As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on July 31, 2013.

Registration No. 333-             

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

 

Ferro Corporation

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Ohio   34-0217820
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)   (IRS Employer Identification Number)
6060 Parkland Boulevard, Mayfield Heights, Ohio   44124
(Address of principal executive offices)   (Zip Code)

2013 OMNIBUS INCENTIVE PLAN

(Full title of the plan)

Mark H. Duesenberg

Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary

Ferro Corporation

6060 Parkland Boulevard

Mayfield Heights, Ohio 44124

(Name and address of agent for service)

(216) 875-5600

(Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

 

 

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. (Check one):

 

Large accelerated filer   ¨    Accelerated filer   x
Non-accelerated filer   ¨ (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)    Smaller reporting company   ¨

 

 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

 

Title of securities to be registered  
Amount to be
registered(1)
  Proposed maximum
offering price per
share(2)
  Proposed maximum
aggregate offering
price(2)
 
Amount of
registration fee

Common Stock, $1.00 par value

  4,400,000 shares   $6.92   $30,448,000   $4,153.12

 

 

(1) Pursuant to Rule 416(a) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), the amount of securities registered under this Registration Statement shall include an indeterminate number of additional shares of Common Stock that may become issuable as a result of stock splits, stock dividends or similar transactions pursuant to the anti-dilution provisions of the 2013 Omnibus Incentive Plan.
(2) Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee in accordance with Rules 457(c) and 457(h) under the Securities Act and based upon the average of the high and low sale prices of the Common Stock as reported on the New York Stock Exchange on June 26, 2013.

 

 

 


PART I

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

 

Item 1. Plan Information.

The information required by Item 1 is included in documents sent or given to participants in the plan covered by this Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 428(b) of the Securities Act.

 

Item 2. Registrant Information and Employee Plan Annual Information.

The written statement required by Item 2 is included in documents sent or given to participants in the plan covered by this Registration Statement pursuant to Rule 428(b) of the Securities Act.

PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

 

Item 3. Incorporation of Documents By Reference

Ferro Corporation (the “Company”) is subject to the informational and reporting requirements of Sections 13(a), 14, and 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and in accordance therewith files reports, proxy statements and other information with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). The following documents, which have been filed with the SEC, are incorporated by reference into this Registration Statement:

 

  (a) the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012;

 

  (b) the Company’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2013 and June 30, 2013;

 

  (c) the Company’s Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on January 22, 2013, January 25, 2013, February 12, 2013, March 28, 2013, April 3, 2013, April 26, 2013, May 9, 2013, May 23, 2013; May 30, 2013 and June 26, 2013;

 

  (d) the description of the Common Stock contained in our Registration Statement on Form S-8 (Registration No. 33-12397) filed on March 2, 1987; and

 

  (e) all documents subsequently filed by us pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment that indicates that all securities offered have been sold or which deregisters all securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement and to be a part hereof from the respective dates of filing of such documents.

We will not, however, incorporate by reference in this Registration Statement any documents or portions thereof that are not deemed “filed” with the SEC, including any information furnished pursuant to Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 of our Current Reports on Form 8-K unless, and except to the extent, specified in such Current Reports.

In addition, any statement contained herein or in a document, all or a portion of which is incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein, shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement contained herein (or in any other subsequently filed document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein) modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement.

 

Item 4. Description of Securities

Not Applicable.

 

2


Item 5. Interests of Named Experts and Counsel

None.

 

Item 6. Indemnification of Directors and Officers

Under Section 1701.13 of the Ohio Revised Code, Ohio corporations are authorized to indemnify directors, officers, employees and agents within prescribed limits and must indemnify them under certain circumstances. Ohio law does not provide statutory authorization for a corporation to indemnify directors, officers, employees and agents for settlements, fines or judgments in the context of derivative suits. However, it provides that directors (but not officers, employees or agents) are entitled to mandatory advancement of expenses, including attorneys’ fees, incurred in defending any action, including derivative actions, brought against the director, provided that the director agrees to cooperate with the corporation concerning the matter and to repay the amount advanced if it is proved by clear and convincing evidence that the director’s act or failure to act was done with deliberate intent to cause injury to the corporation or with reckless disregard for the corporation’s best interests.

Ohio law does not authorize indemnification for expenses of a director, officer, employee or agent after a finding of negligence or misconduct in a derivative suit absent a court order. Indemnification is permitted; however, to the extent such person succeeds on the merits. In all other cases, if a director, officer, employee or agent acted in good faith and in a manner he reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to be the best interests of the corporation, indemnification is discretionary except as otherwise provided by a corporation’s articles, code of regulations or by contract except with respect to the advancement of expenses of directors.

Under Ohio law, a director is not liable for monetary damages unless it is proved by clear and convincing evidence that his action or failure to act was undertaken with deliberate intent to cause injury to the corporation or with reckless disregard for the best interests of the corporation. There is, however, no comparable provision limiting the liability of officers, employees or agents of a corporation. The statutory right to indemnification is not exclusive in Ohio, and Ohio corporations may, among other things, procure insurance for such persons.

Section 1701.13 of the Ohio Revised Code authorizes a corporation to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee, or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, trustee, officer, employee, member, manager or agent of another corporation or enterprise, against any liability asserted against him and incurred by him in any such capacity, or arising out of his status as such, whether or not the corporation would otherwise have the power to indemnify him under Section 1701.13.

Our Amended Code of Regulations provides that we shall indemnify our present and former directors and officers against expenses, including attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement, which are actually and reasonably incurred by the person because of his or her position with Ferro Corporation in connection with any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding. Each director of Ferro Corporation is, or is expected to become, a party to an indemnification agreement with Ferro Corporation. The indemnification agreement provides that we will indemnify, with certain limitations, such director against certain expenses (including, without limitation, attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement) in connection with any claim against such director arising out of such person’s status as a director of Ferro Corporation.

In addition, Ferro Corporation maintains contracts insuring itself, with certain exclusions, against any liability to directors and officers that it may incur. We insure our directors and officers against liability and expenses, with certain exclusions, including attorneys’ fees, which they may incur because of their position with Ferro Corporation.

 

Item 7. Exemption from Registration Claimed

Not Applicable.

 

Item 8. Exhibits

See Exhibit Index attached hereto and incorporated herein by reference.

 

3


Item 9. Undertakings

(a) The Registrant hereby undertakes:

(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:

(i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act;

(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of this Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in this Registration Statement; and

(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in this Registration Statement or any material change to such information in this Registration Statement;

provided, however, that paragraphs (1)(i) and (ii) do not apply if the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in periodic reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that are incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement.

(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

(4) That, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the Registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act that is incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(5) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers, and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Registrant in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by any such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Registrant will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

4


SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in Mayfield Heights, Ohio, on July 31, 2013.

 

FERRO CORPORATION
By:  

/s/ Peter T. Thomas

  Peter. T. Thomas
  President and Chief Executive Officer

POWER OF ATTORNEY AND SIGNATURES

We, the undersigned officers and directors of Ferro Corporation, hereby severally constitute and appoint Mark H. Duesenberg our true and lawful attorney with full power to him to sign for us and in our names in the capacities indicated below, the registration statement on Form S-8 filed herewith and any and all subsequent amendments to said registration statement, and generally to do all such things in our names and on our behalf in our capacities as officers and directors to enable Ferro Corporation to comply with the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and all requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming our signatures as they may be signed by our said attorney to said registration statement and any and all amendments thereto.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities indicated as of July 31, 2013.

 

Signature

  

Title

/s/ Peter T. Thomas

Peter T. Thomas

  

President, Chief Executive Officer and Director

(Principal Executive Officer)

/s/ Jeffrey L Rutherford

Jeffrey L. Rutherford

   Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer and Principal Accounting Officer)

/s/ Richard J. Hipple

   Director
Richard J. Hipple   

/s/ Jennie S. Hwang

   Director
Jennie S. Hwang   

/s/ Gregory E. Hyland

   Director
Gregory E. Hyland   

/s/ Peter T. Kong

   Director
Peter. T. Kong   

/s/ William B. Lawrence

   Chairman of the Board
William B. Lawrence   

/s/ David A. Lorber

   Director
David A. Lorber   

/s/ Timothy K. Pistell

   Director
Timothy K. Pistell   

/s/ Jeffry N. Quinn

   Director
Jeffry N. Quinn   

/s/ Ronald P. Vargo

   Director
Ronald P. Vargo   

 

5


EXHIBIT INDEX

 

Exhibit Number

  

Exhibit Description

  4.1    Eleventh Amended Articles of Incorporation of Ferro Corporation. (Reference is made to Exhibit 4.1 to Ferro Corporation’s Registration Statement on Form S-3, filed March 5, 2008, which Exhibit is incorporated here by reference.)
  4.2    Certificate of Amendment to the Eleventh Amended Articles of Incorporation of Ferro Corporation filed December 29, 1994. (Reference is made to Exhibit 4.2 to Ferro Corporation’s Registration Statement on Form S-3, filed March 5, 2008, which Exhibit is incorporated here by reference.)
  4.3    Certificate of Amendment to the Eleventh Amended Articles of Incorporation of Ferro Corporation filed June 23, 1998. (Reference is made to Exhibit 4.3 to Ferro Corporation’s Registration Statement on Form S-3, filed March 5, 2008, which Exhibit is incorporated here by reference.)
  4.4    Certificate of Amendment to the Eleventh Amended Articles of Incorporation of Ferro Corporation filed October 14, 2011 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to Ferro Corporation’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed October 17, 2011).
  4.5    Ferro Corporation Amended and Restated Code of Regulations (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.5 to Ferro Corporation’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, filed July 31, 2013).
  4.6    Ferro Corporation 2013 Omnibus Incentive Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Ferro Corporation’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed May 23, 2013).
  5       Opinion of Baker & Hostetler LLP, counsel to Ferro Corporation.
23.1    Consent of Baker & Hostetler LLP (included in Exhibit 5)
23.2    Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP, Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.
24       Power of Attorney (included on the signature pages of this Registration Statement)

 

6

Exhibit 5

 

LOGO

PNC Center

1900 East 9th Street, Suite 3200

Cleveland, OH 44114-3482

T 216.621.0200

F 216.696.0740

www.bakerlaw.com

July 31, 2013

Ferro Corporation

6060 Parkland Boulevard

Mayfield Heights, Ohio 44124

Ladies and Gentlemen:

We have acted as counsel to Ferro Corporation, an Ohio corporation (the “Company”), with respect to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-8 (the “Registration Statement”) to be filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission on or about July 31, 2013, in connection with the registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”), by the Company of 4,400,000 shares of Common Stock, $1.00 par value per share (the “Common Stock”), of the Company to be offered and sold pursuant to the Company’s 2013 Omnibus Incentive Plan (the “Plan”).

We have examined such documents and such matters of fact and law as we deem necessary to render the opinions contained herein. In our examination, we have assumed, but have not independently verified, the genuineness of all signatures, the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as certified, facsimile or other copies, and the authenticity of all such documents. As to questions of fact material to this opinion, we have relied on certificates or comparable documents of public officials and of officers and representatives of the Company.

Based on the foregoing, and subject to the qualifications stated herein, we are of the opinion that the Common Stock to be issued by the Company under the Plan, when issued and sold in accordance with the terms of the Plan, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.

The opinions expressed herein are limited to the General Corporation Law of the State of Ohio and we express no opinion as to the effect on the matters covered by this letter of the laws of any other jurisdiction.


Ferro Corporation

July 31, 2013

Page 2

 

We hereby consent to the filing of this letter as Exhibit 5 to the Registration Statement. In giving such consent, we do not hereby admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission.

Very truly yours,

/s/ Baker & Hostetler LLP

Exhibit 23.2

CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

We consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration Statement on Form S-8 of our reports dated March 5, 2013, relating to the consolidated financial statements and financial statement schedule of Ferro Corporation and subsidiaries (the “Company”) (which report expresses an unqualified opinion and includes an explanatory paragraph regarding the Company’s election to change their method of recognizing defined benefit pension and other postretirement benefit expense), and the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting, appearing in or incorporated by reference in the Annual Report on Form 10-K of Ferro Corporation for the year ended December 31, 2012.

/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP

Cleveland, Ohio

July 31, 2013