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THE TARGET PORTFOLIO TRUST
Distribution Agreement
Agreement made as of July 1, 1998, between The Target
Portfolio Trust, a Delaware business trust (the Fund), and Prudential Investment
Management Services LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the Distributor).
WITNESSETH
WHEREAS, the Fund is registered under the Investment Company
Act of 1940, as amended (the Investment Company Act), as a diversified,
open-end, management investment company and it is in the interest of the Fund to
offer its shares for sale continuously;
WHEREAS, the shares of beneficial interest (all such shares
being returned to herein as Shares) of the Fund are divided into separate series
or portfolios (each a Portfolio), each of which is established by resolution of
the Trustees of the Fund, and the Trustees may from time to time terminate such
Portfolios or establish and terminate additional Portfolios;
WHEREAS, the Distributor is a broker-dealer registered under
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and is engaged in the business
of selling shares of registered investment companies either directly or through
other broker-dealers; and
WHEREAS, the Fund and the Distributor wish to enter into an
agreement with each other, with respect to the continuous offering of the Fund's
Shares from and after the date hereof in order to promote the growth of the Fund
and facilitate the distribution of its Shares.
NOW, THEREFORE, the parties agree as follows:
Section 1. Appointment of the Distributor
The Fund hereby appoints the Distributor as the principal
underwriter and distributor of the Shares of the Fund to sell Shares of each
Portfolio to the public on behalf of the Fund and the Distributor hereby accepts
such appointment and agrees to act hereunder. The Fund hereby agrees during the
term of this Agreement to sell Shares of the Fund through the Distributor on the
terms and conditions set forth below.
Section 2. Exclusive Nature of Duties
The Distributor shall be the exclusive representative of the
Fund to act as
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principal underwriter and distributor of the Fund's Shares, except that:
2.1 The exclusive rights granted to the Distributor to sell
Shares of the Fund shall not apply to Shares of the Fund issued in connection
with the merger or consolidation of any other investment company or personal
holding company with the Fund or the acquisition by purchase or otherwise of all
(or substantially all) the assets or the outstanding shares of any such company
by the Fund.
2.2 Such exclusive rights shall not apply to Shares issued by
the Fund pursuant to reinvestment of dividends or capital gains distributions.
2.3 Such exclusive rights shall not apply to Shares issued by
the Fund pursuant to the reinstatement privilege afforded redeeming
shareholders.
2.4 Such exclusive rights shall not apply to purchases made
through the Fund's transfer and dividend disbursing agent in the manner set
forth in the currently effective Prospectus of the Fund. The term "Prospectus"
shall mean the Prospectus and Statement of Additional Information included as
part of the Fund's Registration Statement, as such Prospectus and Statement of
Additional Information may be amended or supplemented from time to time, and the
term "Registration Statement" shall mean the Registration Statement filed by the
Fund with the Securities and Exchange Commission and effective under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended (Securities Act), and the Investment Company
Act, as such Registration Statement is amended from time to time.
Section 3. Purchase of Shares from the Fund
3.1 The Distributor shall have the right to buy from the Fund
the Shares needed, but not more than the Shares needed (except for clerical
errors in transmission) to fill unconditional orders for Shares placed with the
Distributor by investors or registered and qualified securities dealers and
other financial institutions (selected dealers). The price which the Distributor
shall pay for the shares so purchased from the Fund shall be the net asset
value, determined as set forth in the Prospectus.
3.2 The Shares are to be resold by the Distributor or selected
dealers, as described in Section 6.4 hereof, to investors at the offering price
as set forth in the Prospectus.
3.3 The Fund shall have the right to suspend the sale of its
Shares at times when redemption is suspended pursuant to the conditions in
Section 4.3 hereof or at such other times as may be determined by the Trustees.
The Fund shall also have the right to suspend the sale of its Shares if a
banking moratorium shall have
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been declared by federal or New Jersey authorities.
3.4 The Fund, or any agent of the Fund designated in writing
by the Fund, shall be promptly advised of all purchase orders for Shares
received by the Distributor. Any order may be rejected by the Fund; provided,
however, that the Fund will not arbitrarily or without reasonable cause refuse
to accept or confirm orders for the purchase of Shares. The Fund (or its agent)
will confirm orders upon their receipt, will make appropriate book entries and
upon receipt by the Fund (or its agent) of payment therefor, will deliver
deposit receipts for such Shares pursuant to the instructions of the
Distributor. Payment shall be made to the Fund in New York Clearing House funds
or federal funds. The Distributor agrees to cause such payment and such
instructions to be delivered promptly to the Fund (or its agent).
Section 4. Repurchase or Redemption of Shares by the Fund
4.1 Any of the outstanding Shares may be tendered for
redemption at any time, and the Fund agrees to repurchase or redeem the Shares
so tendered in accordance with its Declaration of Trust as amended from time to
time, and in accordance with the applicable provisions of the Prospectus. The
price to be paid to redeem or repurchase the Shares shall be equal to the net
asset value determined as set forth in the Prospectus. All payments by the Fund
hereunder shall be made in the manner set forth in Section 4.2 below.
4.2 The Fund shall pay the total amount of the redemption
price as defined in the above paragraph pursuant to the instructions of the
Distributor on or before the seventh calendar day subsequent to its having
received the notice of redemption in proper form. The proceeds of any redemption
of Shares shall be paid by the Fund to or for the account of the redeeming
shareholder, in each case in accordance with applicable provisions of the
Prospectus.
4.3 Redemption of Shares or payment may be suspended at times
when the New York Stock Exchange is closed for other than customary weekends and
holidays, when trading on said Exchange is restricted, when an emergency exists
as a result of which disposal by the Fund of securities owned by it is not
reasonably practicable or it is not reasonably practicable for the Fund fairly
to determine the value of its net assets, or during any other period when the
Securities and Exchange Commission, by order, so permits.
Section 5. Duties of the Fund
5.1 Subject to the possible suspension of the sale of Shares
as provided herein, the Fund agrees to sell its Shares so long as it has Shares
available.
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5.2 The Fund shall furnish the Distributor copies of all
information, financial statements and other papers which the Distributor may
reasonably request for use in connection with the distribution of Shares, and
this shall include one certified copy, upon request by the Distributor, of all
financial statements prepared for the Fund by independent public accountants.
The Fund shall make available to the Distributor such number of copies of its
Prospectus and annual and interim reports as the Distributor shall reasonably
request.
5.3 The Fund shall take, from time to time, but subject to the
necessary approval of the Trustees and the shareholders, all necessary action to
register the same under the Securities Act, to the end that there will be
available for sale such number of Shares as the Distributor reasonably may
expect to sell. The Fund agrees to file from time to time such amendments,
reports and other documents as may be necessary in order that there will be no
untrue statement of a material fact in the Registration Statement, or necessary
in order that there will be no omission to state a material fact in the
Registration Statement which omission would make the statements therein
misleading.
5.4 The Fund shall use its best efforts to qualify and
maintain the qualification of any appropriate number of its shares for sale
under the securities laws of such states as the Distributor and the Fund may
approve; provided that the Fund shall not be required to amend its Declaration
of Trust or By-Laws to comply with the laws of any state, to maintain an office
in any state, to change the terms of the offering of its Shares in any state
from the terms set forth in its Registration Statement, to qualify as a foreign
corporation in any state or to consent to service of process in any state other
than with respect to claims arising out of the offering of its Shares. Any such
qualification may be withheld, terminated or withdrawn by the Fund at any time
in its discretion. As provided in Section 7 hereof, the expense of qualification
and maintenance of qualification shall be borne by the Fund. The Distributor
shall furnish such information and other material relating to its affairs and
activities as may be required by the Fund in connection with such
qualifications.
Section 6. Duties of the Distributor
6.1 The Distributor shall devote reasonable time and effort to
effect sales of Shares of the Fund, but shall not be obligated to sell any
specific number of Shares. Sales of the Shares shall be on the terms described
in the Prospectus. The Distributor may enter into like arrangements with other
investment companies.
6.2 In selling the Shares, the Distributor shall use its best
efforts in all respects duly to conform with the requirements of all federal and
state laws relating to the sale of such securities. Neither the Distributor nor
any selected dealer nor any other person is authorized by the Fund to give any
information or to make any
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representations, other than those contained in the Registration Statement or
Prospectus and any sales literature approved by appropriate officers of the
Fund.
6.3 The Distributor shall adopt and follow procedures for the
confirmation of sales to investors and selected dealers, the collection of
amounts payable by investors and selected dealers on such sales and the
cancellation of unsettled transactions, as may be necessary to comply with the
requirements of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (NASD).
6.4 The Distributor shall have the right to enter into
selected dealer agreements with registered and qualified securities dealers and
other financial institutions of its choice for the sale of Shares, provided that
the Fund shall approve the forms of such agreements. Within the United States,
the Distributor shall offer and sell Shares only to such selected dealers as are
members in good standing of the NASD. Shares sold to selected dealers shall be
for resale by such dealers only at the offering price determined as set forth in
the Prospectus.
Section 7. Allocation of Expenses
The Fund shall bear all costs and expenses of the continuous
offering of its Shares, including fees and disbursements of its counsel and
auditors, in connection with the preparation and filing of any required
Registration Statements and/or Prospectuses under the Investment Company Act or
the Securities Act, and preparing and mailing annual and periodic reports and
proxy materials to shareholders (including but not limited to the expense of
setting in type any such Registration Statements, Prospectuses, annual or
periodic reports or proxy materials). The Fund shall also bear the cost of
expenses of qualification of the Shares for sale, and, if necessary or advisable
in connection therewith, of qualifying the Fund as a broker or dealer, in such
states of the United States or other jurisdictions as shall be selected by the
Fund and the Distributor pursuant to Section 5.4 hereof and the cost and expense
payable to each such state for continuing qualification therein until the Fund
decides to discontinue such qualification pursuant to Section 5.4 hereof.
Section 8. Indemnification
8.1 The Fund agrees to indemnify, defend and hold the
Distributor, its officers and directors and any person who controls the
Distributor within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, free and
harmless from and against any and all claims, demands, liabilities and expenses
(including the cost of investigating or defending such claims, demands or
liabilities and any reasonable counsel fees incurred in connection therewith)
which the Distributor, its officers, members or any such controlling person may
incur under the Securities Act, or under common law or otherwise, arising out of
or based upon any untrue statement of a material fact contained in the
Registration
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Statement or Prospectus or arising out of or based upon any alleged omission to
state a material fact required to be stated in either thereof or necessary to
make the statements in either thereof not misleading, except insofar as such
claims, demands, liabilities or expenses arise out of or are based upon any such
untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in
reliance upon and in conformity with information furnished by the Distributor to
the Fund for use in the Registration Statement or Prospectus; provided, however,
that this indemnity agreement shall not inure to the benefit of any such
officer, director, trustee or controlling person unless a court of competent
jurisdiction shall determine in a final decision on the merits, that the person
to be indemnified was not liable by reason of willful misfeasance, bad faith or
gross negligence in the performance of its duties, or by reason of its reckless
disregard of its obligations under this Agreement (disabling conduct), or, in
the absence of such a decision, a reasonable determination, based upon a review
of the facts, that the indemnified person was not liable by reason of disabling
conduct, by (a) a vote of a majority of a quorum of trustees or trustees who are
neither "interested persons" of the Fund as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the
Investment Company Act nor parties to the proceeding, or (b) an independent
legal counsel in a written opinion. The Fund's agreement to indemnify the
Distributor, its officers and directors and any such controlling person as
aforesaid is expressly conditioned upon the Fund's being promptly notified of
any action brought against the Distributor, its officers or directors, or any
such controlling person, such notification to be given by letter or telegram
addressed to the Fund at its principal business office. The Fund agrees promptly
to notify the Distributor of the commencement of any litigation or proceedings
against it or any of its officers or directors in connection with the issue and
sale of any Shares.
8.2 The Distributor agrees to indemnify, defend and hold the
Fund, its officers and Trustees and any person who controls the Fund, if any,
within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act, free and harmless from
and against any and all claims, demands, liabilities and expenses (including the
cost of investigating or defending against such claims, demands or liabilities
and any reasonable counsel fees incurred in connection therewith) which the
Fund, its officers and Trustees or any such controlling person may incur under
the Securities Act or under common law or otherwise, but only to the extent that
such liability or expense incurred by the Fund, its Trustees or officers or such
controlling person resulting from such claims or demands shall arise out of or
be based upon any alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in
information furnished by the Distributor to the Fund for use in the Registration
Statement or Prospectus or shall arise out of or be based upon any alleged
omission to state a material fact in connection with such information required
to be stated in the Registration Statement or Prospectus or necessary to make
such information not misleading. The Distributor's agreement to indemnify the
Fund, its officers and Trustees and any such controlling person as aforesaid, is
expressly conditioned upon the Distributor's being promptly notified of any
action brought against
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the Fund, its officers and Trustees or any such controlling person, such
notification being given to the Distributor at its principal business office.
Section 9. Duration and Termination of this Agreement
9.1 This Agreement shall become effective as of the date first
above written and shall remain in force for two years from the date hereof and
thereafter, but only so long as such continuance is specifically approved at
least annually by (a) the Trustees of the Fund, or by the vote of a majority of
the outstanding voting securities of the Fund or a Portfolio thereof, and (b) by
the vote of a majority of those Trustees who are not parties to this Agreement
or interested persons of any such parties (Independent Trustees), cast in person
at a meeting called for the purpose of voting upon such approval.
9.2 This Agreement may be terminated at any time, without the
payment of any penalty, by a majority of the Independent Trustees or by vote of
a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund, or by the
Distributor, on sixty (60) days' written notice to the other party. This
Agreement shall automatically terminate in the event of its assignment.
9.3 The terms "affiliated person," "assignment," "interested
person" and "vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities", when used
in this Agreement, shall have the respective meanings specified in the
Investment Company Act.
Section 10. Amendments to this Agreement
This Agreement may be amended by the parties only if such
amendment is specifically approved by (a) the Trustees of the Fund, or by the
vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund, and (b) by
the vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees cast in person at a meeting
called for the purpose of voting on such amendment.
Section 11. Governing Law
The provisions of this Agreement shall be construed and
interpreted in accordance with the laws of the State of New Jersey as at the
time in effect and the applicable provisions of the Investment Company Act. To
the extent that the applicable law of the State of New Jersey, or any of the
provisions herein, conflict with the applicable provisions of the Investment
Company Act, the latter shall control.
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Section 12. Liabilities of the Fund
The Fund is a business trust organized under the Delaware
Business Trust Act pursuant to a certificate of trust dated July 29, 1992. The
Fund is a series trust and all debts, liabilities, obligations and expenses of a
particular portfolio shall be enforceable only against the assets of that
Portfolio and not against the assets of any other Portfolio or of the Fund as a
whole. Neither the Trustees, officers, agents or shareholders of the Fund assume
any personal liability for obligations entered into on behalf of the Fund (or a
Portfolio thereof).
PRUDENTIAL INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT
SERVICES LLC
By: /s/ E. Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxx
E. Xxxxxxx Xxxxxxxxx
THE TARGET PORTFOLIO TRUST
By: /s/ Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxx
Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxx
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