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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 8-K

 

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): May 25, 2023

 

The First Bancshares, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Mississippi 000-22507 64-0862173
(State or other jurisdiction
of incorporation)
(Commission
File Number)
(IRS Employer
Identification No.)
     
6480 U.S. Highway 98 West, Suite A Hattiesburg, Mississippi 39402
(Address and Zip Code of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code (601) 268-8998

 

Not Applicable

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

 

¨ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
   
¨ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
   
¨ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
   
¨ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class Trading symbol(s) Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock FBMS NASDAQ

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§ 230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§ 240.12b-2 of this chapter).

 

Emerging growth company ¨

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act ¨

 

 

 

 

 

Item 5.07 Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders

 

On May 25, 2023, The First Bancshares, Inc. (the “Company”) held its 2023 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. Of the 31,054,546 shares of common stock of the Company outstanding as of the record date for the Annual Meeting, 26,326,306 shares were present at the meeting in person or by proxy. The final results of each of the proposals voted on by the Company’s shareholders are described below:

 

Proposal One – Election of Directors: To elect four Class I directors and one Class III director. The vote for each director is set forth below.

 

Nominee Class Votes For Votes Withheld Broker Non-Votes
Ted E. Parker I 21,103,541 1,778,408 3,444,357
J. Douglas Seidenburg I 21,915,942 966,007 3,444,357
Renee Moore I 22,754,289 127,660 3,444,357
Valencia M. Williamson I 22,801,216 80,733 3,444,357
Jonathan A. Levy III 22,816,236 65,713 3,444,357

 

The five nominees were each elected to the Company’s Board of Directors by a plurality of the votes cast, as required by the Company’s bylaws.

 

Proposal Two – Advisory (Non-Binding) Vote to Approve Compensation of Named Executive Officers: To hold an advisory vote to approve, on a non-binding basis, the 2022 compensation of the Company’s named executive officers as disclosed in the Company’s 2023 Proxy Statement.

 

Votes For Votes Against Abstentions Broker Non-Votes
22,179,525 605,262 97,162 3,444,357

 

The vote required to approve this proposal was the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast on the proposal. Accordingly, this proposal was approved.

 

Proposal Three – Advisory (Non-Binding) Vote to Approve Frequency of Future Advisory Votes on Compensation of Named Executive Officers: To hold an advisory vote to approve, on a non-binding basis, the frequency of future advisory votes on the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers.

 

One Year Two Years Three Years Abstentions Broker Non-Votes
21,298,672 47,120 1,431,557 104,600 3,444,357

 

The vote required to approve this proposal was a plurality of the votes cast. The frequency of one year received a plurality of the votes cast. Accordingly, this proposal was approved.

 

Proposal Four – Amend the Company’s Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation to Increase Authorized Shares: To approve and adopt an amendment to the Company’s Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation to increase the number of authorized shares of the Company’s common stock.

 

Votes For Votes Against Abstentions Broker Non-Votes
24,584,493 1,694,053 47,760 0

 

The vote required to approve this proposal was the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast on the proposal. Accordingly, this proposal was approved. A copy of the Articles of Amendment to the Company’s Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation is filed as Exhibit 3.1 to this report on Form 8-K and incorporated herein by reference.

 

 

 

 

Proposal Five – Amend the Company’s Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation to Declassify Board: To approve and adopt an amendment to the Company’s Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation to remove the classified structure of the Company’s Board of Directors.

 

Votes For Votes Against Abstentions Broker Non-Votes
22,792,158 27,298 62,493 3,444,357

 

The vote required to approve this proposal was the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast on the proposal. Accordingly, this proposal was approved. A copy of the Articles of Amendment to the Company’s Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation is filed as Exhibit 3.1 to this report on Form 8-K and incorporated herein by reference.

 

Proposal Six – Ratification of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm: To ratify the appointment of FORVIS, LLP as the independent registered public accounting firm for the Company for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2023.

 

Votes For Votes Against Abstentions Broker Non-Votes
26,300,596 16,985 8,725 0

 

The vote required to approve this proposal was the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast on the proposal. Accordingly, this proposal was approved.

 

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.

 

(c) Exhibits

 

3.1Articles of Amendment to the Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation of The First Bancshares, Inc.
104Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101)

 

 

 

 

SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

  THE FIRST BANCSHARES, INC.
     
  By: /s/ Donna T. (Dee Dee) Lowery
  Name: Donna T. (Dee Dee) Lowery
  Title: Chief Financial Officer

 

Date: May 26, 2023

 

 

 

Exhibit 3.1

 

ARTICLES OF AMENDMENT

 

TO THE

 

AMENDED AND RESTATED

 

ARTICLES OF INCORPORATION

 

OF

 

THE FIRST BANCSHARES, INC

 

1. The name of the Corporation is The First Bancshares, Inc.

 

2. Article FIVE of the of the Articles of Incorporation of the Corporation is hereby amended by deleting Article FIVE in its entirety and inserting a new Article FIVE as follows:

 

“The Corporation shall have the authority, exercisable by its board of directors (the “Board of Directors”), to issue up to 80,000,000 shares of voting common stock, par value $1.00 per share (the “Common Stock”).

 

The Corporation shall have the authority, exercisable by its Board of Directors, to issue up to 10,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $1.00 per share (the "Preferred Stock"), any part or all of which shares of Preferred Stock may be established and designated from time to time by the Board of Directors by filing an amendment to these Articles of Incorporation, which is effective without shareholder action, in accordance with the appropriate provisions of the Act, and any amendment or supplement thereto (a "Preferred Stock Designation"), in such series and with such preferences, limitations, and relative rights as may be determined by the Board of Directors. The number of authorized shares of Preferred Stock may be increased or decreased (but not below the number of shares thereof then outstanding) by the affirmative vote of the holders of the majority of the shares of Common Stock, without a vote of the holders of the shares of Preferred Stock, or of any series thereof, unless a vote of any such holders is required by law or pursuant to the Preferred Stock Designation or Preferred Stock Designations establishing the series of Preferred Stock.”

 

3. Article TEN of the of the Articles of Incorporation of the Corporation is hereby amended by deleting Article TEN in its entirety and inserting a new Article TEN as follows:

 

“Until the 2024 annual meeting of shareholders, the Board of Directors shall be divided into three classes to be known as Class I, Class II, and Class III, which shall be as nearly equal in number as possible. Commencing with the 2024 annual meeting of shareholders, the Board of Directors shall no longer be divided into three classes and each director shall be elected at each annual meeting of shareholders to serve until the next annual meeting of shareholders and until his or her successor is duly elected and qualified or until his or her earlier resignation, removal from office or death.”

 

 

 

 

4. The date of adoption of these Articles of Amendment to the Corporation’s Articles of Incorporation is May 26, 2023.

 

5. These Articles of Amendment were proposed by the board of directors of the Corporation and submitted to the stockholders in accordance with the provisions of Title 79, Chapter 4, Article 10 of the Mississippi Code, and:

 

a. The designation, number of outstanding shares, and number of votes entitled to be cast by each voting group entitled to vote separately on the Articles of Amendment were:

 

Designation  Number of Outstanding
Shares
  Number of Votes
Entitled to Be Cast
Common Stock  31,054,546  31,054,546

 

b. The total number of votes cast for and against the amendments contemplated by Article Five of these Articles of Amendment by each voting group entitled to vote separately on the Articles of Amendment was:

 

Voting Group  Votes “FOR”  Votes “AGAINST”
Common Stock  24,584,493  1,694,053

 

c. The total number of votes cast for and against the amendments contemplated by Article Ten of these Articles of Amendment by each voting group entitled to vote separately on the Articles of Amendment was:

 

Voting Group  Votes “FOR”  Votes “AGAINST”
Common Stock  22,792,158  27,298

 

d. The number of votes cast for Article Five and Article Ten of these Articles of Amendment by each voting group was sufficient for approval by that voting group.

 

5. All other provisions of the Corporation’s Articles of Incorporation shall remain in full force and effect.

 

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6. These Articles of Amendment shall be effective at 6:00 P.M. Central Time on the date of the filing of these Articles of Amendment.

 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Corporation has caused these Articles of Amendment to be executed by its duly authorized corporate officer this 26th day of May, 2023.

 

  THE FIRST BANCSHARES, INC.
   
  By: /s/ M. Ray (Hoppy) Cole, Jr.
  Name: M. Ray (Hoppy) Cole, Jr.
  Title: Chief Executive Officer and President
  (Principal Executive Officer), Chairman of the Board

 

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