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EXHIBIT 4.1
AMENDED AND RESTATED RIGHTS AGREEMENT
-----------------------------
ESCO ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
and
CHASEMELLON SHAREHOLDER SERVICES, L.L.C.
Rights Agent
-----------------------------
Dated as of September 24, 1990
Amended and Restated as of February 3, 2000
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INDEX
Page
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Section 1. Certain Definitions...................................................................................2
Section 2. Appointment of Rights Agent...........................................................................5
Section 3. Issue of Right Certificates...........................................................................5
Section 4. Form of Right Certificates............................................................................7
Section 5. Countersignature and Registration.....................................................................8
Section 6. Transfer, Split Up, Combination and Exchange of Right Certificates; Mutilated, Destroyed,
Lost or Stolen Right Certificates.....................................................................8
Section 7. Exercise of Rights; Purchase Price; Expiration Date of Rights.........................................9
Section 8. Cancellation and Destruction of Right Certificates...................................................11
Section 9. Reservation and Availability of Shares of Preferred Stock............................................11
Section 10. Preferred Stock Record Date..........................................................................12
Section 11. Adjustment of Purchase Price, Number of Shares or Number of Rights...................................12
Section 12. Certificate of Adjusted Purchase Price or Number of Shares...........................................19
Section 13. Consolidation, Merger or Sale or Transfer of Assets or Earning Power.................................19
Section 14. Fractional Rights and Fractional Shares..............................................................22
Section 15. Rights of Action.....................................................................................23
Section 16. Agreement of Right Holders...........................................................................23
Section 17. Right Certificate Holder Not Deemed a Shareholder....................................................24
Section 18. Concerning the Rights Agent..........................................................................24
Section 19. Merger or Consolidation or Change of Name of Rights Agent............................................25
Section 20. Duties of Rights Agent...............................................................................26
Section 21. Change of Rights Agent...............................................................................28
Section 22. Issuance of New Right Certificates...................................................................29
Section 23. Redemption and Termination...........................................................................29
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Section 24. Exchange.............................................................................................30
Section 25. Notice of Proposed Actions...........................................................................31
Section 26. Notices..............................................................................................32
Section 27. Supplements and Amendments...........................................................................32
Section 28. Successors...........................................................................................33
Section 29. Benefits of This Rights Agreement....................................................................33
Section 30. Severability.........................................................................................33
Section 31. Governing Law........................................................................................33
Section 32. Counterparts.........................................................................................34
Section 33. Descriptive Headings.................................................................................34
Exhibit A - Amended Certificate of Designation for Series A
Cumulative Preferred Stock, that, among other things,
redesignates such Series as "Series A Junior Participating
Preferred Stock"
Exhibit B - Form of Right Certificate
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AMENDED AND RESTATED RIGHTS AGREEMENT
-------------------------------------
This Amended and Restated Rights Agreement, dated as of
September 24, 1990 and amended and restated as of February 3, 2000 (the "Rights
Agreement"), is entered into between ESCO Electronics Corporation, a Missouri
corporation (the "Company"), and ChaseMellon Shareholder Services, L.L.C., a New
Jersey limited liability company (the "Rights Agent").
W I T N E S S E T H
- - - - - - - - - -
WHEREAS, on September 23, 1990 the Board of Directors of the
Company declared a dividend of one Preferred Stock Purchase Right (the "Rights")
for each outstanding share of Common Stock (as defined below) to shareholders of
record as of the close of business on September 24, 1990 (the "Record Date"),
which Rights originally were set to expire at the close of business on September
30, 2000;
WHEREAS, the Company and the Rights Agent desire to amend and
restate the Rights Agreement to, among other things, extend the Final Expiration
Date of the Rights and to amend the designation and amount, powers, preferences,
rights, qualifications, limitations and restrictions of the Preferred Stock (as
defined below) underlying the Rights as herein provided;
WHEREAS, Section 27 of the Rights Agreement as originally
adopted provides that the Rights Agreement may be amended from time to time in
any manner prior to a Distribution Date (as therein defined);
WHEREAS, all outstanding shares of the Common Stock were
deposited with and held by The Chase Manhattan Bank (the "Trustee"),pursuant to
that certain Deposit and Trust Agreement, dated as of September 24, 1990, among
the Company, the Trustee, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Electric Co. ("Emerson") and the holders from
time to time of common stock trust receipts and any other receipts issued
thereunder, as amended (the "Deposit and Trust Agreement");
WHEREAS, Emerson has given notice to the Company that its
obligation to guarantee the Guaranteed Contracts (as defined in the Deposit and
Trust Agreement) has fully and finally been discharged, and pursuant to Section
7.02 of the Deposit and Trust Agreement, all of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇'▇ rights thereunder have
terminated;
WHEREAS, upon the completion of the exchange of Common Stock
for common stock trust receipts, which exchange commenced on January 18, 2000,
the Company's shareholders will directly hold their shares of Common Stock,
subject to applicable law; and
WHEREAS, the Company hereby amends and restates the Rights
Agreement, as follows.
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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 Rights
Agreement, the following terms have the meanings indicated:
(a) "Acquiring Person" shall mean any Person (as hereinafter
defined) who or which, together with all Affiliates (as hereinafter defined) and
Associates (as hereinafter defined) of such Person, without the Prior Written
Approval of the Company (as hereinafter defined), shall be the Beneficial Owner
(as hereinafter defined) of securities of the Company constituting 20% or more
of the Voting Power (as hereinafter defined) of the Company or was such a
Beneficial Owner at any time after the date hereof, whether or not such Person
continues to be the Beneficial Owner of securities representing 20% or more of
the Voting Power of the Company, but shall not include (i) the Company, any
Subsidiary of the Company, any employee benefit plan or compensation arrangement
of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company, or any entity holding
securities of the Company to the extent organized, appointed or established by
the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company for or pursuant to the terms of any
such employee benefit plan or compensation arrangement, or (ii) any Person who
or which, together with all Affiliates and Associates of such Person,
inadvertently may become the Beneficial Owner of securities of the Company
representing 20% or more of the Voting Power of the Company or otherwise becomes
such a Beneficial Owner without a plan or intention to acquire control of the
Company, so long as such Person, individually or together with the Affiliates
and Associates of such Person, promptly enters into, and delivers to the
Company, an irrevocable commitment promptly to divest, and thereafter promptly
divests (without exercising or retaining any power, including voting, with
respect to such securities), sufficient securities of the Company so that such
Person, together with all Affiliates and Associates of such Person, ceases to be
the Beneficial Owner of 20% or more of the Voting Power of the Company.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, no Person shall become an "Acquiring Person" as
the result of an acquisition of voting securities of the Company by the Company
which, by reducing the amount of such securities outstanding, increases the
proportionate voting power of such securities beneficially owned by such Person
to 20% or more of the Voting Power of the Company; provided, however, that if a
Person becomes the Beneficial Owner of securities constituting 20% or more of
the Voting Power of the Company by reason of purchases by the Company and shall,
after such purchases by the Company, become the Beneficial Owner of any
additional voting securities of the Company without the Prior Written Approval
of the Company, then such Person shall be deemed to be an Acquiring Person.
(b) "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 (the "Exchange
Act"), as in effect on the date hereof.
(c) A Person shall be deemed the "Beneficial Owner" of, and
shall be deemed to "beneficially own", any securities:
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(i) which such Person or any of such Person's
Affiliates or Associates beneficially owns, directly or indirectly as
determined pursuant to Rule 13d-3 of the General Rules and Regulations
under the Exchange Act, as in effect on the date hereof;
(ii) which such Person or any of such Person's
Affiliates or Associates has (A) the right to acquire (whether such
right is exercisable immediately or only after the passage of time)
pursuant to any agreement, arrangement or understanding (other than
customary agreements with and between underwriters and selling group
members with respect to a bona fide public offering of securities), or
upon the exercise of conversion rights, exchange rights, rights (other
than these Rights), warrants or options, or otherwise, provided,
however, that a Person shall not be deemed the "Beneficial Owner" of
securities tendered pursuant to a tender or exchange offer made by or
on behalf of such Person or any of such Person's Affiliates or
Associates until such tendered securities are accepted for payment or
exchange; or (B) the right to vote pursuant to any agreement,
arrangement or understanding, provided, however, that a Person shall
not be deemed the "Beneficial Owner" of any security under this clause
(B) if the agreement, arrangement or understanding to vote such
security (1) arises solely from a revocable proxy or consent given in
response to a public proxy or consent solicitation made pursuant to,
and in accordance with, the applicable rules and regulations under the
Exchange Act and (2) 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 with which such Person or any of such
Person's Affiliates or Associates has any agreement, arrangement or
understanding (other than customary agreements with and between
underwriters and selling group members with respect to a bona fide
public offering of securities) for the purpose of acquiring, holding,
voting (except pursuant to a revocable proxy or consent as described in
clause (B) of subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph (c)) or disposing of
any securities of the Company.
Notwithstanding anything in this definition of Beneficial
Ownership to the contrary, the phrase "then outstanding," when used with
reference to a Person's Beneficial Ownership of securities of the Company, shall
mean the number of such securities then issued and outstanding together with the
number of such securities not then actually issued and outstanding which such
Person would be deemed to own beneficially hereunder.
(d) "Board of Directors" shall mean the Board of Directors of
the Company as constituted from time to time.
(e) "Business Day" shall mean any day other than a Saturday,
Sunday, or a day on which banking institutions in the State of Missouri 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., St. Louis, Missouri time, on such date; provided, however, that if such
date is not a Business Day it shall mean 5:00 P.M., St. Louis, Missouri time, on
the next succeeding Business Day.
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(g) "Common Stock" shall mean the common stock, par value
$0.01 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 with
the greatest Voting Power of such Person or the equity securities or other
equity interest having power to control or direct the management of such Person
or, if such Person is a Subsidiary (as hereinafter defined) of another Person,
of the Person which ultimately controls such first-mentioned Person and which
has issued and outstanding such capital stock, equity securities or equity
interests. Until exchanged for shares of Common Stock, outstanding common stock
trust receipts issued pursuant to the Deposit and Trust Agreement shall be
deemed for all purposes hereunder to be the shares of Common Stock represented
thereby.
(h) "Distribution Date" shall have the meaning set forth in
Section 3 hereof.
(i) "Expiration Date" shall have the meaning set forth in
Section 7(a) hereof.
(j) "Final Expiration Date" shall have the meaning set forth
in Section 7(a) hereof.
(k) "Person" shall mean any individual, firm, corporation,
partnership, limited liability company or other entity, and shall include any
successor (by merger or otherwise) of any such entity.
(l) "Preferred Stock" shall mean the Series A Junior
Participating Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share, of the Company.
(m) "Prior Written Approval of the Company" shall mean prior
express written consent of the Company to the actions in question, executed on
behalf of the Company by a duly authorized officer of the Company following
express approval by action of at least a majority of the members of the Board of
Directors then in office.
(n) "Purchase Price" shall have the meaning set forth in
Section 4 hereof.
(o) "Redemption Price" shall have the meaning set forth in
Section 23(a) hereof.
(p) "Section 11(b) Event" shall have the meaning set
forth in Section 11(b) hereof.
(q) "Section 13 Event" shall mean an event described in
clauses (x), (y) or (z) of Section 13(a) hereof.
(r) "Stock Acquisition Date" shall mean the earlier of (i) the
first date of public announcement by the Company or a Person that an Acquiring
Person has become an Acquiring Person, or (ii) the date on which the Company
first has notice, direct or indirect, or otherwise determines that a Person has
become an Acquiring Person.
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(s) "Subsidiary" shall mean, with respect to any Person, any
other Person of which securities or other ownership interests having ordinary
Voting Power, in the absence of contingencies, to elect a majority of the board
of directors (or other persons performing similar functions) of such other
Person are at the time directly or indirectly owned by such Person or one or
more of such Person's Subsidiaries, except that "Subsidiary" when used with
reference to the Company shall mean any Person of which either a majority of the
Voting Power of the voting equity securities or a majority of the equity
interests is owned, directly or indirectly, by the Company.
(t) "Voting Power" shall mean the voting power of all
securities of a Person then outstanding generally entitled to vote for the
election of directors of the Person (or, where appropriate, for the election of
persons performing similar functions).
Section 2. Appointment of Rights Agent. The Company hereby
appoints the Rights Agent to act as agent for the Company 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. In the event the Company appoints one or
more Co-Rights Agents, the respective duties of the Rights Agents and any
Co-Rights Agents shall be as the Company shall determine. The Rights Agent shall
have no duty to supervise, and in no event shall be liable for, the acts or
omissions of any such Co-Rights Agent.
Section 3. Issue of Right Certificates.
(a) Until the earlier of (i) the Close of Business on the
tenth Business Day after the Stock Acquisition 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 but in no event later than the tenth Business
Day after 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, any employee benefit plan or compensation arrangement
of the Company or of any Subsidiary of the Company, or any entity holding
securities of the Company to the extent organized, appointed or established by
the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company for or pursuant to the terms of any
such employee benefit plan or compensation arrangement) 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, without the Prior Written Approval of the
Company, which tender or exchange offer would result in any Person becoming the
Beneficial Owner of Voting Power aggregating 20% or more of the outstanding
Voting Power (including any such date which is after the date of this Rights
Agreement and prior to the issuance of the Rights; the earlier of such dates
being herein referred to as the "Distribution Date"), (y) 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
Right Certificates) and not by separate Right Certificates, as more fully set
forth below, and (z) the Rights (and the right to receive certificates therefor)
will be transferable only in connection with the transfer of the underlying
shares of Common Stock, as more fully set forth below. As soon as practicable
after the Company has notified the Rights Agent of the occurrence of the
Distribution Date and provided the Rights
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Agent with all necessary information, the Company shall prepare and execute, and
the Rights Agent shall countersign and 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, a right certificate, in substantially the form of
Exhibit B hereto (the "Right Certificate"), evidencing one Right for each share
of Common Stock so held, subject to adjustment as provided herein. As of and
after the Distribution Date, the Rights will be evidenced solely by such Right
Certificates.
(b) The Company sent a summary of the Rights to each record
holder of common stock trust receipts representing Common Stock issued pursuant
to the Deposit and Trust Agreement on the Record Date. With respect to
certificates for the Common Stock outstanding as of the Record Date, until the
Distribution Date (or the earlier redemption, expiration or termination of the
Rights), the Rights will be evidenced by such certificates for the Common Stock
registered in the names of the holders of the Common Stock and the registered
holders of the Common Stock shall also be registered holders of the associated
Rights. Until the Distribution Date (or the earlier redemption, expiration or
termination of the Rights), the surrender for transfer of any of the
certificates for the Common Stock outstanding in respect of which Rights have
been issued shall also constitute the transfer of the Rights associated with the
Common Stock represented by such certificate.
(c) Certificates for the Common Stock issued after the Record
Date and on or prior to the date hereof shall be deemed also to be certificates
for Rights and may have impressed, printed or written on, or otherwise affixed
to them, and certificates for Common Stock issued after the date hereof but
prior to the earlier of the Distribution Date or the redemption, expiration or
termination of the Rights shall be deemed also to be certificates for Rights and
shall have impressed, printed or written on, or otherwise affixed to them, a
legend substantially to the following effect:
This certificate also evidences and entitles the holder hereof
to certain Rights as set forth in an Amended and Restated
Rights Agreement, as it may from time to time be supplemented
or amended (the "Rights Agreement"), between ESCO Electronics
Corporation (the "Company") and the Rights Agent (as defined
in the Rights Agreement), the terms of which are incorporated
herein by reference and a copy of which is on file at the
principal executive offices of the Company. Under certain
circumstances, as set forth in the Rights Agreement, such
Rights may expire or may be redeemed, exchanged or be
evidenced by separate certificates and no longer be evidenced
by this certificate. The Company will mail to the holder of
this certificate a copy of the Rights Agreement without charge
promptly after receipt of a written request therefor. Under
certain circumstances, Rights issued to or held by Acquiring
Persons or their Affiliates or Associates (as defined in the
Rights Agreement) and any subsequent holder of such Rights may
become null and void.
With respect to such certificates containing the foregoing legend, until the
Distribution Date (or the earlier redemption, expiration or termination of the
Rights), the Rights associated with the Common Stock represented by such
certificates shall be evidenced by such certificates alone, and
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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.
In the event that the Company purchases or acquires any Common
Stock after the Record Date but prior to the Distribution Date, any Rights
associated with such Common Stock shall be deemed canceled and retired so that
the Company shall not be entitled to exercise any Rights associated with shares
of Common Stock which are no longer outstanding.
Section 4. Form of Right Certificates.
(a) The Right Certificates (and the forms of election to
purchase shares and of assignment to be printed on the reverse thereof) shall be
in substantially the same form as 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 (but which do not affect the
duties or responsibilities of the Rights Agent) and as are not inconsistent with
the provisions of this Rights Agreement, or as may be required to comply with
any applicable law, rule or regulation 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 customary usage. Subject to the provisions of Section 11 and Section
22 hereof, the Right Certificates, whenever issued, shall be dated as of the
Record Date, and on their face shall entitle the holders thereof to purchase
such number of one one-hundredths of a share of Preferred Stock as shall be set
forth therein at the price per one one-hundredth of a share as set forth therein
(the "Purchase Price"), but the number and identity of such shares and the
Purchase Price shall be and remain subject to adjustment as provided in herein.
(b) Any Right Certificate issued pursuant hereto that
represents Rights beneficially owned by (i) an Acquiring Person or any Associate
or Affiliate of an Acquiring Person, (ii) a transferee of an Acquiring Person
(or of any such Associate or Affiliate) which becomes a transferee after the
Acquiring Person becomes such, or (iii) a transferee of an Acquiring Person (or
of any such Associate or Affiliate) which becomes a transferee prior to or
concurrently with the Acquiring Person becoming such and which receives such
Rights pursuant to either (A) a transfer (whether or not for consideration) from
the Acquiring Person (or any such Associate or Affiliate) to holders of equity
interests in such Acquiring Person (or such Associate or Affiliate) or to any
Person with whom such Acquiring Person (or such Associate or Affiliate) has any
continuing agreement, arrangement or understanding regarding either the
transferred Rights, shares of Company Common Stock or the Company or (B) a
transfer which a majority of the Board of Directors has determined to be part of
an agreement, arrangement or understanding which has as a primary purpose or
effect the avoidance of Section 7(e), and any Right Certificate issued pursuant
to Section 6 hereof, Section 11 hereof or Section 22 hereof upon transfer,
exchange, replacement or adjustment of any other Right Certificate referred to
in this sentence, shall contain (to the extent the Rights Agent has been
notified that this Section 4(b) applies and to the extent feasible) the
following legend:
The Rights represented by this Right Certificate are or were
beneficially owned by a Person who was or became an Acquiring
Person or an Affiliate or an Associate of an Acquiring Person.
Accordingly, this Right Certificate and the Rights
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represented hereby are void in the circumstances specified in
Section 7(e) of the Rights Agreement.
The failure to print the foregoing legend on any such Right Certificate or any
defect therein shall not affect in any manner whatsoever the application or
interpretation of the provisions of Section 7(e) hereof.
Section 5. Countersignature and Registration.
(a) The Right Certificates shall be executed on behalf of the
Company by its Chairman of the Board of Directors, Chief Executive Officer,
President, Chief Financial Officer or any executive officer, 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 Right
Certificates shall be countersigned manually or by facsimile signature by the
Rights Agent or the registrar or co-registrar for the Common Stock (the
"Registrar") and shall not be valid for any purpose unless so countersigned. In
case any officer of the Company whose manual or facsimile signature is affixed
to the Right Certificates shall cease to be such officer of the Company before
countersignature by the Rights Agent or the Registrar and issuance and delivery
by the Company, such Right Certificates, nevertheless, may be countersigned by
the Rights Agent or the Registrar, issued and delivered with the same force and
effect as though the person who signed such Right Certificates had not ceased to
be such officer of the Company. Any Right Certificate may be signed on behalf of
the Company by any person who, at the actual date of the execution of such Right
Certificate, shall be a proper officer of the Company to sign such Right
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 and receipt by the Rights
Agent of any relevant information, the Rights Agent will keep or cause to be
kept, at its stockholder services office or such other office designated for
such purpose, books for registration and transfer of the Right Certificates
issued hereunder. Such books shall show the names and addresses of the
respective holders of the Right Certificates, the number of Rights evidenced on
its face by each of the Right Certificates, the certificate number of each of
the Right Certificates and the date of each of the Right Certificates.
Section 6. Transfer, Split Up, Combination and Exchange
of Right Certificates; Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Right Certificates.
(a) Subject to the provisions of Sections 4(b), 7(e) and 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 (as such term is
defined in Section 7(a) hereof), any Right Certificate or Right Certificates may
be transferred, split up, combined or exchanged for another Right Certificate or
Right Certificates, entitling the registered holder to purchase a like number of
shares of Preferred Stock as the Right Certificate or Right Certificates
surrendered then entitled such holder to purchase. Any registered holder
desiring to transfer, split up, combine or exchange any Right Certificate shall
make such request in writing delivered to the Rights Agent,
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and shall surrender the Right Certificate or Right Certificates to be
transferred, split up, combined or exchanged at the stockholder services office
of the Rights Agent or such office designated for such purpose. Thereupon, the
Rights Agent shall countersign and deliver to the person entitled thereto a
Right Certificate or Right Certificates, as the case may be, as so requested.
The Company may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or charge
that may be imposed in connection with any transfer, split up, combination or
exchange of Right Certificates. The Company may require payment of a sum
sufficient to cover any tax or charge that may be imposed in connection with any
transfer, split up, combination or exchange of Rights Certificates. The Rights
Agent shall have no duty or obligation under this Section 6 or any other similar
provision of this Agreement unless and until it is satisfied that all such taxes
and/or charges have been provided for or paid in full.
(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 Right Certificate, and, in case of loss, theft or destruction,
of indemnity or security 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 Right Certificate if
mutilated, the Company will make and deliver a new Right Certificate of like
tenor to the Rights Agent for countersignature and delivery to the registered
owner in lieu of the Right Certificate so lost, stolen, destroyed or mutilated.
Section 7. Exercise of Rights; Purchase Price; Expiration
Date of Rights.
(a) The registered holder of any Right Certificate may
exercise the Rights evidenced thereby (except as otherwise provided herein) in
whole or in part at any time after the Distribution Date upon surrender of the
Right Certificate, with the form of election to purchase on the reverse side
thereof duly executed, to the Rights Agent at the stockholder services office of
the Rights Agent or such office designated for such purpose, together with
payment of the Purchase Price for each one one-hundredth of a share of Preferred
Stock as to which the Rights are exercised, at or prior to the Close of Business
on the Expiration Date. The "Expiration Date", as used in this Rights Agreement,
shall be the earliest of (i) the Final Expiration Date (as defined below), (ii)
the time at which the Rights are redeemed as provided in Section 23 hereof, or
(iii) the time at which the Rights are exchanged as provided in Section 24
hereof. The "Final Expiration Date", as used in this Rights Agreement, shall be
February 3, 2010.
(b) The Purchase Price for each one one-hundredth of a share
of Preferred Stock pursuant to the exercise of a Right shall, as of the date
hereof, be $60.00, shall be subject to adjustment from time to time as provided
in Sections 11 and 13 hereof and shall be payable in lawful money of the United
States of America in accordance with paragraph (c) below.
(c) Upon receipt of a Right Certificate, with the form of
election to purchase duly executed, accompanied by payment of the Purchase Price
for each one one-hundredth of a share of Preferred Stock to be purchased and an
amount equal to any applicable tax or charge required to be paid by the holder
of the Rights pursuant hereto in accordance with Section 9 hereof by certified
check, bank draft or money order payable to the order of the Company or the
Rights Agent, the Rights Agent shall, subject to Section 20(k) hereof, thereupon
promptly (i)
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either (A) requisition from any transfer agent of the shares of
Preferred Stock (or make available, if the Rights Agent is the transfer agent)
certificates for the number of shares of Preferred Stock to be purchased and the
Company hereby irrevocably authorizes any such transfer agent to comply with all
such requests, or (B) if the Company, in its sole discretion, shall have elected
to deposit the shares of Preferred Stock issuable upon exercise of the Rights
hereunder into a depositary, 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 hereby directs such depositary
agent to comply with all such requests, (ii) promptly 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 Right Certificate, registered in such
name or names as may be designated by such holder, (iii) when necessary to
comply with this Agreement, requisition from the Company the amount of cash to
be paid in lieu of issuance of fractional shares in accordance with Section 14
hereof, (iv) after receipt of any such cash, promptly deliver such cash to or
upon the order of the registered holder of such Right Certificate, (v) when
necessary to comply with this Agreement, requisition from the Company the amount
of cash or securities issuable upon exercise of a Right pursuant to the
adjustment provisions of Section 11 or the exchange provisions of Section 24,
and (vi) after receipt of any such cash or securities, promptly deliver such
cash or securities to or upon the order of the registered holder of such Right
Certificate, of any such cash or securities.
(d) In case the registered holder of any Right Certificate
shall exercise less than all the Rights evidenced thereby, a new Right
Certificate evidencing Rights equivalent to the Rights remaining unexercised
shall be issued by the Rights Agent to the registered holder of such Right
Certificate or to such holder's duly authorized assigns, subject to the
provisions of Section 6 and Section 14 hereof.
(e) Notwithstanding anything in this Rights Agreement to the
contrary, upon the first occurrence of a Section 11(b) Event or a Section 13
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) which becomes a transferee after the
Acquiring Person becomes such, or (iii) a transferee of an Acquiring Person (or
of any such Associate or Affiliate) which becomes a transferee prior to or
concurrently with the Acquiring Person becoming such and which receives such
Rights pursuant to either (A) a transfer (whether or not for consideration) from
the Acquiring Person (or any such Associate or Affiliate) to holders of equity
interests in such Acquiring Person (or any such Associate or Affiliate) or to
any Person with whom such Acquiring Person (or such Associate or Affiliate) has
any continuing agreement, arrangement or understanding regarding the transferred
Rights, shares of Company Common Stock or the Company or (B) a transfer which a
majority of the Board of Directors has determined to be part of an agreement,
arrangement or understanding which has as a primary purpose or effect the
avoidance of this Section 7(e), shall be 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 notify the Rights Agent when this Section 7(e)
applies and shall use all reasonable efforts to ensure that the provisions of
this Section 7(e) and Section 4(b) are complied with, but neither the Company
nor the Rights Agent shall have any liability to any holder of Rights or any
other Person as a
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result of the Company's failure to make any determination under this Section
7(e) or Section 4(b) with respect to an Acquiring Person or its Affiliates,
Associates or transferees hereunder.
(f) Notwithstanding anything in this Rights 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 the certificate
contained in the appropriate form of election to purchase set forth on the
reverse side of the Right Certificate surrendered for such exercise shall have
been properly completed and duly executed by the registered holder thereof and
the Company or the Rights Agent shall have been provided with such additional
evidence of the identity of the Beneficial Owner (or former Beneficial Owner) or
Affiliates or Associates thereof as the Company or the Rights Agent shall
reasonably request.
Section 8. Cancellation and Destruction of Right Certificates.
All Right Certificates surrendered for the purpose of exercise, transfer, split
up, combination or exchange shall, if surrendered to the Company or to any of
its agents, be delivered to the Rights Agent for cancellation or in canceled
form, or, if surrendered to the Rights Agent, shall be canceled by it, and no
Right Certificates shall be issued in lieu thereof except as expressly permitted
by any of the provisions of this Rights Agreement. The Company shall deliver to
the Rights Agent for cancellation and retirement, and the Rights Agent shall so
cancel and retire, any other Right Certificate purchased or acquired by the
Company otherwise than upon the exercise thereof. The Rights Agent shall deliver
all canceled Right Certificates to the Company, or shall, at the written request
of the Company, destroy such canceled Right Certificates, and in such case shall
deliver a certificate of destruction thereof to the Company.
Section 9. Reservation and Availability of Shares of
Preferred 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 or its authorized and issued shares of Preferred Stock held in
its treasury, the number of shares of Preferred Stock that will be sufficient to
permit the exercise in full of all outstanding Rights and, after the occurrence
of a Section 11(b) Event or a Section 13 Event, shall so reserve and keep
available a sufficient number of shares of Preferred Stock, Common Stock and/or
other securities which may be required to permit the exercise in full of the
Rights pursuant to this Rights Agreement.
(b) The Company covenants and agrees that it will take all
such action as may be necessary to ensure that all shares of Preferred Stock
and/or other securities delivered upon exercise of Rights shall, at the time of
delivery of the certificates for such shares or other securities (subject to
payment of the Purchase Price), be duly and validly authorized and issued and
fully paid and nonassessable shares or securities.
(c) The Company shall use its best efforts to (i) file, as
soon as practicable following the first occurrence of an event which would
establish the Distribution Date, a registration statement under the Securities
Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), with respect to the securities
purchasable upon exercise of the Rights on an appropriate form, (ii) cause such
registration statement to become effective as soon as practicable after such
filing,
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and (iii) cause such registration statement to remain effective (with a
prospectus at all times meeting the requirements of the Securities Act) until
the Expiration Date. The Company will also take such action as may be
appropriate under the "blue sky laws" of the various states.
(d) The Company further covenants and agrees that it will pay
when due and payable any and all federal and state transfer or similar taxes and
charges which may be payable in respect of the issuance or delivery of the Right
Certificates or of any shares of Preferred Stock and/or other securities upon
the exercise of Rights. The Company shall not, however, be required to pay any
such tax or charge which may be payable in respect of any transfer involved in
the transfer or delivery of Right Certificates or the issuance or delivery of
certificates or depositary receipts for Preferred Stock and/or other securities
in a name other than that of the registered holder of the Right Certificate
evidencing Rights surrendered for exercise, nor shall the Company be required to
issue or deliver any certificates or depositary receipts for shares of Preferred
Stock and/or other securities upon the exercise of any Rights until any such tax
or charge shall have been paid (any such tax or charge being payable by the
holder of such Right Certificate at the time of surrender) or until it has been
established to the Company's satisfaction that no such tax or charge is due.
Section 10. Preferred Stock Record Date. Each Person (other
than the Company) in whose name any certificate for shares of Preferred Stock
(or other securities) is issued upon the exercise of Rights shall for all
purposes be deemed to have become the holder of record of the Preferred Stock
(or other securities) represented thereby on, and such certificate shall be
dated, the date upon which the Right Certificate evidencing such Rights was duly
surrendered and payment of the Purchase Price (and any applicable transfer or
similar taxes and charges) was made; provided, however, that if the date of such
surrender and payment is a date upon which the Preferred Stock (or other
securities) transfer books of the Company are closed, such person shall be
deemed to have become the record holder of such shares on, and such certificate
shall be dated, the next succeeding Business Day on which the Preferred Stock
(or other securities) transfer books of the Company are open. Prior to the
exercise of the Rights evidenced thereby, the holder of a Right Certificate
shall not be entitled to any rights of a shareholder 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 of Shares or
Number of Rights. The Purchase Price, the number and identity 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) In the event the Company shall at any time after the date
of this Rights Agreement (i) declare a dividend on the Preferred Stock payable
in shares of Preferred Stock, (ii) subdivide the outstanding Preferred Stock,
(iii) combine the outstanding Preferred Stock into a smaller number of shares or
(iv) issue any shares of its capital stock in a reclassification of the
Preferred Stock (including any such reclassification in connection with a
consolidation or merger in which the Company is the continuing or surviving
corporation), except as otherwise provided
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in this Section 11, the Purchase Price in effect at the time of the record date
for such dividend or the time of the effective date of such subdivision,
combination or reclassification, and the number and kind of shares of capital
stock, including Preferred Stock, issuable upon exercise of a Right, shall be
proportionately adjusted so that the holder of any Right exercised after such
time, upon payment of the aggregate consideration such holder would have had to
pay to exercise such Right prior to such time, shall be entitled to receive the
aggregate number and kind of shares of capital stock, including Preferred Stock,
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.
(b) In the event any Person becomes an Acquiring Person
("Section 11(b) Event"), then proper provision shall be made so that each holder
of a Right, subject to Section 7(e) and Section 24 hereof and except as provided
below, shall after the later of the occurrence of such event and the effective
date of an appropriate registration statement pursuant to Section 9 hereof, have
a right to receive, upon exercise thereof at the then current Purchase Price,
multiplied by the then number of one one-hundredths of a share of Preferred
Stock for which a Right is then exercisable, in accordance with the terms of
this Rights Agreement, in lieu of shares of Preferred Stock, such number of
shares of Common Stock of the Company as shall equal the result obtained by (y)
multiplying the then current Purchase Price by the then number of one
one-hundredths of a share of Preferred Stock for which a Right is then
exercisable and dividing that product by (z) 50% of the current market price per
one share of Common Stock (determined pursuant to Section 11(f) hereof on the
date of the occurrence of the Section 11(b) Event) (such number of shares being
referred to as the "number of Adjustment Shares").
(c) In the event that there shall not be sufficient Treasury
shares or authorized but unissued shares of Common Stock to permit the exercise
in full of the Rights in accordance with the foregoing Section 11(b), and the
Rights become so exercisable, notwithstanding any other provision of this Rights
Agreement, to the extent necessary and permitted by applicable law and any
agreements in effect on the date hereof to which the Company is a party, each
Right shall thereafter represent the right to receive, upon exercise thereof at
the then current Purchase Price, multiplied by the then number of one
one-hundredths of a share of Preferred Stock for which a Right is then
exercisable, in accordance with the terms of this Rights Agreement, a number of
shares, or units of shares, of (y) Common Stock, and (z) preferred stock (or
other equity securities) of the Company, including, but not limited to Preferred
Stock, equal in the aggregate to the number of Adjustment Shares where the Board
of Directors shall have in good faith deemed such shares or units, other than
the shares of Common Stock, to have at least the same value and voting rights as
the Common Stock (a "common stock equivalent"); provided, however, if there are
unavailable sufficient shares (or fractions of shares) of Common Stock and/or
common stock equivalents, then the Company shall take all such action as may be
necessary to authorize additional shares of Common Stock or common stock
equivalents for issuance upon exercise of the Rights, including the calling of a
meeting of shareholders; and provided, further, that if the Company is unable to
cause sufficient shares of Common Stock and/or common stock equivalents to be
available for issuance upon exercise in full of the Rights, then the Company, to
the extent necessary and permitted by applicable law and any agreements or
instruments in effect on the date thereof to which it is a party, shall make
provision to pay an
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amount in cash equal to twice the Purchase Price (as adjusted pursuant to this
Section 11), in lieu of issuing shares of Common Stock and/or common stock
equivalents. To the extent that the Company determines that some action needs to
be taken pursuant to this Section 11(c), the Board of Directors by action of at
least a majority of its members then in office may suspend the exercisability of
the Rights for a period of up to sixty (60) days following the date on which the
Section 11(b) Event shall have occurred, in order to decide the appropriate form
of distribution to be made pursuant to this Section 11(c) and to determine the
value thereof. In the event of any such suspension, the Company shall issue a
public announcement (with prompt notice thereof to the Rights Agent) stating
that the exercisability of the Rights has been temporarily suspended. The Board
of Directors may, but shall not be required to, establish procedures to allocate
the right to receive Common Stock and common stock equivalents upon exercise of
the Rights among holders of Rights, which such allocation may be, but is not
required to be, pro-rata.
(d) If the Company shall fix a record date for the issuance of
rights or warrants to all holders of Preferred Stock entitling them (for a
period expiring within 90 calendar days after such record date) to subscribe for
or purchase Preferred Stock (or securities having the same or more favorable
rights, privileges and preferences as the 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 or exercise price per share, as the case
may be, less than the current market price (as defined in Section 11(f) 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 date by a fraction, the numerator of
which shall be the number of shares of Preferred Stock outstanding on such
record date plus the number of shares of Preferred Stock which the aggregate
offering price of the total number of shares of Preferred Stock or equivalent
preferred stock 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
in a consideration, part or all of which shall be in a form other than cash, the
value of such consideration shall be as determined in good faith by a majority
of the Board of Directors, whose determination shall be described in a statement
filed with the Rights Agent. 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.
(e) If the Company shall fix a record date for the making of 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 or surviving corporation) of evidences of indebtedness, cash (other
than a regular periodic cash dividend out of 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
convertible securities,
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subscription rights or warrants (excluding those referred to in Section 11(d)
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 for one share of Preferred Stock (as defined in Section 11(f) hereof) on
such record date less the fair market value (as determined in good faith by a
majority of the Board of Directors, whose determination shall be described in a
statement filed with the Rights Agent) of the portion of the assets or evidences
of indebtedness so to be distributed or of such convertible securities,
subscription rights or warrants applicable to one share of Preferred Stock, and
the denominator of which shall be such current market price for one 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,
the Purchase Price shall again be adjusted to be the Purchase Price which would
then be in effect if such record date had not been fixed.
(f) (i) For the purpose of any computation hereunder, the
"current market price" of any security (a "Security" for purposes of
this Section 11(f)(i)) on any date shall be deemed to be the average of
the daily closing prices per share of such Security for the 30
consecutive Trading Days (as hereinafter defined) immediately prior to
but not including such date; provided, however, that in the event that
the current market price per share of such Security is determined
during a period following the announcement by the issuer of such
Security of (A) a dividend or distribution on such Security payable in
shares of such Security or securities convertible into shares of such
Security or (B) any subdivision, combination or reclassification of
such Security, and prior to the expiration of 30 Trading Days after but
not including the ex-dividend date for such dividend or distribution or
the record date for such subdivision, combination or reclassification,
then, and in each such case, the "current market price" shall be
appropriately adjusted to reflect the current market price per share
equivalent of such Security. 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 Security
is 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 or admitted to trading on the
principal national securities exchange on which the Security is listed
or admitted to trading or, if the Security is not listed or admitted to
trading on any national securities exchange, as reported by the
National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. Automated Quotation
System ("Nasdaq") National Market, or if the Security is not listed or
admitted to trading on any national securities exchange or included in
the Nasdaq National Market, 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 Security is 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 Security selected by a majority of the Board of
Directors. If on any such date no market maker is making a market in
the Security, the fair value of such Security on such date as
determined in good faith by a majority of the Board of Directors shall
be used. The term "Trading Day" shall mean a day on which the principal
national securities
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exchange on which the Security is listed or admitted to trading is
open for the transaction of business or, if the Security is not listed
or admitted to trading on any national securities exchange a day on
which the Nasdaq National Market is open for the transaction of
business or, if the Security is not listed or admitted to trading on
any national securities exchange or included in the Nasdaq National
Market, a Business Day. If the Security is not publicly held or not so
listed or traded, "current market price" shall mean the fair value as
determined in good faith by a majority of the Board of Directors,
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 (or one one-hundredth of a 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(f) (other
than the last sentence thereof). If the current market price per share
(or one one-hundredth of a 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(f), 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 Rights Agreement)
multiplied by the current market price per share of the Common Stock
and the "current market price" per one one-hundredth of a share of
Preferred Stock shall be equal to the current market price per share of
the Common Stock (as appropriately adjusted). If neither the Common
Stock nor the Preferred Stock is publicly held or 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, whose determination
shall be described in a statement filed with the Rights Agent and shall
be conclusive for all purposes.
(g) No adjustment in the Purchase Price shall be required
unless such adjustment would require an increase or decrease of at least 1% in
the Purchase Price; provided, however, that any adjustments which by reason of
this Section 11(g) 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, as the case may be. Notwithstanding the first
sentence of this Section 11(g), any adjustment required by this Section 11 shall
be made no later than the earlier of (i) three years from the date of the
transaction which mandates such adjustment or (ii) the Expiration Date.
(h) In the event that at any time, as a result of an
adjustment made pursuant to Section 11(a) or (b) hereof, the holder of any Right
shall be entitled to receive upon exercise of such Right any shares of capital
stock of the Company other than shares of Preferred Stock, thereafter the number
of such other shares so receivable upon exercise of any Right 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 shares contained in Section
11(a) through (e) hereof, inclusive, and the provisions of Sections 7, 9, 10, 13
and 14 hereof with respect to the shares of Preferred Stock shall apply on like
terms to any such other shares.
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(i) 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 or other capital stock of the Company purchasable from
time to time hereunder upon exercise of the Rights, all subject to further
adjustment of the Purchase Price.
(j) Unless the Company shall have exercised its election as
provided in Section 11(k) hereof, upon each adjustment of the Purchase Price as
a result of the calculations made in Section 11(d) and (e) hereof, 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 of
one one-hundredths of a share of Preferred Stock (calculated to the nearest one
ten-thousandth) obtained by (i) multiplying (A) the number of one one-hundredths
of a share of Preferred Stock covered by a Right immediately prior to the
adjustment by (B) 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.
(k) The Company may elect on or after the date of any
adjustment of the Purchase Price to adjust the number of Rights, in substitution
for any adjustment in the number of shares of Preferred Stock purchasable upon
the exercise of a Right. Each of the Rights outstanding after such adjustment of
the number of Rights shall be exercisable for the number of one one-hundredths
of a share of Preferred Stock for which such 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 (with prompt notice thereof to the Rights Agent) 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 Right Certificates have been issued, shall be at
least 10 days later than the date of the public announcement. If Right
Certificates have been issued, upon each adjustment of the number of Rights
pursuant to this Section 11(k), the Company shall, as promptly as practicable,
cause to be distributed to holders of record of Right Certificates on such
record date Right 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 Right
Certificates held by such holders prior to the date of adjustment, and upon
surrender thereof, if required by the Company, new Right Certificates evidencing
all the Rights to which such holders shall be entitled after such adjustment.
Right 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 Purchase Price) and shall be registered in the names
of the holders of record of Right Certificates on the record date specified in
the public announcement.
(l) Irrespective of any adjustment or change in the Purchase
Price or the number of shares of Preferred Stock issuable upon the exercise of
the Rights, the Right
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Certificates theretofore and thereafter issued may continue to express the
Purchase Price and the number of shares which were expressed in the initial
Right Certificates issued hereunder.
(m) Before taking any action that would cause an adjustment
reducing the Purchase Price below the then par value, if any, of the shares of
Common Stock or other securities and below one one-hundredth of the then par
value, if any, of the 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 such Preferred Stock, Common Stock or
other securities at such adjusted Purchase Price. If upon any exercise of the
Rights, a holder is to receive a combination of Common Stock and common stock
equivalents, a portion of the consideration paid upon such exercise, equal to at
least the then par value of a share of Common Stock of the Company, shall be
allocated as the payment for each share of Common Stock of the Company so
received.
(n) 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 (with prompt notice thereof to
the Rights Agent) until the occurrence of such event the issuing to the holder
of any Right exercised after such record date the shares of Preferred Stock and
other capital stock or securities of the Company, if any, issuable upon such
exercise over and above the shares 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 ▇▇▇▇ or other appropriate
instrument evidencing such holder's right to receive such additional shares upon
the occurrence of the event requiring such adjustment.
(o) 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 in their good faith judgment a majority of
the Board of Directors shall determine to be advisable in order that any (i)
consolidation or subdivision of the Preferred Stock, (ii) issuance wholly for
cash of any Preferred Stock at less than the then current market price, (iii)
issuance wholly for cash of Preferred Stock or securities which by their terms
are convertible into or exchangeable for Preferred Stock, (iv) stock dividends
or (v) issuance of rights, options or warrants referred to hereinabove in this
Section 11, hereafter made by the Company to the holders of its Preferred Stock,
shall not be taxable to such shareholders.
(p) In the event that at any time after the date of this
Rights Agreement and prior to the Distribution Date, the Company shall (i)
declare or pay any dividend on the Common Stock payable in shares of Common
Stock or (ii) effect a subdivision, combination or consolidation of the Common
Stock (by reclassification or otherwise than by payment of dividends in shares
of Common Stock) into a greater or lesser number of shares of Common Stock, then
in any such case (y) the number of one one-hundredths of a share of Preferred
Stock purchasable after such event upon proper exercise of each Right shall be
determined by multiplying the number of one one-hundredths of a share of
Preferred Stock so purchasable immediately prior to such event by a fraction,
the numerator of which is the number of shares of
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Common Stock outstanding immediately before such event and the denominator of
which is the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after such
event, and (z) each share of Common Stock outstanding immediately after such
event shall have issued with respect to it that number of Rights which each
share of Common Stock outstanding immediately prior to such event had issued
with respect to it. The adjustments provided for in this Section 11(p) shall be
made successively whenever such a dividend is declared or paid or such a
subdivision, combination or consolidation is effected.
(q) The Company covenants and agrees that it shall not, at any
time after the Distribution Date and so long as the Rights have not been
redeemed pursuant to Section 23 hereof or exchanged pursuant to Section 24
hereof, (i) consolidate with, (ii) merge with or into, or (iii) sell or
transfer, in one or more 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, if at the time of or immediately after
such consolidation, merger or sale 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.
(r) The Company covenants and agrees that, after the Stock
Acquisition Date, it will not, except as permitted by Sections 23 and 24 hereof,
take any action the purpose or effect of which is to diminish substantially or
otherwise eliminate the benefits intended to be afforded by the Rights.
Section 12. Certificate of Adjusted Purchase Price or Number
of Shares. Whenever an adjustment is made as provided in Sections 11 or 13
hereof, the Company shall (a) promptly prepare a certificate setting forth such
adjustment, and a brief statement of the facts and computations 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) include a brief summary thereof in a mailing to each holder of a Right
Certificate in accordance with Section 26 hereof, or prior to the Distribution
Date, disclose a brief summary in a filing under the Exchange Act. The Rights
Agent shall be fully protected in relying on any such certificate and on any
adjustments therein contained and shall have no duty with respect to and shall
not be deemed to have knowledge of any adjustment unless and until it shall have
received such a certificate.
Section 13. Consolidation, Merger or Sale or Transfer of
Assets or Earning Power.
(a) In the event that, directly or indirectly, at any time
after a Person has become an Acquiring Person, (x) the Company shall consolidate
with, or merge with and into, any other Person, (y) any Person shall consolidate
with or merge with and into the Company, and the Company shall be the continuing
or surviving corporation of such merger and, in connection with such merger, all
or part of the Common Stock shall be changed into or exchanged for stock or
other securities of any other Person (or the Company) 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 or more
transactions, assets or earning power aggregating 50% or
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more of the assets or earning power of the Company and its Subsidiaries (taken
as a whole) to any other Person other than to the Company or one or more of its
wholly-owned Subsidiaries, then, and in each such case, proper provision shall
be made so that (i) each holder of a Right, subject to Section 7(e) hereof,
shall thereafter have the right to receive, upon the exercise thereof at the
then current Purchase Price multiplied by the then number of one one-hundredths
of a share of Preferred Stock for which a Right is then exercisable (or if a
Section 11(b) Event has occurred prior to the first occurrence of a Section 13
Event, multiplying the number of such one one-hundredths of a share for which a
Right was exercisable immediately prior to the first occurrence of a Section
11(b) Event by the Purchase Price in effect immediately prior to such first
occurrence) in accordance with the terms of this Rights Agreement, in lieu of
Preferred Stock, such number of shares of freely tradable Common Stock of the
Principal Party (as hereinafter defined), free and clear of liens, rights of
call or first refusal, encumbrances or other adverse claims, as shall be equal
to the result obtained by (A) multiplying the then current Purchase Price by the
number of one one-hundredths of a share of Preferred Stock for which a Right is
then exercisable (or if a Section 11(b) Event has occurred prior to the first
occurrence of a Section 13 Event, multiplying the number of such one
one-hundredths of a share for which a Right was exercisable immediately prior to
the first occurrence of a Section 11(b) Event by the Purchase Price in effect
immediately prior to such first occurrence), and dividing that product by (B)
50% of the current market price per share of the Common Stock of such Principal
Party (determined in the manner described in Section 11(f) hereof) on the date
of consummation of such consolidation, merger, sale or transfer; (ii) the
Principal Party shall thereafter be liable for, and shall assume, by virtue of
such consolidation, merger, sale or transfer, all the obligations and duties of
the Company pursuant to this Rights 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, except for the provisions of
11(b), shall apply to such Principal Party; and (iv) such Principal Party shall
take such steps (including, but not limited to, the authorization and
reservation of a sufficient number of shares of its Common Stock to permit
exercise of all outstanding Rights in accordance with this Section 13(a)) in
connection with such consummation as may be necessary to assure that the
provisions hereof shall thereafter be applicable, as nearly as reasonably may
be, in relation to the shares of its Common Stock thereafter deliverable upon
the exercise of the Rights.
(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) hereof, 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, including the Company, that
is the other party to the merger or consolidation; and
(ii) in the case of any transaction described in
clause (z) of the first sentence of Section 13(a) hereof, 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 case described in clause (i) or (ii) in
this Section 13(b), (x) if the Common Stock of such Person is not at
such time and has not been continuously over the preceding 12-month
period registered under Section 12 of the Exchange Act, and
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such Person is a direct or indirect Subsidiary or Affiliate of another
Person, "Principal Party" shall refer to such other Person; (y) in case
such Person is a Subsidiary, directly or indirectly, or Affiliate of
more than one Person, the Common Stocks of all 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, and (z) in case such Person is, or is owned directly or
indirectly by, a partnership or joint venture formed by two or more
Persons that are not owned, directly or indirectly, by the same Person,
the rules set forth in (x) and (y) above shall apply to each of the
chains of ownership having an interest in such joint venture as if such
party were a "Subsidiary" of both or all of such joint venturers and
the Principal Parties in each such chain shall bear the obligations set
forth in this Section 13 in the same ratio as their direct or indirect
interests in such Person bear to the total of such interests.
(c) The Company shall not consummate any such consolidation,
merger, sale or transfer unless the Principal Party shall have a sufficient
number of shares of its authorized 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 each Principal
Party and each other Person who may become a Principal Party as a result of such
consolidation, merger, sale or transfer 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 Securities Act with respect to the Rights and the securities
purchasable upon exercise of the Rights on an appropriate form, will
use its best efforts to cause such registration statement to become
effective as soon as practicable after such filing and will use its
best efforts to cause such registration statement to remain effective
(with a prospectus at all times meeting the requirements of the
Securities Act) until the Expiration Date;
(ii) use its best efforts to qualify or register the
Rights and the securities purchasable upon exercise of the Rights under
the "blue sky laws" of such jurisdictions as may be necessary or
appropriate; and
(iii) 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(b) Event, the Rights which have not theretofore been exercised shall
thereafter also become exercisable in the manner described in Section 13(a)
hereof.
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Section 14. Fractional Rights and Fractional Shares.
(a) The Company shall not be required to issue fractions of
Rights or to distribute Right Certificates which evidence fractional Rights. In
lieu of such fractional Rights, there shall be paid to the registered holders of
the Right 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 the 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 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 in the principal consolidated transaction
reporting system with respect to securities listed or admitted to trading 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, as reported by the Nasdaq National Market or,
if the Rights are not listed or admitted to trading on any national securities
exchange or included in the Nasdaq National Market, 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 a majority of the Board
of Directors. 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
a majority of the Board of Directors shall be used.
(b) The Company shall not be required to issue fractions of
shares of Preferred Stock (other than fractions 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 one-hundredth of a share of Preferred Stock 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 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 of Preferred Stock 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 may pay to the registered holders of Right Certificates at the time
such Right Certificates are exercised as herein provided an amount in cash equal
to the same fraction of the current market value of one one-hundredths 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(f)(ii) hereof) for the Trading Day immediately prior to
the date of such exercise.
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(c) Following the occurrence of one of the transactions or
events specified in Section 11 hereof giving rise to the right to receive common
stock equivalents (other than Preferred Stock) or other securities upon the
exercise of a Right, the Company shall not be required to issue fractions of
shares or units of such common stock equivalents or other securities upon
exercise of the Rights or to distribute certificates which evidence fractional
shares of such common stock equivalents or other securities. In lieu of
fractional shares or units of such common stock equivalents or other securities,
the Company may pay to the registered holders of Right 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 a share or unit of such common stock
equivalent or other securities. For purposes of this Section 14(c), the current
market value shall be determined in the manner set forth in Section 11(f) hereof
for the Trading Day immediately prior to the date of such exercise and, if such
common stock equivalent is not traded, each such common stock equivalent shall
have the value of one one-hundredth of a share of Preferred Stock.
(d) Except as otherwise expressly provided in this Section 14,
the holder of a Right by the acceptance of the Right expressly waives such
holder's right to receive any fractional Rights or any fractional share upon
exercise of Rights.
(e) The Rights Agent shall have no duty or obligation with
respect to this Section 14 and Section 24(e) unless and until it has received
specific instructions (and sufficient cash, if required) from the Company with
respect to its duties and obligations under such Sections.
Section 15. Rights of Action. All rights of action in respect
of this Rights Agreement, except for rights of action given to the Rights Agent
under Section 18 or Section 20 hereof, are vested in the respective registered
holders of the Right Certificates (and, prior to the Distribution Date, the
registered holders of Common Stock); and any registered holder of any Right
Certificate (or, prior to the Distribution Date, of the Common Stock), without
the consent of the Rights Agent or of the holder of any other Right Certificate
(or, prior to the Distribution Date, of the Common Stock), may, in such holder's
own behalf and for such holder's own benefit, enforce, and may institute and
maintain any suit, action or proceeding against the Company to enforce, or
otherwise act in respect of, such holder's right to exercise the Rights
evidenced by such Right Certificate in the manner provided in such Right
Certificate and in this Rights 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 Rights Agreement and will be entitled to specific performance of
the obligations under, and injunctive relief against actual or threatened
violations of, the obligations of any Person subject to this Rights Agreement.
Holders of Rights shall be entitled to recover from the Company the reasonable
costs and expenses, including attorneys' fees, incurred by them in any action to
enforce the provisions of this Rights Agreement.
Section 16. Agreement of Right Holders. Every holder of a
Right by accepting the same consents and agrees with the Company and the Rights
Agent and with every other holder of a Right that:
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(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 Right Certificates are
transferable only on the registry books of the Rights Agent if surrendered at
the stockholder services office of the Rights Agent or such office designated
for such purpose, duly endorsed or accompanied by a proper instrument of
transfer; and
(c) the Company and the Rights Agent may deem and treat the
Person in whose name the Right 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 Right Certificate or the associated Common Stock
certificate made by anyone other than the Company or the Rights Agent) for all
purposes whatsoever, and neither the Company nor the Rights Agent shall be
affected by any notice to the contrary.
(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 of any preliminary or
permanent injunction or other order, decree, judgment or ruling (whether
interlocutory or final) 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, that the Company must use its best efforts to have any such
order, decree, judgment or ruling lifted or otherwise overturned as soon as
possible.
Section 17. Right Certificate Holder Not Deemed a Shareholder.
No holder, as such, of any Right Certificate shall be entitled to vote, receive
dividends or be deemed for any purpose the holder of Preferred Stock, Common
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 Right Certificate be construed to confer upon the holder of any
Right Certificate, as such, any of the rights of a shareholder of the Company or
any right to vote for the election of directors or upon any matter submitted to
shareholders at any meeting thereof, or to give or withhold consent to any
corporate action, or to receive notice of meetings or other actions affecting
shareholders (except as provided in Section 25 hereof), or to receive dividends
or subscription rights, or otherwise, until the Right or Rights evidenced by
such Right 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
other disbursements incurred in the preparation, administration, execution,
delivery and amendment of this Rights Agreement and the exercise and performance
of its duties hereunder. The Company also agrees to indemnify the Rights
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Agent for, and to hold it harmless against, any loss, liability, damage,
judgment, fine, penalty, claim, demand, settlement, cost or expense, incurred
without gross negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct on the part of the
Rights Agent (each as finally determined by a court of competent jurisdiction),
for any action taken, suffered or omitted by the Rights Agent in connection with
the acceptance and administration of this Rights Agreement, including, without
limitation, the costs and expenses of defending against any claim of liability.
The indemnity provided herein shall survive the termination of this Agreement
and the termination and the expiration of the Rights. The costs and expenses
incurred in successfully enforcing this right of indemnification shall be paid
by the Company. Anything to the contrary notwithstanding, in no event shall the
Rights Agent be liable for special, punitive, indirect, consequential or
incidental loss or damage of any kind whatsoever (including but not limited to
lost profits), even if the Rights Agent has been advised of the likelihood of
such loss or damage. Any liability of the Rights Agent under this Rights
Agreement will be limited to the amount of fees paid by the Company to the
Rights Agent.
(b) The Rights Agent shall be authorized to rely on, 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 acceptance and administration
of this Rights Agreement in reliance upon any Right Certificate or certificate
for Preferred Stock, 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.
Section 19. Merger or Consolidation or Change of Name of
Rights Agent.
(a) Any Person into which the Rights Agent or any successor
Rights Agent may be merged or with which it may be consolidated, or any Person
resulting from any merger or consolidation to which the Rights Agent or any
successor Rights Agent shall be a party, or any Person succeeding to the
corporate trust powers, shareholder services or stock transfer business of the
Rights Agent or any successor Rights Agent, shall be the successor to the Rights
Agent under this Rights Agreement without the execution or filing of any paper
or any further act on the part of any of the parties hereto, provided that such
Person 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 Rights Agreement, any of the Right
Certificates shall have been countersigned but not delivered, any such successor
Rights Agent may adopt the countersignature of the predecessor Rights Agent and
deliver such Right Certificates so countersigned; and in case at that time any
of the Right Certificates shall not have been countersigned, any successor
Rights Agent may countersign such Right Certificates either in the name of the
predecessor Rights Agent or in the name of the successor Rights Agent; and in
all such cases such Right Certificates shall have the full force provided in the
Right Certificates and in this Rights Agreement.
(b) In case at any time the name of the Rights Agent shall be
changed and at such time any of the Right Certificates shall have been
countersigned but not delivered, the Rights Agent may adopt the countersignature
under its prior name and deliver Right Certificates
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so countersigned; and in case at that time any of the Right Certificates shall
not have been countersigned, the Rights Agent may countersign such Right
Certificates either in its prior name or in its changed name; and in all such
cases such Right Certificates shall have the full force provided in the Right
Certificates and in this Rights Agreement.
Section 20. Duties of Rights Agent. The Rights Agent
undertakes the duties and obligations imposed by this Rights Agreement upon the
following terms and conditions, by all of which the Company and the holders of
Right 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 written advice or opinion of such
counsel shall be full and complete authorization and protection to the Rights
Agent, and the Rights Agent shall incur no liability for or in respect of any
action taken, suffered or omitted by it in good faith and in accordance with
such advice or opinion.
(b) Whenever in the performance of its duties under this
Rights 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, suffering or omitting 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 of Directors, Chief Executive
Officer, President, Chief Financial Officer or any executive officer and by the
Treasurer or any Assistant Treasurer or the Secretary or any Assistant Secretary
of the Company and delivered to the Rights Agent; and such certificate shall be
full authorization and protection to the Rights Agent and the Rights Agent shall
incur no liability for or in respect of any action taken or suffered in good
faith by it under the provisions of this Rights 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 (as finally determined by
a court of competent jurisdiction).
(d) The Rights Agent shall not be liable for or by reason of
any of the statements of fact or recitals contained in this Rights Agreement or
in the Right Certificates (except its countersignature thereof) or be required
to verify the same, 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 have any liability for or be
under any responsibility in respect of the validity of this Rights 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 Right Certificate
(except its countersignature thereof); nor shall it be responsible for any
breach by the Company of any covenant or condition contained in this Rights
Agreement or in any Right Certificate; nor shall it be responsible for any
adjustment required under the provisions of Sections 11 or 13 hereof or
responsible for the manner, method or amount of any such adjustment or the
ascertaining of the existence of facts that would require
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any such adjustment (except with respect to the exercise of Rights evidenced by
Right Certificates after actual notice to the Rights Agent 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 Preferred Stock or other securities to be issued pursuant to this Rights
Agreement or any Right Certificate or as to whether any shares of Preferred
Stock or other securities will, when 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 Rights 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 of Directors, Chief Executive Officer, President,
Chief Financial Officer, any executive officer, 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
such advice or instructions shall be full authorization and protection to the
Rights Agent, and the Rights Agent shall incur no liability for or in respect of
any action taken, suffered or omitted by it in good faith in accordance with the
advice or instructions of any such officer or for any delay in acting while
waiting for those instructions.
(h) The Rights Agent and any stockholder, member, manager,
director, Affiliate, officer, employee, agent or representative 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 the Rights Agent under this Rights
Agreement. Nothing herein shall preclude the Rights Agent from acting in any
other capacity for the Company or for any other Person.
(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, any holders or Rights
or any other Person resulting from any such act, default, neglect or misconduct,
absent gross negligence or willful misconduct in the selection and continued
employment thereof.
(j) No provision of this Rights 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 it believes that repayment of such funds or adequate
indemnification against such risk or liability is not 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, clause 2
and/or, in the case of the certificate attached to the form of election to
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purchase, clause 3 thereof, the Rights Agent shall not take any further action
with respect to such requested exercise of 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
Rights Agreement upon 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 Right Certificates by first-class
mail. The Company may remove the Rights Agent or any successor Rights Agent upon
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 Right
Certificates by first-class mail or, prior to the Distribution Date, through any
filing made by the Company pursuant to the Exchange Act. 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 30 days after 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 Right Certificate
(which holder shall, with such notice, submit such holder's Right Certificate
for inspection by the Company), then the registered holder of any Right
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) a corporation, limited liability
company or other entity organized and doing business under the laws of the
United States or of any state, in good standing, which is subject to supervision
or examination by federal or state authority, or (b) an affiliate of a
corporation, limited liability company or other entity described in clause (a)
of this sentence. 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 transfer to the successor Rights
Agent any property at the time held by it hereunder, and execute and deliver any
further 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 Preferred Stock, and mail a notice thereof in writing to
the registered holders of the Right Certificates or, prior to the Distribution
Date, through any filing made by the Company pursuant to the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934, as amended. Failure to give any notice provided for this Section
21, however, 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.
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Section 22. Issuance of New Right Certificates.
(a) Notwithstanding any of the provisions of this Rights
Agreement or of the Rights to the contrary, the Company may, at its option,
issue new Right Certificates evidencing Rights in such form as may be approved
by a majority of the Board of Directors then in office to reflect any adjustment
or change in the Purchase Price and the number or kind or class of shares of
stock or other securities or property purchasable under the Right Certificates
made in accordance with the provisions of this Rights Agreement.
(b) In addition, in connection with the issuance or sale of
Common Stock following the Distribution Date and prior to the redemption,
exchange 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 benefit plan or arrangement, 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, issue Right Certificates representing the appropriate number of
Rights in connection with such issuance or sale; provided, however, that (i) no
such Right Certificates 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
Right Certificates would be issued, and (ii) no Right 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) A majority of the Board of Directors then in office may,
at its option, at any time prior to the earlier of (i) the Close of Business on
the Stock Acquisition Date or (ii) the Close of Business on the Final Expiration
Date, elect to redeem all but not less than all of the then outstanding Rights
at a redemption price of $0.01 per Right, as appropriately adjusted to reflect
any stock split, stock dividend or similar transaction occurring after the date
hereof (such redemption price being hereinafter referred to as the "Redemption
Price"). 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 a majority of the Board of
Directors then in office electing to redeem the Rights, evidence of which shall
be promptly filed with the Rights Agent, or, when appropriate, immediately upon
the time or satisfaction of such conditions as the Board of Directors may have
established, 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. The Company shall promptly
give public disclosure of any such redemption (with prompt notice thereof to the
Rights Agent); provided, however, that the failure to give, or any defect in,
any such disclosure shall not affect the validity of such redemption. Within 10
days 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
to the holders of the then outstanding Rights by mailing such notice to all such
holders at their last addresses as they appear 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
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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.
(c) Neither the Company nor any of its Affiliates or
Associates may redeem, acquire or purchase for value any Rights at any time in
any manner other than that specifically set forth in this Section 23 or Section
24 hereof and other than in connection with the purchase of Common Stock prior
to the Distribution Date.
Section 24. Exchange.
(a) The Board of Directors 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 null and void pursuant to the provisions of Section 7(e) hereof) for
Common Stock at an exchange ratio of one share of Common Stock per Right,
appropriately adjusted to reflect adjustments in the number of Rights pursuant
to Section 11 of this Rights Agreement (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 or compensation arrangement of the Company or any such Subsidiary,
or any entity holding securities of the Company to the extent organized,
appointed or established by the Company or any such Subsidiary for or pursuant
to the terms of any such employee benefit plan or compensation arrangement),
together with all Affiliates and Associates of such Person, becomes the
Beneficial Owner of 50% or more of the Voting Power of the Company.
(b) Immediately upon the action of the Board of Directors
ordering the exchange of any Rights pursuant to paragraph (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 rights thereafter of holders 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 promptly shall give public notice of any such exchange (with prompt
notice thereof to the Rights Agent); 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 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
shall 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 Preferred Stock (or equivalent preferred stock, as
such term is defined in Section 11(d) hereof) for Common Stock exchangeable for
Rights, at the initial rate of one one-hundredth
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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 or Preferred Stock (or equivalent preferred 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
action as may be necessary to authorize additional shares of Common Stock or
Preferred Stock (or equivalent preferred stock) for issuance upon exchange of
the Rights.
(e) The Company shall not be required to issue fractions of
Common Stock or to distribute certificates which evidence fractional shares of
Common Stock. In lieu of such fractional shares of Common Stock, the Company
shall pay to the registered holders of the Right 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 current market value of a whole
share of Common Stock. For the purposes of this paragraph (e), the current
market value of a whole share of Common Stock shall be the current market price
of a share of Common Stock (as determined pursuant to the second sentence of
Section 11(f)(i) hereof) for the Trading Day immediately prior to the date of
exchange pursuant to this Section 24.
Section 25. Notice of Proposed Actions.
(a) In case the Company shall propose at any time after the
Distribution Date (a) to pay any dividend payable in stock of any class to the
holders of the Preferred Stock or to make any other distribution to the holders
of the Preferred Stock (other than a regular periodic cash dividend out of
earnings or retained earnings of the Company), (b) to offer to the holders of
the Preferred Stock rights or warrants to subscribe for or to purchase any
additional shares of Preferred Stock or shares of stock of any other class or
any other securities, rights or options, (c) to effect any reclassification of
the Preferred Stock (other than a reclassification involving only the
subdivision of outstanding shares of Preferred Stock), (d) to effect any
consolidation or merger into or with, or to effect any sale or other transfer
(or to permit one or more of its Subsidiaries to effect any sales or other
transfer), in one or more transactions, of 50% or more of the assets or earning
power of the Company and its Subsidiaries (taken as a whole) to, any other
Person, (e) to effect the liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company,
or (f) to declare or pay any dividend on the Common Stock payable in Common
Stock or to effect a subdivision, combination or consolidation of the Common
Stock (by reclassification or otherwise than by payment of dividends in Common
Stock), then, in each such case, the Company shall give to each holder of a
Right and the Rights Agent, 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 Common Stock and/or Preferred Stock, if any such
date is to be fixed. Such notice shall be so given in the case of any action
covered by clauses (a) or (b) above at least ten days prior to the record date
for determining holders of the
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Preferred Stock for purposes of such action, and in the case of any such other
action, at least ten days prior to the date of the taking of such proposed
action or the date of participation therein by the holders of Preferred Stock,
whichever shall be the earlier. The failure to give notice required by this
Section 25 or any defect therein shall not affect the legality or validity of
the action taken by the Company or the vote upon any such action.
(b) In case a Section 11(b) Event shall occur, then the
Company shall as soon as practicable thereafter give to each holder of a Right
Certificate and to the Rights Agent, 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(b) hereof.
Section 26. Notices. Notices or demands authorized by this
Rights Agreement to be given or made by the Rights Agent or by the holder of any
Right 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:
ESCO Electronics Corporation
▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇
▇▇. ▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
Attention: Corporate Secretary
Subject to the provisions of Section 21 hereof, any notice or demand authorized
by this Rights Agreement to be given or made by the Company or by the holder of
any Right 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:
ChaseMellon Shareholder Services, L.L.C.
▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇
▇▇. ▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇
Attention: Relationship Manager
Notices or demands authorized by this Rights Agreement to be given or made by
the Company or the Rights Agent to the holder of any Right Certificate 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 Rights Agreement without the approval of
any holders of Right Certificates in order (a) to cure any ambiguity, (b) to
correct or supplement any provision contained herein which may be defective or
inconsistent with any other provisions herein, (c) to shorten or lengthen any
time period hereunder (including without limitation to extend the Final
Expiration Date), (d) increase or decrease the Purchase Price, or (e) to change
or supplement the provisions hereunder in any manner which the Company may deem
necessary or desirable; provided, however, that from and after such time as any
Person becomes an Acquiring Person, this Rights Agreement shall not be amended
in any manner which would adversely affect the
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interests of the holders of Rights; provided further that this Rights Agreement
may not be supplemented or amended to lengthen pursuant to clause (c) of this
sentence, (A) the time period relating to the when the Rights may be redeemed at
such time as the Rights are not then redeemable, or (B) any other time period
unless such lengthening is for the purpose of protecting, enhancing or
clarifying the rights of, and/or the benefits to, the holders of the Rights;
provided further that the Company shall have the right to make unilaterally any
changes necessary to facilitate the appointment of a successor Rights Agent,
which such changes shall be set forth in a writing by the Company or by the
Company and such successor Rights Agent. Without limiting the foregoing, the
Company may at any time prior to such time as any Person becomes an Acquiring
Person amend this Rights Agreement to lower the thresholds set forth in Sections
1(a) and 3(a) hereof from 20% to not less than the greater of (i) any percentage
greater than the largest percentage of the Voting Power of the Company then
known by the Company to be beneficially owned by any Person (other than the
Company, any Subsidiary of the Company, or any employee benefit plan or
compensation arrangement of the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company, and
any entity holding securities of the Company to the extent organized, appointed
or established by the Company or any such Subsidiary for or pursuant to the
terms of any such employee benefit plan or compensation arrangement) together
with all Affiliates and Associates of such Person and (ii) 10%. Upon the
delivery of a certificate from an appropriate officer of the Company which
states that the proposed supplement or amendment is in compliance with the terms
of this Section 27 and provided such supplement or amendment does not change or
increase the Rights Agent's duties, liabilities or obligations hereunder, the
Rights Agent shall execute such supplement or amendment.
Section 28. Successors. All the covenants and provisions of
this Rights 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. Benefits of This Rights Agreement. Nothing in this
Rights Agreement shall be construed to give to any Person other than the
Company, the Rights Agent and the registered holders of the Right Certificates
(and, prior to the Distribution Date, the Common Stock) any legal or equitable
right, remedy or claim under this Rights Agreement; but this Rights Agreement
shall be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the Company, the Rights Agent and
the registered holders of the Right Certificates (and, prior to the Distribution
Date, the Common Stock).
Section 30. Severability. If any term, provision, covenant or
restriction of this Rights 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 Rights
Agreement shall remain in full force and effect and shall in no way be affected,
impaired or invalidated. It is the intent of the parties hereto to enforce the
remainder of the terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions of this Rights
Agreement to the maximum extent permitted by law.
Section 31. Governing Law. This Rights Agreement and each
Right Certificate issued hereunder shall be deemed to be a contract made under
the laws of the State of Missouri and for all purposes shall be governed by and
construed in accordance with the laws of such State
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applicable to contracts to be made and performed entirely within such State;
provided however, that all provisions regarding the rights, duties and
obligations of the Rights Agent shall be governed by and construed in accordance
with the laws of the State of New York applicable to contracts made and to be
performed entirely within such State.
Section 32. Counterparts. This Rights 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 33. Descriptive Headings. Descriptive headings of the
several Sections of this Rights Agreement are inserted for convenience only and
shall not control or affect the meaning or construction of any of the provisions
hereof.
[The remainder of this page has been left blank intentionally.]
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this
Amended and Restated Rights Agreement to be duly executed, all as of the day and
year first above written.
Attest: ESCO ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
By /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ By /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇
------------------------- --------------------------
Name: ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Name: ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇.
Title: Secretary Title: Vice President
Attest: CHASEMELLON SHAREHOLDER
SERVICES, L.L.C.
By /s/ ▇▇▇▇ Brunette By /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇
------------------------- --------------------------
Name: ▇▇▇▇ Brunette Name: ▇▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇
Title: Account Administrator Title: Assistant Vice President
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EXHIBIT A
FORM OF AMENDED
CERTIFICATE OF DESIGNATION, PREFERENCES AND RIGHTS OF
SERIES A PARTICIPATING CUMULATIVE PREFERRED STOCK
OF
ESCO ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
PURSUANT TO SECTION 351.180 OF
THE GENERAL AND BUSINESS CORPORATION LAW OF MISSOURI
We, _________, [NAME OF OFFICE], and __________, [NAME OF
OFFICE], of ESCO Electronics Corporation, a corporation organized and existing
under The General and Business Corporation Law of Missouri, in accordance with
the provisions of Section 351.180 thereof, DO HEREBY CERTIFY:
That pursuant to the authority conferred upon the Board of
Directors by the Restated Articles of Incorporation of the Company, as amended,
the said Board of Directors on September 23, 1990, adopted a resolution (the
"1990 Resolution") creating a series of One Hundred Twenty Thousand (120,000)
shares of Preferred Stock designated as Series A Participating Cumulative
Preferred Stock, a copy of which 1990 Resolution was set forth on a certificate
of designations that was executed by the Company's President, acknowledged and
filed with the Missouri Secretary of State (the "Certificate of Designation");
and
That no shares of such Series A Participating Cumulative
Preferred Stock are issued and outstanding; and
That pursuant to the authority conferred upon the Board of
Directors by the Restated Articles of Incorporation of the Company, as amended,
and Section 351.180.7 of the General and Business Corporation Law of Missouri,
which provides, in pertinent part, that the Board of Directors may amend the
Certificate of Designation and the series of preferred stock set forth thereon,
so long as no shares of Series A Participating Cumulative Preferred Stock are
issued and outstanding, the said Board of Directors on February 3, 2000, adopted
the following resolution deleting the Certificate of Designation in its entirety
and amending the terms, preferences and rights thereof to creating and designate
a series of Five Hundred Thousand (500,000) shares of Preferred Stock, par value
$0.01 per share:
RESOLVED, that pursuant to the authority vested in the Board
of Directors of the Company in accordance with the provisions of its Restated
Articles of Incorporation, as amended, the designation and amount and the
powers, preferences and relative, participating, optional or other special
rights of the Series A Participating Cumulative Preferred Stock as set forth on
the Certificate of Designation be, and such terms hereby are, deleted in their
entirety, and a series of Preferred Stock of the Company is hereby created, and
the designation and amount thereof and the powers, preferences and relative,
participating, optional or other special rights of the shares of such series,
and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof are amended in their
entirety as follows:
40
Section 1. Designation and Amount. The shares of such series
shall be designated as "Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock," par
value $0.01 per share (the "Series A Preferred Stock"), and the number of shares
constituting the Series A Preferred Stock shall be 500,000. Such number of
shares may be increased or decreased by resolution of the Board of Directors;
provided that no decrease shall reduce the number of shares of Series A
Preferred Stock to a number less than the number of shares then outstanding plus
the number of shares reserved for issuance upon the exercise of outstanding
options, rights or warrants or upon the conversion of any outstanding securities
issued by the Company.
Section 2. Dividends and Distributions.
(A) Subject to the rights of the holders of any shares of any
series of preferred stock of the Company ranking prior and superior to the
Series A Preferred Stock with respect to dividends, the holders of shares of
Series A Preferred Stock, in preference to the holders of shares of common
stock, par value $0.01 per share of the Company (the "Common Stock"), and of any
other junior 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 any regular quarterly dividend payment date as
shall be established by the Board of Directors (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) $1.00 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
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
Company shall at any time after February 3, 2000 (the "Rights Amendment Date")
declare or pay any dividend on the Common Stock payable in shares of Common
Stock, or effect a subdivision or combination or consolidation of the
outstanding shares of Common Stock (by reclassification or otherwise than by
payment of a dividend in shares of Common Stock) into a greater or lesser number
of shares of Common Stock, then in each such 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 Company shall declare a dividend or distribution on
the Series A Preferred Stock as provided in paragraph (A) of this Section
immediately after it declares a dividend or distribution on the Common Stock
(other than a dividend payable in shares of Common Stock); provided 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, a dividend of $1.00 per share on the
Series A Preferred Stock shall nevertheless be payable on such subsequent
Quarterly Dividend Payment Date.
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(C) Dividends shall begin to accrue and be cumulative on
outstanding shares of Series A Preferred Stock from the Quarterly Dividend
Payment Date next preceding the date of issue of such shares, 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, in
accordance with applicable law, 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 not more
than such number of days prior to the date fixed for the payment thereof as may
be allowed by applicable law.
Section 3. Voting Rights.
The holders of shares of Series A Preferred Stock shall have
the following voting rights:
(A) Each share of Series A Preferred Stock shall entitle the
holder thereof to 100 votes on all matters submitted to a vote of the
shareholders of the Company. In the event the Company shall at any time after
the Rights Amendment Date declare or pay any dividend on the Common Stock
payable in shares of Common Stock, or effect a subdivision or combination or
consolidation of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (by reclassification or
otherwise than by payment of a dividend in shares of Common Stock) into a
greater or lesser number of shares of Common Stock, then in each such case the
number of votes to which holders of shares of Series A Preferred Stock were
entitled immediately prior to such event under 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) Except as otherwise provided herein, in the Company's
Restated Articles of Incorporation or by law, the holders of shares of Series A
Preferred Stock, the holders of shares of Common Stock, and the holders of
shares of any other capital stock of the Company having general voting rights,
shall vote together as one class on all matters submitted to a vote of
shareholders of the Company.
(C) Except as otherwise set forth herein or in the Company's
Restated Articles of Incorporation, and except as otherwise provided by law,
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.
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Section 4. Certain Restrictions.
(A) Whenever 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
Company 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 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) except as permitted in Section 4(A)(iv) below,
redeem or purchase or otherwise acquire for consideration shares of any
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 Company may at any time redeem, purchase or otherwise acquire
shares of any such parity stock in exchange for shares of any stock of
the Company ranking junior (either as to dividends or upon dissolution,
liquidation or winding up) to the Series A Preferred Stock; and
(iv) purchase or otherwise acquire for consideration
any shares of Series A Preferred Stock, or any shares of 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 Company shall not permit any subsidiary of the Company
to purchase or otherwise acquire for consideration any shares of stock of the
Company unless the Company 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 Company in any manner whatsoever shall be retired and canceled
promptly after the acquisition thereof. The Company shall cause all such shares
upon their cancellation to be authorized but unissued shares of Preferred Stock
which may be reissued as part of a new series of Preferred Stock, subject to the
conditions and restrictions on issuance set forth herein.
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Section 6. Liquidation, Dissolution or Winding Up.
(A) Subject to the rights of the holders of any shares of any
series of Preferred Stock of the Company ranking prior and superior to the
Series A Preferred Stock with respect to liquidation, upon any liquidation
(voluntary or otherwise), dissolution or winding up of the Company, no
distribution shall be made to the holders of shares of 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 $100.00 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 dividends, and subdivisions, combinations and
consolidations with respect to the Common Stock) (such number in clause (ii)
being referred to as 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, 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 Series A Preferred Stock and Common Stock, on a per share
basis, respectively.
(B) In the event 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 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 Company shall at any time after the
Rights Amendment Date declare or pay any dividend on Common Stock payable in
shares of Common Stock, or effect a subdivision or combination or consolidation
of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (by reclassification or otherwise than
by payment of a dividend in shares of Common Stock) into a greater or lesser
number of shares of Common Stock, 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 Company 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 in an amount per share
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(subject to the provision for adjustment hereinafter set forth) equal to 100
times the aggregate amount of stock, securities, cash and/or any other property
(payable in kind), as the case may be, into which or for which each share of
Common Stock is changed or exchanged. In the event the Company shall at any time
after the Rights Amendment Date declare or pay any dividend on Common Stock
payable in shares of Common Stock, or effect a subdivision or combination or
consolidation of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (by reclassification or
otherwise than by payment of a dividend in shares of Common Stock) into a
greater or lesser number of shares of Common Stock, 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 are outstanding immediately
prior to such event.
Section 8. 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 Company's Preferred Stock as to the payment of dividends and the
distribution of assets, unless the terms of any such series shall provide
otherwise.
Section 10. 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.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, we have executed and subscribed this
Certificate and do affirm the foregoing as true under the penalties of perjury
this the day of , 2000.
By:
------------------------
Name: [NAME OF OFFICER]
Title: [OFFICE]
Attest
By:
-------------------------
Name: [NAME OF OFFICER]
Title: [OFFICE]
6
45
EXHIBIT B
[Form of Right Certificate]
Certificate No. R- Rights
NOT EXERCISABLE AFTER THE EXPIRATION DATE. AT THE OPTION OF THE COMPANY, THE
RIGHTS ARE SUBJECT TO REDEMPTION AT $0.01 PER RIGHT OR EXCHANGE FOR COMMON
STOCK, UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES AND ON THE TERMS SET FORTH IN THE RIGHTS
AGREEMENT. UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES, RIGHTS BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY AN
ACQUIRING PERSON OR AN ASSOCIATE OR AFFILIATE OF AN ACQUIRING PERSON AND ANY
SUBSEQUENT HOLDER OF SUCH RIGHTS MAY BECOME NULL AND VOID. [THE RIGHTS
REPRESENTED BY THIS RIGHT CERTIFICATE WERE ISSUED TO A PERSON WHO WAS AN
ACQUIRING PERSON OR AN AFFILIATE OR AN ASSOCIATE OF AN ACQUIRING PERSON. THIS
RIGHT CERTIFICATE AND THE RIGHTS REPRESENTED HEREBY ARE VOID IN THE
CIRCUMSTANCES SPECIFIED IN SECTION 7(e) OF THE RIGHTS AGREEMENT.]*
Right Certificate
ESCO ELECTRONICS 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
Amended and Restated Rights Agreement dated as of September 24, 1990 and amended
and restated as of February 3, 2000 (the "Rights Agreement") between ESCO
Electronics Corporation, a Missouri corporation (the "Company"), and ChaseMellon
Shareholder Services, L.L.C., a New Jersey limited liability company (the
"Rights Agent"), to purchase from the Company at any time after the Distribution
Date (as such term is defined in the Rights Agreement) and prior to 5:00 p.m.
St. Louis, Missouri time on the Expiration Date, as that term is defined in the
Rights Agreement, at the stockholder services office (or such office designated
for such purpose) of the Rights Agent, or its successor as Rights Agent, one
one-hundredth of a fully paid, nonassessable share of the Series A Junior
Participating Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share ("Preferred Stock"), of
the Company, at a purchase price of $60.00 per one one-hundredth of a share (the
"Purchase Price") upon presentation and surrender of this Right Certificate with
the Form of Election to Purchase duly executed. The number of Rights evidenced
by this Right Certificate (and the number of shares which may be purchased upon
exercise of each Right) and the Purchase Price set forth above, are
---------------------------
* The portion of the legend in brackets shall be inserted only if applicable.
46
the number and Purchase Price as of _________,_____ based on the shares of
Preferred Stock of the Company as constituted at such date.
The Purchase Price and the number of shares of Preferred Stock
which may be purchased upon the exercise of each of the Rights evidenced by this
Right Certificate are subject to modification and adjustment upon the happening
of certain events as provided in the Rights Agreement.
This Right 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 Right Certificates.
Copies of the Rights Agreement are on file at the Company and the
above-mentioned office of the Rights Agent and are also available upon written
request to the Company.
This Right Certificate, with or without other Right
Certificates, upon surrender at the stockholder services office (or such office
designated for such purpose) of the Rights Agent, may be exchanged for another
Right Certificate or Right Certificates of like tenor and date evidencing Rights
entitling the holder to purchase a like aggregate number of shares of Preferred
Stock as the Rights evidenced by the Right Certificate or Right Certificates
surrendered shall have entitled such holder to purchase. If this Right
Certificate shall be exercised in part, the holder shall be entitled to receive,
upon surrender hereof, another Right Certificate or Right Certificates for the
number of whole Rights not exercised.
Subject to the provisions of the Rights Agreement, the Rights
evidenced by this Certificate may be redeemed by the Company at its option at a
redemption price of $0.01 per Right on or prior to the Stock Acquisition Date
(as defined in the Rights Agreement). In addition, subject to the provisions of
the Rights Agreement, each Right evidenced by this Certificate may be exchanged
by the Company at its option for one share of Common Stock following the Stock
Acquisition Date and prior to the time an Acquiring Person, as that term is
defined in the Rights Agreement, owns 50% or more of the Voting Power, as that
term is defined in the Rights Agreement, of the Company.
No fractional shares of Preferred Stock will be issued upon
the exercise of any 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). In
lieu of fractions of a share, a cash payment will be made, as provided in the
Rights Agreement.
No holder of this Right 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 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 shareholder of the Company or any right to vote for the
election of directors or upon any matter submitted to shareholders at any
meeting thereof, or to give or withhold consent to any corporate action, or to
receive notice of meetings or other actions affecting shareholders (except as
provided in the Rights Agreement), or to receive dividends or
2
47
subscription rights, or otherwise, until the Rights evidenced by this Right
Certificate shall have been exercised as provided in the Rights Agreement.
This Right Certificate shall not be valid or obligatory for
any purpose until it shall have been countersigned by the Rights Agent.
WITNESS the facsimile signature of the proper officers of the
Company and its corporate seal. Dated as of , .
Attest: ESCO ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
By By
------------------------- ----------------------------
Name: Name:
---------------------- -------------------------
Title: Title:
--------------------- ------------------------
Countersigned:
CHASEMELLON SHAREHOLDER SERVICES, L.L.C.
By:
--------------------------
Authorized signature
3
48
[Form of Reverse Side of Right Certificate]
FORM OF ASSIGNMENT
(To be executed by the registered holder if such
holder desires to transfer the Right Certificate.)
FOR VALUE RECEIVED
hereby sells, assigns and transfers unto
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Please print name and address of transferee)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
this Right Certificate, together with all right, title and interest therein, and
does hereby irrevocably constitute and appoint Attorney to
transfer the within Right Certificate on the books of the within-named Company,
with full power of substitution.
Dated:
--------------------
--------------------------------------------------
Signature
(Signature must conform in all respects to name of
holder as specified on the face of this Right
Certificate)
Signature Guaranteed:
Signatures must be guaranteed by a member or a participant in
the Securities Transfer Agent Medallion Program, the New York Stock Exchange
Medallion Signature Program or the Stock Exchange Medallion Program.
4
49
CERTIFICATE
The undersigned hereby certifies by checking the appropriate
boxes that:
(1) this Right 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 any such 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 Right
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 must conform in all respects to name of
holder as specified on the face of this Right
Certificate)
5
50
FORM OF ELECTION TO PURCHASE
(To be executed if holder desires to
exercise the Right Certificate.)
To ESCO Electronics Corporation:
The undersigned hereby irrevocably elects to exercise
Rights represented by this Right Certificate to purchase the shares of Preferred
Stock issuable upon the exercise of such Rights and requests that certificates
for such shares be issued in the name of:
Name:
---------------------
Address:
------------------
---------------------
Social security
or taxpayer identification
number:
--------------------
If such number of Rights shall not be all the Rights evidenced by this Right
Certificate, a new Right Certificate for the balance remaining of such Rights
shall be registered in the name of and delivered to:
Name:
----------------------
Address:
-------------------
----------------------
Social security
or taxpayer identification
number:
---------------------
Dated:
-------------------
--------------------------------------------------
Signature
(Signature must conform in all respects to name of
holder as specified on the face of this Right
Certificate)
Signature Guaranteed:
Signatures must be guaranteed by a member or a participant in
the Securities Transfer Agent Medallion Program, the New York Stock Exchange
Medallion Signature Program or the Stock Exchange Medallion Program.
6
51
CERTIFICATE
The undersigned hereby certifies by checking the appropriate
boxes that:
(1) the Rights evidenced by this Right 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 any such Acquiring Person (as such terms
are defined pursuant to the Rights Agreement);
(2) 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 any such Acquiring Person (as such terms
are defined pursuant to the Rights Agreement);
(3) after due inquiry and to the best knowledge of the
undersigned, it [ ] did [ ] did not acquire the Rights evidenced by this Right
Certificate from any Person who is, was or became an Acquiring Person or an
Affiliate or Associate of an Acquiring Person.
Dated:
-------------------
--------------------------------------------------
Signature
(Signature must conform in all respects to name of
holder as specified on the face of this Right
Certificate)
NOTICE
The signature in the foregoing Forms of Assignment and
Election must conform to the name as written upon the face of this Right
Certificate in every particular, without alteration or enlargement or any change
whatsoever.
In the event the certification set forth above in the form of
Assignment or the form of Election to Purchase, as the case may be, is not
completed, the Company and the Rights Agent will deem the beneficial owner of
the Rights evidenced by this Right Certificate to be an Acquiring Person or an
Affiliate or Associate thereof (as defined in the Rights Agreement) and such
Assignment or Election to Purchase will not be honored as described in Section
7(e) of the Rights Agreement.
7