Amended and Restated 2016 Equity Incentive Plan
EXHIBIT 4.3
EVOLUTION PETROLEUM CORPORATION
AMENDED AND RESTATED 2016 EQUITY INCENTIVE PLAN
“Affiliate” means a corporation or other entity that, directly or through one or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with, the Company.
“Applicable Laws” means the requirements related to or implicated by the administration of the Plan under applicable state corporate law, United States federal and state securities laws, the Code, any stock exchange or quotation system on which the shares of Common Stock are listed or quoted, and the applicable laws of any foreign country or jurisdiction where Awards are granted under the Plan.
“Award” means any right granted under the Plan, including an Incentive Stock Option, a Non-qualified Stock Option, a Stock Appreciation Right, a Restricted Award, or a Performance Share Award.
“Award Agreement” means a written agreement, contract, certificate, or other instrument or document evidencing the terms and conditions of an individual Award granted under the Plan and including provisions not inconsistent with the Plan. An Award Agreement may be transmitted electronically to any Participant at the Company's discretion. Any such document is an Award Agreement regardless of whether any Participant signature is required. An Award Agreement may contain provisions not inconsistent with the Plan as determined by the Board or the Committee.
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“Board” means the Company's Board of Directors, as constituted at any time.
“Cause” means:
(a)With respect to any Employee or Consultant:
(i)If the Employee or Consultant is a party to an employment or service agreement with the Company or its Affiliates and such agreement provides for a definition of Cause, the definition contained therein; or
(ii)If no such agreement exists, or if such agreement does not define Cause: (A) a plea of guilty or no contest to a felony or the commission of any other act involving material willful malfeasance or material fiduciary breach with respect to the Company or an Affiliate; (B) conduct that results in material harm to the reputation or business of the Company or any of its Affiliates; (C) gross negligence or willful misconduct with respect to the Company or an Affiliate; or (D) material violation of state or federal securities laws.
(b)With respect to any Director, a determination by a majority of the disinterested Board members that the Director has engaged in any of the following:
(i)malfeasance in office, including material undisclosed conflict of interest;
(ii)gross misconduct or neglect;
(iii)false or fraudulent misrepresentation inducing the Director’s appointment;
(iv)willful conversion of corporate funds; or
(v)repeated failure to regularly participate in Board meetings despite receiving proper notice of the meetings in advance.
The Committee, in its sole discretion, shall determine the effect of all matters and questions relating to whether a Participant has been discharged for Cause.
“Change in Control” shall be deemed to have occurred if:
(a)the shareholders of the Company approve, and the consummation of a reorganization, merger, or consolidation has occurred, in each case, with respect to which persons who were the shareholders of the Company immediately prior to such reorganization, merger or consolidation do not, immediately thereafter, own outstanding Voting Securities representing at least fifty-one percent (51%) of the Voting Securities of the reorganized, merged or consolidated company and at such time, or within twelve (12) months thereafter, members of the Incumbent Board cease to constitute a majority of the Board;
(b)the shareholders of the Company approve a liquidation or dissolution of the Company or a sale of all or substantially all of the stock or assets of the Company; or
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(c)any “person,” as that term is defined in Section 3(a)(9) of the Exchange Act (other than the Company, any of its subsidiaries, any employee benefit plan of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or any entity organized, appointed or established by the Company for or pursuant to the terms of such a plan), together with all “affiliates” and “associates” (as such terms are defined in Rule 12b-2 under the Exchange Act) of such person (as well as any “Person” or “group” as those terms are used in Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act), shall become the “beneficial owner” or “beneficial owners” (as defined in Rules 13d-3 and 13d-5 under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of securities of the Company representing in the aggregate forty percent (40%) or more of either the then outstanding shares Common Stock or the Voting Securities of the Company, in either such case other than solely as a result of acquisitions of such securities directly from the Company. Without limiting the preceding, a person who, directly or indirectly, through any contract, arrangement, understanding, relationship, or otherwise has or shares the power to vote, or to direct the voting of, or to dispose, or to direct the disposition of, Common Stock or other Voting Securities of the Company shall be deemed the beneficial owner of such Common Stock or Voting Securities.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, a “Change in Control” shall not be deemed to have occurred for purposes of paragraph (c) solely as the result of an acquisition of securities by the Company which, by reducing the number of shares of Common Stock or other Voting Securities of the Company outstanding, increases (I) the proportionate number of shares of Common Stock beneficially owned by any person to forty percent (40%) or more of the shares of Common Stock then outstanding or (II) the proportionate voting power represented by the Voting Securities of the Company beneficially owned by any person to forty percent (40%) or more of the combined voting power of all then outstanding Voting Securities; provided, however, that if any person referred to in clause (I) or (II) of this sentence shall thereafter become the beneficial owner of any additional shares of Common Stock or other Voting Securities of the Company (other than a result of a stock split, stock dividend or similar transaction), then a Change in Control of the Company shall be deemed to have occurred for purposes of paragraph (c).
“Change in Control Policy” means the Company’s Change in Control Severance Policy for Employees, as in effect on the Effective Date and as the same may be amended from time to time.
“Code” means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as it may be amended from time to time. Any reference to a section of the Code shall be deemed to include a reference to any regulations promulgated thereunder.
“Committee” means a committee appointed by the Board to administer the Plan in accordance with Section 3.
“Common Stock” means the common stock, $0.001 par value per share, of the Company or other securities of the Company as may be designated by the Committee from time to time in substitution thereof.
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“Company” means Evolution Petroleum Corporation, a Nevada corporation, and any successor thereto.
“Consultant” means any individual engaged by the Company or an Affiliate to render consulting or advisory services and is not an Employee or Director.
“Continuous Service” means that the Participant’s service with the Company or an Affiliate, whether as an Employee, Consultant, or Director, is not interrupted or terminated. The Participant’s Continuous Service shall not be deemed to have terminated merely because of a change in the capacity in which the Participant renders service to the Company or an Affiliate as an Employee, Consultant, or Director or a change in the entity for which the Participant renders such service, provided that there is no interruption or termination of the Participant’s Continuous Service; provided further that if any Award is subject to Section 409A, this sentence shall only be given effect to the extent consistent with Section 409A. Without limiting the generality of the preceding, for purposes of the Plan, no cessation or interruption of Continuous Service by an Employee shall be deemed to result from either (a) a transfer of employment to the Company from an Affiliate or from the Company to an Affiliate, or from one Affiliate to another, or (b) an approved leave of absence for military service or sickness, or for any other purpose approved by the Company, if the Employee’s right to reemployment is guaranteed either by a statute or by contract or under the policy pursuant to which the leave of absence was granted or if the Committee otherwise so provides in writing, in either case, except to the extent inconsistent with Section 409A if the applicable Award is subject thereto. In addition, a change in status from an Employee of the Company to a Director of an Affiliate will not constitute a cessation or interruption of Continuous Service.
“Covered Termination” has the meaning ascribed to that term in the Change in Control Policy.
“Director” means a non-Employee member of the Board.
“Disability” means that the Participant is determined disabled by the Social Security Administration or under any long-term disability plan maintained by the Company or any Affiliate in which a Participant participates, provided that the long-term disability plan determines a Participant disabled if the Participant is unable to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment that can be expected result in death or can be expected to last for not less than twelve (12) months; provided, however, that for purposes of determining the expiration of an Incentive Stock Option under Section 5.6 hereof, the term Disability shall have the meaning ascribed to it under Section 22(e)(3) of the Code. Whether an individual has a Disability shall be determined under procedures established by the Committee.
“Disqualifying Disposition” has the meaning outlined in Section 5.9.
“Dividend Equivalents” has the meaning outlined in Section 6.2(b)(ii).
“Effective Date” means the date this Plan is approved by the Company’s shareholders.
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“Employee” means any person, including an Officer or member of the Board, employed by the Company or an Affiliate, provided that, for purposes of determining eligibility to receive an award of Incentive Stock Options, an Employee shall mean an employee of the Company or a parent or subsidiary corporation within the meaning of Section 424 of the Code. Mere service as a Director or payment of a director’s fee by the Company or an Affiliate shall not be sufficient to constitute “employment” by the Company or an Affiliate.
“Exchange Act” means the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.
“Exercise Price” means, in the case of an Option, the price at which a share of Common Stock may be purchased upon the exercise of an Option and, in the case of a Stock Appreciation Right, the price set as the Exercise Price at the time of grant of the Stock Appreciation Right. In no event shall the Exercise Price of an Option or a Stock Appreciation Right be less than the Fair Market Value of a share of Common Stock on the Grant Date of the applicable Award (or, in the case of the grant of an Incentive Stock Option to a Ten Percent Shareholder, 110% of the Fair Market Value of a share of Common Stock at the Grant Date); provided, however, that the Exercise Price of an Option or Stock Appreciation Right may be granted with an Exercise Price lower than Fair Market Value (or 110% of the Fair Market Value, if applicable) on the Grant Date if such Option or Stock Appreciation Right is granted pursuant to an assumption or substitution for another corresponding award in a manner satisfying the provisions of Section 409A and Section 424 of the Code. A Related Right granted simultaneously with or subsequent to the grant of an Option and in conjunction therewith or in the alternative thereto shall have the same Exercise Price as the related Option (but in no event less than the Fair Market Value of a share of Common Stock as of the Grant Date of the Related Right).
“Fair Market Value” means, as of any date, the value of the Common Stock as determined below. If the Common Stock is listed on any established stock exchange or a national market system, including, without limitation, the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") or the NASDAQ Stock Market, the Fair Market Value shall be the closing price of a share of Common Stock (or if no sales were reported the closing price on the date immediately preceding such date) as quoted on such exchange or system on the day of determination, as reported by such exchange or in any reliable financial reporting service. In the absence of an established market for the Common Stock, the Fair Market Value shall be determined in good faith by the Committee, and such determination shall be conclusive and binding on all persons.
“Good Reason” means:
(a)If an Employee or Consultant is a party to an employment or service agreement with the Company or its Affiliates and such agreement provides for a definition of Good Reason, the definition contained therein; or
(b)If no such agreement exists or if such agreement does not define Good Reason, the occurrence of one or more of the following without the Participant’s express written consent, which circumstances are not remedied by the Company within thirty (30) days of its receipt of a written notice from the Participant describing the applicable circumstances (which notice must be provided by the Participant within ninety (90) days of the Participant’s knowledge of the
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applicable circumstances): (i) any material, adverse change in the Participant’s duties, responsibilities, authority, title, status or reporting structure; (ii) a material reduction in the Participant’s base salary or bonus opportunity; or (iii) a geographical relocation of the Participant’s principal office location by more than fifty (50) miles from the Participant’s residence.
“Grant Date” means the date on which the Committee adopts a resolution or takes other appropriate action, expressly granting an Award to a Participant that specifies the key terms and conditions of the Award or, if a later date is set forth in such resolution, then such date as is set forth in such resolution or other action.˙
“Incentive Stock Option” means an Option intended to qualify as an incentive stock option within the meaning of Section 422 of the Code.
“Incumbent Board” means (a) the members of the Board on the Effective Date, to the extent that they continue to serve as members of the Board, and (b) any individual who becomes a member of the Board after the Effective Date, (i) upon the death or disability or retirement of, and as the successor to or replacement for, a member of the Board or (ii) if his or her election or nomination for election as a Director is approved by a vote of at least a majority of the then Incumbent Board, except that a Director whose initial assumption of office is in connection with an actual or threatened election contest, including but not limited to a consent solicitation, relating to the election of Directors of the Company shall not be considered a member of the Incumbent Board for purposes of this paragraph (ii).
“Non-Employee Director” means a Director who is a “non-employee director” within the meaning of Rule 16b-3.
“Non-qualified Stock Option” means an Option that, by its terms, does not qualify or is not intended to qualify as an Incentive Stock Option.
“Officer” means a person who is an officer of the Company within the meaning of Section 16 of the Exchange Act and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
“Option” means an Incentive Stock Option or a Non-qualified Stock Option granted pursuant to the Plan. Any Option granted under the Plan may be either an Incentive Stock Option or a Non-qualified Stock Option as determined at the discretion of the Committee. Notwithstanding the preceding, an Option will be deemed a Non-qualified Stock Option unless the Committee specifically designates it as an Incentive Stock Option to the extent that it does not otherwise satisfy the requirements for an Incentive Stock Option.
“Optionholder” means a person to whom an Option is granted pursuant to the Plan or, if applicable, such other person who holds an outstanding Option.
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“Participant” means an eligible person to whom an Award is granted pursuant to the Plan or, if applicable, such other person who holds an outstanding Award.
“Performance Share Award” means any Award granted pursuant to Section 6.3.
“Plan” means this Evolution Petroleum Corporation Amended and Restated 2016 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended and restated from time to time.
“Related Rights” has the meaning outlined in Section 6.1(a).
“Restricted Award” means any Award granted under Section 6.2(a).
“Restriction Period” means the period that a Restricted Award or a Performance Share Award is subject to conditions on vesting, performance, and transfer, as applicable, as set forth in the applicable Award Agreement or Section 6.2(c) (with respect to Restricted Awards) and Section 6.3(a) (with respect to Performance Awards).
“Restricted Stock” has the meaning outlined in Section 6.2(a).
“Restricted Stock Unit” has the meaning outlined in Section 6.2(a).
“Rule 16b-3” means Rule 16b-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act or any successor to Rule 16b-3, as in effect from time to time.
“Section 409A” means Section 409A of the Code (relating to nonqualified deferred compensation requirements).
“Securities Act” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
“Separation from Service” has the meaning ascribed to such a term in the Change in Control Policy.
“Stock Appreciation Right” means the right pursuant to an Award granted under Section 6.1 to receive, upon exercise, an amount payable in cash or shares equal to the number of shares subject to the Stock Appreciation Right that is being exercised multiplied by the excess of (a) the Fair Market Value of a share of Common Stock on the date the Award is exercised, over (b) the Exercise Price specified in the applicable Award Agreement.
“Ten Percent Stockholder” means a person who owns (or is deemed to own pursuant to Section 424(d) of the Code) stock possessing more than 10% of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock of the Company or any of its Affiliates.
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“Vested Unit” has the meaning outlined in Section 6.2(d).
“Voting Securities” means combined voting power entitled to vote generally in the election of Directors of the Company.
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