Description of the Securities of FG Group Holdings Inc
Exhibit 4.1
DESCRIPTION OF THE SECURITIES OF FG GROUP HOLDINGS INC.
REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12 OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
The following summarizes the terms and provisions of the securities of FG Group Holdings Inc., a Nevada corporation (the “Company”). The common stock of the Company is registered under Section 12(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). The following summary does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Company’s Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws, each as amended, which the Company has previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and applicable Nevada law.
Authorized Capital
The Company’s authorized capital stock consists of 50,000,000 shares of common stock, $0.01 par value per share (the “Common Stock”), and 1,000,000 shares of preferred stock, $0.01 par value per share (the “Preferred Stock”).
Under Nevada law, stockholders generally are not personally liable for a corporation’s acts or debts.
Exchange and Trading Symbol
The Common Stock is listed for trading on the NYSE American under the trading symbol “FGH.”
Rights and Preferences
All outstanding shares of Common Stock are duly authorized, fully paid and nonassessable. Holders of shares of Common Stock have no conversion, preemptive or subscription rights, and there are no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to the Common Stock. The rights, preferences and privileges of the holders of Common Stock are subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of shares of any series of Preferred Stock that the Company may designate and issue in the future.
In the event of the Company’s liquidation, dissolution or winding up, the holders of Common Stock are entitled to share ratably in the assets legally available for distribution to stockholders after the payment of all of the Company’s known debts and liabilities and after adequate provision has been made for each class of stock having preference over the Common Stock, if any.
Voting Rights
Holders of Common Stock are entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted on by the stockholders. There is no cumulative voting with respect to the election of directors. Directors are elected by a plurality of the votes cast by the holders of Common Stock. Except as otherwise required by law, all other matters brought to a vote of the holders of Common Stock are determined by a majority of the votes cast and, except as may be provided with respect to any other outstanding class or series of the Company’s stock, the holders of shares of Common Stock possess the exclusive voting power.
Dividends
Subject to preferences that may be applicable to any then outstanding shares of Preferred Stock, the holders of Common Stock are entitled to receive dividends, if any, as may be declared from time to time by the Company’s Board of Directors out of legally available funds.
Preferred Stock
The Board of Directors of the Company is authorized, subject to any limitations prescribed by applicable law and without further approval or action by the holders of Common Stock, to issue shares of Preferred Stock in one or more series. The Board of Directors may fix the designation, powers, preferences and rights of the shares of each such series and any qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, including dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, terms of redemption, liquidation preferences and sinking fund terms. The Company has no outstanding shares of Preferred Stock.
The rights of the holders of Common Stock will generally be subject to the prior rights of the holders of any outstanding shares of Preferred Stock with respect to dividends, liquidation preferences and other matters.
Anti-Takeover Effects of Provisions of Nevada Law and the Company’s Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws
Nevada Law
Nevada Business Combination Statute. The “business combination” provisions of Sections 78.411 to 78.444, inclusive, of the Nevada Revised Statutes generally prohibit a Nevada corporation with at least 200 stockholders of record from engaging in various “business combination” transactions with any interested stockholder for a period of two years after the date that the person first become an interested stockholder, unless the business combination or the transaction by which the person first became an interested stockholder is approved by the corporation’s board of directors before the person first became an interested stockholder, or the business combination is approved by the board of directors and thereafter is approved at a meeting of the corporation’s stockholders by the affirmative vote of at least 60% of the outstanding voting power of the corporation held by disinterested stockholders.
Following the expiration of the two-year period, the corporation is prohibited from engaging in a “business combination” transaction with the interested stockholder, unless:
● | the business combination or the transaction by which the person first became an interested stockholder is approved by the corporation’s board of directors before the person first became an interested stockholder; | |
● | the business combination is approved by a majority of the outstanding voting power of the corporation held by disinterested stockholders; or | |
● | the aggregate amount of the consideration to be received in the business combination by all of the holders of outstanding common shares of the corporation not beneficially owned by the interested stockholder is at least equal to the higher of: (a) the highest price per share paid by the interested stockholder for any common shares acquired by the interested stockholder within two years immediately before the date of the announcement of the business combination or within two years immediately before, or in the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder, whichever is higher, and (b) the market value per common share on the date of the announcement of the business combination or on the date that the person first became an interested stockholder, whichever is higher. |
In general, an “interested stockholder” is any person who is (i) the direct or indirect beneficial owner of 10% or more of the voting power of the outstanding voting shares of the corporation, or (ii) an affiliate or associate of the corporation and at any time within two years immediately before the date in question was the direct or indirect beneficial owner of 10% or more of the voting power of the then outstanding shares of the corporation.
A “combination” is generally defined to include mergers or consolidations or any sale, lease exchange, mortgage, pledge, transfer, or other disposition, in one transaction or a series of transactions, with an interested stockholder: (a) having an aggregate market value equal to more than five percent of the aggregate market value of the consolidated assets of the corporation, (b) having an aggregate market value equal to more than five percent of the aggregate market value of all outstanding shares of the corporation, (c) representing more than ten percent of the consolidated earning power or net income of the corporation, and (d) certain other transactions with an interested stockholder or an affiliate or associate of an interested stockholder.
The business combination statute could prohibit or delay mergers or other takeover or change in control attempts and, accordingly, may discourage attempts to acquire the Company even though such a transaction may offer the Company’s stockholders the opportunity to sell their stock at a price above the prevailing market price.
Nevada Control Share Acquisition Statute. Sections 78.378 to 78.3793, inclusive, of the Nevada Revised Statutes limit the voting rights of certain acquired shares in a corporation. This “control share” statute applies to any acquisition of outstanding voting securities of a Nevada corporation that has 200 or more stockholders of record (at least 100 of which are Nevada residents) and conducts business in Nevada resulting in ownership of the corporation’s then outstanding voting securities in excess of one of the following thresholds: (i) one-fifth or more but less than one-third, (ii) one-third or more but less than a majority, (iii) and a majority or more. Once an acquirer crosses one of these thresholds by acquiring a controlling interest in the corporation, the shares which the acquirer acquired in the transaction taking it over the threshold and within the 90 days immediately preceding the date when the acquiring person acquired or offered to acquire a controlling interest in the corporation become “control shares.” The acquirer is denied voting rights with respect to the control shares, unless stockholders representing a majority of the voting power of the corporation approve the granting of full voting rights to the control shares. As permitted under Nevada law, the Company has elected to “opt out” of the control share statute pursuant to a provision in its Bylaws.
Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws
The Company’s Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws include anti-takeover provisions that:
● | authorize the Board of Directors, without further action by the stockholders, to issue shares of Preferred Stock in one or more series, and with respect to each series, to fix the number of shares constituting that series, and establish the rights and terms of that series; | |
● | establish advance notice procedures for stockholders to submit nominations of candidates for election to the Board of Directors to be brought before a stockholders meeting; | |
● | allow the Company’s directors to establish the size of the Board of Directors and fill vacancies on the Board created by an increase in the number of directors (subject to the rights of the holders of any series of Preferred Stock to elect additional directors under specified circumstances); | |
● | require the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 66 2/3% of the voting power of all of the then- outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company entitled to vote generally in the election of directors in order to remove a director or the entire Board of Directors for cause; | |
● | do not provide stockholders cumulative voting rights with respect to director elections; and | |
● | provide that the Company’s Bylaws may be amended by the Board of Directors without stockholder approval; provided, however, that the stockholders may amend the Bylaws only with the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 66 2/3% of the voting power of all of the then-outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company entitled to vote generally in the election of directors. |
Provisions of the Company’s Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws may delay or discourage transactions involving an actual or potential change in the Company’s control or change in the Company’s Board of Directors or management, including transactions in which stockholders might otherwise receive a premium for their shares or transactions that the Company’s stockholders might otherwise deem to be in their best interests. Therefore, these provisions could adversely affect the price of the Common Stock.
Authorized and Unissued Shares
The Company’s authorized and unissued shares of Common Stock are available for future issuance without stockholder approval except as may otherwise be required by applicable stock exchange rules or Nevada law. The Company may issue additional shares for a variety of purposes, including future offerings to raise additional capital, to fund acquisitions and as employee and consultant compensation. The existence of authorized but unissued shares of Common Stock could render more difficult, or discourage an attempt, to obtain control of the Company by means of a proxy contest, tender offer, merger or otherwise.
The Company’s Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation authorize the issuance of 1,000,000 shares of “blank check” preferred stock with such designations, rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Company’s Board of Directors. Accordingly, the Board of Directors is empowered, without stockholder approval, to issue shares of preferred stock with dividend, liquidation, conversion, voting or other rights that could adversely affect the value, voting power or other rights of holders of Common Stock. In addition, the Board of Directors may, under certain circumstances, issue preferred stock in order to delay, defer, prevent or make more difficult a change of control transaction such as a merger, tender offer, business combination or proxy contest, assumption of control by a holder of a large block of the Company’s securities or the removal of incumbent management of the Company, even if those events were favorable to the interests of the Company’s stockholders. Although the Company’s Board of Directors has no present intention to issue any shares of preferred stock, there can be no assurance that it will not do so in the future.