Underwriting Agreement, dated as of January 30, 2024, among the Company and Citigroup Global Markets Inc., BofA Securities, Inc. and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, as representatives of the several Underwriters named therein

Contract Categories: Business Finance - Underwriting Agreements
EX-1.1 2 d723684dex11.htm EX-1.1 EX-1.1

Exhibit 1.1

KLA Corporation

(a Delaware corporation)

$500,000,000 4.700% Senior Notes due 2034

$250,000,000 4.950% Senior Notes due 2052

UNDERWRITING AGREEMENT

January 30, 2024

Citigroup Global Markets Inc.

BofA Securities, Inc.

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC

as Representatives of the several Underwriters

c/o Citigroup Global Markets Inc.

388 Greenwich Street

New York, New York 10013

BofA Securities, Inc.

One Bryant Park

New York, New York 10036

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC

383 Madison Avenue

New York, New York 10179

Ladies and Gentlemen:

KLA Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), confirms its agreement with Citigroup Global Markets Inc. (“Citi”), BofA Securities, Inc. (“BofA”) and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC (“JPM”) and each of the other Underwriters named in Schedule A hereto (collectively, the “Underwriters”, which term shall also include any underwriter substituted as hereinafter provided in Section 11 hereof), for whom Citi, BofA, and JPM are acting as representatives (in such capacities, the “Representatives”), with respect to the issue and sale by the Company and the purchase by the Underwriters, acting severally and not jointly, of the respective principal amounts set forth in said Schedule A of $500,000,000 aggregate principal amount of the Company’s 4.700% Senior Notes due 2034 (the “2034 Notes”) and $250,000,000 aggregate principal amount of the Company’s 4.950% Senior Notes due 2052 (the “2052 Notes”) (collectively, the “Securities”). The Securities are to be issued pursuant to the indenture dated as of June 23, 2022 (the “Indenture”), between the Company and U.S. Bank Trust Company, National Association, as trustee (the “Trustee”). The term “Indenture”, as used herein, includes any supplemental indenture or Officer’s Certificate (as defined in the Indenture) establishing the form and terms of the Securities pursuant to Sections 201 and 301 of the Indenture. Securities issued in book-entry form will be issued to Cede & Co. as nominee of The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”).

The Company understands that the Underwriters propose to make a public offering of the Securities as soon as the Representatives deem advisable after this agreement (the “Agreement”) has been executed and delivered.

The Company has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) an automatic shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (No. 333-265497), including a base prospectus (the “Base Prospectus”), relating to unspecified debt securities of the Company, which registration statement became effective upon filing under Rule 462(e) of the rules and regulations of the Commission (the “1933 Act Regulations”) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “1933 Act”). Such registration statement, as amended at the Effective Time (as defined below), including the information, if any, deemed pursuant to Rule 430A, Rule 430B or Rule 430C under the 1933 Act to be part of the registration statement at the time of its effectiveness (“Rule 430 Information”), is referred to herein as the “Registration Statement”. The Registration Statement at the time it originally became effective is herein called the “Original Registration Statement”. Any preliminary prospectus supplement specifically relating to the Securities filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424 under the 1933 Act, together with the Base Prospectus, is herein called a “preliminary prospectus”. The Base Prospectus, as supplemented by the final


prospectus supplement specifically relating to the Securities, in the form first used (or made available upon request of purchasers pursuant to Rule 173 under the 1933 Act) in connection with confirmation of sales of the Securities, is herein called the “Prospectus”. For purposes of this Agreement, all references to the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus, the Base Prospectus or any amendment or supplement to any of the foregoing shall be deemed to include the copy filed with the Commission pursuant to its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval system (“EDGAR”) and shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the 1933 Act. The term “Effective Time” means the most recent effective date of the Registration Statement with respect to the offering of the Securities, as determined for the Company pursuant to Rule 430B under the 1933 Act (“Rule 430B”).

All references in this Agreement to financial statements and schedules and other information which is “contained”, “included” or “stated” in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus or the Base Prospectus (or other references of like import) shall be deemed to mean and include all such financial statements and schedules and other information which are incorporated by reference in or otherwise deemed by the 1933 Act Regulations to be a part of or included in the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus or the Base Prospectus, as the case may be; and all references in this Agreement to amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement, any preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus or the Base Prospectus shall be deemed to mean and include the filing of any document under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “1934 Act”) which is incorporated by reference or otherwise deemed by the 1933 Act Regulations to be a part of or included in the Registration Statement, such preliminary prospectus, the Prospectus or the Base Prospectus, as the case may be.

The Company previously issued and sold $1,200,000,000 aggregate principal amount of its 4.950% Senior Notes due 2052 (the “Existing Securities”) under the Indenture on June 23, 2022. The 2052 Notes offered by the Company constitute an additional issuance of notes under the Indenture. Except as otherwise disclosed in the General Disclosure Package, the 2052 Notes will have terms identical to the Existing Securities and together with the Existing Securities will be treated as a single series of debt securities for all purposes under the Indenture.

SECTION 1. Representations and Warranties by the Company.

 

  a.

Representations and Warranties. The Company represents and warrants to each Underwriter as of the date hereof, as of the Applicable Time referred to in Section 1(a)(ii) hereof and as of the Closing Time referred to in Section 2(b) hereof, and agrees with each Underwriter, as follows:

 

  i.

Status as a Well-Known Seasoned Issuer. (A) At the time of filing the Original Registration Statement, (B) at the time of the most recent amendment thereto for the purposes of complying with Section 10(a)(3) of the 1933 Act (whether such amendment was by post-effective amendment, incorporated report filed pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the 1934 Act or form of prospectus), (C) at the time the Company or any person acting on its behalf (within the meaning, for this clause only, of Rule 163(c) of the 1933 Act Regulations) made any offer relating to the Securities in reliance on the exemption of Rule 163 of the 1933 Act Regulations and (D) at the date hereof, the Company was and is a “well-known seasoned issuer” as defined in Rule 405 of the 1933 Act Regulations (“Rule 405”), including not being an “ineligible issuer” as defined in Rule 405. The Registration Statement is an “automatic shelf registration statement”, as defined in Rule 405, and the Securities, since their registration on the Registration Statement, have been and remain eligible for registration by the Company on a Rule 405 “automatic shelf registration statement”. The Company has not received from the Commission any notice pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) of the 1933 Act Regulations objecting to the use of the automatic shelf registration statement form.

At the time of filing the Original Registration Statement, at the earliest time thereafter that the Company or another offering participant made a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2) of the 1933 Act Regulations) of the Securities and at the date hereof, the Company was not and is not an “ineligible issuer”, as defined in Rule 405.

 

  ii.

Registration Statement, Prospectus and Disclosure at Time of Sale. The Original Registration Statement became effective upon filing under Rule 462(e) of the 1933 Act Regulations (“Rule 462(e)”) on June 9, 2022 and any post-effective amendment thereto also became effective upon filing under Rule 462(e). No stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued under the 1933 Act and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, are contemplated by the Commission, and any request on the part of the Commission for additional information has been complied with.

 

2


Any offer that is a written communication relating to the Securities made prior to the filing of the Original Registration Statement by the Company or any person acting on its behalf (within the meaning, for this paragraph only, of Rule 163(c) of the 1933 Act Regulations) has been filed with the Commission in accordance with the exemption provided by Rule 163 of the 1933 Act Regulations (“Rule 163”) and otherwise complied with the requirements of Rule 163, including without limitation the legending requirement, to qualify such offer for the exemption from Section 5(c) of the 1933 Act provided by Rule 163.

At the respective times the Original Registration Statement and each amendment thereto became effective, at each deemed effective date with respect to the Underwriters pursuant to Rule 430B(f)(2) of the 1933 Act Regulations and at the Closing Time, the Registration Statement complied and will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations and the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the “1939 Act”) and the rules and regulations of the Commission under the 1939 Act (the “1939 Act Regulations”), and did not and will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.

Neither the Prospectus nor any amendments or supplements thereto, at the time the Prospectus or any such amendment or supplement was issued and at the Closing Time, included or will include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or will omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

Each preliminary prospectus complied when so filed in all material respects with the 1933 Act Regulations and each preliminary prospectus and the Prospectus delivered to the Underwriters for use in connection with this offering was identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.

As of the Applicable Time, neither (x) the Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectuses (as defined below) issued at or prior to the Applicable Time (as defined below), the Statutory Prospectus (as defined below) and the information included on Schedule B-1 hereto, all considered together (collectively, the “General Disclosure Package”), nor (y) any individual Issuer Limited Use Free Writing Prospectus, when considered together with the General Disclosure Package, included an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

As of the time of the filing of the Final Term Sheet (as defined in Section 3(b)), the General Disclosure Package, when considered together with the Final Term Sheet, will not include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.

As used in this subsection and elsewhere in this Agreement:

“Applicable Time” means 5:10 pm (Eastern time) on January 30, 2024 or such other time as agreed by the Company and the Representatives.

“Issuer Free Writing Prospectus” means any “issuer free writing prospectus”, as defined in Rule 433 of the 1933 Act Regulations (“Rule 433”), including, without limitation, any “free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405 of the 1933 Act Regulations), relating to the Securities that (i) is required to be filed with the Commission by the Company, (ii) is a “road show that is a written communication” within the meaning of Rule 433(d)(8)(i), whether or not required to be filed with the Commission or (iii) is exempt from filing pursuant to Rule 433(d)(5)(i) because it contains a description of the Securities or of the offering that does not reflect the final terms, in each case in the form filed or required to be filed with the Commission or, if not required to be filed, in the form retained in the Company’s records pursuant to Rule 433(g).

“Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectus” means any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is intended for general distribution to prospective investors, as evidenced by its being specified in Schedule C hereto.

“Issuer Limited Use Free Writing Prospectus” means any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is not an Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectus.

“Statutory Prospectus” as of any time means the prospectus relating to the Securities that is included in the Registration Statement immediately prior to that time, including any document incorporated by reference therein and any preliminary or other prospectus deemed to be a part thereof.

Each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as of its issue date and at all subsequent times through the completion of the public offer and sale of the Securities or until any earlier date that the Company notified or notifies the Representatives as described in Section 3(e), did not, does not and will not include any information that conflicted, conflicts or will conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, including any document incorporated by reference therein and any preliminary or other prospectus deemed to be a part thereof that has not been superseded or modified.

 

3


The representations and warranties in this subsection shall not apply to statements in or omissions from the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus made in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information (as defined in Section 7(a) hereof).

 

  iii.

Incorporated Documents. The documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, at the time they were or hereafter are filed with the Commission, complied and will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations or the 1934 Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (the “1934 Act Regulations”), as applicable, and, when read together with the other information in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, (A) at the time the Original Registration Statement became effective, (B) at the earlier of the time the Prospectus was first used and the date and time of the first contract of sale of the Securities in this offering and (C) at the Closing Time, did not and will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading.

 

  iv.

Independent Accountants. The accountants who certified the Company’s financial statements and supporting schedules (if any) included in (A) the Registration Statement, (B) the General Disclosure Package and (C) the Prospectus are an independent registered public accounting firm with respect to the Company and its subsidiaries within the applicable rules and regulations adopted by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) and as required by the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations.

 

  v.

Financial Statements. The financial statements of the Company included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, together with the related schedules and notes, comply in all material respects with the applicable requirements of the 1933 Act and the 1934 Act and present fairly in all material respects the financial position of the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries, at the dates indicated and the statement of operations, stockholders’ equity and cash flows for the periods specified; said financial statements have been prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved. The supporting schedules, if any, included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus present fairly in all material respects in accordance with GAAP the information required to be stated therein. The selected financial data and the summary financial information included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus have been derived from the accounting records of the Company and its subsidiaries and present fairly in all material respects the information shown therein and have been compiled on a basis consistent with that of the audited financial statements included in the Registration Statement. The interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus fairly present the information called for in all material respects and has been prepared in accordance with the Commission’s rules and guidelines applicable thereto.

 

  vi.

No Material Adverse Change in Business. Since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, except as otherwise stated therein, (A) there has been no material adverse change, or event that would reasonably be expected to result in a material adverse change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings or business affairs of the Company and its subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business (a “Material Adverse Effect”), (B) there have been no transactions entered into by the Company or any of its subsidiaries, other than those in the ordinary course of business, which are material with respect to the Company and its subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, and (C) except for (x) regular dividends on shares of the common stock of the Company in amounts per share that are consistent with past practice and (y) any regular or special dividends consistent with the disclosure set forth in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there has been no dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made by the Company on any class of its capital stock.

 

4


  vii.

Good Standing of the Company. The Company has been duly organized and is validly existing as a corporation in good standing under the laws of the State of Delaware and has corporate power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement, the Securities and the Indenture; and the Company is duly qualified as a foreign corporation to transact business and is in good standing (or the local equivalent) in each other jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except where the failure so to qualify or to be in good standing would not result in a Material Adverse Effect.

 

  viii.

Good Standing of Subsidiaries. Each subsidiary of the Company has been duly organized and is validly existing as a corporation, limited liability company or other entity, as the case may be, in good standing (or the local equivalent) under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or organization, as the case may be, has corporate, limited liability company or other entity, as the case may be, power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and is duly qualified as a foreign corporation to transact business and is in good standing (or the local equivalent) in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except where the failure so to qualify or to be in good standing (or the local equivalent) would not result in a Material Adverse Effect; except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, all of the issued and outstanding capital stock or other equity interests, as the case may be, of each subsidiary has been duly authorized and validly issued, is fully paid and non-assessable and is owned by the Company, directly or through subsidiaries, free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance, claim or equity, except as would not result in a Material Adverse Effect; and none of the outstanding shares of capital stock or other equity interests, as the case may be, of any of the Company’s subsidiaries was issued in violation of any preemptive or similar rights of any securityholder of such subsidiary.

 

  ix.

Capitalization. The authorized, issued and outstanding capital stock of the Company is as set forth in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus in the column entitled “Actual” under the caption “Capitalization” (except for subsequent issuances or repurchases, if any, pursuant to reservations, agreements, employee benefit plans or stock repurchase plans referred to in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or pursuant to the exercise of options referred to in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus). The shares of issued and outstanding capital stock of the Company have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and non-assessable; and none of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company was issued in violation of the preemptive or other similar rights of any securityholder of the Company.

 

  x.

Authorization of Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.

 

  xi.

Authorization of the Indenture. The Indenture has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and duly qualified under the 1939 Act and constitutes a valid and binding agreement of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except as the enforcement thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency (including, without limitation, all laws relating to fraudulent transfers), reorganization, moratorium or similar laws affecting enforcement of creditors’ rights generally and except as enforcement thereof is subject to general principles of equity (regardless of whether enforcement is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law).

 

5


  xii.

Authorization of the Securities. The Securities have been duly authorized and, at the Closing Time, will have been duly executed by the Company and, when authenticated, issued and delivered in the manner provided for in the Indenture and delivered against payment of the purchase price therefor as provided in this Agreement, will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with their terms, except as the enforcement thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency (including, without limitation, all laws relating to fraudulent transfers) reorganization, moratorium or similar laws affecting enforcement of creditors’ rights generally and except as enforcement thereof is subject to general principles of equity (regardless of whether enforcement is considered in a proceeding in equity or at law), and will be in the form contemplated by, and entitled to the benefits of, the Indenture.

 

  xiii.

Description of the Securities and the Indenture. The Securities and the Indenture will conform in all material respects to the respective statements relating thereto contained in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and will be in substantially the respective forms filed or incorporated by reference, as the case may be, as exhibits to the Registration Statement.

 

  xiv.

Absence of Defaults and Conflicts. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is (A) in violation of its certificate of incorporation, bylaws or other organizational documents, as the case may be, or (B) in default in the performance or observance of any obligation, agreement, covenant or condition contained in any contract, indenture, mortgage, deed of trust, loan or credit agreement, note, lease or other agreement or instrument to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or by which it or any of them may be bound, or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject (collectively, “Agreements and Instruments”), except for such defaults that would not result in a Material Adverse Effect, or (C) in violation of any law, statute, rule, regulation, judgment, order, writ or decree of any arbitrator, court, governmental body, regulatory body, administrative agency or other authority, body or agency, whether foreign or domestic, having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its subsidiaries or any of their respective properties, assets or operations (each, a “Governmental Entity”), except for such violations that would not result in a Material Adverse Effect; and the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement, the Indenture and the Securities and any other agreement or instrument entered into or issued or to be entered into or issued by the Company in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby or thereby or in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and the consummation of the transactions contemplated herein and in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (including the issuance and sale of the Securities and the use of the proceeds from the sale of the Securities as described in the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under the caption “Use of Proceeds”) and compliance by the Company with its obligations hereunder and under the Indenture and the Securities have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action and do not and will not, whether with or without the giving of notice or passage of time or both, conflict with or constitute a breach of, or result in a default or Repayment Event (as defined below) under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries pursuant to, the Agreements and Instruments except for such conflicts, breaches or defaults or Repayment Events or liens, charges or encumbrances that, singly or in the aggregate, would not result in a Material Adverse Effect, nor will such action result in any violation of (1) the provisions of the certificate of incorporation, bylaws or other organizational documents, as the case may be, of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or (2) any applicable law, statute, rule, regulation, judgment, order, writ or decree of any Governmental Entity, except for violations under subclause (2) that would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect. As used herein, a “Repayment Event” means any event or condition which gives the holder of any note, debenture or other evidence of indebtedness (or any person acting on such holder’s behalf) the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a portion of such indebtedness by the Company or any of its subsidiaries.

 

  xv.

Absence of Labor Dispute. No labor dispute with the employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries exists or, to the knowledge of the Company, is imminent, and the Company is not aware of any existing or imminent labor disturbance by the employees of any of its or any of its subsidiaries’ principal suppliers, manufacturers, customers or contractors, which, in either case, would result in a Material Adverse Effect.

 

6


  xvi.

Absence of Proceedings. There is no action, suit, proceeding, inquiry or investigation before or brought by any Governmental Entity now pending, or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened, against or affecting the Company or any of its subsidiaries, which is required to be disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and that is not disclosed therein that would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, or that would reasonably be expected to impede materially the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder. The aggregate of all pending legal or governmental proceedings to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is a party or of which any of their respective property or assets is the subject which are not described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, including ordinary routine litigation incidental to the business, would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect.

 

  xvii.

Absence of Manipulation. Neither the Company nor any affiliate of the Company has taken, nor will the Company or any affiliate take, directly or indirectly, any action which is designed to or which has constituted or which would be expected to cause or result in stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company to facilitate the sale or resale of the Securities.

 

  xviii.

Accuracy of Exhibits. There are no contracts or documents which are required to be described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or the documents incorporated by reference therein or to be filed as exhibits thereto which have not been so described and filed as required.

 

  xix.

Possession of Intellectual Property. The Company and its subsidiaries own or possess, or, to its knowledge, can acquire on reasonable terms, adequate patents, patent rights, licenses, inventions, copyrights, know-how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures), trademarks, service marks, trade names or other intellectual property (collectively, “Intellectual Property”) necessary to carry on the business now operated by them, and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice or is otherwise aware of any infringement of or conflict with asserted rights of others with respect to any Intellectual Property or of any facts or circumstances which would render any Intellectual Property invalid or inadequate to protect the interest of the Company or any of its subsidiaries therein, and which infringement or conflict (if the subject of any unfavorable decision, ruling or finding) or invalidity or inadequacy, singly or in the aggregate, would result in a Material Adverse Effect. Except as set forth in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or as would not, singly or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Effect, (A) to the Company’s knowledge, there is no infringement by any third party of any Intellectual Property owned by or exclusively licensed to the Company or any of its subsidiaries; (B) there is no pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened action, suit, proceeding or claim by others against the Company or any of its subsidiaries for any claim of infringement or misappropriation by the Company or any of its subsidiaries or conflict with asserted Intellectual Property of such others or challenging the Company’s or such subsidiary’s rights in or to any Intellectual Property owned by or exclusively licensed to the Company; (C) there is no pending or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened (in writing) action, suit, proceeding or claim by others against the Company or any of its subsidiaries challenging the validity or scope of any Intellectual Property owned by or exclusively licensed to the Company; and (D) to the Company’s knowledge, such Intellectual Property owned by, or exclusively licensed to, the Company are valid and enforceable.

 

  xx.

Absence of Further Requirements. No filing with, or authorization, approval, consent, license, order, registration, qualification or decree of, any Governmental Entity is necessary or required for the performance by the Company of its obligations hereunder, in connection with the offering, issuance or sale of the Securities hereunder or the consummation of the transactions contemplated by this Agreement or for the due execution, delivery or performance of the Indenture or the Securities by the Company, except such as have been already obtained or will be made at or prior to the Closing Time or as may be required under the 1933 Act or the 1933 Act Regulations or state securities laws.

 

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  xxi.

Possession of Licenses and Permits. The Company and its subsidiaries possess such permits, licenses, approvals, consents and other authorizations (collectively, “Governmental Licenses”) issued by the appropriate Governmental Entities necessary to conduct the business now operated by them, except where the failure so to possess would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect; the Company and its subsidiaries are in compliance with the terms and conditions of all such Governmental Licenses, except where the failure so to comply would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect; all of the Governmental Licenses are valid and in full force and effect, except where the invalidity of such Governmental Licenses or the failure of such Governmental Licenses to be in full force and effect would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect; and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of any such Governmental Licenses which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would result in a Material Adverse Effect.

 

  xxii.

Title to Property. Except in each case as would not result in a Material Adverse Effect, the Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title to all real property owned by the Company and its subsidiaries and good title to all other properties owned by them, in each case, free and clear of all mortgages, pledges, liens, security interests, claims, restrictions or encumbrances of any kind and all of the leases and subleases material to the business of the Company and its subsidiaries, considered as one enterprise, and under which the Company or any of its subsidiaries holds properties described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, are in full force and effect, and neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has any notice of any claim of any sort that has been asserted by anyone adverse to the rights of the Company or any of its subsidiaries under any of the leases or subleases mentioned above, or affecting or questioning the rights of the Company or any subsidiary thereof to the continued possession of the leased or subleased premises under any such lease or sublease.

 

  xxiii.

Environmental Laws. Except as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and except for such matters as would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a Material Adverse Effect, (A) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is in violation of any federal, state, local or foreign statute, law, rule, regulation, ordinance, code, policy or rule of common law or any judicial or administrative interpretation thereof, including, without limitation, any judicial or administrative order, consent, decree or judgment, relating to pollution or protection of human health, the environment (including, without limitation, ambient air, surface water, groundwater, land surface or subsurface strata) or wildlife, including, without limitation, laws and regulations relating to the release or threatened release of chemicals, pollutants, contaminants, wastes, toxic substances, hazardous substances, petroleum or petroleum products, asbestos-containing materials or mold (collectively, “Hazardous Materials”) or to the manufacture, processing, distribution, use, treatment, storage, disposal, transport or handling of Hazardous Materials (collectively, “Environmental Laws”), (B) the Company and its subsidiaries have all permits, authorizations and approvals required under any applicable Environmental Laws and are each in compliance with their requirements, (C) there are no pending, or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened, administrative, regulatory or judicial actions, suits, demands, demand letters, claims, liens, notices of noncompliance or violation, investigation or proceedings relating to any Environmental Law against the Company or any of its subsidiaries and (D) there are no events or circumstances that would reasonably be expected to form the basis of a liability for clean up or remediation, or an action, suit or proceeding, by any private entity or Governmental Entity against or affecting the Company or any of its subsidiaries relating to Hazardous Materials or any Environmental Laws.

 

8


  xxiv.

Accounting Controls and Disclosure Controls. The Company and each of its subsidiaries maintain internal control over financial reporting (as defined under Rule 13a-15 and Rule 15d-15 of the 1934 Act) and a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurances that (A) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; (B) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP and to maintain accountability for assets; (C) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (D) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. To the knowledge of the Company, since the end of the Company’s most recent audited fiscal year, there has been (1) no material weakness in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (whether or not remediated) and (2) no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting, except, in each case, as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. The Company and its consolidated subsidiaries employ disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports that it files or submits under the 1934 Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms, and is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management, including its principal executive officer or officers and principal financial officer or officers, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding disclosure.

 

  xxv.

Compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. There is and has been no failure on the part of the Company or, to the Company’s knowledge, any of the Company’s directors or officers, in their capacities as such, to comply in all material respects with any provision of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated in connection therewith (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), including Section 402 related to loans and Sections 302 and 906 related to certifications.

 

  xxvi.

Payment of Taxes. All material United States federal income tax returns of the Company and its subsidiaries required by law to be filed have been filed and all United States federal income taxes shown by such returns or otherwise assessed, which are due and payable, have been paid, except assessments against which appeals have been or will be promptly taken and as to which adequate reserves have been provided. The Company and its subsidiaries have filed all other tax returns that are required to have been filed by them pursuant to applicable foreign, state, local or other law except insofar as the failure to file such returns would not result in a Material Adverse Effect, and have paid all material taxes due pursuant to such returns or pursuant to any assessment received by the Company and its subsidiaries, except for such taxes, if any, as are being contested in good faith and as to which adequate reserves have been established by the Company. The charges, accruals and reserves on the books of the Company in respect of any income and corporation tax liability for any years not finally determined are adequate to meet any assessments or re-assessments for additional income tax for any years not finally determined, except to the extent of any inadequacy that would not result in a Material Adverse Effect.

 

  xxvii.

Insurance. Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, the Company and its subsidiaries carry or are entitled to the benefits of insurance, with financially sound and reputable insurers, in such amounts and covering such risks as is generally maintained by companies of established repute engaged in the same or similar business, and all such insurance is in full force and effect. The Company has no reason to believe that it or any of its subsidiaries will not be able (A) to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such policies expire or (B) to obtain comparable coverage from similar institutions as may be necessary or appropriate to conduct its business as now conducted and at a cost that would not result in a Material Adverse Effect.

 

  xxviii.

Statistical and Market-Related Data. Any statistical and market-related data included in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company believes to be reliable and accurate, and the Company has obtained the written consent to the use of such data from such sources to the extent required.

 

9


  xxix.

Investment Company Act. The Company is not required, and upon the issuance and sale of the offered Securities as herein contemplated and the application of the net proceeds therefrom as described in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus will not be required, to register as an “investment company” under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended.

 

  xxx.

ERISA Compliance. (A) Each employee benefit plan, within the meaning of Section 3(3) of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), for which the Company or any member of its “Controlled Group” (defined as any organization which is a member of a controlled group of corporations that includes the Company within the meaning of Section 414 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”)) would have any liability (each, a “Plan”) has been maintained in compliance with its terms and the requirements of any applicable statutes, orders, rules and regulations, including but not limited to ERISA and the Code; (B) no prohibited transaction, within the meaning of Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code, has occurred with respect to any Plan, excluding transactions effected pursuant to a statutory or administrative exemption; (C) for each Plan that is subject to the minimum funding standards of Section 412 of the Code or Section 302 of ERISA, no Plan has failed (whether or not waived), or is reasonably expected to fail, to satisfy the minimum funding standards (within the meaning of Section 302 of ERISA or Section 412 of the Code) applicable to such Plan; (D) no Plan is, or is reasonably expected to be, in “at risk status” (within the meaning of Section 303(i) of ERISA) or “endangered status” or “critical status” (within the meaning of Section 305 of ERISA); (E) the fair market value of the assets of each Plan that is subject to Title IV of ERISA, Section 302 of ERISA or Section 412 of the Code exceeds the present value of all benefits accrued under such Plan (determined based on those assumptions used to fund such Plan); (F) no “reportable event” (within the meaning of Section 4043(c) of ERISA) has occurred or is reasonably expected to occur; (G) each Plan that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code is so qualified and nothing has occurred, whether by action or by failure to act, which would cause the loss of such qualification and (H) neither the Company nor any member of the Controlled Group has incurred, nor reasonably expects to incur, any liability under Title IV of ERISA (other than contributions to the Plan or premiums to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, in the ordinary course and without default) in respect of a Plan (including a “multiemployer plan”, within the meaning of Section 4001(a)(3) of ERISA), except in each case with respect to the events or conditions set forth in (A) through (H) hereof, as would not, singly or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect.

 

  xxxi.

No Unlawful Payments. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries, nor any director or officer of the Company, nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any employee, agent, affiliate or other person associated with or acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries has (A) used any funds for any unlawful contribution, gift, entertainment or other unlawful expense relating to political activity; (B) made or taken an act in furtherance of an offer, promise or authorization of any direct or indirect unlawful payment or benefit to any foreign or domestic government or regulatory official, including any officer or employee, including of any government-owned or controlled entity or of a public international organization, or any person acting in an official capacity for or on behalf of any of the foregoing, or any political party or party official or candidate for political office; (C) violated or is in violation of any provision of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended, or any applicable law or regulation implementing the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions, or committed an offence under the Bribery Act 2010 of the United Kingdom, or any other applicable anti-bribery or anti-corruption laws; or (D) made, offered, agreed, requested or taken an act in furtherance of any unlawful bribe or other unlawful benefit, including, without limitation, any rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback or other unlawful or improper payment or benefit. The Company and its subsidiaries have instituted, maintain and enforce, and will continue to maintain and enforce, policies and procedures reasonably designed to promote and ensure compliance with all applicable anti-bribery and anti-corruption laws.

 

10


  xxxii.

Compliance with Money Laundering Laws. The operations of the Company and its subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in compliance with applicable financial recordkeeping and reporting requirements, including those of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the applicable money laundering statutes of all jurisdictions where the Company or any of its subsidiaries conducts business, and the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines issued, administered or enforced by any governmental or regulatory agency (collectively, the “Anti-Money Laundering Laws”) and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any Governmental Entity involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries with respect to the Anti-Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened.

 

  xxxiii.

No Conflicts with Sanctions Laws. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries, directors or officers of the Company, nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any employee, agent, affiliate or representative thereof is currently the subject of any sanctions administered or enforced by the U.S. Government (including, without limitation, the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Department of the Treasury or the U.S. Department of State and including, without limitation, the designation as a “specially designated national” or “blocked person”), the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, His Majesty’s Treasury or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, “Sanctions”), nor is the Company or any of its subsidiaries located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject or target of Sanctions, including, without limitation, the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic, the non-government controlled areas of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson Regions of Ukraine, the Crimea Regions of Ukraine, any other Covered Region of Ukraine identified pursuant to Executive Order 14065, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and Syria (each, a “Sanctioned Country”)); and the Company will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the offering of the Securities hereunder, or lend, contribute or otherwise make available such proceeds to any subsidiary, joint venture partner or other person or entity (A) to fund or facilitate any activities of or business with any person that, at the time of such funding or facilitation, is the subject or target of Sanctions, (B) to fund or facilitate any activities of or business in any country or territory that, at the time of such funding or facilitation, is a Sanctioned Country or (C) in any other manner that will result in a violation by any person (including any person participating in the transaction, whether as underwriter, advisor, investor or otherwise) of Sanctions. For the past five years, the Company and its subsidiaries have not knowingly engaged in and are not now knowingly engaged in any dealings or transactions with any person that at the time of the dealing or transaction is or was the subject or target of Sanctions or with any Sanctioned Country.

 

  xxxiv.

Cybersecurity. (A)(x) Except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there has been no security breach or other compromise of or relating to any of the Company’s or its subsidiaries’ information technology and computer systems, networks, hardware, software, data (including the data of their respective customers, employees, suppliers, vendors and any third party data maintained by or on behalf of them), equipment or technology (collectively, “IT Systems and Data”) except for those that have been remedied without material cost or liability or the duty to notify any governmental or regulatory authority, or those that are not reasonably expected to result in material cost or liability or the duty to notify any governmental or regulatory authority and (y) the Company and its subsidiaries have not been notified of, and have no knowledge of any event or condition that would reasonably be expected to result in, any material security breach or other compromise to their IT Systems and Data; (B) the Company and its subsidiaries are presently in compliance with all applicable laws or statutes and all judgments, orders, rules and regulations of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, internal policies and contractual obligations relating to the privacy and security of IT Systems and Data and to the protection of such IT Systems and Data from unauthorized use, access, misappropriation or modification, except as would not, in the case of this clause (B), singly or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect; and (C) the Company and its subsidiaries have implemented backup and disaster recovery technology consistent with industry standards and practices.

 

11


  xxxv.

Pending Proceedings and Examination. The Registration Statement is not the subject of a pending proceeding or examination under Section 8(d) or 8(e) of the 1933 Act, and the Company is not the subject of a pending proceeding under Section 8A of the 1933 Act in connection with the offering of the Securities.

 

  xxxvi.

Forward-Looking Statements. No forward-looking statement (within the meaning of Section 27A of the 1933 Act and Section 21E of the 1934 Act) included or incorporated by reference in any of the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus has been made or reaffirmed without a reasonable basis or has been disclosed other than in good faith.

 

  b.

Officers’ Certificates. Any certificate signed by any officer of the Company or any of its subsidiaries delivered to the Representatives or to counsel for the Underwriters shall be deemed a representation and warranty by the Company to each Underwriter as to the matters covered thereby.

SECTION 2. Sale and Delivery to Underwriters; Closing.

 

  a.

Securities. On the basis of the representations and warranties herein contained and subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company agrees to sell to each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, and each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, agrees to purchase from the Company, at the prices set forth in Schedule B-2, the aggregate principal amount of Securities set forth in Schedule A opposite the name of such Underwriter, plus any additional principal amount of Securities which such Underwriter may become obligated to purchase pursuant to the provisions of Section 11 hereof.

 

  b.

Payment. Payment of the purchase price for, and delivery of certificates for, the Securities shall be made at the office of Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, 825 Eighth Avenue, New York, New York 10019, or at such other place as shall be agreed upon by the Representatives and the Company, at 9:00 A.M. (Eastern time) on February 1, 2024 (unless postponed in accordance with the provisions of Section 11), or such other time not later than ten business days after such date as shall be agreed upon by the Representatives and the Company (such time and date of payment and delivery being herein called the “Closing Time”).

Payment shall be made to the Company by wire transfer of immediately available funds to a bank account designated by the Company, against delivery to the Representatives for the respective accounts of the Underwriters of certificates for the Securities to be purchased by them. It is understood that each Underwriter has authorized the Representatives, for its account, to accept delivery of, receipt for, and make payment of the purchase price for, the Securities which it has agreed to purchase. The Representatives, or any one of them individually and not in its capacity as representative of the Underwriters, may (but shall not be obligated to) make payment of the purchase price for the Securities to be purchased by any Underwriter whose funds have not been received by the Closing Time, but such payment shall not relieve such Underwriter from its obligations hereunder.

 

  c.

Denominations; Registration. Certificates for the Securities shall be in such denominations ($2,000 or integral multiples of $1,000 in excess thereof) and registered in such names as the Representatives may request in writing at least one full business day before the Closing Time. The certificates representing the Securities shall be made available for examination and packaging by the Underwriters in The City of New York not later than 10:00 A.M. (Eastern time) on the last business day prior to the Closing Time.

SECTION 3. Covenants of the Company. The Company covenants with each Underwriter as follows:

 

  a.

Compliance with Securities Regulations and Commission Requests; Payment of Filing Fees. The Company, subject to Section 3(b), will comply with the requirements of Rule 430B and will notify the Underwriters immediately, and confirm the notice in writing, (i) when any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement or new registration statement relating to the Securities shall become effective, or any supplement to the Prospectus or any amended Prospectus shall have been filed, (ii) of the receipt of any comments from the Commission, (iii) of any request by the Commission for any amendment to the Registration Statement or the filing of a new registration statement or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus or any document incorporated by reference therein or otherwise deemed to be a part thereof or for additional information, (iv) of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or such new registration statement or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any preliminary prospectus, or of the suspension of the qualification of the Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, or of the initiation or threatening of any proceedings for any of such purposes or of any examination pursuant to Section 8(e) of the 1933 Act concerning the Registration Statement and (v) if the Company becomes the subject of a proceeding under Section 8A of the 1933 Act in connection with the offering of the Securities. The Company will effect the filings required under Rule 424(b) of the 1933 Act Regulations (“Rule 424(b)”), in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b) (without reliance on Rule 424(b)(8)), and will take

 

12


  such steps as it deems necessary to ascertain promptly whether the form of prospectus transmitted for filing under Rule 424(b) was received for filing by the Commission and, in the event that it was not, it will promptly file such prospectus. The Company will make every reasonable effort to prevent the issuance of any stop order and, if any stop order is issued, to obtain the lifting thereof at the earliest possible moment. The Company shall pay the required Commission filing fees relating to the Securities within the time required by Rule 456(b)(1)(i) of the 1933 Act Regulations without regard to the proviso therein and otherwise in accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r) of the 1933 Act Regulations (including, if applicable, by updating the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in accordance with Rule 456(b)(1)(ii) either in a post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement or on the cover page of a prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)).

 

  b.

Filing of Amendments and 1934 Act Documents; Preparation of Final Term Sheet. The Company will give the Underwriters notice of its intention to file or prepare any amendment to the Registration Statement or new registration statement relating to the Securities or any amendment, supplement or revision to either any preliminary prospectus or to the Prospectus, whether pursuant to the 1933 Act, the 1934 Act or otherwise, and the Company will furnish the Underwriters with copies of any such documents a reasonable amount of time prior to such proposed filing or use, as the case may be, and will not file or use any such document to which the Underwriters or counsel for the Underwriters shall reasonably object. The Company has given the Underwriters notice of any filings made within 48 hours prior to the Applicable Time pursuant to the 1934 Act or 1934 Act Regulations; the Company will give the Underwriters notice of its intention to make any such filing from the Applicable Time to the Closing Time and will furnish the Underwriters with copies of any such documents a reasonable amount of time prior to such proposed filing and will not file or use any such document to which the Underwriters or counsel for the Underwriters shall reasonably object. The Company will prepare a pricing term sheet (the “Final Term Sheet”) reflecting the final terms of the Securities, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters, and shall file such Final Term Sheet as an “issuer free writing prospectus” pursuant to Rule 433 prior to the close of business two business days after the date hereof; provided that the Company shall furnish the Underwriters with copies of any such Final Term Sheet a reasonable amount of time prior to such proposed filing and will not use or file any such document to which the Underwriters or counsel to the Underwriters shall reasonably object.

 

  c.

Delivery of Registration Statements. The Company has furnished or will deliver to the Underwriters and counsel for the Underwriters, without charge, signed copies of the Original Registration Statement and of each amendment thereto (including exhibits filed therewith or incorporated by reference therein and documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference therein or otherwise deemed to be a part thereof) and signed copies of all consents and certificates of experts, and will also deliver to each of the Underwriters, without charge, a conformed copy of the Original Registration Statement and of each amendment thereto (without exhibits). The copies of the Original Registration Statement and each amendment thereto furnished to the Underwriters will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.

 

  d.

Delivery of Prospectuses. The Company has delivered to each Underwriter, without charge, as many copies of each preliminary prospectus as such Underwriter reasonably requested, and the Company hereby consents to the use of such copies for purposes permitted by the 1933 Act. The Company will furnish to each Underwriter, without charge, during the period when the Prospectus is required to be delivered under the 1933 Act, such number of copies of the Prospectus (as amended or supplemented) as such Underwriter may reasonably request. The Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto furnished to the Underwriters will be identical to the electronically transmitted copies thereof filed with the Commission pursuant to EDGAR, except to the extent permitted by Regulation S-T.

 

  e.

Continued Compliance with Securities Laws. The Company will comply with the 1933 Act and the 1933 Act Regulations, the 1934 Act and the 1934 Act Regulations and the 1939 Act and the 1939 Act Regulations so as to permit the completion of the distribution of the Securities as contemplated in this Agreement and in the Prospectus. If at any time when a prospectus is required by the 1933 Act to be delivered in connection with sales of the Securities, any event shall occur or condition shall exist as a result of which the Company and the Underwriters together determine that it is necessary to amend the Registration Statement or amend or supplement the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus in order that the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, as the case may be, will not include any

 

13


  untrue statements of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading in the light of the circumstances existing at the time it is delivered to a purchaser, or if the Company and the Underwriters together determine that it is necessary at any such time to amend the Registration Statement or to file a new registration statement or amend or supplement the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, as the case may be, in order to comply with the requirements of the 1933 Act or the 1933 Act Regulations, the Company will promptly prepare and file with the Commission, subject to Section 3(b), such amendment, supplement or new registration statement as may be necessary to correct such statement or omission or to comply with such requirements, the Company will use its reasonable efforts to have such amendment or new registration statement declared effective as soon as practicable (if it is not an automatic shelf registration statement with respect to the Securities) and the Company will furnish to the Underwriters such number of copies of such amendment, supplement or new registration statement as the Underwriters may reasonably request. If at any time following issuance of an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus there occurred or occurs an event or development as a result of which such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus conflicted or would conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement (or any other registration statement relating to the Securities) or the Statutory Prospectus or any preliminary prospectus or included or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances prevailing at that subsequent time, not misleading, the Company will promptly notify the Underwriters and will promptly amend or supplement, at its own expense, such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to eliminate or correct such conflict, untrue statement or omission.

 

  f.

Notice and Effect of Material Events. The Company will immediately notify each Underwriter, and confirm such notice in writing, of (x) any filing made by the Company of information relating to the offering of the Securities with any securities exchange or any other regulatory body in the United States or any other jurisdiction, and (y) during the period when the Prospectus is required to be delivered under the 1933 Act, any material change, or event that would reasonably be expected to result in a material change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or the earnings or business affairs of the Company and its subsidiaries considered as one enterprise which (i) make any statement in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus false or misleading or (ii) are not disclosed in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus. In such event or if during such time any event shall occur as a result of which it is necessary, in the reasonable opinion of the Company (or, prior to the completion of the distribution of the Securities as contemplated in this Agreement and in the Prospectus, the Company and the Underwriters together determine that it is necessary) to amend or supplement (A) the Registration Statement in order that it not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or (B) the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, as the case may be, in order that it not include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading in the light of the circumstances then existing, the Company will promptly amend or supplement the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, as applicable, by preparing and furnishing to each Underwriter an amendment or amendments of, or a supplement or supplements to, the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, as applicable (to be, prior to the completion of the distribution of the Securities as contemplated in this Agreement and in the Prospectus, in form and substance satisfactory in the reasonable opinion of counsel for the Underwriters), so that, as so amended or supplemented, the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, as applicable, will not, in the case of the Registration Statement, include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, or in the case of the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances then existing, not misleading.

 

  g.

Blue Sky Qualifications. The Company will use its commercially reasonable efforts, in cooperation with the Underwriters, to qualify the Securities for offering and sale under the applicable securities laws of such states and other jurisdictions as the Underwriters may designate and to maintain such qualifications in effect for a period of not less than one year from the date hereof; provided, however, that the Company shall not be obligated to file any general consent to service of process or to qualify as a foreign corporation or as a dealer in securities in any jurisdiction in which it is not so qualified or to subject itself to taxation in respect of doing business in any jurisdiction in which it is not otherwise so subject. The Company will also supply the Underwriters with such information as is reasonably necessary for the determination of the legality of the Securities for investment under the laws of such jurisdictions as the Underwriters may request.

 

14


  h.

Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses. The Company represents and agrees that, unless it obtains the prior consent of all of the Representatives, and each Underwriter represents and agrees that, unless it obtains the prior consent of the Company and all of the Representatives, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Securities that would constitute an “issuer free writing prospectus”, as defined in Rule 433, or that would otherwise constitute a “free writing prospectus”, as defined in Rule 405, required to be filed with the Commission; provided, however, that prior to the preparation of the Final Term Sheet in accordance with Section 3(b), the Underwriters are authorized to use the information with respect to the final terms of the Securities in communications conveying information relating to the offering to investors. Any such free writing prospectus consented to by the Company and the Representatives is hereinafter referred to as a “Permitted Free Writing Prospectus”. The Company represents that it has treated or agrees that it will treat each Permitted Free Writing Prospectus as an “issuer free writing prospectus”, as defined in Rule 433, and has complied and will comply with the requirements of Rule 433 applicable to any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus, including timely filing with the Commission where required, legending and record keeping.

 

  i.

Rating of Securities. The Company shall take all reasonable action necessary to enable S&P Global Ratings, a division of S&P Global Inc. (“S&P”), Moody’s Investors Service Inc. (“Moody’s”) and Fitch Ratings, Inc. (“Fitch”) to provide their respective credit ratings of the Securities.

 

  j.

DTC. The Company will cooperate with the Underwriters and use its reasonable efforts to permit the offered Securities to be eligible for clearance and settlement through the facilities of DTC.

 

  k.

Rule 158. The Company will timely file such reports pursuant to the 1934 Act as are necessary in order to make generally available to its securityholders as soon as practicable an earnings statement for the purposes of, and to provide to the Underwriters the benefits contemplated by, the last paragraph of Section 11(a) of the 1933 Act.

 

  l.

Use of Proceeds. The Company intends to use the net proceeds received by it from the sale of the Securities in the manner specified in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under the caption, “Use of Proceeds”.

 

  m.

Restriction on Sale of Securities. From the date of the Prospectus to the Closing Time, the Company will not, without the prior written consent of all of the Representatives, directly or indirectly, issue, sell, offer or agree to sell, grant any option for the sale of, or otherwise dispose of, any other debt securities of the Company or securities of the Company that are convertible into, or exchangeable for, the offered Securities or such other debt securities.

 

  n.

Reporting Requirements. The Company, during the period when the Prospectus is required to be delivered under the 1933 Act, will file all documents required to be filed with the Commission pursuant to the 1934 Act within the time periods required by the 1934 Act and the 1934 Act Regulations.

SECTION 4. Payment of Expenses.

 

  a.

Expenses. The Company will pay all expenses incident to the performance of its obligations under this Agreement, including (i) the preparation, printing, delivery to the Underwriters and any filing of the Registration Statement (including financial statements and any schedules or exhibits and any document incorporated therein by reference) as originally filed and of each amendment or supplement thereto, (ii) the preparation, printing and delivery to the Underwriters of this Agreement, any Agreement among Underwriters, the Indenture and such other documents as may be required in connection with the offering, purchase, sale, issuance or delivery of the Securities, (iii) the preparation, issuance and delivery of the certificates for the Securities to the Underwriters, including any transfer taxes payable with respect thereto, any stamp or other duties payable upon the sale, issuance and delivery of the Securities to the Underwriters and any charges of DTC in connection therewith, (iv) the fees and disbursements of the Company’s counsel, accountants and other advisors, (v) the qualification of the Securities under securities laws in accordance with the provisions of Section 3(g) hereof, including filing fees and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection therewith, (vi) the

 

15


  printing and delivery to the Underwriters of copies of each preliminary prospectus, any Permitted Free Writing Prospectus and of the Prospectus and any amendments or supplements thereto and any costs associated with electronic delivery of any of the foregoing by the Underwriters to investors, (vii) the fees and expenses of the Trustee (excluding, for the avoidance of doubt, any income or similar taxes), including the fees and disbursements of counsel for the Trustee in connection with the Indenture and the Securities, (viii) the costs and expenses of the Company relating to investor presentations or any “road show” (as defined below), if any, undertaken in connection with the marketing of the Securities including, without limitation, expenses associated with the production of road show slides and graphics and fees and expenses of any consultants engaged in connection with the road show presentations, and (ix) any fees payable in connection with the rating of the Securities. Except as provided in Section 7, Section 8 and Section 4(b) hereof, each of the Company and the Underwriters shall pay all of their own costs and expenses in connection with the transactions contemplated hereby, including, without limitation, the fees and expenses of their respective counsel.

 

  b.

Termination of Agreement. If (i) the Company fails to satisfy the conditions of Section 5 or (ii) this Agreement is terminated by the Representatives in accordance with the provisions of Section 10(a)(i) hereof, the Company shall reimburse the Underwriters for all of their out-of-pocket accountable expenses actually incurred, including the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters.

SECTION 5. Conditions of Underwriters’ Obligations. The obligations of the several Underwriters hereunder are subject to the accuracy of the representations and warranties of the Company contained in Section 1 hereof or in certificates of any officer of the Company or any of its subsidiaries delivered pursuant to the provisions hereof, to the performance by the Company of its covenants and other obligations hereunder, and to the following further conditions:

 

  a.

Effectiveness of Registration Statement; Filing of Prospectus; Payment of Filing Fee. The Registration Statement has become effective and at the Closing Time no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall have been issued under the 1933 Act or proceedings therefor initiated or threatened by the Commission, and any request on the part of the Commission for additional information shall have been complied with to the reasonable satisfaction of counsel to the Underwriters. A prospectus containing the Rule 430 Information shall have been filed with the Commission in the manner and within the time period required by Rule 424(b) without reliance on Rule 424(b)(8) (or a post-effective amendment providing such information shall have been filed and become effective in accordance with the requirements of Rule 430B). The Company shall have paid the required Commission filing fees relating to the Securities within the time period required by Rule 456(1)(i) of the 1933 Act Regulations without regard to the proviso therein and otherwise in accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r) of the 1933 Act Regulations and, if applicable, shall have updated the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in accordance with Rule 456(b)(1)(ii) either in a post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement or on the cover page of a prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b).

 

  b.

Opinion of Counsel for Company. At the Closing Time, the Underwriters shall have received the favorable opinion and negative assurance letter, dated as of the Closing Time, of Latham & Watkins LLP, counsel for the Company, in form and substance satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriters, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters.

 

  c.

Opinion of Counsel for Underwriters. At the Closing Time, the Underwriters shall have received the favorable opinion and negative assurance letter, dated as of the Closing Time, of Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters, with respect to such matters as the Representatives may reasonably request, and such counsel shall have received such documents and information as they may reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such matters.

 

  d.

Officers’ Certificate. At the Closing Time, there shall not have been, since the date hereof or since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus or the General Disclosure Package, any Material Adverse Effect, and the Underwriters shall have received a certificate of the President or a Vice President of the Company and of the chief financial or chief accounting officer of the Company, dated as of the Closing Time, to the effect that (i) there has been no such Material Adverse Effect, (ii) the representations and warranties of the Company contained in Section 1 hereof are true and correct with the same force and effect as though expressly made at and as of the Closing Time, (iii) the Company has complied with all agreements and satisfied all conditions in

 

16


  this Agreement on its part to be performed or satisfied at or prior to the Closing Time and (iv) no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued and no proceedings for that purpose have been instituted or are pending or, to their knowledge, contemplated by the Commission.

 

  e.

Accountants’ Comfort Letter. At the time of the execution of this Agreement, the Underwriters shall have received from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, independent registered public accounting firm for the Company, a letter dated such date, in form and substance satisfactory to the Underwriters, together with signed or reproduced copies of such letter for each of the other Underwriters containing statements and information of the type ordinarily included in accountants’ “comfort letters” to underwriters with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.

 

  f.

Bring-down Comfort Letter. At the Closing Time, the Underwriters shall have received from PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, independent registered public accounting firm for the Company, a letter, dated as of the Closing Time, to the effect that they reaffirm the statements made in the letter furnished pursuant to subsection 5(e) of this Section, except that the specified date referred to shall be a date not more than three business days prior to the Closing Time.

 

  g.

Maintenance of Rating. At the Closing Time, the Securities shall be rated at least A2 by Moody’s, A- by S&P and A by Fitch, and the Company shall have delivered to the Representatives a letter dated the Closing Time, from each such rating agency, or other evidence satisfactory to the Underwriters, confirming that the Securities have such ratings; and since the date of this Agreement, there shall not have occurred a downgrading or withdrawal of the rating assigned to any securities of the Company by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization”, as that term is defined in Section 3(a)(62) of the 1934 Act, and no such securities rating agency shall have publicly announced that it has under surveillance or review, with possible negative implications, its rating of any securities of the Company.

 

  h.

Additional Documents. At the Closing Time, counsel for the Underwriters shall have been furnished with such documents and opinions as they may reasonably require for the purpose of enabling them to pass upon the issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated, or in order to evidence the accuracy of any of the representations or warranties, or the fulfillment of any of the conditions, herein contained; and all proceedings taken by the Company in connection with the issuance and sale of the Securities as herein contemplated shall be reasonably satisfactory in form and substance to the Underwriters and counsel for the Underwriters.

 

  i.

Termination of Agreement. If any condition specified in this Section shall not have been fulfilled when and as required to be fulfilled, this Agreement may be terminated by the Underwriters by notice to the Company at any time at or prior to the Closing Time, and such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except as provided in Section 4 and except that Sections 1, 7, 8 and 9 shall survive any such termination and remain in full force and effect.

 

  j.

FinCEN Certificate. On or prior to the date of this Agreement, the Representatives shall have received a certificate satisfying the beneficial ownership due diligence requirements of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) from the Company, in form and substance satisfactory to the Representatives, along with such additional supporting documentation as the Representatives has requested in connection with the verification of the foregoing certificate.

SECTION 6. Offer and Sale Procedures Outside of the United States.

Each Underwriter severally agrees that it will not offer, sell or deliver any of the Securities in any jurisdiction outside the United States except under circumstances that will result in compliance with the applicable laws thereof, and that it will take at its own expense whatever action is required to permit its purchase and resale of the Securities in such jurisdictions.

SECTION 7. Indemnification.

 

  a.

Indemnification of Underwriters. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, its affiliates, as such term is defined in Rule 501(b) under the 1933 Act (each, an “Affiliate”), its selling agents and each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act as follows:

 

17


  i.

against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), including the Rule 430 Information, or the omission or alleged omission therefrom of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or arising out of any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained (A) in any preliminary prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) or (B) in any “road show” as defined in Rule 433(h) under the 1933 Act (a “road show”), or the omission or alleged omission in any preliminary prospectus, Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, Prospectus or any road show of a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;

 

  ii.

against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense whatsoever, as incurred, to the extent of the aggregate amount paid in settlement of any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or of any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission; provided that any such settlement is effected with the written consent of the Company; and

 

  iii.

against any and all expense whatsoever, as incurred (including the fees and disbursements of counsel chosen by the Representatives), reasonably incurred in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue statement or omission, or any such alleged untrue statement or omission, to the extent that any such expense is not paid under (i) or (ii) above; provided, however, that this indemnity agreement shall not apply to any loss, liability, claim, damage or expense to the extent arising out of any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with written information furnished to the Company by any Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), including the Rule 430 Information or any preliminary prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the following: the statements concerning the Underwriters in the first paragraph under the caption “Underwriting—Discounts”, the third sentence under the caption “Underwriting—New issue of notes” and the first two paragraphs under the caption “Underwriting—Short positions”, and, with respect to each Underwriter, such Underwriter’s name as it appears on the cover (the “Underwriter Information”).

 

  b.

Indemnification of Company, Directors and Officers. Each Underwriter severally agrees to indemnify and hold harmless the Company, its directors, each of its officers who signed the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act against any and all loss, liability, claim, damage and expense described in the indemnity contained in subsection (a) of this Section 7, as incurred, but only with respect to untrue statements or omissions, or alleged untrue statements or omissions, made in the Registration Statement (or any amendment thereto), including the Rule 430 Information or any preliminary prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto) in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information.

 

  c.

Actions against Parties; Notification. Each indemnified party shall give notice as promptly as reasonably practicable to each indemnifying party of any action commenced against it in respect of which indemnity may be sought hereunder, but failure to so notify an indemnifying party shall not relieve such indemnifying party from any liability hereunder to the extent it is not materially prejudiced as a result thereof and in any event shall not relieve it from any liability which it may have otherwise than on account of this indemnity agreement. In the case of parties indemnified pursuant to Section 7(a) above, counsel to the indemnified parties shall be selected by the Representatives, and, in the case of parties indemnified pursuant to Section 7(b) above, counsel to the indemnified parties shall be selected by the Company. An indemnifying party may participate at its own expense in the defense of any such action; provided, however, that counsel to the indemnifying party shall not (except with the consent of the indemnified party) also be counsel to the indemnified party. In no event shall the indemnifying parties

 

18


  be liable for fees and expenses of more than one counsel (in addition to any local counsel) separate from their own counsel for all indemnified parties in connection with any one action or separate but similar or related actions in the same jurisdiction arising out of the same general allegations or circumstances. No indemnifying party shall, without the prior written consent of the indemnified parties, settle or compromise or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever in respect of which indemnification or contribution could be sought under this Section 7 or Section 8 hereof (whether or not the indemnified parties are actual or potential parties thereto), unless such settlement, compromise or consent (i) includes an unconditional release of each indemnified party from all liability arising out of such litigation, investigation, proceeding or claim and (ii) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of any indemnified party.

SECTION 8. Contribution. If the indemnification provided for in Section 7 hereof is for any reason unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party in respect of any losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses referred to therein, then, to the extent of such unavailability or insufficiency, each indemnifying party shall contribute to the aggregate amount of such unavailability or insufficiency with respect to losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses incurred by such indemnified party, as incurred, (a) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand from the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement or (b) if the allocation provided by clause (a) is not permitted by applicable law, in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only the relative benefits referred to in clause (a) above but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and of the Underwriters on the other hand in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, liabilities, claims, damages or expenses, as well as any other relevant equitable considerations.

The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand in connection with the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement shall be deemed to be in the same respective proportions as the total net proceeds from the offering of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement (before deducting expenses) received by the Company and the total underwriting discount received by the Underwriters, in each case as set forth on the cover of the Prospectus, bear to the aggregate initial public offering price of the Securities, as set forth on the cover of the Prospectus.

The relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other hand shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether any such untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company or by the Underwriters and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.

The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this Section 8 were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to above in this Section 8. The aggregate amount of losses, liabilities, claims, damages and expenses incurred by an indemnified party and referred to above in this Section 8 shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in investigating, preparing or defending against any litigation, or any investigation or proceeding by any governmental agency or body, commenced or threatened, or any claim whatsoever based upon any such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission.

Notwithstanding the provisions of this Section 8, no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Securities underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages which such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of any such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission.

No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the 1933 Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.

For purposes of this Section 8, each person, if any, who controls an Underwriter within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act and each Underwriter’s Affiliates and selling agents shall have the same rights to contribution as such Underwriter, and each director of the Company, each officer of the Company who signed the Registration Statement, and each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the 1933 Act or Section 20 of the 1934 Act shall have the same rights to contribution as the Company. The Underwriters’ respective obligations to contribute pursuant to this Section 8 are several in proportion to the principal amount of Securities set forth opposite their respective names in Schedule A hereto and not joint.

 

19


SECTION 9. Representations, Warranties and Agreements to Survive. All representations, warranties and agreements contained in this Agreement or in certificates of officers of the Company or any of its subsidiaries submitted pursuant hereto shall remain operative and in full force and effect, regardless of (a) any investigation made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or its Affiliates or selling agents, any person controlling any Underwriter, its officers or directors or any person controlling the Company and (b) delivery of and payment for the Securities.

SECTION 10. Termination of Agreement.

 

  a.

Termination; General. The Representatives may terminate this Agreement, by notice to the Company, at any time at or prior to the Closing Time (i) if there has been, since the time of execution of this Agreement or since the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus (exclusive of any supplement thereto subsequent to the date of this Agreement), any material adverse change, or development involving a prospective material adverse change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings or business affairs of the Company and its subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, or (ii) if there has occurred any material adverse change in the financial markets in the United States or the international financial markets, any outbreak of hostilities or escalation thereof or other calamity or crisis or any change or development involving a prospective change in national or international political, financial or economic conditions, in each case the effect of which is such as to make it, in the judgment of the Representatives, impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offering, sale or delivery of the Securities or to enforce contracts for the sale of the Securities, or (iii) if trading in any securities of the Company has been suspended or materially limited by the Commission or the NASDAQ Global Select Market, or if trading generally on the New York Stock Exchange or on the NASDAQ Global Select Market has been suspended or materially limited, or minimum or maximum prices for trading have been fixed, or maximum ranges for prices have been required, by any of said exchanges or by such system or by order of the Commission, The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority or any other governmental authority, or (iv) a material disruption has occurred in commercial banking or securities settlement or clearance services in the United States or with respect to Clearstream or Euroclear systems in Europe, or (v) if a banking moratorium has been declared by either Federal or New York authorities.

 

  b.

Liabilities. If this Agreement is terminated pursuant to this Section, such termination shall be without liability of any party to any other party except as provided in Section 4 hereof, and provided further that Sections 1, 7, 8 and 9 shall survive such termination and remain in full force and effect.

SECTION 11. Default by One or More of the Underwriters. If one or more of the Underwriters shall fail at the Closing Time to purchase the Securities which it or they are obligated to purchase under this Agreement (the “Defaulted Securities”), the Representatives shall have the right, within 24 hours thereafter, to make arrangements for one or more of the non-defaulting Underwriters, or any other underwriters, to purchase all, but not less than all, of the Defaulted Securities in such amounts as may be agreed upon and upon the terms herein set forth; if, however, the Representatives shall not have completed such arrangements within such 24-hour period then:

 

  a.

if the number of Defaulted Securities does not exceed 10% of the aggregate principal amount of the Securities to be purchased hereunder, each of the non-defaulting Underwriters shall be obligated, severally and not jointly, to purchase the full amount thereof in the proportions that their respective underwriting obligations hereunder bear to the underwriting obligations of all non-defaulting Underwriters; or

 

  b.

if the number of Defaulted Securities exceeds 10% of the aggregate principal amount of the Securities to be purchased hereunder, then the Company shall have the right, within a further 24 hours, to procure other underwriters satisfactory to the non-defaulting Underwriters to purchase not less than an amount of Defaulted Securities such that the remaining number of Defaulted Securities does not exceed 10% of the aggregate principal amount of Securities to be purchased hereunder, following which the Underwriters shall have the obligations set forth in subsection (a) of this Section 11 and absent which this Agreement shall terminate without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter or the Company.

No action taken pursuant to this Section shall relieve any defaulting Underwriter from liability in respect of its default.

 

20


In the event of any such default which does not result in a termination of this Agreement, either the Representatives or the Company shall have the right to postpone the Closing Time for a period not exceeding seven days in order to effect any required changes in the Registration Statement, the General Disclosure Package or the Prospectus or in any other documents or arrangements. As used herein, the term “Underwriter” includes any person substituted for an Underwriter under this Section 11.

SECTION 12. [Reserved.]

SECTION 13. Notices. All notices and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if mailed or transmitted by any standard form of telecommunication. Notices to the Underwriters shall be directed to the Representatives at Citigroup Global Markets Inc., 388 Greenwich Street, New York, New York 10013, Attention: General Counsel, Fax no. (646) 291-1469; BofA Securities, Inc., 114 West 47th Street, NY8-114-07-01, New York, New York 10036, Attention: High Grade Debt Capital Markets Transaction Management/Legal, Fax no. (212) 901-7881; and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, 383 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10179, Attention: Investment Grade Syndicate Desk, Fax no. (212) 834-6081. Notices to the Company shall be directed to it at One Technology Drive, Milpitas, California 95035, Attention: General Counsel.

SECTION 14. No Advisory or Fiduciary Relationship. The Company acknowledges and agrees that (a) the purchase and sale of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement, including the determination of the public offering price of the Securities and any related discounts and commissions, is an arm’s-length commercial transaction between the Company, on the one hand, and the several Underwriters, on the other hand, (b) in connection with the offering contemplated hereby and the process leading to such transaction each Underwriter is and has been acting solely as a principal and is not the agent or fiduciary of the Company, or its stockholders, creditors, employees or any other party, (c) no Underwriter has assumed or will assume an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company with respect to the offering contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether such Underwriter has advised or is currently advising the Company on other matters) and no Underwriter has any obligation to the Company with respect to the offering contemplated hereby except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement, (d) the Underwriters and their respective affiliates may be engaged in a broad range of transactions that involve interests that differ from those of the Company and (e) the Underwriters have not provided any legal, accounting, regulatory or tax advice with respect to the offering contemplated hereby and the Company has consulted its own legal, accounting, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent it deemed appropriate.

SECTION 15. Integration. This Agreement supersedes all prior agreements and understandings (whether written or oral) between the Company and the Underwriters, or any of them, with respect to the subject matter hereof.

SECTION 16. Parties. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the Underwriters and the Company and their respective successors. Nothing expressed or mentioned in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to give any person, firm or corporation, other than the Underwriters and the Company and their respective successors and the controlling persons and officers and directors referred to in Sections 7 and 8 and their heirs and legal representatives, any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of this Agreement or any provision herein contained. This Agreement and all conditions and provisions hereof are intended to be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the Underwriters and the Company and their respective successors, and said controlling persons and officers and directors and their heirs and legal representatives, and for the benefit of no other person, firm or corporation. No purchaser of Securities from any Underwriter shall be deemed to be a successor by reason merely of such purchase.

SECTION 17. GOVERNING LAW. THIS AGREEMENT AND ANY CLAIM, CONTROVERSY OR DISPUTE ARISING UNDER OR RELATED HERETO SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK.

SECTION 18. TIME. TIME SHALL BE OF THE ESSENCE OF THIS AGREEMENT. EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE SET FORTH HEREIN, SPECIFIED TIMES OF DAY REFER TO NEW YORK CITY TIME.

SECTION 19. WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL. EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO HEREBY WAIVES ANY RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY SUIT OR PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT.

SECTION 20. Submission to Jurisdiction. The Company hereby submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the U.S. federal and New York state courts in the Borough of Manhattan in The City of New York in any suit or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby. The Company waives any objection which it may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any such suit or proceeding in such courts. The Company agrees that final judgment in any such suit, action or proceeding brought in such court shall be conclusive and binding upon the Company, and may be enforced in any court to the jurisdiction of which Company is subject by a suit upon such judgment.

 

21


SECTION 21. Compliance with USA Patriot Act. In accordance with the requirements of the USA Patriot Act (Title III of Pub. L. 107-56 (signed into law October 26, 2001)), the Underwriters are required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies their respective clients, including the Company, which information may include the name and address of their respective clients, as well as other information that will allow the Underwriters to properly identify their respective clients.

SECTION 22. Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all such counterparts shall together constitute one and the same Agreement. The words “execution,” “signed,” “signature,” “delivery” and words of like import in or relating to this Agreement or any document to be signed in connection with this Agreement shall be deemed to include electronic signatures complying with the U.S. federal ESIGN Act of 2000 or the New York Electronic Signature and Records Act or deliveries or the keeping of records in electronic form, each of which shall be of the same legal effect, validity or enforceability as a manually executed signature, physical delivery thereof or the use of a paper-based recordkeeping system, as the case may be, and the parties hereto consent to conduct the transactions contemplated hereunder by electronic means.

SECTION 23. Effect of Headings. The Section headings herein are for convenience only and shall not affect the construction hereof.

SECTION 24. Recognition of the U.S. Special Resolution Regimes.

 

  a.

In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, the transfer from such Underwriter of this Agreement, and any interest and obligation in or under this Agreement, will be effective to the same extent as the transfer would be effective under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement, and any such interest and obligation, were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.

 

  b.

In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity or a BHC Act Affiliate of such Underwriter becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, Default Rights under this Agreement that may be exercised against such Underwriter are permitted to be exercised to no greater extent than such Default Rights could be exercised under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.

For purposes of this Section 24, a “BHC Act Affiliate” has the meaning assigned to the term “affiliate” in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. § 1841(k). “Covered Entity” means any of the following: (i) a “covered entity” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 252.82(b); (ii) a “covered bank” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 47.3(b); or (iii) a “covered FSI” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 382.2(b). “Default Right” has the meaning assigned to that term in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §§ 252.81, 47.2 or 382.1, as applicable. “U.S. Special Resolution Regime” means each of (i) the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder and (ii) Title II of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder.

SECTION 25. Bank Holding Company Acknowledgment. One or more of the underwriters may be restricted in its U.S. securities dealings under the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 and not be U.S.-registered broker-dealer(s). All sales of securities in the United States will be made by or through U.S.-registered broker-dealers.

ICBC Standard Bank Plc may not underwrite, subscribe, agree to purchase or procure purchasers to purchase Securities that are offered or sold in the United States. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, ICBC Standard Bank Plc shall not be obligated to, and shall not, underwrite, subscribe, agree to purchase or procure purchasers to purchase Securities that may be offered or sold by other Underwriters in the United States. ICBC Standard Bank Plc shall offer and sell Securities constituting part of its allotment solely outside the United States.

If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding of our agreement, please sign and return to the Company a counterpart hereof, whereupon this instrument, along with all counterparts, will become a binding agreement between the Underwriters and the Company in accordance with its terms.

 

22


Very truly yours,
KLA Corporation
By  

/s/ Bren Higgins

  Name:   Bren Higgins
  Title:   Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

 

[Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement]


CONFIRMED AND ACCEPTED,
as of the date first above written:
CITIGROUP GLOBAL MARKETS INC.
By:  

/s/ Adam D. Bordner

  Name:   Adam D. Bordner
  Title:   Managing Director

 

[Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement]


BOFA SECURITIES, INC.
By:  

/s/ Laurie Campbell

  Name:   Laurie Campbell
  Title:   Managing Director

 

[Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement]


J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES LLC
By:  

/s/ Som Bhattacharyya

  Name:   Som Bhattacharyya
  Title:   Executive Director

Each, for itself and as Representative of the other Underwriters named in Schedule A hereto.

 

[Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement]


Schedule A

 

Underwriter

   Principal
Amount of
2034 Notes to be
Purchased
     Principal
Amount of
2052 Notes to be
Purchased
 

Citigroup Global Markets Inc.

   $ 110,000,000      $ 55,000,000  

BofA Securities, Inc.

   $ 90,000,000      $ 45,000,000  

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC

   $ 90,000,000      $ 45,000,000  

BNP Paribas Securities Corp.

   $ 37,500,000      $ 18,750,000  

U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc.

   $ 37,500,000      $ 18,750,000  

Wells Fargo Securities, LLC

   $ 37,500,000      $ 18,750,000  

Academy Securities, Inc.

   $ 20,000,000      $ 10,000,000  

ICBC Standard Bank Plc

   $ 20,000,000      $ 10,000,000  

Scotia Capital (USA) Inc.

   $ 20,000,000      $ 10,000,000  

Truist Securities, Inc.

   $ 20,000,000      $ 10,000,000  

Loop Capital Markets LLC

   $ 10,000,000      $ 5,000,000  

Siebert Williams Shank & Co., LLC

   $ 7,500,000      $ 3,750,000  

Total

   $ 500,000,000      $ 250,000,000  

Schedule B-1

Pricing Term Sheet, dated January 30, 2024, substantially in the form of Schedule D.

Schedule B-2

Purchase Price of the 2034 Notes: 98.943%, plus accrued interest, if any, from February 1, 2024 to the date of the Closing Time.

Purchase Price of the 2052 Notes: 97.011%, plus $550,000 of aggregate accrued interest from and including January 15, 2024 to the date of the Closing Time.

Accrued interest from and including January 15, 2024 to, but excluding, the settlement date for the Securities (assuming the settlement date is February 1, 2024): $2.20 per $1,000 principal amount.


Schedule C

Issuer General Use Free Writing Prospectuses

None.


Schedule D

Pricing Term Sheet


KLA Corporation

$500,000,000 4.700% Senior Notes due 2034

$250,000,000 4.950% Senior Notes due 2052

Pricing Term Sheet

This term sheet provides information concerning a reopening (as discussed below) of KLA Corporation’s 4.950% Senior Notes due 2052 described under “Description of Notes” in the Preliminary Prospectus Supplement dated January 30, 2024 to the Prospectus dated June 9, 2022.

 

Issuer:    KLA Corporation
Format:    SEC-Registered
Expected Ratings*:   

A2/A-/A

(Moody’s/S&P/Fitch)

Trade Date:    January 30, 2024
Settlement Date**:    February 1, 2024 (T+2)
Joint Book-running Managers:   

Citigroup Global Markets Inc.

BofA Securities, Inc.

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC

BNP Paribas Securities Corp.

U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc.

Wells Fargo Securities, LLC

Co-managers:   

Academy Securities, Inc.

ICBC Standard Bank Plc

Scotia Capital (USA) Inc.

Truist Securities, Inc.

Loop Capital Markets LLC

Siebert Williams Shank & Co., LLC

Use of Proceeds:    We intend to use the net proceeds of this offering for general corporate purposes, including the repayment of outstanding indebtedness at or prior to maturity, and repurchase shares of our common stock pursuant to our previously announced share repurchase programs
Security Description:   

4.700% Senior Notes due 2034 (the “2034 Notes”)

4.950% Senior Notes due 2052 (the “2052 Notes”)

Principal Amount:   

2034 Notes: $500,000,000

2052 Notes: $250,000,000. The 2052 Notes offered hereby will be part of the same series of notes as the $1,200,000,000 aggregate principal amount of 4.950% Senior Notes due 2052 issued and sold by KLA Corporation on June 23, 2022 (the “Existing 2052 Notes”). Upon settlement, the 2052 Notes offered hereby will be fungible and treated as a single series with the Existing 2052 Notes, and the aggregate principal amount of the Existing 2052 Notes, together with the 2052 Notes offered hereby, will be $1,450,000,000


Coupon:   

2034 Notes: 4.700%

2052 Notes: 4.950%

Maturity Date:   

2034 Notes: February 1, 2034

2052 Notes: July 15, 2052

Offering Price:   

2034 Notes: 99.393% of face amount

2052 Notes: 97.861% of face amount, plus $550,000 of aggregate accrued interest from and including January 15, 2024 to, but excluding, the settlement date for the notes offered hereby, which corresponds to $2.20 per $1,000 principal amount (assuming the settlement date is February 1, 2024)

Yield to Maturity:   

2034 Notes: 4.777%

2052 Notes: 5.093%

Spread to Benchmark Treasury:   

2034 Notes: T+72 basis points

2052 Notes: T+80 basis points

Benchmark Treasury Issue:   

2034 Notes: 4.500% due November 15, 2033

2052 Notes: 4.125% due August 15, 2053

Benchmark Treasury Price and Yield:   

2034 Notes: 103-17+ / 4.057%

2052 Notes: 97-06+ / 4.293%

Interest Payment Dates:   

2034 Notes: February 1 and August 1 of each year, commencing August 1, 2024

2052 Notes: January 15 and July 15 of each year

Optional Redemption:   

2034 Notes: Make-whole call at T + 15 basis points; Par call on or after November 1, 2033

2052 Notes: Make-whole call at T + 25 basis points; Par call on or after January 15, 2052

Repurchase Upon Change of Control Triggering Event:    Upon the occurrence of a Change of Control Triggering Event, we will be required to make an offer to purchase the notes at a price equal to 101% of their principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest to the date of repurchase. See “Description of Notes — Repurchase upon change of control triggering event” in our Preliminary Prospectus Supplement dated January 30, 2024
Denominations/Multiples:    $2,000 x $1,000
CUSIP:   

2034 Notes: 482480 AP5

2052 Notes: 482480 AM2

ISIN:   

2034 Notes: US482480AP59

2052 Notes: US482480AM29

 

*

Note: A securities rating is not a recommendation to buy, sell or hold securities and may be subject to revision or withdrawal at any time.

The issuer has filed a registration statement, including a prospectus, with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) for the offering to which this communication relates. Before you invest, you should read the prospectus in that registration statement, the preliminary prospectus supplement and other documents the issuer has filed with


the SEC for more complete information about the issuer and this offering. You may get these documents for free by visiting EDGAR on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. Alternatively, the issuer, any underwriter or any dealer participating in the offering will arrange to send you the prospectus and the prospectus supplement if you request it by calling Citigroup Global Markets Inc. toll-free at ###-###-####, BofA Securities, Inc. toll-free at ###-###-#### or J.P. Morgan Securities LLC collect at ###-###-####.