata basis of global and regional revenues, as well as headcount. The BDS Business considers these allocations to be a reasonable reflection of the utilization of services or the benefit received. However, the allocations may not be indicative of the actual expense that would have been incurred had the BDS Business operated as an independent, stand-alone entity, nor are they indicative of the BDS Business’s future expenses.
Following the Transaction, certain functions that BD provided to the BDS Business prior to the Transaction will either continue to be provided to the BDS Business by BD under transition services agreements or will be performed using the BDS Business’s own resources or third-party service providers.
The combined financial statements were prepared on a going concern basis and include assets and liabilities specifically attributable to the BDS Business. Cash and equivalents and liabilities legally held by the BDS Business were included in the combined balance sheets. BD uses a centralized approach to cash management and financing of its operations. As part of BD, the BDS Business has been and will continue to be dependent upon BD for substantially all of its working capital and financing requirements. The BDS Business believes the financial support of BD is sufficient to allow it to continue to fund its operations for at least twelve months from the issuance of these combined financial statements. These arrangements are not reflective of the manner in which the business would have financed its operations had it been a stand-alone company separate from BD during the periods presented. Cash pooling, related interest, and intercompany arrangements are excluded from the asset and liability balances in the combined balance sheets. These amounts are reported in Net parent investment as a component of Parent’s Equity.
The Parent’s debt and related interest expense have not been attributed to the BDS Business for any of the periods presented.
All intercompany transactions and balances within the BDS Business have been eliminated. Transactions between the BDS Business and BD have been included in these combined financial statements and are considered related party transactions (Note 5). Transactions with Parent are reflected in Parent’s Equity as Net transfers to parent and in the accompanying combined balance sheets within Net parent investment (Note 4).
The Income tax provision in the combined statements of income has been calculated as if the BDS Business filed a separate tax return and was operating as a stand-alone company. Therefore, tax expense, cash tax payments, and items of current and deferred taxes may not be reflective of the BDS Business’s actual tax balances prior to or subsequent to the distribution.
Management has concluded that the BDS Business operates in two segments based upon the information used by the chief operating decision-maker (“CODM”) in evaluating the performance of the BDS Business and allocating resources and capital.
Financial information is disclosed in millions unless otherwise noted. The BDS Business’s fiscal year ends on September 30. Within the combined financial statements and tables presented, certain columns and rows may not add due to the use of rounded numbers for disclosure purposes.
Note 2 — Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Presentation
Certain reclassifications of prior-period amounts have been made to conform to the current-period presentation of disaggregated product and service revenues and the related costs for the BDS Business. These reclassifications do not impact total revenues or results for any periods presented. See Note 3 for further details on new accounting principles adopted in the current-period, and Note 7 for further information on revenues.
F-9
Cash and Equivalents
Cash and equivalents consist of all highly liquid investments with a maturity of three months or less at time of purchase. Cash and equivalents include term deposits with one-month durations of $35 million as of September 30, 2025 and 2024. The BDS Business held restricted cash of $1 million as of September 30, 2024. There were no requirements to hold restricted cash as of September 30, 2025.
Revenue Recognition
The BDS Business recognizes revenue from product sales when the customer obtains control of the product, which is generally upon shipment or delivery, depending on the delivery terms specified in the sales agreement. Revenues associated with certain instruments and equipment for which installation is complex, and therefore significantly affect the customer’s ability to use and benefit from the product, are recognized upon customer acceptance of these installed products. Revenue for certain service arrangements, including extended warranty and software maintenance contracts, is recognized ratably over the contract term. When arrangements include multiple performance obligations, the total transaction price of the contract is allocated to each performance obligation based on the estimated relative stand-alone selling prices of the promised goods or services underlying each performance obligation. The BDS Business generally estimates stand-alone selling prices using its list prices and a consideration of typical discounts offered to customers. Variable consideration, such as rebates, sales discounts and sales returns, is estimated and treated as a reduction of revenue in the same period the related revenue is recognized. These estimates are based on contractual terms, historical practices, and current trends, and are adjusted as new information becomes available. Revenues exclude any taxes that the BDS Business collects from customers and remits to tax authorities.
Additional disclosures regarding the BDS Business’s accounting for revenue recognition are provided in Note 7.
Trade Receivables
The BDS Business grants credit to customers in the normal course of business and the resulting trade receivables are stated at their net realizable value. The allowance for doubtful accounts represents the BDS Business’s estimate of expected credit losses relating to trade receivables and is determined based on historical experience, current conditions, reasonable and supportable forecasts and other specific account data. Amounts are written off against the allowances for doubtful accounts when the BDS Business determines that a customer account is not collectable. See Note 13 for further information.
Inventories
Inventories are stated at the lower of approximate cost or net realizable value determined on the first-in, first-out basis.
Property, Plant and Equipment
Property, plant and equipment are stated at cost, less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is principally provided on the straight-line basis over estimated useful lives, which range from 20 to 45 years for buildings, four to 20 years for machinery and equipment and one to 20 years for leasehold improvements. Depreciation expense was $60 million, $62 million and $59 million in the fiscal years 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets
Unamortized intangible assets include goodwill and in-process research and development assets that arise from certain acquisitions made by the BDS Business. Acquired in-process research and development assets are reviewed at least annually for impairment, using qualitative and quantitative models. Goodwill is reviewed at
F-10
least annually for impairment using qualitative and quantitative models at the reporting unit level, which is defined as an operating segment or one level below an operating segment, referred to as a component. The BDS Business has two reporting units or operating segments, which are further described in Note 8. The BDS Business reviews goodwill for each reporting unit by first performing a qualitative analysis and determining if it is more likely than not that the carrying value of the reporting unit exceeds the fair value. The quantitative model includes comparing the fair value of the reporting unit, estimated using an income approach, with the estimated carrying value. The annual impairment review performed on July 1, 2025 indicated that the reporting units’ fair values exceeded their respective carrying values.
Amortized intangible assets include developed technology, customer relationships and internally developed patents. Developed technology assets represent acquired intellectual property that is already technologically feasible upon the acquisition date or acquired in-process research and development assets that are completed subsequent to acquisition. These assets are generally amortized over periods ranging from 15 to 20 years, using the straight-line method. Customer relationship assets are generally amortized over periods ranging from 10 to 15 years, using the straight-line method. Other intangibles with finite useful lives, which include patents, are amortized over periods principally ranging from one to 20 years, using the straight-line method. Finite-lived intangible assets are periodically reviewed when impairment indicators are present to assess recoverability from future operations using undiscounted cash flows. The carrying values of these finite-lived assets are compared to the undiscounted cash flows they are expected to generate, and an impairment loss is recognized in operating results to the extent any finite-lived intangible asset’s carrying value exceeds its calculated fair value.
Foreign Currency Translation
Generally, foreign subsidiaries’ functional currencies are the local currencies of operations, and the net assets of foreign operations are translated into U.S. dollars using current exchange rates. The U.S. dollar results that arise from such translation are included in Accumulated other comprehensive loss.
Shipping and Handling Costs
The BDS Business considers its shipping and handling costs to be contract fulfillment costs and records them within Selling and administrative expense. Shipping expenses were $76 million, $71 million and $70 million in 2025, 2024 and 2023 respectively.
Contingencies
The BDS Business establishes accruals for contingent losses which are both probable and can be reasonably estimated. Additional disclosures regarding the accounting for contingencies are provided in Note 6.
Benefit Plans
Certain employees, retirees, and former employees participate in defined benefit pension plans, as well as defined contribution and other postretirement benefit plans, which are sponsored by BD and include participants from other BD businesses (collectively, the “Shared Plans”) in the United States and in certain international locations. The participation in the Shared Plans is accounted for as a multiemployer benefit plan. Accordingly, the BDS Business does not record an asset or liability to recognize any portion of the funded status of the Shared Plans. The amount recognized as expense represents an allocation of net periodic pension and postretirement benefit cost based on the headcount of participants in the Shared Plans. Service costs are recorded to Cost of sales, Selling and administrative expense and Research and development expense while all other components of net periodic pension and postretirement benefit costs are recorded to Other expense, net in the combined statements of income. The pension and postretirement benefit expense attributable to the BDS Business participants in the Shared Plans for the years ended September 30, 2025, 2024 and 2023 was $8 million, $16 million and $21 million respectively.
F-11
BD has voluntary defined contribution plans for the benefit of substantially all the BDS Business employees meeting certain eligibility requirements. Employer contributions to such plans for the BDS Business employees were $30 million, $24 million and $19 million in 2025, 2024 and 2023 respectively.
Effective September 30, 2024, BD froze its U.S. pension plan, and its plan participants no longer accrue benefits under the plan subsequent to this date. This plan had already been frozen to new participants effective January 1, 2018.
Share-Based Compensation
Certain employees of the BDS Business have historically participated in the BD 2004 Employee and Director Equity-Based Compensation Plan, which provides long-term incentive compensation to employees and directors consisting of: stock appreciation rights, performance-based restricted stock units, time-vested restricted stock units and other stock awards. All significant awards granted under the plan will settle in shares of BD’s Class A Common Stock and are approved by BD’s Compensation and Human Capital Committee of the BD Board. As such, all related equity account balances, other than allocations of compensation expense, remained at the BD level. Stock compensation allocated for BD Corporate and Life Sciences Segment employees, who are not dedicated to the BDS Business, are included as a component of corporate allocations. The allocation of stock compensation for BD Corporate and Life Sciences employees was $13 million, $14 million and $15 million for the years ended September 30, 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively.
The fair value of share-based payments is recognized as compensation expense. BD estimates forfeitures based on experience at the time of grant and adjusts expense to reflect actual forfeitures.
The amounts and location of compensation cost relating to both the BDS Business employees and an allocation for BD Corporate and Life Sciences employees included in the combined statements of income is as follows:
| (Millions of dollars) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||||
| Cost of sales |
$ | 9 | $ | 9 | $ | 9 | ||||||
| Selling and administrative expense |
27 | 28 | 30 | |||||||||
| Research and development expense |
7 | 7 | 7 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
| Total Share-Based Compensation Expense |
$ | 43 | $ | 44 | $ | 46 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Income Taxes
Most of the BDS Business’s operations are included in the consolidated tax returns of BD. Income taxes as presented in the historical combined financial statements of the BDS Business attribute current and deferred income tax assets and liabilities of BD to the BDS Business in a manner that is systematic, rational and consistent with the asset and liability method prescribed by the accounting guidance for income taxes. The BDS Business’s income tax provision is prepared using the separate return method. The separate return method applies the accounting guidance for income taxes to the stand-alone financial statements as if the BDS Business were a separate taxpayer and a stand-alone enterprise. The BDS Business believes the assumptions supporting the allocation and presentation of income taxes on a separate return basis are reasonable.
The BDS Business has reviewed its needs in the United States for possible repatriation of undistributed earnings of its foreign subsidiaries and continues to invest foreign subsidiaries’ earnings outside of the United States to fund foreign investments or meet foreign working capital and property, plant and equipment expenditure needs. As a result, the BDS Business is permanently reinvested with respect to all of its historical foreign earnings as of September 30, 2025. Deferred taxes are not provided on undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries that are indefinitely reinvested. The determination of the amount of the unrecognized deferred tax liability related to the undistributed earnings is not practicable because of the complexities associated with its hypothetical calculation.
F-12
BD conducts business and files tax returns in numerous countries and currently has tax audits in progress in a number of tax jurisdictions. The BDS Business operations are included in the consolidated tax returns of BD. In evaluating the exposure associated with various tax filing positions, the BDS Business records accruals for uncertain tax positions, based on the technical support for the positions, past audit experience with similar situations, and the potential interest and penalties related to the matters. The effects of tax adjustments and settlements from taxing authorities are presented in the historical combined financial statements of the BDS Business in the period to which they relate as if the BDS Business was a separate filer.
The BDS Business maintains valuation allowances where it is more likely than not that all or a portion of a deferred tax asset will not be realized. Changes in valuation allowances are included in the tax provision in the period of change. In determining whether a valuation allowance is warranted, the BDS Business evaluates factors such as prior earnings history, expected future earnings, carryback and carryforward periods and tax strategies that could potentially enhance the likelihood of the realization of a deferred tax asset.
The BDS Business is subject to tax on global intangible low-taxed income (“GILTI”) earned by certain foreign subsidiaries. The BDS Business has elected to account for its GILTI tax due as a period expense in the year the tax is incurred.
The BDS Business maintains income tax payable and receivable accounts for entities that are being contributed as part of the spin-off and file separate income tax returns. All other income tax payables and receivables are deemed to be settled with the tax-paying entities in their respective jurisdictions and are classified as changes in Net parent investment. However, the combined balance sheets reflect liabilities for unrecognized income tax benefits, along with related interest and penalties.
Additional disclosures regarding the BDS Business’s accounting for income taxes are provided in Note 11.
Segment Data
The BDS Business operates and reports its financial information as two segments. In making this determination, the BDS Business (i) determines its CODM; (ii) identifies and analyzes potential business components; (iii) identifies its operating segments and (iv) determines whether there are multiple operating segments requiring presentation as reportable segments. The BDS Business’s decision to report as two segments is based upon the following: (1) its internal organizational structure; (2) the manner in which its operations are managed; and (3) the criteria used by the BDS Business’s President, its CODM, to evaluate performance of the BDS Business and allocate resources and capital.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions. These estimates or assumptions affect reported assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, including determining the allocation of shared costs and expenses from BD, depreciable and amortizable lives, sales returns and allowances, rebate accruals, inventory reserves and taxes on income as reflected in the combined financial statements. Actual results could differ from these estimates.
Note 3 — Accounting Changes
New Accounting Principles Adopted
In November 2023, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued a new accounting standard update that requires more disaggregated expense information about a public entity’s reportable segments on an annual and interim basis. This standard became effective for the BDS Business, on a retrospective basis, for its fiscal year 2025 reporting and for interim periods beginning in its fiscal year 2026. Disclosures regarding the BDS Business’s reportable segments are provided in Note 8.
F-13
In September 2022, the FASB issued an accounting standard update that requires additional qualitative and quantitative disclosures regarding supplier finance programs. The new disclosure requirements are intended to help investors better consider the effect of these programs on a company’s working capital, liquidity, and cash flows. The BDS Business adopted this accounting standard on October 1, 2023. Disclosures regarding the BDS Business’s supplier finance programs are provided in Note 10.
New Accounting Principles Not Yet Adopted
In September 2025, the FASB issued an accounting standard update to amend the criteria for capitalizing internal-use software costs. This update is intended to modernize the accounting for software costs by replacing the legacy guidance under which capitalization is based on the nature of costs and the project development stage. This update requires software capitalization to begin when (1) management has authorized and committed funding to the software project and (2) it is probable that the project will be completed, and the software will be used to perform the function intended. The update is effective for the BDS Business beginning in its fiscal year 2029, with early adoption permitted. The BDS Business is currently assessing the potential impact of this update on its combined financial statements.
In November 2024, the FASB issued an accounting standard update that requires the BDS Business to disclose more detailed information about the types of expenses (including purchases of inventory, employee compensation, depreciation, amortization and depletion) included in each relevant income statement expense caption. The update is effective for the BDS Business beginning with its fiscal year 2028 reporting and for interim reporting beginning with its fiscal year 2029. Early adoption is permitted. The BDS Business is currently evaluating the impact that this update will have on its disclosures.
In December 2023, the FASB issued an accounting standard update that requires more disaggregated information to be included in the income tax rate reconciliation and income taxes paid annual disclosures. This update is effective for the BDS Business beginning in its fiscal year 2026 and the BDS Business is currently evaluating the impact that this update will have on its disclosures.
Note 4 — Parent’s Equity
Changes in certain components of Parent’s Equity were as follows:
| (Millions of dollars) | Net Parent Investment |
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss |
Total Parent’s Equity |
|||||||||
| Balance, October 1, 2022 |
$ | 2,738 | $ | (231 | ) | $ | 2,507 | |||||
| Net income |
415 | — | 415 | |||||||||
| Foreign currency translation |
— | 81 | 81 | |||||||||
| Net transfers to Parent |
(100 | ) | — | (100 | ) | |||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
| Balance, September 30, 2023 |
$ | 3,053 | $ | (150 | ) | $ | 2,903 | |||||
| Net income |
321 | — | 321 | |||||||||
| Foreign currency translation |
— | 38 | 38 | |||||||||
| Net transfers to Parent |
(410 | ) | — | (410 | ) | |||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
| Balance, September 30, 2024 |
$ | 2,964 | $ | (112 | ) | $ | 2,852 | |||||
| Net income |
353 | — | 353 | |||||||||
| Foreign currency translation |
— | 20 | 20 | |||||||||
| Net transfers to Parent |
(257 | ) | — | (257 | ) | |||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
| Balance, September 30, 2025 |
$ | 3,060 | $ | (92 | ) | $ | 2,968 | |||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
F-14
Note 5 — Related Party Transactions and Parent Company Investment
Corporate and Life Sciences Segment Allocations
The BDS Business’s combined financial statements include general corporate expenses of BD and shared segment expenses, which were not historically allocated to the BDS Business for certain support functions that are centralized within the Parent and Life Sciences segment and not recorded at the business unit level, such as expenses related to the executive leadership team and other functions such as finance, human resources, information technology, facilities, and legal (collectively, “General Corporate Expenses”). For purposes of these combined financial statements, the General Corporate Expenses have been allocated to the BDS Business. The General Corporate Expenses are included in the combined statements of income in Cost of sales, Selling and administrative expense, Research and development expense and Other expense, net and, accordingly, as a component of Net parent investment on the combined balance sheets. These expenses have been allocated to the BDS Business on a pro rata basis of global revenues, regional revenues or headcount. Management believes the assumptions underlying the combined financial statements, including the assumptions regarding allocating General Corporate Expenses from BD, are reasonable. Nevertheless, the combined financial statements may not include all of the actual expenses that would have been incurred and may not reflect the BDS Business’s combined results of operations, financial position and cash flows had it been a stand-alone company during the periods presented. Actual costs that would have been incurred if the BDS Business had been a stand-alone company would depend on multiple factors, including organizational structure and strategic decisions made in various areas, including information technology and infrastructure. The BDS Business does not believe, however, that it is practicable to estimate what these expenses would have been had the BDS Business operated as an independent entity, including any expenses associated with obtaining any of these services from unaffiliated entities.
The allocations of General Corporate Expenses are reflected in the combined statements of income as follows:
| (Millions of dollars) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||||
| Cost of sales |
$ | 45 | $ | 45 | $ | 41 | ||||||
| Selling and administrative expense |
299 | 318 | 317 | |||||||||
| Research and development expense |
16 | 20 | 22 | |||||||||
| Other expense, net |
1 | (2 | ) | (4 | ) | |||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
| Total General Corporate Expenses |
$ | 361 | $ | 381 | $ | 376 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
F-15
Parent Company Investment
All significant intercompany transactions between the BDS Business and BD have been included in the combined financial statements and are considered to be effectively settled at the time the transaction is closed. The total net effect of the settlement of these intercompany transactions is reflected in the combined statements of cash flows as a financing activity and in the combined balance sheets as Net parent investment.
The following table summarizes the components of the net transfers to Parent in Net parent investment for the years ended September 30, 2025, 2024 and 2023:
| (Millions of dollars) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||||
| Cash pooling and general financing activities (a) |
$ | 733 | $ | 906 | $ | 601 | ||||||
| Corporate and segment allocations, excluding non-cash share-based compensation |
(348 | ) | (367 | ) | (361 | ) | ||||||
| Taxes deemed settled with parent |
(76 | ) | (69 | ) | (66 | ) | ||||||
| Net transfers to Parent as reflected in the combined statements of cash flows |
309 | 470 | 174 | |||||||||
| Share-based compensation |
(43 | ) | (44 | ) | (46 | ) | ||||||
| Pension expense |
(8 | ) | (16 | ) | (21 | ) | ||||||
| Other transfers from Parent, net |
(1 | ) | — | (7 | ) | |||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
| Net transfers to Parent (Note 4) |
$ | 257 | $ | 410 | $ | 100 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
| (a) | The nature of activities includes financing activities for capital transfers, cash sweeps, and other treasury services. As part of this activity, cash balances are swept to BD on a daily basis under the BD Treasury function and the BDS Business receives capital from BD for its cash needs. |
Note 6 — Commitments and Contingencies
Commitments
The BDS Business has certain future purchase commitments entered in the normal course of business to meet operational and capital expenditure requirements. As of September 30, 2025, these commitments totaled approximately $3 million, nearly all of which are expected to be expended within the next year.
Contingencies
The BDS Business regularly monitors and evaluates the status of product liability and other legal matters, and may, from time to time, engage in settlement and mediation discussions taking into consideration developments in the matters and the risks and uncertainties surrounding litigation. These discussions could result in settlements of one or more of these claims at any time. Although management currently believes that resolving claims against the BDS Business, including claims where an unfavorable outcome is reasonably possible, will not have a material impact on the liquidity, results of operations, or financial condition of the BDS Business, these matters are subject to inherent uncertainties and management’s view of these matters may change in the future. It is possible that an unfavorable outcome resulting from legal matters or other contingencies could have a material impact on the liquidity, results of operations or financial condition of the BDS Business.
Significant judgment is required in both the determination of probability of loss and the determination as to whether the amount can be reasonably estimated. Accruals are based only on information available at the time of the assessment, due to the uncertain nature of such matters. As additional information becomes available, management reassesses potential liabilities related to pending claims and litigation and may revise its previous estimates, which could materially affect the BDS Business’s results of operations in a given period.
F-16
Italy Legislation
In 2015, legislation was enacted in Italy which requires medical technology companies to make payments to the Italian government if Italy’s medical device expenditures exceed annual regional expenditure ceilings. The amount of these payments is based on the amount by which the regional ceilings for the given year were exceeded. Considerable uncertainty has existed regarding the enforceability and implementation of this payback legislation since it was enacted and the BDS Business, as well as other medical device companies, have filed appeals which challenge the enforceability of this legislation. In July 2024, the Italian Constitutional Court issued two judgments which concluded that the medical device payback legislation is constitutional. In fiscal year 2024, the BDS Business recorded an accrual of $17 million as an impact to Total net sales as a preliminary estimate of the liability related to this matter, which substantially relates to years prior to fiscal year 2024. During its fourth quarter of fiscal year 2025, the BDS Business made a payment to settle its obligations for calendar years 2015 through 2018 in accordance with an Economy Decree issued by the Italian government in June 2025 which allowed companies, upon their closure of all pending litigation relating to amounts due for calendar years 2015 through 2018, to pay 25% of the invoiced amounts for those years. No payment requests have been issued to the BDS Business for any subsequent years and ultimate resolution for amounts that may be due for these later years is unknown at this time. As such, it is possible that the amount of the BDS Business’s liability could differ from its currently accrued amount. Remaining accruals for this matter are recorded within Deferred Income Taxes and Other Liabilities on the combined balance sheet.
Note 7 — Revenues
The BDS Business sells products through the Biosciences and Diagnostic Solutions Business of BD. The Biosciences business sells immunology and cancer research solutions and related clinical diagnostics, including instruments & informatics and reagents, and has innovative single-cell multiomics tools. The Diagnostic Solutions business sells microbiology and infectious disease diagnostics, including molecular diagnostics, cervical cancer screening, microbiology automation and point-of-care offerings. These services and products are sold through independent distribution channels and directly by BD through sales representatives. End-users of the BDS Business’s products include healthcare institutions, physicians, life science researchers, clinical laboratories, the pharmaceutical industry, academic and government institutions and the general public. In the current and prior-year periods, the BDS Business generated revenues attributable to licensing, which includes consideration received in exchange for the use of the BDS Business’s intellectual property by third parties.
Timing of Revenue Recognition
The BDS Business’s revenues are primarily recognized when the customer obtains control of the product sold, which is generally upon shipment or delivery, depending on the delivery terms specified in the sales agreement. Revenues associated with certain instruments and equipment for which installation is complex, and therefore significantly affects the customer’s ability to use and benefit from the product, are recognized when customer acceptance of these installed products has been confirmed. For certain service arrangements, including extended warranty and software maintenance contracts, revenue is recognized ratably over the contract term. The majority of revenues relating to extended warranty contracts associated with certain instruments and equipment is generally recognized within a few years, whereas deferred revenue relating to software maintenance contracts is generally recognized over a longer period.
Measurement of Revenues
The BDS Business acts as the principal in substantially all of its customer arrangements and as such, generally records revenues on a gross basis. Revenues exclude any taxes that the BDS Business collects from customers and remits to tax authorities.
Payment terms extended to the BDS Business’s customers are based upon commercially reasonable terms for the markets in which the BDS Business’s products are sold. Because the BDS Business generally expects to receive
payment within one year or less from when control of a product is transferred to the customer, the BDS Business
F-17
does not generally adjust its revenues for the effects of a financing component. Additional disclosures regarding the amounts recognized relating to allowance for doubtful accounts are provided in Note 13.
The BDS Business’s gross revenues are subject to a variety of deductions that are recorded in the same period that the underlying revenues are recognized. Such variable consideration includes rebates, sales discounts and sales returns. Because these deductions represent estimates of the related obligations, judgment is required when determining the impact of these revenue deductions on gross revenues for a reporting period. Rebates provided by the BDS Business are based upon prices determined under the BDS Business agreements primarily with its end-user customers. Additional factors considered in the estimate of the rebate liability include the quantification of inventory that is either in stock at or in transit to the BDS Business’s distributors, as well as the estimated lag time between the sale of product and the payment of corresponding rebates. Rebate liabilities classified as an offset to Trade receivables, net were $88 million, and $68 million at September 30, 2025 and 2024, respectively. Rebates recorded as a reduction of gross revenues during the years ended September 30, 2025, 2024 and 2023, were $444 million, $453 million and $449 million, respectively. For the same periods, sales discounts and sales returns recorded as a reduction of gross revenues were $116 million, $137 million and $162 million, respectively.
Disaggregation of Revenues
Revenues by geographic region for the years ended September 30, 2025, 2024 and 2023 consisted of:
| (Millions of dollars) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||||
| United States |
$ | 1,348 | $ | 1,361 | $ | 1,469 | ||||||
| China |
279 | 337 | 336 | |||||||||
| Other international (a) |
1,669 | 1,645 | 1,589 | |||||||||
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| Total |
$ | 3,296 | $ | 3,343 | $ | 3,394 | ||||||
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| (a) | During the years ended September 30, 2025, 2024 and 2023, no individual country other than the United States and China generated revenue that represented more than 10% of total revenues. |
Costs to Obtain Revenue Contracts
Due to the nature of the majority of the products, the BDS Business typically does not incur costs to fulfill a contract in advance of providing the customer with goods or services. The BDS Business’s costs to obtain contracts are comprised of sales commissions, which are paid to employees or third-party agents. Sales commissions incurred by the BDS Business relate to revenue that is recognized over a period that is less than one year and, as such, the BDS Business has elected a practical expedient provided under ASC 606 to record its expense associated with sales commissions as it is incurred. Sales commissions are recorded within Selling and administrative expense in the combined statements of income.
Contract Assets and Liabilities
The BDS Business records contract liabilities when consideration from a customer is received prior to the satisfaction of performance obligations, such as extended warranty and software maintenance contracts, which are performed over time. These amounts are presented within Accrued expenses and other liabilities on the BDS Business’s combined balance sheet. As of September 30, 2025 and 2024, contract liabilities totaled approximately $145 million and $126 million, respectively.
Contract assets represent the BDS Business’s conditional right to consideration for revenue recognized from performance obligations that were satisfied or partially satisfied in advance of customer billings. These amounts are recorded within Prepaid expenses and other and Other assets on the combined balance sheets. The BDS Business’s contract asset balances as of September 30, 2025 and 2024 were $15 million and $13 million, respectively.
F-18
Remaining Performance Obligations
The BDS Business’s obligations relating to service contracts, and pending installations of equipment, represent unsatisfied performance obligations of the BDS Business. The revenues under existing contracts with original expected durations of more than one year, which are attributable to products and/or services that have not yet been installed or provided, are estimated to be approximately $247 million at September 30, 2025. The BDS Business expects to recognize the majority of this revenue over the next three years.
Some of the BDS Business’s contracts also contain minimum purchase commitments of reagents or other consumables and the future sales of these consumables represent additional unsatisfied performance obligations of the BDS Business. The revenue attributable to the unsatisfied minimum purchase commitment-related performance obligations, for contracts with original expected durations of more than one year, is estimated to be approximately $470 million at September 30, 2025. This revenue will be recognized over the customer relationship periods.
Note 8 — Segment Data
The BDS Business’s organizational structure is based upon two worldwide business segments: Biosciences and Diagnostic Solutions. The worldwide business segments are strategic businesses that are managed separately because each one develops, manufactures, and markets distinct products and services. The BD Life Sciences President is the BDS Business’s chief operating decision maker (“CODM”).
Biosciences
The Biosciences business offers a comprehensive portfolio of instruments, software and informatics, reagents, and single cell multiomics solutions, supporting the advanced analysis of cell populations for use in fields such as immunology, oncology, and infectious disease research. Its products are used by a broad range of customers, including academic and government institutions, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and clinical laboratories. In addition to supporting basic research, the business provides essential tools that facilitate drug discovery and development, contributing to advancements in precision medicine, as well as tools for clinical diagnostics. Biosciences operates through a common global commercial infrastructure that includes a specialized sales force, technical application specialists and channel partners dedicated to serving the life sciences market.
Diagnostic Solutions
The Diagnostic Solutions business provides a broad range of diagnostic instrumentation, assays, consumables, automation, and informatics that support the detection, identification and drug susceptibility testing of infectious disease organisms. Key areas of focus are sepsis, tuberculosis, sexually transmitted infections, healthcare-associated infections, women’s health conditions, and cervical cancer screening. The Diagnostic Solutions portfolio employs several technologies and innovations, centered across three key areas, microbiology solutions, molecular diagnostics platforms, and diagnostic testing performed near the patient to deliver rapid results that can inform immediate care decisions designed to deliver rapid results in decentralized healthcare settings. These technologies serve a global customer base of hospitals, clinical laboratories, public health agencies and integrated delivery networks. The Diagnostic Solutions business plays a central role in improving clinical workflows, enhancing diagnostic accuracy, and supporting timely treatment decisions.
Additional Segment Information
Distribution of products is primarily through independent distribution channels, and directly to end-users by the BDS Business and independent sales representatives. No customer accounted for 10% or more of revenues in any of the three years presented.
The BDS Business presents segment results on a consistent basis with internal reporting regularly reviewed by the CODM, on both a reported and a foreign currency-neutral basis, to evaluate business segment performance, as compared to budget, and allocate resources such as capital and headcount. Business segment performance is
F-19
evaluated based on operating income before taxes excluding certain corporate expenses and other adjustments that are not considered part of ordinary operations. Such adjustments primarily include: amortization and other adjustments related to the purchase accounting for acquisitions; amounts related to certain legal matters; costs associated with restructuring and integration activities; and costs incurred to develop processes and systems to establish initial compliance with the European Union Medical Device Regulation and the European Union In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Device Regulation. These amounts are included in the reconciliation of segment operating income to the BDS Business’s Income Before Income Taxes, below. Prior period segment expense amounts have been recast to conform to the current year presentation.
The BDS Business’s CODM does not receive any asset information by business segment and, as such, the BDS Business does not report asset information by business segment.
The BDS Business’s segment revenues are detailed below. The BDS Business has no intersegment revenues.
| (Millions of dollars) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| United States |
International | Total | United States |
International | Total | United States |
International | Total | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Biosciences |
$ | 593 | $ | 865 | $ | 1,458 | $ | 577 | $ | 935 | $ | 1,512 | $ | 603 | $ | 906 | $ | 1,509 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Diagnostic Solutions |
755 | 1,083 | 1,838 | 784 | 1,064 | 1,848 | 866 | 1,019 | 1,885 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Total segment revenues |
$ | 1,348 | $ | 1,948 | $ | 3,296 | $ | 1,361 | $ | 1,999 | $ | 3,360 | $ | 1,469 | $ | 1,925 | $ | 3,394 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Other (a) |
$ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | (17 | ) | $ | (17 | ) | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | ||||||||||||||||
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| Total BDS Business |
$ | 1,348 | $ | 1,948 | $ | 3,296 | $ | 1,361 | $ | 1,982 | $ | 3,343 | $ | 1,469 | $ | 1,925 | $ | 3,394 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| (a) | Represents the recognition of an accrual relating to the Italian government medical device pay back legislation which substantially relates to years prior to fiscal year 2024. Such amounts were not allocated to the BDS Business’s reportable segments, and this matter is further discussed in Note 6. |
The following tables include the significant expenses by segment that are regularly provided to the CODM and a reconciliation of segment operating income to Income Before Income Taxes.
| Fiscal Year 2025 | ||||||||||||
| (Millions of dollars) | Biosciences | Diagnostic Solutions | Total | |||||||||
| Revenues |
$ | 1,458 | $ | 1,838 | $ | 3,296 | ||||||
| Segment expenses: |
||||||||||||
| Total cost of sales |
561 | 1,018 | 1,579 | |||||||||
| % of revenues |
38.5 | % | 55.4 | % | ||||||||
| Selling and administrative expense |
247 | 301 | 548 | |||||||||
| % of revenues |
16.9 | % | 16.4 | % | ||||||||
| Research and development expense |
140 | 130 | 270 | |||||||||
| % of revenues |
9.6 | % | 7.1 | % | ||||||||
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| Segment Operating Income |
$ | 510 | $ | 389 | $ | 899 | ||||||
| % of revenues |
35.0 | % | 21.2 | % | ||||||||
| Unallocated items |
||||||||||||
| Net interest income |
|
2 | ||||||||||
| Corporate administrative and other unallocated (a) |
|
(398 | ) | |||||||||
| Specified items: |
|
|||||||||||
| Purchase accounting adjustments (b) |
|
(33 | ) | |||||||||
| Integration, restructuring and transaction expense (c) |
|
(5 | ) | |||||||||
| Product, litigation, and other items (d) |
|
(42 | ) | |||||||||
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| Income Before Income Taxes |
|
$ | 423 | |||||||||
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F-20
| Fiscal Year 2024 | ||||||||||||
| (Millions of dollars) | Biosciences | Diagnostic Solutions | Total | |||||||||
| Revenues |
$ | 1,512 | $ | 1,848 | $ | 3,360 | ||||||
| Segment expenses: |
||||||||||||
| Total cost of sales |
581 | 1,049 | 1,630 | |||||||||
| % of revenues |
38.4 | % | 56.8 | % | ||||||||
| Selling and administrative expense |
239 | 293 | 532 | |||||||||
| % of revenues |
15.8 | % | 15.9 | % | ||||||||
| Research and development expense |
128 | 147 | 275 | |||||||||
| % of revenues |
8.5 | % | 8.0 | % | ||||||||
| Other operating income, net |
(1 | ) | (1 | ) | (2 | ) | ||||||
| % of revenues |
(0.1 | )% | (0.1 | )% | ||||||||
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| Segment Operating Income |
$ | 565 | $ | 360 | $ | 925 | ||||||
| % of revenues |
37.4 | % | 19.5 | % | ||||||||
| Unallocated items |
||||||||||||
| Net interest income |
|
2 | ||||||||||
| Corporate administrative and other unallocated (a) |
|
(416 | ) | |||||||||
| Specified items: |
|
|||||||||||
| Purchase accounting adjustments (b) |
|
(26 | ) | |||||||||
| Integration, restructuring and transaction expense (c) |
|
(89 | ) | |||||||||
| Product, litigation, and other items (d) |
|
(21 | ) | |||||||||
| European regulatory initiative-related costs (e) |
|
(9 | ) | |||||||||
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| Income Before Income Taxes |
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$ | 366 | |||||||||
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F-21
| Fiscal Year 2023 | ||||||||||||
| (Millions of dollars) | Biosciences | Diagnostic Solutions | Total | |||||||||
| Revenues |
$ | 1,509 | $ | 1,885 | $ | 3,394 | ||||||
| Segment expenses: |
||||||||||||
| Total cost of sales |
589 | 1,025 | 1,614 | |||||||||
| % of revenues |
39.0 | % | 54.4 | % | ||||||||
| Selling and administrative expense |
242 | 284 | 526 | |||||||||
| % of revenues |
16.0 | % | 15.1 | % | ||||||||
| Research and development expense |
145 | 163 | 308 | |||||||||
| % of revenues |
9.6 | % | 8.6 | % | ||||||||
| Other operating income, net |
(4 | ) | (1 | ) | (5 | ) | ||||||
| % of revenues |
(0.3 | )% | (0.1 | )% | ||||||||
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| Segment Operating Income |
$ | 537 | $ | 414 | $ | 951 | ||||||
| % of revenues |
35.6 | % | 22.0 | % | ||||||||
| Unallocated items |
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| Corporate administrative and other unallocated (a) |
|
(413 | ) | |||||||||
| Specified items: |
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| Purchase accounting adjustments (b) |
|
(17 | ) | |||||||||
| Integration, restructuring and transaction expense (c) |
|
(55 | ) | |||||||||
| European regulatory initiative-related costs (e) |
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(12 | ) | |||||||||
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| Income Before Income Taxes |
|
$ | 454 | |||||||||
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| (a) | Primarily comprised of corporate general and administrative expenses, share-based compensation expense, and foreign exchange. |
| (b) | Includes amortization and other adjustments related to the purchase accounting for acquisitions. The BDS Business’s amortization expense is recorded in Cost of sales across all years. The amortization in 2024 and 2023 is partially offset by amounts recorded in Selling and administrative expense related to the change in fair value of contingent consideration. |
| (c) | Represents amounts associated with restructuring and integration activities which are recorded in Integration, restructuring and transaction expense. |
| (d) | Includes certain items which are not part of ordinary operations and affect the comparability of the periods presented. Such items may include amounts related to certain legal matters, certain investment gains and losses, certain asset impairment charges, and certain pension settlement costs. The amount in 2025 included a non-cash asset impairment charge of $30 million recorded to Research and development expense to write down the carrying value of acquired in-process research and development assets in the Diagnostic Solutions segment which is further discussed in Note 10. The amount in 2024 included a $17 million accrual recorded in Total net sales relating to the Italian government medical device pay back legislation, which substantially relates to years prior to 2024 and is further discussed in Note 6. |
| (e) | Represents costs incurred to develop processes and systems to establish initial compliance with the European Union Medical Device Regulation, which constitute a significant, unusual change to the existing regulatory framework. The BDS Business considers these costs to be duplicative of previously incurred costs and/or one-off costs, which are limited to a specific period of time. These expenses, which are recorded in Cost of sales and Research and development expense, include the cost of labor, other services, and consulting (in particular, research and development and clinical trials) and supplies, travel, and other miscellaneous costs. |
F-22
Segment information for both capital expenditures and depreciation and amortization is provided below:
| (Millions of dollars) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||||
| Capital Expenditures |
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| Biosciences |
$ | 13 | $ | 23 | $ | 23 | ||||||
| Diagnostic Solutions |
37 | 41 | 50 | |||||||||
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| Total Capital Expenditures |
$ | 50 | $ | 64 | $ | 73 | ||||||
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| Depreciation and Amortization |
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| Biosciences |
$ | 51 | $ | 52 | $ | 52 | ||||||
| Diagnostic Solutions |
119 | 122 | 117 | |||||||||
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| Total Depreciation and Amortization (a) |
$ | 170 | $ | 174 | $ | 169 | ||||||
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| (a) | Consists of depreciation and amortization amounts disclosed in Note 2 and Note 9 in addition to amortization of placed instruments of $71 million, $74 million, and $70 million and capitalized software amortization of $1 million, $1 million and $2 million in fiscal years 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively. |
Geographic Information
The countries in which the BDS Business has local revenue-generating operations have been combined into the following geographic areas: the United States (including Puerto Rico); EMEA (which includes Europe, the Middle East and Africa); Greater Asia (which includes countries in Greater China, Japan, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Korea, and Australia and New Zealand); and Other, which is comprised of Latin America (which includes Mexico and South America) and Canada.
Revenues to unaffiliated customers are generally based upon the source of the product shipment. Long-lived assets, which include net property, plant and equipment, are based upon physical location.
The table below shows revenues and long-lived assets by geographic area:
| (Millions of dollars) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||||
| Revenues |
||||||||||||
| United States |
$ | 1,348 | $ | 1,361 | $ | 1,469 | ||||||
| EMEA |
994 | 956 | 909 | |||||||||
| Greater Asia |
709 | 766 | 781 | |||||||||
| Other |
245 | 260 | 235 | |||||||||
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| $3,296 | $3,343 | $3,394 | ||||||||||
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| Long-Lived Assets |
||||||||||||
| United States |
$ | 1,836 | $ | 1,883 | $ | 1,625 | ||||||
| EMEA |
367 | 344 | 314 | |||||||||
| Greater Asia |
174 | 181 | 175 | |||||||||
| Other |
107 | 104 | 106 | |||||||||
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| $2,484 | $2,512 | $2,220 | ||||||||||
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F-23
Note 9 — Goodwill and Intangible Assets
Intangible assets as of September 30 consisted of:
| 2025 | 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| (Millions of dollars) | Gross Carrying Amount |
Accumulated Amortization |
Net Carrying amount |
Gross Carrying Amount |
Accumulated Amortization |
Net Carrying amount |
||||||||||||||||||
| Amortized intangible assets |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Developed technology |
$ | 798 | $ | (710 | ) | $ | 88 | $ | 787 | $ | (687 | ) | $ | 100 | ||||||||||
| Customer relationships |
58 | (33 | ) | 25 | 57 | (29 | ) | 28 | ||||||||||||||||
| Patents, trademarks and other |
218 | (168 | ) | 50 | 212 | (160 | ) | 52 | ||||||||||||||||
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| Amortized intangible assets |
$ | 1,074 | $ | (911 | ) | $ | 163 | $ | 1,056 | $ | (876 | ) | $ | 180 | ||||||||||
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| Unamortized intangible assets |
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| Acquired in-process research and development |
$ | 14 | $ | 44 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Trademarks |
2 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Unamortized intangible assets |
$ | 16 | $ | 46 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Intangible amortization expense was $38 million, $37 million, and $38 million in 2025, 2024, and 2023, respectively. The estimated aggregate amortization expense for the fiscal years ending September 30, 2026 to 2030 are as follows: 2026 — $33 million; 2027 — $18 million; 2028 — $16 million; 2029 — $15 million; 2030 — $14 million.
The following is a reconciliation of goodwill by business segment:
| (Millions of dollars) | Biosciences | Diagnostic Solutions |
Total | |||||||||
| Goodwill as of October 1, 2023 |
$ | 448 | $ | 431 | $ | 879 | ||||||
| Currency translation |
5 | 2 | 7 | |||||||||
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| Goodwill as of September 30, 2024 |
$ | 453 | $ | 433 | $ | 886 | ||||||
| Acquisitions (a) |
4 | — | 4 | |||||||||
| Currency translation |
4 | 2 | 6 | |||||||||
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| Goodwill as of September 30, 2025 |
$ | 461 | $ | 435 | $ | 896 | ||||||
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| (a) | Represents the goodwill recognized within the Biosciences segment in connection with the acquisition of NIRvana Sciences, Inc. during fiscal year 2025. This transaction is further discussed in Note 13. |
Note 10 — Financial Instruments and Fair Value Measurements
Foreign Currency and Other Risks
The BDS Business has foreign currency exposures throughout the various countries in which it operates. BD uses derivative instruments at the corporate level to mitigate these exposures. BD does not enter into derivative financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes.
Transactional currency exposures that arise from entering into transactions, generally on an intercompany basis, in non-hyperinflationary countries that are denominated in currencies other than the functional currency are mitigated by BD primarily through the use of forward contracts that are recorded as undesignated hedges. In order to mitigate transactional foreign currency exposures resulting from anticipated intercompany purchases and sales denominated in a currency other than local functional currencies, BD entered into certain instruments such as foreign exchange forward and option contracts to hedge a portion of this currency risk, which are designated as cash flow hedges.
F-24
The BDS Business does not enter into any derivative transactions. Accordingly, derivative assets and liabilities held by BD at the corporate level and the related impacts recorded within BD’s Accumulated other comprehensive loss were not attributable to the BDS Business for any of the periods presented.
As the hedges of the transactional foreign exchange exposures resulting primarily from intercompany payables and receivables are undesignated hedges, the gains or losses on these instruments are recognized immediately in income. These gains and losses are largely offset by gains and losses on the underlying hedged items, as well as the hedging costs associated with the derivative instruments. Due to the BDS Business’s participation in BD’s hedging program, the BDS Business records an allocated portion of the impact of these activities. The net foreign exchange loss amounts recognized in Other expense, net during the years ending September 30, 2025, 2024 and 2023 were $7 million, $8 million, and $6 million, respectively.
Net gains or losses resulting from the change in fair value of the foreign exchange contracts designated as cash flow hedges are initially recorded by BD within Other comprehensive loss and reclassified into earnings upon the occurrence of the related underlying third-party transaction. If foreign exchange contracts designated as cash flow hedges are terminated prematurely as a result of the hedged transaction being probable of not occurring, the balance in Accumulated other comprehensive loss attributable to those derivatives is immediately reclassified into Net sales or Cost of sales (depending on whether the hedged item is an intercompany sale or purchase). Amounts reclassified from Accumulated other comprehensive loss into earnings related to these cash flow hedges were immaterial during 2025, and no amounts were reclassified from Accumulated other comprehensive loss into earnings relating to these cash flow hedges during 2024. BD did not have foreign exchange contracts designated as cash flow hedges during 2023. The amounts expected to be reclassified from Accumulated other comprehensive loss into earnings within the next 12 months, are not material to the BDS Business’s combined financial results.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The fair value of an asset or liability is the price that would be received to sell an asset or transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. A fair value hierarchy is applied to prioritize inputs used in measuring fair value. The three levels of inputs used to measure fair value are detailed below.
Level 1 — Inputs to the valuation methodology which represent unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities.
Level 2 — Inputs to the valuation methodology which include: quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets; quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active; inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability.
Level 3 — Inputs to the valuation methodology which are unobservable and significant to the fair value measurement.
The carrying value of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, net and accounts payable, as reflected in the BDS Business’s combined balance sheets, approximates fair value due to the short-term maturities of these financial instruments.
Level 3 inputs were used to determine the fair value of contingent consideration owed by the BDS Business. As part of an acquisition entered into by the BDS Business in 2020, the BDS Business agreed to make contingent cash payments to the former owners of the acquired company based upon achievement of certain development related milestones following the acquisition date. As of September 30, 2025 and September 30, 2024, the fair value of the contingent consideration was determined to have a fair value of zero due to the remote likelihood of achieving certain development related milestones. The decreases in the fair value of the contingent consideration
F-25
of $7 million and $17 million in the fiscal years ended 2024 and 2023, respectively were recorded within Selling and administrative expense. Additionally, further information about fair value measurements regarding the acquisition of NIRvana Sciences, Inc. (“NIRvana”) can be found in Note 13.
Nonrecurring Fair Value Measurements
Non-financial assets, including property, plant and equipment as well as intangible assets, are measured at fair value when there are indicators of impairment and these assets are recorded at fair value only when an impairment is recognized. These measurements of fair value are generally estimated, based upon a market participant’s perspective, using Level 3 inputs, including values estimated using the income approach.
During the fiscal year 2025, a non-cash asset impairment charge of $30 million was recorded to Research and development expense to write down the carrying value of acquired in-process research and development assets in the Diagnostic Solutions segment.
Concentration of Credit Risk
The BDS Business maintains cash deposits in excess of government-provided insurance limits. Such cash deposits are exposed to loss in the event of nonperformance by financial institutions. Substantially all of the BDS Business’s trade receivables are due from public and private entities involved in the healthcare industry. Due to the large size and diversity of the BDS Business’s customer base, concentrations of credit risk with respect to trade receivables are limited. The BDS Business does not normally require collateral.
The BDS Business continually evaluates its accounts receivables for potential collection risks. The BDS Business believes the current reserves related to all receivables are adequate and that concentration of credit risk will not have a material adverse impact on its financial position or liquidity.
Supplier Finance Programs
The BDS Business has agreements where participating suppliers are provided the ability to receive early payment of the BDS Business’s obligations at a nominal discount through supplier finance programs entered into with third party financial institutions. The BDS Business is not a party to these arrangements, and these programs do not impact the BDS Business’s obligations or affect the BDS Business’s payment terms, which generally range from 90 to 150 days. The agreements with the financial institutions do not require the BDS Business to pledge assets as security or provide other forms of guarantees for the supplier finance programs. Outstanding payables related to supplier finance programs are recorded within Accounts payable on the combined balance sheets. A rollforward of the BDS Business’s outstanding obligations under its supplier financing programs is provided below.
| (Millions of dollars) | ||||
| Balance at September 30, 2024 |
$ | 14 | ||
| Additions |
89 | |||
| Settlements |
(79 | ) | ||
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| Balance at September 30, 2025 |
$ | 24 | ||
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F-26
Note 11 — Income Taxes
Provision for Income Taxes
The provision (benefit) for income taxes for the years ended September 30, 2025, 2024 and 2023 consisted of:
| (Millions of dollars) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||||
| Current: |
||||||||||||
| Federal |
$ | 23 | $ | 19 | $ | 18 | ||||||
| State and local |
11 | 4 | 5 | |||||||||
| Foreign |
63 | 67 | 67 | |||||||||
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| $97 | $90 | $90 | ||||||||||
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| Deferred: |
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| Domestic |
$ | (33 | ) | $ | (41 | ) | $ | (40 | ) | |||
| Foreign |
6 | (4 | ) | (11 | ) | |||||||
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| (27) | (45) | (51) | ||||||||||
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| Income tax provision |
$ | 70 | $ | 45 | $ | 39 | ||||||
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The BDS Business’s domestic and foreign operations are included in BD’s domestic consolidated and foreign tax returns, and payments to most tax authorities are made by BD on the BDS Business’s behalf. The BDS Business files its own foreign tax return and makes its own foreign tax payments in Canada, China, and Spain. The BDS Business’s current tax liabilities computed under the separate return method are considered to be effectively settled in the combined financial statements at the time the transaction is recorded, with the offset recorded against Net parent investment.
The components of Income Before Income Taxes for the years ended September 30, 2025, 2024 and 2023 consisted of:
| (Millions of dollars) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||||
| Domestic, including Puerto Rico |
$ | 113 | $ | 109 | $ | 155 | ||||||
| Foreign |
310 | 257 | 299 | |||||||||
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| Income Before Income Taxes |
$ | 423 | $ | 366 | $ | 454 | ||||||
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F-27
Unrecognized Tax Benefits
The table below summarizes the gross amounts of unrecognized tax benefits without regard to reduction in tax liabilities or additions to deferred tax assets and liabilities if such unrecognized tax benefits were settled. The BDS Business believes it is reasonably possible that the amount of unrecognized tax benefits will change during the next twelve months due to one or more of the following events: expiring statutes, audit activity, tax payments, other activity, or final decisions in matters that are the subject of controversy in various taxing jurisdictions in which the BDS Business operates. However, the BDS Business does not expect changes to have a significant effect on its results of operations, financial condition, or cash flows.
| Fiscal Year | ||||||||||||
| (Millions of dollars) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||||
| Balance at October 1 |
$ | 51 | $ | 47 | $ | 44 | ||||||
| Increase due to current year tax positions |
5 | 4 | 5 | |||||||||
| Increase due to prior year tax positions |
— | — | 10 | |||||||||
| Decrease due to prior year tax positions |
(1 | ) | — | (6 | ) | |||||||
| Decrease due to settlements with tax authorities |
— | — | (1 | ) | ||||||||
| Decrease due to lapse of statutes with limitations |
(1 | ) | (1 | ) | (5 | ) | ||||||
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| Balance at September 30 |
$ | 54 | $ | 50 | $ | 47 | ||||||
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| Unrecognized tax benefits that would affect the effective tax rate if recognized |
$ | 54 | $ | 50 | $ | 47 | ||||||
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The following were included for the years ended September 30, 2025, 2024 and 2023 as a component of Income tax provision on the combined statements of income.
| (Millions of dollars) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||||
| Interest and penalties associated with unrecognized tax benefits |
$ | 12 | $ | 9 | $ | 6 | ||||||
BD conducts business and files tax returns in numerous countries and currently has tax audits in progress in a number of tax jurisdictions. In most jurisdictions, the BDS Business has historically been included in BD’s income tax return filings. The IRS has completed its audit for the BD combined company through fiscal year 2017. The IRS is reviewing BD’s fiscal years 2018 through 2023. For the other major tax jurisdictions where BD conducts business, tax years are generally open after 2016.
Deferred Income Taxes
Deferred income taxes at September 30, 2025 and 2024 consisted of:
| 2025 | 2024 | |||||||||||||||
| (Millions of dollars) | Assets | Liabilities | Assets | Liabilities | ||||||||||||
| Compensation and benefits |
$ | 21 | $ | — | $ | 24 | $ | — | ||||||||
| Property and equipment |
— | 48 | — | 54 | ||||||||||||
| Intangibles |
— | 43 | — | 50 | ||||||||||||
| Loss and credit carryforwards |
145 | — | 113 | — | ||||||||||||
| Product recall and liability reserves |
57 | — | 52 | — | ||||||||||||
| Capitalized research and development expenses |
140 | — | 124 | — | ||||||||||||
| Other |
12 | 3 | 15 | 2 | ||||||||||||
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| 375 | 94 | 328 | 106 | |||||||||||||
| Valuation allowance |
(153 | ) | — | (120 | ) | — | ||||||||||
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| Net (a) |
$ | 222 | $ | 94 | $ | 208 | $ | 106 | ||||||||
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| (a) | Net deferred tax assets are included in Other Assets and net deferred tax liabilities are included in Deferred Income Taxes and Other Liabilities on the combined balance sheets. |
F-28
Deferred tax assets and liabilities are netted on the balance sheet by separate tax jurisdictions. The BDS Business asserts indefinite reinvestment for all historical unremitted foreign earnings as of September 30, 2025. Deferred taxes have not been provided on undistributed earnings of foreign subsidiaries as of September 30, 2025 since the determination of the total amount of unrecognized deferred tax liability is not practicable.
Generally, deferred tax assets have been established as a result of net operating losses and credit carryforwards with expiration dates from 2032 to an unlimited expiration date. Valuation allowances have been established as a result of an evaluation of the uncertainty associated with the realization of certain deferred tax assets on these losses and credit carryforwards. Valuation allowances are also maintained with respect to state deferred tax assets, including losses and credit carryforwards that may not be realized. The net change during the year in the total valuation allowance is attributable to foreign losses, federal and state credit carryforwards, and certain state deferred tax assets and net operating losses carryforwards.
Tax Rate Reconciliation
A reconciliation of the federal statutory tax rate to the BDS Business’s effective income tax rate was as follows:
| 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | ||||||||||
| Federal statutory tax rate |
21.0 | % | 21.0 | % | 21.0 | % | ||||||
| State and local income taxes, net of federal tax benefit |
0.1 | 0.2 | 0.4 | |||||||||
| Foreign income tax at rates other than 21% |
(11.9 | ) | (9.5 | ) | (7.3 | ) | ||||||
| Effect of foreign operations |
4.9 | 2.4 | (1.4 | ) | ||||||||
| Effect of research credits and FDII |
(1.9 | ) | (3.0 | ) | (3.9 | ) | ||||||
| Effect of valuation allowance |
3.8 | 1.6 | 0.6 | |||||||||
| Other, net |
0.4 | (0.3 | ) | (0.8 | ) | |||||||
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| Effective income tax rate |
16.4 | % | 12.4 | % | 8.6 | % | ||||||
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Tax Holiday
The approximate tax impact related to the tax holiday in which the BDS Business does business is provided below. The tax holiday expires in 2037. The BDS Business’s income tax payments, net of refunds are also provided below.
| (Millions of dollars) | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | |||||||||
| Tax impact related to tax holiday |
$ | 102 | $ | 81 | $ | 73 | ||||||
| Income tax payments, net of refunds |
20 | 17 | 10 | |||||||||
Tax Legislation
On July 4, 2025, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (“OBBBA”) was enacted. The OBBBA introduces amendments to U.S. tax laws, effective on various dates from 2025 to 2027. The BDS Business is assessing the implications of this new U.S. tax legislation; however, it did not materially impact the BDS Business’s combined financial results from fiscal year 2025.
Note 12 — Leases
The BDS Business leases real estate, vehicles and other equipment which are used in their manufacturing, administrative, and research and development activities.
The BDS Business identifies a contract that contains a lease as one which conveys a right, either explicitly or implicitly, to control the use of an identified asset in exchange for consideration. The BDS Business’s lease
F-29
arrangements are generally classified as operating leases. These arrangements have remaining terms ranging from less than one year to approximately 13 years and the weighted-average remaining lease term of the BDS Business’s leases is approximately 10.7 years as of September 30, 2025. An option to renew or terminate the current term of a lease arrangement is included in the lease term if the BDS Business is reasonably certain to exercise that option.
The BDS Business does not recognize a right-of-use asset and lease liability for short-term leases, which have terms of 12 months or less, on its combined balance sheets. For the longer-term lease arrangements that are recognized on the BDS Business’s combined balance sheets, the right-of-use asset and lease liability are initially measured at the commencement date based upon the present value of the lease payments due under the lease. These payments represent the combination of the fixed lease and fixed non-lease components that are due under the arrangement. The costs associated with short-term leases, as well as variable costs relating to the BDS Business’s lease arrangements, are not material to its combined financial results.
The implicit interest rates of the BDS Business’s lease arrangements are generally not readily determinable and as such, the BDS Business uses BD’s incremental borrowing rate, which is established based upon the information available at the lease commencement date, to determine the present value of lease payments due under an arrangement. The weighted-average incremental borrowing rate that has been applied to measure the BDS Business’s lease liabilities is 5.5%.
The BDS Business’s lease costs recorded in its combined statements of income for the years ended September 30, 2025, 2024 and 2023 were $50 million, $62 million, and $26 million, respectively. Lease costs include those related to real estate leases for the Milpitas, California and San Diego, California facilities that commenced in fiscal year 2024.
Cash payments arising from the BDS Business’s lease arrangements are reflected on its combined statements of cash flows as outflows used for operating activities. The right-of-use assets and lease liabilities recognized on the BDS Business’s combined balance sheet as of September 30, 2025, and 2024, were as follows:
| (Millions of dollars) | September 30, 2025 |
September 30, 2024 |
||||||
| Right-of-use assets recorded in Other Assets |
$ | 349 | $ | 377 | ||||
| Current lease liabilities recorded in Accrued expenses and other liabilities |
$ | 23 | $ | 26 | ||||
| Non-current lease liabilities recorded in Deferred Income Taxes and Other Liabilities |
$ | 252 | $ | 270 | ||||
The BDS Business’s payments due under its operating leases are as follows:
| (Millions of dollars) | ||||
| 2026 |
$ | 37 | ||
| 2027 |
34 | |||
| 2028 |
31 | |||
| 2029 |
30 | |||
| 2030 |
30 | |||
| Thereafter |
208 | |||
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| Total payments due |
370 | |||
| Less: imputed interest |
95 | |||
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| Total |
$ | 275 | ||
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F-30
Note 13 — Supplemental Financial Information
Trade Receivables, Net
The BDS Business’s allowance for doubtful accounts reflects the current estimate of credit losses expected to be incurred over the life of its trade receivables. Such estimated credit losses are determined based on historical loss experiences, customer-specific credit risk, and reasonable and supportable forward-looking information, such as country or regional risks that are not captured in the historical loss information. Amounts are written off against the allowances for doubtful accounts when the BDS Business determines that a customer account is uncollectible. The amounts recognized in September 30, 2025 and 2024 relating to allowances for doubtful accounts and cash discounts, which are netted against trade receivables, are provided in the following table:
| (Millions of dollars) | Allowance for Doubtful Accounts |
Allowance for Cash Discounts |
Total | |||||||||
| Balance at October 1, 2022 |
$ | 11 | $ | 1 | $ | 12 | ||||||
| Additions charged to costs and expenses |
3 | 18 | 21 | |||||||||
| Deductions and other |
(3 | ) (a) | (18 | ) | (21 | ) | ||||||
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| Balance at September 30, 2023 |
$ | 11 | $ | 1 | $ | 12 | ||||||
| Additions charged to costs and expenses |
4 | 15 | 19 | |||||||||
| Deductions and other |
(2 | ) (a) | (15 | ) | (17 | ) | ||||||
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| Balance at September 30, 2024 |
$ | 13 | $ | 1 | $ | 14 | ||||||
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| Additions charged to costs and expenses |
4 | 13 | 17 | |||||||||
| Deductions and other |
(2 | ) (a) | (13 | ) | (15 | ) | ||||||
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| Balance at September 30, 2025 |
$ | 15 | $ | 1 | $ | 16 | ||||||
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| (a) | Accounts written off. |
Inventories, net
Inventories at September 30, 2025 and 2024 consisted of:
| (Millions of dollars) | 2025 | 2024 | ||||||
| Materials |
$ | 134 | $ | 134 | ||||
| Work in process |
137 | 108 | ||||||
| Finished products |
472 | 453 | ||||||
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| Total inventories, net |
$ | 743 | $ | 695 | ||||
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Property, Plant and Equipment, Net
Property, plant and equipment, net at September 30, 2025 and 2024 consisted of:
| (Millions of dollars) | 2025 | 2024 | ||||||
| Land |
$ | 14 | $ | 14 | ||||
| Buildings |
542 | 529 | ||||||
| Machinery, equipment and fixtures |
752 | 725 | ||||||
| Leasehold improvements |
17 | 17 | ||||||
| Construction in progress |
158 | 167 | ||||||
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| 1,483 | 1,452 | |||||||
| Less: accumulated depreciation |
836 | 790 | ||||||
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| Total property, plant and equipment, net |
$ | 647 | $ | 662 | ||||
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F-31
Prepaid Expenses and Other
Prepaid expenses and other at September 30, 2025 and 2024 consisted of:
| (Millions of dollars) | 2025 | 2024 | ||||||
| Net investment in sales-type leases |
$ | 22 | $ | 21 | ||||
| Contract assets |
15 | 13 | ||||||
| Royalty receivables |
4 | 7 | ||||||
| Notes receivable non-trade(a) |
— | 11 | ||||||
| Deposits, bids and advances |
15 | 14 | ||||||
| VAT taxes (b) |
11 | 13 | ||||||
| Income tax receivable |
42 | 35 | ||||||
| Other |
24 | 19 | ||||||
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| Total |
$ | 133 | $ | 133 | ||||
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| (a) | During fiscal year 2025, a loss of $10 million was recorded to Other expense, net, related to the settlement of an investment made by the Diagnostic Solutions segment, which included the write-off of non-trade notes receivable associated with the investment. |
| (b) | Value Added Tax. |
Other Assets
Other assets at September 30, 2025 and 2024 consisted of:
| (Millions of dollars) | 2025 | 2024 | ||||||
| Placed instruments, net |
$ | 177 | $ | 164 | ||||
| Right-of-use assets |
349 | 377 | ||||||
| Deferred income tax assets noncurrent, net of valuation allowance |
159 | 133 | ||||||
| Other |
77 | 64 | ||||||
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| Total |
$ | 762 | $ | 738 | ||||
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Deferred Income Taxes and Other Liabilities
Deferred income taxes and other liabilities at September 30, 2025 and 2024 consisted of:
| (Millions of dollars) | 2025 | 2024 | ||||||
| Deferred income |
$ | 23 | $ | 26 | ||||
| Lease liability (a) |
252 | 270 | ||||||
| Deferred income tax |
31 | 31 | ||||||
| Employee benefit obligations |
18 | 17 | ||||||
| Income tax reserves (b) |
66 | 59 | ||||||
| Other |
23 | 24 | ||||||
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| Total |
$ | 413 | $ | 427 | ||||
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| (a) | Includes the BDS Business’s lease obligations for the Milpitas, California and San Diego, California facilities, as further discussed in Note 12. |
| (b) | FIN 48 Uncertain Tax Liability and any correlated interest/penalties. |
F-32
NIRvana Sciences Acquisition
On May 1, 2025, the BDS Business acquired 100% of the equity of NIRvana, a North Carolina-based developer of synthetic bacteriochlorin and fluorescent dyes. The acquisition is intended to complement the Biosciences business’s products using a flow cytometry approach that captures full emission spectra from fluorochromes to enable better separation of overlapping signals in high-parameter panels. The acquisition was accounted for under the acquisition method of accounting for business combinations. The total purchase price of $15 million includes an upfront cash payment of $12 million and an additional $3 million that is contingent upon the sellers achieving a knowledge transfer milestone within two years following the closing date. The fair value of the contingent consideration was estimated using the probability-weighted expected return method.
The assets acquired and liabilities assumed in this acquisition included a developed technology intangible asset of $12 million and $1 million of other net liabilities. The goodwill recorded from the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of the acquired net assets was $4 million, which related to the future economic benefits arising from synergies and growth opportunities within the Biosciences business. The goodwill is not deductible for tax purposes.
The acquired business did not contribute to revenues and had an immaterial impact to earnings for the period from May 1, 2025 to September 30, 2025.
Note 14 — Subsequent Events
Management has evaluated subsequent events through December 11, 2025, the date the combined financial statements were available to be issued. Based on this review, management did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the combined financial statements.
F-33
Exhibit 99.3
UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED COMBINED FINANCIAL INFORMATION
On July 13, 2025, Waters and BD entered into certain agreements to effect the transfer of the BDS Business to Waters. The transactions contemplated by the agreements provide for the separation of the BDS Business from BD, the distribution of SpinCo Common Stock to BD shareholders and the subsequent merger of Merger Sub with and into SpinCo, with SpinCo surviving as a wholly owned subsidiary of Waters. As a result of and immediately following these transactions, it is expected that the shares of SpinCo Common Stock will be converted into approximately 39.2% of the outstanding shares of Waters Common Stock on a fully diluted basis immediately following the Merger. However, in order to preserve the tax-free nature of the Distribution for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the Merger Agreement provides that the Exchange Ratio will be adjusted if necessary, in certain circumstances such that the number of shares of Waters Common Stock issued in the Merger to shareholders of SpinCo will be increased. In the event that the Exchange Ratio is adjusted upward, Waters will issue the Waters Special Dividend and, depending on the size of the adjustment of the Exchange Ratio, the SpinCo Cash Distribution could be decreased, in each case, to account for the value of the additional shares issued to BD’s shareholders (as required pursuant to the Merger Agreement).
The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information have been prepared in accordance with Article 11 of Regulation S-X in order to give effect to the Transactions and the incurrence of indebtedness under the SpinCo Financing and/or the Permanent SpinCo Financing, as applicable, and the Waters Bridge Facility and/or the Permanent Waters Financing, as applicable (all applicable financings related to the Transactions collectively, the “Transaction Financing”).
The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information should be read in conjunction with the historical financial statements of Waters and the BDS Business referenced below:
| • | Waters’ unaudited consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto for the nine months ended September 27, 2025, which are included in Waters’ Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 27, 2025, filed on November 4, 2025, which is incorporated by reference into Waters’ Registration Statement on Form S-4 (Registration No. 333-292087), as amended, which was declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 23, 2025 (the “Waters Registration Statement”); |
| • | Waters’ audited consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2024, which are included in Waters’ Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, filed on February 25, 2025, which is incorporated by reference into the Waters Registration Statement; and |
| • | the BDS Business’s audited combined statements of income for the years ended September 30, 2025, 2024 and 2023, audited combined balance sheets as of September 30, 2025 and 2024, and the notes thereto, included elsewhere in the Waters Registration Statement. |
For the purposes of the preparation of the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information, the BDS Business’s results for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 have been used to prepare the unaudited pro forma condensed combined statement of operations for the nine months ended September 27, 2025. The BDS Business’s results for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 have been derived by utilizing the BDS Business’s audited historical financial data for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2025 and subtracting the unaudited interim historical financial data for the three-month period ended December 31, 2024.
Autonomous entity adjustments are adjustments that would be necessary to reflect the operations and financial position of the BDS Business as an autonomous entity given that the BDS Business is not currently a stand-alone entity. There are currently no autonomous entity adjustments included in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information as they are not reasonable and supportable as of the date of the Waters Registration Statement. No management adjustments or adjustments related to forward-looking information were included in the notes to the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information.
The unaudited pro forma adjustments represent Waters’ estimates based on information available as of the date of the Waters Registration Statement and are subject to change as additional information becomes available and
1
analyses are performed. The Transactions have not been consummated as of the date of the preparation of the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information and their completion is subject to numerous conditions, including the occurrence of certain events contemplated by the Merger Agreement and the Separation Agreement. The pro forma purchase price allocation of the BDS Business assets to be acquired and liabilities to be assumed is based on preliminary estimates of the fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed.
Upon the completion of the Transactions, final valuations will be performed. The completion of the valuation accounting for the Transactions and the allocation of the purchase price may be different than that of the amounts reflected in the pro forma purchase price allocation, and any differences could be material. Such differences could affect the purchase price and allocation of the purchase price, which may affect the value assigned to the tangible or intangible assets and amount of depreciation and amortization expense recorded in the condensed combined statements of operations. Under the Merger Agreement, BD may accelerate on a prorated basis the vesting of BD equity awards held by non-employee directors of BD who will become non-employee directors of Waters on or prior to the Closing Date. The unaudited pro forma adjustments do not give effect to accelerated BD vesting as acceleration is not probable as of the date of the preparation of the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information. Should this acceleration occur, it will not have a material impact on the purchase price or the post-Merger share-based compensation expense. Additionally, prior to or at the Closing, the SpinCo Financing may be replaced by the Permanent SpinCo Financing and the Waters Bridge Facility may be replaced by the Permanent Waters Financing. Since the terms of the Permanent SpinCo Financing and the Permanent Waters Financing are currently unavailable, the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information is prepared using the terms of the SpinCo Financing and the Waters Bridge Facility, as further discussed in Note 7—Transaction Adjustments. As a result, debt assumed, debt issuance costs, financing fees, and interest expense could significantly differ. See the section entitled “Risk Factors” for additional discussion of risk factors associated with the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information. Waters management believes that the assumptions included herein provide a reasonable basis for presenting the significant effects of the Transactions as contemplated, and that the pro forma adjustments give appropriate effect to those assumptions and are properly applied in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information.
Transaction accounting adjustments are intended to represent the necessary adjustments to account for the Transactions. The process of evaluating accounting policies for conformity is still in the preliminary stages. Following the consummation of the Transactions, Waters management will perform a detailed review of the BDS Business’s accounting policies and may identify additional differences, which could have a material impact on the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information.
The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information is presented for informational purposes only and is not necessarily indicative of the financial position or results that would have occurred had the events been consummated as of the dates indicated, nor is it indicative of any future results.
2
UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED COMBINED BALANCE SHEET
AS OF SEPTEMBER 27, 2025
(In thousands)
| Historical | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| As of September 27, 2025 |
As of September 30, 2025 |
Separation and Pre-Merger Adjustments (Note 4 & Note 5) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Waters | BDS Business after Reclassification (Note 3) |
Note | Transaction Accounting Adjustments (Note 7) |
Note | Pro Forma Combined |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
| ASSETS |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current assets: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents |
$ | 459,118 | $ | 73,729 | $ | (5,067 | ) | 5(a) | $ | (87,413 | ) | 7(a) | $ | 440,367 | ||||||||||||||
| Accounts receivable, net |
748,519 | 600,787 | — | — | 1,349,306 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Inventories |
572,941 | 742,594 | — | 227,706 | 7(b) | 1,543,241 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other current assets |
138,612 | 128,790 | — | (5,506 | ) | 7(c) | 261,896 | |||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
| Total current assets |
1,919,190 | 1,545,900 | (5,067 | ) | 134,787 | 3,594,810 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Property, plant and equipment, net |
636,964 | 824,473 | — | 350,227 | 7(d) | 1,811,664 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Intangible assets, net |
570,773 | 178,574 | — | 9,549,426 | 7(e) | 10,298,773 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Goodwill |
1,338,358 | 896,017 | — | 8,658,853 | 7(f) | 10,893,228 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Operating lease assets |
76,426 | 348,706 | — | (73,980 | ) | 7(g) | 351,152 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Other assets |
320,853 | 237,030 | — | — | 557,883 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
| Total assets |
$ | 4,862,564 | $ | 4,030,700 | $ | (5,067 | ) | $ | 18,619,313 | $ | 27,507,510 | |||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
| LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current liabilities: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Notes payable |
$ | 460,000 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 460,000 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Account payable |
115,728 | 196,993 | — | — | 312,721 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Short-term debt |
— | 336 | 3,495,567 | 5(a) | 4,433 | 7(h) | 3,500,336 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Accrued employee compensation |
80,331 | 153,785 | 220 | 4(a) | — | 234,336 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deferred revenue and customer advances |
301,342 | 144,648 | — | — | 445,990 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Current operating lease liabilities |
28,487 | 22,915 | — | — | 51,402 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Accrued income taxes |
56,370 | 1,188 | — | (10,594 | ) | 7(i) | 46,964 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Accrued warranty |
11,569 | 15,870 | — | — | 27,439 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other current liabilities |
197,468 | 114,615 | — | (25,863 | ) | 7(a) | 286,220 | |||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
| Total current liabilities |
1,251,295 | 650,350 | 3,495,787 | (32,024 | ) | 5,365,408 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Long-term liabilities: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Long-term debt |
947,206 | 343 | 499,366 | 5(a) | 634 | 7(h) | 1,447,549 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Long-term portion of retirement benefits |
47,744 | 18,443 | 26,900 | 4(a) | — | 93,087 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Long-term income tax liabilities |
30,880 | 97,611 | (66,947 | ) | 4(a)(b)(c) | 2,414,027 | 7(i) | 2,475,571 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Long-term operating lease liabilities |
50,472 | 251,811 | — | — | 302,283 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other long-term liabilities |
204,274 | 44,431 | (17,000 | ) | 4(b) | — | 231,705 | |||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
| Total long-term liabilities |
1,280,576 | 412,639 | 442,319 | 2,414,661 | 4,550,195 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
| Total liabilities |
2,531,871 | 1,062,989 | 3,938,106 | 2,382,637 | 9,915,603 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stockholders’ equity: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preferred stock |
— | — | — | — | — | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Common stock |
1,631 | — | — | 387 | 7(j) | 2,018 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Additional paid-in capital |
2,396,477 | — | — | 15,317,289 | 7(j) | 17,713,766 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retained earnings |
10,206,070 | — | — | (56,462 | ) | 7(j) | 10,149,608 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Treasury stock, at cost |
(10,162,316 | ) | — | — | — | (10,162,316 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Accumulated other comprehensive loss |
(111,169 | ) | (92,294 | ) | — | 92,294 | 7(j) | (111,169 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Net parent investment |
— | 3,060,005 | (3,943,173 | ) | |
4(a)(b)(c) 5(a) |
|
883,168 | 7(j) | — | ||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
| Total stockholders’ equity |
2,330,693 | 2,967,711 | (3,943,173 | ) | 16,236,676 | 17,591,907 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
| Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity |
$ | 4,862,564 | $ | 4,030,700 | $ | (5,067 | ) | $ | 18,619,313 | $ | 27,507,510 | |||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
3
UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED COMBINED STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
FOR THE NINE MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 27, 2025
(In thousands, except per share data)
| Historical | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nine Months Ended September 27, 2025 |
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2025 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Waters | BDS Business After Reclassification (Note 3) |
Pre-Merger Adjustments (Note 5) |
Note | Transaction Accounting Adjustments (Note 7) |
Note | Pro Forma Combined |
||||||||||||||||||||||
| Revenues: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Product sales |
$ | 1,373,894 | $ | 2,138,127 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 3,512,021 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Service sales |
859,030 | 323,585 | — | — | 1,182,615 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
| Total net sales |
2,232,924 | 2,461,712 | — | — | 4,694,636 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Costs and operating expenses: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cost of product sales |
579,686 | 1,074,465 | — | 2,820 | 7(m)(o) | 1,656,971 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cost of service sales |
346,272 | 211,922 | — | — | 558,194 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Selling and administrative expenses |
590,367 | 587,305 | — | (17,467 | ) | 7(m)(o) | 1,160,205 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Research and development expenses |
148,813 | 214,768 | — | (3,402 | ) | 7(m)(o) | 360,179 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Purchased intangibles amortization |
35,714 | 28,975 | — | 504,456 | 7(n) | 569,145 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||
| Total costs and operating expenses |
1,700,852 | 2,117,435 | — | 486,407 | 4,304,694 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
| Operating income (loss) |
532,072 | 344,277 | — | (486,407 | ) | 389,942 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other income (expense), net |
778 | (16,501 | ) | — | — | (15,723 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Interest expense |
(55,261 | ) | (58 | ) | (166,358 | ) | 5(b) | — | (221,677 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Interest income |
13,108 | 1,763 | — | — | 14,871 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
| Income (loss) before income taxes |
490,697 | 329,481 | (166,358 | ) | (486,407 | ) | 167,413 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Provision (benefit) for income taxes |
73,282 | 54,099 | (39,926 | ) | 5(c) | (116,738 | ) | 7(q) | (29,283 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
| Net income (loss) |
$ | 417,415 | $ | 275,382 | $ | (126,432 | ) | $ | (369,669 | ) | $ | 196,696 | ||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||
| Net income per basic common share |
$ | 7.02 | $ | 2.00 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weighted-average number of basic common shares Basic |
59,496 | 98,240 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net income per diluted common share |
$ | 7.00 | $ | 2.00 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weighted-average number of diluted common shares and equivalents |
59,656 | 98,432 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
4
UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED COMBINED STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS
FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2024
(In thousands, except per share data)
| Historical | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Year Ended December 31, 2024 |
Year Ended September 30, 2024 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Waters | BDS Business After Reclassification (Note 3) |
Pre-Merger Adjustments (Note 5) |
Note | Transaction Accounting Adjustments (Note 7) |
Note | Pro Forma Combined |
||||||||||||||||||||
| Revenues: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Product sales |
$ | 1,844,176 | $ | 2,944,750 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 4,788,926 | ||||||||||||||||
| Service sales |
1,114,211 | 398,237 | — | — | 1,512,448 | |||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||
| Total net sales |
2,958,387 | 3,342,987 | — | — | 6,301,374 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Costs and operating expenses: |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cost of product sales |
747,920 | 1,502,033 | — | 227,131 | 7(k)(m)(o) | 2,477,084 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Cost of service sales |
452,281 | 270,568 | — | — | 722,849 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Selling and administrative expenses |
690,148 | 851,912 | — | 38,571 | 7(l)(m)(o) | 1,580,631 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Research and development expenses |
183,027 | 310,666 | — | (4,608 | ) | 7(m)(o) | 489,085 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Purchased intangibles amortization |
47,090 | 37,147 | — | 674,093 | 7(n) | 758,330 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Litigation provision |
11,568 | — | — | — | 11,568 | |||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||
| Total costs and operating expenses |
2,132,034 | 2,972,326 | — | 935,187 | 6,039,547 | |||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||
| Operating income (loss) |
826,353 | 370,661 | — | (935,187 | ) | 261,827 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Other income (expense), net |
776 | (5,991 | ) | — | — | (5,215 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Interest expense |
(89,677 | ) | (4 | ) | (221,882 | ) | 5(b) | (7,211 | ) | 7(p) | (318,774 | ) | ||||||||||||||
| Interest income |
17,416 | 1,684 | — | — | 19,100 | |||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||
| Income (loss) before income taxes |
754,868 | 366,350 | (221,882 | ) | (942,398 | ) | (43,062 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Provision (benefit) for income taxes |
117,034 | 45,137 | (53,252 | ) | 5(c) | (222,166 | ) | 7(q) | (113,247 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||
| Net income (loss) |
$ | 637,834 | $ | 321,213 | $ | (168,630 | ) | $ | (720,232 | ) | $ | 70,185 | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||
| Net income per basic common share |
$ | 10.75 | $ | 0.72 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weighted-average number of basic common shares Basic |
59,333 | 98,077 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net income per diluted common share |
$ | 10.71 | $ | 0.71 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weighted-average number of diluted common shares and equivalents |
59,552 | 98,328 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
5
NOTES TO THE UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED COMBINED FINANCIAL INFORMATION
NOTE 1 – Description of the Transaction
On July 13, 2025, Waters, BD, Merger Sub and SpinCo, as applicable, entered into transactions to effect the transfer of the BDS Business to Waters in accordance with the Merger Agreement and the Separation Agreement, pursuant to which and subject to the terms and conditions therein:
| • | Prior to the Distribution and the Merger, BD will transfer (or cause to be transferred) and SpinCo will accept and assume (or cause to be accepted and assumed) all of the rights, titles and interests to and under certain assets and liabilities relating to the BDS Business; |
| • | Prior to the Distribution and the Merger, SpinCo expects to incur indebtedness under the SpinCo Financing and/or the Permanent SpinCo Financing in an aggregate principal amount of up to $4.0 billion. The aggregate proceeds of the SpinCo Financing and/or the Permanent SpinCo Financing, as applicable, will be used by SpinCo to make the SpinCo Cash Distribution, subject to certain adjustments set forth in the Merger Agreement, and to pay fees and expenses related to the Transactions. In addition, following the Merger, any proceeds of the SpinCo Financing and/or the Permanent SpinCo Financing, if applicable, in excess of the foregoing may be used to pay all or any portion of the Waters Special Dividend; |
| • | In connection with the Closing, Waters may incur new indebtedness in the form of the Waters Bridge Facility and/or the Permanent Waters Financing in an aggregate principal amount of up to $1.8 billion. The aggregate proceeds of the Waters Bridge Facility and/or the Permanent Waters Financing may be used by Waters to (i) pay all or any portion of the Waters Special Dividend and (ii) to pay fees and expenses in connection with the Transactions. To the extent the Waters Bridge Facility is undrawn as of the payment date of the Waters Special Dividend, the commitments automatically terminate upon that date; |
| • | Following the SpinCo Cash Distribution, BD will distribute to its shareholders all of the issued and outstanding shares of SpinCo Common Stock held by BD by way of a pro rata distribution and for no consideration; and |
| • | Following the Distribution, Merger Sub will be merged with and into SpinCo, with SpinCo as the surviving entity and all SpinCo Common Stock will be converted into the right to receive shares of Waters Common Stock, as calculated and subject to adjustment as set forth in the Merger Agreement. When the Merger is completed, SpinCo will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Waters. |
As a result of the Merger, each share of SpinCo Common Stock as of immediately prior to the Effective Time (other than (A) shares held by SpinCo as treasury stock or by Waters or Merger Sub, in each case, as of immediately prior to the Merger that are automatically canceled and (B) any shares of Hook Stock) will be converted into the right to receive a number of shares of newly issued Waters Common Stock equal to the Exchange Ratio, which is subject to (i) required adjustments from stock splits, recapitalizations or similar equity transactions in Waters Common Stock and, (ii) if applicable, required adjustments to the Exchange Ratio to satisfy the Threshold Percentage as described below, with cash paid in lieu of fractional shares of Waters Common Stock in accordance with the Merger Agreement. Prior to the adjustment described in the Merger Agreement, the Exchange Ratio is designed to result in the issued and outstanding shares of Waters Common Stock on a fully diluted basis, immediately following the Merger, being owned approximately 39.2% by the former holders of SpinCo Common Stock (in their capacity as such) and approximately 60.8% by the Waters shareholders (in their capacity as such) immediately prior to the Merger. As described below and more fully set out in the Merger Agreement, under certain circumstances, the Exchange Ratio will be adjusted to the extent necessary to ensure that, immediately following the Closing, former holders of SpinCo Common Stock (including the Overlap Shareholders) own, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, at least the Threshold Percentage of the outstanding shares of Waters Common Stock. If the Exchange Ratio is adjusted and the number
6
of shares of Waters Common Stock that Waters issues in the Merger would represent greater than 39.2% of the issued and outstanding shares of Waters Common Stock immediately following the Merger, then (i) Waters would pay a cash dividend to Waters shareholders who held shares of Waters Common Stock as of the Waters Special Dividend record date, which record date will be a date prior to the date of the Merger, and (ii) the SpinCo Cash Distribution may be decreased. While the Waters Special Dividend will be paid only to shareholders of record of Waters Common Stock as of the Waters Special Dividend record date, which will be a date before the Merger, Waters expects the payment date for any Waters Special Dividend would be following the Closing. The Waters Special Dividend is designed to preserve the nominal economic allocation between the holders of SpinCo Common Stock (in their capacity as such) and Waters shareholders (in their capacity as such) that would have resulted from the Exchange Ratio if it were not adjusted. Additionally, all outstanding BD SAR Awards (whether vested or unvested) held by a SpinCo Employee as of immediately prior to the Distribution Time will be converted, as of the Effective Time, into Waters SAR Awards, and all BD TVU Awards and BD PSU Awards held by a SpinCo Employee as of immediately prior to the Distribution Time will be converted, as of the Effective Time, into Waters RSU Awards as set forth in the Employee Matters Agreement.
As described elsewhere in the Waters Registration Statement, the Transactions are structured as a Reverse Morris Trust transaction. The parties determined that the Reverse Morris Trust structure was the superior choice for the Transactions because, among other things, the anticipated tax-free nature of the Contribution and Distribution for U.S. federal income tax purposes provides a tax efficient method to separate the BDS Business from BD that is not provided by other structures, thereby making the Reverse Morris Trust structure economically more appealing than alternative transaction structures. Further, the parties determined that a Reverse Morris Trust transaction that included the counting of Overlap Shares for purposes of Section 355(e) of the Code, for purposes of determining how many shares would be received by former shareholders of SpinCo Common Stock prior to the Merger, was preferable because it is expected to permit Waters to issue fewer shares of its common stock in the Merger and therefore pay a smaller Waters Special Dividend, if any, to Waters shareholders. The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information and related notes were prepared assuming that no Waters Special Dividend will be paid based on facts and circumstances existing at the time of the filing of the Waters Registration Statement. Refer to Note 9—Additional Presentation to Reflect Possible Waters Special Dividend—for additional information on alternative scenarios. For more information about Waters and BD’s reasons for the Transactions, see the section entitled “The Transactions—Waters’ Reasons for the Merger; Recommendation of Waters’ Board of Directors” and “The Transactions—BD’s Reasons for the Merger; Recommendation of BD’s Board.”
The SpinCo Cash Distribution will be funded by newly issued debt in the form of the SpinCo Financing (which may be replaced by the Permanent SpinCo Financing prior to or at the Closing). Following the Merger, Waters and certain of its subsidiaries are expected to guarantee all indebtedness incurred by SpinCo in connection with the payment of the SpinCo Cash Distribution. Refer to Note 5—Pre-Merger Adjustments for additional information.
NOTE 2 – Basis of Presentation
The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information and notes thereto have been prepared by Waters in accordance with Article 11 of Regulation S-X in order to give effect to the Transactions, including full consolidation of the BDS Business at Closing, and the incurrence of indebtedness under the Transaction Financing. Prior to or at the Closing, the SpinCo Financing may be replaced by the Permanent SpinCo Financing and the Waters Bridge Facility may be replaced by the Permanent Waters Financing. Since the terms of the Permanent SpinCo Financing and the Permanent Waters Financing are currently unavailable, the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information is prepared using the terms of the SpinCo Financing and the Waters Bridge Facility, as further discussed in Note 7—Transaction Adjustments.
The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information is based on Waters’ historical consolidated financial information and the BDS Business’s historical combined financial information prepared on a carve-out
7
basis from BD’s consolidated financial information using the historical results of operations, assets and liabilities of the BDS Business and include allocations of expenses from BD. As a result, the BDS Business’s historical financial information may not necessarily reflect what its financial condition and results of operations would have been had the BDS Business been an independent, stand-alone entity during the periods presented.
The unaudited pro forma condensed combined statements of operations for nine months ended September 27, 2025 and for fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 give effect to the Transactions and the incurrence of indebtedness under the Transaction Financing as if they had occurred on January 1, 2024, the beginning of the earliest period presented. Waters has a December 31 fiscal year-end date, while the BDS Business has historically operated with a September 30 fiscal year-end date.
Because the difference between Waters’ fiscal period representing the nine months ended September 27, 2025 and the BDS Business’s fiscal period representing the nine months ended September 30, 2025 is within one quarter of one another, the BDS Business’s results for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 have been used to prepare the unaudited pro forma condensed combined statement of operations for the nine months ended September 27, 2025. The BDS Business’s results for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 have been derived by utilizing the BDS Business’s audited historical financial data for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2025 and subtracting the unaudited interim historical financial data for the three month period ended December 31, 2024. As a result, the BDS Business’s results for three months ended December 31, 2024 have not been included in any of the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information periods presented and are not included in the Waters Registration Statement. Revenue and net income of the BDS Business for three months ended December 31, 2024, were $834 million and $78 million, respectively.
The unaudited pro forma condensed combined balance sheet as of September 27, 2025 gives effect to the Transactions and the incurrence of indebtedness under the Transaction Financing as if they had occurred on September 27, 2025 and combines the balance sheet of Waters as of September 27, 2025 with that of the BDS Business as of September 30, 2025.
Additionally, because the difference between Waters’ fiscal year end of December 31, 2024 and the BDS Business’s fiscal year end of September 30, 2024 is within one quarter of one another, the BDS Business’s fiscal results for the year ended September 30, 2024 have been used to prepare the unaudited pro forma condensed combined statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2024, as permitted under Rule 11-02 of Regulation S-X.
The historical financial information has been adjusted in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information to give pro forma effect to transaction accounting adjustments that reflect the accounting for the Transactions and the incurrence of indebtedness under the Transaction Financing under U.S. GAAP.
The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information and related notes were prepared by applying the acquisition method of accounting to the Merger in accordance with ASC 805, Business Combinations, with Waters as the accounting acquirer of the BDS Business. In identifying Waters as the accounting acquirer, Waters’ conclusion is based primarily upon the following facts: (1) the issuance of Waters Common Stock in the Merger, (2) the proposed composition of the senior management of Waters after the Merger, (3) the proposed composition of the Waters Board after the Merger and (4) the relative voting interests in the combined company after the Merger. ASC 805 requires, among other things, that the assets acquired and liabilities assumed in a business combination be recognized at their fair values as of the acquisition date. For purposes of the unaudited pro forma condensed combined balance sheet, the estimated purchase consideration has been allocated to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed of the BDS Business based upon Waters management’s preliminary estimate of their fair values. Accordingly, the preliminary purchase price allocation and related adjustments reflected in this unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information are subject to further adjustment as additional information becomes available and as additional analyses and final valuations are completed. There can be no assurances that these additional analyses and final valuations will not result in significant changes to the estimates of fair value set forth below.
8
The historical financial information of the BDS Business reflects the combined historical results of operations, financial position and cash flows of the BDS Business of BD as they were historically managed in conformity with U.S. GAAP. Therefore, the historical combined financial information of the BDS Business may not be indicative of the BDS Business’s future performance and do not necessarily reflect what the BDS Business’s combined results of operations, financial condition and cash flows would have been had the BDS Business operated as a separate, standalone company during the periods presented, particularly because of changes expected to occur in the future as a result of the separation of the BDS Business from BD, including changes in the financing, cash management, operations, cost structure and personnel needs of the business.
The historical financial information of the BDS Business includes certain assets and liabilities specifically attributable to the BDS Business. BD employs a centralized approach to cash management and the financing of its operations. For all periods presented, cash and cash equivalents, and liabilities legally held by the BDS Business were included in the combined balance sheets. BD’s debt and related interest expense have not been attributed to the BDS Business for any of the periods presented. These arrangements are not reflective of the manner in which the BDS Business would have financed operations as a stand-alone company separate from BD during the periods presented. Cash pooling, related interest and intercompany arrangements are excluded from the asset and liability balances in the combined balance sheets. These amounts have instead been reported as Net parent investment on the combined balance sheet.
Additionally, BD provides certain services, such as legal, accounting, information technology, human resources and other infrastructure support to the BDS Business. The cost of these services have been included in the BDS Business combined financial information through allocations based upon a proportion of revenue or headcount. BD considers these allocations to be reflective of the benefits received by the BDS Business during the periods presented in the historical combined financial information of the BDS Business, as required by and in conformity with U.S. GAAP. While these allocations include an apportionment of BD’s corporate and public company costs, such allocated costs may not be indicative or necessary if the BDS Business operated as a part of another existing public company nor are they necessarily representative of the costs expected to be incurred in the future, following the completion of the Transactions. Actual costs that would have been incurred if the BDS Business had been a stand-alone company would depend on multiple factors, including organizational structure and strategic decisions made in various areas, including information technology and infrastructure.
Following the completion of the Transactions, certain functions previously provided by BD to the BDS Business will either continue to be delivered to the BDS Business under the Transition Services Agreement or will be assumed by Waters, either through internal resources or third-party service providers. Additionally, under one or more Contract Manufacturing Agreements, BD will manufacture certain products for the BDS Business and its subsidiaries following the Distribution.
In order to preserve the tax-free nature of the Distribution for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the Merger Agreement generally provides that the Exchange Ratio (designed to result in the issued and outstanding shares of Waters Common Stock on a fully diluted basis, immediately following the Merger, being owned approximately 39.2% by the former holders of SpinCo Common Stock (in their capacity as such) and approximately 60.8% by the Waters shareholders (in their capacity as such) immediately prior to the Merger) will be adjusted and increased if necessary to ensure that, immediately following the Closing, former holders of SpinCo Common Stock (including the Overlap Shareholders) own, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, at least the Threshold Percentage (which is 50.5%) of the outstanding shares of Waters Common Stock. See the section entitled “The Transactions—Calculation and Adjustments to the Exchange Ratio; Amount of Waters Special Dividend” and “U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Distribution and the Merger.” The Threshold Percentage noted above for U.S. federal income tax purposes includes the Overlap Shareholders in the calculation of ownership percentages. For accounting purposes, contingent upon any potential adjustments, the Exchange Ratio is calculated to result in approximately 39% of the outstanding shares of Waters Common Stock being owned by the former holders of SpinCo Common Stock (in their capacity as such) and approximately 61% of the outstanding shares of Waters Common Stock being owned by the Waters shareholders (in their capacity as such) immediately prior to the Merger.
9
In addition, in connection with the Transactions, the parties will seek the IRS Ruling (see the section entitled “The Transactions—IRS Ruling”) with respect to certain U.S. federal income tax aspects of the Transactions, including matters relating to the nature and extent of shareholders who may be counted as Overlap Shareholders for purposes of determining the Exchange Ratio.
In the event that the number of shares that Waters will issue to former holders of SpinCo at the completion of the Transactions is increased in the manner described above, including as a result of the inability to count the Overlap Shareholders, the Merger Agreement provides that Waters will declare the Waters Special Dividend to its shareholders in an amount that will depend in part on the number of shares being issued, but which may range in amount between $0.01 per share and approximately $4.0 billion (the “Maximum Special Dividend”). Additionally, in certain circumstances where the Exchange Ratio increases, the SpinCo Cash Distribution may also be reduced as a result of the inability to count the Overlap Shareholders; the SpinCo Cash Distribution may be reduced by up to $2.3 billion.
The determination of how the Overlap Shareholders’ ownership will be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes depends on the issuance of the IRS Ruling, which is within the discretion of the IRS. Waters, BD and SpinCo can offer no assurance concerning the extent of the Overlap Shareholders upon the completion of the Transactions or assurance that the IRS Ruling will be received.
While BD and Waters believe, based on information available to them as of the date of the Waters Registration Statement, that it is a reasonable assumption that the outcome of the variables will likely result in no Waters Special Dividend being paid, there can be no assurance that a result somewhere between zero (the “Minimum Special Dividend”) and the Maximum Special Dividend will be the case and substantial uncertainty exists regarding the final determination of the Exchange Ratio and the amount, if any, of the Waters Special Dividend. As noted above, the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information and related notes were prepared assuming that no Waters Special Dividend will be paid based on facts and circumstances existing at the time of the filing of the Waters Registration Statement. The receipt of the IRS Ruling is a condition to the Distribution and the Merger. Therefore, the parties will not complete the Merger until the third business day following the earlier of the date on which (i) the IRS Ruling is received from the IRS or (ii) BD withdraws its request for the IRS Ruling and waives the condition to closing. As of the date of the Waters Registration Statement, Waters believes that the assumption of no Waters Special Dividend is the most meaningful representation based on current analysis and estimates of Overlap Shareholders. Refer to Note 9—Additional Presentation to Reflect Possible Waters Shares of Common Stock to be Issued in the Merger for additional information regarding the impact of the Overlap Shareholders and the Waters Special Dividend on the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information. See the section entitled “The Transactions—Calculation and Adjustments to the Exchange Ratio; Amount of Waters Special Dividend.”
The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information, including the preliminary purchase price allocation, are presented for illustrative purposes only and do not necessarily reflect the operating results or financial position that would have occurred if the Transactions and the incurrence of indebtedness under the Transaction Financing had been consummated on the dates indicated, nor is it necessarily indicative of the results of operations or financial condition that may be expected for any future period or date. Accordingly, such information should not be relied upon as an indicator of future performance, financial condition or liquidity.
NOTE 3 – Reclassification Adjustments
Based on a preliminary review of the accounting policies of Waters and the BDS Business, Waters is not aware of any differences that would have a material impact on the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information. Following the completion of the Transactions, or as more information becomes available, Waters will perform a full and detailed review of the BDS Business’s accounting policies and financial information. As a result of the review, accounting policy differences may be identified and these differences, if identified, could produce results that are materially different from the results reflected in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information.
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During the preparation of the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information related to the transactions between Waters, Merger Sub, BD, and SpinCo, Waters’ management performed a preliminary analysis of the BDS Business’s financial information to identify differences in financial statement presentation compared to the presentation of Waters. Certain reclassifications have been made to the historical consolidated presentation of the BDS Business to conform to the financial statement presentation of Waters.
Balance Sheet Reclassifications:
The table below summarizes the mapping of financial statement line items between the BDS Business and Waters and the reclassification adjustments made to present the audited historical combined balance sheet of the BDS Business as of September 30, 2025, in conformity with the audited historical consolidated balance sheet of Waters as of September 27, 2025 (in thousands).
| BDS Business |
Waters Presentation |
Historical BDS Business |
Reclassifications | Note | Historical BDS Business (Reclassified) |
|||||||||||||
| Assets |
||||||||||||||||||
| Cash and cash equivalents |
Cash and cash equivalents | $ | 73,729 | $ | — | $ | 73,729 | |||||||||||
| Trade receivables, net |
Accounts receivable, net | 596,814 | 3,973 | (a | ) | 600,787 | ||||||||||||
| Inventories, net |
Inventories | 742,594 | — | 742,594 | ||||||||||||||
| Prepaid expenses and other |
Other current assets | 132,763 | (3,973 | ) | (a | ) | 128,790 | |||||||||||
| Property, Plant and Equipment, Net |
Property, plant and equipment, net | 647,415 | 177,058 | (b | ) | 824,473 | ||||||||||||
| Goodwill |
Goodwill | 896,017 | — | 896,017 | ||||||||||||||
| Other Intangibles, Net |
Intangible assets, net | 178,574 | — | 178,574 | ||||||||||||||
| Operating lease assets | — | 348,706 | (b | ) | 348,706 | |||||||||||||
| Other Assets |
Other assets | 762,794 | (525,764 | ) | (b | ) | 237,030 | |||||||||||
| Liabilities |
||||||||||||||||||
| Accounts payable |
Accounts payable | 196,993 | — | 196,993 | ||||||||||||||
| Salaries, wages and related items |
Accrued employee compensation |
153,498 | 287 | (c | ) | 153,785 | ||||||||||||
| Deferred revenue and customer advances | — | 144,648 | (c | ) | 144,648 | |||||||||||||
| Current operating lease liabilities | — | 22,915 | (c | ) | 22,915 | |||||||||||||
| Accrued income taxes | — | 1,188 | (c | ) | 1,188 | |||||||||||||
| Accrued warranty | — | 15,870 | (c | ) | 15,870 | |||||||||||||
| Short-term debt | 336 | (c | ) | 336 | ||||||||||||||
| Accrued expenses and other liabilities |
Other current liabilities |
299,859 | (185,244 | ) | (c | ) | 114,615 | |||||||||||
| Long-term debt | — | 343 | (d | ) | 343 | |||||||||||||
| Long-term portion of retirement benefits | — | 18,443 | (d | ) | 18,443 | |||||||||||||
| Long-term income tax liabilities | — | 97,611 | (d | ) | 97,611 | |||||||||||||
| Long-term operating lease liabilities | — | 251,811 | (d | ) | 251,811 | |||||||||||||
| Deferred Income Taxes and Other Liabilities |
Other long-term liabilities | 412,639 | (368,208 | ) | (d | ) | 44,431 | |||||||||||
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| BDS Business |
Waters Presentation |
Historical BDS Business |
Reclassifications | Note | Historical BDS Business (Reclassified) |
|||||||||||||
| Parent’s Equity |
||||||||||||||||||
| Accumulated other comprehensive loss |
Accumulated other comprehensive loss |
(92,294 | ) | — | (92,294 | ) | ||||||||||||
| Net parent investment |
3,060,005 | — | 3,060,005 | |||||||||||||||
Notes:
| a. | The BDS Business’s historical presentation included Prepaid expenses and other of $133 million, of which $4 million related to royalty receivables determined to be trade related and were reclassified to Accounts receivable, net to conform to Waters’ presentation. |
| b. | Waters separately reflected Operating lease assets as its own caption in its historical presentation such that $349 million of right of use assets reflected within Other assets in the BDS Business’s historical presentation was reclassified to Operating lease assets to conform to Waters’ presentation. Additionally, $177 million of placed instruments that were historically presented in BDS Business’s balance sheet within Other assets were reclassified to Property, plant and equipment, net to conform to Waters’ presentation of placed and other instrumentation. |
| c. | The BDS Business’s historical Accrued expenses and other liabilities caption aggregated several amounts for which Waters has a separate caption presented in its historical presentation to disaggregate balances in more detail. Of the BDS Business’s total balance in Accrued expenses and other of $300 million, the following adjustments were made to conform to Waters’ presentation of each of these balances in separate captions: |
| • | An immaterial amount of accrued employee expenses were reclassified to Accrued employee compensation, |
| • | Deferred income of $145 million was reclassified to Deferred revenue and customer advances, |
| • | Accrued lease liabilities of $23 million were reclassified to Current operating lease liabilities, |
| • | Income tax accruals of $1 million were reclassified to Accrued income taxes, |
| • | Warranty reserve balances of $16 million were reclassified to Accrued warranty, |
| • | An immaterial amount of the current portion of long-term debt was reclassified to Short-term debt. |
The remaining balance of $115 million within the BDS Business’s Accrued expenses and other caption relating to accrued marketing, taxes, freight, royalties expenses corresponds to Other current liabilities in Waters’ presentation.
| d. | The BDS Business’s historical Deferred income taxes and other liabilities caption aggregated several amounts for which Waters has separate captions presented in its historical presentation to disaggregate balances in more detail. Of the BDS Business’s total balance in Deferred income taxes and other liabilities of $413 million, the following adjustments were made to conform to Waters’ presentation of each of these balances in separate captions: |
| • | An immaterial amount of non-current debt of the BDS Business was reclassified from Deferred Income taxes and other liabilities to Long-term debt, |
| • | Long-term employee benefit obligations of $18 million were reclassified to Long-term portion of retirement benefits, |
| • | $98 million was reclassified to Long-term income tax liabilities, and |
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| • | Long-term lease liabilities of $252 million were reclassified to Long-term operating lease liabilities. |
The remaining balance of $44 million within the BDS Business’s Deferred income taxes and other liabilities caption relating to long-term liabilities of a more general nature corresponds to Other long-term liabilities in Waters’ presentation.
Statements of Operations Reclassifications:
The table below summarizes the mapping of financial statement line items between the BDS Business and Waters and the reclassification adjustments made to present the unaudited historical combined statement of income of the BDS Business for the nine months ended September 30, 2025 in conformity with the unaudited historical consolidated statement of operations of Waters for the nine months ended September 27, 2025 (in thousands).
| BDS Business |
Waters Presentation |
Historical BDS Business |
Reclassifications | Note | Historical BDS Business (Reclassified) |
|||||||||||||
| Product sales |
Product sales | 2,138,127 | — | 2,138,127 | ||||||||||||||
| Service sales |
Service sales | 323,585 | — | 323,585 | ||||||||||||||
| Cost of product sales |
Cost of product sales | 1,047,661 | 26,804 | (e) (f) | 1,074,465 | |||||||||||||
| Cost of service sales |
Cost of service sales | 211,922 | — | 211,922 | ||||||||||||||
| Selling and administrative expense |
Selling and administrative expenses |
639,865 | (52,560 | ) | (f) (g) | 587,305 | ||||||||||||
| Research and development expense |
Research and development expenses |
214,768 | — | 214,768 | ||||||||||||||
| Purchased intangibles amortization | 28,975 | (e) | 28,975 | |||||||||||||||
| Integration, restructuring, and transaction expense |
3,219 | (3,219 | ) | (g | ) | — | ||||||||||||
| Other expense, net |
Other income (expense), net | (14,796 | ) | (1,705 | ) | (h | ) | (16,501 | ) | |||||||||
| Interest expense | — | (58 | ) | (h | ) | (58 | ) | |||||||||||
| Interest income | — | 1,763 | (h | ) | 1,763 | |||||||||||||
| Income tax provision |
Provision (benefit) for income taxes | 54,099 | — | 54,099 | ||||||||||||||
Notes:
| e. | Waters separately reflects purchased intangibles amortization in its own caption such that $29 million of amortization reflected within Cost of products sold in the BDS Business’s historical presentation was reclassified to Purchased intangibles amortization to conform to Waters’ presentation. |
| f. | The BDS Business’s shipping expenses were historically reflected within Selling and administrative expense while Waters records these amounts within Cost of product sales such that $56 million of shipping expenses were reclassified from Selling and administrative expense to Cost of product sales. |
| g. | Integration and restructuring expenses of $3 million that were separately reflected in the BDS Business’s historical presentation were reclassified to Selling and administrative expense to conform to Waters’ presentation. |
| h. | An immaterial amount of interest expense and $2 million of interest income that were reflected within Other expense, net in the BDS Business’s historical presentation were reclassified to Interest expense |
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| and Interest income, respectively, to conform to Waters’ presentation. The remaining balance of $17 million within Other expense, net in the BDS Business’s historical presentation corresponds to the Other income (expense), net caption in Waters’ presentation. |
The table below summarizes the mapping of financial statement line items between the BDS Business and Waters and the reclassification adjustments made to present the unaudited historical combined statement of income of the BDS Business for the year ended September 30, 2024, in conformity with the audited historical consolidated statement of operations of Waters for the year ended December 31, 2024 (in thousands).
| BDS Business |
Waters Presentation |
Historical BDS Business |
Reclassifications | Note | Historical BDS Business (Reclassified) |
|||||||||||
| Product sales |
Product sales | 2,944,750 | — | 2,944,750 | ||||||||||||
| Service sales |
Service sales | 398,237 | — | 398,237 | ||||||||||||
| Cost of product sales |
Cost of product sales | 1,442,808 | 59,225 | (i) (j) (k) | 1,502,033 | |||||||||||
| Cost of service sales |
Cost of service sales | 270,568 | — | 270,568 | ||||||||||||
| Selling and administrative expense |
Selling and administrative expenses |
865,718 | (13,806 | ) | (j) (k) (l) | 851,912 | ||||||||||
| Research and development expense |
Research and development expenses |
306,152 | 4,514 | (k) | 310,666 | |||||||||||
| Purchased intangibles amortization | 37,147 | (i) | 37,147 | |||||||||||||
| Integration, restructuring, and transaction expense |
88,707 | (88,707 | ) | (k) | — | |||||||||||
| Other operating income, net |
1,627 | (1,627 | ) | (l) | — | |||||||||||
| Other expense, net |
Other income (expense), net | (4,311 | ) | (1,680 | ) | (m) | (5,991 | ) | ||||||||
| Interest expense | (4 | ) | (m) | (4 | ) | |||||||||||
| Interest income | 1,684 | (m) | 1,684 | |||||||||||||
| Income tax provision |
Provision (benefit) for income taxes | 45,137 | — | 45,137 | ||||||||||||
Notes:
| i. | Waters separately reflects purchased intangibles amortization in its own caption such that $37 million of amortization reflected within Cost of products sold in the BDS Business’s historical presentation was reclassified to Purchased intangibles amortization to conform to Waters’ presentation. |
| j. | The BDS Business’s shipping expenses were historically reflected within Selling and administrative expense while Waters records these amounts within Cost of product sales such that $71 million of shipping expenses were reclassified from Selling and administrative expense to Cost of product sales. |
| k. | Integration and restructuring expenses of $89 million were separately reflected in the BDS Business’s historical presentation. As there is no such separate caption in the Waters’ presentation, the balance was allocated to separate captions based on the nature of the expenses. A majority of the expenses are general in nature such that $59 million was reclassified to Selling and administrative expense to conform to Waters’ presentation. The remaining $30 million related to salaries, equipment and leases which relate to various functions included in other captions resulting in reclassifications of $25 million to Cost of product sales and $5 million to Research and development expenses. |
| l. | Other operating income, net of $2 million that was separately reflected in the BDS Business’s historical presentation was reclassified to Selling and administrative expenses to conform to Waters’ presentation. |
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| m. | An immaterial amount of interest expense and $2 million of interest income that were reflected within Other expense, net in the BDS Business’s historical presentation were reclassified to Interest expense and Interest income, respectively, to conform to Waters’ presentation. The remaining balance of $6 million within Other expense, net in the BDS Business’s historical presentation corresponds to the Other income (expense), net caption in Waters’ presentation. |
NOTE 4 – Separation Adjustments
| a. | The BDS Business’s audited combined balance sheet as of September 30, 2025 excludes certain assets and liabilities related to pension and other post-retirement and post-employment benefit plans that have historically been held at the BD corporate level but are specifically identifiable or otherwise attributable to employees transferred to the BDS Business. Pro forma adjustments are included in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined balance sheet to reflect the impact of defined benefit plans of BD that will be transferred to the BDS Business pursuant to the Separation Agreement based on the amounts attributed to transferred employees of the BDS Business. These adjustments are based on an actuarial valuation performed based on a preliminary analysis of participant’s data as of September 30, 2025 and include assumptions that have a significant effect on the amounts reported. The pro forma adjustments recorded to the unaudited pro forma condensed combined balance sheet related to these plans are as follows: |
| • | An increase of an immaterial amount in Accrued employee compensation and of $27 million in Long-term portion of retirement benefits related to the defined benefit plan obligations of employees transferring to Waters; |
| • | A decrease of $6 million to Long-term income tax liabilities to reflect deferred tax assets resulting from defined benefit plan obligations for employees transferring to Waters; |
| • | A decrease of $21 million to Net parent investment for the related impact of the defined benefit plan obligations attributed to transferred employees of the BDS Business; |
A 10% change in the valuation of the defined benefit plan obligation would cause a corresponding increase or decrease in the balance of Goodwill by $2 million and in the balance of Long-term income tax liabilities by $1 million as of September 27, 2025.
| b. | In 2015, legislation was enacted in Italy which requires medical technology companies to make payments to the Italian government if Italy’s medical device expenditures exceed annual regional expenditure ceilings. The amount of these payments is based on the amount by which the regional ceilings for the given year were exceeded. Considerable uncertainty has existed regarding the enforceability and implementation of this payback legislation since it was enacted and the BDS Business, as well as other medical device companies, have filed appeals which challenge the enforceability of this legislation. As specified in the Separation Agreement, all historical liabilities resulting from this legislation and litigation are retained by BD and are not assumed by Waters. Since this historical liability is not being assumed by Waters as per the Separation Agreement, the following pro forma adjustments are made to remove the effects of the litigation accruals to the BDS Business in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined balance sheet: |
| • | A decrease of $17 million to Other long-term liabilities related to the liability that is not retained by the BDS Business; |
| • | An increase of $3 million to Long-term income tax liabilities to exclude deferred tax assets related to the litigation liability; |
| • | An increase of $14 million to Net parent investment for the related impact of the liability that is not retained by the BDS Business. |
| c. | The BDS Business’s audited combined balance sheet as of September 30, 2025 includes uncertain tax benefits that are retained by BD and are not assumed by Waters. The following pro forma adjustments |
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| remove the effects of the uncertain tax benefits to the BDS Business in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined balance sheet: |
| • | A decrease of $63 million to Long-term income tax liabilities related to the uncertain tax benefits that are not retained by the BDS Business. |
| • | An increase of $63 million to Net parent investment for the related impact of the uncertain tax benefits that are not retained by the BDS Business. |
NOTE 5 – Pre-Merger Adjustments
The SpinCo Cash Distribution and related financing arrangements are required pre-Merger steps under the Separation Agreement and Merger Agreement to effect the Separation and Distribution. These capital structure adjustments are not discretionary, but contractual conditions precedent to consummation of the Transactions. The amount of the SpinCo Cash Distribution is equal to $4.0 billion, subject to adjustment for cash, working capital, and indebtedness of SpinCo and subject to decrease if additional shares of Waters Common Stock will be issued to the former holders of SpinCo.
Concurrently with the execution of the Merger Agreement, SpinCo entered into the SpinCo Bridge Commitment Letter with certain financial institutions, pursuant to which such financial institutions committed to provide senior unsecured bridge loans (the “SpinCo Bridge Loan”) under a 364-day senior unsecured bridge loan credit facility in an aggregate principal amount of up to $4.0 billion, subject to the terms and conditions of the SpinCo Bridge Commitment Letter. The SpinCo Bridge Commitment Letter was subsequently terminated on July 29, 2025, in connection with the entry into the Amended and Restated SpinCo Term Loan Commitment Letter, pursuant to which the SpinCo Commitment Parties fully committed to provide senior unsecured term loans under a senior unsecured term loan credit facility in an aggregate principal amount of up to $4.0 billion, subject to the terms and conditions of the Amended and Restated SpinCo Term Loan Commitment Letter. The debt financing contemplated by the Amended and Restated SpinCo Term Loan Commitment Letter (which is referred to herein as the SpinCo Financing) will be used to fund the SpinCo Cash Distribution subject to certain adjustments set forth in the Merger Agreement, and to pay fees and expenses related to the Transactions.
The following adjustments are included in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined balance sheet and unaudited pro forma condensed combined statements of operations to reflect the impact of these pre-Merger transactions.
Balance Sheet
The following summarizes the pre-Merger pro forma adjustments to give effect to those transactions that would occur immediately prior to the Merger, as if the Merger had been completed on September 27, 2025 for the purposes of the unaudited pro forma condensed combined balance sheet.
| a. | Represents adjustments related to the debt issuance and cash payment in connection with the SpinCo Bridge Loan, SpinCo Financing, and SpinCo Cash Distribution. The adjustment reflects the following impact on the unaudited pro forma condensed combined balance sheet: |
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Cash and Cash Equivalents
| As of September 27, 2025 (in thousands) |
||||
| Proceeds from the issuance of the SpinCo Financing |
$ | 4,000,000 | ||
| SpinCo Cash Distribution to BD |
(4,000,000 | ) | ||
| Debt issuance costs and financing fees related to the SpinCo Financing (i) |
(5,067 | ) | ||
|
|
|
|||
| Pro forma adjustment to Cash and cash equivalents |
$ | (5,067 | ) | |
| (i) | Of the total debt issuance costs and financing fees related to the SpinCo Financing of $11 million, $6 million were already paid by Waters and included in Waters’ income statement for nine months ended September 27, 2025 such that the pro forma adjustment above includes only those incremental costs of $5 million that have not been included in Waters’ historical financial statements as of September 27, 2025. |
Additionally, debt issuance costs and financing fees related to the SpinCo Bridge Loan of $7 million were already paid by Waters and included in Waters’ income statement for nine months ended September 27, 2025 and therefore are excluded from the pro forma adjustments above.
Short-Term Debt and Long-Term Debt
| As of September 27, 2025 (in thousands) |
||||
| Proceeds from the issuance of the SpinCo Financing |
$ | 4,000,000 | ||
|
|
|
|||
| Debt issuance costs and financing fees related to the SpinCo Financing (i) |
(5,067 | ) | ||
|
|
|
|||
| Total pro forma adjustment for debt |
$ | 3,994,933 | ||
|
|
|
|||
| Pro forma adjustment to Short-term debt |
$ | 3,495,567 | ||
|
|
|
|||
| Pro forma adjustment to Long-term debt |
499,366 | |||
|
|
|
|||
The first tranche of the SpinCo Financing totaling $3.5 billion matures one year following the Merger, while the second tranche of $0.5 billion matures two years following the Merger. Therefore, the first tranche is classified as Short-term debt while the second tranche is classified as Long-term debt. Waters expects to replace this debt with longer term financing at or before maturity.
| (i) | Of the total debt issuance costs and financing fees related to the SpinCo Financing of $11 million, $6 million were already recognized in interest expense by Waters as of September 27, 2025 such that the pro forma adjustment above includes only the incremental contra-debt amount of $5 million that has not been included in Waters’ unaudited consolidated balance sheet as of September 27, 2025. |
Equity
Represents a pro forma adjustment to reduce Net parent investment to reflect the SpinCo Cash Distribution to BD of $4.0 billion.
17
Statements of Operations
The following summarizes the pre-Merger pro forma adjustments to give effect to those transactions that would occur immediately prior to the Merger, for the purposes of the unaudited pro forma condensed combined statements of operations for nine months ended September 27, 2025 and for the year ended December 31, 2024.
| b. | Represents an adjustment of $166 million for the nine months ended September 27, 2025 and $222 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 for incremental Interest expense related to the SpinCo Financing. Although the first tranche of the SpinCo Financing totaling $3.5 billion matures one year following the Merger and the second tranche of $0.5 billion matures two years following the Merger, the calculation of interest expense assumes that the first tranche of the SpinCo Financing will be replaced by permanent financing. Therefore, pro forma interest expense is reflected for the entire pro forma period presented based on a commensurate level of financing as if the first tranche was outstanding through September 27, 2025. |
The interest rate on the SpinCo Financing reflects an assumed SOFR rate plus an applicable margin per the terms of the SpinCo Financing. As of December 5, 2025, the rate inclusive of these elements was determined to be 3.93% plus 1.225% of an applicable margin. The applicable margin is based on the credit rating of SpinCo; the applicable margin will increase approximately every 90 days over the term of the SpinCo Financing for the first tranche and will remain constant for the full duration of the second tranche. A sensitivity analysis has been performed to consider the effect that a change of 0.125% to the interest rate would have on Interest expense. A 0.125% increase or decrease in interest rates would result in a change in Interest expense of approximately $4 million for the nine months ended September 27, 2025 and $5 million for the year ended December 31, 2024.
The SpinCo Bridge Loan was terminated prior to the Transactions and replaced with the SpinCo Financing. Debt issuance costs and financing fees related to the SpinCo Bridge Loan of $7 million were recognized in their entirety as Interest expense in Waters’ unaudited consolidated statement of operations for the nine months ended September 27, 2025. Therefore, no pro forma adjustment is included for this amount.
| c. | Represents an adjustment of $40 million for the nine months ended September 27, 2025 and $53 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 to reflect the estimated tax impacts of the pro forma adjustments in Provision for income taxes in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined statements of operations. The adjustment was determined by using a blended statutory tax rate of 24% for both the nine months ended September 27, 2025 and the year ended December 31, 2024. The total effective tax rate of the combined company could be significantly different depending on the geographical mix of income and other factors following the completion of the Transactions. Because the tax rate used for the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information is an estimate, it will likely vary from the actual rate in periods subsequent to the completion of the Transactions and those differences may be material. |
There is no adjustment related to the tax impact of undistributed earnings included in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined balance sheet as the final transaction structure and chain of ownership has not been determined. Therefore, an adjustment for the potential tax impact is not reasonable and supportable as of the date of the Waters Registration Statement.
NOTE 6 – Preliminary Purchase Consideration
Pursuant to the Merger, absent adjustment of the Exchange Ratio as detailed in the Merger Agreement and described elsewhere in the Waters Registration Statement, the Exchange Ratio is designed to result in the issued and outstanding shares of Waters Common Stock on a fully diluted basis, immediately following the Merger being owned approximately 39.2% by the former holders of SpinCo Common Stock and approximately 60.8% by the Waters shareholders immediately prior to the Merger.
18
The following table represents the preliminary estimate of the purchase consideration to be paid in the Merger:
| (in thousands, except per share amounts and exchange ratio) |
||||
| Estimated number of fully diluted shares of Waters Common Stock immediately prior to the Merger (a) |
60,069 | |||
| Share issuance ratio (b) |
0.64474 | |||
|
|
|
|||
| Estimated number of shares of Waters Common Stock to be issued to SpinCo shareholders as a result of the Merger |
38,729 | |||
| Waters Common Stock price (c) |
$ | 394.81 | ||
|
|
|
|||
| Estimated fair value of Waters Common Stock to be issued |
$ | 15,290,477 | ||
| Estimated fair value of share-based compensation awards to be issued to BDS Business Employees related to pre-combination services (d) |
27,199 | |||
|
|
|
|||
| Estimated preliminary purchase consideration |
$ | 15,317,676 | ||
| a. | Estimated number of fully diluted shares of Waters Common Stock: |
| Number of shares of Waters Common Stock issued and outstanding (excluding Waters Common Stock held in treasury) |
59,546 | |||
| Number of shares of Waters Common Stock issuable upon conversion of Waters equity awards |
523 | |||
|
|
|
|||
| 60,069 |
| b. | The number of shares of Waters Common Stock to be issued as a result of the Merger will be calculated such that immediately after the Merger such shares of Waters Common Stock issued to former holders of SpinCo Common Stock will represent approximately 39.2% of Waters Common Stock issued and outstanding on a fully diluted basis immediately following the Merger, and the shareholders of Waters Common Stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Merger will collectively own approximately 60.8% of Waters Common Stock issued and outstanding immediately following the Merger, i.e. the number of shares of Waters Common Stock immediately prior to the Merger (calculated on a fully diluted basis) multiplied by the quotient of 39.2% divided by 60.8%. |
| c. | Represents the closing price per share of Waters Common Stock as reported by the NYSE on December 5, 2025. The actual value of Waters Common Stock to be issued in the Merger will depend on the market price of shares of Waters Common Stock on the Closing Date. Therefore, the actual purchase consideration will fluctuate until the Merger is consummated. The final purchase consideration may differ significantly from the consideration assumed for purposes of preparing the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information. |
| d. | Estimated consideration for replacement of SpinCo’s outstanding equity awards. All outstanding BD SAR Awards (whether vested or unvested) held by a SpinCo Employee as of immediately prior to the Distribution Time will be converted, as of the Effective Time, into Waters SAR Awards and all BD TVU Awards and BD PSU Awards held by a SpinCo Employee as of immediately prior to the Distribution Time will be converted, as of the Effective Time, into Waters RSU Awards as set forth in the Employee Matters Agreement. A portion of the fair value of equity awards held by SpinCo Employees and replaced as a result of the Merger represents consideration transferred because it relates to services rendered by such BDS Business Employees to BD prior to the Merger. This amount is calculated based on the ratio of the pre-combination service period (from the grant date until assumed |
19
| the Closing Date) to the longer of the original total service period or the modified service period, if any, multiplied by the fair value of the BD awards (the number of BD awards multiplied by the BD share price on the Closing Date). The compensation expense related to services provided post-Merger is discussed in item 7(o) below. |
The table below depicts a sensitivity analysis of the estimated purchase consideration and goodwill, assuming a 10% increase or decrease of Waters’ Common Stock closing price used to determine the total estimated purchase consideration. This 10% is not indicative of Waters’ expectation for future stock price performance. For purposes of this calculation, the total number of shares of Waters Common Stock to be issued to holders of SpinCo Common Stock has been assumed to be the same as in the table above.
| Waters Common Stock closing price per share |
Estimated preliminary purchase consideration (in thousands) |
Goodwill (in thousands) |
||||||||||
| As presented in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information |
$ | 394.81 | $ | 15,317,676 | $ | 9,554,870 | ||||||
| A 10% increase in Waters Common Stock price |
434.29 | 16,846,724 | 11,083,918 | |||||||||
| A 10% decrease in Waters Common Stock price |
355.33 | 13,788,628 | 8,025,822 | |||||||||
Preliminary purchase price allocation
The table below summarizes the preliminary allocation of purchase price to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed, as if the Merger had been completed on September 27, 2025. The allocation has not been finalized. The final determination of these estimated fair values, the assets’ useful lives and the amortization methods are dependent upon certain valuations and other analyses that have not yet been completed, and as previously stated could differ materially from the amounts presented in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information. The final determination will be completed as soon as practicable but no later than one year after the consummation of the Merger.
20
The preliminary purchase price allocation is presented below:
| As of September 27, 2025 (in thousands) |
||||
| Estimated preliminary purchase consideration |
$ | 15,317,676 | ||
|
|
|
|||
| Assets |
||||
|
|
|
|||
| Cash and cash equivalents |
68,662 | |||
| Accounts receivable, net |
600,787 | |||
| Inventories |
970,300 | |||
| Other current assets |
128,790 | |||
| Property, plant and equipment, net |
1,174,700 | |||
| Intangible assets, net |
9,728,000 | |||
| Operating lease assets |
274,726 | |||
| Other assets |
237,030 | |||
|
|
|
|||
| Liabilities |
||||
|
|
|
|||
| Accounts payable |
196,993 | |||
| Short-term debt (i) |
3,500,336 | |||
| Accrued employee compensation |
154,005 | |||
| Deferred revenue and customer advances |
144,648 | |||
| Current operating lease liabilities |
22,915 | |||
| Accrued income taxes |
1,188 | |||
| Accrued warranty |
15,870 | |||
| Other current liabilities |
114,615 | |||
| Long-term debt (i) |
500,343 | |||
| Long-term portion of retirement benefits |
45,343 | |||
| Long-term income tax liabilities |
2,444,691 | |||
| Long-term operating lease liabilities |
251,811 | |||
| Other long-term liabilities |
27,431 | |||
|
|
|
|||
| Net Assets Acquired |
5,762,806 | |||
|
|
|
|||
| Goodwill |
$ | 9,554,870 | ||
|
|
|
|||
| (i) | Includes the assumption of $4 billion of short-term and long-term debt incurred by SpinCo to fund the SpinCo Cash Distribution to BD prior to the completion of the Merger. |
Any increase or decrease in the fair value of the net assets acquired, as compared to the information shown herein, could also change the portion of the purchase consideration allocable to goodwill and could impact the operating results of the combined company following the Transactions due to differences in the allocation of the purchase consideration, and changes in the depreciation and amortization related to some of these assets and liabilities.
21
NOTE 7 – Transaction Accounting Adjustments
Balance Sheet
The following summarizes the transaction accounting adjustments to give effect as if the Transactions and the incurrence of indebtedness under the Transaction Financing had been completed on September 27, 2025 for the purposes of the unaudited pro forma condensed combined balance sheet.
| a. | Represents an adjustment to Cash and cash equivalents consisting of the following: |
| As of September 27, 2025 (in thousands) |
||||
| Waters Bridge Facility debt issuance costs and financing fees (i) |
$ | (1,705 | ) | |
| Transaction fees and expenses (ii) |
(85,708 | ) | ||
|
|
|
|||
| Pro forma adjustment to Cash and cash equivalents |
$ | (87,413 | ) | |
|
|
|
|||
| (i) | Of the total debt issuance costs and financing fees related to the Waters Bridge Financing of $7 million, $5 million were already paid by Waters as of September 27, 2025 such that the pro forma adjustment above includes only those incremental costs of $2 million that have not yet been paid as of September 27, 2025. |
| (ii) | Of the total estimated costs of $95 million expected to be incurred by Waters through the closing of the Transactions for professional, legal and other fees, the unaudited pro forma condensed combined balance sheet reflects an adjustment for future costs not yet paid of $86 million reflected as a decrease to Cash and cash equivalents. |
Though $86 million of transaction fees and expenses remain to be paid, $26 million have been incurred and accrued by Waters as of September 27, 2025. Therefore, the payment of transaction fees and expenses above results in corresponding adjustments to decrease Other current liabilities by $26 million and to decrease Retained earnings by $60 million. These adjustments reduce the liability accrued for expenses incurred but not paid and reduce equity for the remaining expenses that have not yet been incurred, respectively. The remaining effect to Retained earnings from the cash adjustment for the Waters Bridge Facility debt issuance costs and financing fees is described in item 7(c) below.
| b. | Represents an adjustment of $228 million to Inventories to reflect the estimated step-up in fair value of SpinCo’s inventory acquired, valued using a cost-based approach. The calculated value is preliminary and subject to change and could vary materially from the final purchase price allocation. |
| As of September 27, 2025 (in thousands) |
||||
| Finished Goods |
$ | 668,400 | ||
| WIP |
168,400 | |||
| Raw Materials |
133,500 | |||
| Less: Historical Inventories |
(742,594 | ) | ||
|
|
|
|||
| Pro forma adjustment to Inventories |
$ | 227,706 | ||
|
|
|
|||
| c. | Of the total debt issuance costs and financing fees related to the Waters Bridge Financing of $7 million, $5 million were already paid by Waters as of September 27, 2025 and capitalized to Other assets. Therefore, a pro forma adjustment reclassifies $5 million of previously capitalized costs to reflect the amount in Retained earnings as of September 27, 2025. An incremental adjustment to Retained earnings records the debt issuance costs not yet incurred of $2 million related to the Waters Bridge Facility that is recognized as interest expense upon the Closing Date due to extinguishment of the Waters Bridge Facility. In total, Retained earnings is |
22
| adjusted by $7 million to reflect the total debt issuance costs and financing fees expensed as of the Closing Date. |
| d. | Represents an adjustment of $350 million to Property, plant and equipment, net to reflect the estimated step-up in fair value of those SpinCo assets acquired. The fair value estimate was determined based on the cost and market approaches. The calculated value is preliminary and subject to change and could vary materially from the final valuation. |
| As of September 27, 2025 (in thousands) |
||||
| Land and land improvements |
$ | 64,600 | ||
| Buildings and leasehold improvements |
433,100 | |||
| Production and other equipment |
521,000 | |||
| Construction in progress |
156,000 | |||
| Less: Historical Property, plant and equipment, net |
(824,473 | ) | ||
|
|
|
|||
| Pro forma adjustment to Property, plant and equipment, net |
$ | 350,227 | ||
| e. | Represents an adjustment of $9.5 billion to Intangible assets, net to reflect the estimated fair value of intangible assets acquired consisting of the following: |
| As of September 27, 2025 (in thousands) |
||||
| Trade Names |
$ | 134,000 | ||
| Developed Technology |
2,679,000 | |||
| Customer Relationships |
6,915,000 | |||
| Less: Historical Intangible assets, net |
(178,574 | ) | ||
|
|
|
|||
| Pro forma adjustment to Intangible assets, net |
$ | 9,549,426 | ||
The fair value estimates for identifiable intangible assets are preliminary and are based upon assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset. The fair values of the trade name portfolio, developed technology, and customer relationships are valued based on earning and royalty-based methodologies, which incorporate assumptions and methods suitable for estimating the future economic benefits of these assets. The calculated value is preliminary and subject to change and could vary materially from the final valuations.
A 10% change in the valuation of intangible assets would cause a corresponding increase or decrease in the balance of Goodwill and Long-term income tax liabilities by $739 million and $233 million, respectively, as of September 27, 2025.
| f. | Represents an adjustment to Goodwill to reflect the resulting goodwill that would have been recorded if the Merger occurred on September 27, 2025. |
| As of September 27, 2025 (in thousands) |
||||
| Goodwill resulting from the Merger |
$ | 9,554,870 | ||
| Less: Historical goodwill of the BDS Business |
(896,017 | ) | ||
|
|
|
|||
| Pro forma adjustment to Goodwill |
$ | 8,658,653 | ||
| g. | Represents an adjustment to decrease Operating lease assets by $74 million to reflect the remeasurement of the BDS Business’s leases based on Waters’ estimated incremental borrowing rate as of the date of the Transactions. |
23
| h. | Represents adjustments to Short-term debt and Long-term debt of $4 million and $1 million, respectively, to reflect the adjustment to the fair value of the SpinCo Financing assumed in the Merger. As debt issuance costs and financing fees do not meet the definition of an asset, $5 million in financing fees were not recognized as part of the Merger. Consistent with item 5(a) above, of the total debt issuance costs and financing fees related to the SpinCo Financing of $11 million, $6 million were already recorded to interest expense by Waters as of September 27, 2025 such that the adjustment adjusts the fair value only for those remaining debt issuance costs and financing fees not yet reflected in Waters’ unaudited consolidated financial information as of September 27, 2025. |
| i. | Represents an adjustment to Long-term income tax liabilities of $2.4 billion for the estimated tax impacts of the pro forma adjustments to deferred income taxes as a result of purchase accounting, in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined balance sheet as of September 27, 2025 by using a blended statutory tax rate of 24%. Additionally, an adjustment of $11 million is recorded in Accrued income taxes to reflect a decrease to current income taxes payable related to the tax effect of deductible transaction costs assuming a blended statutory tax rate of 24%. The reduction of the accrued liability results in a corresponding adjustment to increase Retained earnings by $11 million. The total effective tax rate of the combined company could be significantly different than the blended statutory tax rate applied depending on the geographical mix of income and other factors following the completion of the Transactions. Because the tax rate used for this unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information is an estimate, it will likely vary from the actual rate in periods subsequent to the completion of the business combination and those differences may be material. |
| j. | Represents an adjustment to Total stockholders’ equity as of September 27, 2025 consisting of the following: |
| in thousands) | Common stock |
Additional paid-in capital |
Retained earnings |
Accumulated other comprehensive losses |
Net parent investment |
|||||||||||||||
| Elimination of total historical equity of SpinCo |
$ | — | $ | — | $ | $ | 92,294 | $ | 883,168 | |||||||||||
| Issuance of shares of Waters Common Stock |
387 | 15,290,090 | — | — | ||||||||||||||||
| Replacement of share-based compensation awards related to pre-combination services |
— | 27,199 | — | — | ||||||||||||||||
| Payment of transaction fees and expenses (i) |
(59,845 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Payment of Waters Bridge Facility debt issuance costs and financing fees (ii) |
(7,211 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Reduction to accrued income taxes related to deductible transaction costs (iii) |
10,594 | |||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
| Pro forma adjustment to Total stockholders’ equity |
$ | 387 | $ | 15,317,289 | $ | (56,462 | ) | $ | 92,294 | $ | 883,168 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
| (i) | Refer to item 7(a) for supporting details. |
| (ii) | Refer to item 7(c) for supporting details. |
| (iii) | Refer to item 7(i) for supporting details. |
Statements of Operations
| k. | Represents an adjustment to Cost of product sales from the run-off of the estimated step-up in fair value of inventory acquired. As all inventory is expected to be sold within a year following the Merger, no adjustment is needed for the nine months ended September 27, 2025, and $228 million is reflected as an adjustment for the year ended December 31, 2024. |
| l. | Represents an adjustment to Selling and administrative expenses of $61 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 resulting from estimated transaction-related costs that are not currently reflected in the |
24
| historical consolidated financial information of Waters, which consist of professional, legal, and other acquisition-related fees. |
| m. | Represents an adjustment for the incremental depreciation expense of $11 million for the nine months ended September 27, 2025 and $8 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 relating to the estimated step-up in fair value of Property, plant and equipment, net. Depreciation expense is based on a straight-line methodology over the estimated useful lives noted below. Given that depreciation is reflected in multiple captions based on the nature of the asset, the adjustment is applicable to the captions as noted below. |
| Estimated Useful Life (in years) |
Nine months ended September 27, 2025 (in thousands) |
Year ended December 31, 2024 (in thousands) |
||||||||||
| Depreciation expense – Land improvements |
7 | $ | 304 | $ | 406 | |||||||
| Depreciation expense – Buildings and leasehold improvements |
12 - 22 | 15,204 | 20,272 | |||||||||
| Depreciation expense – Production and other equipment |
2 - 7 | 37,302 | 49,736 | |||||||||
| Less: Historical depreciation expense related to property, plant and equipment |
(41,977 | ) | (62,068 | ) | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
| Total incremental depreciation expense: |
$ | 10,833 | $ | 8,346 | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
| Pro forma adjustment to Cost of product sales |
|
$ | 8,865 | $ | 6,748 | |||||||
| Pro forma adjustment to Selling and administrative expenses |
|
668 | 510 | |||||||||
| Pro forma adjustment to Research and development expenses |
|
1,300 | 1,088 | |||||||||
| n. | Represents the net adjustment to Purchased intangibles amortization of $504 million for the nine months ended September 27, 2025 and $674 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 relating to the estimated fair values of the Intangible assets recognized in the Transaction. |
| Estimated Useful Life (in years) |
Nine months ended September 27, 2025 (in thousands) |
Year ended December 31, 2024 (in thousands) |
||||||||||
| Amortization on Trade Names |
3 | $ | 33,500 | $ | 44,667 | |||||||
| Amortization of Developed Technology |
11-12 | 175,790 | 234,386 | |||||||||
| Amortization of Customer Relationships |
16 | 324,141 | 432,188 | |||||||||
| Less: Historical Purchased intangibles amortization |
(28,975 | ) | (37,148 | ) | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
| Pro forma adjustment to Purchased intangibles amortization |
$ | 504,456 | $ | 674,093 | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
A 10% change in the valuation of intangible assets would cause a corresponding increase or decrease in the amount of amortization expense by $53 million for the nine months ended September 27, 2025 and $71 million for the year ended December 31, 2024.
| o. | Represents an adjustment of $29 million for the nine months ended September 27, 2025 and an adjustment of $36 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 resulting from the recognition of replacement share-based awards attributable to post-combination services, net of historical share-based compensation that has |
25
| been reversed. Pro forma share-based compensation expense has been calculated by using the acquisition-date fair value of the Waters replacement awards (the number of BD awards converted to Waters awards using the Exchange Ratio, multiplied by the Waters share price on the Closing Date) less the amount attributed to pre-combination services disclosed in Note 6 – Preliminary Purchase Consideration. Given that share-based compensation expense is reflected in multiple captions based on the nature of the award, the adjustment is applicable to the captions as noted below: |
| Nine months ended September 27, 2025 (in thousands) |
Year ended December 31, 2024 (in thousands) |
|||||||
| Pro forma share-based compensation expense |
$ | 3,368 | $ | 8,197 | ||||
| Less: Historical share-based compensation expense |
(32,250 | ) | (44,000 | ) | ||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Total reduction in share-based compensation expense |
$ | (28,882 | ) | $ | (35,803 | ) | ||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Pro forma adjustment to Cost of product sales |
$ | (6,045 | ) | $ | (7,323 | ) | ||
| Pro forma adjustment to Selling and administrative expenses |
(18,135 | ) | (22,784 | ) | ||||
| Pro forma adjustment to Research and development expenses |
(4,702 | ) | (5,696 | ) | ||||
| p. | Represents an adjustment for the incremental Interest expense related to the Waters Bridge Facility to reflect the amount as interest expense as of the Closing Date given that the debt is not expected to be drawn. This results in an adjustment of $7 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. As of the date of the Waters Registration Statement, Waters believes that the assumption of no Waters Special Dividend is the most meaningful representation based on current analysis and estimates of Overlap Shareholders as described above. Accordingly, Waters does not expect to replace the Waters Bridge Facility with permanent financing at or before maturity. As a result, no adjustment is needed for the nine months ended September 27, 2025. |
| q. | Represents an adjustment for the estimated tax impacts of the pro forma adjustments in Provision for income taxes in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined statement of operations by using a blended statutory tax rate of 24% for both the nine months ended September 27, 2025 and the year ended December 31, 2024. This results in an adjustment of $117 million for the nine months ended September 27, 2025 and $222 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. |
The total effective tax rate of the combined company could be significantly different depending on the geographical mix of income and other factors following the completion of the Transactions. Because the tax rate used for this pro forma financial information is an estimate, it will likely vary from the actual rate in periods subsequent to the completion of the business combination and those differences may be material.
There is no adjustment related to the tax impact of undistributed earnings included in the unaudited pro forma condensed combined statements of operations as the final transaction structure and chain of ownership has not been determined. Therefore, an adjustment for the potential tax impact is not reasonable and supportable as of the date of the Waters Registration Statement.
26
NOTE 8 — Earnings per Share
As a result of the adjustments as described above, an adjustment to earnings per share (“EPS”) for the nine months ended September 27, 2025 and for the year ended December 31, 2024 was made to present pro forma basic and diluted weighted average shares of the combined company using the historical weighted average shares of Waters Common Stock outstanding combined with the additional Waters equity awards issued in connection with the Merger. The following table sets forth a reconciliation of the numerators and denominators used to compute pro forma basic and diluted earnings per share:
| Pro Forma Basic Weighted-Average Shares |
Nine months ended September 27, 2025 (in thousands, except per share data) |
Year ended December 31, 2024 (in thousands, except per share data) |
||||||
| Pro forma net income attributable to common shareholders |
$ | 196,696 | $ | 70,185 | ||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Historical weighted-average number of basic common shares |
59,496 | 59,333 | ||||||
| Issuance of shares to SpinCo common stock shareholders |
38,729 | 38,729 | ||||||
| Impact of Waters RSUs and SARs to replace SpinCo RSUs and SARs |
15 | 15 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Pro forma weighted average shares (basic) |
98,240 | 98,077 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Pro forma basic EPS |
$ | 2.00 | $ | 0.72 | ||||
| Pro Forma Diluted Weighted-Average Shares |
Nine months ended September 27, 2025 (in thousands, except per share data) |
Year ended December 31, 2024 (in thousands, except per share data) |
||||||
| Pro forma net income attributable to common shareholders |
$ | 196,696 | $ | 70,185 | ||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Historical weighted-average number of diluted common shares and equivalents |
59,656 | 59,552 | ||||||
| Issuance of shares to SpinCo common stock shareholders |
38,729 | 38,729 | ||||||
| Dilutive impact of Waters RSUs and SARs to replace SpinCo RSUs and SARs |
47 | 47 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Pro forma weighted average shares (diluted) |
98,432 | 98,328 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
| Pro forma diluted EPS |
$ | 2.00 | $ | 0.71 | ||||
NOTE 9 — Additional Presentation to Reflect Possible Waters Special Dividend
As described in Note 2—Basis of Presentation, the number of shares of Waters Common Stock that Waters will issue at the completion of the Transactions may change depending on the nature and extent of shareholders who may be counted as Overlap Shareholders for purposes of determining the Exchange Ratio. The Merger Agreement provides that Waters may declare a Waters Special Dividend to its shareholders in an amount that will depend on the number of shares being issued, but which may range in amount between $0.01 per share and approximately $4.0 billion. In the event that the Exchange Ratio is increased, requiring a Waters Special Dividend, the SpinCo Cash Distribution will also decrease, by up to $2.3 billion.
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The extent of the Overlap Shareholders is outside of Waters’ and BD’s control and will not be known until the completion of the Transactions. The grant of the IRS Ruling is at the discretion of the IRS. Waters, BD, and SpinCo can offer no assurance concerning the extent of the Overlap Shareholders at the completion of the Transactions or assurance that the IRS Ruling will be received.
The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information and related notes were prepared assuming an illustrative scenario, which represents the amount of Waters common shares that will be exchanged in the Transactions assuming no payment of the Waters Special Dividend based on facts and circumstances existing at the time of the filing of the Waters Registration Statement, including an assumption that the IRS Ruling will be received, assumption as to its contents and an assumption of the extent of the Overlap Shareholders that will exist at Closing.
The additional presentation below gives effect to another possible result that will depend on the extent of the Overlap Shareholders. The possible result below is presented as the “Maximum Special Dividend” (reflecting $4.0 billion cash dividend paid to Waters shareholders upon completion of the Transactions and the incurrence of indebtedness under the Transaction Financing). The Maximum Special Dividend scenario presented below assumes that Waters would fully draw upon the Waters Bridge Facility entered in connection with the Transactions to fund the Waters Special Dividend, resulting in additional financing fees and incremental interest expense. Where the Exchange Ratio increases and requires a Waters Special Dividend of $4.0 billion, the SpinCo Cash Distribution will decrease by $2.3 billion, from $4.0 billion to $1.8 billion. If the Waters Special Dividend is paid, Waters directors participating in the Waters Director Deferred Compensation Plan who have elected to receive fees in Common Stock Units will be kept whole pursuant to the existing anti-dilution provisions in the applicable plan documents. Any such participation will depend upon the amount of the Waters Special Dividend, determinations made by the Compensation Committee of the Waters Board and other facts and circumstances as of the date of the dividend. Given the mechanism to keep Waters directors whole has not been determined, no adjustment has been reflected. Further assessment of impacts to existing agreements and arrangements as a result of the Maximum Bridge Facility Dividend may affect the assumptions set forth.
The following table represents the preliminary estimate of the purchase consideration to be paid in the Transaction under the Maximum Special Dividend scenario:
| (in thousands, except per share data) |
Illustrative Scenario |
Maximum Special Dividend |
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| Estimated number of shares of Waters Common Stock to be issued in the Merger in the illustrative scenario (i) |
38,729 | 38,729 | ||||||
| Plus: Incremental number of shares of Waters Common Stock to be issued in the Maximum Special Dividend scenario (ii) |
— | 17,907 | ||||||
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| Total estimated number of shares of Waters common stock to be issued in the Merger |
38,729 | 56,636 | ||||||
| Waters common stock price |
$ | 394.81 | $ | 394.81 | ||||
| Less: Impact of Waters Special Dividend on Waters Common Stock per share (per share)(iii) |
— | (66.59 | ) | |||||
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| Waters Common Stock price after impact of Waters Special Dividend on Waters price per share (per share) |
$ | 394.81 | $ | 328.22 | ||||
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| Estimated fair value of Waters common stock to be issued |
$ | 15,290,477 | $ | 18,589,065 | ||||
| Estimated equity consideration related to pre-combination share-based compensation awards |
27,199 | 27,199 | ||||||
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| Estimated preliminary purchase consideration |
$ | 15,317,676 | $ | 18,616,264 | ||||
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| (i) | For the illustrative scenario, the estimated number of shares of Waters Common Stock to be issued in the Merger was calculated as the product of (a) the estimated number of fully diluted shares of Waters Common Stock immediately prior to the Merger multiplied by (b) the share issuance ratio, as detailed in Note 6 – Preliminary Purchase Consideration. |
| (ii) | The incremental shares of Waters Common Stock to be issued in the Maximum Special Dividend scenario was calculated based on the terms of the Merger Agreement as the quotient of (c) the Aggregate Cap of $6.25 billion divided by (d) $349.02. The payment of the Maximum Special Dividend of $4.0 billion assumes an Aggregate Adjustment Amount up to the Aggregate Cap of $6.25 billion. The Aggregate Adjustment Amount is calculated based on the product of (e) the amount by which the Exchange Ratio increases, (f) $349.02, and (g) the number of outstanding shares of SpinCo Common Stock outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time. Noting that the number of incremental shares of Waters Common Stock to be issued is a function of (e) and (g) in the preceding calculation, the incremental shares of Waters Common Stock to be issued in the Maximum Special Dividend scenario is calculated based on the Aggregate Adjustment Amount of $6.25 billion divided by $349.02. |
| (iii) | Because the payment of the Waters Special Dividend is conditioned on the closing of the Merger, it is anticipated that the market value of Waters Common Stock will decline as a result of the Waters Special Dividend. The estimated Waters Special Dividend per share is derived by the total amount of the Waters Special Dividend (estimated to be $4.0 billion) over the number of Waters common stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the Effective Time (estimated to be 60 million shares). BD shareholders who receive Waters Common Stock in the Merger will not be entitled to the Waters Special Dividend since the record date for the Waters Special Dividend will be prior to the Effective Time. |
The following represents the impact of the Maximum Special Dividend on the unaudited pro forma condensed combined balance sheet as of September 27, 2025. The Incremental Pre-Merger Adjustments and Incremental Transaction Accounting Adjustments reflect the impact of the Maximum Special Dividend scenario compared to the Pre-Merger Adjustments and Transaction Accounting Adjustments calculated in the Illustrative Scenario.
| Illustrative Scenario | Maximum Special Dividend | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | Separation and Pre- Merger Adjustments |
Transaction Accounting Adjustments |
Pro Forma Combined |
Incremental Separation and Pre- Merger Adjustments |
Note | Incremental Transaction Accounting Adjustments |
Note | Pro Forma Combined |
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| Cash and cash equivalents |
$ | (5,067 | ) | $ | (87,413 | ) | $ | 440,367 | $ | 2,250,000 | 9 | (a) | $ | (2,206,800 | ) | 9 | (c) | $ | 483,567 | |||||||||||||
| Other current assets |
— | (5,506 | ) | 261,896 | — | — | 261,896 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Goodwill |
— | 8,658,853 | 10,893,228 | — | 1,048,588 | 9 | (e) | 11,941,816 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Short-term debt |
3,495,567 | 4,433 | 3,500,336 | — | 1,785,989 | 9 | (d) | 5,286,325 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other current liabilities |
— | (25,863 | ) | 286,220 | 4,000,000 | 9 | (b) | (4,000,000 | ) | 9 | (c) | 286,220 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Long-term debt |
499,366 | 634 | 1,447,549 | — | — | 1,447,549 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Common stock |
— | 387 | 2,018 | — | 179 | 9 | (f) | 2,197 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Additional paid-in capital |
— | 15,317,289 | 17,713,766 | — | 3,298,409 | 9 | (f) | 21,012,175 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retained earnings |
— | (56,462 | ) | 10,149,608 | (4,000,000 | ) | 9 | (b) | 7,211 | 9 | (d) | 6,156,819 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Net parent investment |
(3,943,173 | ) | 883,168 | — | 2,250,000 | 9 | (a) | (2,250,000 | ) | 9 | (f) | — | ||||||||||||||||||||
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The following represents the impact of the Maximum Special Dividend on the unaudited pro forma condensed combined statement of operations for the nine months ended September 27, 2025.
| Illustrative Scenario | Maximum Special Dividend | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | Pre-Merger Adjustments |
Transaction Accounting Adjustments |
Pro Forma Combined |
Incremental Pre-Merger Adjustments |
Note | Incremental Transaction Accounting Adjustments |
Note | Pro Forma Combined |
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| Operating income |
$ | — | $ | (486,407 | ) | $ | 389,942 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 389,942 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Other expense, net |
— | — | (15,723 | ) | — | — | (15,723 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Interest expense |
(166,358 | ) | — | (221,677 | ) | — | (86,012 | ) | 9 | (d) | (307,689 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Interest income |
— | — | 14,871 | — | — | 14,871 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Income (loss) before income taxes |
(166,358 | ) | (486,407 | ) | 167,413 | — | (86,012 | ) | 81,401 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Provision for income taxes |
(39,926 | ) | (116,738 | ) | (29,283 | ) | — | (20,643 | ) | 9 | (g) | (49,926 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Net income |
(126,432 | ) | (369,669 | ) | 196,696 | — | (65,369 | ) | 131,327 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Net income per basic common share |
$ | 2.00 | $ | 1.13 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weighted-average number of basic common shares Basic |
98,240 | 116,132 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net income per diluted common share |
$ | 2.00 | $ | 1.13 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weighted-average number of diluted common shares and equivalents |
98,432 | 116,292 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The following represents the impact of the Maximum Special Dividend on the unaudited pro forma condensed combined statement of operations for the year ended December 31, 2024.
| Illustrative Scenario | Maximum Special Dividend | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (in thousands) | Pre-Merger Adjustments |
Transaction Accounting Adjustments |
Pro Forma Combined |
Incremental Pre-Merger Adjustments |
Note | Incremental Transaction Accounting Adjustments |
Note | Pro Forma Combined |
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| Operating income |
$ | — | $ | (935,187 | ) | $ | 261,827 | $ | — | $ | — | $ | 261,827 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Other expense, net |
— | — | (5,215 | ) | — | — | (5,215 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Interest expense |
(221,882 | ) | (7,211 | ) | (318,774 | ) | — | (107,471 | ) | 9 | (d) | (426,245 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Interest income |
— | — | 19,100 | — | — | 19,100 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Income (loss) before income taxes |
(221,882 | ) | (942,398 | ) | (43,062 | ) | — | (107,471 | ) | (150,533 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Benefit for income taxes |
(53,252 | ) | (222,166 | ) | (113,247 | ) | — | (25,793 | ) | 9 | (g) | (139,040 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Net income (loss) |
$ | (168,630 | ) | $ | (720,232 | ) | $ | 70,185 | $ | — | $ | (81,678 | ) | $ | (11,493 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
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| Net income (loss) per basic common share |
$ | 0.72 | $ | (0.10 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weighted-average number of basic common shares Basic |
98,077 | 115,984 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Net income (loss) per diluted common share |
$ | 0.71 | $ | (0.10 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weighted-average number of diluted common shares and equivalents(1) |
98,328 | 115,984 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| (1) | There was no difference in the weighted average number of common shares used for the calculation of pro forma basic and diluted loss per share in the Maximum Special Dividend scenario as the effect of all potentially dilutive shares outstanding would have been anti-dilutive. |
Incremental Pre-Merger Adjustments
| a. | The SpinCo Cash Distribution decreases from $4.0 billion to $1.8 billion. However, SpinCo will continue to draw the entirety of the $4.0 billion SpinCo Financing and use the remainder of the funds to pay the Waters Special Dividend as further described below. The change to the SpinCo Cash Distribution results in the following incremental adjustments: |
Cash and cash equivalents
While the SpinCo Cash Distribution is decreased to $1.8 billion, SpinCo will still draw the entirety of the $4.0 billion SpinCo Financing. Therefore, Cash and cash equivalents reflects an incremental adjustment of $2.3 billion as of September 27, 2025 to include the cash retained by SpinCo from the SpinCo Financing.
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Net parent investment
As SpinCo pays only $1.8 billion for the reduced SpinCo Cash Distribution, the adjustment to Net parent investment is reduced by $2.3 billion as compared to the illustrative scenario as of September 27, 2025.
| b. | The Waters Special Dividend is declared prior to the Merger, but is not paid until after the Merger, when the requisite cash is obtained from the funds SpinCo retains from the SpinCo Financing. This results in the following incremental adjustments: |
Other current liabilities
An incremental adjustment is made to increase Other current liabilities to reflect a dividend payable of $4.0 billion for Waters based on the dividend declared but not yet paid.
Retained earnings
As a result of the divided declaration, an incremental adjustment is reflected to decrease Retained earnings by $4.0 billion.
Incremental Transaction Accounting Adjustments
| c. | Waters will draw $1.8 billion from the Waters Bridge Facility to fund, in part, the Waters Special Dividend of $4.0 billion. The remaining portion of the Waters Special Dividend will be paid from the excess cash from SpinCo’s draw on the SpinCo Financing that is acquired in the Merger. The payment of the Waters Special Dividend through these funds results in the following incremental adjustments: |
Cash and cash equivalents
Waters will draw $1.8 billion from the Waters Bridge Facility to fund, in part, the Waters Special Dividend of $4.0 billion. The remaining portion of the Waters Special Dividend will be paid from the excess cash from the SpinCo’s draw on the SpinCo Financing that is acquired in the Merger. The proceeds of $1.8 billion from the Waters Bridge Facility is offset by the payment of the Waters Special Dividend of $4.0 billion, resulting in a net decrease to Cash and cash equivalents of $2.2 billion. Further, the draw of Waters Bridge Facility increases financing fees for incremental contingent fees that are incurred upon the draw, resulting in a further decrease to cash of $7 million for Waters’ payment of the fees. The Waters Bridge Facility, therefore, results in a decrease to Cash and cash equivalents of $2.2 billion as of September 27, 2025.
Other current liabilities
The payment of $4.0 billion for the Waters Special Dividend as described above extinguishes the previously recorded dividend liability, resulting in a $4.0 billion adjustment to reduce Other current liabilities.
| d. | The draw of the Waters Bridge Facility will also result in the following incremental adjustments related to the resulting debt accounting: |
Short-term debt
As the Waters Bridge Facility is drawn in the Maximum Special Dividend scenario, an incremental adjustment is made to Short-term debt to reflect the debt proceeds of $1.8 billion, net of $14 million of debt issuance and financing fees incurred upon the draw of the Waters Bridge Facility. This results in a
32
net incremental adjustment to Short-term debt of $1.8 billion as of September 27, 2025. This obligation is classified as Short-term debt based on its term of one year. Waters expects to replace this debt with permanent financing at or before maturity.
Retained earnings
The illustrative scenario assumed that the Waters Bridge Facility would not be drawn and therefore reflected an adjustment of $7 million to Retained earnings for debt issuance and financing fees recognized as interest expense upon the extinguishment of the debt commitments. However, upon the draw of the Waters Bridge Facility in the Maximum Special Dividend scenario, all such costs are included in the carrying value of the debt. Therefore, an adjustment increases Retained earnings by $7 million to reverse the impact of the expense recognition in the illustrative scenario.
Interest expense
In the illustrative scenario, $7 million of interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2024 was reflected related to the debt issuance costs and financing fees for the undrawn Waters Bridge Facility extinguished as of the Closing Date. As the Waters Bridge Facility is drawn in the Maximum Special Dividend scenario, interest expense is calculated under the effective interest method resulting in interest of $86 million for the nine months ended September 27, 2025 and $114 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. Therefore, an incremental adjustment increases Interest expense by $86 million for the nine months ended September 27, 2025 and $107 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. Although the term of the Waters Bridge Facility is only one year, Waters expects to replace this debt with permanent financing at or before maturity under the Maximum Special Dividend scenario. As a result, the adjustment to record interest expense assumes the Waters Bridge Loan was outstanding for the nine months ended September 27, 2025 and for the entire year ended December 31, 2024. A sensitivity analysis has been performed to consider the effect of a change of 0.125% to the interest rate would have on Interest expense. A 0.125% increase or decrease in interest rates would result in a change in Interest expense of approximately $2 million for the nine months ended September 27, 2025 and $2 million for the year ended December 31, 2024.
| e. | Goodwill |
As a result of the changes to purchase consideration and the changes in net assets acquired based on prior incremental adjustments, each as described above, an incremental adjustment of $1.0 billion to Goodwill is reflected as of September 27, 2025.
| f. | Given the changes in purchase price and the adjustment to Net parent investment, each as described above, incremental adjustments are reflected for Stockholders’ equity as noted below: |
Common stock and Additional paid-in capital
The incremental Waters common stock to be issued in the Maximum Special Dividend scenario results in an incremental adjustment to Common stock of an immaterial amount and to Additional paid-in capital of $3.3 billion, both as of September 27, 2025.
Net parent investment
Noting the reduced adjustment to Net parent investment of $2.3 billion in the pre-Merger adjustments resulting from the decreased SpinCo Cash Distribution, an incremental offsetting adjustment of $2.3 billion is recorded as part of the transaction accounting adjustments to fully eliminate the historical equity of the BDS Business.
33
| g. | Provision for income taxes |
As a result of the incremental Interest expense for the Waters Bridge Facility noted above, an incremental adjustment is recorded in Provision for income taxes of $21 million for the nine months ended September 27, 2025 and $26 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. The amount was calculated using a blended statutory tax rate of 24% for both the nine months ended September 27, 2025 and the year ended December 31, 2024.
The total effective tax rate of the combined company could be significantly different depending on the post-acquisition geographical mix of income and other factors. Because the tax rate used for this pro forma financial information is an estimate, it will likely vary from the actual rate in periods subsequent to the completion of the business combination and those differences may be material.
34