Description of Securities

Our common stock, par value $0.01 per share, is registered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “JELD”.

Our authorized capital stock consists of 900,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share and 90,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock, the rights, preferences, and privileges of which may be designated from time to time by our board of directors. The rights and privileges of holders of our common stock are subject to any series of preferred stock that we may issue in the future.

As of December 31, 2019, there were 100,668,003 outstanding shares of common stock and no outstanding shares of preferred stock.

Voting Rights. Each outstanding share of common stock is entitled to one vote on all matters with respect to which the holders of our common stock are entitled to vote.

Dividend Rights. Subject to preferences that may apply to shares of preferred stock outstanding at the time, holders of our outstanding common stock are entitled to any dividend declared by the board of directors out of funds legally available for this purpose. However, provisions of the agreements governing our indebtedness from time to time may impose restrictions on our ability to declare dividends on our common stock. Dividends paid in shares of our common stock must be paid, with respect to a particular class of common stock, in shares of that class.

Conversion Rights. Our common stock is not convertible.

Other Rights. The holders of our common stock will not have any preemptive or other similar rights to purchase any of our securities, cumulative voting, subscription, redemption or sinking fund rights.

Contractual Rights. Onex Corporation and its affiliates (“Onex”) were granted certain subscription rights pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement dated October 3, 2011, as amended and restated from time to time.

 

Right to Receive Liquidation Distributions. Upon our voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up, the holders of our common stock are entitled to receive, on a pro rata basis, our assets which are legally available for distribution, after payment of all debts and other liabilities and subject to the rights of any holders of preferred stock then outstanding, to the holders of common stock.

Assessability. All shares of common stock outstanding are fully paid and nonassessable.

Board of Directors Classification. Our board of directors is divided into three classes with staggered three-year terms. Cumulative voting is not permitted or required for the election of any class of directors.

The preferred stock, if issued, would have priority over the common stock with respect to dividends and other distributions, including the distribution of our assets upon liquidation. Unless required by law or by the rules of the New York Stock Exchange, our board of directors will have the authority without further shareholder authorization to issue from time to time shares of preferred stock in one or more series and to fix the terms, limitations, relative rights, and preferences and variations of each series. Although we have no present plans to issue any shares of preferred stock, the issuance of shares of preferred stock, or the issuance of rights to purchase such shares, could decrease the amount of earnings and assets available for distribution to the holders of common stock, could adversely affect the rights and powers, including voting rights, of the common stock, and could have the effect of delaying, deterring or preventing a change in control of us or an unsolicited acquisition proposal.

Delaware law, our restated certificate of incorporation, and our amended and restated bylaws contain provisions that could have the effect of delaying, deferring, or discouraging another party from acquiring control of us. These provisions, which are summarized below, are expected to discourage coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids. These provisions are also designed to encourage persons seeking to acquire control of us to first negotiate with our board of directors.

Certain provisions in our restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws summarized below may be deemed to have an anti-takeover effect and may delay, deter or prevent a tender offer or takeover attempt that a shareholder might consider to be in its best interests, including attempts that might result in a premium being paid over the market price for the shares held by shareholders.

Among other things, our restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Subject to certain exceptions, Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (“DGCL”) prohibits a Delaware corporation from engaging in any “business combination” (as defined below) with any “interested stockholder” (as defined below) for a period of three years following the date that such stockholder became an interested stockholder, unless: (i) prior to such date, the board of directors of the corporation approved either the business combination or the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder; (ii) on consummation of the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding for purposes of determining the number of shares outstanding those shares owned (x) by persons who are directors and also officers and (y) by employee stock plans in which employee participants do not have the right to determine confidentially whether shares held subject to the plan will be tendered in a tender or exchange offer; or (iii) on or subsequent to such date, the business combination is approved by the board of directors of the corporation and authorized at an annual or special meeting of stockholders, and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of at least 66 2/3% of the outstanding voting stock that is not owned by the interested stockholder.

Section 203 of the DGCL defines “business combination” to include: (i) any merger or consolidation involving the corporation and the interested stockholder; (ii) any sale, transfer, pledge or other disposition of 10% or more of the assets of the corporation involving the interested stockholder; (iii) subject to certain exceptions, any transaction that results in the issuance or transfer by the corporation of any stock of the corporation to the interested stockholder; (iv) any transaction involving the corporation that has the effect of increasing the proportionate share of the stock of any class or series of the corporation beneficially owned by the interested stockholder; or (v) the receipt by the interested stockholder of the benefit of any loans, advances, guarantees, pledges or other financial benefits provided by or through the corporation. In general, Section 203 defines an “interested stockholder” as any entity or person beneficially owning 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation and any entity or person affiliated with or controlling or controlled by such entity or person.

We have elected not to be governed by Section 203 of the DGCL, as permitted under and pursuant to subsection (b)(3) of Section 203.

Delaware law permits corporations to adopt provisions renouncing any interest or expectancy in certain opportunities that are presented to a corporation or its officers, directors, or shareholders. In our restated certificate of incorporation, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, we renounce any interest or expectancy that we have in any business opportunity, transaction, or other matter in which Onex, any officer, director, partner, or employee of any entity comprising an Onex entity, and any portfolio company in which such entities or persons have an equity interest (other than us) (each, an “Excluded Party”) participates or desires or seeks to participate in, even if the opportunity is one that we might reasonably be deemed to have pursued or had the ability or desire to pursue if granted the opportunity to do so. Each such Excluded Party has no duty to communicate or offer such business opportunity to us and, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, is not liable to us or any of our shareholders for breach of any fiduciary or other duty, as a director or officer or controlling shareholder, or otherwise, by reason of the fact that such Excluded Party pursues or acquires such business opportunity, directs such business opportunity to another person, or fails to present such business opportunity, or information regarding such business opportunity, to us. Notwithstanding the foregoing, our restated certificate of incorporation does not renounce any interest or expectancy we may have in any business opportunity, transaction or other matter that is (1) offered in writing solely to one of our directors or officers who is not also an Excluded Party, (2) offered to an Excluded Party who is one of our directors, officers or employees and who is offered such opportunity solely in his or her capacity as one of our directors, officers or employees, or (3) identified by an Excluded Party solely through the disclosure of information by or on our behalf.

Our restated certificate of incorporation provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the exclusive forum for any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, any action or proceeding asserting a breach of fiduciary duty owed by any director or officer to us or our shareholders, any action or proceeding asserting a claim against us arising pursuant to the DGCL or our restated certificate of incorporation or amended and restated bylaws, or any action or proceeding asserting a claim against us that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine. Although we believe this provision benefits us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law in the types of claims to which it applies, the provision may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers and may limit our shareholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us.