PERFORMANCE - BASED RESTRICTED STOCK AWARD AGREEMENT Non-transferable G R A N T T O FIRST_NAME-LAST_NAME (“Grantee”) by Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (the “Company”) of TOTAL_SHARES_GRANTED shares of its common stock, $0.50 par value (the “Shares”)
Exhibit
10.1
PERFORMANCE
- BASED
RESTRICTED
STOCK
AWARD
AGREEMENT
Non-transferable
G
R A N T
T O
FIRST_NAME-LAST_NAME
(“Grantee”)
by
Xxxx’x
Companies, Inc. (the “Company”) of
TOTAL_SHARES_GRANTED
shares
of
its common stock, $0.50 par value (the “Shares”)
pursuant
to and subject to the provisions of the Xxxx’x Companies, Inc. 2006 Long Term
Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) and to the terms and conditions set forth on the
following pages (the “Terms and Conditions”).
Unless
terminated earlier in accordance with the Plan or Section 3 of the Terms and
Conditions, the restrictions imposed under Section 2 of the Terms and Conditions
will terminate, and the Shares will become vested, as follows:
Percentage
of Restricted Shares
|
Date
of Termination
of
Restrictions/Vesting
|
100%
|
Third
anniversary of Date of Grant
if
Performance Goal is achieved
|
IN
WITNESS WHEREOF, Xxxx’x Companies, Inc., acting by and through its duly
authorized officer, has caused this Agreement to be executed as of the Date
of
Grant.
XXXX’X
COMPANIES, INC.
/s/
Xxx
Xxxxx
Xxx
Xxxxx
Assistant
Treasurer
Date
of
Grant:
OPTION_DATE
Accepted
by Grantee:
FIRST_NAME-
LAST_NAME
TERMS
AND CONDITIONS
1. Grant
of Shares.
The
Company hereby grants the Shares to the Grantee, subject to the restrictions
and
the other terms and conditions set forth in the Xxxx’x Companies, Inc. 2006 Long
Term Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) and in this Agreement. Capitalized terms used
herein and not otherwise defined shall have the meanings assigned to such
terms
in the Plan.
2. Restrictions.
All the
Shares are, and shall remain, “Restricted Shares” and may not be sold,
transferred, exchanged, assigned, pledged, hypothecated or otherwise encumbered,
unless and until the restrictions against transfer imposed by this Section
2
terminate as provided in Section 3.
The
restrictions against transfer under this Section 2 shall apply to all shares
of
the Company’s common stock or other securities issued with respect to Restricted
Shares hereunder in connection with any merger, reorganization, consolidation,
recapitalization, stock dividend or other change in capital structure affecting
the common stock of the Company.
3. Termination
of Transfer Restrictions; Forfeiture of Restricted Shares.
(a) The
transfer restrictions imposed under Section 2 will terminate, and the Shares
shall cease to be Restricted Shares, upon the earlier of: (i)
the
Date of Termination of Restrictions/Vesting specified on page 1, provided
the
Performance Goal described in Section 4 is achieved, or (ii)
the
date of termination of Grantee’s employment with the Company and its Affiliates
by the Company without Cause or by Grantee’s resignation for Good Reason, in
either case within twelve (12) months after the occurrence of a Change in
Control (the period prior to such termination of transfer restrictions being
referred to as the “Restricted Period”).
(b) Grantee
shall forfeit all of Grantee’s right, title and interest in and to the
Restricted Shares, and such Restricted Shares shall immediately revert to
the
Company, (i)
in the
event Grantee’s employment with the Company terminates during the Restricted
Period for any reason other than death, Disability, Retirement or within
twelve
(12) months after a Change in Control as described in Section 3(a)(ii), or
(ii)
the
Performance Goal described in Section 4 is not achieved.
(c) In
the
event Grantee’s employment with the Company is terminated during the Restricted
Period due to death, Disability or Retirement, the Restricted Shares shall
not
be forfeited but shall remain subject to the transfer restrictions of Section
2
until such restrictions terminate or the Restricted Shares are forfeited
pursuant to (a) or (b) of this Section 3.
(d) The
definition of “Retirement” for purposes of this Agreement shall have the
following meaning and not the meaning assigned to such term in the Plan:
The
voluntary termination of employment with approval of the Board on or after
the
later of (i) the date Grantee has completed ten years of service with the
Company or (ii) the date Grantee’s age plus years of service equal or exceed
fifty.
4. Performance
Goal.
The
“Performance Goal” shall be achieved as of the end of the Performance Period if,
after due inquiry and analysis, the Committee determines and certifies in
writing that the Average Return on Non-Cash Assets for the Performance Period
is
at least _%.
“Performance
Period” means the three fiscal year period beginning with the fiscal year in
which the Date of Grant occurs.
“Average
Return on Non-Cash Assets” for the Performance Period means the amount
determined by dividing the sum of the “Return on Non-Cash Assets” for each
fiscal year in the Performance Period by three (3).
“Return
on Non-Cash Assets” for a fiscal year is determined by dividing:
(a)
the
Company’s pre-tax earnings plus interest for such fiscal year, by
(b)
the
average of the Company’s non-cash assets as of the beginning and as of the end
of such fiscal year.
For
this
purpose, non-cash assets means total assets less cash, cash equivalents and
short term investments.
5. Delivery
of Shares.
The
Shares will be registered in the name of Grantee as of the Date of Grant
and
will be held by the Company during the Restricted Period in certificated
or
uncertificated form. If a certificate for Restricted Shares is issued during
the
Restricted Period with respect to such Shares, such certificate shall be
registered in the name of Grantee and shall bear a legend in substantially
the
following form (in addition to any legend required under applicable state
securities laws):
“This
certificate and the shares of stock represented hereby are subject to the
terms
and conditions (including forfeiture and restrictions against transfer)
contained in a Performance-Based Restricted Stock Agreement between the
registered owner of the
shares
represented hereby and Xxxx’x Companies, Inc. Release from such terms and
conditions shall be made only in accordance with the provisions of such
Agreement, a copy of which is on file in the offices of Xxxx’x Companies,
Inc.”
Stock
certificates for the Shares, without the above legend, shall be registered
to
Grantee or Grantee’s designee upon request of Grantee after the expiration of
the Restricted Period, but registration may be postponed for such period
as may
be required for the Company with reasonable diligence to comply if deemed
advisable by the Company, with registration requirements under the Securities
Act of 1933, listing requirements under the rules of any stock exchange,
and
requirements under any other law or regulation applicable to the issuance
or
transfer of the Shares.
6. Voting
and Dividend Rights.
Grantee, as beneficial owner of the Shares, shall have full voting and dividend
rights with respect to the Shares during and after the Restricted Period.
If
Grantee forfeits any rights he or she may have under this Agreement, Grantee
shall no longer have any rights as a shareholder with respect to the Restricted
Shares or any interest therein and Grantee shall no longer be entitled to
receive dividends on such Shares. In the event that for any reason Grantee
shall
have received dividends upon such Shares after such forfeiture, Grantee shall
repay to the Company any amount equal to such dividends.
7. Competing
Activity.
If
Grantee engages in any Competing Activity during Grantee’s employment with the
Company or an Affiliate or within one year after the termination of Grantee’s
employment with the Company and its Affiliates for any reason, (a)
Grantee
shall forfeit all of Grantee’s right, title and interest in and to any
Restricted Shares as of the time of the Grantee’s engaging in such Competing
Activity and such Shares shall revert to the Company immediately following
such
event of forfeiture, and (b)
Grantee
shall remit, upon demand by the Company, the “Repayment Amount” (as defined in
the following sentence), with respect to any Shares that were delivered to
Grantee during the six (6) month period prior to the date Grantee engaged
in the
Competing Activity. The “Repayment
Amount”
is
the
aggregate Fair Market Value of the Shares at the time of delivery to Grantee.
The Repayment Amount shall be payable in cash (which shall include a certified
check or bank check), by the tender of shares of Common Stock or by a
combination of cash and Common Stock; provided that, regardless of the Fair
Market Value of such shares at the time of tender, the tender of the shares
shall satisfy the obligation to pay the Repayment Amount for the same number
of
shares of Common Stock delivered to the Company. For purposes of this Agreement,
Participant will be deemed to be engaged in a Competing Activity if Participant,
directly
or indirectly, owns, manages, operates, controls, is employed by, or
participates in as a 5% or greater shareholder, partner, member or joint
venturer, any company which engages in the business activities of the Company
or
its Affiliates (the “Business
Activities”),
or
engages
in, as an independent contractor or otherwise, the Business Activities for
himself or on behalf of another person or entity.
Nothing
contained in this Section 7 shall be interpreted as or deemed to constitute
a
waiver of, or diminish or be in lieu of, any other rights that the Company
or an
Affiliate may possess as a result of Grantee’s misconduct or direct or indirect
involvement with a business competing with the business of the Company or
an
Affiliate.
8. No
Right of Continued Employment.
Nothing
in this Agreement shall interfere with or limit in any way the right of the
Company or any Affiliate to terminate Grantee’s employment at any time, nor
confer upon Grantee any right to continue in the employ of the Company or
any
Affiliate.
9. Payment
of Taxes.
(a) Upon
issuance of the Shares hereunder, Grantee may make an election to be taxed
upon
such award under Section 83(b) of the Code. To effect such election, Grantee
shall file an appropriate election with the Internal Revenue Service within
thirty (30) days after the Date of Grant and otherwise in accordance with
applicable Treasury Regulations.
(b) The
Company will automatically withhold a number of Shares having a fair market
value equal to the minimum amount of any federal, state and local taxes of
any
kind (including Grantee’s FICA obligation) required by law to be withheld,
unless
Grantee
notifies the Company thirty (30) days prior to the expiration and termination
of
the Restricted Period that he or she will satisfy his or her tax withholding
obligations in cash.
(c) If
Grantee chooses to satisfy his or her tax withholding obligations in cash
and
complies
with the above notification requirement, Grantee will, no later than the
date as
of which any amount related to the Shares first becomes includable in Grantee’s
gross income for federal income tax purposes, pay to the Company, or make
other
arrangements satisfactory to the Committee regarding payment of, any federal,
state and local taxes of any kind (including Grantee’s FICA obligation) required
by law to be withheld with respect to such amount.
The
obligations of the Company under this Agreement will be conditional on such
payment or arrangements, and the Company, and, where applicable, its Affiliates
will, to the extent permitted by law, have the right to deduct any such taxes
from any payment of any kind otherwise due to Grantee.
10. Amendment.
The
Committee may amend or terminate this Agreement without the consent of Grantee;
provided, however, that such amendment or termination shall not, without
Grantee’s consent, reduce or diminish the value of this award determined as if
all restrictions on the Shares hereunder had expired on the date of such
amendment or termination.
11. Plan
Controls.
The
terms contained in the Plan, including without limitation the antidilution
adjustment provisions, are incorporated into and made a part of this Agreement,
and this Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with
the
Plan. In the event of any actual or alleged conflict between the provisions
of
the Plan and the provisions of this Agreement, the provisions of the Plan
shall
be controlling and determinative.
12. Successors.
This
Agreement shall be binding upon any successor of the Company, in accordance
with
the terms of this Agreement and the Plan.
13. Severability.
If any
one or more of the provisions contained in this Agreement are invalid, illegal
or unenforceable, the other provisions of this Agreement will be construed
and
enforced as if the invalid, illegal or unenforceable provision had never
been
included.
14. Notice.
Notices
and communications under this Agreement must be in writing and either personally
delivered or sent by registered or certified United States mail, return receipt
requested, postage prepaid. Notices to the Company must be addressed
to:
Xxxx’x
Companies, Inc.
0000
Xxxx’x Xxxxxxxxx
Xxxxxxxxxxx,
XX 00000
Attn:
Vice President of Compensation and Benefits
or
any
other address designated by the Company in a written notice to Grantee. Notices
to Grantee will be directed to the address of Grantee then currently on file
with the Company, or at any other address given by Grantee in a written notice
to the Company.