Restricted Payments (a) The Company will not declare, pay or make any dividend or distribution (in cash, property or obligations) on any shares of capital stock (now or hereafter outstanding) of the Company, or on any warrants, options or other rights with respect to any class of capital stock (now or hereafter outstanding) of the Company, or apply or permit any Subsidiary to apply, any of its funds, property or assets to the purchase, redemption, sinking fund, or other retirement of, or agree, or permit any Subsidiary of the Company to agree, to purchase or redeem (or set aside funds to purchase or redeem) any shares of any class of capital stock (now or hereafter outstanding) of the Company, or warrants, options or other rights with respect to any class of capital stock (now or hereafter outstanding) of the Company (all or any of the foregoing, "RESTRICTED PAYMENTS"); PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that so long as the Company remains qualified as a REIT under the Code, the Company may make Restricted Payments if and to the extent (but only to the extent) that: (i) no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing at the time of declaration of such Restricted Payment, and (ii) immediately after giving effect to the making of such Restricted Payment, the sum of all Restricted Payments made subsequent to December 31, 1995 would not exceed the sum of (1) $10,000,000, (2) 100% of Cash Flow accumulated subsequent to December 31, 1995, and (3) the net proceeds to the Company since December 31, 1995 from the issuance of any shares of its capital stock or any warrants, options or other rights with respect thereto; PROVIDED FURTHER that the Company may make a Restricted Payment if a Default (but not an Event of Default) shall have occurred and be continuing if such Restricted Payment was declared but not yet paid prior to the occurrence of such Default and the making of such Restricted Payment would be permitted under clause (ii) of this Section 5.16(a). (b) The provisions of Section 5.16(a) to the contrary notwithstanding, the Company may declare and make a Restricted Payment if a Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing at the time that such Restricted Payment was declared, if (i) the declaration and payment of such Restricted Payment is required in order for the Company to continue to qualify as a REIT under the Code, and (ii) the Default or Event of Default existing at the time of such declaration did not result from (1) a breach of this Section 5.16, (2) a failure to make any payment or prepayment of principal or interest on the Notes (including failure to pay the Make-Whole Premium pursuant to Section 2, when due), or (3) the occurrence of any event specified in Section 6.1(a) or (g).
Limitation on Restricted Payments (a) The Covenant Parties will not, and will not permit any Restricted Subsidiary to, directly or indirectly: (I) declare or pay any dividend or make any payment or distribution on account of any Covenant Parties’ or any Restricted Subsidiaries’ Equity Interests, including any dividend or distribution payable in connection with any merger or consolidation other than: (i) dividends or distributions payable solely in Equity Interests (other than Disqualified Stock) of a Covenant Party or a Restricted Subsidiary; or (ii) dividends or distributions by a Covenant Party (other than VNU HF) or a Restricted Subsidiary so long as, in the case of any dividend or distribution payable on or in respect of any class or series of securities issued by a Covenant Party (other than VNU HF) or such Restricted Subsidiary, a Covenant Party or another Restricted Subsidiary receives at least its pro rata share of such dividend or distribution in accordance with its Equity Interests in such class or series of securities; (II) purchase, redeem, defease or otherwise acquire or retire for value any Equity Interests of VNU HF or any direct or indirect parent of VNU HF, including in connection with any merger or consolidation; (III) make any principal payment on, or redeem, repurchase, defease or otherwise acquire or retire for value in each case, prior to any scheduled repayment, sinking fund payment or maturity, any Subordinated Indebtedness, or make any interest or principal payment on, or redeem, repurchase or otherwise acquire or retire for value the Parent Intercompany Debt, other than: (i) Indebtedness permitted under Section 6.05(b)(7); or (ii) the purchase, repurchase or other acquisition of Subordinated Indebtedness of the Covenant Parties and their Restricted Subsidiaries purchased in anticipation of satisfying a sinking fund obligation, principal installment or final maturity, in each case due within one year of the date of purchase, repurchase or acquisition; or (IV) make any Restricted Investment (all such payments and other actions set forth in clauses (I) through (IV) above being collectively referred to as “Restricted Payments”), unless, at the time of such Restricted Payment: (1) no Default shall have occurred and be continuing or would occur as a consequence thereof; (2) immediately after giving effect to such transaction on a pro forma basis, the Borrower could incur $1.00 of additional Indebtedness pursuant to the Consolidated Leverage Ratio test set forth in Section 6.05(a); and (3) such Restricted Payment, together with the aggregate amount of all other Restricted Payments made by the Covenant Parties and the Restricted Subsidiaries after August 9, 2006 (including Restricted Payments permitted by clauses (1), (2) (with respect to the payment of dividends on Refunding Capital Stock (as defined below) pursuant to clause (b) thereof only), (6)(c), (9) and (14) of Section 6.03(b), but excluding all other Restricted Payments permitted by Section 6.03(b)), is less than the sum of (without duplication): (a) the EBITDA of the Covenant Parties and the Restricted Subsidiaries on a consolidated basis for the period beginning July 1, 2006, to the end of the Borrower’s most recently ended fiscal quarter for which internal financial statements are available at the time of such Restricted Payment, less the product of 1.4 times the Consolidated Interest Expense of the Covenant Parties and the Restricted Subsidiaries for the same period; plus (b) 100% of the aggregate net cash proceeds and the fair market value, as determined in good faith by the Borrower, of marketable securities or other property received by a Covenant Party or a Restricted Subsidiary since immediately after August 9, 2006 (other than net cash proceeds to the extent such net cash proceeds have been used to incur Indebtedness, Disqualified Stock or Preferred Stock pursuant to clause (11)(a) of Section 6.05(b)) from the issue or sale of: (i) (A) Equity Interests of VNU HF, or a direct or indirect parent company of VNU HF, including Treasury Capital Stock (as defined below), but excluding cash proceeds and the fair market value, as determined in good faith by the Borrower, of marketable securities or other property received from the sale of:
Dividends and Certain Other Restricted Payments No Loan Party shall, nor shall it permit any of its Subsidiaries to, (a) declare or pay any dividends on or make any other distributions in respect of any class or series of its Equity Interests (other than dividends or distributions payable solely in its Qualified Equity Interests), (b) directly or indirectly purchase, redeem, or otherwise acquire or retire for value any of its Equity Interests, (c) make any payment of Contingent Acquisition Consideration or (d) make any voluntary prepayment on account of any Subordinated Debt or effect any voluntary redemption thereof with cash on hand and/or the proceeds of a Loan hereunder (collectively referred to herein as “Restricted Payments”); provided, however, that the foregoing shall not operate to prevent: (i) the making of dividends or distributions by any Loan Party or Subsidiary thereof to Borrower or to any Wholly Owned Subsidiary of Borrower (or, in the case of non-Wholly Owned Subsidiaries, to Borrower or any subsidiary that is a direct or indirect parent of such subsidiary and to each other owner of equity interests of such subsidiary on a pro rata basis (or more favorable basis from the perspective of Borrower or such subsidiary) based on their relative ownership interests); (ii) so long as Borrower remains a pass through entity for United States federal and state income tax purposes, Borrower may pay dividends or make distributions to ATC through ATL (no more frequently than quarterly or as required by law to allow for the payment of estimated Taxes), and so long as ATC remains a pass through entity for United States federal and state income tax purposes, ATC may pay dividends or make distributions to its members, including Ultimate Parent, ATH and holders of Class B Units in ATC, in an aggregate amount for all such dividends and distributions under this clause (ii) not to exceed the product of (a) the taxable income of ATC and its Subsidiaries with respect to the applicable tax period (calculated net of any taxable losses of ATC and its Subsidiaries from the current and any prior taxable periods ending after the Closing Date to the extent available to be carried forward to offset such taxable income and not previously taken into account (assuming the direct or indirect members have no income other than through ATC and its Subsidiaries) and taking into account all available deductions or credits of ATC and its Subsidiaries) and (b) the highest maximum marginal federal, state and local income tax rates applicable to a direct or indirect member of ATC; (iii) Restricted Payments made on or prior to December 31, 2023 to the members of ATC with respect to distributions of management fees and incentive or performance fees or allocations earned in and for calendar year 2022 to the extent required to be paid pursuant to the terms of the Second Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of ATC; (iv) beginning after the Amendment Period End Date, the making of Restricted Payments in an aggregate amount not to exceed in any fiscal year the greater of (x) $12,000,000 and (y) 17.5% of Consolidated EBITDA for the most recently ended Test Period, provided that (A) no Default or Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing or would result therefrom and (B) Ultimate Parent shall be in compliance with the covenants set forth in Section 7.13 on a pro forma basis (as of the fiscal quarter then last ended for which financial statements have been delivered to Administrative Agent) after giving effect to such Restricted Payment; (i) ATC may redeem in whole or in part any of its capital stock with proceeds received by ATC from substantially concurrent equity contributions or issuances of new shares of its capital stock; provided that any terms and provisions material to the interests of the Lenders, when taken as a whole, contained in such other class of capital stock are at least as advantageous to the Lenders as those contained in the capital stock redeemed thereby and (ii) ATC and any Subsidiary may pay dividends payable solely in the capital stock of such Person; (vi) the making of dividends by Borrower or a Holding Company to a Holding Company or Ultimate Parent, as applicable, (a) to pay operating expenses and other corporate overhead costs and expenses of any such Holding Company or Ultimate Parent, in each case, which are reasonable and customary and incurred in the ordinary course of business in an aggregate amount not to exceed $3,000,000 in any fiscal year, (b) to reimburse any costs and expenses paid in cash related to administering and maintaining the provisions of the Tax Receivables Agreement (other than the payment of any tax payments thereunder or related thereto) or (c) for payments made by Ultimate Parent to the Sellers (under and as defined in the Tax Receivables Agreement); (vii) the making of dividends by Borrower or any Holding Company to a Holding Company or Ultimate Parent, as applicable, to pay franchise taxes and other taxes and fees required to maintain such Person’s corporate existence; (viii) the making of dividends by Borrower or any Holding Company to Ultimate Parent to pay fees and expenses (other than to any one or more Affiliates) related to an equity or debt offering of Ultimate Parent that was not consummated in an aggregate amount not to exceed $4,000,000 in any fiscal year; (ix) the making of dividends by Borrower or any Holding Company to a Holding Company or Ultimate Parent, as applicable, in an aggregate amount to pay customary salary, bonus and other benefits to officers, employees and consultants of any such Holding Company or Ultimate Parent so long as the payment of such salaries, bonuses and other benefits are attributable solely to work performed in connection with the operation of Borrower and its Subsidiaries; (x) payment of Contingent Acquisition Consideration (A) in shares or (B) in cash, so long as in the case of sub-clause (B), no Event of Default has occurred and is continuing under Section 8.1(a) or would occur as a result of such payment; and (xi) the redemption of Equity Interests held by the Equity Investors by Ultimate Parent in accordance with the Equity Purchase Documents; provided that each such redemption is paid solely in Qualified Equity Interests of Ultimate Parent.