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Allegiance Corporation
and
FIRST CHICAGO TRUST COMPANY OF NEW YORK
--------------------
Rights Agent
Rights Agreement
Dated as of September 30, 1996
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION PAGE
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Section 1. Certain Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Section 2. Appointment of Rights Agent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Section 3. Issue of Rights Certificates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Section 4. Form of Rights Certificates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Section 5. Countersignature and Registration . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Section 6. Transfer, Split Up, Combination and
Exchange of Rights Certificates;
Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen
Rights Certificates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Section 7. Exercise of Rights; Purchase Price; Expiration Date of
Rights. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Section 8. Cancellation and Destruction of Rights Certificates . . 13
Section 9. Reservation and Availability of Capital
Stock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Section 10. Preferred Stock Record Date . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Section 11. Adjustment of Purchase Price, Number
and Kind of Shares or Number of Rights. . . . . . . . . 16
Section 12. Certificate of Adjusted Purchase
Price or Number of Shares . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Section 13. Consolidation, Merger or Sale or
Transfer of Assets or Earning Power . . . . . . . . . . 28
Section 14. Fractional Rights and Fractional Shares . . . . . . . . 31
Section 15. Rights of Action. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Section 16. Agreement of Rights Holders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Section 17. Rights Certificate Holder Not Deemed a Stockholder. . . 34
Section 18. Concerning the Rights Agent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Section 19. Merger or Consolidation or Change of
Name of Rights Agent. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Section 20. Duties of Rights Agent. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Section 21. Change of Rights Agent. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Section 22. Issuance of New Rights Certificates . . . . . . . . . . 39
Section 23. Redemption and Termination. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Section 24. Exchange. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Section 25. Notice of Certain Events. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Section 26. Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Section 27. Supplements and Amendments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
Section 28. Successors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Section 29. Determination and Actions by the
Board of Directors, etc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Section 30. Benefits of this Agreement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Section 31. Severability. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Section 32. Governing Law . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Section 33. Counterparts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
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SECTION PAGE
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Section 34. Descriptive Headings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
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RIGHTS AGREEMENT
RIGHTS AGREEMENT, dated as of September 30, 1996 (the "Agreement"),
between Allegiance Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the "Company"), and
First Chicago Trust Company of New York, a New York corporation (the "Rights
Agent").
W I T N E S E T H:
WHEREAS, on September 16, 1996 (the "Rights Dividend Declaration
Date"), the Board of Directors of the Company authorized and declared a dividend
distribution of one Right for each share of Common Stock (as hereinafter
defined) of the Company outstanding at the close of business on September 30,
1996, after giving effect to the distribution of shares of Common Stock (the
"Spin-off") by Xxxxxx International Inc. to its stockholders (the "Record
Date"), each Right initially representing the right to purchase one
one-hundredth of a share of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock of the
Company having the rights, powers and preferences set forth in the form of
Certificate of Designation, Preferences and Rights attached hereto as Exhibit A,
upon the terms and subject to the conditions hereinafter set forth (the
"Rights"), and has further authorized the issuance of one Right (as such number
may hereinafter be adjusted pursuant to the provisions of Section 11(p) hereof)
for each share of Common Stock of the Company issued between the Record Date and
the Distribution Date (as hereinafter defined);
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and the mutual
agreements herein set forth, the parties hereby agree as follows:
Section 1. CERTAIN DEFINITIONS. For purposes of this Agreement, the
following terms have the meanings indicated:
(a) "Acquiring Person" shall mean any Person who or which,
together with all Affiliates and Associates of such Person, shall be
the Beneficial Owner of 15% or more of the shares of Common Stock then
outstanding, but shall not include the Company, any Subsidiary of the
Company, any employee benefit plan of the Company or of any Subsidiary
of the Company, or any Person organized, appointed or established by
the Company for or pursuant to the terms of any such plan.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, no Person shall become an "Acquiring
Person" as the result of an acquisition of shares of Common Stock by
the Company which, by
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reducing the number of shares outstanding, increases the proportionate
number of shares beneficially owned by such Person to 15% or more of the
shares of Common Stock then outstanding; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that if a
Person shall become the Beneficial Owner of 15% or more of the shares of
Common Stock then outstanding by reason of share purchases by the Company
and shall, after such share purchases by the Company, become the Beneficial
Owner of any additional shares of Common Stock, then such Person shall be
deemed to be an "Acquiring Person". Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the
Board of Directors of the Company determines in good faith that a Person
who would otherwise be an "Acquiring Person" (as defined pursuant to the
foregoing provisions of this paragraph (a)) has become such inadvertently,
and such Person divests as promptly as practicable a sufficient number of
shares of Common Stock so that such Person would no longer be an "Acquiring
Person" (as defined pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this paragraph
(a)), then such Person shall not be deemed to be an "Acquiring Person" for
any purposes of this Agreement.
(b) "Act" shall mean the Securities Act of 1933.
(c) "Affiliate" and "Associate" shall have the respective
meanings ascribed to such terms in Rule 12b-2 of the General Rules and
Regulations under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and
in effect on the date of this Agreement (the "Exchange Act").
(d) A Person shall be deemed the "Beneficial Owner" of, and
shall be deemed to "beneficially own," any securities:
(i) which such Person or any of such Person's
Affiliates or Associates, directly or indirectly, has the right
to acquire (whether such right is exercisable immediately or only
after the passage of time) pursuant to any agreement, arrangement
or understanding (whether or not in writing) or upon the exercise
of conversion rights, exchange rights, rights, warrants or
options, or otherwise; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that a Person shall not
be deemed the "Beneficial Owner" of, or to "beneficially own,"
(A) securities tendered pursuant to a tender or exchange offer
made by such Person or any of such Person's Affiliates or
Associates until such tendered securities are accepted for
purchase or exchange, or (B) securities issuable upon
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exercise of Rights at any time prior to the occurrence of a Triggering
Event, or (C) securities issuable upon exercise of Rights from and
after the occurrence of a Triggering Event which Rights were acquired
by such Person or any such Person's Affiliates or Associates prior to
the Distribution Date or pursuant to Section 3(a) or Section 22 hereof
(the "Original Rights") or pursuant to Section 11(i) hereof in
connection with an adjustment made with respect to any Original
Rights;
(ii) which such Person or any of such Person's Affiliates
or Associates, directly or indirectly, has the right to vote or
dispose of or has "beneficial ownership" of (as determined
pursuant to Rule 13d-3 of the General Rules and Regulations under
the Exchange Act), including pursuant to any agreement,
arrangement or understanding, whether or not in writing;
PROVIDED, however, that a Person shall not be deemed the
"Beneficial Owner" of, or to "beneficially own," any security
under this subparagraph (ii) as a result of an agreement,
arrangement or understanding to vote such security if such
agreement, arrangement or understanding: (A) arises solely from
a revocable proxy given in response to a public proxy or consent
solicitation made pursuant to, and in accordance with, the
applicable provisions of the General Rules and Regulations under
the Exchange Act, and (B) is not also then reportable by such
Person on Schedule 13D under the Exchange Act (or any comparable
or successor report); or
(iii) which are beneficially owned, directly or indirectly,
by any other Person (or any Affiliate or Associate thereof) with
which such Person (or any of such Person's Affiliates or
Associates) has any agreement, arrangement or understanding
(whether or not in writing), for the purpose of acquiring,
holding, voting (except pursuant to a revocable proxy as
described in the proviso to subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph
(d)) or disposing of any voting securities of the Company;
PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that nothing in this paragraph (d) shall cause a Person
engaged in business as an underwriter of securities to be the "Beneficial Owner"
of, or to "beneficially own," any securities acquired through such Person's
participation in good faith in a firm commitment underwriting until the
expiration of forty days after the date of such acquisition.
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(e) "Business Day" shall mean any day other than a Saturday,
Sunday or a day on which banking institutions in the State of Illinois
are authorized or obligated by law or executive order to close.
(f) "Close of business" on any given date shall mean 5:00 P.M.,
Chicago time, on such date, PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that if such date is
not a Business Day it shall mean 5:00 P.M., Chicago time, on the next
succeeding Business Day.
(g) "Common Stock" shall mean the common stock, par value $1.00
per share, of the Company, except that "Common Stock" when used with
reference to any Person other than the Company shall mean the capital
stock of such Person with the greatest voting power, or the equity
securities or other equity interest having power to control or direct
the management, of such Person.
(h) "Person" shall mean any individual, firm, limited liability
company, corporation, partnership or other entity.
(i) "Preferred Stock" shall mean shares of Series A Junior
Participating Preferred Stock, par value $.01 per share, of the
Company, and, to the extent that there is not a sufficient number of
shares of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock authorized to
permit the full exercise of the Rights, any other series of Preferred
Stock, par value $.01 per share, of the Company designated for such
purpose containing terms substantially similar to the terms of the
Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock.
(j) "Section 11(a)(ii) Event" shall mean the event described in
Section 11(a)(ii) hereof.
(k) "Section 13 Event" shall mean any event described in clauses
(x), (y) or (z) of Section 13(a) hereof.
(l) "Stock Acquisition Date" shall mean the first date of public
announcement (which, for purposes of this definition, shall include,
without limitation, a report filed pursuant to Section 13(d) under the
Exchange Act) by the Company or an Acquiring Person that an Acquiring
Person has become such.
(m) "Subsidiary" shall mean, with reference to any Person, any
corporation of which an amount of voting securities sufficient to
elect at least a majority of the directors of such corporation is
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beneficially owned, directly or indirectly, by such Person, or otherwise
controlled by such Person.
(n) "Triggering Event" shall mean any Section 11(a)(ii) Event or
any Section 13 Event.
In addition, for purposes of this Agreement, the following terms have
the meanings indicated in specified sections of this Agreement: (i) "Adjustment
Shares" shall have the meaning set forth in Section 11(a)(ii) hereof; (ii)
"common stock equivalents" shall have the meaning set forth in
Section 11(a)(iii) hereof; (iii) "current market price" shall have the meanings
set forth in Section 11(d) hereof; (iv) "Current Value" shall have the meaning
set forth in Section 11(a)(iii) hereof; (v) "Distribution Date" shall have the
meaning set forth in Section 3(a) hereof; (vi) "equivalent preferred stock"
shall have the meaning set forth in Section 11(b) hereof; (vii) "NASDAQ" shall
have the meaning set forth in Section 11(d)(i) hereof; (viii) "Principal Party"
shall have the meaning set forth in Section 13(b) hereof; (ix) "Purchase Price"
shall have the meaning set forth in Section 4(a) hereof; (x) "Redemption Price"
shall have the meaning set forth in Section 23(a) hereof; (xi) "Rights
Certificates" shall have the meaning set forth in Section 3(a) hereof; (xii)
"Section 11(a)(ii) Trigger Date" shall have the meaning set forth in Section
11(a)(iii) hereof; (xiii) "Spread" shall have the meaning set forth in Section
11(a)(ii) hereof; (xiv) "Substitution Period" shall have the meaning set forth
in Section 11(a)(iii) hereof; (xv) "Summary of Rights" shall have the meaning
set forth in Section 3(b) hereof; and (xvi) "Trading Day" shall have the meaning
set forth in Section 11(d)(i) hereof.
Section 2. APPOINTMENT OF RIGHTS AGENT. The Company hereby appoints
the Rights Agent to act as agent for the Company and the holders of the Rights
(who, in accordance with Section 3 hereof, shall, prior to the Distribution
Date, also be the holders of the Common Stock) in accordance with the terms and
conditions hereof, and the Rights Agent hereby accepts such appointment. The
Company may from time to time appoint such Co-Rights Agents as it may deem
necessary or desirable.
Section 3. ISSUE OF RIGHTS CERTIFICATES.
(a) Until the earlier of (i) the close of business on the tenth day
after the Stock Acquisition Date (or, if the tenth day after the Stock
Acquisition Date occurs before the Record Date, the close of business on the
Record Date), or (ii) the close of business on the tenth business day (or such
later date as may be determined by action of the Board of Directors of the
Company prior to such time as any Person becomes an Acquiring Person) after the
date that a tender or exchange offer by any Person (other than the Company, any
Subsidiary of the Company,
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any employee benefit plan of the Company or of any Subsidiary of the Company, or
any Person organized, appointed or established by the Company for or pursuant to
the terms of any such plan) is first published or sent or given within the
meaning of Rule 14d-2(a) of the General Rules and Regulations under the Exchange
Act, if upon consummation thereof, such Person would be the Beneficial Owner of
15% or more of the shares of Common Stock then outstanding (the earlier of (i)
and (ii) being herein referred to as the "Distribution Date"), (x) the Rights
will be evidenced (subject to the provisions of paragraph (b) of this Section 3)
by the certificates for the Common Stock registered in the names of the holders
of the Common Stock (which certificates for Common Stock shall be deemed also to
be certificates for Rights) and not by separate certificates and (y) the Rights
will be transferable only in connection with the transfer of the underlying
shares of Common Stock (including a transfer to the Company). As soon as
practicable after the Distribution Date, the Rights Agent will send by
first-class, insured, postage prepaid mail, to each record holder of the Common
Stock as of the close of business on the Distribution Date, at the address of
such holder shown on the records of the Company, one or more Rights
certificates, in substantially the form of Exhibit B hereto (the "Rights
Certificates"), evidencing one Right for each share of Common Stock so held,
subject to adjustment as provided herein. In the event that an adjustment in
the number of Rights per share of Common Stock has been made pursuant to Section
11(p) hereof, at the time of distribution of the Rights Certificates, the
Company shall make the necessary and appropriate rounding adjustments (in
accordance with Section 14(a) hereof) so that Rights Certificates representing
only whole numbers of Rights are distributed and cash is paid in lieu of any
fractional Rights. As of and after the Distribution Date, the Rights will be
evidenced solely by such Rights Certificates.
(b) As promptly as practicable following the Record Date, the Company
will send a copy of a Summary of Rights to Purchase Preferred Stock, in
substantially the form attached hereto as Exhibit C (the "Summary of Rights"),
by first-class, postage prepaid mail, to each record holder of the Common Stock
as of the close of business on the Record Date, at the address of such holder
shown on the records of the Company. With respect to certificates for the
Common Stock outstanding as of the Record Date, until the Distribution Date, the
Rights will be evidenced by such certificates registered in the names of the
holders thereof together with a copy of the Summary of Rights attached thereto.
Until the earlier of the Distribution Date or the Expiration Date (as such term
is defined in Section 7 hereof), the surrender for transfer of any certificate
representing shares of Common Stock in respect of which Rights have been issued,
with or without a copy of the Summary of Rights attached thereto, shall also
constitute the transfer of the Rights associated with such shares of Common
Stock.
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(c) Rights shall be issued in respect of all shares of Common Stock
which are issued (whether originally issued or from the Company's treasury)
after the Record Date but prior to the earlier of the Distribution Date or the
Expiration Date or, in certain circumstances provided in Section 22 hereof,
after the Distribution Date. Certificates representing such shares of Common
Stock shall also be deemed to be certificates for Rights, and shall bear the
following legend:
This certificate also evidences and entitles the holder hereof to
certain rights as set forth in the Rights Agreement between Allegiance
Corporation (the "Company") and First Chicago Trust Company of New
York (the "Rights Agent") dated as of September 30, 1996 (the "Rights
Agreement"), the terms of which are hereby incorporated herein by
reference and a copy of which is on file at the principal offices of
the Company. Under certain circumstances, as set forth in the Rights
Agreement, such Rights will be evidenced by separate certificates and
will no longer be evidenced by this certificate. The Company will
mail to the holder of this certificate a copy of the Rights Agreement,
as in effect on the date of mailing, without charge promptly after
receipt of a written request therefor. Under certain circumstances
set forth in the Rights Agreement, Rights issued to, or held by, any
Person who is, was or becomes an Acquiring Person or any Affiliate or
Associate thereof (as such terms are defined in the Rights Agreement),
whether currently held by or on behalf of such Person or by any
subsequent holder, may become null and void.
With respect to such certificates containing the foregoing legend, until the
earlier of (i) the Distribution Date or (ii) the Expiration Date, the Rights
associated with the Common Stock represented by such certificates shall be
evidenced by such certificates alone and registered holders of Common Stock
shall also be the registered holders of the associated Rights, and the surrender
for transfer of any of such certificates shall also constitute the transfer of
the Rights associated with the Common Stock represented by such certificates.
Section 4. FORM OF RIGHTS CERTIFICATES.
(a) The Rights Certificates (and the forms of election to purchase
and of assignment to be printed on the reverse thereof) shall each be
substantially in the form set forth in Exhibit B hereto and may have such marks
of identification or designation and such legends, summaries or endorsements
printed thereon as the Company may deem appropriate and as are not inconsistent
with the provisions of this Agreement, or as may be
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required to comply with any applicable law or with any rule or regulation made
pursuant thereto or with any rule or regulation of any stock exchange on which
the Rights may from time to time be listed, or to conform to usage. Subject to
the provisions of Section 11 and Section 22 hereof, the Rights Certificates,
whenever distributed, shall be dated as of the Record Date and on their face
shall entitle the holders thereof to purchase such number of one-hundredths of a
share of Preferred Stock as shall be set forth therein at the price set forth
therein (such exercise price per one one-hundredth of a share, the "Purchase
Price"), but the amount and type of securities purchasable upon the exercise of
each Right and the Purchase Price thereof shall be subject to adjustment as
provided herein.
(b) Any Rights Certificate issued pursuant to Section 3(a) or Section
22 hereof that represents Rights beneficially owned by any Person know to be:
(i) an Acquiring Person or any Associate or Affiliate of an Acquiring Person,
(ii) a transferee or an Acquiring Person (or of any such Associate or Affiliate)
who becomes a transferee after the Acquiring Person becomes such, or (iii) a
transferee of an Acquiring Person (or of any such Associate or Affiliate) who
becomes a transferee prior to or concurrently with the Acquiring Person becoming
such and receives such Rights pursuant to either (A) a transfer (whether or not
for consideration) from the Acquiring Person to holders of equity interests in
such Acquiring Person or to any Person with whom such Acquiring Person has any
continuing agreement, arrangement or understanding regarding the transferred
Rights or (B) a transfer which the Board of Directors of the Company has
determined is part of a plan, arrangement or understanding which has as a
primary purpose of effect avoidance of Section 7(e) hereof, and any Rights
Certificate issued pursuant to Section 6 or Section 11 hereof upon transfer,
exchange, replacement or adjustment of any other Rights Certificate referred to
in this sentence, shall contain (to the extent feasible) the following legend:
The Rights represented by this Rights Certificate are or were
beneficially owned by a Person who was or became an Acquiring Person
or an Affiliate or Associate of an Acquiring Person (as such terms are
defined in the Rights Agreement). Accordingly, this Rights
Certificate and the Rights represented hereby may become null and void
in the circumstances specified in Section 7(e) of such Agreement.
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Section 5. COUNTERSIGNATURE AND REGISTRATION.
(a) The Rights Certificates shall be executed on behalf of the
Company by its Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, its President
or any Vice President, either manually or by facsimile signature, and shall have
affixed thereto the Company's seal or a facsimile thereof which shall be
attested by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Company, either
manually or by facsimile signature. The Rights Certificates shall be
countersigned manually or by facsimile signature by the Rights Agent and shall
not be valid for any purpose unless so countersigned. In case any officer of
the Company who shall have signed any of the Rights Certificates shall cease to
be such officer of the Company before countersignature by the Rights Agent and
issuance and delivery by the Company, such Rights Certificates, nevertheless,
may be countersigned by the Rights Agent and issued and delivered by the Company
with the same force and effect as though the person who signed such Rights
Certificates had not ceased to be such officer of the Company; and any Rights
Certificates may be signed on behalf of the Company by any person who, at the
actual date of the execution of such Rights Certificate, shall be a proper
officer of the Company to sign such Rights Certificate, although at the date of
the execution of this Rights Agreement any such person was not such an officer.
(b) Following the Distribution Date, the Rights Agent will keep or
cause to be kept, at its principal office or offices designated as the
appropriate place for surrender of Rights Certificates upon exercise or
transfer, books for registration and transfer of the Rights Certificates issued
hereunder. Such books shall show the names and addresses of the respective
holders of the Rights Certificates, the number of Rights evidenced on its face
by each of the Rights Certificates and the certificate number and the date of
each of the Rights Certificates.
Section 6. TRANSFER, SPLIT UP, COMBINATION AND EXCHANGE OF RIGHTS
CERTIFICATES; MUTILATED, DESTROYED, LOST OR STOLEN RIGHTS CERTIFICATES. (a)
Subject to the provisions of Section 4(b), Section 7(e) and Section 14 hereof,
at any time after the close of business on the Distribution Date, and at or
prior to the close of business on the Expiration Date, any Rights Certificate or
Certificates (other than Rights Certificates representing Rights that have been
exchanged pursuant to Section 24 hereof) may be transferred, split up, combined
or exchanged for another Rights Certificate or Certificates, entitling the
registered holder to purchase a like number of one one-hundredths of a share of
Preferred Stock (or, following a Triggering Event, Common Stock, other
securities, cash or other assets, as the case may be) as the Rights Certificate
or Certificates surrendered then entitled such holder (or former
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holder in the case of a transfer) to purchase. Any registered holder desiring
to transfer, split up, combine or exchange any Rights Certificate or
Certificates shall make such request in writing delivered to the Rights Agent,
and shall surrender the Rights Certificate or Certificates to be transferred,
split up, combined or exchanged at the principal office or offices of the Rights
Agent designated for such purpose. Neither the Rights Agent nor the Company
shall be obligated to take any action whatsoever with respect to the transfer of
any such surrendered Rights Certificate until the registered holder shall have
completed and signed the certificate contained in the form of assignment on the
reverse side of such Rights Certificate and shall have provided such additional
evidence of the identity of the Beneficial Owner (or former Beneficial Owner) or
Affiliates or Associates thereof as the Company shall reasonably request.
Thereupon the Rights Agent shall, subject to Section 4(b), Section 7(e), Section
14 and Section 24 hereof, countersign and deliver to the Person entitled thereto
a Rights Certificate or Rights Certificates, as the case may be, as so
requested. The Company may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax
or governmental charge that may be imposed in connection with any transfer,
split up, combination or exchange of Rights Certificates.
(b) Upon receipt by the Company and the Rights Agent of evidence
reasonably satisfactory to them of the loss, theft, destruction or mutilation of
a Rights Certificate, and, in case of loss, theft or destruction, of indemnity
or security reasonably satisfactory to them, and reimbursement to the Company
and the Rights Agent of all reasonable expenses incidental thereto, and upon
surrender to the Rights Agent and cancellation of the Rights Certificates if
mutilated, the Company will execute and deliver a new Rights Certificate of like
tenor to the Rights Agent for countersignature and delivery to the registered
owner in lieu of the Rights Certificate so lost, stolen, destroyed or mutilated.
Section 7. EXERCISE OF RIGHTS; PURCHASE PRICE; EXPIRATION DATE OF
RIGHTS. (a) Subject to Section 7(e) hereof, the registered holder of any
Rights Certificate may exercise the Rights evidenced thereby (except as
otherwise provided herein including, without limitation, the restrictions on
exercisability set forth in Section 9(c), Section 11(a)(iii) and Section 23(a)
hereof) in whole or in part at any time after the Distribution Date upon
surrender of the Rights Certificate, with the form of election to purchase and
the certificate on the reverse side thereof duly executed, to the Rights Agent
at the principal office or offices of the Rights Agent designated for such
purpose, together with payment of the aggregate Purchase Price with respect to
the total number of one one-hundredths of a share of Preferred Stock (or other
securities, cash or other assets, as the case may be) as to which such
surrendered Rights are then
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exercisable, at or prior to the earliest of (i) the close of business on
September 30, 2006 (the "Final Expiration Date"), (ii) the time at which the
Rights are redeemed as provided in Section 23 hereof or (iii) the time at which
such Rights are exchanged pursuant to Section 24 hereof (the earliest of (i),
(ii) and (iii) being herein referred to as the "Expiration Date").
(b) The Purchase Price for each one one-hundredth of a share of
Preferred Stock pursuant to the exercise of a Right shall initially be $65, and
shall be subject to adjustment from time to time as provided in Sections 11 and
13(a) hereof and shall be payable in accordance with paragraph (c) below.
(c) Upon receipt of a Rights Certificate representing exercisable
Rights, with the form of election to purchase and the certificate duly executed,
accompanied by payment, with respect to each Right so exercised, of the Purchase
Price per one one-hundredth of a share of Preferred Stock (or other shares,
securities, cash or other assets, as the case may be) to be purchased as set
forth below and an amount equal to any applicable transfer tax, the Rights Agent
shall, subject to Section 20(k) hereof, thereupon promptly (i) (A) requisition
from any transfer agent of the shares of Preferred Stock (or make available, if
the Rights Agent is the transfer agent for such shares) certificates for the
total number of one one-hundredths of a share of Preferred Stock to be purchased
and the Company hereby irrevocably authorizes its transfer agent to comply with
all such requests, or (B) if the Company shall have elected to deposit the total
number of shares of Preferred Stock issuable upon exercise of the Rights
hereunder with a depositary agent, requisition from the depositary agent
depositary receipts representing such number of one one-hundredths of a share of
Preferred Stock as are to be purchased (in which case certificates for the
shares of Preferred Stock represented by such receipts shall be deposited by the
transfer agent with the depositary agent) and the Company will direct the
depositary agent to comply with such request, (ii) requisition from the Company
the amount of cash, if any, to be paid in lieu of fractional shares in
accordance with Section 14 hereof, (iii) after receipt of such certificates or
depositary receipts, cause the same to be delivered to or upon the order of the
registered holder of such Rights Certificate, registered in such name or names
as may be designated by such holder, and (iv) after receipt thereof, deliver
such cash, if any, to or upon the order of the registered holder of such Rights
Certificate. The payment of the Purchase Price (as such amount may be reduced
pursuant to Section 11(a)(iii) hereof) shall be made in cash or by certified
bank check or bank draft payable to the order of the Company. In the event that
the Company is obligated to issue other securities (including Common Stock) of
the Company, pay cash and/or distribute other property pursuant to Section 11(a)
hereof, the
-11-
Company will make all arrangements necessary so that such other securities, cash
and/or other property are available for distribution by the Rights Agent, if and
when appropriate. The Company reserves the right to require prior to the
occurrence of a Triggering Event that, upon any exercise of Rights, a number of
Rights be exercised so that only whole shares of Preferred Stock would be
issued.
(d) In case the registered holder of any Rights Certificate shall
exercise less than all the Rights evidenced thereby, a new Rights Certificate
evidencing Rights equivalent to the Rights remaining unexercised shall be issued
by the Rights Agent and delivered to, or upon the order of, the registered
holder of such Rights Certificate, registered in such name or names as may be
designated by such holder, subject to the provisions of Section 14 hereof.
(e) Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, from
and after the first occurrence of a Section 11(a) (ii) Event, any Rights
beneficially owned by (i) an Acquiring Person or an Associate or Affiliate of an
Acquiring Person, (ii) a transferee of an Acquiring Person (or of any such
Associate or Affiliate) who becomes a transferee after the Acquiring Person
becomes such, or (iii) a transferee of an Acquiring Person (or of any such
Associate or Affiliate) who becomes a transferee prior to or concurrently with
the Acquiring Person becoming such and receives such Rights pursuant to either
(A) a transfer (whether or not for consideration) from the Acquiring Person to
holders of equity interests in such Acquiring Person or to any Person with whom
the Acquiring Person has any continuing agreement, arrangement or understanding
regarding the transferred Rights or (B) a transfer which the Board of Directors
of the Company has determined is part of a plan, arrangement or understanding
which has as a primary purpose or effect the avoidance of this Section 7(e),
shall become null and void without any further action and no holder of such
Rights shall have any rights whatsoever with respect to such Rights, whether
under any provision of this Agreement or otherwise. The Company shall use all
reasonable efforts to insure that the provisions of this Section 7(e) and
Section 4(b) hereof are complied with, but shall have no liability to any holder
of Rights Certificates or other Person as a result of its failure to make any
determinations with respect to an Acquiring Person or any of its Affiliates,
Associates or transferees hereunder.
(f) Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary,
neither the Rights Agent nor the Company shall be obligated to undertake any
action with respect to a registered holder upon the occurrence of any purported
exercise as set forth in this Section 7 unless such registered holder shall have
(i) completed and signed the certificate contained in the form of election to
purchase set forth on the reverse side of the Rights
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Certificate surrendered for such exercise, and (ii) provided such additional
evidence of the identity of the Beneficial Owner (or former Beneficial Owner) or
Affiliates or Associates thereof as the Company shall reasonably request.
Section 8. CANCELLATION AND DESTRUCTION OF RIGHTS CERTIFICATES. All
Rights Certificates surrendered for the purpose of exercise, transfer, split up,
combination or exchange shall, if surrendered to the Company or any of its
agents, be delivered to the Rights Agent for cancellation or in cancelled form,
or, if surrendered to the Rights Agent, shall be cancelled by it, and no Rights
Certificates shall be issued in lieu thereof, except as expressly permitted by
any of the provisions of this Agreement. The Company shall deliver to the
Rights Agent for cancellation and retirement, and the Rights Agent shall so
cancel and retire, any other Rights Certificates purchased or acquired by the
Company otherwise than upon the exercise thereof. The Rights Agent shall
deliver all cancelled Rights Certificates to the Company, or shall, at the
written request of the Company, destroy such cancelled Rights Certificates, and
in such case shall deliver a certificate of destruction thereof to the Company.
Section 9. RESERVATION AND AVAILABILITY OF CAPITAL STOCK. (a) The
Company covenants and agrees that it will cause to be reserved and kept
available out of its authorized and unissued shares of Preferred Stock (and,
following the occurrence of a Triggering Event, out of its authorized and
unissued shares of Common Stock and/or other securities or out of its authorized
and issued shares held in its treasury), the number of shares of Preferred Stock
(and, following the occurrence of a Triggering Event, Common Stock and/or other
securities) that, as provided in this Agreement, including Section 11(a)(iii)
hereof, will be sufficient to permit the exercise in full of all outstanding
Rights.
(b) So long as the shares of Preferred Stock (and, following the
occurrence of a Triggering Event, Common Stock and/or other securities) issuable
and deliverable upon the exercise of the Rights may be listed on any national
securities exchange, the Company shall use its best efforts to cause, from and
after such time as the Rights become exercisable, all shares reserved for such
issuance to be listed on such exchange upon official notice of issuance upon
such exercise.
(c) The Company shall use its best efforts to (i) file, as soon as
practicable following the earliest date after the first occurrence of a Section
11(a)(ii) Event on which the consideration to be delivered by the Company upon
exercise of the Rights has been determined in accordance with Section 11(a)(iii)
hereof, a registration statement under the Act with respect to the securities
purchasable upon exercise of the Rights on an
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appropriate form, (ii) cause such registration statement to become effective as
soon as practicable after such filing, and (iii) cause such registration
statement to remain effective (with a prospectus at all times meeting the
requirements of the Act) until the earlier of (A) the date as of which the
Rights are no longer exercisable for such securities, and (B) the date of the
expiration of the Rights. The Company will also take such action as may be
appropriate under, or to ensure compliance with, the securities or "blue sky"
laws of the various states in connection with the exercisability of the Rights.
The Company may temporarily suspend, for a period of time not to exceed ninety
(90) days after the date set forth in clause (i) of the first sentence of this
Section 9(c), the exercisability of the Rights in order to prepare and file such
registration statement and permit it to become effective. Upon any such
suspension, the Company shall issue a public announcement stating that the
exercisability of the Rights has been temporarily suspended, as well as a public
announcement at such time as the suspension is no longer in effect. In
addition, if the Company shall determine that a registration statement is
required following the Distribution Date, and a Section 11(a)(ii) Event has not
occurred, the Company may temporarily suspend the exercisability of Rights until
such time as a registration statement has been declared effective.
Notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement to the contrary, the Rights
shall not be exercisable in any jurisdiction if the requisite qualification in
such jurisdiction shall not have been obtained, the exercise thereof shall not
be permitted under applicable law or a registration statement shall not have
been declared effective.
(d) The Company covenants and agrees that it will take all such
actions as may be necessary to ensure that all one one-hundredths of a share of
Preferred Stock (and, following the occurrence of a Triggering Event, Common
Stock and/or other securities) delivered upon exercise of Rights shall, at the
time of delivery of the certificates for such shares (subject to payment of the
Purchase Price), be duly and validly authorized and issued and fully paid and
nonassessable.
(e) The Company further covenants and agrees that it will pay, when
due and payable, any and all federal and state transfer taxes and charges which
may be payable in respect of the issuance or delivery of the Rights Certificates
and of any certificates for a number of one one-hundredths of a share of
Preferred Stock (or Common Stock and/or other securities, as the case may be)
upon the exercise of Rights. The Company shall not, however, be required to pay
any transfer tax which may be payable in respect of any transfer or delivery of
Rights Certificates to a Person other than, or the issuance or delivery of a
number of one one-hundredths of a share of Preferred Stock (or Common Stock
and/or other securities, as the case may be) in respect of a name other than
that of, the registered holder of the Rights
-14-
Certificates evidencing Rights surrendered for exercise or to issue or deliver
any certificates for a number of one one-hundredths of a share of Preferred
Stock (or Common Stock and/or other securities, as the case may be) in a name
other than that of the registered holder upon the exercise of any Rights until
such tax shall have been paid (any such tax being payable by the holder of such
Rights Certificate at the time of surrender) or until it has been established to
the Company's satisfaction that no such tax is due.
Section 10. PREFERRED STOCK RECORD DATE. Each person in whose name
any certificate for a number of one one-hundredths of a share of Preferred Stock
(or Common Stock and/or other securities, as the case may be) is issued upon the
exercise of Rights shall for all purposes be deemed to have become the holder of
record of such fractional shares of Preferred Stock (or Common Stock and/or
other securities, as the case may be) represented thereby on, and such
certificate shall be dated, the date upon which the Rights Certificate
evidencing such Rights was duly surrendered and payment of the Purchase Price
(and all applicable transfer taxes) was made; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that if the
date of such surrender and payment is a date upon which the Preferred Stock (or
Common Stock and/or other securities, as the case may be) transfer books of the
Company are closed, such Person shall be deemed to have become the record holder
of such shares (fractional or otherwise) on, and such certificate shall be
dated, the next succeeding Business Day on which the Preferred Stock (or Common
Stock and/or other securities, as the case may be) transfer books of the Company
are open. Prior to the exercise of the Rights evidenced thereby, the holder of
a Rights Certificate shall not be entitled to any rights of a stockholder of the
Company with respect to shares for which the Rights shall be exercisable,
including, without limitation, the right to vote, to receive dividends or other
distributions or to exercise any preemptive rights, and shall not be entitled to
receive any notice of any proceedings of the Company, except as provided herein.
Section 11. ADJUSTMENT OF PURCHASE PRICE, NUMBER AND KIND OF SHARES
OR NUMBER OF RIGHTS. The Purchase Price, the number and kind of shares covered
by each Right and the number of Rights outstanding are subject to adjustment
from time to time as provided in this Section 11.
(a)(i) In the event the Company shall at any time after the date
of this Agreement (A) declare a dividend on the Preferred Stock
payable in shares of Preferred Stock, (B) subdivide the outstanding
Preferred Stock, (C) combine the outstanding Preferred Stock into a
smaller number of shares, or (D) issue any shares of its capital stock
in a reclassification of the Preferred Stock (including any such
reclassification in
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connection with a consolidation or merger in which the Company is the
continuing or surviving corporation), except as otherwise provided in this
Section 11(a) and Section 7(e) hereof, the Purchase Price in effect at the
time of the record date for such dividend or of the effective date of such
subdivision, combination or reclassification, and the number and kind of
shares of Preferred Stock or capital stock, as the case may be, issuable on
such date, shall be proportionately adjusted so that the holder of any
Right exercised after such time shall be entitled to receive, upon payment
of the Purchase Price then in effect, the aggregate number and kind of
shares of Preferred Stock or capital stock, as the case may be, which, if
such Right had been exercised immediately prior to such date and at a time
when the Preferred Stock transfer books of the Company were open, such
holder would have owned upon such exercise and been entitled to receive by
virtue of such dividend, subdivision, combination or reclassification. If
an event occurs which would require an adjustment under both this Section
11(a)(i) and Section 11(a)(ii) hereof, the adjustment provided for in this
Section 11(a)(i) shall be in addition to, and shall be made prior to, any
adjustment required pursuant to Section 11(a)(ii) hereof.
(ii) In the event any Person (other than the Company, any
Subsidiary of the Company, any employee benefit plan of the Company or
of any Subsidiary of the Company, or any Person organized, appointed
or established by the Company for or pursuant to the terms of any such
plan), alone or together with its Affiliates and Associates, shall, at
any time after the Rights Dividend Declaration Date, become an
Acquiring Person, then each holder of a Right (except as provided
below and in Section 7(e) hereof) shall thereafter have the right to
receive, upon exercise thereof at the then current Purchase Price in
accordance with the terms of this Agreement, in lieu of a number of
one one-hundredths of a share of Preferred Stock, such number of
shares of Common Stock of the Company as shall equal the result
obtained by (x) multiplying the then current Purchase Price by the
then number of one one-hundredths of a share of Preferred Stock for
which a Right was exercisable immediately prior to the first
occurrence of a Section 11(a)(ii) Event and (y) dividing that product
(which, following such first occurrence shall thereafter be referred
to as the "Purchase Price" for each Right and for all purposes of this
Agreement) by 50% of the current market price (determined pursuant to
Section 11(d) hereof) per share of Common Stock on the
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date of such first occurrence (such number of shares, the "Adjustment
Shares").
(iii) In the event that the number of shares of Common Stock which
are authorized by the Company's certificate of incorporation, but not
outstanding or reserved for issuance for purposes other than upon exercise
of the Rights, is not sufficient to permit the exercise in full of the
Rights in accordance with the foregoing subparagraph (ii) of this Section
11(a), the Company shall: (A) determine the value of the Adjustment Shares
issuable upon the exercise of a Right (the "Current Value"), and (B) with
respect to each Right, make adequate provision to substitute for the
Adjustment Shares, upon payment of the applicable Purchase Price, (1) cash,
(2) a reduction in the Purchase Price, (3) Common Stock or other equity
securities of the Company (including, without limitation, shares, or units
of shares, of preferred stock, such as the Preferred Stock, which the Board
of Directors of the Company has deemed to have the same value or economic
rights as shares of Common Stock (such shares of preferred stock, "common
stock equivalents")), (4) debt securities of the Company, (5) other assets,
or (6) any combination of the foregoing, having an aggregate value equal to
the Current Value (less the amount of any reduction in the Purchase Price),
where such aggregate value has been determined by the Board of Directors of
the Company based upon the advice of a nationally recognized investment
banking firm selected by the Board of Directors of the Company; PROVIDED,
HOWEVER, if the Company shall not have made adequate provision to deliver
value pursuant to clause (B) above within thirty (30) days following the
later of (x) the first occurrence of a Section 11(a)(ii) Event and (y) the
date on which the Company's right of redemption pursuant to Section 23(a)
expires (the later of (x) and (y) being referred to herein as the "Section
11(a)(ii) Trigger Date"), then the Company shall be obligated to deliver,
upon the surrender for exercise of a Right and without requiring payment of
the Purchase Price, shares of Common Stock (to the extent available) and
then, if necessary, cash, which shares and/or cash have an aggregate value
equal to the Spread. For purposes of the preceding sentence, the term
"Spread" shall mean the excess of (i) the Current Value over (ii) the
Purchase Price. If the Board of Directors of the Company shall determine
in good faith that it is likely that sufficient additional shares of Common
Stock could be authorized for issuance upon exercise in full of the Rights,
the thirty (30) day period set forth above may be extended to the extent
necessary, but not more than ninety (90) days after the Section 11(a)(ii)
Trigger Date, in order that the Company may seek stockholder approval for
the authorization of such additional shares (such thirty (30) day period,
as
-17-
it may be extended, the "Substitution Period"). To the extent that action
is to be taken pursuant to the first and/or third sentences of this Section
11(a)(iii), the Company (x) shall provide, subject to Section 7(e) hereof,
that such action shall apply uniformly to all outstanding Rights, and (y)
may suspend the exercisability of the Rights until the expiration of the
Substitution Period in order to seek such stockholder approval for such
authorization of additional shares and/or to decide the appropriate form of
distribution to be made pursuant to such first sentence and to determine
the value thereof. In the event of any such suspension, the Company shall
issue a public announcement stating that the exercisability of the Rights
has been temporarily suspended, as well as a public announcement at such
time as the suspension is no longer in effect. For purposes of this
Section 11(a)(iii), the value of each Adjustment Share shall be the current
market price (as determined pursuant to Section 11(d) hereof) per share of
the Common Stock on the Section 11(a)(ii) Trigger Date and the value of any
"common stock equivalent" shall be deemed to equal the Current Market Price
per share of the Common Stock on such date.
(b) In case the Company shall fix a record date for the issuance
of rights (other than the Rights), options or warrants to all holders
of Preferred Stock entitling them to subscribe for or purchase (for a
period expiring within forty-five (45) calendar days after such record
date) Preferred Stock (or shares having the same rights, privileges
and preferences as the shares of Preferred Stock ("equivalent
preferred stock")) or securities convertible into Preferred Stock or
equivalent preferred stock at a price per share of Preferred stock or
per share of equivalent preferred stock (or having a conversion price
per share, if a security convertible into Preferred Stock or
equivalent preferred stock) less than the current market price (as
determined pursuant to Section 11(d) hereof) per share of Preferred
Stock on such record date, the Purchase Price to be in effect after
such record date shall be determined by multiplying the Purchase Price
in effect immediately prior to such record date by a fraction, the
numerator of which shall be the number of shares of Preferred Stock
outstanding on such record date, plus
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the number of shares of Preferred Stock which the aggregate offering price
of the total number of shares of Preferred Stock and/or equivalent
preferred stock so to be offered (and/or the aggregate initial conversion
price of the convertible securities so to be offered) would purchase at
such current market price, and the denominator of which shall be the number
of shares of Preferred Stock outstanding on such record date, plus the
number of additional shares of Preferred Stock and/ or equivalent preferred
stock to be offered for subscription or purchase (or into which the
convertible securities so to be offered are initially convertible). In
case such subscription price may be paid by delivery of consideration part
or all of which may be in a form other than cash, the value of such
consideration shall be as determined in good faith by the Board of
Directors of the Company, whose determination shall be described in a
statement filed with the Rights Agent and shall be binding on the Rights
Agent and the holders of the Rights. Shares of Preferred Stock owned by or
held for the account of the Company shall not be deemed outstanding for the
purpose of any such computation. Such adjustment shall be made
successively whenever such a record date is fixed, and in the event that
such rights or warrants are not so issued, the Purchase Price shall be
adjusted to be the Purchase Price which would then be in effect if such
record date had not been fixed.
(c) In case the Company shall fix a record date for a
distribution to all holders of Preferred Stock (including any such
distribution made in connection with a consolidation or merger in
which the Company is the continuing corporation) of evidences of
indebtedness, cash (other than a regular quarterly cash dividend out
of the earnings or retained earnings of the Company), assets (other
than a dividend payable in Preferred Stock, but including any dividend
payable in stock other than Preferred Stock) or subscription rights or
warrants (excluding those referred to in Section 11(b) hereof), the
Purchase Price to be in effect after such record date shall be
determined by multiplying the Purchase Price in effect immediately
prior to such record date by a fraction, the numerator of which shall
be the current market price (as determined pursuant to Section 11(d)
hereof) per share of Preferred Stock on such record date, less the
fair market value (as determined in good faith by the Board of
Directors of the Company, whose determination shall be described in a
statement filed with the Rights Agent and shall be binding on the
Rights Agent and the holders of the Rights) of the portion of the
cash, assets or evidences of indebtedness so to be distributed or of
such subscription rights or warrants applicable to a share of
Preferred Stock and the denominator of which shall be such current
market price (as determined pursuant to Section 11(d) hereof) per
share of Preferred Stock. Such adjustments shall be made successively
whenever such a record date is fixed, and in the event that such
distribution is not so made,
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the Purchase Price shall be adjusted to be the Purchase Price which would
have been in effect if such record date had not been fixed.
(d) (i) For the purpose of any computation hereunder, other than
computations made pursuant to Section 11(a)(iii) hereof, the "current
market price" per share of Common Stock on any date shall be deemed to
be the average of the daily closing prices per share of such Common
Stock for the thirty (30) consecutive Trading Days (as such term is
hereinafter defined) immediately prior to such date, and for purposes
of computations made pursuant to Section 11(a)(iii) hereof, the
"current market price" per share of Common Stock on any date shall be
deemed to be the average of the daily closing prices per share of such
Common Stock for the ten (10) consecutive Trading Days immediately
following such date; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that in the event that the
current market price per share of the Common Stock is determined
during a period following the announcement by the issuer of such
Common Stock of (A) a dividend or distribution on such Common Stock
payable in shares of such Common Stock or securities convertible into
shares of such Common Stock (other than the Rights), or (B) any
subdivision, combination or reclassification of such Common Stock, and
the ex-dividend date for such dividend or distribution, or the record
date for such subdivision, combination or reclassification shall not
have occurred prior to the commencement of the requisite thirty (30)
Trading Day or ten (10) Trading Day period, as set forth above, then,
and in each such case, the "current market price" shall be properly
adjusted to take into account any trading during the period prior to
such ex-dividend date or record date. The closing price for each day
shall be the last sale price, regular way, or, in case no such sale
takes place on such day, the average of the closing bid and asked
prices, regular way, in either case as reported in the principal
consolidated transaction reporting system with respect to securities
listed or admitted to trading on the New York Stock Exchange or, if
the shares of Common Stock are not listed or admitted to trading on
the New York Stock Exchange, as reported in the principal consolidated
transaction reporting system with respect to securities listed on the
principal national securities exchange on which the shares of Common
Stock are listed or admitted to trading or, if the shares of Common
Stock are not listed or admitted to trading on any national securities
exchange, the last quoted price or, if not so quoted, the average of
the high bid and low asked prices in the over-the-counter market, as
reported by
-20-
the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. Automated Quotation
System ("NASDAQ") or such other system then in use, or, if on any such date
the shares of Common Stock are not quoted by any such organization, the
average of the closing bid and asked prices as furnished by a professional
market maker making a market in the Common Stock selected by the Board of
Directors of the Company. If on any such date no market maker is making a
market in the Common Stock, the fair value of such shares on such date as
determined in good faith by the Board of Directors of the Company shall be
used. The term "Trading Day" shall mean a day on which the principal
national securities exchange on which the shares of Common Stock are listed
or admitted to trading is open for the transaction of business or, if the
shares of Common Stock are not listed or admitted to trading on any
national securities exchange, a Business Day. If the Common Stock is not
publicly held or not so listed or traded, "current market price" per share
shall mean the fair value per share as determined in good faith by the
Board of Directors of the Company, whose determination shall be described
in a statement filed with the Rights Agent and shall be conclusive for all
purposes.
(ii) For the purpose of any computation hereunder, the "current
market price" per share of Preferred Stock shall be determined in the
same manner as set forth above for the Common Stock in clause (i) of
this Section 11(d) (other than the last sentence thereof). If the
current market price per share of Preferred Stock cannot be determined
in the manner provided above, or if the Preferred Stock is not
publicly held or listed or traded in a manner described in clause (i)
of this Section 11(d), the "current market price" per share of
Preferred Stock shall be conclusively deemed to be an amount equal to
100 (as such number may be appropriately adjusted for such events as
stock splits, stock dividends and recapitalizations with respect to
the Common Stock occurring after the date of this Agreement)
multiplied by the current market price per share of the Common Stock.
If neither the Common Stock nor the Preferred Stock is publicly held
or so listed or traded, "current market price" per share of the
Preferred Stock shall mean the fair value per share as determined in
good faith by the Board of Directors of the Company, whose
determination shall be described in a statement filed with the Rights
Agent and shall be binding on the Rights Agent and the holders of the
Rights. For all purposes of this Agreement, the "current market
price" of one one-hundredth of a share of Preferred Stock shall be
equal to the "current
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market price" of one share of Preferred Stock divided by 100.
(e) Anything herein to the contrary notwithstanding, no
adjustment in the Purchase Price shall be required unless such
adjustment would require an increase or decrease of at least one
percent (1%) in the Purchase Price; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that any
adjustments which by reason of this Section 11(e) are not required to
be made shall be carried forward and taken into account in any
subsequent adjustment. All calculations under this Section 11 shall
be made to the nearest cent or to the nearest one ten-thousandth of a
share of Common Stock or other share or one one-millionth of a share
of Preferred Stock, as the case may be. Notwithstanding the first
sentence of this Section 11(e), any adjustment required by this
Section 11 shall be made no later than the earlier of (i) three (3)
years from the date of the transaction which mandates such adjustment,
or (ii) the Expiration Date.
(f) If as a result of an adjustment made pursuant to Section
11(a)(ii) or Section 13(a) hereof, the holder of any Right thereafter
exercised shall become entitled to receive any shares of capital stock
other than Preferred Stock, thereafter the number of such other shares
so receivable upon exercise of any Right and the Purchase Price
thereof shall be subject to adjustment from time to time in a manner
and on terms as nearly equivalent as practicable to the provisions
with respect to the Preferred Stock contained in Sections 11(a), (b),
(c), (e), (g), (h), (i), (j), (k) and (m), and the provisions of
Sections 7, 9, 10, 13 and 14 hereof with respect to the Preferred
Stock shall apply on like terms to any such other shares.
(g) All Rights originally issued by the Company subsequent to
any adjustment made to the Purchase Price hereunder shall evidence the
right to purchase, at the adjusted Purchase Price, the number of one
one-hundredths of a share of Preferred Stock purchasable from time to
time hereunder upon exercise of the Rights, all subject to further
adjustment as provided herein.
(h) Unless the Company shall have exercised its election as
provided in Section 11(i), upon each adjustment of the Purchase Price
as a result of the calculations made in Sections 11(b) and (c), each
Right outstanding immediately prior to the making of such adjustment
shall thereafter evidence the right to purchase, at the adjusted
Purchase Price, that number
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of one-hundredths of a share of Preferred Stock (calculated to the nearest
one-millionth) obtained by (i) multiplying (x) the number of one
one-hundredths of a share covered by a Right immediately prior to this
adjustment, by (y) the Purchase Price in effect immediately prior to such
adjustment of the Purchase Price, and (ii) dividing the product so obtained
by the Purchase Price in effect immediately after such adjustment of the
Purchase Price.
(i) The Company may elect on or after the date of any adjustment
of the Purchase Price to adjust the number of Rights, in lieu of any
adjustment in the number of one one-hundredths of a share of Preferred
Stock purchasable upon the exercise of a Right. Each of the Rights
outstanding after the adjustment in the number of Rights shall be
exercisable for the number of one one-hundredths of a share of
Preferred Stock for which a Right was exercisable immediately prior to
such adjustment. Each Right held of record prior to such adjustment
of the number of Rights shall become that number of Rights (calculated
to the nearest one-ten-thousandth) obtained by dividing the Purchase
Price in effect immediately prior to adjustment of the Purchase Price
by the Purchase Price in effect immediately after adjustment of the
Purchase Price. The Company shall make a public announcement of its
election to adjust the number of Rights, indicating the record date
for the adjustment, and, if known at the time, the amount of the
adjustment to be made. This record date may be the date on which the
Purchase Price is adjusted or any day thereafter, but, if the Rights
Certificates have been issued, shall be at least ten (10) days later
than the date of the public announcement. If Rights Certificates have
been issued, upon each adjustment of the number of Rights pursuant to
this Section 11(i), the Company shall, as promptly as practicable,
cause to be distributed to holders of record of Rights Certificates on
such record date Rights Certificates evidencing, subject to Section 14
hereof, the additional Rights to which such holders shall be entitled
as a result of such adjustment, or, at the option of the Company,
shall cause to be distributed to such holders of record in
substitution and replacement for the Rights Certificates held by such
holders prior to the date of adjustment, and upon surrender thereof,
if required by the Company, new Rights Certificates evidencing all the
Rights to which such holders shall be entitled after such adjustment.
Rights Certificates so to be distributed shall be issued, executed and
countersigned in the manner provided for herein (and may bear, at the
option of the Company, the adjusted
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Purchase Price) and shall be registered in the names of the holders of
record of Rights Certificates on the record date specified in the public
announcement.
(j) Irrespective of any adjustment or change in the Purchase
Price or the number of one one-hundredths of a share of Preferred
Stock issuable upon the exercise of the Rights, the Rights
Certificates theretofore and thereafter issued may continue to express
the Purchase Price per one one-hundredth of a share and the number of
one one-hundredths of a share which were expressed in the initial
Rights Certificates issued hereunder.
(k) Before taking any action that would cause an adjustment
reducing the Purchase Price below the then stated value, if any, of
the number of one one-hundredths of a share of Preferred Stock
issuable upon exercise of the Rights, the Company shall take any
corporate action which may, in the opinion of its counsel, be
necessary in order that the Company may validly and legally issue
fully paid and nonassessable shares of Preferred Stock at such
adjusted Purchase Price.
(l) In any case in which this Section 11 shall require that an
adjustment in the Purchase Price be made effective as of a record date
for a specified event, the Company may elect to defer until the
occurrence of such event the issuance to the holder of any Right
exercised after such record date the number of one one-hundredths of a
share of Preferred Stock and other capital stock or securities of the
Company, if any, issuable upon such exercise over and above the number
of one one-hundredths of a share of Preferred Stock and other capital
stock or securities of the Company, if any, issuable upon such
exercise on the basis of the Purchase Price in effect prior to such
adjustment; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that the Company shall deliver to such
holder a due xxxx or other appropriate instrument evidencing such
holder's right to receive such additional shares (fractional or
otherwise) or securities upon the occurrence of the event requiring
such adjustment.
(m) Anything in this Section 11 to the contrary notwithstanding,
the Company shall be entitled to make such reductions in the Purchase
Price, in addition to those adjustments expressly required by this
Section 11, as and to the extent that the Board of Directors of the
Company, in its good faith judgment, shall determine to be advisable
in order that any (i)
-24-
consolidation or subdivision of the Preferred Stock, (ii) issuance wholly
for cash of any shares of Preferred Stock at less than the current market
price, (iii) issuance wholly for cash of shares of Preferred Stock or
securities which by their terms are convertible into or exchangeable for
shares of Preferred Stock, (iv) stock dividends or (v) issuance of rights,
options or warrants referred to in this Section 11, hereafter made by the
Company to holders of its Preferred Stock shall not be taxable to such
stockholders.
(n) The Company covenants and agrees that it shall not, at any
time after the Distribution Date, (i) consolidate with any other
Person (other than a Subsidiary of the Company in a transaction which
complies with Section 11(o) hereof), (ii) merge with or into any other
Person (other than a Subsidiary of the Company in a transaction which
complies with Section 11(o) hereof), or (iii) sell or transfer (or
permit any Subsidiary to sell or transfer), in one transaction, or a
series of related transactions, assets or earning power aggregating
more than 50% of the assets or earning power of the Company and its
Subsidiaries (taken as a whole) to any other Person or Persons (other
than the Company and/or any of its Subsidiaries in one or more
transactions each of which complies with Section 11(o) hereof), if (x)
at the time of or immediately after such consolidation, merger, sale
or transfer there are any rights, warrants or other instruments or
securities outstanding or agreements in effect which would
substantially diminish or otherwise eliminate the benefits intended to
be afforded by the Rights or (y) prior to, simultaneously with or
immediately after such consolidation, merger, sale or transfer, the
stockholders of the Person who constitutes, or would constitute, the
"Principal Party" for purposes of Section 13(a) hereof shall have
received a distribution of Rights previously owned by such Person or
any of its Affiliates and Associates.
(o) The Company covenants and agrees that, after the
Distribution Date, it will not, except as permitted by Section 23 or
Section 27 hereof, take (or permit any Subsidiary to take) any action
if at the time such action is taken it is reasonably foreseeable that
such action will diminish substantially or otherwise eliminate the
benefits intended to be afforded by the Rights.
(p) In the event that the Company shall at any time after the
Rights Dividend Declaration Date and
-25-
prior to the Distribution Date (i) declare a dividend on the outstanding
shares of Common Stock payable in shares of Common Stock, (ii) subdivide
the outstanding shares of Common Stock, or (iii) combine the outstanding
shares of Common Stock into a smaller number of shares, the number of
Rights associated with each share of Common Stock then outstanding, or
issued or delivered thereafter but prior to the Distribution Date, shall be
proportionately adjusted so that the number of Rights thereafter associated
with each share of Common Stock following any such event shall equal the
result obtained by multiplying the number of Rights associated with each
share of Common Stock immediately prior to such event by a fraction the
numerator of which shall be the total number of shares of Common Stock
outstanding immediately prior to the occurrence of the event and the
denominator of which shall be the total number of shares of Common Stock
outstanding immediately following the occurrence of such event.
Section 12. CERTIFICATE OF ADJUSTED PURCHASE PRICE OR NUMBER OF
SHARES. Whenever an adjustment is made as provided in Section 11 and Section 13
hereof, the Company shall (a) promptly prepare a certificate setting forth such
adjustment and a brief statement of the facts accounting for such adjustment,
(b) promptly file with the Rights Agent, and with each transfer agent for the
Preferred Stock and the Common Stock, a copy of such certificate, and (c) mail a
brief summary thereof to each holder of a Rights Certificate (or, if prior to
the Distribution Date, to each holder of a certificate representing shares of
Common Stock) in accordance with Section 26 hereof. The Rights Agent shall be
fully protected in relying on any such certificate and on any adjustment therein
contained and shall not be deemed to have knowledge of such adjustment unless
and until it shall have received such certificate.
Section 13. CONSOLIDATION, MERGER OR SALE OR TRANSFER OF ASSETS OR
EARNING POWER.
(a) In the event that, following the Stock Acquisition Date, directly
or indirectly, (x) the Company shall consolidate with, or merge with and into,
any other Person (other than a Subsidiary of the Company in a transaction which
complies with Section 11(o) hereof), and the Company shall not be the continuing
or surviving corporation of such consolidation or merger, (y) any Person (other
than a Subsidiary of the Company in a transaction which complies with Section
11(o) hereof) shall consolidate with, or merge with or into, the Company, and
the Company shall be the continuing or surviving corporation of such
consolidation or merger and, in connection with such consolidation or merger,
all or part of the outstanding shares of Common Stock shall be changed into or
exchanged for stock or
-26-
other securities of any other Person or cash or any other property, or (z) the
Company shall sell or otherwise transfer (or one or more of its Subsidiaries
shall sell or otherwise transfer), in one transaction or a series of related
transactions, assets or earning power aggregating more than 50% of the assets or
earning power aggregating more than 50% of the assets or earning power of the
Company and its Subsidiaries (taken as a whole) to any Person or Persons (other
than the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company in one or more transactions
each of which complies with Section 11(o) hereof), then, and in each such case
(except as may be contemplated by Section 13(d) hereof), proper provision shall
be made so that: (i) each holder of a Right, except as provided in Section 7(e)
hereof, shall thereafter have the right to receive upon the exercise thereof at
the then current Purchase Price in accordance with the terms of this Agreement,
such number of validly authorized and issued, fully paid, nonassessable and
freely tradeable shares of Common Stock of the Principal Party (as such term is
hereinafter defined), not subject to any liens, encumbrances, rights of first
refusal or other adverse claims, as shall be equal to the result obtained by (l)
multiplying the then current Purchase Price by the number of one one-hundredths
of a share of Preferred Stock for which a Right is exercisable immediately prior
to the first occurrence of a Section 13 Event (or, if a Section 11(a)(ii) Event
has occurred prior to the first occurrence of a Section 13 Event, multiplying
the number of such one one-hundredths of a share of Preferred Stock for which a
Right was exercisable immediately prior to the first occurrence of a Section
11(a)(ii) Event by the Purchase Price in effect immediately prior to such first
occurrence), and dividing that product (which, following the first occurrence of
a Section 13 Event, shall be referred to as the "Purchase Price" for each Right
and for all purposes of this Agreement) by (2) 50% of the current market price
(determined pursuant to Section 11(d)(i) hereof) per share of the Common Stock
of such Principal Party on the date of consummation of such Section 13 Event;
(ii) such Principal Party shall thereafter be liable for, and shall assume, by
virtue of such Section 13 Event, all the obligations and duties of the Company
pursuant to this Agreement; (iii) the term "Company" shall thereafter be deemed
to refer to such Principal Party, it being specifically intended that the
provisions of Section 11 hereof shall apply only to such Principal Party
following the first occurrence of a Section 13 Event; (iv) such Principal Party
shall take such steps (including, but not limited to, the reservation of a
sufficient number of shares of its Common Stock) in connection with the
consummation of any such transaction as may be necessary to assure that the
provisions hereof shall thereafter be applicable, as nearly as reasonably may
be, in relation to its shares of Common Stock thereafter deliverable upon the
exercise of the Rights; and (v) the provisions of Section 11(a)(ii) hereof shall
be of no effect following the first occurrence of any Section 13 Event.
-27-
(b) "Principal Party" shall mean:
(i) in the case of any transaction described in clause (x) or
(y) of the first sentence of Section 13(a), the Person that is the
issuer of any securities into which shares of Common Stock of the
Company are converted in such merger or consolidation, and if no
securities are so issued, the Person that is the other party to such
merger or consolidation; and
(ii) in the case of any transaction described in clause (z) of
the first sentence of Section 13(a), the Person that is the party
receiving the greatest portion of the assets or earning power
transferred pursuant to such transaction or transactions;
PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that in any such case, (1) if the Common Stock of such Person
is not at such time and has not been continuously over the preceding twelve (12)
month period registered under Section 12 of the Exchange Act, and such Person is
a direct or indirect Subsidiary of another Person the Common Stock of which is
and has been so registered, "Principal Party" shall refer to such other Person;
and (2) in case such Person is a Subsidiary, directly or indirectly, of more
than one Person, the Common Stocks of two or more of which are and have been so
registered, "Principal Party" shall refer to whichever of such Persons is the
issuer of the Common Stock having the greatest aggregate market value.
(c) The Company shall not consummate any such consolidation, merger,
sale or transfer unless the Principal Party shall have a sufficient number of
authorized shares of its Common Stock which have not been issued or reserved for
issuance to permit the exercise in full of the Rights in accordance with this
Section 13 and unless prior thereto the Company and such Principal Party shall
have executed and delivered to the Rights Agent a supplemental agreement
providing for the terms set forth in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this Section 13
and further providing that, as soon as practicable after the date of any
consolidation, merger, sale or transfer of assets mentioned in paragraph (a) of
this Section 13, the Principal Party will:
(i) prepare and file a registration statement under the Act,
with respect to the Rights and the securities purchasable upon
exercise of the Rights on an appropriate form, and will use its best
efforts to cause such registration statement to (A) become effective
as soon as practicable after such filing and (B) remain effective
(with a prospectus at all times meeting the requirements of the Act)
until the Expiration Date; and
-28-
(ii) will deliver to holders of the Rights historical financial
statements for the Principal Party and each of its Affiliates which
comply in all respects with the requirements for registration on Form
10 under the Exchange Act.
The provisions of this Section 13 shall similarly apply to successive mergers or
consolidations or sales or other transfers. In the event that a Section 13
Event shall occur at any time after the occurrence of a Section 11(a)(ii) Event,
the Rights which have not theretofore been exercised shall thereafter become
exercisable in the manner described in Section 13(a).
Section 14. FRACTIONAL RIGHTS AND FRACTIONAL SHARES.
(a) The Company shall not be required to issue fractions of Rights or
to distribute Rights Certificates which evidence fractional Rights. In lieu of
such fractional Rights, there shall be paid to the registered holders of the
Rights Certificates with regard to which such fractional Rights would otherwise
be issuable, an amount in cash equal to the same fraction of the current market
value of a whole Right. For purposes of this Section 14(a), the current market
value of a whole Right shall be the closing price of the Rights for the Trading
Day immediately prior to the date on which such fractional Rights would have
been otherwise issuable. The closing price of the Rights for any day shall be
the last sale price, regular way, or, in case no such sale takes place on such
day, the average of the closing bid and asked prices, regular way, in either
case as reported in the principal consolidated transaction reporting system with
respect to securities listed or admitted to trading on the New York Stock
Exchange or, if the Rights are not listed or admitted to trading on the New York
Stock Exchange, as reported to the principal consolidated transaction reporting
system with respect to securities listed on the principal national securities
exchange on which the Rights are listed or admitted to trading, or if the Rights
are not listed or admitted to trading on any national securities exchange, the
last quoted price or, if not so quoted, the average of the high bid and low
asked prices in the over-the-counter market, as reported by NASDAQ or such other
system then in use or, if on any such date the Rights are not quoted by any such
organization, the average of the closing bid and asked prices as furnished by a
professional market maker making a market in the Rights selected by the Board of
Directors of the Company. If on any such date no such market maker is making a
market in the Rights the fair value of the Rights on such date as determined in
good faith by the Board of Directors of the Company shall be used.
(b) The Company shall not be required to issue fractions of shares of
Preferred Stock (other than fractions
-29-
which are integral multiples of one one-hundredth of a share of Preferred Stock)
upon exercise of the Rights or to distribute certificates which evidence
fractional shares of Preferred Stock (other than fractions which are integral
multiples of one one-hundredth of a share of Preferred Stock). Fractions of
shares of Preferred Stock in integral multiples of one-hundredth of a share may,
at the election of the Company, be evidenced by depositary receipts pursuant to
an appropriate agreement between the Company and a depositary selected by it;
PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that such agreement shall provide that the holders of such
depositary receipts shall have all the rights, privileges and preferences to
which they are entitled as beneficial owners of the shares represented by such
depositary receipts. In lieu of fractional shares of Preferred Stock that are
not integral multiples of one one-hundredth of a share of Preferred Stock, the
Company shall pay to the registered holders of Rights Certificates at the time
such Rights are exercised as herein provided an amount in cash equal to the same
fraction of the current market value of one one-hundredth of a share of
Preferred Stock. For purposes of this Section 14(b), the current market value
of one one-hundredth of a share of Preferred Stock shall be one one-hundredth of
the closing price of a share of Preferred Stock (as determined pursuant to
Section 11(d)(ii) hereof) for the Trading Day immediately prior to the date of
such exercise.
(c) Following the occurrence of a Triggering Event, the Company shall
not be required to issue fractions of shares of Common Stock upon exercise of
the Rights or to distribute certificates which evidence fractional shares of
Common Stock. In lieu of fractional shares of Common Stock, the Company shall
pay to the registered holders of Rights Certificates at the time such Rights are
exercised as herein provided an amount in cash equal to the same fraction of the
current market value of one (1) share of Common Stock. For purposes of this
Section 14(c), the current market value of one share of Common Stock shall be
the closing price of one share of Common Stock (as determined pursuant to
Section 11(d)(i) hereof) for the Trading Day immediately prior to the date of
such exercise.
(d) The holder of a Right by the acceptance of the Rights expressly
waives his right to receive any fractional Rights or any fractional shares upon
exercise of a Right, except as permitted by this Section 14.
Section 15. RIGHTS OF ACTION. All rights of action in respect of
this Agreement, other than rights of action vested in the Rights Agent pursuant
to Section 18 hereof, are vested in the respective registered holders of the
Rights Certificates (and, prior to the Distribution Date, the registered holders
of the Common Stock); and any registered holder of any Rights Certificate (or,
prior to the Distribution Date, of the Common Stock), without the consent of the
Rights Agent or of the holder
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of any other Rights Certificate (or, prior to the Distribution Date, of the
Common Stock), may, in his own behalf and for his own benefit, enforce, and may
institute and maintain any suit, action or proceeding against the Company to
enforce, or otherwise act in respect of, his or her right to exercise the Rights
evidenced by such Rights Certificate in the manner provided in such Rights
Certificate and in this Agreement. Without limiting the foregoing or any
remedies available to the holders of Rights, it is specifically acknowledged
that the holders of Rights would not have an adequate remedy at law for any
breach of this Agreement and shall be entitled to specific performance of the
obligations hereunder and injunctive relief against actual or threatened
violations of the obligations hereunder of any Person subject to this Agreement.
Section 16. AGREEMENT OF RIGHTS HOLDERS. Every holder of a Right by
accepting the same consents and agrees with the Company and the Rights Agent and
with every holder of a Right that:
(a) prior to the Distribution Date, the Rights will be
transferable only in connection with the transfer of Common Stock;
(b) after the Distribution Date, the Rights Certificates are
transferable only on the registry books of the Rights Agent if
surrendered at the principal office or offices of the Rights Agent
designated for such purposes, duly endorsed or accompanied by a proper
instrument of transfer and with the appropriate forms and certificates
fully executed;
(c) subject to Section 6(a) and Section 7(f) hereof, the Company
and the Rights Agent may deem and treat the person in whose name a
Rights Certificate (or, prior to the Distribution Date, the associated
Common Stock certificate) is registered as the absolute owner thereof
and of the Rights evidenced thereby (notwithstanding any notations of
ownership or writing on the Rights Certificates or the associated
Common Stock certificates made by anyone other than the Company or the
Rights Agent) for all purposes whatsoever, and neither the Company nor
the Rights Agent, subject to the last sentence of Section 7(e) hereof,
shall be required to be affected by any notice to the contrary; and
(d) notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary,
neither the Company nor the Rights Agent shall have any liability to
any holder of a Right or other Person as a result of its inability to
perform any of its obligations under this Agreement by reason
-31-
of any preliminary or permanent injunction or other order, decree or ruling
issued by a court of competent jurisdiction or by a governmental,
regulatory or administrative agency or commission, or any statute, rule,
regulation or executive order promulgated or enacted by any governmental
authority, prohibiting or otherwise restraining performance of such
obligation; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, the Company must use reasonable efforts to
have any such order, decree or ruling lifted or otherwise overturned as
soon as possible.
Section 17. RIGHTS CERTIFICATE HOLDER NOT DEEMED A STOCKHOLDER. No
holder, as such, of any Rights Certificate shall be entitled to vote, receive
dividends or be deemed for any purpose to be the holder of the number of one
one-hundredths of a share of Preferred Stock or any other securities of the
Company which may at any time be issuable on the exercise of the Rights
represented thereby, nor shall anything contained herein or in any Rights
Certificate be construed to confer upon the holder of any Rights Certificate, as
such, any of the rights of a stockholder of the Company or any right to vote for
the election of directors or upon any matter submitted to stockholders at any
meeting thereof, or to give or withhold consent to any corporate action, or to
receive notice of meetings or other actions affecting stockholders (except as
provided in Section 25 hereof), or to receive dividends or subscription rights,
or otherwise, until the Right or Rights evidenced by such Rights Certificate
shall have been exercised in accordance with the provisions hereof.
Section 18. CONCERNING THE RIGHTS AGENT.
(a) The Company agrees to pay to the Rights Agent reasonable
compensation for all services rendered by it hereunder and, from time to time,
on demand of the Rights Agent, its reasonable expenses and counsel fees and
disbursements and other disbursements incurred in the administration and
execution of this Agreement and the exercise and performance of its duties
hereunder.
(b) The Rights Agent shall be protected and shall incur no liability
for or in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it in connection
with its administration of this Agreement in reliance upon any Rights
Certificate or certificate for Common Stock or for other securities of the
Company, instrument of assignment or transfer, power of attorney, endorsement,
affidavit, letter, notice, direction, consent, certificate, statement, or other
paper or document believed by it to be genuine and to be signed, executed and,
where necessary, verified or acknowledged, by the proper Person or Persons.
-32-
Section 19. MERGER OR CONSOLIDATION OR CHANGE OF NAME OF RIGHTS
AGENT.
(a) Any corporation into which the Rights Agent or any successor
Rights Agent may be merged or with which it may be consolidated, or any
corporation resulting from any merger or consolidation to which the Rights Agent
or any successor Rights Agent shall be a party, or any corporation succeeding to
the corporate trust or stock transfer business of the Rights Agent or any
successor Rights Agent, shall be the successor to the Rights Agent under this
Agreement without the execution or filing of any paper or any further act on the
part of any of the parties hereto; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that such corporation
would be eligible for appointment as a successor Rights Agent under the
provisions of Section 21 hereof. In case at the time such successor Rights
Agent shall succeed to the agency created by this Agreement, any of the Rights
Certificates shall have been countersigned but not delivered, any such successor
Rights Agent may adopt the countersignature of a predecessor Rights Agent and
deliver such Rights Certificates so countersigned; and in case at the time any
of the Rights Certificates shall not have been countersigned, any successor
Rights Agent may countersign such Rights Certificates either in the name of the
predecessor or in the name of the successor Rights Agent; and in all such cases
such Rights Certificates shall have the full force provided in the Rights
Certificates and in this Agreement.
(b) In case at any time the name of the Rights Agent shall be
changed, and at such time any of the Rights Certificates shall have been
countersigned but not delivered, the Rights Agent may adopt the countersignature
under its prior name and deliver Rights Certificates so countersigned; and in
case, at that time, any of the Rights Certificates shall not have been
countersigned, the Rights Agent may countersign such Rights Certificates either
in its prior name or in its changed name; and in all such cases such Rights
Certificates shall have the full force provided in the Rights Certificates and
in this Agreement.
Section 20. DUTIES OF RIGHTS AGENT. The Rights Agent undertakes the
duties and obligations imposed by this Agreement upon the following terms and
conditions, by all of which the Company and the holders of Rights Certificates,
by their acceptance thereof, shall be bound:
(a) The Rights Agent may consult with legal counsel (who may be
legal counsel for the Company), and the opinion of such counsel shall
be full and complete authorization and protection to the Rights Agent
as to any action taken or omitted by it in good faith and in
accordance with such opinion.
-33-
(b) Whenever in the performance of its duties under this
Agreement the Rights Agent shall deem it necessary or desirable that
any fact or matter (including, without limitation, the identity of any
Acquiring Person and the determination of "current market price") be
proved or established by the Company prior to taking or suffering any
action hereunder, such fact or matter (unless other evidence in
respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed) may be deemed to be
conclusively proved and established by a certificate signed by the
Chairman of the Board, the President, any Vice President, the
Treasurer, any Assistant Treasurer, the Secretary or any Assistant
Secretary of the Company and delivered to the Rights Agent; and such
certificate shall be full authorization to the Rights Agent for any
action taken or suffered in good faith by it under the provisions of
this Agreement in reliance upon such certificate.
(c) The Rights Agent shall be liable hereunder only for its own
gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct.
(d) The Rights Agent shall not be liable for or by reason of any
of the statements of fact or recital contained in this Agreement or in
the Rights Certificates or be required to verify the same (except as
to its countersignature on such Rights Certificates), but all such
statements and recitals are and shall be deemed to have been made by
the Company only.
(e) The Rights Agent shall not be under any responsibility in
respect of the validity of this Agreement or the execution and
delivery hereof (except the due execution hereof by the Rights Agent)
or in respect of the validity or execution of any Rights Certificate
(except its countersignature thereof); nor shall it be responsible for
any breach by the Company of any covenant or condition contained in
this Agreement or in any Rights Certificate; nor shall it be
responsible for any adjustment required under the provisions of
Section 11, Section 13 or Section 24 hereof or responsible for the
manner, method or amount of any such adjustment or the ascertaining of
the existence of facts that would require any such adjustment (except
with respect to the exercise of Rights evidenced by Rights
Certificates after actual notice of any such adjustment); nor shall it
by any act hereunder be deemed to make any representation or warranty
as to the authorization or reservation of any shares of Common Stock
or Preferred Stock to be issued
-34-
pursuant to this Agreement or any Rights Certificate or as to whether any
shares of Common Stock or Preferred Stock will, when so issued, be validly
authorized and issued, fully paid and nonassessable.
(f) The Company agrees that it will perform, execute, acknowledge and
deliver or cause to be performed, executed, acknowledged and delivered all
such further and other acts, instruments and assurances as may reasonably
be required by the Rights Agent for the carrying out or performing by the
Rights Agent of the provisions of this Agreement.
(g) The Rights Agent is hereby authorized and directed to accept
instructions with respect to the performance of its duties hereunder
from the Chairman of the Board, the President, any Vice President, the
Secretary, any Assistant Secretary, the Treasurer or any Assistant
Treasurer of the Company, and to apply to such officers for advice or
instructions in connection with its duties, and it shall not be liable
for any action taken or suffered to be taken by it in good faith in
accordance with instructions of any such officer.
(h) The Rights Agent and any stockholder, director, officer or
employee of the Rights Agent may buy, sell or deal in any of the
Rights or other securities of the Company or become pecuniarily
interested in any transaction in which the Company may be interested,
or contract with or lend money to the Company or otherwise act as
fully and freely as though it were not Rights Agent under this
Agreement. Nothing herein shall preclude the Rights Agent from acting
in any other capacity for the Company or for any other legal entity.
(i) The Rights Agent may execute and exercise any of the rights
or powers hereby vested in it or perform any duty hereunder either
itself or by or through its attorneys or agents, and the Rights Agent
shall not be answerable or accountable for any act, default, neglect
or misconduct of any such attorneys or agents or for any loss to the
Company resulting from any such act, default, neglect or misconduct;
PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that reasonable care was exercised in the selection
and continued employment thereof.
(j) No provision of this Agreement shall require the Rights
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 its rights if there shall be reasonable
-35-
grounds for believing that repayment of such funds or adequate
indemnification against such risk or liability is not reasonably assured to
it.
(k) If, with respect to any Rights Certificate surrendered to
the Rights Agent for exercise or transfer, the certificate attached to
the form of assignment or form of election to purchase, as the case
may be, has either not been completed or indicates an affirmative
response to clause 1 and/or 2 thereof, the Rights Agent shall not take
any further action with respect to such requested exercise or transfer
without first consulting with the Company.
Section 21. CHANGE OF RIGHTS AGENT. The Rights Agent or any
successor Rights Agent may resign and be discharged from its duties under this
Agreement upon thirty (30) days' notice in writing mailed to the Company, and to
each transfer agent of the Common Stock and Preferred Stock, by registered or
certified mail, and to the holders of the Rights Certificates by first-class
mail. The Company may remove the Rights Agent or any successor Rights Agent
upon thirty (30) days' notice in writing, mailed to the Rights Agent or
successor Rights Agent, as the case may be, and to each transfer agent of the
Common Stock and Preferred Stock, by registered or certified mail, and to the
holders of the Rights Certificates by first-class mail. If the Rights Agent
shall resign or be removed or shall otherwise become incapable of acting, the
Company shall appoint a successor to the Rights Agent. If the Company shall
fail to make such appointment within a period of thirty (30) days after giving
notice of such removal or after it has been notified in writing of such
resignation or incapacity by the resigning or incapacitated Rights Agent or by
the holder of a Rights Certificate (who shall, with such notice, submit his or
her Rights Certificate for inspection by the Company), then any registered
holder of any Rights Certificate may apply to any court of competent
jurisdiction for the appointment of a new Rights Agent. Any successor Rights
Agent, whether appointed by the Company or by such a court, shall be a
corporation organized and doing business under the laws of the United States or
of the State of Illinois (or of any other state of the United States so long as
such corporation is authorized to do business as a banking institution in the
State of Illinois), in good standing, having an office or agency in the State of
New York, which is authorized under such laws to exercise corporate trust or
stock transfer powers and is subject to supervision or examination by federal or
state authority and which has at the time of its appointment as Rights Agent a
combined capital and surplus of at least $50,000,000. After appointment, the
successor Rights Agent shall be vested with the same powers, rights, duties and
responsibilities as if it had been originally named as Rights Agent without
further act or deed; but the predecessor Rights Agent shall deliver and
-36-
transfer to the successor Rights Agent any property at the time held by it
hereunder, and execute and deliver any further reasonable assurance, conveyance,
act or deed necessary for the purpose. Not later than the effective date of any
such appointment, the Company shall file notice thereof in writing with the
predecessor Rights Agent and each transfer agent of the Common Stock and the
Preferred Stock, and mail a notice thereof in writing to the registered holders
of the Rights Certificates. Failure to give any notice provided for in this
Section 21 or any defect therein shall not affect the legality or validity of
the resignation or removal of the Rights Agent or the appointment of the
successor Rights Agent, as the case may be.
Section 22. ISSUANCE OF NEW RIGHTS CERTIFICATES.
Notwithstanding any of the provisions of this Agreement or of the Rights to the
contrary, the Company may, at its option, issue new Rights Certificates
evidencing Rights in such form as may be approved by its Board of Directors to
reflect any adjustment or change in the Purchase Price and the number or kind or
class of shares or other securities or property purchasable under the Rights
Certificates made in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement. In
addition, in connection with the issuance or sale of shares of Common Stock
following the Distribution Date and prior to the redemption or expiration of the
Rights, the Company (a) shall, with respect to shares of Common Stock so issued
or sold pursuant to the exercise of stock options or under any employee plan or
arrangement, granted or awarded prior to the Distribution Date, or upon the
exercise, conversion or exchange of securities hereinafter issued by the
Company, and (b) may, in any other case, if deemed necessary or appropriate by
the Board of Directors of the Company, issue Rights Certificates representing an
appropriate number of Rights in connection with such issuance or sale; PROVIDED,
HOWEVER, that (i) no such Rights Certificate shall be issued if, and to the
extent that, the Company shall be advised by counsel that such issuance would
create a significant risk of material adverse tax consequences to the Company or
the Person to whom such Rights Certificate would be issued, and (ii) no such
Rights Certificate shall be issued if, and to the extent that, appropriate
adjustment shall otherwise have been made in lieu of the issuance thereof.
Section 23. REDEMPTION AND TERMINATION.
(a) The Board of Directors of the Company may, at its option, at any
time prior to the earlier of (i) the close of business on the tenth day
following the Stock Acquisition Date (or, if the Stock Acquisition Date shall
have occurred prior to the Record Date, the close of business on the tenth day
following the Record Date), or (ii) the Final Expiration Date, redeem all but
not less than all of the then outstanding Rights at a redemption price of $.01
per Right, as such amount may be appropriately adjusted to reflect any stock
split, stock dividend
-37-
or similar transaction occurring after the date hereof (such redemption price
being hereinafter referred to as the "Redemption Price"). Notwithstanding
anything contained in this Agreement to the contrary, the Rights shall not be
exercisable after the first occurrence of a Section 11(a)(ii) Event until such
time as the Company's right of redemption hereunder has expired. The Company
may, at its option, pay the Redemption Price in cash, shares of Common Stock
(based on the "current market price", as defined in Section 11(d)(i) hereof, of
the Common Stock at the time of redemption) or any other form of consideration
deemed appropriate by the Board of Directors. The redemption of the Rights by
the Board of Directors may be made effective at such time, on such basis and
with such conditions as the Board of Directors in its sole discretion may
establish.
(b) Immediately upon the action of the Board of Directors of the
Company ordering the redemption of the Rights, evidence of which shall have been
filed with the Rights Agent and without any further action and without any
notice, the right to exercise the Rights will terminate and the only right
thereafter of the holders of Rights shall be to receive the Redemption Price for
each Right so held. Promptly after the action of the Board of Directors
ordering the redemption of the Rights, the Company shall give notice of such
redemption to the Rights Agent and the holders of the then outstanding Rights by
mailing such notice to all such holders at each holder's last address as it
appears upon the registry books of the Rights Agent or, prior to the
Distribution Date, on the registry books of the transfer agent for the Common
Stock. Any notice which is mailed in the manner herein provided shall be deemed
given, whether or not the holder receives the notice. Each such notice of
redemption will state the method by which the payment of the Redemption Price
will be made.
Section 24. EXCHANGE.
(a) The Board of Directors of the Company may, at its option, at any
time after any Person becomes an Acquiring Person, exchange all or part of the
then outstanding and exercisable Rights (which shall not include Rights that
have become void pursuant to the provisions of Section 7(e) hereof) for shares
of Common Stock at an exchange ratio of one share of Common Stock per Right,
appropriately adjusted to reflect any stock split, stock dividend or similar
transaction occurring after the date hereof (such exchange ratio being
hereinafter referred to as the "Exchange Ratio"). Notwithstanding the
foregoing, the Board of Directors shall not be empowered to effect such exchange
at any time after any Person (other than the Company, any Subsidiary of the
Company, any employee benefit plan of the Company or of any Subsidiary of the
Company, or any Person organized, appointed or established by the Company for or
pursuant to the terms of any such plan), together with all Affiliates and
Associates of such
-38-
Person, becomes the Beneficial Owner of fifty percent (50%) or more of the
Common Stock then outstanding.
(b) Immediately upon the action of the Board of Directors of the
Company ordering the exchange of any Rights pursuant to subsection (a) of this
Section 24 and without any further action and without any notice, the right to
exercise such Rights shall terminate and the only right thereafter of a holder
of such Rights shall be to receive that number of shares of Common Stock equal
to the number of such Rights held by such holder multiplied by the Exchange
Ratio. The Company shall promptly give public notice of any exchange; PROVIDED,
HOWEVER, that the failure to give, or any defect in, such notice shall not
affect the validity of such exchange. The Company promptly shall mail a notice
of any such exchange to all of the holders of such Rights at their last
addresses as they appear upon the registry books of the Rights Agent. Any
notice which is mailed in the manner herein provided shall be deemed given,
whether or not the holder receives the notice. Each such notice of exchange
will state the method by which the exchange of the Common Stock for Rights will
be effected and, in the event of any partial exchange, the number of Rights
which will be exchanged. Any partial exchange will be effected pro rata based
on the number of Rights (other than Rights which have become void pursuant to
the provisions of Section 7(e) hereof) held by each holder of Rights.
(c) In any exchange pursuant to this Section 24, the Company, at its
option, may substitute shares of Preferred Stock (or equivalent preferred stock,
as such term is defined in paragraph (b) of Section 11 hereof) for shares of
Common Stock exchangeable for Rights, at the initial rate of one one-hundredth
of a share of Preferred Stock (or equivalent preferred stock) for each share of
Common Stock, as appropriately adjusted to reflect adjustments in the voting
rights of the Preferred Stock pursuant to the terms thereof, so that the
fraction of a share of Preferred Stock delivered in lieu of each share of Common
Stock shall have the same voting rights as one share of Common Stock.
(d) In the event that there shall not be sufficient shares of Common
Stock issued but not outstanding or authorized but unissued to permit any
exchange of Rights as contemplated in accordance with this Section 24, the
Company shall take all such actions as may be necessary to authorize additional
shares of Common Stock for issuance upon exchange of the Rights.
(e) The Company shall not be required to issue fractions of shares of
Common Stock or to distribute certificates which evidence fractional shares of
Common Stock. In lieu of such fractional shares of Common Stock, there shall be
paid to the registered holders of the Rights Certificates with regard to which
such fractional shares of Common Stock would otherwise be issuable, an amount in
cash equal to the same fraction of the
-39-
current market value of a whole share of Common Stock. For the purposes of this
subsection (e), the current market value of a whole share of Common Stock shall
be the closing price of a share of Common Stock (as determined pursuant to the
second sentence of Section 11(d)(i) hereof) for the Trading Day immediately
prior to the date of exchange pursuant to this Section 24.
Section 25. NOTICE OF CERTAIN EVENTS.
(a) In case the Company shall propose, at any time after the
Distribution Date, (i) to pay any dividend payable in stock of any class to the
holders of Preferred Stock or to make any other distribution to the holders of
Preferred Stock (other than a regular quarterly cash dividend out of earnings or
retained earnings of the Company), or (ii) to offer to the holders of Preferred
Stock rights or warrants to subscribe for or to purchase any additional shares
of Preferred Stock or shares of stock of any class or any other securities,
rights or options, or (iii) to effect any reclassification of its Preferred
Stock (other than a reclassification involving only the subdivision of
outstanding shares of Preferred Stock), or (iv) to effect any consolidation or
merger into or with any other Person (other than a Subsidiary of the Company in
a transaction which complies with Section 11(o) hereof), or to effect any sale
or other transfer (or to permit one or more of its Subsidiaries to effect any
sale or other transfer), in one transaction or a series of related transactions,
of more than 50% of the assets or earning power of the Company and its
Subsidiaries (taken as a whole) to any other Person or Persons (other than the
Company and/or any of its Subsidiaries in one or more transactions each of which
complies with Section 11(o) hereof), or (v) to effect the liquidation,
dissolution or winding up of the Company, then, in each such case, the Company
shall give to each holder of a Rights Certificate, to the extent feasible and in
accordance with Section 26 hereof, a notice of such proposed action, which shall
specify the record date for the purposes of such stock dividend, distribution of
rights or warrants, or the date on which such reclassification, consolidation,
merger, sale, transfer, liquidation, dissolution, or winding up is to take place
and the date of participation therein by the holders of the shares of Preferred
Stock, if any such date is to be fixed, and such notice shall be so given in the
case of any action covered by clause (i) or (ii) above at least twenty (20) days
prior to the record date for determining holders of the shares of Preferred
Stock for purposes of such action, and in the case of any such other action, at
least twenty (20) days prior to the date of the taking of such proposed action
or the date of participation therein by the holders of the shares of Preferred
Stock, whichever shall be the earlier.
-40-
(b) In case the event set forth in Section 11(a)(ii) hereof shall
occur, then, in any such case, (i) the Company shall as soon as practicable
thereafter give to each holder of a Rights Certificate, to the extent feasible
and in accordance with Section 26 hereof, a notice of the occurrence of such
event, which shall specify the event and the consequences of the event to
holders of Rights under Section 11(a)(ii) hereof, and (ii) all references in the
preceding paragraph to Preferred Stock shall be deemed thereafter to refer to
Common Stock and/or, if appropriate, other securities.
Section 26. NOTICES. Notices or demands authorized by this Agreement
to be given or made by the Rights Agent or by the holder of any Rights
Certificate to or on the Company shall be sufficiently given or made if sent by
first-class mail, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in
writing with the Rights Agent) as follows:
Allegiance Corporation
0000 Xxxxxxxx Xxxx
XxXxx Xxxx, Xxxxxxxx 00000-0000
Attention: Corporate Secretary
Subject to the provisions of Section 21, any notice or demand authorized by this
Agreement to be given or made by the Company or by the holder of any Rights
Certificate to or on the Rights Agent shall be sufficiently given or made if
sent by first-class mail, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is
filed in writing with the Company) as follows:
First Chicago Trust Company of New York
X.X. Xxx 0000
Xxxxx 0000
Xxxxxx Xxxx, Xxx Xxxxxx 00000-0000
Attention: Tenders & Exchanges Administration
Notices or demands authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the
Company or the Rights Agent to the holder of any Rights Certificate (or, if
prior to the Distribution Date, to the holder of certificates representing
shares of Common Stock) shall be sufficiently given or made if sent by
first-class mail, postage prepaid, addressed to such holder at the address of
such holder as shown on the registry books of the Company.
Section 27. SUPPLEMENTS AND AMENDMENTS. The Company may from time to
time supplement or amend this Agreement without the approval of any holders of
Rights Certificates in order to cure any ambiguity, to correct or supplement any
provision contained herein which may be defective or inconsistent with any other
provision herein, or to make any other provisions with respect to the Rights
which the Company may deem necessary or desirable, any such supplement or
amendment to be evidenced by a
-41-
writing signed by the Company and the Rights Agent; PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that from
and after such time as any Person becomes an Acquiring Person, this Agreement
shall not be amended in any manner which would adversely affect the interests of
the holders of Rights. Prior to the Distribution Date, the interest of the
holders of Rights shall be deemed coincident with the interests of the holders
of Common Stock. Without limiting the foregoing, the Company may at any time
prior to such time as any Person becomes an Acquiring Person amend this
Agreement to lower the thresholds set forth in Sections 1(a) and 3(a) to a
percentage that (subject to exceptions for specified Persons or Groups excepted
from the definition of "Acquiring Person") is not less than the greater of (i)
the sum of .001% and the largest percentage of the outstanding shares of Common
Stock then known by the Company to be beneficially owned by any Person (other
than the Company, any Subsidiary of the Company, any employee benefit plan of
the Company or of any Subsidiary of the Company, any Person organized, appointed
or established by the Company for or pursuant to the terms of any such plan or,
to the extent excepted from the definition of "Acquiring Person", other
Specified Persons or Groups) and (ii) 10.0%.
Section 28. SUCCESSORS. All the covenants and provisions of this
Agreement by or for the benefit of the Company or the Rights Agent shall bind
and inure to the benefit of their respective successors and assigns hereunder.
Section 29. DETERMINATION AND ACTIONS BY THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS, ETC.
For all purposes of this Agreement, any calculation of the number of shares of
Common Stock outstanding at any particular time, including for purposes of
determining the particular percentage of such outstanding shares of Common Stock
of which any Person is the Beneficial Owner, shall be made in accordance with
the last sentence of Rule 13d-3(d)(l)(i) of the General Rules and Regulations
under the Exchange Act. The Board of Directors of the Company shall have the
exclusive power and authority to administer this Agreement and to exercise all
rights and powers specifically granted to the Board of Directors of the Company
or to the Company, or as may be necessary or advisable in the administration of
this Agreement, including, without limitation, the right and power to (i)
interpret the provisions of this Agreement, and (ii) make all determinations
deemed necessary or advisable for the administration of this Agreement
(including, but not limited to, a determination to redeem or not redeem the
Rights or to amend this Agreement). All such actions, calculations,
interpretations and determinations (including, for purposes of clause (y) below,
all omissions with respect to the foregoing) which are done or made by the Board
of Directors of the Company in good faith shall (x) be final, conclusive and
binding on the Company, the Rights Agent, the holders of the Rights and all
other parties, and (y) not subject the Board of
-42-
Directors of the Company to any liability to the holders of the Rights.
Section 30. BENEFITS OF THIS AGREEMENT. Nothing in this Agreement
shall be construed to give to any Person other than the Company, the Rights
Agent and the registered holders of the Rights Certificates (and, prior to the
Distribution Date, registered holders of the Common Stock) any legal or
equitable right, remedy or claim under this Agreement; but this Agreement shall
be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the Company, the Rights Agent and the
registered holders of the Rights Certificates (and, prior to the Distribution
Date, registered holders of the Common Stock).
Section 31. SEVERABILITY. If any term, provision, covenant or
restriction of this Agreement is held by a court of competent jurisdiction or
other authority to be invalid, void or unenforceable, the remainder of the
terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions of this Agreement shall remain in
full force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated;
PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the
contrary, if any such term, provision, covenant or restriction is held by such
court or authority to be invalid, void or unenforceable and the Board of
Directors of the Company determines in its good faith judgment that severing the
invalid language from this Agreement would adversely affect the purpose or
effect of this Agreement, the right of redemption set forth in Section 23 hereof
shall be reinstated and shall not expire until the close of business on the
tenth day following the date of such determination by the Board of Directors of
the Company.
Section 32. GOVERNING LAW. This Agreement, each Right and each
Rights Certificate issued hereunder shall be deemed to be a contract made under
the laws of the State of Delaware and for all purposes shall be governed by and
construed in accordance with the laws of such State applicable to contracts made
and to be performed entirely within such State.
Section 33. COUNTERPARTS. This Agreement may be executed in any
number of counterparts and each of such counterparts shall for all purposes be
deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together constitute
but one and the same instrument.
Section 34. DESCRIPTIVE HEADINGS. Descriptive headings of the
several Sections of this Agreement are inserted for convenience only and shall
not control or affect the meaning or construction of any of the provisions
hereof.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to
be duly executed and their respective corporate
-43-
seals to be hereunto affixed and attested, all as of the day and year first
above written.
Attest: ALLEGIANCE CORPORATION
By: By:
----------------- -----------------
Name: Name:
Title: Title:
Attest: FIRST CHICAGO TRUST COMPANY
OF NEW YORK
By: By:
----------------- -----------------
Name: Name:
Title: Title:
-44-
Exhibit A
CERTIFICATE OF DESIGNATION
OF
SERIES A JUNIOR PARTICIPATING PREFERRED STOCK
OF
ALLEGIANCE CORPORATION
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pursuant to Section 151 of the
General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The undersigned do hereby certify that the following resolution was
duly adopted by the Board of Directors of Allegiance Corporation, a Delaware
corporation (the "Corporation"), at a meeting duly convened and held on
September 16, 1996, at which a quorum was present and acting throughout:
RESOLVED, that pursuant to the authority vested in the board of
directors of the Corporation by the Certificate of Incorporation, the board of
directors does hereby create, authorize and provide for the issue of a series of
Preferred Stock, par value $.01 per share, of the Corporation, to be designated
"Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock" (hereinafter referred to as the
"Series A Preferred Stock"), initially consisting of 2,000,000 shares, and to
the extent that the designations, powers, preferences and relative and other
special rights and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions of the Series
A Preferred Stock are not stated and expressed in the Certificate of
Incorporation, does hereby fix and herein state and express such designations,
powers, preferences and relative and other special rights and the
qualifications, limitations and restrictions thereof, as follows (all terms used
herein which are defined in the Certificate of Incorporation shall be deemed to
have the meanings provided therein):
Section 1. DESIGNATION AND AMOUNT. The shares of such series shall
be designated as "Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock" and the number
of shares constituting such series shall be 2,000,000.
Section 2. DIVIDENDS AND DISTRIBUTIONS.
(A) Subject to the prior and superior rights of the holders of any
shares of any series of Preferred Stock ranking prior and superior to the shares
of Series A Preferred Stock with respect to dividends, the holders of shares of
Series A Preferred Stock shall be entitled to receive, when, as and if declared
by the Board of Directors out of funds legally available for the purpose,
quarterly dividends payable in cash on the first business day of January, April,
July and October in each year (each such date being referred to herein as a
"Quarterly Dividend Payment Date"), commencing on the first Quarterly Dividend
Payment Date after the first issuance of a share or fraction of a share of
Series A Preferred Stock, in an amount per share (rounded to the nearest cent)
equal to the greater of (a) $.01 or (b) subject to the provision for adjustment
hereinafter set forth, 100 times the aggregate per share amount of all cash
dividends, and 100 times the aggregate per share amount (payable in kind) of all
non-cash dividends or other distributions other than a dividend payable in
shares of Common Stock or a subdivision of the outstanding shares of Common
Stock (by reclassification or otherwise), declared on the Common Stock, par
value $1.00 per share, of the Corporation (the "Common Stock") since the
immediately preceding Quarterly Dividend Payment Date, or, with respect to the
first Quarterly Dividend Payment Date, since the first issuance of any share or
fraction of a share of Series A Preferred Stock. In the event the Corporation
shall at any time after September 30, 1996 (the "Rights Declaration Date") (i)
declare any dividend on Common Stock payable in shares of Common Stock, (ii)
subdivide the outstanding Common Stock, or (iii) combine the outstanding Common
Stock into a small number of shares, then in each case the amount to which
holders of shares of Series A Preferred Stock were entitled immediately prior to
such event under clause (b) of the preceding sentence shall be adjusted by
multiplying such amount by a fraction the numerator of which is the number of
shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after such event and the
denominator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock that were
outstanding immediately prior to such event.
(B) The Corporation shall declare a dividend or distribution on the
Series A Preferred Stock as provided in paragraph (A) above immediately after it
declares a dividend or distribution on the Common Stock (other than a dividend
payable in shares of Common Stock); PROVIDED, HOWEVER, that, in the event no
dividend or distribution shall have been declared on the Common Stock during the
period between any Quarterly Dividend Payment Date and the next subsequent
Quarterly Dividend Payment Date, subject to the prior and superior rights of the
holders of any shares of any series of Preferred Stock ranking prior to and
superior to the shares of Series A Preferred Stock with respect to dividends, a
dividend of $.01 per share on the Series A
A-2
Preferred Stock shall nevertheless by payable on such subsequent Quarterly
Dividend Payment Date.
(C) Dividends shall begin to accrue and be cumulative on outstanding
shares of Series A Preferred Stock from the Quarterly Dividend Payment Data next
preceding the date of issue of such shares of Series A Preferred Stock, unless
the date of issue of such shares is prior to the record date for the first
Quarterly Dividend Payment Date, in which case dividends on such shares shall
begin to accrue from the date of issue of such shares, or unless the date of
issue is a Quarterly Dividend Payment Date or is a date after the record date
for the determination of holders of shares of Series A Preferred Stock entitled
to receive a quarterly dividend and before such Quarterly Dividend Payment Date,
in either of which events such dividends shall begin to accrue and be cumulative
from such Quarterly Dividend Payment Date. Accrued but unpaid dividends shall
not bear interest. Dividends paid on the shares of Series A Preferred Stock in
an amount less than the total amount of such dividends at the time accrued and
payable on such shares shall be allocated pro rata on a share-by-share basis
among all such shares at the time outstanding. The Board of Directors may fix a
record date for the determination of holders of shares of Series A Preferred
Stock entitled to receive payment of a dividend or distribution declared
thereon, which record date shall be no more than 60 days prior to the date fixed
for the payment thereof.
Section 3. VOTING RIGHTS.
The holders of shares of Series A Preferred Stock shall have the
following voting rights:
(A) Subject to the provision for adjustment hereinafter set forth,
each share of Series A Preferred Stock shall entitle the holder thereof to 100
votes on all matters submitted to a vote of the stockholders of the Corporation.
In the event the Corporation shall at any time after the Rights Declaration Date
(i) declare any dividend on Common Stock payable in shares of Common Stock, (ii)
subdivide the outstanding Common Stock, or (iii) combine the outstanding Common
Stock into a smaller number of shares, then in each such case the number of
votes per share to which holders of shares of Series A Preferred Stock were
entitled immediately prior to such event shall be adjusted by multiplying such
number by a fraction the numerator of which is the number of shares of Common
Stock outstanding immediately after such event and the denominator of which is
the number of shares of Common Stock that were outstanding immediately prior to
such event.
(B) Except as otherwise provided herein or by law, the holders of
shares of Series A Preferred Stock and the holders of shares of Common Stock
shall vote collectively as one class on
A-3
all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders of the Corporation.
(C) (i) If at any time dividends on any Series A Preferred Stock
shall be in arrears in an amount equal to six (6) quarterly dividends
thereon, the occurrence of such contingency shall xxxx the beginning of
a period (herein called a "default period") which shall extend until
such time when all accrued and unpaid dividends for all previous
quarterly dividend periods and for the current quarterly dividend period
on all shares of Series A Preferred Stock then outstanding shall have
been declared and paid or set apart for payment. During each default
period, all holders of Preferred Stock (including holders of the Series
A Preferred Stock) with dividends in arrears in an amount equal to six
(6) quarterly dividends thereon, voting as a class, irrespective of
series, shall have the right to elect two (2) Directors.
(ii) During any default period, such voting right of the holders of
Series A Preferred Stock may be exercised initially at a special meeting
called pursuant to subparagraph (iii) of this Section 3(c) or at any annual
meeting of stockholders, and thereafter at annual meetings of stockholders,
provided that such voting right shall not be exercised unless the holders
of ten percent (10%) in number of shares of Preferred Stock outstanding
shall be present in person or by proxy. The absence of a quorum of the
holders of Common Stock shall not affect the exercise by the holders of
Preferred Stock of such voting rights. At any meeting at which the holders
of Preferred Stock shall exercise such voting right initially during an
existing default period, they shall have the right, voting as a class, to
elect Directors to fill such vacancies, if any, in the Board of Directors
as may then exist up to two (2) Directors or, if such right is exercised at
an annual meeting, to elect two (2) Directors. If the number which may be
so elected at any special meeting does not amount to the required number,
the holders of the Preferred Stock shall have the right to make such
increase in the number of Directors as shall be necessary to permit the
election by them of the required number. After the holders of the
Preferred Stock shall have exercised their right to elect Directors in any
default period and during the continuance of such period, the number of
Directors shall not be increased or decreased except by vote of the holders
of Preferred Stock as herein provided or pursuant to the rights of any
equity securities ranking senior to or PARI PASSU with the Series A
Preferred Stock.
(iii) Unless the holders of Preferred Stock shall, during an existing
default period, have previously exercised
A-4
their right to elect Directors, the Board of Directors may order, or any
stockholder or stockholders owning in the aggregate not less than ten
percent (10%) of the total number of shares of Preferred Stock outstanding,
irrespective of series, may request, the calling of special meeting of the
holders of Preferred Stock, which meeting shall thereupon be called by the
Chairman of the Board, the President, a Vice-President or the Secretary of
the Corporation. Notice of such meeting and of any annual meeting at which
holders of Preferred Stock are entitled to vote pursuant to this paragraph
(C)(iii) shall be given to each holder of record of Preferred Stock by
mailing a copy of such notice to him or her at his or her last address as
the same appears on the books of the Corporation. Such meeting shall be
called for a time not earlier than 10 days and not later than 50 days after
such order or request, or in default of the calling of such meeting within
50 days after such order or request, such meeting may be called on similar
notice by any stockholder or stockholders owning in the aggregate not less
than ten percent (10%) of the total number of shares of Preferred Stock
outstanding. Notwithstanding the provisions of this paragraph (C)(iii), no
such special meeting shall be called during the period within 50 days
immediately preceding the date fixed for the next annual meeting of the
stockholders.
(iv) In any default period, the holders of Common Stock, and, if
applicable, other classes of capital stock of the Corporation, shall
continue to be entitled to elect the whole number of Directors until the
holders of Preferred Stock shall have exercised their right to elect two
(2) Directors voting as a class, after the exercise of which right (x) the
Directors so elected by the holders of Preferred Stock shall continue in
office until their successors shall have been elected by such holders or
until the expiration of the default period, and (y) any vacancy in the
Board of Directors may (except as provided in paragraph (C)(ii) of this
Section 3) be filled by vote of a majority of the remaining Directors
theretofore elected by the holders of the class of capital stock which
elected the Director whose office shall have become vacant. References in
this paragraph (C) to Directors elected by the holders of a particular
class of stock shall include Directors appointed by such Directors to fill
vacancies as provided in clause (y) of the foregoing sentence.
(v) Immediately upon the expiration of a default period, (x) the
right of the holders of Preferred Stock as a class to elect Directors shall
cease, (y) the term of any Directors elected by the holders of Preferred
Stock as a class shall terminate, and (z) the number of Directors shall be
such number as may be provided for in the certificate of
A-5
incorporation or by-laws irrespective of any increase made pursuant to the
provisions of paragraph (C)(ii) of this Section 3 (such number being
subject, however, to change thereafter in any manner provided by law or in
the certificate of incorporation or by-laws). Any vacancies in the Board
of Directors effected by the provisions of clauses (y) and (z) in the
preceding sentence may be filled by a majority of the remaining Directors.
(D) Except as set forth herein, holders of Series A Preferred Stock
shall have no special voting rights and their consent shall not be required
(except to the extent they are entitled to vote with holders of Common Stock as
set forth herein) for taking any corporate action.
Section 4. CERTAIN RESTRICTIONS.
(A) Whenever quarterly dividends or other dividends or distributions
payable on the Series A Preferred Stock as provided in Section 2 are in arrears,
thereafter and until all accrued and unpaid dividends and distributions, whether
or not declared, on shares of Series A Preferred Stock outstanding shall have
been paid in full, the Corporation shall not:
(i) declare or pay dividends on, make any other distributions
on, or redeem or purchase or otherwise acquire for consideration any
shares of capital stock ranking junior (either as to dividends or upon
liquidation, dissolution or winding up) to the Series A Preferred
Stock;
(ii) declare or pay dividends on or make any other distributions
on any shares of stock ranking on a parity (either as to dividends or
upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up) with the Series A
Preferred Stock, except dividends paid ratably on the Series A
Preferred Stock and all such parity stock on which dividends are
payable or in arrears in proportion to the total amounts to which the
holders of all such shares are then entitled;
(iii) redeem or purchase or otherwise acquire for consideration
shares of any capital stock ranking on a parity (either as to
dividends or upon liquidation, dissolution or winding up) with the
Series A Preferred Stock, provided that the Corporation may at any
time redeem, purchase or otherwise acquire shares of any such parity
stock in exchange for shares of any capital stock of the Corporation
ranking junior (either as to dividends or upon dissolution,
liquidation or winding up) to the Series A Preferred Stock; or
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(iv) purchase or otherwise acquire for consideration any shares
of Series A Preferred Stock, or any shares of capital stock ranking on
a parity with the Series A Preferred Stock, except in accordance with
a purchase offer made in writing or by publication (as determined by
the Board of Directors) to all holders of such shares upon such terms
as the Board of Directors, after consideration of the respective
annual dividend rates and other relative rights and preferences of the
respective series and classes, shall determine in good faith will
result in fair and equitable treatment among the respective series or
classes.
(B) The Corporation shall not permit any subsidiary of the
Corporation to purchase or otherwise acquire for consideration any shares of
stock of the Corporation unless the Corporation could, under paragraph (A) of
this Section 4, purchase or otherwise acquire such shares at such time and in
such manner.
Section 5. REACQUIRED SHARES.
Any shares of Series A Preferred Stock purchased or otherwise acquired
by the Corporation in any manner whatsoever shall be retired and cancelled
promptly after the acquisition thereof. All such shares shall upon their
cancellation become authorized but unissued shares of Preferred Stock and may be
reissued as part of a new series of Preferred Stock to be created by resolution
or resolutions of the Board of Directors, subject to the conditions and
restrictions on issuance set forth herein.
Section 6. LIQUIDATION, DISSOLUTION OR WINDING UP.
(A) Upon any liquidation (voluntary or otherwise), dissolution or
winding up of the Corporation, no distribution shall be made to the holders of
shares of capital stock ranking junior (either as to dividends or upon
liquidation, dissolution or winding up) to the Series A Preferred Stock unless,
prior thereto, the holders of shares of Series A Preferred Stock shall have
received $100 per share, plus an amount equal to accrued and unpaid dividends
and distributions thereon, whether or not declared, to the date of such payment
(the "Series A Liquidation Preference"). Following the payment of the full
amount of the Series A Liquidation Preference, no additional distributions shall
be made to the holders of shares of Series A Preferred Stock unless, prior
thereto, the holders of shares of Common Stock shall have received an amount per
share (the "Common Adjustment") equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (i)
the Series A Liquidation Preference by (ii) 100 (as appropriately adjusted as
set forth in subparagraph C below to reflect such events as stock splits, stock
dividends and recapitalizations with respect to the Common Stock) (such number
in clause (ii),
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the "Adjustment Number"). Following the payment of the full amount of the
Series A Liquidation Preference and the Common Adjustment in respect of all
outstanding shares of Series A Preferred Stock and Common Stock, respectively,
and the payment of liquidation preferences of all other shares of capital stock
which rank prior to or on a parity with Series A Preferred Stock, holders of
Series A Preferred Stock and holders of shares of Common Stock shall receive
their ratable and proportionate share of the remaining assets to be distributed
in the ratio of the Adjustment Number to 1 with respect to such Preferred Stock
and Common Stock, on a per share basis, respectively.
(B) In the event, however, that there are not sufficient assets
available to permit payment in full of the Series A Liquidation Preference and
the liquidation preferences of all other series of Preferred Stock, if any,
which rank on a parity with the Series A Preferred Stock, then such remaining
assets shall be distributed ratably to the holders of such parity shares in
proportion to their respective liquidation preferences. In the event, however,
that there are not sufficient assets available to permit payment in full of the
Common Adjustment, then such remaining assets shall be distributed ratably to
the holders of Common Stock.
(C) In the event the Corporation shall at any time after the Rights
Declaration Date (i) declare any dividend on Common Stock payable in shares of
Common Stock, (ii) subdivide the outstanding Common Stock, or (iii) combine the
outstanding Common Stock into a smaller number of shares, then in each such case
the Adjustment Number in effect immediately prior to such event shall be
adjusted by multiplying such Adjustment Number by a fraction the numerator of
which is the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after such
event and the denominator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock that
were outstanding immediately prior to such event.
Section 7. CONSOLIDATION, MERGER, ETC.
In case the Corporation shall enter into any consolidation, merger,
combination or other transaction in which the shares of Common Stock are
exchanged for or changed into other stock or securities, cash and/or any other
property, then in any such case the shares of Series A Preferred Stock shall at
the same time be similarly exchanged or changed into an amount per share
(subject to the provision for adjustment hereinafter set forth) equal to 100
times the aggregate amount of capital stock, securities, cash and/or any other
property (payable in kind), as the case may be, for which or into which each
share of Common Stock is exchanged or changed. In the event the Corporation
shall at any time after the Rights Declaration Date (i) declare any dividend on
Common Stock payable in shares of Common Stock, (ii) subdivide the outstanding
Common Stock, or
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(iii) combine the outstanding Common Stock into a smaller number of shares, then
in each such case the amount set forth in the preceding sentence with respect to
the exchange or change of shares of Series A Preferred Stock shall be adjusted
by multiplying such amount by a fraction the numerator of which is the number of
shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after such event and the
denominator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock that were
outstanding immediately prior to such event.
Section 8. NO REDEMPTION.
The shares of Series A Preferred Stock shall not be redeemable.
Section 9. RANKING.
The Series A Preferred Stock shall rank junior to all other series of
the Corporation's Preferred Stock as to the payment of dividends and the
distribution of assets, whether or not upon the dissolution, liquidation or
winding up of the Corporation, unless the terms of any such series shall provide
otherwise.
Section 10. AMENDMENT.
The Certificate of Incorporation of the Corporation shall not be
amended in any manner which would materially alter or change the powers,
preferences or special rights of the Series A Preferred Stock so as to affect
them adversely without the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the
outstanding shares of Series A Preferred Stock, voting separately as a class.
Section 11. FRACTIONAL SHARES.
Series A Preferred Stock may be issued in fractions of a share which
shall entitle the holder, in proportion to such holder's fractional shares, to
exercise voting rights, receive dividends, participate in distributions and to
have the benefit of all other rights of holders of Series A Preferred Stock.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, Allegiance Corporation has caused its corporate
seal to be hereunto affixed and this certificate to be signed by _____________
________, its _______, and the same to be attested to by ___________, its
_________, this ____ day of September, 1996.
ALLEGIANCE CORPORATION
By: _____________________________
Name:
Title:
(Corporate Seal)
Attest:
------------------------
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EXHIBIT B
[Form of Rights Certificate]
Certificate No. R- __________ Rights
NOT EXERCISABLE AFTER SEPTEMBER 30, 2006 OR EARLIER IF REDEEMED BY THE COMPANY.
THE RIGHTS ARE SUBJECT TO REDEMPTION, AT THE OPTION OF THE COMPANY, AT $.01 PER
RIGHT ON THE TERMS SET FORTH IN THE RIGHTS AGREEMENT. UNDER CERTAIN
CIRCUMSTANCES, RIGHTS BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY AN ACQUIRING PERSON (AS SUCH TERM IS
DEFINED IN THE RIGHTS AGREEMENT) AND ANY SUBSEQUENT HOLDER OF SUCH RIGHTS MAY
BECOME NULL AND VOID. [THE RIGHTS REPRESENTED BY THIS RIGHTS CERTIFICATE ARE OR
WERE BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY A PERSON WHO WAS OR BECAME AN ACQUIRING PERSON OR AN
AFFILIATE OR ASSOCIATE OF AN ACQUIRING PERSON (AS SUCH TERMS ARE DEFINED IN THE
RIGHTS AGREEMENT). ACCORDINGLY, THIS RIGHTS CERTIFICATE AND THE RIGHTS
REPRESENTED HEREBY MAY BECOME NULL AND VOID IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES SPECIFIED IN
SECTION 7(e) OF SUCH AGREEMENT.]
-------------------
* The portion of the legend in brackets shall be inserted only if applicable
and shall replace the preceding sentence.
Rights Certificate
ALLEGIANCE CORPORATION
This certifies that _______________, or registered assigns, is the
registered owner of the number of Rights set forth above, each of which entitles
the owner thereof, subject to the terms, provisions and conditions of the Rights
Agreement, dated as of September 30, 1996 (the "Rights Agreement"), between
Allegiance Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the "Company"), and First
Chicago Trust Company of New York , a New York corporation (the "Rights
Agent"), to purchase from the Company at any time prior to 5:00 P.M. (Chicago
time) on September 30, 2006 at the office or offices of the Rights Agent
designated for such purpose, or its successors as Rights Agent, one
one-hundredth of a fully paid, nonassessable share of Series A Junior
Participating Preferred Stock (the "Preferred Stock") of the Company, at a
purchase price of $65 per one one-hundredth of a share (the "Purchase Price"),
upon presentation and surrender of this Rights Certificate with the Form of
Election to Purchase and related Certificate duly executed. The number of
Rights evidenced by this Rights Certificate (and the number of shares which may
be purchased upon exercise thereof) set forth above, and the Purchase Price per
share set forth above, are the number and Purchase Price as of September 30,
1996, based on the Preferred Stock as constituted at such date. The Company
reserves the right to require prior to the occurrence of a Triggering Event (as
such term is defined in the Rights Agreement) that, upon any exercise of Rights,
a number of Rights be exercised so that only whole shares of Preferred Stock
will be issued.
Upon the occurrence of a Section 11(a)(ii) Event (as such term is
defined in the Rights Agreement), if the Rights evidenced by this Rights
Certificate are beneficially owned by (i) an Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or
Associate of any such Acquiring Person (as such terms are defined in the Rights
Agreement), (ii) a transferee of any such Acquiring Person, Associate or
Affiliate, or (iii) under certain circumstances specified in the Rights
Agreement, a transferee of a person who, after such transfer, became an
Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate of such Person, such Rights shall
become null and void and no holder hereof shall have any right with respect to
such Rights from and after the occurrence of such Section 11(a)(ii) Event.
As provided in the Rights Agreement, the Purchase Price and the number
and kind of shares of Preferred Stock or other securities which may be purchased
upon the exercise of the Rights evidenced by this Rights Certificate are subject
to modification
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and adjustment upon the happening of certain events, including Triggering
Events.
This Rights Certificate is subject to all of the terms, provisions and
conditions of the Rights Agreement, which terms, provisions and conditions are
hereby incorporated herein by reference and made a part hereof and to which
Rights Agreement reference is hereby made for a full description of the rights,
limitations of rights, obligations, duties and immunities hereunder of the
Rights Agent, the Company and the holders of the Rights Certificates, which
limitations of rights include the temporary suspension of the exercisability of
such Rights under the specific circumstances set forth in the Rights Agreement.
Copies of the Rights Agreement are on file at the above-mentioned office of the
Rights Agent and are also available upon written request to the Rights Agent.
This Rights Certificate, with or without other Rights Certificates,
upon surrender at the principal office or offices of the Rights Agent designated
for such purpose, may be exchanged for another Rights Certificate or Rights
Certificates of like tenor and date evidencing Rights entitling the holder to
purchase a like aggregate number of one one-hundredths of a share of Preferred
Stock as the Rights evidenced by the Rights Certificates surrendered shall have
entitled such holder to purchase. If this Rights Certificate shall be exercised
in part, the holder shall be entitled to receive upon surrender hereof another
Rights Certificate or Rights Certificates for the number of whole Rights not
exercised.
Subject to the provisions of the Rights Agreement, the Rights
evidenced by this Certificate may, in each case at the option of the Company, be
(i) redeemed by the Company at its option at a redemption price of $.01 per
Right or (ii) exchanged in whole or in part for shares of Common Stock or other
securities of the Company. Immediately upon the action of the Board of
Directors of the Company authorizing redemption, the Rights will terminate and
the only right of the holders of Rights will be to receive the redemption price.
No fractional shares of Preferred Stock will be issued upon the
exercise of any Right or Rights evidenced hereby (other than fractions which are
integral multiples of one one-hundredth of a share of Preferred Stock, which
may, at the election of the Company, be evidenced by depositary receipts), but
in lieu thereof a cash payment will be made, as provided in the Rights
Agreement.
No holder of this Rights Certificate shall be entitled to vote or
receive dividends or be deemed for any purpose the holder of shares of Preferred
Stock or of any other securities of the Company which may at any time be
issuable on the exercise
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hereof, nor shall anything contained in the Rights Agreement or herein be
construed to confer upon the holder hereof, as such, any of the rights of a
stockholder of the Company or any right to vote for the election of directors or
upon any matter submitted to stockholders at any meeting thereof, or to give or
withhold consent to any corporate action, or, to receive notice of meetings or
other actions affecting stockholders (except as provided in the Rights
Agreement), or to receive dividends or subscription rights, or otherwise, until
the Right or Rights evidenced by this Rights Certificate shall have been
exercised as provided in the Rights Agreement.
This Rights Certificate shall not be valid or obligatory for any
purpose until it shall have been countersigned manually or by facsimile
signature by the Rights Agent.
WITNESS the facsimile signature of the proper officers of the Company
and its corporate seal.
Dated as of _______ __, 19__
ATTEST: ALLEGIANCE CORPORATION
_________________________ By: ________________________
Secretary Name:
Title:
Countersigned:
FIRST CHICAGO TRUST COMPANY
OF NEW YORK
By: ____________________
Authorized Signature
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[Form of Reverse Side of Rights Certificate]
FORM OF ASSIGNMENT
(To be executed by the registered holder if such
holder desires to transfer the Rights Certificate.)
FOR VALUE RECEIVED ________________________________________
hereby sells, assigns and transfers unto __________________
___________________________________________________________
(Please print name and address of transferee)
this Rights Certificate, together with all right, title and interest therein,
and does hereby irrevocably constitute and appoint __________ Attorney, to
transfer the within Rights Certificate on the books of the within-named Company,
with full power of substitution.
Dated: ___________________, _____
_____________________________
Signature
Signature Guaranteed:
CERTIFICATE
The undersigned hereby certifies by checking the appropriate boxes
that:
(1) this Rights Certificate [ ] is [ ] is not being sold,
assigned and transferred by or on behalf of a Person who is or was an
Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate of an Acquiring Person
(as such terms are defined pursuant to the Rights Agreement);
(2) after due inquiry and to the best knowledge of the
undersigned, it [ ] did [ ] did not acquire the Rights evidenced by
this Rights Certificate from any Person who is, was or subsequently
became an Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate of an
Acquiring Person.
Dated: _______, _____ ____________________________
Signature
Signature Guaranteed:
NOTICE
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The signature to the foregoing Assignment and Certificate must
correspond to the name as written upon the face of this Rights Certificate in
every particular, without alteration or enlargement or any change whatsoever.
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FORM OF ELECTION TO PURCHASE
(To be executed if holder desires to
exercise Rights represented by the
Rights Certificate.)
TO: ALLEGIANCE CORPORATION
The undersigned hereby irrevocably elects to exercise ______ Rights
represented by this Rights Certificate to purchase the shares of Preferred Stock
issuable upon the exercise of the Rights (or such other securities of the
Company or of any other person which may be issuable upon the exercise of the
Rights) and requests that certificates for such shares (or other securities) be
issued in the name of and delivered to:
Please insert social security
or other identifying number
________________________________________________________________________________
(Please print name and address)
________________________________________________________________________________
If such number of Rights shall not be all the Rights evidenced by this
Rights Certificate, a new Rights Certificate for the balance of such Rights
shall be registered in the name of and delivered to:
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Please insert social security
or other identifying number
________________________________________________________________________________
(Please print name and address)
________________________________________________________________________________
Dated: _____________, ____
________________________________________
Signature
Signature Guaranteed:
CERTIFICATE
The undersigned hereby certifies by checking the appropriate boxes
that:
(1) the Rights evidenced by this Rights Certificate [ ] are [ ]
are not being exercised by or on behalf of a Person who is or was an
Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate of an Acquiring Person
(as such terms are defined pursuant to the Rights Agreement);
(2) after due inquiry and to the best knowledge of the
undersigned, it [ ] did [ ] did not acquire the Rights evidenced by
this Rights Certificate from any Person who is, was or became an
Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate of an Acquiring Person.
Dated: _________, ___ __________________________________
Signature
Signature Guaranteed:
NOTICE
The signature to the foregoing Election to Purchase and Certificate
must correspond to the name as written upon the face of this Rights Certificate
in every particular, without alteration or enlargement or any change whatsoever.
B-8
Exhibit C
SUMMARY OF RIGHTS TO PURCHASE PREFERRED STOCK
On September 16, 1996, the Board of Directors of Allegiance
Corporation (the "Company") declared a dividend distribution of one Right for
each outstanding share of the Company's common stock, $1.00 par value per share
("Common Stock"), to stockholders of record at the close of business on
September 30, 1996. Each Right entitles the registered holder to purchase from
the Company a unit consisting of one one-hundredth of a share (a "Unit") of
Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock, par value $.01 per share (the
"Preferred Stock"), at a Purchase Price of $65 per Unit, subject to adjustment.
The description and terms of the Rights are set forth in a Rights Agreement (the
"Rights Agreement") dated as of September 30, 1996 between the Company and First
Chicago Trust Company of New York, as Rights Agent.
Initially, the Rights will be attached to all Common Stock
certificates representing shares then outstanding, and no separate Rights
certificates will be distributed. The Rights will separate from the Common
Stock and the Distribution Date will occur upon the earlier of (i) 10 days
following a public announcement that a person or group of affiliated or
associated persons (an "Acquiring Person") has acquired, or obtained the right
to acquire, beneficial ownership of 15% or more of the outstanding shares of
Common Stock (the "Stock Acquisition Date"), or (ii) 10 business days (or such
later date as may be determined by action of the Board of Directors prior to
such time as any person or group becomes an Acquiring Person) following the
commencement of a tender offer or exchange offer that would result in a person
or group beneficially owning 15% or more of such outstanding shares of Common
Stock.
Until the Distribution Date, (i) the Rights will be evidenced by the
Common Stock certificates and will be transferred with and only with such Common
Stock certificates, (ii) new Common Stock certificates issued on or after
September 30, 1996 will contain a notation incorporating the Rights Agreement by
reference and (iii) the surrender for transfer of any certificates for Common
Stock outstanding will also constitute the transfer of the Rights associated
with the Common Stock represented by such certificate.
Pursuant to the Rights Agreement, the Company reserves the right to
require prior to the occurrence of a Triggering Event (as defined below) that,
upon any exercise of Rights, a number of Rights be exercised so that only whole
shares of Preferred Stock will be issued.
The Rights are not exercisable until the Distribution Date and will
expire at the close of business on September 30, 2006, unless earlier redeemed
by the Company as described below.
As soon as practicable after the Distribution Date, Rights
certificates will be mailed to holders of record of the Common Stock as of the
close of business on the Distribution Date and, thereafter, the separate Rights
certificates alone will represent the Rights. Except as otherwise provided in
the Rights Agreement, only shares of Common Stock issued prior to the
Distribution Date will be issued with Rights.
In the event that, at any time following the Distribution Date, a
person or group becomes an Acquiring Person, each holder of a Right will
thereafter have the right to receive, upon exercise, Common Stock having a value
equal to two times the exercise price of the Right. If an insufficient number
of shares of Common Stock is authorized for issuance, then the Board would be
required to substitute cash, property or other securities of the Company for the
Common Stock. Notwithstanding any of the foregoing, following the occurrence of
the event set forth in this paragraph, all rights that are, or (under certain
circumstances specified in the Rights Agreement) were, beneficially owned by any
Acquiring Person will be null and void. However, Rights are not exercisable
following the occurrence of the event set forth in this paragraph until such
time as the Rights are no longer redeemable by the Company as set forth below.
For example, at an exercise price of $65 per Right, each Right not
owned by an Acquiring Person (or by certain related parties) following an event
set forth in the preceding paragraph would entitle its holder to purchase $130
worth of Common Stock (or other consideration, as noted above) for $65.
Assuming that the Common Stock had a per share value of $26 at such time,
the holder of each valid Right would be entitled to purchase five shares of
Common Stock for $65.
In the event that, at any time following the Stock Acquisition Date,
(i) the Company is acquired in a merger or other business combination
transaction in which the Company is not the surviving corporation, or (ii) 50%
or more of the Company's assets or earning power is sold or transferred, each
holder of a Right (except Rights which previously have been voided as set forth
above) shall thereafter have the right to receive, upon exercise, common stock
of the acquiring company having a value equal to two times the exercise price of
the Right. The events set forth in this paragraph and in the second preceding
paragraph are referred to as the "Triggering Events." In addition, the Rights
may be exchanged, in whole or in part, for shares of the Common Stock, or shares
of Preferred Stock
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having essentially the same value or economic rights as such shares.
The purchase price payable, and the number of Units of Preferred Stock
or other securities or property issuable, upon exercise of the Rights are
subject to adjustment from time to time to prevent dilution (i) in the event of
a stock dividend on, or a subdivision, combination or reclassification of, the
Preferred Stock, (ii) if holders of the Preferred Stock are granted certain
rights or warrants to subscribe for Preferred Stock or convertible securities at
less than the current market price of the Preferred Stock, or (iii) upon the
distribution to holders of the Preferred Stock of evidences of indebtedness or
assets (excluding regular quarterly cash dividends) or of subscription rights or
warrants (other than those referred to above).
With certain exceptions, no adjustment in the Purchase Price will be
required until cumulative adjustments amount to at least 1% of the Purchase
Price. No fractional Units will be issued and, in lieu thereof, an adjustment
in cash will be made based on the market price of the Preferred Stock on the
last trading date prior to the date of exercise.
At any time after any person or group becomes an Acquiring Person and
prior to the acquisition by such person or group of 50% or more of the
outstanding shares of Common Stock, the Board of Directors of the Company may
exchange the Rights (other than Rights owned by such person or group which will
have become void), in whole or in part, at an exchange ratio of one share of
Common Stock, or one one-hundredth of a share of Preferred Stock (or of a share
of a class or series of the Company's preferred stock having equivalent rights,
preferences and privileges), per Right (subject to adjustment).
In general, the Company may redeem the Rights in whole, but not in
part, at a price of $.01 per Right (payable in cash, Common Stock or other
consideration deemed appropriate by the Board of Directors) at any time until
ten days following the Stock Acquisition Date. Immediately upon the action of
the Board of Directors authorizing any redemption, the Rights will terminate and
the only right of the holders of Rights will be to receive the redemption price.
Until a Right is exercised, the holder thereof, as such, will have no
rights as a stockholder of the Company, including, without limitation, the right
to vote or to receive dividends. While the distribution of the Rights will not
result in the recognition of taxable income by stockholders or the Company,
stockholders may, depending upon the circumstances, recognize taxable income in
the event that the Rights become exercisable for Common Stock (or other
consideration of the
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Company) or for common stock of the acquiring company as set forth above.
The terms of the Rights may be amended by the Board of Directors of
the Company without the consent of the holders of the Rights, including an
amendment to lower certain thresholds described above to not less than the
greater of (i) the sum of .001% and the largest percentage of the outstanding
shares of Common Stock then known to the Company to be beneficially owned by any
person or group of affiliated or associated persons and (ii) 10%, except that
from and after such time as any person or group of affiliated or associated
persons becomes an Acquiring Person no such amendment may adversely affect the
interests of the holders of the Rights.
A copy of the Rights Agreement is available free of charge from the
Rights Agent. This description of the Rights does not purport to be complete
and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Rights Agreement, which is
incorporated herein by reference.
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