As filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on June 7, 2022
Registration No. 333-
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM S-1
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
UNDER
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
CONSENSUS CLOUD SOLUTIONS, INC.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
Delaware | 7372 | 87-1139414 | ||
(State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization) |
(Primary Standard Industrial Classification Code Number) |
(I.R.S. Employer Identification Number) |
700 S. Flower Street, 15th Floor
Los Angeles, California
(323) 860-9200
(Address, Including Zip Code, and Telephone Number, Including Area Code, of Registrants Principal Executive Offices)
R. Scott Turicchi
Chief Executive Officer
Consensus Cloud Solutions, Inc.
700 S. Flower Street, 15th Floor
Los Angeles, California
(323) 860-9200
(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)
Copies to:
Vithya Aubee Consensus Cloud Solutions, Inc. 700 S. Flower Street, 15th Floor Los Angeles, California (323) 860-9200 |
Stewart McDowell Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP 555 Mission Street, 30th Floor San Francisco, California 94105 (415) 393-8200 |
Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: From time to time after this registration statement becomes effective.
If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act, check the following box: ☒
If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of large accelerated filer, accelerated filer, smaller reporting company and emerging growth company in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
Large accelerated filer | ☐ | Accelerated filer | ☐ | |||
Non-accelerated filer | ☒ | Smaller reporting company | ☐ | |||
Emerging growth company | ☒ |
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act. ☐
The registrant hereby amends this registration statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this registration statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 or until the registration statement shall become effective on such date as the Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.
The information in this preliminary prospectus supplement is not complete and may be changed. This preliminary prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus do not constitute an offer to sell these securities, and we are not soliciting offers to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.
Subject to Completion
Preliminary Prospectus Supplement dated June 7, 2022
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
(To Prospectus dated , 2022)
2,000,000 shares
Consensus Cloud Solutions, Inc.
Common Stock
The selling stockholders identified in this prospectus supplement are offering 2,000,000 shares of our common stock. We are not selling any shares of common stock under this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, and we will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of shares of our common stock by the selling stockholders.
All 2,000,000 shares of our common stock that are being offered and sold in this offering are currently held by Ziff Davis, Inc. (Ziff Davis). We are registering such shares under the terms of a stockholder and registration rights agreement between us and Ziff Davis. In connection with this offering, Ziff Davis will exchange up to 2,300,000 shares of our common stock for certain indebtedness of Ziff Davis held by J.P. Morgan Securities LLC (J.P. Morgan) and Citicorp North America, Inc. (CNAI), which we refer to, in such role, as the debt-for-equity exchange parties, pursuant to a debt-for-equity exchange agreement to be entered into following the date of this prospectus supplement. The debt-for-equity exchange parties, as the selling stockholders in this offering, will then offer those shares of our common stock in this offering. The selling stockholders, and not Ziff Davis or us, will receive the proceeds from the sale of the shares in this offering. However, as a result of exchanging the shares of our common stock with the selling stockholders prior to this offering, Ziff Davis may be deemed to be a selling stockholder in this offering solely for U.S. federal securities law purposes. We refer to this exchange between Ziff Davis and the selling stockholders as the debt-for-equity exchange. The debt-for-equity exchange will occur on the settlement date of this offering immediately prior to, and its consummation is a condition to, the settlement of the selling stockholders sale of the shares to the underwriters. As a result, the consummation of the debt-for-equity exchange is also ultimately a condition to the settlement of the underwriters sale of the shares to prospective investors.
Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (Nasdaq) under the symbol CCSI. On June 6, 2022, the closing price of our common stock as reported on Nasdaq was $48.23 per share.
Per Share | Total | |||||||
Public offering price |
$ | $ | ||||||
Underwriting discounts and commissions(1) |
$ | $ | ||||||
Proceeds to the selling stockholders, before expenses |
$ | $ |
(1) | See Underwriting (Conflict of Interest) for additional information regarding underwriting compensation. |
The underwriters have the option to purchase up to an additional 300,000 shares of our common stock from the selling stockholders at the public offering price less the underwriting discount for 30 days after the date of this prospectus supplement.
Neither the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The underwriters are offering the shares of our common stock as set forth under Underwriting (Conflict of Interest). Delivery of the shares of our common stock will be made on or about , 2022.
J.P. Morgan | Evercore ISI | Citigroup |
Prospectus Supplement dated , 2022.
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
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PROSPECTUS
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Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences to Non-U.S. Holders |
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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
You should rely only on the information contained in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus or to which we have referred you. This document consists of two parts. The first part is this prospectus supplement, which describes the specific terms of this offering. The second part is the accompanying prospectus, which describes more general information, some of which may not apply to this offering. If the description of the offering varies between this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, you should rely on the information in this prospectus supplement. None of Consensus, the selling stockholders or any underwriter have authorized anyone to provide you with information different from, or inconsistent with, the information contained in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. None of Consensus, the selling stockholders or any underwriter are making an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where such offer or sale is not permitted. We, the selling stockholders and the underwriters take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. The information contained in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus is accurate only as of the date of this prospectus supplement, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus or of any sale of our common stock. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since that date.
This prospectus supplement is a part of a registration statement on Form S-1 that we filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) using a shelf registration or continuous offering process. Under this shelf process, the selling stockholders may from time to time sell shares of our common stock covered by this prospectus supplement and the accompany prospectus. Additionally, under the shelf process, in certain circumstances, we may provide an additional prospectus supplement that will contain certain specific information about the terms of a particular offering by the selling stockholders. We may also provide an additional prospectus supplement to add information to, or update or change information contained in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. You should read this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, together with any other applicable prospectus supplement and the information incorporated by reference before deciding to invest in shares of our common stock. You may obtain this information without charge by following the instructions under Where You Can Find More Information appearing elsewhere in this prospectus supplement.
Unless otherwise mentioned or unless the context requires otherwise, throughout this prospectus supplement, the words Consensus we, us, our or the Company refer to Consensus Cloud Solutions, Inc., and the term securities refers to shares of our common stock.
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The market data and certain other statistical information included or incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement includes industry data and forecasts that are based on independent industry publications, government publications or other published independent sources. Some data is also based on our good faith estimates. Although we believe these third-party sources are reliable as of their respective dates, we have not independently verified the accuracy or completeness of this information. The industry in which we operate is subject to a high degree of uncertainty and risk due to a variety of factors, including those described in the sections entitled Risk Factors included or incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement. These and other factors could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in these publications.
TRADEMARKS, TRADENAMES AND SERVICE MARKS
Consensus owns or has rights to use the trademarks, service marks and trade names that it uses in conjunction with the operation of its business. Consensus holds several internet domain names, including eFax®, SFax®, SRFax, MyFax®, and eFax Corporate, among others. Each trademark, trade name or service mark of any other company included or incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement is, to our knowledge, owned by such other company.
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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, and other written or oral statements that we make from time to time contain, or will contain, certain forward-looking statements regarding business strategies, market potential, future financial performance and other matters. The words will, should, believe, expect, anticipate, project and similar expressions, among others, generally identify forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date the statements were made. The matters discussed in these forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. You should read this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, as well as our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 (the 2021 Form 10-K) and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2022 (the First Quarter 2022 Form 10-Q), which are each incorporated by reference herein, completely and with the understanding that actual future results may be materially different from expectations. All forward-looking statements made in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein or therein are qualified by these cautionary statements. In particular, information included in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus under headings such as Risk Factors, Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and Business contain forward-looking statements. Where, in any forward-looking statement, an expectation or belief as to future results or events is expressed, such expectation or belief is based on the current plans and expectations of our management and expressed in good faith and believed to have a reasonable basis, but there can be no assurance that the expectation or belief will result or be achieved or accomplished. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Except as may be required by law, we undertake no obligation to modify or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this information statement. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated include, but are not limited to, the matters described in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement under headings such as Risk Factors and Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. Some factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, our ability and intention to:
| Sustain growth or profitability, particularly in light of an uncertain U.S. or worldwide economy and the related impact on customer acquisition and retention rates, customer usage levels and credit and debit card payment declines; |
| Maintain and increase our customer base and average revenue per user; |
| Generate sufficient cash flow to make interest and debt payments and reinvest in our business, and pursue desired activities and businesses plans while satisfying restrictive covenants relating to debt obligations; |
| Acquire businesses on acceptable terms and successfully integrate and realize anticipated synergies from such acquisitions; |
| Continue to expand our Cloud Fax business and operations internationally in the wake of numerous risks, including adverse currency fluctuations, difficulty in staffing and managing international operations, higher operating costs as a percentage of revenues or the implementation of adverse regulations; |
| Maintain our financial position, operating results and cash flows in the event that we incur new or unanticipated costs or tax liabilities, including those relating to federal and state income tax and indirect taxes, such as sales, value-added and telecommunication taxes; |
| Accurately estimate the assumptions underlying our effective worldwide tax rate; |
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| Manage certain risks inherent to our business, such as costs associated with fraudulent activity, system failure or network security breach; effectively maintain and manage our billing systems; allocate time and resources required to manage our legal proceedings; or adhere to our internal controls and procedures; |
| Compete with other similar providers with regard to price, service and functionality; |
| Cost-effectively procure, retain and deploy large quantities of fax numbers in desired locations in the United States and abroad; |
| Achieve business and financial objectives in light of burdensome domestic and international telecommunications, Internet or other regulations including data privacy, security and retention; |
| Successfully manage our growth, including but not limited to our operational and personnel-related resources, and integration of newly acquired businesses; |
| Successfully adapt to technological changes and diversify services and related revenues at acceptable levels of financial return; |
| Successfully develop and protect our intellectual property, both domestically and internationally, including our brands, patents, trademarks and domain names, and avoid infringing upon the proprietary rights of others; and |
| Recruit and retain key personnel. |
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The following summary of our business highlights certain of the information contained elsewhere in, or incorporated by reference into, this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus. This summary does not contain all of the information that may be important to you. You should carefully read this entire prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, including any information incorporated by reference, which are described under the headings Where You Can Find Additional Information herein and in the accompanying prospectus and Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference in the accompanying prospectus. In particular, you should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described under the heading Risk Factors in the accompanying prospectus and in the documents incorporated by reference herein, including the 2021 Form 10-K and the First Quarter 2022 Form 10-Q.
Company Overview
We are a provider of secure information delivery services with a scalable Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform. We serve more than one million customers of all sizes, from enterprises to individuals, across over 50 countries and multiple industry verticals including healthcare, financial services, law and education. Beginning as an online fax company over two decades ago, we have evolved into a leading global provider of enterprise secure communication solutions. Our communication and digital signature solutions enable our customers to securely and cooperatively access, exchange and use information across organizational, regional and national boundaries. Our mission is to democratize secure information interchange across technologies and industries, and solve the healthcare interoperability challenge. All of our revenue is recurring in nature and is generated either via fixed subscription plans or usage-based contracts.
Over the past decade, Consensus has progressively shifted focus towards larger commercial customers (Corporate). As enterprise data communication shifted toward digitization and cloud-based solutions, Consensus entered industry verticals such as legal, compliance, insurance, and healthcare. Our Corporate business has grown from $149 million of revenue in 2020 to approximately $170 million of revenue in 2021, representing a 13.9% annual growth rate. We currently serve approximately 45,000 Corporate customers, generally small/medium businesses or large enterprises, to whom sales are made through direct interaction with a sales person and involve specific pricing, multiple line subscriptions, API connections and/or commercial grade security.
We currently serve over one million small office/home office (SoHo) online fax customers, generally consumers and SoHo users, who acquire a pre-defined subscription through an e-commerce website without direct interaction with a sales person. Our SoHo brands include jSign®, eFax®, MyFax®, Sfax®, Metrofax®, and SRfax®.
In 2020, we launched the Consensus Unite healthcare interoperability platform, a comprehensive workflow collaboration and data exchange solutions suite. Healthcare represents our largest industry vertical and has information, secure communication, management and interoperability needs. It is a key market for the company, comprising over half of our Corporate revenue and approximately two-thirds of new sales for that stream of revenue. The healthcare sector is undergoing a large-scale digitization effort, with the objective to streamline workflows, increase efficiency for operators, and increase transparency for patients. We believe our leadership in digital fax and our deep experience in the healthcare industry positions Consensus well to help healthcare providers accomplish their broader digitization and interoperability objectives.
The Problem: Healthcare Communication and Workflow Challenges
The healthcare sector faces significant communication and workflow challenges that present operational, reputational, financial and strategic risks to the wide variety of participants in the ecosystem. For example,
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| The healthcare ecosystem is highly fragmented and currently relies on highly critical information processed through different systems with inconsistent definitions across more than 500,000 industry participants including hospitals, diagnostic and clinical labs, pharmacies, home health agencies, physician practices, insurance companies, state and federal government agencies, among others; |
| The use of multiple communication protocols that are incompatible and lack interoperability creates significant complexity and inefficiency; |
| The absence of a standard routing framework creates unreliable messaging sourcing and delivery resulting in critical messages not reaching their destinations in a timely or verifiable manner; and |
| The prevalence of point solutions creates the need to utilize multiple vendors that offer custom developed software that is expensive to maintain and requires numerous user interfaces with limited connectivity and unreliable service |
The Consensus Solution
Our products and services are a component of the secure information transmission market, which is part of the broader public cloud services market, for which demand for cloud services is expected to accelerate in the future. Fax remains one of the most ubiquitous ways to transmit documents securely. The use of fax is particularly high in industries subject to data protection laws such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), as fax offers safety of transmission and nearly universal legal acceptance. Cloud adoption has grown quickly in secure transmission, taking share from on-premises solutions over the past decade. Consensus is a natural hub for these secure connections for several reasons, including:
| Our position as a leading provider of digital cloud fax technology offers an important advantage in leveraging longstanding relationships in the fragmented healthcare ecosystem, proving the reliability of our service, demonstrating the security of our system and our commitment to high service levels; |
| An integrated product set offering customers the ability to access every widely used and HIPAA compliant communication protocol that best suits their needs from a single platform which ensures successful communication and connectivity throughout the continuum of care; |
| A secure, scalable cloud architecture that streamlines clinical workflows and enables rapid product deployment as new technologies emerge without the need for customized, installed software; |
| A comprehensive approach to security, process automation and transformation tools eliminates many of the risks associated with point solution vendors; and |
| Significant scale produces meaningful cost advantages |
The Opportunity
New offerings are being introduced to address market demand for effective interoperability solutions. These solutions are capable of integrating with existing healthcare IT infrastructure to facilitate communication between providers, safely storing and analyzing data, and increasing patient access to critical health and financial information. Healthcare interoperability is a nascent industry with a total addressable market currently estimated to be over $8 billion globally (excluding the total addressable market for online fax) and is expected to grow at a rapid pace in the future according to The Analyst Syndicate. The estimated total addressable market for our business of $11 billion by 2023 as estimated by us exceeds the estimated addressable market for healthcare interoperability of over $8 billion because our online fax solutions, with an estimated market size of over $2 billion according to Maia Research, serve multiple industries not just healthcare.
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Our Strategy
Our strategy focuses on generating attractive organic growth, achieving solid margins and free cash flow generation, pursuing value-accretive acquisitions and delivering high value to our shareholders. The principal components of our growth strategy include:
| Continuing to grow our digital cloud fax and enterprise secure information exchange business; leveraging our existing relationships to penetrate and access larger market opportunities by solving key healthcare interoperability challenges with our existing products and new ones under development: |
| Allow senders and receivers to work with multiple protocols with access from a single source |
| Transform messages so that they can be rendered in a format that is most suitable for the receiver and their workflow |
| Provide a central hub that has existing and verified end-to-end connections across the health ecosystem with a synchronized dictionary |
| Complementing organic growth investments with targeted acquisitions to accelerate our growth; and |
| Positioning our business for sustained growth through continued focus on profitability and cash flow generation |
On October 7, 2021, Ziff Davis, Inc. (then known as J2 Global, Inc.) completed its previously announced plans to separate into two leading publicly traded companies: one addressing healthcare interoperability and comprising the Cloud Fax business, which is doing business as Consensus Cloud Solutions, Inc., and one that is continuing Ziff Davis strategy of building a leading internet platform focused on key verticals, including technology & gaming, shopping, health, cybersecurity and martech, which is doing business as Ziff Davis. We refer to the transactions that resulted in the separation of Consensus and Ziff Davis into two separate publicly traded companies as the separation and distribution.
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The Underwriting and Debt-for-Equity Exchange
In connection with this offering, Ziff Davis expects to exchange up to 2,300,000 shares of our common stock for $ million in aggregate principal amount of indebtedness of Ziff Davis held by J.P. Morgan and CNAI, as the debt-for-equity exchange parties, pursuant to a debt-for-equity exchange agreement to be entered into following the date of this prospectus supplement. J.P. Morgan and CNAI, as the selling stockholders in this offering, will then offer those shares of our common stock in this offering. The selling stockholders, and not Ziff Davis or us, will receive the proceeds from the sale of the shares in this offering. However, as a result of exchanging the shares of our common stock with the selling stockholders prior to this offering, Ziff Davis may be deemed to be a selling stockholder in this offering solely for U.S. federal securities law purposes. The debt-for-equity exchange will occur on the settlement date of this offering immediately prior to, and its consummation is a condition to, the settlement of the selling stockholders sale of the shares to the underwriters. As a result, the consummation of the debt-for-equity exchange is also ultimately a condition to the settlement of the underwriters sale of the shares to prospective investors.
The indebtedness of Ziff Davis exchanged by the debt-for-equity exchange parties will consist of certain term loans of Ziff Davis in the aggregate principal amount of $ million. The amount of indebtedness of Ziff Davis held by the debt-for-equity exchange parties is expected to be sufficient to acquire all of the shares of our common stock to be sold by the selling stockholders in this offering. Upon completion of the debt-for-equity exchange, the Ziff Davis indebtedness exchanged in such debt-for-equity exchange will be retired. We do not guarantee or have any other obligations in respect of the Ziff Davis indebtedness.
Upon completion of the debt-for-equity exchange, if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares from the selling shareholders, it is expected that Ziff Davis will own 1,660,607 shares of our common stock. If the underwriters do not exercise their option to purchase additional securities from the selling shareholders, it is expected that Ziff Davis will own 1,960,607 shares of our common stock after the offering.
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Common stock offered by the selling stockholders |
2,000,000 shares (or 2,300,000 shares if the underwriters exercise in full their option to purchase additional shares). |
Option to purchase additional shares |
The selling stockholders have granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to 300,000 additional shares of our common stock from the selling stockholders at the public offering price. |
Common stock held by Ziff Davis immediately after the debt-for-equity exchange, assuming full exercise of the underwriters option to purchase additional shares from the selling stockholders. |
1,660,607 shares |
Use of proceeds |
We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of the common stock in this offering. All of the net proceeds from this offering will be received by the selling stockholders. The selling stockholders are expected to acquire the common stock being sold in this offering from Ziff Davis in exchange for certain outstanding indebtedness of Ziff Davis prior to the settlement of this offering. Ziff Davis has informed us that, subsequent to the completion of the debt-for-equity exchange, the Ziff Davis indebtedness exchanged in such debt-for-equity exchange will be canceled. See Underwriting (Conflict of Interest) The Debt-for-Equity Exchange and Use of Proceeds. |
Underwriters |
J.P. Morgan, Evercore Group L.L.C. and Citigroup Global Markets Inc. (Citigroup) |
Selling stockholders |
Prior to the settlement of this offering, pursuant to a debt-for-equity exchange agreement to be entered into following the date of this prospectus supplement, Ziff Davis will exchange all of the shares of our common stock being sold in this offering for certain outstanding indebtedness of Ziff Davis then owned by the selling stockholders. The selling stockholders are offering to sell shares for cash pursuant to this offering. No new shares of our common stock will be issued in this offering. As a result of this debt-for-equity exchange, Ziff Davis may be deemed to be a selling stockholder in this offering solely for U.S. federal securities law purposes. |
Conflict of interest |
Because J.P. Morgan and CNAI, an affiliate of Citigroup, will receive 5% or more of the net proceeds of this offering as the selling stockholders, each of the debt-for-equity exchange parties is deemed to have a conflict of interest within the meaning of Rule 5121 (Rule 5121) of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. (FINRA). Accordingly, this offering will be conducted in compliance with the requirements of Rule 5121. The appointment of a |
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qualified independent underwriter is not required in connection with this offering as a bona fide public market, as defined in Rule 5121, exists for our common stock. See Use of Proceeds and Underwriting (Conflicts of Interest). |
Risk factors |
For a discussion of risks and uncertainties involved with an investment in our common stock, see Risk Factors beginning on page 4 of the accompanying prospectus, as well as the risk factors and other information contained in our 2021 Form 10-K and our First Quarter 2022 Form 10-Q, which are each incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement. |
Listing |
Our common stock is listed on Nasdaq under the symbol CCSI. |
Unless we indicate otherwise, all information in this prospectus supplement is based on 20,015,370 shares of our common stock outstanding as of June 6, 2022, and excludes (i) 2,911,042 shares of common stock reserved for issuance under the Companys 2021 Equity Incentive Plan and (ii) 974,079 shares of common stock available for purchase under the Companys 2021 Employee Stock Purchase Plan.
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SUMMARY HISTORICAL FINANCIAL INFORMATION
The following table presents the summary consolidated financial statements of Consensus Cloud Solutions, Inc. The Consolidated Statements of Income data and the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows data for each of the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2021 and the Consolidated Balance Sheet data as of December 31, 2020 and 2021 set forth below are derived from the audited consolidated financial statements of Consensus Cloud Solutions incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement. We derived the summary Consolidated Statement of Income data and Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows data for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2021 and 2022 and the Consolidated Balance Sheet Data as of March 31, 2022 from our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement. We have prepared the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements on the same basis as the audited consolidated financial statements and have included all adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments that, in our opinion, are necessary to state fairly the financial information set forth in those statements. The consolidated financial statements of Consensus for periods prior to the completion of the separation are those of J2 Cloud Services, which were derived from the consolidated financial statements of Ziff Davis on a carve-out basis using the historical assets, liabilities, and results of operations attributable to the legal entities and business units which comprised historical J2 Cloud Services.
The summary financial data should be read in conjunction with the sections entitled Capitalization, Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and the consolidated financial statements of Consensus and the accompanying notes incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement.
As of and for the years ended December 31, |
As of and for the three months ended March 31, |
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(unaudited) | |||||||||||||||
2020 | 2021 | 2021 | 2022 | |||||||||||||
(In thousands) |
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Consolidated Statements of Income: |
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Revenues |
$ | 331,168 | $ | 352,664 | $ | 86,620 | $ | 90,925 | ||||||||
Income from operations |
$ | 196,675 | $ | 175,136 | $ | 51,691 | $ | 38,849 | ||||||||
Net income |
$ | 152,913 | $ | 109,001 | $ | 47,362 | $ | 18,706 |
As of December 31, |
As of March 31, |
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(unaudited) | |||||||||||
2020 | 2021 | 2022 | ||||||||||
(In thousands) |
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Consolidated Balance Sheets: |
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Total assets |
$ | 1,491,420 | $ | 562,812 | $ | 615,346 | ||||||
Long-term debt |
| $ | 792,040 | $ | 792,495 | |||||||
Total liabilities |
$ | 368,878 | $ | 895,477 | $ | 929,270 |
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An investment in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully all of the risks described in the section entitled Risk Factors beginning on page 4 of the accompanying prospectus, as well as the risk factors and other information contained in our 2021 Form 10-K and our First Quarter 2022 Form 10-Q, which are each incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement, before making a decision to invest in our common stock. See Where You Can Find Additional Information below.
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We will not issue any new shares of our common stock and will not receive any proceeds from the sale of the common stock in this offering, including from any exercise by the underwriters of their option to purchase additional shares. All of the net proceeds from this offering will be received by the selling stockholders. Prior to the settlement of this offering, the selling stockholders are expected to acquire the common stock being sold in this offering from Ziff Davis in exchange for certain outstanding indebtedness of Ziff Davis owned by the selling stockholders at such time. See Underwriting (Conflict of Interest).
This offering is being conducted in accordance with the applicable provisions of FINRA Rule 5121. Two of the underwriters, J.P. Morgan and Citigroup, have a conflict of interest pursuant to FINRA Rule 5121(f)(5)(C) because they or their affiliates will each receive 5% or more of the net proceeds of this offering. As such, neither J.P. Morgan nor Citigroup will confirm any sales to any account over which it exercises discretionary authority without the specific written approval of the transaction from the account holder. Pursuant to FINRA Rule 5121, the appointment of a qualified independent underwriter is not necessary in connection with this offering because the offering is of a class of equity securities for which a bona fide public market, as defined by FINRA Rule 5121(f)(3), exists. See Underwriting (Conflicts of Interest)Conflicts of Interest and Relationships.
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Except as otherwise indicated, the following table provides information with respect to the beneficial ownership of our common stock, as of June 6, 2022, by Ziff Davis, which as of such date is a beneficial owner of more than 5% of the Companys outstanding common stock and which may be deemed to be a selling stockholder in this offering, solely for U.S. federal securities law purposes, as a result of the debt-for-equity exchange with the selling stockholders. The percentages in the table below are based on 20,015,370 shares of common stock outstanding as of June 6, 2022.
The selling stockholders, J.P. Morgan and CNAI, are offering all of the shares of common stock being sold in this offering. Pursuant to the debt-for-equity exchange agreement to be entered into between Ziff Davis and the selling stockholders following the date of this prospectus supplement, Ziff Davis will exchange the shares of common stock to be sold in this offering with the selling stockholders for certain outstanding indebtedness of Ziff Davis then owned by the selling stockholders. The selling stockholders are offering to sell the shares to the underwriters for cash and the underwriters, including J.P. Morgan and Citigroup, will then sell the shares in this offering to the public. The debt-for-equity exchange between Ziff Davis and the selling stockholders will occur prior to the settlement of this offering and its consummation is a condition to such settlement. As a result, the consummation of the debt-for-equity exchange is also ultimately a condition to the settlement of the underwriters sale of the shares to prospective investors.
After giving effect to the debt-for-equity exchange, and assuming exercise of
the underwriters option to purchase additional shares from the selling securityholders, J.P. Morgan and CNAI will own approximately 11.5 % of the shares of our common stock acquired from Ziff Davis in the debt-for-equity exchange, all of which shares are offered to be sold by the selling stockholders in this offering. See Underwriting (Conflict of Interest) The Debt-for-Equity
Name of Beneficial |
Number of Shares of our Common Stock Beneficially Owned Prior to the Transactions Contemplated by this Prospectus Supplement |
Percentage of our Common Stock Outstanding |
Number of Shares of Our Common Stock Beneficially Owned After the Transactions Contemplated by this Prospectus Supplement Assuming Exercise of the Underwriters Option to Purchase Additional Shares |
Percentage of our Common Stock Outstanding |
||||||||||||
Ziff Davis, Inc. |
3,960,607 | 19.8 | % | 1,660,607 | 8.3 | % |
The address of Ziff Davis, Inc. is 114 5th Avenue, New York, New York 10011. For information regarding certain material relationships between the selling stockholders and the Company, see Certain Relationships and Related Person Transactions incorporated by reference from our 2022 proxy statement into our 2022 Form 10-K incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement.
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UNDERWRITING (CONFLICT OF INTEREST)
The selling stockholders identified in this prospectus supplement are offering the shares of common stock described in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus through a number of underwriters. J.P. Morgan Securities, LLC, Evercore Group L.L.C. and Citigroup Global Markets Inc. are acting as representatives of the underwriters. We, Ziff Davis and the selling stockholders have entered into an underwriting agreement with the underwriters.
Subject to the terms and conditions of the underwriting agreement, the selling stockholders have agreed to sell to the underwriters for cash, and each underwriter has severally agreed to purchase, at the public offering price less the underwriting discounts and commissions set forth on the cover page of this prospectus supplement, the number of shares of common stock listed next to its name in the following table:
Underwriters |
Number of Shares | |||
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC |
||||
Evercore Group L.L.C. |
||||
Citigroup Global Markets Inc. |
||||
Total |
2,000,000 | |||
|
|
The underwriting agreement provides that if an underwriter defaults, the non-defaulting underwriters may in their discretion arrange for the representatives or other parties to purchase such shares on the terms contained in the underwriting agreement. If the non-defaulting underwriters do not arrange for the purchase of such shares with thirty-six hours of the default, we and the selling stockholders will have an additional thirty-six hours to arrange for another party or parties satisfactory to the non-defaulting underwriters to purchase such shares. The underwriters are committed to purchase all of the shares of common stock offered by the selling stockholders if, after giving effect to any such arrangements for the purchase of the shares of a defaulting underwriter by the non-defaulting underwriters, the aggregate number of such shares which remains unpurchased does not exceed one-eleventh of the aggregate number of all the shares to be purchased.
The underwriters propose to offer the common stock directly to the public initially at the public offering price set forth on the cover page of this prospectus supplement and to certain dealers at that price less a concession not in excess of $ per share. Any such dealers may resell shares to certain other brokers or dealers at a discount of up to $ per share from the initial public offering price. After the initial offering of the shares to the public, if all of the shares of common stock are not sold at the initial public offering price, the underwriters may change the offering price and other selling terms. Sales of shares made outside of the United States may be made by affiliates of the underwriters.
The underwriters have an option to buy up to 300,000 additional shares of common stock from the selling securityholders. The underwriters have 30 days from the date of this prospectus to exercise this option to purchase additional shares. If any shares are purchased with this option to purchase additional shares, the underwriters will purchase shares in approximately the same proportion as shown in the table above. If any additional shares of common stock are purchased, the underwriters will offer the additional shares on the same terms as those on which the shares are being offered.
The underwriting discounts and commissions are equal to the public offering price per share of common stock less the amount paid by the underwriters to the selling stockholders per share of common stock. The underwriting discounts and commissions are $ per share. The following table shows the per share and total underwriting discounts and commissions to be paid to the underwriters assuming both no exercise and full exercise of the underwriters option to purchase additional shares.
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Without option to purchase additional shares exercise |
With full option to purchase additional shares exercise | |||
Per Share |
$ | $ | ||
Total |
$ | $ |
(1) | The selling stockholders are expected to acquire the total number of shares being sold in this offering from Ziff Davis pursuant to a debt-for-equity exchange. |
The pricing with respect to the debt-for-equity exchange will (i) be negotiated at arms length, (ii) involve a fixed dollar amount and (iii) not contain any variable component. See The Debt-for-Equity Exchange.
We will bear certain of the costs associated with this offering in accordance with the stockholder and registration rights agreement between us and Ziff Davis and the underwriting agreement. We estimate that our total expenses of this offering, including registration, filing and listing fees, printing fees and legal and accounting expenses will be approximately $ . The selling stockholders will bear the underwriting discounts and commissions and transfer taxes relating to this offering. We have agreed to reimburse the underwriters for the FINRA-related fees and expenses of the underwriters legal counsel in an amount up to $50,000.00.
This prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus in electronic format may be made available on the web sites maintained by one or more underwriters, or selling group members, if any, participating in the offering. The underwriters may agree to allocate a number of shares to underwriters and selling group members for sale to their online brokerage account holders. Internet distributions will be allocated by the representatives to underwriters and selling group members that may make Internet distributions on the same basis as other allocations.
We have agreed that we will not (1) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, or submit to, or file with, the SEC a registration statement under the Securities Act of 1933 (the Securities Act) relating to, any shares of shares of common stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of common stock, or publicly disclose the intention to undertake any of the foregoing, or (2) enter into any swap or other agreement that transfers, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the Stock or any such other securities, whether any such transaction described in clause (1) or (2) above is to be settled by delivery of shares of common stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise, in each case without the prior written consent of the representatives of the underwriters for a period of 60 days after the date of this prospectus supplement, other than the shares of common stock offered hereby.
The restrictions described above do not apply to (i) the issuance of shares of common stock or securities convertible into or exercisable for shares of common stock pursuant to the conversion or exchange of convertible or exchangeable securities or the exercise of warrants or options (including net exercise) or the settlement of restricted stock units (RSUs) (including net settlement), in each case outstanding on the date of the underwriting agreement and described herein; (ii) grants of stock options, stock awards, restricted stock, RSUs, or other equity awards and the issuance of shares of common stock or securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of Stock (whether upon the exercise of stock options or otherwise) to the Companys employees, officers, directors, advisors, or consultants pursuant to the terms of an equity compensation plan in effect as of the settlement date of this offering and described herein, provided that such recipients enter into a lock-up agreement with the underwriters; (iii) the filing of any registration statement on Form S-8 relating to securities granted or to be granted pursuant to any plan in effect on the date of the underwriting agreement and described herein or any assumed benefit plan pursuant to an acquisition or similar strategic transaction; or (iv) the issuance of up to 5% of the outstanding shares of common stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of common stock issued in connection with future business combinations, acquisitions, joint ventures, commercial relationships or other strategic transactions, provided that such recipients
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enter into a lock-up agreement with the Underwriters and/or the filing with the SEC of a registration statement relating to such transactions, subject to specified conditions.
Ziff Davis and our directors and executive officers have entered into lock-up agreements and agreed that they will not (1) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any shares of common stock, $0.01 per share par value, of the Company (the Common Stock) or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock (including without limitation, Common Stock or such other securities which may be deemed to be beneficially owned by the undersigned in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC and securities which may be issued upon exercise of a stock option or warrant) (collectively with the Common Stock, the Lock-Up Securities), (2) enter into any hedging, swap or other agreement or transaction that transfers, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the Lock-Up Securities, whether any such transaction described in clause (1) or (2) above is to be settled by delivery of Lock-Up Securities, in cash or otherwise, (3) make any demand for, or exercise any right with respect to, the registration of any Lock-Up Securities, or (4) publicly disclose the intention to do any of the foregoing, in each case, without the prior written consent of J.P. Morgan Securities LLC on behalf of the underwriters for a period of 60 days after the date of this prospectus supplement.
Notwithstanding the above, the lock-up agreements applicable to Ziff Davis and our directors and officers will not apply to transfers (i) as a bona fide gift or gifts or charitable contribution, or for bona fide estate planning purposes, (ii) by will, other testamentary document or intestate succession, (iii) to any immediate family member or other dependent of the undersigned (for purposes of the lock-up agreements, immediate family shall mean any relationship by blood, current or former marriage, domestic partnership or adoption, not more remote than first cousin), (iv) to any trust for the direct or indirect benefit of the undersigned or the immediate family of the undersigned, or if the undersigned is a trust, to a trustor or beneficiary of the trust or to the estate of a beneficiary of such trust, (v) to any corporation partnership, limited liability company or other entity of which the signatories to the lock-up agreements or the immediate family of such persons are, directly or indirectly, the legal and beneficial owner of all of the outstanding equity securities or similar interests, (vi) to a nominee or custodian of a person or entity to whom a disposition or transfer would be permissible under clauses (i) through (v) above, (vii) if any signatory to the lock-up agreements is a corporation, partnership, limited liability company, trust or other business entity, (A) to another corporation, partnership, limited liability company, trust or other business entity that is an affiliate (as defined in Rule 405 promulgated under the Securities Act) of such signatory, or to any investment fund or other entity controlling, controlled by, managing or managed by or under common control with such signatory or affiliates of such signatory (including, for the avoidance of doubt, where such signatory is a partnership, to its general partner or a successor partnership or fund, or any other funds managed by such partnership), or (B) as part of a distribution to members, partners, shareholders or other equityholders of the signatories to the lock-up agreements, (viii) by operation of law, such as pursuant to a qualified domestic order, divorce settlement, divorce decree or separation agreement, or order of a regulatory agency, or to comply with any regulations related to the ownership by the signatories to the lock-up agreements of the Lock-Up Securities of such signatories, (ix) to the Company from an employee of the Company upon death, disability or termination of employment, in each case, of such employee, (x) as part of a sale of the Lock-Up Securities of the signatories to the lock-up agreements acquired in open market transactions after the closing date of this offering, (xi) to the Company in connection with the vesting, settlement, or exercise of restricted stock units, options, warrants or other rights to purchase shares of Common Stock (including, in each case, by way of net or cashless exercise), including for the payment of exercise price and tax and remittance payments due as a result of the vesting, settlement, or exercise of such restricted stock units, options, warrants or rights, provided that any such shares of Common Stock received upon such exercise, vesting or settlement shall be subject to the terms of the lock-up agreements, and provided further that any such restricted stock units, options, warrants or rights are held by signatories to the lock-up agreements pursuant to an agreement or equity awards granted under a stock incentive plan or other equity award plan, each such agreement or plan which is described in the registration statement on Form S-1 that we filed with the SEC and this prospectus supplement, (xii) in the case of Ziff Davis, any shares to be sold under the underwriting agreement or the debt for equity exchange agreement, (xiii) pursuant
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to a bona fide third-party tender offer, merger, consolidation or other similar transaction that is approved by the board of directors of the Company and made to all holders of the Companys capital stock involving a change of control of the Company (provided that in the event that such tender offer, merger, consolidation or other similar transaction is not completed, the subject Lock-Up Securities shall remain subject to the provisions of the lock-up agreements), (xiv) pursuant to the establishment of any contract, instruction or plan that satisfies all of the requirements of Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act, so long as any sales pursuant to such contract, instruction or plan occur after a period of 60 days after the date of this prospectus supplement, or (xv) with the prior written consent of J.P. Morgan Securities LLC on behalf of the underwriters, in each case, subject to certain conditions.
We and Ziff Davis have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against certain liabilities and have agreed to provide contribution with respect to certain payments the underwriters may be required to make in respect thereof, including liabilities under the Securities Act.
Our common stock is listed on Nasdaq under the symbol CCSI.
In connection with this offering, the underwriters may engage in stabilizing transactions, which involves making bids for, purchasing and selling shares of common stock in the open market for the purpose of preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the common stock while this offering is in progress. These stabilizing transactions may include making short sales of the common stock, which involves the sale by the underwriters of a greater number of shares of common stock than they are required to purchase in this offering, and purchasing shares of common stock on the open market to cover positions created by short sales. Short sales may be covered shorts, which are short positions in an amount not greater than the underwriters option to purchase additional shares referred to above, or may be naked shorts, which are short positions in excess of that amount. The underwriters may close out any covered short position either by exercising their option to purchase additional shares, in whole or in part, or by purchasing shares in the open market. In making this determination, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of shares available for purchase in the open market compared to the price at which the underwriters may purchase shares through the option to purchase additional shares. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of the common stock in the open market that could adversely affect investors who purchase in this offering. To the extent that the underwriters create a naked short position, they will purchase shares in the open market to cover the position.
The underwriters have advised us that, pursuant to Regulation M of the Securities Act, they may also engage in other activities that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of the common stock, including the imposition of penalty bids. This means that if the representatives of the underwriters purchase common stock in the open market in stabilizing transactions or to cover short sales, the representatives can require the underwriters that sold those shares as part of this offering to repay the underwriting discount received by them.
These activities may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of the common stock or preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the common stock, and, as a result, the price of the common stock may be higher than the price that otherwise might exist in the open market. If the underwriters commence these activities, they may discontinue them at any time. The underwriters may carry out these transactions on the Nasdaq, in the over-the-counter market or otherwise.
The offering of the shares by the underwriters is subject to receipt and acceptance and subject to the underwriters right to reject any order in whole or in part.
Conflicts of Interest and Relationships
Because each of the debt-for-equity exchange parties will receive 5% or more of the net proceeds of this offering as the selling stockholder, each of the debt-for-equity exchange parties is deemed to have a conflict of interest within the meaning of FINRA Rule 5121. Accordingly, this offering will be conducted in compliance with the
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requirements of Rule 5121. The appointment of a qualified independent underwriter is not required in connection with this offering as a bona fide public market, as defined in Rule 5121, exists for our common stock. In accordance with Rule 5121, neither J.P. Morgan nor Citigroup will confirm any sales to any account over which it exercises discretionary authority without the specific written approval of the transaction from the account holder. See Use of Proceeds.
The underwriters and their respective affiliates are full service financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include securities trading, commercial and investment banking, financial advisory, investment management, investment research, principal investment, hedging, financing and brokerage activities. Certain of the underwriters and their affiliates have provided in the past to us, Ziff Davis and our and their respective affiliates, and may provide from time to time in the future, certain commercial banking, financial advisory, investment banking and other services for us, Ziff Davis and such affiliates in the ordinary course of their business, for which they have received and may continue to receive customary fees and commissions. In addition, from time to time and in the ordinary course of their various business activities, the underwriters and their respective affiliates may effect transactions for their own account or the account of customers, and hold on behalf of themselves or their customers, long or short positions in our and/or Ziff Daviss debt or equity securities or loans (or related derivate securities), and may do so in the future.
The underwriters and their affiliates may also make investment recommendations and/or publish or express independent research views in respect of such securities or financial instruments and may hold, or recommend to clients that they acquire, long and/or short positions in such securities and instruments.
The Debt-for-Equity Exchange
Ziff Davis and the debt-for-equity exchange parties expect to enter into a debt-for-equity exchange agreement following the date of this prospectus supplement. Under the debt-for-equity exchange agreement, Ziff Davis expects to exchange the shares of common stock to be sold in this offering for certain existing indebtedness of Ziff Davis held by the debt-for-equity exchange parties. The debt-for-equity exchange parties will then sell such shares of our common stock to the underwriters for cash and the underwriters, including J.P. Morgan and Citigroup, will sell the shares of our common stock in this offering to the public.
The indebtedness of Ziff Davis that is held by the debt-for-equity exchange parties and available for the debt-for-equity exchange consists of certain term loans of Ziff Davis in the aggregate principal amount of $ million. The amount of indebtedness of Ziff Davis held by the debt-for-equity exchange parties is expected to be sufficient to acquire from Ziff Davis all of the shares of common stock to be sold in this offering. The pricing with respect to the debt-for-equity exchange will (i) be negotiated at arms length, (ii) involve a fixed dollar amount and (iii) not contain any variable component. Each debt-for-equity exchange party will acquire and sell the shares as principal for its own account, rather than on Ziff Daviss behalf. Under the debt-for-equity exchange agreement described above, each debt-for-equity exchange party will become the owner of our shares of common stock that such debt-for-equity exchange party acquires in the debt-for-equity exchange prior to the settlement date of this offering and the Ziff Davis indebtedness exchanged in such debt-for-equity exchange will be retired. The debt-for-equity exchange parties, and neither we nor Ziff Davis, will receive the net proceeds from the sale of the shares in this offering. We do not guarantee or have any other obligations in respect of the Ziff Davis indebtedness.
Under U.S. federal securities laws, the debt-for-equity exchange parties will be deemed to be underwriters with respect to any shares of common stock that they acquire in the debt-for-equity exchange and sells in this offering. Ziff Davis may be deemed to be a selling stockholder solely for U.S. federal securities law purposes with respect to any shares of common stock that the debt-for-equity exchange parties acquires from Ziff Davis in the debt-for-equity exchange and sells in this offering.
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Selling Restrictions
Notice to Prospective Investors in Canada
The shares of common stock may be sold only to purchasers purchasing, or deemed to be purchasing, as principal that are accredited investors, as defined in National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions or subsection 73.3(1) of the Securities Act (Ontario), and are permitted clients, as defined in National Instrument 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations. Any resale of the shares of common stock must be made in accordance with an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the prospectus requirements of applicable securities laws.
Securities legislation in certain provinces or territories of Canada may provide a purchaser with remedies for rescission or damages if this prospectus supplement (including any amendment thereto) contains a misrepresentation, provided that the remedies for rescission or damages are exercised by the purchaser within the time limit prescribed by the securities legislation of the purchasers province or territory. The purchaser should refer to any applicable provisions of the securities legislation of the purchasers province or territory for particulars of these rights or consult with a legal advisor.
Pursuant to section 3A.3 of National Instrument 33-105 Underwriting Conflicts (NI 33-105), the underwriters are not required to comply with the disclosure requirements of NI 33-105 regarding underwriter conflicts of interest in connection with this offering.
Notice to Prospective Investors in the European Economic Area
In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area (each a Member State), no shares of common stock have been offered or will be offered pursuant to this offering to the public in that Member State prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the shares of common stock which has been approved by the competent authority in that Member State or, where appropriate, approved in another Member State and notified to the competent authority in that Member State, all in accordance with the Prospectus Regulation, except that offers of shares of common stock may be made to the public in that Member State at any time under the following exemptions under the Prospectus Regulation:
(a) to any legal entity which is a qualified investor as defined under the Prospectus Regulation;
(b) to fewer than 150 natural or legal persons (other than qualified investors as defined under the Prospectus Regulation), subject to obtaining the prior consent of the underwriters; or
(c) in any other circumstances falling within Article 1(4) of the Prospectus Regulation,
provided that no such offer of shares of common stock shall require us or any underwriter to publish a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Regulation or supplement a prospectus pursuant to Article 23 of the Prospectus Regulation and each person who initially acquires any shares of common stock or to whom any offer is made will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed to and with each of the underwriters and the Company that it is a qualified investor within the meaning of Article 2(e) of the Prospectus Regulation. In the case of any shares of common stock being offered to a financial intermediary as that term is used in the Prospectus Regulation, each such financial intermediary will be deemed to have represented, acknowledged and agreed that the shares of common stock acquired by it in the offer have not been acquired on a non-discretionary basis on behalf of, nor have they been acquired with a view to their offer or resale to, persons in circumstances which may give rise to an offer of any shares of common stock to the public other than their offer or resale in a Member State to qualified investors as so defined or in circumstances in which the prior consent of the underwriters have been obtained to each such proposed offer or resale.
For the purposes of this provision, the expression an offer to the public in relation to shares of common stock in any Member State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the
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terms of the offer and any shares of common stock to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for any shares of common stock, and the expression Prospectus Regulation means Regulation (EU) 2017/1129.
Notice to Prospective Investors in the United Kingdom
In addition, in the United Kingdom, this document is being distributed only to, and is directed only at, and any offer subsequently made may only be directed at persons who are qualified investors (as defined in the Prospectus Regulation) (i) who have professional experience in matters relating to investments falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005, as amended (the Order) and/or (ii) who are high net worth companies (or persons to whom it may otherwise be lawfully communicated) falling within Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Order (all such persons together being referred to as relevant persons) or otherwise in circumstances which have not resulted and will not result in an offer to the public of the shares of common stock in the United Kingdom within the meaning of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.
Any person in the United Kingdom that is not a relevant person should not act or rely on the information included in this document or use it as basis for taking any action. In the United Kingdom, any investment or investment activity that this document relates to may be made or taken exclusively by relevant persons.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Switzerland
The shares of common stock may not be publicly offered in Switzerland and will not be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (SIX) or on any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. This document does not constitute a prospectus within the meaning of, and has been prepared without regard to the disclosure standards for issuance prospectuses under art. 652a or art. 1156 of the Swiss Code of Obligations or the disclosure standards for listing prospectuses under art. 27 ff. of the SIX Listing Rules or the listing rules of any other stock exchange or regulated trading facility in Switzerland. Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the shares of common stock or this offering may be publicly distributed or otherwise made publicly available in Switzerland.
Neither this document nor any other offering or marketing material relating to the offering, the Company, the shares of common stock have been or will be filed with or approved by any Swiss regulatory authority. In particular, this document will not be filed with, and the offer of shares of common stock will not be supervised by, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA (FINMA), and the offer of shares of common stock has not been and will not be authorized under the Swiss Federal Act on Collective Investment Schemes (CISA). The investor protection afforded to acquirers of interests in collective investment schemes under the CISA does not extend to acquirers of shares of common stock.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Monaco
The shares of common stock may not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, to the public in Monaco other than by a Monaco Bank or a duly authorized Monegasque intermediary acting as a professional institutional investor which has such knowledge and experience in financial and business matters as to be capable of evaluating the risks and merits of an investment in the Fund. Consequently, this prospectus supplement may only be communicated to (i) banks, and (ii) portfolio management companies duly licensed by the Commission de Contrôle des Activités Financières by virtue of Law n° 1.338, of September 7, 2007, and authorized under Law n° 1.144 of July 26, 1991. Such regulated intermediaries may in turn communicate this prospectus supplement to potential investors.
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Notice to Prospective Investors in Australia
This prospectus supplement:
| does not constitute a disclosure document or a prospectus under Chapter 6D.2 of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) (the Corporations Act); |
| has not been, and will not be, lodged with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), as a disclosure document for the purposes of the Corporations Act and does not purport to include the information required of a disclosure document for the purposes of the Corporations Act; and |
| may only be provided in Australia to select investors who are able to demonstrate that they fall within one or more of the categories of investors, available under section 708 of the Corporations Act (Exempt Investors). |
The shares of common stock may not be directly or indirectly offered for subscription or purchased or sold, and no invitations to subscribe for or buy the shares of common stock may be issued, and no draft or definitive offering memorandum, advertisement or other offering material relating to any shares of common stock may be distributed in Australia, except where disclosure to investors is not required under Chapter 6D of the Corporations Act or is otherwise in compliance with all applicable Australian laws and regulations. By submitting an application for the shares of common stock, you represent and warrant to us that you are an Exempt Investor.
As any offer of shares of common stock under this document will be made without disclosure in Australia under Chapter 6D.2 of the Corporations Act, the offer of those securities for resale in Australia within 12 months may, under section 707 of the Corporations Act, require disclosure to investors under Chapter 6D.2 if none of the exemptions in section 708 applies to that resale. By applying for the shares of common stock you undertake to us that you will not, for a period of 12 months from the date of sale of the shares of common stock, offer, transfer, assign or otherwise alienate those shares of common stock to investors in Australia except in circumstances where disclosure to investors is not required under Chapter 6D.2 of the Corporations Act or where a compliant disclosure document is prepared and lodged with ASIC.
Notice to Prospective Investors in New Zealand
This document has not been registered, filed with or approved by any New Zealand regulatory authority under the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013 (the FMA Act). The shares of common stock may only be offered or sold in New Zealand (or allotted with a view to being offered for sale in New Zealand) to a person who:
| is an investment business within the meaning of clause 37 of Schedule 1 of the FMC Act; |
| meets the investment activity criteria specified in clause 38 of Schedule 1 of the FMC Act; |
| is large within the meaning of clause 39 of Schedule 1 of the FMC Act; |
| is a government agency within the meaning of clause 40 of Schedule 1 of the FMC Act; or |
| is an eligible investor within the meaning of clause 41 of Schedule 1 of the FMC Act. |
Notice to Prospective Investors in Japan
The shares of common stock have not been and will not be registered pursuant to Article 4, Paragraph 1 of the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act. Accordingly, none of the shares of common stock nor any interest therein may be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to, or for the benefit of, any resident of Japan
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(which term as used herein means any person resident in Japan, including any corporation or other entity organized under the laws of Japan), or to others for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Japan or to or for the benefit of a resident of Japan, except pursuant to an exemption from the registration requirements of, and otherwise in compliance with, the Financial Instruments and Exchange Act and any other applicable laws, regulations and ministerial guidelines of Japan in effect at the relevant time.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Hong Kong
The shares of common stock have not been offered or sold and will not be offered or sold in Hong Kong, by means of any document, other than (a) to professional investors as defined in the Securities and Futures Ordinance (Cap. 571 of the Laws of Hong Kong) (the SFO) of Hong Kong and any rules made thereunder; or (b) in other circumstances which do not result in the document being a prospectus as defined in the Companies (Winding Up and Miscellaneous Provisions) Ordinance (Cap. 32) of Hong Kong) (the CO) or which do not constitute an offer to the public within the meaning of the CO. No advertisement, invitation or document relating to the shares of common stock has been or may be issued or has been or may be in the possession of any person for the purposes of issue, whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere, which is directed at, or the contents of which are likely to be accessed or read by, the public of Hong Kong (except if permitted to do so under the securities laws of Hong Kong) other than with respect to shares of common stock which are or are intended to be disposed of only to persons outside Hong Kong or only to professional investors as defined in the SFO and any rules made thereunder.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Singapore
Each underwriter has acknowledged that this prospectus supplement has not been registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, each underwriter has represented and agreed that it has not offered or sold any shares of common stock or caused the shares of common stock to be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase and will not offer or sell any shares of common stock or cause the shares of common stock to be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, and has not circulated or distributed, nor will it circulate or distribute, this prospectus supplement or any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of the shares of common stock, whether directly or indirectly, to any person in Singapore other than:
(a) | to an institutional investor (as defined in Section 4A of the Securities and Futures Act (Chapter 289) of Singapore, as modified or amended from time to time (the SFA)) pursuant to Section 274 of the SFA; |
(b) | to a relevant person (as defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA) pursuant to Section 275(1) of the SFA, or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A) of the SFA, and in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275 of the SFA; or |
(c) | otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA. |
Where the shares of common stock are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 of the SFA by a relevant person which is:
(a) | a corporation (which is not an accredited investor (as defined in Section 4A of the SFA)) the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor; or |
(b) | a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole purpose is to hold investments and each beneficiary of the trust is an individual who is an accredited investor, |
securities or securities-based derivatives contracts (each term as defined in Section 2(1) of the SFA) of that corporation or the beneficiaries rights and interest (howsoever described) in that trust shall not be transferred
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within six months after that corporation or that trust has acquired the shares of common stock pursuant to an offer made under Section 275 of the SFA except:
(i) | to an institutional investor or to a relevant person, or to any person arising from an offer referred to in Section 275(1A) or Section 276(4)(i)(B) of the SFA; |
(ii) | where no consideration is or will be given for the transfer; |
(iii) | where the transfer is by operation of law; |
(iv) | as specified in Section 276(7) of the SFA; or |
(v) | as specified in Regulation 37A of the Securities and Futures (Offers of Investments) (Securities and Securities-based Derivatives Contracts) Regulations 2018. |
Singapore SFA Product Classification In connection with Section 309B of the SFA and the CMP Regulations 2018, unless otherwise specified before an offer of shares of common stock, the Company has determined, and hereby notifies all relevant persons (as defined in Section 309A(1) of the SFA), that the shares of common stock are prescribed capital markets products (as defined in the CMP Regulations 2018) and Excluded Investment Products (as defined in MAS Notice SFA 04-N12: Notice on the Sale of Investment Products and MAS Notice FAA-N16: Notice on Recommendations on Investment Products).
Notice to Prospective Investors in China
This prospectus supplement will not be circulated or distributed in the PRC and the shares of common stock will not be offered or sold, and will not be offered or sold to any person for re-offering or resale directly or indirectly to any residents of the PRC except pursuant to any applicable laws and regulations of the PRC. Neither this prospectus supplement nor any advertisement or other offering material may be distributed or published in the PRC, except under circumstances that will result in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Korea
The shares of common stock have not been and will not be registered under the Financial Investments Services and Capital Markets Act of Korea and the decrees and regulations thereunder (the FSCMA), and the shares of common stock have been and will be offered in Korea as a private placement under the FSCMA. None of the shares of common stock may be offered, sold or delivered directly or indirectly, or offered or sold to any person for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, in Korea or to any resident of Korea except pursuant to the applicable laws and regulations of Korea, including the FSCMA and the Foreign Exchange Transaction Law of Korea and the decrees and regulations thereunder (the FETL). Furthermore, the purchaser of the shares of common stock shall comply with all applicable regulatory requirements (including but not limited to requirements under the FETL) in connection with the purchase of the shares of common stock. By the purchase of the shares of common stock, the relevant holder thereof will be deemed to represent and warrant that if it is in Korea or is a resident of Korea, it purchased the shares of common stock pursuant to the applicable laws and regulations of Korea.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Malaysia
No prospectus or other offering material or document in connection with the offer and sale of the shares of common stock has been or will be registered with the Securities Commission of Malaysia (Commission) for the Commissions approval pursuant to the Capital Markets and Services Act 2007. Accordingly, this prospectus supplement and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of the shares of common stock may not be circulated or distributed, nor may the shares of common stock be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Malaysia other than (i) a closed end fund approved by the Commission; (ii) a holder of a
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Capital Markets Services Licence; (iii) a person who acquires the shares of common stock, as principal, if the offer is on terms that the shares of common stock may only be acquired at a consideration of not less than RM250,000 (or its equivalent in foreign currencies) for each transaction; (iv) an individual whose total net personal assets or total net joint assets with his or her spouse exceeds RM3 million (or its equivalent in foreign currencies), excluding the value of the primary residence of the individual; (v) an individual who has a gross annual income exceeding RM300,000 (or its equivalent in foreign currencies) per annum in the preceding twelve months; (vi) an individual who, jointly with his or her spouse, has a gross annual income of RM400,000 (or its equivalent in foreign currencies), per annum in the preceding twelve months; (vii) a corporation with total net assets exceeding RM10 million (or its equivalent in a foreign currencies) based on the last audited accounts; (viii) a partnership with total net assets exceeding RM10 million (or its equivalent in foreign currencies); (ix) a bank licensee or insurance licensee as defined in the Labuan Financial Services and Securities Act 2010; (x) an Islamic bank licensee or takaful licensee as defined in the Labuan Financial Services and Securities Act 2010; and (xi) any other person as may be specified by the Commission; provided that, in the each of the preceding categories (i) to (xi), the distribution of the shares of common stock is made by a holder of a Capital Markets Services Licence who carries on the business of dealing in securities. The distribution in Malaysia of this prospectus supplement is subject to Malaysian laws. This prospectus supplement does not constitute and may not be used for the purpose of public offering or an issue, offer for subscription or purchase, invitation to subscribe for or purchase any securities requiring the registration of a prospectus with the Commission under the Capital Markets and Services Act 2007.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Taiwan
The shares of common stock have not been and will not be registered with the Financial Supervisory Commission of Taiwan pursuant to relevant securities laws and regulations and may not be sold, issued or offered within Taiwan through a public offering or in circumstances which constitutes an offer within the meaning of the Securities and Exchange Act of Taiwan that requires a registration or approval of the Financial Supervisory Commission of Taiwan. No person or entity in Taiwan has been authorised to offer, sell, give advice regarding or otherwise intermediate the offering and sale of the shares of common stock in Taiwan.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Saudi Arabia
This prospectus supplement may not be distributed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia except to such persons as are permitted under the Offers of Securities Regulations as issued by the board of the Saudi Arabian Capital Market Authority (CMA) pursuant to resolution number 2-11-2004 dated 4 October 2004 as amended by resolution number 1-28-2008, as amended (the CMA Regulations). The CMA does not make any representation as to the accuracy or completeness of this document and expressly disclaims any liability whatsoever for any loss arising from, or incurred in reliance upon, any part of this document. Prospective purchasers of the securities offered hereby should conduct their own due diligence on the accuracy of the information relating to the securities. If you do not understand the contents of this document, you should consult an authorised financial adviser.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Qatar
The shares of common stock described in this prospectus supplement have not been, and will not be, offered, sold or delivered, at any time, directly or indirectly in the State of Qatar in a manner that would constitute a public offering. This prospectus supplement has not been, and will not be, registered with or approved by the Qatar Financial Markets Authority or Qatar Central Bank and may not be publicly distributed. This prospectus supplement is intended for the original recipient only and must not be provided to any other person. It is not for general circulation in the State of Qatar and may not be reproduced or used for any other purpose.
Notice to Prospective Investors in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC)
This document relates to an Exempt Offer in accordance with the Markets Rules 2012 of the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA). This document is intended for distribution only to persons of a type specified in
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the Markets Rules 2012 of the DFSA. It must not be delivered to, or relied on by, any other person. The DFSA has no responsibility for reviewing or verifying any documents in connection with Exempt Offers. The DFSA has not approved this prospectus supplement nor taken steps to verify the information set forth herein and has no responsibility for this document. The securities to which this document relates may be illiquid and/or subject to restrictions on their resale. Prospective purchasers of the securities offered should conduct their own due diligence on the securities. If you do not understand the contents of this document you should consult an authorized financial advisor.
In relation to its use in the DIFC, this document is strictly private and confidential and is being distributed to a limited number of investors and must not be provided to any person other than the original recipient, and may not be reproduced or used for any other purpose. The interests in the securities may not be offered or sold directly or indirectly to the public in the DIFC.
Notice to Prospective Investors in the United Arab Emirates
The shares of common stock have not been, and are not being, publicly offered, sold, promoted or advertised in the United Arab Emirates (including the Dubai International Financial Centre) other than in compliance with the laws of the United Arab Emirates (and the Dubai International Financial Centre) governing the issue, offering and sale of securities. Further, this prospectus supplement does not constitute a public offer of securities in the United Arab Emirates (including the Dubai International Financial Centre) and is not intended to be a public offer. This prospectus supplement has not been approved by or filed with the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates, the Securities and Commodities Authority or the Dubai Financial Services Authority.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Bermuda
Shares of common stock may be offered or sold in Bermuda only in compliance with the provisions of the Investment Business Act of 2003 of Bermuda which regulates the sale of securities in Bermuda. Additionally, non-Bermudian persons (including companies) may not carry on or engage in any trade or business in Bermuda unless such persons are permitted to do so under applicable Bermuda legislation.
Notice to Prospective Investors in the British Virgin Islands
The shares of common stock are not being, and may not be offered to the public or to any person in the British Virgin Islands for purchase or subscription by or on behalf of the Company. The shares of common stock may be offered to companies incorporated under the BVI Business Companies Act, 2004 (British Virgin Islands) (BVI Companies), but only where the offer will be made to, and received by, the relevant BVI Company entirely outside of the British Virgin Islands.
Notice to Prospective Investors in Bahamas
Shares of common stock may not be offered or sold in The Bahamas via a public offer. Shares of common stock may not be offered or sold or otherwise disposed of in any way to any person(s) deemed resident for exchange control purposes by the Central Bank of The Bahamas.
Notice to Prospective Investors in South Africa
Due to restrictions under the securities laws of South Africa, no offer to the public (as such term is defined in the South African Companies Act, No. 71 of 2008 (as amended or re-enacted) (the South African Companies Act))is being made in connection with the issue of the shares of common stock in South Africa. Accordingly, this document does not, nor is it intended to, constitute a registered prospectus (as that term is defined in the South African Companies Act) prepared and registered under the South African Companies Act and has not been approved by, and/or filed with, the South African Companies and Intellectual Property Commission or any other
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regulatory authority in South Africa. The shares of common stock are not offered, and the offer shall not be transferred, sold, renounced or delivered, in South Africa or to a person with an address in South Africa, unless one or other of the following exemptions stipulated in section 96 (1) applies:
Section 96 (1) (a) | the offer, transfer, sale, renunciation or delivery is to:
(i) persons whose ordinary business, or part of whose ordinary business, is to deal in securities, as principal or agent;
(ii) the South African Public Investment Corporation;
(iii) persons or entities regulated by the Reserve Bank of South Africa;
(iv) authorised financial service providers under South African law;
(v) financial institutions recognised as such under South African law;
(vi) a wholly-owned subsidiary of any person or entity contemplated in (c), (d) or (e), acting as agent in the capacity of an authorised portfolio manager for a pension fund, or as manager for a collective investment scheme (in each case duly registered as such under South African law); or
(vii) any combination of the person in (i) to (vi); or
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Section 96 (1) (b) | the total contemplated acquisition cost of the securities, for any single addressee acting as principal is equal to or greater than ZAR1,000,000 or such higher amount as may be promulgated by notice in the Government Gazette of South Africa pursuant to section 96(2)(a) of the South African Companies Act. |
Information made available in this prospectus supplement should not be considered as advice as defined in the South African Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act, 2002.
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The consolidated financial statements and schedule as of December 31, 2021 and 2020 and for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2021 incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement have been so incorporated in reliance on the report of BDO USA, LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, incorporated herein by reference, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.
The validity of the common stock being offered by this prospectus supplement will be passed upon for us by Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. Ziff Davis is being represented in connection with any offering by Sullivan & Cromwell LLP. Certain legal matters will be passed upon for the underwriters by Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP.
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are part of a registration statement that we filed with the SEC and do not contain all the information set forth in the registration statement and the exhibits thereto. Some items are omitted in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC. For further information with respect to us and the common stock offered hereby, we refer you to the registration statement and the exhibits filed therewith. Statements contained in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein or therein as to the contents of any contract, agreement or any other document referred to are summaries of the material terms of the respective contract, agreement or other document. With respect to each of these contracts, agreements or other documents filed as an exhibit to the registration statement or the documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus, reference is made to the exhibits for a more complete description of the matter involved. The SEC maintains an internet site at http://www.sec.gov, from which interested persons can electronically access the registration statement, including the exhibits and any schedules thereto. Information contained on or connected to any website referenced in this prospectus supplement is not incorporated into this prospectus supplement or the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, or in any other filings with, or any information furnished or submitted to, the SEC.
Consensus is required to file periodic reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC in accordance with the Exchange Act. These periodic reports, proxy statements and other information will be available at the website of the SEC referred to above and on the investor relations portion of our website at https://investor.consensus.com. You may request a copy of any of our filings with the SEC at no cost by writing or telephoning us at the following address:
Consensus Cloud Solutions, Inc.
Attention: Legal
700 S. Flower Street, 15th Floor
Los Angeles, California 90017
(323) 860-9200
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The information in this prospectus is not complete and may be changed. The selling stockholder may not sell these securities until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission is effective. This prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any state where the offer or sale is not permitted.
Subject to Completion, dated June 7, 2022
PROSPECTUS
Consensus Cloud Solutions, Inc.
Up to 3,960,607 Shares
Common Stock
The selling stockholder identified in this prospectus may offer, from time to time, up to 3,960,607 shares of our common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the common stock). We are registering such shares under the terms of a registration rights agreement between us and Ziff Davis, Inc. (the selling stockholder). We will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of shares of our common stock by the selling stockholder.
Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (Nasdaq) under the symbol CCSI. On June 6, 2022, the closing price of our common stock as reported on Nasdaq was $48.23 per share.
At the time the selling stockholder offers shares registered by this prospectus, we will provide a prospectus supplement, if required, that will contain specific information about the terms of the offering and that may add to or update the information in this prospectus. You should read this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement carefully before you invest.
The selling stockholder may offer the shares in amounts, at prices and on terms determined by market conditions at the time of the offering. The selling stockholder may sell shares through agents it selects or through underwriters and dealers it selects. The selling stockholder also may sell shares directly to investors. If the selling stockholder uses agents, underwriters or dealers to sell the shares, we will name them and describe their compensation in a prospectus supplement.
In reviewing this prospectus, you should carefully consider the matters described under the caption Risk Factors beginning on page 4 and any risk factors described in any accompanying prospectus supplement, as well as the risk factors and other information contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2022, which are each incorporated by reference into this prospectus.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
The date of this prospectus is , 2022.
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This prospectus is part of a registration statement we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) using a shelf registration process. Under this shelf registration process, the selling stockholder may, from time to time, offer and sell, in one or more offerings, shares of our common stock.
At the time the selling stockholder offers shares of our common stock registered by this prospectus, if required, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about the terms of the offering and that may add to or update the information in this prospectus or incorporated by reference in this prospectus. If the information in this prospectus is inconsistent with a prospectus supplement, you should rely on the information in that prospectus supplement. You should read this prospectus, the information incorporated by reference into this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement as well as any post-effective amendments to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part before you make any investment decision.
The rules of the SEC allow us to incorporate information by reference into this prospectus. This information incorporated by reference is considered to be part of this prospectus. See Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference. You should read both this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement together with additional information described under the heading Where You Can Find Additional Information.
We are responsible for the information incorporated by reference or contained in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement or in any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of us that we have referred to you. Neither we nor the selling stockholder has authorized anyone to provide you with additional information or information different from that contained in this prospectus or in any free writing prospectus filed with the SEC and we take no responsibility for any other information that others may give you. The selling stockholder is offering to sell, and seeking offers to buy, shares of our common stock only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are permitted. The information contained in this prospectus is accurate only as of the date of this prospectus, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or of any sale of shares of our common stock. Our business, operating results or financial condition may have changed since such date.
Unless the context otherwise requires, references in this prospectus to Consensus, the Company, we, us and our refer to Consensus Cloud Solutions, Inc. and our subsidiaries.
INDUSTRY AND MARKET DATA
The market data and certain other statistical information included or incorporated by reference into this prospectus includes industry data and forecasts that are based on independent industry publications, government publications or other published independent sources. Some data is also based on our good faith estimates. Although we believe these third-party sources are reliable as of their respective dates, we have not independently verified the accuracy or completeness of this information. The industry in which we operate is subject to a high degree of uncertainty and risk due to a variety of factors, including those described in the sections entitled Risk Factors included or incorporated by reference into this prospectus. These and other factors could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in these publications.
TRADEMARKS, TRADENAMES AND SERVICE MARKS
Consensus owns or has rights to use the trademarks, service marks and trade names that it uses in conjunction with the operation of its business. Consensus holds several internet domain names, including eFax®, SFax®, SRFax, MyFax®, and eFax Corporate, among others. Each trademark, trade name or service mark of any other company included or incorporated by reference into this prospectus is, to our knowledge, owned by such other company.
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This summary contains basic information about us and this offering. Because it is a summary, it does not contain all of the information that you should consider before investing. Before you decide to invest in our common stock, you should carefully read the entire prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein, including the sections titled Risk Factors in this prospectus and any documents incorporated by reference herein.
Overview
We are a provider of secure information delivery services with a scalable Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform. We serve more than one million customers of all sizes, from enterprises to individuals, across over 50 countries and multiple industry verticals including healthcare, financial services, law and education. Beginning as an online fax company over two decades ago, we have evolved into a leading global provider of enterprise secure communication solutions. Our communication and digital signature solutions enable our customers to securely and cooperatively access, exchange and use information across organizational, regional and national boundaries. Our mission is to democratize secure information interchange across technologies and industries, and solve the healthcare interoperability challenge. All of our revenue recurring in nature and is generated either via fixed subscription plans or usage-based contracts.
Over the past decade, Consensus has progressively shifted focus towards larger commercial customers (Corporate). As enterprise data communication shifted toward digitization and cloud-based solutions, Consensus entered industry verticals such as legal, compliance, insurance, and healthcare. Our Corporate business has grown from $148 million of revenue in 2020 to approximately $170 million of revenue in 2021, representing a 13.9% annual growth rate. We currently serve approximately 45,000 Corporate customers, generally small/medium businesses or large enterprises, to whom sales are made through direct interaction with a sales person and involve specific pricing, multiple line subscriptions, API connections and/or commercial grade security.
We currently serve over one million small office/home office (SoHo) online fax customers, generally consumers and SoHo users, who acquire a pre-defined subscription through an e-commerce website without direct interaction with a sales person. Our SoHo brands include jSign®, eFax®, MyFax®, Sfax®, Metrofax®, and SRfax®.
In 2020, we launched the Consensus Unite healthcare interoperability platform, a comprehensive workflow collaboration and data exchange solutions suite. Healthcare represents our largest industry vertical and has information, secure communication, management and interoperability needs. The sector is undergoing a large-scale digitization effort, with the objective to streamline workflows, increase efficiency for operators, and increase transparency for patients. We believe our leadership in digital fax and our deep experience in the healthcare industry positions Consensus well to help healthcare providers accomplish their broader digitization and interoperability objectives.
On October 7, 2021, Ziff Davis, Inc. (then known as J2 Global, Inc.) completed its previously announced plans to separate into two leading publicly traded companies: one addressing healthcare interoperability and comprising the Cloud Fax business, which is doing business as Consensus Cloud Solutions, Inc., and one that is continuing Ziff Davis strategy of building a leading internet platform focused on key verticals, including technology & gaming, shopping, health, cybersecurity and martech, which is doing business as Ziff Davis. We refer to the transactions that resulted in the separation of Consensus and Ziff Davis into two separate publicly traded companies as the separation and distribution.
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Corporate Information
Consensus was incorporated in Delaware for the purpose of holding the Cloud Fax business, including the equity interests in J2 Cloud Services LLC, the legal entity holding the Cloud Fax business, in connection with the separation and the distribution. The address of our principal executive offices is 700 S. Flower Street, 15th Floor, Los Angeles, California 90017. Our telephone number is (323) 860-9200.
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Common stock offered by the selling stockholder |
Up to 3,960,607 shares of our common stock |
Use of proceeds |
All shares of our common stock sold pursuant to this prospectus will be offered and sold by the selling stockholder. We will not receive any proceeds from such sale. See Use of Proceeds. |
Selling stockholder |
Ziff Davis, Inc., or as otherwise indicated herein or in any prospectus supplement. See Selling Stockholder. |
Plan of Distribution |
The selling stockholder may offer the shares in amounts, at prices and on terms determined by market conditions at the time of the offering. The selling stockholder may sell shares through agents it selects or through underwriters and dealers it selects. The selling stockholder also may sell shares directly to investors. If the selling stockholder uses agents, underwriters or dealers to sell the shares, we will name them and describe their compensation in a prospectus supplement. See Plan of Distribution. |
Risk Factors |
For a discussion of risks and uncertainties involved with an investment in our common stock, see Risk Factors beginning on page 4 and any risk factors described in any accompanying prospectus supplement, as well as the risk factors and other information contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 (the 2021 Form 10-K) and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2022 (the First Quarter 2022 Form 10-Q), which are each incorporated by reference into this prospectus. |
Listing |
Our common stock is listed on Nasdaq under the symbol CCSI. |
Unless we indicate otherwise, all information in this prospectus is based on 20,015,370 shares of our common stock outstanding as of June 6, 2022, and excludes (i) 2,911,042 shares of common stock reserved for issuance under the Companys 2021 Equity Incentive Plan and (ii) 974,079 shares of common stock available for purchase under the Companys 2021 Employee Stock Purchase Plan.
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Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Before making an investment decision with respect to our securities, we urge you to carefully consider the risks described in the Risk Factors sections of our 2021 Form 10-K and our First Quarter 2022 Form 10-Q filed with the SEC and incorporated by reference into this prospectus. In addition, the following risk factors present material risks and uncertainties associated with this offering. The risks and uncertainties incorporated by reference into this prospectus or described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known or which we consider immaterial as of the date hereof may also have an adverse effect on our business. If any of the matters discussed in the Risk Factors sections of our 2021 Form 10-K and our First Quarter 2022 Form 10-Q and the following risk factors were to occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows or prospects could be materially adversely affected, the market price of our common stock could decline and you could lose all or part of your investment in our common stock.
Risks Related to the Offering
The trading market for our common stock has existed for only a short period following the distribution. The price and trading volume of our common stock has been and may continue to be volatile and the value of an investment in our common stock could decline.
Prior to the distribution, there was no public market for our common stock. An active trading market for our common stock commenced only recently following the distribution and may not be sustainable. The market price and trading volume of our common stock has fluctuated substantially and may continue to do so due to a number of factors, some of which may be beyond our control, including:
| actual or anticipated fluctuations in our operating results; |
| changes in earnings estimated by securities analysts or our ability to meet those estimates; |
| the operating and stock price performance of comparable companies; |
| changes to the regulatory and legal environment in which we operate; and |
| domestic and worldwide economic conditions. |
Stock markets in general have experienced volatility that has often been unrelated to the operating performance of a particular company. These broad market fluctuations could also adversely affect the trading price of our common stock.
The selling stockholder owns 3,960,607 shares of our common stock. We are registering such shares on a registration statement on Form S-1, of which this prospectus forms a part, under the terms of a registration rights agreement between us and the selling stockholder. The sale of such shares in one or more offerings or any other future sales may cause our stock price to decline.
Any sales of substantial amounts of our common stock in the public market or the perception that such sales might occur, in connection with this offering or otherwise, may cause the market price of our common stock to decline. Upon completion of the offering, we will continue to have an aggregate of approximately 20,015,370 million shares of our common stock issued and outstanding. Shares will generally be freely tradeable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, except for shares owned by one of our affiliates, as that term is defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act. Shares held by affiliates may be sold in the public market if registered or if they qualify for an exemption from registration under Rule 144 under the Securities Act. Further, on October 8, 2021, we filed a registration statement on Form S-8 registering an aggregate of 5,000,000 shares of common stock underlying equity awards we have made and will make to our employees and certain other qualifying individuals, and the resale of those shares of common stock. If equity securities granted under our 2021 Equity Incentive Plan are sold or it is perceived that they will be sold in the public market, the trading price of our common stock could decline substantially. These sales also could impede our ability to raise future capital.
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The selling stockholder owns 3,960,607 shares of our common stock. We are a party to a stockholder and registration rights agreement with Ziff Davis, pursuant to which we agreed, upon request of Ziff Davis, we will use our reasonable best efforts to effect the registration under applicable federal and state securities laws of any shares of our common stock that it retains. We are filing the registration statement on Form S-1 of which this prospectus forms a part pursuant to a request from Ziff Davis to register all shares of our common stock held by Ziff Davis. Sales by Ziff Davis or others of a substantial number of shares after the distribution, or a perception that such sales could occur, could significantly reduce the market price of our common stock. See Certain Relationships and Related Person Transactions Agreements Between Us and Ziff Davis Stockholder and Registration Rights Agreement incorporated by reference from our proxy statement filed on May 2, 2022 (the 2022 proxy statement) into our 2021 Form 10-K, which is incorporated by reference into this prospectus. Any disposition by Ziff Davis of our common stock in the public market in one or more offerings, or the perception that such dispositions could occur, could adversely affect prevailing market prices for our common stock.
We do not intend to pay dividends on our common stock.
We have no present intention to pay cash dividends on our common stock. Any determination to pay dividends to holders of our common stock will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon many factors, including our financial condition, results of operations, projections, liquidity, earnings, legal requirements, restrictions in our existing and any future debt and other factors that our board of directors deems relevant.
Reduced reporting and disclosure requirements applicable to us as an emerging growth company could make our common stock less attractive to investors.
We are an emerging growth company ( EGC) and, for as long as we continue to be an EGC, we may choose to continue to take advantage of exemptions from various reporting requirements applicable to other public companies. Consequently, we are not required to have our independent registered public accounting firm audit our internal control over financial reporting under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, and we are subject to reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved. In addition, the JOBS Act provides that an EGC can take advantage of an extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards. We have elected to take advantage of the extended transition period. As a result, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements as of the dates such pronouncements are effective for public companies. We will cease to be an EGC upon the earliest of: (i) the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the date of the first sale of our common stock pursuant to an effective registration statement filed under the Securities Act, (ii) the first fiscal year after our annual gross revenue is $1.07 billion or more, (iii) the date on which we have, during the previous three-year period, issued more than $1 billion in nonconvertible debt securities or (iv) the end of any fiscal year in which the market value of our common stock held by non-affiliates exceeded $700 million as of the end of the second quarter of that fiscal year. We cannot predict whether investors will find our common stock less attractive if we choose to rely on these exemptions. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result of any choices to reduce future disclosure, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock, and the price of our common stock may be more volatile.
We have identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting, and if our remediation of such material weakness is not effective, or if we experience additional material weaknesses or otherwise fail to design and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting we may not be able to accurately report our financial results in a timely manner, which may adversely affect investor confidence in us and materially and adversely affect our business and operating results.
As a public company, we are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the Dodd-Frank Act and are required to prepare our financial statements according to the rules and
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regulations required by the SEC. In addition, the Exchange Act requires that we file annual, quarterly and current reports. Our failure to prepare and disclose this information in a timely manner or to otherwise comply with applicable law could subject us to penalties under federal securities laws, expose us to lawsuits and restrict our ability to access financing. In addition, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act requires, among other things, that we establish and maintain effective internal controls and procedures for financial reporting and disclosure purposes. Internal control over financial reporting is complex and may be revised over time to adapt to changes in our business, or changes in applicable accounting rules. As reported in our 2021 Form 10-K, we have identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting related to our accounting for the separation and distribution. A material weakness is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our consolidated financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. We cannot assure you that the measures we have taken to date, and actions we may take in the future, will be sufficient to remediate the internal control deficiencies that led to our material weakness, that the material weakness will be remediated on a timely basis, or that additional material weaknesses will not be identified in the future. If the steps we take do not remediate the outstanding material weakness in a timely manner, there could continue to be a possibility that these control deficiencies or others could result in a material misstatement of our annual or interim consolidated financial statements. Further, our current internal control over financial reporting and any additional internal control over financial reporting that we develop may become inadequate because of changes in conditions in our business. We also cannot assure you that a material weakness will not be discovered with respect to a prior period for which we had previously believed that internal controls were effective. If we are not able to remediate this existing material weakness and document effective internal control over financial reporting, our independent registered public accounting firm will not be able to certify as to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, if and when required.
Matters affecting our internal controls, including the material weakness describe above, may cause us to be unable to report our financial information on a timely basis, or may cause us to restate previously issued financial information, and thereby subject us to adverse regulatory consequences, including sanctions or investigations by the SEC, violations of applicable stock exchange listing rules, and litigation brought by our shareholders and others. There could also be a negative reaction in the financial markets due to a loss of investor confidence in us and the reliability of our financial statements. This could have a material and adverse effect on us by, for example, leading to a decline in our share price and impairing our ability to raise additional capital, and also could result in litigation brought by our shareholders and others.
Certain provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws, and of Delaware law, may prevent or delay an acquisition of Consensus, which could decrease the trading price of our common stock.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws contain, and Delaware law contains, provisions that are intended to deter coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids and to encourage prospective acquirers to negotiate with our board of directors rather than to attempt a hostile takeover. These provisions will, among other things:
| permit our Board of Directors to issue one or more series of preferred stock with such powers, rights and preferences as the Board of Directors shall determine; |
| subject to a five-year sunset from the date of the distribution, provide for a classified Board of Directors, with each class serving a staggered three-year term, which could have the effect of making the replacement of incumbent directors more time consuming and difficult; |
| provide that, as long as our Board of Directors is classified, our directors can be removed for cause only; |
| prohibit stockholder action by written consent; |
| limit the ability of stockholders to call a special meeting of stockholders; |
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| provide that vacancies on the Board of Directors could be filled only by a majority vote of directors then in office, even if less than a quorum, or by a sole remaining director; and |
| establish advance notice requirements for stockholder proposals and nominations of candidates for election as directors. |
These provisions may prevent or discourage attempts to remove and replace incumbent directors. In addition, these limitations may adversely affect the prevailing market price and market for our common stock if they are viewed as limiting the liquidity of our stock or discouraging takeover attempts in the future.
Because we have not chosen to be exempt from Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law (DGCL), this provision could also delay or prevent a change of control that stockholders may favor. Section 203 provides that, subject to limited exceptions, persons that acquire, or are affiliated with a person that acquires, more than 15% of the outstanding voting stock of a Delaware corporation shall not engage in any business combination with that corporation, including by merger, consolidation or acquisitions of additional shares, for a three-year period following the date on which that person or their affiliates becomes the holder of more than 15% of the corporations outstanding voting stock.
In addition, an acquisition or further issuance of our common stock could trigger the application of Section 355(e) of the Code, causing the distribution to be taxable to Ziff Davis. Under the tax matters agreement, we would be required to indemnify Ziff Davis for the resulting tax, and this indemnity obligation might discourage, delay or prevent a change of control that you may consider favorable.
Our amended and restated bylaws designate the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our stockholders, and the United States federal district courts as the exclusive forum for claims under the Securities Act, which could limit our stockholders ability to obtain what such stockholders believe to be a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees.
Our amended and restated bylaws provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the sole and exclusive forum for (a) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of Consensus, (b) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any current or former director, officer or other employee, agent or stockholder of Consensus to Consensus or its stockholders, (c) any action asserting a claim against Consensus or any current or former director, officer or other employee of Consensus arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or bylaws or as to which the DGCL confers jurisdiction on the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or (d) any action asserting a claim against Consensus or any current or former director, officer or other employee of Consensus governed by the internal affairs doctrine shall, in each case to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware, or if such court does not have subject matter jurisdiction, a the federal district court for the District of Delaware. Furthermore, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America shall be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act or the rules or regulations thereunder. Our exclusive forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder, and investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. These exclusive provisions may limit a stockholders ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that he, she or it believes to be favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits. It is possible that a court could find these exclusive forum provisions inapplicable or unenforceable with respect to one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, and we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and result in a diversion of the time and resources of our management and board of directors.
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If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish misleading or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our common stock depends in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. We currently have five research analysts covering our common stock. If one or more of the analysts downgrades our stock or publishes misleading or unfavorable research about our business, our stock price would likely decline. If one or more of the analysts ceases coverage of our common stock or fails to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our common stock could decrease, which could cause our common stock price or trading volume to decline.
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CAUTIONARY STATEMENT CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This prospectus, any accompanying prospectus supplement, the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus, and other written or oral statements that we make from time to time contain, or will contain, certain forward-looking statements regarding business strategies, market potential, future financial performance and other matters. The words will, should, believe, expect, anticipate, project and similar expressions, among others, generally identify forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date the statements were made. The matters discussed in these forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. You should read this prospectus, and any accompanying prospectus supplement, as well as our 2021 Form 10-K and our First Quarter 2022 Form 10-Q, which are each incorporated by reference herein, completely and with the understanding that actual future results may be materially different from expectations. All forward-looking statements made in this prospectus, any accompanying prospectus supplement and the documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein or therein are qualified by these cautionary statements. In particular, information included in this prospectus, any accompanying prospectus supplement or the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus under headings such as Risk Factors, Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and Business contain forward-looking statements. Where, in any forward-looking statement, an expectation or belief as to future results or events is expressed, such expectation or belief is based on the current plans and expectations of our management and expressed in good faith and believed to have a reasonable basis, but there can be no assurance that the expectation or belief will result or be achieved or accomplished. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made. Except as may be required by law, we undertake no obligation to modify or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this information statement. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated include, but are not limited to, the matters described in this prospectus, any accompanying prospectus supplement or the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus under headings such as Risk Factors and Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. Some factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, our ability and intention to:
| Sustain growth or profitability, particularly in light of an uncertain U.S. or worldwide economy and the related impact on customer acquisition and retention rates, customer usage levels and credit and debit card payment declines; |
| Maintain and increase our customer base and average revenue per user; |
| Generate sufficient cash flow to make interest and debt payments and reinvest in our business, and pursue desired activities and businesses plans while satisfying restrictive covenants relating to debt obligations; |
| Acquire businesses on acceptable terms and successfully integrate and realize anticipated synergies from such acquisitions; |
| Continue to expand our Cloud Fax business and operations internationally in the wake of numerous risks, including adverse currency fluctuations, difficulty in staffing and managing international operations, higher operating costs as a percentage of revenues or the implementation of adverse regulations; |
| Maintain our financial position, operating results and cash flows in the event that we incur new or unanticipated costs or tax liabilities, including those relating to federal and state income tax and indirect taxes, such as sales, value-added and telecommunication taxes; |
| Accurately estimate the assumptions underlying our effective worldwide tax rate; |
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| Manage certain risks inherent to our business, such as costs associated with fraudulent activity, system failure or network security breach; effectively maintain and manage our billing systems; allocate time and resources required to manage our legal proceedings; or adhere to our internal controls and procedures; |
| Compete with other similar providers with regard to price, service and functionality; |
| Cost-effectively procure, retain and deploy large quantities of fax numbers in desired locations in the United States and abroad; |
| Achieve business and financial objectives in light of burdensome domestic and international telecommunications, Internet or other regulations including data privacy, security and retention; |
| Successfully manage our growth, including but not limited to our operational and personnel-related resources, and integration of newly acquired businesses; |
| Successfully adapt to technological changes and diversify services and related revenues at acceptable levels of financial return; |
| Successfully develop and protect our intellectual property, both domestically and internationally, including our brands, patents, trademarks and domain names, and avoid infringing upon the proprietary rights of others; and |
| Recruit and retain key personnel. |
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This prospectus relates to shares of our common stock that may be offered and sold from time to time by the selling stockholder or its permitted transferees. We will receive no proceeds from the sale of shares of common stock by Ziff Davis in this offering because those shares will be sold for the account of the selling stockholder or its permitted transferees.
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MARKET PRICE OF OUR COMMON STOCK AND DIVIDEND POLICY
Market Price of Our Common Stock
Our common stock is listed on Nasdaq under the symbol CCSI.
On June 6, 2022, the closing price of our common stock was $48.23. As of June 6, 2022, there were 20,015,370 shares of our common stock outstanding, held of record by 178 holders.
Dividend Policy
We have never declared nor paid any cash dividends on our capital stock. We currently expect to retain all available funds and any future earnings for use in the operation and expansion of our business. We have no present intention to pay cash dividends on our common stock. Any determination to pay dividends to holders of our common stock will be at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend upon many factors, including our financial condition, results of operations, projections, liquidity, earnings, legal requirements, restrictions in our existing and any future debt and other factors that our board of directors deems relevant.
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The selling stockholder under this prospectus is Ziff Davis, Inc. (Ziff Davis). Ziff Davis, has, to our knowledge, sole investment power with respect to such securities. Pursuant to a Stockholder and Registration Rights Agreement by and between us and Ziff Davis, Ziff Davis granted us a proxy to vote the shares of our common stock owned by Ziff Davis in proportion to the votes cast by our other stockholders. As a result, Ziff Davis does not exercise voting power over any of the shares of our common stock that it beneficially owns.
We understand that Ziff Davis may dispose of any or all of our common stock that it retained after the separation and distribution through one or more subsequent exchanges for debt in accordance with the terms of the IRS private letter ruling received by Ziff Davis in connection with the separation and distribution. Under such an exchange, the debt exchange parties, as principals for their own accounts, would exchange debt obligations of the selling stockholder held by the debt exchange parties for shares of our common stock held by the selling stockholder. Under U.S. federal securities laws, the debt exchange parties would be deemed to be the selling stockholders and underwriters with respect to any shares of our common stock that they acquire in connection with a debt-for-equity exchange and sell in an offering in connection therewith. In the event that the debt exchange parties offer shares of our common stock for sale in connection with a debt-for-equity exchange, Ziff Davis may also be deemed a selling stockholder in such an offering solely for U.S. federal securities laws purposes.
As of June 6, 2022, 20,015,370 shares of our common stock are issued and outstanding.
The information concerning the beneficial ownership of shares of common stock by the selling stockholder included in this prospectus has been obtained from the selling stockholder. The shares held by the selling stockholder reflected in the table below may be sold by the selling stockholder from time to time in one or more offerings described in this prospectus and any applicable prospectus supplement. The selling stockholder may sell all, some or none of the shares of common stock beneficially owned by it, and therefore we cannot estimate either the number or the percentage of ordinary shares that will be beneficially owned by the selling stockholder following any offering or sale hereunder.
Name of Beneficial Owner |
Number of Shares of our Common Stock Beneficially Owned |
Percentage of our Common Stock Outstanding |
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Ziff Davis, Inc. |
3,960,607 | 19.8 | % |
The address of Ziff Davis, Inc. is 114 5th Avenue, New York, New York 10011. For information regarding certain material relationships between the selling stockholder and the Company, see Certain Relationships and Related Person Transactions incorporated by reference from our 2022 proxy statement into our 2022 Form 10-K incorporated by reference into this prospectus.
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The following is a summary of the material terms of our capital stock contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws. The summaries and descriptions below do not purport to be complete statements of the relevant provisions of our certificate of incorporation or our bylaws. The summary is qualified in its entirety by reference to such documents, which you must read (along with the applicable provisions of Delaware law) for complete information on our capital stock. Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws are included as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.
General
Our authorized capital stock consists of 120,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share and 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share. Our Board of Directors may establish the rights and preferences of the preferred stock from time to time. As of June 6, 2022, we had 20,015,370 shares of our common stock issued and outstanding and no shares of preferred stock issued and outstanding.
Common Stock
Each holder of our common stock is entitled to one vote for each share on all matters to be voted upon by the holders of our common stock, and there are no cumulative voting rights. Subject to any preferential rights of any outstanding preferred stock, holders of our common stock are entitled to receive ratably the cash dividends, if any, as may be declared from time to time by our Board of Directors out of funds legally available for that purpose. If there is a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of Consensus, holders of our common stock are entitled to ratable distribution of its assets remaining after the payment in full of liabilities and any preferential rights of any then-outstanding preferred stock.
Holders of our common stock have no preemptive or conversion rights or other subscription rights, and there are no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to the common stock. All outstanding shares of our common stock are fully paid and non-assessable. The rights, preferences and privileges of the holders of our common stock are subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of shares of any series of preferred stock that we may designate and issue in the future.
Preferred Stock
Under the terms of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our Board of Directors is authorized, subject to limitations prescribed by the DGCL and by our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, to issue preferred stock in one or more series without further action by the holders of its common stock. Our Board of Directors have the discretion, subject to limitations prescribed by the DGCL and by our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, to determine the designations and the powers, preferences and rights, and the qualifications, limitations and restrictions, including voting rights, dividend rights, conversion rights, redemption privileges and liquidation preferences, of each series of preferred stock. Certain provisions of the tax matters agreement between us and Ziff Davis, which are intended to preserve the intended tax treatment of the separation and certain related transactions, may prevent certain issuances of our stock for a period of time following the completion of the distribution. See Certain Relationships and Related Person Transactions Tax Matters Agreement incorporated by reference from our 2022 proxy statement into our 2021 Form 10-K, which is incorporated by reference into this prospectus.
Anti-Takeover Effects of Various Provisions of Delaware Law and Our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws
Certain provisions in our proposed amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our proposed amended and restated bylaws summarized below may be deemed to have an anti-takeover effect and may delay,
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deter or prevent a tender offer or takeover attempt that a stockholder might consider to be in its best interests, including attempts that might result in a premium being paid over the market price for the shares held by stockholders. These provisions are intended to enhance the likelihood of continuity and stability in the composition of our Board of Directors and in the policies formulated by our Board of Directors and to discourage certain types of transactions that may involve an actual or threatened change of control.
Classified Board. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that, until the annual stockholder meeting in 2026, our Board of Directors will be divided into three classes, with each class consisting, as nearly as may be possible, of one-third of the total number of directors. The directors designated as Class I directors have terms expiring at the first annual meeting of stockholders following the distribution, which is scheduled for June 15, 2022, and will be up for re-election at that meeting for a three-year term to expire at the 2025 annual meeting of stockholders; the directors designated as Class II directors have terms expiring at the following years annual meeting of stockholders, which we expect to hold in 2023, and will be up for re-election at that meeting for a three-year term to expire at the 2026 annual meeting of stockholders; and the directors designated as Class III directors have terms expiring at the following years annual meeting of stockholders which we expect to hold in 2024, and will be up for re-election at that meeting for a two-year term to expire at the 2026 annual meeting of stockholders. Commencing with the 2023 annual meeting of stockholders, directors elected to succeed those directors whose terms then expire will be elected for a term of office to expire at the 2026 annual meeting. Beginning at the 2026 annual meeting, all of our directors will stand for election each year for annual terms, and our Board will thereafter no longer be divided into three classes. Before our Board of Directors is declassified, it would take at least two years after the completion of the distribution for any individual or group to gain control of our Board of Directors. Accordingly, while the Board of Directors is divided into classes, these provisions could discourage a third party from initiating a proxy contest, making a tender offer or otherwise attempting to control us.
Removal and Vacancies. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that (i) prior to our Board of Directors being declassified as discussed above, our stockholders may remove directors only for cause and (ii) after our Board of Directors has been fully declassified, our stockholders may remove directors with or without cause. Removal will require the affirmative vote of holders of at least a majority of our outstanding shares entitled to vote on such removal. Vacancies occurring on the Board of Directors, whether due to death, resignation, removal, retirement, disqualification or for any other reason, and newly created directorships resulting from an increase in the authorized number of directors, shall be filled solely by a majority of the remaining members of the Board of Directors or by a sole remaining director.
Blank Check Preferred Stock. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation authorizes our Board to designate and issue, without any further vote or action by the stockholders, up to 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock from time to time in one or more series and, with respect to each such series, to fix the number of shares constituting the series and the designation of the series, the voting powers (if any) of the shares of the series, and the preferences and relative, participating, optional and other rights, if any, and any qualifications, limitations or restrictions, of the shares of such series. The ability to issue such preferred stock could discourage potential acquisition proposals and could delay or prevent a change in control.
No Stockholder Action by Written Consent. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation expressly excludes the right of our stockholders to act by written consent. Stockholder action must take place at an annual meeting or at a special meeting of our stockholders.
Stockholder Ability to Call Special Meetings of Stockholders. Our amended and restated bylaws provides that the Chairman of the Board, if any, the Vice Chairman of the Board, if any, the Chief Executive Officer or the Board of Directors is able to call a special meeting of stockholders, and also provides that a special meeting of stockholders may also be called by our Corporate Secretary upon the written request of stockholders who together own of record a majority of the outstanding shares of each class of stock entitled to vote at such meeting. Such request must be in proper written form, setting forth certain information, as required by our
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amended and restated bylaws, and signed by each stockholder, or a duly authorized agent of such stockholder, requesting the special meeting.
Requirements for Advance Notification of Stockholder Nominations and Proposals. Our amended and restated bylaws requires stockholders seeking to nominate persons for election as directors at an annual or special meeting of stockholders, or to bring other business before an annual or special meeting (other than a proposal submitted under Rule 14a-8 under the Exchange Act), to provide timely notice in writing. A stockholders notice to our Corporate Secretary must be in proper written form and must set forth certain information, as required under our amended and restated bylaws, related to the stockholder giving the notice, the beneficial owner (if any) on whose behalf the nomination is made as well as their control persons and information about the proposal or nominee for election to the Board of Directors.
Exclusive Forum. Our amended and restated bylaws provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the sole and exclusive forum for (a) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of Consensus, (b) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any current or former director, officer or other employee, agent or stockholder of Consensus to Consensus or its stockholders, (c) any action asserting a claim against Consensus or any current or former director, officer or other employee of Consensus arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL or our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or bylaws or as to which the DGCL confers jurisdiction on the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware or (d) any action asserting a claim against Consensus or any current or former director, officer or other employee of Consensus governed by the internal affairs doctrine shall, in each case to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware, or if such court does not have subject matter jurisdiction, a the federal district court for the District of Delaware. Furthermore, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America shall be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act or the rules or regulations thereunder. Our exclusive forum provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder, and investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder. It is possible that a court could find our exclusive forum provision to be inapplicable or unenforceable. Although we believe this provision benefits us by providing increased consistency in the application of law in the types of lawsuits to which it applies, the provision may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers.
Business Combinations with Interested Stockholder. We are subject to Section 203 of the DGCL, which, subject to certain exceptions, prohibits a Delaware corporation from engaging in any business combination with any interested stockholder for a period of three years following the date that such stockholder became an interested stockholder.
Limitations on Liability, Indemnification of Officers and Directors and Insurance
Our amended and restated bylaws generally provide indemnification and advancement of expenses for our directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL. In addition, as permitted by Delaware law, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation includes a provision that eliminates the personal liability of our directors for monetary damages resulting from breaches of certain fiduciary duties as a director. The effect of this provision is to restrict our rights and the rights of our stockholders in derivative suits to recover monetary damages against a director for breach of fiduciary duties as a director, except that under Delaware law, we may not eliminate the personal liability of a director for:
| any breach of his duty of loyalty to us or our stockholders; |
| acts or omissions not in good faith, or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law; |
| unlawful payments of dividends or unlawful stock repurchases or redemptions as provided in Section 174 of the DGCL; or |
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| any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit; or improper distributions to stockholders. |
Listing
Our shares of common stock are listed on the Nasdaq under the symbol CCSI.
Transfer Agent and Registrar
The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Computershare Trust Company, N.A.
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The selling stockholder identified in this prospectus may offer, from time to time, up to an aggregate of 3,960,607 shares of our common stock. We are registering such shares under the terms of a stockholder and registration rights agreement between us and Ziff Davis. We will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of shares of our common stock by the selling stockholder. We are not selling any shares of our common stock under this prospectus.
The selling stockholder and its successors, including its transferees, may sell all or a portion of the shares of our common stock directly to purchasers or through underwriters, broker-dealers or agents, who may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the selling stockholders or the purchasers of the shares. These discounts, concessions or commissions as to any particular underwriter, broker-dealer or agent may be in excess of those customary in the types of transactions involved.
The shares of our common stock may be sold in one or more transactions on any national securities exchange or quotation service on which the shares may be listed or quoted at the time of sale, in the over-the-counter market or in transactions otherwise than on these exchanges or systems or in the over-the-counter market and in one or more transactions at fixed prices, at prevailing market prices at the time of sale, at varying prices determined at the time of sale or at negotiated prices. These sales may be effected in transactions, which may involve crosses or block transactions. Additionally, the selling stockholders may enter into derivative transactions with third parties, or sell securities not covered by this prospectus to third parties in privately negotiated transactions. The selling stockholders may use any one or more of the following methods when selling shares:
| on any national securities exchange or quotation service on which the shares may be listed or quoted at the time of sale, including, Nasdaq in the case of the common stock; |
| in the over-the-counter market; |
| in transactions otherwise than on these exchanges or services or in the over-the-counter market; |
| through the writing or settlement of options or other hedging transactions, whether the options are listed on an options exchange or otherwise; |
| ordinary brokerage transactions and transactions in which the broker-dealer solicits purchasers; |
| block trades in which the broker-dealer will attempt to sell the shares as agent but may position and resell a portion of the block as principal to facilitate the transaction; |
| purchases by a broker-dealer as principal and resale by the broker-dealer for its account; |
| an exchange distribution in accordance with the rules of the applicable exchange; |
|
a debt-for-equity exchange; |
| privately negotiated transactions; |
| settlement of short sales entered into after the effective date of the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part; |
| broker-dealers may agree with the selling stockholders to sell a specified number of such shares at a stipulated price per share; |
| a combination of any such methods of sale; and |
| any other method permitted pursuant to applicable law. |
In addition, any securities that qualify for sale pursuant to Rule 144 or Regulation S under the Securities Act or under Section 4(a)(1) of the Securities Act may be sold under such rules rather than pursuant to this
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prospectus or a prospectus supplement, subject to any restriction on transfer contained in the stockholder and registration rights agreement between us and Ziff Davis.
If the selling stockholder uses an underwriter or underwriters for any offering, we will name them, and set forth the terms of the offering, in a prospectus supplement pertaining to such offering and, except to the extent otherwise set forth in such prospectus supplement, the selling stockholder will agree in an underwriting agreement to sell to the underwriters, and the underwriters will agree to purchase from the selling stockholder, the number of shares of our common stock set forth in such prospectus supplement. Any such underwriters may offer the shares of our common stock from time to time for sale in one or more transactions on Nasdaq, in the over-the-counter market, through negotiated transactions or otherwise at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to prevailing market prices or at negotiated prices.
The underwriters may also propose initially to offer the shares of our common stock to the public at a fixed public offering price set forth on the cover page of the applicable prospectus supplement. The underwriters may be granted an option, exercisable for 30 days after the date of the applicable prospectus supplement, to purchase additional shares from the selling stockholder. In connection with an underwritten offering, we, our directors and officers, and/or other holders of our common stock may agree with the underwriters, subject to certain exceptions, not to dispose of or hedge any common stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable for shares of common stock for a period of time after such offering. We will file a post-effective amendment to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part to include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement.
In connection with an underwritten offering, the underwriters may purchase and sell shares of common stock in the open market. These transactions may include short sales, stabilizing transactions and purchases to cover positions created by short sales. Short sales involve the sale by the underwriters of a greater number of shares than they are required to purchase in the offering, and a short position represents the amount of such sales that have not been covered by subsequent purchases. A covered short position is a short position that is not greater than the amount of additional shares for which the underwriters option described above may be exercised. The underwriters may cover any covered short position by either exercising their option to purchase additional shares or purchasing shares in the open market. In determining the source of shares to cover the covered short position, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of shares available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase additional shares pursuant to the option described above. Naked short sales are any short sales that create a short position greater than the amount of additional shares for which the option described above may be exercised. The underwriters must cover any such naked short position by purchasing shares in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of the common stock in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in the offering. Stabilizing transactions consist of various bids for or purchases of common stock made by the underwriters in the open market prior to the consummation of the offering.
The underwriters may also impose a penalty bid. This occurs when a particular underwriter repays to the underwriters a portion of the underwriting discount received by it because the representatives have repurchased shares sold by or for the account of such underwriter in stabilizing or short covering transactions.
If the selling stockholder disposes of the shares of our common stock through a debt-for-equity exchange, it is expected that the selling stockholder and the debt exchange parties will enter into an exchange agreement. Under the exchange agreement, subject to certain conditions, the debt exchange parties, as principals for their own accounts, will exchange debt obligations of the selling stockholder held by the debt exchange parties for shares of our common stock held by the selling stockholder. The amount of indebtedness of the selling stockholder held by the debt exchange parties is expected to be sufficient to acquire all of the shares of our common stock to be sold. Under U.S. federal securities laws, the debt exchange parties will be deemed to be the
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selling stockholders and underwriters with respect to any shares of common stock that they acquire in connection with a debt-for-equity exchange and sell in an offering in connection therewith. In the event that the selling stockholders are offering shares for sale in connection with a debt-for-equity exchange, Ziff Davis may also be deemed a selling stockholder in such offering solely for U.S. federal securities laws purposes. References to the selling stockholder shall also be deemed to apply to the debt exchange parties in the event of a debt-for-equity exchange, as described herein.
The selling stockholder may enter into hedging transactions with broker-dealers, which may in turn engage in short sales of the shares of our common stock in the course of hedging the positions they assume. The selling stockholder may also sell short the shares and deliver common stock to close out short positions, or loan or pledge the shares to broker-dealers that in turn may sell these shares. The selling stockholder may also enter into option or other transactions with broker-dealers or other financial institutions or the creation of one or more derivative securities that require the delivery to such broker-dealer or other financial institution of shares offered by this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, which shares such broker-dealer or other financial institution may resell pursuant to this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement. The selling stockholder also may transfer and donate the shares in other circumstances in which case the transferees, donees, pledgees or other successors in interest will be the selling beneficial owners for purposes of this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement.
The aggregate proceeds to the selling stockholder from the sale of the shares of our common stock will be the purchase price of the shares less discounts and commissions, if any.
In offering the shares of our common stock covered by this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, the selling stockholder and any broker-dealers who execute sales for the selling stockholders may be deemed to be underwriters within the meaning of Section 2(a)(11) of the Securities Act in connection with such sales. Any profits realized by the selling stockholder and the compensation of any broker-dealer may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions. Any selling stockholder who is an underwriter within the meaning of Section 2(a)(11) of the Securities Act will be subject to the prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act and may be subject to certain statutory and regulatory liabilities, including liabilities imposed pursuant to Sections 11, 12 and 17 of the Securities Act and Rule 10b-5 under the Exchange Act.
In order to comply with the securities laws of certain states, if applicable, the shares of our common stock must be sold in such jurisdictions only through registered or licensed brokers or dealers. In addition, in certain states the shares may not be sold unless the shares are registered or qualified for sale in the applicable state or an exemption from the registration or qualification requirement is available and is complied with.
The anti-manipulation rules of Regulation M under the Exchange Act may apply to sales of the shares of our common stock pursuant to this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement and to the activities of the selling stockholder. In addition, we will make copies of this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement available to the selling stockholder for the purpose of satisfying the prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act. To the extent applicable, Regulation M may also restrict the ability of any person engaged in the distribution of the common stock to engage in market-making activities with respect to the common stock. All of the foregoing may affect the marketability of the common stock and the ability of any person or entity to engage in market-making activities with respect to the common stock.
There can be no assurance that the selling stockholder will sell any or all of the common stock registered pursuant to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part.
At the time a particular offering of the shares is made, a prospectus supplement, if required, will be distributed, which will set forth the name of the selling stockholder, the aggregate amount of shares being offered and the terms of the offering, including, to the extent required, (1) the name or names of any underwriters, broker-dealers or agents, (2) any discounts, commissions and other terms constituting compensation from the selling stockholder and (3) any discounts, commissions or concessions allowed or reallowed to be paid to broker-dealers.
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We have agreed to indemnify the selling stockholder against certain liabilities, including certain liabilities under the Securities Act. We have also agreed, among other things, to bear substantially all expenses (other than underwriting discounts and certain fees) in connection with the registration and sale of the shares of our common stock covered by this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement. Agents and underwriters may be entitled to indemnification by us and the selling stockholders against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribution with respect to payments which the agents or underwriters may be required to make in respect thereof.
Agents and underwriters and their respective affiliates may engage in transactions with, or perform services for us in the ordinary course of business for which they may receive customary fees and reimbursement of expenses.
The estimated offering expenses payable by us, in addition to any underwriting discounts and certain fees that will be paid by the selling stockholder, will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.
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CERTAIN U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES TO NON-U.S. HOLDERS
The following discussion is a summary of certain U.S. federal income tax consequences to Non-U.S. Holders (as defined below) of the purchase, ownership and disposition of our common stock offered by this prospectus, but does not purport to be a complete analysis of all potential U.S. federal income tax effects.
The effects of other U.S. federal tax laws, such as estate and gift tax laws, and any applicable state, local or non-U.S. tax laws are not discussed. This discussion is based on the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, or the Code, Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder, judicial decisions, and published rulings and administrative pronouncements of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, or the IRS, in each case in effect as of the date hereof. These authorities may change or be subject to differing interpretations. Any such change or differing interpretation may be applied retroactively in a manner that could adversely affect a Non-U.S. Holder. We have not sought and will not seek any rulings from the IRS regarding the matters discussed below. There can be no assurance the IRS or a court will not take a contrary position to that discussed below regarding the tax consequences of the purchase, ownership and disposition of our common stock.
This discussion is limited to Non-U.S. Holders that acquire our common stock in this offering and hold it as a capital asset within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Code (generally, property held for investment). This discussion does not address all U.S. federal income tax consequences relevant to a Non-U.S. Holders particular circumstances, including the impact of the Medicare contribution tax on net investment income. In addition, it does not address consequences relevant to Non-U.S. Holders subject to special rules, including, without limitation:
| U.S. expatriates and former citizens or long-term residents of the United States; |
| persons subject to the alternative minimum tax; |
| persons holding our common stock as part of a hedge, straddle or other risk reduction strategy or as part of a conversion transaction or other integrated investment; |
| banks, insurance companies, and other financial institutions; |
| brokers, dealers or traders in securities or other persons that elect to use a mark-to-market method of accounting for their holdings in our common stock; |
| controlled foreign corporations, passive foreign investment companies, and corporations that accumulate earnings to avoid U.S. federal income tax; |
| partnerships or other entities or arrangements treated as partnerships for U.S. federal income tax purposes (and investors therein); |
| tax-exempt entities or governmental entities; |
| persons deemed to sell our common stock under the constructive sale provisions of the Code; |
| persons who hold or receive our common stock pursuant to the exercise of any employee stock option or otherwise as compensation; |
| tax-qualified retirement plans; |
| qualified foreign pension funds as defined in Section 897(l)(2) of the Code and entities all of the interests of which are held by qualified foreign pension funds; |
| persons that at any time own (or are deemed to own) or have (or are deemed to have) owned more than five percent (by vote or value) of our common stock (except to the extent specifically set forth below); and |
| persons subject to special tax accounting rules as a result of any item of gross income with respect to the stock being taken into account in an applicable financial statement. |
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If an entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes holds our common stock, the tax treatment of a partner in the partnership will depend on the status of the partner, the activities of the partnership and certain determinations made at the partner level. Accordingly, partnerships considering an investment in our common stock and the partners in such partnerships should consult their tax advisors regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences to them.
THIS DISCUSSION IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TAX ADVICE. INVESTORS SHOULD CONSULT THEIR TAX ADVISORS WITH RESPECT TO THE APPLICATION OF THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX LAWS TO THEIR PARTICULAR SITUATIONS AS WELL AS ANY TAX CONSEQUENCES OF THE PURCHASE, OWNERSHIP AND DISPOSITION OF OUR COMMON STOCK ARISING UNDER OTHER U.S. FEDERAL (INCLUDING ESTATE OR GIFT TAXES) TAX LAWS OR UNDER THE LAWS OF ANY STATE, LOCAL OR NON-U.S. TAXING JURISDICTION OR UNDER ANY APPLICABLE INCOME TAX TREATY.
Definition of a Non-U.S. Holder
For purposes of this discussion, a Non-U.S. Holder is any beneficial owner of our common stock that is neither a U.S. person nor an entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes. A U.S. person is any person that, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, is or is treated as any of the following:
| an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States; |
| a corporation created or organized under the laws of the United States, any state thereof, or the District of Columbia; |
| an estate, the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income tax regardless of its source; or |
| a trust that (1) is subject to the primary supervision of a U.S. court and the control of one or more United States persons (within the meaning of Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code), or (2) has a valid election in effect to be treated as a United States person for U.S. federal income tax purposes. |
Distributions
Any distributions of cash or property on our common stock will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent paid from our current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles. Amounts not treated as dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes and generally any portion of a distribution that exceeds our current and accumulated earnings and profits, will constitute a return of capital and first be applied against and reduce a Non-U.S. Holders adjusted tax basis in its common stock (determined separately with respect to each share of our common stock), but not below zero. Any excess will be treated as capital gain and will be treated as described below under Sale or Other Taxable Disposition.
Subject to the discussion below on effectively connected income, dividends paid to a Non-U.S. Holder of our common stock will be subject to U.S. federal withholding tax at a rate of 30% of the gross amount of the dividends (or such lower rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty, provided the Non-U.S. Holder furnishes a valid IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E (or other applicable documentation) certifying qualification for the lower treaty rate). A Non-U.S. Holder that does not timely furnish the required documentation, but that qualifies for a reduced treaty rate, may obtain a refund of any excess amounts withheld by timely filing an appropriate claim for refund with the IRS. Non-U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding their entitlement to benefits under any applicable income tax treaty and the availability of a refund on any excess U.S. federal tax withheld.
If dividends paid to a Non-U.S. Holder are effectively connected with the Non-U.S. Holders conduct of a trade or business within the United States, unless an applicable income tax treaty provides otherwise, the
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Non-U.S. Holder will be exempt from the U.S. federal withholding tax described above. To claim the exemption, the Non-U.S. Holder generally must furnish to the applicable withholding agent a valid IRS Form W-8ECI (or a suitable successor or substitute form), certifying that the dividends are effectively connected with the Non-U.S. Holders conduct of a trade or business within the United States. Unless an applicable income tax treaty provides otherwise, any such effectively connected dividends generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net income basis at the regular graduated rates applicable to United States persons. A Non-U.S. Holder that is a corporation also may be subject to a branch profits tax at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty) on such Non-U.S. Holders effectively connected earnings and profits, as adjusted for certain items. Non-U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding any applicable tax treaties that may provide for different rules.
The foregoing discussion is subject to the discussion below under Information Reporting and Backup Withholding and Additional Withholding Tax on Payments Made to Foreign Accounts.
Sale or Other Taxable Disposition
Subject to the discussion below regarding backup withholding, a Non-U.S. Holder will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on any gain recognized upon the sale or other taxable disposition of our common stock unless:
| the gain is effectively connected with the Non-U.S. Holders conduct of a trade or business within the United States; |
| the Non-U.S. Holder is a nonresident alien individual present in the United States for 183 days or more during the taxable year of the disposition and certain other requirements are met; or |
| our common stock constitutes a U.S. real property interest, or USRPI, by reason of our status as a U.S. real property holding corporation, or USRPHC, for U.S. federal income tax purposes. |
Unless an applicable income tax treaty provides otherwise, gain described in the first bullet point above generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net income basis at the regular graduated rates. A Non-U.S. Holder that is a corporation also may be subject to a branch profits tax at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty) on such Non-U.S. Holders effectively connected earnings and profits, as adjusted for certain items.
Gain described in the second bullet point above will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty), which may be offset by certain U.S. source capital losses of the Non-U.S. Holder (even though the individual is not considered a resident of the United States), provided the Non-U.S. Holder has timely filed U.S. federal income tax returns with respect to such losses.
With respect to the third bullet point above, we believe we currently are not, and do not anticipate becoming, a USRPHC. However, because the determination of whether we are a USRPHC depends on the fair market value of our U.S. real property relative to the fair market value of our other business assets, there can be no assurance that we are not currently or will not become a USRPHC in the future. Even if we are or become a USRPHC, however, as long as our common stock is regularly traded (as defined by applicable Treasury Regulations) on an established securities market, such common stock will be treated as U.S. real property interests only if you actually or constructively hold more than 5% of our common stock at any time during the shorter of the five-year period preceding your disposition of, or your holding period for, our common stock so disposed.
Non-U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors regarding potentially applicable income tax treaties that may provide for different rules.
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Information Reporting and Backup Withholding
Payments of dividends on our common stock will not be subject to backup withholding, provided the holder either certifies its non-U.S. status, such as by furnishing a valid IRS Form W-8BEN, W-8BEN-E, W-8ECI or other applicable IRS form, or otherwise establishes an exemption. However, information returns are required to be filed with the IRS in connection with any distributions on our common stock paid to the Non-U.S. Holder, regardless of whether any tax was actually withheld.
In addition, proceeds of the sale or other taxable disposition of our common stock within the United States or conducted through a non-U.S. office of a U.S. broker or a non-U.S. broker with specified connections to the United States generally will not be subject to backup withholding or information reporting, if the applicable withholding agent receives the certification described above. Proceeds of a disposition of our common stock conducted through a non-U.S. office of a non-U.S. broker without specified connections to the United States generally will not be subject to backup withholding or information reporting.
Copies of information returns that are filed with the IRS may also be made available under the provisions of an applicable treaty or agreement to the tax authorities of the country in which the Non-U.S. Holder resides or is established.
Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules may be allowed as a refund or a credit against a Non-U.S. Holders U.S. federal income tax liability, provided the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.
Additional Withholding Tax on Payments Made to Foreign Accounts
Withholding taxes may be imposed under Sections 1471 to 1474 of the Code and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder (commonly referred to as the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, or FATCA) on certain types of payments made to non-U.S. financial institutions and certain other non-U.S. entities. Specifically, a 30% withholding tax may be imposed on dividends on our common stock paid to a foreign financial institution or a non-financial foreign entity (each as defined in the Code), regardless of whether such recipient is acting as an intermediary or a beneficial owner, unless (1) the foreign financial institution undertakes certain diligence and reporting obligations, (2) the non-financial foreign entity either certifies it does not have any substantial United States owners (as defined in the Code) or furnishes identifying information regarding each substantial United States owner, or (3) the foreign financial institution or non-financial foreign entity otherwise qualifies for an exemption from these rules. If the payee is a foreign financial institution and is subject to the diligence and reporting requirements in (1) above, it must enter into an agreement with the U.S. Department of the Treasury requiring, among other things, that it undertake to identify accounts held by certain specified United States persons or United States owned foreign entities (each as defined in the Code), annually report certain information about such accounts, and withhold 30% on certain payments to non-compliant foreign financial institutions and certain other account holders. Foreign financial institutions located in jurisdictions that have an intergovernmental agreement with the United States governing FATCA may be subject to different rules. Under the applicable Treasury Regulations and administrative guidance, withholding under FATCA generally applies to payments of dividends on our common stock.
Prospective investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the potential application of withholding under FATCA to their investment in our common stock.
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The consolidated financial statements and schedule as of December 31, 2021 and 2020 and for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2021 incorporated by reference in this Prospectus and in the Registration Statement have been so incorporated in reliance on the report of BDO USA, LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, incorporated herein by reference, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.
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The validity of the common stock being offered by this prospectus will be passed upon for us by Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP. Ziff Davis is being represented in connection with any offering by Sullivan & Cromwell LLP. Certain legal matters in connection with any underwritten offering will be passed upon for the underwriters by Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP.
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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION
We have filed a registration statement on Form S-1 with the SEC under the Securities Act. This prospectus is part of the registration statement but the registration statement includes additional information and exhibits. We file annual, quarterly and special reports and other information with the SEC. The SEC maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information about issuers, such as us, who file electronically with the SEC. The address of that website is www.sec.gov.
Our SEC filings are also available to the public free of charge on the investor relations portion of our website located at https://investor.consensus.com. Information on our website is not incorporated by reference herein and is not otherwise intended to be part of this prospectus.
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We incorporate by reference into this prospectus certain information we have filed with the SEC. This means that we disclose important information by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be a part of this prospectus. Unless specifically listed below, the information contained on the SEC website is not intended to be incorporated by reference in this offering memorandum and you should not consider that information a part of this prospectus. We incorporate by reference the documents listed below (other than any portions of such documents that are not deemed filed under the Exchange Act in accordance with the Exchange Act and applicable SEC rules):
| our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, filed with the SEC on April 15, 2022; |
| the portions of our Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A, filed with the SEC on May 2, 2022 that are incorporated by reference into our 2021 Annual Report on Form 10-K; |
| our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended March 31, 2021, filed with the SEC on May 16, 2022; and |
| our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on January 7, 2022 and March 2, 2022 (only as to information filed under Item 5.02 of Form 8-K). |
Any information contained in this prospectus or in any document incorporated by reference in this prospectus will be deemed to be modified or superseded to the extent that a statement contained in any prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus provided to you by us modifies or supersedes the original statement.
The reports and documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus are available to the public free of charge on the investor relations portion of our website located at https://investor.consensus.com.
We also hereby undertake to provide without charge to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom a copy of this prospectus is delivered, upon written or oral request of any such person, a copy of any and all of the reports or documents that has been incorporated by reference in this prospectus, other than exhibits to such documents, unless such exhibits have been specifically incorporated by reference thereto. Requests for such copies should be directed to our Investor Relations department, at the following address or telephone number:
Consensus Cloud Solutions, Inc.
Attention: Legal
700 S. Flower Street, 15th Floor
Los Angeles, California
(323) 860-9200
29
2,000,000 shares
Common Stock
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
J.P. Morgan | Evercore ISI | Citigroup |
, 2022
PART II
Information Not Required In Prospectus
Item 13. | Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution. |
The following is a statement of estimated expenses in connection with the offering described in this registration statement. All expenses incurred with respect to the registration of the common stock will be borne by us. All amounts are estimates except the SEC registration fee.
Amount to be Paid |
||||
SEC Registration Fee |
$ | 18,108 | ||
Printing Expenses |
* | |||
Legal Fees and Expenses |
* | |||
Accounting Fees and Expenses |
* | |||
Miscellaneous Expenses |
* | |||
Total |
$ | * |
* | Estimated fees and expenses (other than the SEC registration fee) will depend on the number of securities offered, the number of issuances and the nature of the offerings, and cannot be estimated at this time. |
Item 14. | Indemnification of Directors and Officers. |
Section 145 of the Delaware General Corporation Law authorizes a corporations board of directors to grant, and authorizes a court to award, indemnity to officers, directors and other corporate agents.
Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation contains provisions that limit the liability of our directors for monetary damages to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law. Consequently, our directors will not be personally liable to us or our stockholders for monetary damages for any breach of fiduciary duties as directors, except liability for the following:
| any breach of their duty of loyalty to our company or our stockholders; |
| any act or omission not in good faith or that involves intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law; |
| unlawful payments of dividends or unlawful stock repurchases or redemptions as provided in Section 174 of the Delaware General Corporation Law; or |
| any transaction from which they derived an improper personal benefit. |
Any amendment to, or repeal of, these provisions will not eliminate or reduce the effect of these provisions in respect of any act, omission or claim that occurred or arose prior to that amendment or repeal. If the Delaware General Corporation Law is amended to provide for further limitations on the personal liability of directors of corporations, then the personal liability of our directors will be further limited to the greatest extent permitted by the Delaware General Corporation Law.
In addition, our Amended and Restated Bylaws, or Bylaws, provide that we will indemnify, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any person who is or was a party or is threatened to be made a party to any action, suit or proceeding by reason of the fact that he or she is or was one of our directors or officers or is or was serving at our request as a director or officer of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise. Our Bylaws provide that we may indemnify to the fullest extent permitted by law any person who is or was a party or is threatened to be made a party to any action, suit or proceeding by reason of the fact that he or she is or was one of our employees or agents or is or was serving at our request as an employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise. Our Bylaws also provide that we must advance expenses incurred by or on behalf of a director or officer in advance of the final disposition of any action or proceeding, subject to limited exceptions.
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Further, we have entered into indemnification agreements with each of our directors and executive officers that may be broader than the specific indemnification provisions contained in the Delaware General Corporation Law. These indemnification agreements require us, among other things, to indemnify our directors and executive officers against liabilities that may arise by reason of their status or service. These indemnification agreements also require us to advance all expenses incurred by the directors and executive officers in investigating or defending any such action, suit or proceeding. We believe that these agreements are necessary to attract and retain qualified individuals to serve as directors and executive officers.
The limitation of liability and indemnification provisions included in our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, Bylaws and in indemnification agreements that we enter into with our directors and executive officers may discourage stockholders from bringing a lawsuit against our directors and executive officers for breach of their fiduciary duties. They may also reduce the likelihood of derivative litigation against our directors and executive officers, even though an action, if successful, might benefit us and other stockholders. Further, a stockholders investment may be harmed to the extent that we pay the costs of settlement and damage awards against directors and executive officers as required by these indemnification provisions.
We have obtained insurance policies under which, subject to the limitations of the policies, coverage is provided to our directors and executive officers against losses arising from claims made by reason of breach of fiduciary duty or other wrongful acts as a director or executive officer, including claims relating to public securities matters, and to us with respect to payments that may be made by us to these directors and executive officers pursuant to our indemnification obligations or otherwise as a matter of law. At present, we are not aware of any pending litigation or proceedings involving any person who is or was one of our directors, officers, employees or other agents or is or was serving at our request as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, for which indemnification is sought, and we are not aware of any threatened litigation that may result in claims for indemnification.
We have obtained insurance policies under which, subject to the limitations of the policies, coverage is provided to our directors and executive officers against loss arising from claims made by reason of breach of fiduciary duty or other wrongful acts as a director or executive officer, including claims relating to public securities matters, and to us with respect to payments that may be made by us to these directors and executive officers pursuant to our indemnification obligations or otherwise as a matter of law.
Certain of our non-employee directors may, through their relationships with their employers, be insured and/or indemnified against certain liabilities incurred in their capacity as members of our board of directors.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers or persons controlling our company pursuant to the foregoing provisions, we have been informed that, in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.
Item 15. | Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities. |
There have not been any sales of unregistered securities of our common stock prior to the date of this information statement.
Item 16. | Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules. |
(a) Exhibits
The exhibits to the registration statement are listed in the Exhibit Index to this registration statement and are incorporated herein by reference.
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(b) Financial statement schedules
All schedules have been omitted because either they are not required, are not applicable or the information is otherwise set forth in the financial statements and related notes thereto incorporated by reference herein.
Item 17. | Undertakings. |
The undersigned 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 of 1933;
(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of the 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 the registration statement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than 20% change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the Calculation of Registration Fee table in the effective registration statement; and
(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in the registration statement or any material change to such information in the registration statement.
(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, 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 the purpose of determining liability of the registrant under the Securities Act of 1933 to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities in a primary offering of securities of the undersigned registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the undersigned registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:
(i) Any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the undersigned registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;
(ii) Any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant or used or referred to by the undersigned registrant;
(iii) The portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the undersigned registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the undersigned registrant; and
(iv) Any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the undersigned registrant to the purchaser.
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(5) For purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of this registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in a form of prospectus filed by the registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b) (1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of this registration statement as of the time it was declared effective.
(6) For the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus 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.
Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 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 Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act of 1933 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 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.
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EXHIBIT INDEX
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Incorporated by Reference | ||||||||||||
Exhibit |
Description of Exhibits |
Form | Exhibit Number |
Date Filed | ||||||||
23.1 | Consent of BDO USA, LLP. | June 7, 2022 | ||||||||||
23.2 | Consent of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1). | June 7, 2022 | ||||||||||
24.1 | Power of Attorney (contained on signature page hereto). | June 7, 2022 | ||||||||||
107 | Filing Fee Table | June 7, 2022 |
# | Indicates management contract or compensatory plan, contract or agreement. |
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Los Angeles, State of California, on June 7, 2022.
Consensus Cloud Solutions, Inc. | ||
By: | /s/ R. Scott Turicchi | |
R. Scott Turicchi | ||
Chief Executive Officer |
KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints R. Scott Turicchi, James C. Malone and Vithya Aubee, and each of them, as his or her true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him or her and in his or her name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments to this Registration Statement (including post-effective amendments and related registration statements), and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorneys-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in connection therewith, as fully for all intents and purposes as he or she might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or any of them, or their or his or her substitutes, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue thereof.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed below by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated:
SIGNATURE | TITLE | DATE | ||
/s/ R. Scott Turicchi R. Scott Turicchi |
Chief Executive Officer and Director (Principal Executive Officer) | June 7, 2022 | ||
/s/ James C. Malone James C. Malone |
Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) |
June 7, 2022 | ||
/s/ Douglas Y. Bech Douglas Y. Bech |
Director | June 7, 2022 | ||
/s/ Elaine Healy Elaine Healy |
Director | June 7, 2022 | ||
/s/ Stephen Ross Stephen Ross |
Director | June 7, 2022 | ||
/s/ Nate Simmons Nate Simmons |
Director | June 7, 2022 | ||
/s/ Pamela Sutton-Wallace Pamela Sutton-Wallace |
Director | June 7, 2022 |
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Exhibit 1.1
CONSENSUS CLOUD SOLUTIONS, INC.
[ ] Shares of Common Stock
Underwriting Agreement
[ ], 2022
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
Evercore Group L.L.C.
Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
As Representatives of the
several Underwriters listed
in Schedule 1 hereto
c/o J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
383 Madison Avenue
New York, New York 10179
c/o Evercore Group L.L.C.
55 East 52nd Street
New York, New York 10055
c/o Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
388 Greenwich Street
New York, New York 10013
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Certain stockholders named in Schedule 2 hereto (the Selling Stockholders) of Consensus Cloud Solutions, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the Company), proposes to sell to the several underwriters listed in Schedule 1 hereto (the Underwriters), for whom you are acting as representatives (the Representatives), an aggregate of [ ] shares of Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share, of the Company (the Underwritten Shares), and, at the option of the Underwriters, up to an additional [ ] shares of Common Stock of the Company (the Option Shares). The Underwritten Shares and the Option Shares are herein referred to as the Shares. The shares of Common Stock of the Company to be outstanding after giving effect to the sale of the Shares are referred to herein as the Stock.
Following the execution of this Agreement and prior to the purchase of the Underwritten Shares by the Underwriters on the Closing Date (as hereinafter defined), the Selling Stockholders or affiliates thereof (in such capacities, the Exchange Parties) expect to enter into an exchange
agreement (the Exchange Agreement) with Ziff Davis, Inc., a Delaware corporation (Ziff Davis), whereby Ziff Davis would agree to transfer to the Exchange Parties (i) the Underwritten Shares in exchange for the cancellation of a portion of certain indebtedness of Ziff Davis held by the Exchange Parties at such time (such indebtedness held by the Exchange Parties, the Exchange Debt) (the consummation of such exchange being referred to herein as the Initial Exchange and the date that such Initial Exchange is consummated, the Initial Exchange Date), which Initial Exchange would occur prior to the purchase of the Underwritten Shares by the Underwriters on the Closing Date, and (ii) to the extent the Underwriters exercise the option to purchase Option Shares at any time in whole or in part, such Option Shares in exchange for the cancellation of a portion of the Exchange Debt (the consummation of such exchange being referred to herein as an Option Exchange and, together with the Initial Exchange, the Exchanges and each an Exchange; and the date that any Option Exchange is consummated, an Option Exchange Date; and each of the Initial Exchange Date or any Option Exchange Date, an Exchange Date), which Option Exchange would occur prior to the purchase of such Option Shares by the Underwriters on the applicable Additional Closing Date (as hereinafter defined). To the extent any Exchange Party is an affiliate of any Selling Stockholder, such Selling Stockholder (i) would acquire the Underwritten Shares from such Exchange Party prior to the Closing Date and (ii) would acquire any Option Shares from such Exchange Party prior to the applicable Additional Closing Date.
The Company and the Selling Stockholders hereby confirm their agreement with the several Underwriters concerning the purchase and sale of the Shares, as follows:
1. Registration Statement. The Company has prepared and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the Commission) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (collectively, the Securities Act), a registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-[ ]), including a prospectus, relating to the Shares. Such registration statement, as amended at the time it became effective, including the information, if any, deemed pursuant to Rule 430A, 430B or 430C under the Securities Act to be part of the registration statement at the time of its effectiveness (Rule 430 Information), is referred to herein as the Registration Statement; and as used herein, the term Preliminary Prospectus means each prospectus included in such registration statement (and any amendments thereto) before effectiveness, any prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(a) under the Securities Act and the prospectus included in the Registration Statement at the time of its effectiveness that omits Rule 430 Information, and the term Prospectus means the prospectus in the form first used (or made available upon request of purchasers pursuant to Rule 173 under the Securities Act) in connection with confirmation of sales of the Shares. If the Company has filed an abbreviated registration statement pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act (the Rule 462 Registration Statement), then any reference herein to the term Registration Statement shall be deemed to include such Rule 462 Registration Statement. Any reference in this underwriting agreement (this Agreement) to the Registration Statement, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-1 under the Securities Act, as of the effective date of the Registration Statement or the date of such Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus, as the case may be. Capitalized terms used but not defined herein shall have the meanings given to such terms in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus.
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At or prior to the Applicable Time (as defined below), the Company had prepared the following information (collectively with the pricing information set forth on Annex A, the Pricing Disclosure Package): a Preliminary Prospectus dated [ ], 2022, and each free-writing prospectus (as defined pursuant to Rule 405 under the Securities Act) listed on Annex A hereto.
Applicable Time means [ ] [A/P].M., New York City time, on [ ], 2022.
2. Purchase of the Shares.
(a) Each of the Selling Stockholders agrees, severally and not jointly, to sell the Underwritten Shares to the several Underwriters as provided in this Agreement, and each Underwriter, on the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements set forth herein and subject to the conditions set forth herein, agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase at a price per share equal to $[ ] (the Purchase Price) from each of the Selling Stockholders the number of Underwritten Shares (to be adjusted by you so as to eliminate fractional shares) determined by multiplying the aggregate number of Underwritten Shares to be sold by each of the Selling Stockholders as set forth opposite their respective names in Schedule 2 hereto by a fraction, the numerator of which is the aggregate number of Underwritten Shares to be purchased by such Underwriter as set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule 1 hereto and the denominator of which is the aggregate number of Underwritten Shares to be purchased by all the Underwriters from the Selling Stockholders hereunder.
In addition, each of the Selling Stockholders agrees severally and not jointly, as and to the extent indicated in Schedule 2 hereto, to sell the Option Shares to the several Underwriters, on the basis of the representations, warranties and agreements set forth herein and subject to the conditions set forth herein, shall have the option to purchase, severally and not jointly, from each Selling Stockholder the Option Shares at the Purchase Price less an amount per share equal to any dividends or distributions declared by the Company and payable on the Underwritten Shares but not payable on the Option Shares. If any Option Shares are to be purchased, the number of Option Shares to be purchased by each Underwriter shall be the number of Option Shares which bears the same ratio to the aggregate number of Option Shares being purchased as the number of Underwritten Shares set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule 1 hereto (or such number increased as set forth in Section 12 hereof) bears to the aggregate number of Underwritten Shares being purchased from the Selling Stockholders by the several Underwriters, subject, however, to such adjustments to eliminate any fractional Shares as the Representatives in their sole discretion shall make. Any such election to purchase Option Shares shall be made in proportion to the maximum number of Option Shares to be sold by each Selling Stockholder as set forth in Schedule 2 hereto.
The Underwriters may exercise the option to purchase Option Shares at any time in whole, or from time to time in part, on or before the thirtieth day following the date of the Prospectus, by written notice from the Representatives to the Selling Stockholders and Ziff Davis. Such notice shall set forth the aggregate number of Option Shares as to which the option is being exercised and the date and time when the Option Shares are to be delivered and paid for which may be the same date and time as the Closing Date but shall not be earlier than the Closing Date nor later than the tenth full business day (as hereinafter defined) after the date of such notice (unless such time and date are postponed in accordance with the provisions of Section 12 hereof). Any such notice shall be given at least two business days prior to the date and time of delivery specified therein.
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(b) The Selling Stockholders and Ziff Davis understand that the Underwriters intend to make a public offering of the Shares, and initially to offer the Shares on the terms set forth in the Pricing Disclosure Package. The Selling Stockholders and the Ziff Davis acknowledge and agree that the Underwriters may offer and sell Shares to or through any affiliate of an Underwriter.
(c) Payment for the Shares shall be made by wire transfer in immediately available funds to the account specified by (i) in the case of the Underwritten Shares, the Selling Stockholders to the Representatives at the offices of Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP at 10:00 A.M. New York City time on [ ], 2022, or at such other time or place on the same or such other date, not later than the fifth business day thereafter, as the Representatives and the Selling Stockholders may agree upon in writing or, (ii) in the case of any Option Shares, on the date and at the time and place specified by the Representatives in the written notice of the Underwriters election to purchase such Option Shares. The time and date of such payment for the Underwritten Shares is referred to herein as the Closing Date, and the time and date for such payment for any Option Shares, if other than the Closing Date, is herein referred to as an Additional Closing Date.
Payment for the Shares to be purchased on the Closing Date or an Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, shall be made against delivery to the Representatives for the respective accounts of the several Underwriters of the Shares to be purchased on such date or such Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, with any transfer taxes payable in connection with the sale of such Shares duly paid by the Selling Stockholders. Delivery of the Shares shall be made through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company (DTC) unless the Representatives shall otherwise instruct.
(d) Each of the Company and each Selling Stockholder acknowledges and agrees that the Representatives and the other Underwriters are acting solely in the capacity of an arms length contractual counterparty to the Company and the Selling Stockholders with respect to the offering of Shares contemplated hereby (including in connection with determining the terms of the offering) and not as a financial advisor or a fiduciary to, or an agent of, the Company, the Selling Stockholders or any other person. Additionally, neither the Representatives nor any other Underwriter is advising the Company, the Selling Stockholders or any other person as to any legal, tax, investment, accounting or regulatory matters in any jurisdiction. The Company and the Selling Stockholders shall consult with their own advisors concerning such matters and each shall be responsible for making its own independent investigation and appraisal of the transactions contemplated hereby, and neither the Representatives nor any other Underwriter shall have any responsibility or liability to the Company or the Selling Stockholders with respect thereto. Any review by the Representatives and the other Underwriters of the Company, the transactions contemplated hereby or other matters relating to such transactions will be performed solely for the benefit of the Representatives and the other Underwriters and shall not be on behalf of the Company or the Selling Stockholders. Moreover, each Selling Shareholder acknowledges and agrees that, although the Representatives may be required or choose to provide the Selling
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Stockholders with certain Regulation Best Interest and Form CRS disclosures in connection with the offering, the Representatives and the other Underwriters are not making a recommendation to any Selling Stockholder to participate in the offering, enter into a lock-up agreement, or sell any Shares at the price determined in the offering, and nothing set forth in such disclosures is intended to suggest that any Representative or any Underwriter is making such a recommendation.
3. Representations and Warranties of the Company. The Company represents and warrants to each Underwriter and the Selling Stockholders that:
(a) Preliminary Prospectus. No order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus has been issued by the Commission, and each Preliminary Prospectus included in the Pricing Disclosure Package, at the time of filing thereof, complied in all material respects with the Securities Act, and no Preliminary Prospectus, at the time of filing thereof, contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that the Company makes no representation or warranty with respect to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in any Preliminary Prospectus, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in Section 9(c) hereof.
(b) Pricing Disclosure Package. The Pricing Disclosure Package as of the Applicable Time did not, and as of the Closing Date and as of each Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that the Company makes no representation or warranty with respect to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in such Pricing Disclosure Package, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in Section 9(c) hereof. No statement of material fact included in the Prospectus has been omitted from the Pricing Disclosure Package and no statement of material fact included in the Pricing Disclosure Package that is required to be included in the Prospectus has been omitted therefrom.
(c) Issuer Free Writing Prospectus. Other than the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, the Company (including its agents and representatives, other than the Underwriters in their capacity as such) has not prepared, made, used, authorized, approved or referred to and will not prepare, make, use, authorize, approve or refer to any written communication (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) that constitutes an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy the Shares (each such communication by the Company or its agents and representatives (other than a communication referred to in clause (i) below) an Issuer Free Writing
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Prospectus) other than (i) any document not constituting a prospectus pursuant to Section 2(a)(10)(a) of the Securities Act or Rule 134 under the Securities Act or (ii) the documents listed on Annex A hereto, each electronic road show and any other written communications approved in writing in advance by the Representatives. Each such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus complies in all material respects with the Securities Act, has been or will be (within the time period specified in Rule 433) filed in accordance with the Securities Act (to the extent required thereby) and does not conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement or the Pricing Disclosure Package, and, when taken together with the Preliminary Prospectus accompanying, or delivered prior to delivery of, such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, did not, and as of the Closing Date and as of each Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that the Company makes no representation or warranty with respect to any statements or omissions made in each such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or Preliminary Prospectus in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or Preliminary Prospectus, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in Section 9(c) hereof.
(d) Emerging Growth Company. From the time of initial confidential submission of the Registration Statement to the Commission through the date hereof, the Company has been and is an emerging growth company, as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act (an Emerging Growth Company).
(e) Testing-the-Waters Materials. The Company (i) has not alone engaged in any Testing-the-Waters Communications other than Testing-the-Waters Communications with the consent of the Representatives (x) with entities that are qualified institutional buyers (QIBs) within the meaning of Rule 144A under the Securities Act or institutions that are accredited investors within the meaning of Rule 501(a)(1), (a)(2), (a)(3), (a)(7), (a)(8), (a)(9), (a)(12) or (a)(13) under the Securities Act (IAIs) and otherwise in compliance with the requirements of Section 5(d) of the Securities Act or (y) with entities that the Company reasonably believed to be QIBs or IAIs and otherwise in compliance with the requirements of Rule 163B under the Securities Act and (ii) has not authorized anyone other than the Representatives to engage in Testing-the-Waters Communications. The Company reconfirms that the Representatives have been authorized to act on its behalf in undertaking Testing-the-Waters Communications by virtue of a writing substantially in the form of Exhibit A hereto. The Company has not distributed or approved for distribution any Written Testing-the-Waters Communications other than those listed on Annex B hereto. Testing-the-Waters Communication means any oral or written communication with potential investors undertaken in reliance on either Section 5(d) of, or Rule 163B under, the Securities Act. Written Testing-the-Waters Communication means any Testing-the-Waters Communication that is a written communication within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Securities Act. Any individual Written Testing-the-Waters Communication does not conflict with the information contained in the Registration Statement or the Pricing Disclosure Package, complied in all material respects with the Securities Act, and when taken together with the Pricing Disclosure Package as of the Applicable Time, did not, and as of the Closing Date and as of the Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, will not, contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
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(f) Registration Statement and Prospectus. The Registration Statement has been declared effective by the Commission. No order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement has been issued by the Commission, and no proceeding for that purpose or pursuant to Section 8A of the Securities Act against the Company or related to the offering of the Shares has been initiated or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened by the Commission; as of the applicable effective date of the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, the Registration Statement and any such post-effective amendment complied and will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act, and did not and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein not misleading; and as of the date of the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto and as of the Closing Date and as of each Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, the Prospectus will comply in all material respects with the Securities Act and will not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided that the Company makes no representation or warranty with respect to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in Section 9(c) hereof.
(g) Incorporated Documents. The documents incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the Pricing Disclosure Package, when they were filed with the Commission conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Exchange Act, and none of such documents contained any untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading.
(h) Financial Statements. The consolidated financial statements, together with the related schedules and notes, included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus present fairly in all material respects the consolidated financial position of the entities to which they relate as of and at the dates indicated and the results of their operations and cash flows for the periods specified. Such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles as applied in the United States (GAAP) applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved, except as may be expressly stated in the related notes thereto. The selected financial data and the summary financial information included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus present fairly in all material respect the
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information shown therein and have been compiled on a basis consistent with that of the audited financial statements included in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus. The statistical and market related data included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus are based on or derived from sources that the Company and its subsidiaries believe to be reliable and accurate in all material respects and any forward looking statements included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus represent the Companys good faith estimates and assumptions. All disclosures included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus regarding non-GAAP financial measures (as such term is defined by the rules and regulations of Commission) comply with Regulation G of the Exchange Act and Item 10 of Regulation S-K of the Securities Act, to the extent applicable.
(i) No Material Adverse Change. Subsequent to the respective dates as of which information is given in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (exclusive of any amendment or supplement thereto): (i) there has been no material adverse change, or any development that would reasonably be expected to result in a material adverse change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business or operations, whether or not arising from transactions in the ordinary course of business, of the Company and its subsidiaries, considered as one entity (any such change is called a Material Adverse Change); (ii) neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries has incurred any liability or obligation, indirect, direct or contingent, not in the ordinary course of business and that is material to the Company and its subsidiaries, considered as one entity, nor entered into any transaction or agreement not in the ordinary course of business and material to the Company and its subsidiaries, considered as one entity; and (iii) there has been no dividend or distribution of any kind declared, paid or made by the Company or, except for dividends paid to the Company or other subsidiaries, any of its subsidiaries on any class of capital stock or repurchase or redemption by the Company or any of its subsidiaries of any shares of any class of capital stock or except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(j) Organization and Good Standing. Each of the Company and the Companys significant subsidiaries as defined in Rule 1-02(w) of Regulation S-X and as listed on Schedule 3 hereto (the Significant Subsidiaries) has been duly incorporated or formed, as applicable, and is validly existing as a corporation, limited partnership or limited liability company, as applicable, in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or formation, as applicable, and has corporate, partnership or limited liability company, as applicable, power and authority to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and, in the case of the Company, to enter into and perform its obligations under each of the Transaction Documents. Each of the Company and the Significant Subsidiary is duly qualified as a foreign corporation, limited partnership or limited liability company, as applicable, to transact business and is in good standing or equivalent status in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except for such
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jurisdictions where the failure to so qualify or to be in good standing would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change. All of the issued and outstanding capital stock or other ownership interests of the Significant Subsidiary has been duly authorized and validly issued, is fully paid and nonassessable and is owned by the Company, directly or through subsidiaries, free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance or claim. The Company does not own or control, directly or indirectly, any corporation, association or other entity that would be a Significant Subsidiary other than the Significant Subsidiaries listed in Schedule 3 hereto.
(k) Capitalization. The Company has an authorized capitalization as set forth in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus under the heading Capitalization; all the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Company (including the Shares to be sold by the Selling Stockholders) have been duly and validly authorized and issued and are fully paid and non-assessable and are not subject to any pre-emptive or similar rights that have not been duly waived or satisfied; except as described in or expressly contemplated by the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there are no outstanding rights (including, without limitation, pre-emptive rights that have not been duly waived or satisfied), warrants or options to acquire, or instruments convertible into or exchangeable for, any shares of capital stock or other equity interest in the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or any contract, commitment, agreement, understanding or arrangement of any kind relating to the issuance of any capital stock of the Company or any such subsidiary, any such convertible or exchangeable securities or any such rights, warrants or options; the capital stock of the Company conforms in all material respects to the description thereof contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; and all the outstanding shares of capital stock or other equity interests of each subsidiary owned, directly or indirectly, by the Company have been duly and validly authorized and issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and are owned directly or indirectly by the Company, free and clear of any lien, charge, encumbrance, security interest, restriction on voting or transfer or any other claim of any third party.
(l) Stock Options. With respect to the stock options (the Stock Options) granted pursuant to the stock-based compensation plans of the Company and its subsidiaries (the Company Stock Plans), (i) each Stock Option intended to qualify as an incentive stock option under Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the Code) so qualifies, (ii) each grant of a Stock Option was duly authorized no later than the date on which the grant of such Stock Option was by its terms to be effective (the Grant Date) by all necessary corporate action, including, as applicable, approval by the board of directors of the Company (or a duly constituted and authorized committee thereof) and any required stockholder approval by the necessary number of votes or written consents, and, to the knowledge of the Company (other than with respect to due execution and delivery by the Company), the award agreement governing such grant (if any) was duly executed and delivered by each party thereto, (iii) each such grant was made in accordance with the terms of the Company Stock Plans, the Exchange Act and all other applicable laws and regulatory rules or requirements, including the rules of the Nasdaq Global Market (the Nasdaq Market) and any other exchange on which Company securities are traded, and (iv) each
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such grant was properly accounted for in accordance with GAAP in the financial statements (including the related notes) of the Company and disclosed in the Companys filings with the Commission in accordance with the Exchange Act and all other applicable laws. The Company has not knowingly granted, and there is no and has been no policy or practice of the Company of granting, Stock Options prior to, or otherwise coordinating the grant of Stock Options with, the release or other public announcement of material information regarding the Company or its subsidiaries or their results of operations or prospects.
(m) Due Authorization. The Company has full right, power and authority to execute and deliver this Agreement and to perform its obligations hereunder; and all action required to be taken for the due and proper authorization, execution and delivery by it of this Agreement and the consummation by it of the transactions contemplated hereby has been duly and validly taken.
(n) Underwriting Agreement. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company.
(o) Descriptions of the Underwriting Agreement. This Agreement conforms in all material respects to the description thereof contained in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(p) No Violation or Default, Conflicts or Consents Required. Neither the Company nor any of the Significant Subsidiaries is (i) in violation of its charter, bylaws or other constitutive document or any administrative regulation or administrative court decree applicable to the Company or any Significant Subsidiary or (ii) in violation of any law applicable to the Company or any Significant Subsidiary or in default (or, with the giving of notice or lapse of time, would be in default) (Default) under any indenture, mortgage, loan or credit agreement, note, contract, franchise, lease or other instrument to which the Company or any of their respective subsidiaries is a party or by which it or any of them may be bound, or to which any of the property or assets of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is subject (each, an Existing Instrument), except, in the case of clause (ii) of this sentence, for such violations or Defaults, as applicable, as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change. The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the Company, the sale of the Shares and consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby (including any Exchange) (x) have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate action and will not result in any violation of the provisions of the charter, bylaws or other constitutive document of the Company or any Significant Subsidiary, (y) will not conflict with or constitute a breach of, or Default or a Debt Repayment Triggering Event (as defined below) under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any property or assets of the Company or any Significant Subsidiary pursuant to, or require the consent of any other party to, any Existing Instrument and (z) will not result in any violation of any law, administrative regulation or administrative or court decree applicable to the Company or any Significant Subsidiary, except, in the case of clauses (y) and (z) of this sentence, for such conflicts, breaches, Defaults, liens, charges, encumbrances or violations as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change. No consent, approval, authorization or
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other order of, or registration or filing with, any court or other governmental or regulatory authority or agency is required for the execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement by the Company, or sale of the Shares, or consummation of the transactions contemplated hereby (including any Exchange), except such as have been obtained or made by the Company and are in full force and effect under the Securities Act, applicable securities laws of the several states of the United States or provinces of Canada and except such as may be required by the securities laws of the several states of the United States or provinces of Canada. As used herein, a Debt Repayment Triggering Event means any event or condition which gives, or with the giving of notice or lapse of time would give, the holder of any note, debenture or other evidence of indebtedness (or any person acting on such holders behalf) the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a portion of such indebtedness by the Company or any of its Significant Subsidiaries.
(q) Legal Proceedings. Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there are no legal, governmental or regulatory investigations, actions, demands, claims, suits, arbitrations, inquiries or proceedings (Actions) pending to which the Company or any of its subsidiaries is or may be a party or to which any property of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is or may be the subject that, individually or in the aggregate, if determined adversely to the Company or any of its subsidiaries, could reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Change; no such Actions are threatened or, to the knowledge of the Company, contemplated by any governmental or regulatory authority or threatened by others; and (i) there are no current or pending Actions that are required under the Securities Act to be described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus that are not so described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and (ii) there are no statutes, regulations or contracts or other documents that are required under the Securities Act to be filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement or described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus that are not so filed as exhibits to the Registration Statement or described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(r) Independent Accountants. BDO USA, LLP (BDO), who has certified certain financial statements of the Company and its subsidiaries, is an independent registered public accounting firm with respect to the Company and its subsidiaries within the applicable rules and regulations adopted by the Commission and the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) and as required by the Securities Act.
(s) Title to Real and Personal Property. The Company and its subsidiaries have good and marketable title to all the properties and assets reflected as owned in the financial statements referred to in Section 3(g) hereof (or elsewhere in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus), in each case free and clear of any security interests, mortgages, liens, encumbrances, equities, claims and other defects, except as would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change. The real property, improvements, equipment and personal property held under lease by the Company or any subsidiary are held under valid and enforceable leases, except as would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change.
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(t) Intellectual Property. Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change, to the Companys knowledge, (i) the Company or one of its subsidiaries owns, licenses or possesses sufficient rights to all material trademarks, trade names, domain names, patents, patent applications, trade secrets, computer software and copyrights (collectively, Intellectual Property) used in the conduct of their respective businesses as now conducted; (ii) the conduct of the respective businesses of the Company and its subsidiaries does not infringe or misappropriate the Intellectual Property of any other person or entity; and (iii) no person or entity is infringing or misappropriating any Intellectual Property owned by the Company.
(u) No Undisclosed Relationships. No relationship, direct or indirect, exists between or among the Company or any of its subsidiaries, on the one hand, and the directors, officers, stockholders, customers, suppliers or other affiliates of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, on the other, that is required by the Securities Act to be described in each of the Registration Statement and the Prospectus and that is not so described in such documents and in the Pricing Disclosure Package.
(v) Investment Company Act. The Company is not required to register as an investment company or an entity controlled by an investment company within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (collectively, the Investment Company Act) and the Company will conduct its business in a manner so that it will not become subject to the Investment Company Act.
(w) Taxes. The Company and its subsidiaries have filed all necessary and material federal, state and foreign income and franchise tax returns and have paid all material taxes required to be paid by any of the Company and any of its subsidiaries and, if due and payable, any related or similar assessment, fine or penalty levied against any of them except as may be being contested in good faith and by appropriate proceedings. The Company has made adequate charges, accruals and reserves in accordance with GAAP in the applicable financial statements referred to in Section 3(g) hereof in respect of all federal, state and foreign income and franchise taxes for all periods as to which the tax liability of the Company or any of its subsidiaries has not been finally determined.
(x) Licenses and Permits. The Company and each subsidiary possess such valid and current certificates, authorizations or permits issued by the appropriate state, federal or foreign regulatory agencies or bodies necessary to own, lease and operate its properties and to conduct their respective businesses, except those certificates, authorizations or permits the absence of which would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change, and neither the Company nor any subsidiary has received any notice of proceedings relating to the revocation or modification of, or non-compliance with, any such certificate, authorization or permit which, individually or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change.
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(y) No Labor Disputes. No material labor dispute with the employees of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or, to the Companys knowledge, with the employees of any principal supplier of the Company, exists or, to the Companys knowledge, is threatened or imminent that is reasonably likely to materially impair the operation of the business of the Company and its subsidiaries taken as a whole.
(z) Certain Environmental Matters. Except as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, (i) there are no proceedings that are pending, or known to be contemplated, against the Company or any of its subsidiaries under any laws, regulations, ordinances, rules, orders, judgments, decrees, permits or other legal requirements of any governmental authority, including without limitation any international, foreign, national, state, provincial, regional, or local authority, relating to pollution, the protection of human health or safety, the environment, or natural resources, or to use, handling, storage, manufacturing, transportation, treatment, discharge, disposal or release of hazardous or toxic substances or wastes, pollutants or contaminants (Environmental Laws) in which a governmental authority is also a party, other than such proceedings regarding which it is reasonably believed no monetary sanctions of $100,000 or more will be imposed, (ii) the Company and its subsidiaries have received and are in compliance with all permits, licenses or other approvals required of them under applicable Environmental Laws to conduct their respective businesses, and (iii) the Company and its subsidiaries have not received notice of any actual or potential liability under any Environmental Law, except where such non-compliance with Environmental Laws, failure to receive or be in compliance with required permits, licenses or other approvals, or liability would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Change.
(aa) Compliance with ERISA. Except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, be reasonably expected to result in a Material Adverse Change, (i) each employee benefit plan (within the meaning of Section 3(3) of the Employee Retirement Security Act of 1974, as amended (ERISA)) for which the Company or any member of its Controlled Group (defined as any organization which is a member of a controlled group of corporations within the meaning of Section 414 of the Code) would have any liability (each a Plan) has been maintained in compliance with its terms and with the requirements of all applicable statutes, rules and regulations including ERISA and the Code; (ii) no prohibited transaction, within the meaning of Section 406 of ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code, has occurred with respect to any Plan excluding transactions effected pursuant to a statutory or administrative exemption; (iii) with respect to each Plan subject to Title IV of ERISA (A) no reportable event (within the meaning of Section 4043(c) of ERISA) has occurred or is reasonably expected to occur, (B) no Plan is or is reasonably expected to be at risk status (within the meaning of Section 430 of the Code or Section 303 of ERISA) (C) there has been no filing pursuant to Section 412(c) of the Code or Section 302(c) of ERISA of an application for a waiver of the minimum funding standard with respect to any Plan or the receipt by the Company or any of its ERISA Affiliates from the PBGC or the plan administrator of any notice relating to the intention to terminate any Plan or Plans or to appoint a trustee to administer any Plan, (D) no conditions contained in Section 303(k)(1)(A) of ERISA for imposition of a lien shall have been met with respect to any Plan and (E) neither the Company or any member
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of its Controlled Group has incurred, or reasonably expects to incur, any liability under Title IV of ERISA (other than contributions to the Plan or premiums to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation in the ordinary course and without default) in respect of a Plan (including a multiemployer plan, within the meaning of Section 4001(c)(3) of ERISA) (Multiemployer Plan); (iv) no Multiemployer Plan is, or is expected to be, insolvent (within the meaning of Section 4245 of ERISA), in reorganization (within the meaning of Section 4241 of ERISA), or in endangered or critical status (within the meaning of Section 432 of the Code or Section 304 of ERISA); and (v) each Plan that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Code is so qualified and nothing has occurred, whether by action or by failure to act, which would cause the loss of such qualification.
(bb) Disclosure Controls. The Company has established and maintains disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act); such disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure that material information relating to the Company and its subsidiaries is made known to the chief executive officer and chief financial officer of the Company by others within the Company or any of its subsidiaries, and such disclosure controls and procedures are reasonably effective to perform the functions for which they were established subject to the limitations of any such control system; and the Companys auditors and the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company have been advised of: (i) any significant deficiencies or material weaknesses (as such terms are defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act) in the design or operation of internal controls; and (ii) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a role in the Companys internal controls; and, except as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, since the date of the most recent evaluation of such disclosure controls and procedures, there have been no significant changes in internal controls or in other factors that could significantly affect internal controls, including any corrective actions with regard to significant deficiencies and material weaknesses.
(cc) Accounting Controls. The Company and its subsidiaries maintain systems of internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) of the Exchange Act) that are designed to comply with the applicable requirements of the Exchange Act and have been designed by, or under the supervision of, their respective principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with GAAP. The Company and its subsidiaries maintain internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with managements general or specific authorizations; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP and to maintain asset accountability; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with managements general or specific authorization; (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences and (v) interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus and the Pricing Disclosure Package fairly
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presents the information called for in all material respects and is prepared in accordance with the Commissions rules and guidelines applicable thereto. Based on the Companys most recent evaluation of its internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Rule 13a-15(c) of the Exchange Act, except as disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus, there are no material weaknesses in the Companys internal controls. The Companys auditors and the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company have been advised of: (i) all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal controls over financial reporting which have adversely affected or are reasonably likely to adversely affect the Companys ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and (ii) any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the Companys internal controls over financial reporting. It is understood that this subsection shall not require the Company to comply with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which term, as used herein, includes the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder) as of an earlier date than it would otherwise be required to so comply under applicable law.
(dd) eXtensible Business Reporting Language. The interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement fairly presents the information called for in all material respects and has been prepared in accordance with the Commissions rules and guidelines applicable thereto.
(ee) Cybersecurity; Data Protection. The Company and its subsidiaries information technology assets and equipment, computers, systems, networks, hardware, software, websites, applications, and databases are adequate for, and operate and perform in all respects as required in connection with the operation of the business of the Company and its subsidiaries as currently conducted, free and clear of all bugs, errors, defects, Trojan horses, time bombs, malware and other corruptants, except as would not, individually or in the aggregate, be reasonably expected to result in a Material Adverse Change. The Company and its subsidiaries have implemented and maintained commercially reasonable controls, policies, procedures, and safeguards to maintain and protect their Personal Data, confidential information and the integrity, continuous operation, redundancy and security of information technology assets and equipment, computers, systems, networks, hardware, software, websites, applications, and databases and data used in connection with their businesses, and there have been no breaches, violations, outages or unauthorized uses of or accesses to the same, except for such controls, policies, procedures and safeguards the failure to maintain, or such breaches, violations, outages or unauthorized uses or accesses that would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Change, nor any incidents under internal review or investigations relating to the same. Except where non-compliance would not, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change, the Company and each of its subsidiaries are in compliance with all applicable data privacy and security and data protection laws and regulations regarding the collection, use, transfer, storage, protection, disposal or disclosure of Personal Data (as defined below) processed, stored or collected by the Company and its subsidiaries (collectively, the Privacy Laws). Personal Data means personally identifiable information, protected health information, financial
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information, personal data as defined by the EU General Data Protection Regulations (EU 2016 679) and all other information subject to Privacy Laws. The Company and its subsidiaries have policies and procedures reasonably designed to (i) ensure compliance with Privacy Laws and its privacy policies on its website or other consumer facing communications; and (ii) reasonably protect the security and confidentiality of all Personal Data. Neither the Company nor any subsidiary has received written notice of any actual or potential material liability under or relating to, or actual or potential material violation of, any of the Privacy Laws.
(ff) Insurance. Each of the Company and its subsidiaries carry or are entitled to the benefits of insurance from recognized, financially sound institutions with coverage in such amounts and with such deductibles and covering such risks as are generally deemed adequate and customary for their businesses. The Company and its subsidiaries have no reason to believe that it or any Significant Subsidiary will not be able (i) to renew its existing insurance coverage as and when such policies expire or (ii) to obtain comparable coverage from similar institutions as may be necessary or appropriate to conduct its business and at a cost that would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change.
(gg) No Unlawful Payments. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries, nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee or other person acting on behalf of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, has in the course of its actions for, or on behalf of, the Company or any of its subsidiaries: (i) made any unlawful contribution, gift or other unlawful expense relating to political activity; (ii) made any direct or indirect bribe, kickback, rebate, payoff, influence payment, or otherwise unlawfully provided anything of value, to any foreign official (as defined in the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended (collectively, the FCPA)) or domestic government official; or (iii) violated or is in violation of any provision of the FCPA, the Bribery Act 2010 of the United Kingdom, as amended (the Bribery Act 2010), or any other applicable anti-corruption or anti-bribery statute or regulation. The Company and its subsidiaries and, to the knowledge of the Company, the affiliates of the Company have conducted their respective businesses in compliance with the FCPA, the Bribery Act 2010, and all other applicable anti-corruption and anti-bribery statutes and regulations, and have instituted and maintain policies and procedures designed to provide reasonable assurance, and which are reasonably expected to provide reasonable assurance, of continued compliance therewith.
(hh) Compliance with Anti-Money Laundering Laws. The operations of the Company and its subsidiaries are and have been conducted at all times in compliance in all material respects with applicable financial record keeping and reporting requirements of the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act of 1970, as amended, the money laundering statutes of all applicable jurisdictions, the rules and regulations thereunder and any related or similar rules, regulations or guidelines, that have been issued, administered or enforced by any governmental agency (collectively, the Money Laundering Laws) and no action, suit or proceeding by or before any court or governmental agency, authority or body or any arbitrator or non-governmental authority involving the Company or any of its subsidiaries with respect to the Money Laundering Laws is pending or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatened.
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(ii) No Conflicts with Sanctions Laws. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries nor, to the knowledge of the Company, any director, officer, agent, employee or affiliate of the Company or any of its subsidiaries is (i) currently subject to or the target of any sanctions administered or enforced by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury Department (OFAC), the U.S. Department of State, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), the European Union (EU), Her Majestys Treasury (HMT), or other relevant sanctions authority (collectively, Sanctions); or (ii) located, organized or resident in a country or territory that is the subject or target of Sanctions (including, without limitation, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, the so-called Donetsk Peoples Republic region of Ukraine, the so-called Luhansk Peoples Republic region of Ukraine and Crimea). The Company and its subsidiaries have not knowingly engaged in for the past five years, are not now knowingly engaged in, and will not engage in, any dealings or transactions with any individual or entity, or in any country or territory, that at the time of the dealing or transaction, is or was the subject or target of Sanctions.
(jj) No Restrictions on Subsidiaries. Except as otherwise disclosed in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and except as otherwise would not reasonably be expected to result in a Material Adverse Change, no subsidiary of the Company is currently prohibited, directly or indirectly, under any agreement or instrument from paying any dividends to the Company, from making any other distribution on such subsidiarys capital stock, from repaying to the Company any loans or advances to such subsidiary from the Company or from transferring any of such subsidiarys property or assets to the Company or any other subsidiary of the Company.
(kk) No Brokers Fees. Neither the Company nor any of its subsidiaries is a party to any contract, agreement or understanding with any person (other than this Agreement) that would give rise to a valid claim against any of them or any Underwriter for a brokerage commission, finders fee or like payment in connection with the offering and sale of the Shares.
(ll) No Registration Rights. No person has the right to require the Company or any of its subsidiaries to register any securities for sale under the Securities Act by reason of the filing of the Registration Statement with the Commission or, to the knowledge of the Company, the sale of the Shares to be sold by the Selling Stockholders hereunder.
(mm) No Stabilization. The Company has not taken and will not take, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that might reasonably be expected to cause or result in stabilization or manipulation of the price of any security of the Company.
(nn) Forward-Looking Statements. No forward-looking statement (within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act) included or incorporated by reference in any of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus has been made or reaffirmed without a reasonable basis or has been disclosed other than in good faith.
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(oo) Statistical and Market Data. Nothing has come to the attention of the Company that has caused the Company to believe that the statistical and market-related data included or incorporated by reference in each of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus is not based on or derived from sources that are reliable and accurate in all material respects.
(pp) Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The Company and its subsidiaries and their respective officers and directors are in compliance in all material respects with the applicable provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
(qq) Status under the Securities Act. At the time of filing the Registration Statement and any post-effective amendment thereto, at the earliest time thereafter that the Company or any offering participant made a bona fide offer (within the meaning of Rule 164(h)(2) under the Securities Act) of the Shares and at the date hereof, the Company was not and is not an ineligible issuer, as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act. The Company has paid the registration fee for this offering pursuant to Rule 456(b)(1) under the Securities Act or will pay such fee within the time period required by such rule (without giving effect to the proviso therein) and in any event prior to the Closing Date.
4. Representations and Warranties of the Selling Stockholders. Each of the Selling Stockholders severally represents and warrants to each Underwriter and the Company that:
(a) Authority. This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by such Selling Stockholder.
(b) No Conflicts. The execution, delivery and performance by such Selling Stockholder of this Agreement, the sale of the Shares to be sold by such Selling Stockholder and the consummation by such Selling Stockholder of the transactions contemplated herein or therein will not (i) conflict with or result in a breach or violation of any of the terms or provisions of, or constitute a default under, any indenture, mortgage, loan agreement or other agreement or instrument to which such Selling Stockholder is a party, (ii) result in any violation of the provisions of the charter or by-laws or similar organizational documents of such Selling Stockholder or (iii) result in the violation of any law or statute or any judgment, order, rule or regulation of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory agency, except, in the case of clauses (i) and (iii) above, for any such conflict, breach, violation, default, charge or encumbrance that would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a material adverse effect on the ability of such Selling Stockholder to perform, or prevent or materially interfere with the performance of such Selling Stockholder of, its obligations under this Agreement (a Selling Stockholder Material Adverse Effect).
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(c) No Stabilization. Such Selling Stockholder has not taken, directly or indirectly, any action designed to or that could reasonably be expected to cause or result in any stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Shares (it being understood that such Selling Stockholder makes no statement or representation as to the actions taken by or on behalf of the Underwriters in connection with the offering of the Shares contemplated hereby).
(d) Issuer Free Writing Prospectus. Other than the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus and the Prospectus, such Selling Stockholder (including its agents and representatives, other than the Underwriters in their capacity as such) has not prepared, made, used, authorized, approved or referred to and will not prepare, make, use, authorize, approve or refer to any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, other than (i) any document not constituting a prospectus pursuant to Section 2(a)(10)(a) of the Securities Act or Rule 134 under the Securities Act or (ii) the documents listed on Annex A hereto, each electronic road show and any other written communications approved in writing in advance by the Company and the Representatives.
(e) Organization and Good Standing. Such Selling Stockholder has been duly organized and is validly existing and in good standing under the laws of its respective jurisdictions of organization, except in each case where the failure to be so organized, existing or in good standing would not, individually or in the aggregate, have a Selling Stockholder Material Adverse Effect.
6. Further Agreements of the Company. The Company covenants and agrees with each Underwriter that:
(a) Required Filings. The Company will file the final Prospectus with the Commission within the time periods specified by Rule 424(b) and Rule 430A, 430B or 430C under the Securities Act, will file any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus to the extent required by Rule 433 under the Securities Act; and the Company will furnish copies of the Prospectus and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus (to the extent not previously delivered) to the Underwriters in New York City prior to 10:00 A.M., New York City time, on the business day next succeeding the date of this Agreement in such quantities as the Representatives may reasonably request.
(b) Delivery of Copies. The Company will deliver, upon written request, without charge, (i) to the Representatives, two signed copies of the Registration Statement as originally filed and each amendment thereto, in each case including all exhibits and consents filed therewith and documents incorporated by reference therein; and (ii) to each Underwriter (A) a conformed copy of the Registration Statement as originally filed and each amendment thereto (without exhibits) and (B) during the Prospectus Delivery Period (as defined below), as many copies of the Prospectus (including all amendments and supplements thereto and documents incorporated by reference therein and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus) as the Representatives may reasonably request. As used herein, the term Prospectus Delivery Period means such period of time after the first date of the public offering of the Shares as in the opinion of counsel for the Underwriters a prospectus relating to the Shares is required by law to be delivered (or required to be delivered but for Rule 172 under the Securities Act) in connection with sales of the Shares by any Underwriter or dealer.
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(c) Amendments or Supplements, Issuer Free Writing Prospectuses. Before making, preparing, using, authorizing, approving, referring to or filing any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, and before filing any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package or the Prospectus, the Company will furnish to the Representatives and counsel for the Underwriters a copy of the proposed Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, amendment or supplement for review and will not make, prepare, use, authorize, approve, refer to or file any such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or file any such proposed amendment or supplement to which the Representatives reasonably object.
(d) Notice to the Representatives. The Company will advise the Representatives promptly, and confirm such advice in writing (which may be by electronic mail), (i) when the Registration Statement has become effective; (ii) when any amendment to the Registration Statement has been filed or becomes effective; (iii) when any supplement to the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication or any amendment to the Prospectus has been filed or distributed; (iv) of any request by the Commission for any amendment to the Registration Statement or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus or the receipt of any comments from the Commission relating to the Registration Statement or any other request by the Commission for any additional information, including, but not limited to, any request for information concerning any Testing-the-Waters Communications; (v) of the issuance by the Commission or any other governmental or regulatory authority of any order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus, any of the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Prospectus or any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication or the initiation or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatening of any proceeding for that purpose or pursuant to Section 8A of the Securities Act; (vi) of the occurrence of any event or development within the Prospectus Delivery Period as a result of which the Prospectus, any of the Pricing Disclosure Package, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication as then amended or supplemented would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing when the Prospectus, the Pricing Disclosure Package, any such Issuer Free Writing Prospectus or any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading; and (vii) of the receipt by the Company of any notice with respect to any suspension of the qualification of the Shares for offer and sale in any jurisdiction or the initiation or, to the knowledge of the Company, threatening of any proceeding for such purpose; and the Company will use its reasonable best efforts to prevent the issuance of any such order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus, any of the Pricing Disclosure Package, the Prospectus or any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication or suspending any such qualification of the Shares and, if any such order is issued, will use its reasonable best efforts to obtain as soon as possible the withdrawal thereof.
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(e) Ongoing Compliance. (1) If during the Prospectus Delivery Period (i) any event or development shall occur or condition shall exist as a result of which the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing when the Prospectus is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading or (ii) it is necessary to amend or supplement the Prospectus to comply with law, the Company will immediately notify the Underwriters thereof and forthwith prepare and, subject to paragraph (c) above, file with the Commission and furnish to the Underwriters and to such dealers as the Representatives may designate such amendments or supplements to the Prospectus (or any document to be filed with the Commission and incorporated by reference therein) as may be necessary so that the statements in the Prospectus as so amended or supplemented (or any document to be filed with the Commission and incorporated by reference therein) will not, in the light of the circumstances existing when the Prospectus is delivered to a purchaser, be misleading or so that the Prospectus will comply with law and (2) if at any time prior to the Closing Date (i) any event or development shall occur or condition shall exist as a result of which the Pricing Disclosure Package as then amended or supplemented would include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing when the Pricing Disclosure Package is delivered to a purchaser, not misleading or (ii) it is necessary to amend or supplement the Pricing Disclosure Package to comply with law, the Company will immediately notify the Underwriters thereof and forthwith prepare and, subject to paragraph (c) above, file with the Commission (to the extent required) and furnish to the Underwriters and to such dealers as the Representatives may designate, such amendments or supplements to the Pricing Disclosure Package (or any document to be filed with the Commission and incorporated by reference therein) as may be necessary so that the statements in the Pricing Disclosure Package as so amended or supplemented will not, in the light of the circumstances existing when the Pricing Disclosure Package is delivered to a purchaser, be misleading or so that the Pricing Disclosure Package will comply with law.
(f) Blue Sky Compliance. The Company will qualify the Shares for offer and sale under the securities or Blue Sky laws of such jurisdictions as the Representatives shall reasonably request and will continue such qualifications in effect so long as required for distribution of the Shares; provided that the Company shall not be required to (i) qualify as a foreign corporation or other entity or as a dealer in securities in any such jurisdiction where it would not otherwise be required to so qualify, (ii) file any general consent to service of process in any such jurisdiction or (iii) subject itself to taxation in any such jurisdiction if it is not otherwise so subject.
(g) Earning Statement. The Company will make generally available to its security holders and the Representatives as soon as practicable an earning statement that satisfies the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and Rule 158 of the Commission promulgated thereunder covering a period of at least twelve months beginning with the first fiscal quarter of the Company occurring after the effective date (as defined in Rule 158) of the Registration Statement; provided that the Company will be deemed to have satisfied such requirement to the extent such information is filed on the Commissions Electronic Data Gathering Analysis and Retrieval System (EDGAR) or any successor thereto.
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(h) Clear Market. For a period of 60 days after the date of the Prospectus, the Company will not (i) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, or submit to, or file with, the Commission a registration statement under the Securities Act relating to, any shares of Stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Stock, or publicly disclose the intention to undertake any of the foregoing, or (ii) enter into any swap or other agreement that transfers, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the Stock or any such other securities, whether any such transaction described in clause (i) or (ii) above is to be settled by delivery of Stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the Representatives, other than the Shares to be sold hereunder.
The restrictions described above do not apply to (i) the issuance of shares of Stock or securities convertible into or exercisable for shares of Stock pursuant to the conversion or exchange of convertible or exchangeable securities or the exercise of warrants or options (including net exercise) or the settlement of restricted stock units (RSUs) (including net settlement), in each case outstanding on the date of this Agreement and described in the Prospectus; (ii) grants of stock options, stock awards, restricted stock, RSUs, or other equity awards and the issuance of shares of Stock or securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of Stock (whether upon the exercise of stock options or otherwise) to the Companys employees, officers, directors, advisors, or consultants pursuant to the terms of an equity compensation plan in effect as of the Closing Date and described in the Prospectus, provided that such recipients enter into a lock-up agreement with the Underwriters; (iii) the issuance of up to 5% of the outstanding shares of common stock, or securities convertible into, exercisable for, or which are otherwise exchangeable for, common stock, in acquisitions or other similar strategic transactions, provided that such recipients enter into a lock-up agreement with the Underwriters; or (iv) the filing of any registration statement on Form S-8 relating to securities granted or to be granted pursuant to any plan in effect on the date of this Agreement and described in the Prospectus or any assumed benefit plan pursuant to an acquisition or similar strategic transaction.
(i) No Stabilization. Neither the Company nor its subsidiaries or affiliates will take, directly or indirectly, without giving effect to activities by the Underwriters, any action designed to or that would reasonably be expected to cause or result in any stabilization or manipulation of the price of the Stock.
(j) Exchange Listing. The Company will use its reasonable best efforts to list for quotation the Shares on the Nasdaq Market.
(k) Reports. So long as the Shares are outstanding, the Company will furnish to the Representatives, as soon as they are available, copies of all reports or other communications (financial or other) furnished to holders of the Shares, and copies of any reports and financial statements furnished to or filed with the Commission or any national securities exchange or automatic quotation system; provided the Company will be deemed to have furnished such reports and financial statements to the Representatives to the extent they are filed on EDGAR.
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(l) Record Retention. The Company will, pursuant to reasonable procedures developed in good faith, retain copies of each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus that is not filed with the Commission in accordance with Rule 433 under the Securities Act.
(m) Emerging Growth Company. The Company will promptly notify the Representatives if the Company ceases to be an Emerging Growth Company at any time prior to the later of (i) completion of the distribution of Shares within the meaning of the Securities Act and (ii) completion of the 60-day restricted period referred to in Section 6(h) hereof.
7. Certain Agreements of the Underwriters. Each Underwriter hereby severally represents and agrees that:
(a) It has not and will not use, authorize use of, refer to, or participate in the planning for use of, any free writing prospectus, as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act (which term includes use of any written information furnished to the Commission by the Company and not incorporated by reference into the Registration Statement and any press release issued by the Company) other than (i) a free writing prospectus that contains no issuer information (as defined in Rule 433(h)(2) under the Securities Act) that was not included (including through incorporation by reference) in the Preliminary Prospectus or a previously filed Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, (ii) any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus listed on Annex A or prepared pursuant to Section 3(c) or Section 4(e) above (including any electronic road show approved by the Company), or (iii) any free writing prospectus prepared by such underwriter and approved by the Company in advance in writing (each such free writing prospectus referred to in clauses (i) or (iii), an Underwriter Free Writing Prospectus).
(b) It has not and will not, without the prior written consent of the Company, use any free writing prospectus that contains the final terms of the Shares unless such terms have previously been included in a free writing prospectus filed with the Commission; provided that any Underwriter using such term sheet shall notify the Company, and provide a copy of such term sheet to the Company, prior to, or substantially concurrently with, the first use of such term sheet.
(c) It is not subject to any pending proceeding under Section 8A of the Securities Act with respect to the offering (and will promptly notify the Company and the Selling Stockholders if any such proceeding against it is initiated during the Prospectus Delivery Period).
8. Conditions of Underwriters Obligations. The obligation of each Underwriter to purchase the Underwritten Shares on the Closing Date or the Option Shares on any Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, as provided herein is subject to the performance by the Company and each of the Selling Stockholders of their respective covenants and other obligations hereunder and to the following additional conditions:
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(a) Registration Compliance; No Stop Order. No order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall be in effect, and no proceeding for such purpose or pursuant to Section 8A under the Securities Act shall be pending before or threatened by the Commission; the Prospectus and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus shall have been timely filed with the Commission under the Securities Act (in the case of an Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, to the extent required by Rule 433 under the Securities Act) and in accordance with Section 6(a) hereof; and all requests by the Commission for additional information shall have been complied with to the reasonable satisfaction of the Representatives.
(b) Representations and Warranties. The respective representations and warranties of the Company and the Selling Stockholders contained herein shall be true and correct on the date hereof and on and as of the Closing Date or such Additional Closing Date, as the case may be; and the statements of the Company and its officers and of each of the Selling Stockholders and their officers made in any certificates delivered pursuant to this Agreement shall be true and correct on and as of the Closing Date or such Additional Closing Date, as the case may be.
(c) No Downgrade. Subsequent to the earlier of (A) the Applicable Time and (B) the execution and delivery of this Agreement, (i) no downgrading shall have occurred in the rating accorded any debt securities, convertible securities or preferred stock issued or guaranteed by the Company or any of its subsidiaries by any nationally recognized statistical rating organization, as such term is defined under Section 3(a)(62) under the Exchange Act and (ii) no such organization shall have publicly announced that it has under surveillance or review, or has changed its outlook with respect to, its rating of any such debt securities or preferred stock issued or guaranteed by the Company or any of its subsidiaries (other than an announcement with positive implications of a possible upgrading).
(d) No Material Adverse Change. No event or condition of a type described in Section 3(h) hereof shall have occurred or shall exist, which event or condition is not described in the Pricing Disclosure Package (excluding any amendment or supplement thereto) and the Prospectus (excluding any amendment or supplement thereto) and the effect of which in the judgment of the Representatives makes it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offering, sale or delivery of the Shares on the Closing Date or such Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, on the terms and in the manner contemplated by this Agreement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
(e) Officers Certificate. The Representatives and the Selling Stockholders shall have received on and as of the Closing Date or such Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, (x) a certificate of the chief financial officer or chief accounting officer of the Company and one additional senior executive officer of the Company who is satisfactory to the Representatives and the Selling Stockholders (i) confirming that such officers have carefully reviewed the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus and, to the knowledge of such officers, the representations of the Company set forth in Sections 3(b) and 3(d) hereof are true and correct, (ii) confirming that the other representations and warranties of the Company in this
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Agreement are true and correct and that the Company has complied with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder at or prior to the Closing Date or such Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, and (iii) to the effect set forth in paragraphs (a), (c) and (d) above and (y) a certificate of each of the Selling Stockholders, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives and the Selling Stockholders, (A) confirming that the representations of such Selling Stockholder set forth in Sections 4(e), 4(f) and 4(g) hereof is true and correct and (B) confirming that the other representations and warranties of such Selling Stockholder in this agreement are true and correct and that the such Selling Stockholder has complied with all agreements and satisfied all conditions on their part to be performed or satisfied hereunder at or prior to the Closing Date or such Additional Closing Date.
(f) Comfort Letters. On the date of this Agreement and on the Closing Date or such Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, BDO shall have furnished to the Representatives and the Selling Stockholders, at the request of the Company, letters, dated the respective dates of delivery thereof and addressed to the Underwriters and the Selling Stockholders, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives and the Selling Stockholders, containing statements and information of the type customarily included in accountants comfort letters to underwriters with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained or incorporated by reference in each of the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; provided, that the letter delivered on the Closing Date or such Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, shall use a cut-off date no more than two business days prior to such Closing Date or such Additional Closing Date, as the case may be.
(g) Opinion and 10b-5 Statement of Counsel for the Company. Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP, counsel for the Company, shall have furnished to the Representatives and the Selling Stockholders, at the request of the Company, their written opinion and 10b-5 statement, dated the Closing Date or such Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, and addressed to the Underwriters and the Selling Stockholders, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives and the Selling Stockholders.
(h) Opinion and 10b-5 Statement of Counsel for Ziff Davis. Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, counsel for Ziff Davis, shall have furnished to the Representatives and the Selling Stockholders, at the request of Ziff Davis, their written opinion and 10b-5 statement, dated the Closing Date or such Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, and addressed to the Underwriters and the Selling Stockholders, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives and the Selling Stockholders.
(i) Opinion and 10b-5 Statement of Counsel for the Underwriters and the Selling Stockholders. The Representatives and the Selling Stockholders shall have received on and as of the Closing Date or such Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, an opinion and 10b-5 statement, addressed to the Underwriters and the Selling Stockholders, of Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP, counsel for the Underwriters and the Selling Stockholders, with respect to such matters as the Representatives may reasonably request, and such counsel shall have received such documents and information as they may reasonably request to enable them to pass upon such matters.
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(j) No Legal Impediment to Sale. No action shall have been taken and no statute, rule, regulation or order shall have been enacted, adopted or issued by any federal, state or foreign governmental or regulatory authority that would, as of the Closing Date or such Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, prevent the sale of the Shares; and no injunction or order of any federal, state or foreign court shall have been issued that would, as of the Closing Date or such Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, prevent the sale of the Shares.
(k) Good Standing. The Representatives shall have received on and as of the Closing Date or such Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, satisfactory evidence of the good standing of the Company and its subsidiaries in their respective jurisdictions of organization and their good standing in such other jurisdictions as the Representatives may reasonably request, in each case in writing or any standard form of telecommunication from the appropriate governmental authorities of such jurisdictions.
(l) Exchange Listing. The Shares to be delivered on the Closing Date or such Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, shall have been approved for listing on the Nasdaq Market, subject to official notice of issuance.
(m) Lock-up Agreements. The lock-up agreements, each substantially in the form of Exhibit B hereto, between you and certain shareholders, officers and directors of the Company and Ziff Davis, each relating to sales and certain other dispositions of shares of Stock or certain other securities, delivered to you on or before the date hereof, shall be full force and effect on the Closing Date or such Additional Closing Date, as the case may be.
(n) Exchange. (i) On or prior to the Closing Date, (x) the Exchange Agreement shall have been entered into in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives and (y) the Initial Exchange shall have been consummated in accordance with the terms of such Exchange Agreement and the Underwritten Shares shall have been delivered by Ziff Davis to the Selling Stockholders and (ii) on or prior to such Additional Closing Date, the applicable Option Exchange shall have been consummated in accordance with the terms of such Exchange Agreement and the applicable Option Shares shall have been delivered by Ziff Davis to the Selling Stockholders.
(o) Additional Documents. On or prior to the Closing Date or such Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, the Company and the Selling Stockholders shall have furnished to the Representatives such further certificates and documents as the Representatives may reasonably request.
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All opinions, letters, certificates and evidence mentioned above or elsewhere in this Agreement shall be deemed to be in compliance with the provisions hereof only if they are in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to counsel for the Underwriters.
9. Indemnification and Contribution.
(a) Indemnification of the Underwriters and the Selling Stockholders by the Company. The Company agrees to indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter, each Selling Stockholder, their respective affiliates, directors and officers and each person, if any, who controls such Underwriter or such Selling Stockholder within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act, from and against any and all losses, claims, damages and liabilities (including, without limitation, reasonable and documented legal fees and other reasonable and documented expenses incurred in connection with any suit, action or proceeding or any claim asserted, as such fees and expenses are incurred), joint or several, that arise out of, or are based upon, (i) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement or caused by any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary in order to make the statements therein, not misleading, or (ii) any untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, any issuer information filed or required to be filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Securities Act, any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication, any road show as defined in Rule 433(h) under the Securities Act (a road show) or any Pricing Disclosure Package (including any Pricing Disclosure Package that has subsequently been amended), or caused by any omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, in each case except insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities arise out of, or are based upon, any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with any information relating to any Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein, it being understood and agreed that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the information described as such in paragraph (b) below.
(b) Indemnification of the Company and the Selling Stockholders by the Underwriters. Each Underwriter agrees, severally and not jointly, to indemnify and hold harmless the Selling Stockholders, the Company, its directors, its officers who signed the Registration Statement and each person, if any, who controls such Selling Stockholder or the Company within the meaning of Section 15 of the Securities Act or Section 20 of the Exchange Act to the same extent as the indemnity set forth in paragraph (a) above, but only with respect to any losses, claims, damages or liabilities that arise out of, or are based upon, any untrue statement or omission or alleged untrue statement or omission made in reliance upon and in conformity with any information relating to such Underwriter furnished to the Company in writing by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use in the Registration Statement, the Prospectus (or any amendment or supplement thereto), any Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication, any road show or any Pricing Disclosure Package (including any Pricing Disclosure Package that has subsequently been amended), it being understood and agreed upon
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that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the following information in the Prospectus furnished on behalf of each Underwriter: the concession and reallowance figures appearing in the fourth paragraph under the caption Underwriting (Conflicts of Interest) and the information contained in the sixteenth through eighteenth paragraphs under the caption Underwriting (Conflicts of Interest).
(d) Notice and Procedures. If any suit, action, proceeding (including any governmental or regulatory investigation), claim or demand shall be brought or asserted against any person in respect of which indemnification may be sought pursuant to the preceding paragraphs of this Section 9, such person (the Indemnified Person) shall promptly notify the person against whom such indemnification may be sought (the Indemnifying Person) in writing; provided that the failure to notify the Indemnifying Person shall not relieve it from any liability that it may have under the preceding paragraphs of this Section 9 except to the extent that it has been materially prejudiced (through the forfeiture of substantive rights or defenses) by such failure; and provided, further, that the failure to notify the Indemnifying Person shall not relieve it from any liability that it may have to an Indemnified Person otherwise than under the preceding paragraphs of this Section 9. If any such proceeding shall be brought or asserted against an Indemnified Person and it shall have notified the Indemnifying Person thereof, the Indemnifying Person shall retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnified Person (who shall not, without the consent of the Indemnified Person, be counsel to the Indemnifying Person) to represent the Indemnified Person and any others entitled to indemnification pursuant to this Section 9 that the Indemnifying Person may designate in such proceeding and shall pay the reasonable and documented fees and expenses in such proceeding and shall pay the reasonable and documented fees and expenses of such counsel related to such proceeding, as incurred. In any such proceeding, any Indemnified Person shall have the right to retain its own counsel, but the fees and expenses of such counsel shall be at the expense of such Indemnified Person unless (i) the Indemnifying Person and the Indemnified Person shall have mutually agreed to the contrary; (ii) the Indemnifying Person has failed within a reasonable time to retain counsel reasonably satisfactory to the Indemnified Person; (iii) the Indemnified Person shall have reasonably concluded that there may be legal defenses available to it that are different from or in addition to those available to the Indemnifying Person; or (iv) the named parties in any such proceeding (including any impleaded parties) include both the Indemnifying Person and the Indemnified Person and representation of both parties by the same counsel would be inappropriate due to actual or potential differing interests between them. It is understood and agreed that the Indemnifying Person shall not, in connection with any proceeding or related proceeding in the same jurisdiction, be liable for the fees and expenses of more than one separate firm (in addition to any local counsel) for all Indemnified Persons, and that all such reasonable and documented fees and expenses shall be paid or reimbursed as they are incurred. Any such separate firm for any Underwriter, its affiliates, directors and officers and any control persons of such Underwriter shall be designated in writing by J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, any such separate firm for the Company, its directors, its officers who signed the Registration Statement and any control persons of the Company shall be designated in writing by the Company, any such separate firm for the Selling Stockholders shall be designated in writing by the Selling Stockholders. The Indemnifying Person shall not be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent, but if settled with such consent, the Indemnifying Person agrees to indemnify each Indemnified Person from and against any loss or liability by reason of such settlement. Notwithstanding the foregoing sentence, if at any time an Indemnified Person
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shall have requested that an Indemnifying Person reimburse the Indemnified Person for reasonable and documented fees and expenses of counsel as contemplated by this paragraph, the Indemnifying Person shall be liable for any settlement of any proceeding effected without its written consent if (i) such settlement is entered into more than 30 days after receipt by the Indemnifying Person of such request and (ii) the Indemnifying Person shall not have reimbursed the Indemnified Person in accordance with such request prior to the date of such settlement. No Indemnifying Person shall, without the written consent of the Indemnified Person, effect any settlement of any pending or threatened proceeding in respect of which any Indemnified Person is or could have been a party and indemnification could have been sought hereunder by such Indemnified Person, unless such settlement (x) includes an unconditional release of such Indemnified Person, in form and substance reasonably satisfactory to such Indemnified Person, from all liability on claims that are the subject matter of such proceeding and (y) does not include any statement as to or any admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act by or on behalf of any Indemnified Person.
(e) Contribution. If the indemnification provided for in paragraphs (a), (b) or (c) above is unavailable or insufficient to hold harmless an Indemnified Person in respect of any losses, claims, damages, liabilities, or expenses (or actions in respect thereof) referred to therein, then each Indemnifying Person under such paragraph, in lieu of indemnifying such Indemnified Person thereunder, shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such Indemnified Person as a result of such losses, claims, damages, liabilities, or expenses (or actions in respect thereof) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative fault of the Indemnifying Person and the Indemnified Person in connection with the actions which resulted in the losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative fault of such Indemnifying Person and Indemnified Person shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact has been made (or omitted) by, or relates to information supplied by such Indemnifying Person or Indemnified Person, and the parties relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission.
(f) Limitation on Liability. The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to paragraph (e) above were determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation that does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to in paragraph (e) above. The amount paid or payable by an Indemnified Person as a result of the losses, claims, damages and liabilities referred to in paragraph (e) above shall be deemed to include, subject to the limitations set forth above, any reasonable and documented legal or other expenses incurred by such Indemnified Person in connection with any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs (e) and (f), in no event shall an Underwriter be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by such Underwriter with respect to the offering of the Shares exceeds the amount of any damages that such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The Underwriters obligations to contribute pursuant to paragraphs (e) and (f) are several in proportion to their respective purchase obligations hereunder and not joint.
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(g) Non-Exclusive Remedies. The remedies provided for in this Section 9 are not exclusive and shall not limit any rights or remedies which may otherwise be available to any Indemnified Person at law or in equity.
10. Effectiveness of Agreement. This Agreement shall become effective as of the date first written above.
11. Termination. This Agreement may be terminated in the absolute discretion of the Representatives, by notice to the Company and the Selling Stockholders, if after the execution and delivery of this Agreement and on or prior to the Closing Date or, in the case of the Option Shares, prior to the any Additional Closing Date (i) trading generally shall have been suspended or materially limited on or by any of the New York Stock Exchange or the Nasdaq Market; (ii) trading of any securities issued or guaranteed by the Company shall have been suspended on any exchange or in any over-the-counter market; (iii) a general moratorium on commercial banking activities shall have been declared by federal or New York State authorities; or (iv) there shall have occurred any outbreak or escalation of hostilities or any change in financial markets or any calamity or crisis, either within or outside the United States, that, in the judgment of the Representatives, is material and adverse and makes it impracticable or inadvisable to proceed with the offering, sale or delivery of the Shares on the Closing Date or such Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, on the terms and in the manner contemplated by this Agreement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus.
12. Defaulting Underwriter.
(a) If, on the Closing Date or any Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, any Underwriter defaults on its obligation to purchase the Shares that it has agreed to purchase hereunder on such date, the non-defaulting Underwriters may in their discretion arrange for the purchase of such Shares by other persons satisfactory to the Company and the Selling Stockholders on the terms contained in this Agreement. If, within 36 hours after any such default by any Underwriter, the non-defaulting Underwriters do not arrange for the purchase of such Shares, then the Company and the Selling Stockholders shall be entitled to a further period of 36 hours within which to procure other persons satisfactory to the non-defaulting Underwriters to purchase such Shares on such terms. If other persons become obligated or agree to purchase the Shares of a defaulting Underwriter, either the non-defaulting Underwriters or the Company and the Selling Stockholders may postpone the Closing Date or any Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, for up to five full business days in order to effect any changes that in the opinion of counsel for the Company, counsel for the Selling Stockholders or counsel for the Underwriters may be necessary in the Registration Statement and the Prospectus or in any other document or arrangement, and the Company agrees to promptly prepare any amendment or supplement to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus that effects any such changes. As used in this Agreement, the term Underwriter includes, for all purposes of this Agreement unless the context otherwise requires, any person not listed in Schedule 1 hereto that, pursuant to this Section 12, purchases Shares that a defaulting Underwriter agreed but failed to purchase.
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(b) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Shares of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by the non-defaulting Underwriters, the Company and the Selling Stockholders as provided in paragraph (a) above, the aggregate number of Shares that remain unpurchased on the Closing Date or any Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, does not exceed one-eleventh of the aggregate number of Shares to be purchased on such date, then the Company and the Selling Stockholders shall have the right to require each non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase the number of Shares that such Underwriter agreed to purchase hereunder on such date plus such Underwriters pro rata share (based on the number of Shares that such Underwriter agreed to purchase on such date) of the Shares of such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters for which such arrangements have not been made.
(c) If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Shares of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by the non-defaulting Underwriters, the Company and the Selling Stockholders as provided in paragraph (a) above, the aggregate number of Shares that remain unpurchased on the Closing Date or any Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, exceeds one-eleventh of the aggregate amount of Shares to be purchased on such date, or if the Company and the Selling Stockholders shall not exercise the right described in paragraph (b) above, then this Agreement or, with respect to any Additional Closing Date, the obligation of the Underwriters to purchase Shares on such Additional Closing Date, as the case may be, shall terminate without liability on the part of the non-defaulting Underwriters. Any termination of this Agreement pursuant to this Section 12 shall be without liability on the part of the Company, except that the Company will continue to be liable for the payment of expenses as set forth in Section 13 hereof and except that the provisions of Section 9 hereof shall not terminate and shall remain in effect.
(d) Nothing contained herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter of any liability it may have to the Company, the Selling Stockholders or any non-defaulting Underwriter for damages caused by its default.
13. Payment of Expenses.
(a) Whether or not the transactions contemplated by this Agreement are consummated or this Agreement is terminated, the Company will pay or cause to be paid all costs and expenses incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder, including without limitation, (i) the costs incident to the authorization, issuance, sale, preparation and delivery of the Shares and any taxes payable in that connection; (ii) the costs incident to the preparation, printing and filing under the Securities Act of the Registration Statement, the Preliminary Prospectus, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, any Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus (including all exhibits, amendments and supplements thereto) and the distribution thereof; (iii) the costs of reproducing and distributing each of the Transaction Documents; (iv) the fees and expenses of the Companys counsel and independent accountants; (v) the fees and expenses incurred in connection with the registration or qualification and determination of eligibility for investment of the Shares under the laws of such jurisdictions as the Representatives may designate and the preparation, printing and distribution of a Blue Sky Memorandum (including the related fees and expenses of counsel for the Underwriters); (vi) the cost of preparing stock certificates; (vii) the costs and charges of any transfer agent and any registrar; (viii) all expenses and application fees incurred in connection with any filing with, and clearance of the offering by, FINRA (including the fees and
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expenses of counsel for the Underwriters related thereto not to exceed $50,000); (ix) all expenses incurred by the Company in connection with any road show presentation to potential investors; and (x) all expenses and application fees related to the listing of the Shares on the Nasdaq Market. It is being understood, however, that, except as provided in this Agreement, the Underwriters will pay all of their own costs and expenses, including the fees of their counsel, transfer taxes on resale of any of the Shares by them, and any advertising expenses connected with any offers they may make.
(b) If (i) this Agreement is terminated pursuant to Section 11, (ii) the Company or the Selling Stockholders for any reason fail to tender the Shares for delivery to the Underwriters or (iii) the Underwriters decline to purchase the Shares for any reason permitted under this Agreement, the Company agrees to reimburse the Underwriters for all out-of-pocket costs and expenses (including the fees and expenses of their counsel) reasonably incurred by the Underwriters in connection with this Agreement and the offering contemplated hereby. For the avoidance of doubt, it is understood that the Company shall not pay or reimburse any costs, fees or expenses incurred by an Underwriter pursuant to this paragraph (b) that defaults on its obligations to purchase the Shares.
14. Persons Entitled to Benefit of Agreement. This Agreement shall inure to the benefit of and be binding upon the parties hereto and their respective successors and the officers and directors and any controlling persons referred to herein and the affiliates of each Underwriter referred to in Section 9 hereof. Nothing in this Agreement is intended or shall be construed to give any other person any legal or equitable right, remedy or claim under or in respect of this Agreement or any provision contained herein. No purchaser of Shares from any Underwriter shall be deemed to be a successor merely by reason of such purchase.
15. Survival. The respective indemnities, rights of contribution, representations, warranties and agreements of the Company, the Selling Stockholders and the Underwriters contained in this Agreement or made by or on behalf of the Company, the Selling Stockholders or the Underwriters pursuant to this Agreement or any certificate delivered pursuant hereto shall survive the delivery of and payment for the Shares and shall remain in full force and effect, regardless of any termination of this Agreement or any investigation made by or on behalf of the Company, the Selling Stockholders or the Underwriters or the directors, officers, controlling persons or affiliates referred to in Section 9 hereof.
16. Certain Defined Terms. For purposes of this Agreement, (a) except where otherwise expressly provided, the term affiliate has the meaning set forth in Rule 405 under the Securities Act; (b) the term business day means any day other than a day on which banks are permitted or required to be closed in New York City; and (c) the term subsidiary has the meaning set forth in Rule 405 under the Securities Act.
17. Compliance with USA Patriot Act. In accordance with the requirements of the USA Patriot Act (Title III of Pub. L. 107-56 (signed into law October 26, 2001)), the Underwriters are required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies their respective clients, including the Company and the Selling Stockholders, which information may include the name and address of their respective clients, as well as other information that will allow the Underwriters to properly identify their respective clients.
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18. Miscellaneous.
(a) Notices. All notices and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been duly given if mailed or transmitted and confirmed by any standard form of telecommunication. Notices to the Underwriters shall be given to the Representatives c/o J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, 383 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10179 (fax: (212) 622-8358); Attention: Equity Syndicate Desk; Citigroup Global Markets Inc., 388 Greenwich Street, New York, New York 10013 (fax: (646) 291-1469); Attention: General Counsel; and Evercore Group L.L.C., 55 East 52nd Street, New York, New York 10055 (fax: (212) 857-3103); Attention: ECM General Counsel. Notices to the Company shall be given to it at Consensus Cloud Solutions, Inc., 700 S. Flower Street, 15th Floor, Los Angeles, California 90017, Attention: Chief Legal Officer. Notices to Ziff Davis shall be given to it at Ziff Davis, Inc., 114 5th Avenue, 15th Floor, New York, New York 10011 Attention: Legal Department. Notices to the Selling Stockholders shall be given to J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, 383 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10179 (fax: (212) 622-8358); Attention: Equity Syndicate Desk; Citicorp North America, Inc., 388 Greenwich Street, New York, New York 10013 (fax: (646) 291-1469); Attention: General Counsel; and Evercore Group L.L.C., 55 East 52nd Street, New York, New York 10055 (fax: (212) 857-3103); Attention: ECM General Counsel.
(b) Governing Law. This Agreement and any claim, controversy or dispute arising under or related to this Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.
(c) Submission to Jurisdiction. Each of the Company and the Selling Stockholders hereby submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the U.S. federal and New York state courts in the Borough of Manhattan in The City of New York in any suit or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby. Each of the Company and the Selling Stockholders waive any objection which it may now or hereafter have to the laying of venue of any such suit or proceeding in such courts. Each of the Company and the Selling Stockholders agree that final judgment in any such suit, action or proceeding brought in such court shall be conclusive and binding upon the Company and each Selling Stockholder, as applicable, and may be enforced in any court to the jurisdiction of which Company and each Selling Stockholder, as applicable, is subject by a suit upon such judgment.
(d) Waiver of Jury Trial. Each of the parties hereto hereby waives any right to trial by jury in any suit or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement.
(e) Recognition of the U.S. Special Resolution Regimes.
(i) In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, the transfer from such Underwriter of this Agreement, and any interest and obligation in or under this Agreement, will be effective to the same extent as the transfer would be effective under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement, and any such interest and obligation, were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.
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(ii) In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity or a BHC Act Affiliate of such Underwriter becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, Default Rights under this Agreement that may be exercised against such Underwriter are permitted to be exercised to no greater extent than such Default Rights could be exercised under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States.
As used in this Section 18(e):
BHC Act Affiliate has the meaning assigned to the term affiliate in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. § 1841(k).
Covered Entity means any of the following:
(i) a covered entity as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 252.82(b);
(ii) a covered bank as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 47.3(b); or
(iii) a covered FSI as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 382.2(b).
Default Right has the meaning assigned to that term in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §§ 252.81, 47.2 or 382.1, as applicable.
U.S. Special Resolution Regime means each of (i) the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder and (ii) Title II of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder.
(f) Counterparts. This Agreement may be signed in counterparts (which may include counterparts delivered by any standard form of telecommunication), each of which shall be an original and all of which together shall constitute one and the same instrument. Counterparts may be delivered via facsimile, electronic mail (including any electronic signature covered by the U.S. federal ESIGN Act of 2000, Uniform Electronic Transactions Act, the Electronic Signatures and Records Act or other applicable law, e.g., www.docusign.com) or other transmission method and any counterpart so delivered shall be deemed to have been duly and validly delivered and be valid and effective for all purposes.
(g) Amendments or Waivers. No amendment or waiver of any provision of this Agreement, nor any consent or approval to any departure therefrom, shall in any event be effective unless the same shall be in writing and signed by the parties hereto.
(h) Headings. The headings herein are included for convenience of reference only and are not intended to be part of, or to affect the meaning or interpretation of, this Agreement.
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If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding, please indicate your acceptance of this Agreement by signing in the space provided below.
[Signature pages follow]
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Very truly yours, | ||
CONSENSUS CLOUD SOLUTIONS, INC. | ||
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: |
[Signature Page to Underwriting Agreement]
ZIFF DAVIS, INC. | ||
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: |
J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES LLC, as Selling Stockholder | ||
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: | ||
CITICORP NORTH AMERICA, INC., as Selling Stockholder | ||
By: | ||
Name: | ||
Title: |
Schedule 1
Underwriter |
Number of Shares | |||
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC |
[ ] | |||
Evercore Group L.L.C. |
[ ] | |||
Citigroup Global Markets Inc. |
[ ] | |||
Total |
[ | ] |
Schedule 2
Selling Stockholder |
Number of Underwritten Shares: |
Number of Option Shares: | ||
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC |
[ ] | [ ] | ||
Citicorp North America, Inc. |
[ ] | [ ] |
Schedule 3
Significant Subsidiaries
J2 Cloud Services, LLC
Dotcom Limited
j2 Global Japan Y.K.
Consensus Cloud Solutions International Ltd.
MetroFax, Inc.
Catch Curve, Inc.
RTE Network Services EURL
j2 Global ANZ Limited
Consensus Cloud Solutions Canada ULC
j2 Global (Netherlands) B.V.
Protus IP Solutions (Europe) Limited
Annex A
a. | Pricing Disclosure Package |
[None]
b. | Pricing Information Communicated by Underwriters |
Number of shares: [ ]
Public offering price per share: $[ ]
Annex B
Written Testing-The-Waters Communications
We would like to discuss with you and certain other individuals at your firm some highly confidential information, which may include material non-public information, relating to a potential offering of equity securities of a company in the Technology sector by a certain public stockholder. Certain details of the proposed transaction are highlighted below.
| Approximate Deal Size: $100-150m |
| Type of Security: Equity securities |
| Sector: Technology |
| Market Capitalization: $1-$3b |
| Any existing listed debt? No |
| Expected Deal Launch Date/Time: [ ], 2022 |
| Expected Pricing Date: [ ], 2022 |
| Latest Cleansing Date/Time: [ ], 2022 at [ ] [A/P].M. ET |
Our discussing this opportunity with you would be subject to your agreement to treat all of the information we provide confidentially, not to use such information to render any type of advice to your firm as principal or, if applicable, your clients or those of your firm, and to restrict trading by those in possession of the confidential information until a time no later than [ ], 2022, at [ ] [A/P].M. ET, by which time any material non-public information provided to you hereunder will either have been made public or will have been determined by the issuer and stockholder to no longer be material information.
Please note that if the stockholder elects not to proceed with the potential offering it and the issuer may determine that no cleansing disclosure is required.
This communication is made pursuant to either Rule 163B of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), or Section 5(d) of the Securities Act, and is intended solely for investors that are qualified institutional buyers or institutional accredited investors solely for the purposes of familiarizing such investors with the issuer and stockholder and determining whether such investors might have an interest in a securities offering of the issuer contemplated by the stockholder. Any such offering of securities will only be made by means of a registration statement (including a prospectus) filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, after such registration statement becomes effective. No such registration statement has become effective, as of the date of this communication. This communication shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.
This email is for the sole use of the intended recipient and cannot be forwarded, disseminated, distributed or copied. If you are not an intended recipient of this email, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, or copying of this notice is strictly prohibited. If you have received this notice in error, please notify the sender and permanently delete the email immediately.
Do you agree to receive the confidential information on this basis? If so, please reply by phone, or by email with the text under Accept Response Text below, to confirm this conversation and we will provide you with the name and ticker symbol of the issuer and additional details on this process and the applicable restrictions which will require an email response from you. If you do not respond, we will assume you do not accept.
Exhibit A
Testing the waters authorization (to be delivered by the Issuer to the Representatives in email or letter form)
In reliance on Rule 163B under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Act), Consensus Cloud Solutions, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the Issuer) hereby authorizes J.P. Morgan Securities LLC (J.P. Morgan), Evercore Group L.L.C., (Evercore) and Citigroup Global Markets Inc. (CGMI and, together with J.P. Morgan and Evercore, the Representatives) and their respective affiliates and their respective employees, to engage on behalf of the Issuer in oral and written communications with potential investors that are reasonably believed to be qualified institutional buyers, as defined in Rule 144A under the Act, or institutions that are accredited investors, within the meaning of Rule 501(a)(1), (a)(2), (a)(3), (a)(7), (a)(8), (a)(9), (a)(12) or (a)(13) under the Act, to determine whether such investors might have an interest in the contemplated offering by certain existing shareholders of the Issuer (Testing-the-Waters Communications). A Written Testing-the Waters Communication means any Testing-the-Waters Communication that is a written communication within the meaning of Rule 405 under the Act.
The Issuer represents that it is an emerging growth company as defined in Section 2(a)(19) of the Act (Emerging Growth Company) and agrees to promptly notify the Representatives in writing if the Issuer hereafter ceases to be an Emerging Growth Company while this authorization is in effect. If at any time following the distribution of any Written Testing-the-Waters Communication there occurs an event or development as a result of which such Written Testing-the-Waters Communication included or would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted or would omit to state a material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances existing at that subsequent time, not misleading, the Issuer will promptly notify the Representatives and will promptly amend or supplement, at its own expense, such Written Testing-the-Waters Communication to eliminate or correct such untrue statement or omission.
Nothing in this authorization is intended to limit or otherwise affect the ability of the Representatives and their respective affiliates and their respective, to engage in communications in which they could otherwise lawfully engage in the absence of this authorization, including, without limitation, any written communication containing only one or more of the statements specified under Rule 134(a) under the Act. This authorization shall remain in effect until the Issuer has provided to the Representatives a written notice revoking this authorization. All notices as described herein shall be sent by email to the attention of each of: Alex Smigelski at alex.smigelski@jpmorgan.com, George Ibrahim at george.ibrahim@evercore.com and Brian Deleo at Brian.Deleo@citi.com.
Exhibit B
FORM OF LOCK-UP AGREEMENT
_____________, 2022
J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES LLC
EVERCORE GROUP L.L.C.
CITIGROUP GLOBAL MARKETS INC.
As Representatives of
the several Underwriters listed in
Schedule 1 to the Underwriting
Agreement referred to below
c/o J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
383 Madison Avenue
New York, New York 10179
c/o Evercore Group L.L.C.
55 East 52nd Street
New York, New York 10055
c/o Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
388 Greenwich Street
New York, New York 10013
Re: Consensus Cloud Solutions, Inc. Public Offering
Ladies and Gentlemen:
The undersigned understands that you, as Representatives of the several Underwriters, propose to enter into an underwriting agreement (the Underwriting Agreement) with Consensus Cloud Solutions, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the Company) and the Selling Stockholders listed on Schedule 2 to the Underwriting Agreement, providing for the public offering (the Public Offering) by the several Underwriters named in Schedule 1 to the Underwriting Agreement (the Underwriters), of common stock of the Company (the Securities). Capitalized terms used herein and not otherwise defined shall have the meanings set forth in the Underwriting Agreement.
In consideration of the Underwriters agreement to purchase and make the Public Offering of the Securities, and for other good and valuable consideration receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, the undersigned hereby agrees that, subject to the provisions contained herein, without the prior written consent of J.P. Morgan Securities LLC on behalf of the Underwriters, the undersigned will not, and will not cause any direct or indirect affiliate to, during the period beginning on the date of this letter agreement (this Letter Agreement) and ending at the close of business 60 days after the date of the final prospectus relating to the Public Offering (the Prospectus) (such period, the Restricted Period), (1) offer, pledge, sell, contract to sell, sell any option or contract to purchase, purchase any option or contract to sell, grant any option, right or warrant to purchase, lend, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any shares of common stock, $0.01 per share par value, of the Company (the Common Stock) or any
securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Common Stock (including without limitation, Common Stock or such other securities which may be deemed to be beneficially owned by the undersigned in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and securities which may be issued upon exercise of a stock option or warrant) (collectively with the Common Stock, the Lock-Up Securities), (2) enter into any hedging, swap or other agreement or transaction that transfers, in whole or in part, any of the economic consequences of ownership of the Lock-Up Securities, whether any such transaction described in clause (1) or (2) above is to be settled by delivery of Lock-Up Securities, in cash or otherwise, (3) make any demand for, or exercise any right with respect to, the registration of any Lock-Up Securities, or (4) publicly disclose the intention to do any of the foregoing. The undersigned acknowledges and agrees that the foregoing precludes the undersigned from engaging in any hedging or other transactions or arrangements (including, without limitation, any short sale or the purchase or sale of, or entry into, any put or call option, or combination thereof, forward, swap or any other derivative transaction or instrument, however described or defined) designed or intended, or which could reasonably be expected to lead to or result in, a sale or disposition or transfer (whether by the undersigned or any other person) of any economic consequences of ownership, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, of any Lock-Up Securities, whether any such transaction or arrangement (or instrument provided for thereunder) would be settled by delivery of Lock-Up Securities, in cash or otherwise.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the undersigned may:
(a) transfer the undersigneds Lock-Up Securities:
(i) as a bona fide gift or gifts or charitable contribution, or for bona fide estate planning purposes,
(ii) by will, other testamentary document or intestate succession,
(iii) to any immediate family member or other dependent of the undersigned (for purposes of this Letter Agreement, immediate family shall mean any relationship by blood, current or former marriage, domestic partnership or adoption, not more remote than first cousin),
(iv) to any trust for the direct or indirect benefit of the undersigned or the immediate family of the undersigned, or if the undersigned is a trust, to a trustor or beneficiary of the trust or to the estate of a beneficiary of such trust,
(v) to any corporation, partnership, limited liability company or other entity of which the undersigned or the immediate family of the undersigned are, directly or indirectly, the legal and beneficial owner of all of the outstanding equity securities or similar interests,
(vi) to a nominee or custodian of a person or entity to whom a disposition or transfer would be permissible under clauses (i) through (v) above,
(vii) if the undersigned is a corporation, partnership, limited liability company, trust or other business entity, (A) to another corporation, partnership, limited liability company, trust or other business entity that is an affiliate (as defined in Rule 405 promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended) of the undersigned, or to any investment fund or other entity controlling, controlled by, managing or managed by or under common control with the undersigned or affiliates of the undersigned (including, for the avoidance of doubt, where the undersigned is a partnership, to its general partner or a successor partnership or fund, or any other funds managed by such partnership), or (B) as part of a distribution to members, partners, shareholders or other equityholders of the undersigned,
(viii) by operation of law, such as pursuant to a qualified domestic order, divorce settlement, divorce decree or separation agreement, or order of a regulatory agency, or to comply with any regulations related to the undersigneds ownership of the undersigneds Lock-Up Securities,
(ix) to the Company from an employee of the Company upon death, disability or termination of employment, in each case, of such employee,
(x) as part of a sale of the undersigneds Lock-Up Securities acquired in open market transactions after the closing date for the Public Offering,
(xi) to the Company in connection with the vesting, settlement, or exercise of restricted stock units, options, warrants or other rights to purchase shares of Common Stock (including, in each case, by way of net or cashless exercise), including for the payment of exercise price and tax and remittance payments due as a result of the vesting, settlement, or exercise of such restricted stock units, options, warrants or rights, provided that any such shares of Common Stock received upon such exercise, vesting or settlement shall be subject to the terms of this Letter Agreement, and provided further that any such restricted stock units, options, warrants or rights are held by the undersigned pursuant to an agreement or equity awards granted under a stock incentive plan or other equity award plan, each such agreement or plan which is described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus,
(xii) to the Company in connection with (A) the repurchase of shares of Common Stock issued pursuant to equity awards granted under a stock incentive plan or other equity award plan which is described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus or (B) a right of first refusal that the Company has with respect to transfers of such shares or securities,
(xiii) pursuant to a bona fide third-party tender offer, merger, consolidation or other similar transaction that is approved by the Board of Directors of the Company and made to all holders of the Companys capital stock involving a Change of Control (as defined below) of the Company (for purposes hereof, Change of Control shall mean the transfer (whether by tender offer, merger, consolidation or other similar transaction), in one transaction or a series of related transactions, to a person or group of affiliated persons, of shares of capital stock if, after such transfer, such person or group of affiliated persons would hold at least a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Company (or the surviving entity)); provided that in the event that such tender offer, merger, consolidation or other similar transaction is not completed, the undersigneds Lock-Up Securities shall remain subject to the provisions of this Letter Agreement, or
(xiv) with the prior written consent of J.P. Morgan Securities LLC on behalf of the Underwriters;
provided that (A) in the case of any transfer or distribution pursuant to clause (a)(i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v) and (vi) such transfer shall not involve a disposition for value, (B) in the case of any transfer or distribution pursuant to (a)(i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v), (vi), (vii) and (viii), each donee, devisee, transferee or distributee shall execute and deliver to the Representatives a lock-up letter in the form of this Letter Agreement, (C) in the case of any transfer or distribution pursuant to clause (a)(i), (ii), (iii), (iv), (v), (vi), (vii), (ix) and (x), no filing by any party (donor, donee, devisee, transferor, transferee, distributer or distributee) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the Exchange Act), or other public announcement shall be required or shall be made voluntarily in connection with such transfer or distribution (other than a filing on a Form 5 made after the expiration of the Restricted Period referred to above) and (D) in the case of any transfer or distribution pursuant to clause (a)(viii) and (ix) it shall be a condition to such transfer that no public filing, report or announcement shall be voluntarily made and if any filing under Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act, or other public filing, report or announcement reporting a reduction in beneficial ownership of shares of Common Stock in connection with such transfer or distribution shall be legally required during the Restricted Period, such filing, report or announcement shall clearly indicate in the footnotes thereto the nature and conditions of such transfer;
(b) exercise outstanding options, settle restricted stock units or other equity awards or exercise warrants pursuant to plans described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Disclosure Package and the Prospectus; provided that any Lock-Up Securities received upon such exercise, vesting or settlement shall be subject to the terms of this Letter Agreement;
(c) convert outstanding preferred stock, warrants to acquire preferred stock or convertible securities into shares of Common Stock or warrants to acquire shares of Common Stock; provided that any such shares of Common Stock or warrants received upon such conversion shall be subject to the terms of this Letter Agreement;
(e) establish trading plans pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 under the Exchange Act for the transfer of shares of Lock-Up Securities; provided that (1) such plans do not provide for the transfer of Lock-Up Securities during the Restricted Period and (2) no filing by any party under the Exchange Act or other public announcement shall be required or made voluntarily in connection with such trading plan; and
(f) sell the Securities to be sold by the undersigned pursuant to the terms of the Underwriting Agreement.
In furtherance of the foregoing, the Company, and any duly appointed transfer agent for the registration or transfer of the securities described herein, are hereby authorized to decline to make any transfer of securities if such transfer would constitute a violation or breach of this Letter Agreement.
The undersigned hereby represents and warrants that the undersigned has full power and authority to enter into this Letter Agreement. All authority herein conferred or agreed to be conferred and any obligations of the undersigned shall be binding upon the successors, assigns, heirs or personal representatives of the undersigned.
The undersigned acknowledges and agrees that the Underwriters have not provided any recommendation or investment advice nor have the Underwriters solicited any action from the undersigned with respect to the Public Offering of the Securities and the undersigned has consulted their own legal, accounting, financial, regulatory and tax advisors to the extent deemed appropriate. The undersigned further acknowledges and agrees that, although the Representatives may be required or choose to provide certain Regulation Best Interest and Form CRS disclosures to you in connection with the Public Offering, the Representatives and the other Underwriters are not making a recommendation to you to participate in the Public Offering, enter into this Letter Agreement, or sell any Shares at the price determined in the Public Offering, and nothing set forth in such disclosures is intended to suggest that any Representative or any Underwriter is making such a recommendation.
The undersigned understands that, if the Underwriting Agreement does not become effective by September 30, 2022, or if the Underwriting Agreement (other than the provisions thereof which survive termination) shall terminate or be terminated prior to payment for and delivery of the Common Stock to be sold thereunder, the undersigned shall be released from all obligations under this Letter Agreement. The undersigned understands that the Underwriters are entering into the Underwriting Agreement and proceeding with the Public Offering in reliance upon this Letter Agreement.
This Letter Agreement and any claim, controversy or dispute arising under or related to this Letter Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.
Very truly yours, | ||
[NAME OF STOCKHOLDER] | ||
By: |
| |
Name: | ||
Title: |
Exhibit 5.1
June 7, 2022
Consensus Cloud Solutions, Inc.
700 S. Flower Street, 15th Floor
Los Angeles, California 90017
Re: | Consensus Cloud Solutions, Inc. |
Registration Statement on Form S-1
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We have acted as special counsel to Consensus Cloud Solutions, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the Company), in connection with the preparation and filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the Commission) of a Registration Statement on Form S-1 (the Registration Statement) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the Securities Act), relating to the registration under the Securities Act and the proposed issuance and sale from time to time pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of shares of the Companys common stock, par value $0.01 per share (the Common Stock)
In arriving at the opinions expressed below, we have examined originals, or copies certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction as being true and complete copies of the originals, of specimen Common Stock certificates and such other documents, corporate records, certificates of officers of the Company and of public officials and other instruments as we have deemed necessary or advisable to enable us to render these opinions. In our examination, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the legal capacity and competency of all natural persons, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as originals and the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as copies. As to any facts material to these opinions, we have relied to the extent we deemed appropriate and without independent investigation upon statements and representations of officers and other representatives of the Company and others.
We have assumed without independent investigation that:
(i) | at the time any shares of Common Stock are sold pursuant to the Registration Statement (the Relevant Time), the Registration Statement and any supplements and amendments thereto (including post-effective amendments) will be effective and will comply with all applicable laws; |
(ii) | at the Relevant Time, a prospectus supplement will have been prepared and filed with the Commission describing the shares of Common Stock offered thereby and all related documentation and will comply with all applicable laws; |
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June 7, 2022
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(iii) | all shares of Common Stock will be issued and sold in the manner stated in the Registration Statement and the applicable prospectus supplement; |
(iv) | at the Relevant Time, all corporate or other action required to be taken by the Company to duly authorize each proposed issuance of Common Stock and any related documentation (including the execution (in the case of certificated Common Stock), delivery and performance of any related documentation referred to below) shall have been duly completed and shall remain in full force and effect; |
(v) | upon issuance of any Common Stock, the total number of shares of Common Stock issued and outstanding will not exceed the total number of shares of Common Stock that the Company is then authorized to issue under its certificate of incorporation and other relevant documents; and |
(vi) | at the Relevant Time, a definitive purchase, underwriting or similar agreement and any other necessary agreement with respect to any Common Stock offered or issued will have been duly authorized by all necessary corporate or other action of the Company and duly executed and delivered by the Company and the other parties thereto. |
1. | Based on the foregoing and in reliance thereon, and subject to the assumptions, exceptions, qualifications and limitations set forth herein, we are of the opinion that when such shares of Common Stock have been duly executed (in the case of certificated shares) and delivered in accordance with the applicable definitive purchase, underwriting or similar agreement for the consideration provided for therein, which consideration, on a per-share basis, shall in either event not be less than the par value of the Common Stock, such shares of Common Stock will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable. |
The opinions expressed above are subject to the following exceptions, qualifications, limitations and assumptions:
A. | We render no opinion herein as to matters involving the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of New York and the United States of America and, for purposes of paragraph 1 above, the Delaware General Corporation Law. We are not admitted to practice in the State of Delaware; however, we are generally familiar with the Delaware General Corporation Law as currently in effect and have made such inquiries as we consider necessary to render the opinions contained in paragraph 1 above. This opinion is limited to the effect of the current state of the laws of the State of New York, the United States of America and, to the limited extent set forth above, the laws of the State of Delaware and the facts as they currently exist. We assume no obligation to revise or supplement this opinion in the event of future changes in such laws or the interpretations thereof or such facts. |
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You have informed us that you intend to issue shares of Common Stock from time to time on a delayed or continuous basis, and we understand that prior to issuing any shares of Common Stock pursuant to the Registration Statement (i) you will advise us in writing of the terms thereof, and (ii) you will afford us an opportunity to (x) review the operative documents pursuant to which such shares of Common Stock are to be issued or sold (including the applicable offering documents), and (y) file such supplement or amendment to this opinion (if any) as we may reasonably consider necessary or appropriate.
We consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the Registration Statement, and we further consent to the use of our name under the caption Legal Matters in the Registration Statement and the prospectus that forms a part thereof. In giving these consents, we do not thereby admit that we are within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission promulgated thereunder.
Very truly yours,
/s/ GIBSON, DUNN & CRUTCHER LLP
Exhibit 23.1
Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Consensus Cloud Solutions, Inc.
Los Angeles, California
We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in the Prospectus constituting a part of this Registration Statement of our report dated April 15, 2022, relating to the consolidated financial statements and schedule of Consensus Cloud Solutions, Inc. appearing in the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021.
We also consent to the reference to us under the caption Experts in the Prospectus.
/s/ BDO USA, LLP
Los Angeles, California
June 7, 2022
Exhibit 107
Calculation of Filing Fee Tables
Form S-1
(Form Type)
Consensus Cloud Solutions, Inc.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
Table 1: Newly Registered Securities
Security Type |
Security Class Title |
Fee Calculation or Carry Forward Rule |
Amount Registered(1) |
Proposed Maximum Offering price Per Unit(2) |
Maximum Aggregate Offering Price |
Fee Rate |
Amount of Registration Fee | |||||||||
Fees to be Paid |
Equity | Common stock, par value $0.01 per share |
457(a) and 457(c) |
3,960,607 | $49.32 | $195,337,138 | 0.0000927 | $18,108 | ||||||||
Fees Previously Paid |
||||||||||||||||
Total Offering Amounts | $195,337,138 | $18,108 | ||||||||||||||
Total Fees Previously Paid | $0 | |||||||||||||||
Total Fee Offsets | $0 | |||||||||||||||
Net Fee Due | $18,108 |
(1) | Pursuant to Rule 416 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, the shares being registered hereunder include such indeterminate number of shares of common stock as may be issuable with respect to the shares being registered hereunder, as a result of stock splits, stock dividends or other similar transactions. |
(2) | Estimated solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee pursuant to Rule 457(c) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, based on the average of the high and low prices of a share of common stock on the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC on June 3, 2022, which was $49.32. |