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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

 

x QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the quarterly period ended March 31, 2009

 

¨ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

001-12934

(Commission file number)

IMMUCELL CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Delaware   01-0382980
(State of incorporation)   (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
56 Evergreen Drive, Portland, ME   04103
(Address of principal executive office)   (Zip Code)

(207) 878-2770

(Registrant’s telephone number)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes   x     No   ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    Yes   x     No   ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

Large accelerated filer   ¨             Accelerated filer   ¨             Non-accelerated filer   ¨             Smaller reporting company   x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes   ¨     No   x

As of May 4, 2009, the registrant had 2,970,652 shares of Common Stock, par value $0.10 per share, outstanding.

 

 

 


Table of Contents

IMMUCELL CORPORATION

INDEX TO FORM 10-Q

March 31, 2009

 

PART I:    FINANCIAL INFORMATION    Page

ITEM 1. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

  
   Balance Sheets at December 31, 2008 and March 31, 2009    2
   Statements of Operations for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2008 and 2009    3
   Statements of Stockholders’ Equity for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2008 and 2009    4
   Statements of Cash Flows for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2008 and 2009    5
   Notes to Unaudited Financial Statements    6-9

ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

   9-13

ITEM 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

   13

ITEM 4T. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

   14

PART II:

   OTHER INFORMATION   

ITEMS 1 THROUGH 6

   15-18

SIGNATURE

   19

 

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IMMUCELL CORPORATION

PART 1. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

ITEM 1. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

BALANCE SHEETS

 

     December 31,
2008
    (Unaudited)
March 31,
2009
 
ASSETS     

CURRENT ASSETS :

    

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 1,199,929     $ 1,275,162  

Short-term investments

     3,854,103       3,865,103  

Trade accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $8,000 at December 31, 2008 and March 31, 2009

     480,752       552,958  

Income taxes receivable

     362,474       386,278  

Other receivables

     51,378       71,682  

Inventories

     596,404       548,346  

Prepaid expenses

     92,622       110,215  

Current portion of deferred tax asset

     91,537       79,845  
                

Total current assets

     6,729,199       6,889,589  

PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT , at cost:

    

Laboratory and manufacturing equipment

     2,480,400       2,521,587  

Building and improvements

     2,402,979       2,406,866  

Office furniture and equipment

     190,799       190,799  

Construction in progress

     84,827       85,950  

Land

     50,000       50,000  
                
     5,209,005       5,255,202  

Less - accumulated depreciation

     2,273,663       2,358,639  
                

Net property, plant and equipment

     2,935,342       2,896,563  

LONG-TERM PORTION OF DEFERRED TAX ASSET

     431,707       422,411  

PRODUCT RIGHTS AND OTHER ASSETS , net of accumulated amortization of $1,304,000 and $1,312,000 at December 31, 2008 and March 31, 2009, respectively

     31,945       24,659  
                

TOTAL ASSETS

   $ 10,128,193     $ 10,233,222  
                
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY     

CURRENT LIABILITIES:

    

Accrued expenses

   $ 382,855     $ 296,882  

Accounts payable

     101,637       194,574  
                

Total current liabilities

     484,492       491,456  

STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY:

    

Common stock, Par value-$0.10 per share Authorized-8,000,000 shares, Issued-3,261,148 shares at December 31, 2008 and March 31, 2009.

     326,115       326,115  

Capital in excess of par value

     9,722,967       9,689,403  

Accumulated surplus

     396,372       361,743  

Treasury stock at cost – 366,496 and 290,496 shares at December 31, 2008 and March 31, 2009, respectively

     (801,753 )     (635,495 )
                

Total stockholders’ equity

     9,643,701       9,741,766  
                

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

   $ 10,128,193     $ 10,233,222  
                

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

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IMMUCELL CORPORATION

STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS FOR THE

THREE-MONTH PERIODS ENDED MARCH 31, 2008 AND 2009

(Unaudited)

 

     Three-Month Periods Ended
March 31,
 
     2008     2009  

REVENUES :

    

Product sales

   $ 1,631,024     $ 1,460,279  

Royalty income

     4,600       1,208  
                

Total revenues

     1,635,624       1,461,487  

COSTS AND EXPENSES :

    

Product costs

     813,799       739,719  

Product development expenses

     332,036       432,485  

General and administrative expenses

     249,096       233,655  

Product selling expenses

     171,719       128,099  
                

Total costs and expenses

     1,566,650       1,533,958  
                

Net operating income (loss)

     68,974       (72,471 )

Interest income

     59,690       35,414  

Other income (expense), net

     (108 )     593  
                

Net interest and other income

     59,582       36,007  
                

INCOME (LOSS) BEFORE INCOME TAXES

     128,556       (36,464 )

INCOME TAX EXPENSE (BENEFIT)

     50,897       (1,835 )
                

NET INCOME (LOSS)

   $ 77,659     $ (34,629 )
                

NET INCOME (LOSS) PER COMMON SHARE :

    

Basic

   $ 0.03     $ (0.01 )

Diluted

   $ 0.03     $ (0.01 )
                

WEIGHTED AVERAGE COMMON SHARES OUTSTANDING:

    

Basic

     2,892,476       2,922,519  

Diluted

     2,965,036       2,922,519  

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

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IMMUCELL CORPORATION

STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

(Unaudited)

FOR THE THREE-MONTH PERIOD ENDED MARCH 31, 2008

 

     Common Stock
$0.10 Par Value
   Capital in
Excess of

Par Value
   Accumulated
Surplus
   Treasury Stock     Total
Stockholders’

Equity
     Shares    Amount          Shares    Amount    

BALANCE, December 31, 2007

   3,261,148    $ 326,115    $ 9,668,872    $ 864,929    368,672    $ (802,945 )   $ 10,056,971

Net income

   —        —        —        77,659    —        —         77,659

Stock-based compensation

   —        —        26,021      —      —        —         26,021
                                             

BALANCE, March 31, 2008

   3,261,148    $ 326,115    $ 9,694,893    $ 942,588    368,672    $ (802,945 )   $ 10,160,651
                                             

FOR THE THREE-MONTH PERIOD ENDED MARCH 31, 2009

 

     Common Stock
$0.10 Par Value
   Capital in
Excess of

Par Value
    Accumulated
Surplus
    Treasury Stock     Total
Stockholders’

Equity
 
     Shares    Amount        Shares     Amount    

BALANCE, December 31, 2008

   3,261,148    $ 326,115    $ 9,722,967     $ 396,372     366,496     $ (801,753 )   $ 9,643,701  

Net loss

   —        —        —         (34,629 )   —         —         (34,629 )

Exercise of Stock Options

   —        —        (66,508 )     —       (76,000 )     166,258       99,750  

Stock-based compensation

   —        —        32,023       —       —         —         32,023  

Tax benefits related to stock options

   —        —        921       —       —         —         921  
                                                  

BALANCE, March 31, 2009

   3,261,148    $ 326,115    $ 9,689,403     $ 361,743     290,496     $ (635,495 )   $ 9,741,766  
                                                  

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these financial statements.

 

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IMMUCELL CORPORATION

STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS FOR THE THREE-MONTH PERIODS

ENDED MARCH 31, 2008 AND 2009

(Unaudited)

 

     Three-Month Periods
Ended March 31,
 
     2008     2009  

CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:

    

Net income (loss)

   $ 77,659     $ (34,629 )

Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by operating activities:

    

Depreciation

     89,824       94,246  

Amortization

     10,131       7,536  

Deferred income taxes

     28,000       20,988  

Stock-based compensation

     26,021       32,023  

Loss on disposal of fixed assets

     41,352       —    

Changes in:

    

Receivables

     2,326       (92,510 )

Income taxes receivable/payable

     107,667       (23,804 )

Inventories

     186,642       48,058  

Prepaid expenses and other assets

     (52,386 )     (17,843 )

Accrued expenses

     (40,535 )     (85,973 )

Accounts payable

     81,087       56,544  
                

Net cash provided by operating activities

     557,788       4,636  

CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITES :

    

Purchase of property, plant and equipment

     (102,416 )     (19,074 )

Maturities of short-term investments

     967,679       385,000  

Purchases of short-term investments

     (875,000 )     (396,000 )
                

Net cash used for investing activities

     (9,737 )     (30,074 )

CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:

    

Tax benefits related to stock options

     —         921  

Proceeds from exercise of stock options

     —         99,750  
                

Net cash provided by financing activities

     —         100,671  
                

NET INCREASE IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS

     548,051       75,233  

BEGINNING CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS

     1,192,637       1,199,929  
                

ENDING CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS

   $ 1,740,688     $ 1,275,162  
                

INCOME TAXES REFUNDED (PAID), NET

   $ 84,347     $ (30 )
                

NON-CASH INVESTING AND FINANCING ACTIVITIES:

    

Change in capital expenditures included in accounts payable

     —       $ 36,393  
                

 

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IMMUCELL CORPORATION

NOTES TO UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

March 31, 2009

 

1. BASIS OF PRESENTATION

We have prepared the accompanying financial statements without audit and have reflected all adjustments, all of which are of a normal recurring nature, that are, in our opinion, necessary in order to make the financial statements not misleading. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in the annual financial statements which are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America have been condensed or omitted. Accordingly, we believe that although the disclosures are adequate to make the information presented not misleading, these financial statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2008 and the notes thereto, contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

2. CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS AND SHORT-TERM INVESTMENTS

We consider all highly liquid investment instruments that mature within three months of their purchase dates to be cash equivalents. Short-term investments are classified as held to maturity and are comprised principally of certificates of deposits that mature in more than three months from their purchase and not more than twelve months from the balance sheet date and are held at different financial institutions that are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (“FDIC”) within FDIC limits. The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 increased these insurance limits from $100,000 to $250,000 per institution for the period from October 3, 2008 to December 31, 2009.

Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments consist of the following (in thousands):

 

     December 31,
2008
   March 31,
2009
   Increase

Cash and cash equivalents

   $  1,200    $  1,275    $ 75

Short-term investments

     3,854      3,865      11
                    
     $ 5,054      $ 5,140      $86
                    

 

3. INVENTORIES

Inventories consist of the following (in thousands):

 

     December 31,
2008
   March 31,
2009

Raw materials

   $  180    $  282

Work-in-process

     292      223

Finished goods

     124      43
             
     $ 596      $ 548
             

 

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IMMUCELL CORPORATION

 

NOTES TO UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

March 31, 2009

 

4. INCOME TAXES

Effective January 1, 2007, we implemented the provisions of Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Interpretation No. 48, “Accounting for Uncertainties in Income Taxes,” which did not have a material impact on our financial condition, results of operations, earnings per share or cash flows. We account for income taxes in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (“SFAS”) No. 109, Accounting for Income Taxes . This statement requires that we recognize a current tax liability or asset for current taxes payable or receivable and a deferred tax liability or asset for the estimated future tax effects of temporary differences and carryforwards to the extent they are realizable. We believe it is more likely than not that the deferred tax assets will be realized through future tax effects of temporary differences between book income and taxable income. Accordingly, we have not established a valuation allowance for the deferred tax assets. Our income tax expense aggregated $51,000 (40% of income before income taxes) during the three-month period ended March 31, 2008 in contrast to an income tax benefit of $2,000 (5% of the loss before income taxes) during the three-month period ended March 31, 2009.

 

5. NET INCOME (LOSS) PER COMMON SHARE

The net income (loss) per common share has been computed in accordance with SFAS No. 128, Earnings Per Share . During the three-month period ended March 31, 2008, the basic net income per common share has been computed by dividing the net income by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period, and the diluted net income per common share reflects the potential dilution from outstanding stock options as shown in the table below. During the three-month period ended March 31, 2009, the net loss per common share has been computed by dividing the net loss by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period, without giving consideration to outstanding stock options because the impact would be anti-dilutive.

 

     Three-Month Periods
Ended March 31,
     2008     2009

Weighted average number of shares outstanding during the period

   2,892,476     2,922,519

Dilutive stock options

   179,000     —  

Shares that could have been repurchased with the proceeds from the dilutive stock options

   (106,440 )   —  
          

Diluted number of shares outstanding during the period

   2,965,036     2,922,519

Outstanding stock options not included in the calculation because the effect would be anti-dilutive

   287,000     387,000
          

 

6. EMPLOYEE STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

In December 2004, the FASB issued Revised SFAS No. 123, Share-Based Payments (“SFAS 123R”), revising FASB Statements No. 123, Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation , and No. 95, Statement of Cash Flows . SFAS 123R eliminates the ability to account for stock-based compensation transactions using Accounting Principles Board Opinion No. 25, Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees , and generally requires us to recognize non-cash compensation expense for stock-based payments using the fair-value-based method. We implemented SFAS 123R effective beginning January 1, 2006. Accordingly, we recorded compensation expense pertaining to stock-based compensation of approximately $26,000 and $32,000 during the three-month periods ended March 31, 2008 and 2009, respectively. Half of this expense is allocated to general and administrative expenses and half to product development expenses.

The exercise price of the 387,000 stock options outstanding as of March 31, 2009 ranged from $1.70 to $7.00 per share. The fair value of each stock option grant has been estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model, as detailed in Note 5(b) to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008. As of March 31, 2009, total unrecognized compensation costs related to non-vested stock-based compensation arrangements aggregated approximately $181,000. That cost is expected to be recognized through the fourth quarter of 2011, which represents the remaining vesting period of the outstanding, non-vested stock options.

 

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IMMUCELL CORPORATION

 

NOTES TO UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

March 31, 2009

 

7. SEGMENT AND SIGNIFICANT CUSTOMER INFORMATION

Pursuant to SFAS No. 131, Disclosures about Segments of an Enterprise and Related Information , we operate in one reportable business segment, that being the development, acquisition, manufacture and sales of products that improve the health and productivity of cows for the dairy and beef industries. Almost all of the Company’s internally funded product development expenses are in support of such products. The significant accounting policies of this segment are described in Note 7 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008.

Our primary customers for the majority (80% and 76% for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2008 and 2009, respectively) of our product sales are in the United States dairy and beef industries. Sales to non-U.S. customers, who are in the dairy and beef industries, aggregated 20% and 24% of product sales for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2008 and 2009, respectively.

Sales to significant customers, as a percentage of total product sales, are detailed in the following table:

 

     Three-Month Periods
Ended March 31,
 
     2008     2009  

Animal Health International, Inc.

   28 %   28 %

Lextron, Inc.

   14 %   15 %

Accounts receivable due from significant customers, as a percentage of total trade accounts receivable, are detailed in the following table:

 

     As of  
     December 31, 2008     March 31, 2009  

Animal Health International, Inc.

   37 %   35 %

Lextron, Inc.

   *     15 %

MWI Veterinary Supply Co.

   14 %   *  

 

* Amount is less than 10%.

 

8. COMMON STOCK

In September 1995, our Board of Directors adopted a Common Stock Rights Plan, the terms of which were set forth in a Rights Agreement with American Stock Transfer & Trust Co., as a Rights Agent. Pursuant to the Rights Agreement, we issued certain rights to all holders of our common stock. Under the Rights Agreement, the rights expire on the earlier to occur of the Redemption Date (as defined in the Rights Agreement) or the Final Expiration Date (originally defined to be September 19, 2005). On June 8, 2005, our Board voted to authorize an amendment of the Rights Agreement to extend the Final Expiration Date by an additional three years, to September 19, 2008. As of June 30, 2005, we entered into an amendment to the Rights Agreement with the Rights Agent reflecting such extension. On June 6, 2008 our Board voted to authorize an amendment of the Rights Agreement to extend the Final Expiration Date by an additional three years, to September 19, 2011 and to increase the ownership threshold for determining “Acquiring Person” status from 15% to 18%. As of June 30, 2008, we entered into an amendment to the Rights Agreement with the Rights Agent reflecting such extension and threshold increase. No other changes were made to the terms of the rights or the Rights Agreement.

 

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IMMUCELL CORPORATION

 

NOTES TO UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Continued)

March 31, 2009

 

9. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

Dr. David S. Tomsche (a member of our Board of Directors) is a controlling owner of Stearns Veterinary Outlet, Inc., a domestic distributor of ImmuCell products First Defense ® , Wipe Out ® Dairy Wipes and California Mastitis Test (CMT) and of J-t Enterprises of Melrose, Inc., an exporter of First Defense ® . His affiliated companies purchased approximately $98,000 and $99,000 of products from ImmuCell during the three-month periods ended March 31, 2008 and 2009, respectively.

 

ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS FOR THE THREE-MONTH PERIOD ENDED MARCH 31, 2009

Product Sales

Product sales decreased by approximately 10%, or $171,000, to $1,460,000 during the three-month period ended March 31, 2009 in comparison to $1,631,000 during the same period in 2008. If we had shipped our backlog of orders aggregating approximately $48,000 as of March 31, 2009, our products sales would have been down by 8%, or $123,000. The backlog of orders as of March 31, 2009 was shipped to customers in April 2009. We are making significant investments to expand our production capacity in order to address this inventory shortage.

We appreciate the volume of business that we have maintained during these difficult economic times when our customers are being forced to cut costs wherever possible to stay in business. Even in this market with declining milk prices, our lead product, First Defense ® , continues to benefit from wide acceptance as an effective tool to prevent bovine enteritis (scours) in newborn calves. However, sales of this product decreased 11% during the three-month period ended March 31, 2009 in comparison to the same period in 2008. We have sold over 9,000,000 doses of First Defense ® since receiving USDA approval of this product in 1991. Sales are normally seasonal, with higher sales expected during the first and fourth quarters and lower sales expected during the second and third quarters. During 2006, certain regional organic certifying agencies determined that the ingredients in First Defense ® are in compliance with the National Organic Program (NOP) and may be considered for use on organic farms. First Defense ® should be considered a preventative vaccine as described in USDA-NOP regulations for organic producer consideration when establishing management plans.

Sales of Wipe Out ® Dairy Wipes decreased by 16% during the three-month period ended March 31, 2009 in comparison to the same period in 2008. Domestic sales of this premium product are challenged by less expensive competitive products and by the continuing economic pressure in the U.S. dairy industry that is forcing many small producers out of business.

Other Revenues

Royalty income decreased to $1,000 during the three-month period ended March 31, 2009 in comparison to $5,000 during the three-month period ended March 31, 2008, as the result of lower sales reported by the firm that has licensed our milk protein purification technology.

 

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IMMUCELL CORPORATION

 

Gross Margin

Changes in the gross margin on product sales are summarized in the following table for the respective periods (in thousands, except for percentages):

 

     Three-Month Periods
Ended March 31,
    Decrease  
     2008     2009     Amount     %  

Gross margin

   $ 817     $ 721     $ 96     12 %

Percent of product sales

     50 %     49 %     1 %   2 %
     Twelve-Month Periods
Ended March 31,
    Decrease  
     2008     2009     Amount     %  

Gross margin

   $ 2,442     $ 1,973     $ 469     19 %

Percent of product sales

     50 %     44 %     6 %   12 %

We now experience lower gross margin percentages in comparison to those achieved in the past. The gross margin as a percentage of product sales was 49% and 50% during the three-month periods ended March 31, 2009 and 2008, respectively. The gross margin as a percentage of product sales was 44% and 50% during the twelve-month periods ended March 31, 2009 and 2008, respectively. This compares to gross margin percentages of 45%, 52% and 56% for the years ended December 31, 2008, 2007 and 2006, respectively. Our current annual target for gross margin percentage is 50%, a level consistent with our experience for the year ended December 31, 2007 and for the twelve-month period ended March 31, 2008. We expect some fluctuations in gross margin percentages from quarter to quarter. We feel that a number of factors account for the relative increase in costs and for their variability. Biological yields from the raw material used in the production of First Defense ® do fluctuate over time. Like most manufacturers in the U.S., we have been experiencing increases in the cost of raw materials that we purchase. Product mix also affects gross margin in that we earn a higher gross margin on First Defense ® and a lower gross margin on Wipe Out ® Dairy Wipes . Because First Defense ® customers are price sensitive, we held its selling price without significant increase for approximately seven years, believing that we could benefit more from higher unit sales volume than through a higher average selling price per unit. However, during the first quarter of 2008, we did implement a modest increase to the selling price of First Defense ® .

Product Development and Licensing

Product development expenses increased by approximately 30%, or $100,000, to $432,000 during the three-month period ended March 31, 2009 in comparison to the same period in 2008. Product development expenses aggregated 30% and 20% of total revenues during the three-month periods ended March 31, 2009 and 2008, respectively. The increased expenses during the three-month period ended March 31, 2009 principally reflect the costs of funding the development of Mast Out ® internally.

In April 2000, we acquired an exclusive license from Nutrition 21, Inc. to develop and market Nisin-based products for animal health applications, which allowed us to initiate the development of Mast Out ® . In November 2004, we paid Nutrition 21 approximately $965,000 to buy out this royalty and milestone-based license to Nisin, thereby acquiring control of the animal health applications of Nisin. Nisin, the same active ingredient contained in Wipe Out ® Dairy Wipes , is an antibacterial peptide that is commonly used as a preservative in dairy food products. Nisin is known to have activity against most gram positive and some gram negative bacteria. Mast Out ® , an intramammary infusion product containing Nisin, is being developed as an alternative to traditional antibiotics used in the treatment of mastitis in lactating dairy cows. The use of antibiotics in food-producing animals may be a contributing factor to the rising human public health problem of bacterial drug resistance. Mast Out ® could potentially reduce the use of traditional antibiotics in the treatment of mastitis.

Traditional antibiotic products currently on the market for use in the treatment of mastitis are sold subject to a requirement to discard milk from treated cows during the course of and for a period following antibiotic treatment (the milk discard requirement). Currently, mastitis treatment is generally limited to only clinical cases - those cases where cows are producing abnormal milk - since that milk already is unsuitable for commercial sale. Because milk from cows with subclinical mastitis (those with infected udders,

 

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but still producing normal milk) can be sold, dairy producers generally do not treat subclinical mastitis - as doing so would give rise to the milk discard requirement. The safety profile of Nisin and its long history as a food preservative may allow for the use of Mast Out ® in the U.S. without a milk discard requirement, which would be a significant competitive advantage. We are not aware of any other intramammary mastitis treatment product that has such a “zero discard” claim. Without the milk discard requirement, we believe Mast Out ® could expand the subclinical mastitis treatment market niche. Regulations in the European Union will likely require that Mast Out ® be sold subject to a milk discard requirement in that territory.

In January 2004, we achieved positive results from an experimental field trial of Mast Out ® in 139 cows with subclinical mastitis. The placebo-controlled, blinded, multi-farm study was conducted in collaboration with researchers at Cornell University. Mast Out ® demonstrated a statistically significant overall cure rate in two separate dosage groups as compared to the placebo group. The currently proposed treatment regimen (three doses at three consecutive milkings) demonstrated a 58% efficacy rate in eliminating infection in lactating cows with culture-confirmed mastitis (compared to a placebo cure rate of 10%). This efficacy rate represents a blended average of results from cows with mastitis caused by several different pathogens. For example, Mast Out ® achieved a statistically significant 100% efficacy rate in Streptococcus agalactiae cases (compared to a placebo cure rate of 25%), where antibiotics are commonly used effectively, and a statistically significant 28% efficacy rate in Staphylococcus aureus cases (compared to a placebo cure rate of 0%), where antibiotics are often not effective.

In December 2004, we entered into a product development and marketing agreement with Pfizer Animal Health, a division of Pfizer, Inc. covering Mast Out ® . In July 2007, we received notice from Pfizer that it had elected to terminate the product development and marketing agreement. Since then, Pfizer has returned to us all rights, data, information, files, regulatory filings, materials and stocks of Nisin and Nisin producing cultures relating to the development of Mast Out ® . Under that agreement (as amended and supplemented), we received $2,375,000 in payments from Pfizer. During 2005, Pfizer completed a study further supporting the effectiveness of Mast Out ® in cows with subclinical mastitis. During 2006, Pfizer made significant progress developing data required for product registration in the areas of effectiveness, manufacturing and pharmacokinetics.

We do not believe that Pfizer’s decision to terminate the product development and marketing agreement was based on any unanticipated efficacy or regulatory issues. Rather, we believe Pfizer’s decision was primarily market driven, largely relating to concerns that the use of Mast Out ® may require specific treatment restrictions at the herd level, when used to treat subclinical mastitis with no milk discard. Due to its antibacterial nature, Nisin in bulk tank milk could interfere with the manufacture of certain (but not all) cultured milk products, such as some kinds of cheese and yogurt, if a high enough percentage of animals from a herd is treated at any one time. We believe that this risk can be eliminated by following a herd-level treatment guideline, currently estimated at approximately 2% of the herd on Mast Out ® treatment in any given week. This guideline would require the subclinically mastitic cows in a herd to be treated over a period of weeks rather than all at once, in order to ensure that Nisin levels in bulk tank milk remain below levels that could affect the susceptible starter cultures. Milk that is sold exclusively for fluid milk products would not be subject to this restriction. We believe that the benefits of using Mast Out ® would outweigh the management costs associated with implementing this treatment guideline. Over time and with market acceptance of Mast Out ® , Nisin-resistant starter cultures could be developed using starter development and improvement programs that are common in the cheese industry for development of desirable culture characteristics such as phage-resistance and flavor development. These activities could result in relaxation or elimination of the herd-level treatment guidance. Our decision to continue product development efforts reflects our belief that Mast Out ® is approvable by the FDA without a milk discard requirement for sale in the U.S. We believe that such a product has significant sales potential in the U.S. dairy market.

In July 2007, we began preparations for the pivotal effectiveness study required for FDA approval of Mast Out ® . Such preparations included the production of registration batches of drug product to fulfill the pivotal regulatory requirements of effectiveness, target animal safety, and stability at no less than 10% of the scale anticipated for commercial manufacture. In June 2008, we initiated the pivotal effectiveness study. We are working with more than a dozen investigators across the U.S. to complete this study. As of the end of April 2009, we had enrolled approximately 85% of the qualified cases required to reach our targeted study size. It has taken longer than we first estimated to achieve the enrollment of the total number of cases meeting our clinical requirements, but we believe the extra time invested at this stage will provide us with more robust results. We expect to complete this study during the first half of 2009. Upon completion of the treatment phase, it will take approximately two to three months to close out all clinical sites, perform statistical analysis of the data and discuss the results with the FDA before a public announcement of study results can be made.

 

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Commercial introduction of Mast Out ® in the United States is subject to approval of our New Animal Drug Application (NADA) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Center for Veterinary Medicine, which approval cannot be assured. Foreign regulatory approvals would be required for sales in key markets outside of the United States and would involve some similar and some different requirements. While positive results from a pivotal effectiveness study are necessary to support continued development of Mast Out ® , the approval of several additional Technical Sections under the FDA’s phased review of a NADA is also required. Included among the additional Technical Sections required for NADA final approval are: 1) Environmental Impact, 2) Target Animal Safety, 3) Human Food Safety, 4) Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls (CMC) and 5) several administrative requirements. During the third quarter of 2008, we received the Environmental Impact Technical Section Complete Letter from the FDA. Work required for the Target Animal Safety Technical Section has been initiated, and critical studies are planned for 2009. The Human Food Safety data will determine if a milk discard period will not be required. The Human Food Safety Technical Section includes several subsections such as residue chemistry (which is in progress), total metabolism (which is complete), effects of drug residues in food on human intestinal microbiology (which is under FDA review), effects on bacteria of human health concern or antimicrobial resistance (which is complete) and toxicology (which is complete). Toxicology studies establish an Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) level for humans, and the toxicological ADI for Nisin supports a zero milk and meat withhold claim. The toxicology studies were similar to the studies performed by others that affirmed the Generally Regarded As Safe (GRAS) status of Nisin for use as a food preservative. All of these subsections must be completed before the Human Food Safety Technical Section Complete Letter establishing a zero milk discard or a milk withhold period can be issued by the FDA.

Before the CMC Technical Section can be completed, a commercial scale manufacturing site for the Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) that is compliant with current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) regulations must be identified. This site will be subject to FDA approval and inspection. As the result of work we have done with outside companies to examine manufacturing options, we have recently determined that contracting for the manufacture of the API may require investments that could potentially deplete all of our available cash. We are not prepared to take that risk at this time without a partner. We do have a commercial manufacturing relationship with an FDA-approved drug product manufacturer to formulate the API into drug product, conduct sterile-fill of syringes and perform final packaging. We intend to complete all the Technical Sections pertaining to the safety, effectiveness and zero milk discard claims during 2009. Subject to achieving these critical development milestones, it is our objective to enter into an alliance with a partner that could help underwrite the commercial manufacturing costs and complete the CMC Technical Section and subsequently optimize the launch, distribution and sales of Mast Out ® .

In addition to our work on Mast Out ® , we are actively exploring further improvements, extensions or additions to our current product line. For example, we currently are investigating therapies that could prevent scours in calves caused by enteric pathogens other than E. coli K99 and bovine coronavirus (the current First Defense ® claims). In connection with that effort, during the second quarter of 2006 we obtained an option to an exclusive license from Baylor College of Medicine covering certain rotavirus vaccine technology. We anticipate converting this option into a license during the second quarter of 2009. Additionally, during the second quarter of 2007, we acquired an option to an exclusive license from Ohio State University covering certain rotavirus technology. Results from recently completed pilot studies justify conducting a pivotal effectiveness study in 2009. This study could position us for USDA approval of a product effective against scours caused by rotavirus in 2010. While we continue to pursue internally funded product development programs, we also remain interested in acquiring new products and technologies that fit with our sales focus on the dairy and beef industries. As additional opportunities arise to commercialize our own technology, or licensable technology, we may begin new development projects.

We believe that market opportunities for growth of First Defense ® sales exist in foreign territories. Regulatory authorities in some foreign territories may require that our manufacturing operations be compliant with cGMP regulations. We are working with in-country consultants in key markets to help us through the process of seeking foreign regulatory approvals. Because of import restrictions, in-country production may be required to gain regulatory approval to sell First Defense ® in Australia and New Zealand. In March 2008, we entered into a license agreement with Immuron, Ltd. (formerly Anadis, Ltd.). Under this agreement, we gained access to relevant production technology and capabilities of Immuron in Australia. We are obligated to pay Immuron a royalty on any sales of First Defense ® manufactured in Australia in collaboration with Immuron.

Over the past three years, we have initiated efforts to become compliant with current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) regulations in our manufacturing operations. Compliance with cGMP regulations will require a sustained investment. We believe that cGMP standards will further increase product quality and compliance with current regulations applicable to certain of our products and may open access to foreign markets where such standards are imposed.

 

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General and Administrative Expenses

During the three-month period ended March 31, 2009, general and administrative expenses decreased by 6%, or $15,000, to $234,000 as compared to the same period in 2008. While we implement efficiencies where possible, we continue to incur costs associated with complying with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and other costs associated with being a publicly-held company.

Product Selling Expenses

During the three-month period ended March 31, 2009, product selling expenses decreased by 25%, or $44,000, to $128,000, as compared to the same period in 2008, aggregating 9% and 11% of product sales during the three-month periods ended March 31, 2009 and 2008, respectively. The decrease resulted, in large part, from a reduction in advertising expenses. Our objective is to maintain the ratio of product selling expenses to product sales below 15% on an annual basis.

(Loss) Income Before Income Taxes and Net (Loss) Income

Our loss before income taxes of $(36,000) during the three-month period ended March 31, 2009 contrasts to income before income taxes of $129,000 during the three-month period ended March 31, 2008. Our income tax benefit was 5% of our loss before income taxes during the three-month period ended March 31, 2009 in contrast to income tax expense of 40% of our income before income taxes during the three-month period ended March 31, 2008. Our net loss for the three-month period ended March 31, 2009 was $(35,000) (or $(0.01) per share) in contrast to net income of $78,000 (or $0.03 per share) during the three-month period ended March 31, 2008.

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments increased by 2%, or $86,000, to $5,140,000 at March 31, 2009 from $5,054,000 at December 31, 2008. Net cash provided by operating activities amounted to $5,000 during the three-month period ended March 31, 2009 as compared to $558,000 during the three-month period ended March 31, 2008. Total assets increased by 1%, or $105,000, to $10,233,000 at March 31, 2009 from $10,128,000 at December 31, 2008. We have no outstanding bank debt. Net working capital increased by 2%, or $153,000, to $6,398,000 at March 31, 2009 from $6,245,000 at December 31, 2008. Stockholders’ equity increased by 1%, or $98,000, to $9,742,000 at March 31, 2009 from $9,644,000 at December 31, 2008, primarily as a result of the net loss being more than offset by an increase in equity from stock option exercises, during the first three months of 2009.

As we implement process improvements, we are investing in personnel, equipment and facility modifications to increase the efficiency and quality of our operations. In 2008, our Board of Directors authorized an investment of approximately $1,029,000 for facility modifications and production equipment. In December 2008, our Board of Directors increased the authorized spending limit by $285,000. We have been monitoring the status of the economy and our business as we make decisions pertaining to these investments. As of April 1, 2009, we have authorization from our Board of Directors to spend up to $848,000 on this project, net of payments made since January 1, 2008. Currently, we do not believe that we will need to invest this full amount to meet our objectives.

The return of the Mast Out ® product rights to us has caused us to increase our spending on product development expenses that are no longer being funded by Pfizer. As previously reported, we expected a net loss in 2008, and we are projecting another net loss for 2009, after the nine consecutive years of profitability that we recorded during the years ended December 31, 1999 to December 31, 2007. We believe that the commercial prospects for Mast Out ® warrant this level of investment. With approximately $5,140,000 in cash and short-term investments as of March 31, 2009, we believe that we have sufficient capital resources to meet our working capital requirements and to finance our ongoing business operations during at least the next twelve months.

 

ITEM 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK

Not Applicable

 

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ITEM 4T. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

Disclosure Controls

Our management, with the participation of the individual who serves as our principal executive and principal financial officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of December 31, 2008. Based on this evaluation, that officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of that date. Disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act (i) is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules and forms and (ii) is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our principal executive and principal financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosures.

Internal Controls over Financial Reporting

Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. The management of the Company is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. The Company’s internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

Management periodically evaluates the effectiveness of the internal controls over financial reporting based on the framework in Internal Control - Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. This evaluation includes a review of the documentation of controls, evaluation of the design effectiveness of controls, testing the operating effectiveness of the controls and a conclusion on this evaluation. Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Therefore, even those systems determined to be effective can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to financial statement preparation and presentation. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

As previously reported, management assessed the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2008. Based on management’s assessment and those criteria, management concluded that the internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2008 was effective.

Changes in Internal Controls over Financial Reporting. The individual who serves as our principal executive and principal financial officer periodically evaluates any change in internal control over financial reporting which has occurred during the prior fiscal quarter. Management has concluded that there was no change in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during our last fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

 

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PART II. OTHER INFORMATION

 

ITEM 1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

Not applicable.

 

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

Risk Factors; Forward-Looking Statements

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such statements include, but are not limited to, any statements relating to: projections of future financial performance; future costs of development-related efforts; future realization of deferred tax assets; future regulatory requirements relating to our products; factors that may affect the dairy industry and future demand for our products; the scope and timing of future development work and commercialization of our products; anticipated changes in our manufacturing capabilities; the amount of future investments in facility modifications and production equipment; the timing of anticipated applications for future regulatory approvals; anticipated future product development efforts; the future adequacy of our working capital; future expense ratios; costs and timing associated with sustaining compliance with cGMP regulations; and any other statements that are not historical facts. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, those risks and uncertainties relating to difficulties or delays in development, testing, regulatory approval, production and marketing of our products, competition within our anticipated product markets, the uncertainties associated with product development, and other risks detailed from time to time in filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, our Annual Reports on Form 10-K and our Current Reports on Form 8-K. Such statements are based on our current expectations, but actual results may differ materially due to various factors, including the risk factors summarized below and uncertainties otherwise referred to in this Quarterly Report. In addition, there can be no assurance that future developments affecting us will be those that we anticipate, especially considering the effects the distress in credit and capital markets will have on our customers and the global economy and the uncertainties surrounding the potential for a prolonged global recession.

Projections of loss before income taxes and net loss : After nine consecutive years of reporting net income, we reported a loss before income taxes of $961,000 and a net loss of $469,000 for the year ended December 31, 2008, due in large part to our current product development strategy. Continued development of Mast Out ® will likely result in a net loss in 2009 as well. We believe that our current balance of cash and short-term investments is more than sufficient to fund our projected loss. Generally speaking, our financial performance can differ significantly from the management projections, due to numerous factors that are difficult to predict or that are beyond our control. Stronger than expected sales of First Defense ® , for example, could diminish the overall loss. Conversely, weaker than expected sales of First Defense ® could lead to larger losses. Another example of a factor that could increase our loss is if we experience unanticipated costs associated with developing and seeking regulatory approval of Mast Out ® . Historically, we have not publicly disclosed our projections of future profitability. We did so in 2008 and have done so again in 2009 to make it clear to our stockholders that the decision to pursue internal development of Mast Out ® entails an important change in our financial model and strategy, but one that we believe we have sufficient cash reserves to fund.

Exposure to risks associated with the current financial downturn and global economic crisis: The U.S. economy is in a recession caused principally by the housing, credit and financial crises. The credit markets are very turbulent and uncertain. Sales and financial performance are down at most businesses. This extraordinary period of instability facing the U.S. economy and the financial markets has been troubling for nearly all Americans. To survive, companies are eliminating jobs, cutting or freezing pay, trimming hours, suspending matching contributions to 401(k) Plans, doing away with health care, bonuses, or perks that were offered during better economic times, among other cost-saving measures. A continued and prolonged economic downturn could have a corresponding negative effect on our business and operations.

Economics of the dairy industry : The dairy industry in the United States has been facing very difficult economic pressures. The number of small dairy producers continues to decrease. The size of the U.S. dairy herd has remained consistently in the range of approximately 9,000,00 to 9,300,000 cows over the last ten years, but a significant decrease in the herd size is expected in 2009. Sales of our products may be influenced by the price of milk, milking cows and calves. A common index used in the industry to measure the price of milk is known as the Class III milk price, which indicates the value of 100 pounds of milk sold into the cheese market. The average Class III milk price for 2008 was $17.44 per 100 pounds, which represented a 3% decrease from the 2007 average of $18.04. During the first three months of 2009, this average price level was $10.18, which represents a 44% decrease from the first

 

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three months of 2008. For a point of reference, this price level was $10.42 in 2002, which approximates the price level experienced during the 1970’s. In addition to the decline in the price of milk, the costs to produce milk have increased. One measure of this relationship is known as the milk-feed price ratio, which represents the amount of feed that one pound of milk can buy. For 2008, this ratio averaged 2.01. The monthly average during the first three months of 2009 dropped to 1.53, representing a 34% decrease compared to the first three months of 2008. A ratio of 1.53 means that a dairy producer can buy 1.53 pounds of feed for every pound of milk sold. Whenever the ratio meets or exceeds 3.0, it is considered profitable to buy feed and produce milk. The increase in feed costs also has a negative impact on the beef industry. Another indication of the economic condition of the dairy industry is the price received by producers for milking cows. In 2008, this average price is estimated to have increased to approximately $1,953, which is a 6% increase over 2007. During the first three months of 2009, this price averaged approximately $1,510, which represents a 23% decrease in comparison to the first three months of 2008. Another factor in the demand for our product is the value of bull calves. The recent decline in the price of bull calves has reduced the return on investment from a dose of First Defense ® for bull calves. The financial insecurity of our primary customer base is a risk to our ability to maintain and grow sales at a profitable level. Further, the loss of farms that we buy raw material from could make it difficult for us to produce enough inventory until supply agreements are reached with replacement farms.

Uncertainty of market estimates : Even assuming that Mast Out ® achieves regulatory approval in the United States with a zero milk discard requirement, estimating the size of the market for this product is subject to numerous uncertainties. Some of the uncertainties include subclinical market development, coverage of relevant pathogens, selling price, cost of manufacture, integration of milk from treated cows into cheese starter cultures and market acceptance.

Product risks generally: The sale of our products is subject to financial, efficacy, regulatory and market risks. We cannot be sure that we will be able to maintain the regulatory compliance required to continue selling our products. There is no assurance that we will continue to achieve market acceptance at a profitable price level or that we can continue to manufacture our products at a sufficient gross margin.

Reliance on sales of First Defense ® : We are heavily reliant on the market acceptance of First Defense ® to generate product sales and fund our operations. Our business would not have been profitable during the nine consecutive years in the period ended December 31, 2007, and our net loss would have been larger during the year ended December 31, 2008 and during the first quarter of 2009, without the gross margin that we earned from the sale of First Defense ® .

Product development risks: Our current strategy relies heavily on the development of new products, the most important of which is Mast Out ® . The development of new products is subject to financial, scientific, regulatory and market risks. In particular, the development of Mast Out ® requires substantial investments by us, and there is no assurance that we will obtain the necessary clinical and other data necessary to support regulatory approval for this product. There is also no assurance that our capital resources will prove to be sufficient to cover the costs associated with regulatory approvals, commercial manufacture or market launch of Mast Out ® or any other new products. The market for the treatment of mastitis in dairy cows is highly competitive, and presently is dominated by large companies such as Pfizer, Fort Dodge and Intervet/Schering Plough. There is no assurance that Mast Out ® will compete successfully in this market.

Competition from others: We may not be aware of competition that we face from other companies. Our competitive position will be highly influenced by our ability to attract and retain key scientific and managerial personnel, to develop proprietary technologies and products, to obtain USDA or FDA approval for new products and to continue to profitably sell our current products. We currently compete on the basis of product performance, price and distribution capability. We continue to monitor our network of independent distributors to maintain our competitive position.

Failure to protect intellectual property: In some cases, we have chosen (and may choose in the future) not to seek patent protection for certain products or processes. Instead, we have sought (and may seek in the future) to maintain the confidentiality of any relevant proprietary technology through contractual agreements. Reliance upon trade secret, rather than patent protection, may cause us to be vulnerable to competitors who successfully replicate our manufacturing techniques and processes. Additionally, there can be no assurance that others may not independently develop similar trade secrets or technology or obtain access to our unpatented trade secrets or proprietary technology. Other companies may have filed patent applications and may have been issued patents involving products or technologies potentially useful to us or necessary for us to commercialize our products or achieve our business goals. There can be no assurance that we will be able to obtain licenses to such patents on terms that are acceptable.

 

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Small size : We are a small company with approximately 31 full-time equivalent employees. As such, we rely on certain key employees to support different operational functions, with limited redundancy in capacity. The loss of any of these key employees could adversely affect our operations until a qualified replacement is hired and trained.

Our reporting obligations as a public company are costly:  Operating a public company involves substantial costs to comply with reporting obligations under federal securities laws that are continuing to increase as provisions of the Sarbanes Oxley Act of 2002 are implemented. As a smaller reporting company, we need to implement additional provisions of the Sarbanes Oxley Act during fiscal year 2009. These reporting obligations will increase our operating costs.

Access to raw materials : Our policy is to maintain more than one source of supply for the components used to manufacture and test our products. However, there is a risk that we could have difficulty in efficiently acquiring essential supplies. We are dependent on our manufacturing operations and facility at 56 Evergreen Drive in Portland, Maine for the production of First Defense ® and Wipe Out ® Dairy Wipes . The specific antibodies that we purify for First Defense ® and the Nisin we produce by fermentation for Wipe Out ® Dairy Wipes are not readily available from other sources. Any disruption in the services at this facility could adversely affect the production of inventory.

Risks associated with USDA regulatory oversight : Two of our products, and modifications and extensions thereto, are subject to the jurisdiction of the Center for Veterinary Biologics, USDA. Recent budgetary constraints at the USDA have caused significant delays in rulings and responses to submissions, according to the Association of Veterinary Biologics Companies, of which we are a member.

Regulatory requirements for First Defense ® : First Defense ® is sold in the United States subject to a product license approval from the USDA, first obtained in 1991. The potency of serial lots is directly traceable to the original serial used to obtain the product performance claims (the “Reference Standard”). Due to the unique nature of the First Defense ® label claims, host animal re-testing is not required as long as periodic laboratory analyses continue to support the stability of stored Reference Standard. To date, these analyses have demonstrated strong stability. However, if the USDA declined to approve requalification of the Reference Standard, additional clinical studies could be required to meet regulatory requirements and allow for continued sales of the product.

Regulatory requirements for Wipe Out ® Dairy Wipes : While the FDA regulates the manufacture and sale of Wipe Out ® , this type of product is permitted to be sold without a NADA approval, in accordance with the FDA’s Compliance Policy Guide 7125.30 (“Teat Dips and Udder Washes for Dairy Cows and Goats”). This policy guide could be withdrawn at the FDA’s discretion. The manufacture of Wipe Out ® is subject to Part 211 of the cGMP regulations. As such, our operations are subject to inspection by the FDA. We continue to invest in personnel, facility improvements and new equipment to sustain compliance with cGMP regulations across our entire product line. In June 2007, we received a Warning Letter from the FDA citing deficiencies in specific areas of the cGMP regulations. We filed a response to the FDA in June 2007, and we responded to a request for additional information in April 2008. We believe we have substantially corrected the deficiencies, but we remain subject to the risk of adverse action by the FDA in this respect.

Regulatory requirements for Mast Out ® : The commercial introduction of Mast Out ® in the United States will require us to obtain appropriate FDA approval for this product. Approval of a zero milk discard claim is an important competitive feature of this product. It presently is uncertain whether and when this approval will be achieved. Such approval will also require a successful inspection under cGMP standards by the FDA of the facilities used to manufacture the product. We have identified at least one potential commercial manufacturer for Nisin and have a preliminary evaluation of the potential costs, but we have not made a final determination of the cost or location of the commercial manufacturing facilities at this time. Foreign regulatory approvals would be required for sales outside of the U.S. European regulatory authorities are not likely to approve a product with a zero milk discard claim, which would remove a significant competitive advantage of Mast Out ® in that territory.

Bovine diseases : The potential for epidemics of bovine diseases such as Foot and Mouth Disease, Bovine Tuberculosis, Brucellosis and Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (“BSE”) presents a risk to us and our customers. Documented cases of BSE in the U.S. have led to an overall tightening of regulations pertaining to ingredients of animal origin, especially bovine. First Defense ® is considered a veterinary medicine rather than a feed ingredient, and it is manufactured from bovine milk and colostrum, which is not considered a BSE risk material. Future regulatory action to increase protection of the human food supply could affect First Defense ® , although presently we do not anticipate that this will be the case.

 

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Biological terrorism : The threat of biological terrorism is a risk to both the economic health of our customers and to our ability to economically acquire and collect good quality raw material from our contract farms. Any act of widespread bioterrorism against the dairy industry could adversely affect our operations.

No expectation to pay any dividends for the foreseeable future:  We do not anticipate paying any dividends to our shareholders for the foreseeable future. Shareholders must be prepared to rely on sales of their common stock after price appreciation to earn an investment return, which may never occur. Any determination to pay dividends in the future will be made at the discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend on our results of operations, financial condition, contractual restrictions, restrictions imposed by applicable laws and other factors our Board of Directors deems relevant.

 

ITEM 2. UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS

Not applicable.

 

ITEM 3. DEFAULTS UPON SENIOR SECURITIES

Not applicable.

 

ITEM 4. SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS

Not applicable.

 

ITEM 5. OTHER INFORMATION

Not applicable.

 

ITEM 6. EXHIBITS

 

Exhibit 4.1   Rights Agreement dated as of September 5, 1995, between the Registrant and American Stock Transfer and Trust Co., as Rights Agent, which includes as Exhibit A thereto the Form of Rights Certificate and as Exhibit B thereto the Summary of Rights to Purchase Common Stock.
Exhibit 31   Certifications required by Rule 13a-14(a).
Exhibit 32  

Certification pursuant to Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley

Act of 2002.

 

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SIGNATURE

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 thereunto duly authorized.

 

     

ImmuCell Corporation

Registrant

Date: May 5, 2009     By:   /s/ Michael F. Brigham
      Michael F. Brigham
      President, Chief Executive Officer
      and Principal Financial Officer

 

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EXHIBIT 4.1

IMMUCELL CORPORATION

and

AMERICAN STOCK TRANSFER & TRUST CO.

Rights Agent

RIGHTS AGREEMENT

Dated as of September 5, 1995

Table of Contents

 

     Page

Section 1. Certain Definitions

   1

Section 2. Appointment of Rights Agent

   3

Section 3. Issue of Right Certificates

   3

Section 4. Form of Right Certificates

   4

Section 5. Countersignature and Registration

   4

Section 6. Transfer, Split Up, Combination and Exchange of Right Certificates; Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Right

                  Certificates

   4

Section 7. Exercise of Rights; Purchase Price; Expiration Date of Rights

   5

Section 8. Cancellation and Destruction of Right Certificates

   6

Section 9. Company Covenants Concerning Shares and Rights

   6

Section 10. Common Stock Record Date

   7

Section 11. Adjustment of Purchase Price, Number of Shares or Number of Rights

   7

Section 12. Certificate of Adjusted Purchase Price or Number of Shares

   12

Section 13. Consolidation, Merger or Sale or Transfer of Assets or Earnings Power

   12

Section 14. Fractional Rights and Fractional Shares

   13

Section 15. Rights of Actions

   14

Section 16. Agreement of Right Holders

   14

Section 17. Right Certificate Holder Not Deemed a Stockholder

   14

Section 18. Concerning the Rights Agent

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Section 19. Merger or Consolidation or Change of Name of Rights Agent

   15

Section 20. Duties of Rights Agent

   15

Section 21. Change of Rights Agent

   17

Section 22. Issuance of New Right Certificates

   17

Section 23. Redemption

   17

Section 24. Exchange

   18

Section 25. Notice of Certain Events

   19

Section 26. Notices

   19

Section 27. Supplements and Amendments

   19

Section 28. Successors

   20

Section 29. Benefits of this Agreement

   20

Section 30. Severability

   20

Section 31. Governing Law

   20

Section 32. Counterparts

   20

Section 33. Descriptive Headings

   21

Exhibit A - Form of Right Certificate

  

Exhibit B - Summary of Rights to Purchase Common Stock

  


RIGHTS AGREEMENT

Agreement, dated as of September 5, 1995, between ImmuCell Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and American Stock Transfer & Trust Co., a New York corporation (the “Rights Agent”).

The Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”) has authorized and declared a dividend of one share purchase right (a “Right”) for each share of Common Stock (as hereinafter defined) of the Company outstanding on September 19, 1995 (the “Record Date”), each Right representing the right to purchase one share of Common Stock (as hereinafter defined), upon the terms and subject to the conditions herein set forth, and has further authorized and directed the issuance of one Right with respect to each share of Common Stock that shall become outstanding between the Record Date and the earlier of the Distribution Date, the Redemption Date and the Final Expiration Date (as such terms are hereinafter defined).

Accordingly, in consideration of the premises and the mutual agreements herein set forth, the parties hereby agree as follows:

Section 1. Certain Definitions . For purposes of this Agreement, the following terms have the meanings indicated:

(a) “Acquiring Person” shall mean any Person (as such term is hereinafter defined) who or which, together with all Affiliates and Associates (as such terms are hereinafter defined) of such Person, without the prior approval of a majority of the “Continuing Directors” (as such term is hereinafter defined), shall be the Beneficial Owner (as such term is hereinafter defined) of 15% or more of the Common Stock of the Company then outstanding, but shall not include the Company or any Related Person (as such term is hereinafter defined). Notwithstanding the foregoing, no Person shall become an “Acquiring Person” as the result of an acquisition of Common Stock by the Company which, by reducing the number of shares outstanding, increases the proportionate number of shares beneficially owned by such Person to 15% or more of the Common Stock of the Company then outstanding; provided , however , that if a Person shall become the Beneficial Owner of 15% or more of the Common Stock of the Company then outstanding by reason of share purchases by the Company and shall, after such share purchases by the Company, become the Beneficial Owner of any additional Common Stock of the Company, then such Person shall be deemed to be an “Acquiring Person”. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Board of Directors of the Company determines in good faith that a Person who would otherwise be an “Acquiring Person”, as defined pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this paragraph (a), has become such inadvertently, and such Person divests as promptly as practicable a sufficient number of shares of Common Stock so that such Person would no longer be an “Acquiring Person,” as defined pursuant to the foregoing provisions of this paragraph (a), then such Person shall not be deemed to be an “Acquiring Person” for any purposes of this Agreement.

(b) “Affiliate” and “Associate” shall have the respective meanings ascribed to such terms in Rule 12b-2 of the General Rules and Regulations as in effect on the date of this Agreement under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”).

(c) A Person shall be deemed the “Beneficial Owner” of and shall be deemed to “beneficially own” any securities:

(i) which such Person or any of such Person’s Affiliates or Associates beneficially owns, directly or indirectly;

(ii) which such Person or any of such Person’s Affiliates or Associates has (A) the right to acquire (whether such right is exercisable immediately or only after the passage of time) pursuant to any agreement, arrangement or understanding (other than customary agreements with and between underwriters and selling group members with respect to a bona fide public offering of securities), or upon the exercise of conversion rights, exchange rights, rights (other than these Rights), warrants or options, or otherwise; provided , however , that a Person shall not be deemed the Beneficial Owner of, or to beneficially own, securities tendered pursuant to a tender or exchange offer made by or on behalf of such Person or any of such Person’s Affiliates or Associates until such tendered securities are accepted for purchase or exchange; or (B) the right to vote any security of the Company or of any Subsidiary of the Company pursuant to any agreement, arrangement or understanding; provided , however ,

 

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that a Person shall not be deemed the Beneficial Owner of, or to beneficially own, any security if the agreement, arrangement or understanding to vote such security (1) arises solely from a revocable proxy or consent given to such Person in response to a public proxy or consent solicitation made pursuant to, and in accordance with, the applicable rules and regulations promulgated under the Exchange Act and (2) is not also then reportable on Schedule 13D under the Exchange Act (or any comparable or successor report); or

(iii) which are beneficially owned, directly or indirectly, by any other Person with which such Person or any of such Person’s Affiliates or Associates has any agreement, arrangement or understanding (other than customary agreements with and between underwriters and selling group members with respect to a bona fide public offering of securities) for the purpose of acquiring, holding, voting (except to the extent permitted by Section 1(c)(ii)(B)) or disposing of any securities of the Company.

Notwithstanding anything in this definition of Beneficial Ownership to the contrary, (1) the phrase “then outstanding,” when used with reference to a Person’s Beneficial Ownership of securities of the Company, shall mean the number of such securities then issued and outstanding together with the number of such securities not then actually issued and outstanding which such Person would be deemed to own beneficially hereunder and (2) a Person engaged in business as an underwriter of securities shall not be deemed the Beneficial Owner of any securities acquired through such Person’s participation in good faith in an underwriting syndicate pursuant to an agreement to which the Company is a party until the expiration of 40 calendar days after the date of such expiration or such later date as the Board may determine in any specific case.

(d) “Business Day” shall mean any day other than a Saturday, a Sunday, or a day on which banking institutions in the State of Maine or the State of New York (or such other state in which the principal office of the Rights Agent is located) are authorized or obligated by law or executive order to close.

(e) “Close of Business” on any given date shall mean 5:00 p.m., Eastern time, on such date; provided , however , that if such date is not a Business Day it shall mean 5:00 p.m., Eastern time, on the next succeeding Business Day.

(f) “Common Stock” when used with reference to the Company shall mean the shares of common stock, par value $0.10 per share, of the Company or any of the shares of the capital stock of the Company into which such stock shall be reclassified or changed. “Common Stock” when used with reference to any Person other than the Company shall mean the capital stock (or equity interest) with the greatest voting power of such other Person or, if such other Person is a Subsidiary of another Person, the Person or Persons which ultimately control such first-mentioned Person.

(g) “Continuing Director” shall mean any member of the Board while such person is a member of the Board who (i) is not an Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate of an Acquiring Person and (ii) either was (A) a member of the Board prior to the Stock Acquisition Date (as such term is hereinafter defined) or (B) nominated for his or her initial term of office by a majority of the Continuing Directors in office at the time of such nomination.

(h) “Distribution Date” shall mean the earlier of (i) the tenth day after the Stock Acquisition Date or (ii) the tenth day (or such later date as may be determined by action of the Board prior to such time as any Person becomes an Acquiring Person) after the date of the commencement of, or the first public announcement of the intent of any Person (other than the Company or a Related Person) to commence, a tender or exchange offer (as determined by reference to Rule 14d-2(a) under the Exchange Act) the consummation of which would result in any Person or Persons becoming the Beneficial Owner of Common Stock aggregating 20% or more of the then outstanding shares of Common Stock (including any such date which is after the date of this Agreement and prior to the issuance of the Rights).

(i) “Final Expiration Date” shall mean the Close of Business on September 19, 2005.

(j) “Person” shall mean any individual, partnership, limited partnership, joint venture, syndicate, sole proprietorship, company or corporation with or without share capital, unincorporated association, trust, trustee, executor, administrator or other legal personal representative, regulatory body or agency, government or governmental agency, authority or entity however designated or constituted, and shall include any successor (by merger or otherwise) of any of the foregoing.

 

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(k) “Purchase Price” shall mean initially $70.00 per share of Common Stock and shall be subject to adjustment from time to time as provided in this Agreement.

(l) “Redemption Date” shall have the meaning set forth in Section 7 hereof.

(m) “Related Person” shall mean (i) any Subsidiary of the Company, (ii) any employee benefit or stock ownership plan of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries or (iii) any entity holding Common Stock for or pursuant to the terms of any such plan.

(n) “Stock Acquisition Date” shall mean the first date of public announcement by the Company or an Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate of an Acquiring Person by press release, filing made with the Securities and Exchange Commission or otherwise, that an Acquiring Person has become such.

(o) “Subsidiary” of any Person (including the Company) shall mean any corporation or other entity of which a majority of the voting power of the voting equity securities or equity interest is owned, directly or indirectly, by such Person.

Section 2. Appointment of Rights Agent . The Company hereby appoints the Rights Agent to act as agent for the Company and the holders of the Rights (who, in accordance with Section 3 hereof, shall, prior to the Distribution Date, also be the holders of the Common Stock) in accordance with the terms and conditions hereof, and the Rights Agent hereby accepts such appointment. The Company may from time to time appoint such Co-Rights Agents as it may deem necessary or desirable. Contemporaneously with such appointment, if any, the Company shall notify the Rights Agent thereof. Any actions which may be taken by the Rights Agent pursuant to the terms of this Agreement may be taken by any such Co-Rights Agent.

Section 3. Issue of Right Certificates . (a) Until the Distribution Date, (i) the Rights will be evidenced (subject to the provisions of Section 3(b) hereof) by the certificates for Common Stock registered in the names of the holders thereof (which certificates for Common Stock shall also be deemed to be Right Certificates) and not by separate Right Certificates, and (ii) the right to receive Right Certificates will be transferable only in connection with the transfer of Common Stock in the share transfer books of the Company maintained by the Company or its appointed transfer agent. As soon as practicable after the Distribution Date, the Company will prepare and execute, the Rights Agent at the request of the Company will countersign, and the Company will send or cause to be sent (and the Rights Agent will, if requested, send) by first-class, insured, postage-prepaid mail to each record holder of Common Stock as of the Close of Business on the Distribution Date, at the address of such holder shown on the records of the Company, a Right Certificate, in substantially the form of Exhibit A hereto (a “Right Certificate”), evidencing one Right for each share of Common Stock so held, subject to adjustment as provided herein, together with a notice setting forth the Purchase Price as in effect on the Distribution Date. As of the Distribution Date, the Rights will be evidenced solely by such Right Certificates.

(b) On the Record Date, or as soon as practicable thereafter, the Company will send a copy of a Summary of Rights to Purchase Common Stock, in substantially the form of Exhibit B hereto (the “Summary of Rights”), by first-class, postage-prepaid mail, to each record holder of Common Stock as of the Close of Business on the Record Date, at the address of such holder shown on the records of the Company as of such date. With respect to certificates for Common Stock outstanding as of the Record Date, until the Distribution Date the Rights will be evidenced by such certificates registered in the names of the holders thereof together with a copy of the Summary of Rights attached thereto. Until the Distribution Date (or the earlier of the Redemption Date or the Final Expiration Date), the surrender for transfer of any certificate for Common Stock outstanding on the Record Date, with or without a copy of the Summary of Rights attached thereto, shall also constitute the transfer of the Rights associated with the Common Stock represented thereby.

 

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(c) Certificates for Common Stock which become outstanding (including, without limitation, reacquired Common Stock referred to in the last sentence of this paragraph (c)) after the Record Date but prior to the earlier of the Distribution Date, the Redemption Date or the Final Expiration Date shall have impressed on, printed on, written on or otherwise affixed to them the following legend:

This certificate also evidences and entitles the holder hereof to certain rights as set forth in a Rights Agreement between ImmuCell Corporation and American Stock Transfer & Trust Co., dated as of September 5, 1995 (the “Rights Agreement”), the terms of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference and a copy of which is on file at the principal executive offices of ImmuCell Corporation. Under certain circumstances, as set forth in the Rights Agreement, such Rights may be redeemed, may expire, may be amended, may be exchanged, or may be evidenced by separate certificates and will no longer be evidenced by this certificate. ImmuCell Corporation will mail to the holder of this certificate a copy of the Rights Agreement without charge after receipt of a written request therefor. As described in the Rights Agreement, Rights issued to any Person who becomes an Acquiring Person or any Associate or Affiliate thereof (as defined in the Rights Agreement) and certain subsequent holders of such Rights shall become null and void.

With respect to such certificates containing the foregoing legend, until the Distribution Date the Rights associated with the Common Stock represented by such certificates shall be evidenced by such certificates alone, and the surrender for transfer of any such certificate shall also constitute the transfer of the Rights associated with the Common Stock represented thereby. In the event that the Company purchases or acquires any shares of Common Stock after the Record Date but prior to the Distribution Date, any Rights associated with such Common Stock shall be deemed cancelled and retired so that the Company shall not be entitled to exercise any rights associated with the shares of Common Stock which are no longer outstanding.

Section 4. Form of Right Certificates . The Right Certificates (and the forms of election to purchase Common Stock and of assignment to be printed on the reverse thereof) shall be substantially the same as Exhibit A hereto and may have such marks of identification or designation and such legends, summaries or endorsements printed thereon as the Company may deem appropriate and as are not inconsistent with the provisions of this Agreement or as may be required to comply with any applicable law or with any rule or regulation made pursuant thereto or with any rule or regulation of any stock exchange or relating to any transaction reporting system on which the Common Stock or the Rights may from time to time be listed or quoted, or to conform to usage. Subject to the provisions of Section 22 hereof, the Right Certificates shall entitle the holders thereof to purchase such number of shares of Common Stock as shall be set forth therein at the Purchase Price per share, but the number of such shares and the Purchase Price shall be subject to adjustment as provided herein.

Section 5. Countersignature and Registration . The Right Certificates shall be executed on behalf of the Company by its President, any of its Vice Presidents, or its Treasurer, either manually or by facsimile signature, shall have affixed thereto the Company’s seal or facsimile thereof, and shall be attested by the Secretary or an Assistant Secretary of the Company, either manually or by facsimile signature. The Right Certificates shall be manually countersigned by an authorized signatory of the Rights Agent and shall not be valid for any purpose unless countersigned. In case any officer of the Company who shall have signed any of the Right Certificates shall cease to be such officer of the Company before countersignature by the Rights Agent and issuance and delivery by the Company, such Right Certificates, nevertheless, may be countersigned by the Rights Agent and issued and delivered by the Company with the same force and effect as though the person who signed such Right Certificates had not ceased to be such officer of the Company; and any Right Certificate may be signed on behalf of the Company by any person who, at the actual date of the execution of such Right Certificate, shall be a proper officer of the Company to sign such Right Certificate, although at the date of the execution of this Rights Agreement any such person was not such an officer.

Following the Distribution Date, the Rights Agent will keep or cause to be kept, at its office designated for such purpose, books for registration and transfer of the Right Certificates issued hereunder. Such books shall show the names and addresses of the respective holders of the Right Certificates, the number of Rights evidenced on its face by each of the Right Certificates and the date of each of the Right Certificates.

Section 6. Transfer, Split Up, Combination and Exchange of Right Certificates; Mutilated, Destroyed, Lost or Stolen Right Certificates . Subject to the provisions of Section 14 hereof, at any time after the Close of Business on the Distribution Date, and at or prior to the Close of Business on the earlier of the Redemption Date or the Final Expiration Date, any Right Certificate or Right

 

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Certificates (other than Right Certificates representing Rights that have become void pursuant to Section 11(a)(ii) hereof or that have been exchanged pursuant to Section 24 hereof) may be transferred, split up, combined or exchanged for another Right Certificate or Right Certificates, entitling the registered holder to purchase a like number of shares of Common Stock as the Right Certificate or Right Certificates surrendered then entitled such holder to purchase. Any registered holder desiring to transfer, split up, combine or exchange any Right Certificate or Right Certificates shall make such request in writing delivered to the Rights Agent, and shall surrender the Right Certificate or Right Certificates to be transferred, split up, combined or exchanged at the office of the Rights Agent designated for such purpose. Thereupon the Rights Agent shall countersign and deliver to the person entitled thereto a Right Certificate or Right Certificates, as the case may be, as so requested. The Company may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or governmental charge that may be imposed in connection with any transfer, split up, combination or exchange of Right Certificates.

Upon receipt by the Company and the Rights Agent of evidence reasonably satisfactory to them of the loss, theft, destruction or mutilation of a Right Certificate (other than Right Certificates representing Rights that have become null and void pursuant to Section 11(a)(ii) hereof or that have been exchanged pursuant to Section 24 hereof), and, in case of loss, theft or destruction, of indemnity or security reasonably satisfactory to them, and, at the Company’s request, reimbursement to the Company and the Rights Agent of all reasonable expenses incidental thereto, and upon surrender to the Rights Agent and cancellation of the Right Certificate if mutilated, the Company will make and deliver a new Right Certificate of like tenor to the Rights Agent for delivery to the registered holder in lieu of the Right Certificate so lost, stolen, destroyed or mutilated.

Section 7. Exercise of Rights; Purchase Price; Expiration Date of Rights . (a) Except as otherwise provided herein (including, without limitation, the restrictions on exercisability set forth in Section 23(b) hereof), the registered holder of any Right Certificate may exercise the Rights evidenced thereby in whole or in part at any time after the Distribution Date upon surrender of the Right Certificate, with the form of election to purchase on the reverse side thereof duly executed, to the Rights Agent at the office of the Rights Agent designated for such purpose, together with payment of the Purchase Price for each share of Common Stock as to which the Rights are exercised, at or prior to the earlier of (i) the Final Expiration Date, (ii) the time at which the Rights are redeemed as provided in Section 23 hereof (the “Redemption Date”), or (iii) the time at which such Rights are exchanged as provided in Section 24 hereof.

(b) The Purchase Price for each share of Common Stock pursuant to the exercise of a Right shall initially be $70.00, shall be subject to adjustment from time to time as provided in Sections 11 and 13 hereof, and shall be payable in lawful money of the United States of America in accordance with paragraph (c) below.

(c) Upon receipt of a Right Certificate representing exercisable Rights, with the form of election to purchase duly executed, accompanied by payment of the Purchase Price for the shares to be purchased and an amount equal to any applicable transfer tax required to be paid by the holder of such Right Certificate in accordance with Section 9 hereof, in cash, or by certified check, cashier’s check or money order payable to the order of the Company, the Rights Agent shall thereupon promptly (i) requisition from any transfer agent of the Common Stock certificates for the number of shares of Common Stock to be purchased and the Company hereby irrevocably authorizes its transfer agent to comply with all such requests, (ii) when appropriate, requisition from the Company the amount of cash to be paid in lieu of issuance of fractional shares in accordance with Section 14 hereof, (iii) promptly after receipt of such certificates, cause the same to be delivered to or upon the order of the registered holder of such Right Certificate, registered in such name or names as may be designated by such holder, and (iv) when appropriate, after receipt, promptly deliver such cash to or upon the order of the registered holder of such Right Certificate.

(d) In case the registered holder of any Right Certificate shall exercise less than all the Rights evidenced thereby, a new Right Certificate evidencing Rights equivalent to the Rights remaining unexercised shall be issued by the Rights Agent and delivered to the registered holder of such Right Certificate or to his duly authorized assigns, subject to the provisions of Section 14 hereof.

(e) Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, neither the Rights Agent nor the Company shall be obligated to undertake any action with respect to a registered holder of Rights upon the occurrence of any purported exercise as set forth in this Section 7 unless the form of election to purchase on the reverse side of the Right Certificate surrendered for such exercise shall have been completed and signed by the registered holder thereof.

 

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Section 8. Cancellation and Destruction of Right Certificates . All Right Certificates surrendered for the purpose of exercise, transfer, split up, combination or exchange shall, if surrendered to the Company or to any of its agents, be delivered to the Rights Agent for cancellation or in cancelled form, or, if surrendered to the Rights Agent, shall be cancelled by it, and no Right Certificates shall be issued in lieu thereof except as expressly permitted by any of the provisions of this Rights Agreement. The Company shall deliver to the Rights Agent for cancellation and retirement, and the Rights Agent shall so cancel and retire, any other Right Certificate purchased or acquired by the Company otherwise than upon the exercise thereof. The Rights Agent shall deliver all cancelled Right Certificates to the Company, or shall, at the written request of the Company, destroy such cancelled Right Certificates, and in such case shall delivery a certificate of destruction thereof to the Company.

Section 9. Company Covenants Concerning Shares and Rights . The Company covenants and agrees that, from and after the Distribution Date, it will cause to be reserved and kept available out of its authorized and unissued Common Stock, or any Common Stock held in its treasury, the number of shares of Common Stock that will be sufficient to permit the exercise in full of all outstanding Rights in accordance with Section 7 hereof; such number of shares of Common Stock reserved and kept available shall be adjusted from time to time, if and to the extent required, upon the occurrence of any of the events described in Sections 11 or 13 hereof.

In the event that the number of shares of Common Stock which is authorized by the Company’s certificate of incorporation but not outstanding or reserved for issuance for purposes other than upon exercise of the Rights is not sufficient to permit the exercise in full of a Right in accordance with Section 7, the Company shall, within thirty days after the surrender of such Right, and to the extent permitted by applicable law and any material agreements in effect on the date hereof to which the Company is a party: (A) with respect to each Right, upon exercise of such Right, issue shares of Common Stock to the extent available for the exercise in full of such Right and, to the extent shares of Common Stock are not so available, make adequate provision to substitute for the Common Stock in question not received upon exercise of such Right (1) other equity securities of the Company which are deemed in good faith by the Board of Directors to have substantially the same value as shares of Common Stock (such other equity securities are herein called “common stock equivalents”), (2) debt securities of the Company, (3) other assets, or (4) any combination of the foregoing, having a value which, when added to the value of the shares of Common Stock actually issued upon exercise of such Right, shall have an aggregate value equal to the then current value of the Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of a Right, where such aggregate value has been determined in good faith by the Board of Directors based upon the advice of a nationally recognized independent investment banking firm selected in good faith by the Board of Directors. If the Board of Directors shall determine in good faith that it is likely that sufficient additional shares of Common Stock could be authorized for issuance upon exercise in full of the Rights, the thirty day period set forth above may be extended to the extent necessary, but no more than ninety days after the surrender of the Right, in order that the Company may seek shareholder approval for the authorization of such additional shares (such thirty day period, as it may be extended, is herein called the “Substitution Period”). To the extent that the Company determines that some action must be taken pursuant to the first and/or second sentence of this paragraph, the Company (x) shall provide, subject to the last sentence of this paragraph, that such action shall apply uniformly to all outstanding Rights, and (y) may suspend the exercisability of the Rights until the expiration of the Substitution Period in order to seek any authorization of additional shares and/or to decide the appropriate form of distribution to be made pursuant to such first sentence and to determine the value thereof. In the event of any such suspension, the Company shall issue a public announcement stating that the exercisability of the Rights has been temporarily suspended, as well as a public announcement at such time as the suspension is no longer in effect. For purposes of this paragraph, the value of a share of Common Stock shall be the current per share market price of the Common Stock on the date that a Right is exercised pursuant to Section 7 and the per share or per unit value of any common stock equivalent shall be deemed to equal the current per share market price of the Common Stock on such date. The Board of Directors may, but shall not be required to, establish procedures to allocate the right to receive Common Stock upon the exercise of the Rights among holders of the Rights pursuant to this paragraph.

So long as the shares of Common Stock and/or other securities as provided herein issuable and deliverable upon the exercise of the Rights may be listed on a national securities exchange, the Company covenants and agrees that it will endeavor to cause, from and after such time as the Rights become exercisable, all securities reserved for such issuance to be listed on such exchange upon official notice of issuance.

 

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The Company further covenants and agrees that it will take all such action as may be necessary to ensure that all of the shares of Common Stock and/or other securities, as the case may be, delivered upon exercise of Rights, at the time of delivery of the certificates for such securities (subject to payment of the Purchase Price), shall be duly and validly authorized and issued and fully paid and nonassessable shares.

The Company further covenants and agrees that it will, if required by law, use its best efforts to (i) file on an appropriate form, as soon as practicable following the Distribution Date, a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to the securities purchasable upon exercise of the Rights, (ii) cause such registration statement to become effective as soon as practicable after such filing, and (iii) cause such registration statement to remain effective (with a prospectus at all times meeting the requirements of the Act) until the earlier of (A) the date as of which the Rights are no longer exercisable for such securities, and (B) the Final Expiration Date. The Company will also take such action as may be appropriate under, or to ensure compliance with, the securities or “blue sky” laws of the various states in connection with the exercisability of the Rights. The Company may temporarily suspend the exercisability of the Rights in order to prepare and file such registration statement and permit it to become effective, and, upon any such suspension, the Company will issue a public announcement stating that the exercisability of the Rights has been temporarily suspended, as well as a public announcement at such time as the suspension is no longer in effect.

Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, the Company further covenants and agrees that, after the Distribution Date, it will not, except as permitted by Section 23 or Section 27 hereof, take (or permit any Subsidiary to take) any action if at the time such action is taken it is reasonably foreseeable that such action will diminish or otherwise eliminate the benefits intended to be afforded by the Rights.

In the event that the Company is obligated to issue other securities of the Company, pay cash and/or distribute other property pursuant to Sections 11, 13 and 14 hereof, the Company further covenants and agrees that it will make all arrangements necessary so that such other securities, cash and/or property are available for distribution by the Rights Agent, if and when appropriate.

Section 10. Common Stock Record Date . Each person in whose name any certificate for Common Stock is issued upon the exercise of Rights shall for all purposes be deemed to have become the holder of record of the Common Stock represented thereby on, and such certificate shall be dated, the date upon which the Right Certificate evidencing such Rights was duly surrendered and payment of the Purchase Price (and any applicable transfer taxes) was made; provided , however , that if the date of such surrender and payment is a date upon which the share transfer books of the Company are closed, such person shall be deemed to have become the record holder of such shares on, and such certificate shall be dated, the next succeeding Business Day on which the share transfer books of the Company are open. Prior to the exercise of the Rights evidenced thereby, the holder of a Right Certificate shall not be entitled to any rights of a holder of Common Stock for which the Rights shall be exercisable, including, without limitation, the right to vote, to receive dividends or other distributions or to exercise any preemptive rights, and shall not be entitled to receive any notice of any proceedings of the Company, except as provided herein.

Section 11. Adjustment of Purchase Price, Number of Shares or Number of Rights . The Purchase Price, the number of shares of Common Stock covered by each Right and the number of Rights outstanding are subject to adjustment from time to time as provided in this Section 11.

(a)(i) In the event the Company shall at any time after the date of this Agreement (A) declare a dividend on the Common Stock payable in Common Stock, (B) subdivide the outstanding shares of Common Stock, (C) combine the outstanding shares of Common Stock into a smaller number of shares of Common Stock, or (D) issue any shares of its capital stock in a reclassification of the Common Stock (including any such reclassification in connection with a consolidation or merger in which the Company is the continuing or surviving corporation), except as otherwise provided in this Section 11(a), the Purchase Price in effect at the time of the record date for such dividend or of the effective date of such subdivision, combination or reclassification, and the number and kind of shares of capital stock issuable on such date upon exercise of a Right, shall be proportionately adjusted so that the holder of any Right exercised after such time shall be entitled to receive, upon payment of the Purchase Price then in effect, the aggregate number and

 

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kind of shares of capital stock which, if such Right had been exercised immediately prior to such date and at a time when the share transfer books of the Company were open, he would have owned upon such exercise and been entitled to receive by virtue of such dividend, subdivision, combination or reclassification; provided , however , that in no event shall the consideration to be paid upon the exercise of one Right be less than the aggregate par value of the shares of capital stock of the Company issuable upon exercise of one Right. If an event occurs which would require an adjustment under both this Section 11(a)(i) and Section 11(a)(ii) hereof or Section 13 hereof, the adjustment provided for in this Section 11(a)(i) shall be in addition to, and shall be made prior to, any adjustment required pursuant to Section 11(a)(ii) or Section 13 hereof.

(ii) Subject to Section 24 and the last sentence of Section 23(b) of this Agreement, in the event that any Person, at any time after the date of this Agreement, shall become an Acquiring Person, each holder of a Right, except as provided below, shall thereafter have a right to receive, upon exercise thereof at a price equal to the then current Purchase Price multiplied by the number of shares of Common Stock for which a Right is then exercisable, in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, such number of shares of Common Stock of the Company as shall equal the result obtained by (x) multiplying the then current Purchase Price by the number of shares of Common Stock for which a Right is then exercisable and dividing that product by (y) 50% of the then current per share market price of the Company’s Common Stock (determined pursuant to Section 11(d) hereof) on the date on which any Person shall become an Acquiring Person. In the event that any Person shall become an Acquiring Person and the Rights shall then be outstanding, the Company shall not take any action which would eliminate or diminish the benefits intended to be afforded by the Rights.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, any Rights that are or were acquired or beneficially owned by any Acquiring Person (or any Associate or Affiliate of such Acquiring Person) shall be null and void and any holder of such Rights shall thereafter have no right to exercise such Rights under any provision of this Agreement. No Right Certificate shall be issued pursuant to Section 3 that represents Rights beneficially owned by an Acquiring Person or any Associate or Affiliate thereof whose Rights would be void pursuant to the preceding sentence, and no Right Certificate shall be issued at any time upon the transfer of any Rights to an Acquiring Person or any Associate or Affiliate thereof or to any nominee of such Acquiring Person, Associate or Affiliate whose Rights would be null and void pursuant to the preceding sentence, and any Right Certificate delivered to the Rights Agent for transfer to an Acquiring Person or any Associate or Affiliate thereof whose Rights would be null and void pursuant to the preceding sentence shall be cancelled.

(iii) In the event that the number of shares of Common Stock which is authorized by the Company’s certificate of incorporation but not outstanding or reserved for issuance for purposes other than a upon exercise of the Rights is not sufficient to permit the exercise in full of the Rights in accordance with Section 11(a)(ii) and the Rights shall become so exercisable, the Company shall, within thirty days after the surrender of such Rights, and to the extent permitted by applicable law and any material agreements in effect on the date hereof to which the Company is a party: (A) determine the value of the Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of each Right (the “Current Value”) and (B) with respect to each Right, upon exercise of such Right, issue shares of Common Stock to the extent available for the exercise in full of such Right and, to the extent shares of Common Stock are not so available, make adequate provision to substitute for the Common Stock in question not received upon exercise of such Right (1) cash, (2) other equity securities of the Company (including, without limitation, shares, or units of shares, of preferred stock or preference stock which are deemed in good faith by the Board of Directors to have substantially the same value as shares of Common Stock (such other equity securities are herein called “common stock equivalents”)), (3) debt securities of the Company, (4) other assets, or (5) any combination of the foregoing, having a value which, when added to the value of the shares of Common Stock actually issued upon exercise of such Right, shall have an aggregate value equal to the applicable Current Value, where such aggregate value has been determined in good faith by the Board of Directors based upon the advice of a nationally recognized independent investment banking firm selected in good faith by the Board of Directors. If the Board of Directors shall determine in good faith that it is likely that sufficient additional shares of Common Stock could be authorized for issuance upon exercise in full of the Rights, the thirty day period set forth above may be extended to the extent necessary, but no more than ninety days after the event giving rise to the right to exercise the Rights in accordance with Section 11(a)(ii) (the “Section 11(a)(ii) Event”), in order that the Company may seek shareholder approval for the authorization of such additional shares (such thirty day period, as it may be extended, is herein called the “Common Stock Substitution Period”). To the extent that the Company determines that some action must be taken pursuant to the first and/or second sentence of this Section 11(a)(iii), the Company (x) shall provide, subject to Section 11(a)(ii) and the last sentence of this

 

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Section 11(a)(iii), that such action shall apply uniformly to all outstanding Rights (except to the extent provided by the second sentence of Section 11(a)(ii) hereof), and (y) may suspend the exercisability of the Rights until the expiration of the Common Stock Substitution Period in order to seek any authorization of additional shares and/or to decide the appropriate form of distribution to be made pursuant to such first sentence and to determine the value thereof. In the event of any such suspension, the Company shall issue a public announcement stating that the exercisability of the Rights has been temporarily suspended, as well as a public announcement at such time as the suspension is no longer in effect. For purposes of this Section 11(a)(iii), the value of a share of Common Stock shall be the current per share market price of the Common Stock on the date of the Section 11(a)(ii) Event and the per share or per unit value of any common stock equivalent shall be deemed to equal the current per share market price of the Common Stock on such date. The Board of Directors may, but shall not be required to, establish procedures to allocate the right to receive Common Stock upon the exercise of the Rights among holders of the Rights pursuant to this Section 11(a)(iii).

(b) In the event that the Company shall fix a record date for the issuance of rights, options or warrants to all holders of Common Stock entitling them (for a period expiring within 45 calendar days after such record date) to subscribe for or purchase Common Stock (or shares having the same rights, privileges and preferences as the Common Stock (“equivalent common stock”)) or securities convertible into Common Stock or equivalent common stock at a price per share of Common Stock or equivalent common stock (or having a conversion price per share, if a security convertible into Common Stock or equivalent common stock) less than the then current per share market price of the Common Stock (as defined in Section 11(d) on such record date), the Purchase Price to be in effect after such record date shall be determined by multiplying the Purchase Price in effect immediately prior to such record date by a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding on such record date plus the number of shares of Common Stock which the aggregate offering price of the total number of shares of Common Stock and/or equivalent common stock so to be offered (and/or the aggregate initial conversion price of the convertible securities so to be offered) would purchase at such current market price and the denominator of which shall be the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding on such record date plus the number of additional shares of Common Stock and/or equivalent common stock to be offered for subscription or purchase (or into which the convertible securities so to be offered are initially convertible); provided , however , that in no event shall the consideration to be paid upon the exercise of one Right be less than the aggregate par value of the shares of capital stock of the Company issuable upon exercise of one Right. In case such subscription price may be paid in a consideration part or all of which shall be in a form other than cash, the value of such consideration shall be as determined in good faith by the Board, whose determination shall be described in a statement filed with the Rights Agent and shall be conclusive for all purposes. Common Stock owned by or held for the account of the Company shall not be deemed outstanding for the purpose of any such computation. Such adjustment shall be made successively whenever such a record date is fixed; and in the event that such rights, options or warrants are not so issued, the Purchase Price shall be adjusted to be the Purchase Price which would then be in effect if such record dated had not been fixed.

(c) In the event that the Company shall fix a record date for the making of a distribution to all holders of the Common Stock (including any such distribution made in connection with a consolidation or merger in which the Company is the continuing or surviving corporation) of evidences of indebtedness, cash (other than a regular quarterly or other periodic cash dividend out of the earnings or retained earnings of the Company), assets, stock (other than a dividend payable in Common Stock) or subscription rights, options or warrants (excluding those referred to in Section 11(b) hereof), the Purchase Price to be in effect after such record date shall be determined by multiplying the Purchase Price in effect immediately prior to such record date by a fraction, the numerator of which shall be the then current per share market price of the Common Stock on such record date, less the fair market value (as determined in good faith by the Board, whose determination shall be described in a statement filed with the Rights Agent and shall be conclusive for all purposes) of the portion of the cash, assets, stock or evidences of indebtedness so to be distributed or of such subscription rights or warrants applicable to one share of Common Stock, and the denominator of which shall be such current per share market price of the Common Stock; provided , however , that in no event shall the consideration to be paid upon the exercise of one Right be less than the aggregate par value of the shares of capital stock of the Company to be issued upon exercise of one Right. Such adjustments shall be made successively whenever such a record date is fixed; and in the event that such distribution is not so made, the Purchase Price shall again be adjusted to be the Purchase Price which would then be in effect if such record date had not been fixed.

 

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(d)(i) For the purpose of any computation hereunder, the “current per share market price” of any security (a “Security” for the purpose of this Section 11(d)(i)) on any date shall be deemed to be the average of the daily closing prices per share of such Security for the 30 consecutive Trading Days (as such term is hereinafter defined) immediately prior to such date; provided , however , that in the event that the current per share market price of the Security is determined during a period following the announcement by the issuer of such Security of (A) a dividend or distribution on such Security payable in shares of such Security or securities convertible into such shares, or (B) any subdivision, combination or reclassification of such Security, and prior to the expiration of 30 consecutive Trading Days after the ex-dividend date for such dividend or distribution, or the record date for such subdivision, combination or reclassification, then, and in each such case, the current per share market price shall be appropriately adjusted to reflect the current market price per share equivalent of such Security. The closing price for each day shall be the last sale price, regular way, or, in case no such sale takes place on such day, the average of the closing bid and asked prices, regular way, in either case as reported in the principal consolidated transaction reporting system with respect to securities listed or admitted to trading on the New York Stock Exchange or, if the Security is not listed or admitted to trading on the New York Stock Exchange, as reported in the principal consolidated transaction reporting system with respect to securities listed on the principal national securities exchange on which the Security is listed or admitted to trading or, if the Security is not listed or admitted to trading on any national securities exchange, the last quoted price or, if not so quoted, the average of the high bid and low asked prices in the over-the-counter market, as reported by the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. Automated Quotation System (“NASDAQ”) or such other system then in use, or if on any date the Security is not quoted by any such organization, the average of the closing bid and asked prices as furnished by a professional market maker in the Security selected by the Board. The term “Trading Day” shall mean a day on which the principal national securities exchange on which the Security is listed or admitted to trading is open for the transaction of business or, if the Security is not listed or admitted to trading on any national securities exchange, a Business Day.

(ii) For the purpose of any computation hereunder, if the Common Stock is not or so listed or traded, “current per share market price” shall mean the fair value per share as determined in good faith by the Board, whose determination shall be described in a statement filed with the Rights Agent and shall be conclusive for all purposes.

(e) Except as set forth below, no adjustment in the Purchase Price shall be required unless such adjustment would require an increase or decrease of at least 1% in the Purchase Price; provided , however , that any adjustments which by reason of this Section 11(e) are not required to be made shall be carried forward and taken into account in any subsequent adjustment. All calculations under this Section 11 shall be made to the nearest cent or to the nearest one ten-thousandth of any share of Common Stock or other share or security as the case may be. Notwithstanding the first sentence of this Section 11(e), any adjustment required by this Section 11 shall be made no later than the earlier of (i) three years from the date of the transaction which requires such adjustment or (ii) the date of the expiration of the right to exercise any Rights.

(f) If as a result of an adjustment made pursuant to Section 11(a), the holder of any Right thereafter exercised shall become entitled to receive any shares of capital stock of the Company other than Common Stock, thereafter the number of such other shares so receivable upon exercise of any Right shall be subject to adjustment from time to time in a manner and on terms as nearly equivalent as practicable to the provisions with respect to the Common Stock contained in Sections 11(a) through (c), inclusive, and the provisions of Sections 7, 9, 10, 13 and 14 with respect to the Common Stock shall apply on like terms to any such other shares.

(g) All Rights originally issued by the Company subsequent to any adjustment made to the Purchase Price hereunder shall evidence the right to purchase, at the adjusted Purchase Price, the number of shares of Common Stock purchasable from time to time hereunder upon exercise of the Rights, all subject to further adjustments provided herein.

(h) Unless the Company shall have exercised its election as provided in Section 11(i), upon each adjustment of the Purchase Price as a result of the calculations made in Sections 11(b) and (c), each Right outstanding immediately prior to the making of such adjustment shall thereafter evidence the right to purchase, at the adjusted Purchase Price, that number of shares of Common Stock (calculated to the nearest one ten-thousandth of a share of Common Stock) obtained by (i) multiplying (x) the number of shares of Common Stock covered by a Right immediately prior to this adjustment by (y) the Purchase Price in effect immediately prior to such adjustment of the Purchase Price and (ii) dividing the product so obtained by the Purchase Price in effect immediately after such adjustment of the Purchase Price.

 

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(i) The Company may elect on or after the date of any adjustment of the Purchase Price to adjust the number of Rights, in substitution for any adjustment in the number of shares of Common Stock purchasable upon the exercise of a Right. Each of the Rights outstanding after such adjustment of the number of Rights shall be exercisable for the number of shares of Common Stock for which a Right was exercisable immediately prior to such adjustment. Each Right held of record prior to such adjustment of the number of Rights shall become that number of Rights (calculated to the nearest one ten-thousandth) obtained by dividing the Purchase Price in effect immediately prior to adjustment of the Purchase Price by the Purchase Price in effect immediately after adjustment of the Purchase Price. The Company shall make a public announcement of its election to adjust the number of Rights, indicating the record date for the adjustment, and, if known at the time, the amount of the adjustment to be made. This record date may be the date on which the Purchase Price is adjusted or any day thereafter, but, if the Right Certificates have been issued, shall be at least 10 days later than the date of the public announcement. If Right Certificates have been issued, upon each adjustment of the number of Rights pursuant to this Section 11(i), the Company shall, as promptly as practicable, cause to be distributed to holders of record of Right Certificates on such record date Right Certificates evidencing, subject to Section 14 hereof, the additional Rights to which such holders shall be entitled as a result of such adjustment, or, at the option of the Company, shall cause to be distributed to such holders of record in substitution and replacement for the Right Certificates held by such holders prior to the date of adjustment, and upon surrender thereof, if required by the Company, new Right Certificates evidencing all the Rights to which such holders shall be entitled after such adjustment. Right Certificates so to be distributed shall be issued, executed and countersigned in the manner provided for herein and shall be registered in the names of the holders of record of Right Certificates on the record date specified in the public announcement.

(j) Irrespective of any adjustment or change in the Purchase Price or the number of shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of the Rights, the Right Certificates theretofore and thereafter issued may continue to express the Purchase Price and the number of shares of Common Stock which were expressed in the initial Right Certificates issued hereunder.

(k) Before taking any action that would cause an adjustment reducing the Purchase Price below the then par value, if any, of the shares of Common Stock issuable upon exercise of the Rights, the Company shall take any corporate action which may, in the opinion of its counsel, be necessary in order that the Company may validly and legally issue fully paid and nonassessable shares of Common Stock at such adjusted Purchase Price.

(l) In any case in which this Section 11 shall require that an adjustment in the Purchase Price be made effective as of a record date for a specified event, the Company may elect to defer until the occurrence of such event the issuing to the holder of any Right exercised after such record date of the Common Stock and other capital stock or securities of the Company, if any, issuable upon such exercise over and above the Common Stock and other capital stock or securities of the Company, if any, issuable upon such exercise on the basis of the Purchase Price in effect prior to such adjustment; provided , however , that the Company shall deliver to such holder a due bill or other appropriate instrument evidencing such holder’s right to receive such additional shares upon the occurrence of the event requiring such adjustment.

(m) Notwithstanding anything in this Section 11 to the contrary, the Board shall be entitled to make such reductions in the Purchase Price, in addition to those adjustments expressly required by this Section 11, as and to the extent that in their good faith judgment the Board shall determine to be advisable in order that any consolidation or subdivision of the Common Stock, issuance wholly for cash of any Common Stock at less than the current market price, issuance wholly for cash or securities which by their terms are convertible into or exchangeable for Common Stock, dividends on Common Stock payable in Common Stock or issuance of rights, options or warrants referred to hereinabove in Section 11(b), hereafter made by the Company to holders of its Common Stock shall not be taxable to such stockholders.

(n) Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, in the event that at any time after the date of this Agreement and prior to the Distribution Date, the Company shall (i) declare or pay any dividend on the Common Stock payable in Common Stock or (ii) effect a subdivision, combination or consolidation of the Common Stock by reclassification otherwise than by payment of

 

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dividends in shares of Common Stock into a greater or lesser number of shares of Common Stock, then in any such case (i) the number of shares of Common Stock purchasable after such event upon proper exercise of each Right shall be determined by multiplying the number of shares of Common Stock so purchasable immediately prior to such event by a fraction, the numerator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately before such event and the denominator of which is the number of shares of Common Stock outstanding immediately after such event, and (ii) each share of Common Stock outstanding immediately after such event shall have issued with respect to it that number of Rights which each share of Common Stock outstanding immediately prior to such event had issued with respect to it. The adjustments provided for in this Section 11(n) shall be made successively whenever such a dividend is declared or paid or such a subdivision, combination or consolidation is effected.

Section 12. Certificate of Adjusted Purchase Price or Number of Shares . Whenever an adjustment is made as provided in Sections 11 and 13 hereof, the Company shall promptly (a) prepare a certificate setting forth such adjustment and a brief statement of the facts accounting for such adjustment, (b) file with the Rights Agent and with each transfer agent for the Common Stock a copy of such certificate, and (c) mail a brief summary thereof to each holder of a Right Certificate in accordance with Section 26 hereof. The Rights Agent may rely on such certificate and shall not be deemed to have knowledge of any such adjustment unless and until it shall have received such certificate.

Section 13. Consolidation, Merger or Sale or Transfer of Assets or Earnings Power . (a) In the event that, following the Distribution Date, directly or indirectly, (i) the Company shall consolidate with, or merge with and into, any other Person and the Company shall not be the continuing or surviving corporation of such consolidation or merger, (ii) any Person shall consolidate with the Company, or merge with and into the Company and the Company shall be the continuing or surviving corporation of such merger or consolidation and, in connection with such merger or consolidation, all or part of the Common Stock shall be changed into or exchanged for stock or other securities of any other Person (or the Company) or cash or any other property, or (iii) the Company shall sell or otherwise transfer (or one or more of its Subsidiaries shall sell or otherwise transfer), in one or more transactions, assets or earning power aggregating 50% or more of the assets or earning power of the Company and its Subsidiaries (taken as a whole) to any Person other than the Company or one or more of its wholly-owned Subsidiaries, then, and in each such case, proper provision shall be made so that (i) each holder of a Right (except as otherwise provided herein) shall thereafter have the right to receive, upon the exercise thereof at a price equal to the then current Purchase Price multiplied by the number of shares of Common Stock for which a Right is then exercisable, in accordance with the terms of this Agreement and in lieu of Common Stock, such number of shares of validly authorized and issued, fully paid, nonassessable and freely tradeable Common Stock of the Issuer (as such term is defined in Section 13(b) hereof), free and clear of any liens, encumbrances and other adverse claims and not subject to any rights of call or first refusal, as shall equal the result obtained by (X) multiplying the then current Purchase Price by the number of shares of Common Stock for which a Right is then exercisable and dividing that product by (Y) 50% of the then current per share market price of the Common Stock (determined pursuant to Section 11(d) hereof) of the Issuer on the date of consummation of such consolidation, merger, sale or transfer; (ii) the Issuer of such Common Stock shall thereafter be liable for, and shall assume, by virtue of such consolidation, merger, sale or transfer, all the obligations and duties of the Company pursuant to this Agreement; (iii) the term “Company” shall thereafter be deemed to refer to the Issuer; and (iv) the Issuer shall take such steps (including, but not limited to, the reservation of a sufficient number of shares of its Common Stock to permit the exercise in full of all outstanding Rights which have not become null and void in accordance with Section 11(a)(ii)) in connection with such consummation as may be necessary to assure that the provisions hereof shall thereafter be applicable, as nearly as reasonably may be, in relation to the Common Stock thereafter deliverable upon the exercise of the Rights. The Company shall not consummate any such consolidation, merger, sale or transfer described in this Section 13(a) unless prior thereto the Company and such Issuer shall have executed and delivered to the Rights Agent a supplemental agreement so providing. The Company shall not enter into any transaction of the kind referred to in this Section 13(a) if at the time of such transaction there are any rights, warrants, instruments or securities outstanding or any agreements or arrangements which, as a result of the consummation of such transaction, would eliminate or substantially diminish the benefits intended to be afforded by the Rights.

(b) For purposes of this Section 13, “Issuer” shall mean (i) in the case of any event described in Sections 13(a)(i) or (ii) above, the Person that is the continuing, surviving, resulting or acquiring Person (including the Company as the continuing or surviving corporation of a transaction described in Section 13(a)(ii) above), and (ii) in the case of any event described in Section 13(a)(iii)

 

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above, the Person that is the party receiving the greatest portion of the assets or earning power (including without limitation securities creating any obligation on the part of the Company and/or any of its Subsidiaries) transferred pursuant to such transaction or transactions; provided , however , that, in any such case, (A) if (1) no class of equity security of such Person is, at the time of such merger, consolidation or transaction and has been continuously over the preceding 12-month period, registered pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act, and (2) such Person is a Subsidiary, directly or indirectly, of another Person, a class of equity security of which is and has been so registered, the term “Issuer” shall mean such other Person; and (B) in case such Person is a Subsidiary, directly or indirectly, of more than one Person, a class of equity security of two or more of which are and have been so registered, the term “Issuer” shall mean whichever of such Persons is the issuer of the class of equity security having the greatest aggregate market value.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Issuer in any of the events described in Section 13(a) is not a corporation or other legal entity having outstanding equity securities, then, and in each such case, (i) if the Issuer is directly or indirectly wholly owned by a corporation or other legal entity having outstanding equity securities, then all references to Common Stock of the Issuer shall be deemed to be references to the Common Stock of the corporation or other legal entity having outstanding equity securities which ultimately controls the Issuer, and (ii) if there is no such corporation or other legal entity having outstanding equity securities, (Y) proper provision shall be made so that the Issuer shall create or otherwise make available for purposes of the exercise of the Rights in accordance with the terms of this Agreement, a type or types of security or securities having a fair market value at least equal to the economic value of the Common Stock which each holder of a Right would have been entitled to receive if the Issuer had been a corporation or other legal entity having outstanding equity securities and (Z) all other provisions of this Agreement shall apply to the issuer of such securities as if such securities were Common Stock.

(c) The Company shall not consummate any consolidation, merger, sale or transfer described in Section 13(a) unless the Issuer shall have a sufficient number of authorized shares of Common Stock (or other securities as contemplated in Section 13(b) above) which have not been issued or reserved for issuance to permit the exercise in full of the Rights in accordance with this Section 13 and unless prior to such consummation the Company and the Issuer shall have executed and delivered to the Rights Agent a supplemental agreement providing for the terms set forth in subsections (a) and (b) of this Section 13 and further providing that as soon as practicable after the consummation of any such consolidation, merger, sale or transfer described in Section 13(a), the Issuer will (i), if legally required, prepare and file a registration statement under the Securities Act, with respect to the Rights and the securities purchasable upon exercise of the Rights on an appropriate form, and will use its best efforts to cause such registration statement to (A) become effective as soon as practicable after such filing and (B) remain effective (with a prospectus at all times meeting the requirements of the Securities Act) until the Expiration Date; (ii), if legally required, take all such actions as may be appropriate under, or to ensure compliance with, the securities or “blue sky” laws of the various states in connection with the exercisability of the Rights; and (iii) deliver to holders of the Rights historical financial statements for the Issuer and each of its Affiliates which comply in all respects with the requirements for registration on Form 10 under the Exchange Act.

(d) The provisions of this Section 13 shall similarly apply to successive mergers or consolidations or sales or other transfers.

Section 14. Fractional Rights and Fractional Shares . (a) The Company shall not be required to issue fractions of Rights or to distribute Right Certificates which evidence fractional Rights. In lieu of such fractional Rights, there shall be paid to the registered holders of the Right Certificates with regard to which such fractional Rights would otherwise be issuable, an amount in cash equal to the same fraction of the current market value of a whole Right. For the purposes of this Section 14(a), the current market value of a whole Right shall be the closing price per Right for the Trading Day immediately prior to the date on which such fractional Rights would have been otherwise issuable. The closing price for any day shall be the last sale price, regular way, or, in case no such sale takes place on such day, the average of the closing bid and asked prices, regular way, in either case as reported in the principal consolidated transaction reporting system with respect to securities listed or admitted to trading on the New York Stock Exchange, or if the Rights are not listed or admitted to trading on the New York Stock Exchange, as reported in the principal consolidated transaction reporting system with respect to securities listed on the principal national securities exchange on which the Rights are listed or admitted to trading or, if the Rights are not listed or admitted to trading on any national securities exchange, the last quoted price or, if not so quoted, the average of the high bid and low asked prices in the over-the-counter market, as reported by NASDAQ or such other system then in use or, if on any such date the Rights are not quoted by any such organization, the average of the closing bid

 

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and asked prices as furnished by a professional market maker making a market in the Rights selected by the Board. If on any such date no such market maker is making a market in the Rights, the fair value of the Rights on such date as determined in good faith by the Board shall be used and such determination, which shall be described in a statement filed with the Rights Agent, shall be conclusive for all purposes.

(b) The Company shall not be required to issue fractions of shares of Common Stock upon exercise of the Rights or to distribute certificates which evidence fractional shares of Common Stock. In lieu of fractional shares of Common Stock, the Company shall pay to the registered holders of Right Certificates at the time such Rights are exercised as herein provided with regard to which such fractional shares would otherwise be issuable, an amount in cash equal to the same fraction of the current market value of a whole share of Common Stock. For the purposes of this Section 14(b), the current market value of a share of Common Stock shall be the closing price of a share of Common Stock (as determined pursuant to Section 11(d) hereof) for the Trading Day immediately prior to the date of such exercise.

(c) The holder of a Right by the acceptance of the Rights expressly waives the right to receive any fractional Rights or any fractional shares of Common Stock upon exercise of a Right.

Section 15. Rights of Actions . All rights of action in respect of this Agreement, excepting the rights of action given to the Rights Agent under Section 18 hereof, are vested in the respective registered holders of the Right Certificates (and, prior to the Distribution Date, the registered holders of the Common Stock); and any registered holder of any Right Certificate (or, prior to the Distribution Date, of the Common Stock), without the consent of the Rights Agent or of the holder of any other Right Certificate (or, prior to the Distribution Date, of the Common Stock) may, in his own behalf and for his own benefit, enforce, and may institute and maintain any suit, action or proceeding against the Company to enforce, or otherwise act in respect of, his right to exercise the Rights evidenced by such Right Certificate and in this Agreement. Without limiting the foregoing or any remedies available to the holders of Rights, it is specifically acknowledged that the holders of Rights would not have an adequate remedy at law for any breach of this Agreement and will be entitled to specific performance of the obligations under, and injunctive relief against actual or threatened violations of the obligations of any Person subject to, this Agreement.

Section 16. Agreement of Right Holders . Every holder of a Right, by accepting the same, consents and agrees with the Company and the Rights Agent and with every other holder of a Right that:

(a) prior to the Distribution Date, the Rights will be transferable only in connection with the transfer of the Common Stock;

(b) after the Distribution Date, the Right Certificates are transferable only on the registry books of the Rights Agent if surrendered at the principal office of the Rights Agent, duly endorsed or accompanied by a proper instrument of transfer; and

(c) the Company and the Rights Agent may deem and treat the person in whose name the Right Certificate (or, prior to the Distribution Date, the associated Common Stock certificate) is registered as the absolute owner thereof and of the Rights evidenced thereby (notwithstanding any notations of ownership or writing on the Right Certificates or the associated Common Stock certificate made by anyone other than the Company or the Rights Agent) for all purposes whatsoever, and neither the Company nor the Rights Agent shall be affected by any notice to the contrary.

Section 17. Right Certificate Holder Not Deemed a Stockholder . No holder, as such, of any Right Certificate shall be entitled to vote, receive dividends or be deemed for any purpose the holder of the Common Stock or any other securities of the Company which may at any time be issuable on the exercise of the Rights represented thereby, nor shall anything contained herein or in any Right Certificate be construed to confer upon the holder of any Right Certificate, as such, any of the rights of a stockholder of the Company or any right to vote for the election of directors or upon any matter submitted to stockholders at any meeting thereof, or to give or withhold consent to any corporate action, or to receive notice of meetings or other actions affecting stockholders (except as provided in Section 25 hereof), or to receive dividends or subscription rights, or otherwise, until the Right or Rights evidenced by such Right Certificate shall have been exercised in accordance with the provisions hereof.

 

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Section 18. Concerning the Rights Agent . The Company agrees to pay to the Rights Agent reasonable compensation for all services rendered by it hereunder and, from time to time, on demand of the Rights Agent, its reasonable expenses and counsel fees and other disbursements incurred in the administration and execution of this Agreement and the exercise and performance of its duties hereunder. The Company also agrees to indemnify the Rights Agent for, and to hold it harmless against, any loss, liability, or expense, incurred without negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct on the part of the Rights Agent, for anything done or omitted by the Rights Agent in connection with acceptance and administration of this Agreement, including the costs and expenses of defending against any claim of liability in the premises.

The Rights Agent shall be protected and shall incur no liability for, or in respect of any action taken, suffered or omitted by it in connection with, its administration of this Agreement in reliance upon any Right Certificate or certificate for the Common Stock or for other securities of the Company, instrument of assignment or transfer, power of attorney, endorsement, affidavit, letter, notice, discretion, consent, certificate, statement or other paper or document believed by it to be genuine and to be signed, executed and, where necessary, verified or acknowledged, by the proper person or persons, or otherwise upon the advice of counsel as set forth in Section 20 hereof.

Section 19. Merger or Consolidation or Change of Name of Rights Agent . Any corporation into which the Rights Agent or any successor Rights Agent may be merged or with which it may be consolidated, or any corporation resulting from any merger or consolidation to which the Rights Agent or any successor Rights Agent shall be a party, or any corporation succeeding to the stock transfer or corporate trust business of the Rights Agent or any successor Rights Agent, shall be successor to the Right Agent under this Agreement without the execution or filing of any paper or any further action the part of any of the parties hereto, provided that such corporation would be eligible for appointment as a successor Rights Agent under the provisions of Section 21 hereof. In case at the time such successor Rights Agent shall succeed to the agency created by this Agreement any of the Right Certificates shall have been countersigned but not delivered, any such successor Rights Agent may adopt the countersignature of the predecessor Rights Agent and deliver such Rights Certificates so countersigned; and in case at that time any of the Right Certificates shall not have been countersigned, any successor Rights Agent may countersign such Right Certificates either in the name of the predecessor Rights Agent or in the name of the successor Rights Agent; and in all such cases such Right Certificates shall have the full force and effect provided in the Right Certificates and in this Agreement.

In case at any time the name of the Rights Agent shall be changed and at such time any of the Right Certificates shall have been countersigned but not delivered, the Rights Agent may adopt the countersignature under its prior name and deliver Right Certificates so countersigned; and in case at that time any of the Right Certificates shall not have been countersigned, the Rights Agent may countersign such Right Certificates either in its prior name or its changed name, and in all such cases such Right Certificates shall have the full force and effect provided in the Right Certificates and in this Agreement.

Section 20. Duties of Rights Agent . The Rights Agent undertakes the duties and obligations imposed by this Agreement upon the following terms and conditions, by all of which the Company and the holders of Right Certificates, by their acceptance thereof, shall be bound:

(a) The Rights Agent may consult with legal counsel (who may be legal counsel for the Company), and the opinion of such counsel shall be full and complete authorization and protection to the Rights Agent as to any action taken or omitted by it in good faith and in accordance with such opinion.

(b) Whenever in the performance of its duties under this Agreement the Rights Agent shall deem it necessary or desirable that any fact or matter be proved or established by the Company prior to taking or suffering any action hereunder, such fact or matter (unless other evidence in respect thereof be herein specifically prescribed) may be deemed to be conclusively proved and established by a certificate signed by any one of the President, any Vice President, the Treasurer or the Secretary of the Company and delivered to the Rights Agent; and such certificate shall be full authorization to the Rights Agent for any action taken or suffered in good faith by it under the provisions of this Agreement in reliance upon such certificate.

 

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(c) The Rights Agent shall be liable hereunder to the Company and any other Persons only for its own negligence, bad faith or willful misconduct.

(d) The Rights Agent shall not be liable for or by reason of any of the statements of fact or recitals contained in this Agreement or in the Right Certificates (except as to its countersignature thereof) or be required to verify the same, but all such statements and recitals are and shall be deemed to have been made by the Company only.

(e) The Rights Agent shall not be under any responsibility in respect of the validity of this Agreement or the execution and delivery hereof (except the due execution hereof by the Rights Agent) or in respect of the validity or execution of any Right Certificate (except its countersignature thereof); nor shall it be responsible for any breach by the Company of any covenant or condition contained in this Agreement or in any Right Certificate; nor shall it be responsible for any change in the exercisability of the Rights (including the Rights becoming void pursuant to Section 11(a)(ii) hereof) or any adjustment in the terms of the Rights (including the manner, method or amount thereof) provided for in Sections 11, 13, 23, or 24, or the ascertaining of the existence of facts that should requires any such change or adjustment (except with respect to the exercise of Rights evidenced by Right Certificates after receipt of a certificate furnished pursuant to Section 12, describing such change or adjustment); nor shall it by any act hereunder be deemed to make any representation or warranty as to the authorization or reservation of any shares of Common Stock to be issued pursuant to this Agreement or any Right Certificate or as to whether any shares of Common Stock will, when issued, be validly authorized and issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

(f) The Company agrees that it will perform, execute, acknowledge and deliver or cause to be performed, executed, acknowledged and delivered all such further and other acts, instruments and assurances as may reasonably be required by the Rights Agent for the carrying out or performing by the Rights Agent of the provisions of this Agreement.

(g) The Rights Agent is hereby authorized and directed to accept instructions with respect to the performance of its duties hereunder from any one of the Chairman of the Board, the President, any Vice President, the Treasurer or the Secretary of the Company, and to apply to such officers for advice or instructions in connection with its duties, and it shall not be liable for any action taken or suffered by it in good faith in accordance with instructions of any such officer or for any delay in acting while waiting for those instructions.

Any application by the Rights Agent for written instructions from the Company may, at the option of the Rights Agent, set forth in writing any action proposed to be taken or omitted by the Rights Agent under this Rights Agreement and the date on and/or after which such action shall be taken or such omission shall be effective. The Rights Agent shall not be liable for any action taken by, or omission of, the Rights Agent in accordance with a proposal included in any such application on or after the date specified in such application (which date shall not be less than five Business Days after the date any officer of the Company actually receives such application, unless any such officer shall have consented in writing to an earlier date) unless, prior to taking any such action (or the effective date in the case of an omission), the Rights Agent shall have received written instructions in response to such application specifying the action to be taken or omitted.

(h) The Rights Agent and any stockholder, director, officer or employee of the Rights Agent may buy, sell or deal in any of the Rights or other securities of the Company or become pecuniarily interested in any transaction in which the Company may be interested, or contract with or lend money to the Company or otherwise act as fully and freely as though it were not Rights Agent under this Agreement. Nothing herein shall preclude the Rights Agent from acting in any other capacity for the Company or for any other legal entity.

(i) The Rights Agent may execute and exercise any of the rights or powers hereby vested in it or perform any duty hereunder either itself or by or through its attorneys or agents, and the Rights Agent shall not be answerable or accountable for any act, default, neglect or misconduct of any such attorneys or agents or for any loss to the company resulting from any such act, default, neglect or misconduct, provided reasonable care was exercised in the selection and continued employment thereof. The Rights Agent shall not be under any duty or responsibility to insure compliance with any applicable federal or state securities laws in connection with the issuance, transfer or exchange or Right Certificates.

 

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Section 21. Change of Rights Agent . The Rights Agent or any successor Rights Agent may resign and be discharged from its duties under this Agreement upon 30 days’ notice in writing mailed to the Company and to each transfer agent of the Common Stock by registered or certified mail, and to the holders of the Right Certificates by first-class mail. The Company may remove the Rights Agents or any successor Rights Agent upon 30 days’ notice in writing, mailed to the Rights Agent or successor Rights Agent, as the case may be, and to each transfer agent of the Common Stock by registered or certified mail, and to the holders of the Right Certificates by first-class mail. If the Rights Agent shall resign or be removed or shall otherwise become incapable of acting, the Company shall appoint a successor to the Rights Agent. If the Company shall fail to make such appointment within a period of 30 days after giving notice of such removal or after it has been notified in writing of such resignation or incapacity by the resigning or incapacitated Rights Agent or by the holder of a Right Certificate (who shall, with such notice, submit his Right Certificate for inspection by the Company), then the registered holder of any Right Certificate may apply to any court of competent jurisdiction for the appointment of a new Rights Agent. Any successor Rights Agent, whether appointed by the Company or by such a court, shall be a corporation organized and doing business under the laws of the United States or of any other state of the United States, in good standing, which is authorized under such laws to exercise corporate trust or stock transfer powers and is subject to supervision or examination by federal or state authority and which has at the time of its appointment as Rights Agent a combined capital and surplus of at least $50 million. After appointment, the successors Rights Agent shall be vested with the same powers, rights, duties and responsibilities as if it had been originally named as Rights Agent without further act or deed; but the predecessor Rights Agent shall deliver and transfer to the successor Rights Agent any property at the time held by it hereunder, and execute and deliver any further assurance, conveyance, act or deed necessary for the purpose of the delivery and transfer of such property. Not later than the effective date of any such appointment the Company shall file notice thereof in writing with the predecessor Rights Agent and each transfer agent of the Common Stock, and mail a notice thereof in writing to the holders of the Right Certificates. Failure to give any notice provided for in this Section 21, however, or any defect therein, shall not affect the legality or validity of the resignation or removal of the Rights Agent or the appointment of the successor Rights Agent, as the case may be.

Section 22. Issuance of New Right Certificates . Notwithstanding any of the provisions of this Agreement or of the Rights to the contrary, the Company may, at its option, issue new Right Certificates evidencing Rights in such form as may be proved by the Board to reflect any adjustment or change in the Purchase Price and the number of kind or class of shares or other securities or property purchasable under the Right Certificates made in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement.

Section 23. Redemption . (a) The Rights may be redeemed by action of the Board pursuant to paragraph (b) of this Section 23 and shall not be redeemed in any other manner.

(b) The Board may, at its option, and as provided herein, at any time prior to the earlier of (i) the Close of Business on the fourteenth day following the Stock Acquisition Date, subject to extension by the Board as provided in Section 23(c) hereof, or (ii) the Close of Business on the Final Expiration Date, upon the concurrence of Directors holding a majority of the Directorships on the Board, redeem all (but not less than all) of the then outstanding Rights at a redemption price of $.005 per Right, appropriately adjusted to reflect any stock split, stock divided, combination of shares or similar transaction occurring after the date hereof (such redemption price being hereinafter referred to as the “Redemption Price”); provided , however , if the Board so authorizes redemption of the Rights after a Stock Acquisition Date, then there must be Continuing Directors then in office and such authorization shall require the concurrence of a majority of such Continuing Directors. The redemption of the Rights by the Board may be made effective at such time, on such basis and with such conditions as the Board in its sole discretion may establish. Notwithstanding anything contained in this Agreement to the contrary, the Rights shall not be exercisable after the first occurrence of an event described in Section 11(a)(ii) until such time as the Company’s right of redemption hereunder has expired.

(c) The Board may, at its option and as provided herein, at any time prior to the Close of Business on the Final Expiration Date and prior to such time as the Rights are no longer redeemable by the Board, from time to time supplement or amend the Rights Agreement without approval of the holders of any Rights or the Rights Agent, to extend or shorten the period during which the Rights may be redeemed; provided , however , that after a Stock Acquisition Date, if the Board authorizes any such amendment or supplement extending or shortening the period during which the Rights may be redeemed, then there must be Continuing Directors then in office and such authorization shall require the concurrence of a majority of such Continuing Directors.

 

17


(d) Immediately upon the action of the Board ordering the redemption of the Rights pursuant to paragraph (b) of this Section 23, and without any further action and without any notice, the right to exercise the Rights will terminate and the only right thereafter of the holders of Rights shall be to receive the Redemption Price. The Company shall promptly give public notice of any such redemption; provided , however , that the failure to give, or any defect in, any such notice shall not affect the validity of such redemption. Within 10 days after such action of the Board ordering the redemption of the Rights pursuant to paragraph (b), as the case may be, the Company shall mail a notice of redemption to all the holders of the then outstanding Rights at their last addresses as they appear upon the registry books of the Rights Agent or, prior to the Distribution Date, on the registry books of the transfer agent for the Common Stock. Any notice which is mailed in the manner herein provided shall be deemed given, whether or not the holder receives the notice. Each such notice of redemption will state the method by which the payment of the Redemption Price will be made. Neither the Company nor any of its Affiliates or Associates may redeem, acquire or purchase for value any Rights at any time in any manner other than that specifically set forth in this Section 23 or in Section 24 hereof, and other than in connection with the purchase of shares or Common Stock prior to the Distribution Date.

Section 24. Exchange . (a) The Board may, at its option, at any time after any Person becomes an Acquiring Person, exchange all or part of the then outstanding and exercisable Rights (which shall not include Rights that have become void pursuant to the provisions of Section 11(a)(ii) hereof) for Common Stock at an exchange ratio of one share of Common Stock per Right, appropriately adjusted to reflect any stock split, stock dividend or similar transaction occurring after the date hereof (such exchange ratio being hereinafter referred to as the “Exchange Ratio”). Common Stock issued pursuant to this Section 24(a) shall be duly and validly authorized and issued, fully paid, nonassessable and fully tradeable shares, free and clear of any liens, encumbrances and other adverse claims and not subject to any rights of call or first refusal. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Board shall not be empowered to effect such exchange at any time after any Person (other than the Company or any Related Person), together with all Affiliates and Associates of such Persons, becomes the Beneficial Owner of 50% or more of the shares of Common Stock then outstanding.

(b) Immediately upon the action of the Board ordering the exchange of any Rights pursuant to subsection (a) of this Section 24 and without any further action and without any notice, the right to exercise such Rights shall terminate and the only right thereafter of a holder of such Rights shall be to receive that number of shares of Common Stock equal to the number of such Rights held by such holder multiplied by the Exchange Ratio. The Company shall promptly give public notice of any such exchange; provided , however , that the failure to give, or any defect in, such notice shall not affect the validity of such exchange. The Company promptly shall mail a notice of any such exchange to all of the holders of such Rights at their last addresses as they appear upon the registry books of the Rights Agent. Any notice which is mailed in the manner herein provided shall be deemed given, whether or not the holder receives the notice. Each such notice of exchange will state the method by which the exchange of the Common Stock for Rights will be effected and, in the event of any partial exchange, the number of Right which will be exchanged. Any partial exchange shall be effected pro rata based on the number of Rights (other than Rights which have become void pursuant to the provisions of Section 11(a)(ii) hereof) held by each holder of Rights.

(c) In the event that there shall not be sufficient Common Stock issued but not outstanding or authorized but unissued to permit any exchange of Rights as contemplated in accordance with this Section 24, the Company shall take all such action as may be necessary to authorize additional shares of Common Stock for issuance upon exchange of the Rights.

(d) The Company shall not be required to issue fractions of shares of Common Stock or to distribute certificates which evidence fractional shares of Common Stock. In lieu of fractional shares of Common Stock, the Company shall pay to the registered holders of the Right Certificates with regard to which such fractional shares would otherwise be issuable, an amount in cash equal to the same fraction of the current market value of a whole share of Common Stock. For the purposes of this paragraph (d), the current market value of a whole share of Common Stock shall be the closing price of a share of Common Stock (as determined pursuant to Section 11(d) hereof) for the Trading Day immediately prior to the date of exchange pursuant to this Section 24.

 

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Section 25. Notice of Certain Events . In case, after the Distribution Date, the Company shall propose (a) to declare or pay a dividend payable in stock of any class to the holders of its Common Stock or to make any other distribution to the holders of its Common Stock (other than a regular quarterly or other periodic cash dividend), (b) to offer to the holders of its Common Stock rights or warrants to subscribe for or to purchase any additional shares of Common Stock or stock of any class or any other securities, rights or options, (c) to effect any reclassification of its Common Stock (other than a reclassification involving only the subdivision of outstanding shares of Common Stock), (d) to effect any consolidation or merger into or with, or to effect any sale or other transfer (or to permit one or more of its Subsidiaries to effect any sale or other transfer), in one or more transactions, of 50% or more of the assets or earning power of the Company and its Subsidiaries (taken as a whole) to, any other Person, (e) to effect the liquidation, dissolution or winding up of the Company, or (f) to effect a split-up, subdivision, combination or consolidation of the Common Stock (by reclassification or otherwise than by payment of dividends in shares of Common Stock), then, in each such case, the Company shall give to each holder of a Right Certificate, in accordance with Section 26 hereof, a notice of such proposed action, which shall specify the record date for the purposes of such stock dividend, or distribution, or offering of rights, or warrants, or the date on which such reclassification, consolidation, merger, sale, transfer, liquidation, dissolution, or winding up is to take place and the date of participation by the holders of the Common Stock, if any such date is to be fixed. Such notice shall be so given in the case of any action covered by clause (a) or (b) above at least 10 days prior to the record date for determining holders of the Common Stock for purposes of such action and in the case of any other such action, at least 10 days prior to the date of the taking of such proposed action or the date of participation therein by the holders of the Common Stock, whichever shall be the earlier.

In case any of the events set forth in Section 11(a)(ii) or Section 13 hereof shall occur, then the Company shall as soon as practicable thereafter give to each holder of a Right Certificate, in accordance with Section 26 hereof, a notice of the occurrence of such event, which notice shall describe such event and the consequences of such event to holders of Rights under Section 11(a)(ii) or Section 13 hereof.

Section 26. Notices . Notices or demands authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the Rights Agent or by the holder of any Right Certificate to or on the Company shall be sufficiently given or made if sent by first-class mail, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in writing with the Rights Agent) as follows:

ImmuCell Corporation

56 Evergreen Drive

Portland, Maine 04103

Attention: Secretary

Subject to the provisions of Section 21 hereof, any notice or demand authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the Company or by the holder of any Right Certificate to or on the Rights Agent shall be sufficiently given or made if sent by first class mail, postage prepaid, addressed (until another address is filed in writing with the Company) as follows:

American Stock Transfer & Trust Co.

6201 15th Avenue

Brooklyn, NY 11219

(1995 ImmuCell Corporation Rights Agreement)

Notices or demands authorized by this Agreement to be given or made by the Company or the Rights Agent to the holder of any Right Certificate shall be sufficiently given or made if sent by first-class mail, postage prepaid, addressed to such holder at the address of such holder as shown on the registry books of the Rights Agent.

Section 27. Supplements and Amendments . (a) Prior to the Distribution Date and subject to Section 23(c) and Section 27(d) hereof, if the Company so directs, the Company and the Rights Agent shall supplement or amend any provision of this Agreement in any manner which the Company may deem desirable without the approval of any holders of Right Certificates or certificates representing shares of Common Stock.

 

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(b) From and after the Distribution Date and subject to Section 23(c) and Section 27(d) hereof, if the Company so directs, the Company and the Rights Agent shall supplement or amend this Agreement without the approval of any holders of Right Certificates or certificates representing shares of Common Stock in order to cure any ambiguity, to correct or supplement any provision contained herein which may be defective or inconsistent with any other provisions herein, to shorten or lengthen any time period hereunder, or to supplement or amend the provisions of this Agreement in any manner which the Company may deem necessary or desirable, including, without limitation, the addition of other events requiring adjustment to the Rights under Sections 11 or 13 or procedures relating to the redemption of the Rights, which supplement or amendment shall not, in the good faith determination of the Board, adversely affect the interests of the holders of Rights Certificates other than the Acquiring Person or any Affiliate or Associate of the Acquiring Person; provided , however , that there must be Continuing Directors then in office and such authorization shall require the concurrence of a majority of such Continuing Directors and a majority of the Board and, provided further , this Agreement may not be supplemented or amended to lengthen, pursuant to the preceding parts of this sentence, a time period relating to when the Rights may be redeemed at such time as the Rights are not then redeemable, or any other time period unless such lengthening is for the purpose of protecting, enhancing or clarifying the rights of, and/or the benefits to, the holders of Rights.

(c) Upon the delivery of a certificate from an officer of the Company which states that the proposed supplement or amendment is in compliance with the terms of this Section 27, the Rights Agent shall execute such supplement or amendment; provided , however , that the failure or refusal of the Rights Agent to execute such supplement or amendment shall not affect the validity or effective date of any supplement or amendment adopted by the Company.

(d) Without limiting the foregoing, the Company may at any time prior to such time as any Person becomes an Acquiring Person amend this Agreement to lower the thresholds set forth in Section 1(a) hereof from 15% to not less than the greater of (i) any percentage greater than the largest percentage of the outstanding shares of Common Stock then known by the Company to be beneficially owned by any Person (other than the Company or any Related Person) and (ii) 10%. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the Contrary, (i) no supplement or amendment shall be made which decreases the stated Redemption Price or the period of time remaining until the Final Expiration Date and (ii) the Rights Agent’s consent must be obtained regarding any supplement or amendment pursuant to this Section which alters the Rights Agent’s rights or duties, which consent shall not be unreasonably withheld.

Section 28. Successors . All the covenants and provisions of this Agreement by or for the benefit of the Company or the Rights Agent shall bind and inure to the benefit of their respective successors and assigns hereunder.

Section 29. Benefits of this Agreement . Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed to give to any person or corporation other than the Company, the Rights Agent and the registered holders of the Right Certificates (and, prior to the Distribution Date, the Common Stock) any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under this Agreement; but this Agreement shall be for the sole and exclusive benefit of the Company, the Rights Agent and the registered holders of the Right Certificates (and, prior to the Distribution Date, the Common Stock).

Section 30. Severability . If any term, provision, covenant or restriction of this Agreement is held by a court of competent jurisdiction or other authority to be invalid, void or unenforceable, the remainder of the terms, provisions, covenants and restrictions of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect and shall in no way be affected, impaired or invalidated.

Section 31. Governing Law . This Agreement and each Right Certificate issued hereunder shall be deemed to be a contract made under the laws of the State of Delaware and for all purposes shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of such State applicable to contracts to be made and performed entirely within such State.

Section 32. Counterparts . This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts and each of such counterparts shall for all purposes be deemed to be an original, and all such counterparts shall together but one and the same instrument.

 

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Section 33. Descriptive Headings . Descriptive headings of the several Sections of this Agreement are inserted for convenience only and shall not control or affect the meaning or construction of any of the provisions hereof.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be duly executed and attested, all as of the day and year first above written.

 

Attest:   IMMUCELL CORPORATION
By:   /s/ Michael F. Brigham     By:   /s/ Thomas C. Hatch
  Name:   Michael F. Brigham       Name:   Thomas C. Hatch
  Title:   Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer       Title:   President and Chief Executive Officer
Attest:  

AMERICAN STOCK TRANSFER &

TRUST CO.

By:   /s/ Susan Silber     By:   /s/ Herbert J. Lemmer
  Name:   Susan Silber       Name:   Herbert J. Lemmer
  Title:   Assistant Secretary       Title:   Vice President

 

21


ImmuCell Corporation

Exhibit A

Form of Right Certificate

 

Certificate No. R-                     Rights

NOT EXERCISABLE AFTER SEPTEMBER 19, 2005 OR EARLIER IFREDEMPTION OR EXCHANGE OCCURS. THE RIGHTS ARE SUBJECT TO REDEMPTION AT $.005 PER RIGHT AND TO EXCHANGE ON THE TERMS SET FORTH IN THE RIGHTS AGREEMENT. UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES, RIGHTS BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY AN ACQUIRING PERSON OR AN AFFILIATE OR AN ASSOCIATE OF AN ACQUIRING PERSON (AS SUCH TERMS ARE DEFINED IN THE RIGHTS AGREEMENT) AND ANY SUBSEQUENT HOLDER OF SUCH RIGHTS MAY BECOME NULL AND VOID.

Right Certificate

ImmuCell Corporation

This certifies that __________________, or registered assigns, is the registered owner of the number of Rights set forth above, each of which entitles the owner thereof, subject to the terms, provisions and conditions of the Rights Agreement, dated as of September 5, 1995 (the “Rights Agreement”), between ImmuCell Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), and American Stock Transfer & Trust Co. (the “Rights Agent”), to purchase from the Company at any time after the Distribution Date (as such term is defined in the Rights Agreement) and prior to 5:00 P.M., Eastern time, on September 19, 2005 at the office of the Rights Agent designated for such purpose, or at the office of its successor as Rights Agent, one fully paid non-assessable share of Common Stock of the Company, at a purchase price of $70.00 per share (the “Purchase Price”), upon presentation and surrender of this Right Certificate with the Form of Election to Purchase duly executed. The number of Rights evidenced by this Right Certificate (and the number of shares of Common Stock which may be purchased upon exercise hereof) set forth above, and the Purchase Price set forth above, are the number and the Purchase Price as of September 19, 1995, based on the Common Stock as constituted at such date.

As provided in the Rights Agreement, the Purchase Price and the number and kind of securities which may be purchased upon the exercise of the Rights evidenced by this Right Certificate are subject to modification and adjustment upon the happening of certain events, and the Rights are subject to amendment, redemption and certain other events.

This Right Certificate is subject to all of the terms, provisions and conditions of the Rights Agreement, which terms, provisions and conditions are hereby incorporated herein by reference and made a part hereof and to which Rights Agreement reference is hereby made for a full description of the rights, limitations of rights, obligations, duties and immunities hereunder of the Rights Agent, the Company and the holders of the Right Certificates. Copies of the Rights Agreement are on file at the principal executive offices of the Company and the above-mentioned offices of the Rights Agent.

Pursuant to the Rights Agreement, if any Person shall become an Acquiring Person, (i) any Rights that are or were acquired or beneficially owned by any Acquiring Person (or any Associate or Affiliate of such Acquiring Person) shall be null and void and any

 

A-1


holder of such Rights shall thereafter have no right to exercise such Rights under any provision of the Rights Agreement, (ii) no Right Certificate shall be issued pursuant to the Rights Agreement that represents Rights beneficially owned by an Acquiring Person or any Associate or Affiliate thereof, (iii) no Right Certificate shall be issued at any time upon the transfer of any Rights to an Acquiring Person or any Associate or Affiliate thereof or to any nominee of such Acquiring Person, Associate or Affiliate, and (iv) any Right Certificate delivered to the Rights Agent for transfer to an Acquiring Person or any Associate or Affiliate thereof shall be cancelled.

This Right Certificate, with or without other Right Certificates, upon surrender at the principal office of the Rights Agent, may be exchanged for another Right Certificate or Right Certificates of like tenor and date evidencing Rights entitling the holder to purchase a like aggregate number of shares of Common Stock as the Rights evidenced by the Right Certificate or Right Certificates surrendered shall have entitled such holder to purchase. If this Right Certificate shall be exercised in part, the holder shall be entitled to receive upon surrender hereof another Right Certificate or Right Certificates for the number of whole Rights not exercised.

Subject to the provisions of the Rights Agreement, the Rights evidenced by this Certificate (i) may be redeemed by the Company at its option at a redemption price of $.005 per Right or (ii) may be exchanged in whole or in part for shares of Common Stock.

No fractional shares of Common Stock will be issued upon the exercise of any Right or Rights evidenced hereby but in lieu of issuing fractional shares of Common Stock the Company may make a cash payment, as provided in the Rights Agreement.

No holder of this Right Certificate, as such, shall be entitled to vote or receive dividends or be deemed for any purpose the holder of the Common Stock or of any other securities of the Company which may at any time be issuable on the exercise hereof, nor shall anything contained in the Rights Agreement or herein be construed to confer upon the holder hereof, as such, any of the rights of a stockholder of the Company or any right to vote for the election of directors or upon any matter submitted to stockholders at any meeting hereof, or to give or withhold consent to any corporate action, or to receive notice of meetings or other actions affecting stockholders (except as provided in the Rights Agreement), or to receive dividends or subscription rights, or otherwise, until the Right or Rights evidenced by this Right Certificate shall have been exercised as provided in the Rights Agreement.

This Right Certificate shall not be valid or obligatory for any purpose until it shall have been countersigned by the Rights Agent.

WITNESS the facsimile signature of the proper officers of the Company and its corporate seal. Dated as of ________________, 19__.

 

ATTEST:     IMMUCELL CORPORATION
       
Countersigned:    
AMERICAN STOCK TRANSFER & TRUST CO.    
By        
  Authorized Signature    

 

A-2


Form of Reverse Side of Right Certificate

FORM OF ASSIGNMENT

(To be executed by the registered holder if such holder desires to transfer the Right Certificate.)

FOR VALUE RECEIVED                                                                               hereby sells, assigns and transfers unto             

 

 

(Please print name and address of transferees)

 

 

this Right Certificate, together with all right, title and interest therein, and does hereby irrevocably constitute and appoint                          Attorney, to transfer the within Right Certificate on the books of the within-named Company, with full power of substitution.

Dated:                      , 19__.

 

   
Signature

 

Signature Guaranteed:    

Signatures must be guaranteed by an eligible guarantor institution which is a participant in a Securities Transfer Association recognized program.

 

A-3


Form of Reverse Side of Right Certificate — continued

FORM OF ELECTION TO PURCHASE

(To be executed if the registered holder desires to exercise the Right Certificate.)

TO IMMUCELL CORPORATION

The undersigned hereby irrevocably elects to exercise                                                                               Rights represented by this Right Certificate to purchase the shares of Common Stock issuable upon the exercise of such Rights and requests that certificates for such Common Stock be issued in the name of:

Please insert social security

or other identifying number

 

 

(Please print name and address)

 

 

If such number of Rights shall not be all the Rights evidenced by this Right Certificate, a new Right Certificate for the balance remaining of such Rights shall be registered in the name of and delivered to:

Please insert social security

or other identifying number

 

 

(Please print name and address)

 

 

Dated:                      , 19__.

 

   
Signature

 

Signature Guaranteed:    

Signatures must be guaranteed by an eligible guarantor institution which is a participant in a Securities Transfer Association recognized program.

 

A-4


CERTIFICATE

The undersigned hereby certifies by checking the appropriate boxes that:

(1) the Rights evidenced by this Right Certificate [ ] are [ ] are not being exercised, sold, assigned, transferred, split up, combined or exchanged by or on behalf of a Person who is or was an Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate of any such Person (as such terms are defined pursuant to the Rights Agreement);

(2) after due inquiry and to the best knowledge of the undersigned, it [ ] did [ ] not acquire the Rights evidenced by this Right Certificate from any Person who is, was or subsequently became an Acquiring Person or an Affiliate or Associate of any such Person.

Dated:                      , 19__.

 

   
Signature

 

Signature Guaranteed:    

NOTICE

The signatures to the foregoing Assignment or the Form of Election to Purchase, as the case may be, must correspond to the name as written upon the face of this Right Certificate in every particular, without alteration or enlargement or any change whatsoever.

 

A-5


ImmuCell Corporation

Exhibit B

SUMMARY OF RIGHTS TO PURCHASE COMMON STOCK

On September 5, 1995, the Board of Directors of ImmuCell Corporation (the “Company”) declared a dividend of one common share purchase right (a “Right”) for each of the then outstanding shares of Common Stock, par value $0.10 per share, (the “Common Stock”) of the Company. The dividend is payable on September 19, 1995 (the “Record Date”) to the stockholders of record on that date. Each Right entitles the registered holder to purchase from the Company one share of Common Stock of the Company at a price of $70.00 per share (the “Purchase Price”), subject to adjustment. The description and terms of the Rights are set forth in a Rights Agreement (the “Rights Agreement”) between the Company and American Stock Transfer & Trust Co., as Rights Agent (the “Rights Agent”).

Until the earlier to occur of (i) 10 days following a public announcement that, without the prior consent of the “Continuing Directors” (as such term is defined in the Rights Agreement), a person or group of affiliated or associated persons has acquired beneficial ownership of 15% or more of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (such person being referred to as the “Acquiring Person”), or (ii) 10 days (or such later date as may be determined by action of the Board of Directors prior to such time as any Person becomes an Acquiring Person) following the commencement of, or announcement of an intention to make, a tender offer or exchange offer the consummation of which would result in the beneficial ownership by a person or group of 20% or more of the outstanding shares of Common Stock (the earlier of such dates being called the “Distribution Date”), the Rights will be evidenced, with respect to any of the Common Stock certificates outstanding as of the Record Date, by such Common Stock certificate with a copy of this Summary of Rights attached thereto.

The Rights Agreement provides that, until the Distribution Date, the Rights will be transferred with and only with the Common Stock. Until the Distribution Date (or earlier redemption or expiration of the Rights), new Common Stock certificates issued after the Record Date, upon transfer or new issuance of Common Stock, will contain a notation incorporating the Rights Agreement by reference. Until the Distribution Date (or earlier redemption or expiration of the Rights), the surrender for transfer of any certificates for Common Stock, outstanding as of the Record Date, even without such notification or a copy of this Summary of Rights being attached thereto, will also constitute the transfer of the Rights associated with the Common Stock represented by such certificate. As soon as practicable following the Distribution Date, separate certificates evidencing the Rights (“Right Certificates”) will be mailed to holders of record of the Common Stock as of the close of business on the Distribution Date and such separate Right Certificates alone will evidence the rights.

The Rights are not exercisable until the Distribution Date. The Rights will expire on September 19, 2005 (the “Final Expiration Date”), unless the Final Expiration Date is extended or unless the Rights are earlier redeemed by the Company, in each case as described below.

The Purchase Price payable, and the number of shares of Common Stock or other securities or property issuable upon exercise of the Rights, are subject to adjustment from time to time to prevent dilution (i) in the event of a stock dividend on, or a subdivision, stock split, combination or reclassification of, the Common Stock, (ii) upon the grant to holders of Common Stock of certain rights, options or warrants to subscribe for or purchase shares of Common Stock at a price, or securities convertible into shares of Common Stock with a conversion price, less than the then current market price of the Common Stock or (iii) upon the distribution to holders of the Common Stock of evidences of indebtedness, cash (excluding regular quarterly or other periodic cash dividends paid out of the earnings or retained earnings of the Company), assets, stock (other than dividends payable in shares of Common Stock) or of subscription rights or warrants (other than those referred to above).

In the event that, after the Distribution Date, the Company should consolidate or merge with and into any other person and the Company is not the surviving company, or, if the Company should be the surviving company, all or part of the Company’s Common Stock is changed or exchanged for securities of any other person or if 50% or more of its consolidated assets or earning power are sold, proper provision will be made so that each holder of a Right will thereafter have the right to receive, upon the exercise thereof at the then current Purchase Price, that number of shares of common stock of the acquiring company which at the time of such

 

B-1


transaction will have a market value of two times the Purchase Price. In the event that any person becomes an Acquiring Person, proper provision shall be made so that each holder of a Right, other than Rights beneficially owned by the Acquiring Person or any Affiliate or Associate of an Acquiring Person (which will thereafter be void), will thereafter have the right to receive upon the exercise thereof at the then current Purchase Price, that number of shares of Common Stock having a market value of two times the Purchase Price; provided, however, that Rights are not exercisable following the occurrence of such event until such time as the Rights are no longer redeemable by the Company as set forth below.

At any time after a person or group becomes an Acquiring Person and prior to the acquisition by such person or group of 50% or more of the outstanding Common Stock, the Board of Directors of the Company may exchange the Rights (other than Rights owned by such person or group which have become void), in whole or in part, at an exchange ratio of one share of Common Stock per Right (subject to adjustment).

With certain exceptions, no adjustment in the Purchase Price will be required until cumulative adjustments require an adjustment of at least 1% in such Purchase Price. No fractional shares of Common Stock will be issued, and in lieu thereof, an adjustment in cash may be made based on the market price of the Common Stock on the last trading day prior to the date of exercise.

At any time prior to the earlier of fourteen days following the date that any person or group becomes an Acquiring Person, (subject to extension by the Board of Directors of the Company), or the Final Expiration Date, the Board of Directors of the Company may redeem the Rights in whole, but not in part, at a price of $.005 per Right (the “Redemption Price”); provided, that if the Board authorizes redemption of the Rights after the first date of public announcement by the Company or an Acquiring Person that an Acquiring Person has become such, there must be Continuing Directors then in office and a majority of the Directors of the Board and a majority of the Continuing Directors must approve such redemption. The redemption of the Rights may be made effective at such time, on such basis and with such conditions as the Board or Directors in its sole discretion may establish. Immediately upon any redemption of the Rights, the right to exercise the Rights will terminate and the only right of the holders of Rights will be to receive the Redemption Price.

Prior to the Distribution Date, the terms of the Rights Agreement may be amended by the Board of Directors of the Company without the consent of the holders of the Rights or holders of the Common Stock. From and after the Distribution Date, the terms of the Rights Agreement may be amended by the Company without the consent of the holders of the Rights or holders of the Common Stock in any manner which the Company may deem necessary or desirable so long as such supplement or amendment does not adversely affect the interest of Rights holders (other than the Acquiring Person or any Associate or Affiliates), and provided that such supplement or amendment may not lengthen the time period for redemption of the Rights if the Rights are not then redeemable and provided that there must be Continuing Directors then in office and that a majority of the Board and a majority of the Continuing Directors must approve such amendment. The Company may at any time prior to such time as a person or group of affiliated or associated persons becomes an Acquiring Person lower the threshold for a person or group becoming an Acquiring Person from 15% to not less than the greater of (i) any percentage greater than the largest percentage of the outstanding shares of Common Stock then known to the Company to be beneficially owned by any such person or group of affiliated or associated persons and (ii) 10%. In no case shall any amendment or supplement at any time decrease the Redemption Price or the period of time remaining until the Final Expiration Date.

Until a Right is exercised, the holder thereof, as such, will have no rights as a stockholder of the Company, including, without limitation, the right to vote or to receive dividends.

A copy of the Rights Agreement is available free of charge from the Company. This summary description of the Rights does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Rights Agreement, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

 

B-2

EXHIBIT 31

IMMUCELL CORPORATION

RULE 13a-14(a) CERTIFICATIONS

I, Michael F. Brigham, certify that:

1. I have reviewed this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of ImmuCell Corporation;

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of ImmuCell Corporation as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4. I am responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for ImmuCell Corporation and have:

a) designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under my supervision, to ensure that material information relating to ImmuCell Corporation is made known to me by others, within this entity, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;

b) designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under my supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

c) evaluated the effectiveness of ImmuCell Corporation’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report my conclusion about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

d) disclosed in this report any change in ImmuCell Corporation’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during ImmuCell Corporation’s most recent fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, ImmuCell Corporation’s internal control over financial reporting; and

5. I have disclosed, based on my most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to ImmuCell Corporation’s auditors and the audit committee of ImmuCell Corporation’s board of directors:

a) all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect ImmuCell Corporation’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and

b) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in ImmuCell Corporation’s internal control over financial reporting.

May 5, 2009

/s/ Michael F. Brigham
Michael F. Brigham
President, Chief Executive Officer
and Principal Financial Officer

EXHIBIT 32

IMMUCELL CORPORATION

SECTION 1350 CERTIFICATION

AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO

SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002

In connection with the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of ImmuCell Corporation (the “Company”) for the period ending March 31, 2009 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), I, Michael F. Brigham, President, Chief Executive Officer and Treasurer of the Company, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 1350, as adopted pursuant to § 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that:

(1) the Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and

(2) the information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.

/s/ Michael F. Brigham
Michael F. Brigham
President, Chief Executive Officer
and Principal Financial Officer

May 5, 2009