UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 10-Q
☒ |
QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the quarterly period ended June 30, 2020
OR
☐ |
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
For the Transition Period from to .
Commission file number 001-39313
SHIFT4 PAYMENTS, INC.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
Delaware |
|
|
84-3676340 |
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
|
|
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
2202 N. Irving Street Allentown, Pennsylvania |
|
|
18109 |
(Address of principal executive offices) |
|
|
(Zip Code) |
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code): (888) 276-2108
(Former name, former address, and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ☐ No ☒
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes ☒ No ☐
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.
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 pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).
Yes☐ No ☒
As of August 6, 2020, there were 18,693,653 shares of the registrant’s Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, outstanding, 39,204,989 shares of the registrant’s Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, outstanding and 20,139,163 shares of the registrant’s Class C common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, outstanding.
SHIFT4 PAYMENTS, INC.
|
|
PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
|
Page Number |
|
Item 1 |
4 |
|
|
|
4 |
|
|
|
5 |
|
|
|
6 |
|
|
|
8 |
|
|
|
9 |
|
|
Item 2. |
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations |
29 |
|
Item 3. |
44 |
|
|
Item 4. |
44 |
|
|
PART II. OTHER INFORMATION
|
|
|
|
Item 1. |
45 |
|
|
Item 1A. |
45 |
|
|
Item 2. |
71 |
|
|
Item 3. |
71 |
|
|
Item 4. |
71 |
|
|
Item 5. |
71 |
|
|
Item 6. |
71 |
|
|
73 |
2
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements. We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this Quarterly Report, including statements relating to our future results of operations and financial position, business strategy and plans and objectives of management for future operations, including, among others, statements regarding expected growth, future capital expenditures and debt service obligations, and the anticipated impact of the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, on our business, are forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.
In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “could,” “intend,” “target,” “project,” “contemplate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential”, or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions. The forward-looking statements in this Quarterly Report are only predictions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this Quarterly Report and are subject to a number of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, including the factors described under the sections in this Quarterly Report titled “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.”
Moreover, we operate in an evolving environment. New risk factors and uncertainties may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for management to predict all risk factors and uncertainties.
You should read this Quarterly Report and the documents that we reference in this Quarterly Report completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements. Except as required by applicable law, we do not plan to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of any new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise.
3
PART I: FINANCIAL INFORMATION``
Item 1: Financial Statements (unaudited)
SHIFT4 PAYMENTS, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(Unaudited) (in millions, except share and per share amounts)
|
|
June 30, |
|
|
December 31, |
|
||
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
||
Assets |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Current assets |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash |
|
$ |
244.0 |
|
|
$ |
3.7 |
|
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $5.3 in 2020 (2019 - $2.5) |
|
|
68.6 |
|
|
|
78.6 |
|
Contract assets, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $- in 2020 (2019 - $2.9) (Note 3) |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
6.8 |
|
Inventory (Note 5) |
|
|
8.4 |
|
|
|
8.5 |
|
Prepaid expenses and other current assets (Note 11) |
|
|
11.0 |
|
|
|
8.8 |
|
Total current assets |
|
|
332.0 |
|
|
|
106.4 |
|
Noncurrent assets |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Goodwill (Note 6) |
|
|
422.0 |
|
|
|
421.3 |
|
Other intangible assets, net (Note 7) |
|
|
192.2 |
|
|
|
213.2 |
|
Capitalized acquisition costs, net (Note 8) |
|
|
29.3 |
|
|
|
26.4 |
|
Equipment under lease (Note 3) |
|
|
23.3 |
|
|
|
— |
|
Property, plant and equipment, net (Note 9) |
|
|
14.2 |
|
|
|
15.4 |
|
Contract assets, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $- in 2020 (2019 - $1.7) (Note 3) |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
3.9 |
|
Deferred tax assets (Note 13) |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Other noncurrent assets |
|
|
1.3 |
|
|
|
1.4 |
|
Total noncurrent assets |
|
|
682.3 |
|
|
|
681.6 |
|
Total assets |
|
$ |
1,014.3 |
|
|
$ |
788.0 |
|
Liabilities and Members' Deficit/Stockholders' Equity |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Current liabilities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Current portion of debt (Note 10) |
|
$ |
2.6 |
|
|
$ |
5.3 |
|
Accounts payable |
|
|
64.8 |
|
|
|
58.1 |
|
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities (Note 11) |
|
|
24.4 |
|
|
|
60.9 |
|
Deferred revenue (Note 3) |
|
|
8.2 |
|
|
|
5.6 |
|
Total current liabilities |
|
|
100.0 |
|
|
|
129.9 |
|
Noncurrent liabilities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Long-term debt (Note 10) |
|
|
437.4 |
|
|
|
635.1 |
|
Deferred tax liability (Note 13) |
|
|
3.7 |
|
|
|
4.1 |
|
Other noncurrent liabilities (Note 4) |
|
|
2.6 |
|
|
|
4.8 |
|
Total noncurrent liabilities |
|
|
443.7 |
|
|
|
644.0 |
|
Total liabilities |
|
|
543.7 |
|
|
|
773.9 |
|
Commitments and contingencies (Note 16) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Redeemable preferred units, $100,000 par value; 430 shares authorized, issued and outstanding at December 31, 2019 (Note 17) |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
43.0 |
|
Members' deficit - Shift4 Payments, LLC (Note 18) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Class A Common units, $0 par value; 100,000 shares authorized, issued and outstanding at December 31, 2019 |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Class B Common units, $323 par value; 1,010 shares authorized, issued and outstanding at December 31, 2019 |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
0.3 |
|
Members' equity |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
149.2 |
|
Stockholders' equity - Shift4 Payments, Inc. (Note 18) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Preferred stock, $0.0001 par value, 20,000,000 shares authorized at June 30, 2020, none issued and outstanding |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Class A common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, 300,000,000 shares authorized, 18,693,653 shares issued and outstanding at June 30, 2020 |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Class B common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, 100,000,000 shares authorized, 39,204,989 shares issued and outstanding at June 30, 2020 |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Class C common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, 100,000,000 shares authorized, 20,139,163 shares issued and outstanding at June 30, 2020 |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Additional paid-in capital |
|
|
517.7 |
|
|
|
— |
|
Retained deficit |
|
|
(257.6 |
) |
|
|
(178.4 |
) |
Total members' deficit/stockholders' equity attributable to Shift4 Payments, Inc. |
|
|
260.1 |
|
|
|
(28.9 |
) |
Noncontrolling interests |
|
|
210.5 |
|
|
|
— |
|
Total members deficit/stockholders' equity |
|
|
470.6 |
|
|
|
(28.9 |
) |
Total liabilities and members' deficit/stockholders' equity |
|
$ |
1,014.3 |
|
|
$ |
788.0 |
|
See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
4
SHIFT4 PAYMENTS, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(Unaudited) (in millions, except share and per share amounts)
|
|
Three months ended June 30, |
|
|
Six months ended June 30, |
|
||||||||||
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
||||
Gross revenue |
|
$ |
141.8 |
|
|
$ |
180.5 |
|
|
$ |
341.2 |
|
|
$ |
335.5 |
|
Cost of sales |
|
|
109.5 |
|
|
|
136.9 |
|
|
|
264.4 |
|
|
|
253.3 |
|
Gross profit |
|
|
32.3 |
|
|
|
43.6 |
|
|
|
76.8 |
|
|
|
82.2 |
|
General and administrative expenses |
|
|
89.2 |
|
|
|
26.1 |
|
|
|
111.5 |
|
|
|
52.6 |
|
Depreciation and amortization expense |
|
|
10.4 |
|
|
|
9.8 |
|
|
|
20.9 |
|
|
|
19.6 |
|
Professional fees |
|
|
1.2 |
|
|
|
2.0 |
|
|
|
2.9 |
|
|
|
3.8 |
|
Advertising and marketing expenses |
|
|
0.8 |
|
|
|
1.4 |
|
|
|
2.1 |
|
|
|
2.8 |
|
Restructuring expenses (Note 4) |
|
|
0.1 |
|
|
|
0.1 |
|
|
|
0.3 |
|
|
|
0.3 |
|
Other operating (income) expense, net (Note 3) |
|
|
(12.4 |
) |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(12.4 |
) |
|
|
— |
|
Total operating expenses |
|
|
89.3 |
|
|
|
39.4 |
|
|
|
125.3 |
|
|
|
79.1 |
|
(Loss) income from operations |
|
|
(57.0 |
) |
|
|
4.2 |
|
|
|
(48.5 |
) |
|
|
3.1 |
|
Loss on extinguishment of debt (Note 10) |
|
|
(7.1 |
) |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(7.1 |
) |
|
|
— |
|
Other income, net |
|
|
0.2 |
|
|
|
0.7 |
|
|
|
0.1 |
|
|
|
0.9 |
|
Interest expense |
|
|
(11.7 |
) |
|
|
(12.7 |
) |
|
|
(25.0 |
) |
|
|
(25.2 |
) |
Loss before income taxes |
|
|
(75.6 |
) |
|
|
(7.8 |
) |
|
|
(80.5 |
) |
|
|
(21.2 |
) |
Income tax benefit (provision) (Note 13) |
|
|
0.6 |
|
|
|
(0.4 |
) |
|
|
0.3 |
|
|
|
(0.5 |
) |
Net loss (1) |
|
|
(75.0 |
) |
|
$ |
(8.2 |
) |
|
|
(80.2 |
) |
|
$ |
(21.7 |
) |
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests (2) |
|
|
(1.0 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1.0 |
) |
|
|
|
|
Net loss attributable to Shift4 Payments, Inc. (3) |
|
$ |
(74.0 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
(79.2 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic and diluted net loss per share: (4) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Class A net loss per share |
|
$ |
(0.03 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
(0.03 |
) |
|
|
|
|
Weighted average common stock outstanding |
|
|
19,002,563 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
19,002,563 |
|
|
|
|
|
Class C net loss per share |
|
$ |
(0.03 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
$ |
(0.03 |
) |
|
|
|
|
Weighted average common stock outstanding |
|
|
20,139,163 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
20,139,163 |
|
|
|
|
|
(1) |
Net loss is equal to comprehensive loss. |
(2) |
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests is equal to comprehensive loss attributable to noncontrolling interests. |
(3) |
Net loss attributable Shift4 Payments, Inc.is equal to comprehensive loss attributable to Shift4 Payments, Inc. |
(4) |
Represents basic and diluted loss per share of Class A and Class C common stock and weighted average shares of Class A and Class C common stock outstanding for the period from June 5, 2020 through June 30, 2020, the period following the Reorganization Transactions and Shift4 Payments, Inc.'s initial public offering described in Note 1. See Note 22 for additional information on basic and diluted loss per share. |
See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
5
SHIFT4 PAYMENTS, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN REDEEMABLE PREFERRED UNITS AND MEMBERS’ DEFICIT/ STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
(Unaudited) (in millions, except units and shares)
|
Redeemable Preferred Units |
|
|
|
Class A Common Units |
|
Class B Common Units |
|
Class A Common Stock |
|
Class B Common Stock |
|
Class C Common Stock |
|
Additional |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Units |
|
Amount |
|
|
|
Units |
|
Amount |
|
Units |
|
Amount |
|
Shares |
|
Amount |
|
Shares |
|
Amount |
|
Shares |
|
Amount |
|
paid-in capital |
|
Members' Equity |
|
Retained Deficit |
|
Noncontrolling Interests |
|
(deficit) equity |
|
|||||||||||||||||
Balances at December 31, 2019 |
|
430 |
|
$ |
43.0 |
|
|
|
|
100,000 |
|
$ |
— |
|
|
1,010 |
|
$ |
0.3 |
|
|
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
|
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
|
- |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
149.2 |
|
$ |
(178.4 |
) |
$ |
— |
|
$ |
(28.9 |
) |
Net loss |
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
(5.2 |
) |
|
— |
|
|
(5.2 |
) |
Capital distributions |
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
(0.1 |
) |
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
(0.1 |
) |
Preferred return on redeemable preferred units |
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
(1.2 |
) |
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
(1.2 |
) |
Balances at March 31, 2020 |
|
430 |
|
|
43.0 |
|
|
|
|
100,000 |
|
|
— |
|
|
1,010 |
|
|
0.3 |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
147.9 |
|
|
(183.6 |
) |
|
— |
|
|
(35.4 |
) |
Net loss prior to Reorganization Transactions, IPO and concurrent private placement |
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
(72.9 |
) |
|
— |
|
|
(72.9 |
) |
Capital distributions |
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
(0.4 |
) |
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
(0.4 |
) |
Preferred return on redeemable preferred units |
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
(0.9 |
) |
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
(0.9 |
) |
Balances at June 4, 2020 prior to Reorganization Transactions, IPO and concurrent private placement |
|
430 |
|
|
43.0 |
|
|
|
|
100,000 |
|
|
— |
|
|
1,010 |
|
|
0.3 |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
146.6 |
|
|
(256.5 |
) |
|
— |
|
|
(109.6 |
) |
Reorganization transactions |
|
(430 |
) |
|
(43.0 |
) |
|
|
|
(100,000 |
) |
|
— |
|
|
(1,010 |
) |
|
(0.3 |
) |
|
528,150 |
|
|
— |
|
|
39,204,989 |
|
|
— |
|
|
15,513,817 |
|
|
— |
|
|
189.9 |
|
|
(146.6 |
) |
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
43.0 |
|
Preferred dividends settled with LLC interests |
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
2.3 |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
2.3 |
|
Issuance of common stock in IPO and concurrent private placement |
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
17,250,000 |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
4,625,346 |
|
|
— |
|
|
463.8 |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
463.8 |
|
Allocation of equity to noncontrolling interests |
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
(211.5 |
) |
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
211.5 |
|
|
— |
|
Issuance of common stock for change of control contingent liabilities |
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
915,503 |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
21.1 |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
21.1 |
|
Issuance of restricted stock units for change of control contingent liabilities |
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
2.1 |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
2.1 |
|
Equity-based compensation |
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
50.0 |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
50.0 |
|
Net loss subsequent to Reorganization Transactions, IPO and concurrent private placement |
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
(1.1 |
) |
|
(1.0 |
) |
|
(2.1 |
) |
Balances at June 30, 2020 |
|
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
|
|
|
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
|
— |
|
$ |
— |
|
|
18,693,653 |
|
$ |
— |
|
|
39,204,989 |
|
$ |
— |
|
|
20,139,163 |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
517.7 |
|
$ |
— |
|
$ |
(257.6 |
) |
$ |
210.5 |
|
$ |
470.6 |
|
See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
6
SHIFT4 PAYMENTS, INC.
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN REDEEMABLE PREFERRED UNITS AND MEMBERS’ DEFICIT/ STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY (continued)
(Unaudited) (in millions, except units and shares)
|
Redeemable Preferred Units |
|
|
|
|
|
Class A Common Units |
|
Class B Common Units |
|
Members' |
|
Retained |
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||
|
Units |
|
Amount |
|
|
|
|
|
Units |
|
Amount |
|
Units |
|
Amount |
|
Equity |
|
Deficit |
|
Total |
|
|||||||||
Balances at December 31, 2018 |
|
430 |
|
$ |
43.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
100,000 |
|
$ |
— |
|
|
1,010 |
|
$ |
0.3 |
|
$ |
154.4 |
|
$ |
(113.3 |
) |
$ |
41.4 |
|
Net loss |
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
(13.5 |
) |
|
(13.5 |
) |
Preferred return on redeemable preferred units |
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
(1.2 |
) |
|
— |
|
|
(1.2 |
) |
Cumulative effect of ASC 606 adoption |
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
(7.0 |
) |
|
(7.0 |
) |
Balances at March 31, 2019 |
|
430 |
|
|
43.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
100,000 |
|
|
— |
|
|
1,010 |
|
|
0.3 |
|
|
153.2 |
|
|
(133.8 |
) |
|
19.7 |
|
Net loss |
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
(8.2 |
) |
|
(8.2 |
) |
Capital distributions |
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
(0.1 |
) |
|
— |
|
|
(0.1 |
) |
Preferred return on redeemable preferred units |
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
— |
|
|
(1.3 |
) |
|
— |
|
|
(1.3 |
) |
Balances at June 30, 2019 |
|
430 |
|
$ |
43.0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
100,000 |
|
$ |
— |
|
|
1,010 |
|
$ |
0.3 |
|
$ |
151.8 |
|
$ |
(142.0 |
) |
$ |
10.1 |
|
See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
7
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(Unaudited) (in millions)
|
|
Six Months Ended June 30, |
|
|||||
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
||
Operating activities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net loss |
|
$ |
(80.2 |
) |
|
$ |
(21.7 |
) |
Adjustment to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by operating activities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Depreciation and amortization |
|
|
35.8 |
|
|
|
30.2 |
|
Amortization of capitalized financing costs |
|
|
2.1 |
|
|
|
1.9 |
|
Loss on extinguishment of debt |
|
|
7.1 |
|
|
|
— |
|
Deferred income taxes |
|
|
(0.4 |
) |
|
|
0.4 |
|
Provision for bad debts |
|
|
5.4 |
|
|
|
2.5 |
|
Revaluation of contingent liabilities |
|
|
(7.0 |
) |
|
|
6.8 |
|
Impairment on software development costs |
|
|
0.4 |
|
|
|
— |
|
Equity-based compensation expense |
|
|
50.0 |
|
|
|
— |
|
Other noncash items |
|
|
(0.1 |
) |
|
|
(0.7 |
) |
Impact of lease modifications |
|
|
(12.4 |
) |
|
|
— |
|
Change in operating assets and liabilities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accounts receivable |
|
|
4.8 |
|
|
|
(11.7 |
) |
Contract assets |
|
|
(0.6 |
) |
|
|
(1.8 |
) |
Prepaid expenses and other current assets |
|
|
(0.7 |
) |
|
|
(0.9 |
) |
Inventory |
|
|
0.1 |
|
|
|
(2.0 |
) |
Accounts payable |
|
|
6.6 |
|
|
|
11.8 |
|
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities |
|
|
(6.7 |
) |
|
|
5.2 |
|
Deferred revenue |
|
|
2.5 |
|
|
|
2.9 |
|
Net cash provided by operating activities |
|
|
6.7 |
|
|
|
22.9 |
|
Investing activities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Residual commission buyouts |
|
|
(0.4 |
) |
|
|
(0.7 |
) |
Acquisition of property, plant and equipment |
|
|
(1.4 |
) |
|
|
(6.2 |
) |
Capitalized software development costs |
|
|
(5.1 |
) |
|
|
(2.2 |
) |
Customer acquisition costs |
|
|
(9.8 |
) |
|
|
(8.8 |
) |
Net cash used in investing activities |
|
|
(16.7 |
) |
|
|
(17.9 |
) |
Financing activities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
IPO proceeds, net of underwriting discounts and commissions |
|
|
372.9 |
|
|
|
— |
|
Proceeds from private placement |
|
|
100.0 |
|
|
|
— |
|
Payments for offering costs |
|
|
(7.2 |
) |
|
|
— |
|
Proceeds from long-term debt |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
20.0 |
|
Proceeds from revolving line of credit |
|
|
68.5 |
|
|
|
— |
|
Repayment of debt |
|
|
(191.9 |
) |
|
|
(2.6 |
) |
Repayment of revolving line of credit |
|
|
(89.5 |
) |
|
|
(20.0 |
) |
Payments on contingent liabilities |
|
|
(1.1 |
) |
|
|
(1.6 |
) |
Deferred financing costs |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(0.3 |
) |
Preferred return on preferred stock |
|
|
(0.9 |
) |
|
|
— |
|
Capital distributions |
|
|
(0.5 |
) |
|
|
(0.1 |
) |
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities |
|
|
250.3 |
|
|
|
(4.6 |
) |
Change in cash |
|
|
240.3 |
|
|
|
0.4 |
|
Cash |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Beginning of period |
|
|
3.7 |
|
|
|
4.8 |
|
End of period |
|
$ |
244.0 |
|
|
$ |
5.2 |
|
Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cash paid for income taxes |
|
$ |
0.1 |
|
|
$ |
0.1 |
|
Cash paid for interest |
|
$ |
26.6 |
|
|
$ |
23.2 |
|
Noncash financing activities |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accrued preferred return on redeemable preferred units |
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
2.5 |
|
Contingent consideration settled with Class A common stock |
|
$ |
21.1 |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
Short-term financing for directors and officers insurance |
|
$ |
3.4 |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
Preferred return on preferred stock settled with LLC Interests |
|
$ |
2.3 |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
Noncash operating activity |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Deferred compensation settled with restricted stock units |
|
$ |
2.1 |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
See accompanying notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
8
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Unaudited) (in millions, except share, unit, per unit and merchant count amounts)
1. |
Organization, Basis of Presentation and Significant Accounting Policies |
Organization
Shift4 Payments, Inc., or Shift4 or the Company, was incorporated in Delaware on November 5, 2019 for the purpose of facilitating an initial public offering, or IPO, and other related transactions, as described below, in order to carry on the business of Shift4 Payments, LLC and its consolidated subsidiaries.
The Company is a leading provider of integrated payment processing and technology solutions. Through the Shift4 Model, the Company offers software providers a single integration to an end-to-end payments offering, a powerful gateway and a robust suite of technology solutions (including cloud enablement, business intelligence, analytics, and mobile) to enhance the value of their software suites and simplify payment acceptance. The Company provides for its merchants a seamless customer experience at scale, rather than simply acting as one of multiple providers they rely on to operate their businesses. The Shift4 Model is built to serve a range of merchants from small-to-medium-sized businesses to large and complex enterprises across numerous verticals, including lodging, leisure, and food and beverage. This includes the Company’s Harbortouch, Restaurant Manager, POSitouch, and Future POS brands, as well as over 350 additional software integrations in virtually every industry.
Initial Public Offering and Concurrent Private Placement
On June 4, 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, declared effective the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-238307), as amended, filed in connection with its IPO, or the Registration Statement. The Company’s Class A common stock started trading on The New York Stock Exchange on June 5, 2020. On June 9, 2020, the Company completed its IPO of 17,250,000 shares of Class A common stock, including 2,250,000 shares pursuant to the full exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares, at a price to the public of $23.00 per share. Upon completion of the IPO, the Company received net proceeds of approximately $363.8 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses of approximately $33.0 million. The Company also completed a $100.0 million concurrent private placement of 4,625,346 shares of Class C common stock to Rook Holdings Inc., or Rook, a corporation wholly-owned by the Company’s Founder and Chief Executive Officer. The total net proceeds from the IPO and concurrent private placement were approximately $463.8 million. Shift4 Payments, Inc. used the total proceeds to purchase newly-issued limited liability company interests from Shift4 Payments, LLC, or LLC Interests. Shift4 Payments, LLC used these amounts received from Shift4 Payments, Inc. to repay certain existing indebtedness and for general corporate purposes. See Note 10 for more information.
Reorganization Transactions
In connection with the IPO, the Company completed the following transactions, or the Reorganization Transactions:
|
• |
The limited liability company agreement of Shift4 Payments, LLC was amended and restated to, among other things, (1) convert all existing ownership interests in Shift4 Payments, LLC (including redeemable preferred units) into a single class of LLC Interests and (2) appoint Shift4 Payments, Inc. as the sole managing member of Shift4 Payments, LLC. See Note 18 for additional information. |
|
• |
The Company acquired all the LLC Interests held by a former equity owner of Shift4 Payments, LLC in exchange for an equivalent number of shares of Class A common stock. See Note 18 for additional information. |
|
• |
The Company acquired a portion of the LLC Interests held by certain affiliates of Searchlight Capital Partners, or Searchlight, in exchange for shares of Class B and Class C common stock. |
The Reorganization Transactions resulted in the Company becoming the sole managing member of Shift4 Payments, LLC. As the sole managing member of Shift4 Payments, LLC, the Company operates and controls all of the business and affairs of Shift4 Payments, LLC. As of June 30, 2020, the Company owned an economic interest of 49.8% in Shift4 Payments, LLC. The remaining 50.2% economic interest is owned by Rook and Searchlight (together, the Continuing Equity Owners). Accordingly, the Company consolidates the financial results of Shift4 Payments, LLC, and reports a noncontrolling interest in its consolidated financial statements representing the economic interest in Shift4 Payments, LLC held by the Continuing Equity Owners.
As the Reorganization Transactions are considered transactions between entities under common control, the financial statements for the periods prior to the IPO and Reorganization Transactions have been adjusted to combine the previously separate entities for presentation purposes. Prior to the Reorganization Transactions, Shift4 Payments, Inc. had no operations.
9
SHIFT4 PAYMENTS, INC
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in millions, except share, unit, per unit and merchant count amounts)
The accompanying interim condensed consolidated financial statements of the Company are unaudited. These interim unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, or U.S. GAAP, and the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC for interim financial information. As such, these financial statements do not include all information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. The December 31, 2019 Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet was derived from audited financial statements as of that date, but does not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements.
These condensed consolidated financial statements are unaudited; however, in the opinion of management, they reflect all adjustments consisting only of normal recurring adjustments necessary to state fairly the financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented in conformity with U.S. GAAP applicable to interim periods. The results of operations for the interim periods presented are not necessarily indicative of results for the full year or future periods. These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto as of and for the year ended December 31, 2019 included in the prospectus dated June 4, 2020 (File No. 333-238307), as filed with the SEC pursuant to Rule 424(b)(4) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Prospectus.
The consolidated financial statements presented herein include the financial statements of Shift4 Payments, Inc., Shift4 Payments, LLC, and its wholly owned subsidiaries, MSI Merchant Services Holdings, LLC, Harbortouch Financial, LLC, Harbortouch Lithuania, Future POS, LLC, Restaurant Manager, LLC, POSitouch, LLC, Independent Resources Network, LLC, S4-ML Holdings, LLC and Shift4 Corporation. Shift4 Payments, LLC is considered a variable interest entity, or VIE. Shift4 Payments, Inc. is the primary beneficiary and sole managing member of Shift4 Payments, LLC and has decision making authority that significantly affects the economic performance of the entity. As a result, the Company consolidates Shift4 Payments, LLC. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Liquidity and Management’s Plan
The unprecedented and rapid spread of COVID-19 as well as the shelter-in place orders, promotion of social distancing measures, restrictions to businesses deemed non-essential, and travel restrictions implemented throughout the United States have significantly impacted the restaurant and hospitality industries. As a result, the Company’s revenues, which are largely tied to processing volumes in these verticals, were materially impacted beginning in the final two weeks of March 2020.
The Company took proactive measures in April 2020 to reduce costs, preserve adequate liquidity and maintain its financial position. These included limiting discretionary spending across the organization, reducing spending through reprioritizing its capital projects, instituting a company-wide hiring freeze, reducing salaries for management across the organization, furloughing approximately 25% of its workforce and accelerating expense reduction plans related to previous acquisitions.
Since mid-March, the Company has seen a significant recovery in its end-to-end payment volumes as merchants reopen their operations. As a result, as of June 30, 2020, approximately 75% of the Company’s workforce that was furloughed had returned to work. While end-to-end volumes for the six months ended June 30, 2020 have exceeded those for the six months ended June 30, 2019, the ultimate impact that the COVID-19 pandemic will have on the Company’s consolidated results of operations in the second half of 2020 remains uncertain. The Company will continue to evaluate the nature and extent of these potential impacts to its business, consolidated results of operations, and liquidity.
As of June 30, 2020, the Company had $450.0 million outstanding under the First Lien Term Loan Facility and was in compliance with the financial covenants under its debt agreements. The Company expects to be in compliance for at least 12 months following issuance of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements. See Note 10 for further information on the Company’s debt obligations.
Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP, requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Significant estimates inherent in the preparation of the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include estimates of fair value of acquired assets and liabilities through business combinations, fair value of contingent liabilities related to earnout payments and change of control, allowance for doubtful accounts and noncontrolling interests. Estimates are based on past experience and other considerations reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
10
SHIFT4 PAYMENTS, INC
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in millions, except share, unit, per unit and merchant count amounts)
Additionally, the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is unknown and cannot be reasonably estimated. However, the Company has made accounting estimates based on the facts and circumstances available as of the reporting date. To the extent there are differences between these estimates and actual results, the consolidated financial statements may be materially affected.
Significant Accounting Policies
The Company’s significant accounting policies are discussed in Note 2 to Shift4 Payments, LLC’s consolidated financial statements in the Prospectus. There have been no significant changes to these policies which have had a material impact on the Company’s interim unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes during the three and six months ended June 30, 2020, except as noted below.
Noncontrolling Interests
The noncontrolling interests represent the economic interests of LLC Interests held by the Continuing Equity Owners. Income or loss is attributed to the noncontrolling interests based on the weighted average LLC Interests outstanding during the period. The noncontrolling interests’ ownership percentage can fluctuate over time as the Continuing Equity Owners elect to exchange LLC Interests for shares of Class A common stock.
Equity-based Compensation
In connection with the IPO, the Company issued Restricted Stock Units, or RSUs, to certain employees and non-employee directors. Equity-based compensation expense is recorded as a component of general and administrative expenses. Equity-based compensation expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period based on the fair value of the award on the date of grant. The Company accounts for forfeitures when they occur.
Income Taxes
As a result of the Reorganization Transactions, Shift4 Payments, Inc. became the sole managing member of Shift4 Payments, LLC, which is not subject to tax in accordance with partnership tax rules. Any taxable income or loss from Shift4 Payments, LLC is passed through to and included in the taxable income or loss of its members, including Shift4 Payments, Inc., following the Reorganization Transactions, on a pro rata basis. Shift4 Payments, Inc. is subject to U.S. federal income taxes, in addition to state and local income taxes with respect to Shift4 Payments, Inc.’s allocable share of any taxable income or loss of Shift4 Payments, LLC following the Reorganization Transactions.
Income taxes are accounted for under the asset and liability method. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases and operating loss and tax credit carryforwards. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities from a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date.
The Company recognizes deferred tax assets to the extent that it believes that these assets are more likely than not to be realized. In making such a determination, the Company considers all available positive and negative evidence, including future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences, projected future taxable income, tax-planning strategies, and results of recent operations. If its determined that the Company is able to realize deferred tax assets in the future in excess of their net recorded amount, an adjustment would be made to the deferred tax asset valuation allowance, which would reduce the provision for income taxes.
Uncertain tax positions are recorded in accordance with ASC 740, Income Taxes, on the basis of a two-step process in which (1) it is more likely than not that the tax positions will be sustained on the basis of the technical merits of the position and (2) for those tax positions that meet the more-likely-than-not recognition threshold, the Company recognizes the largest amount of tax benefit that is more than 50 percent likely to be realized upon ultimate settlement with the related tax authority.
The Company records interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions in the provision for income taxes in the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.
11
SHIFT4 PAYMENTS, INC
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in millions, except share, unit, per unit and merchant count amounts)
Basic and Diluted Loss Per Share
The Company applies the two-class method for calculating and presenting loss per share, and separately presents loss per share for Class A common stock and Class C common stock. In applying the two-class method, the Company determined that undistributed earnings should be allocated equally on a per share basis between Class A and Class C common stock. Under the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation, the holders of the Class A and Class C common stock are entitled to participate in earnings ratably, on a share-for-share basis, as if all shares of common stock were of a single class, and in such dividends as may be declared by the board of directors. Holders of the Class A and Class C common stock also have equal priority in liquidation. Shares of Class B common stock do not participate in earnings of Shift4 Payments, Inc. As a result, the shares of Class B common stock are not considered participating securities and are not included in the weighted-average shares outstanding for purposes of loss per share.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
The Company, an emerging growth company, or EGC, has elected to take advantage of the benefits of the extended transition period provided for in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act, for complying with new or revised accounting standards which allows the Company to defer adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies.
Accounting Pronouncements Adopted
In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-13: Fair Value Measurement—Disclosure Framework (Topic 820). The updated guidance improves the disclosure requirements on fair value measurements. The Company adopted ASU 2018-13 effective January 1, 2020 and there was no significant impact on the Company’s disclosures upon adoption.
Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted
In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02: Leases. The new standard requires a lessee to record assets and liabilities on the balance sheet for the rights and obligations arising from leases with terms of more than 12 months. As a result of amendments in May 2020, this guidance is effective for the Company for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2021 and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022. The Company will adopt the new standard on January 1, 2022 using a modified retrospective approach. The FASB issued ASU 2018-10: Codification Improvements to Topic 842, Leases, or ASU 2018-10, and ASU 2018-11: Leases (Topic 842) Targeted Improvements, or ASU 2018-11 in July 2018 and 2018-20: Leases (Topic 842) - Narrow Scope Improvements for Lessors in December 2018. ASU 2018-10 and 2018-20 provide certain amendments that affect narrow aspects of the guidance issued in ASU 2016-02. ASU 2018-11 allows all entities adopting ASU 2016-02 to choose an additional (and optional) transition method of adoption, under which an entity initially applies the new leases standard at the adoption date and recognizes a cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings in the period of adoption. ASU 2018-11 also allows lessors to not separate non-lease components from the associated lease component if certain conditions are met. The Company is evaluating the potential impact that the adoption of this standard will have on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13: Financial Instruments—Credit Losses (Topic 326), which changes the impairment model for most financial assets, including accounts receivable, and replaces the existing incurred loss impairment model with an expected loss methodology, which will result in more timely recognition of credit losses. The guidance is effective for the Company for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2022. Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently assessing the timing and impact of adopting ASU 2016-13 on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04: Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment, which removes step 2 of the quantitative goodwill impairment test. Under the amended guidance, a goodwill impairment charge is recognized for the amount by which the carrying value of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, not to exceed the carrying amount of goodwill. The guidance is effective for the Company for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2022, with early adoption permitted for any impairment tests performed after January 1, 2017. The Company is currently assessing the timing and impact of adopting ASU 2017-04 on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-15, Customer’s Accounting for Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement that is a Service Contract. ASU 2018-15 aligns the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract with the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred to develop or obtain internal-use software (and hosting arrangements that include an internal use software license). The accounting for the service element of a hosting arrangement that is a service contract is not affected. The guidance is effective for the Company for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2020, and interim periods within annual periods beginning after December 15, 2021. Early adoption is permitted, including adoption in any interim period. The Company is currently assessing the timing and impact of adopting ASU 2018-15 on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
12
SHIFT4 PAYMENTS, INC
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in millions, except share, unit, per unit and merchant count amounts)
In December 2019, the FASB issued ASU 2019-12, Income Taxes (Topic 740): Simplifying the Accounting for Income Taxes. ASU 2019-12 removes certain exceptions associated with (i) intraperiod tax allocations, (ii) recognition of deferred tax liability for equity method investments of foreign subsidiaries, and (iii) the calculation of income taxes in an interim period when in a loss position. Additionally, ASU 2019-12 simplifies accounting for (i) income taxes associated with franchise taxes, (ii) tax basis of goodwill in a business combination, (iii) the allocation of tax expense to a legal entity that is not subject to tax in standalone financial statements, (iv) enacted changes in tax laws, and (v) income taxes related to employee stock ownership plans and investments in qualified affordable housing projects accounted for under the equity method. The guidance is effective for the Company for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2021, and interim periods within fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2022 . Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently assessing the timing and impact of adopting ASU 2019-12 on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
In March 2020, the FASB issued ASU 2020-04, Reference Rate Reform, which provides optional expedients and exceptions for applying U.S. GAAP to contract modifications and hedging relationships, subject to certain criteria, that reference the London Interbank Offered Rate, or LIBOR, or another reference rate that is expected to be discontinued. This ASU is effective for all entities as of March 12, 2020 through December 31, 2022. The Company is currently evaluating whether we will elect the optional expedients, as well as evaluating the impact of ASU 2020-04 on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
2. |
Merchant Link Acquisition |
We completed the acquisition of Merchant-Link, LLC, or Merchant Link Acquisition, in August 2019 by acquiring 100% of the membership interests for $64.0 million, with initial consideration of $60.2 million, net of cash acquired. This acquisition brought a highly complementary customer base, with 80% of the customers using software already integrated on the Company’s gateway. This overlap presented the Company with a substantial opportunity for improved share of wallet and cost efficiencies.
The Merchant Link Acquisition was accounted for as a business combination using the acquisition method of accounting. The respective purchase price was allocated to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on the estimated fair value at the date of acquisition. The excess of the purchase price over the fair value of the net assets acquired was allocated to goodwill and represents the future economic benefits arising from other assets acquired, which cannot be individually identified or separately recognized.
The following table summarizes the consideration paid and the fair value assigned to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the acquisition date. In the three months ended March 31, 2020, the Company made a measurement period adjustment of $(0.7) million to accounts receivable with a corresponding increase to goodwill to reflect facts and circumstances in existence as of the effective date of the acquisition.
Cash |
|
$ |
3.8 |
|
Accounts receivable |
|
|
7.5 |
|
Prepaid expenses and other current assets |
|
|
1.9 |
|
Property, plant and equipment |
|
|
2.4 |
|
Inventory |
|
|
1.7 |
|
Other intangible assets |
|
|
20.4 |
|
Goodwill (a) |
|
|
30.2 |
|
Accounts payable |
|
|
(1.5 |
) |
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities |
|
|
(2.1 |
) |
Deferred revenue |
|
|
(0.3 |
) |
Net assets acquired |
|
|
64.0 |
|
Less: cash acquired |
|
|
(3.8 |
) |
Net cash paid for acquisition |
|
$ |
60.2 |
|
|
(a) |
Goodwill is deductible for tax purposes. |
The Merchant Link acquisition did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. Accordingly, pro forma financial information has not been presented.
13
SHIFT4 PAYMENTS, INC
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in millions, except share, unit, per unit and merchant count amounts)
Adoption of ASC 606: Revenue from Contracts with Customers
The Company recorded a net reduction to retained earnings of $7.0 million as of January 1, 2019, due to the cumulative impact of adopting ASC 606, primarily as a result of no longer being able to defer the upfront cost for the Company’s free equipment program to its merchants under the contract terms existing at January 1, 2019 and recognizing the revenue allocated to this hardware in retained earnings for contracts open as of January 1, 2019.
Under ASC 606, the Company has three separate performance obligations under its recurring SaaS fees for point-of-sale systems provided to merchants: (1) point-of-sale software, (2) lease of hardware and (3) other support services. For the period January 1, 2019 through June 29, 2020, the hardware provided under the Company’s software as a service, or SaaS, agreements was accounted for as a sales-type lease. Effective June 30, 2020, the Company modified the terms and conditions of its SaaS arrangements and updated its operational procedures. As a result, beginning June 30, 2020, hardware provided under the Company’s SaaS agreements is accounted for as an operating lease; therefore, an increase in income of $12.4 million was recorded within “Other operating (income) expense, net” in the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 to reflect the impact of the lease modifications. The Company has elected to apply a practical expedient for contracts that have a term of one year or less and has not disclosed either the remaining performance obligation as of the end of the reporting period or when the Company expects to recognize the revenue. The effect of the lease modifications on the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements as of June 30, 2020 is as follows:
. |
|
Balance prior to lease modification |
|
|
Balance subsequent to lease modification |
|
|
Effect of change |
|
|||
Contract assets, net |
|
$ |
11.3 |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
(11.3 |
) |
Accounts receivable, net |
|
|
67.7 |
|
|
|
68.6 |
|
|
|
0.9 |
|
Equipment under lease |
|
|
- |
|
|
|
23.3 |
|
|
|
23.3 |
|
Deferred revenue |
|
|
7.7 |
|
|
|
8.2 |
|
|
|
(0.5 |
) |
Other operating (income) expense, net |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(12.4 |
) |
Disaggregated Revenue
Based on similar operational characteristics, the Company’s revenue from contracts with customers is disaggregated as follows:
Based on similar economic characteristics, the Company’s revenue from contracts with customers is disaggregated as follows:
14
SHIFT4 PAYMENTS, INC
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in millions, except share, unit, per unit and merchant count amounts)
The Company charges merchants for various post-contract license support/service fees and annual regulatory compliance fees. These fees typically relate to a period of one year. The Company recognizes the revenue on a straight-line basis over its respective period. As of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the Company had deferred revenue of $8.2 million and $5.6 million, respectively. The change in the contract liabilities is primarily the result of a timing difference between payment from the customer and the Company’s satisfaction of each performance obligation.
The following reflects the amounts the Company recognized as annual service fees and regulatory compliance fees within "Gross revenue" in its unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and the amount of such fees that was included in deferred revenue at the beginning of the respective period.
Capitalized Acquisition Costs, net
As of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the Company had net capitalized costs to obtain contracts of $29.3 million and $26.4 million, respectively, included in “Capitalized acquisition costs, net” in the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets representing upfront processing bonuses. See Note 8 for more information on capitalized acquisition costs.
4. |
Restructuring |
The following table summarizes the changes in the Company’s restructuring accrual:
|
(a) |
Accretion of interest is included within “Restructuring expenses” in the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. |
Accreted interest recognized related to restructuring activities associated with a historical acquisition was $0.1 million and $0.3 million for both the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
The current portion of the restructuring accrual of $1.4 million and $2.9 million at June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively, is included within “Accrued expenses and other current liabilities” on the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. The long-term portion of the restructuring accrual of $2.2 million and $2.8 million at June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively, is included within “Other noncurrent liabilities” on the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.
Of the $3.6 million restructuring accrual outstanding as of June 30, 2020, approximately $1.0 million is expected to be paid in 2020, $1.6 million in 2021 and $1.6 million in 2022, less accreted interest of $0.6 million.
15
SHIFT4 PAYMENTS, INC
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in millions, except share, unit, per unit and merchant count amounts)
Inventory consisted of the following:
6. |
Goodwill |
The changes in the carrying amount of goodwill were as follows:
7. |
Other Intangible Assets, Net |
Other intangible assets, net consisted of the following:
|
|
Weighted Average |
|
June 30, 2020 |
|
|||||||||
|
|
Amortization Period (in years) |
|
Carrying Value |
|
|
Accumulated Amortization |
|
|
Net Carrying Value |
|
|||
Merchant relationships |
|
8 |
|
$ |
176.8 |
|
|
$ |
93.7 |
|
|
$ |
83.1 |
|
Acquired technology |
|
10 |
|
|
105.2 |
|
|
|
37.5 |
|
|
|
67.7 |
|
Trademarks and trade names |
|
9 |
|
|
55.5 |
|
|
|
34.6 |
|
|
|
20.9 |
|
Noncompete agreements |
|
2 |
|
|
3.9 |
|
|
|
3.8 |
|
|
|
0.1 |
|
Capitalized software development costs |
|
3 |
|
|
19.5 |
|
|
|
3.8 |
|
|
|
15.7 |
|
Leasehold interest |
|
2 |
|
|
0.1 |
|
|
|
0.1 |
|
|
|
— |
|
Residual commission buyouts (a) |
|
3 |
|
|
16.2 |
|
|
|
11.5 |
|
|
|
4.7 |
|
Total intangible assets |
|
|
|
$ |
377.2 |
|
|
$ |
185.0 |
|
|
$ |
192.2 |
|
|
|
Weighted Average |
|
December 31, 2019 |
|
|||||||||
|
|
Amortization Period (in years) |
|
Carrying Value |
|
|
Accumulated Amortization |
|
|
Net Carrying Value |
|
|||
Merchant relationships |
|
8 |
|
$ |
176.8 |
|
|
$ |
81.1 |
|
|
$ |
95.7 |
|
Acquired technology |
|
10 |
|
|
105.2 |
|
|
|
32.2 |
|
|
|
73.0 |
|
Trademarks and trade names |
|
9 |
|
|
55.5 |
|
|
|
30.1 |
|
|
|
25.4 |
|
Noncompete agreements |
|
2 |
|
|
3.9 |
|
|
|
3.6 |
|
|
|
0.3 |
|
Capitalized software development costs |
|
3 |
|
|
14.9 |
|
|
|
2.0 |
|
|
|
12.9 |
|
Leasehold interest |
|
2 |
|
|
0.1 |
|
|
|
0.1 |
|
|
|
— |
|
Residual commission buyouts (a) |
|
3 |
|
|
15.7 |
|
|
|
9.8 |
|
|
|
5.9 |
|
Total intangible assets |
|
|
|
$ |
372.1 |
|
|
$ |
158.9 |
|
|
$ |
213.2 |
|
|
(a) |
Residual commission buyouts include contingent payments of $2.8 million and $2.7 million as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. |
16
SHIFT4 PAYMENTS, INC
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in millions, except share, unit, per unit and merchant count amounts)
As of June 30, 2020, the estimated amortization expense for intangible assets for each of the five succeeding years and thereafter is as follows:
Amounts charged to expense in the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations for amortization of intangible assets were as follows:
8. |
Capitalized Acquisition Costs, Net |
Capitalized acquisition costs, net were $29.3 million and $26.4 million at June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. This consists of upfront processing bonuses with a gross carrying value of $47.9 million and $39.2 million and accumulated amortization of $18.6 million and $12.8 million at June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively.
Capitalized acquisition costs had a weighted average amortization period of four years at both June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019.
Amortization expense for capitalized acquisition costs is $3.7 million and $7.0 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020, respectively, and $5.0 million and $9.7 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, respectively, and is included in “Cost of sales” in the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.
As of June 30, 2020, the estimated future amortization expense for capitalized acquisition costs is as follows:
9. |
Property, Plant and Equipment, Net |
Property, plant and equipment, net consisted of the following:
|
June 30, |
|
|
December 31, |
|
|||
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
||
Equipment |
|
$ |
14.4 |
|
|
$ |
13.3 |
|
Capitalized software |
|
|
7.2 |
|
|
|
7.1 |
|
Leasehold improvements |
|
|
11.5 |
|
|
|
11.3 |
|
Furniture and fixtures |
|
|
3.0 |
|
|
|
2.9 |
|
Vehicles |
|
|
0.2 |
|
|
|
0.2 |
|
Total property and equipment, gross |
|
|
36.3 |
|
|
|
34.8 |
|
Less: Accumulated depreciation |
|
|
(22.1 |
) |
|
|
(19.4 |
) |
Total property and equipment, net |
|
$ |
14.2 |
|
|
$ |
15.4 |
|
17
SHIFT4 PAYMENTS, INC
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in millions, except share, unit, per unit and merchant count amounts)
Amounts charged to expense in the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations for depreciation of property, plant and equipment were as follows:
10. |
Debt |
The Company’s outstanding debt consisted of the following:
|
|
June 30, |
|
|
December 31, |
|
||
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
|||
First Lien Term Loan Facility |
|
$ |
450.0 |
|
|
$ |
511.1 |
|
Second Lien Term Loan Facility |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
130.0 |
|
Revolving Credit Facility |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
21.0 |
|
Other financing arrangements |
|
|
2.6 |
|
|
|
— |
|
Total borrowings |
|
|
452.6 |
|
|
|
662.1 |
|
Less: Current portion of debt |
|
|
(2.6 |
) |
|
|
(5.3 |
) |
|
|
|
450.0 |
|
|
|
656.8 |
|
Less: Unamortized capitalized financing costs |
|
|
(12.6 |
) |
|
|
(21.7 |
) |
Total long-term debt |
|
$ |
437.4 |
|
|
$ |
635.1 |
|
Credit Facilities
On November 30, 2017, the Company borrowed $560.0 million of aggregate principal amount of secured term loans comprised of first lien term loans of $430.0 million due November 30, 2024, or First Lien Term Loan Facility, and second lien term loans of $130.0 million due November 30, 2025, or Second Lien Term Loan Facility. The Company used available incremental capacity to upsize the First Lien Term Loan Facility to $450.0 million in April 2019 and to $520.0 million in October 2019. In June 2020, the Company made $59.8 million in principal payments on the First Lien Term Loan Facility and repaid in full the $130.0 million outstanding under the Second Lien Term Loan Facility. The $59.8 million payment fully satisfies all required principal payments on the First Lien Term Loan Facility due prior to its maturity on November 30, 2024. Interest with respect to the First Lien Term Loan Facility is payable quarterly in arrears at a rate of LIBOR plus 4.50% per annum (5.50% at June 30, 2020). Interest with respect to the Second Lien Term Loan Facility was payable quarterly in arrears at a rate of LIBOR plus 8.50% per annum. The interest rate is determined based on the Company’s first lien leverage ratio for the preceding fiscal quarter.
In connection with the pre-payment of $59.8 million on the First Lien Term Loan Facility and the full repayment of $130.0 million on the Second Lien Term Loan Facility, the Company incurred a loss on extinguishment of debt of $7.1 million representing the unamortized capitalized financing costs associated with the prepaid debt, which was recorded to “Loss on extinguishment of debt” in the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations in the three and six months ended June 30, 2020.
The First Lien Term Loan Facility and Second Lien Term Loan Facility are subject to covenants that, among other things, limit or restrict the Company in creating liens, holding any unpermitted investments or new indebtedness, making any dispositions or restricted payments unless otherwise permitted in the agreement, and making material changes to the business. In connection with the full repayment of the Second Lien Term Loan Facility at June 30, 2020, the Company obtained applicable releases customary to the payment in full. At June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the Company was in compliance with all financial covenants.
Amortization of capitalized financing fees is included in “Interest expense” within the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. Amortization expense was $1.0 million and $2.1 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020, respectively and $1.0 million and $1.9 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, respectively.
18
SHIFT4 PAYMENTS, INC
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in millions, except share, unit, per unit and merchant count amounts)
The First Lien Term Loan Facility included a revolving credit facility of $40.0 million, or Revolving Credit Facility, which expires November 30, 2022. In August 2019, the Revolving Credit Facility was increased to a borrowing capacity of $90.0 million with incremental borrowings used to partially fund the Merchant Link Acquisition. The Company is subject to certain additional covenants related to the Revolving Credit Facility. The Company was in compliance with these covenants at June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019.
Interest due under the Revolving Credit Facility depends on the type of loan selected but generally is due interest at LIBOR plus an applicable margin ranging from 3.00% to 4.50%.
The Revolving Credit Facility unused commitment fee ranges from 0.25% to 0.50%. The applicable margin and unused commitment fee are determined based on the Company’s first lien net leverage ratio at the previously reported fiscal quarter.
As of December 31, 2019, the Company had outstanding borrowings of $21.0 million under the Revolving Credit Facility. In the three months ended March 31, 2020, the Company drew $68.5 million under the Revolving Credit Facility for general corporate purposes and to strengthen its financial position amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2020, the Company repaid the outstanding borrowings of $89.5 million under the Revolving Credit Facility. Borrowing capacity on the Revolving Credit Facility was $89.5 million as of June 30, 2020, net of a $0.5 million letter of credit.
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
Prepaid expenses and other current assets consisted of the following:
|
|
June 30, |
|
|
December 31, |
|
||
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
||
Prepaid insurance |
|
$ |
3.8 |
|
|
$ |
0.9 |
|
Other prepaid expenses (a) |
|
|
6.4 |
|
|
|
5.2 |
|
Agent and employee loan receivables |
|
|
0.7 |
|
|
|
0.5 |
|
Deferred IPO-related costs (b) |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
2.0 |
|
Other current assets |
|
|
0.1 |
|
|
|
0.2 |
|
Total prepaid expenses and other current assets |
|
$ |
11.0 |
|
|
$ |
8.8 |
|
|
(a) |
Other prepaid expenses include prepayments related to information technology, rent, tradeshows and conferences. |
|
(b) |
Primarily includes attorney and consulting fees in support of the Company’s IPO, which, at the time of the IPO, were offset against the gross proceeds of the IPO within “Additional paid-in capital” on the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. |
19
SHIFT4 PAYMENTS, INC
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in millions, except share, unit, per unit and merchant count amounts)
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities consisted of the following:
|
|
June 30, |
|
|
December 31, |
|
||
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
||
Contingent liabilities related to earnout payments and change of control (a) |
|
$ |
0.6 |
|
|
$ |
32.3 |
|
Accrued interest |
|
|
4.2 |
|
|
|
9.2 |
|
Residuals payable |
|
|
6.2 |
|
|
|
5.5 |
|
Taxes payable |
|
|
3.4 |
|
|
|
1.0 |
|
Deferred tenant reimbursement allowance |
|
|
3.4 |
|
|
|
3.6 |
|
Restructuring accrual |
|
|
1.4 |
|
|
|
2.9 |
|
Accrued payroll |
|
|
1.4 |
|
|
|
2.3 |
|
Other current liabilities |
|
|
3.8 |
|
|
|
4.1 |
|
Total accrued expenses and other current liabilities |
|
$ |
24.4 |
|
|
$ |
60.9 |
|
|
(a) |
Represents contingent liabilities arising from certain past acquisitions. Refer to Note 12 for information on contingent liabilities related to earnout payments and change of control. |
U.S. GAAP defines a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted process in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements).
The Company determines the fair values of its assets and liabilities that are recognized or disclosed at fair value in accordance with the hierarchy described below. The following three levels of inputs may be used to measure fair value:
|
• |
Level 1—Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities; |
|
• |
Level 2—Observable inputs other than Level 1 prices such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities, quoted prices in markets that are not active, or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the assets or liabilities; |
|
• |
Level 3—Unobservable inputs that are supported by little or no market activity and that are significant to the fair value of the assets or liabilities. Level 3 assets and liabilities include items where the determination of fair value requires significant management judgment or estimation. |
The Company makes recurring fair value measurements of contingent liabilities arising from certain acquisitions using Level 3 unobservable inputs. These amounts relate to a change of control provision and expected earnout payments related to the number of existing point-of-sale merchants that convert to full acquiring merchants.
The contingent liability related to a change of control was measured on the acquisition date using a Monte Carlo simulation model based on expected possible valuations of the Company upon a change of control and is remeasured at each reporting date due to changes in management’s expectations regarding possible future valuations of the Company, including considerations of changes in results of the Company, guideline public company multiples, and expected volatility. The contingent liability related to change of control was settled for 915,503 shares of Class A common stock in conjunction with the IPO.
The contingent liabilities arising from expected earnout payments were measured on the acquisition date using a probability-weighted expected payment model and are remeasured periodically due to changes in management’s estimates of the number of existing point-of-sale merchants that will convert to full acquiring merchants. In determining the fair value of the contingent liabilities, management reviews the current results of the acquired business, along with projected results for the remaining earnout period, to calculate the expected earnout payment to be made using the agreed upon formula as laid out in the respective acquisition agreement. The earnout liabilities are discounted at a rate of 3.63% and 3.87% as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. As of June 30, 2020, the undiscounted estimated range of outcomes is between $0.5 million and $0.7 million. As of December 31, 2019, the undiscounted estimated range of outcomes was between $1.5 million and $2.3 million.
20
SHIFT4 PAYMENTS, INC
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in millions, except share, unit, per unit and merchant count amounts)
The fair value of the contingent liabilities is subject to sensitivity based on projected results and changes in the discount rate. Changes in these assumptions could impact the fair value significantly.
Additional information regarding the contingent liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis is presented in the following tables:
|
|
Fair value as of June 30, 2020 |
|
|
Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) |
|
|
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) |
|
|
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) |
|
||||
|
$ |
0.6 |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
0.6 |
|
|
Total contingent liabilities |
|
$ |
0.6 |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
0.6 |
|
|
|
Fair value as of December 31, 2019 |
|
|
Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets (Level 1) |
|
|
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) |
|
|
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) |
|
||||
|
$ |
30.4 |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
30.4 |
|
|
Contingent liabilities related to earnout payments (a) |
|
|
1.9 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
1.9 |
|
Total contingent liabilities |
|
$ |
32.3 |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
32.3 |
|
|
(a) |
Included in “Accrued expenses and other current liabilities” on the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. |
The table below provides a reconciliation of the beginning and ending balances for the Level 3 contingent liabilities:
|
|
Six months ended June 30, |
|
|
|
|||||
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
|
|
||
Balance at beginning of period |
|
$ |
32.3 |
|
|
$ |
19.9 |
|
|
|
Additions (a) |
|
|
1.7 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
Cash payments made for contingent liabilities related to earnout payments |
|
|
(1.5 |
) |
|
|
(1.6 |
) |
|
|
Contingent liabilities related to change of control settled with Class A common stock and restricted stock units |
|
|
(23.2 |
) |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
Fair value adjustments |
|
|
(8.7 |
) |
|
|
6.8 |
|
|
|
Balance at end of period |
|
$ |
0.6 |
|
|
$ |
25.1 |
|
|
|
|
(a) |
During the three months ended March 31, 2020, certain employment compensation agreements were amended. Consequently, previously recorded deferred compensation liabilities of $1.9 million associated with these agreements, included within “Other noncurrent liabilities” on the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets at December 31, 2019, were derecognized and new liabilities of $1.7 million were recognized at fair value within “Other noncurrent liabilities” on the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. These contingent liabilities were settled at the IPO for 89,842 restricted stock units. |
Fair value adjustments are recorded within “General and administrative expenses” within the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. There were no transfers into or out of Level 3 during the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019.
Other financial instruments not measured at fair value on the Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheets at June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019 include cash, accounts receivable, prepaid expenses and other current assets, accounts payable, and accrued expenses and other current liabilities as their estimated fair values reasonably approximate their carrying value as reported on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. The Company’s debt obligations are carried at their face value, which approximates fair value.
21
SHIFT4 PAYMENTS, INC
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in millions, except share, unit, per unit and merchant count amounts)
As a result of the Reorganization Transactions and the IPO, the Company holds an economic interest in Shift4 Payments, LLC and consolidates its financial position and results. The remaining ownership of Shift4 Payments, LLC not held by the Company is considered a noncontrolling interest. Shift4 Payments, LLC is treated as a partnership for income tax reporting and its members, including the Company, are liable for federal, state, and local income taxes based on their share of the LLC’s taxable income. In addition, Shift4 Corporation, one of the operating subsidiaries of Shift4 Payments, LLC, is considered a C-Corporation for U.S. federal, state and local income tax purposes. Taxable income or loss from Shift4 Corporation is not passed through to Shift4 Payments, LLC. Instead, it is taxed at the corporate level subject to the prevailing corporate tax rates.
The Company has assessed the realizability of the net deferred tax assets and in that analysis has considered the relevant positive and negative evidence available to determine whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will be realized. The Company has recorded a full valuation allowance against the deferred tax assets at Shift4 Payments, Inc. as of the IPO and as of June 30, 2020. A full valuation allowance on deferred tax assets will be maintained until there is sufficient evidence to support the reversal of all or some portion of these allowances.
On March 27, 2020, the U.S. government enacted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, which includes temporary changes regarding the prior and future utilization of net operating losses, temporary changes to the prior and future limitations on interest deductions, temporary suspension of certain payment requirements for the employer portion of Social Security taxes, technical corrections from prior tax legislation for tax depreciation of certain qualified improvement property, and the creation of certain refundable employee retention credits. Pursuant to the CARES Act, in June 2020, we submitted a carryback claim related to our net operating loss carryforward generated in 2018, which resulted in an income tax benefit of $0.6 million and is reflected in "Income tax benefit (provision)" in the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020.
Our effective tax rate was (0.8)% and 5.1% for the three months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively, and (0.4)% and 2.4% for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively. The income tax benefit for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 was different than the U.S. federal statutory income tax rate of 21% primarily due to the loss allocated to the noncontrolling interest, changes in the valuation allowances in the United States and recording a tax benefit of $0.6 million for a net operating loss carryback at Shift4 Corporation which was allowed due to the CARES Act. The income tax expense for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019 was different than the U.S. federal statutory income tax rate of 21% primarily due to Shift4 Payments, LLC being treated as a partnership and not paying income tax.
The Company’s income tax filings are subject to audit by various taxing jurisdictions. The statutes of limitations related to the U.S. federal income tax return and most state income tax returns are closed for all tax years up to and including 2016. No U.S. federal, state and local income tax returns are under examination by the respective taxing authorities.
Tax Receivable Agreement
The Company expects to obtain an increase in its share of the tax basis in the net assets of Shift4 Payments, LLC as LLC Interests are redeemed from or exchanged by Continuing Equity Owners, at the option of the Company, determined solely by the Company’s independent directors. The Company intends to treat any redemptions and exchanges of LLC Interests as direct purchases of LLC Interests for U.S. federal income tax purposes. These increases in tax basis may reduce the amounts that it would otherwise pay in the future to various tax authorities. In connection with the Reorganization Transactions and the IPO, the Company entered into the Tax Receivable Agreement, or TRA, with the Continuing Equity Owners.
The TRA provides for the payment by Shift4 Payments, Inc. of 85% of the amount of any tax benefits the Company actually realizes, or in some cases is deemed to realize, as a result of (i) increases in the Company’s share of the tax basis in the net assets of Shift4 Payments, LLC resulting from any redemptions or exchanges of LLC Interests, (ii) tax basis increases attributable to payments made under the TRA, and (iii) deductions attributable to imputed interest pursuant to the TRA. The Company expects to benefit from the remaining 15% of any of cash savings that it realizes.
The Company has not recognized any liability under the TRA after concluding it was not probable that such TRA Payments would be paid based on its estimates of future taxable income. No payments were made to the Continuing Equity Owners pursuant to the TRA during the three or six months ended June 30, 2020. The amounts payable under the TRA will vary depending upon a number of factors, including the amount, character, and timing of the taxable income of Shift4 Payments, Inc. in the future. If the valuation allowance recorded against the deferred tax assets applicable to the tax attributes referenced above is released in a future period, the TRA liability may be considered probable at that time and recorded within earnings.
22
SHIFT4 PAYMENTS, INC
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in millions, except share, unit, per unit and merchant count amounts)
If all of the Continuing Equity Owners were to exchange their LLC Units, the Company would recognize a deferred tax asset of approximately $516.5 million and a TRA liability of approximately $439.0 million, assuming (i) that the Continuing Equity Members redeemed or exchanged all of their LLC Units immediately as of June 30, 2020 at the close price of $35.50 per share of the Company’s Class A common stock, (ii) no material changes in relevant tax law, (iii) a constant corporate tax rate of 24.2%, (iv) that the Company earns sufficient taxable income in each year to realize on a current basis all tax benefits that are subject to the TRA, and (v) that the blocker attributes are not limited pursuant to section 382 of the Internal Revenue Code. The actual amount of deferred tax assets and related liabilities that the Company will recognize will differ based on, among other things, the timing of the exchanges, the price of its shares of Class A common stock at the time of the exchange, and the tax rates then in effect. The Company may elect to completely terminate the TRA early only with the written approval of each of a majority of Shift4 Payments, Inc.’s independent directors, although it has no plans to do so at this time. As a result, the Company would be required to make an immediate cash payment equal to the present value of the anticipated future tax benefits that are the subject of the TRA.
14. |
Operating Lease Agreements |
The Company has leases under noncancellable agreements which expire on various dates through November 30, 2028.
Total rent expense, which is included in “General and administrative expenses” in the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations, was $1.7 million and $3.4 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020, respectively, and $0.9 million and $1.4 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, respectively.
The following are the future minimum rental payments required under the operating leases as of June 30, 2020:
The Company expects to receive future minimum lease payments for hardware provided under the Company’s SaaS agreements of $11.3 million from July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021. See Note 3 for more information on the accounting for these operating leases.
15. |
Related Party Transactions |
The Company has access to aircrafts on a month-to-month basis from a shareholder of the Company. Total expense for this service, which is included in “General and administrative expenses” in the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations, was $0.1 million and $0.2 million for both the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively. At June 30, 2020, $0.1 million was outstanding, which is included within “Accrued expenses and other current liabilities” in the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. There were no amounts outstanding at December 31, 2019. On May 31, 2020, the Company amended the monthly fee and added services in this month-to-month service agreement with a shareholder of the Company.
Shift4 Payments, LLC incurred management fees to its respective shareholders, prior to the IPO, which is included in “Professional fees” in the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations, of $0.3 million and $0.8 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020, respectively, and $0.5 million and $1.0 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, respectively. The Company had $0.5 million in management fees outstanding as of December 31, 2019, included within “Accounts payable” in the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. Management fees due to the Company’s respective shareholders were fully paid as of June 30, 2020 and are not required to be paid subsequent to the IPO.
23
SHIFT4 PAYMENTS, INC
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in millions, except share, unit, per unit and merchant count amounts)
From time to time, the Company may become involved in various lawsuits and legal proceedings, which arise, in the ordinary course of business. However, litigation is subject to inherent uncertainties, and an adverse result in these, or other matters, may arise from time to time that may harm our business. The Company is currently not aware of any such legal proceedings or claims that the Company believes will have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition or operating results.
Effective March 2016, the Company’s board of directors approved a means by which key employees of the Company may be given an opportunity to earn a bonus as a result of a Change of Control, defined as a merger, consolidation, exchange, conveyance, or sale of the Company, or an IPO pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, or the Qualifying Transaction. As of December 31, 2019, the Company did not deem a qualifying transaction probable and thus, no amounts were recorded in the consolidated financial statements. In conjunction with the IPO, the Company issued $56.6 million in the form of 2,461,839 restricted stock units to these key employees based upon the initial offering price of $23.00 per share. These awards vest over time but are not subject to continued service. See Note 21 for more information on the Company’s equity-based compensation plan.
17. |
Redeemable Preferred Units |
As of December 31, 2019, Shift4 Payments, LLC had 430 non-convertible redeemable preferred units (with a stated value at $100,000 per unit) authorized, issued and outstanding with a carrying value and liquidation value of $43.0 million.
The redeemable preferred units earned a preferred dividend, which could be paid in cash or preferred units at a rate of 10.50% per annum, compounded quarterly. Any unpaid accumulated dividends were required to be paid prior to any other membership interest. The principal of the Redeemable Preferred units was payable only after all Common Unit holders were paid in full. The dividend was limited to $5.0 million each calendar year.
Holders of redeemable preferred units were not entitled to vote on any matters of the Company’s affairs and had no preemptive rights. Redeemable preferred units could have been redeemed in cash, in whole or in part, at the option of the Company, at a redemption price equal to the stated value of the unit. In the event of the sale of the Company or qualified public offering (i.e., IPO with aggregate offering prices in excess of $150.0 million), each redeemable preferred unit became mandatorily redeemable at a redemption price equal to the stated value per unit (subject to the prior discharge of and full satisfaction of loans and the First Lien Term Loan Facility and Second Lien Term Loan Facility). As such, the redeemable preferred units were classified in temporary equity as they represented a contingently redeemable security. Redeemable preferred units could not have been transferred at any time, without prior consent of the Company.
During the three months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, $0.9 million and $1.3 million, respectively, of preferred dividends were accrued and recognized as a reduction of “Members’ Deficit.” During the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, $2.1 million and $2.5 million, respectively, of preferred dividends were accrued and recognized as a reduction of “Members’ Deficit.” Total cumulative accrued but unpaid dividends as of December 31, 2019 were $1.2 million, and were recorded in “Accrued expenses and other current liabilities” on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Preferred dividends outstanding at the time of the IPO were $3.2 million, of which $0.9 million, representing the amount accrued for the three months ended June 30, 2020, was settled in cash and $2.3 million, representing the amount accrued through March 31, 2020, was converted to LLC Interests in conjunction with the IPO.
In connection with the Reorganization Transactions, the redeemable preferred units were converted into LLC Interests.
18. |
Members’ Deficit/Stockholders’ Equity |
Structure prior to the Reorganization Transactions
Prior to the completion of the Reorganization Transactions, Shift4 Payments, LLC had LLC Interests outstanding in the form of Class A Common units and Class B Common units. Immediately prior to the completion of the Reorganization Transactions, the LLC Interests of Shift4 Payments, LLC were beneficially owned as set forth below.
|
• |
Searchlight owned 28,889,790 Class A units, representing 52.3% economic interest in Shift4 Payments, LLC. |
|
• |
Rook owned 25,829,016 Class A units, representing 46.7% economic interest in Shift4 Payments, LLC. |
|
• |
A former equity owner owned 528,150 Class B units, representing 1.0% economic interest in Shift4 Payments, LLC. |
24
SHIFT4 PAYMENTS, INC
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in millions, except share, unit, per unit and merchant count amounts)
Amendment and Restatement of Certificate of Incorporation
In connection with the Reorganization Transactions, the Company’s certificate of incorporation was amended and restated to, among other things, provide for the (i) authorization of 300,000,000 shares of Class A common stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share; (ii) authorization of 100,000,000 shares of Class B common stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share; (iii) authorization of 100,000,000 shares of Class C common stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share; and (iv) authorization of 20,000,000 shares of preferred stock with a par value of $0.0001 per share.
Holders of Class A common stock are entitled to one vote per share, and holders of Class B and Class C common stock are entitled to ten votes per share. Holders of Class A, Class B, and Class C common stock will vote together as a single class on all matters presented to the Company’s stockholders for their vote of approval, except for certain amendments to the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation or as otherwise required by law. Holders of the Class A and Class C common stock are entitled to receive dividends, and upon the Company’s dissolution or liquidation, after payment in full of all amounts required to be paid to creditors and to the holders of preferred stock having liquidation preferences, if any, the holders of shares of Class A and Class C common stock will be entitled to receive pro rata the Company’s remaining assets available for distribution. Holders of the Company’s Class B common stock are not entitled to receive dividends and will not be entitled to receive any distributions upon dissolution or liquidation of the Company. Holders of Class A, Class B, and Class C common stock do not have pre-emptive or subscription rights, and there will be no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to any class of common stock. Holders of Class A and Class B common stock do not have conversion rights. Shares of Class C common stock can only be held by the Continuing Equity Owners or their permitted transferees, and if any such shares are transferred to any other person, they will automatically convert into shares of Class A common stock on a one-to-one basis.
Shares of Class B common stock will be issued in the future only to the extent necessary to maintain a one-to-one ratio between the number of LLC Interests held by the Continuing Equity Owners and the number of shares of Class B common stock issued to each of the Continuing Equity Owners. Shares of Class B common stock are transferable only together with an equal number of LLC Interests (subject to certain exceptions). Only permitted transferees of LLC Interests held by the Continuing Equity Owners will be permitted transferees of Class B common stock.
Recapitalization of Shift4 Payments, LLC
In connection with the Reorganization Transactions, and the amendment and restatement of the Shift4 Payments, LLC Agreement, the Company modified its capital structure and converted all existing ownership interests in Shift4 Payments, LLC (including the redeemable preferred units) into LLC Interests of a single class.
In connection with the recapitalization:
|
• |
A total of 528,150 LLC Interests held by a former equity owner were exchanged for an equal number of shares of Class A common stock of Shift4 Payments, Inc. |
|
• |
The Company acquired 15,513,817 LLC Interests from Searchlight in exchange for an equal number of shares of Class C common stock of Shift4 Payments, Inc. |
|
• |
The Company issued 915,503 shares of Class A common stock to satisfy a contingent liability of Shift4 Payments, LLC arising from a previous acquisition. In exchange, Shift4 Payments, LLC issued 915,503 LLC Interests to Shift4 Payments, Inc. |
|
• |
The Company issued 39,204,989 shares of Class B common stock to the Continuing Equity Owners on a one-for-one basis to the corresponding LLC Interests held by each of the Continuing Equity Owners. |
Initial Public Offering
As described in Note 1, the Company completed its IPO of 17,250,000 shares of Class A common stock, including 2,250,000 shares pursuant to the full exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares, at a price to the public of $23.00 per share. The Company received net proceeds of approximately $363.8 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses. The Company also completed a $100.0 million concurrent private placement of 4,625,346 shares of Class C common stock, which were valued by a third party at a price per share equal to the purchase price. The total net proceeds from the IPO and concurrent private placement were approximately $463.8 million. The Company used the total proceeds to purchase newly issued LLC Interests from Shift4 Payments, LLC. Shift4 Payments, LLC used these amounts received from Shift4 Payments, Inc. to repay certain existing indebtedness and for general corporate purposes.
25
SHIFT4 PAYMENTS, INC
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in millions, except share, unit, per unit and merchant count amounts)
Shift4 Payments, Inc. is the sole managing member of Shift4 Payments, LLC, and consolidates the financial results of Shift4 Payments, LLC. The noncontrolling interests balance represents the economic interest in Shift4 Payments, LLC held by the Continuing Equity Owners. The following table summarizes the ownership of LLC Interests in Shift4 Payments, LLC as of June 30, 2020:
|
|
LLC Interests |
|
|
Ownership Percentage |
|
||
Shift4 Payments, Inc.'s ownership of LLC Interests |
|
|
38,832,816 |
|
|
|
49.8 |
% |
LLC Interests held by the Continuing Equity Owners |
|
|
39,204,989 |
|
|
|
50.2 |
% |
Balance at end of period |
|
|
78,037,805 |
|
|
|
100.0 |
% |
The Continuing Equity Holders have the right to require the Company to redeem their LLC Interests for, at the option of the Company, determined solely by the Company’s independent directors, newly-issued shares of Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis or a cash payment equal to a volume weighted average market price of one share of Class A common stock for each LLC Interest redeemed. In connection with the exercise of the redemption or exchange of LLC Interests (1) the Continuing Equity Owners will be required to surrender a number of shares of Class B common stock registered in the name of such redeeming or exchanging Continuing Equity Owner (or its applicable affiliate), which the Company will cancel for no consideration on a one-for-one basis with the number of LLC Interests so redeemed or exchanged and (2) all redeeming members will surrender LLC Interests to Shift4 Payments, LLC for cancellation. As of June 30, 2020, no redemptions have occurred or been requested.
20. |
Employee Benefit Plan |
The Company maintains a defined contribution plan under Section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code covering full-time employees who meet minimum age and service requirements. The provisions of the plan include a discretionary corporate contribution. The Company’s expense for discretionary matching contributions, which is included in “General and administrative expenses” in the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations, was $0.2 million and $0.5 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020, respectively, and $0.3 million and $0.5 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019, respectively.
21. |
Equity-based Compensation |
2020 Incentive Award Plan
In June 2020, the Company adopted the 2020 Incentive Award Plan, or 2020 Plan, which provides for the grant of stock options, restricted stock dividend equivalents, stock payments, RSUs, stock appreciation rights, and other stock or cash awards. A maximum of 5,750,000 shares of the Company’s common stock is available for issuance under the 2020 Plan. The number of shares available for issuance is subject to an annual increase on the first day of each year beginning in 2021 and ending in and including 2030, equal to the lesser of (1) 1% of the outstanding shares of all classes of the Company’s common stock on the last day of the immediately preceding fiscal year and (2) such lesser amount as determined by the Company’s board of directors.
RSUs
RSUs represent the right to receive shares of the Company’s Class A common stock at a specified date in the future. In June 2020, in connection with the IPO, the Company granted 4,630,884 RSUs under the 2020 Plan, consisting of:
|
• |
2,461,839 RSUs not subject to continued service, which vest in June 2021. |
|
• |
391,858 RSUs subject to continued service, which vest 50% in December 2020, and the remaining 50% in December 2021. |
|
• |
1,748,933 RSUs subject to continued service, vesting in equal installments at each anniversary of the grant date, over a three-year period. |
|
• |
28,254 RSUs subject to continued service, granted to non-employee directors, which vest in June 2021. Each non-employee director is also entitled to an annual grant of RSUs valued at $0.1 million on the date of grant and which will vest in full on the date of the Company’s annual shareholder meeting immediately following the date of grant, subject to the non-employee director continuing in service through such meeting date. |
26
SHIFT4 PAYMENTS, INC
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in millions, except share, unit, per unit and merchant count amounts)
The RSU activity for the six months ended June 30, 2020 was as follows:
|
|
Number of RSUs |
|
|
Weighted Average Grant Date Fair Value |
|
||
Balance at beginning of period |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Granted |
|
|
4,630,884 |
|
|
$ |
21.41 |
|
Vested |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
— |
|
Forfeited or cancelled |
|
|
(1,072 |
) |
|
|
23.00 |
|
Balance at end of period |
|
|
4,629,812 |
|
|
$ |
21.41 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The grant date fair value of RSUs subject to continued service was determined based on the IPO price of the Company’s Class A common stock of $23.00. The grant date fair value of the RSUs not subject to continued service was determined using the Finnerty discount for lack of marketability pricing model, taking into account the vesting provisions on the shares prior to June 2021.
The Company recognized equity-based compensation expense of $50.0 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020. At June 30, 2020, the total unrecognized equity-based compensation expense related to outstanding RSUs was $48.4 million, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted-average period of 2.65 years.
As of June 30, 2020, RSUs are the only form of equity-based compensation outstanding.
22. |
Basic and Diluted Loss per Share |
The following table presents the calculation of basic and diluted loss per share for the periods following the Reorganization Transactions under the two-class method. See Note 1 for additional information related to basic and diluted loss per share.
Prior to the Reorganization Transactions and IPO, the Shift4 Payments, LLC membership structure included Class A Common units and Class B Common units. The Company analyzed the calculation of net loss per unit for periods prior to the IPO and determined that it resulted in values that would not be meaningful to the users of these unaudited consolidated financial statements. Therefore, loss per unit information has not been presented for the three and six months ended June 30, 2019. The basic and diluted loss per share for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 represents only the period from June 5, 2020 to June 30, 2020, the period where the Company had outstanding Class A and Class C common stock.
Basic loss per share has been computed by dividing net loss attributable to common shareholders for the period subsequent to the Reorganization Transactions by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding for the same period. Shares issued during the period and shares reacquired during the period are weighted for the portion of the period in which the shares were outstanding. Diluted loss per share has been computed in a manner consistent with that of basic loss per share while giving effect to all shares of potentially dilutive common stock that were outstanding during the period.
|
|
June 5, 2020 through June 30, 2020 |
|
|
Net loss |
|
$ |
(2.1 |
) |
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests |
|
$ |
(1.0 |
) |
Net loss attributable to Shift4 Payments, Inc. |
|
$ |
(1.1 |
) |
Numerator - Basic and Diluted: |
|
|
|
|
Net loss attributable to common shareholders |
|
$ |
(1.1 |
) |
Allocation of net loss among common shareholders: |
|
|
|
|
Net loss allocated to Class A common stock |
|
$ |
(0.5 |
) |
Net loss allocated to Class C common stock |
|
$ |
(0.6 |
) |
Denominator - Basic and Diluted: |
|
|
|
|
Weighted average shares of Class A common stock outstanding |
|
|
19,002,563 |
|
Weighted average shares of Class C common stock outstanding |
|
20,139,163 |
|
|
Net loss per share - Basic and Diluted: |
|
|
|
|
Class A common stock |
|
$ |
(0.03 |
) |
Class C common stock |
|
$ |
(0.03 |
) |
27
SHIFT4 PAYMENTS, INC
NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in millions, except share, unit, per unit and merchant count amounts)
For the period from June 5, 2020 through June 30, 2020, 2,177,628 RSUs and 52,660 non-employee director RSUs, each weighted for the portion of the period for which they were outstanding, were not included in the computation of diluted earnings per share because the effect would have been anti-dilutive. Additionally, 39,204,989 weighted shares of Class A common stock convertible upon redemption of the noncontrolling interest by the Continuing Equity Owners were excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share as the effect would be anti-dilutive.
23. |
Segments |
Operating segments are defined as components of an enterprise for which discrete financial information is available that is evaluated regularly by the Chief Operating Decision Maker, or CODM, for the purposes of allocating resources and evaluating financial performance. The Company’s CODM is the chief executive officer, who reviews financial information on a consolidated level for purposes of allocating resources and evaluating financial performance, and as such, the Company’s operations constitute one operating segment and one reportable segment.
No single customer accounted for more than 10% of the Company’s revenue during the three and six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019. The Company’s operations are concentrated in the United States.
The following table summarizes gross revenue by revenue type:
|
|
Three months ended June 30, |
|
|
Six months ended June 30, |
|
||||||||||
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
||||
Payments-based revenue |
|
$ |
121.2 |
|
|
$ |
159.5 |
|
|
$ |
297.6 |
|
|
|
293.5 |
|
Subscription and other revenues |
|
|
20.6 |
|
|
|
21.0 |
|
|
|
43.6 |
|
|
|
42.0 |
|
Total gross revenue |
|
|
141.8 |
|
|
|
180.5 |
|
|
|
341.2 |
|
|
|
335.5 |
|
Less: network fees |
|
|
74.4 |
|
|
|
105.2 |
|
|
|
194.7 |
|
|
|
193.9 |
|
Less: Other costs of sales |
|
|
35.1 |
|
|
|
31.7 |
|
|
|
69.7 |
|
|
|
59.4 |
|
Gross profit |
|
$ |
32.3 |
|
|
$ |
43.6 |
|
|
$ |
76.8 |
|
|
$ |
82.2 |
|
28
Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the information presented in unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, as well as our audited consolidated financial statements and related notes as disclosed in our final prospectus, dated June 4, 2020, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, in accordance with Rule 424(b) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, on June 8, 2020, or the Prospectus, in connection with our initial public offering, or the IPO. The following discussion and analysis reflects the historical results of operations and financial position of Shift4 Payments, LLC and its consolidated subsidiaries prior to the Reorganization Transactions (as defined below) on June 4, 2020 and that of Shift4 Payments, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries (including Shift4 Payments, LLC) following the completion of the Reorganization Transactions. In addition to historical information, the following discussion contains forward-looking statements, such as statements regarding our expectation for future performance, liquidity and capital resources, that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations. Our actual results may differ materially from those contained in or implied by any forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause such differences include those identified below and those described in “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements,” and “Risk Factors” in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. We assume no obligation to update any of these forward-looking statements.
As used in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, unless the context otherwise requires, references to:
|
• |
“we,” “us,” “our,” the “Company,” “Shift4” and similar references refer: (1) following the consummation of the Reorganization Transactions, to Shift4 Payments, Inc., and, unless otherwise stated, all of its subsidiaries, including Shift4 Payments, LLC and, unless otherwise stated, all of its subsidiaries, and (2) prior to the completion of the Reorganization Transactions, to Shift4 Payments, LLC and, unless otherwise stated, all of its subsidiaries. |
|
• |
“Blocker Companies” refers to certain direct and/or indirect owners of LLC Interests in Shift4 Payments, LLC, collectively, prior to the Reorganization Transactions that are taxable as corporations for U.S. federal income tax purposes and each of which is an affiliate of Searchlight (as defined below). |
|
• |
“Blocker Mergers” refers to the acquisition by Shift4 Payments, Inc. of LLC Interests held by the Blocker Shareholders, pursuant to one or more contributions by Blocker Shareholders of the equity interests in the Blocker Companies to Shift4 Payments, Inc., followed by one or more mergers, and in exchange for which Shift4 Payments, Inc. issued to the Blocker Shareholders shares of Class B common stock and Class C common stock. |
|
• |
“Blocker Shareholders” refers to the owners of Blocker Companies, collectively, prior to the Reorganization Transactions. |
|
• |
“Continuing Equity Owners” refers collectively to Searchlight, our Founder and their respective permitted transferees that will own LLC Interests after the Reorganization Transactions and who may redeem at each of their options, in whole or in part from time to time, their LLC Interests for, at our election, cash or newly-issued shares of Shift4 Payments, Inc.’s Class A common stock. |
|
• |
“LLC Interests” refers to the common units of Shift4 Payments, LLC, including those that we purchased directly from Shift4 Payments, LLC with the proceeds from our IPO and the concurrent private placement and the common units of Shift4 Payments, LLC that we acquired from the Former Equity Owners in connection with the consummation of the Reorganization Transactions. |
|
• |
“Founder” refers to Jared Isaacman, our Chief Executive Officer and the sole stockholder of Rook Holdings Inc. Our Founder is a Continuing Equity Owner and an owner of Class C common stock. |
|
• |
“Former Equity Owner” refers to FPOS Holding Co., Inc. who exchanged its LLC Interests for shares of our Class A common stock in connection with the consummation of the Reorganization Transactions. |
|
• |
“Rook” refers to Rook Holdings Inc., a Delaware corporation wholly-owned by our Founder and for which our Founder is the sole stockholder. |
|
• |
“RSU Holders” refers to certain current and former employees of Shift4 Payments, LLC who received restricted stock units, or RSUs, of Shift4 Payments, Inc. in connection with our IPO. |
|
• |
“Searchlight” refers to Searchlight Capital Partners, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership, and certain funds affiliated with Searchlight. Searchlight is a Continuing Equity Owner and an owner of Class C common stock. |
|
• |
“Shift4 Payments LLC Agreement” refers to Shift4 Payments, LLC’s amended and restated limited liability company agreement. |
|
• |
“Reorganization Transactions” refer to certain organizational transactions that we effected in connection with our IPO in June 2020. See Notes 1 and 18 to our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for a description of the Reorganization Transactions and the section entitled “Reorganization Transactions” below. |
29
We are a leading independent provider of integrated payment processing and technology solutions in the United States based on total volume of payments processed. We have achieved our leadership position through decades of solving complex business and operational challenges facing our customers: software partners and merchants. For our software partners, we offer a single integration to an end-to-end payments offering, a proprietary gateway and a robust suite of technology solutions to enhance the value of their software and simplify payment acceptance. For our merchants, we provide a seamless, unified consumer experience as an alternative to relying on multiple providers to accept payments and utilize technology in their businesses.
At the heart of our business is our payments platform. Our payments platform is a full suite of integrated payment products and services that can be used across multiple channels (in-store, online, mobile and tablet- based) and industry verticals, including:
|
• |
end-to-end payment processing for a broad range of payment types; |
|
• |
merchant acquiring; |
|
• |
proprietary omni-channel gateway capable of multiple methods of contactless and QR code based payments; |
|
• |
complementary software integrations; |
|
• |
integrated and mobile POS solutions; |
|
• |
security and risk management solutions; and |
|
• |
reporting and analytical tools. |
In addition, we offer innovative technology solutions that go beyond payment processing. Some of our solutions are developed in-house, such as business intelligence and POS software, while others are powered by our network of complementary third-party applications. Our focus on innovation combined with our product-driven culture enables us to create scalable technology solutions that benefit from an extensive library of intellectual property.
We have a partner-centric distribution approach. We market and sell our solutions through a diversified network of software partners, which consists of ISVs and VARs. ISVs are technology providers that develop commerce-enabling software suites with which they can bundle our payments platform. VARs are organizations that provide distribution support for ISVs and act as trusted and localized service providers to merchants by providing them with software and services. Together, our ISVs and VARs provide us immense distribution scale and provide our merchants with front-line service and support.
Our end-to-end payments offering combines our payments platform, including our proprietary gateway and breadth of software integrations, and our suite of technology solutions to create a compelling value proposition for our merchants. Our end-to end payment volume was $4.2 billion and $5.5 billion for the three months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively and $10.4 billion and $10.2 billion for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively. This end-to-end payment volume contributed approximately 57% and 60% of gross revenue less network fees for the three months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively, and 57% and 58% of gross revenue less network fees for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
Our merchants range from small to medium sized businesses, or SMBs, to large enterprises across numerous verticals in which we have deep industry expertise, including food and beverage, lodging and leisure.
Recent acquisitions
Merchant Link
In August 2019, we completed the acquisition of Merchant-Link, LLC, or Merchant Link, a leading provider of payment gateway and data security solutions, and which primarily services hotels and restaurants in the United States, or the Merchant Link Acquisition. The Merchant Link Acquisition brings to us a highly complementary customer base, with a significant portion of the customers using software already integrated on our gateway. This overlap presents us with a substantial opportunity for improved share of wallet and cost efficiencies.
Initial public offering and concurrent private placement
On June 9, 2020, we completed our IPO of 17,250,000 shares of Class A common stock, including 2,250,000 shares pursuant to the full exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares, at a price to the public of $23.00 per share. Upon completion of the IPO, we received net proceeds of approximately $363.8 million, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses of approximately $33.0 million. We also completed a $100.0 million concurrent private placement of 4,625,346 shares of Class C common stock to Rook. The total net proceeds from the IPO and concurrent private placement were approximately $463.8 million. Shift4 Payments, Inc. used the total proceeds to purchase newly-issued LLC Interests, from Shift4 Payments, LLC. Shift4 Payments, LLC used these amounts received from Shift4 Payments, Inc. to repay certain existing indebtedness and for general corporate purposes.
30
The historical results of operations discussed in this “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” are those of (1) Shift4 Payments, LLC and its consolidated subsidiaries for periods prior to the Reorganization Transactions on June 4, 2020 and (2) Shift4 Payments, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries for periods beginning on or following the Reorganization Transactions on June 4, 2020. The historical results of operations and financial condition of Shift4 Payments, LLC prior to the completion of the Reorganization Transactions, including the IPO and concurrent private placement, do not reflect certain items that we expect will affect our results of operations and financial condition after giving effect to the Reorganization Transactions and the use of proceeds from the IPO and concurrent private placement.
Following the completion of the Reorganization Transactions, we own 49.8% of the economic interest of Shift4 Payments, LLC and the Continuing Equity Holders own the remaining 50.2%. Shift4 Payments, Inc. is the sole managing member of Shift4 Payments, LLC and, although we do not have a majority economic interest in Shift4 Payments, LLC, we control the management of Shift4 Payments, LLC. As a result, we consolidate the financial results of Shift4 Payments, LLC and report a noncontrolling interest of 50.2% related to the interests in Shift4 Payments, LLC held by the Continuing Equity Holders on our consolidated financial statements.
After consummation of the IPO, Shift4 Payments, Inc. became subject to U.S. federal, state and local income taxes with respect to our allocable share of any taxable income of Shift4 Payments, LLC and is taxed at the prevailing corporate tax rates. In addition to tax expenses, we also have and will continue to incur public company expenses related to our operations, plus payment obligations under the Tax Receivable Agreement, or TRA, which we expect to be significant. We intend to cause Shift4 Payments, LLC to make distributions to us in an amount sufficient to allow us to pay our tax obligations and operating expenses, including distributions to fund any payments due under the TRA.
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
The unprecedented and rapid spread of COVID-19 as well as the shelter-in-place orders, promotion of social distancing measures, restrictions to businesses deemed non-essential, and travel restrictions implemented throughout the United States have significantly impacted the restaurant and hospitality industries – verticals in which we have predominantly focused on over the last decade.
In response to these developments, we have implemented measures to focus on the safety of our employees, including implementing remote working capabilities, and to support our merchants as they shift to take-out and delivery operations, while at the same time seeking to mitigate the impact on our financial position and operations.
We have also implemented new programs to help ease the burden for our merchants, encourage customers to support their local small businesses and restaurants and incentivize new merchants to enroll in our end-to-end payment platform. Specifically, we have:
|
• |
established www.shift4.com/situation in an effort to share data to educate political leaders and advocacy groups as to where aid needs to be prioritized; |
|
• |
released a gift card funding campaign to encourage consumers to support their favorite bars or restaurants by purchasing a gift card through our Shift4Cares.com website; and |
|
• |
implemented temporary fee waivers on certain products from March 2020 through June 2020 that did not have a material impact on financial performance. |
We believe we have sufficient liquidity to satisfy our cash needs, however, we continue to evaluate and take action, as necessary, to preserve adequate liquidity and ensure that our business can continue to operate during these uncertain times. Our business was not significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic until the latter part of March 2020, at which time our end-to-end payment volumes declined 70%. At that time, we took the following actions to increase liquidity and strengthen our financial position:
|
• |
furloughed approximately 25% of our employees of which approximately 75% had returned to work as of June 30, 2020; |
|
• |
accelerated approximately $30 million of annual expense reduction plans related to prior acquisitions, including the Merchant Link Acquisition; |
|
• |
re-prioritized our capital projects to defer certain non-essential improvements; |
|
• |
instituted a company-wide hiring freeze; and |
|
• |
reduced salaries for management across the organization. |
31
Since mid-March when shelter-in-place, social distancing, the closing of non-essential businesses and other restrictive measures were first put in place across the United States, we have seen a significant recovery in our end-to-end payment volumes and, for the trailing seven days leading up to June 30, 2020, end-to-end payment volumes were approximately 90% of pre-COVID volumes in 2020. While end-to-end payment volumes for the six months ended June 30, 2020 have exceeded those for the six months ended June 30, 2019, the ultimate impact that the COVID-19 pandemic will have on our consolidated results of operations in the second half of 2020 remains uncertain. We will continue to evaluate the nature and extent of these potential impacts to our business, consolidated results of operations, and liquidity. See “Risk Factors—Business risks—The recent novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, global pandemic has had and is expected to continue to have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.”
On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security, or CARES, Act was signed into law. The CARES Act provides a substantial stimulus and assistance package intended to address the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including tax relief and government loans, grants and investments. The CARES Act includes, among other things, provisions relating to payroll tax credits and deferrals, net operating loss carryback periods, alternative minimum tax credits and technical corrections to tax depreciation methods for qualified improvement property. Pursuant to the CARES Act, in June 2020, we submitted a carryback claim related to our net operating loss carryforward generated in 2018, which is expected to provide a cash tax savings of $0.6 million and is reflected in the condensed consolidated financial statements for the three and six months ended June 30, 2020. We will continue to monitor any effects that may result from the CARES Act or other government relief programs that are made available in the future.
Factors impacting our business and results of operations
In general, our results of operations are impacted by factors such as adoption of software integrated payment solutions, continued investment in core capabilities, on-going pursuit of strategic acquisitions, and macro-level economic trends.
Increased adoption of software-integrated payments. We primarily generate revenue through volume-based payments and transaction fees and subscription fees for software and technology solutions. We expect to grow this volume by attracting new software partners through our market-leading and innovative solutions. These software partners have proven to be an effective and efficient way of acquiring new merchants and servicing these relationships.
Continued focus on the sale of our end-to-end payments offering and resulting revenue mix shift. Our customers utilize our comprehensive solutions to solve a variety of business challenges. Currently, a large percentage of our merchant base uses only our proprietary gateway. As these merchants adopt our end-to-end payment solutions, our revenue per merchant and merchant retention are expected to increase.
Mix of our merchant base. The revenue contribution of our merchant portfolio is affected by several factors, including the amount of payment volume processed per merchant, the industry vertical in which the merchant operates, and the number of solutions implemented by the merchant. As the size and sophistication of our merchants change, we may experience shifts in the average revenue per merchant and the weighted average pricing of the portfolio.
Ability to attract and retain software partners. A key pillar of our Shift4 Model is our partner-centric distribution approach. We work with our software partners who are essential to helping us grow and serve our merchant base. Maintaining our product leadership and continued investment in innovative technology solutions is critical to attracting and retaining software partners.
Investment in product, distribution and operations. We make significant investments in both new product development and existing product enhancement, such as mobile point-of-sale and cloud enablement for our software partners’ existing systems. New product features and functionality are brought to market through varied distribution and promotional activities including collaborative efforts with industry leading software providers, trade shows, and customer conferences. Further, we will continue to invest in operational support in order to maintain service levels expected by our merchant customers. We believe these investments in product development and software integrations will lead to long-term growth and profitability. For example, in the second quarter of 2020, we released numerous new products and enhancements to help our merchants adapt to the rapidly changing commerce environment. These included numerous delivery/takeout products, contactless payment methods and QR code based mobile payment technologies.
Pursuit of strategic acquisitions. From time to time, we may pursue acquisitions as part of our ongoing growth strategy. While these acquisitions are intended to add long-term value, in the short term they may add redundant operating expenses or additional carrying costs until the underlying value is unlocked.
Economic conditions and resulting consumer spending trends. Changes in macro-level consumer spending trends, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, could affect the amount of volumes processed on our platform, thus resulting in fluctuations to our revenue streams. Further, consumer spending habits are subject to seasonal fluctuations that could cause varied revenue results across the quarters.
32
The following briefly describes the components of revenue and expenses as presented in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations.
Gross revenue consists primarily of payment-based revenue and subscriptions and other revenues:
Payment-based revenue includes fees for payment processing services, gateway services, data encryption and tokenization. Payment processing fees are primarily driven as a percentage of payment volume and a per transaction fee. They may also be based on minimum monthly usage fees.
Subscription and other revenues include software as a service, or SaaS, fees for point-of-sale systems provided to merchants. Point-of-sale SaaS fees are assessed based on the type and quantity of point-of-sale systems deployed to the merchant. This includes monthly minimums, statement fees, fees for our proprietary business intelligence software, annual fees, regulatory compliance fees and other miscellaneous services such as help desk support and warranties on equipment. This also includes revenue derived from third party residuals, automated teller machine services, and fees charged for technology support.
Cost of sales consists of interchange and processing fees, residual commissions, equipment and other costs of sales:
Interchange and processing fees represent payments to card issuing banks and assessments paid to card associations based on transaction processing volume. These also include fees incurred by third-parties for data transmission and settlement of funds, such as processors and sponsor banks.
Residual commissions represent monthly payments to software partners. These costs are typically based on a percentage of payment-based revenue.
Equipment represents our costs of devices that are purchased by the merchant.
Other costs of sales includes amortization of capitalized software development costs, capitalized software, acquired technology and capitalized customer acquisition costs. It also includes incentives, shipping and handling costs related to the delivery of devices and other contract fulfillment costs. Capitalized software development costs are amortized using the straight-lined method on a product-by-product basis over the estimated useful life of the software. Capitalized software, acquired technology and capitalized acquisition costs are amortized on a straight-line basis in accordance with our accounting policies.
General and administrative expenses consist primarily of compensation, benefits and other expenses associated with corporate management, finance, human resources, shared services, information technology and other activities. General and administrative expenses also include the cost of equipment deployed that does not have a corresponding revenue stream, such as demonstration equipment and certain customer upgrades.
Depreciation and amortization expense consists of depreciation and amortization expenses related to merchant relationships, trademarks and trade names, residual commission buyouts, equipment, leasehold improvements, and other intangible assets and property, plant and equipment. We depreciate and amortize our assets on a straight-line basis in accordance with our accounting policies. Leasehold improvements are depreciated over the lesser of the estimated life of the leasehold improvement or the remaining lease term. Maintenance and repairs, which do not extend the useful life of the respective assets, are charged to expense as incurred. Intangible assets are amortized on a straight-line basis over their estimated useful lives which range from two years to 15 years.
Professional fees consists of costs incurred for accounting, tax, legal, and consulting services.
Advertising and marketing expenses relate to costs incurred to participate in industry tradeshows and dealer conferences, advertising initiatives to build brand awareness, and expenses to fulfill loyalty program rewards earned by software partners.
Restructuring expenses relate to strategic initiatives we have taken that include, but are not limited to, severance or separation costs and other exit and disposal costs. These expenses are typically not reflective of our ongoing operations.
Other operating (income) expense, net consists of other operating items.
Loss on extinguishment of debt represents a loss recorded for the unamortized capitalized financing costs associated with the debt prepayment.
Other income, net primarily consists of other non-operating items.
Interest expense consists of interest costs incurred on our borrowings and amortization of capitalized financing costs.
Income tax benefit (provision) represents federal, state and local taxes based on income in multiple domestic jurisdictions.
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests arises from net loss from the non-owned portion of businesses where we have a controlling interest but less than 100% ownership. This represents the noncontrolling interests in Shift4 Payments, LLC and its consolidated subsidiaries, which is comprised of the income allocated to Continuing LLC Owners as a result of their proportional ownership of LLC interests.
33
Comparison of results for the three months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019
The following table sets forth the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations for the periods presented.
|
|
Three months ended June 30, |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
(in millions) |
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
|
$ change |
|
|
% change |
|
||||
Payments-based revenue |
|
$ |
121.2 |
|
|
$ |
159.5 |
|
|
$ |
(38.3 |
) |
|
|
(24.0 |
%) |
Subscription and other revenues |
|
|
20.6 |
|
|
|
21.0 |
|
|
|
(0.4 |
) |
|
|
(1.9 |
%) |
Total gross revenue |
|
|
141.8 |
|
|
|
180.5 |
|
|
|
(38.7 |
) |
|
|
(21.4 |
%) |
Less: network fees |
|
|
74.4 |
|
|
|
105.2 |
|
|
|
(30.8 |
) |
|
|
(29.3 |
%) |
Less: Other costs of sales |
|
|
35.1 |
|
|
|
31.7 |
|
|
|
3.4 |
|
|
|
10.7 |
% |
Gross profit |
|
|
32.3 |
|
|
|
43.6 |
|
|
|
(11.3 |
) |
|
|
(25.9 |
%) |
General and administrative expenses |
|
|
89.2 |
|
|
|
26.1 |
|
|
|
63.1 |
|
|
|
241.8 |
% |
Depreciation and amortization expense |
|
|
10.4 |
|
|
|
9.8 |
|
|
|
0.6 |
|
|
|
6.1 |
% |
Professional fees |
|
|
1.2 |
|
|
|
2.0 |
|
|
|
(0.8 |
) |
|
|
(40.0 |
%) |
Advertising and marketing expenses |
|
|
0.8 |
|
|
|
1.4 |
|
|
|
(0.6 |
) |
|
|
(42.9 |
%) |
Restructuring expenses |
|
|
0.1 |
|
|
|
0.1 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(— |
%) |
Other operating (income) expense, net |
|
|
(12.4 |
) |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(12.4 |
) |
|
NM |
|
|
Total operating expenses |
|
|
89.3 |
|
|
|
39.4 |
|
|
|
49.9 |
|
|
|
126.6 |
% |
(Loss) income from operations |
|
|
(57.0 |
) |
|
|
4.2 |
|
|
|
(61.2 |
) |
|
NM |
|
|
Loss on extinguishment of debt |
|
|
(7.1 |
) |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(7.1 |
) |
|
NM |
|
|
Other income, net |
|
|
0.2 |
|
|
|
0.7 |
|
|
|
(0.5 |
) |
|
|
(71.4 |
%) |
Interest expense |
|
|
(11.7 |
) |
|
|
(12.7 |
) |
|
|
1.0 |
|
|
|
(7.9 |
%) |
Loss before income taxes |
|
|
(75.6 |
) |
|
|
(7.8 |
) |
|
|
(67.8 |
) |
|
NM |
|
|
Income tax benefit (provision) |
|
|
0.6 |
|
|
|
(0.4 |
) |
|
|
1.0 |
|
|
|
(250.0 |
%) |
Net loss |
|
|
(75.0 |
) |
|
$ |
(8.2 |
) |
|
$ |
(66.8 |
) |
|
NM |
|
|
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests |
|
|
(1.0 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net loss attributable to Shift4 Payments, Inc. |
|
$ |
(74.0 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Gross Revenue
Gross revenue was $141.8 million for the three months ended June 30, 2020, compared to $180.5 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019, a decrease of $38.7 million or 21.4%. Gross revenue is comprised of payments-based revenue and subscription and other revenues.
Payments-based revenue was $121.2 million for the three months ended June 30, 2020, compared to $159.5 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019, a decrease of $38.3 million or 24.0%. The decrease in payments-based revenue is primarily driven by a decrease in end-to-end payment volume of $1.3 billion, or 22.9% for the three months ended June 30, 2020 as compared to the three months ended June 30, 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted our end-to-end payment volumes beginning mid-March when shelter-in-place, social distancing, the closing of non-essential businesses and other restrictive measures were first put in place across the United States. Since mid-March, we have seen a significant recovery in our end-to-end payment volumes and, for the trailing seven days leading up to June 30, 2020, end-to-end payment volumes are approximately 90% of pre-COVID-volumes in 2020.
Subscription and other revenues were $20.6 million for the three months ended June 30, 2020, compared to $21.0 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019, a decrease of $0.4 million or 1.9%. The decrease was driven primarily by a decline in hardware revenue and software license sales of $1.6 million, a decline in customer billing revenue due to temporary fee waivers on certain products from March 2020 through June 2020 of $1.9 million as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and a decline of $0.4 million related to third-party residual revenue, partially offset by the Merchant Link Acquisition, which contributed $3.7 million in the three months ended June 30, 2020.
Network Fees
Network fees were $74.4 million for the three months ended June 30, 2020, compared to $105.2 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019, a decrease of $30.8 million or 29.3%. This decrease is correlated with the decrease in end-to-end payment volume as described above.
Gross revenue less network fees was $67.4 million for the three months ended June 30, 2020, compared to $75.3 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019, a decrease of $7.9 million or 10.5%. The decrease in gross revenue less network fees is correlated with the decrease in end-to-end payment volume. See “—Key performance indicators and non-GAAP measures” for a reconciliation of gross profit to gross revenue less network fees.
34
Other costs of sales was $35.1 million for the three months ended June 30, 2020, compared to $31.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019, an increase of $3.4 million, or 10.7%. This increase was primarily a result of:
|
• |
an increase in equipment deployed for new contracts of $1.7 million; |
|
• |
the Merchant Link Acquisition, which contributed $1.6 million to other costs of sales for the three months ended June 30, 2020; |
|
• |
higher capitalized acquisition cost amortization of $1.2 million related to deal bonuses; partially offset by |
|
• |
a decline in gross revenue less network fees driving lower residual commissions of $1.4 million. |
Operating expenses
General and administrative expenses. General and administrative expenses were $89.2 million for the three months ended June 30, 2020, compared to $26.1 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019, an increase of $63.1 million or 241.8%. The increase was primarily due to equity-based compensation expense of $50.0 million and $11.0 million in change of control liabilities recognized as a result of the IPO. See Note 21 to our accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements for more information on equity-based compensation and Note 12 to our accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements for more information on the contingent liabilities. In addition, general and administrative expenses increased $5.6 million in 2020 due to the Merchant Link Acquisition.
Depreciation and amortization expense. Depreciation and amortization expense was $10.4 million for the three months ended June 30, 2020, compared to $9.8 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019, an increase of $0.6 million or 6.1%. The increase was primarily due to the Merchant Link Acquisition, which contributed $0.6 million to depreciation and amortization expense in the three months ended June 30, 2020.
Professional fees. Professional fees were $1.2 million for the three months ended June 30, 2020, compared to $2.0 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019, a decrease of $0.8 million or 40.0%. The decrease was primarily due to higher professional fees incurred in 2019 resulting from nonrecurring costs associated with activities to prepare for our IPO.
Advertising and marketing. Advertising and marketing expenses were $0.8 million for the three months ended June 30, 2020, compared to $1.4 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019, a decrease of $0.6 million or 42.9%. The decrease was primarily due to postponing trade shows originally scheduled during the second quarter of 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Restructuring expenses. Restructuring expenses were $0.1 million for both the three months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019. The restructuring expenses represent accretion on the one-time restructuring expenses incurred in 2018 for a historical acquisition. See Note 4 to our accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for more information on restructuring expenses.
Other operating (income) expense, net
Other operating (income) expense, net includes the impact of modifying the terms and conditions of our SaaS arrangements and updating our operational procedures. As a result, beginning June 30, 2020, hardware provided under our SaaS agreements is accounted for as an operating lease, whereas prior to June 30, 2020, these arrangements were accounted for as sales-type leases. An adjustment of $12.4 million was recorded to reflect the impact of the lease modifications. Prior to amending the terms, the sales-type lease accounting treatment impacted net income negatively by $4.0 million and $3.3 million for the three months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
Loss on extinguishment of debt
In connection with the pre-payment of $59.8 million on the First Lien Term Loan Facility and the full repayment of $130.0 million on the Second Lien Term Loan Facility, we incurred a non-cash loss on extinguishment of debt of $7.1 million representing the unamortized capitalized financing costs associated with the debt prepayment. See Note 10 to our accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for more information on the loss on extinguishment of debt.
Other income, net was $0.2 million for the three months ended June 30, 2020, compared to $0.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019, a decrease of $0.5 million or 71.4%. The decrease is driven by unearned contingent liabilities associated with our residual commission buyout agreements.
35
Interest expense was $11.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2020, compared to $12.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2019, a decrease of $1.0 million or 7.9%. This decrease in interest expense was primarily due to the pre-payments for the First Lien and Second Lien Term Loan Facilities, as well as the repayment of the Revolving Credit Facility, in June 2020, which impacted interest expense by approximately $1.2 million, partially offset by additional borrowings under the First Lien Term Loan Facility from refinancing our outstanding indebtedness in October 2019 and additional borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility during 2020 prior to the pre-payments.
Income tax provision
The effective tax rate for the three months ended June 30, 2020 was (0.8)%, compared to the effective tax rate for the three months ended June 30, 2019 of 5.1%. The 2020 income tax benefit was different than the U.S. federal statutory income tax rate of 21% primarily due to the loss allocated to the noncontrolling interest, changes in the valuation allowances in the United States and recording a tax benefit of $0.6 million for a net operating loss carryback at Shift4 Corporation which was allowed due to the CARES Act. The 2019 income tax expense was different than the U.S. federal statutory income tax rate of 21% primarily due to Shift4 Payments, LLC being treated as a partnership and not paying income tax. The change in the effective tax rate between the periods was primarily a result of a mix of earnings between entities, the 2020 net operating loss carryback due to the CARES Act and the change in the noncontrolling interest and valuation allowance adjustment.
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests of Shift4 Payments, LLC was $(1.0) million for the three months ended June 30, 2020. There was no net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests of Shift4 Payments, LLC for the three months ended June 30, 2019 as the Reorganization Transactions occurred on June 4,2020 and the IPO was consummated on June 9, 2020.
Net loss attributable to Shift4 Payments, Inc.
Net loss attributable to Shift4 Payments, Inc. was $(74.0) million for the three months ended June 30, 2020.
Comparison of results for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019
The following table sets forth the consolidated statements of operations for the periods presented.
|
|
Six months ended June 30, |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
(in millions) |
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
|
$ change |
|
|
% change |
|
||||
Payments-based revenue |
|
$ |
297.6 |
|
|
$ |
293.5 |
|
|
$ |
4.1 |
|
|
|
1.4 |
% |
Subscription and other revenues |
|
|
43.6 |
|
|
|
42.0 |
|
|
|
1.6 |
|
|
|
3.8 |
% |
Total gross revenue |
|
|
341.2 |
|
|
|
335.5 |
|
|
|
5.7 |
|
|
|
1.7 |
% |
Less: network fees |
|
|
194.7 |
|
|
|
193.9 |
|
|
|
0.8 |
|
|
|
0.4 |
% |
Less: Other costs of sales |
|
|
69.7 |
|
|
|
59.4 |
|
|
|
10.3 |
|
|
|
17.3 |
% |
Gross profit |
|
|
76.8 |
|
|
|
82.2 |
|
|
|
(5.4 |
) |
|
|
(6.6 |
%) |
General and administrative expenses |
|
|
111.5 |
|
|
|
52.6 |
|
|
|
58.9 |
|
|
|
112.0 |
% |
Depreciation and amortization expense |
|
|
20.9 |
|
|
|
19.6 |
|
|
|
1.3 |
|
|
|
6.6 |
% |
Professional fees |
|
|
2.9 |
|
|
|
3.8 |
|
|
|
(0.9 |
) |
|
|
(23.7 |
%) |
Advertising and marketing expenses |
|
|
2.1 |
|
|
|
2.8 |
|
|
|
(0.7 |
) |
|
|
(25.0 |
%) |
Restructuring expenses |
|
|
0.3 |
|
|
|
0.3 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(— |
%) |
Other operating (income) expense, net |
|
|
(12.4 |
) |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(12.4 |
) |
|
(NM |
|
|
Total operating expenses |
|
|
125.3 |
|
|
|
79.1 |
|
|
|
58.6 |
|
|
|
74.1 |
% |
(Loss) income from operations |
|
|
(48.5 |
) |
|
|
3.1 |
|
|
|
(64.0 |
) |
|
NM |
|
|
Loss on extinguishment of debt |
|
|
(7.1 |
) |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(7.1 |
) |
|
NM |
|
|
Other income, net |
|
|
0.1 |
|
|
|
0.9 |
|
|
|
(0.8 |
) |
|
|
(88.9 |
%) |
Interest expense |
|
|
(25.0 |
) |
|
|
(25.2 |
) |
|
|
0.2 |
|
|
|
(0.8 |
%) |
Loss before income taxes |
|
|
(80.5 |
) |
|
|
(21.2 |
) |
|
|
(71.7 |
) |
|
|
338.2 |
% |
Income tax benefit (provision) |
|
|
0.3 |
|
|
|
(0.5 |
) |
|
|
0.8 |
|
|
|
(160.0 |
%) |
Net loss |
|
|
(80.2 |
) |
|
$ |
(21.7 |
) |
|
$ |
(70.9 |
) |
|
|
326.7 |
% |
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests |
|
|
(1.0 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net loss attributable to Shift4 Payments, Inc. |
|
$ |
(79.2 |
) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
36
Gross Revenue
Gross revenue was $341.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020, compared to $335.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019, an increase of $5.7 million or 1.7%. Gross revenue is comprised of payments-based revenue and subscription and other revenues.
Payments-based revenue was $297.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020, compared to $293.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019, an increase of $4.1 million or 1.4%. The increase in payments-based revenue was driven by an increase in end-to-end payment volume of $0.2 billion or 2.0%, for the six months ended June 30, 2020 as compared to the six months ended June 30, 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted our end-to-end payment volumes beginning mid-March when shelter-in-place, social distancing, the closing of non-essential businesses and other restrictive measures were first put in place across the United States. Since mid-March, we have seen a significant recovery in our end-to-end payment volumes and, for the trailing seven days leading up to June 30, 2020, end-to-end payment volumes are approximately 90% of pre-COVID-volumes in 2020.
Subscription and other revenues were $43.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020, compared to $42.0 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019, an increase of $1.6 million or 3.8%. The increase was driven by the Merchant Link Acquisition, which contributed $7.3 million in the six months ended June 30, 2020, offset by a decline in customer billing revenue due to temporary fee waivers on certain products from March 2020 through June 2020 of $1.9 million as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a decline in hardware revenue and software license sales of $2.3 million, for the six months ended June 30, 2020 as compared to the six months ended June 30, 2019.
Network Fees
Network fees were $194.7 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020, compared to $193.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019, an increase of $0.8 million or 0.4%. This increase is correlated with the increase in end-to-end payment volume as described above.
Gross revenue less network fees was $146.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020, compared to $141.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019, an increase of $4.9 million or 3.5%. The increase in gross revenue less network fees is correlated with the increase in end-to-end payment volume. See “—Key performance indicators and non-GAAP measures” for a reconciliation of gross profit to gross revenue less network fees.
Other costs of sales
Other costs of sales was $69.7 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020, compared to $59.4 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019, an increase of $10.3 million, or 17.3%. This increase was primarily a result of:
|
• |
the Merchant Link Acquisition, which contributed $3.2 million to other costs of sales for the six months ended June 30, 2020; |
|
• |
higher capitalized acquisition cost amortization of $2.4 million related to deal bonuses; |
|
• |
an increase in equipment deployed for new contracts of $3.1 million; |
|
• |
higher capitalized software development amortization of $0.9 million; and |
|
• |
higher gross revenue less network fees driving higher residual commissions of $0.4 million. |
Operating expenses
General and administrative expenses. General and administrative expenses were $111.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020, compared to $52.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019, an increase of $58.9 million or 112.0%. The increase was primarily due to equity-based compensation expense of $50.0 million and $11.0 million in change of control liabilities recognized as a result of the IPO, offset by $13.8 million in non-cash adjustments for contingent liability valuations and deferred compensation arrangements. See Note 21 to our accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements for more information on equity-based compensation and Note 12 to our accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for more information on these contingent liabilities. In addition, general and administrative expenses increased $13.3 million in 2020 due to the Merchant Link Acquisition.
Depreciation and amortization expense. Depreciation and amortization expense was $20.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020, compared to $19.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019, an increase of $1.3 million or 6.6%. The increase was primarily due to the Merchant Link Acquisition, which contributed $1.1 million to depreciation and amortization expense in the six months ended June 30, 2020.
Professional fees. Professional fees were $2.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020, compared to $3.8 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019, a decrease of $0.9 million or 23.7%. The decrease was primarily due to higher professional fees incurred in 2019 resulting from nonrecurring costs associated with activities to prepare for our IPO.
Advertising and marketing. Advertising and marketing expenses were $2.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020, compared to $2.8 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019, a decrease of $0.7 million or 25.0%. The decrease was primarily due to postponing trade shows originally scheduled during the second quarter of 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
37
Restructuring expenses. Restructuring expenses were $0.3 million for both the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019. Restructuring expenses represent accretion on the one-time restructuring expenses incurred in 2018 for a historical acquisition. See Note 4 to our accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for more information on restructuring expenses.
Other operating (income) expense, net
Other operating (income) expense, net includes the impact of modifying the terms and conditions of our SaaS arrangements and updating our operational procedures. As a result, beginning June 30, 2020, hardware provided under our SaaS agreements is accounted for as an operating lease, whereas prior to June 30, 2020, these arrangements were accounted for as sales-type leases. An adjustment of $12.4 million was recorded to reflect the impact of the lease modifications. Prior to amending the terms, the sales-type lease accounting treatment impacted net income negatively by $8.6 million and $6.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020 and 2019, respectively.
Loss on extinguishment of debt
In connection with the pre-payment of $59.8 million on the First Lien Term Loan Facility and the full repayment of $130.0 million on the Second Lien Term Loan Facility, we incurred a non-cash loss on extinguishment of debt of $7.1 million representing the unamortized capitalized financing costs associated with the prepaid debt. See Note 10 to our accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for more information.
Other income, net was $0.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020, compared to $0.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019, a decrease of $0.8 million or 88.9%. The decrease is driven by unearned contingent liabilities associated with our residual commission buyout agreements.
Interest expense
Interest expense was $25.0 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020, compared to $25.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020, a decrease of $0.2 million or 0.8%. This decrease in interest expense was primarily due to the pre-payments for the First Lien and Second Lien Term Loan Facilities, as well as the repayment of the Revolving Credit Facility, in June 2020, which impacted interest expense by approximately $1.2 million, partially offset by additional borrowings under the First Lien Term Loan Facility from refinancing of our outstanding indebtedness in October 2019 and additional borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility during 2020 prior to the pre-payments.
Income tax provision
The effective tax rate for the six months ended June 30, 2020 was (0.4)%, compared to the effective tax rate for the six months ended June 30, 2019 of 2.4%. The 2020 income tax benefit was different than the U.S. federal statutory income tax rate of 21% primarily due to the loss allocated to the noncontrolling interest, changes in the valuation allowances in the United States and recording a tax benefit of $0.6 million for a net operating loss carryback at Shift4 Corporation which was allowed due to the CARES Act. The 2019 income tax expense was different than the U.S. federal statutory income tax rate of 21% primarily due to Shift4 Payments, LLC being treated as a partnership and not paying income tax. The change in the effective tax rate between the periods was primarily a result of a mix of earnings between entities, the 2020 net operating loss carryback due to the CARES Act and the change in the noncontrolling interest and valuation allowance adjustment.
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests
Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests of Shift4 Payments, LLC was $(1.0) million for the six months ended June 30, 2020. There was no net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests of Shift4 Payments, LLC for the six months ended June 30, 2019 as the Reorganization Transactions occurred on June 4, 2020 and the IPO was consummated on June 9, 2020.
Net loss attributable to Shift4 Payments, Inc.
Net loss attributable to Shift4 Payments, Inc. was $(79.2) million for the six months ended June 30, 2020.
38
Key performance indicators and non-GAAP measures
The following table sets forth our key performance indicators and non-GAAP measures for the periods presented.
End-to-end payment volume
End-to-end payment volume is defined as the total dollar amount of card payments that we authorize and settle on behalf of our merchants. This volume does not include volume processed through our gateway-only merchants.
Gross revenue less network fees, EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA
We use supplemental measures of our performance which are derived from our consolidated financial information but which are not presented in our consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP. These non-GAAP financial measures include: gross revenue less network fees, which includes interchange and assessment fees; earnings before interest expense, income taxes, depreciation, and amortization, or EBITDA; and adjusted EBITDA. Gross revenue less network fees represents a key performance metric that management uses to measure changes in the mix and value derived from our customer base as we continue to execute our strategy to expand our reach to serve larger, complex merchants. Adjusted EBITDA is the primary financial performance measure used by management to evaluate its business and monitor results of operations. Adjusted EBITDA represents EBITDA further adjusted for certain non-cash and other non-recurring items that management believes are not indicative of ongoing operations. These adjustments include acquisition, restructuring and integration costs, equity-based compensation expense, management fees and other nonrecurring items.
We use non-GAAP financial measures to supplement financial information presented on a GAAP basis. We believe that excluding certain items from our GAAP results allows management to better understand our consolidated financial performance from period to period and better project our future consolidated financial performance as forecasts are developed at a level of detail different from that used to prepare GAAP-based financial measures. Moreover, we believe these non-GAAP financial measures provide our stakeholders with useful information to help them evaluate our operating results by facilitating an enhanced understanding of our operating performance and enabling them to make more meaningful period to period comparisons. There are limitations to the use of the non-GAAP financial measures presented in this report. Our non-GAAP financial measures may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies. Other companies, including companies in our industry, may calculate non-GAAP financial measures differently than we do, limiting the usefulness of those measures for comparative purposes.
The non-GAAP financial measures are not meant to be considered as indicators of performance in isolation from or as a substitute for net income (loss) prepared in accordance with GAAP, and should be read only in conjunction with financial information presented on a GAAP basis. Reconciliations of EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA to its most directly comparable GAAP financial measure are presented below. We encourage you to review the reconciliations in conjunction with the presentation of the non-GAAP financial measures for each of the periods presented. In future fiscal periods, we may exclude such items and may incur income and expenses similar to these excluded items.
Reconciliations of gross revenue less network fees, EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA
The tables below provide reconciliations of gross profit to gross revenue less network fees and net loss on a consolidated basis for the periods presented to EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA.
Gross revenue less network fees:
39
|
Three months ended June 30, |
|
|
Six months ended June 30, |
|
||||||||||
(in millions) |
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
|
2020 |
|
|
2019 |
|
||||
Net loss |
$ |
(75.0 |
) |
|
$ |
(8.2 |
) |
|
|
(80.2 |
) |
|
|
(21.7 |
) |
Interest expense |
|
11.7 |
|
|
|
12.7 |
|
|
|
25.0 |
|
|
|
25.2 |
|
Income tax (benefit) provision |
|
(0.6 |
) |
|
|
0.4 |
|
|
|
(0.3 |
) |
|
|
0.5 |
|
Depreciation and amortization expense |
|
18.1 |
|
|
|
15.3 |
|
|
|
35.8 |
|
|
|
30.2 |
|
EBITDA |
|
(45.8 |
) |
|
|
20.2 |
|
|
|
(19.7 |
) |
|
|
34.2 |
|
Acquisition, restructuring and integration costs (a) |
|
12.9 |
|
|
|
4.2 |
|
|
|
3.1 |
|
|
|
10.9 |
|
Equity-based compensation (b) |
|
50.0 |
|
|
|
— |
|
|
|
50.0 |
|
|
|
— |
|
Impact of lease modifications (c) |
|
(12.4 |
) |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
(12.4 |
) |
|
|
— |
|
Management fees (d) |
|
0.3 |
|
|
|
0.5 |
|
|
|
0.8 |
|
|
|
1.0 |
|
Other nonrecurring items (e) |
|
9.8 |
|
|
|
(0.9 |
) |
|
|
10.5 |
|
|
|
(1.5 |
) |
Adjusted EBITDA |
$ |
14.8 |
|
|
$ |
24.0 |
|
|
|
32.3 |
|
|
$ |
44.6 |
|
(b) |
Represents the equity-based compensation expense for restricted stock units that vest over time and are not subject to continued service, as well as the restricted stock units that vest ratably over time and are subject to continued employment. See Note 21 to our accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements for more information on equity-based compensation. |
(d) |
Represents fees to the Continuing Equity Owners for consulting and managing services through the date of the IPO. These fees are not required to be paid subsequent to the IPO. See Note 15 to the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for more information about these related party transactions. |
Liquidity and capital resources
Overview
We have historically sourced our liquidity requirements primarily with cash flow from operations and, when needed, with borrowings under our Credit Facilities. The principal uses for liquidity have been debt service, capital expenditures (including research and development) and funds required to finance acquisitions. Given the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the restaurant and hospitality industries, we continue to evaluate and take action, as necessary, to preserve adequate liquidity and ensure we can continue to operate during these uncertain times.
The following table sets forth summary cash flow information for the periods presented.
Operating activities
Net cash provided by operating activities consists of net loss adjusted for certain non-cash items and changes in other assets and liabilities.
For the six months ended June 30, 2020, cash provided by operating activities of $6.7 million is primarily a result of:
40
|
of $7.1 million, revaluation of contingent liabilities of $(7.0) million, provision for bad debts of $5.4 million and amortization of capitalized financing costs of $2.1 million; plus, |
|
• |
changes in operating assets and liabilities of $6.0 million, which is primarily a result of change of control liabilities established at the time of the IPO of $11.0 million, offset by working capital fluctuations. |
For the six months ended June 30, 2019, cash provided by operating activities of $22.9 million is primarily a result of:
|
• |
net loss of $(21.7) million adjusted for non-cash expenses, including depreciation and amortization of $30.2 million, revaluation of contingent liabilities of $6.8 million, provision for bad debts of $2.5 million and amortization of capitalized financing costs of $1.9 million; plus, |
|
• |
changes in operating assets and liabilities of $3.5 million, which is a result of working capital fluctuations, primarily due to the deferred tenant improvement allowance received for leasehold improvements made to our Las Vegas office. |
Investing activities
Net cash used in investing activities includes purchases of future commission streams of our software partners, purchases of property and equipment, capitalized software development costs and upfront processing bonuses provided to software partners.
Net cash used in investing activities was $16.7 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020, a decrease of $1.2 million compared to net cash used in investing activities of $17.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019. This decrease is primarily the result of:
|
• |
a decrease of $4.8 million in acquisition of property, plant and equipment driven by leasehold improvements made in 2019 to our Las Vegas office; partially offset by, |
|
• |
an increase of $2.9 million in capitalized software development costs driven by development for additional new products and enhancements and timing of when technological feasibility is established; and, |
|
• |
an increase in costs to obtain contracts of $1.0 million due to growth in merchants that subscribe to our end-to-end payments platform. |
Net cash provided by financing activities was $250.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2020, an increase of $254.9 million, compared to net cash used in financing activities of $4.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2019. This increase was primarily due to the IPO and concurrent private placement net proceeds of approximately $465.7 million after deducting underwriting discounts, commissions and offering costs paid in 2020, offset by the partial repayment of the First Lien Term Loan Facility and full repayment of our Second Lien Term Loan Facility, totaling $189.8 million.
Credit Facilities
As of June 30, 2020, we had $450.0 million outstanding under the First Lien Term Loan Facility. Both the Second Lien Term Loan Facility and the Revolving Credit Facility were paid in full using the proceeds from the IPO and concurrent private placement. The Revolving Credit Facility has a borrowing capacity of $89.5 million, net of a $0.5 million letter of credit. As of June 30, 2020, we had no outstanding borrowings under the Revolving Credit Facility.
41
The only significant changes in contractual obligations since December 31, 2019, as disclosed in the Prospectus, result from payments during the six months ended June 30, 2020 on our Credit Facilities and Revolving Credit Facility. See Note 10 in the notes to the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements for further information about our debt financings. The table below reflects obligations based on the amounts outstanding at June 30, 2020.
|
|
Payments due by period |
|
|||||||||||||
(in millions) |
|
Total |
|
|
2020 (remaining six months) |
|
|
2021 and 2022 |
|
|
2023 and 2024 |
|
||||
Long-term debt |
|
$ |
450.0 |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
— |
|
|
$ |
450.0 |
|
Interest on long-term debt (1) |
|
|
111.0 |
|
|
|
12.7 |
|
|
|
50.2 |
|
|
|
48.1 |
|
Other financing arrangements |
|
|
2.6 |
|
|
|
1.4 |
|
|
|
1.2 |
|
|
|
— |
|
Total |
|
$ |
563.6 |
|
|
$ |
14.1 |
|
|
$ |
51.4 |
|
|
$ |
498.1 |
|
(1) |
Assumes interest payment through stated maturity. Payments herein are subject to change, as payments for variable rate debt have been estimated. |
Off-balance sheet arrangements
During the periods presented, we did not engage in any off-balance sheet financing activities other than those reflected in the notes to the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
Critical accounting policies
Our discussion and analysis of our historical financial condition and results of operations for the periods described is based on our audited consolidated financial statements, and our unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements, each of which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of these historical financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates, assumptions and judgments in certain circumstances that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities and contingencies as of the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting periods. We evaluate our assumptions and estimates on an ongoing basis. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Additionally, the full impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is unknown and cannot be reasonably estimated. However, we have made accounting estimates for our allowance for doubtful accounts, valuation of our contingent liabilities, other intangible assets and goodwill based on the facts and circumstances available as of the reporting date. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
We have provided a summary of our significant accounting policies in Note 1 to our accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements. The following critical accounting discussion pertains to accounting policies management believes are most critical to the portrayal of our historical financial condition and results of operations and that require significant, difficult, subjective or complex judgments. Other companies in similar businesses may use different estimation policies and methodologies, which may impact the comparability of our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows to those of other companies.
Revenue recognition
Application of the accounting principles in U.S. GAAP related to the measurement and recognition of revenue requires us to make judgments and estimates. Complex arrangements with nonstandard terms and conditions may require significant contract interpretation to determine the appropriate accounting. Specifically, the determination of whether we are a principal to a transaction or an agent can require considerable judgment. We have concluded that we are the principal in our payment processing arrangements as we control the service on our payments platform, which is transformative in nature and allows for front-end and back-end risk mitigation, merchant portability, third party software integrations, and enhanced reporting functionality. We also contract directly with our merchants and have complete pricing latitude on the processing fees charged to our merchants. As such, we bear the credit risk for network fees and transactions charged back to the merchant. In addition, our SaaS arrangements include multiple performance obligations with differing patterns of revenue recognition. For such arrangements, we allocate revenue to each performance obligation based on its relative standalone selling price, which is based on the fair value of each product and service. Changes in judgments with respect to these assumptions and estimates could impact the amount of revenue recognized.
Business combinations
Upon acquisition of a company, we determine if the transaction is a business combination, which is accounted for using the acquisition method of accounting. Under the acquisition method, once control is obtained of a business, the assets acquired, and liabilities assumed, including
42
amounts attributed to noncontrolling interests, are recorded at fair value. We use our best estimates and assumptions to assign fair value to the tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed at the acquisition date. One of the most significant estimates relates to the determination of the fair value of these assets and liabilities. The determination of the fair values is based on estimates and judgments made by management. Our estimates of fair value are based upon assumptions we believe to be reasonable, but which are inherently uncertain and unpredictable. Measurement period adjustments are reflected at the time identified, up through the conclusion of the measurement period, which is the time at which all information for determination of the values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed is received, and is not to exceed one year from the acquisition date. We may record adjustments to the fair value of these tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed, with the corresponding offset to goodwill.
Additionally, uncertain tax positions and tax-related valuation allowances are initially recorded in connection with a business combination as of the acquisition date. We continue to collect information and reevaluate these estimates and assumptions periodically and record any adjustments to preliminary estimates to goodwill, provided we are within the measurement period. If outside of the measurement period, any subsequent adjustments are recorded to the consolidated statement of operations.
Goodwill and intangible assets
We perform a goodwill impairment test annually at October 1 and whenever events or circumstances make it more likely than not that impairment may have occurred. We have determined that our business comprises one reporting unit. We have the option to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether events or circumstances indicate it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is greater than its carrying amount, in which case a quantitative impairment test is not required.
Intangible assets with finite lives are amortized over their estimated useful life on a straight-line basis. We monitor conditions related to these assets to determine whether events and circumstances warrant a revision to the remaining amortization or depreciation period. We test these assets for potential impairment whenever our management concludes events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount may not be recoverable. The original estimate of an asset’s useful life and the impact of an event or circumstance on either an asset’s useful life or carrying value involve significant judgment regarding estimates of the future cash flows associated with each asset.
Income taxes
Shift4 Payments, LLC is considered a flow-through entity for U.S. federal and most applicable state and local income tax purposes. As a flow-through entity, taxable income or loss from Shift4 Payments, LLC is passed through to and included in the taxable income of its members.
Following the Reorganization Transactions and the consummation of the IPO, Shift4 Payments, LLC continues to be treated as a pass-through entity. Shift4 Payments, Inc. is subject to U.S. federal, state and local income taxes with respect to our allocable share of any taxable income of Shift4 Payments, LLC and will be taxed at the prevailing corporate tax rates.
We entered into a TRA with Shift4 Payments, LLC, each of the Continuing Equity Owners and each of the Blocker Shareholders that will provide for the payment by Shift4 Payments, Inc. to the Continuing Equity Owners of 85% of the amount of certain tax benefits, if any, that Shift4 Payments Inc. actually realizes or in some circumstances is deemed to realize in its tax reporting, as a result of (1) the increases in our share of the tax basis of assets of Shift4 Payments, LLC resulting from any redemptions of LLC interests from the Continuing Equity Owners, (2) our utilization of certain tax attributes of the Blocker Companies and (3) certain other tax benefits related to making our payments under the TRA.
In addition to tax expenses, we will also make payments under the TRA, which we expect to be significant. We will account for the income tax effects and corresponding TRA’s effects resulting from future taxable purchases or redemptions of LLC Interests of the Continuing LLC Owners by us or Shift4 Payments, LLC or the Blocker Shareholders by recognizing an increase in our deferred tax assets, based on enacted tax rates at the date of the purchase or redemption. Further, we will evaluate the likelihood that we will realize the benefit represented by the deferred tax asset and, to the extent that we estimate that it is more likely than not that we will not realize the benefit, we will reduce the carrying amount of the deferred tax asset with a valuation allowance. The amounts to be recorded for both the deferred tax assets and the liability for our obligations under the TRA will be estimated at the time of any purchase or redemption as a reduction to shareholders’ equity, and the effects of changes in any of our estimates after this date will be included in net income (loss). Similarly, the effect of subsequent changes in the enacted tax rates will be included in net income (loss) . We currently believe that all deferred tax assets will be recovered based upon the projected profitability of our operations. Judgement is required in assessing the future tax consequences of events that have been recognized in Shift4 Payments, Inc.’s financial statements. A change in the assessment of such consequences, such as realization of deferred tax assets, changes in tax laws or interpretations thereof could materially impact our results. As we currently do not generate taxable income, the consolidated financial statements assume that no payments under the TRA will be made.
Noncontrolling Interests
After the Reorganization Transactions, we are the sole managing member of Shift4 Payments, LLC. We own 49.8% of the economic interest of Shift4 Payments, LLC and we have the majority of the voting interest in and control the management of Shift4 Payments, LLC. As a result, we consolidate the financial results of Shift4 Payments, LLC and report a noncontrolling interest of 50.2% related to the interests in Shift4 Payments, LLC held by the Continuing Equity Holders on our unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet.
43
For information regarding new accounting pronouncements, and the impact of these pronouncements on our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, if any, refer to Note 1 to our accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
JOBS Act
We qualify as an “emerging growth company” pursuant to the provisions of the JOBS Act, enacted on April 5, 2012. Section 102 of the JOBS Act provides that an “emerging growth company” can take advantage of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. We are electing to delay the adoption of new or revised accounting standards, and as a result, we may not comply with new or revised accounting standards on the relevant dates on which adoption of such standards is required for non-emerging growth companies. As a result, our consolidated financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates.
We are in the process of evaluating the benefits of relying on other exemptions and reduced reporting requirements provided by the JOBS Act. Subject to certain conditions set forth in the JOBS Act, if as an emerging growth company we choose to rely on such exemptions, we may not be required to, among other things, (1) provide an auditor’s attestation report on our systems of internal controls over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404, (2) provide all of the compensation disclosure that may be required of non-emerging growth public companies under the Dodd-Frank Act, (3) comply with the requirement of the PCAOB regarding the communication of critical audit matters in the auditor’s report on the financial statements, and (4) disclose certain executive compensation-related items such as the correlation between executive compensation and performance and comparisons of the Chief Executive Officer’s compensation to median employee compensation. These exemptions will apply until we no longer meet the requirements of being an emerging growth company. We will remain an emerging growth company until the earlier of (a) the last day of the fiscal year (i) following the fifth anniversary of the completion of our IPO, (ii) in which we have total annual gross revenue of at least $1.07 billion or (iii) in which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer, which means the market value of our common stock that is held by non-affiliates exceeds $700.0 million as of the last business day of our prior second fiscal quarter, and (b) the date on which we have issued more than $1.07 billion in non-convertible debt during the prior three-year period.
Item 3: Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Our future income, cash flows and fair values relevant to financial instruments are subject to risks relating to interest rates.
We are subject to interest rate risk in connection with our Credit Facilities, which have variable interest rates. The interest rates on these facilities are based on a fixed margin plus a market interest rate, which can fluctuate accordingly but is subject to a minimum rate. Interest rate changes do not affect the market value of such debt, but could impact the amount of our interest payments, and accordingly, our future earnings and cash flows, assuming other factors are held constant.
As of June 30, 2020, we had approximately $450.0 million of variable rate debt outstanding, none of which was subject to an interest rate hedge. In the future, the interest rate may increase, and we may be subject to interest rate risk. Based on the amount outstanding on our Credit Facilities on June 30, 2020, an increase of 100 basis points in the applicable interest rate would increase our annual interest expense by approximately $4.5 million. A decrease of 100 basis points in the applicable rate (assuming such reduction would not be below the minimum rate) would reduce our annual interest expense by approximately $4.5 million.
Item 4: Controls and Procedures
Limitations on Effectiveness of Controls and Procedures
In designing and evaluating our disclosure controls and procedures, management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives. In addition, the design of disclosure controls and procedures must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints and that management is required to apply judgment in evaluating the benefits of possible controls and procedures relative to their costs.
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Our management, with the participation of our principal executive officer and principal financial officer, evaluated, as of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act). Based on that evaluation, our principal executive officer and principal financial officer concluded that, as of June 30, 2020, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective at the reasonable assurance level.
Changes in internal control over financial reporting
There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act) during the three months ended June 30, 2020 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
44
We are, from time to time, party to various claims and legal proceedings arising out of our ordinary course of business, but we do not believe that any of these existing claims or proceedings will have a material effect on our business, consolidated financial condition or results of operations.
Investing in our Class A common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully consider the risks described below, as well as the other information in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, including our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and the related notes as well as our other public filings with the SEC, before deciding to invest in our Class A common stock. The occurrence of any of the events described below could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations, liquidity or prospects. In such an event, the market price of our Class A common stock could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also impair our business.
Business risks
The recent novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, global pandemic has had and is expected to continue to have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
In late 2019, COVID-19 was first detected in Wuhan, China. In March 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic, and governmental authorities around the world have implemented measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19. These measures, including “shelter-in-place” orders suggested or mandated by governmental authorities or otherwise elected by companies as a preventive measure, have adversely affected workforces, customers, consumer sentiment, economies, and financial markets, and, along with decreased consumer spending, have led to an economic downturn in the United States.
Numerous state and local jurisdictions, including in markets where we operate, have imposed, and others in the future may impose, “shelter-in-place” orders, quarantines, travel restrictions, executive orders and similar government orders and restrictions for their residents to control the spread of COVID-19. For example, the federal and state governments in the United States have imposed social distancing measures and restrictions on movement, only allowing essential businesses to remain open. Such orders or restrictions have resulted in the temporary closure of many of our merchant operations, work stoppages, slowdowns and delays, mandatory remote operations, travel restrictions and cancellation of events, among other effects, any of which may materially impact our business and results of operations.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we experienced a significant decrease in our payments volumes and expect the impact of shelter-in-place orders and other government measures to continue to significantly impact our business, results of operations and cash flows for the foreseeable future. As result of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of our hospitality merchants have experienced an 80% or greater decline in transaction volumes from pre-COVID-19 levels and many of our restaurant merchants are limited to take-out or delivery business only.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, we have:
|
• |
drawn $68.5 million under our revolving credit facility in the three months ended March 31, 2020, which was repaid as of June 30, 2020; |
|
• |
furloughed approximately 25% of our employees, of which approximately 75% returned to work as of June 30, 2020; |
|
• |
accelerated approximately $30 million of annual expense reduction plans related to previous acquisitions; |
|
• |
re-prioritized our capital projects; |
|
• |
instituted a company-wide hiring freeze; and |
|
• |
reduced salaries for management across the organization. |
Due to the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, we will continue to assess the situation, including abiding by any government-imposed restrictions, market by market. We are unable to accurately predict the ultimate impact that the COVID-19 pandemic will have on our operations going forward due to uncertainties that will be dictated by the length of time that such disruptions continue, which will, in turn, depend on the currently unknowable duration and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of governmental regulations that might be imposed in response to the pandemic, the impact of remote operations, the speed and extent to which normal economic and operating conditions will resume and overall changes in consumer behavior. In particular, even as our merchants re-open and adapt their operations, we cannot accurately predict the ongoing impact of government regulations and changing consumer behavior on our business. While we have not seen a meaningful degradation in new merchant sign-ups or an increase in existing merchant attrition as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is possible that those business trends change if economic hardship across the country forces merchant closures. Any significant reduction in
45
consumer visits to, or spending at, our merchants, would result in a loss of revenue to us. In particular, we cannot accurately forecast the potential impact of additional outbreaks as government restrictions are relaxed, further shelter-in-place or other government restrictions implemented in response to such outbreaks, the impact that weather has on merchants as a result of such restrictions, or the impact on the ability of our merchants to remain in business as a result of the ongoing pandemic, which could result in additional chargeback or merchant receivable losses, any future outbreak or any government restrictions related thereto.
In addition, the global deterioration in economic conditions, which may have an adverse impact on discretionary consumer spending, could also impact our business. For instance, consumer spending may be negatively impacted by general macroeconomic conditions, including a rise in unemployment, and decreased consumer confidence resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Changing consumer behaviors as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic may also have a material impact on our payments-based revenue for the foreseeable future, particularly for the hospitality and restaurant industries, verticals upon which we have predominantly focused on over the last decade.
In the past, governments have taken unprecedented actions in an attempt to address and rectify these extreme market and economic conditions by providing liquidity and stability to financial markets. If these actions are not successful, the return of adverse economic conditions may cause a material impact on our ability to raise capital, if needed, on a timely basis and on acceptable terms or at all.
To the extent the COVID-19 pandemic adversely affects our business and financial results, it may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in this “Risk Factors” section, such as those relating to our liquidity, indebtedness and our ability to comply with the covenants contained in the agreements that govern our indebtedness.
Substantial and increasingly intense competition worldwide in the financial services, payments and payment technology industries may adversely affect our overall business and operations.
The financial services, payments and payment technology industries are highly competitive, and our payment services and solutions compete against all forms of financial services and payment systems, including cash and checks and electronic, mobile, e-commerce and integrated payment platforms. Many of the areas in which we compete are evolving rapidly with changing and disruptive technologies, shifting user needs, and frequent introductions of new products and services. We compete against a wide range of businesses with varying roles within the payments value chain. If we are unable to differentiate ourselves from our competitors and drive value for our customers, we may not be able to compete effectively. Our competitors may introduce their own value-added or other innovative services or solutions more effectively than we do, which could adversely impact our current competitive position and prospects for growth. Our competitors also may be able to offer and provide services that we do not offer. We also compete against new entrants that have developed alternative payment systems, e-commerce payment systems, payment systems for mobile devices and customized integrated software payment solutions. Failure to compete effectively against any of these competitive threats could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. In addition, some of our competitors are larger and/or have greater financial resources than us, enabling them to maintain a wider range of product offerings, mount extensive promotional campaigns and be more aggressive in offering products and services at lower rates, which may adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Potential changes in competitive landscape, including disintermediation from other participants in the payments chain, could harm our business.
We expect the competitive landscape will continue to change in a variety of ways, including:
|
• |
rapid and significant changes in technology, resulting in new and innovative payment methods and programs, that could place us at a competitive disadvantage and reduce the use of our products and services; |
|
• |
competitors, including third-party processors (such as Chase Paymentech, Elavon, Fiserv, Global Payments and Worldpay) and integrated payment providers (such as Adyen, Lightspeed POS, Shopify and Square), merchants, governments and/or other industry participants may develop products and services that compete with or replace our value-added products and services, including products and services that enable payment networks and banks to transact with consumers directly; |
|
• |
participants in the financial services, payments and payment technology industries may merge, create joint ventures, or form other business combinations that may strengthen their existing business services or create new payment services that compete with our services; and |
|
• |
new services and technologies that we develop may be impacted by industry-wide solutions and standards related to migration to Europay, Mastercard and Visa, or EMV, standards, including chip technology, tokenization and other safety and security technologies. |
46
Certain competitors could use strong or dominant positions in one or more markets to gain a competitive advantage against us, such as by integrating competing platforms or features into products they control such as search engines, web browsers, mobile device operating systems or social networks; by making acquisitions; or by making access to our platform more difficult. Further, current and future competitors could choose to offer a different pricing model or to undercut prices in the market or our prices in an effort to increase their market share. Failure to compete effectively against any of these or other competitive threats could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Our ability to anticipate and respond to changing industry trends and the needs and preferences of our merchants and consumers may adversely affect our competitiveness or the demand for our products and services.
The financial services, payments and payments technology industries are subject to rapid technological advancements, resulting in new products and services, including mobile payment applications and customized integrated software payment solutions, and an evolving competitive landscape, as well as changing industry standards and merchant and consumer needs and preferences. We expect that new services and technologies applicable to the financial services, payments and payment technology industries will continue to emerge and external factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic may accelerate such emergence. These changes may limit the competitiveness of and demand for our services. Also, our merchants continue to adopt new technology for business. We must anticipate and respond to these changes in order to remain competitive within our relative markets. In addition, failure to develop value-added services that meet the needs and preferences of our merchants could adversely affect our ability to compete effectively in our industry. Any new solution we develop or acquire might not be introduced in a timely or cost-effective manner and might not achieve the broad market acceptance necessary to generate significant revenue. In addition, these solutions could become subject to legal or regulatory requirements, which could prohibit or slow the development and provision of such new solutions and/or our adoption thereof. Furthermore, our merchants’ potential negative reaction to our products and services can spread quickly through social media and damage our reputation before we have the opportunity to respond. Improving and enhancing the functionality, performance, reliability, design, security and scalability of our platform is expensive, time-consuming and complex, and to the extent we are not able to do so in a manner that responds to our merchants’ evolving needs, our business, financial condition and results of operations will be adversely affected. If we are unable to anticipate or respond to technological or industry standard changes on a timely basis, our ability to remain competitive could be adversely affected.
Because we rely on third-party vendors to provide products and services, we could be adversely impacted if they fail to fulfill their obligations.
We depend on third-party vendors for certain products and services, including components of our computer systems, software, data centers and telecommunications networks, to conduct our business. Any changes in these systems that degrade the functionality of our products and services, impose additional costs or requirements on it, or give preferential treatment to competitors’ services, including their own services, could materially and adversely affect usage of our products and services. For example, we are dependent on our relationship with a single third-party processor for services such as merchant authorization, processing, risk and chargeback monitoring accounting and clearing and settlement for the transactions we service. In the event our agreement with our third-party processor is terminated, or if upon its expiration we are unable to renew the contract on terms favorable to us, or at all, it may be difficult for us to replace these services which may adversely affect our operations and profitability.
We also rely on third parties for specific software and devices used in providing our products and services. Some of these organizations and service providers provide similar services and technology to our competitors, and we do not have long-term or exclusive contracts with them.
Our systems and operations or those of our merchants and software partners could be exposed to damage or interruption from, among other things, fire, natural disaster, power loss, telecommunications failure, unauthorized entry, computer viruses, denial-of-service attacks, acts of terrorism, human error, vandalism or sabotage, financial insolvency, bankruptcy and similar events. For example, the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic may impact our results will depend on future developments, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted, including new information which may emerge concerning the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic and the actions to contain COVID-19 or treat its impact, among others. In addition, we may be unable to renew our existing contracts with our most significant merchants and software and partners or our merchants and software partners may stop providing or otherwise supporting the products and services we obtain from them, and we may not be able to obtain these or similar products or services on the same or similar terms as our existing arrangements, if at all. The failure of our third-party vendors to perform their obligations and provide the products and services we obtain from them in a timely manner for any reason could adversely affect our operations and profitability due to, among other consequences:
|
• |
loss of revenues; |
|
• |
loss of merchants and software partners; |
|
• |
loss of merchant and cardholder data; |
|
• |
fines imposed by payment networks; |
47
|
• |
exposure to fraud losses or other liabilities; |
|
• |
additional operating and development costs; or |
|
• |
diversion of management, technical and other resources. |
Acquisitions create certain risks and may adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
We have acquired businesses and may continue to make acquisitions of businesses or assets in the future. The acquisition and integration of businesses or assets involve a number of risks. These risks include valuation (determining a fair price for the business or assets), integration (managing the process of integrating the acquired business’ people, products, technology and other assets to extract the value and synergies projected to be realized in connection with the acquisition), regulation (obtaining regulatory or other government approvals that may be necessary to complete the acquisition) and due diligence (including identifying risks to the prospects of the business, including undisclosed or unknown liabilities or restrictions to be assumed in the acquisition). In addition, a significant portion of the purchase price of companies we acquire may be allocated to acquired goodwill, and other intangible assets. We are required to test goodwill and any other intangible assets with an indefinite life for possible impairment on an annual basis, or more frequently when circumstances indicate that impairment may have occurred. We are also required to evaluate amortizable intangible assets and fixed assets for impairment if there are indicators of a possible impairment. In the future, if our acquisitions do not yield expected returns, we may be required to take charges to our operating results based on this impairment assessment process, which could adversely affect our results of operations. See “—Financial risks—Our balance sheet includes significant amounts of goodwill and intangible assets. The impairment of a significant portion of these assets would negatively affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.”
In addition, to the extent we pursue acquisitions outside of the United States, these potential acquisitions often involve additional or increased risks including:
|
• |
managing geographically separated organizations, systems and facilities; |
|
• |
integrating personnel with diverse business backgrounds and organizational cultures; |
|
• |
complying with non-U.S. regulatory and other legal requirements; |
|
• |
addressing financial and other impacts to our business resulting from fluctuations in currency exchange rates and unit economics across multiple jurisdictions; |
|
• |
enforcing intellectual property rights outside of the United States; |
|
• |
difficulty entering new non-U.S. markets due to, among other things, consumer acceptance and business knowledge of these markets; and |
|
• |
general economic and political conditions. See “—Business risks—Global economic, political and other conditions may adversely affect trends in consumer, business and government spending, which may adversely impact the demand for our services and our revenue and profitability.” |
The process of integrating operations could cause an interruption of, or loss of momentum in, the activities of one or more of our combined businesses and the possible loss of key personnel. The diversion of management’s attention and any delays or difficulties encountered in connection with acquisitions and their integration could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Health concerns arising from the outbreak of a health epidemic or pandemic may have an adverse effect on our business.
In addition to the COVID-19 pandemic, our business could be materially and adversely affected by the outbreak of a widespread health epidemic or pandemic, including arising from various strains of avian flu or swine flu, such as H1N1, particularly if located in the United States. The occurrence of such an outbreak or other adverse public health developments could materially disrupt our business and operations. Such events could also significantly impact our industry and cause a temporary closure of our merchants’ businesses, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Furthermore, other viruses may be transmitted through human contact, and the risk of contracting viruses could cause consumers to avoid gathering in public places or patronizing certain businesses, which could adversely affect payment volumes. We could also be adversely affected if government authorities impose mandatory closures, seek voluntary closures, impose restrictions on operations of our merchants’ businesses, or restrict the import or export of hardware and equipment. Even if such measures are not implemented and a virus or other disease does not spread significantly, the perceived risk of infection or health risk may adversely affect our business and operating results.
48
We may not be able to continue to expand our share of the existing payment processing markets or expand into new markets which would inhibit our ability to grow and increase our profitability.
Our future growth and profitability depend upon the growth of the markets in which we currently operate and our ability to increase our penetration and service offerings within these markets, as well as the emergence of new markets for our services and our ability to successfully expand into these new markets. It is difficult to attract new merchants because of potential disadvantages associated with switching payment processing vendors, such as transition costs, business disruption and loss of accustomed functionality. There can be no assurance that our efforts to overcome these factors will be successful, and this resistance may adversely affect our growth. A merchant’s payment processing activity with us may also decrease for a variety of reasons, including the merchant’s level of satisfaction with our products and services, the effectiveness of our support services, pricing of our products and services, the pricing and quality of competing products or services, the effects of global economic conditions (including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic), or reductions in the consumer spending levels.
Our expansion into new markets is also dependent upon our ability to adapt our existing technology and offerings or to develop new or innovative applications to meet the particular service needs of each new market. In order to do so, we will need to anticipate and react to market changes and devote appropriate financial and technical resources to our development efforts, and there can be no assurance that we will be successful in these efforts.
Furthermore, we may expand into new geographical markets, including foreign countries, in which we do not currently have any operating experience. We cannot assure you that we will be able to successfully continue such expansion efforts due to our lack of experience in such markets and the multitude of risks associated with global operations, including the possibility of needing to obtain appropriate regulatory approval.
Our services and products must integrate with a variety of operating systems, software, device and web browsers, and our business may be materially and adversely affected if we are unable to ensure that our services interoperate with such operating systems, device, software and web browsers.
We are dependent on the ability of our products and services to integrate with a variety of operating systems, software and devices, such as the point-of-sale, or POS, terminals we provide to merchants, as well as web browsers that we do not control. Any changes in these systems that degrade the functionality of our products and services, impose additional costs or requirements on us, or give preferential treatment to competitive services, could materially and adversely affect usage of our products and services. In addition, system integrators may show insufficient appetite to enable our products and services to integrate with a variety of operating systems, software and devices. In the event that it is difficult for our merchants to access and use our products and services, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may be materially and adversely affected.
We depend, in part, on our merchant and software partner relationships and strategic partnerships with various institutions to operate and grow our business. If we are unable to maintain these relationships and partnerships, our business may be adversely affected.
We depend, in part, on our merchant and software partner relationships and partnerships with various institutions to operate and grow our business. We rely on the growth of our merchant and other strategic relationships, and our ability to maintain these relationships and other distribution channels, to support and grow our business. If we fail to maintain these relationships, or if our software partners or other strategic partners fail to maintain their brands or decrease the size of their branded networks, our business may be adversely affected. In addition, our contractual arrangements with our merchants and other strategic partners vary in length, and may also allow for early termination upon the occurrence of certain events. There can be no assurance that we will be able to renew these contractual arrangements on similar terms or at all. The loss of merchant or software partner relationships could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
We rely on our sponsor bank to provide sponsorship to card and other payment networks and treasury services. If our sponsor bank stops providing sponsorship and treasury services, we would need to find one or more other financial institutions to provide those services. If we are unable to find a replacement institution, we may no longer be able to provide processing services to certain merchants, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. In the event of a chargeback, merchant bankruptcy or other failure to fund, or other intervening failure in the payment network system, we may be unable to recoup certain payments, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
49
A significant number of our merchants are small- and medium-sized businesses and small affiliates of large companies, which can be more difficult and costly to retain than larger enterprises and may increase the impact of economic fluctuations on us.
We market and sell our products and services to, among others, small to medium sized businesses, or SMBs. To continue to grow our revenue, we must add merchants, sell additional services to existing merchants and encourage existing merchants to continue doing business with us. However, retaining SMBs can be more difficult than retaining large enterprises, as SMB merchants:
|
• |
often have higher rates of business failure and more limited resources; |
|
• |
may have decisions related to the choice of payment processor dictated by their affiliated parent entity; and |
|
• |
are more able to change their payment processors than larger organizations dependent on our services. |
SMBs are typically more susceptible to the adverse effects of economic fluctuations, including as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Adverse changes in the economic environment or business failures of our SMB merchants may have a greater impact on us than on our competitors who do not focus on SMBs to the extent that we do. As a result, we may need to attract and retain new merchants at an accelerated rate or decrease our expenses to reduce negative impacts on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Global economic, political and other conditions may adversely affect trends in consumer, business and government spending, which may adversely impact the demand for our services and our revenue and profitability.
The financial services, payments and payment technology industries in which we operate depend heavily upon the overall level of consumer, business and government spending. A sustained deterioration in general economic conditions (including distress in financial markets and turmoil in specific economies around the world), in particular as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, may adversely affect our financial performance by reducing the number or average purchase amount of transactions we process. See “—The recent novel coronavirus, or COVID-19, global pandemic has had and is expected to continue to have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.” A reduction in the amount of consumer spending or credit card transactions could result in a decrease of our revenue and profits.
Adverse economic trends may accelerate the timing, or increase the impact of, risks to our financial performance. These trends could include:
|
• |
declining economies and the pace of economic recovery can change consumer spending behaviors, on which the majority of our revenue is dependent; |
|
• |
low levels of consumer and business confidence typically associated with recessionary environments, and those markets experiencing relatively high unemployment, may result in decreased spending by cardholders; |
|
• |
budgetary concerns in the United States and other countries around the world could affect the United States and other sovereign credit ratings, which could impact consumer confidence and spending; |
|
• |
financial institutions may restrict credit lines to cardholders or limit the issuance of new cards to mitigate cardholder credit concerns; |
|
• |
uncertainty and volatility in the performance of our merchants’ businesses, particularly SMBs, may make estimates of our revenues and financial performance less predictable; |
|
• |
cardholders or merchants may decrease spending for value-added services we market and sell; and |
|
• |
government intervention, including the effect of laws, regulations and government investments in our merchants, may have potential negative effects on our business and our relationships with our merchants or otherwise alter their strategic direction away from our products and services. |
In addition, the banking industry remains subject to consolidation regardless of overall economic conditions. In times of economic distress, various financial institutions in the markets we serve have been acquired or merged with and into other financial institutions, including those with which we partner. If a current referral partner of ours is acquired by another bank, the acquiring bank may seek to terminate our agreement and impose its own merchant services program on the acquired bank. We may be unable to retain our banking relationships post-acquisition, or may have to offer financial concessions to do so, which could adversely affect our results of operations or growth.
We may in the future offer merchant acquiring and processing services in geographies outside of the United States, including potentially in the European Union or the United Kingdom. In such circumstances, we may become subject to additional European Union and United Kingdom financial regulatory requirements and we could become subject to risks associated with the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union (including any resulting economic downturn) following the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union (Brexit) on January 31, 2020. We are subject to risks associated with operations in international markets, including changes in foreign governmental policies and requirements applicable to our business, including the presence of more established competitors and our lack of experience in such non-U.S. markets. In addition, any future partners in non-U.S. jurisdictions, may also be acquired, reorganized or otherwise disposed of in the event of further market turmoil or losses in their loan portfolio that result in such financial institutions becoming less than adequately capitalized. Our revenue derived from these and other non-U.S. operations will be subject to additional risks, including those resulting from social and geopolitical instability and unfavorable political or diplomatic developments, all of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
50
In the event we expand internationally, we may face challenges due to the presence of more established competitors and our lack of experience in such non-U.S. markets. If we are unable to successfully manage these risks relating to the international expansion of our business, it could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
We are subject to governmental regulation and other legal obligations, particularly related to privacy, data protection and information security, and consumer protection laws across different markets where we conduct our business. Our actual or perceived failure to comply with such obligations could harm our business.
In the United States and other jurisdictions in which our services are used, we are subject to various consumer protection laws (including laws on disputed transactions) and related regulations. If we are found to have breached any consumer protection laws or regulations in any such market, we may be subject to enforcement actions that require us to change our business practices in a manner which may negatively impact our revenue, as well as expose ourselves to litigation, fines, civil and/or criminal penalties and adverse publicity that could cause our customers to lose trust in us, negatively impacting our reputation and business in a manner that harms our financial position.
As part of our business, we collect personally identifiable information, also referred to as personal data, and other potentially sensitive and/or regulated data from our consumers and the merchants we work with. Laws and regulations in the United States and around the world restrict how personal information is collected, processed, stored, used and disclosed, as well as set standards for its security, implement notice requirements regarding privacy practices, and provide individuals with certain rights regarding the use, disclosure and sale of their protected personal information. Several foreign jurisdictions, including the EU and the United Kingdom, have laws and regulations which are more restrictive in certain respects than those in the United States. For example, the EU General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR, which came into force on May 25, 2018, implemented stringent operational requirements for the use of personal data. The European regime also includes directives which, among other things, require EU member states to regulate marketing by electronic means and the use of web cookies and other tracking technology. Each EU member state has transposed the requirements of these directives into its own national data privacy regime, and therefore the laws may differ between jurisdictions. These are also under reform and are expected to be replaced by a regulation which should provide consistent requirements across the EU.
The GDPR introduced more stringent requirements (which will continue to be interpreted through guidance and decisions over the coming years) and require organizations to erase an individual’s information upon request, implement mandatory data breach notification requirements and additional new obligations on service providers. A UK version of the GDPR is expected to take effect on January 1, 2021 after the end of the Brexit transition period (during which the EU GDPR continues to apply). If our privacy or data security measures fail to comply with applicable current or future laws and regulations, we may be subject to litigation, regulatory investigations, enforcement notices requiring us to change the way we use personal data or our marketing practices. For example, under the GDPR we may be subject to fines of up to €20 million or up to 4% of the total worldwide annual group turnover of the preceding financial year (whichever is higher). We may also be subject to other liabilities, as well as negative publicity and a potential loss of business.
In the United States, both the federal and various state governments have adopted or are considering, laws, guidelines or rules for the collection, distribution, use and storage of information collected from or about consumers or their devices. For example, California enacted the California Consumer Privacy Act, or CCPA, which became enforceable July 1, 2020, requires new disclosures to California consumers, imposes new rules for collecting or using information about minors, and affords consumers new abilities to opt out of certain disclosures of personal information. The CCPA provides for civil penalties for violations, as well as a private right of action for data breaches that is expected to increase data breach litigation. The effects of the CCPA, forthcoming implementing regulations, and uncertainties about the scope and applicability of exemptions that may apply to our business, are potentially significant and may require us to modify our data collection or processing practices and policies and to incur substantial costs and expenses in an effort to comply.
Restrictions on the collection, use, sharing or disclosure of personally identifiable information or additional requirements and liability for security and data integrity could require us to modify our solutions and features, possibly in a material manner, could limit our ability to develop new services and features and could subject us to increased compliance obligations and regulatory scrutiny.
Our inability to protect our systems and data from continually evolving cybersecurity risks, security breaches or other technological risks could affect our reputation among our merchants and consumers and may expose us to liability.
We are subject to a number of legal requirements, contractual obligations and industry standards regarding security, data protection and privacy and any failure to comply with these requirements, obligations or standards could have an adverse effect on our reputation, business, financial condition and operating results.
In conducting our business, we process, transmit and store sensitive business information and personally identifiable information about our merchants, consumers, sales and financial institution partners, vendors, and other parties. This information may include account access credentials, credit and debit card numbers, bank account numbers, social security numbers, driver’s license numbers, names and addresses and other types of sensitive business or personal information. Some of this information is also processed and stored by our merchants, software and financial institution partners, third-party service providers to whom we outsource certain functions and other agents, which we refer to collectively as our associated third parties. We have certain responsibilities to payment networks and their member financial institutions for any failure, including the failure of our associated third parties, to protect this information.
51
In addition, as a provider of security-related solutions to merchants and other business customers, our products and services may themselves be targets of cyber-attacks that attempt to sabotage or otherwise disable them, or the defensive and preventative measures we take ultimately may not be able to effectively detect, prevent, or protect against or otherwise mitigate losses from all cyber-attacks. Despite significant efforts to create security barriers against such threats, it is virtually impossible for us to eliminate these risks entirely. Any such breach could compromise our networks, creating system disruptions or slowdowns and exploiting security vulnerabilities of our products. Additionally, the information stored on our networks could be accessed, publicly disclosed, lost, or stolen, which could subject us to liability and cause us financial harm. These breaches, or any perceived breach, may also result in damage to our reputation, negative publicity, loss of key partners, merchants and sales, increased costs to remedy any problem, and costly litigation, and may therefore adversely impact market acceptance of our products and seriously affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
We have previously been the target of malicious third-party attempts to identify and exploit system vulnerabilities, and/or penetrate or bypass our security measures, in order to gain unauthorized access to our networks and systems or those of third parties associated with us. If these attempts are successful it could lead to the compromise of sensitive, business, personal or confidential information. While we proactively employ multiple methods at different layers of our systems to defend against intrusion and attack and to protect our data, we cannot be certain that these measures or sufficient to counter all current and emerging technology threats.
Our computer systems and the computer systems of our merchants and software partners have been, and could be in the future, subject to breaches, and our data protection measures may not prevent unauthorized access. While we believe the procedures and processes we have implemented to handle an attack are adequate, the techniques used to obtain unauthorized access, disable or degrade service, or sabotage systems change frequently and are often difficult to detect. In addition, increased remote operations creates an additional risk of attack while decreasing the ability to monitor. Threats to our systems and associated third party systems can originate from human error, fraud or malice on the part of employees or third parties, or simply from accidental technological failure. Computer viruses and other malware can be distributed and could infiltrate our systems or those of associated third parties. In addition, denial of service or other attacks could be launched against us for a variety of purposes, including to interfere with our services or create a diversion for other malicious activities. Our defensive measures may not prevent unplanned downtime, unauthorized access or unauthorized use of sensitive data. While we maintain cyber errors and omissions insurance coverage that covers certain aspects of cyber risks, our insurance coverage may be insufficient to cover all losses. Further, while we select our associated third parties carefully, we do not control their actions. Any problems experienced by these third parties, including those resulting from breakdowns or other disruptions in the services provided by such parties or cyber-attacks and security breaches, could adversely affect our ability to service our merchants or otherwise conduct our business.
We could also be subject to liability for claims relating to misuse of personal information, such as unauthorized marketing purposes and violation of consumer protection or data privacy laws. We cannot provide assurance that the contractual requirements related to security and privacy that we impose on our service providers who have access to merchant and consumer data will be followed or will be adequate to prevent the unauthorized use or disclosure of data. In addition, we have agreed in certain agreements to take certain protective measures to ensure the confidentiality of merchant and consumer data. The costs of systems and procedures associated with such protective measures may increase and could adversely affect our ability to compete effectively. Any failure to adequately enforce or provide these protective measures could result in liability, protracted and costly litigation, governmental and card network intervention and fines and, with respect to misuse of personal information of our merchants and consumers, lost revenue and reputational harm.
Any type of security breach, attack or misuse of data, whether experienced by us or an associated third party, could harm our reputation or deter existing or prospective merchants from using our services, increase our operating expenses in order to contain and remediate the incident, expose us to unbudgeted or uninsured liability, disrupt our operations (including potential service interruptions), divert management focus away from other priorities, increase our risk of regulatory scrutiny, result in the imposition of penalties and fines under state, federal and foreign laws or by payment networks and adversely affect our continued payment network registration and financial institution sponsorship. As set out above, fines under the GDPR, including for inadequate security, can reach €20 million or up to 4% of the total worldwide annual group turnover of the preceding financial year, whichever is higher. Further, if we were to be removed from networks’ lists of Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, compliant service providers, our existing merchants, sales and financial institution partners or other third parties may cease using or referring our services. Also, prospective merchants, sales partners, financial institution partners or other third parties may choose to terminate their relationship with us, or delay or choose not to consider us for their processing needs, and the payment networks on which we rely could refuse to allow us to continue processing through their networks.
52
We may experience failures in our processing systems due to software defects, computer viruses and development delays, which could damage customer relations and expose us to liability.
Our core business depends heavily on the reliability of our processing systems, including the security of the applications and systems we develop and license to our customers, in addition to the security of the processing system of our sponsor bank. Software defects or vulnerabilities, a system outage, or other failures could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations, including by damaging our reputation or exposing us to third-party liability. Payment network rules and certain governmental regulations allow for possible penalties if our products and services do not meet certain operating standards. To successfully operate our business, we must be able to protect our systems from interruption, including from events that may be beyond our control. Events that could cause system interruptions include fire, natural disaster, unauthorized entry, power loss, telecommunications failure, computer viruses, terrorist acts and war. Although we have taken steps to protect against data loss and system failures, we still face the risk that we may lose critical data or experience system failures. To help protect against these events, we perform a portion of disaster recovery operations ourselves, as well as utilize select third parties for certain operations. To the extent we outsource any disaster recovery functions, we are at risk of the merchant’s unresponsiveness or other failures in the event of breakdowns in our systems. In addition, our property and business interruption insurance may not be adequate to compensate us for all losses or failures that may occur.
Our products and services are based on sophisticated software and computing systems that are constantly evolving. We often encounter delays and cost overruns in developing changes implemented to our systems. In addition, the underlying software may contain undetected errors, viruses or defects. Defects in our software products and errors or delays in our processing of electronic transactions could result in additional development costs, diversion of technical and other resources from our other development efforts, loss of credibility with current or potential merchants, harm to our reputation or exposure to liability claims. In addition, we rely on technologies supplied to us by third parties that may also contain undetected errors, viruses or defects that could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. Although we attempt to limit our potential liability for warranty claims through disclaimers in our software documentation and limitation of liability provisions in our licenses and other agreements with our merchants and software partners, we cannot assure that these measures will be successful in limiting our liability. Additionally, we and our merchants and software partners are subject to payment network rules. If we do not comply with payment network requirements or standards, we may be subject to fines or sanctions, including suspension or termination of our registrations and licenses necessary to conduct business. We have experienced high growth rates in payment transaction volumes over the past years and expect growth to continue for the coming years; however, despite the implementation of architectural changes to safeguard sufficient future processing capacity on our payments platform, in the future the payments platform could potentially reach the limits of the number of transactions it is able to process, resulting in longer processing time or even downtime. Our efforts to safeguard sufficient future processing capacity are time-consuming, involve significant technical risk and may divert our resources from new features and products, and there can be no guarantee that these efforts will succeed. Furthermore, any efforts to further scale the platform or increase its complexity to handle a larger number or more complicated transactions could result in performance issues, including downtime. A failure to adequately scale our payments platform could therefore materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Degradation of the quality of the products and services we offer, including support services, could adversely impact our ability to attract and retain merchants and software partners.
Our merchants and software partners expect a consistent level of quality in the provision of our products and services. The support services we provide are a key element of the value proposition to our merchants and software partners. If the reliability or functionality of our products and services is compromised or the quality of those products or services is otherwise degraded, or if we fail to continue to provide a high level of support, we could lose existing merchants and software partners and find it harder to attract new merchants and software partners. If we are unable to scale our support functions to address the growth of our merchant and partner network, or our employees in alternative work locations are unable to adequately support customers, the quality of our support may decrease, which could adversely affect our ability to attract and retain merchants and software partners.
A significant natural disaster could have a material and adverse effect on our business. Despite any precautions we may take, the occurrence of a natural disaster or other unanticipated problems at our headquarters or data centers could result in lengthy interruptions in access to or functionality of our platform or could result in related liabilities.
Increased customer attrition could cause our financial results to decline.
We experience attrition in customer credit and debit card processing volume resulting from several factors, including business closures, transfers of merchants’ accounts to our competitors, unsuccessful contract renewal negotiations and account closures that we initiate for various reasons, such as heightened credit risks, unacceptable card types or businesses, or contract breaches by customers. In addition, if a software partner switches to another payment processor, terminates our services, internalizes payment processing functions that we perform, merges with or is acquired by one of our competitors, or shuts down or becomes insolvent, we may no longer receive new merchant referrals from the software partner, and we risk losing existing merchants that were originally enrolled by the software partner. We cannot predict the level of attrition in the future and it could increase. Our software partners, most of which are not exclusive, are an important source of new business. Higher than expected attrition could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. If we are unable to renew our customer contracts on favorable terms, or at all, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be adversely affected.
53
Fraud by merchants or others could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
We may be liable for certain fraudulent transactions or credits initiated by merchants or others. Examples of merchant fraud include merchants or other parties knowingly using a stolen or counterfeit credit, debit or prepaid card, card number, or other credentials to record a false sales or credit transaction, processing an invalid card or intentionally failing to deliver the merchandise or services sold in an otherwise valid transaction. Criminals are using increasingly sophisticated methods to engage in illegal activities such as counterfeiting and fraud. Failure to effectively manage risk and prevent fraud could increase our chargeback liability or cause us to incur other liabilities. It is possible that incidents of fraud could increase in the future. Increases in chargebacks or other liabilities could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Our risk management policies and procedures may not be fully effective in mitigating our risk exposure in all market environments or against all types of risk.
We operate in a rapidly changing industry. Accordingly, our risk management policies and procedures may not be fully effective to identify, monitor and manage all risks our business encounters. In addition, when we introduce new services, focus on new business types, or begin to operate in markets where we have a limited history of fraud loss, we may be less able to forecast and reserve accurately for those losses. If our policies and procedures are not fully effective or we are not successful in identifying and mitigating all risks to which we are or may be exposed, we may suffer uninsured liability, harm to our reputation or be subject to litigation or regulatory actions that could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Our business depends on strong and trusted brands, and damage to our reputation, or the reputation of our partners, could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
We market our products and services under our brands and we must protect and grow the value of our brands to continue to be successful in the future. If an incident were to occur that damages our reputation, the value of our brands could be adversely affected and our business could be damaged.
Our ability to recruit, retain and develop qualified personnel is critical to our success and growth.
All of our businesses function at the intersection of rapidly changing technological, social, economic and regulatory environments that require a wide range of expertise and intellectual capital. For us to successfully compete and grow, we must recruit, retain and develop personnel who can provide the necessary expertise across a broad spectrum of intellectual capital needs. In addition, we must develop, maintain and, as necessary, implement appropriate succession plans to assure we have the necessary human resources capable of maintaining continuity in our business. For instance, we are highly dependent on the expertise of our Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Jared Isaacman. The market for qualified personnel is competitive and we may not succeed in recruiting additional personnel or may fail to effectively replace current personnel who depart with qualified or effective successors. In addition, from time to time, there may be changes in our management team that may be disruptive to our business. If our management team, including any new hires that we make, fails to work together effectively and to execute our plans and strategies on a timely basis, our business could be harmed. Our effort to retain and develop personnel may also result in significant additional expenses, which could adversely affect our profitability. We cannot assure that key personnel, including our executive officers, will continue to be employed or that we will be able to attract and retain qualified personnel in the future. Failure to recruit, retain or develop qualified personnel could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
We incur chargeback liability when our merchants refuse to or cannot reimburse chargebacks resolved in favor of their customers. Any increase in chargebacks not paid by our merchants may adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
In the event a dispute between a cardholder and a merchant is not resolved in favor of the merchant, the transaction is normally charged back to the merchant and the purchase price is credited or otherwise refunded to the cardholder. If we are unable to collect such amounts from the merchant’s account or reserve account, if applicable, or if the merchant refuses or is unable, due to closure, bankruptcy or other reasons, to reimburse us for a chargeback, we are responsible for the amount of the refund paid to the cardholder. The risk of chargebacks is typically greater with those merchants that promise future delivery of goods and services rather than delivering goods or rendering services at the time of payment (for example in the hospitality and auto rental industries, both of which we support), as well as “card not present” transactions in which consumers do not physically present cards to merchants in connection with the purchase of goods and services, such as e-commerce, telephonic and mobile transactions. We may experience significant losses from chargebacks in the future. Any increase in chargebacks not paid by our merchants could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations. We have policies and procedures to monitor and manage merchant-related credit risks and often mitigate such risks by requiring collateral, such as cash reserves, and monitoring transaction activity. Notwithstanding our policies and procedures for managing credit risk, it is possible that a default on such obligations by one or more of our merchants could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
54
We expend significant resources pursuing sales opportunities, and if we fail to close sales after expending significant time and resources to do so, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.
The initial installation and set-up of many of our services often involve significant resource commitments by our merchants, particularly those with larger operational scale. Potential merchants generally commit significant resources to an evaluation of available services and may require us to expend substantial time, effort and money educating them as to the value of our services. We incur substantial costs in order to obtain each new customer. We may expend significant funds and management resources during a sales cycle and ultimately fail to close the sale. Our sales cycle may be extended due to our merchants’ budgetary constraints or for other reasons. If we are unsuccessful in closing sales after expending significant funds and management resources or we experience delays or experience greater than anticipated costs, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
There may be a decline in the use of cards as a payment mechanism for consumers or adverse developments with respect to the card industry in general.
If consumers do not continue to use credit or debit cards as a payment mechanism for their transactions, if there continues to be a reduction in “card present” transactions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, or if there is a change in the mix of payments between cash, credit cards and debit cards and other emerging means of payment our business could be adversely affected. Consumer credit risk may make it more difficult or expensive for consumers to gain access to credit facilities such as credit cards. Regulatory changes may result in financial institutions seeking to charge their customers additional fees for use of credit or debit cards. Such fees may result in decreased use of credit or debit cards by cardholders. In order to consistently increase and maintain our profitability, consumers and businesses must continue to use electronic payment methods that we process, including credit and debit cards. If consumers and businesses do not continue to use credit, debit or prepaid cards as a payment mechanism for their transactions or if there is a change in the mix of payments between cash, alternative currencies and technologies, credit, debit and prepaid cards, or the corresponding methodologies used for each, which is adverse to us, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Increases in card network fees and other changes to fee arrangements may result in the loss of merchants or a reduction in our earnings.
From time to time, card networks, including Visa and Mastercard, increase the fees that they charge processors. We could attempt to pass these increases along to our merchants, but this strategy might result in the loss of merchants to our competitors who do not pass along the increases. If competitive practices prevent us from passing along the higher fees to our merchants in the future, we may have to absorb all or a portion of such increases, which may increase our operating costs and reduce our earnings. In addition, regulators are subjecting interchange and other fees to increased scrutiny, and new regulations could require greater pricing transparency of the breakdown in fees or fee limitations, which could lead to increased price-based competition, lower margins and higher rates of merchant attrition and affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
In addition, in certain of our markets, card issuers pay merchant acquirers such as us fees based on debit card usage in an effort to encourage debit card use. If these card issuers discontinue this practice, our revenue and margins in these jurisdictions could be adversely affected.
If we fail to comply with the applicable requirements of payment networks, they could seek to fine us, suspend us or terminate our registrations. If our merchants or sales partners incur fines or penalties that we cannot collect from them, we may have to bear the cost of such fines or penalties.
In order to provide our transaction processing services, several of our subsidiaries are registered with Visa and Mastercard and other payment networks as members or as service providers for members. Visa, Mastercard, and other payment networks, set the rules and standards with which we must comply. The termination of our member registration or our status as a certified service provider, or any changes in network rules or standards, including interpretation and implementation of the rules or standards, that increase the cost of doing business or limit our ability to provide transaction processing services to or through our merchants or partners, could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
As such, we and our merchants are subject to payment network rules that could subject us or our merchants to a variety of fines or penalties that may be levied by such networks for certain acts or omissions by us or our merchants. The rules of card networks are set by their boards, which may be influenced by card issuers, and some of those issuers are our competitors with respect to these processing services. Many banks directly or indirectly sell processing services to merchants in direct competition with us. These banks could attempt, by virtue of their influence on the networks, to alter the networks’ rules or policies to the detriment of non-members including certain of our businesses. The termination of our registrations or our status as a service provider or a merchant processor, or any changes in network rules or standards, including interpretation and implementation of the rules or standards, that increase the cost of doing business or limit our ability to provide transaction processing services to our merchants, could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. If a merchant fails to comply with the applicable requirements of card networks, it could be subject to a variety of fines or penalties that may be levied by card networks. If we cannot collect the amounts from the applicable merchant, we may have to bear the cost of the fines or penalties, resulting in lower earnings for us. The termination of our registration, or any changes in card network rules that would impair our registration, could require us to stop providing payment processing services relating to the affected card network, which would adversely affect our ability to conduct our business.
55
Many of our key components are procured from a single or limited number of suppliers. Thus, we are at risk of shortage, price increases, tariffs, changes, delay, or discontinuation of key components, which could disrupt and materially and adversely affect our business.
Many of the key components used to manufacture our products, such as our POS systems, come from limited or single sources of supply. In addition, in some cases, we rely only on one manufacturer to fabricate, test, and assemble our products. In general, our contract manufacturers fabricate or procure components on our behalf, subject to certain approved procedures or supplier lists, and we do not have firm commitments from all of these manufacturers to provide all components, or to provide them in quantities and on timelines that we may require.
Due to our reliance on the components and products produced by suppliers such as these, we are subject to the risk of shortages and long lead times in the supply of certain components or products. We are still in the process of identifying alternative manufacturers for the assembly of our products and for many of the single-sourced components used in our products. In the case of off-the-shelf components, we are subject to the risk that our suppliers may discontinue or modify them, or that the components may cease to be available on commercially reasonable terms, or at all. We have in the past experienced, and may in the future experience, component shortages or delays or other problems in product assembly, and the availability of these components or products may be difficult to predict. For example, our manufacturers may experience temporary or permanent disruptions in their manufacturing operations due to equipment breakdowns, labor strikes or shortages, natural disasters, component or material shortages, cost increases, acquisitions, insolvency, changes in legal or regulatory requirements, or other similar problems.
Additionally, various sources of supply-chain risk, including strikes or shutdowns at delivery ports or loss of or damage to our products while they are in transit or storage, intellectual property theft, losses due to tampering, issues with quality or sourcing control, failure by our suppliers to comply with applicable laws and regulation, potential tariffs or other trade restrictions, or other similar problems could limit or delay the supply of our products or harm our reputation. In the event of a shortage or supply interruption from suppliers of these components, we may not be able to develop alternate sources quickly, cost-effectively, or at all. Any interruption or delay in manufacturing or component supply, any increases in component costs, or the inability to obtain these parts or components from alternate sources at acceptable prices and within a reasonable amount of time, would harm our ability to provide our products to sellers on a timely basis. This could harm our relationships with our sellers, prevent us from acquiring new sellers, and materially and adversely affect our business.
Cost savings initiatives may not produce the savings expected and may negatively impact our other initiatives and efforts to grow our business.
We are consistently exploring measures aimed at improving our profitability and maintaining flexibility in our capital resources, including the introduction of cost savings initiatives. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we furloughed approximately 25% of our employees, of which approximately 75% have returned to work as of June 30, 2020, accelerated expense reduction plans related to previous acquisitions, limited discretionary spending, re-prioritized our capital projects, instituted a company-wide hiring freeze and reduced salaries for management. We expect to continue to take measures to improve our profitability and cash flows from operating activities. However, there can be no assurance that the cost control measures will be successful. In addition, these and any future spending reductions, if any, may negatively impact our other initiatives or our efforts to grow our business, which may negatively impact our future results of operations and increase the burden on existing management, systems, and resources.
Our operating results and operating metrics are subject to seasonality and volatility, which could result in fluctuations in our quarterly revenues and operating results or in perceptions of our business prospects.
We have experienced in the past, and expect to continue to experience, seasonal fluctuations in our revenue, which can vary by region. For instance, our revenue has historically been strongest in our second and third quarters and weakest in our first quarter. Some variability results from seasonal retail events and the number of business days in a month or quarter. We also experience volatility in certain other metrics, such as number of transactions processed and payment processing volumes. Volatility in our key operating metrics or their rates of growth could result in fluctuations in financial condition or results of operations and may lead to adverse inferences about our prospects, which could result in declines in our stock price.
Financial risks
Our balance sheet includes significant amounts of goodwill and intangible assets. The impairment of a significant portion of these assets would negatively affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
As a result of our prior acquisitions, a significant portion of our total assets consists of intangible assets (including goodwill). Goodwill and intangible assets, net of amortization, together accounted for approximately 61% and 81% of the total assets on our balance sheet as of June 30, 2020 and December 31, 2019, respectively. To the extent we engage in additional acquisitions we may recognize additional intangible assets and goodwill. We evaluate goodwill for impairment annually at October 1 and whenever events or circumstances make it more likely than not that impairment may have occurred. Under current accounting rules, any determination that impairment has occurred would require us to record an impairment charge, which would adversely affect our earnings. An impairment of a significant portion of goodwill or intangible assets could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
56
Our substantial indebtedness could adversely affect our ability to raise additional capital to fund our operations, limit our ability to react to changes in the economy or our industry, expose us to interest rate risk to the extent of our variable rate debt and prevent us from meeting our debt obligations.
We have substantial indebtedness. As of June 30, 2020, we had approximately $450.0 million of total debt outstanding under our Credit Facilities. Our substantial indebtedness could have adverse consequences, including:
|
• |
increasing our vulnerability to adverse economic, industry or competitive developments; |
|
• |
making it more difficult for us to satisfy our obligations with respect to our indebtedness, including restrictive covenants and borrowing conditions, which could result in an event of default under the agreements governing such indebtedness; |
|
• |
restricting us from making strategic acquisitions or causing us to make nonstrategic divestitures; |
|
• |
making it more difficult for us to obtain network sponsorship and clearing services from financial institutions or to obtain or retain other business with financial institutions; |
|
• |
limiting our ability to obtain additional financing for working capital, capital expenditures, product development, debt service requirements, acquisitions, and general corporate or other purposes; and |
|
• |
limiting our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business or market conditions and placing us at a competitive disadvantage compared to our competitors who are less highly leveraged and who, therefore, may be able to take advantage of opportunities that our leverage prevents us from exploiting. |
Successful execution of our business strategy is dependent in part upon our ability to manage our capital structure to reduce interest expense and enhance free cash flow generation. As of June 30, 2020, we had $450.0 million outstanding under the first lien term loan facility. The second lien term loan facility and the revolving credit facility were fully repaid as of June 30, 2020. The revolving credit facility had remaining capacity of $89.5 million as of June 30, 2020, net of a $0.5 million letter of credit. We may not be able to refinance our Credit Facilities or our other existing indebtedness at or prior to their maturity at attractive rates of interest because of our high levels of debt, debt incurrence restrictions under our debt agreements or because of adverse conditions in credit markets generally.
In addition, $450.0 million of our debt outstanding at June 30, 2020 is at a variable rate of interest and is not subject to an interest rate hedge. The condition of the financial and credit markets and prevailing interest rates have fluctuated in the past and are likely to fluctuate in the future. In addition, developments in our business and operations could lead to a ratings downgrade for us or our subsidiaries. As a result, as of June 30, 2020, the impact of a 100 basis point increase in interest rates would increase our annual interest expense by approximately $4.5 million.
Any such fluctuation in the financial and credit markets, or in the rating of us or our subsidiaries, may impact our ability to access debt markets in the future or increase our cost of current or future debt, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Restrictions imposed by our Credit Facilities and our other outstanding indebtedness may materially limit our ability to operate our business and finance our future operations or capital needs.
The terms of our Credit Facilities restrict us and our restricted subsidiaries, which currently includes all of our operating subsidiaries, from engaging in specified types of transactions. These covenants restrict our ability, and that of our restricted subsidiaries, to, among other things:
|
• |
incur indebtedness; |
|
• |
create liens; |
|
• |
engage in mergers or consolidations; |
|
• |
make investments, loans and advances; |
|
• |
pay dividends and distributions and repurchase capital stock; |
|
• |
sell assets; |
|
• |
engage in certain transactions with affiliates; |
|
• |
enter into sale and leaseback transactions; |
57
|
• |
make prepayments on junior indebtedness. |
In addition, the credit agreements governing our Credit Facilities contain a springing maximum total leverage ratio financial covenant and customary financial covenants based on various leverage and interest coverage ratios. A breach of any of these covenants, or any other covenant in the documents governing our Credit Facilities, could result in a default or event of default under our Credit Facilities. In the event of any event of default under our Credit Facilities, the applicable lenders or agents could elect to terminate borrowing commitments and declare all borrowings and loans outstanding thereunder, together with accrued and unpaid interest and any fees and other obligations, to be immediately due and payable. In addition, or in the alternative, the applicable lenders or agents could exercise their rights under the security documents entered into in connection with our Credit Facilities. We have pledged substantially all of our assets as collateral securing our Credit Facilities and any such exercise of remedies on any material portion of such collateral would likely materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
If we were unable to repay or otherwise refinance these borrowings and loans when due, and the applicable lenders proceeded against the collateral granted to them to secure that indebtedness, we may be forced into bankruptcy or liquidation. In the event the applicable lenders accelerate the repayment of our borrowings, we may not have sufficient assets to repay that indebtedness. Any acceleration of amounts due under our Credit Facilities or other outstanding indebtedness would also likely have a material adverse effect on us.
Accelerated funding programs increase our working capital requirements and expose us to incremental credit risk, and if we are unable to access or raise sufficient liquidity to address these funding programs we may be exposed to additional competitive risk.
In response to demand from our merchants and competitive offerings, we offer certain of our merchants various accelerated funding programs, which are designed to enable qualified participating merchants to receive their deposits from credit card transactions in an expedited manner. These programs increase our working capital requirements and expose us to incremental credit risk related to our merchants, which could constrain our ability to raise additional capital to fund our operations and adversely affect our growth, financial condition and results of operations. Our inability to access or raise sufficient liquidity to address our needs in connection with the anticipated expansion of such advance funding programs could put us at a competitive disadvantage by restricting our ability to offer programs to all of our merchants similar to those made available by various of our competitors.
Our results of operations may be adversely affected by changes in foreign currency exchange rates.
Revenue and profit generated by our non-U.S. operations will increase or decrease compared to prior periods as a result of changes in foreign currency exchange rates. In addition, we may become subject to exchange control regulations that restrict or prohibit the conversion of our other revenue currencies into U.S. dollars. Any of these factors could decrease the value of revenues and earnings we derive from our non-U.S. operations and adversely affect our business.
While we currently have limited diversification in foreign currency, we may seek to reduce our exposure to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates through the use of hedging arrangements. To the extent that we hedge our foreign currency exchange rate exposure, we forgo the benefits we would otherwise experience if foreign currency exchange rates changed in our favor. No strategy can completely insulate us from risks associated with such fluctuations and our currency exchange rate risk management activities could expose us to substantial losses if such rates move materially differently from our expectations.
New or revised tax regulations or their interpretations, or becoming subject to additional foreign or U.S. federal, state or local taxes that cannot be passed through to our merchants or partners, could reduce our net income.
We are subject to tax laws in each jurisdiction where we do business. Changes in tax laws or their interpretations could decrease the amount of revenues we receive, the value of any tax loss carry-forwards and tax credits recorded on our balance sheet and the amount of our cash flow, and adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Additionally, companies in the electronic payments industry, including us, may become subject to incremental taxation in various tax jurisdictions. Taxing jurisdictions have not yet adopted uniform positions on this topic. If we are required to pay additional taxes and are unable to pass the tax expense through to our merchants, our costs would increase and our net income would be reduced.
58
If we cannot pass along increases in interchange and other fees from payment networks to our merchants, our operating margins would be reduced.
We pay interchange, assessment, transaction and other fees set by the payment networks to such networks and, in some cases, to the card issuing financial institutions for each transaction we process. From time to time, the payment networks increase the interchange fees and other fees that they charge payment processors and the financial institution sponsors. At their sole discretion, our financial institution sponsors have the right to pass any increases in interchange and other fees on to us and they have consistently done so in the past. We are generally permitted under the contracts into which we enter, and in the past we have been able to, pass these fee increases along to our merchants through corresponding increases in our processing fees. However, if we are unable to pass through these and other fees in the future, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Legal and regulatory risks
Failure to comply with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or the FCPA, anti-money laundering, economic and trade sanctions regulations, and similar laws could subject us to penalties and other adverse consequences.
We may operate our business in foreign countries where companies often engage in business practices that are prohibited by U.S. and other regulations applicable to us. We are subject to anti-corruption laws and regulations, including the FCPA and other laws that prohibit the making or offering of improper payments to foreign government officials and political figures, including anti-bribery provisions enforced by the Department of Justice and accounting provisions enforced by the SEC. These laws prohibit improper payments or offers of payments to foreign governments and their officials and political parties by the United States and other business entities for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. We have implemented policies, procedures, systems, and controls designed to identify and address potentially impermissible transactions under such laws and regulations; however, there can be no assurance that all of our employees, consultants and agents, including those that may be based in or from countries where practices that violate U.S. or other laws may be customary, will not take actions in violation of our policies, for which we may be ultimately responsible.
In addition, we are contractually required to comply with anti-money laundering laws and regulations, including the Bank Secrecy Act, as amended by the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001, or the BSA. Among other things, the BSA requires subject entities to develop and implement risk-based anti-money laundering programs, report large cash transactions and suspicious activity, and maintain transaction records.
We are also subject to certain economic and trade sanctions programs that are administered by the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, which prohibit or restrict transactions to or from or dealings with specified countries, their governments, and in certain circumstances, their nationals, and with individuals and entities that are specially-designated nationals of those countries, narcotics traffickers, and terrorists or terrorist organizations. Other entities may be subject to additional foreign or local sanctions requirements in other relevant jurisdictions.
Similar anti-money laundering and counter terrorist financing and proceeds of crime laws apply to movements of currency and payments through electronic transactions and to dealings with persons specified in lists maintained by the country equivalents to OFAC lists in several other countries and require specific data retention obligations to be observed by intermediaries in the payment process. Our businesses in those jurisdictions are subject to those data retention obligations.
Failure to comply with any of these laws and regulations or changes in this regulatory environment, including changing interpretations and the implementation of new or varying regulatory requirements by the government, may result in significant financial penalties, reputational harm or change the manner in which we currently conduct some aspects of our business, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Failure to protect, enforce and defend our intellectual property rights may diminish our competitive advantages or interfere with our ability to market and promote our products and services.
Our trademarks, trade names, trade secrets, patents, know-how, proprietary technology and other intellectual property are important to our future success. We believe our trademarks and trade names are widely recognized and associated with quality and reliable service. While it is our policy to protect and defend our intellectual property rights vigorously, we cannot predict whether the steps we take to protect our intellectual property will be adequate to prevent infringement, misappropriation, dilution or other potential violations of our intellectually property rights. We also cannot guarantee that others will not independently develop technology with the same or similar functions to any proprietary technology we rely on to conduct our business and differentiate ourselves from our competitors. Unauthorized parties may also attempt to copy or obtain and use our technology to develop applications with the same functionality as our solutions, and policing unauthorized use of our technology and intellectual property rights is difficult and may not be effective. Furthermore, we may face claims of infringement of third-party intellectual property rights that could interfere with our ability to market and promote our brands, products and services. Any litigation to enforce our intellectual property rights or defend ourselves against claims of infringement of third-party intellectual property rights could be costly, divert attention of management and may not ultimately be resolved in our favor. Moreover, if we are unable to successfully defend against claims that we have infringed the intellectual property rights of others, we may be prevented from using certain intellectual property or may be liable for damages, which in turn could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
59
While software and other of our proprietary works may be protected under copyright law, we have chosen not to register any copyrights in these works, and instead, primarily rely on protecting our software as a trade secret. In order to bring a copyright infringement lawsuit in the United States, the copyright must be registered with the United States Copyright Office. Accordingly, the remedies and damages available to us for unauthorized use of our software may be limited.
We attempt to protect our intellectual property and proprietary information by requiring all of our employees, consultants and certain of our contractors to execute confidentiality and invention assignment agreements. However, we may not obtain these agreements in all circumstances, and individuals with whom we have these agreements may not comply with their terms. The assignment of intellectual property rights under these agreements may not be self-executing or the assignment agreements may be breached, and we may be forced to bring claims against third parties, or defend claims that they may bring against us, to determine the ownership of what we regard as our intellectual property. In addition, we may not be able to prevent the unauthorized disclosure or use of our technical know-how or other trade secrets by the parties to these agreements despite the existence generally of confidentiality agreements and other contractual restrictions. Monitoring unauthorized uses and disclosures is difficult and we do not know whether the steps we have taken to protect our proprietary technologies will be effective.
In addition, we use open-source software in connection with our proprietary software and expect to continue to use open-source software in the future. Some open-source licenses require licensors to provide source code to licensees upon request, or prohibit licensors from charging a fee to licensees. While we try to insulate our proprietary code from the effects of such open-source license provisions, we cannot guarantee we will be successful. Accordingly, we may face claims from others claiming ownership of, or seeking to enforce the license terms applicable to such open-source software, including by demanding release of the open-source software, derivative works or our proprietary source code that was developed or distributed with such software. These claims could also result in litigation, require us to purchase a costly license or require us to devote additional research and development resources to change our software, any of which would have a negative effect on our business and results of operations. In addition, if the license terms for the open-source code change, we may be forced to re-engineer our software or incur additional costs.
Our existing patents may not be valid, and we may not be able to obtain and enforce additional patents to protect our proprietary rights from use by potential competitors. Companies with other patents could require us to stop using or pay to use required technology.
We have applied for, and intend to continue to apply for, patents relating to our proprietary software and technology. Such applications may not result in the issuance of any patents, and any patents now held or that may be issued may not provide adequate protection from competition. Furthermore, because the issuance of a patent is not conclusive as to its inventorship, scope, validity or enforceability, it is possible that patents issued or licensed to us may be challenged successfully and found to be invalid or unenforceable. In that event, any competitive advantage that such patents might provide would be lost. If we are unable to secure or to continue to maintain patent coverage, our technology could become subject to competition from the sale of similar competing products.
Competitors may also be able to design around our patents. Changes in either the patent laws or interpretation of the patent laws in the United States and other countries may diminish the value of our patents or narrow the scope of our patent protection. If these developments were to occur, we could face increased competition. In addition, filing, prosecuting, maintaining, defending and enforcing patents on our software and technology in all countries throughout the world would be prohibitively expensive, and our intellectual property rights in some countries outside the United States can be less extensive than those in the United States.
Failure to comply with, or changes in, laws, regulations and enforcement activities may adversely affect the products, services and markets in which we operate.
We, our merchants and certain third party partners are subject to laws, regulations and industry standards that affect the electronic payments industry in the many countries in which our services are used. In particular, certain merchants and software partners and our sponsor bank are subject to numerous laws and regulations applicable to banks, financial institutions, and card issuers in the United States and abroad, and, consequently, we are at times affected by these foreign, federal, state, and local laws and regulations. There may be changes to the laws, regulation and standards that affect our operations in substantial and unpredictable ways at the federal and state level in the United States and in other countries in which our services are used. Changes to laws, regulations and standards, including interpretation and enforcement of such laws, regulations and standards could increase the cost of doing business or otherwise change how or where we want to do business. In addition, changes to laws, regulations and standards could affect our merchants and software partners and could result in material effects on the way we operate or the cost to operate our business.
In addition, the U.S. government has increased its scrutiny of a number of credit card practices, from which some of our merchants derive significant revenue. Regulation of the payments industry, including regulations applicable to us, our merchants and software partners, has increased significantly in recent years. Failure to comply with laws and regulations applicable to our business may result in the suspension or revocation of licenses or registrations, the limitation, suspension or termination of services or the imposition of consent orders or civil and criminal penalties, including fines which could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
60
We are also subject to U.S. financial services regulations, a myriad of consumer protection laws, including economic sanctions, laws and regulations, anticorruption laws, escheat regulations and privacy and information security regulations. Changes to legal rules and regulations, or interpretation or enforcement of them, could have a negative financial effect on us. Any lack of legal certainty exposes our operations to increased risks, including increased difficulty in enforcing our agreements in those jurisdictions and increased risks of adverse actions by local government authorities, such as expropriations. In addition, certain of our alliance partners are subject to regulation by federal and state authorities and, as a result, could pass through some of those compliance obligations to us, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
In particular, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, or the Dodd-Frank Act, significantly changed the U.S. financial regulatory system. Among other things, Title X of the Dodd-Frank Act established the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, or CFPB, which regulates consumer financial products and services, including some offered by certain of our merchants. Regulation, examination and enforcement actions from the CFPB may require us to adjust our activities and may increase our compliance costs.
Separately, under the Dodd-Frank Act, debit interchange fees that a card issuer receives and which are established by a payment network for an electronic debit transaction are regulated by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, or the Federal Reserve, and must be “reasonable and proportional” to the cost incurred by the card issuer in authorizing, clearing, and settling the transaction. The Federal Reserve has capped debit interchange rates for card issuers operating in the United States with assets of $10 billion or more at the sum of $0.21 per transaction and an ad valorem component of 5 basis points to reflect a portion of the card issuer’s fraud losses plus, for qualifying card issuers, an additional $0.01 per transaction in debit interchange for fraud prevention costs. Regulations such as these could result in the need for us to make capital investments to modify our services to facilitate our existing merchants’ and potential merchants’ compliance and reduce the fees we are able to charge our merchants. These regulations also could result in greater pricing transparency and increased price-based competition leading to lower margins and higher rates of merchant attrition. Furthermore, the requirements of the regulations could result in changes in our merchants’ business practices, which could change the demand for our services and alter the type or volume of transactions that we process on behalf of our merchants.
From time to time we are subject to various legal proceedings which could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
We are involved in various litigation matters from time to time. Such matters can be time-consuming, divert management’s attention and resources and cause us to incur significant expenses. Our insurance or indemnities may not cover all claims that may be asserted against us, and any claims asserted against us, regardless of merit or eventual outcome, may harm our reputation. If we are unsuccessful in our defense in these litigation matters, or any other legal proceeding, we may be forced to pay damages or fines, enter into consent decrees or change our business practices, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations.
Risks related to our organizational structure
Our principal asset is our interest in Shift4 Payments, LLC, and, as a result, we depend on distributions from Shift4 Payments, LLC to pay our taxes and expenses, including payments under the TRA. Shift4 Payments, LLC’s ability to make such distributions may be subject to various limitations and restrictions.
We are a holding company and have no material assets other than our ownership of LLC Interests. As such, we have no independent means of generating revenue or cash flow, and our ability to pay our taxes and operating expenses or declare and pay dividends in the future, if any, are dependent upon the financial results and cash flows of Shift4 Payments, LLC and its subsidiaries and distributions we receive from Shift4 Payments, LLC. There can be no assurance that our subsidiaries will generate sufficient cash flow to distribute funds to us or that applicable state law and contractual restrictions, including negative covenants in our debt instruments, will permit such distributions. Although Shift4 Payments, LLC is not currently subject to any debt instruments or other agreements that would restrict its ability to make distributions to Shift4 Payments, Inc., the terms of our Credit Facilities and other outstanding indebtedness restrict the ability of our subsidiaries to pay dividends to Shift4 Payments, LLC.
Shift4 Payments, LLC reports as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, as such, generally is not subject to any entity-level U.S. federal income tax. Instead, any taxable income of Shift4 Payments, LLC is allocated to holders of LLC Interests, including us. Accordingly, we incur income taxes on our allocable share of any net taxable income of Shift4 Payments, LLC. Under the terms of the Shift4 Payments LLC Agreement, Shift4 Payments, LLC is obligated to make tax distributions to holders of LLC Interests, including us. In addition to tax expenses, we also incur expenses related to our operations, including payments under the TRA, which we expect could be significant. We intend, as its managing member, to cause Shift4 Payments, LLC to make cash distributions to the owners of LLC Interests in an amount sufficient to (1) fund all or part of their tax obligations in respect of taxable income allocated to them and (2) cover our operating expenses, including payments under the TRA. However, Shift4 Payments, LLC’s ability to make such distributions may be subject to various limitations and restrictions, such as restrictions on distributions that would either violate any contract or agreement to which Shift4 Payments, LLC is then a party, including debt agreements, or any applicable law, or that would have the effect of rendering Shift4 Payments, LLC insolvent. If we do
61
not have sufficient funds to pay tax or other liabilities or to fund our operations (including as a result of an acceleration of our obligations under the TRA), we may have to borrow funds, which could materially adversely affect our liquidity and financial condition and subject us to various restrictions imposed by any such lenders. To the extent that we are unable to make timely payments under the TRA for any reason, such payments generally will be deferred and will accrue interest until paid; provided, however, that nonpayment for a specified period may constitute a material breach of a material obligation under the TRA and therefore accelerate payments due under the TRA. In addition, if Shift4 Payments, LLC does not have sufficient funds to make distributions, our ability to declare and pay cash dividends will also be restricted or impaired. See “—Risks related to the ownership of our Class A common stock.”
Under the Shift4 Payments LLC Agreement, we expect Shift4 Payments, LLC, from time to time, to make distributions in cash to its equityholders, in amounts sufficient to cover the taxes on their allocable share of taxable income of Shift4 Payments, LLC. As a result of (i) potential differences in the amount of net taxable income indirectly allocable to us and to Shift4 Payments, LLC’s other equityholders, (ii) the lower tax rate applicable to corporations as opposed to individuals and (iii) the favorable tax benefits that we anticipate from (a) future purchases or redemptions of LLC Interests from the Continuing Equity Owners, (b) payments under the TRA and (c) the acquisition of interests in Shift4 Payments, LLC from its equityholders, we expect that these tax distributions may be in amounts that exceed our tax liabilities. Our board of directors will determine the appropriate uses for any excess cash so accumulated, which may include, among other uses, the payment of obligations under the TRA and the payment of other expenses. We have no obligation to distribute such cash (or other available cash) to our stockholders. No adjustments to the exchange ratio for LLC Interests and corresponding shares of Class A common stock will be made as a result of any cash distribution by us or any retention of cash by us. To the extent we do not distribute such excess cash as dividends on our Class A common stock or otherwise take ameliorative actions between LLC Interests and shares of Class A common stock and instead, for example, hold such cash balances, or lend them to Shift4 Payments, LLC, this may result in shares of our Class A common stock increasing in value relative to the value of LLC Interests. The holders of LLC Interests may benefit from any value attributable to such cash balances if they acquire shares of Class A common stock in exchange for their LLC Interests, notwithstanding that such holders may previously have participated as holders of LLC Interests in distributions that resulted in such excess cash balances.
The TRA with the Continuing Equity Owners and the Blocker Shareholders requires us to make cash payments to them in respect of certain tax benefits to which we may become entitled, and we expect that the payments we are required to make will be substantial.
Under the TRA, we are required to make cash payments to the Continuing Equity Owners and the Blocker Shareholders equal to 85% of the tax benefits, if any, that we actually realize, or in certain circumstances are deemed to realize, as a result of (1) the increases in our share of the tax basis of assets of Shift4 Payments, LLC resulting from any redemptions of LLC Interests from the Continuing Equity Owners, (2) our utilization of certain tax attributes of the Blocker Companies and (3) certain other tax benefits related to our making payments under the TRA. The payment obligations under the TRA are obligations of Shift4 Payments, Inc. and we expect that the amount of the cash payments that we are required to make under the TRA will be significant. Any payments made by us to the Continuing Equity Owners and the Blocker Shareholders under the TRA will not be available for reinvestment in our business and will generally reduce the amount of overall cash flow that might have otherwise been available to us. The payments under the TRA are not conditioned upon continued ownership of us by the exchanging Continuing Equity Owners. Furthermore, our future obligation to make payments under the TRA could make us a less attractive target for an acquisition, particularly in the case of an acquirer that cannot use some or all of the tax benefits that are the subject of the TRA. The actual increase in tax basis, as well as the amount and timing of any payments under the TRA, will vary depending upon a number of factors, including the timing of redemptions by the Continuing Equity Owners, the price of shares of our Class A common stock at the time of the exchange, the extent to which such exchanges are taxable, the amount of gain recognized by such holders of LLC Interests, the amount and timing of the taxable income allocated to us or otherwise generated by us in the future, the portion of our payments under the TRA constituting imputed interest and the federal and state tax rates then applicable.
Our organizational structure, including the TRA, confers certain benefits upon the Continuing Equity Owners and the Blocker Shareholders that will not benefit holders of our Class A common stock to the same extent that it will benefit the Continuing Equity Owners and the Blocker Shareholders.
Our organizational structure, including the TRA, confers certain benefits upon the Continuing Equity Owners and the Blocker Shareholders that will not benefit the holders of our Class A common stock to the same extent that it will benefit the Continuing Equity Owners and the Blocker Shareholders. We entered into the TRA with Shift4 Payments, LLC, the Continuing Equity Owners and the Blocker Shareholders in connection with the completion of the IPO, which provides for the payment by Shift4 Payments, Inc. to the Continuing Equity Owners and the Blocker Shareholders of 85% of the amount of tax benefits, if any, that Shift4 Payments, Inc. actually realizes, or in some circumstances is deemed to realize, as a result of (1) the increases in the tax basis of assets of Shift4 Payments, LLC resulting from any redemptions of LLC Interests from the Continuing Equity Owners, (2) our utilization of certain tax attributes of the Blocker Companies and (3) certain other tax benefits related to our making payments under the TRA. Although Shift4 Payments, Inc. retains 15% of the amount of such tax benefits, this and other aspects of our organizational structure may adversely impact the future trading market for the Class A common stock.
62
In certain cases, payments under the TRA to the Continuing Equity Owners and the Blocker Shareholders may be accelerated or significantly exceed any actual benefits we realize in respect of the tax attributes subject to the TRA.
The TRA provides that upon certain mergers, asset sales, other forms of business combinations or other changes of control or if, at any time, we elect an early termination of the TRA, then our obligations, or our successor’s obligations, under the TRA to make payments would be based on certain assumptions, including an assumption that we would have sufficient taxable income to fully utilize all potential future tax benefits that are subject to the TRA.
As a result of the foregoing, (1) we could be required to make payments under the TRA that are greater than the specified percentage of any actual benefits we ultimately realize in respect of the tax benefits that are subject to the TRA and (2) if we elect to terminate the TRA early, we would be required to make an immediate cash payment equal to the present value of the anticipated future tax benefits that are the subject of the TRA. The maximum TRA present value liability in the event of an early termination would be approximately $383.5 million, subject to the timing of such early termination, negotiation and certain assumptions, which payment may be made significantly in advance of the actual realization, if any, of such future tax benefits. In these situations, our obligations under the TRA could have a substantial negative impact on our liquidity and could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing certain mergers, asset sales, other forms of business combinations or other changes of control. There can be no assurance that we will be able to fund or finance our obligations under the TRA.
We will not be reimbursed for any payments made to the Continuing Equity Owners or the Blocker Shareholders under the TRA in the event that any tax benefits are disallowed.
Payments under the TRA will be based on the tax reporting positions that we determine, and the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, or the IRS, or another tax authority may challenge all or part of the tax basis increases or other tax benefits we claim, as well as other related tax positions we take, and a court could sustain such challenge. If the outcome of any such challenge would reasonably be expected to materially affect a recipient’s payments under the TRA, then we will not be permitted to settle such challenge without the consent (not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed) of Searchlight and Rook. The interests of the Continuing Equity Owners and the Blocker Shareholders in any such challenge may differ from or conflict with our interests and your interests, and Searchlight and Rook may exercise their consent rights relating to any such challenge in a manner adverse to our interests and your interests. We will not be reimbursed for any cash payments previously made to the Continuing Equity Owners or the Blocker Shareholder under the TRA in the event that any tax benefits initially claimed by us and for which payment has been made to a Continuing Equity Owner or the Blocker Shareholder are subsequently challenged by a taxing authority and are ultimately disallowed. Instead, any excess cash payments made by us to a Continuing Equity Owner or the Blocker Shareholder will be netted against any future cash payments that we might otherwise be required to make to such Continuing Equity Owner or such Blocker Shareholder, as applicable, under the terms of the TRA. However, we might not determine that we have effectively made an excess cash payment to a Continuing Equity Owner or the Blocker Shareholder for a number of years following the initial time of such payment and, if any of our tax reporting positions are challenged by a taxing authority, we will not be permitted to reduce any future cash payments under the TRA until any such challenge is finally settled or determined. Moreover, the excess cash payments we previously made under the TRA could be greater than the amount of future cash payments against which we would otherwise be permitted to net such excess. As a result, payments could be made under the TRA significantly in excess of any tax savings that we realize in respect of the tax attributes with respect to a Continuing Equity Owner or the Blocker Shareholder that are the subject of the TRA.
Unanticipated changes in effective tax rates or adverse outcomes resulting from examination of our income or other tax returns could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
We are subject to taxes by the U.S. federal, state, local and foreign tax authorities. Our future effective tax rates could be subject to volatility or adversely affected by a number of factors, including:
|
• |
allocation of expenses to and among different jurisdictions; |
|
• |
changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities; |
|
• |
expected timing and amount of the release of any tax valuation allowances; |
|
• |
tax effects of equity-based compensation; |
|
• |
costs related to intercompany restructurings; |
|
• |
changes in tax laws, tax treaties, regulations or interpretations thereof; or |
|
• |
lower than anticipated future earnings in jurisdictions where we have lower statutory tax rates and higher than anticipated future earnings in jurisdictions where we have higher statutory tax rates. |
In addition, we may be subject to audits of our income, sales and other taxes by U.S. federal, state, and local and foreign taxing authorities. Outcomes from these audits could have an adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.
63
If we were deemed to be an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the 1940 Act, including as a result of our ownership of Shift4 Payments, LLC, applicable restrictions could make it impractical for us to continue our business as contemplated and could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Under Sections 3(a)(1)(A) and (C) of the 1940 Act, a company generally will be deemed to be an “investment company” for purposes of the 1940 Act if (1) it is, or holds itself out as being, engaged primarily, or proposes to engage primarily, in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities or (2) it engages, or proposes to engage, in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading in securities and it owns or proposes to acquire investment securities having a value exceeding 40% of the value of its total assets (exclusive of U.S. government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis. We do not believe that we are an “investment company,” as such term is defined in either of those sections of the 1940 Act.
We and Shift4 Payments, LLC conduct our operations so that we will not be deemed an investment company. As the sole managing member of Shift4 Payments, LLC, we control and operate Shift4 Payments, LLC. On that basis, we believe that our interest in Shift4 Payments, LLC is not an “investment security” as that term is used in the 1940 Act. However, if we were to cease participation in the management of Shift4 Payments, LLC, or if Shift4 Payments, LLC itself becomes an investment company, our interest in Shift4 Payments, LLC could be deemed an “investment security” for purposes of the 1940 Act.
If it were established that we were an unregistered investment company, there would be a risk that we would be subject to monetary penalties and injunctive relief in an action brought by the SEC, that we would be unable to enforce contracts with third parties and that third parties could seek to obtain rescission of transactions undertaken during the period it was established that we were an unregistered investment company. If we were required to register as an investment company, restrictions imposed by the 1940 Act, including limitations on our capital structure and our ability to transact with affiliates, could make it impractical for us to continue our business as contemplated and could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Risks related to the ownership of our Class A common stock
Searchlight and our Founder will have significant influence over us, including control over decisions that require the approval of stockholders.
Searchlight and our Founder control, in the aggregate, approximately 96.9% of the voting power represented by all our outstanding classes of stock. As a result, Searchlight and our Founder continue to exercise significant influence over all matters requiring stockholder approval, including the election and removal of directors and the size of our board, any amendment of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or bylaws and any approval of significant corporate transactions (including a sale of substantially all of our assets), and continue to have significant control over our management and policies.
Our Founder, an affiliate of our Founder and affiliates of Searchlight are members of our board of directors. These board members are designees of Searchlight and our Founder and can take actions that have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of us or discouraging others from making tender offers for our shares, which could prevent stockholders from receiving a premium for their shares. These actions may be taken even if other stockholders oppose them. The concentration of voting power with Searchlight and our Founder may have an adverse effect on the price of our Class A common stock. The interests of Searchlight and our Founder may not be consistent with your interests as a stockholder.
Searchlight and their respective affiliates engage in a broad spectrum of activities. In the ordinary course of their business activities, Searchlight and their respective affiliates may engage in activities where their interests conflict with our interests or those of our stockholders. Searchlight may also pursue acquisition opportunities that may be complementary to our business, and, as a result, those acquisition opportunities may not be available to us. In addition, Searchlight may have an interest in us pursuing acquisitions, divestitures and other transactions that, in its judgment, could enhance its investment, even though such transactions might involve risks to you.
64
The multiple class structure of our common stock has the effect of concentrating voting power with our Founder and Searchlight, which will limit your ability to influence the outcome of important transactions, including a change in control.
Our Class B common stock and Class C common stock each have ten votes per share, and our Class A common stock has one vote per share. Jared Isaacman, our Founder, Chief Executive Officer and a member of our board of directors controls approximately 49.8% of the voting power of our outstanding capital stock; and Searchlight holds approximately 47.2% of the voting power of our outstanding capital stock. Accordingly, our Founder and Searchlight together hold all of the issued and outstanding shares of our Class B common stock and Class C common stock and therefore, individually or together, are able to significantly influence matters submitted to our stockholders for approval, including the election of directors, amendments of our organizational documents and any merger, consolidation, sale of all or substantially all of our assets or other major corporate transactions. Our Founder and Searchlight, individually or together, may vote in a way with which you disagree and which may be adverse to your interests. This concentrated control may have the effect of delaying, preventing or deterring a change in control of our company, could deprive our stockholders of an opportunity to receive a premium for their capital stock as part of a sale of our company and might ultimately affect the market price of our Class A common stock. Future transfers by the holders of Class B common stock and Class C common stock will generally result in those shares converting into shares of Class A common stock, subject to limited exceptions.
We cannot predict the effect our multiple class structure may have on the market price of our Class A common stock.
We cannot predict whether our multiple class structure will result in a lower or more volatile market price of our Class A common stock, in adverse publicity, or other adverse consequences. For example, certain index providers have announced restrictions on including companies with multiple-class share structures in certain of their indices. In July 2017, FTSE Russell announced that it plans to require new constituents of its indices to have greater than 5% of the company’s voting rights in the hands of public stockholders, and S&P Dow Jones announced that it will no longer admit companies with multiple-class share structures to certain of its indices. Affected indices include the Russell 2000 and the S&P 500, S&P MidCap 400, and S&P SmallCap 600, which together make up the S&P Composite 1500. Also in 2017, MSCI, a leading stock index provider, opened public consultations on their treatment of no-vote and multi-class structures and temporarily barred new multi-class listings from certain of its indices and in October 2018, MSCI announced its decision to include equity securities “with unequal voting structures” in its indices and to launch a new index that specifically includes voting rights in its eligibility criteria. Under such announced policies, the multiple class structure of our common stock would make us ineligible for inclusion in certain indices and, as a result, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds and other investment vehicles that attempt to track those indices would not invest in our Class A common stock. These policies are relatively new and it is unclear what effect, if any, they will have on the valuations of publicly-traded companies excluded from such indices, but it is possible that they may depress valuations, as compared to similar companies that are included. Given the sustained flow of investment funds into passive strategies that seek to track certain indices, exclusion from certain stock indices would likely preclude investment by many of these funds and could make our Class A common stock less attractive to other investors. As a result, the market price of our Class A common stock could be adversely affected.
We are a “controlled company” within the meaning of the NYSE rules and, as a result, will qualify for, and intend to rely on, exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements. You may not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to such corporate governance requirements.
Searchlight and our Founder have more than 50% of the voting power for the election of directors, and, as a result, we are considered a “controlled company” for the purposes of the NYSE. As such, we qualify for, and intend to rely on, exemptions from certain corporate governance requirements, including the requirements to have a majority of independent directors on our board of directors, an entirely independent nominating and corporate governance committee, an entirely independent compensation committee or to perform annual performance evaluations of the nominating and corporate governance and compensation committees.
The corporate governance requirements and specifically the independence standards are intended to ensure that directors who are considered independent are free of any conflicting interest that could influence their actions as directors. We currently utilize certain exemptions afforded to a “controlled company.” As a result, we are not be subject to certain corporate governance requirements, including that a majority of our board of directors consists of “independent directors,” as defined under the rules of the NYSE. In addition, we are not be required to have a nominating and corporate governance committee or compensation committee that is composed entirely of independent directors with a written charter addressing the committee’s purpose and responsibilities or to conduct annual performance evaluations of the nominating and corporate governance and compensation committees.
Accordingly, you may not have the same protections afforded to stockholders of companies that are subject to all of the corporate governance requirements of the NYSE. Our status as a controlled company could make our Class A common stock less attractive to some investors or otherwise harm our stock price.
65
Certain provisions of Delaware law and antitakeover provisions in our organizational documents could delay or prevent a change of control.
Certain provisions of Delaware law and our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws may have an antitakeover effect and may delay, defer, or prevent a merger, acquisition, tender offer, takeover attempt or other change of control transaction that a stockholder might consider in its best interest, including those attempts that might result in a premium over the market price for the shares held by our stockholders. These provisions provide for, among other things:
|
• |
a multi-class common stock structure; |
|
• |
a classified board of directors with staggered three-year terms; |
|
• |
the ability of our board of directors to issue one or more series of preferred stock; |
|
• |
advance notice for nominations of directors by stockholders and for stockholders to include matters to be considered at our annual meetings; |
|
• |
certain limitations on convening special stockholder meetings; |
|
• |
prohibit cumulative voting in the election of directors; and |
|
• |
the removal of directors only for cause and only upon the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 66 2/3% of the voting power represented by our then-outstanding common stock. |
These antitakeover provisions could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us, even if the third party’s offer may be considered beneficial by many of our stockholders. As a result, our stockholders may be limited in their ability to obtain a premium for their shares.
In addition, we have opted out of Section 203 of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, which we refer to as the DGCL, but our amended and restated certificate of incorporation will provide that engaging in any of a broad range of business combinations with any “interested” stockholder (any stockholder with 15% or more of our voting stock) for a period of three years following the date on which the stockholder became an “interested” stockholder is prohibited, subject to certain exceptions.
The JOBS Act allows us to postpone the date by which we must comply with certain laws and regulations intended to protect investors and to reduce the amount of information we provide in our reports filed with the SEC. We cannot be certain if this reduced disclosure will make our Class A common stock less attractive to investors.
The JOBS Act is intended to reduce the regulatory burden on “emerging growth companies.” As defined in the JOBS Act, a public company whose initial public offering of common equity securities occurs after December 8, 2011 and whose annual gross revenues are less than $1.07 billion will, in general, qualify as an “emerging growth company” until the earliest of:
|
• |
the last day of its fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the date of its initial public offering of common equity securities; |
|
• |
the last day of its fiscal year in which it has annual gross revenue of $1.07 billion or more; |
|
• |
the date on which it has, during the previous three-year period, issued more than $1.07 billion in nonconvertible debt; and |
|
• |
the date on which it is deemed to be a “large accelerated filer,” which will occur at such time as the company (1) has an aggregate worldwide market value of common equity securities held by non-affiliates of $700 million or more as of the last business day of its most recently completed second fiscal quarter, (2) has been required to file annual and quarterly reports under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, for a period of at least 12 months and (3) has filed at least one annual report pursuant to the Exchange Act. |
Under this definition, we are an “emerging growth company” and could remain an “emerging growth company” until as late as the fifth anniversary of the completion of our IPO. For so long as we are an “emerging growth company,” we are, among other things:
|
• |
not required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act; |
|
• |
not required to hold a nonbinding advisory stockholder vote on executive compensation pursuant to Section 14A(a) of the Exchange Act; |
|
• |
not required to seek stockholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved pursuant to Section 14A(b) of the Exchange Act; |
66
|
• |
subject to reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports and proxy statements. |
In addition, Section 107 of the JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company can use the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, for complying with new or revised accounting standards. This permits an emerging growth company to delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We have elected to use this extended transition period and, as a result, our consolidated financial statements may not be comparable to the financial statements of issuers who are required to comply with the effective dates for new or revised accounting standards that are applicable to public companies.
We cannot predict if investors will find our Class A common stock less attractive as a result of our decision to take advantage of some or all of the reduced disclosure requirements above. If some investors find our Class A common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our Class A common stock and our stock price may be more volatile.
Because we have no current plans to pay regular cash dividends on our Class A common stock, you may not receive any return on investment unless you sell your Class A common stock for a price greater than that which you paid for it.
We do not anticipate paying any regular cash dividends on our Class A common stock. Any decision to declare and pay dividends in the future will be made at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on, among other things, general and economic conditions, our results of operations and financial condition, our available cash and current and anticipated cash needs, capital requirements, contractual, legal, tax and regulatory restrictions and such other factors that our board of directors may deem relevant. In addition, our ability to pay dividends is, and may be, limited by covenants of existing and any future outstanding indebtedness we or our subsidiaries incur, including under our Credit Facilities. Therefore, any return on investment in our Class A common stock is solely dependent upon the appreciation of the price of our Class A common stock on the open market, which may not occur.
An active, liquid trading market for our Class A common stock may not be sustained, which may cause our Class A common stock to trade at a discount from the price which you paid for it and make it difficult for you to sell the Class A common stock you purchase.
We cannot predict the extent to which investor interest in us will sustain a trading market or how active and liquid that market may remain. If an active and liquid trading market is not sustained, you may have difficulty selling any of our Class A common stock that you purchase at a price above the price you purchase it or at all. The failure of an active and liquid trading market to continue would likely have a material adverse effect on the value of our Class A common stock. The market price of our Class A common stock may decline below the price which you paid for it, and you may not be able to sell your shares of our Class A common stock at or above the price you paid or at all. An inactive market may also impair our ability to raise capital to continue to fund operations by selling shares and may impair our ability to acquire other companies or technologies by using our shares as consideration.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides, subject to limited exceptions, that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for certain stockholder litigation matters, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, employees or stockholders.
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides, subject to limited exceptions, that unless we consent to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the sole and exclusive forum for any (1) derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of our Company, (2) action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer, or other employee or stockholder of our Company to the Company or the Company’s stockholders, creditors or other constituents, (3) action asserting a claim against the Company or any director or officer of the Company arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL, or our amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our amended and restated bylaws or as to which the DGCL confers jurisdiction on the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware, or (4) action asserting a claim against the Company or any director or officer of the Company governed by the internal affairs doctrine; provided that the exclusive forum provisions will not apply to suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, or to any claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. For instance, the provision would not apply to actions arising under federal securities laws, including suits brought to enforce any liability or duty created by the Securities Act, Exchange Act, or the rules and regulations thereunder. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation further provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, be the sole and exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. The choice of forum provision may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers, or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits against us and our directors, officers, and other employees. Alternatively, if a court were to find the choice of forum provision contained in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation to be inapplicable or unenforceable in an action, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such action in other jurisdictions, which could harm our business, results of operations, and financial condition. Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our capital stock shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to the forum provisions in our amended and restated certificate of incorporation.
67
Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the doctrine of “corporate opportunity” will not apply against Searchlight, any of our directors who are employees of or affiliated with Searchlight, Rook, any of our directors who are employees of or affiliated with Rook, or any director or stockholder who is not employed by us or our subsidiaries.
The doctrine of corporate opportunity generally provides that a corporate fiduciary may not develop an opportunity using corporate resources, acquire an interest adverse to that of the corporation or acquire property that is reasonably incident to the present or prospective business of the corporation or in which the corporation has a present or expectancy interest, unless that opportunity is first presented to the corporation and the corporation chooses not to pursue that opportunity. The doctrine of corporate opportunity is intended to preclude officers or directors or other fiduciaries from personally benefiting from opportunities that belong to the corporation. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the doctrine of “corporate opportunity” will not apply against Searchlight, any of our directors who are employees of or affiliated with Searchlight, Rook, any of our directors who are employees of or affiliated with Rook, or any director or stockholder who is not employed by us or our subsidiaries. Searchlight, any of our directors who are employees of or affiliated with Searchlight, Rook, any of our directors who are employees of or affiliated with Rook, or any director or stockholder who is not employed by us or our subsidiaries will therefore have no duty to communicate or present corporate opportunities to us, and will have the right to either hold any corporate opportunity for their (and their affiliates’) own account and benefit or to recommend, assign or otherwise transfer such corporate opportunity to persons other than us, including to any director or stockholder who is not employed by us or our subsidiaries. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation does not renounce our interest in any business opportunity that is expressly offered to an employee director or employee in his or her capacity as a director or employee of Shift4 Payments, Inc.
As a result, certain of our stockholders, directors and their respective affiliates are not prohibited from operating or investing in competing businesses. We therefore may find ourselves in competition with certain of our stockholders, directors or their respective affiliates, and we may not have knowledge of, or be able to pursue, transactions that could potentially be beneficial to us. Accordingly, we may lose a corporate opportunity or suffer competitive harm, which could negatively impact our business or prospects.
If securities analysts do not publish research or reports about our business or if they downgrade our stock or our sector, or if there is any fluctuation in our credit rating, our stock price and trading volume could decline.
The trading market for our Class A common stock relies in part on the research and reports that industry or financial analysts publish about us or our business. We do not control these analysts. Securities and industry analysts may not publish research on our Company. If securities or industry analysts do not continue coverage of our Company, the trading price of our shares would likely be negatively impacted. Furthermore, if one or more of the analysts who do cover us downgrade our stock or our industry, or the stock of any of our competitors, or publish inaccurate or unfavorable research about our business, the price of our stock could decline. If one or more of these analysts stops covering us or fails to publish reports on us regularly, we could lose visibility in the market, which in turn could cause our stock price or trading volume to decline.
Additionally, any fluctuation in the credit rating of us or our subsidiaries may impact our ability to access debt markets in the future or increase our cost of future debt which could have a material adverse effect on our operations and financial condition, which in return may adversely affect the trading price of shares of our Class A common stock.
We are subject to rules and regulations established from time to time by the SEC and the NYSE regarding our internal control over financial reporting. If we fail to establish and maintain effective internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures, we may not be able to accurately report our financial results, or report them in a timely manner.
We are subject to the rules and regulations established from time to time by the SEC and the NYSE. These rules and regulations require, among other things, that we establish and periodically evaluate procedures with respect to our internal control over financial reporting. Such reporting obligations place a considerable strain on our financial and management systems, processes and controls, as well as on our personnel.
In addition, we are required to document and test our internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act so that our management can certify as to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting by the time our second annual report is filed with the SEC and thereafter, which will require us to document and make significant changes to our internal control over financial reporting. Likewise, our independent registered public accounting firm will be required to provide an attestation report on the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting at such time as we cease to be an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act, and we become an accelerated or large accelerated filer although, as described above, we could potentially qualify as an “emerging growth company” until as late as the fifth anniversary of the completion of our IPO.
68
We expect to incur costs related to implementing an internal audit and compliance function in the upcoming years to further improve our internal control environment. If we identify future deficiencies in our internal control over financial reporting or if we are unable to comply with the demands placed upon us as a public company, including the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, in a timely manner, we may be unable to accurately report our financial results, or report them within the timeframes required by the SEC. We also could become subject to sanctions or investigations by the SEC or other regulatory authorities. In addition, if we are unable to assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, or if our independent registered public accounting firm is unable to express an opinion as to the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting, when required, investors may lose confidence in the accuracy and completeness of our financial reports, we may face restricted access to the capital markets and our stock price may be adversely affected.
We incur significant costs as a result of operating as a public company.
We are subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Dodd-Frank Act, the listing requirements of the NYSE and other applicable securities laws and regulations. The expenses incurred by public companies generally for reporting and corporate governance purposes have been increasing. We expect these rules and regulations to continue to increase our legal and financial compliance costs and to make some activities more difficult, time-consuming and costly. Being a public company and being subject to such rules and regulations also makes it more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to accept reduced coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain coverage. These laws and regulations could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified persons to serve on our board of directors, our board committees or as our executive officers. Furthermore, if we are unable to satisfy our obligations as a public company, we could be subject to delisting of our Class A common stock, fines, sanctions and other regulatory action and potentially civil litigation. These factors may therefore strain our resources, divert management’s attention and affect our ability to attract and retain qualified board members.
Future sales, or the perception of future sales, by us or our existing stockholders in the public market could cause the market price for our Class A common stock to decline.
The sale of shares of our Class A common stock in the public market, or the perception that such sales could occur, could harm the prevailing market price of shares of our Class A common stock. These sales, or the possibility that these sales may occur, also might make it more difficult for us to sell equity securities in the future at a time and at a price that we deem appropriate.
As of August 6, 2020, we had outstanding a total of 18,693,653 shares of Class A common stock. Of the outstanding shares, the 17,250,000 shares sold in the IPO are freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, other than any shares held by our affiliates. In addition, the shares of Class A common stock issued to the Former Equity Owner in the Reorganization Transactions are eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144 without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, other than any shares held by our affiliates. Any shares of Class A common stock held by our affiliates will be eligible for resale pursuant to Rule 144 under the Securities Act, subject to the volume, manner of sale, holding period and other limitations of Rule 144.
Our directors and executive officers, and substantially all of our stockholders entered into lock-up agreements with the underwriters prior to our IPO pursuant to which each of these persons or entities, subject to certain exceptions, for a period of 180 days after the date of our Prospectus, may not, without the prior written consent of any two of Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, or collectively, the Lock-up Release Parties, (1) offer, pledge, loan, announce the intention to sell, 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, or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, any shares of our common stock or any securities convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for our common stock (including, without limitation, common stock or such other securities which may be deemed to be beneficially owned by such directors, executive officers, managers and members in accordance with the rules and regulations of the SEC and securities which may be issued upon exercise of a stock option or warrant), 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 common stock or such other securities, whether any such transaction described in clause (1) or (2) above is to be settled by delivery of common stock or such other securities, in cash or otherwise, or (3) make any demand for or exercise any right with respect to the registration of any shares of our common stock or any security convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for our common stock.
In addition, any Class A common stock that we issue under the 2020 Equity Plan, or 2020 Plan, or other equity incentive plans that we may adopt in the future would dilute the percentage ownership held by the investors who purchase our Class A common stock.
As restrictions on resale end or if these stockholders exercise their registration rights, the market price of our shares of Class A common stock could drop significantly if the holders of these shares sell them or are perceived by the market as intending to sell them. These factors could also make it more difficult for us to raise additional funds through future offerings of our shares of Class A common stock or other securities.
69
In the future, we may also issue securities in connection with investments, acquisitions or capital raising activities. In particular, the number of shares of our Class A common stock issued in connection with an investment or acquisition, or to raise additional equity capital, could constitute a material portion of our then-outstanding shares of our Class A common stock. Any such issuance of additional securities in the future may result in additional dilution to you or may adversely impact the price of our Class A common stock.
Our stock price may change significantly, and you may not be able to resell shares of our Class A common stock at or above the price you paid or at all, and you could lose all or part of your investment as a result.
You may not be able to resell your shares at or above the price which you paid for them due to a number of factors included herein, including the following:
|
• |
results of operations that vary from the expectations of securities analysts and investors; |
|
• |
results of operations that vary from those of our competitors; |
|
• |
changes in expectations as to our future financial performance, including financial estimates and investment recommendations by securities analysts and investors; |
|
• |
technology changes, changes in consumer behavior or changes in merchant relationships in our industry; |
|
• |
security breaches related to our systems or those of our merchants, affiliates or strategic partners; |
|
• |
changes in economic conditions for companies in our industry; |
|
• |
changes in market valuations of, or earnings and other announcements by, companies in our industry; |
|
• |
declines in the market prices of stocks generally, particularly those of global payment companies; |
|
• |
strategic actions by us or our competitors; |
|
• |
announcements by us, our competitors or our strategic partners of significant contracts, new products, acquisitions, joint marketing relationships, joint ventures, other strategic relationships, or capital commitments; |
|
• |
changes in general economic or market conditions or trends in our industry or the economy as a whole and, in particular, in the consumer spending environment; |
|
• |
changes in business or regulatory conditions; |
|
• |
future sales of our Class A common stock or other securities; |
|
• |
investor perceptions of the investment opportunity associated with our Class A common stock relative to other investment alternatives; |
|
• |
the public’s response to press releases or other public announcements by us or third parties, including our filings with the SEC; |
|
• |
announcements relating to litigation or governmental investigations; |
|
• |
guidance, if any, that we provide to the public, any changes in this guidance, or our failure to meet this guidance; |
|
• |
the sustainability of an active trading market for our stock; |
|
• |
changes in accounting principles; and |
|
• |
other events or factors, including those resulting from system failures and disruptions, natural disasters, war, acts of terrorism or responses to these events. |
Furthermore, the stock market may experience extreme volatility that, in some cases, may be unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of particular companies. These broad market and industry fluctuations may adversely affect the market price of our Class A common stock, regardless of our actual operating performance. In addition, price volatility may be greater if the public float and trading volume of our Class A common stock is low.
In the past, following periods of market volatility, stockholders have instituted securities class action litigation. If we were involved in securities litigation, it could have a substantial cost and divert resources and the attention of management from our business regardless of the outcome of such litigation.
70
Item 2: Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities
In connection with the Reorganization Transactions and our IPO, we issued (a) 528,150 shares of Class A common stock on a one-for-one basis to the Former Equity Owner in exchange for 528,150 LLC Interests, (b) 915,503 shares of Class A common stock to P&W Enterprises, Inc. in exchange for 915,503 LLC Interests as satisfaction of Shift4 Payments, LLC’s pre-existing obligation to P&W Enterprises, Inc., (c) 39,204,989 shares of Class B common stock and 15,513,817 shares of Class C common stock to the Blocker Shareholders in exchange for 54,718,806 LLC Interests, and (d) 4,625,346 shares of Class C common stock for at a price per share of $21.62 to Rook in a concurrent private placement. The issuances of shares of Class A common stock, Class B common stock and Class C common Stock described in this paragraph were made in reliance on Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act and Rule 506 promulgated thereunder.
On June 4, 2020, the SEC declared effective our Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-238307), as amended, filed in connection with our IPO, or the Registration Statement. Pursuant to the Registration Statement, we registered the offer and sale of 17,250,000 shares of our Class A common stock with a proposed maximum aggregate offering price of approximately $362.3 million. Citigroup Global Markets Inc., Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC acted as representatives for the underwriters in the IPO. On June 9, 2020, we completed the IPO of 17,250,000 shares of our Class A common stock, including 2,250,000 shares pursuant to the full exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase additional shares, at a price to the public of $23.00 per share and an aggregate offering price of $396.8 million. Upon completion of the IPO, we received net proceeds of approximately $363.8 million, after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions of approximately $23.8 million and offering expenses of approximately $9.2 million. The offering terminated after the sale of all securities registered pursuant to the Registration Statement. No payments for such expenses were made directly or indirectly to (i) any of our officers or directors or their associates, (ii) any persons owning 10% or more of any class of our equity securities or (iii) any of our affiliates.
There has been no material change in the use of proceeds from our IPO as described in the Prospectus. We used the net proceeds from the IPO and the concurrent private placement to purchase 23,324,537 LLC Interests directly from Shift4 Payments, LLC at a price per unit equal to the IPO price per share of Class A common stock in the IPO less the underwriting discounts and commissions. Thus, as of the date of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, we have used all of the net proceeds from the IPO.
Item 3: Defaults Upon Senior Securities
None.
Item 4: Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
None.
71
|
|
|
|
Incorporated by Reference |
|
Filed/Furnished
|
||||||
Exhibit
|
|
Exhibit Description |
|
Form |
|
File No. |
|
Exhibit |
|
Filing
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3.1 |
|
Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation Shift4 Payments, Inc. |
|
S-8 |
|
333-239042 |
|
4.1 |
|
06/09/2020 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3.2 |
|
|
S-8 |
|
333-239042 |
|
4.2 |
|
06/09/2020 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4.1 |
|
Specimen Stock Certificate evidencing the shares of Class A common stock. |
|
S-1/A |
|
333-238307 |
|
4.1 |
|
06/01/2020 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10.1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10.2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10.3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10.4 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10.5 |
|
|
S-1/A |
|
333-238307 |
|
10.10 |
|
06/01/2020 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10.6 |
|
|
S-1/A |
|
333-238307 |
|
10.11 |
|
06/01/2020 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10.7 |
|
Restricted Stock Unit Award Grant Notice and Restricted Stock Unit Agreement (Continued Employment). |
|
S-1/A |
|
333-238307 |
|
10.12 |
|
06/01/2020 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10.8 |
|
|
S-1/A |
|
333-238307 |
|
10.18 |
|
06/01/2020 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10.9 |
|
Form of Indemnification Agreement for Executive Officers and Directors. |
|
S-1/A |
|
333-238307 |
|
10.19 |
|
06/01/2020 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10.10 |
|
Purchase Agreement, by and between Shift4 Payments, Inc. and Rook Holdings, Inc., dated May 31, 2020. |
|
S-1/A |
|
333-238307 |
|
10.20 |
|
06/01/2020 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10.11 |
|
Employment Agreement, by and between Shift4 Payments, Inc. and Jared Isaacman, dated May 31, 2020. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
31.1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
31.2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
* |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
32.1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
** |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
32.2 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
** |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
101.INS |
|
XBRL Instance Document. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
101.SCH |
|
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
101.CAL |
|
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
101.DEF |
|
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
101.LAB |
|
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
101.PRE |
|
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
* |
Filed herewith. |
** |
Furnished herewith. |
72
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
|
|||
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shift4 Payments, Inc. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By: |
/s/ Jared Isaacman |
|
|
|
Jared Isaacman |
|
|
|
Chief Executive Officer (principal executive officer) |
Date: |
August 12, 2020 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By: |
/s/ Bradley Herring |
|
|
|
Bradley Herring |
|
|
|
Chief Financial Officer (principal financial officer) |
Date: |
August 12, 2020 |
|
73
Exhibit 10.1
Execution Version
TAX RECEIVABLE AGREEMENT
by and among
SHIFT4 PAYMENTS, INC.
SHIFT4 PAYMENTS, LLC
the several TRA HOLDERS (as defined herein)
and
OTHER TRA HOLDERS
FROM TIME TO TIME PARTY HERETO
Dated as of June 4, 2020
|
Page |
|
Article I. DEFINITIONS |
2 |
|
|
|
|
Section 1.1 |
Definitions |
2 |
Section 1.2 |
Rules of Construction |
11 |
|
|
|
Article II. DETERMINATION OF REALIZED TAX BENEFIT |
12 |
|
|
|
|
Section 2.1 |
Basis Adjustments; the LLC 754 Election |
12 |
Section 2.2 |
IPO Date Attribute Schedule |
13 |
Section 2.3 |
Basis Schedules |
13 |
Section 2.4 |
Tax Benefit Schedules |
13 |
Section 2.5 |
Procedures; Amendments |
14 |
|
|
|
Article III. TAX BENEFIT PAYMENTS |
15 |
|
|
|
|
Section 3.1 |
Timing and Amount of Tax Benefit Payments |
15 |
Section 3.2 |
No Duplicative Payments |
18 |
Section 3.3 |
Pro-Ration of Payments as Between the TRA Holders |
18 |
Section 3.4 |
Optional Estimated Tax Benefit Payment Procedure |
19 |
|
|
|
Article IV. TERMINATION |
20 |
|
|
|
|
Section 4.1 |
Early Termination of Agreement; Breach of Agreement |
20 |
Section 4.2 |
Early Termination Notice |
22 |
Section 4.3 |
Payment Upon Early Termination |
23 |
|
|
|
Article V. SUBORDINATION AND LATE PAYMENTS |
23 |
|
|
|
|
Section 5.1 |
Subordination |
23 |
Section 5.2 |
Late Payments by the Corporation |
23 |
|
|
|
Article VI. TAX MATTERS; CONSISTENCY; COOPERATION |
23 |
|
|
|
|
Section 6.1 |
Participation in the Corporation’s and the LLC’s Tax Matters |
23 |
Section 6.2 |
Consistency |
24 |
Section 6.3 |
Cooperation |
24 |
|
|
|
Article VII. MISCELLANEOUS |
25 |
|
|
|
|
Section 7.1 |
Notices |
25 |
Section 7.2 |
Counterparts |
26 |
Section 7.3 |
Entire Agreement; No Third Party Beneficiaries |
26 |
Section 7.4 |
Governing Law |
26 |
i
Section 7.5 |
Severability |
27 |
Section 7.6 |
Assignments; Amendments; Successors; No Waiver |
27 |
Section 7.7 |
Titles and Subtitles |
28 |
Section 7.8 |
Resolution of Disputes |
28 |
Section 7.9 |
Reconciliation |
29 |
Section 7.10 |
Withholding |
30 |
Section 7.11 |
Admission of the Corporation into a Consolidated Group; Transfers of Corporate Assets |
30 |
Section 7.12 |
Confidentiality |
31 |
Section 7.13 |
Change in Law |
31 |
Section 7.14 |
Interest Rate Limitation |
32 |
Section 7.15 |
Independent Nature of Rights and Obligations |
32 |
Section 7.16 |
LLC Agreement |
32 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Exhibits |
|
|
|
|
|
Exhibit A - |
Form of Joinder Agreement |
|
Exhibit B - |
Estimated IPO Date Attribute Schedule |
|
ii
TAX RECEIVABLE AGREEMENT
This TAX RECEIVABLE AGREEMENT (as the same may be amended, restated, amended and restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, this “Agreement”), dated as of June 4, 2020, is hereby entered into by and among Shift4 Payments, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Corporation”), Shift4 Payments, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “LLC”), and each of the Non-Blocker TRA Holders and the Blocker TRA Holders (each as defined below) from time to time party hereto (collectively, the “TRA Holders”). Capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined herein have the respective meanings set forth in Section 1.01.
RECITALS
WHEREAS, the LLC is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes;
WHEREAS, each of the members of the LLC other than the Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries (such members who are parties hereto, and their respective assignees who become parties hereto by satisfying the Joinder Requirement, the “Non-Blocker TRA Holders”) owns (or, in the case of such other Persons, will own) limited liability company interests in the LLC (the “Units”);
WHEREAS, exclusive of the Over-Allotment Option (as defined below), the Corporation will issue 15,000,000 shares of its Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Class A Common Stock”) to certain purchasers in an initial public offering of its Class A Common Stock (the “IPO”);
WHEREAS, the Corporation will use a portion of the net proceeds from the IPO to purchase newly-issued Units directly from the LLC, which proceeds will be used by the LLC for general company purposes;
WHEREAS, the Corporation may issue additional Class A Common Stock in connection with the IPO as a result of the exercise by the underwriters of their over-allotment option (the “Over-Allotment Option”) and, if the Over-Allotment Option is in fact exercised in whole or in part, any additional net proceeds received by the Corporation will be used by the Corporation to acquire additional newly-issued Units directly from the LLC, which proceeds will be used by the LLC for general company purposes;
WHEREAS, in connection with the IPO, Searchlight Capital II, L.P., a Cayman limited partnership (“SC II TRA Holder”) and Searchlight Capital II PV, L.P., a Cayman limited partnership (“SC II PV TRA Holder” and together with SC II TRA Holder and their respective assignees who become parties hereto by satisfying the Joinder Requirement, the “Blocker TRA Holders”) will enter into certain reorganization transactions with the Corporation and its Subsidiaries (the “Reorganization Transactions”), and as a result of such transactions, the Corporation will obtain or be entitled to certain Tax benefits as further described herein;
1
WHEREAS, on and after the date hereof, pursuant to the LLC Agreement, each Non-Blocker TRA Holder has the right from time to time to require the LLC to redeem (a “Redemption”) all or a portion of such Non-Blocker TRA Holder’s Units for cash or, at the Corporation’s election, Class A Common Stock; provided that, at the election of the Corporation in its sole discretion, the Corporation may effect a direct exchange (a “Direct Exchange”) of such cash or shares of Class A Common Stock for such Units;
WHEREAS, the LLC and any direct or indirect Subsidiary (owned through a chain of pass-through entities) of the LLC that is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes (together with the LLC and any direct or indirect Subsidiary (owned through a chain of pass-through entities) of the LLC that is treated as a disregarded entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the “LLC Group”) will have in effect an election under Section 754 of the Code (as defined herein) for the Taxable Year (as defined herein) in which any Exchange (as defined below) occurs, which election should result in an adjustment to the Corporation’s share of the tax basis of the assets owned by the LLC Group as of the date of the Exchange, with a consequent result on the taxable income subsequently derived therefrom; and
WHEREAS, the parties to this Agreement desire to provide for certain payments and make certain arrangements with respect to any tax benefits to be derived by the Corporation as a result of the Reorganization Transactions and the Exchanges and the receipt of payments under this Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing and the respective covenants and agreements set forth herein, and intending to be legally bound hereby, the parties hereto agree as follows:
DEFINITIONS
Section 1.1Definitions. As used in this Agreement, the terms set forth in this Article I shall have the following meanings (such meanings to be equally applicable to both (i) the singular and plural and (ii) the active and passive forms of the terms defined).
“Actual Interest Amount” is defined in Section 3.1(b)(vii) of this Agreement.
“Affiliate” means, with respect to any Person, any other Person that directly or indirectly, through one or more intermediaries, Controls, is Controlled by, or is under common Control with, such first Person.
“Agreed Rate” means LIBOR plus 100 basis points. If LIBOR ceases to be published in accordance with the definition thereof, the Corporation and the LLC shall work together in good faith to select an Agreed Rate with similar characteristics that gives due consideration to the prevailing market conventions for determining rates of interest in the United States at such time.
“Agreement” is defined in the preamble to this Agreement.
“Amended Schedule” is defined in Section 2.5(b) of this Agreement.
2
“Assumed State and Local Tax Rate” means the tax rate equal to the sum of the products of (x) the Corporation’s income tax apportionment factor for each state and local jurisdiction in which the Corporation files income or franchise tax returns for the relevant Taxable Year and (y) the highest corporate income and franchise tax rate for each such state and local jurisdiction in which the Corporation files income tax returns for each relevant Taxable Year.
“Attributable” is defined in Section 3.1(b)(i) of this Agreement.
“Audit Committee” means the audit committee of the Board.
“Bankruptcy Code” is defined in Section 4.1(c) of this Agreement.
“Basis Adjustment” means the increase or decrease to the tax basis of, or the Corporation’s share of, the tax basis of the Reference Assets (i) under Section 734(b), 743(b) and 754 of the Code and, in each case, the comparable sections of U.S. state and local tax law (in situations where, following an Exchange, the LLC remains in existence as an entity for tax purposes) and (ii) under Sections 732 and 1012 of the Code and, in each case, the comparable sections of U.S. state and local tax law (in situations where, as a result of one or more Exchanges, the LLC becomes an entity that is disregarded as separate from its owner for tax purposes), in each case, as a result of any Exchange and any payment made under this Agreement. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, the amount of any Basis Adjustment resulting from an Exchange of one or more Units shall be determined without regard to any Pre-Exchange Transfer of such Units and as if any such Pre-Exchange Transfer had not occurred.
“Basis Schedule” is defined in Section 2.3 of this Agreement.
“Beneficial Owner” means, with respect to any security, a Person who directly or indirectly, through any contract, arrangement, understanding, relationship or otherwise, has or shares: (i) voting power, which includes the power to vote, or to direct the voting of, with respect to such security and/or (ii) investment power, which includes the power to dispose of, or to direct the disposition of, such security.
“Blocker Attributes” means (i) any net operating losses, capital losses, disallowed interest expense carryforwards under Section 163(j) of the Code (and any comparable section of U.S. state and local tax law) and credit carryforwards of a Blocker Entity relating to taxable periods ending on or prior to the IPO Date and (ii) the tax basis of any Reference Asset resulting from any adjustment under Section 743(b) of the Code (and any comparable section of U.S. state and local tax law) attributable to Units acquired by a Blocker Entity prior to the IPO Date.
“Blocker Entities” means SC II Blocker and SC II PV Blocker.
“Blocker TRA Holders” is defined in the recitals to this Agreement.
“Board” means the Board of Directors of the Corporation.
3
“Business Day” means any day excluding Saturday, Sunday and any day that is a legal holiday under the laws of the State of New York or is a day on which banking institutions located in New York are closed.
“Change of Control” means the occurrence of any of the following events:
(1)any “person” or “group” (within the meaning of Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or any successor provisions thereto (the “Exchange Act”), but excluding any employee benefit plan of such person and its Subsidiaries, and any person or entity acting in its capacity as trustee, agent or other fiduciary or administrator of any such plan, and excluding the Permitted Transferees) becomes the “beneficial owner” (within the meaning of Rules 13d-3 and 13d-5 under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of shares of Class A Common Stock, Class B Stock, Class C Common Stock, preferred stock and/or any other class or classes of capital stock of the Corporation (if any) representing in the aggregate more than fifty percent (50%) of the voting power of all of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote;
(2)the shareholders of the Corporation approve a plan of complete liquidation or dissolution of the Corporation or there is consummated an agreement or series of related agreements for the sale or other disposition, directly or indirectly, by the Corporation of all or substantially all of the Corporation’s assets (including a sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the LLC) (which assets, for the avoidance of doubt, include the equity interests of the Corporation’s Subsidiaries);
(3)there is consummated a merger or consolidation of the Corporation with any other corporation or entity, and, immediately after the consummation of such merger or consolidation, the voting securities of the Corporation immediately prior to such merger or consolidation do not continue to represent, or are not converted into, more than 50% of the combined voting power of the then outstanding voting securities of the Person resulting from such merger or consolidation or, if the surviving company is a Subsidiary, the ultimate parent thereof; or
(4)the Corporation ceases to be the sole managing member of the LLC.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, a “Change of Control” shall not be deemed to have occurred by virtue of the consummation of any transaction or series of integrated transactions immediately following which (a) the record holders of the Class A Common Stock, Class B Stock, Class C Common Stock, preferred stock and/or any other class or classes of capital stock of the Corporation (if any) immediately prior to such transaction or series of transactions continue to have substantially the same proportionate ownership in and voting control over, and own substantially all of the shares of, an entity which owns all or substantially all of the assets of the Corporation immediately following such transaction or series of transactions or (b) in the case of the foregoing clauses (1) or (3), either the Rook Related Parties or the Searchlight Related Parties are the “beneficial owner” (within the meaning of Rules 13d-3 and 13d-5 under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of shares of Class A Common Stock, Class B Stock, Class C Common Stock, preferred stock and/or any other class or classes of capital stock of the
4
Corporation (if any) representing in the aggregate more than fifty percent (50%) of the voting power of all of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote (or, in the case of a transaction described in the foregoing clause (3), more than fifty percent (50%) of the combined voting power of the then outstanding voting securities of the Person resulting from such merger or consolidation or, if the surviving company is a Subsidiary, the ultimate parent thereof).
“Class A Common Stock” is defined in the recitals to this Agreement.
“Class B Stock” means shares of Class B stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Corporation.
“Class C Common Stock” means the shares of Class C common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Corporation.
“Code” means the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
“Control” means the possession, direct or indirect, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management and policies of a Person, whether through ownership of voting securities, by contract or other agreement.
“Corporation” is defined in the preamble to this Agreement.
“Covered Person” is defined in Section 7.17 of this Agreement.
“Covered Tax Benefit” is defined in Section 3.3(a) of this Agreement.
“Covered Taxes” means any and all U.S. federal, state, local and foreign taxes, assessments or similar charges that are based on or measured with respect to net income or profits and any interest related thereto.
“Cumulative Net Realized Tax Benefit” is defined in Section 3.1(b)(iii) of this Agreement.
“Default Rate” means the Agreed Rate plus 500 basis points.
“Default Rate Interest” is defined in Section 3.1(b)(ix) of this Agreement.
“Determination” shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in Section 1313(a) of the Code or similar provision of U.S. state tax law, as applicable, or any other event (including the execution of IRS Form 870-AD) that finally and conclusively establishes the amount of any liability for tax.
“Direct Exchange” is defined in the recitals to this agreement.
“Dispute” is defined in Section 7.8(a) of this Agreement.
5
“Early Termination Effective Date” means the date of an Early Termination Notice for purposes of determining the Early Termination Payment.
“Early Termination Notice” is defined in Section 4.2 of this Agreement.
“Early Termination Payment” is defined in Section 4.3(b) of this Agreement.
“Early Termination Rate” means the lesser of (i) 6.5% and (ii) the Agreed Rate.
“Early Termination Reference Date” is defined in Section 4.2 of this Agreement.
“Early Termination Schedule” is defined in Section 4.2 of this Agreement.
“Estimated IPO Date Attribute Schedule” is defined in Section 2.2.
“Estimated Tax Benefit Payment” is defined in Section 3.4 of this Agreement.
“Exchange” means any Direct Exchange or Redemption.
“Exchange Date” means the date of any Exchange.
“Expert” is defined in Section 7.9 of this Agreement.
“Final Payment Date” means any date on which a payment is required to be made pursuant to this Agreement. For the avoidance of doubt, the Final Payment Date in respect of a Tax Benefit Payment is determined pursuant to Section 3.1(a) of this Agreement.
“GAAP” means generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, as in effect from time to time; provided, however, that if the Corporation notifies the TRA Holders that the Corporation requests an amendment to any provision hereof to eliminate the effect of any change in GAAP or in the application thereof occurring after the date of this Agreement (including through the adoption of International Financial Reporting Standards and applicable accounting requirements set by the International Accounting Standards Board or any successor thereto (the “IFRS”)), on the operation of such provision (or if the TRA Holders notify the Corporation that they request an amendment to any provision hereof for such purpose), regardless of whether any such notice is given before or after such change in GAAP or in the application thereof (including through the adoption of IFRS), then such provision shall be interpreted on the basis of GAAP as in effect and applied immediately before such change shall have become effective until such notice shall have been withdrawn or such provision amended in accordance herewith.
“Hypothetical Tax Liability” means, with respect to any Taxable Year, the hypothetical liability of the Corporation that would arise in respect of Covered Taxes, using the same methods, elections, conventions and similar practices used on the actual relevant Tax Returns of the Corporation but (i) calculating depreciation, amortization, or other similar deductions, or otherwise calculating any items of income, gain, or loss, using the Corporation’s share of the Non-Adjusted Tax Basis as reflected on the Basis Schedule, including amendments thereto for the Taxable Year, (ii) excluding the effect of any and all Blocker Attributes for the Taxable Year and (iii) excluding any deduction attributable to Imputed Interest, Actual Interest Amounts or
6
Default Rate Interest for the Taxable Year; provided, that for purposes determining the Hypothetical Tax Liability, the combined tax rate for U.S. state and local Covered Taxes (but not, for the avoidance of doubt, federal Covered Taxes) shall be the Assumed State and Local Tax Rate. For the avoidance of doubt, (i) the Hypothetical Tax Liability shall be determined without taking into account the carryover or carryback of any tax item attributable to Imputed Interest, Actual Interest Amounts, Default Rate Interest, Blocker Attributes or a Basis Adjustment (or portions thereof); and (ii) the calculation of the Hypothetical Tax Liability shall take into account the federal benefit received by the Corporation with respect to state and local jurisdiction income taxes (with such benefit taking into account the Corporation’s marginal U.S. federal income tax rate for the relevant Taxable Year, the Assumed State and Local Tax Rate, and the deductibility, if any, of state and local jurisdiction income taxes).
“Imputed Interest” is defined in Section 3.1(b)(vi) of this Agreement.
“Independent Directors” means the members of the Board who are “independent” under the standards set forth in Rule 10A-3 promulgated under the Exchange Act and the corresponding rules of the applicable exchange on which the Class A Common Stock is traded or quoted.
“IPO” is defined in the recitals to this Agreement.
“IPO Date” means the closing date of the IPO.
“IPO Date Attribute Schedule” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.2 of this Agreement.
“IRS” means the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.
“Joinder” means a joinder to this Agreement, in form and substance substantially similar to Exhibit A to this Agreement.
“Joinder Requirement” is defined in Section 7.6(a) of this Agreement.
“LIBOR” means for each month (or portion thereof) during any period, an interest rate per annum equal to the rate per annum reported, on the date two Business Days prior to the first Business Day of such month, as published on the applicable Bloomberg screen page (or other commercially available source providing quotations of LIBOR) for London interbank offered rates for U.S. dollar deposits for such month (or portion thereof).
“LLC” is defined in the preamble to this Agreement.
“LLC Agreement” means that certain Sixth Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of the LLC, dated as of the date hereof, as such agreement may be further amended, restated, supplemented and/or otherwise modified from time to time.
“LLC Group” is defined in the recitals to this Agreement.
7
“Market Value” means the Common Unit Redemption Price, as defined in the LLC Agreement, determined as of an Early Termination Date.
“Net Tax Benefit” is defined in Section 3.1(b)(ii) of this Agreement.
“Non-Adjusted Tax Basis” means, with respect to any Reference Asset at any time, the tax basis that such asset would have had at such time if no Basis Adjustments had been made.
“Non-Blocker TRA Holders” is defined in the recitals to this Agreement.
“Objection Notice” is defined in Section 2.5(a)(i) of this Agreement.
“Over-Allotment Option” is defined in the recitals to this Agreement.
“Parties” means the parties named on the signature pages to this agreement and each additional party that satisfies the Joinder Requirement, in each case with their respective successors and assigns.
“Permitted Transfer” means the transfer of Units by a holder of Units to any transferee as permitted by the LLC Agreement.
“Permitted Transferee” means a holder of Units pursuant to a Permitted Transfer.
“Person” means any individual, corporation, firm, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company, estate, trust, business association, organization, governmental entity or other entity.
“Pre-Exchange Transfer” means any transfer of one or more Units (including upon the death of a TRA Holder) (i) that occurs after the IPO but prior to an Exchange of such Units and (ii) to which Section 743(b) of the Code applies.
“Realized Tax Benefit” is defined in Section 3.1(b)(iv) of this Agreement.
“Realized Tax Detriment” is defined in Section 3.1(b)(v) of this Agreement.
“Reconciliation Dispute” is defined in Section 7.9 of this Agreement.
“Reconciliation Procedures” is defined in Section 2.5(a) of this Agreement.
“Redemption” has the meaning in the recitals to this Agreement.
“Reference Asset” means any tangible or intangible asset of any member of the LLC Group or any of their respective successors or assigns, at the time of an Exchange. A Reference Asset also includes any asset the tax basis of which is determined, in whole or in part, by reference to the tax basis of an asset that is described in the preceding sentence, including “substituted basis property” within the meaning of Section 7701(a)(42) of the Code.
“Reorganization Transactions” is defined in the recitals to this Agreement.
8
“Rook” means Rook Holdings Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its Permitted Transferees.
“Rook Related Parties” means Rook Holdings Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its Affiliates.
“SC II Blocker” SC II GWN Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation.
“SC II PV Blocker” SC II PV GWN Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation.
“SC II PV TRA Holder” is defined in the recitals to this Agreement.
“SC II TRA Holder” is defined in the recitals to this Agreement.
“Schedule” means any of the following: (i) the IPO Date Attribute Schedule, (ii) a Basis Schedule, (iii) a Tax Benefit Schedule, or (iv) the Early Termination Schedule, and, in each case, any amendments thereto.
“Searchlight” means Searchlight II GWN, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership, or such other Person as designated by Searchlight, SC II PV TRA Holder, SC II TRA Holder, or their respective assignees who become parties hereto by satisfying the Joinder Requirement.
“Searchlight Related Parties” means Searchlight II GWN, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership, and its Affiliates.
“Senior Obligations” is defined in Section 5.1 of this Agreement.
“Subsidiary” means, with respect to any Person and as of the date of any determination, any other Person as to which such Person, owns, directly or indirectly, or otherwise controls, more than 50% of the voting power or other similar interests, or the sole general partner interest, or managing member or similar interest, of such Person.
“Subsidiary Stock” means any stock or other equity interest in any Subsidiary of the Corporation that is treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
“Tax Benefit Payment” is defined in Section 3.1(b) of this Agreement.
“Tax Benefit Schedule” is defined in Section 2.4(a) of this Agreement.
“Tax Return” means any return, declaration, report or similar statement required to be filed with respect to taxes (including any attached schedules), including, without limitation, any information return, claim for refund, amended return and declaration of estimated tax.
“Taxable Year” means a taxable year of the Corporation as defined in Section 441(b) of the Code or comparable section of U.S. state or local tax law, as applicable (and, therefore, for the avoidance of doubt, may include a period of less than 12 months for which a Tax Return is made), ending on or after the IPO Date.
9
“Taxing Authority” means any national, federal, state, county, municipal, or local government, or any subdivision, agency, commission or authority thereof, or any quasi-governmental body, or any other authority of any kind, exercising regulatory or other authority in relation to tax matters.
“Termination Objection Notice” is defined in Section 4.2 of this Agreement.
“TRA Holders” is defined in the preamble to this Agreement.
“Treasury Regulations” means the final, temporary, and (to the extent they can be relied upon) proposed regulations under the Code, as promulgated from time to time (including corresponding provisions and succeeding provisions) as in effect for the relevant taxable period.
“True-Up” is defined in Section 3.4 of this Agreement.
“U.S.” means the United States of America.
“Units” is defined in the recitals to this Agreement.
“Valuation Assumptions” means, as of an Early Termination Effective Date, the assumptions that:
(1)in each Taxable Year ending on or after such Early Termination Effective Date, the Corporation will have taxable income sufficient to fully use the deductions arising from the Basis Adjustments, Blocker Attributes described in clause (ii) of the definition thereof and the Imputed Interest during such Taxable Year or future Taxable Years (including, for the avoidance of doubt, Basis Adjustments and Imputed Interest that would result from future Tax Benefit Payments that would be paid in accordance with the Valuation Assumptions) in which such deductions would become available;
(2)the U.S. federal income tax rates that will be in effect for each such Taxable Year will be those specified for each such Taxable Year by the Code and other law as in effect on the Early Termination Effective Date, except to the extent any change to such tax rates for such Taxable Year have already been enacted into law and the combined U.S. state and local income tax rates (but not, for the avoidance of doubt, federal income tax rates) for each such Taxable Year shall be the Assumed State and Local Tax Rate for the Taxable Year that includes the Early Termination Effective Date;
(3)all taxable income of the Corporation will be subject to the maximum applicable tax rates for each Covered Tax throughout the relevant period; provided, that the combined tax rate for U.S. state and local income taxes (but not, for the avoidance of doubt, federal income tax) shall be the Assumed State and Local Tax Rate, and, for the avoidance of doubt, the applicable calculations shall take into account the federal benefit received by the Corporation with respect to state and local jurisdiction income taxes (with such benefit taking into account the Corporation’s applicable marginal U.S. federal income tax rate, the Assumed State and Local Tax Rate, and the deductibility, if any, of state and local jurisdiction income taxes);
10
(4)any loss carryovers or carrybacks generated by any Basis Adjustment, Blocker Attributes described in clause (ii) of the definition thereof or Imputed Interest (including such Basis Adjustment and Imputed Interest generated as a result of payments under this Agreement) and available as of the Early Termination Effective Date, and any Blocker Attributes described in clause (i) of the definition thereof that have not been previously utilized in determining a Tax Benefit Payment as of the Early Termination Effective Date, will be used by the Corporation on a pro rata basis over a fifteen-year period beginning on the Early Termination Effective Date (provided that, in any year that a Blocker Entity or the Corporation is prevented from fully utilizing net operating losses pursuant to Section 382 of the Code, or any successor provision, the amount utilized for purposes of this provision shall not exceed the amount that would otherwise be utilizable under Section 382 of the Code, or any successor provision);
(5)any non-amortizable assets (other than Subsidiary Stock) will be disposed of on the earlier of (i) the fifteenth anniversary of the applicable Basis Adjustment (or, if such Basis Adjustment occurred more than fifteen years before the Early Termination Effective Date, the Early Termination Effective Date), (ii) in the case of any Blocker Attributes described in clause (ii) of the definition thereof, the fifteenth anniversary of IPO Date (or, if the IPO Date is more than fifteen years before the Early Termination Effective Date, the Early Termination Effective Date) and (iii) the fifteenth anniversary of the Early Termination Effective Date;
(6)any Subsidiary Stock will be deemed never to be disposed of except if Subsidiary Stock is directly disposed of in the Change of Control;
(7)if, on the Early Termination Effective Date, any TRA Holder has Units that have not been Exchanged, then such Units shall be deemed to be Exchanged for the Market Value that would be received by such TRA Holder if such Units had been Exchanged on the Early Termination Effective Date, and such TRA Holder shall be deemed to receive the amount of cash such TRA Holder would have been entitled to pursuant to Section 4.3(a) had such Units actually been Exchanged on the Early Termination Effective Date; and
(8)any payment obligations pursuant to this Agreement will be satisfied on the date that any Tax Return to which such payment obligation relates is required to be filed excluding any extensions.
Section 1.2Rules of Construction. Unless otherwise specified herein:
(a)The meanings of defined terms are equally applicable to the singular and plural forms of the defined terms.
(b)For purposes of interpretation of this Agreement:
(i)The words “herein,” “hereto,” “hereof” and “hereunder” and words of similar import when used in this Agreement shall refer to this Agreement as a whole and not to any particular provision thereof.
11
(ii)References in this Agreement to a Schedule, Article, Section, clause or sub-clause refer to the appropriate Schedule to, or Article, Section, clause or subclause in, this Agreement.
(iii)References in this Agreement to dollars or “$” refer to the lawful currency of the United States of America.
(iv)The term “including” is by way of example and not limitation.
(v)The term “documents” includes any and all instruments, documents, agreements, certificates, notices, reports, financial statements and other writings, however evidenced, whether in physical or electronic form.
(c)In the computation of periods of time from a specified date to a later specified date, the word “from” means “from and including;” the words “to” and “until” each mean “to but excluding;” and the word “through” means “to and including.”
(d)Section headings herein are included for convenience of reference only and shall not affect the interpretation of this Agreement.
(e)Unless otherwise expressly provided herein, (a) references to organization documents (including the LLC Agreement), agreements (including this Agreement) and other contractual instruments shall be deemed to include all subsequent amendments, restatements, extensions, supplements and other modifications thereto, but only to the extent that such amendments, restatements, extensions, supplements and other modifications are permitted hereby; and (b) references to any law (including the Code and the Treasury Regulations) shall include all statutory and regulatory provisions consolidating, amending, replacing, supplementing or interpreting such law.
DETERMINATION OF REALIZED TAX BENEFIT
Section 2.1Basis Adjustments; the LLC 754 Election.
(a)Basis Adjustments. The Parties acknowledge and agree that (A) each Direct Exchange shall give rise to Basis Adjustments and (B) each Redemption using cash or Class A Common Stock contributed to the LLC by the Corporation shall be treated as a direct purchase of Units by the Corporation from the applicable TRA Holder pursuant to Section 707(a)(2)(B) of the Code that shall give rise to Basis Adjustments. For the avoidance of doubt, payments made under this Agreement shall not be treated as resulting in a Basis Adjustment to the extent that such payments are treated as deductible interest for U.S. federal income tax purposes or as other than consideration for Units for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
(b)Section 754 Election. In its capacity as the sole managing member of the LLC, the Corporation will ensure that, on and after the date hereof and continuing throughout the term of this Agreement, the LLC and each other member of the LLC Group that is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes will have in effect an election under Section 754 of the Code (and under any similar provisions of applicable U.S. state or local law).
12
Section 2.2IPO Date Attribute Schedule. An estimated schedule (the “Estimated IPO Date Attribute Schedule”) of (a) the Blocker Attributes of each of the Blocker Entities as of December 31, 2019 and as of the IPO Date, (b) the period (or periods) over which the tax basis of any Reference Asset that is a Blocker Attribute is amortizable and/or depreciable and (c) any applicable limitations on the use of the Blocker Attributes for tax purposes (including under Section 382 of the Code) is set forth on Exhibit B to this Agreement. Within one hundred and eighty (180) calendar days after the filing of the U.S. federal income Tax Return of each Blocker Entity for the short Taxable Year including the Reorganization Transactions, the Corporation shall update the Estimated IPO Date Attribute Schedule to reflect the actual Blocker Attributes reflected on such Tax Returns and shall deliver such updated schedule (the “IPO Date Attribute Schedule”) to Searchlight and Rook. The IPO Date Attribute Schedule will become final and binding on the Parties pursuant to the procedures set forth in Section 2.5(a) and may be amended by the Parties pursuant to the procedures set forth in Section 2.5(b).
Section 2.3Basis Schedules. Within one hundred and eighty (180) calendar days after the filing of the U.S. federal income Tax Return of the Corporation for each relevant Taxable Year, the Corporation shall deliver to Searchlight and Rook a schedule (the “Basis Schedule”) that shows, in reasonable detail as necessary in order to understand the calculations performed under this Agreement: (a) the Basis Adjustments with respect to the Reference Assets as a result of the relevant Exchanges effected in such Taxable Year and (b) the period (or periods) over which each Basis Adjustment is amortizable and/or depreciable. The Basis Schedule will become final and binding on the Parties pursuant to the procedures set forth in Section 2.5(a) and may be amended by the Parties pursuant to the procedures set forth in Section 2.5(b).
Section 2.4Tax Benefit Schedules.
(a)Tax Benefit Schedule. Within one hundred and eighty (180) calendar days after the filing of the U.S. federal income Tax Return of the Corporation for any Taxable Year in which there is a Realized Tax Benefit or Realized Tax Detriment, the Corporation shall provide to Searchlight and Rook a schedule showing, in reasonable detail, the calculation of the Realized Tax Benefit or Realized Tax Detriment for such Taxable Year (a “Tax Benefit Schedule”). The Tax Benefit Schedule will become final and binding on the Parties pursuant to the procedures set forth in Section 2.5(a), and may be amended by the Parties pursuant to the procedures set forth in Section 2.5(b).
(b)Applicable Principles. Subject to the provisions of this Agreement, the Realized Tax Benefit or Realized Tax Detriment for each Taxable Year is intended to measure the decrease or increase in the actual liability of the Corporation for Covered Taxes for such Taxable Year attributable to the Basis Adjustments, Blocker Attributes, Imputed Interest, Actual Interest Amounts, and Default Rate Interest as determined using a “with and without” methodology described in Section 2.5(a). Carryovers or carrybacks of any Tax item attributable to any Basis Adjustment, Blocker Attribute, Imputed Interest, Actual Interest Amounts, and Default Rate Interest shall be considered to be subject to the rules of the Code and the Treasury Regulations or the appropriate provisions of U.S. state or local tax law, as applicable, governing the use, limitation and expiration of carryovers or carrybacks of the relevant type. If a carryover or carryback of any Tax item includes a portion that is attributable to a Basis Adjustment, Blocker Attributes, Imputed Interest, Actual Interest Amounts, and Default Rate Interest (a “TRA Portion”) and another portion that is not (a “Non-TRA Portion”), such portions shall be considered to be used in accordance with the “with and without” methodology so that: (i) the amount of any Non-TRA Portion is deemed utilized first, followed by the amount of any TRA
13
Portion (with the TRA Portion being applied on a proportionate basis consistent with the provisions of Section 3.3(a)); and (ii) in the case of a carryback of a Non-TRA Portion, such carryback shall not affect the original “with and without” calculation made in the prior Taxable Year. The Parties agree that (i) all Tax Benefit Payments attributable to an Exchange will to the extent permitted by applicable law (A) be treated as subsequent upward purchase price adjustments that give rise to further Basis Adjustments for the Corporation and (B) have the effect of creating additional Basis Adjustments for the Corporation in the year of payment, and (ii) as a result, such additional Basis Adjustments will be incorporated into the current Taxable Year continuing until any incremental current Taxable Year benefits equal an immaterial amount.
Section 2.5Procedures; Amendments.
(a)Procedures. Each time the Corporation delivers an applicable Schedule to Searchlight or Rook, as applicable, under this Agreement, including any Amended Schedule delivered pursuant to Section 2.5(b), but excluding any Early Termination Schedule or amended Early Termination Schedule delivered pursuant to the procedures set forth in Section 4.2, the Corporation shall also: (x) deliver supporting schedules and work papers reasonably requested by Searchlight or Rook, as applicable, that are reasonably necessary in order to understand the calculations that were relevant for purposes of preparing the Schedule; and (y) allow Searchlight and Rook, as applicable, and their advisors to have reasonable access to the appropriate representatives, as determined by the Corporation or as reasonably requested by Searchlight or Rook, as applicable, at the Corporation in connection with a review of such Schedule. Without limiting the generality of the preceding sentence, the Corporation shall ensure that any Tax Benefit Schedule that is delivered to Searchlight or Rook, as applicable, provides a reasonably detailed presentation of the calculation of the actual liability of the Corporation for Covered Taxes (the “with” calculation) and the Hypothetical Tax Liability of the Corporation (the “without” calculation), and identifies any material assumptions or operating procedures or principles that were used for purposes of such calculations. An applicable Schedule or amendment thereto shall become final and binding on the Parties thirty (30) calendar days from the date on which Searchlight and Rook, as applicable, first received the applicable Schedule or amendment thereto unless:
(i)Searchlight or Rook, as applicable, within thirty (30) calendar days after receiving the applicable Schedule or amendment thereto, provides the Corporation with written notice of a material objection to such Schedule that is made in good faith and that sets forth in reasonable detail Searchlight’s or Rook’s, as applicable, material objection (an “Objection Notice”) or
(ii)each of Searchlight and Rook, as applicable, provides a written waiver of its right to deliver an Objection Notice within the time period described in clause (i) above, in which case such Schedule or amendment thereto becomes binding on the date the waiver from each of Searchlight and Rook, as applicable, is received by the Corporation.
14
In the event that Searchlight or Rook, as applicable, timely delivers an Objection Notice pursuant to clause (i) above, and if the Parties, for any reason, are unable to successfully resolve the issues raised in the Objection Notice within thirty (30) calendar days after receipt by the Corporation of the Objection Notice, the Corporation and Searchlight or Rook, as applicable, shall employ the reconciliation procedures as described in Section 7.9 of this Agreement (the “Reconciliation Procedures”).
(b)Amended Schedule. The applicable Schedule for any Taxable Year may be amended from time to time by the Corporation: (i) in connection with a Determination affecting such Schedule; (ii) to correct material inaccuracies in the Schedule identified as a result of the receipt of additional factual information relating to a Taxable Year after the date the Schedule was originally provided to Searchlight and Rook, as applicable; (iii) to comply with an Expert’s determination under the Reconciliation Procedures applicable to this Agreement; (iv) to reflect a change in the Realized Tax Benefit or Realized Tax Detriment for such Taxable Year attributable to a carryback or carryforward of a loss or other Tax item to such Taxable Year; (v) to reflect a change in the Realized Tax Benefit or Realized Tax Detriment for such Taxable Year attributable to an amended Tax Return filed for such Taxable Year; or (vi) to adjust a Basis Schedule to take into account any Tax Benefit Payments made pursuant to this Agreement (any such Schedule, an “Amended Schedule”).
TAX BENEFIT PAYMENTS
Section 3.1Timing and Amount of Tax Benefit Payments.
(a)Timing of Payments. Except as provided in Sections 3.4, and subject to Sections 3.2 and 3.3, within five (5) Business Days following the date on which each Tax Benefit Schedule that is required to be delivered by the Corporation to Searchlight and Rook, as applicable, pursuant to Section 2.4(a) of this Agreement becomes final in accordance with Section 2.5(a) of this Agreement, the Corporation shall pay to each relevant TRA Holder the Tax Benefit Payment as determined pursuant to Section 3.1(b). Each such Tax Benefit Payment shall be made by wire transfer of immediately available funds to the bank account previously designated by such TRA Holder or as otherwise agreed by the Corporation and such TRA Holder. For the avoidance of doubt, the TRA Holders shall not be required under any circumstances to return any portion of any Tax Benefit Payment previously paid by the Corporation to the TRA Holders (including any portion of any Estimated Tax Benefit Payment or any Early Termination Payment). For purposes of this Agreement, and also for the avoidance of doubt, no Tax Benefit Payment shall be required to be calculated or made in respect of any estimated tax payments, including, without limitation, any estimated U.S. federal income tax payments.
(b)Amount of Payments. For purposes of this Agreement, a “Tax Benefit Payment” with respect to any TRA Holder means an amount, not less than zero, equal to the sum of: (i) the portion of the Net Tax Benefit that is Attributable to such TRA Holder (including Imputed Interest calculated in respect of such amount); and (ii) the Actual Interest Amount with respect to the Net Tax Benefit described in (i).
15
(i)Attributable. A Net Tax Benefit is “Attributable” to a (A) Non-Blocker TRA Holder to the extent that it is derived from any Basis Adjustment, Imputed Interest, Actual Interest Amount or Default Rate Interest that is attributable to an Exchange undertaken by or with respect to such TRA Holder, (B) SC II TRA Holder to the extent that it is derived from any Blocker Attributes, Imputed Interest, Actual Interest Amount or default Rate Interest that is attributable to SC II Blocker or the Reorganization Transactions in respect of SC II Blocker and (C) to SC II PV TRA Holder to the extent that it is derived from any Blocker Attributes, Imputed Interest, Actual Interest or Default Rate Interest that is attributable to SC II PV Blocker or the Reorganization Transactions in respect of SC II PV Blocker.
(ii)Net Tax Benefit. The “Net Tax Benefit” for a Taxable Year equals the amount of the excess, if any, of (x) 85% of the Cumulative Net Realized Tax Benefit as of the end of such Taxable Year over (y) the aggregate amount of all Tax Benefit Payments previously made under this Section 3.1 (excluding payments of Actual Interest Amounts). For the avoidance of doubt, if the Cumulative Net Realized Tax Benefit as of the end of any Taxable Year is less than the aggregate amount of all Tax Benefit Payments previously made, no TRA Holder shall be required to return any portion of any Tax Benefit Payment previously made by the Corporation to such TRA Holder.
(iii)Cumulative Net Realized Tax Benefit. The “Cumulative Net Realized Tax Benefit” for a Taxable Year equals the cumulative amount of Realized Tax Benefits for all Taxable Years of the Corporation, up to and including such Taxable Year, net of the cumulative amount of Realized Tax Detriments for the same period. The Realized Tax Benefit and Realized Tax Detriment for each Taxable Year shall be determined based on the most recent Tax Benefit Schedule or Amended Schedule, if any, in existence at the time of such determination.
(iv)Realized Tax Benefit. The “Realized Tax Benefit” for a Taxable Year equals the excess, if any, of the Hypothetical Tax Liability over the actual liability of the Corporation for Covered Taxes; provided, that for purposes of determining the Hypothetical Tax Liability and actual liability of the Corporation for Covered Taxes, the Corporation shall use the Assumed State and Local Tax Rate for purposes of determining such liabilities for all state and local Covered Taxes. For the avoidance of doubt, the calculation of the Hypothetical Tax Liability and the actual liability of the Corporation for Covered Taxes shall take into account the federal benefit received by the Corporation with respect to state and local jurisdiction income taxes (with such benefit taking into account the Corporation’s marginal U.S. federal income tax rate for the relevant Taxable Year, the Assumed State and Local Tax Rate, and the deductibility, if any, of state and local jurisdiction income taxes). If all or a portion of the actual liability for such Covered Taxes for the Taxable Year arises as a result of an audit by a Taxing Authority of any Taxable Year, such liability shall not be included in determining the Realized Tax Benefit unless and until there has been a Determination.
16
(v)Realized Tax Detriment. The “Realized Tax Detriment” for a Taxable Year equals the excess, if any, of the actual liability of the Corporation for Covered Taxes over the Hypothetical Tax Liability for such Taxable Year; provided, that for purposes of determining the Hypothetical Tax Liability and actual liability of the Corporation for Covered Taxes, the Corporation shall use the Assumed State and Local Tax Rate for purposes of determining such liabilities for all state and local Covered Taxes. For the avoidance of doubt, the calculation of the Hypothetical Tax Liability and the actual liability of the Corporation for Covered Taxes shall take into account the federal benefit received by the Corporation with respect to state and local jurisdiction income taxes (with such benefit taking into account the Corporation’s marginal U.S. federal income tax rate for the relevant Taxable Year, the Assumed State and Local Tax Rate, and the deductibility, if any, of state and local jurisdiction income taxes). If all or a portion of the actual liability for such Covered Taxes for the Taxable Year arises as a result of an audit by a Taxing Authority of any Taxable Year, such liability shall not be included in determining the Realized Tax Detriment unless and until there has been a Determination.
(vi)Imputed Interest. The parties acknowledge that the principles of Sections 1272, 1274, or 483 of the Code, as applicable, and the principles of any similar provision of U.S. state and local law, will, as applicable, apply to cause a portion of any Net Tax Benefit payable by the Corporation to a TRA Holder under this Agreement to be treated as imputed interest (“Imputed Interest”). For the avoidance of doubt, the deduction for the amount of Imputed Interest as determined with respect to any Net Tax Benefit payable by the Corporation to a TRA Holder shall be excluded in determining the Hypothetical Tax Liability of the Corporation for purposes of calculating Realized Tax Benefits and Realized Tax Detriments pursuant to this Agreement.
(vii)Actual Interest Amount. Subject to Section 3.4, the “Actual Interest Amount” calculated in respect of the Net Tax Benefit (including previously accrued Imputed Interest) for a Taxable Year, will equal an amount equal to interest calculated at the Agreed Rate from the due date (without extensions) for filing the U.S. federal income Tax Return of the Corporation for such Taxable Year until the date on which the Corporation makes a timely Tax Benefit Payment to the TRA Holder on or before the Final Payment Date as determined pursuant to Section 3.1(a). For the avoidance of doubt, any deduction for any Actual Interest Amount as determined with respect to any Net Tax Benefit payable by the Corporation to a TRA Holder shall be excluded in determining the Hypothetical Tax Liability of the Corporation for purposes of calculating Realized Tax Benefits and Realized Tax Detriments pursuant to this Agreement.
(viii)Default Rate Interest. In the event that the Corporation does not make timely payment of all or any portion of a Tax Benefit Payment to a TRA Holder on or before the Final Payment Date as determined pursuant to Section 3.1(a), the amount of “Default Rate Interest” calculated in respect of the Net Tax Benefit (including previously accrued Imputed Interest and Actual Interest Amounts) for a Taxable Year will equal interest calculated at the Default Rate from the Final Payment Date for a Tax Benefit Payment as determined pursuant to Section 3.1(a) until the date on which the Corporation makes such Tax Benefit Payment to such TRA Holder. For the avoidance of doubt, any deduction for any Default Rate Interest with respect to any Net Tax Benefit payable by the Corporation to a TRA Holder shall be excluded in determining the Hypothetical Tax Liability of the Corporation for purposes of calculating Realized Tax Benefits and Realized Tax Detriments pursuant to this Agreement.
17
(ix)The Corporation and the TRA Holders hereby acknowledge and agree that, as of the date of this Agreement and as of the date of any future Exchange that may be subject to this Agreement, the aggregate value of the Tax Benefit Payments cannot be reasonably ascertained for U.S. federal income or other applicable tax purposes. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, with respect to each Exchange by any TRA Holder, if such TRA Holder notifies the Corporation in writing of a stated maximum selling price (within the meaning of Treasury Regulation 15A.453-1(c)(2)) to be applied with respect to such Exchange, the amount of the initial consideration received in connection with such Exchange and the aggregate Tax Benefit Payments to such TRA Holder in respect of such Exchange (other than amounts accounted for as interest under the Code) shall not exceed such stated maximum selling price.
(c)Interest. The provisions of Section 3.1(b) are intended to operate so that interest will effectively accrue in respect of the Net Tax Benefit for any Taxable Year as follows:
(i)first, at the applicable rate used to determine the amount of Imputed Interest under the Code (from the relevant Exchange Date until the due date (without extensions) for filing the U.S. federal income Tax Return of the Corporation for such Taxable Year and, if required under applicable law, through the Final Payment Date for a Tax Benefit Payment as determined pursuant to Section 3.1(a));
(ii)second, at the Agreed Rate (from the due date (without extensions) for filing the U.S. federal income Tax Return of the Corporation for such Taxable Year until the Final Payment Date for a Tax Benefit Payment as determined pursuant to Section 3.1(a)); and
(iii)third, at the Default Rate (from the Final Payment Date for a Tax Benefit Payment as determined pursuant to Section 3.1(a) until the date on which the Corporation makes the relevant Tax Benefit Payment to a TRA Holder).
Section 3.2No Duplicative Payments. It is intended that the provisions of this Agreement will not result in the duplicative payment of any amount (including interest) that may be required under this Agreement, and the provisions of this Agreement shall be consistently interpreted and applied in accordance with that intent.
Section 3.3Pro-Ration of Payments as Between the TRA Holders.
(a)Insufficient Taxable Income. Notwithstanding anything in Section 3.1(b) to the contrary, if the aggregate potential depreciation, amortization or other Tax benefit in respect of the Basis Adjustments, Blocker Attributes, Imputed Interest, Actual Interest Amounts, and Default Rate Interest for purposes of determining the Corporation’s liability for Covered Taxes (the “Covered Tax Benefit”) is limited in a particular Taxable Year because the Corporation does not have sufficient actual taxable income, then the available Covered Tax Benefit for the Corporation shall be allocated among the TRA Holders in proportion to the respective Tax Benefit Payment that would have been payable if the Corporation had in fact had sufficient taxable income so that there had been no such limitation. As an illustration of the intended operation of this Section 3.3(a), if the Corporation had $200 of aggregate potential Covered Tax Benefits in a particular Taxable Year (with $50 of such Covered Tax Benefits being attributable to TRA Holder 1 and $150 of such Covered Tax Benefits being attributable to
18
TRA Holder 2), such that TRA Holder 1 would have potentially been entitled to a Tax Benefit Payment of $42.50 and TRA Holder 2 would have been entitled to a Tax Benefit Payment of $127.50 if the Corporation had $200 of actual taxable income, and if at the same time the Corporation only had $100 of actual taxable income in such Taxable Year, then $25 of the aggregate $100 actual Covered Tax Benefit for the Corporation for such Taxable Year would be allocated to TRA Holder 1 and $75 of the aggregate $100 actual Covered Tax benefit for the Corporation would be allocated to TRA Holder 2, such that TRA Holder 1 would receive a Tax Benefit Payment of $21.25 and TRA Holder 2 would receive a Tax Benefit Payment of $63.75.
(b)Late Payments. If for any reason the Corporation is not able to timely and fully satisfy its payment obligations under this Agreement in respect of a particular Taxable Year, then Default Rate Interest will begin to accrue pursuant to Section 5.2 and the Corporation and other Parties agree that (i) the Corporation shall pay the Tax Benefit Payments due in respect of such Taxable Year to each TRA Holder pro rata in proportion to the amount of such Tax Benefit Payments, without favoring one obligation over the other, and (ii) no Tax Benefit Payment shall be made in respect of any Taxable Year until all Tax Benefit Payments to all TRA Holders in respect of all prior Taxable Years have been made in full.
Section 3.4Optional Estimated Tax Benefit Payment Procedure. As long as the Corporation is current in respect of its payment obligations owed to each TRA Holder pursuant to this Agreement and there are no delinquent Tax Benefit Payments (including interest thereon) outstanding in respect of prior Taxable Years for any TRA Holder, the Corporation may, at any time on or after the due date (without extensions) for filing the U.S. federal income Tax Return of the Corporation for a Taxable Year and at the Corporation’s option, in its sole discretion, make one or more estimated payments to the TRA Holders in respect of any anticipated amounts to be owed with respect to a Taxable Year to the TRA Holders pursuant to Section 3.1 of this Agreement (any such estimated payments referred to as an “Estimated Tax Benefit Payment”); provided that any Estimated Tax Benefit Payment made to a TRA Holder pursuant to this Section 3.4 is matched by a proportionately equal Estimated Tax Benefit Payment to all other TRA Holders then entitled to a Tax Benefit Payment. Any Estimated Tax Benefit Payment made under this Section 3.4 shall be paid by the Corporation to the TRA Holders and applied against the final amount of any Tax Benefit Payment to be made pursuant to Section 3.1. The payment of an Estimated Tax Benefit Payment by the Corporation to the TRA Holders pursuant to this Section 3.4 shall also terminate the obligation of the Corporation to make payment of any Actual Interest Amount that might have otherwise accrued with respect to the proportionate amount of the Tax Benefit Payment that is being paid in advance of the applicable Tax Benefit Schedule being finalized pursuant to Section 2.5. Upon the making of any Estimated Tax Benefit Payment pursuant to this Section 3.4, the amount of such Estimated Tax Benefit Payment shall first be applied to any estimated Actual Interest Amount, then to Imputed Interest, and then applied to the remaining residual amount of the Tax Benefit Payment to be made pursuant to Section 3.1. In determining the final amount of any Tax Benefit Payment to be made pursuant to Section 3.1, and for purposes of finalizing the Tax Benefit Schedule pursuant to Section 2.5, the amount of any Estimated Tax Benefit Payments that may have been made with respect to the Taxable Year shall be increased, if the finally determined Tax Benefit Payment for a Taxable Year exceeds the Estimated Tax Benefit Payments made for such Taxable Year, with such increase being paid by the Corporation to the TRA Holders along with an appropriate Actual Interest Amount in respect
19
of the amount of such increase (a “True-Up”). If the Estimated Tax Benefit Payment to a TRA Holder for a Taxable Year exceeds the finally determined Tax Benefit Payment to the TRA Holder for such Taxable Year, such excess, along with an appropriate Actual Interest Amount in respect of such excess (being charged by the Corporation to the TRA Holder), shall be applied to reduce the amount of any subsequent future Tax Benefit Payments (including Estimated Tax Benefit Payments, if any) to be paid by the Corporation to such TRA Holder. As of the date on which any Estimated Tax Benefit Payments are made, and as of the date on which any True-Up is made, all such payments shall be made in the same manner and subject to the same terms and conditions as otherwise contemplated by Section 3.1 and all other applicable terms of this Agreement. For the avoidance of doubt, as is the case with Tax Benefit Payments made by the Corporation to the TRA Holders pursuant to Section 3.1, the amount of any Estimated Tax Benefit Payments made pursuant to this Section 3.4 that are attributable to an Exchange shall also be treated, in part, as subsequent upward purchase price adjustments that give rise to Basis Adjustments in the Taxable Year of payment to the extent permitted by applicable law and as of the date on which such payments are made.
TERMINATION
Section 4.1Early Termination of Agreement; Breach of Agreement.
(a)Corporation’s Early Termination Right. With the written approval of a majority of the Independent Directors, the Corporation may completely terminate this Agreement, as and to the extent provided herein, with respect to all amounts payable to the TRA Holders pursuant to this Agreement by paying to the TRA Holders the Early Termination Payment; provided that Early Termination Payments may be made pursuant to this Section 4.1(a) only if made to all TRA Holders that are entitled to such a payment simultaneously, and provided further, that the Corporation may withdraw any notice to execute its termination rights under this Section 4.1(a) prior to the time at which any Early Termination Payment has been paid. Upon the Corporation’s payment of the Early Termination Payment, the Corporation shall not have any further payment obligations under this Agreement, other than with respect to any: (i) prior Tax Benefit Payments that are due and payable under this Agreement but that still remain unpaid as of the date of the Early Termination Notice; and (ii) current Tax Benefit Payment due for the Taxable Year ending on or including the date of the Early Termination Notice (except to the extent that the amount described in clause (ii) is included in the calculation of the Early Termination Payment). If an Exchange subsequently occurs with respect to Units for which the Corporation has exercised its termination rights under this Section 4.1(a), the Corporation shall have no obligations under this Agreement with respect to such Exchange.
20
(b)Acceleration Upon Change of Control. In the event of a Change of Control, all obligations of the Corporation hereunder shall be accelerated and such obligations shall be calculated pursuant to this Article IV as if an Early Termination Notice had been delivered on the closing date of the Change of Control and utilizing the Valuation Assumptions by substituting the phrase “the closing date of a Change of Control” in each place where the phrase “Early Termination Effective Date” appears. Such obligations shall include, but not be limited to, (1) the Early Termination Payment calculated as if an Early Termination Notice had been delivered on the closing date of the Change of Control, (2) any Tax Benefit Payments agreed to by the Corporation and the TRA Holders as due and payable but unpaid as of the Early Termination Notice and (3) any Tax Benefit Payments due for any Taxable Year ending prior to, with or including the closing date of a Change of Control (except to the extent that any amounts described in clauses (2) or (3) are included in the Early Termination Payment). For the avoidance of doubt, Sections 4.2 and 4.3 shall apply to a Change of Control, mutadis mutandis.
(c)Acceleration Upon Breach of Agreement. In the event that the Corporation materially breaches any of its material obligations under this Agreement, whether as a result of failure to make any payment when due, failure to honor any other material obligation required hereunder, or by operation of law as a result of the rejection of this Agreement in a case commenced under Title 11 of the United States Code (11 U.S.C. § 101 et seq.) (the “Bankruptcy Code”) or otherwise, then all obligations of the Corporation hereunder shall be accelerated and become immediately due and payable upon notice of acceleration from a TRA Holder (provided that in the case of any proceeding under the Bankruptcy Code or other insolvency statute, such acceleration shall be automatic without any such notice), and such obligations shall be calculated as if an Early Termination Notice had been delivered on the date of such notice of acceleration (or, in the case of any proceeding under the Bankruptcy Code or other insolvency statute, on the date of such breach) and shall include, but not be limited to: (i) the Early Termination Payment calculated as if an Early Termination Notice had been delivered on the date of such acceleration; (ii) any prior Tax Benefit Payments that are due and payable under this Agreement but that still remain unpaid as of the date of such acceleration; and (iii) any current Tax Benefit Payment due for the Taxable Year ending with or including the date of such acceleration (except to the extent included in the Early Termination Payment). Notwithstanding the foregoing, in the event that the Corporation breaches this Agreement and such breach is not a material breach of a material obligation, a TRA Holder shall still be entitled to enforce all of its rights otherwise available under this Agreement, excluding, for the avoidance of doubt, seeking an acceleration of amounts payable under this Agreement. For purposes of this Section 4.1(c), and subject to the following sentence, the Parties agree that the failure to make any payment due pursuant to this Agreement within ninety (90) days of the relevant Final Payment Date shall be deemed to be a material breach of a material obligation under this Agreement for all purposes of this Agreement, and that it will not be considered to be a material breach of a material obligation under this Agreement to make a payment due pursuant to this Agreement within ninety (90) days of the relevant Final Payment Date. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, it shall not be a material breach of a material obligation of this Agreement if the Corporation fails to make any Tax Benefit Payment within ninety (90) days of the relevant Final Payment Date to the extent that the Corporation has insufficient funds or cannot make such payment as a result of obligations imposed in connection with the Senior Obligations or under applicable law, and cannot obtain sufficient funds to make such payments by taking commercially reasonable
21
actions; provided that the interest provisions of Section 5.2 shall apply to such late payment (unless the Corporation does not have sufficient funds to make such payment as a result of limitations imposed by any Senior Obligations, in which case Section 5.2 shall apply, but the Default Rate shall be replaced by the Agreed Rate); and further provided that such payment obligation shall nonetheless accrue for the benefit of the TRA Holders and the Corporation shall make such payment at the first opportunity that it has sufficient funds and is otherwise able to make such payment.
Section 4.2Early Termination Notice. If the Corporation chooses to exercise its right of early termination under Section 4.1 above, the Corporation shall deliver to Searchlight and Rook a notice of the Corporation’s decision to exercise such right (an “Early Termination Notice”). Upon delivery of the Early Termination Notice or the occurrence of an event described in Section 4.1(b) or (c), the Corporation shall deliver a schedule (the “Early Termination Schedule”) showing in reasonable detail the calculation of the Early Termination Payment. The Corporation shall also (x) deliver to Searchlight and Rook supporting schedules and work papers reasonably requested by Searchlight or Rook, as applicable, that are reasonably necessary in order to understand the calculations that were relevant for purposes of preparing the Early Termination Schedule; and (y) allow Searchlight and Rook and their advisors to have reasonable access to the appropriate representatives, as determined by the Corporation or as reasonably requested by Searchlight or Rook, at the Corporation in connection with a review of such Early Termination Schedule. The Early Termination Schedule shall become final and binding on each Party thirty (30) calendar days from the first date on which Searchlight and Rook received such Early Termination Schedule unless:
(i)Searchlight or Rook within thirty (30) calendar days after receiving the Early Termination Schedule, provides the Corporation with notice of a material objection to such Early Termination Schedule made in good faith and setting forth in reasonable detail Searchlight or Rook’s, as applicable, material objection (a “Termination Objection Notice”); or
(ii)each of Searchlight and Rook provides a written waiver of such right of a Termination Objection Notice within the period described in clause (i) above, in which case such Early Termination Schedule becomes binding on the date the waiver from Searchlight and Rook is received by the Corporation.
In the event that Searchlight or Rook timely delivers a Termination Objection Notice pursuant to clause (i) above, and if the Parties, for any reason, are unable to successfully resolve the issues raised in the Termination Objection Notice within thirty (30) calendar days after receipt by the Corporation of the Termination Objection Notice, the Corporation and Searchlight or Rook, as applicable, shall employ the Reconciliation Procedures. The date on which the Early Termination Schedule becomes final in accordance with this Section 4.2 shall be the “Early Termination Reference Date.”
22
Section 4.3Payment Upon Early Termination.
(a)Timing of Payment. Within five (5) Business Days after the Early Termination Reference Date, the Corporation shall pay to each TRA Holder an amount equal to the Early Termination Payment for such TRA Holder. Such Early Termination Payment shall be made by the Corporation by wire transfer of immediately available funds to a bank account or accounts designated by such TRA Holder or as otherwise agreed by the Corporation and such TRA Holder.
(b)Amount of Payment. The “Early Termination Payment” payable to a TRA Holder pursuant to Section 4.3(a) shall equal the present value, discounted at the Early Termination Rate as determined as of the Early Termination Reference Date, of all Tax Benefit Payments that would be required to be paid by the Corporation to such TRA Holder, beginning from the Early Termination Effective Date and using the Valuation Assumptions.
SUBORDINATION AND LATE PAYMENTS
Section 5.1Subordination. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement to the contrary, any Tax Benefit Payment or Early Termination Payment required to be made by the Corporation to the TRA Holders under this Agreement shall rank subordinate and junior in right of payment to any principal, interest, or other amounts due and payable in respect of any obligations owed in respect of secured or unsecured indebtedness for borrowed money of the Corporation and its Subsidiaries (“Senior Obligations”) and shall rank pari passu in right of payment with all current or future unsecured obligations of the Corporation that are not Senior Obligations. To the extent that any payment under this Agreement is not permitted to be made at the time payment is due as a result of this Section 5.1 and the terms of the agreements governing Senior Obligations, such payment obligation nevertheless shall accrue for the benefit of the TRA Holders and the Corporation shall make such payments at the first opportunity that such payments are permitted to be made in accordance with the terms of the Senior Obligations.
Section 5.2Late Payments by the Corporation. Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, the amount of all or any portion of any Tax Benefit Payment or Early Termination Payment not made to the TRA Holders when due under the terms of this Agreement, whether as a result of Section 5.1 and the terms of the Senior Obligations or otherwise, shall be payable together with any interest thereon, computed at the Default Rate and commencing from the Final Payment Date on which such Tax Benefit Payment or Early Termination Payment was first due and payable to the date of actual payment.
TAX MATTERS; CONSISTENCY; COOPERATION
Section 6.1Participation in the Corporation’s and the LLC’s Tax Matters. Except as otherwise provided herein, the Corporation shall have full responsibility for, and sole discretion over, all tax matters concerning the Corporation and the LLC, including without limitation the preparation, filing or amending of any Tax Return and defending, contesting or settling any issue pertaining to taxes; provided, however, that if Searchlight or Rook owns (or would own upon an Exchange of all outstanding Units) at least ten percent (10%) of the Class A Common Stock, the Corporation shall not settle any issue pertaining to Covered Taxes that is reasonably expected to materially adversely affect the TRA Holders’ rights and obligations under this Agreement without the consent of Searchlight and Rook, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed. If Searchlight or Rook fails to respond to any notice with respect to the settlement of any such issue within fifteen (15) days of its receipt of the applicable notice, Searchlight or Rook, as applicable, shall be deemed to have consented to the proposed settlement or other disposition. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Corporation shall notify Searchlight and Rook of,
23
and keep them reasonably informed with respect to, the portion of any tax audit of the Corporation or the LLC, or any of the LLC’s Subsidiaries, the outcome of which is reasonably expected to materially affect the Tax Benefit Payments payable to such TRA Holders under this Agreement, and Searchlight and Rook, as applicable, shall have the right to participate in and to monitor at their own expense (but, for the avoidance of doubt, not to control) any such portion of any such Tax audit. To the extent there is a conflict between this Agreement and the LLC Agreement as it relates to tax matters concerning Covered Taxes and the Corporation and the LLC, including preparation, filing or amending of any Tax Return and defending, contesting or settling any issue pertaining to taxes, this Agreement shall control; provided, however, that to the extent there is a conflict between this Agreement and Sections 5.05 and 9.02 of the LLC Agreement, Sections 5.05 and 9.02 of the LLC Agreement shall control.
Section 6.2Consistency. Except as otherwise required by law, all calculations and determinations made hereunder, including, without limitation, any Basis Adjustments, the Schedules and the determination of any Realized Tax Benefits or Realized Tax Detriments, shall be made in accordance with the elections, methodologies or positions taken by the Corporation and the LLC on their respective Tax Returns. Each TRA Holder shall prepare its Tax Returns in a manner that is consistent with the terms of this Agreement, and any related calculations or determinations that are made hereunder, including, without limitation, the terms of Section 2.1 of this Agreement and the Schedules provided to the TRA Holders under this Agreement.
(a)Each TRA Holder, on the one hand, and the Corporation, on the other hand, shall (i) furnish to the other in a timely manner such information, documents and other materials as the other may reasonably request for purposes of making any determination or computation necessary or appropriate under or with respect to this Agreement, preparing any Tax Return or contesting or defending any audit, examination or controversy with any Taxing Authority, or estimating any future Tax Benefit Payments hereunder, (ii) make itself available to the other and its representatives to provide explanations of documents and materials and such other information as may be reasonably requested in connection with any of the matters described in clause (i) above, and (iii) reasonably cooperate in connection with any such matter. Upon the request of any TRA Holder, the Corporation shall cooperate in taking any action reasonably requested by such TRA Holder in connection with its tax or financial reporting and/or the consummation of any assignment or transfer of any of its rights and/or obligations under this Agreement, including without limitation, providing any information or executing any documentation.
(b)The requesting Party shall reimburse the other Party for any reasonable and documented out-of-pocket third party costs and expenses incurred by such other Party pursuant to Section 6.3(a).
24
MISCELLANEOUS
Section 7.1Notices. All notices, requests, consents and other communications hereunder shall be in writing and shall be given (and shall be deemed to have been duly given upon receipt) by delivery in person, by courier service, by fax, by electronic mail (delivery receipt requested) or by certified or registered mail (postage prepaid, return receipt requested) to the respective Parties at the following addresses (or at such other address for a Party as shall be as specified in a notice given in accordance with this Section 7.1). All notices hereunder shall be delivered as set forth below, or pursuant to such other instructions as may be designated in writing by the Party to receive such notice:
If to the Corporation, to:
Shift4 Payments, Inc.
2202 N. Irving St.
Allentown, PA 18109
Telephone: (888) 276-2108
Attn: Jordan Frankel, General Counsel and EVP, Legal
E-mail: jfrankel@shift4.com
with a copy (which shall not constitute notice to the Corporation) to:
Latham & Watkins LLP
885 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10022
Attn: Marc Jaffe and Ian Schuman
Facsimile: (212) 751-4864
E-mail: marc.jaffe@lw.com; ian.schuman@lw.com
If to Searchlight:
Searchlight Capital Partners, LLC
745 5th Avenue, 27th Floor
New York, NY 10151
Attn: Nadir Nurmohamed
Email: nnurmohamed@searchlightcap.com
25
with a copy (which shall not constitute notice to Searchlight) to:
Latham & Watkins LLP
885 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10022
Attn: Andrea Schwartzman
E-mail: andrea.schwartzman@lw.com
If to Rook:
Rook Holdings Inc.
2202 N. Irving St.
Allentown, PA 18109
Attn: Jared Isaacman
E-mail: jared@rookhldgs.com; jared@shift4.com
with a copy (which shall not constitute notice to Rook) to:
Kane Kessler, P.C.
Attn: Mitchell Hollander and Robert Lawrence
Facsimile: (212) 541-6222
E-mail: mhollander@kanekessler.com; rlawrence@kanekessler.com
Any Party may change its address, fax number or e-mail address by giving each of the other Parties written notice thereof in the manner set forth above.
Section 7.2Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in one or more counterparts, all of which shall be considered one and the same agreement and shall become effective when one or more counterparts have been signed by each of the Parties and delivered to the other Parties, it being understood that all Parties need not sign the same counterpart. Delivery of an executed signature page to this Agreement by facsimile transmission shall be as effective as delivery of a manually signed counterpart of this Agreement.
Section 7.3Entire Agreement; No Third Party Beneficiaries. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement and supersedes all prior agreements and understandings, both written and oral, among the Parties with respect to the subject matter hereof. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure solely to the benefit of each Party hereto and their respective successors and permitted assigns, and nothing in this Agreement, express or implied, is intended to or shall confer upon any other Person any right, benefit or remedy of any nature whatsoever under or by reason of this Agreement.
Section 7.4Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the law of the State of Delaware, without regard to the conflicts of laws principles thereof that would mandate the application of the laws of another jurisdiction.
26
Section 7.5Severability. If any term or other provision of this Agreement is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced by any law or public policy, all other terms and provisions of this Agreement shall nevertheless remain in full force and effect so long as the economic or legal substance of the transactions contemplated hereby is not affected in any manner materially adverse to any Party. Upon such determination that any term or other provision is invalid, illegal or incapable of being enforced, the Parties hereto shall negotiate in good faith to modify this Agreement so as to effect the original intent of the Parties as closely as possible in an acceptable manner in order that the transactions contemplated hereby are consummated as originally contemplated to the greatest extent possible.
Section 7.6Assignments; Amendments; Successors; No Waiver.
(a)Assignment. Each TRA Holder may assign, sell, pledge, or otherwise alienate or transfer any interest in this Agreement, including the right to receive any Tax Benefit Payments under this Agreement, to any Person; provided such Person executes and delivers a Joinder agreeing to succeed to the applicable portion of such TRA Holder’s interest in this Agreement and to become a Party for all purposes of this Agreement (the “Joinder Requirement”). For the avoidance of doubt, if a TRA Holder transfers Units in accordance with the terms of the LLC Agreement but does not assign to the transferee of such Units its rights under this Agreement with respect to such transferred Units, such TRA Holder shall continue to be entitled to receive the Tax Benefit Payments arising in respect of a subsequent Exchange of such Units (and any such transferred Units shall be separately identified, so as to facilitate the determination of Tax Benefit Payments hereunder). The Corporation may not assign any of its rights or obligations under this Agreement to any Person (other than any direct or indirect successor (whether by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise) to all or substantially all of the business or assets of the Corporation) without the prior written consent of each of the TRA Holders (and any purported assignment without such consent shall be null and void).
(b)Amendments. No provision of this Agreement may be amended unless such amendment is approved in writing by each of a majority of the Independent Directors, Searchlight and Rook (which approval of Searchlight and Rook shall not to be unreasonably withheld or delayed), in which case such amendment shall be permitted. No provision of this Agreement may be waived unless such waiver is in writing and signed by the Party against whom the waiver is to be effective.
(c)Successors. Except as provided in Section 7.6(a), all of the terms and provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon, and shall inure to the benefit of and be enforceable by, the Parties hereto and their respective successors, assigns, heirs, executors, administrators and legal representatives. The Corporation shall require and cause any direct or indirect successor (whether by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise) to all or substantially all of the business or assets of the Corporation, by written agreement, expressly to assume and agree to perform this Agreement in the same manner and to the same extent that the Corporation would be required to perform if no such succession had taken place.
27
(d)Waiver. No failure by any Party to insist upon the strict performance of any covenant, duty, agreement, or condition of this Agreement, or to exercise any right or remedy consequent upon a breach thereof, shall constitute a waiver of any such breach or any other covenant, duty, agreement, or condition.
Section 7.7Titles and Subtitles. The titles of the sections and subsections of this Agreement are for convenience of reference only and are not to be considered in construing this Agreement.
Section 7.8Resolution of Disputes.
(a)Except for Reconciliation Disputes subject to Section 7.9, any and all disputes which cannot be settled amicably, including any ancillary claims of any Party, arising out of, relating to or in connection with the validity, negotiation, execution, interpretation, performance or non-performance of this Agreement (including the validity, scope and enforceability of this arbitration provision) (each a “Dispute”) shall be finally resolved by arbitration in accordance with the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution Rules for Administered Arbitration (the “Rules”) by three arbitrators, of which the Corporation shall appoint one arbitrator and the TRA Holders party to such Dispute shall appoint one arbitrator in accordance with the “screened” appointment procedure provided in Rule 5.4. The arbitration shall be governed by the Federal Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C. §§ 1 et seq., and judgment upon the award rendered by the arbitrators may be entered by any court having jurisdiction thereof. The place of the arbitration shall be New York, New York.
(b)Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (a), any Party may bring an action or special proceeding in any court of competent jurisdiction for the purpose of compelling another Party to arbitrate, seeking temporary or preliminary relief in aid of an arbitration hereunder, and/or enforcing an arbitration award and, for the purposes of this paragraph (b), each Party (i) expressly consents to the application of paragraph (c) of this Section 7.8 to any such action or proceeding, and (ii) agrees that proof shall not be required that monetary damages for breach of the provisions of this Agreement would be difficult to calculate and that remedies at law would be inadequate. For the avoidance of doubt, this Section 7.8 shall not apply to Reconciliation Disputes to be settled in accordance with the procedures set forth in Section 7.9.
(c)Each Party irrevocably consents to service of process by means of notice in the manner provided for in Section 7.1. Nothing in this Agreement shall affect the right of any Party to serve process in any other manner permitted by law.
(d)WAIVER OF RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY. EACH PARTY HERETO HEREBY IRREVOCABLY WAIVES, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY RIGHT IT MAY HAVE TO A TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY (WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT OR ANY OTHER THEORY).
28
(e)In the event the parties are unable to agree whether a dispute between them is a Reconciliation Dispute subject to the dispute resolution procedure set forth in Section 7.9 or a Dispute subject to the dispute resolution procedure set forth in this Section 7.8, such disagreement shall be decided and resolved in accordance with the procedure set forth in this Section 7.8.
Section 7.9Reconciliation. In the event that the Corporation and any TRA Holder are unable to resolve a disagreement with respect to a Schedule (other than an Early Termination Schedule) prepared in accordance with the procedures set forth in Section 2.5, or with respect to an Early Termination Schedule prepared in accordance with the procedures set forth in Section 4.2, within the relevant time period designated in this Agreement (a “Reconciliation Dispute”), the Reconciliation Dispute shall be submitted for determination to a nationally recognized expert (the “Expert”) in the particular area of disagreement mutually acceptable to both Parties. The Expert shall be a partner or principal in a nationally recognized accounting firm, and unless the Corporation and such TRA Holder agree otherwise, the Expert shall not, and the firm that employs the Expert shall not, have any material relationship with the Corporation or such TRA Holder or other actual or potential conflict of interest. If the Parties are unable to agree on an Expert within fifteen (15) calendar days of receipt by the respondent(s) of written notice of a Reconciliation Dispute, the selection of an Expert shall be treated as a Dispute subject to Section 7.8 and an arbitration panel shall pick an Expert from a nationally recognized accounting firm that does not have any material relationship with the Corporation or such TRA Holder or other actual or potential conflict of interest. The Expert shall resolve any matter relating to the Basis Schedule or an amendment thereto or the Early Termination Schedule or an amendment thereto within thirty (30) calendar days and shall resolve any matter relating to a Tax Benefit Schedule or an amendment thereto within fifteen (15) calendar days or as soon thereafter as is reasonably practicable, in each case after the matter has been submitted to the Expert for resolution. Notwithstanding the preceding sentence, if the matter is not resolved before any payment that is the subject of a disagreement would be due (in the absence of such disagreement) or any Tax Return reflecting the subject of a disagreement is due, the undisputed amount shall be paid on the date prescribed by this Agreement and such Tax Return may be filed as prepared by the Corporation, subject to adjustment or amendment upon resolution. The costs and expenses relating to the engagement of such Expert or amending any Tax Return shall be borne by the Corporation except as provided in the next sentence. The Corporation and the TRA Holders shall bear their own costs and expenses of such proceeding, unless (i) the Expert adopts the TRA Holder’s position, in which case the Corporation shall reimburse the TRA Holder for any reasonable and documented out-of-pocket costs and expenses in such proceeding (including for the avoidance of doubt any costs and expenses incurred by the TRA Holder relating to the engagement of the Expert or amending any applicable Tax Return), or (ii) the Expert adopts the Corporation’s position, in which case the TRA Holder shall reimburse the Corporation for any reasonable and documented out-of-pocket costs and expenses in such proceeding (including for the avoidance of doubt costs and expenses incurred by the Corporation relating to the engagement of the Expert or amending any applicable Tax Return). The Expert shall finally determine any Reconciliation Dispute and the determinations of the Expert pursuant to this Section 7.9 shall be binding on the Corporation and the TRA Holders and may be entered and enforced in any court having competent jurisdiction.
29
Section 7.10Withholding. The Corporation and its affiliates and representatives shall be entitled to deduct and withhold from any payment that is payable to any TRA Holder pursuant to or with respect to this Agreement such amounts as the Corporation is required to deduct and withhold with respect to the making of such payment under the Code or any provision of U.S. state, local or foreign tax law. To the extent that amounts are so withheld and paid over to the appropriate Taxing Authority, such withheld amounts shall be treated for all purposes of this Agreement as having been paid by the Corporation to the relevant TRA Holder. Each TRA Holder shall promptly provide the Corporation with any applicable tax forms and certifications reasonably requested by the Corporation in connection with determining whether any such deductions and withholdings are required under the Code or any provision of U.S. state, local or foreign tax law.
Section 7.11Admission of the Corporation into a Consolidated Group; Transfers of Corporate Assets.
(a)If the Corporation is or becomes a member of an affiliated or consolidated group of corporations that files a consolidated income Tax Return pursuant to Section 1501 or other applicable Sections of the Code governing affiliated or consolidated groups, or any corresponding provisions of U.S. state or local law, then: (i) the provisions of this Agreement shall be applied with respect to the group as a whole; and (ii) Tax Benefit Payments, Early Termination Payments, and other applicable items hereunder shall be computed with reference to the consolidated taxable income of the group as a whole.
(b)If the Corporation, its successor in interest or any member of a group described in Section 7.11(a) or any member of the LLC Group transfers one or more Reference Assets to a corporation (or a Person classified as a corporation for U.S. income tax purposes) with which such entity does not file a consolidated Tax Return pursuant to Section 1501 of the Code, such entity, for purposes of calculating the amount of any Tax Benefit Payment or Early Termination Payment due hereunder, shall be treated as having disposed of such Reference Asset in a fully taxable transaction on the date of such transfer. The consideration deemed to be received by such entity shall be equal to the fair market value of the contributed Reference Asset as determined by a valuation expert selected by the Corporation plus, without duplication, (i) the amount of debt to which any such Reference Assets is subject, in the case of a transfer of an encumbered Reference Asset or (ii) the amount of debt allocated to any such Reference Asset, in the case of a contribution of a partnership interest. For purposes of this Section 7.11, a transfer of a partnership interest shall be treated as a transfer of the transferring partner’s share of each of the assets and liabilities of that partnership. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth herein, if the Corporation, its successor in interest or any member of a group described in Section 7.11(a), transfers its assets pursuant to a transaction that qualifies as a “reorganization” (within the meaning of Section 368(a) of the Code) in which such entity does not survive or pursuant to any other transaction to which Section 381(a) of the Code applies (other than any such reorganization or any such other transaction, in each case, pursuant to which such entity transfers assets to a corporation with which the Corporation, its successor in interest or any member of the group described in Section 7.11(a) (other than any such member being transferred in such reorganization or other transaction) does not file a consolidated Tax Return pursuant to Section 1501 of the Code), the transfer will not cause such entity to be treated as having transferred any assets to a corporation (or a Person classified as a corporation for U.S. income tax purposes) pursuant to this Section 7.11(b).
30
Section 7.12Confidentiality. Each TRA Holder and its assignees acknowledges and agrees that the information of the Corporation and its Affiliates is confidential and, except in the course of, and to the extent reasonably required in connection with, performing any duties as necessary for the Corporation and its Affiliates or as required by law or legal process (in which case, the TRA Holder shall provide prompt written notice of such requirement to the Corporation) or to enforce the terms of this Agreement, such Person shall keep and retain in the strictest confidence and not disclose to any Person any confidential matters or confidential information, acquired pursuant to this Agreement, of the Corporation and its Affiliates and successors, whether learned by any TRA Holder heretofore or hereafter. This Section 7.12 shall not apply to (i) any information that has been made publicly available by the Corporation or any of its Affiliates, becomes public knowledge (except as a result of an act of any TRA Holder in violation of this Agreement) or is generally known to the business community, (ii) the disclosure of information to the extent necessary for a TRA Holder to prosecute or defend claims arising under or relating to this Agreement, and (iii) the disclosure of information to the extent necessary for a TRA Holder to prepare and file its Tax Returns, to respond to any inquiries regarding the same from any Taxing Authority or to prosecute or defend any action, proceeding or audit by any Taxing Authority with respect to such Tax Returns. If a TRA Holder or an assignee commits a breach, or threatens to commit a breach, of any of the provisions of this Section 7.12, the Corporation shall have the right and remedy to have the provisions of this Section 7.12 specifically enforced by injunctive relief or otherwise by any court of competent jurisdiction without the need to post any bond or other security, it being acknowledged and agreed that any such breach or threatened breach shall cause irreparable injury to the Corporation or any of its Subsidiaries and that money damages alone shall not provide an adequate remedy to such Persons. Such rights and remedies shall be in addition to, and not in lieu of, any other rights and remedies available at law or in equity.
Section 7.13Change in Law. Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, if, as a result of or, in connection with an actual or proposed change in law, a TRA Holder reasonably believes that the existence of this Agreement could cause income (other than income arising from receipt of a payment under this Agreement) recognized by such TRA Holder (or direct or indirect equity holders in such TRA Holder) in connection with any Exchange to be treated as ordinary income (other than with respect to so called hot assets, as described in Section 751(a) of the Code) rather than capital gain (or otherwise taxed at ordinary income rates) for U.S. federal income tax purposes or would have other material adverse tax consequences to such TRA Holder or any direct or indirect owner of such TRA Holder, then at the written election of such TRA Holder in its sole discretion (in an instrument signed by such TRA Holder and delivered to the Corporation) and to the extent specified therein by such TRA Holder, this Agreement shall cease to have further effect and shall not apply to an Exchange with respect to such TRA Holder occurring after a date specified by such TRA Holder, or may be amended by the Parties in a manner reasonably determined by such TRA Holder, provided that such amendment shall not result in an increase in or acceleration of any payments owed by the Corporation under this Agreement at any time as compared to the amounts and times of payments that would have been due in the absence of such amendment.
31
Section 7.14Interest Rate Limitation. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, the interest paid or agreed to be paid hereunder with respect to amounts due to any TRA Holder hereunder shall not exceed the maximum rate of non-usurious interest permitted by applicable law (the “Maximum Rate”). If any TRA Holder shall receive interest in an amount that exceeds the Maximum Rate, the excess interest shall be applied to the Tax Benefit Payment, Estimated Tax Benefit Payment or Early Termination Payment, as applicable (but in each case exclusive of any component thereof comprising interest) or, if it exceeds such unpaid non-interest amount, refunded to the Corporation. In determining whether the interest contracted for, charged, or received by any TRA Holder exceeds the Maximum Rate, such TRA Holder may, to the extent permitted by applicable law, (a) characterize any payment that is not principal as an expense, fee, or premium rather than interest, (b) exclude voluntary prepayments and the effects thereof, and (c) amortize, prorate, allocate, and spread in equal or unequal parts the total amount of interest throughout the contemplated term of the payment obligations owed by the Corporation to such TRA Holder hereunder. Notwithstanding the foregoing, it is the intention of the Parties to conform strictly to any applicable usury laws.
Section 7.15Independent Nature of Rights and Obligations. The rights and obligations of each TRA Holder hereunder are several and not joint with the rights and obligations of any other Person. A TRA Holder shall not be responsible in any way for the performance of the obligations of any other Person hereunder, nor shall a TRA Holder have the right to enforce the rights or obligations of any other Person hereunder (other than the Corporation). The obligations of a TRA Holder hereunder are solely for the benefit of, and shall be enforceable solely by, the Corporation. Nothing contained herein or in any other agreement or document delivered at any closing, and no action taken by any TRA Holder pursuant hereto or thereto, shall be deemed to constitute the TRA Holders acting as a partnership, an association, a joint venture or any other kind of entity, or create a presumption that the TRA Holders are in any way acting in concert or as a group with respect to such rights or obligations or the transactions contemplated hereby, and the Corporation acknowledges that the TRA Holders are not acting in concert or as a group and will not assert any such claim with respect to such rights or obligations or the transactions contemplated hereby.
Section 7.16LLC Agreement. This Agreement shall be treated as part of the LLC Agreement as described in Section 761(c) of the Code and Sections 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(h) and 1.761-1(c) of the Treasury Regulations.
[Signature Page Follows This Page]
32
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have executed or caused to be executed on their behalf this Agreement as of the date first written above.
CORPORATION: |
||
|
||
|
SHIFT4 PAYMENTS, INC. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By: |
/s/ Jared Isaacman |
|
Name: |
Jared Isaacman |
|
Title: |
Chief Executive Officer |
[Signature Page to Tax Receivable Agreement]
THE LLC: |
||
|
||
|
SHIFT4 PAYMENTS, LLC |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By: |
/s/ Jared Isaacman |
|
Name: |
Jared Isaacman |
|
Title: |
Chief Executive Officer |
[Signature Page to Tax Receivable Agreement]
TRA HOLDERS: |
||
|
||
|
ROOK HOLDINGS, INC. |
|
|
|
|
By: |
/s/ Jared Isaacman |
|
Name: |
Jared Isaacman |
|
Title: |
President |
[Signature Page to Tax Receivable Agreement]
SEARCHLIGHT II GWN, L.P. |
||
|
||
By: Searchlight II GWN GP, LLC its General Partner |
||
|
|
|
By: |
/s/ Andrew Frey |
|
Name: |
Andrew Frey |
|
Title: |
Authorized Officers |
SEARCHLIGHT CAPITAL II, L.P. |
||
|
||
By: Searchlight Capital Partners II GP, L.P. its general partner |
||
|
||
By: Searchlight Capital Partners II GP, LLC its general partner |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
By: |
/s/ Andrew Frey |
|
Name: |
Andrew Frey |
|
Title: |
Authorized Officers |
SEARCHLIGHT CAPITAL II PV, L.P. |
||
|
||
By: Searchlight Capital Partners II GP, L.P. its general partner |
||
|
||
By: Searchlight Capital Partners II GP, LLC its general partner |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
By: |
/s/ Andrew Frey |
|
Name: |
Andrew Frey |
|
Title: |
Authorized Officers |
[Signature Page to Tax Receivable Agreement]
Exhibit A
FORM OF JOINDER AGREEMENT
This JOINDER AGREEMENT, dated as of _________________, 20___ (this “Joinder”), is delivered pursuant to that certain Tax Receivable Agreement, dated as of June 4, 2020 (as amended, restated, amended and restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Tax Receivable Agreement”) by and among Shift4 Payments, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Corporation”), Shift4 Payments, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “LLC”), each of the TRA Holders from time to time party thereto. Capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined herein have the respective meanings set forth in the Tax Receivable Agreement.
|
1. |
Joinder to the Tax Receivable Agreement. Upon the execution of this Joinder by the undersigned and delivery hereof to the Corporation, the undersigned hereby is and hereafter will be a TRA Holder under the Tax Receivable Agreement and a Party thereto, with all the rights, privileges and responsibilities of a TRA Holder thereunder. The undersigned hereby agrees that it shall comply with and be fully bound by the terms of the Tax Receivable Agreement as if it had been a signatory thereto as of the date thereof. |
|
2. |
Incorporation by Reference. All terms and conditions of the Tax Receivable Agreement are hereby incorporated by reference in this Joinder as if set forth herein in full. |
|
3. |
Address. All notices under the Tax Receivable Agreement to the undersigned shall be direct to: |
[Name]
[Address]
[City, State, Zip Code]
Attn:
Facsimile:
E-mail:
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has duly executed and delivered this Joinder as of the day and year first above written.
[NAME OF NEW PARTY] |
|
|
|
|
|
By: |
|
Name: |
|
Title: |
|
US-DOCS\70274407.13
Acknowledged and agreed as of the date first set forth above: |
|
|
|
SHIFT4 PAYMENTS, INC. |
|
|
|
By: |
|
Name: |
|
Title: |
|
Exhibit B
ESTIMATED IPO DATE ATTRIBUTE SCHEDULE
|
12/31/19
|
IPO Date
|
||
Net Operating Losses
|
$40,989,780 |
$43,974,642 |
||
Capital Losses
|
$0 |
$0 |
||
Disallowed Interest Expense Carryforwards |
$0 |
$0 |
||
Section 743(b) Adjustment |
|
|
||
|
Tax Basis |
Recovery Period (Years) |
Tax Basis |
Recovery Period (Years) |
Assets |
|
|
|
|
Investment in Corporate Subsidiary |
$0 |
n/a |
$3,516,662 |
n/a |
Fixed Assets |
$165,040 |
4 |
$113,530 |
1 |
Intangibles / Goodwill |
$68,228,378 |
12 |
$74,174,351 |
15 |
Total |
$68,393,418 |
|
$77,804,543 |
|
Exhibit B
[ ]
US-DOCS\70274407.13
Exhibit 10.2
Execution Version
SHIFT4 PAYMENTS, LLC
SIXTH AMENDED AND RESTATED
LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY AGREEMENT
Dated as of June 4, 2020
THE LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY INTERESTS REPRESENTED BY THIS SIXTH AMENDED AND RESTATED LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY AGREEMENT HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE UNITED STATES SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED, OR UNDER ANY OTHER APPLICABLE SECURITIES LAWS. SUCH LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY INTERESTS MAY NOT BE SOLD, ASSIGNED, PLEDGED OR OTHERWISE DISPOSED OF AT ANY TIME WITHOUT EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION UNDER SUCH ACT AND LAWS OR EXEMPTION THEREFROM, AND COMPLIANCE WITH THE OTHER SUBSTANTIAL RESTRICTIONS ON TRANSFERABILITY SET FORTH HEREIN.
US-DOCS\114008886.14
|
|
Page |
Article I. DEFINITIONS |
2 |
|
Article II. ORGANIZATIONAL MATTERS |
12 |
|
Section 2.01 |
Formation of Company |
13 |
Section 2.02 |
Sixth Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement |
14 |
Section 2.03 |
Name |
14 |
Section 2.04 |
Purpose; Powers |
14 |
Section 2.05 |
Principal Office; Registered Office |
14 |
Section 2.06 |
Term |
14 |
Section 2.07 |
No State-Law Partnership |
14 |
Article III. MEMBERS; UNITS; CAPITALIZATION |
15 |
|
Section 3.01 |
Members |
15 |
Section 3.02 |
Units |
15 |
Section 3.03 |
Recapitalization; the Corporation’s Capital Contribution; the Corporation’s Purchase of Common Units; Member Distributions |
16 |
Section 3.04 |
Authorization and Issuance of Additional Units |
17 |
Section 3.05 |
Repurchase or Redemption of shares of Class A Common Stock |
18 |
Section 3.06 |
Certificates Representing Units; Lost, Stolen or Destroyed Certificates; Registration and Transfer of Units |
18 |
Section 3.07 |
Negative Capital Accounts |
19 |
Section 3.08 |
No Withdrawal |
19 |
Section 3.09 |
Loans From Members |
19 |
Section 3.10 |
Corporate Stock Option Plans and Equity Plans |
19 |
Section 3.11 |
Dividend Reinvestment Plan, Cash Option Purchase Plan, Stock Incentive Plan or Other Plan |
21 |
Article IV. DISTRIBUTIONS |
22 |
|
Section 4.01 |
Distributions |
22 |
Article V. CAPITAL ACCOUNTS; ALLOCATIONS; TAX MATTERS |
24 |
|
Section 5.01 |
Capital Accounts |
24 |
Section 5.02 |
Allocations |
25 |
Section 5.03 |
Regulatory Allocations |
25 |
Section 5.04 |
Final Allocations |
26 |
Section 5.05 |
Tax Allocations |
27 |
Section 5.06 |
Indemnification and Reimbursement for Payments on Behalf of a Member |
27 |
Article VI. MANAGEMENT |
28 |
|
Section 6.01 |
Authority of Manager |
28 |
Section 6.02 |
Actions of the Manager |
29 |
US-DOCS\114008886.14
Resignation; No Removal |
29 |
|
Section 6.04 |
Vacancies |
29 |
Section 6.05 |
Transactions Between the Company and the Manager |
30 |
Section 6.06 |
Reimbursement for Expenses |
30 |
Section 6.07 |
Delegation of Authority |
30 |
Section 6.08 |
Limitation of Liability of Manager |
31 |
Section 6.09 |
Investment Company Act |
30 |
Article VII. RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF MEMBERS AND MANAGER |
32 |
|
Section 7.01 |
Limitation of Liability and Duties of Members |
32 |
Section 7.02 |
Lack of Authority |
33 |
Section 7.03 |
No Right of Partition |
33 |
Section 7.04 |
Indemnification |
33 |
Section 7.05 |
Inspection Rights |
35 |
Article VIII. BOOKS, RECORDS, ACCOUNTING AND REPORTS, AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS |
35 |
|
Section 8.01 |
Records and Accounting |
35 |
Section 8.02 |
Fiscal Year |
35 |
Article IX. TAX MATTERS |
35 |
|
Section 9.01 |
Preparation of Tax Returns |
35 |
Section 9.02 |
Tax Elections |
36 |
Section 9.03 |
Tax Controversies |
36 |
Article X. RESTRICTIONS ON TRANSFER OF UNITS; PREEMPTIVE RIGHTS |
36 |
|
Section 10.01 |
Transfers by Members |
36 |
Section 10.02 |
Permitted Transfers |
37 |
Section 10.03 |
Restricted Units Legend |
38 |
Section 10.04 |
Transfer |
38 |
Section 10.05 |
Assignee’s Rights |
38 |
Section 10.06 |
Assignor’s Rights and Obligations |
39 |
Section 10.07 |
Overriding Provisions |
39 |
Section 10.08 |
Spousal Consent |
40 |
Section 10.09 |
Tender Offers and Other Events with respect to the Corporation |
41 |
Article XI. REDEMPTION AND EXCHANGE RIGHTS |
42 |
|
Section 11.01 |
Redemption Right of a Member |
42 |
Section 11.02 |
Election and Contribution of the Corporation |
45 |
Section 11.03 |
Exchange Right of the Corporation |
46 |
Section 11.04 |
Reservation of shares of Class A Common Stock; Listing; Certificate of the Corporation |
47 |
Section 11.05 |
Effect of Exercise of Redemption or Direct Exchange |
47 |
Section 11.06 |
Tax Treatment |
47 |
Article XII. ADMISSION OF MEMBERS |
48 |
|
Section 12.01 |
Substituted Members |
48 |
iii
US-DOCS\114008886.14
Additional Members |
48 |
|
Article XIII. WITHDRAWAL AND RESIGNATION; TERMINATION OF RIGHTS |
48 |
|
Section 13.01 |
Withdrawal and Resignation of Members |
48 |
Article XIV. DISSOLUTION AND LIQUIDATION |
48 |
|
Section 14.01 |
Dissolution |
48 |
Section 14.02 |
Winding up and Termination |
49 |
Section 14.03 |
Deferment; Distribution in Kind |
50 |
Section 14.04 |
Cancellation of Certificate |
50 |
Section 14.05 |
Reasonable Time for Winding Up |
50 |
Section 14.06 |
Return of Capital |
50 |
Article XV. GENERAL PROVISIONS |
51 |
|
Section 15.01 |
Power of Attorney |
51 |
Section 15.02 |
Confidentiality |
51 |
Section 15.03 |
Amendments |
52 |
Section 15.04 |
Title to Company Assets |
53 |
Section 15.05 |
Addresses and Notices |
53 |
Section 15.06 |
Binding Effect; Intended Beneficiaries |
54 |
Section 15.07 |
Creditors |
54 |
Section 15.08 |
Waiver |
55 |
Section 15.09 |
Counterparts |
55 |
Section 15.10 |
Applicable Law |
55 |
Section 15.11 |
Severability |
55 |
Section 15.12 |
Further Action |
55 |
Section 15.13 |
Delivery by Electronic Transmission |
55 |
Section 15.14 |
Right of Offset |
56 |
Section 15.15 |
Entire Agreement |
56 |
Section 15.16 |
Remedies |
56 |
Section 15.17 |
Descriptive Headings; Interpretation |
56 |
Schedules |
|
|
|
|
|
Schedule 1 |
– |
Schedule of Pre-IPO Members |
Schedule 2 |
– |
Schedule of Members |
|
|
|
Exhibits |
|
|
|
|
|
Exhibit A |
– |
Form of Joinder Agreement |
Exhibit B-1 |
– |
Form of Agreement and Consent of Spouse |
Exhibit B-2 |
– |
Form of Spouse’s Confirmation of Separate Property |
iv
US-DOCS\114008886.14
SIXTH AMENDED AND RESTATED
LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY AGREEMENT
This SIXTH AMENDED AND RESTATED LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY AGREEMENT (as the same may be amended, restated, amended and restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, this “Agreement”), dated as of June 4, 2020 (the “Effective Date”), is entered into by and among Shift4 Payments, LLC (f/k/a Lighthouse Network, LLC), a Delaware limited liability company (the “Company”), Shift4 Payments, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Corporation”), and each of the other Members (as defined herein).
RECITALS
WHEREAS, unless the context otherwise requires, capitalized terms used herein have the respective meaning ascribed to them in Article I;
WHEREAS, the Company was formed as a limited liability company with the name “Lighthouse Network, LLC”, pursuant to and in accordance with the Delaware Act by the filing of the Certificate with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware pursuant to Section 18-201 of the Delaware Act on March 25, 2014;
WHEREAS, prior to the IPO, the Company was governed by that certain Fifth Amended and Restated Operating Agreement of the Company, dated as of October 6, 2017 (as amended, restated, amended and restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, together with all schedules, exhibits and annexes thereto, the “Initial LLC Agreement”), which the parties listed on Schedule 1 hereto executed in their capacity as members (including pursuant to consents and joinders thereto) (collectively, the “Pre-IPO Members”);
WHEREAS, in connection with the IPO, the Company was a party to a series of reorganization transactions (the “Reorganization”) with the Corporation and various other parties pursuant to which, among other matters, the Company became a direct Subsidiary of the Corporation and the Corporation was admitted as a Pre-IPO Member;
WHEREAS, in connection with the IPO, the Company, the Corporation and the Pre-IPO Members desire to convert the Original Units into Common Units (the “Recapitalization”) as provided herein;
WHEREAS, immediately following the Recapitalization, and as part of the Reorganization, pursuant to a Contribution Agreement, dated as of the date hereof (the “FPOS Contribution Agreement”) by and between FPOS Holding Co., Inc., a Pre-IPO Member (“FPOS”), and the Corporation, FPOS is contributing all of its Common Units to the Corporation in exchange for shares of Class A Common Stock, and as a result of such contribution and exchange, FPOS has ceased to have any rights hereunder, whether as a Pre-IPO Member, Member or otherwise;
US-DOCS\114008886.14
WHEREAS, except for the Over-Allotment Option (as defined below), the Corporation will sell shares of its Class A Common Stock to public investors in the IPO and will use the net proceeds received from the IPO (the “IPO Net Proceeds”) to purchase newly issued Common Units from the Company pursuant to the IPO Common Unit Subscription Agreement;
WHEREAS, the Corporation may issue additional shares of Class A Common Stock in connection with the IPO as a result of the exercise by the underwriters of their over-allotment option (the “Over-Allotment Option”) and, if the Over-Allotment Option is exercised in whole or in part, any additional net proceeds (the “Over-Allotment Option Net Proceeds”) shall be used by the Corporation to purchase additional newly issued Common Units from the Company pursuant to the IPO Common Unit Subscription Agreement; and
WHEREAS, in connection with the foregoing matters, the Company and the Members desire to amend and restate the Initial LLC Agreement as of the Effective Date to reflect, among other things, (a) the Recapitalization, (b) the addition of the Corporation as a Member and its designation as sole Manager of the Company and (c) the other rights and obligations of the Members as provided and agreed upon in the terms of this Agreement as of the Effective Date, at which time the Initial LLC Agreement shall be superseded entirely by this Agreement and shall be of no further force or effect.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants contained herein and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the Company, the Corporation and the other Members, each intending to be legally bound, each hereby agrees as follows:
The following definitions shall be applied to the terms used in this Agreement for all purposes, unless otherwise clearly indicated to the contrary.
“Additional Member” has the meaning set forth in Section 12.02.
“Adjusted Capital Account Deficit” means with respect to the Capital Account of any Member as of the end of any Taxable Year, the amount by which the balance in such Capital Account is less than zero. For this purpose, such Member’s Capital Account balance shall be:
|
(a) |
reduced for any items described in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704- 1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(4), (5), and (6); and |
|
(b) |
increased for any amount such Member is obligated to contribute or is treated as being obligated to contribute to the Company pursuant to Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(c) (relating to partner liabilities to a partnership) or 1.704-2(g)(1) and 1.704-2(i) (relating to minimum gain). |
“Admission Date” has the meaning set forth in Section 10.06.
2
US-DOCS\114008886.14
“Affiliate” (and, with a correlative meaning, “Affiliated”) means, with respect to a specified Person, each other Person that directly, or indirectly through one or more intermediaries, controls or is controlled by, or is under common control with, the Person specified. As used in this definition, “control” (including with correlative meanings, “controlled by” and “under common control with”) means possession, directly or indirectly, of power to direct or cause the direction of management or policies (whether through ownership of voting securities or by contract or other agreement). For the avoidance of doubt, Affiliates of the Rook Holdings Inc. shall include any of the following to the extent created in connection with the estate-planning purposes of Jared Isaacman: (a) a trust under which the distribution of Common Units may be made only to beneficiaries who are Jared Isaacman, his spouse or his lineal descendants or (b) a charitable remainder trust, the income from which will be paid to Jared Isaacman during his life.
“Agreement” has the meaning set forth in the Preamble.
“Approving Members” has the meaning set forth in Section 7.05.
“Assignee” means a Person to whom a Unit has been transferred but who has not become a Member pursuant to Article XII.
“Assumed Tax Liability” means, with respect to any Member, an amount equal to the excess of (i) the product of (A) the Distribution Tax Rate multiplied by (B) the estimated or actual cumulative taxable income or gain of the Company, as determined for federal income tax purposes, allocated to such Member for full or partial Fiscal Years commencing on or after January 1, 2020, less prior losses of the Company allocated to such Member for full or partial Fiscal Years commencing on or after January 1, 2020, in each case, as determined by the Manager over (ii) the sum of (A) the cumulative Tax Distributions made to such Member after the closing date of the IPO pursuant to Sections 4.01(b)(i), 4.01(b)(ii) and 4.01(b)(iii) and (B) distributions made to such Member (or such Member’s predecessor) pursuant to Section 7.2 of the Initial LLC Agreement with respect to taxable income or gain of the Company allocated for the Fiscal Year commencing on January 1, 2020, including such distributions made pursuant to Section 4.01(b)(v); provided that, in the case of each Member, such Assumed Tax Liability shall take into account any Code Section 704(c) allocations (including “reverse” 704(c) allocations) to the Member and any adjustments under Code Section 734(b) or Code Section 743(b) attributable to such Member; provided, further, that in the case of the Corporation and its Subsidiaries, such Assumed Tax Liability shall in no event be less than an amount that will enable the Corporation to meet both its tax obligations and its obligations pursuant to the Tax Receivable Agreement for the relevant Taxable Year.
“Base Rate” means, on any date, a variable rate per annum equal to the rate of interest most recently published by The Wall Street Journal as the “prime rate” at large U.S. money center banks.
“Black-Out Period” means any “black-out” or similar period under the Corporation’s policies covering trading in the Corporation’s securities to which the applicable Redeeming Member is subject (or will be subject at such time as it owns Class A Common Stock), which period restricts the ability of such Redeeming Member to immediately resell shares of Class A Common Stock to be delivered to such Redeeming Member in connection with a Share Settlement.
3
US-DOCS\114008886.14
“Book Value” means, with respect to any property of the Company, the Company’s adjusted basis for U.S. federal income tax purposes, adjusted from time to time to reflect the adjustments required or permitted by Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(d)-(g).
“Business Day” means any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or day on which banks located in New York City, New York are authorized or required by Law to close.
“Capital Account” means the capital account maintained for a Member in accordance with Section 5.01.
“Capital Contribution” means, with respect to any Member, the amount of any cash, cash equivalents, promissory obligations or the Fair Market Value of other property that such Member (or such Member’s predecessor) contributes (or is deemed to contribute) to the Company pursuant to Article III hereof.
“Cash Settlement” means immediately available funds in U.S. dollars in an amount equal to the Redeemed Units Equivalent.
“Certificate” means the Company’s Certificate of Formation as filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware, as amended or amended and restated from time to time.
“Change of Control” means the occurrence of any of the following events:
(1) any “person” or “group” (within the meaning of Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act, but excluding any employee benefit plan of such person and its subsidiaries, and any person or entity acting in its capacity as trustee, agent or other fiduciary or administrator of any such plan, and excluding the Permitted Transferees) becomes the “beneficial owner” (within the meaning of Rules 13d-3 and 13d-5 under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of shares of Class A Common Stock, Class B Stock, Class C Common Stock, preferred stock and/or any other class or classes of capital stock of the Corporation (if any) representing in the aggregate more than fifty percent (50%) of the voting power of all of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote;
(2) the stockholders of the Corporation approve a plan of complete liquidation or dissolution of the Corporation or there is consummated an agreement or series of related agreements for the sale or other disposition, directly or indirectly, by the Corporation of all or substantially all of the Corporation’s assets (including a sale of all or substantially all of the assets of the Company);
(3) there is consummated a merger or consolidation of the Corporation with any other corporation or entity, and, immediately after the consummation of such merger or consolidation, the voting securities of the Corporation immediately prior to such merger or consolidation do not continue to represent, or are not converted into, more than fifty percent (50%) of the combined voting power of the then outstanding voting securities of the Person resulting from such merger or consolidation or, if the surviving company is a Subsidiary, the ultimate parent thereof; or
4
US-DOCS\114008886.14
(4) the Corporation ceases to be the sole managing member of the Company.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, a “Change of Control” shall not be deemed to have occurred by virtue of the consummation of any transaction or series of integrated transactions immediately following which (a) the record holders of the Class A Common Stock, Class B Stock, Class C Common Stock, preferred stock and/or any other class or classes of capital stock of the Corporation immediately prior to such transaction or series of transactions continue to have substantially the same proportionate ownership in and voting control over, and own substantially all of the shares of, an entity which owns all or substantially all of the assets of the Corporation immediately following such transaction or series of transactions or (b) in the case of the foregoing clauses (1) or (3), either the Rook Related Parties or the Searchlight Related Parties are the “beneficial owner” (within the meaning of Rules 13d-3 and 13d-5 under the Exchange Act), directly or indirectly, of shares of Class A Common Stock, Class B Stock, Class C Common Stock, Preferred Stock and/or any other class or classes of capital stock of the Corporation (if any) representing in the aggregate more than fifty percent (50%) of the voting power of all of the outstanding shares of capital stock of the Corporation entitled to vote (or, in the case of a transaction described in the foregoing clause (3), more than fifty percent (50%) of the combined voting power of the then outstanding voting securities of the Person resulting from such merger of consolidation or, if the surviving company is a Subsidiary, the ultimate parent thereof).
“Change of Control Date” has the meaning set forth in Section 10.09(a).
“Change of Control Transaction” means any Change of Control that was approved by the Corporate Board prior to such Change of Control.
“Class A Common Stock” means the shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Corporation.
“Class B Stock” means the shares of Class B stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Corporation.
“Class C Common Stock” means the shares of Class C common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Corporation.
“Code” means the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.
“Common Unit” means a Unit designated as a “Common Unit” and having the rights and obligations specified with respect to the Common Units in this Agreement.
“Common Unit Redemption Price” means, with respect to any Redemption, the arithmetic average of the volume weighted average prices for a share of Class A Common Stock (or any class of stock into which it has been converted) on the Stock Exchange, or any other exchange or automated or electronic quotation system on which the Class A Common Stock trades, as reported by Bloomberg, L.P., or its successor, for each of the five (5) consecutive full Trading Days ending on and including the last full Trading Day immediately prior to the applicable Redemption Date, subject to appropriate and equitable adjustment for any stock splits, reverse splits, stock dividends or similar events affecting the Class A Common Stock. If the Class A Common Stock no longer trades on the Stock Exchange or any other securities exchange or automated or electronic quotation
5
US-DOCS\114008886.14
system as of any particular Redemption Date, then the Manager (through a majority of its independent directors (within the meaning of the rules of the Stock Exchange)) shall determine the Common Unit Redemption Price in good faith.
“Common Unitholder” means a Member who is the registered holder of Common Units.
“Company” has the meaning set forth in the preamble to this Agreement.
“Confidential Information” has the meaning set forth in Section 15.02.
“Corporate Board” means the board of directors of the Corporation.
“Corporate Incentive Award Plan” means the 2020 Incentive Award Plan of the Corporation, as the same may be amended, restated, amended and restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time.
“Corporation” has the meaning set forth in the recitals to this Agreement, together with its successors and assigns.
“Corresponding Rights” means any rights issued with respect to a share of Class A Common Stock. Class B Stock or Class C Common Stock pursuant to a “poison pill” or similar stockholder rights plan approved by the Corporate Board.
“Credit Agreements” means any promissory note, mortgage, loan agreement, indenture or similar instrument or agreement to which the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is or becomes a borrower, as such instruments or agreements may be amended, restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time and including any one or more refinancing or replacements thereof, in whole or in part, with any other debt facility or debt obligation, for as long as the payee or creditor to whom the Company or any of its Subsidiaries owes such obligation is not an Affiliate of the Company.
“Delaware Act” means the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act, 6 Del.C. § 18-101, et seq., as it may be amended from time to time, and any successor thereto.
“Direct Exchange” has the meaning set forth in Section 11.03(a).
“Discount” has the meaning set forth in Section 6.06.
“Distributable Cash” means, as of any relevant date on which a determination is being made by the Manager regarding a potential distribution pursuant to Section 4.01(a), the amount of cash that could be distributed by the Company for such purposes in accordance with the Credit Agreements (and without otherwise violating any applicable provisions of any of the Credit Agreements).
“Distribution” (and, with a correlative meaning, “Distribute”) means each distribution made by the Company to a Member with respect to such Member’s Units, whether in cash, property or securities of the Company and whether by liquidating distribution or otherwise; provided, however, that none of the following shall be a Distribution: (a) any recapitalization that
6
US-DOCS\114008886.14
does not result in the distribution of cash or property to Members or any exchange of securities of the Company, and any subdivision (by Unit split or otherwise) or any combination (by reverse Unit split or otherwise) of any outstanding Units or (b) any other payment made by the Company to a Member that is not properly treated as a “distribution” for purposes of Sections 731, 732, or 733 or other applicable provisions of the Code.
“Distribution Tax Rate” means a rate equal to the highest effective marginal combined federal, state and local income tax rate for a Fiscal Year applicable to corporate or individual taxpayers (whichever is higher) that may potentially apply to any Member for such Fiscal Year, taking into account the character of the relevant tax items (e.g., ordinary or capital) and the deductibility of state and local income taxes for federal income tax purposes (but only to the extent such taxes are deductible under the Code), as reasonably determined by the Manager.
“Effective Date” has the meaning set forth in the Preamble.
“Election Notice” has the meaning set forth in Section 11.01(b).
“Equity Plan” means any stock or equity purchase plan, restricted stock or equity plan or other similar equity compensation plan now or hereafter adopted by the Company or the Corporation.
“Equity Securities” means (a) Units or other equity interests in the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company (including other classes or groups thereof having such relative rights, powers and duties as may from time to time be established by the Manager pursuant to the provisions of this Agreement, including rights, powers and/or duties senior to existing classes and groups of Units and other equity interests in the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company), (b) obligations, evidences of indebtedness or other securities or interests convertible or exchangeable into Units or other equity interests in the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company, and (c) warrants, options or other rights to purchase or otherwise acquire Units or other equity interests in the Company or any Subsidiary of the Company.
“Event of Withdrawal” means the expulsion, bankruptcy or dissolution of a Member or the occurrence of any other event that terminates the continued membership of a Member in the Company. “Event of Withdrawal” shall not include an event that (a) terminates the existence of a Member for income tax purposes (including, without limitation, (i) a change in entity classification of a Member under Treasury Regulations Section 301.7701-3, (ii) a sale of assets by, or liquidation of, a Member pursuant to an election under Code Sections 336 or 338, or (iii) merger, severance, or allocation within a trust or among sub-trusts of a trust that is a Member) but that (b) does not terminate the existence of such Member under applicable state law (or, in the case of a trust that is a Member, does not terminate the trusteeship of the fiduciaries under such trust with respect to all the Units of such trust that is a Member).
“Exchange Act” means the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and any applicable rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, and any successor to such statute, rules or regulations.
“Exchange Election Notice” has the meaning set forth in Section 11.03(b).
7
US-DOCS\114008886.14
“Fair Market Value” of a specific asset of the Company will mean the amount which the Company would receive in an all-cash sale of such asset in an arms-length transaction with a willing unaffiliated third party, with neither party having any compulsion to buy or sell, consummated on the day immediately preceding the date on which the event occurred which necessitated the determination of the Fair Market Value (and after giving effect to any transfer taxes payable in connection with such sale), as such amount is determined by the Manager (or, if pursuant to Section 14.02, the Liquidators) in its good faith judgment using all factors, information and data it deems to be pertinent.
“Fiscal Period” means any interim accounting period within a Taxable Year established by the Manager and which is permitted or required by Section 706 of the Code.
“Fiscal Year” means the Company’s annual accounting period established pursuant to Section 8.02.
“FPOS” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals.
“FPOS Contribution Agreement” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals.
“Governmental Entity” means (a) the United States of America, (b) any other sovereign nation, (c) any state, province, district, territory or other political subdivision of (a) or (b) of this definition, including, but not limited to, any county, municipal or other local subdivision of the foregoing, or (d) any agency, arbitrator or arbitral body, authority, board, body, bureau, commission, court, department, entity, instrumentality, organization or tribunal exercising executive, legislative, judicial, regulatory or administrative functions of government on behalf of (a), (b) or (c) of this definition.
“Indemnified Person” has the meaning set forth in Section 7.04(a).
“Initial LLC Agreement” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals.
“Investment Company Act” means the U.S. Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended from time to time.
“IPO” means the initial underwritten public offering of shares of the Corporation’s Class A Common Stock.
“IPO Common Unit Subscription” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.03(b).
“IPO Common Unit Subscription Agreement” means that certain Common Unit Subscription Agreement, dated as of the Effective Date, by and between the Corporation and the Company.
“IPO Net Proceeds” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals.
“Joinder” means a joinder to this Agreement, in form and substance substantially similar to Exhibit A to this Agreement.
8
US-DOCS\114008886.14
“Law” means all laws, statutes, ordinances, rules and regulations of any Governmental Entity.
“Liquidator” has the meaning set forth in Section 14.02.
“LLC Employee” means an employee of, or other service provider (including, without limitation, any management member whether or not treated as an employee for the purposes of U.S. federal income tax) to, the Company or any of its Subsidiaries, in each case acting in such capacity.
“Losses” means items of loss or deduction of the Company determined according to Section 5.01(b).
“Manager” has the meaning set forth in Section 6.01.
“Market Price” means, with respect to a share of Class A Common Stock as of a specified date, the last sale price per share of Class A Common Stock, regular way, or if no such sale took place on such day, the average of the closing bid and asked prices per share of Class A Common Stock, regular way, in either case as reported in the principal consolidated transaction reporting system with respect to securities listed or admitted to trading on the Stock Exchange or, if the Class A Common Stock is not listed or admitted to trading on the Stock Exchange, as reported on the principal consolidated transaction reporting system with respect to securities listed on the principal national securities exchange on which the Class A Common Stock is listed or admitted to trading or, if the Class A Common Stock is not listed or admitted to trading on any national securities exchange, the last quoted price, or, if not so quoted, the average of the high bid and low asked prices in the over-the-counter market, as reported by the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. Automated Quotation System or, if such system is no longer in use, the principal other automated quotation system that may then be in use or, if the Class A Common Stock is not quoted by any such system, the average of the closing bid and asked prices as furnished by a professional market maker making a market in shares of Class A Common Stock selected by the Corporate Board or, in the event that no trading price is available for the shares of Class A Common Stock, the fair market value of a share of Class A Common Stock, as determined in good faith by the Corporate Board.
“Member” means, as of any date of determination, (a) each of the members named on the Schedule of Members and (b) any Person admitted to the Company as a Substituted Member or Additional Member in accordance with Article XII, but in each case only so long as such Person is shown on the Company’s books and records as the owner of one or more Units, each in its capacity as a member of the Company. The Members shall constitute a single class or group of members for purposes of the Delaware Act.
“Minimum Gain” means “partnership minimum gain” determined pursuant to Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(d).
“Net Loss” means, with respect to a Fiscal Year, the excess if any, of Losses for such Fiscal Year over Profits for such Fiscal Year (excluding Profits and Losses specially allocated pursuant to Section 5.03 and Section 5.04).
9
US-DOCS\114008886.14
“Net Profit” means, with respect to a Fiscal Year, the excess if any, of Profits for such Fiscal Year over Losses for such Fiscal Year (excluding Profits and Losses specially allocated pursuant to Section 5.03 and Section 5.04).
“Officer” has the meaning set forth in Section 6.01(b).
“Optionee” means a Person to whom a stock option is granted under any Stock Option Plan.
“Original Units” means the Class A Units, Class B Units and Preferred Units (each as defined in Section 3.2 of the Initial LLC Agreement) of the Company.
“Other Agreements” has the meaning set forth in Section 10.04.
“Over-Allotment Contribution” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.03(b).
“Over-Allotment Option” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals.
“Over-Allotment Option Net Proceeds” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals.
“Partnership Representative” has the meaning set forth in Section 9.03.
“Percentage Interest” means, as among an individual class of Units and with respect to a Member at a particular time, such Member’s percentage interest in the Company determined by dividing the number of such Member’s Units of such class by the total number of Units of all Members of such class at such time. The Percentage Interest of each Member shall be calculated to the fourth decimal place.
“Permitted Pledge” means any bona fide pledge or collateralization of the Common Units held by a Member to a financial institution in connection with any bona fide loan or debt transaction.
“Permitted Transfer” has the meaning set forth in Section 10.02.
“Permitted Transferee” has the meaning set forth in Section 10.02.
“Person” means an individual or any corporation, partnership, limited liability company, trust, unincorporated organization, association, joint venture or any other organization or entity, whether or not a legal entity.
“Pledged Units” means Common Units that are the subject of a Permitted Pledge.
“Pre-IPO Members” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals.
“Pro rata,” “pro rata portion,” “according to their interests,” “ratably,” “proportionately,” “proportional,” “in proportion to,” “based on the number of Units held,” “based upon the percentage of Units held,” “based upon the number of Units outstanding,” and other terms with similar meanings, when used in the context of a number of Units of the Company relative to other Units, means as amongst an individual class of Units, pro rata based upon the number of such Units within such class of Units.
10
US-DOCS\114008886.14
“Profits” means items of income and gain of the Company determined according to Section 5.01(b).
“Pubco Offer” has the meaning set forth in Section 10.09(b).
“Quarterly Tax Distribution” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.01(b)(i).
“Recapitalization” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals.
“Redeemed Units” has the meaning set forth in Section 11.01(a).
“Redeemed Units Equivalent” means the product of (a) the applicable number of Redeemed Units, times (b) the Common Unit Redemption Price.
“Redeeming Member” has the meaning set forth in Section 11.01(a).
“Redemption” has the meaning set forth in Section 11.01(a).
“Redemption Date” has the meaning set forth in Section 11.01(a).
“Redemption Notice” has the meaning set forth in Section 11.01(a).
“Redemption Right” has the meaning set forth in Section 11.01(a).
“Registration Rights Agreement” means that certain Registration Rights Agreement, dated as of the Effective Date, by and among the Corporation, certain of the Members as of the Effective Date and certain other Persons whose signatures are affixed thereto (together with any joinder thereto from time to time by any successor or assign to any party to such agreement).
“Regulatory Allocations” has the meaning set forth in Section 5.03(f).
“Reorganization” has the meaning set forth in the Recitals.
“Retraction Notice” has the meaning set forth in Section 11.01(c).
“Revised Partnership Audit Provisions” means Section 1101 of Title XI (Revenue Provisions Related to Tax Compliance) of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, H.R. 1314, Public Law Number 114-74.
“Rook Related Parties” means Rook Holdings Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its Affiliates.
“Schedule of Members” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.01(a).
“Searchlight Member” means Searchlight II GWN, L.P.
“Searchlight Related Parties” means Searchlight II GWN, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership, and its Affiliates.
11
US-DOCS\114008886.14
“SEC” means the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including any governmental body or agency succeeding to the functions thereof.
“Securities Act” means the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and applicable rules and regulations thereunder, and any successor to such statute, rules or regulations. Any reference herein to a specific section, rule or regulation of the Securities Act shall be deemed to include any corresponding provisions of future Law.
“Share Settlement” means a number of shares of Class A Common Stock (together with any Corresponding Rights) equal to the number of Redeemed Units.
“Stock Exchange” means the New York Stock Exchange.
“Stock Option Plan” means any stock option plan now or hereafter adopted by the Company or by the Corporation, including the Corporate Incentive Award Plan.
“Stockholders Agreement” means that certain stockholders agreement, dated as of the Effective Date, by and among the Corporation and the other Persons party thereto (as it may be amended from time to time in accordance with its terms).
“Subsidiary” means, with respect to any Person, any corporation, limited liability company, partnership, association or business entity of which (a) if a corporation, a majority of the total voting power of shares of stock entitled (without regard to the occurrence of any contingency) to vote in the election of directors, managers or trustees thereof is at the time owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by that Person or one or more of the other Subsidiaries of that Person or a combination thereof, or (b) if a limited liability company, partnership, association or other business entity (other than a corporation), a majority of the voting interests thereof are at the time owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by any Person or one or more Subsidiaries of that Person or a combination thereof. For purposes hereof, references to a “Subsidiary” of the Company shall be given effect only at such times that the Company has one or more Subsidiaries, and, unless otherwise indicated, the term “Subsidiary” refers to a Subsidiary of the Company.
“Substituted Member” means a Person that is admitted as a Member to the Company pursuant to Section 12.01.
“Tax Advance” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.01(b)(iv).
“Tax Distributions” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.01(b)(i).
“Tax Receivable Agreement” means that certain Tax Receivable Agreement, dated as the date of the Effective Date, by and among the Corporation, on the one hand, and the Members as of the Effective Date, on the other hand (together with any joinder thereto from time to time by any successor or assign to any party to such agreement).
“Taxable Year” means the Company’s accounting period for U.S. federal income tax purposes determined pursuant to Section 9.02.
12
US-DOCS\114008886.14
“Trading Day” means a day on which the Stock Exchange or such other principal United States securities exchange on which the Class A Common Stock is listed or admitted to trading is open for the transaction of business (unless such trading shall have been suspended for the entire day).
“Transfer” (and, with a correlative meaning, “Transferring”) means any sale, transfer, assignment, redemption, pledge, encumbrance or other disposition of (whether directly or indirectly, whether with or without consideration and whether voluntarily or involuntarily or by operation of Law) (a) any interest (legal or beneficial) in any Equity Securities or (b) any equity or other interest (legal or beneficial) in any Member if substantially all of the assets of such Member consist solely of Units.
“Treasury Regulations” means the tax regulations promulgated under the Code and any corresponding provisions of succeeding regulations.
“Underwriting Agreement” means the Underwriting Agreement, dated as of June 4, 2020, by and among the Corporation, the Company, Goldman, Sachs & Co. LLC, Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and Citigroup Global Markets Inc.
“Unit” means the fractional interest of a Member in Profits, Losses and Distributions of the Company, and otherwise having the rights and obligations specified with respect to “Units” in this Agreement; provided, however, that any class or group of Units issued shall have the relative rights, powers and duties set forth in this Agreement applicable to such class or group of Units.
“Unvested Corporate Shares” means shares of Class A Common Stock issuable pursuant to awards granted under the Corporate Incentive Award Plan that are not Vested Corporate Shares.
“Value” means (a) for any Stock Option Plan, the Market Price for the Trading Day immediately preceding the date of exercise of a stock option under such Stock Option Plan and (b) for any Equity Plan other than a Stock Option Plan, the Market Price for the Trading Day immediately preceding the Vesting Date.
“Vested Corporate Shares” means the shares of Class A Common Stock issued pursuant to awards granted under the Corporate Incentive Award Plan that are vested pursuant to the terms thereof or any award or similar agreement relating thereto.
“Vesting Date” has the meaning set forth in Section 3.10(c)(ii).
Article II.
ORGANIZATIONAL MATTERS
Section 2.01Formation of Company. The Company was formed on March 25, 2014 pursuant to the provisions of the Delaware Act.
Section 2.02Sixth Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement. The Members hereby execute this Agreement for the purpose of amending, restating and superseding the Initial Agreement in its entirety and otherwise establishing the affairs of the Company and the conduct of its business in accordance with the provisions of the Delaware Act. The Members
13
US-DOCS\114008886.14
hereby agree that during the term of the Company set forth in Section 2.06 the rights and obligations of the Members with respect to the Company will be determined in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement and the Delaware Act. No provision of this Agreement shall be in violation of the Delaware Act and to the extent any provision of this Agreement is in violation of the Delaware Act, such provision shall be void and of no effect to the extent of such violation without affecting the validity of the other provisions of this Agreement. Neither any Member nor the Manager nor any other Person shall have appraisal rights with respect to any Units.
Section 2.03Name. The name of the Company shall be “Shift4 Payments, LLC”. The Manager in its sole discretion may change the name of the Company at any time and from time to time. Notification of any such change shall be given to all of the Members and, to the extent practicable, to all of the holders of any Equity Securities then outstanding. The Company’s business may be conducted under its name and/or any other name or names deemed advisable by the Manager.
Section 2.04Purpose; Powers. The primary business and purpose of the Company shall be to engage in such activities as are permitted under the Delaware Act and determined from time to time by the Manager in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement. The Company shall have the power and authority to take (directly, or indirectly through its Subsidiaries) any and all actions and engage in any and all activities necessary, appropriate, desirable, advisable, ancillary or incidental to accomplish the foregoing purpose.
Section 2.05Principal Office; Registered Office. The principal office of the Company shall be located at such place or places as the Manager may from time to time designate, each of which may be within or outside the State of Delaware. The address of the registered office of the Company in the State of Delaware shall be c/o The Corporation Trust Company, 1209 Orange Street, Wilmington, Delaware, 19801, and the registered agent for service of process on the Company in the State of Delaware at such registered office shall be The Corporation Trust Company. The Manager may from time to time change the Company’s registered agent and registered office in the State of Delaware.
Section 2.06Term. The term of the Company commenced upon the filing of the Certificate in accordance with the Delaware Act and shall continue in perpetuity unless dissolved in accordance with the provisions of Article XIV.
Section 2.07No State-Law Partnership. The Members intend that the Company not be a partnership (including, without limitation, a limited partnership) or joint venture, and that no Member be a partner or joint venturer of any other Member by virtue of this Agreement, for any purposes other than as set forth in the last sentence of this Section 2.07, and neither this Agreement nor any other document entered into by the Company or any Member relating to the subject matter hereof shall be construed to suggest otherwise. The Members intend that the Company shall be treated as a partnership for U.S. federal and, if applicable, state or local income tax purposes, and that each Member and the Company shall file all tax returns and shall otherwise take all tax and financial reporting positions in a manner consistent with such treatment.
14
US-DOCS\114008886.14
Article III.
MEMBERS; UNITS; CAPITALIZATION
(a)(i) In connection with the Reorganization, the Corporation acquired Original Units (which will be converted into Common Units pursuant to the Recapitalization in accordance with Section 3.03) and was admitted as a Member and (ii) the Corporation is acquiring additional Common Units pursuant to the IPO Common Unit Subscription Agreement and the FPOS Contribution Agreement.
(b)The Company shall maintain a schedule setting forth: (i) the name and address of each Member; (ii) the aggregate number of outstanding Units and the number and class of Units held by each Member; (iii) the aggregate amount of cash Capital Contributions that has been made by the Members with respect to their Units; and (iv) the Fair Market Value of any property other than cash contributed by the Members with respect to their Units (including, if applicable, a description and the amount of any liability assumed by the Company or to which contributed property is subject) (such schedule, the “Schedule of Members”). The applicable Schedule of Members in effect as of the Effective Date and after giving effect to the Recapitalization, the FPOS Contribution Agreement and the IPO Common Unit Subscription Agreement is set forth as Schedule 2 to this Agreement. The Schedule of Members may be updated by the Manager in the Company’s books and records from time to time, and as so updated, it shall be the definitive record of ownership of each Unit of the Company and all relevant information with respect to each Member. The Company shall be entitled to recognize the exclusive right of a Person registered on its records as the owner of Units for all purposes and shall not be bound to recognize any equitable or other claim to or interest in Units on the part of any other Person, whether or not it shall have express or other notice thereof, except as otherwise provided by the Delaware Act.
(c)No Member shall be required or, except as approved by the Manager pursuant to Section 6.01 and in accordance with the other provisions of this Agreement, permitted to (i) loan any money or property to the Company, (ii) borrow any money or property from the Company or (iii) make any additional Capital Contributions.
(a)Interests in the Company shall be represented by Units, or such other securities of the Company, in each case as the Manager may establish (subject to any limitations prescribed by the Stockholders Agreement) in its discretion in accordance with the terms and subject to the restrictions hereof. At the Effective Date, the Units will be comprised of a single class of Common Units.
(b)Subject to Section 3.04(a) and any limitations prescribed in the Stockholders Agreement, the Manager may (i) issue additional Common Units at any time in its sole discretion and (ii) create one or more classes or series of Units or preferred Units solely to the extent such new class or series of Units or preferred Units are substantially economically equivalent to a class of common or other stock of the Corporation or class or series of preferred stock of the Corporation, respectively; provided, that as long as there are any Members (other than the
15
US-DOCS\114008886.14
Corporation and its Subsidiaries) (i) no such new class or series of Units may deprive such Members of, or dilute or reduce, the allocations and distributions they would have received, and the other rights and benefits to which they would have been entitled, in respect of their Units if such new class or series of Units had not been created and (ii) no such new class or series of Units may be issued, in each case, except to the extent (and solely to the extent) the Company actually receives cash in an aggregate amount, or other property with a Fair Market Value in an aggregate amount, equal to the aggregate distributions that would be made in respect of such new class or series of Units if the Company were liquidated immediately after the issuance of such new class or series of Units.
(c)To the extent required pursuant to Section 3.04(a) or Section 3.10, as applicable, the Manager may amend this Agreement, without the consent of any Member or any other Person, in connection with the creation and issuance of such classes or series of Units, subject to Sections 15.03(b) and Section 15.03(c) hereof and any limitations prescribed in the Stockholders Agreement.
Section 3.03Recapitalization; the Corporation’s Capital Contribution; the Corporation’s Purchase of Common Units.
(a)In order to effect the Recapitalization, the number of Original Units that were issued and outstanding and held by the Pre-IPO Members prior to the Effective Date as set forth opposite to the respective Pre-IPO Member in Schedule 1 are hereby converted, as of the Effective Date, and after giving effect to such conversion and the other transactions related to the Recapitalization, into the number of Common Units set forth opposite the name of the respective Member on the Schedule of Members attached hereto as Schedule 2 (provided, for the avoidance of doubt, that the number of Common Units set forth opposite the name of the Corporation on the Schedule of Members attached hereto as Schedule 2 shall include (i) the Common Units held by FPOS upon the Recapitalization, and immediately thereafter contributed by FPOS to the Corporation pursuant to the FPOS Contribution Agreement and (ii) the Common Units issued to the Corporation pursuant to the IPO Common Unit Subscription Agreement), and such Common Units are hereby issued and outstanding as of the Effective Date and the holders of such Common Units are Members hereunder.
(b)Following the Recapitalization, the Corporation will acquire 40,686,009 newly issued Common Units in exchange for a portion of the IPO Net Proceeds payable to the Company upon consummation of the IPO pursuant to the IPO Common Unit Subscription Agreement with the Company (the “IPO Common Unit Subscription”). In addition, to the extent the underwriters in the IPO exercise the Over-Allotment Option in whole or in part, upon the exercise of the Over-Allotment Option, the Corporation will contribute a portion of the Over-Allotment Option Net Proceeds to the Company in exchange for newly issued Common Units pursuant to the IPO Common Unit Subscription Agreement, and such issuance of additional Common Units shall be reflected on the Schedule of Members (the “Over-Allotment Contribution”). The number of Common Units issued in the Over-Allotment Contribution, in the aggregate, shall be equal to the number of shares of Class A Common Stock issued by the Corporation in such exercise of the Over-Allotment Option. For the avoidance of doubt, the Corporation shall be admitted as a Member with respect to all Common Units it holds from time to time.
16
US-DOCS\114008886.14
Section 3.04Authorization and Issuance of Additional Units.
(a)Except as otherwise determined by the Manager, the Company and the Corporation shall undertake all actions, including, without limitation, an issuance, reclassification, distribution, division or recapitalization, with respect to the Common Units and the Class A Common Stock, Class B Stock or Class C Common Stock, as applicable, to maintain at all times (i) a one-to-one ratio between the number of Common Units owned by the Corporation, directly or indirectly, and the aggregate number of outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock and Class C Common Stock and (ii) a one-to-one ratio between the number of Common Units owned by Members (other than the Corporation and its Subsidiaries), directly or indirectly, and the aggregate number of outstanding shares of Class B Stock owned by such Members (including, in the case of the Searchlight Member, all outstanding shares of Class B Stock owned by all Searchlight Related Parties), directly or indirectly, in each case, disregarding, for purposes of maintaining the one-to-one ratio, (A) Unvested Corporate Shares, (B) treasury stock or (C) preferred stock or other debt or equity securities (including, without limitation, warrants, options or rights) issued by the Corporation that are convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for Class A Common Stock, Class B Stock or Class C Common Stock (except to the extent the net proceeds from such other securities, including any exercise or purchase price payable upon conversion, exercise or exchange thereof, has been contributed by the Corporation to the equity capital of the Company). Except as otherwise determined by the Manager, in the event the Corporation issues, transfers or delivers from treasury stock or repurchases Class A Common Stock or Class C Common Stock in a transaction not contemplated in this Agreement, the Manager and the Corporation shall take all actions such that, after giving effect to all such issuances, transfers, deliveries or repurchases, the number of outstanding Common Units owned, directly or indirectly, by the Corporation will equal on a one-for-one basis the aggregate number of outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock and Class C Common Stock. Except as otherwise determined by the Manager, in the event the Corporation issues, transfers or delivers from treasury stock or repurchases or redeems the Corporation’s preferred stock in a transaction not contemplated in this Agreement, the Manager and the Corporation shall take all actions such that, after giving effect to all such issuances, transfers, deliveries, repurchases or redemptions, the Corporation, directly or indirectly, holds (in the case of any issuance, transfer or delivery) or ceases to hold (in the case of any repurchase or redemption) equity interests in the Company which (in the good faith determination by the Manager) are in the aggregate substantially economically equivalent to the outstanding preferred stock of the Corporation so issued, transferred, delivered, repurchased or redeemed. Except as otherwise determined by the Manager, the Company and the Corporation shall not undertake any subdivision (by any Common Unit split, stock split, Common Unit distribution, stock distribution, reclassification, division, recapitalization or similar event) or combination (by reverse Common Unit split, reverse stock split, reclassification, division, recapitalization or similar event) of the Common Units, Class A Common Stock, Class B Stock, Class C Common Stock or other equity interests in the Company or the Corporation, as applicable, unless accompanied by an identical subdivision or combination of the Common Units, Class A Common Stock, Class B Stock, Class C Common Stock or other equity interests in the Company or Corporation, respectively, to maintain at all times (x) a one-to-one ratio between the number of Common Units owned, directly or indirectly, by the Corporation and the aggregate number of outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock and Class C Common Stock, (y) a one-to-one ratio between the number of Common Units owned by Members (other than the Corporation and its Subsidiaries) and the number of outstanding shares of Class B Stock or (z) a one-to-one ratio between the number of
17
US-DOCS\114008886.14
outstanding other equity interests in the Corporation and any corresponding equity interests in the Company, in each case, unless such action is necessary to maintain at all times a one-to-one ratio between either the number of Common Units owned, directly or indirectly, by the Corporation and the aggregate number of outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock and Class C Common Stock or the number of Common Units owned by Members (other than the Corporation and its Subsidiaries) and the number of outstanding shares of Class B Stock as contemplated by the first sentence of this Section 3.04(a).
(b)The Company shall only be permitted to issue additional Common Units, and/or establish other classes of Units or other Equity Securities in the Company to the Persons and on the terms and conditions provided for in Section 3.02, this Section 3.04, Section 3.10 and Section 3.11. Subject to the foregoing, the Manager may cause the Company to issue additional Common Units authorized under this Agreement and/or establish other classes of Units or other Equity Securities in the Company at such times and upon such terms as the Manager shall determine and the Manager shall amend this Agreement as necessary in connection with the issuance of additional Common Units and admission of additional Members under this Section 3.04 without the requirement of any consent or acknowledgement of any other Member.
Section 3.05Repurchase or Redemption of shares of Class A Common Stock or Class C Common Stock. Except as otherwise determined by the Manager, if at any time, any shares of Class A Common Stock or Class C Common Stock are repurchased or redeemed (whether by exercise of a put or call, automatically or by means of another arrangement) by the Corporation for cash, then the Manager shall cause the Company, immediately prior to such repurchase or redemption of Class A Common Stock or Class C Common Stock, to redeem a corresponding number of Common Units held (directly or indirectly) by the Corporation, at an aggregate redemption price equal to the aggregate purchase or redemption price of the shares of Class A Common Stock or Class C Common Stock being repurchased or redeemed by the Corporation (plus any expenses related thereto) and upon such other terms as are the same for the shares of Class A Common Stock or Class C Common Stock being repurchased or redeemed by the Corporation; provided, if the Corporation uses funds received from distributions from the Company or the net proceeds from an issuance of Class A Common Stock or Class C Common Stock to fund such repurchase or redemption, then the Company shall cancel a corresponding number of Common Units held (directly or indirectly) by the Corporation for no consideration. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary contained in this Agreement, the Company shall not make any repurchase or redemption if such repurchase or redemption would violate any applicable Law.
Section 3.06Certificates Representing Units; Lost, Stolen or Destroyed Certificates; Registration and Transfer of Units.
(a)Units shall not be certificated unless otherwise determined by the Manager. If the Manager determines that one or more Units shall be certificated, each such certificate shall be signed by or in the name of the Company, by the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, General Counsel, Secretary or any other officer designated by the Manager, representing the number of Units held by such holder. Such certificate shall be in such form (and shall contain such legends) as the Manager may determine. Any or all of such signatures on any certificate representing one or more Units may be a facsimile, engraved or printed, to the extent permitted by applicable Law. No Units shall be treated as a “security” within the meaning of Article 8 of the Uniform Commercial Code unless all Units then outstanding are certificated.
18
US-DOCS\114008886.14
(b)If Units are certificated, the Manager may direct that a new certificate representing one or more Units be issued in place of any certificate theretofore issued by the Company alleged to have been lost, stolen or destroyed, upon delivery to the Manager of an affidavit of the owner or owners of such certificate, setting forth such allegation. The Manager may require the owner of such lost, stolen or destroyed certificate, or such owner’s legal representative, to give the Company a bond sufficient to indemnify it against any claim that may be made against it on account of the alleged loss, theft or destruction of any such certificate or the issuance of any such new certificate.
(c)To the extent Units are certificated, upon surrender to the Company or the transfer agent of the Company, if any, of a certificate for one or more Units, duly endorsed or accompanied by appropriate evidence of succession, assignment or authority to transfer, in compliance with the provisions hereof, the Company shall issue a new certificate representing one or more Units to the Person entitled thereto, cancel the old certificate and record the transaction upon its books. Subject to the provisions of this Agreement, the Manager may prescribe such additional rules and regulations as it may deem appropriate relating to the issue, Transfer and registration of Units.
Section 3.07Negative Capital Accounts. No Member shall be required to pay to any other Member or the Company any deficit or negative balance which may exist from time to time in such Member’s Capital Account (including upon and after dissolution of the Company).
Section 3.08No Withdrawal. No Person shall be entitled to withdraw any part of such Person’s Capital Contribution or Capital Account or to receive any Distribution from the Company, except as expressly provided in this Agreement.
Section 3.09Loans From Members. Loans by Members to the Company shall not be considered Capital Contributions. Subject to the provisions of Section 3.01(c), the amount of any such advances shall be a debt of the Company to such Member and shall be payable or collectible in accordance with the terms and conditions upon which such advances are made.
Section 3.10Corporate Stock Option Plans and Equity Plans.
(a)Options Granted to Persons other than LLC Employees. If at any time or from time to time, in connection with any Stock Option Plan, a stock option granted over shares of Class A Common Stock to a Person other than an LLC Employee is duly exercised (including, for the avoidance of doubt, in connection with the cashless exercise of such option):
(i)The Corporation shall, as soon as practicable after such exercise, make a Capital Contribution to the Company in an amount equal to the exercise price paid to the Corporation by such exercising Person in connection with the exercise of such stock option.
(ii)Notwithstanding the amount of the Capital Contribution actually made pursuant to Section 3.10(a)(i), the Corporation shall be deemed to have contributed to the Company as a Capital Contribution, in lieu of the Capital Contribution actually made and in consideration of additional Common Units, an amount equal to the Value of a share of Class A Common Stock as of the date of such exercise multiplied by the number of shares of Class A Common Stock then being issued by the Corporation in connection with the exercise of such stock option.
19
US-DOCS\114008886.14
(iii)The Corporation shall receive in exchange for such Capital Contributions (as deemed made under Section 3.10(a)(ii)), a number of Common Units equal to the number of shares of Class A Common Stock for which such option was exercised.
(b)Options Granted to LLC Employees. If at any time or from time to time, in connection with any Stock Option Plan, a stock option granted over shares of Class A Common Stock to an LLC Employee is duly exercised:
(i)The Corporation shall sell to the Optionee, and the Optionee shall purchase from the Corporation, for a cash price per share equal to the Value of a share of Class A Common Stock at the time of the exercise, the number of shares of Class A Common Stock equal to the quotient of (x) the exercise price payable by the Optionee in connection with the exercise of such stock option divided by (y) the Value of a share of Class A Common Stock at the time of such exercise.
(ii)The Corporation shall sell to the Company (or if the Optionee is an employee of, or other service provider to, a Subsidiary, the Corporation shall sell to such Subsidiary), and the Company (or such Subsidiary, as applicable) shall purchase from the Corporation, a number of shares of Class A Common Stock equal to the excess of (x) the number of shares of Class A Common Stock as to which such stock option is being exercised over (y) the number of shares of Class A Common Stock sold pursuant to Section 3.10(b)(i) hereof. The purchase price per share of Class A Common Stock for such sale of shares of Class A Common Stock to the Company (or such Subsidiary) shall be the Value of a share of Class A Common Stock as of the date of exercise of such stock option.
(iii)The Company shall transfer to the Optionee (or if the Optionee is an employee of, or other service provider to, a Subsidiary, the Subsidiary shall transfer to the Optionee) at no additional cost to such LLC Employee and as additional compensation (and not a distribution) to such LLC Employee, the number of shares of Class A Common Stock described in Section 3.10(b)(ii).
(iv)The Corporation shall, as soon as practicable after such exercise, make a Capital Contribution to the Company in an amount equal to all proceeds received (from whatever source, but excluding any payment in respect of payroll taxes or other withholdings) by the Corporation in connection with the exercise of such stock option. The Corporation shall receive for such Capital Contribution, a number of Common Units equal to the number of shares of Class A Common Stock for which such option was exercised.
(c)Restricted Stock Granted to LLC Employees. If at any time or from time to time, in connection with any Equity Plan (other than a Stock Option Plan), any shares of Class A Common Stock are issued to an LLC Employee (including any shares of Class A Common Stock that are subject to forfeiture in the event such LLC Employee terminates his or her employment with the Company or any Subsidiary) in consideration for services performed for the Company or any Subsidiary:
(i)The Corporation shall issue such number of shares of Class A Common Stock as are to be issued to such LLC Employee in accordance with the Equity Plan;
20
US-DOCS\114008886.14
(ii)On the date (such date, the “Vesting Date”) that the Value of such shares is includible in taxable income of such LLC Employee, the following events will be deemed to have occurred: (1) the Corporation shall be deemed to have sold such shares of Class A Common Stock to the Company (or if such LLC Employee is an employee of, or other service provider to, a Subsidiary, to such Subsidiary) for a purchase price equal to the Value of such shares of Class A Common Stock, (2) the Company (or such Subsidiary) shall be deemed to have delivered such shares of Class A Common Stock to such LLC Employee, (3) the Corporation shall be deemed to have contributed the purchase price for such shares of Class A Common Stock to the Company as a Capital Contribution, and (4) in the case where such LLC Employee is an employee of a Subsidiary, the Company shall be deemed to have contributed such amount to the capital of the Subsidiary; and
(iii)The Company shall issue to the Corporation on the Vesting Date a number of Units equal to the number of shares of Class A Common Stock issued under Section 3.10(c)(i) in consideration for a Capital Contribution that the Corporation is deemed to make to the Company pursuant to clause (3) of Section 3.10(c)(ii) above.
(d)Future Stock Incentive Plans. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed or applied to preclude or restrain the Corporation from adopting, modifying or terminating stock incentive plans for the benefit of employees, directors or other business associates of the Corporation, the Company or any of their respective Affiliates. The Members acknowledge and agree that, in the event that any such plan is adopted, modified or terminated by the Corporation, amendments to this Section 3.10 may become necessary or advisable and that any approval or consent to any such amendments requested by the Corporation shall be deemed granted by the Manager and the Members, as applicable, without the requirement of any further consent or acknowledgement of any other Member.
(e)Anti-dilution Adjustments. For all purposes of this Section 3.10, the number of shares of Class A Common Stock and the corresponding number of Common Units shall be determined after giving effect to all anti-dilution or similar adjustments that are applicable, as of the date of exercise or vesting, to the option, warrant, restricted stock or other equity interest that is being exercised or becomes vested under the applicable Stock Option Plan or other Equity Plan and applicable award or grant documentation.
Section 3.11Dividend Reinvestment Plan, Cash Option Purchase Plan, Stock Incentive Plan or Other Plan. Except as may otherwise be provided in this Article III, all amounts received or deemed received by the Corporation in respect of any dividend reinvestment plan, cash option purchase plan, stock incentive or other stock or subscription plan or agreement, either (a) shall be utilized by the Corporation to effect open market purchases of shares of Class A Common Stock, or (b) if the Corporation elects instead to issue new shares of Class A Common Stock with respect to such amounts, shall be contributed by the Corporation to the Company in exchange for additional Units. Upon such contribution, the Company will issue to the Corporation a number of Units equal to the number of new shares of Class A Common Stock so issued.
21
US-DOCS\114008886.14
(a)Distributable Cash; Other Distributions. To the extent permitted by applicable Law and hereunder, Distributions to Members may be declared by the Manager out of Distributable Cash or other funds or property legally available therefor in such amounts, at such time and on such terms (including the payment dates of such Distributions) as the Manager in its sole discretion shall determine using such record date as the Manager may designate. All Distributions made under this Section 4.01 shall be made to the Members as of the close of business on such record date on a pro rata basis in accordance with each Member’s Percentage Interest (other than, for the avoidance of doubt, any distributions made pursuant to Sections 4.01(b)(ii) and (v)) as of the close of business on such record date; provided, however, that the Manager shall have the obligation to make Distributions as set forth in Sections 4.01(b) and 14.02; provided, further, that notwithstanding any other provision herein to the contrary, no Distributions shall be made to any Member to the extent such Distribution would render the Company insolvent or violate the Delaware Act. For purposes of the foregoing sentence, insolvency means the inability of the Company to meet its payment obligations when due. In furtherance of the foregoing, it is intended that the Manager shall, to the extent permitted by applicable Law and hereunder, have the right in its sole discretion to make Distributions of Distributable Cash to the Members pursuant to this Section 4.01(a) in such amounts as shall enable the Corporation to meet its obligations, including its obligations pursuant to the Tax Receivable Agreement (to the extent such obligations are not otherwise able to be satisfied as a result of Tax Distributions required to be made pursuant to Section 4.01(b)).
(b)Tax Distributions.
(i)Subject to Section 4.01(b)(ii), with respect to each Fiscal Year, the Company shall, to the extent permitted by applicable Law, make cash distributions out of Distributable Cash (“Tax Distributions”) to each Member in accordance with, and to the extent of, such Member’s Assumed Tax Liability. Tax Distributions pursuant to this Section 4.01(b)(i) shall be estimated by the Company on a quarterly basis and, to the extent feasible, shall be distributed to the Members (together with a statement showing the calculation of such Tax Distribution and an estimate of the Company’s net taxable income allocable to each Member for such period) on a quarterly basis on April 15th, June 15th, September 15th and December 15th (or such other dates for which individuals or corporations, whichever is earlier, are required to make quarterly estimated tax payments for U.S. federal income tax purposes) (each, a “Quarterly Tax Distribution”); provided, that the foregoing shall not restrict the Company from making a Tax Distribution on any other date. Quarterly Tax Distributions shall take into account the estimated taxable income or loss of the Company for the Fiscal Year through the end of the relevant quarterly period. A final accounting for Tax Distributions shall be made for each Fiscal Year after the allocation of the Company’s actual net taxable income or loss has been determined and any shortfall in the amount of Tax Distributions a Member received for such Fiscal Year based on such final accounting shall promptly be distributed to such Member. For the avoidance of doubt, any excess Tax Distributions a Member receives with respect to any Fiscal Year shall reduce future Tax Distributions otherwise required to be made to such Member with respect to any subsequent Fiscal Year.
22
US-DOCS\114008886.14
(ii)To the extent a Member otherwise would be entitled to receive less than its Percentage Interest of the aggregate Tax Distributions to be paid pursuant to this Section 4.01(b) (other than any distributions made pursuant to Section 4.01(b)(v)) on any given date, the Tax Distributions to such Member shall be increased to ensure that all Distributions made pursuant to this Section 4.01(b) are made pro rata in accordance with the Members’ respective Percentage Interests. If, on the date of a Tax Distribution, there is insufficient Distributable Cash to distribute to the Members the full aggregate amount of the Tax Distributions to which such Members would otherwise be entitled, Distributions pursuant to this Section 4.01(b) shall be made to the Members to the extent of Distributable Cash in accordance with their respective Assumed Tax Liabilities and the Company shall make future Tax Distributions as soon as Distributable Cash becomes available sufficient to distribute each Member’s Assumed Tax Liability.
(iii)In the event of any audit by, or similar event with, a taxing authority that affects the calculation of any Member’s Assumed Tax Liability for any Taxable Year (other than an audit conducted pursuant to the Revised Partnership Audit Provisions for which no election is made pursuant to Section 6226 thereof), or in the event the Company files an amended tax return, each Member’s Assumed Tax Liability with respect to such year shall be recalculated by giving effect to such event (for the avoidance of doubt, taking into account interest or penalties). Any shortfall in the amount of Tax Distributions the Members and former Members received for the relevant Taxable Years based on such recalculated Assumed Tax Liability promptly shall be distributed to such Members and the successors of such former Members, except, for the avoidance of doubt, to the extent Distributions were made to such Members and former Members pursuant to Section 4.01(a) and this Section 4.01(b) in the relevant Taxable Years sufficient to cover such shortfall.
(iv)In the case of insufficient Distributable Cash, any Tax Distribution made pursuant to Section 4.01(b)(ii) in excess of such Member’s pro rata Percentage Interest shall be treated as an advance (“Tax Advance”) of such amounts, and shall therefore reduce (without duplication) amounts, otherwise subsequently distributable to such Member pursuant to Section 4.01(a) or Section 14.02, provided, that in no event will the Distributions payable to the Corporation in respect of Units transferred to the Corporation in connection with a Redemption or Direct Exchange be reduced (as compared to Common Units held by the Corporation as of the date hereof) as a result of Tax Distributions made to the transferor (or a predecessor) of such Units prior to their transfer to the Corporation in connection with the applicable Redemption or Direct Exchange. If there is a Tax Advance outstanding with respect to a Member who (i) elects to participate in a Redemption (including, for the avoidance of doubt, any Direct Exchange) or (ii) transfers Units pursuant to Article X, then such Member shall indemnify and hold harmless the Company against such Tax Advance and shall be required to promptly pay the Company (but in all events within thirty (30) days after the Redemption Date or the date of such Transfer, as the case may be) an amount of cash equal to the proportionate share of such Tax Advance relating to its Units subject to the Redemption or Transfer (determined at the time of the Redemption or Transfer based on the number of Units subject to the Redemption or Transfer as compared to the number of Units held by such Member immediately prior to the Redemption or Transfer), provided that, in the case of a Transfer pursuant to Article X, such Member shall not be required to pay such amount of cash if the
23
US-DOCS\114008886.14
transferee agrees to assume the Member’s obligation to repay the Company. The obligations of each Member pursuant to this Section shall survive the withdrawal of any Partner or the transfer of any Member’s Units in the Company and shall apply to any current or former Member.
(v)Notwithstanding the foregoing and anything to the contrary in this Agreement, a final accounting for distributions under Section 7.2 of the Initial LLC Agreement in respect of the taxable income of the Company for the portion of the Fiscal Year of the Company that ends on the closing date of the IPO shall be made by the Company following the closing date of the IPO and, based on such final accounting, the Company shall make a distribution to the Pre-IPO Members (or in the case of any Pre-IPO Member that no longer exists, the successor of such Pre-IPO Member) in accordance with the applicable terms of the Initial LLC Agreement to the extent of any shortfall in the amount of distributions the Pre-IPO Members received prior to the closing date of the IPO under Section 7.2 of the Initial LLC Agreement with respect to taxable income of the Company for such portion of such Fiscal Year that will be allocated to the Pre-IPO Members pursuant to Section 706 of the Code. For the avoidance of doubt, the amount of distributions to be made pursuant to this Section 4.01(b)(v) shall be calculated pursuant to Section 7.2 of the Initial LLC Agreement.
Article V.
CAPITAL ACCOUNTS; ALLOCATIONS; TAX MATTERS
(a)The Company shall maintain a separate Capital Account for each Member according to the rules of Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv). For this purpose, the Company may (in the discretion of the Manager), upon the occurrence of the events specified in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(f), increase or decrease the Capital Accounts in accordance with the rules of such Treasury Regulation and Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(g) to reflect a revaluation of the Company’s property.
(b)For purposes of computing the amount of any item of income, gain, loss or deduction with respect to the Company to be allocated pursuant to this Article V and to be reflected in the Capital Accounts of the Members, the determination, recognition and classification of any such item shall be the same as its determination, recognition and classification for U.S. federal income tax purposes (including any method of depreciation, cost recovery or amortization used for this purpose); provided, however, that:
(i)The computation of all items of income, gain, loss and deduction shall include those items described in Code Section 705(a)(l)(B) or Code Section 705(a)(2)(B) and Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(i), without regard to the fact that such items are not includable in gross income or are not deductible for U.S. federal income tax purposes.
24
US-DOCS\114008886.14
(ii)If the Book Value of any property of the Company is adjusted pursuant to Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(e) or (f), the amount of such adjustment shall be taken into account as gain or loss from the disposition of such property.
(iii)Items of income, gain, loss or deduction attributable to the disposition of property of the Company having a Book Value that differs from its adjusted basis for tax purposes shall be computed by reference to the Book Value of such property.
(iv)Items of depreciation, amortization and other cost recovery deductions with respect to property of the Company having a Book Value that differs from its adjusted basis for tax purposes shall be computed by reference to the property’s Book Value in accordance with Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(g).
(v)To the extent an adjustment to the adjusted tax basis of any asset of the Company pursuant to Code Sections 732(d), 734(b) or 743(b) is required, pursuant to Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(m), to be taken into account in determining Capital Accounts, the amount of such adjustment to the Capital Accounts shall be treated as an item of gain (if the adjustment increases the basis of the asset) or loss (if the adjustment decreases such basis).
Section 5.02Allocations. Except as otherwise provided in Section 5.03 and Section 5.04, Net Profits and Net Losses for any Fiscal Year or Fiscal Period shall be allocated among the Capital Accounts of the Members pro rata in accordance with their respective Percentage Interests.
Section 5.03Regulatory Allocations.
(a)Losses attributable to partner nonrecourse debt (as defined in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(b)(4)) shall be allocated in the manner required by Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(i). If there is a net decrease during a Taxable Year in partner nonrecourse debt minimum gain (as defined in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(i)(3)), Profits for such Taxable Year (and, if necessary, for subsequent Taxable Years) shall be allocated to the Members in the amounts and of such character as determined according to Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(i)(4).
(b)Nonrecourse deductions (as determined according to Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(b)(1)) for any Taxable Year shall be allocated pro rata among the Members in accordance with their Percentage Interests. Except as otherwise provided in Section 5.03(a), if there is a net decrease in the Minimum Gain during any Taxable Year, each Member shall be allocated Profits for such Taxable Year (and, if necessary, for subsequent Taxable Years) in the amounts and of such character as determined according to Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(f). This Section 5.03(b) is intended to be a minimum gain chargeback provision that complies with the requirements of Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-2(f), and shall be interpreted in a manner consistent therewith.
(c)If any Member that unexpectedly receives an adjustment, allocation or Distribution described in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d)(4), (5) and (6) has an Adjusted Capital Account Deficit as of the end of any Taxable Year, computed after the application of Sections 5.03(a) and 5.03(b) but before the application of any other provision of this Article V,
25
US-DOCS\114008886.14
then Profits for such Taxable Year shall be allocated to such Member in proportion to, and to the extent of, such Adjusted Capital Account Deficit. This Section 5.03(c) is intended to be a qualified income offset provision as described in Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(ii)(d) and shall be interpreted in a manner consistent therewith.
(d)If the allocation of Net Losses to a Member as provided in Section 5.02 would create or increase an Adjusted Capital Account Deficit, there shall be allocated to such Member only that amount of Losses as will not create or increase an Adjusted Capital Account Deficit. The Net Losses that would, absent the application of the preceding sentence, otherwise be allocated to such Member shall be allocated to the other Members in accordance with their relative Percentage Interests, subject to this Section 5.03(d).
(e)Profits and Losses described in Section 5.01(b)(v) shall be allocated in a manner consistent with the manner that the adjustments to the Capital Accounts are required to be made pursuant to Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(2)(iv)(j), (k) and (m).
(f)The allocations set forth in Section 5.03(a) through and including Section 5.03(e) (the “Regulatory Allocations”) are intended to comply with certain requirements of Sections 1.704-1(b) and 1.704-2 of the Treasury Regulations. The Regulatory Allocations may not be consistent with the manner in which the Members intend to allocate Profit and Loss of the Company or make Distributions. Accordingly, notwithstanding the other provisions of this Article V, but subject to the Regulatory Allocations, income, gain, deduction and loss with respect to the Company shall be reallocated among the Members so as to eliminate the effect of the Regulatory Allocations and thereby cause the respective Capital Accounts of the Members to be in the amounts (or as close thereto as possible) they would have been if Profit and Loss (and such other items of income, gain, deduction and loss) had been allocated without reference to the Regulatory Allocations. In general, the Members anticipate that this will be accomplished by specially allocating other Profit and Loss (and such other items of income, gain, deduction and loss) among the Members so that the net amount of the Regulatory Allocations and such special allocations to each such Member is zero. In addition, if in any Fiscal Year or Fiscal Period there is a decrease in partnership minimum gain, or in partner nonrecourse debt minimum gain, and application of the minimum gain chargeback requirements set forth in Section 5.03(a) or Section 5.03(b) would cause a distortion in the economic arrangement among the Members, the Members may, if they do not expect that the Company will have sufficient other income to correct such distortion, request the Internal Revenue Service to waive either or both of such minimum gain chargeback requirements. If such request is granted, this Agreement shall be applied in such instance as if it did not contain such minimum gain chargeback requirement.
Section 5.04Final Allocations. Notwithstanding any contrary provision in this Agreement except Section 5.03, the Manager shall make appropriate adjustments to allocations of Profits and Losses to (or, if necessary, allocate items of gross income, gain, loss or deduction of the Company among) the Members upon the liquidation of the Company (within the meaning of Section 1.704 1(b)(2)(ii)(g) of the Treasury Regulations), the transfer of substantially all the Units (whether by sale or exchange or merger) or sale of all or substantially all the assets of the Company, such that, to the maximum extent possible, the Capital Accounts of the Members are proportionate to their Percentage Interests. In each case, such adjustments or allocations shall occur, to the maximum extent possible, in the Fiscal Year of the event requiring such adjustments or allocations.
26
US-DOCS\114008886.14
(a)The income, gains, losses, deductions and credits of the Company will be allocated, for federal, state and local income tax purposes, among the Members in accordance with the allocation of such income, gains, losses, deductions and credits among the Members for computing their Capital Accounts; provided that if any such allocation is not permitted by the Code or other applicable Law, the Company’s subsequent income, gains, losses, deductions and credits will be allocated among the Members so as to reflect as nearly as possible the allocation set forth herein in computing their Capital Accounts.
(b)Items of taxable income, gain, loss and deduction of the Company with respect to any property contributed to the capital of the Company shall be allocated among the Members in accordance with Code Section 704(c) so as to take account of any variation between the adjusted basis of such property to the Company for federal income tax purposes and its Book Value using the traditional method set forth in Treasury Regulations Section 1.704-3(b).
(c)If the Book Value of any asset of the Company is adjusted pursuant to Section 5.01(b), including adjustments to the Book Value of any asset of the Company in connection with the execution of this Agreement, subsequent allocations of items of taxable income, gain, loss and deduction with respect to such asset shall take account of any variation between the adjusted basis of such asset for federal income tax purposes and its Book Value using the traditional method set forth in Treasury Regulations Section 1.704-3(b).
(d)Allocations of tax credits, tax credit recapture, and any items related thereto shall be allocated to the Members as determined by the Manager taking into account the principles of Treasury Regulation Section 1.704-1(b)(4)(ii).
(e)For purposes of determining a Member’s share of the Company’s “excess nonrecourse liabilities” within the meaning of Treasury Regulation Section 1.752-3(a)(3), each Member’s interest in income and gain shall be determined pursuant to any proper method, as reasonably determined by the Manager; provided, that each year the Manager shall use its reasonable best efforts (using in all instances any proper method, including without limitation the “additional method” described in Treasury Regulation Section 1.752-3(a)(3)) to allocate a sufficient amount of the excess nonrecourse liabilities to those Members who would have at the end of the applicable Taxable Year, but for such allocation, taxable income due to the deemed distribution of money to such Member pursuant to Section 752(b) of the Code that is in excess of such Member’s adjusted tax basis in its Units.
(f)Allocations pursuant to this Section 5.05 are solely for purposes of federal, state and local taxes and shall not affect, or in any way be taken into account in computing, any Member’s Capital Account or share of Profits, Losses, Distributions or other items of the Company pursuant to any provision of this Agreement.
Section 5.06Indemnification and Reimbursement for Payments on Behalf of a Member. If the Company is obligated to pay any amount to a Governmental Entity (or otherwise makes a payment to a Governmental Entity) that is specifically attributable to a Member or a Member’s status as such (including federal income taxes as a result of obligations of the
27
US-DOCS\114008886.14
Company pursuant to the Revised Partnership Audit Provisions, federal withholding taxes, state personal property taxes and state unincorporated business taxes, but excluding payments such as payroll taxes, withholding taxes, benefits or professional association fees and the like required to be made or made voluntarily by the Company on behalf of any Member based upon such Member’s status as an employee of the Company), then such Person shall indemnify the Company in full for the entire amount paid (including interest, penalties and related expenses). The Manager may offset Distributions to which a Person is otherwise entitled under this Agreement against such Person’s obligation to indemnify the Company under this Section 5.06. In addition, notwithstanding anything to the contrary, each Member agrees that any Cash Settlement such Member is entitled to receive pursuant to Article XI may be offset by an amount equal to such Member’s obligation to indemnify the Company under this Section 5.06 and that such Member shall be treated as receiving the full amount of such Cash Settlement and paying to the Company an amount equal to such obligation. A Member’s obligation to make payments to the Company under this Section 5.06 shall survive the transfer or termination of any Member’s interest in any Units of the Company, the termination of this Agreement and the termination, dissolution, liquidation and winding up of the Company. In the event that the Company has been terminated prior to the date such payment is due, such Member shall make such payment to the Manager (or its designee), which shall distribute such funds in accordance with this Agreement. The Company may pursue and enforce all rights and remedies it may have against each Member under this Section 5.06, including instituting a lawsuit to collect such contribution with interest calculated at a rate per annum equal to the sum of the Base Rate plus 300 basis points (but not in excess of the highest rate per annum permitted by Law). Each Member hereby agrees to furnish to the Company such information and forms as required or reasonably requested in order to comply with any Laws and regulations governing withholding of tax or in order to claim any reduced rate of, or exemption from, withholding to which the Member is legally entitled.
Section 6.01Authority of Manager; Officer Delegation.
(a)Except for situations in which the approval of any Member(s) is specifically required by this Agreement and subject to the provisions of the Stockholders Agreement or under any mandatory provisions of the Delaware Act, (i) all management powers over the business and affairs of the Company shall be exclusively vested in the Corporation, as the sole managing member of the Company (the Corporation, in such capacity, the “Manager”), (ii) the Manager shall conduct, direct and exercise full control over all activities of the Company and (iii) no other Member shall have any right, authority or power to vote, consent or approve any matter, whether under the Delaware Act, this Agreement or otherwise. The Manager shall be the “manager” of the Company for the purposes of the Delaware Act. Except as otherwise expressly provided for herein and subject to the other provisions of this Agreement, the Members hereby consent to the exercise by the Manager of all such powers and rights conferred on the Members by the Delaware Act with respect to the management and control of the Company. Any vacancies in the position of Manager shall be filled in accordance with Section 6.04.
28
US-DOCS\114008886.14
(b)Without limiting the authority of the Manager to act on behalf of the Company, the day-to-day business and operations of the Company shall be overseen and implemented by officers of the Company (each, an “Officer” and collectively, the “Officers”), subject to the limitations imposed by the Manager. An Officer may, but need not, be a Member. Each Officer shall be appointed by the Manager and shall hold office until his or her successor shall be duly designated and shall qualify or until his or her death or until he or she shall resign or shall have been removed in the manner hereinafter provided. Any one Person may hold more than one office. Subject to the other provisions of this Agreement (including in Section 6.07 below), the salaries or other compensation, if any, of the Officers of the Company shall be fixed from time to time by the Manager. The authority and responsibility of the Officers shall be limited to such duties as the Manager may, from time to time, delegate to them. All Officers shall be, and shall be deemed to be, officers and employees of the Company. An Officer may also perform one or more roles as an officer of the Manager. Any Officer may be removed at any time, with or without cause, by the Manager.
(c)Subject to the other provisions of this Agreement, the Manager shall have the power and authority to effectuate the sale, lease, transfer, exchange or other disposition of any, all or substantially all of the assets of the Company (including the exercise or grant of any conversion, option, privilege or subscription right or any other right available in connection with any assets at any time held by the Company) or the merger, consolidation, division, reorganization or other combination of the Company with or into another entity, for the avoidance of doubt, without the prior consent of any Member or any other Person being required, subject to the provisions of the Stockholders Agreement.
Section 6.02Actions of the Manager. The Manager may act through any Officer or through any other Person or Persons to whom authority and duties have been delegated pursuant to Section 6.07.
Section 6.03Resignation; No Removal. The Manager may resign at any time by giving written notice to the Members; provided, however, such resignation shall not be effective unless proper provision is made, in compliance with this Agreement, so that the obligations of the Corporation (or its successor, if applicable) and any new Manager and the rights of all Members under this Agreement and applicable Law remain in full force and effect. Unless otherwise specified in the notice, the resignation shall take effect upon receipt thereof by the Members, and the acceptance of the resignation shall not be necessary to make it effective. For the avoidance of doubt, the Members have no right under this Agreement to remove or replace the Manager, except as provided in the Stockholders Agreement.
Section 6.04Vacancies. Subject to the provisions of the Stockholders Agreement, vacancies in the position of Manager occurring for any reason shall be filled by the Corporation (or, if the Corporation has ceased to exist without any successor or assign, then by the holders of a majority in interest of the voting capital stock of the Corporation immediately prior to such cessation). For the avoidance of doubt, the Members (other than the Corporation in its capacity as Manager) have no right under this Agreement to fill any vacancy in the position of Manager, except as provided in the Stockholders Agreement.
29
US-DOCS\114008886.14
Section 6.05Transactions Between the Company and the Manager. The Manager may cause the Company to contract and deal with the Manager, or any Affiliate of the Manager, provided, that such contracts and dealings (other than contracts and dealings between the Company and its Subsidiaries) are on terms comparable to and competitive with those available to the Company from others dealing at arm’s length or are approved by the Members (other than the Manager and its Affiliates) and otherwise are permitted by the Credit Agreements. The Members hereby approve each of the contracts or agreements between or among the Manager, the Company and their respective Affiliates entered into on or prior to the date of this Agreement in accordance with the Initial LLC Agreement or that the board of managers of the Company or the Corporate Board has approved in connection with the Recapitalization, the Reorganization or the IPO as of the date of this Agreement, including, but not limited to, the IPO Common Unit Subscription Agreement and the FPOS Contribution Agreement.
Section 6.06Reimbursement for Expenses. The Manager shall not be compensated for its services as Manager of the Company except as expressly provided in this Agreement. The Members acknowledge and agree that, upon consummation of the IPO, the Manager’s Class A Common Stock will be publicly traded and therefore the Manager will have access to the public capital markets and that such status and the services performed by the Manager will inure to the benefit of the Company and all Members; therefore, the Manager shall be reimbursed by the Company for any reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred on behalf of the Company, including without limitation all fees, expenses and costs associated with the IPO and all fees, expenses and costs of being a public company (including without limitation public reporting obligations, proxy statements, stockholder meetings, Stock Exchange fees, transfer agent fees, legal fees, SEC and FINRA filing fees and offering expenses) and maintaining its corporate existence. For the avoidance of doubt, the Manager shall not be reimbursed for any federal, state or local taxes imposed on the Manager or any Subsidiary of the Manager (other than taxes paid by the Manager on behalf of the Company and any Subsidiary of the Company but only if the taxes paid were the legal liability of the Company and/or any Subsidiary of the Company). In the event that shares of Class A Common Stock are sold to underwriters in the IPO (or in any subsequent public offering) at a price per share that is lower than the price per share for which such shares of Class A Common Stock are sold to the public in the IPO (or in such subsequent public offering, as applicable) after taking into account underwriters’ discounts or commissions and brokers’ fees or commissions (such difference, the “Discount”) (i) the Manager shall be deemed to have contributed to the Company in exchange for newly issued Common Units the full amount for which such shares of Class A Common Stock were sold to the public and (ii) the Company shall be deemed to have paid the Discount as an expense. To the extent practicable, expenses incurred by the Manager on behalf of or for the benefit of the Company shall be billed directly to and paid by the Company and, if and to the extent any reimbursements to the Manager or any of its Affiliates by the Company pursuant to this Section 6.06 constitute gross income to such Person (as opposed to the repayment of advances made by such Person on behalf of the Company), such amounts shall be treated as “guaranteed payments” within the meaning of Code Section 707(c) and shall not be treated as distributions for purposes of computing the Members’ Capital Accounts.
Section 6.07Delegation of Authority. The Manager (a) may, from time to time, delegate to one or more Persons such authority and duties as the Manager may deem advisable, and (b) may assign titles (including, without limitation, chief executive officer, president, chief
30
US-DOCS\114008886.14
financial officer, chief operating officer, general counsel, senior vice president, vice president, secretary, assistant secretary, treasurer or assistant treasurer) and delegate certain authority and duties to such Persons which may be amended, restated or otherwise modified from time to time. Any number of titles may be held by the same individual. The salaries or other compensation, if any, of such agents of the Company shall be fixed from time to time by the Manager, subject to the other provisions in this Agreement.
Section 6.08Limitation of Liability of Manager.
(a)Except as otherwise provided herein or in an agreement entered into by such Person and the Company, neither the Manager nor any of the Manager’s Affiliates or Manager’s officers, employees or other agents shall be liable to the Company, to any Member that is not the Manager or to any other Person bound by this Agreement for any act or omission performed or omitted by the Manager in its capacity as the sole managing member of the Company pursuant to authority granted to the Manager by this Agreement; provided, however, that, except as otherwise provided herein, such limitation of liability shall not apply to the extent the act or omission was attributable to the Manager’s willful misconduct or knowing violation of Law or for any present or future material breaches of any representations, warranties or covenants by the Manager or its Affiliates contained herein or in the Other Agreements with the Company. The Manager may exercise any of the powers granted to it by this Agreement and perform any of the duties imposed upon it hereunder either directly or by or through its agents, and shall not be responsible for any misconduct or negligence on the part of any such agent (so long as such agent was selected in good faith and with reasonable care). The Manager shall be entitled to rely upon the advice of legal counsel, independent public accountants and other experts, including financial advisors, and any act of or failure to act by the Manager in good faith reliance on such advice shall in no event subject the Manager to liability to the Company or any Member that is not the Manager.
(b)Whenever this Agreement or any other agreement contemplated herein provides that the Manager shall act in a manner which is, or provide terms which are, “fair and reasonable” to the Company or any Member that is not the Manager, the Manager shall determine such appropriate action or provide such terms considering, in each case, the relative interests of each party to such agreement, transaction or situation and the benefits and burdens relating to such interests, any customary or accepted industry practices, and any applicable United States generally accepted accounting practices or principles, notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement or any duty otherwise existing at Law or in equity.
(c)Subject to the terms of the Stockholders Agreement, whenever in this Agreement or any other agreement contemplated herein, the Manager is permitted or required to take any action or to make a decision in its “sole discretion” or “discretion,” with “complete discretion,” with its “approval” or “consent” or under a grant of similar authority or latitude, the Manager shall be entitled to consider such interests and factors as it desires, including its own interests, and shall, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Law and notwithstanding any duty otherwise existing at Law or in equity, have no duty or obligation to give any consideration to any interest of or factors affecting the Company, other Members or any other Person.
31
US-DOCS\114008886.14
(d)Whenever in this Agreement the Manager is permitted or required to take any action or to make a decision in its “good faith” or under another express standard, the Manager shall act under such express standard and, to the extent permitted by applicable Law, shall not be subject to any other or different standards imposed by this Agreement or any other agreement contemplated herein, notwithstanding any provision of this Agreement or duty otherwise, existing at Law or in equity, and, notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, so long as the Manager acts in good faith, the resolution, action or terms so made, taken or provided by the Manager shall not constitute a breach of this Agreement or impose liability upon the Manager or any of the Manager’s Affiliates and shall be deemed approved by all Members.
Section 6.09Investment Company Act. The Manager shall use its best efforts to ensure that the Company shall not be subject to registration as an investment company pursuant to the Investment Company Act.
Article VII.
RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF MEMBERS AND MANAGER
Section 7.01Limitation of Liability and Duties of Members.
(a)Except as provided in this Agreement or in the Delaware Act, the debts, obligations and liabilities of the Company, whether arising in contract, tort or otherwise, shall be solely the debts, obligations and liabilities of the Company and no Member (including without limitation, the Manager) shall be obligated personally for any such debts, obligations, contracts or liabilities of the Company solely by reason of being a Member or the Manager (except to the extent and under the circumstances set forth in any non-waivable provision of the Delaware Act). Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Law, the failure of the Company to observe any formalities or requirements relating to the exercise of its powers or management of its business and affairs under this Agreement or the Delaware Act shall not be grounds for imposing personal liability on the Members for liabilities of the Company.
(b)In accordance with the Delaware Act and the laws of the State of Delaware, a Member may, under certain circumstances, be required to return amounts previously distributed to such Member. It is the intent of the Members that no Distribution to any Member pursuant to Articles IV or XIV shall be deemed a return of money or other property paid or distributed in violation of the Delaware Act. The payment of any such money or Distribution of any such property to a Member shall be deemed to be a compromise within the meaning of Section 18-502(b) of the Delaware Act, and, to the fullest extent permitted by Law, any Member receiving any such money or property shall not be required to return any such money or property to the Company or any other Person, unless such distribution was made by the Company to its Members in clerical error. However, if any court of competent jurisdiction holds that, notwithstanding the provisions of this Agreement, any Member is obligated to make any such payment, such obligation shall be the obligation of such Member and not of any other Member.
(c)Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement (but subject, and without limitation, to Section 6.08 with respect to the Manager), to the extent that, at Law or in equity, any Member (other than the Manager in its capacity as such) (or any Member’s Affiliate or any
32
US-DOCS\114008886.14
manager, managing member, general partner, director, officer, employee, agent, fiduciary or trustee of any Member or of any Affiliate of a Member) has duties (including fiduciary duties) to the Company, to the Manager, to another Member, to any Person who acquires an interest in a Unit or to any other Person bound by this Agreement, all such duties (including fiduciary duties) are hereby eliminated, to the fullest extent permitted by law, and replaced with the duties or standards expressly set forth herein, if any. The elimination of duties (including fiduciary duties) to the Company, the Manager, each of the Members, each other Person who acquires an interest in a Unit and each other Person bound by this Agreement and replacement thereof with the duties or standards expressly set forth herein, if any, are approved by the Company, the Manager, each of the Members, each other Person who acquires an interest in a Unit and each other Person bound by this Agreement.
Section 7.02Lack of Authority. No Member, other than the Manager or a duly appointed Officer, in each case in its capacity as such, has the authority or power to act for or on behalf of the Company, to do any act that would be binding on the Company or to make any expenditure on behalf of the Company. The Members hereby consent to the exercise by the Manager of the powers conferred on them by Law and this Agreement.
Section 7.03No Right of Partition. No Member, other than the Manager (in its capacity as such), shall have the right to seek or obtain partition by court decree or operation of Law of any property of the Company, or the right to own or use particular or individual assets of the Company.
(a)Subject to Section 5.06, the Company hereby agrees to indemnify and hold harmless any Person (each an “Indemnified Person”) to the fullest extent permitted under applicable Law, as the same now exists or may hereafter be amended, substituted or replaced (but, in the case of any such amendment, substitution or replacement only to the extent that such amendment, substitution or replacement permits the Company to provide broader indemnification rights than the Company is providing immediately prior to such amendment), against all expenses, liabilities and losses (including attorneys’ fees, judgments, fines, excise taxes or penalties) reasonably incurred or suffered by such Person (or one or more of such Person’s Affiliates) by reason of the fact that such Person is or was a Member or an Affiliate thereof (other than as a result of an ownership interest in the Corporation) or is or was serving as the Manager or a director, officer, employee or other agent of the Manager, or a director, manager, Officer, employee or other agent of the Company or is or was serving at the request of the Company as a manager, officer, director, principal, member, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, limited liability company, trust or other enterprise; provided, however, that no Indemnified Person shall be indemnified for any expenses, liabilities and losses suffered that are attributable to such Indemnified Person’s or its Affiliates’ willful misconduct or knowing violation of Law or for any present or future breaches of any representations, warranties or covenants by such Indemnified Person or its Affiliates contained herein or in Other Agreements with the Company. Reasonable expenses, including out-of-pocket attorneys’ fees, incurred by any such Indemnified Person in defending a proceeding shall be paid by the Company in advance of the final disposition of such proceeding, including any appeal therefrom, upon receipt of an undertaking by or on behalf of such Indemnified Person to repay such amount if it shall ultimately be determined that such Indemnified Person is not entitled to be indemnified by the Company.
33
US-DOCS\114008886.14
(b)The right to indemnification and the advancement of expenses conferred in this Section 7.04 shall not be exclusive of any other right which any Person may have or hereafter acquire under any statute, agreement, bylaw, action by the Manager or otherwise.
(c)The Company shall maintain directors’ and officers’ liability insurance, or substantially equivalent insurance, at its expense, to protect any Indemnified Person against any expense, liability or loss described in Section 7.04(a) whether or not the Company would have the power to indemnify such Indemnified Person against such expense, liability or loss under the provisions of this Section 7.04. The Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to purchase and maintain property, casualty and liability insurance in types and at levels customary for companies of similar size engaged in similar lines of business, as determined in good faith by the Manager, and the Company shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to purchase directors’ and officers’ liability insurance (including employment practices coverage) with a carrier and in an amount determined necessary or desirable as determined in good faith by the Manager.
(d)The indemnification and advancement of expenses provided for in this Section 7.04 shall be provided out of and to the extent of Company assets only. No Member (unless such Member otherwise agrees in writing or is found in a non-appealable decision by a court of competent jurisdiction to have personal liability on account thereof) shall have personal liability on account thereof or shall be required to make additional Capital Contributions to help satisfy such indemnity of the Company. The Company (i) shall be the primary indemnitor of first resort for such Indemnified Person pursuant to this Section 7.04 and (ii) shall be fully responsible for the advancement of all expenses and the payment of all damages or liabilities with respect to such Indemnified Person which are addressed by this Section 7.04.
(e)If this Section 7.04 or any portion hereof shall be invalidated on any ground by any court of competent jurisdiction, then the Company shall nevertheless indemnify and hold harmless each Indemnified Person pursuant to this Section 7.04 to the fullest extent permitted by any applicable portion of this Section 7.04 that shall not have been invalidated and to the fullest extent permitted by applicable Law.
Section 7.05Members Right to Act. Subject to the provisions of the Stockholders Agreement, for matters contained in this Agreement that require the approval of the Members, the Members shall act through meetings and/or written consents as follows: the actions contained herein requiring the approval of the Members or any particular Member or group of Members (as applicable, the “Approving Members”) may be approved at a meeting called by the Manager or by the Approving Members holding a majority of the Common Units held by all Approving Members, in each case, on at least five (5) days’ prior written notice to the other Approving Members, which notice shall state the purpose or purposes for which such meeting is being called. The actions taken by the Approving Members (i.e., the approval or disapproval of the applicable matter) at any meeting (as opposed to by written consent), however called and noticed, shall be as valid as though taken at a meeting duly held after regular call and notice if (but not until), either before, at or after the meeting, the Approving Members as to whom it was improperly held signs a written waiver of notice or a consent to the holding of such meeting or an approval of the minutes thereof. Any matter contained herein requiring the approval of any Approving Members may be taken by written consent, so long as such consent is signed by Approving Members having not less than the minimum number of Units that would be necessary
34
US-DOCS\114008886.14
to authorize or take such action at a meeting at which all Approving Members were present and voted. Prompt notice of the action so taken, which shall state the purpose or purposes for which such consent was obtained and may be delivered via email, without a meeting shall be given to those Approving Members who have not consented in writing; provided, however, that the failure to give any such notice shall not affect the validity of the action taken by such written consent. Any action taken pursuant to such written consent of the Approving Members shall have the same force and effect as if taken by the Approving Members at a meeting thereof.
Section 7.06Inspection Rights. The Company shall permit each Member and each of its designated representatives at such Member’s sole cost and expense to examine the books and records of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries at the principal office of the Company or such other location as the Manager shall reasonably approve during normal business hours and upon reasonable notice for any purpose reasonably related to such Member’s Units; provided, that the Manager has a right to keep confidential from the Members certain information in accordance with Section 18-305 of the Delaware Act.
Article VIII.
BOOKS, RECORDS, ACCOUNTING AND REPORTS, AFFIRMATIVE COVENANTS
Section 8.01Records and Accounting. The Company shall keep, or cause to be kept, appropriate books and records with respect to the Company’s business, including all books and records necessary to provide any information, lists and copies of documents required pursuant to applicable Laws. All matters concerning (a) the determination of the relative amount of allocations and Distributions among the Members pursuant to Articles IV and V and (b) accounting procedures and determinations, and other determinations not specifically and expressly provided for by the terms of this Agreement, shall be determined by the Manager, whose determination shall be final and conclusive as to all of the Members absent manifest clerical error.
Section 8.02Fiscal Year. The Fiscal Year of the Company shall end on December 31 of each year or such other date as may be established by the Manager.
Section 9.01Preparation of Tax Returns. The Manager shall arrange for the preparation and timely filing of all tax returns required to be filed by the Company. The Manager shall use reasonable efforts to furnish, within one hundred and eighty (180) days of the close of each Taxable Year, to each Member a completed IRS Schedule K-1 (and any comparable state income tax form) and such other information as is reasonably requested by such Member relating to the Company that is necessary for such Member to comply with its tax reporting obligations. Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement and except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, in its capacity as Partnership Representative, the Corporation shall have the authority to prepare the tax returns of the Company using such permissible methods and elections as it determines in its reasonable discretion, including without limitation the use of any permissible method under Section 706 of the Code for purposes of determining the varying Units of its Members.
35
US-DOCS\114008886.14
Section 9.02Tax Elections. The Taxable Year shall be the Fiscal Year set forth in Section 8.02, unless otherwise required by Section 706 of the Code. The Company and any eligible Subsidiary shall have in effect an election pursuant to Section 754 of the Code and shall not thereafter revoke such election. Each Member will upon request supply any information reasonably necessary to give proper effect to any such elections.
Section 9.03Tax Controversies. The Corporation is hereby designated as the “tax matters partner” of the Company within the meaning of Section 6231 of the Code (as in effect prior to repeal of such section pursuant to the Revised Partnership Audit Provisions) with respect any Taxable Year beginning on or before December 31, 2017 and the “partnership representative” of the Company as provided in Section 6223(a) of the Code with respect to any Taxable Year of the Company beginning after December 31, 2017, and if the “partnership representative” is an entity, the Corporation is hereby authorized to designate an individual to be the sole individual through which such entity “partnership representative” will act (in such capacities, collectively, the “Partnership Representative”). The Company and the Members shall cooperate fully with each other and shall use reasonable best efforts to cause the Corporation (or its designated individual, as applicable) to become the Partnership Representative with respect to any taxable period of the Company with respect to which the statute of limitations has not yet expired, including (as applicable) by filing certifications pursuant to Treasury Regulations Section 301.6231(a)(7)-1(d). The Partnership Representative shall have the right and obligation to take all actions authorized and required, by the Code for the Partnership Representative and is authorized and required to represent the Company (at the Company’s expense) in connection with all examinations of the Company’s affairs by tax authorities, including any resulting administrative and judicial proceedings, and to expend Company funds for professional services reasonably incurred in connection therewith. Each Member agrees to cooperate with the Company and the Partnership Representative and to do or refrain from doing any or all things reasonably requested by the Company or the Partnership Representative with respect to the conduct of such proceedings. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, with respect to any audit or other proceeding, the Partnership Representative shall be entitled to cause the Company (and any of its Subsidiaries) to make any available elections pursuant to Section 6226 of the Code (and similar provisions of state, local and other Law), and the Members shall cooperate to the extent reasonably requested by the Company in connection therewith. The Company shall reimburse the Partnership Representative for all reasonable out-of-pocket expenses incurred by the Partnership Representative, including reasonable fees of any professional attorneys, in carrying out its duties as the Partnership Representative. The provisions of this Section 9.03 shall survive the transfer or termination of any Member’s interest in any Units of the Company, the termination of this Agreement and the termination of the Company, and shall remain binding on each Member for the period of time necessary to resolve all tax matters relating to the Company.
Article X.
RESTRICTIONS ON TRANSFER OF UNITS; CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS
Section 10.01Transfers by Members. No holder of Units shall Transfer any interest in any Units, except Transfers (a) pursuant to and in accordance with Sections 10.02 and 10.09 or (b) approved in advance and in writing by the Manager, in the case of Transfers by any Member other than the Manager, or (c) in the case of Transfers by the Manager, to any Person who
36
US-DOCS\114008886.14
succeeds to the Manager in accordance with Section 6.04. Notwithstanding the foregoing, “Transfer” shall not include (i) an event that terminates the existence of a Member for income tax purposes (including, without limitation, a change in entity classification of a Member under Treasury Regulations Section 301.7701-3, a sale of assets by, or liquidation of, a Member pursuant to an election under Code Sections 336 or 338, or merger, severance, or allocation within a trust or among sub-trusts of a trust that is a Member), but that does not terminate the existence of such Member under applicable state Law (or, in the case of a trust that is a Member, does not terminate the trusteeship of the fiduciaries under such trust with respect to all the Units of such trust that is a Member) or (ii) any indirect Transfer of Units held by the Manager by virtue of any Transfer of Equity Securities in the Corporation.
Section 10.02Permitted Transfers. The restrictions contained in Section 10.01 shall not apply to any of the following (each, a “Permitted Transfer” and each transferee, a “Permitted Transferee”): (i)(A) a Transfer pursuant to a Redemption or Direct Exchange in accordance with Article XI hereof or (B) a Transfer by a Member to the Corporation or any of its Subsidiaries (including, for the avoidance of doubt, pursuant to the FPOS Contribution Agreement), (ii) a Transfer to an Affiliate of such Member, (iii) a Permitted Pledge or (iv) a Transfer to a Person to whom such Pledged Units have been pledged as a result of a foreclosure on such Pledged Units; provided, however, that (x) the restrictions contained in this Agreement will continue to apply to Units after any Permitted Transfer of such Units, (y) in the case of the foregoing clause (ii), the Permitted Transferees of the Units so Transferred shall agree in writing to be bound by the provisions of this Agreement, and prior to such Transfer the transferor will deliver a written notice to the Company and the Members, which notice will disclose in reasonable detail the identity of the proposed Permitted Transferee and (z) in the case of the foregoing clause (iv), upon such Transfer, such Pledged Units shall automatically be exchanged for Class A Common Stock, the transferor shall then automatically cease to be a Member of the Company with respect to such Pledged Units, and any shares of Class B Stock (together with any Corresponding Rights) corresponding to such Pledged Units shall be canceled and retired (including, in the case of the Searchlight Member, any such shares of Class B Stock held by a Searchlight Related Party), in each case, with the provisions of Article XI applying to such Transfer mutatis mutandis (applied for this purpose as if the Corporation had delivered an Election Notice that specified a Share Settlement with respect to such Redemption, and with the applicable Redemption Date occurring on the date of such Transfer) such that, for the avoidance of doubt, a Permitted Transferee described in clause (iv) shall not take ownership of such Units or shares of Class B Stock (and shall not become a Member hereunder), and instead shall take ownership of the applicable shares of Class A Common Stock. In the case of a Permitted Transfer of any Common Units by any Member that is authorized to hold Class B Stock in accordance with the Corporation’s certificate of incorporation to a Permitted Transferee in accordance with this Section 10.02, such Member (or any subsequent Permitted Transferee of such Member) shall also transfer a number of shares of Class B Stock equal to the number of Common Units that were transferred by such Member (or subsequent Permitted Transferee) in the transaction to such Permitted Transferee; provided, that, in the case of the Searchlight Member (or its subsequent Permitted Transferees), the foregoing obligation to transfer shares of Class B Stock shall be deemed satisfied so long as the SL Collective Registered Owner Requirement (as defined in the Corporation’s certificate of incorporation) remains satisfied immediately following consummation of such Permitted Transfer. All Permitted Transfers are subject to the additional limitations set forth in Section 10.07(b).
37
US-DOCS\114008886.14
Section 10.03Restricted Units Legend. The Units have not been registered under the Securities Act and, therefore, in addition to the other restrictions on Transfer contained in this Agreement, cannot be sold unless subsequently registered under the Securities Act or if an exemption from such registration is then available with respect to such sale. To the extent such Units have been certificated, each certificate evidencing Units and each certificate issued in exchange for or upon the Transfer of any Units shall be stamped or otherwise imprinted with a legend in substantially the following form:
“THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE WERE ISSUED ON JUNE 4, 2020, AND HAVE NOT BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933, AS AMENDED (THE “ACT”), AND MAY NOT BE SOLD OR TRANSFERRED IN THE ABSENCE OF AN EFFECTIVE REGISTRATION STATEMENT UNDER THE ACT OR AN EXEMPTION FROM REGISTRATION THEREUNDER. THE SECURITIES REPRESENTED BY THIS CERTIFICATE ARE ALSO SUBJECT TO ADDITIONAL RESTRICTIONS ON TRANSFER SPECIFIED IN THE SIXTH AMENDED AND RESTATED LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY AGREEMENT OF SHIFT4 PAYMENTS, LLC, AS MAY BE AMENDED, RESTATED, AMENDED AND RESTATED, OR OTHERWISE MODIFIED FROM TIME TO TIME, AND SHIFT4 PAYMENTS, LLC RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REFUSE THE TRANSFER OF SUCH SECURITIES UNTIL SUCH CONDITIONS HAVE BEEN FULFILLED WITH RESPECT TO ANY TRANSFER. A COPY OF SUCH CONDITIONS SHALL BE FURNISHED BY SHIFT4 PAYMENTS, LLC TO THE HOLDER HEREOF UPON WRITTEN REQUEST AND WITHOUT CHARGE.”
The Company shall imprint such legend on certificates (if any) evidencing Units. The legend set forth above shall be removed from the certificates (if any) evidencing any Units which cease to be Units in accordance with the definition thereof.
Section 10.04Transfer. Prior to Transferring any Units (other than in connection with a Redemption or Direct Exchange in accordance with Article XI or a Transfer pursuant to clauses (iii) or (iv) of Section 10.02), the Transferring holder of Units shall cause the prospective Permitted Transferee to be bound by this Agreement and any other agreements executed by the holders of Units and relating to such Units in the aggregate to which the transferor was a party, including without limitation the Stockholders Agreement (collectively, the “Other Agreements”) by executing and delivering to the Company a duly executed Joinder and counterparts of this Agreement and any applicable Other Agreements.
Section 10.05Assignee’s Rights.
(a)The Transfer of a Unit in accordance with this Agreement shall be effective as of the date of its assignment (assuming compliance with all of the conditions to such Transfer set forth herein), and such Transfer shall be shown on the books and records of the Company. Profits, Losses and other items of the Company shall be allocated between the transferor and the transferee according to Code Section 706, using any permissible method as determined in the reasonable
38
US-DOCS\114008886.14
discretion of the Manager. Distributions made before the effective date of such Transfer shall be paid to the transferor, and Distributions made on or after such date shall be paid to the Assignee.
(b)Unless and until an Assignee becomes a Member pursuant to Article XII, the Assignee shall not be entitled to any of the rights granted to a Member hereunder or under applicable Law, other than the rights granted specifically to Assignees pursuant to this Agreement; provided, however, that, without relieving the Transferring Member from any such limitations or obligations as more fully described in Section 10.06, such Assignee shall be bound by any limitations and obligations of a Member contained herein that a Member would be bound on account of the Assignee’s Units (including the obligation to make Capital Contributions on account of such Units).
Section 10.06Assignor’s Rights and Obligations. Any Member who shall Transfer any Unit in a manner in accordance with this Agreement shall cease to be a Member with respect to such Units and shall no longer have any rights or privileges, or, except as set forth in this Section 10.06 and with respect to any Tax Advance under Section 4.01(b)(iv), duties, liabilities or obligations, of a Member with respect to such Units or other interest (it being understood, however, that the applicable provisions of Sections 6.08 and 7.04 shall continue to inure to such Person’s benefit), except that unless and until the Assignee (if not already a Member) is admitted as a Substituted Member in accordance with the provisions of Article XII (the “Admission Date”), (i) such assigning Member shall retain all of the duties, liabilities and obligations of a Member with respect to such Units, and (ii) the Manager may, in its sole discretion, reinstate all or any portion of the rights and privileges of such Member with respect to such Units for any period of time prior to the Admission Date. Nothing contained herein shall relieve any Member who Transfers any Units in the Company from any liability of such Member to the Company with respect to such Units that may exist as of the Admission Date or that is otherwise specified in the Delaware Act or for any liability to the Company or any other Person for any materially false statement made by such Member (in its capacity as such) or for any present or future breaches of any representations, warranties or covenants by such Member (in its capacity as such) contained herein or in the Other Agreements with the Company.
Section 10.07Overriding Provisions.
(a)Any Transfer or attempted Transfer of any Units in violation of this Agreement (including any prohibited indirect Transfers) shall be null and void ab initio, and the provisions of Sections 10.05 and 10.06 shall not apply to any such Transfers. For the avoidance of doubt, any Person to whom a Transfer is made or attempted in violation of this Agreement shall not become a Member and shall not have any other rights in or with respect to any rights of a Member of the Company with respect to the applicable Units. The approval of any Transfer in any one or more instances shall not limit or waive the requirement for such approval in any other or future instance. The Manager shall promptly amend the Schedule of Members to reflect any Permitted Transfer pursuant to this Article X.
39
US-DOCS\114008886.14
(b)Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary (including, for the avoidance of doubt, the provisions of Section 10.01 and Article XI and Article XII), in no event shall any Member Transfer any Units to the extent such Transfer would:
(i)result in the violation of the Securities Act, or any other applicable federal, state or foreign Laws;
(ii)cause an assignment under the Investment Company Act;
(iii)in the reasonable determination of the Manager, be a violation of or a default (or an event that, with notice or the lapse of time or both, would constitute a default) under, or result in an acceleration of any obligation under any Credit Agreement to which the Company or the Manager is a party; provided that the payee or creditor to whom the Company or the Manager owes such obligation is not an Affiliate of the Company or the Manager;
(iv)be a Transfer to a Person who is not legally competent or who has not achieved his or her majority of age under applicable Law (excluding trusts for the benefit of minors);
(v)cause the Company to be treated as a “publicly traded partnership” or to be taxed as a corporation pursuant to Section 7704 of the Code or any successor provision thereto under the Code; or
(vi)result in the Company having more than one hundred (100) partners, within the meaning of Treasury Regulations Section 1.7704-1(h)(1) (determined pursuant to the rules of Treasury Regulations Section 1.7704-1(h)(3)).
(c)Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, in no event shall any Member that is not a “United States person” within the meaning of Section 7701(a)(30) of the Code Transfer any Units, unless such Member and the transferee have delivered to the Company, in respect of the relevant Transfer, written evidence that all required withholding under Section 1446(f) of the Code will have been done and duly remitted to the applicable taxing authority or duly executed certifications (prepared in accordance with the applicable Treasury Regulations or other authorities) of an exemption from such withholding.
Section 10.08Spousal Consent. In connection with the execution and delivery of this Agreement, any Member who is a natural person will deliver to the Company an executed consent from such Member’s spouse (if any) in the form of Exhibit B-1 attached hereto or a Member’s spouse confirmation of separate property in the form of Exhibit B-2 attached hereto. If, at any time subsequent to the date of this Agreement such Member becomes legally married (whether in the first instance or to a different spouse), such Member shall cause his or her spouse to execute and deliver to the Company a consent in the form of Exhibit B-1 or Exhibit B-2 attached hereto. Such Member’s non-delivery to the Company of an executed consent in the form of Exhibit B-1 or Exhibit B-2 at any time shall constitute such Member’s continuing representation and warranty that such Member is not legally married as of such date.
40
US-DOCS\114008886.14
Section 10.09Certain Transactions with respect to the Corporation.
(a)In connection with a Change of Control Transaction, the Manager shall have the right, in its sole discretion, to require each Member to effect a Redemption of all or a portion of such Member’s Units together with an equal number of shares of Class B Stock (including, in the case of the Searchlight Member, any such shares of Class B Stock held by the Searchlight Related Parties), pursuant to which such Units and such shares of Class B Stock will be exchanged for shares of Class A Common Stock (or economically equivalent cash or securities of a successor entity), mutatis mutandis, in accordance with the Redemption provisions of Article XI (applied for this purpose as if the Corporation had delivered an Election Notice that specified a Share Settlement with respect to such Redemption) and otherwise in accordance with this Section 10.09(a). Any such Redemption pursuant to this Section 10.09(a) shall be effective immediately prior to the consummation of such Change of Control Transaction (and, for the avoidance of doubt, shall be contingent upon the consummation of such Change of Control Transaction and shall not be effective if such Change of Control Transaction is not consummated) (the date of such Redemption pursuant to this Section 10.09(a), the “Change of Control Date”). From and after the Change of Control Date, (i) the Units and any shares of Class B Stock subject to such Redemption shall be deemed to be transferred to the Corporation on the Change of Control Date and (ii) each such Member (or, in the case of the Searchlight Member, any applicable Searchlight Related Party) shall cease to have any rights with respect to the Units and any shares of Class B Stock subject to such Redemption (other than the right to receive shares of Class A Common Stock (or economically equivalent cash or equity securities in a successor entity) pursuant to such Redemption). In the event the Manager desires to initiate the provisions of this Section 10.09, the Manager shall provide written notice of an expected Change of Control Transaction to all Members within the earlier of (x) five (5) Business Days following the execution of an agreement with respect to such Change of Control Transaction and (y) ten (10) Business Days before the proposed date upon which the contemplated Change of Control Transaction is to be effected, including in such notice such information as may reasonably describe Change of Control transaction, subject to Law, including the date of execution of such agreement or such proposed effective date, as applicable, the amount and types of consideration to be paid for shares of Class A Common Stock in the Change of Control Transaction and any election with respect to types of consideration that a holder of shares of Class A Common Stock, as applicable, shall be entitled to make in connection with a Change of Control Transaction (which election shall be available to each Member on the same terms as holders of shares of Class A Common Stock). Following delivery of such notice and on or prior to the Change of Control Date, the Members shall take all actions reasonably requested by the Corporation to effect such Redemption, including taking any action and delivering any document required pursuant to this Section 10.09(a) to effect such Redemption.
(b)In the event that a tender offer, share exchange offer, issuer bid, take-over bid, recapitalization, or similar transaction with respect to Class A Common Stock (a “Pubco Offer”) is proposed by the Corporation or is proposed to the Corporation or its stockholders and approved by the Corporate Board or is otherwise effected or to be effected with the consent or approval of the Corporate Board, the Manager shall provide written notice of the Pubco Offer to all Members within the earlier of (i) five (5) Business Days following the execution of an agreement (if applicable) with respect to, or the commencement of (if applicable), such Pubco Offer and (ii) ten (10) Business Days before the proposed date upon which the Pubco Offer is to be effected, including in such notice such information as may reasonably describe the Pubco Offer, subject to
41
US-DOCS\114008886.14
Law, including the date of execution of such agreement (if applicable) or of such commencement (if applicable), the material terms of such Pubco Offer, including the amount and types of consideration to be received by holders of shares of Class A Common Stock in the Pubco Offer, any election with respect to types of consideration that a holder of shares of Class A Common Stock, as applicable, shall be entitled to make in connection with such Pubco Offer, and the number of Units (and the corresponding shares of Class B Stock) held by such Member (including, in the case of the Searchlight Member, any such shares of Class B Stock held by Searchlight Related Parties) that is applicable to such Pubco Offer. The Members (other than the Manager) shall be permitted to participate in such Pubco Offer by delivering a written notice of participation that is effective immediately prior to the consummation of such Pubco Offer (and that is contingent upon consummation of such offer), and shall include such information necessary for consummation of such offer as requested by the Corporation. In the case of any Pubco Offer that was initially proposed by the Corporation, the Corporation shall use reasonable best efforts to enable and permit the Members (other than the Manager) to participate in such transaction to the same extent or on an economically equivalent basis as the holders of shares of Class A Common Stock, and to enable such Members to participate in such transaction without being required to exchange Units or shares of Class B Stock in connection therewith. For the avoidance of doubt, in no event shall Common Unitholders be entitled to receive in such Pubco Offer aggregate consideration for each Common Unit that is greater than the consideration payable in respect of each share of Class A Common Stock in connection with a Pubco Offer (it being understood that payments under or in respect of the Tax Receivable Agreement shall not be considered part of any such consideration).
(c)In the event that a transaction or proposed transaction constitutes both a Change of Control Transaction and a Pubco Offer, the provisions of Section 10.09(a) shall take precedence over the provisions of Section 10.09(b) with respect to such transaction, and the provisions of Section 10.09(b) shall be subordinate to provisions of Section 10.09(a), and may only be triggered if the Manager elects to waive the provisions of Section 10.09(a).
Article XI.
REDEMPTION AND DIRECT EXCHANGE RIGHTS
Section 11.01Redemption Right of a Member.
(a)Each Member (other than the Corporation and its Subsidiaries) shall be entitled to cause the Company to redeem (a “Redemption”) its Common Units (excluding, for the avoidance of doubt, any Common Units that are subject to vesting conditions or subject to Transfer limitations pursuant to this Agreement) in whole or in part (the “Redemption Right”) at any time and from time to time following the waiver or expiration of any contractual lock-up period relating to the shares of the Corporation that may be applicable to such Member. A Member desiring to exercise its Redemption Right (each, a “Redeeming Member”) shall exercise such right by giving written notice (the “Redemption Notice”) to the Company with a copy to the Corporation. The Redemption Notice shall specify the number of Common Units (the “Redeemed Units”) that the Redeeming Member intends to have the Company redeem and a date, not less than three (3) Business Days nor more than ten (10) Business Days after delivery of such Redemption Notice (unless and to the extent that the Manager in its sole discretion agrees in writing to waive such time periods), on which exercise of the Redemption Right shall be completed (the “Redemption Date”); provided, that the Company, the Corporation and the Redeeming Member may change the
42
US-DOCS\114008886.14
number of Redeemed Units and/or the Redemption Date specified in such Redemption Notice to another number and/or date by mutual agreement signed in writing by each of them; provided, further, that in the event the Corporation elects a Share Settlement, the Redemption may be conditioned (including as to timing) by the Redeeming Member on the closing of an underwritten distribution of the shares of Class A Common Stock that may be issued in connection with such proposed Redemption. Subject to Section 11.03 and unless the Redeeming Member timely has delivered a Retraction Notice as provided in Section 11.01(c) or has revoked or delayed a Redemption as provided in Section 11.01(d), on the Redemption Date (to be effective immediately prior to the close of business on the Redemption Date):
(i)the Redeeming Member shall (or in the case of the Searchlight Member with respect to clause (y) below, cause the applicable Searchlight Related Parties to) Transfer and surrender, free and clear of all liens and encumbrances (x) the Redeemed Units to the Company (including any certificates representing the Redeemed Units if they are certificated), and (y) a number of shares of Class B Stock (together with any Corresponding Rights) equal to the number of Redeemed Units to the Corporation, to the extent applicable;
(ii)the Company shall (x) cancel the Redeemed Units, (y) transfer to the Redeeming Member the consideration to which the Redeeming Member is entitled under Section 11.01(d), and (z) if the Units are certificated, issue to the Redeeming Member a certificate for a number of Common Units equal to the difference (if any) between the number of Common Units evidenced by the certificate surrendered by the Redeeming Member pursuant to clause (i) of this Section 11.01(a) and the Redeemed Units; and
(iii)the Corporation shall cancel and retire for no consideration the shares of Class B Stock (together with any Corresponding Rights) that were Transferred to the Corporation pursuant to Section 11.01(a)(i)(y) above.
(b)The Corporation shall have the option (as determined solely by its independent directors (within the meaning of the rules of the Stock Exchange) who are disinterested) as provided in Section 11.02 and subject to Section 11.01(e) to elect to have the Redeemed Units be redeemed in consideration for either a Share Settlement or a Cash Settlement. The Corporation shall give written notice (the “Election Notice”) to the Company (with a copy to the Redeeming Member) of such election within three (3) Business Days of receiving the Redemption Notice; provided, that if the Corporation does not timely deliver an Election Notice, the Corporation shall be deemed to have elected the Share Settlement method (subject to the limitations set forth above).
(c)In the event the Corporation elects the Cash Settlement in connection with a Redemption, the Redeeming Member may retract its Redemption Notice by giving written notice (the “Retraction Notice”) to the Company (with a copy to the Corporation) within three (3) Business Days of delivery of the Election Notice. The timely delivery of a Retraction Notice shall terminate all of the Redeeming Member’s, the Company’s and the Corporation’s rights and obligations under this Section 11.01 arising from the Redemption Notice.
43
US-DOCS\114008886.14
(d)In the event the Corporation elects a Share Settlement in connection with a Redemption, a Redeeming Member shall be entitled to revoke its Redemption Notice or delay the consummation of a Redemption if any of the following conditions exists:
(i)any registration statement pursuant to which the resale of the Class A Common Stock to be registered for such Redeeming Member at or immediately following the consummation of the Redemption shall have ceased to be effective pursuant to any action or inaction by the SEC or no such resale registration statement has yet become effective;
(ii)the Corporation shall have failed to cause any related prospectus to be supplemented by any required prospectus supplement necessary to effect such Redemption;
(iii)the Corporation shall have exercised its right to defer, delay or suspend the filing or effectiveness of a registration statement and such deferral, delay or suspension shall affect the ability of such Redeeming Member to have its Class A Common Stock registered at or immediately following the consummation of the Redemption;
(iv)the Redeeming Member is in possession of any material non-public information concerning the Corporation, the receipt of which results in such Redeeming Member being prohibited or restricted from selling Class A Common Stock at or immediately following the Redemption without disclosure of such information (and the Corporation does not permit disclosure of such information);
(v)any stop order relating to the registration statement pursuant to which the Class A Common Stock was to be registered by such Redeeming Member at or immediately following the Redemption shall have been issued by the SEC;
(vi)there shall have occurred a material disruption in the securities markets generally or in the market or markets in which the Class A Common Stock is then traded;
(vii)there shall be in effect an injunction, a restraining order or a decree of any nature of any Governmental Entity that restrains or prohibits the Redemption;
(viii)the Corporation shall have failed to comply in all material respects with its obligations under the Registration Rights Agreement, and such failure shall have affected the ability of such Redeeming Member to consummate the resale of Class A Common Stock to be received upon such Redemption pursuant to an effective registration statement; or
(ix)the Redemption Date would occur three (3) Business Days or less prior to, or during, a Black-Out Period.
If a Redeeming Member delays the consummation of a Redemption pursuant to this Section 11.01(d), the Redemption Date shall occur on the fifth (5th) Business Day following the date on which the condition(s) giving rise to such delay cease to exist (or such earlier day as the Corporation, the Company and such Redeeming Member may agree in writing).
44
US-DOCS\114008886.14
(e)The number of shares of Class A Common Stock (or Redeemed Units Equivalent, if applicable) (together with any Corresponding Rights) applicable to any Share Settlement or Cash Settlement shall not be adjusted on account of any Distributions previously made with respect to the Redeemed Units or dividends previously paid with respect to Class A Common Stock; provided, however, that if a Redeeming Member causes the Company to redeem Redeemed Units and the Redemption Date occurs subsequent to the record date for any Distribution with respect to the Redeemed Units but prior to payment of such Distribution, the Redeeming Member shall be entitled to receive such Distribution with respect to the Redeemed Units on the date that it is made notwithstanding that the Redeeming Member Transferred and surrendered the Redeemed Units to the Company prior to such date; provided, further, however, that a Redeeming Member shall be entitled to receive any and all Tax Distributions that such Redeeming Member otherwise would have received in respect of income allocated to such Member for the portion of any Fiscal Year irrespective of whether such Tax Distribution(s) are declared or made after the Redemption Date. For the avoidance of doubt, notwithstanding the foregoing, it is intended that following a complete redemption of any Redeeming Member, the Redeeming Member shall terminate as a partner in the Company for U.S. federal income tax purposes as of the applicable Redemption Date, and any Tax Distribution made thereafter shall be treated as having been made to such Redeeming Member in respect of their interest in the Company prior to such Redemption Date.
(f)In the case of a Share Settlement, in the event a reclassification or other similar transaction occurs following delivery of a Redemption Notice, but prior to the Redemption Date, as a result of which shares of Class A Common Stock are converted into another security, then a Redeeming Member shall be entitled to receive the amount of such other security (and, if applicable, any Corresponding Rights) that the Redeeming Member would have received if such Redemption Right had been exercised and the Redemption Date had occurred immediately prior to the record date of such reclassification or other similar transaction.
Section 11.02Election and Contribution of the Corporation. Unless the Redeeming Member has timely delivered a Retraction Notice as provided in Section 11.01(c), or has revoked or delayed a Redemption as provided in Section 11.01(d), on the Redemption Date (to be effective immediately prior to the close of business on the Redemption Date) (i) the Corporation shall make a Capital Contribution to the Company (in the form of the Share Settlement or the Cash Settlement, as determined by the Corporation in accordance with Section 11.01(b)), and (ii) in the event of a Share Settlement, the Company shall issue to the Corporation a number of Common Units equal to the number of Redeemed Units surrendered by the Redeeming Member. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Agreement to the contrary, in the event that the Corporation elects a Cash Settlement, the Corporation shall only be obligated to contribute to the Company an amount in respect of such Cash Settlement equal to the Redeemed Units Equivalent with respect to such Cash Settlement, which in no event shall exceed the amount actually paid by the Company to the Redeeming Member as the Cash Settlement. The timely delivery of a Retraction Notice shall terminate all of the Company’s and the Corporation’s rights and obligations under this Section 11.02 arising from the Redemption Notice.
45
US-DOCS\114008886.14
Section 11.03Direct Exchange Right of the Corporation.
(a)Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Article XI (save for the limitations set forth in Section 11.01(b) regarding the Corporation’s option to select the Share Settlement or the Cash Settlement, and without limitation to the rights of the Members under Section 11.01, including the right to revoke a Redemption Notice), the Corporation may, in its sole and absolute discretion (as determined solely by its independent directors (within the meaning of the rules of the Stock Exchange) who are disinterested) (subject to the limitations set forth on such discretion in Section 11.01(b)), elect to effect on the Redemption Date the exchange of Redeemed Units for the Share Settlement or the Cash Settlement, as the case may be, through a direct exchange of such Redeemed Units and the Share Settlement or the Cash Settlement, as applicable, between the Redeeming Member and the Corporation (a “Direct Exchange”) (rather than contributing the Share Settlement or the Cash Settlement, as the case may be, to the Company in accordance with Section 11.02 for purposes of the Company redeeming the Redeemed Units from the Redeeming Member in consideration of the Share Settlement or the Cash Settlement, as applicable). Upon such Direct Exchange pursuant to this Section 11.03, the Corporation shall acquire the Redeemed Units and shall be treated for all purposes of this Agreement as the owner of such Units.
(b)The Corporation may, at any time prior to a Redemption Date (including after delivery of an Election Notice pursuant to Section 11.01(b)), deliver written notice (an “Exchange Election Notice”) to the Company and the Redeeming Member setting forth its election to exercise its right to consummate a Direct Exchange; provided, that such election is subject to the limitations set forth in Section 11.01(b) and does not unreasonably prejudice the ability of the parties to consummate a Redemption or Direct Exchange on the Redemption Date. An Exchange Election Notice may be revoked by the Corporation at any time; provided, that any such revocation does not unreasonably prejudice the ability of the parties to consummate a Redemption or Direct Exchange on the Redemption Date. The right to consummate a Direct Exchange in all events shall be exercisable for all of the Redeemed Units that would have otherwise been subject to a Redemption.
(c)Except as otherwise provided by this Section 11.03, a Direct Exchange shall be consummated pursuant to the same timeframe as the relevant Redemption would have been consummated if the Corporation had not delivered an Exchange Election Notice and as follows:
(i)the Redeeming Member shall (or in the case of the Searchlight Member with respect to clause (y) below, cause the applicable Searchlight Related Parties to) transfer and surrender, free and clear of all liens and encumbrances (x) the Redeemed Units and (y) a number of shares of Class B Stock (together with any Corresponding Rights) equal to the number of Redeemed Units, to the extent applicable, in each case, to the Corporation;
(ii)the Corporation shall (x) pay to the Redeeming Member the Share Settlement or the Cash Settlement, as applicable, and (y) cancel and retire for no consideration the shares of Class B Stock (together with any Corresponding Rights) that were Transferred to the Corporation pursuant to Section 11.03(c)(i)(y) above; and
46
US-DOCS\114008886.14
(iii)the Company shall (x) register the Corporation as the owner of the Redeemed Units and (y) if the Units are certificated, issue to the Redeeming Member a certificate for a number of Common Units equal to the difference (if any) between the number of Common Units evidenced by the certificate surrendered by the Redeeming Member pursuant to Section 11.03(c)(i)(x) and the Redeemed Units, and issue to the Corporation a certificate for the number of Redeemed Units.
Section 11.04Reservation of shares of Class A Common Stock; Listing; Certificate of the Corporation. At all times the Corporation shall reserve and keep available out of its authorized but unissued Class A Common Stock, solely for the purpose of issuance upon a Share Settlement in connection with a Redemption or Direct Exchange, such number of shares of Class A Common Stock as shall be issuable upon any such Share Settlement pursuant to a Redemption or Direct Exchange; provided that nothing contained herein shall be construed to preclude the Corporation from satisfying its obligations in respect of any such Share Settlement pursuant to a Redemption or Direct Exchange by delivery of purchased Class A Common Stock (which may or may not be held in the treasury of the Corporation) or by way of Cash Settlement. The Corporation shall deliver Class A Common Stock that has been registered under the Securities Act with respect to any Share Settlement pursuant to a Redemption or Direct Exchange to the extent a registration statement is effective and available with respect to such shares. The Corporation shall use its commercially reasonable efforts to list the Class A Common Stock required to be delivered upon any such Share Settlement pursuant to a Redemption or Direct Exchange prior to such delivery upon each national securities exchange upon which the outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock are listed at the time of such Share Settlement pursuant to a Redemption or Direct Exchange (it being understood that any such shares may be subject to transfer restrictions under applicable securities Laws). The Corporation covenants that all shares of Class A Common Stock issued in connection with a Share Settlement pursuant to a Redemption or Direct Exchange will, upon issuance, be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable. The provisions of this Article XI shall be interpreted and applied in a manner consistent with any corresponding provisions of the Corporation’s certificate of incorporation (if any).
Section 11.05Effect of Exercise of Redemption or Direct Exchange. This Agreement shall continue notwithstanding the consummation of a Redemption or Direct Exchange by a Member and all rights set forth herein shall continue in effect with respect to the remaining Members and, to the extent the Redeeming Member has a remaining Unit following such Redemption or Direct Exchange, the Redeeming Member. No Redemption or Direct Exchange shall relieve a Redeeming Member of any prior breach of this Agreement by such Redeeming Member or of any obligations with respect to a Tax Advance under Section 4.01(b)(iv).
Section 11.06Tax Treatment. Unless otherwise required by applicable Law, the parties hereto acknowledge and agree that a Redemption or a Direct Exchange, as the case may be, shall be treated as a direct exchange between the Corporation and the Redeeming Member for U.S. federal and applicable state and local income tax purposes.
47
US-DOCS\114008886.14
Article XII.
ADMISSION OF MEMBERS
Section 12.01Substituted Members. Subject to the provisions of Article X hereof, in connection with the Permitted Transfer of a Unit hereunder, the Permitted Transferee shall become a Substituted Member on the effective date of such Transfer, which effective date shall not be earlier than the date of compliance with the conditions to such Transfer, and such admission shall be shown on the books and records of the Company, including the Schedule of Members.
Section 12.02Additional Members. Subject to the provisions of Article X hereof, any Person that is not a Member as of the Effective Date may be admitted to the Company as an additional Member (any such Person, an “Additional Member”) only upon furnishing to the Manager (a) duly executed Joinder and counterparts to any applicable Other Agreements and (b) such other documents or instruments as may be reasonably necessary or appropriate to effect such Person’s admission as a Member (including entering into such documents as may reasonably be requested by the Manager). Such admission shall become effective on the date on which the Manager determines in its sole discretion that such conditions have been satisfied and when any such admission is shown on the books and records of the Company, including the Schedule of Members.
Article XIII.
WITHDRAWAL AND RESIGNATION; TERMINATION OF RIGHTS
Section 13.01Withdrawal and Resignation of Members. Except in the event of Transfers pursuant to Section 10.06 and the Manager’s right to resign pursuant to Section 6.03, no Member shall have the power or right to withdraw or otherwise resign as a Member from the Company prior to the dissolution and winding up of the Company pursuant to Article XIV. Any Member, however, that attempts to withdraw or otherwise resign as a Member from the Company without the prior written consent of the Manager upon or following the dissolution and winding up of the Company pursuant to Article XIV, but prior to such Member receiving the full amount of Distributions from the Company to which such Member is entitled pursuant to Article XIV, shall be liable to the Company for all damages (including all lost profits and special, indirect and consequential damages) directly or indirectly caused by the withdrawal or resignation of such Member and the amount of any outstanding Tax Advance. Upon a Transfer of all of a Member’s Units in a Transfer permitted by this Agreement, subject to the provisions of Section 10.06, such Member shall cease to be a Member (provided that such Member’s obligations with respect to a Tax Advance under Section 4.01(b)(iv) shall survive such cessation).
Article XIV.
DISSOLUTION AND LIQUIDATION
Section 14.01Dissolution. The Company shall not be dissolved by the admission of Additional Members or Substituted Members or the attempted withdrawal, removal, dissolution, bankruptcy or resignation of a Member. Subject to the limitations set forth the Stockholders Agreement, the Company shall dissolve, and its affairs shall be wound up, upon:
48
US-DOCS\114008886.14
(a)the decision of the Manager together with the written approval of the holders of a majority of the Common Units to dissolve the Company (excluding for purposes of such calculation the Corporation and all Common Units held directly or indirectly by it);
(b)a dissolution of the Company under Section 18-801(4) of the Delaware Act, unless the Company is continued without dissolution pursuant thereto; or
(c)the entry of a decree of judicial dissolution of the Company under Section 18-802 of the Delaware Act.
Except as otherwise set forth in this Article XIV, the Company is intended to have perpetual existence. An Event of Withdrawal shall not in and of itself cause a dissolution of the Company and the Company shall continue in existence subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement.
Section 14.02Winding up and Termination. Subject to Section 14.05, on dissolution of the Company, the Manager shall act as liquidating trustee or may appoint one or more Persons as liquidating trustee (each such Person, a “Liquidator”). The Liquidators shall proceed diligently to wind up the affairs of the Company and make final distributions as provided herein and in the Delaware Act. The costs of liquidation shall be borne as an expense of the Company. Until final distribution, the Liquidators shall continue to operate the properties of the Company with all of the power and authority of the Manager. The steps to be accomplished by the Liquidators are as follows:
(a)as promptly as possible after dissolution and again after final liquidation, the Liquidators shall cause a proper accounting to be made by a recognized firm of certified public accountants of the Company’s assets, liabilities and operations through the last day of the calendar month in which the dissolution occurs or the final liquidation is completed, as applicable;
(b)the Liquidators shall pay, satisfy or discharge from the Company’s funds, or otherwise make adequate provision for payment and discharge thereof (including, without limitation, the establishment of a cash fund for contingent, conditional and unmatured liabilities in such amount and for such term as the liquidators may reasonably determine) the following: first, all expenses incurred in connection with the liquidation; second, all of the debts, liabilities and obligations of the Company owed to creditors other than the Members; and third, all of the debt, liabilities and obligations of the Company owed to the Members (other than any payments or distributions owed to such Members in their capacity as Members pursuant to this Agreement); and
(c)following any payments pursuant to the foregoing Section 14.02(b), all remaining assets of the Company shall be distributed to the Members in accordance with Section 4.01(a) by the end of the Taxable Year during which the liquidation of the Company occurs (or, if later, by ninety (90) days after the date of the liquidation).
49
US-DOCS\114008886.14
The distribution of cash and/or property to the Members in accordance with the provisions of this Section 14.02 and Section 14.03 below shall constitute a complete return to the Members of their Capital Contributions, a complete distribution to the Members of their interest in the Company and all of the Company’s property and shall constitute a compromise to which all Members have consented within the meaning of the Delaware Act. To the extent that a Member returns funds to the Company, it has no claim against any other Member for those funds.
Section 14.03Deferment; Distribution in Kind. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 14.02, but subject to the order of priorities set forth therein, if upon dissolution of the Company the Liquidators determine that an immediate sale of part or all of the Company’s assets would be impractical or would cause undue loss (or would otherwise not be beneficial) to the Members, the Liquidators may, in their sole discretion, defer for a reasonable time the liquidation of any assets except those necessary to satisfy the Company’s liabilities (other than loans to the Company by any Member(s)) and reserves. Subject to the order of priorities set forth in Section 14.02, the Liquidators may, in their sole discretion, distribute to the Members, in lieu of cash, either (a) all or any portion of such remaining assets in-kind of the Company in accordance with the provisions of Section 14.02(c), (b) as tenants in common and in accordance with the provisions of Section 14.02(c), undivided interests in all or any portion of such assets of the Company or (c) a combination of the foregoing. Any such Distributions in-kind shall be subject to (y) such conditions relating to the disposition and management of such assets as the Liquidators deem reasonable and equitable and (z) the terms and conditions of any agreements governing such assets (or the operation thereof or the holders thereof) at such time. Any assets of the Company distributed in kind will first be written up or down to their Fair Market Value, thus creating Profit or Loss (if any), which shall be allocated in accordance with Article V. The Liquidators shall determine the Fair Market Value of any property so distributed.
Section 14.04Cancellation of Certificate. On completion of the winding up of the Company as provided herein, the Manager (or such other Person or Persons as the Delaware Act may require or permit) shall file a certificate of cancellation of the Certificate with the Secretary of State of Delaware, cancel any other filings made pursuant to this Agreement that should be canceled and take such other actions as may be necessary to terminate the existence of the Company. The Company shall continue in existence for all purposes of this Agreement until it is terminated pursuant to this Section 14.04.
Section 14.05Reasonable Time for Winding Up. A reasonable time shall be allowed for the orderly winding up of the business and affairs of the Company and the liquidation of its assets pursuant to Sections 14.02 and 14.03 in order to minimize any losses otherwise attendant upon such winding up.
Section 14.06Return of Capital. The Liquidators shall not be personally liable for the return of Capital Contributions or any portion thereof to the Members (it being understood that any such return shall be made solely from assets of the Company).
50
US-DOCS\114008886.14
Article XV.
GENERAL PROVISIONS
Section 15.01Power of Attorney.
(a)Each Member hereby constitutes and appoints the Manager (or the Liquidator, if applicable) with full power of substitution, as his, her or its true and lawful agent and attorney-in-fact, with full power and authority in his, her or its name, place and stead, to:
(i)execute, swear to, acknowledge, deliver, file and record in the appropriate public offices (A) this Agreement, all certificates and other instruments and all amendments thereof which the Manager deems appropriate or necessary to form, qualify, or continue the qualification of, the Company as a limited liability company in the State of Delaware and in all other jurisdictions in which the Company may conduct business or own property; (B) all instruments which the Manager deems appropriate or necessary to reflect any amendment, change, modification or restatement of this Agreement in accordance with its terms; (C) all conveyances and other instruments or documents which the Manager deems appropriate or necessary to reflect the dissolution and winding up of the Company pursuant to the terms of this Agreement, including a certificate of cancellation; and (D) all instruments relating to the admission, substitution or withdrawal of any Member pursuant to Article XII or XIII; and
(ii)sign, execute, swear to and acknowledge all ballots, consents, approvals, waivers, certificates and other instruments appropriate or necessary, in the reasonable judgment of the Manager, to evidence, confirm or ratify any vote, consent, approval, agreement or other action which is made or given by the Members hereunder or is consistent with the terms of this Agreement, in the reasonable judgment of the Manager, to effectuate the terms of this Agreement.
(b)The foregoing power of attorney is irrevocable and coupled with an interest, and shall survive the death, disability, incapacity, dissolution, bankruptcy, insolvency or termination of any Member and the transfer of all or any portion of his, her or its Units and shall extend to such Member’s heirs, successors, assigns and personal representatives.
(a)Each of the Members (other than the Corporation) agrees to hold the Company’s Confidential Information in confidence and may not disclose or use such information except as otherwise authorized separately in writing by the Manager. “Confidential Information” as used herein includes all non-public information concerning the Company or its Subsidiaries including, but not limited to, ideas, financial product structuring, business strategies, innovations and materials, all aspects of the Company’s business plan, proposed operation and products, corporate structure, financial and organizational information, analyses, proposed partners, software code and system and product designs, employees and their identities, equity ownership, the methods and means by which the Company plans to conduct its business, all trade secrets, trademarks, tradenames and all intellectual property associated with the Company’s business. With respect to each Member, Confidential Information does not include information or material that: (a) is rightfully in the possession of such Member at the time of disclosure by the Company; (b) before or after it has been disclosed to such Member by the Company, becomes part of public knowledge,
51
US-DOCS\114008886.14
not as a result of any action or inaction of such Member in violation of this Agreement; (c) is approved for release by written authorization of the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer or General Counsel of the Company or of the Corporation, or any other officer designated by the Manager; (d) is disclosed to such Member or their representatives by a third party not, to the knowledge of such Member, in violation of any obligation of confidentiality owed to the Company with respect to such information; or (e) is or becomes independently developed by such Member or their respective representatives without use of or reference to the Confidential Information.
(b)Solely to the extent it is reasonably necessary or appropriate to fulfill its obligations or to exercise its rights under this Agreement, each of the Members may disclose Confidential Information to its Subsidiaries, Affiliates, partners, directors, officers, employees, counsel, advisers, consultants, outside contractors and other agents, on the condition that such Persons keep the Confidential Information confidential to the same extent as such Member is required to keep the Confidential Information confidential; provided, that such Member shall remain liable with respect to any breach of this Section 15.02 by any such Subsidiaries, Affiliates, partners, directors, officers, employees, counsel, advisers, consultants, outside contractors and other agents (as if such Persons were party to this Agreement for purposes of this Section 15.02).
(c)Notwithstanding Section 15.02(a) or Section 15.02(b), each of the Members may disclose Confidential Information (i) to the extent that such Member is required by Law (by oral questions, interrogatories, request for information or documents, subpoena, civil investigative demand or similar process) to disclose any of the Confidential Information, (ii) for purposes of reporting to its stockholders and direct and indirect equity holders (each of whom are bound by customary confidentiality obligations) the performance of the Company and its Subsidiaries and for purposes of including applicable information in its financial statements to the extent required by applicable Law or applicable accounting standards; or (iii) to any bona fide prospective purchaser of the equity or assets of a Member, or the Common Units held by such Member (provided, in each case, that such Member determines in good faith that such prospective purchaser would be a Permitted Transferee), or a prospective merger partner of such Member (provided, that (i) such Persons will be informed by such Member of the confidential nature of such information and shall agree in writing to keep such information confidential in accordance with the contents of this Agreement and (ii) each Member will be liable for any breaches of this Section 15.02 by any such Persons (as if such Persons were party to this Agreement for purposes of this Section 15.02)). Notwithstanding any of the foregoing, nothing in this Section 15.02 will restrict in any manner the ability of the Corporation to comply with its disclosure obligations under Law, and the extent to which any Confidential Information is necessary or desirable to disclose.
Section 15.03Amendments. This Agreement may be amended or modified upon the written consent of the Manager, together with the written consent of the holders of a majority of the Common Units then outstanding (excluding all Common Units held directly or indirectly by the Corporation). Notwithstanding the foregoing, no amendment or modification:
(a)to this Section 15.03 may be made without the prior written consent of the Manager and each of the Members;
52
US-DOCS\114008886.14
(b)to any of the terms and conditions of this Agreement which terms and conditions expressly require the approval or action of certain Persons may be made without obtaining the consent of the requisite number or specified percentage of such Persons who are entitled to approve or take action on such matter; and
(c)to any of the terms and conditions of this Agreement which would (A) reduce the amounts distributable to a Member pursuant to Articles IV and XIV in a manner that is not pro rata with respect to all Members, (B) increase the liabilities of such Member hereunder, (C) otherwise materially and adversely affect a holder of Units (with respect to such Units) in a manner materially disproportionate to any other holder of Units of the same class or series (with respect to such Units) (other than amendments, modifications and waivers necessary to implement the provisions of Article XII) or (D) materially and adversely affect the rights of any Member under Article XI, shall be effective against such affected Member or holder of Units, as the case may be, without the prior written consent of such Member or holder of Units, as the case may be.
Notwithstanding any of the foregoing, the Manager may make any amendment (i) of an administrative nature that is necessary in order to implement the substantive provisions hereof, without the consent of any other Member; provided, that any such amendment does not adversely change the rights of the Members hereunder in any respect, or (ii) to reflect any changes to the Class A Common Stock, Class B Stock, Class C Common Stock or the issuance of any other capital stock of the Corporation.
Section 15.04Title to Company Assets. Company assets shall be owned by the Company as an entity, and no Member, individually or collectively, shall have any ownership interest in such assets of the Company or any portion thereof. The Company shall hold title to all of its property in the name of the Company and not in the name of any Member. All assets of the Company shall be recorded as the property of the Company on its books and records, irrespective of the name in which legal title to such assets is held. The Company’s credit and assets shall be used solely for the benefit of the Company, and no asset of the Company shall be transferred or encumbered for, or in payment of, any individual obligation of any Member.
Section 15.05Addresses and Notices. Any notice, request, demand or instruction specified or permitted by this Agreement will be in writing and will be either personally delivered, or received by certified mail, return receipt requested, or sent by reputable overnight courier service (charges prepaid) to the Company or by electronic mail at the address set forth below and to any other recipient and to any Member at such address as indicated by the Company’s records, or at such address or to the attention of such other person as the recipient party has specified by prior written notice to the sending party. Notices will be deemed to have been given hereunder when delivered personally or sent by telecopier (provided confirmation of transmission is received), three (3) days after deposit in the U.S. mail and one (1) day after deposit with a reputable overnight courier service or if sent by electronic mail, upon confirmed receipt. Whenever any notice is required to be given by Law or this Agreement, a written waiver thereof signed by the Person entitled to such notice, whether before or after the time stated at which such notice is required to be given, shall be deemed equivalent to the giving of such notice.
53
US-DOCS\114008886.14
c/o Shift4 Payments, Inc.
2202 N. Irving St.
Allentown, PA 18109
Telephone: (888) 276-2108
Attn: Jordan Frankel, General Counsel and EVP, Legal
E-mail: jfrankel@shift4.com
with a copy (which copy shall not constitute notice) to:
Latham & Watkins LLP
885 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10022
Attn: Marc Jaffe, Ian Schuman and Jonathan Solomon
Facsimile: (212) 751-4864
E-mail: marc.jaffe@lw.com; ian.schuman@lw.com; jonathan.solomon@lw.com
To the Corporation:
Shift4 Payments, Inc.
2202 N. Irving St.
Allentown, PA 18109
Telephone: (888) 276-2108
Attn: Jordan Frankel, General Counsel and EVP, Legal
E-mail: jfrankel@shift4.com
with a copy (which copy shall not constitute notice) to:
Latham & Watkins LLP
885 Third Avenue
New York, NY 10022
Attn: Marc Jaffe, Ian Schuman and Jonathan Solomon
Facsimile: (212) 751-4864
E-mail: marc.jaffe@lw.com; ian.schuman@lw.com; jonathan.solomon@lw.com
To the Members, as set forth on Schedule 2.
Section 15.06Binding Effect; Intended Beneficiaries. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their heirs, executors, administrators, successors, legal representatives and permitted assigns.
Section 15.07Creditors. None of the provisions of this Agreement shall be for the benefit of or enforceable by any creditors of the Company or any of its Affiliates, and no creditor who makes a loan to the Company or any of its Affiliates may have or acquire (except pursuant to the terms of a separate agreement executed by the Company in favor of such creditor) at any time as a result of making the loan any direct or indirect interest in Profits, Losses, Distributions, capital or property of the Company other than as a secured creditor.
54
US-DOCS\114008886.14
Section 15.08Waiver. No failure by any party to insist upon the strict performance of any covenant, duty, agreement or condition of this Agreement or to exercise any right or remedy consequent upon a breach thereof shall constitute a waiver of any such breach or any other covenant, duty, agreement or condition.
Section 15.09Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in separate counterparts, each of which will be an original and all of which together shall constitute one and the same agreement binding on all the parties hereto.
Section 15.10Applicable Law. This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of Delaware, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules or provisions (whether of the State of Delaware or any other jurisdiction) that would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of Delaware. Any suit, dispute, action or proceeding seeking to enforce any provision of, or based on any matter arising out of or in connection with, this Agreement shall be heard in the state or federal courts of the State of Delaware, and the parties hereby consent to the exclusive jurisdiction of such court (and of the appropriate appellate courts) in any such suit, action or proceeding and waives any objection to venue laid therein. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, PROCESS IN ANY SUCH SUIT, ACTION OR PROCEEDING MAY BE SERVED ON ANY PARTY ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, WHETHER WITHIN OR WITHOUT THE JURISDICTION OF ANY SUCH COURT (INCLUDING BY PREPAID CERTIFIED MAIL WITH A VALIDATED PROOF OF MAILING RECEIPT) AND SHALL HAVE THE SAME LEGAL FORCE AND EFFECT AS IF SERVED UPON SUCH PARTY PERSONALLY WITHIN THE STATE OF DELAWARE. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE PARTIES AGREE THAT SERVICE OF PROCESS UPON SUCH PARTY AT THE ADDRESS REFERRED TO IN SECTION 15.05 (INCLUDING BY PREPAID CERTIFIED MAIL WITH A VALIDATED PROOF OF MAILING RECEIPT), TOGETHER WITH WRITTEN NOTICE OF SUCH SERVICE TO SUCH PARTY, SHALL BE DEEMED EFFECTIVE SERVICE OF PROCESS UPON SUCH PARTY.
Section 15.11Severability. Whenever possible, each provision of this Agreement will be interpreted in such manner as to be effective and valid under applicable Law, but if any provision of this Agreement is held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect under any applicable Law or rule in any jurisdiction, such invalidity, illegality or unenforceability will not affect any other provision or the effectiveness or validity of any provision in any other jurisdiction, and this Agreement will be reformed, construed and enforced in such jurisdiction as if such invalid, illegal or unenforceable provision had never been contained herein.
Section 15.12Further Action. The parties shall execute and deliver all documents, provide all information and take or refrain from taking such actions as may be necessary or appropriate to achieve the purposes of this Agreement.
Section 15.13Delivery by Electronic Transmission. This Agreement and any signed agreement or instrument entered into in connection with this Agreement or contemplated hereby, and any amendments hereto or thereto, to the extent signed and delivered by means of an electronic transmission, including by a facsimile machine or via email, shall be treated in all
55
US-DOCS\114008886.14
manner and respects as an original agreement or instrument and shall be considered to have the same binding legal effect as if it were the original signed version thereof delivered in person. At the request of any party hereto or to any such agreement or instrument, each other party hereto or thereto shall re-execute original forms thereof and deliver them to all other parties. No party hereto or to any such agreement or instrument shall raise the use of electronic transmission by a facsimile machine or via email to deliver a signature or the fact that any signature or agreement or instrument was transmitted or communicated through such electronic transmission as a defense to the formation of a contract and each such party forever waives any such defense.
Section 15.14Right of Offset. Whenever the Company or the Corporation is to pay any sum (other than pursuant to Article IV or in connection with a Cash Settlement) to any Member, any amounts that such Member owes to the Company or the Corporation which are not the subject of a good faith dispute may be deducted from that sum before payment. For the avoidance of doubt, the distribution of Units to the Corporation shall not be subject to this Section 15.14.
Section 15.15Entire Agreement. This Agreement, those documents expressly referred to herein (including the Stockholders Agreement, the Registration Rights Agreement and the Tax Receivable Agreement), any indemnity agreements entered into in connection with the Initial LLC Agreement with any member of the board of directors at that time and other documents of even date herewith embody the complete agreement and understanding among the parties and supersede and preempt any prior understandings, agreements or representations by or among the parties, written or oral, which may have related to the subject matter hereof in any way. For the avoidance of doubt, the Initial LLC Agreement is superseded by this Agreement as of the Effective Date and shall be of no further force and effect thereafter.
Section 15.16Remedies. Each Member shall have all rights and remedies set forth in this Agreement and all rights and remedies which such Person has been granted at any time under any other agreement or contract and all of the rights which such Person has under any Law. Any Person having any rights under any provision of this Agreement or any other agreements contemplated hereby shall be entitled to enforce such rights specifically (without posting a bond or other security), to recover damages by reason of any breach of any provision of this Agreement and to exercise all other rights granted by Law.
Section 15.17Descriptive Headings; Interpretation. The descriptive headings of this Agreement are inserted for convenience only and do not constitute a substantive part of this Agreement. Whenever required by the context, any pronoun used in this Agreement shall include the corresponding masculine, feminine or neuter forms, and the singular form of nouns, pronouns and verbs shall include the plural and vice versa. The use of the word “including” in this Agreement shall be by way of example rather than by limitation. Reference to any agreement, document or instrument means such agreement, document or instrument as amended or otherwise modified from time to time in accordance with the terms thereof, and if applicable hereof. Without limiting the generality of the immediately preceding sentence, no amendment or other modification to any agreement, document or instrument that requires the consent of any Person pursuant to the terms of this Agreement or any other agreement will be given effect hereunder unless such Person has consented in writing to such amendment or modification. Wherever required by the context, references to a Fiscal Year shall refer to a portion thereof.
56
US-DOCS\114008886.14
The use of the words “or,” “either” and “any” shall not be exclusive. The parties hereto have participated jointly in the negotiation and drafting of this Agreement. In the event an ambiguity or question of intent or interpretation arises, this Agreement shall be construed as if drafted jointly by the parties hereto, and no presumption or burden of proof shall arise favoring or disfavoring any party by virtue of the authorship of any of the provisions of this Agreement.
57
US-DOCS\114008886.14
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned have executed or caused to be executed on their behalf this Sixth Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement as of the date first written above.
COMPANY: |
||
|
|
|
|
SHIFT4 PAYMENTS, LLC |
|
|
|
|
|
By: |
/s/ Jared Isaacman |
|
Name: |
Jared Isaacman |
|
Title: |
Chief Executive Officer |
|
|
|
CORPORATION: |
||
|
|
|
|
SHIFT4 PAYMENTS, INC. |
|
|
|
|
|
By: |
/s/ Jared Isaacman |
|
Name: |
Jared Isaacman |
|
Title: |
Chief Executive Officer |
[Signature Page to Sixth Amended and Restated Operating Agreement]
[Signature Page to Sixth Amended and Restated Operating Agreement]
US-DOCS\114008886.14
|
SEARCHLIGHT II GWN LP |
|
|
|
|
|
By: Searchlight II GWN GP, LLC
|
|
|
|
|
|
By: |
/s/ Andrew Frey |
|
Name: |
Andrew Frey |
|
Title: |
Authorized Officer |
[Signature Page to Sixth Amended and Restated Operating Agreement]
US-DOCS\114008886.14
SCHEDULE OF PRE-IPO MEMBERS
Member |
Original Class A Units |
Original Class B Units |
Preferred Units |
Searchlight II GWN, L.P. |
60,000 |
-- |
-- |
Rook Holdings Inc. |
40,000 |
-- |
430 |
FPOS Holding Co., Inc. |
-- |
1,010 |
-- |
US-DOCS\114008886.14
SCHEDULE OF MEMBERS
Member |
Common Units |
Contact Information for Notice |
1. Shift4 Payments, Inc. |
41,214,159 |
Shift4 Payments, Inc. 2202 N. Irving St. Allentown, PA 18109 Telephone: (888) 276-2108 Attn: Jordan Frankel, General Counsel and EVP, Legal E-mail: jfrankel@shift4.com |
2. Rook Holdings Inc. |
25,829,016 |
Rook Holdings Inc. 2202 N. Irving St. Allentown, PA 18109 Attn: Jared Isaacman E-mail: jared@rookhldgs.com; jared@shift4.com |
3. Searchlight II GWN, L.P. |
13,375,973 |
Searchlight II GWN L.P. c/o Searchlight Capital Partners, LLC 745 5th Avenue, 27th Floor New York, NY 10151 Attn: Nadir Nurmohamed Email: nnurmohamed@searchlightcap.com |
Total |
80,419,148 |
-- |
* This Schedule of Members shall be updated from time to time to reflect any adjustment with respect to any subdivision (by Unit split or otherwise) or any combination (by reverse Unit split or otherwise) of any outstanding Common Units, or to reflect any additional issuances of Common Units pursuant to this Agreement.
US-DOCS\114008886.14
FORM OF JOINDER AGREEMENT
This JOINDER AGREEMENT, dated as of _________________, 20___ (this “Joinder”), is delivered pursuant to that certain Sixth Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement, dated as of June 4, 2020 (as amended, restated, amended and restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “LLC Agreement”) by and among Shift4 Payments, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Company”), Shift4 Payments, Inc., a Delaware corporation and the managing member of the Company (the “Corporation”), and each of the Members from time to time party thereto. Capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined herein have the respective meanings set forth in the LLC Agreement.
|
1. |
Joinder to the LLC Agreement. Upon the execution of this Joinder by the undersigned and delivery hereof to the Corporation, the undersigned hereby is and hereafter will be a Member under the LLC Agreement and a party thereto, with all the rights, privileges and responsibilities of a Member thereunder. The undersigned hereby agrees that it shall comply with and be fully bound by the terms of the LLC Agreement as if it had been a signatory thereto as of the date thereof. |
|
2. |
Incorporation by Reference. All terms and conditions of the LLC Agreement are hereby incorporated by reference in this Joinder as if set forth herein in full. |
|
3. |
Address. All notices under the LLC Agreement to the undersigned shall be direct to: |
[Name]
[Address]
[City, State, Zip Code]
Attn:
Facsimile:
E-mail:
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has duly executed and delivered this Joinder as of the day and year first above written.
[NAME OF NEW MEMBER] |
|
|
|
By: |
|
Name: |
|
Title: |
|
US-DOCS\114008886.14
Acknowledged and agreed as of the date first set forth above: |
|
|
|
SHIFT4 PAYMENTS, LLC |
|
By: |
|
Name: |
|
Title: |
|
US-DOCS\114008886.14
FORM OF AGREEMENT AND CONSENT OF SPOUSE
The undersigned spouse of _____________________________ (the “Member”), a party to that certain Sixth Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement, dated as of June 4, 2020 (as amended, restated, amended and restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Agreement”) by and among Shift4 Payments, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Company”), Shift4 Payments, Inc., a Delaware corporation and the managing member of the Company, and each of the Members from time to time party thereto (capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined herein have the respective meanings set forth in the Agreement), acknowledges on his or her own behalf that:
I have read the Agreement and understand its contents. I acknowledge and understand that under the Agreement, any interest I may have, community property or otherwise, in the Units owned by the Member is subject to the terms of the Agreement which include certain restrictions on Transfer.
I hereby consent to and approve the Agreement. I agree that said Units and any interest I may have, community property or otherwise, in such Units are subject to the provisions of the Agreement and that I will take no action at any time to hinder operation of the Agreement on said Units or any interest I may have, community property or otherwise, in said Units.
I hereby acknowledge that the meaning and legal consequences of the Agreement have been explained fully to me and are understood by me, and that I am signing this Agreement and consent without any duress and of free will.
Dated: _____________________________
[NAME OF SPOUSE] |
|
|
|
By: |
|
Name: |
|
US-DOCS\114008886.14
FORM OF SPOUSE’S CONFIRMATION OF SEPARATE PROPERTY
I, the undersigned, the spouse of _____________________________ (the “Member”), who is a party to that certain Sixth Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement, dated as of [ ● ], 2020 (as amended, restated, amended and restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the “Agreement”) by and among Shift4 Payments, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Company”), Shift4 Payments, Inc., a Delaware corporation and the managing member of the Company, and each of the Members from time to time party thereto (capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined herein have the respective meanings set forth in the Agreement), acknowledge and confirm on that the Units owned by said Member are the sole and separate property of said Member, and I hereby disclaim any interest in same.
I hereby acknowledge that the meaning and legal consequences of this Member’s spouse’s confirmation of separate property have been fully explained to me and are understood by me, and that I am signing this Member’s spouse’s confirmation of separate property without any duress and of free will.
Dated: _____________________________
[NAME OF SPOUSE] |
|
|
|
By: |
|
Name: |
|
US-DOCS\114008886.14
Exhibit 10.3
Execution Version
STOCKHOLDERS AGREEMENT OF
SHIFT4 PAYMENTS, INC.
THIS STOCKHOLDERS AGREEMENT, dated as of June 4, 2020 (as it may be amended, amended and restated or otherwise modified from time to time in accordance with the terms hereof, this “Agreement”), is entered into by and among Shift4 Payments, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Corporation”), Searchlight Capital Partners, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (“Searchlight”), Searchlight II GWN, L.P., a Delaware limited partnership (“Searchlight GWN”), Searchlight Capital II, L.P., a Cayman Islands exempted limited partnership (“Main Fund”), Searchlight Capital II PV, L.P., a Cayman Islands exempted limited partnership (“Searchlight PV,” and together with Searchlight GWN and Seachlight Capital, the “Searchlight Holdcos”) and Rook Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Rook Holdings,” and together with Searchlight, the “Original Members”). Certain terms used in this Agreement are defined in Section 7.
RECITALS
WHEREAS, each Original Member owns, directly or indirectly, outstanding membership interests in Shift4 Payments, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Shift4 LLC”), which membership interests constitute and are defined as “Common Units” pursuant to the Sixth Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Shift4 LLC, dated as of June 4, 2020, as such agreement may be further amended, restated, amended and restated, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time (the “LLC Agreement” and such membership interests, the “Common Units”);
WHEREAS, the Corporation is contemplating an offering and sale of the shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Corporation (the “Class A Common Stock”) in an underwritten initial public offering (the “IPO”) and using a portion of the net proceeds received from the IPO to purchase Common Units;
WHEREAS, pursuant to that certain Common Unit Subscription Agreement by and between the Corporation and Shift4 LLC, dated as of June 4, 2020 (the “Common Unit Subscription Agreement”) and that certain Common Unit Purchase Agreement by and among the Corporation and certain member(s) of Shift4 LLC parties thereto, dated as of June 4, 2020 (the “Common Unit Purchase Agreement”), the Corporation will hold Common Units;
WHEREAS, upon consummation of the transactions contemplated by the Common Unit Subscription Agreement and the Common Unit Purchase Agreement, it is contemplated that the Corporation will be admitted as a member, and appointed as the sole managing member of Shift4 LLC;
WHEREAS, in connection with, and prior to, the consummation of the IPO, it is anticipated that Searchlight, the Searchlight Holdcos, the Corporation and certain of their respective affiliates will enter into a series of related transactions pursuant to which the Searchlight Holdcos will become holders of the Corporation’s Class B Stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Class B Stock”) and the Corporation’s Class C Stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Class C Stock”);
WHEREAS, pursuant to that certain Purchase Agreement by and between the Corporation and Rook Holdings, dated May 31, 2020, it is anticipated that Rook Holdings will purchase up to $100,000,000 of Class C Stock from the Corporation in a private placement concurrently with the IPO at a purchase price per share equal to the IPO offering price per share of the Corporation Class A Common Stock;
US-DOCS\113804711.7
WHEREAS, immediately following the consummation of the IPO, Searchlight (together with the Searchlight Holdcos and any other Permitted Transferees of Searchlight, in such capacity, the “Searchlight Related Parties”) will be the record holder of shares of Class A Common Stock, Class B Stock and Class C Stock;
WHEREAS, immediately following the consummation of the IPO, Rook Holdings (and together with its Permitted Transferees, in such capacity, the “Rook Related Parties”) will be the record holders of shares of Class B Stock and Class C Stock; and
WHEREAS, in order to induce the Original Members (x) to approve the sale and issuance of Common Units by Shift4 LLC to the Corporation and the appointment of the Corporation as the sole managing member of Shift4 LLC in connection with the IPO and (y) to take such other actions as shall be necessary to effectuate the transactions contemplated by the IPO, the parties hereto desire to set forth their agreement with respect to the matters set forth herein in connection with their respective investments in the Corporation.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the covenants and agreements contained herein and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the Corporation and the Original Members agree as follows:
Agreement
(a)Subject to this Section 1(a), the Searchlight Related Parties shall be entitled to designate for nomination by the Board up to two (2) Directors from time to time (any Director designated by the Searchlight Related Parties, a “Searchlight Director”). The Searchlight Directors shall be apportioned among the three (3) classes of Directors as nearly equal in number as possible. The right of the Searchlight Related Parties to designate the Searchlight Directors as set forth in this Section 1(a) shall be subject to the following: (i) if at any time the Searchlight Related Parties beneficially own, directly or indirectly, in the aggregate twenty-five percent (25%) or more of all issued and outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock (including for this purpose the Underlying Class A Shares), the Searchlight Related Parties shall be entitled to designate two (2) Searchlight Directors, and (ii) if at any time the Searchlight Related Parties beneficially own, directly or indirectly, in the aggregate less than twenty-five percent (25%) but at least ten percent (10%) or more of all issued and outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock (including for this purpose the Underlying Class A Shares), the Searchlight Related Parties shall only be entitled to designate one (1) Searchlight Director. The Searchlight Related Parties shall not be entitled to designate any Searchlight Directors in accordance with this Section 1(a) if at any time the Searchlight Related Parties beneficially own, directly or indirectly, in the aggregate less than ten percent (10%) of all issued and outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock (including for this purpose Underlying Class A Shares).
(b)Subject to this Section 1(b), the Rook Related Parties shall be entitled to designate for nomination by the Board two (2) Directors from time to time (any Director designated by the Rook Related Parties, a “Rook Director”). The Rook Directors shall be apportioned among the three (3) classes of Directors as nearly equal in number as possible. The right of the Rook Related Parties to designate the Rook Directors as set forth in this Section 1(b) shall be subject to the following: (i) if at any time the Rook Related Parties beneficially own, directly or indirectly, in the aggregate twenty-five percent (25%) or more of all issued and outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock (including for this purpose the Underlying Class A Shares), the Rook Related Parties shall be entitled to designate two (2) Rook Directors, and (ii) if at any time the Rook Related Parties beneficially own, directly or indirectly, in the aggregate less than twenty-five percent (25%) but at least ten percent (10%) or more of all issued and outstanding shares of Class A
2
Common Stock (including for this purpose the Underlying Class A Shares), the Rook Related Parties shall only be entitled to designate one (1) Rook Director. The Rook Related Parties shall not be entitled to designate any Rook Directors in accordance with this Section 1(b) if at any time the Rook Related Parties beneficially own, directly or indirectly, in the aggregate less than ten percent (10%) of all issued and outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock (including for this purpose Underlying Class A Shares). Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth in this Section 1(b), so long as Jared Isaacman serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation, Mr. Jared Isaacman shall be nominated by the Board as a Director and in that capacity he shall serve as one of the Rook Directors.
(c)Subject to Section 1(a) and Section 1(b), each of Searchlight, the Searchlight Holdcos and Rook Holdings hereby agree to vote, or cause to be voted, all outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock, Class B Stock and/or Class C Stock, as applicable, held by the Searchlight Related Parties and the Rook Related Parties (or any of the Permitted Transferees) at any annual or special meeting of stockholders of the Corporation at which Directors of the Corporation are to be elected or removed, or to take all Necessary Action to cause the election or removal of the Searchlight Directors and the Rook Directors as a Director, as provided herein and to implement and enforce the provisions set forth in Section 3.
(a)If the number of Directors that the Searchlight Related Parties or the Rook Related Parties have the right to designate to the Board is decreased pursuant to Section 1(a) or Section 1(b) (each such occurrence, a “Decrease in Designation Rights”), then:
(i)unless a majority of Directors (with the affected party’s Board designees abstaining) agree in writing that a Director or Directors shall not resign as a result of a Decrease in Designation Rights, each of the Searchlight Related Parties or the Rook Related Parties, as applicable, shall use its reasonable best efforts to cause each of (x) the appropriate number of Searchlight Directors that the Searchlight Related Parties cease to have the right to designate to serve as a Searchlight Director or (y) the Rook Directors that the Rook Related Parties cease to have the right to designate to serve as the Rook Directors, respectively, to offer to tender his, her or their resignation(s), and each of such Searchlight Directors or Rook Directors so tendering a resignation, as applicable, shall resign within thirty (30) days from the date that the Searchlight Related Parties and/or the Rook Related Parties, as applicable, incurs a Decrease in Designation Rights. In the event any such Searchlight Director or Rook Director, as applicable, does not resign as a Director by such time as is required by the foregoing, the Searchlight Related Parties and the Rook Related Parties, as holders of Class A Common Stock, Class B Stock and Class C Stock, the Corporation and the Board, to the fullest extent permitted by law and, with respect to the Board, subject to its fiduciary duties to the Corporation’s stockholders, shall thereafter take all Necessary Action, including voting in accordance with Section 1(c), to cause the removal of such individual as a Director; and
(ii)the vacancy or vacancies created by such resignation(s) and/or removal(s) shall be filled with one or more Directors, as applicable, designated by the Board upon the recommendation of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee (with the affected party’s Board designees abstaining), so long as it is established.
3
(b)Each of the Searchlight Related Parties and the Rook Related Parties shall have the sole right to request that one or more of their respective designated Directors, as applicable, tender their resignations as Directors of the Board (each, a “Removal Right”), in each case, with or without cause at any time, by sending a written notice to such Director and the Corporation’s Secretary stating the name of the Director or Directors whose resignation from the Board is requested (the “Removal Notice”). If the Director subject to such Removal Notice does not resign within thirty (30) days from receipt thereof by such Director, the Searchlight Related Parties and the Rook Related Parties, as holders of Class A Common Stock, Class B Stock and Class C Stock, the Corporation and the Board, to the fullest extent permitted by law and, with respect to the Board, subject to its fiduciary duties to the Corporation’s stockholders, shall thereafter take all Necessary Action, including voting in accordance with Section 1(c) to cause the removal of such Director from the Board (and such Director shall only be removed by the parties to this Agreement in such manner as provided herein).
(c)Except with respect to a Decrease in Designation Rights subject to Section 2(a), each of the Searchlight Related Parties and the Rook Related Parties, as applicable, shall have the exclusive right to designate a replacement Director for nomination or election by the Board to fill vacancies created as a result of not designating their respective Directors initially or by death, disability, retirement, resignation, removal (with or without cause) of their respective Directors, or otherwise by designating a successor for nomination or election by the Board to fill the vacancy of their respective Directors created thereby on the terms and subject to the conditions of Section 1.
Section 3. |
Initial Directors and Corporate Governance. |
(a)Initial Directors. The initial Searchlight Directors pursuant to Section 1(a) shall initially be Christopher Cruz (as a Class II Director) and Andrew Frey (as a Class III Director). The initial Rook Directors pursuant to Section 1(b) shall initially be Jared Isaacman (as a Class I Director) and Donald Isaacman (as a Class III Director). Mr. Jared Isaacman shall serve as the initial Chairperson of the Board (as defined in the Bylaws) for the initial term, in accordance with this Agreement and the Bylaws, after which the Chairperson of the Board shall be determined in accordance with this Agreement and the Bylaws.
(b)Nominating Committee. For so long as the Rook Related Parties have the ability pursuant to Section 1(b) to designate for nomination at least one (1) Director, the Rook Related Parties shall have, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, subject to the New York Stock Exchange rules and in compliance with other applicable laws, rules and regulations, and subject to the requirements of the charter for the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, the right, but not the obligation, to designate one (1) member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. For so long as the Searchlight Related Parties have the ability pursuant to Section 1(a) to designate for nomination at least one (1) Director, the Searchlight Related Parties shall have, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, subject to the New York Stock Exchange rules and in compliance with other applicable laws, rules and regulations, and subject to the requirements of the charter for the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, the right, but not the obligation, to designate one (1) member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.
(c)Chief Executive Officer. Immediately following the consummation of the IPO, the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation shall be Jared Isaacman. Mr. Jared Isaacman shall not be removed or terminated as Chief Executive Officer without “Cause” (as such term is defined in Mr. Jared Isaacman’s employment agreement with the Company in effect as of the date hereof) without the approval of (i) a majority of the Directors comprising the Board and (ii) a majority of the Rook Directors, in each case with Mr. Jared Isaacman recusing himself from such vote.
4
In addition to any voting requirements contained in the organizational documents of the Corporation or any of its Subsidiaries, the Corporation shall not take, and shall cause Shift4 LLC and its Subsidiaries not to take, any of the following actions (whether by merger, consolidation or otherwise) without the prior written approval of (i) Searchlight and each of the Searchlight Holdcos for as long as the Searchlight Related Parties beneficially own, directly or indirectly, in the aggregate twenty-five percent (25%) or more of all issued and outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock (including for these purposes the Underlying Class A Shares) and (ii) Rook Holdings for as long as the Rook Holdings Related Parties beneficially own, directly or indirectly, in the aggregate of twenty-five percent (25%) or more of all issued and outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock (including for these purposes the Underlying Class A Shares):
(a)any transaction or series of related transactions, in each case, to the extent within the reasonable control of the Corporation, (i) in which any “person” or “group” (within the meaning of Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act (excluding the Searchlight Related Parties, the Rook Related Parties and any “group” that includes the Searchlight Related Parties and the Rook Related Parties)) acquires, directly or indirectly, in excess of fifty percent (50%) of the then outstanding shares of any class of capital stock (or equivalent) of the Corporation, Shift4 LLC or any of their respective Subsidiaries (whether by merger, consolidation, sale or transfer of capital stock or partnership, membership or other equity interests, tender offer, exchange offer, reorganization, recapitalization or otherwise) or (ii) following which any “person” or “group” referred to in clause (i) hereof has the direct or indirect power to elect a majority of the members of the Board or to replace the Corporation as the sole manager of Shift4 LLC (or to add another Person as a co-manager of Shift4 LLC);
(b)the reorganization, recapitalization, voluntary bankruptcy, liquidation, dissolution or winding-up of the Corporation, Shift4 LLC or any of their respective Subsidiaries;
(c)the sale, lease or exchange of all or substantially all of the property and assets of the Corporation and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole;
(d)any actions (including, without limitation, any debt recapitalizations, refinancings, amendments, revolver drawings, repayments, and compliance report review) with respect to the Corporation or its Subsidiaries’ debt capitalization (including, without limitation, any debt obligations outstanding as of the date of this Agreement) in excess of $100,000,000;
(e)the declaration or payment of any dividends or other distributions by the Corporation or its Subsidiaries;
(f)any buyback, purchase, repurchase, redemption or other acquisition by the Corporation or Shift4 LLC of any of the securities of the Corporation, Shift4 LLC or any of their respective Subsidiaries, other than repurchases made pursuant to any incentive plan adopted by the Board and stockholders of the Corporation or in connection with any redemption or exchange of Common Units as set forth in the LLC Agreement;
(g)the (i) resignation, replacement or removal of the Corporation as the sole manager of Shift4 LLC or (ii) appointment of any additional Person as a manager of Shift4 LLC;
(h)any acquisition or disposition of assets of the Corporation or any of its Subsidiaries where the aggregate consideration for such assets is greater than twenty-five million dollars ($25,000,000) in any
5
single transaction or series of related transactions, other than transactions solely between or among the Corporation and/or one or more of the Corporation’s direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiaries;
(i)the creation of a new class or series of capital stock or equity securities of the Corporation, Shift4 LLC or any of their respective Subsidiaries;
(j)any issuance of additional shares of Class A Common Stock, Class B Stock, Class C Stock, Preferred Stock or other equity securities of the Corporation, Shift4 LLC or any of their respective Subsidiaries after the date hereof, other than any issuance of additional shares of Class A Common Stock or other equity securities of the Corporation or its Subsidiaries (i) under any stock option or other equity compensation plan of the Corporation or any of its Subsidiaries approved by the Board or the compensation committee of the Board, (ii) pursuant to the exercise or conversion of any options, warrants or other securities existing as of the date of this Agreement, or (iii) in connection with any redemption of Common Units as set forth in the LLC Agreement;
(k)any amendment or modification of the organizational documents of the Corporation, Shift4 LLC or any of their respective Subsidiaries, other than the LLC Agreement, which shall be subject to amendment or modification solely in accordance with the terms set forth therein;
(l)entering into, modifying, amending or terminating any material contract of the Corporation, Shift4 LLC or any of their respective Subsidiaries, other than for such modifications and terminations that are in the ordinary course of the Company’s business consistent with past practice;
(m)any new joint venture with a non-affiliate third-party;
(n)the commencement, settlement or compromise by the Corporation, Shift4 LLC or any of their respective Subsidiaries, of any litigation, claim, arbitration or other adversarial proceeding, governmental investigation, or proceeding involving an amount in dispute in excess of $500,000;
(o)any entering into, modifying, amending or terminating any employments, severance, change of control or other agreement or contract with the Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation;
(p)any hiring and/or termination of the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, Chief Strategy Officer, General Counsel, or other executive officer of the Corporation; or
(q)any increase or decrease of the size of the Board.
Notwithstanding anything in the organizational documents of the Corporation to the contrary, each of (i) the Rook Related Parties for as long as the Rook Related Parties beneficially own, directly or indirectly, in the aggregate twenty-five percent (25%) or more of all issued and outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock (including for these purposes the Underlying Class A Shares) and (ii) the Searchlight Related Parties for as long as the Searchlight Related Parties beneficially own, directly or indirectly, in the aggregate twenty-five percent (25%) or more of all issued and outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock (including for these purposes the Underlying Class A Shares), shall have the right to call a special meeting of stockholders of the Corporation for any purpose.
(a)The Corporation agrees to take all Necessary Action to (i) cause the Board to be comprised of at least seven (7) Directors or such other number of Directors as the Board may determine, subject to the
6
terms of this Agreement, the Charter or the Bylaws of the Corporation; (ii) cause the individuals designated in accordance with Section 1 to be included in the slate of nominees to be elected to the Board at the next annual or special meeting of stockholders of the Corporation at which Directors are to be elected, in accordance with the Bylaws, Charter and General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware and at each annual meeting of stockholders of the Corporation thereafter at which such Director’s term expires; (iii) cause the individuals designated in accordance with Section 2(c) to fill the applicable vacancies on the Board, in accordance with the Bylaws, Charter, Securities Laws, General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware and the New York Stock Exchange rules; (iv) cause a Rook Director to be the Chairperson of the Board and (v) to adhere to, implement and enforce the provisions set forth in Section 4.
(b)The Searchlight Related Parties and the Rook Related Parties shall comply with the requirements of the Charter and Bylaws when designating and nominating individuals as Directors, in each case, to the extent such requirements are applicable to Directors generally. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary set forth herein, in the event that the Board determines, within sixty (60) days after compliance with the first sentence of this Section 5(b), in good faith, after consultation with outside legal counsel, that its nomination, appointment or election of a particular Director designated in accordance with Section 1 or Section 2, as applicable, would constitute a breach of its fiduciary duties to the Corporation’s stockholders or does not otherwise comply with any requirements of the Charter or Bylaws, then the Board shall inform the Searchlight Related Parties and/or the Rook Related Parties, as applicable, of such determination in writing and explain in reasonable detail the basis for such determination and shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, nominate, appoint or elect another individual designated for nomination, election or appointment to the Board by the Searchlight Related Parties and/or the Rook Related Parties, as applicable (subject in each case to this Section 5(b)). The Board and the Corporation shall, to the fullest extent permitted by law, take all Necessary Action required by this Section 5 with respect to the election of such substitute designees to the Board.
(c)In addition to any voting requirements contained in this Agreement or the organizational documents of the Corporation or any of its Subsidiaries, the Corporation shall not, directly or indirectly, enter into or conduct business or operations or hold or acquire assets in its own name or otherwise other than through Shift4 LLC and its Subsidiaries without the prior written approval of (i) Searchlight and each of the Searchlight Holdcos for as long as the Searchlight Related Parties beneficially own, directly or indirectly, in the aggregate five percent (5%) or more of all issued and outstanding Common Units and (ii) Rook Holdings for as long as the Rook Holdings Related Parties beneficially own, directly or indirectly, in the aggregate five percent (5%) or more of all issued and outstanding Common Units, provided, however, that nothing in this clause (c) shall be deemed to prohibit the Corporation from, and no consent of Searchlight, Rook Holdings or any other Person shall be required for the Corporation to engage in, (i) holding or using cash received by the Corporation as a result of the Corporation’s investment in Shift4 LLC or (ii) re-investing cash into Shift4 LLC (whether by way of intercompany loan, investment or otherwise)..
This Agreement shall terminate upon the earliest to occur of any one of the following events:
(a)each of (i) the Searchlight Related Parties and (ii) the Rook Related Parties ceasing to own any shares of Class A Common Stock, Class B Stock or Class C Stock;
(b)each of (i) the Searchlight Related Parties and (ii) the Rook Related Parties ceasing to have any Director designation rights under Section 1 and
(c)the unanimous written consent of the parties hereto.
7
For the avoidance of doubt, the rights and obligations (i) of the Searchlight Related Parties under this Agreement shall terminate upon the Searchlight Related Parties ceasing to own any shares of Class A Common Stock, Class B Stock or Class C Stock and (ii) of the Rook Related Parties under this Agreement shall terminate upon the Rook Related Parties ceasing to own any shares of Class A Common Stock, Class B Stock or Class C Stock. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing in this Agreement shall modify, limit or otherwise affect, in any way, any and all rights to indemnification, exculpation and/or contribution owed by any of the parties hereto, to the extent arising out of or relating to events occurring prior to the date of termination of this Agreement or the date the rights and obligations of such party under this Agreement terminates in accordance with this Section 6.
As used in this Agreement, any term that it is not defined herein, shall have the following meanings:
“Board” means the board of directors of the Corporation.
“Bylaws” means the amended and restated bylaws of the Corporation, dated as of the date hereof, as the same may be further amended, restated, amended and restated or otherwise modified from time to time.
“Charter” means the amended and restated certificate of incorporation of the Corporation, effective as of the date hereof, as the same may be further amended, restated, amended and restated or otherwise modified from time to time.
“Director” means a member of the Board.
“Necessary Action” means, with respect to a specified result, all commercially reasonable actions required to cause such result that are within the power of a specified Person, including (i) voting or providing a written consent or proxy with respect to the equity securities owned by the Person obligated to undertake the necessary action, (ii) voting in favor of the adoption of stockholders’ resolutions and amendments to the organizational documents of the Corporation, (iii) executing agreements and instruments, and (iv) making, or causing to be made, with governmental, administrative or regulatory authorities, all filings, registrations or similar actions that are required to achieve such result.
“Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee” means the nominating and corporate governance committee of the Board or any committee of the Board authorized to perform the function of recommending to the Board the nominees for election as Directors or nominating the nominees for election as Directors.
“Permitted Transferees” has the meaning set forth in the Charter.
“Person” means any individual, corporation, limited liability company, partnership, trust, joint stock company, business trust, unincorporated association, joint venture, governmental authority or other entity or organization, including a government or any subdivision or agency thereof.
“Preferred Stock” means the shares of preferred stock, par value $0.0001 per share, of the Corporation.
“Securities Laws” means the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules promulgated thereunder.
8
“Subsidiary” means with respect to any Person, any corporation, limited liability company, partnership, association, trust or other form of legal entity, of which (a) such first Person directly or indirectly owns or controls at least a majority of the securities or other interests having by their terms voting power to elect a majority of the board of directors or others performing similar functions, or (b) such first Person is a general partner or managing member (excluding partnerships in which such Person or any Subsidiary thereof does not have a majority of the voting interests in such partnership).
“Underlying Class A Shares” means (i) all shares of Class A Common Stock issuable upon redemption of Common Units, assuming all such Common Units are redeemed for Class A Common Stock on a one-for-one basis and (ii) all shares of Class C Common Stock.
Unless the context of this Agreement otherwise requires, (i) words of any gender include each other gender; (ii) words using the singular or plural number also include the plural or singular number, respectively; (iii) the terms “hereof,” “herein,” “hereby” and derivative or similar words refer to this entire Agreement; (iv) the terms “Article” or “Section” refer to the specified Article or Section of this Agreement; (v) the word “including” shall mean “including, without limitation”; (vi) each defined term has its defined meaning throughout this Agreement, whether the definition of such term appears before or after such term is used; and (vii) the word “or” shall be disjunctive but not exclusive. References to agreements and other documents shall be deemed to include all subsequent amendments and other modifications thereto. References to statutes shall include all regulations promulgated thereunder and references to statutes or regulations shall be construed as including all statutory and regulatory provisions consolidating, amending or replacing the statute or regulation.
Section 8. |
Choice of Law and Venue; Waiver of Right to Jury Trial. |
(a)THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, CONSTRUED, APPLIED AND ENFORCED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE INTERNAL LAWS OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE. EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO ACKNOWLEDGES AND AGREES THAT IN THE EVENT OF ANY BREACH OF THIS AGREEMENT, THE NON-BREACHING PARTY WOULD BE IRREPARABLY HARMED AND COULD NOT BE MADE WHOLE BY MONETARY DAMAGES, AND THAT, IN ADDITION TO ANY OTHER REMEDY TO WHICH THEY MAY BE ENTITLED AT LAW OR IN EQUITY, THE PARTIES SHALL BE ENTITLED TO SUCH EQUITABLE OR INJUNCTIVE RELIEF AS MAY BE APPROPRIATE. THE CHOICE OF FORUM SET FORTH IN THIS SECTION SHALL NOT BE DEEMED TO PRECLUDE THE ENFORCEMENT OF ANY JUDGMENT OF A DELAWARE FEDERAL OR STATE COURT, OR THE TAKING OF ANY ACTION UNDER THIS AGREEMENT TO ENFORCE SUCH A JUDGMENT, IN ANY OTHER APPROPRIATE JURISDICTION.
(b)IN THE EVENT ANY PARTY TO THIS AGREEMENT COMMENCES ANY LITIGATION, PROCEEDING OR OTHER LEGAL ACTION IN CONNECTION WITH OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT, ANY RELATED AGREEMENT OR ANY MATTERS DESCRIBED OR CONTEMPLATED HEREIN OR THEREIN, THE PARTIES TO THIS AGREEMENT HEREBY (1) AGREE UNDER ALL CIRCUMSTANCES ABSOLUTELY AND IRREVOCABLY TO SUBMIT TO THE EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION OF THE COURT OF CHANCERY OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE, OR IF (AND ONLY IF) SUCH COURT FINDS IT LACKS SUBJECT MATTER JURISDICTION, THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF DELAWARE (COMPLEX COMMERCIAL DIVISION), OR IF UNDER APPLICABLE LAW, SUBJECT MATTER JURISDICTION OVER THE MATTER THAT IS THE SUBJECT OF THE ACTION OR PROCEEDING IS VESTED EXCLUSIVELY IN THE FEDERAL COURTS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF DELAWARE, AND APPELLATE COURTS FROM ANY THEREOF, WITH RESPECT TO ALL ACTIONS AND
9
PROCEEDINGS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT AND THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY; (2) AGREE THAT IN THE EVENT OF ANY SUCH LITIGATION, PROCEEDING OR ACTION, SUCH PARTIES WILL CONSENT AND SUBMIT TO THE PERSONAL JURISDICTION OF ANY SUCH COURT DESCRIBED IN CLAUSE (1) OF THIS SECTION 8(B) AND TO SERVICE OF PROCESS UPON THEM IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE RULES AND STATUTES GOVERNING SERVICE OF PROCESS; (3) AGREE TO WAIVE TO THE FULL EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW ANY OBJECTION THAT THEY MAY NOW OR HEREAFTER HAVE TO THE VENUE OF ANY SUCH LITIGATION, PROCEEDING OR ACTION IN ANY SUCH COURT OR THAT ANY SUCH LITIGATION, PROCEEDING OR ACTION WAS BROUGHT IN ANY INCONVENIENT FORUM; (4) AGREE TO WAIVE ANY RIGHTS TO A JURY TRIAL TO RESOLVE ANY DISPUTES OR CLAIMS RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT; (5) AGREE TO SERVICE OF PROCESS IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDING BY MAILING OF COPIES THEREOF TO SUCH PARTY AT ITS ADDRESS SET FORTH HEREIN FOR COMMUNICATIONS TO SUCH PARTY; (6) AGREE THAT ANY SERVICE MADE AS PROVIDED HEREIN SHALL BE EFFECTIVE AND BINDING SERVICE IN EVERY RESPECT; AND (7) AGREE THAT NOTHING HEREIN SHALL AFFECT THE RIGHTS OF ANY PARTY TO EFFECT SERVICE OF PROCESS IN ANY OTHER MANNER PERMITTED BY LAW.
Section 9. |
Notices. |
Any notice, request, claim, demand, document and other communication hereunder to any party shall be effective upon receipt (or refusal of receipt) and shall be in writing and delivered personally or sent by facsimile, or by electronic mail, or first class mail, or by Federal Express or other similar courier or other similar means of communication, as follows:
(a)If to Searchlight or the Searchlight Holdcos, addressed as follows:
Searchlight Capital Partners, L.P.
745 5th Avenue, 27th Floor
New York, New York 10151
Attn: Christopher Cruz
E-mail: ccruz@searchlight.com
with a copy (which copy shall not constitute notice) to:
Latham & Watkins LLP
885 Third Avenue
New York, New York 10022
Attn: Christina Singh
Facsimile: (212) 751-4864
E-mail: christina.singh@lw.com
(b)If to Rook Holdings, addressed as follows:
Rook Holdings, Inc.
2202 N. Irving St.
Allentown, Pennsylvania 18109
Attn: Jared Isaacman
E-mail: jared@rookhldgs.com and jared@shift4.com
10
with a copy (which shall not constitute notice) to:
Kane Kessler, P.C.
Attn: Mitchell D. Hollander and Robert Lawrence
Facsimile: (212) 541-6222
E-mail: mhollander@kanekessler.com; rlawrence@kanekessler.com
(c)If to the Corporation, addressed as follows:
Shift4 Payments, Inc.
2202 N. Irving St.
Allentown, Pennsylvania 18109
Telephone: (888) 276-2108
Attn: Jordan Frankel, General Counsel and EVP, Legal
E-mail: jfrankel@shift4.com
with a copy (which copy shall not constitute notice) to:
Latham & Watkins LLP
885 Third Avenue
New York, New York 10022
Attn: Marc Jaffe and Ian Schuman
Facsimile: (212) 751-4864
E-mail: marc.jaffe@lw.com; ian.schuman@lw.com
or, in each case, to such other address or email address as such party may designate in writing to each party by written notice given in the manner specified herein. All such communications shall be deemed to have been given, delivered or made when so delivered by hand or sent by facsimile (with confirmed transmission), on the next business day if sent by overnight courier service (with confirmed delivery) or when received if sent by first class mail, or in the case of notice by electronic mail, when the relevant email enters the recipient’s server.
Section 10. |
Assignment. |
Except as otherwise provided herein, all of the terms and provisions of this Agreement shall be binding upon, shall inure to the benefit of and shall be enforceable by the respective successors and permitted assigns of the parties hereto. This Agreement may not be assigned (by operation of law or otherwise) without the express prior written consent of the other parties hereto, and any attempted assignment, without such consents, will be null and void; provided, however, that each of Searchlight, the Searchlight Holdcos and Rook Holdings is permitted to assign this Agreement to their respective Permitted Transferees. Each of Searchlight, the Searchlight Holdcos and Rook Holdings shall cause any of their respective Permitted Transferees to become a party to this Agreement.
Section 11. |
Amendment and Modification; Waiver of Compliance. |
This Agreement may not be amended, modified, altered or supplemented except by means of a written instrument executed on behalf of each of the Corporation, Searchlight and Rook Holdings. Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, any failure of any of the parties to comply with any obligation, covenant, agreement or condition herein may be waived by the party or parties entitled to the benefits thereof only by a written instrument signed by the party or parties granting such waiver, but such waiver or
11
failure to insist upon strict compliance with such obligation, covenant, agreement or condition shall not operate as a waiver of, or estoppel with respect to, any subsequent or other failure.
Section 12. |
Waiver. |
No failure on the part of either party hereto to exercise any power, right, privilege or remedy under this Agreement, and no delay on the part of either party hereto in exercising any power, right, privilege or remedy under this Agreement, shall operate as a waiver thereof; and no single or partial exercise of any such power, right, privilege or remedy shall preclude any other or further exercise thereof or of any other power, right, privilege or remedy.
Section 13. |
Severability. |
If any provision of this Agreement, or the application of such provision to any Person or circumstance or in any jurisdiction, shall be held to be invalid or unenforceable to any extent, (i) the remainder of this Agreement shall not be affected thereby, and each other provision hereof shall be valid and enforceable to the fullest extent permitted by law, (ii) as to such Person or circumstance or in such jurisdiction such provision shall be reformed to be valid and enforceable to the fullest extent permitted by law and (iii) the application of such provision to other Persons or circumstances or in other jurisdictions shall not be affected thereby.
Section 14. |
Counterparts. |
This Agreement may be executed in any number of counterparts and signatures may be delivered by facsimile, each of which may be executed by less than all parties, each of which shall be enforceable against the parties actually executing such counterparts, and all of which together shall constitute one instrument.
Section 15. |
Further Assurances. |
At any time or from time to time after the date hereof, the parties hereto agree to cooperate with each other, and at the request of any other party, to execute and deliver any further instruments or documents and to take all such further action as any other party may reasonably request in order to evidence or effectuate the provisions of this Agreement and to otherwise carry out the intent of the parties hereunder.
Section 16. |
Titles and Subtitles. |
The descriptive headings of this Agreement are inserted for convenience only and do not constitute a part of this Agreement.
Section 17. |
Representations and Warranties. |
(a)Each of Searchlight, the Searchlight Holdcos, Rook Holdings and each Person who becomes a party to this Agreement after the date hereof, severally and not jointly and solely with respect to itself, represents and warrants to the Corporation as of the time such party becomes a party to this Agreement that (a) if applicable, it is duly authorized to execute, deliver and perform this Agreement; (b) this Agreement has been duly executed by such party and is a valid and binding agreement of such party, enforceable against such party in accordance with its terms; and (c) the execution, delivery and performance by such party of this Agreement does not violate or conflict with or result in a breach of or constitute (or with notice or lapse of time or both constitute) a default under any agreement to which such party is a party or, if applicable, the organizational documents of such party.
12
(b)The Corporation represents and warrants to each other party hereto that (a) the Corporation is duly authorized to execute, deliver and perform this Agreement; (b) this Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Corporation and is a valid and binding agreement of the Corporation, enforceable against the Corporation in accordance with its terms; and (c) the execution, delivery and performance by the Corporation of this Agreement does not violate or conflict with or result in a breach by the Corporation of or constitute (or with notice or lapse of time or both constitute) a default by the Corporation under the Charter or Bylaws, any existing applicable law, rule, regulation, judgment, order, or decree of any governmental authority exercising any statutory or regulatory authority of any of the foregoing, domestic or foreign, having jurisdiction over the Corporation or any of its Subsidiaries or any of their respective properties or assets, or any agreement or instrument to which the Corporation or any of its Subsidiaries is a party or by which the Corporation or any of its Subsidiaries or any of their respective properties or assets may be bound.
Section 18. |
No Strict Construction. |
This Agreement shall be deemed to be collectively prepared by the parties hereto, and no ambiguity herein shall be construed for or against any party based upon the identity of the author of this Agreement or any provision hereof.
[REMAINDER OF PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK]
13
Exhibit 10.3
Execution Version
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Agreement to be executed on the day and year first above written.
SHIFT4 PAYMENTS, INC. |
|
|
|
By: |
/s/ Jared Isaacman |
Name: |
Jared Isaacman |
Title: |
Chief Executive Officer |
[Signature Page to Stockholders Agreement]
Exhibit 10.3
Execution Version
SEARCHLIGHT CAPITAL PARTNERS, L.P. |
||||
|
|
|
||
By: |
Searchlight Capital Partners, LLC |
|||
its general partner |
|
|||
|
|
|
||
By: |
/s/ Andrew Frey |
|
||
Name: |
Andrew Frey |
|
||
Title: |
Authorized Person |
|
SEARCHLIGHT CAPITAL II GWN, L.P. |
||||
|
|
|
||
By: |
Searchlight II GWN GP, LLC |
|||
its General Partner |
|
|||
|
|
|
||
By: |
/s/ Andrew Frey |
|
||
Name: |
Andrew Frey |
|
||
Title: |
Authorized Person |
|
SEARCHLIGHT CAPITAL II, L.P. |
||||
|
|
|
||
By: |
Searchlight Capital Partners II GP, L.P. |
|||
its general partner |
|
|||
|
|
|
||
By: |
Searchlight Capital Partners II GP, LLC |
|||
its general partner |
|
|||
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
||
By: |
/s/ Andrew Frey |
|
||
Name: |
Andrew Frey |
|
||
Title: |
Authorized Person |
|
SEARCHLIGHT CAPITAL II, PV, L.P. |
||||
|
|
|
||
By: |
Searchlight Capital Partners II GP, L.P. |
|||
its general partner |
|
|||
|
|
|
||
By: |
Searchlight Capital Partners II GP, LLC |
|||
its general partner |
|
|||
|
|
|
||
By: |
/s/ Andrew Frey |
|
||
Name: |
Andrew Frey |
|
||
Title: |
Authorized Person |
|
[Signature Page to Stockholders Agreement]
Exhibit 10.3
Execution Version
ROOK HOLDINGS, INC., |
||
a Delaware corporation |
|
|
|
|
|
By: |
/s/ Jared Isaacman |
|
Name: |
Jared Isaacman |
|
Title: |
President |
|
[Signature Page to Stockholders Agreement]
Exhibit 10.4
Execution Version
REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT
This REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) is made as of June 4, 2020 by and among Shift4 Payments, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Corporation”), and each Person identified on the Schedule of Holders attached hereto as of the date hereof (such Persons, collectively, the “Original Equity Owner Parties”).
RECITALS
WHEREAS, the Corporation is contemplating an offer and sale of its shares of Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Class A Common Stock” and such shares, the “Shares”), to the public in an underwritten initial public offering (the “IPO”);
WHEREAS, the Corporation desires to use a portion of the net proceeds from the IPO to purchase Common Units (as defined below) of Shift4 Payments, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (the “Company”), and the Company desires to issue its Common Units to the Corporation in exchange for such portion of the net proceeds from the IPO;
WHEREAS, immediately prior to the consummation of the issuance of Common Units by the Company to the Corporation, the Original Equity Owner Parties and certain other Persons that hold equity interests in the Company are the sole members of the Company (the Original Equity Owner Parties, together with such other Persons, the “Original Equity Owners”);
WHEREAS, immediately prior to or simultaneous with the purchase by the Corporation of the Common Units, the Corporation, the Company and the Original Equity Owners will enter into that certain Sixth Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of the Company (such agreement, as it may be amended, restated, amended and restated, supplemented or otherwise modified form time to time, the “LLC Agreement”);
WHEREAS, in connection with the closing of the IPO, (i) the Corporation will become the sole managing member of the Company, (ii) under the LLC Agreement, the equity interests held by the Original Equity Owners prior to such time will be cancelled and new Common Units (as defined in the LLC Agreement, the “Common Units”) of the Company will be issued, (iii) each Person identified on the Schedule of Holders attached hereto as a “Former Equity Owner” (such Persons, collectively, the “Former Equity Owners”) will exchange their indirect interest in the Common Units for shares of Class A Common Stock, (iv) each Person identified on the Schedule of Holders attached hereto as a “Continuing Equity Owner Party” (such Persons, collectively, the “Continuing Equity Owner Parties”) and certain other Original Equity Owners will become non‑managing members of the Company, but otherwise continue to hold Common Units in the Company (such persons, collectively, the “Continuing Equity Owners”), and (v) in consideration of the Corporation acquiring the Common Units and becoming the managing member of the Company and for other good consideration, the Company has provided the Continuing Equity Owners with a redemption right pursuant to which the Continuing Equity Owners can redeem their Common Units for, at the Corporation’s option, shares of Class A Common Stock or cash on the terms set forth in the LLC Agreement; and
US-DOCS\113842189.9
WHEREAS, in connection with the IPO and the transactions described above, the Corporation has agreed to grant to the Holders (as defined below) certain rights with respect to the registration of the Registrable Securities (as defined below) on the terms and conditions set forth herein.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the mutual covenants contained herein and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the parties to this Agreement hereby agree as follows:
Section 1.Definitions. For purposes of this Agreement, the following terms shall have the meanings specified in this Section 1:
“Acquired Common” has the meaning set forth in Section 9.
“Additional Holder” has the meaning set forth in Section 9, and shall be deemed to include each such Person’s Affiliates, immediate family members, heirs, successors and assigns who may succeed to such Person as a Holder hereunder.
“Affiliate” of any Person means any other Person controlled by, controlling or under common control with such Person; provided that the Corporation and its Subsidiaries shall not be deemed to be Affiliates of any Holder. As used in this definition, “control” (including, with its correlative meanings, “controlling,” “controlled by” and “under common control with”) shall mean possession, directly or indirectly, of power to direct or cause the direction of management or policies (whether through ownership of securities, by contract or otherwise).
“Agreement” has the meaning set forth in the recitals.
“Automatic Shelf Registration Statement” has the meaning set forth in Section 2(a).
“Business Day” means any day of the year on which national banking institutions in New York are open to the public for conducting business and are not required or authorized to close.
“Capital Stock” means (i) with respect to any Person that is a corporation, any and all shares, interests or equivalents in capital stock of such corporation (whether voting or nonvoting and whether common or preferred), (ii) with respect to any Person that is not a corporation, individual or governmental entity, any and all partnership, membership, limited liability company or other equity interests of such Person that confer on the holder thereof the right to receive a share of the profits and losses of, or the distribution of assets of the issuing Person, and (iii) any and all warrants, rights (including conversion and exchange rights) and options to purchase any security described in the clause (i) or (ii) above.
“Class A Common Stock” has the meaning set forth in the recitals.
“Class B Common Stock” means the Corporation’s Class B stock, par value $0.0001 per share.
“Class C Common Stock” means the Corporation’s Class C stock, par value $0.0001 per share.
2
US-DOCS\113842189.9
“Common Units” has the meaning set forth in the recitals.
“Company” has the meaning set forth in the recitals.
“Continuing Equity Owner Parties” has the meaning set forth in the recitals, and shall be deemed to include their respective Affiliates, immediate family members, heirs, successors and assigns who may succeed to such Person as a Holder hereunder.
“Continuing Equity Owners” has the meaning set forth in the recitals.
“Controlling Holder” means each of the Controlling Holders as identified on the Schedule of Holders, so long as such Holders continue to hold Registrable Securities.
“Corporation” has the meaning set forth in the recitals.
“Demand Registrations” has the meaning set forth in Section 2(a).
“End of Suspension Notice” has the meaning set forth in Section 2(f)(ii).
“Exchange Act” means the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended from time to time, or any successor federal law then in force, together with all rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
“FINRA” means the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority.
“Former Equity Owners” has the meaning set forth in the recitals, and shall be deemed to include their respective Affiliates, immediate family members, heirs, successors and assigns who may succeed to such Person as a Holder hereunder.
“Free Writing Prospectus” means a free-writing prospectus, as defined in Rule 405.
“Holder” means any Person that is a party to this Agreement from time to time, as set forth on the signature pages hereto.
“Holder Indemnified Parties” has the meaning set forth in Section 7(a).
“IPO” has the meaning set forth in the recitals.
“Joinder” has the meaning set forth in Section 9.
“LLC Agreement” has the meaning set forth in the recitals.
“Long-Form Registrations” has the meaning set forth in Section 2(a).
“Majority of the Registrable Securities” means, with respect to any group of Registrable Securities described in this Agreement, the Holders of a majority of such group of Registrable Securities, including (i) if the Rook Holders collectively hold at least 10% of all Registrable Securities and any Rook Holder’s Registrable Securities are included such group, a majority of the Registrable Securities held by all Rook Holders that are included in such group and (ii) if the
3
US-DOCS\113842189.9
Searchlight Holders collectively hold at least 10% of all Registrable Securities and any Searchlight Holder’s Registrable Securities are included such group, a majority of the Registrable Securities held by all Searchlight Holders that are included in such group.
“MNPI” means material non-public information within the meaning of Regulation FD promulgated under the Exchange Act.
“Original Equity Owner Parties” has the meaning set forth in the recitals, and shall be deemed to include their respective Affiliates, immediate family members, heirs, successors and assigns who may succeed to such Person as a Holder hereunder.
“Original Equity Owners” has the meaning set forth in the recitals.
“Person” means an individual, a partnership, a corporation, a limited liability company, an association, a joint stock company, a trust, a joint venture, an unincorporated organization and a governmental entity or any department, agency or political subdivision thereof.
“Piggyback Registrations” has the meaning set forth in Section 3(a).
“Public Offering” means any sale or distribution to the public of Capital Stock of the Corporation pursuant to an offering registered under the Securities Act, whether by the Corporation, by Holders and/or by any other holders of the Corporation’s Capital Stock.
“Registrable Securities” means (i) any Class A Common Stock (A) issued by the Corporation in connection with the IPO in exchange for the Common Units of the Former Equity Owners, (B) issued by the Corporation in a Share Settlement in connection with (x) the redemption by the Company of Common Units owned by any Continuing Equity Owner Parties or (y) at the election of the Corporation, in a direct exchange for Common Units owned by any Continuing Equity Owner Party, in each case in accordance with the terms of the LLC Agreement, or (C) to be issued upon the conversion of shares of Class C Common Stock owned by Holders, (ii) any Capital Stock of the Corporation or of any Subsidiary of the Corporation issued or issuable with respect to the securities referred to in clause (i) above by way of dividend, distribution, split or combination of securities, or any recapitalization, merger, consolidation or other reorganization, and (iii) any other Shares owned, directly or indirectly, by Holders. As to any particular Registrable Securities owned by any Person, such securities shall cease to be Registrable Securities on the date such securities (a) have been sold or distributed pursuant to a Public Offering, (b) have been sold in compliance with Rule 144 following the consummation of the IPO, (c) have been repurchased by the Corporation or a Subsidiary of the Corporation or (d) may be disposed of pursuant to Rule 144 in a single transaction without volume limitation or other restrictions on transfer thereunder. For purposes of this Agreement, a Person shall be deemed to be a Holder, and the Registrable Securities shall be deemed to be in existence, whenever such Person has the right to acquire, directly or indirectly, such Registrable Securities (upon conversion or exercise in connection with a transfer of securities or otherwise, but disregarding any restrictions or limitations upon the exercise of such right), whether or not such acquisition has actually been effected, and such Person shall be entitled to exercise the rights of a holder of Registrable Securities hereunder; provided a holder of Registrable Securities may only request that Registrable Securities in the form of Capital Stock of the Corporation that is registered or to be registered as a class under Section 12 of the
4
US-DOCS\113842189.9
Exchange Act be registered pursuant to this Agreement. For the avoidance of doubt, (x) while Common Units, shares of Class B Stock and/or shares of Class C Stock may constitute Registrable Securities, under no circumstances shall the Corporation be obligated to register Common Units, shares of Class B Stock or shares of Class C Stock, and only Shares issuable upon redemption, exchange or conversion of Common Units or Class C Stock will be registered and (y) in no event will Common Units held by the Blockers (as defined in the LLC Agreement) be considered Registrable Securities.
“Registration Expenses” has the meaning set forth in Section 6(a).
“Rook Holder” means each of the Rook Holders as identified on the Schedule of Holders, so long as such Holders continue to hold Registrable Securities.
“Rule 144,” “Rule 158,” “Rule 405” and “Rule 415” mean, in each case, such rule promulgated under the Securities Act (or any successor provision) by the Securities and Exchange Commission, as the same shall be amended from time to time, or any successor rule then in force.
“Schedule of Holders” means the schedule attached to this Agreement entitled “Schedule of Holders,” which shall reflect each Holder from time to time party to this Agreement.
“Searchlight Holder” means each of the Searchlight Holders as identified on the Schedule of Holders, so long as such Holders continue to hold Registrable Securities.
“Securities Act” means the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended from time to time, or any successor federal law then in force, together with all rules and regulations promulgated thereunder.
“Share Settlement” means “Share Settlement” as defined in the LLC Agreement.
“Shares” has the meaning set forth in the recitals.
“Shelf Offering” has the meaning set forth in Section 2(d)(ii).
“Shelf Offering Notice” has the meaning set forth in Section 2(d)(ii).
“Shelf Offering Request” has the meaning set forth in Section 2(d)(ii).
“Shelf Registrable Securities” has the meaning set forth in Section 2(d)(ii).
“Shelf Registration” has the meaning set forth in Section 2(a).
“Shelf Registration Statement” has the meaning set forth in Section 2(d)(i).
“Short-Form Registrations” has the meaning set forth in Section 2(a).
“Subsidiary” means, with respect to the Corporation, any corporation, limited liability company, partnership, association or other business entity of which (i) if a corporation, a majority of the total voting power of Capital Stock of such Person entitled (without regard to the occurrence of any contingency) to vote in the election of directors is at the time owned or controlled, directly
5
US-DOCS\113842189.9
or indirectly, by the Corporation, or (ii) if a limited liability company, partnership, association or other business entity, either (x) a majority of the Capital Stock of such Person entitled (without regard to the occurrence of any contingency) to vote in the election of managers, general partners or other oversight board vested with the authority to direct management of such Person is at the time owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by the Corporation or (y) the Corporation or one of its Subsidiaries is the sole manager or general partner of such Person.
“Suspension Event” has the meaning set forth in Section 2(f)(ii).
“Suspension Notice” has the meaning set forth in Section 2(f)(ii).
“Suspension Period” has the meaning set forth in Section 2(f)(i).
“Underwritten Takedown” has the meaning set forth in Section 2(d)(ii).
“Violation” has the meaning set forth in Section 7(a).
“WKSI” means a “well-known seasoned issuer” as defined under Rule 405.
Section 2.Demand Registrations.
(a)Requests for Registration. Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, at any time from and after 180 days following the IPO, each Controlling Holder may request registration under the Securities Act of all or any portion of their Registrable Securities on Form S-1 or any similar long-form registration (“Long-Form Registrations”), and each Controlling Holder may request registration under the Securities Act of all or any portion of their Registrable Securities on Form S-3 or any similar short-form registration (“Short-Form Registrations”) if available; provided that the Company shall not be obligated to file registration statements relating to any Long-Form Registration or Short-Form Registration under this Section 2(a) unless the market value of the Registrable Securities proposed to be registered is at least $15 million (or, if less, such Registrable Securities represent all Registrable Securities then held by the Controlling Holder requesting such registration). All registrations requested pursuant to this Section 2(a) are referred to herein as “Demand Registrations.” The Controlling Holder making a Demand Registration may request that the registration be made pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act (a “Shelf Registration”) and, if the Corporation is a WKSI at the time any request for a Demand Registration is submitted to the Corporation, that such Shelf Registration be an automatic shelf registration statement (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act) (an “Automatic Shelf Registration Statement”). Except to the extent that Section 2(d) applies, upon receipt of the request for the Demand Registration, the Corporation shall as promptly as reasonably practicable (but in no event later than ten days after receipt of the request for the Demand Registration) give written notice of the Demand Registration to all other Holders who hold Registrable Securities and, subject to the terms of Section 2(e), shall include in such Demand Registration (and in all related registrations and qualifications under state blue sky laws and in any related underwriting) all Registrable Securities with respect to which the Corporation has received written requests for inclusion therein within (i) 15 days, in the case of any notice with respect to a Long-Form Registration, or (ii) ten days, in the case of any notice with respect to a Short-Form Registration, after the receipt of the Corporation’s notice. Each Holder agrees that such Holder shall treat as confidential the receipt of the notice of Demand Registration and shall not disclose or use the
6
US-DOCS\113842189.9
information contained in such notice of Demand Registration without the prior written consent of the Corporation or until such time as the information contained therein is or becomes available to the public generally, other than as a result of disclosure by the Holder in breach of the terms of this Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Corporation shall not be required to take any action that would otherwise be required under this Section 2 or any similar provision contained in the underwriting agreement entered into in connection with any underwritten Public Offering.
(b)Long-Form Registrations. The Controlling Holders shall be entitled to request, in any twelve-month period, two Long-Form Registrations in which the Corporation shall pay all Registration Expenses, regardless of whether any registration statement is filed or any such Demand Registration is consummated. All Long-Form Registrations shall be underwritten registrations unless otherwise approved by the applicable Controlling Holder.
(c)Short-Form Registrations. In addition to the Long-Form Registrations described in Section 2(b), each Controlling Holder shall be entitled to request an unlimited number of Short-Form Registrations in which the Corporation shall pay all Registration Expenses, regardless of whether any registration statement is filed or any such Demand Registration is consummated. Demand Registrations shall be Short-Form Registrations whenever the Corporation is permitted to use any applicable short form and if the managing underwriters (if any) agree to the use of a Short-Form Registration. After the Corporation has become subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, the Corporation shall use its reasonable best efforts to make Short-Form Registrations available for the sale of Registrable Securities.
(i)Subject to the availability of required financial information, as promptly as practicable after the Corporation receives written notice of a request for a Shelf Registration, the Corporation shall file with the Securities and Exchange Commission a registration statement under the Securities Act for the Shelf Registration (a “Shelf Registration Statement”). The Corporation shall use its reasonable best efforts to cause any Shelf Registration Statement to be declared effective under the Securities Act as soon as practicable after the initial filing of such Shelf Registration Statement, and once effective, the Corporation shall cause such Shelf Registration Statement to remain continuously effective for such time period as is specified in the request by the Holders, but for no time period longer than the period ending on the earliest of (A) the third anniversary of the initial effective date of such Shelf Registration Statement, (B) the date on which all Registrable Securities covered by such Shelf Registration Statement have been sold pursuant to the Shelf Registration Statement, and (C) the date as of which there are no longer any Registrable Securities covered by such Shelf Registration Statement in existence. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the Corporation shall use its reasonable best efforts to prepare a Shelf Registration Statement with respect to all of the Registrable Securities owned by or issuable to the Original Equity Owner Parties in accordance with the terms of the LLC Agreement (or such other number of Registrable Securities specified in writing by the Holder with respect to the Registrable Securities owned by or issuable to such Holder) to enable and cause such Shelf Registration Statement to be filed and maintained with the Securities and Exchange Commission as soon as practicable after the later to occur of (i) the expiration of the Lock-Up Period (as defined
7
US-DOCS\113842189.9
below) and (ii) the Corporation becoming eligible to file a Shelf Registration Statement for a Short-Form Registration; provided that any of the Original Equity Owner Parties may, with respect to itself, instruct the Corporation in writing not to include in such Shelf Registration Statement the Registrable Securities owned by or issuable to such Holder. In order for any of the Original Equity Owner Parties to be named as a selling securityholder in such Shelf Registration Statement, the Corporation may require such Holder to deliver all information about such Holder that is required to be included in such Shelf Registration Statement in accordance with applicable law, including Item 507 of Regulation S-K promulgated under the Securities Act. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in Section 2(d)(ii), any Holder that is named as a selling securityholder in such Shelf Registration Statement may make a secondary resale under such Shelf Registration Statement without the consent of the Holders representing a Majority of the Registrable Securities or any other Holder if such resale does not require a supplement to the Shelf Registration Statement.
(ii)In the event that a Shelf Registration Statement is effective, Holders representing Registrable Securities either (a) with a market value of at least $25 million, or (b) that represent at least 10% of the aggregate market value of the Registrable Securities registered pursuant to such Shelf Registration Statement shall have the right at any time or from time to time to elect to sell pursuant to an offering (including an underwritten offering (an “Underwritten Takedown”)) Registrable Securities available for sale pursuant to such registration statement (“Shelf Registrable Securities”), so long as the Shelf Registration Statement remains in effect, and the Corporation shall pay all Registration Expenses in connection therewith; provided that each Controlling Holder shall have the right at any time and from time to time to elect to sell pursuant to an offering (including an Underwritten Takedown) pursuant to a Shelf Offering Request (as defined below) made by such Controlling Holder. The applicable Holders shall make such election by delivering to the Corporation a written request (a “Shelf Offering Request”) for such offering specifying the number of Shelf Registrable Securities that such Holders desire to sell pursuant to such offering (the “Shelf Offering”). In the case of an Underwritten Takedown, as promptly as practicable, but no later than two Business Days after receipt of a Shelf Offering Request, the Corporation shall give written notice (the “Shelf Offering Notice”) of such Shelf Offering Request to all other holders of Shelf Registrable Securities. The Corporation, subject to Section 2(e) and Section 8 hereof, shall include in such Shelf Offering the Shelf Registrable Securities of any other Holder that shall have made a written request to the Corporation for inclusion in such Shelf Offering (which request shall specify the maximum number of Shelf Registrable Securities intended to be sold by such Holder) within five Business Days after the receipt of the Shelf Offering Notice. The Corporation shall, as expeditiously as possible (and in any event within ten Business Days after the receipt of a Shelf Offering Request, unless a longer period is agreed to by the Holders representing a Majority of the Registrable Securities that made the Shelf Offering Request), use its reasonable best efforts to facilitate such Shelf Offering. Each Holder agrees that such Holder shall treat as confidential the receipt of the Shelf Offering Notice and shall not disclose or use the information contained in such Shelf Offering Notice without the prior written consent of the Corporation or until such time as the information contained therein is or becomes available to the public generally, other than as a result of disclosure by the Holder in breach of the terms of this Agreement.
8
US-DOCS\113842189.9
(iii)Notwithstanding the foregoing, if any Holder desires to effect a sale of Shelf Registrable Securities that does not constitute an Underwritten Takedown, the Holder shall deliver to the Corporation a Shelf Offering Request no later than two Business Days prior to the expected date of the sale of such Shelf Registrable Securities, and subject to the limitations set forth in Section 2(d)(i), the Corporation shall file and effect an amendment or supplement to its Shelf Registration Statement for such purpose as soon as reasonably practicable.
(iv)Notwithstanding the foregoing, if a Controlling Holder wishes to engage in an underwritten block trade off of a Shelf Registration Statement (either through filing an Automatic Shelf Registration Statement or through a take-down from an existing Shelf Registration Statement), then notwithstanding the foregoing time periods, such Holders only need to notify the Corporation of the block trade Shelf Offering two Business Days prior to the day such offering is to commence (unless a longer period is agreed to by Holders representing a Majority of the Registrable Securities wishing to engage in the underwritten block trade) and the Corporation shall promptly notify other Holders and such other Holders must elect whether or not to participate by the next Business Day (i.e., one Business Day prior to the day such offering is to commence) (unless a longer period is agreed to by the Holders representing a Majority of the Registrable Securities wishing to engage in the underwritten block trade) and the Corporation shall as expeditiously as possible use its reasonable best efforts to facilitate such offering (which may close as early as two Business Days after the date it commences); provided that Holders representing a Majority of the Registrable Securities wishing to engage in the underwritten block trade shall use commercially reasonable efforts to work with the Corporation and the underwriters prior to making such request in order to facilitate preparation of the registration statement, prospectus and other offering documentation related to the underwritten block trade.
(v)The Corporation shall, at the request of Holders representing a Majority of the Registrable Securities covered by a Shelf Registration Statement, file any prospectus supplement or, if the applicable Shelf Registration Statement is an Automatic Shelf Registration Statement, any post-effective amendments and otherwise take any action necessary to include therein all disclosure and language deemed necessary or advisable by such Holders to effect such Shelf Offering.
(e)Priority on Demand Registrations and Shelf Offerings. The Corporation shall not include in any Demand Registration or Shelf Offering any securities that are not Registrable Securities without the prior written consent of Holders representing a Majority of the Registrable Securities included in such registration or offering. If a Demand Registration or a Shelf Offering is an underwritten offering and the managing underwriters advise the Corporation in writing that in their opinion the number of Registrable Securities and, if permitted hereunder, other securities requested to be included in such offering exceeds the number of Registrable Securities and other securities, if any, that can be sold therein without adversely affecting the marketability, proposed offering price, timing or method of distribution of the offering, the Corporation shall include in such registration or offering, as applicable, (i) first, the Registrable Securities of Holders requested to be included in such registration which, in the opinion of the underwriters, can be sold without any such adverse effect, pro rata among the such Holders on the basis of the number of Registrable
9
US-DOCS\113842189.9
Securities owned by each such Holder that such Holder of Registrable Securities shall have requested to be included therein, (ii) second, other securities requested to be included in such registration which, in the opinion of the underwriters, can be sold without any such adverse effect, and (iii) third, securities the Corporation requested to be included in such registration for its own account which, in the opinion of the underwriters, can be sold without any such adverse effect. Alternatively, if the number of Registrable Securities which can be included on a Shelf Registration Statement is otherwise limited by Instruction I.B.6 to Form S-3 (or any successor provision thereto), the Corporation shall include in such registration or offering prior to the inclusion of any securities which are not Registrable Securities the number of Registrable Securities requested to be included which can be included on such Shelf Registration Statement in accordance with the requirements of Form S-3, pro rata among the respective Holders thereof on the basis of the amount of Registrable Securities owned by each such Holder that such Holder of Registrable Securities shall have requested to be included therein.
(f)Restrictions on Demand Registration and Shelf Offerings.
(i)The Corporation shall not be obligated to effect any Demand Registration within 90 days after the effective date of a previous Demand Registration or a previous registration in which Registrable Securities were included pursuant to Section 3. The Corporation may postpone, for up to 60 days from the date of the request, the filing or the effectiveness of a registration statement for a Demand Registration or suspend the use of a prospectus that is part of a Shelf Registration Statement for up to 60 days from the date of the Suspension Notice (as defined below) and therefore suspend sales of the Shelf Registrable Securities (such period, the “Suspension Period”) by providing written notice to the Holders of Registrable Securities or Shelf Registrable Securities, as applicable, if (A) the Corporation’s board of directors determines in its reasonable good faith judgment that the offer or sale of Registrable Securities would reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on any proposal or plan by the Corporation or any Subsidiary to engage in any material acquisition of assets or stock (other than in the ordinary course of business) or any material merger, consolidation, tender offer, recapitalization, reorganization or other transaction involving the Corporation or any Subsidiary, (B) upon advice of counsel, the sale of Registrable Securities pursuant to the registration statement would require disclosure of MNPI not otherwise required to be disclosed under applicable law, and (C) either (x) the Corporation has a bona fide business purpose for preserving the confidentiality of such transaction or (y) disclosure of such MNPI would have a material adverse effect on the Corporation or the Corporation’s ability to consummate such transaction; provided that in such event, the Holders shall be entitled to withdraw such request for a Demand Registration or underwritten Shelf Offering and the Corporation shall pay all Registration Expenses in connection with such Demand Registration or Shelf Offering. The Corporation may delay a Demand Registration hereunder only once in any twelve-month period, except with the consent of each Controlling Holder. The Corporation also may extend the Suspension Period with the consent of each Controlling Holder.
(ii)In the case of an event that causes the Corporation to suspend the use of a Shelf Registration Statement as set forth in paragraph (f)(i) above or pursuant to applicable subsections of Section 5(a)(vi) (a “Suspension Event”), the Corporation shall give a notice to the Holders of Registrable Securities registered pursuant to such Shelf Registration
10
US-DOCS\113842189.9
Statement (a “Suspension Notice”) to suspend sales of the Registrable Securities and such notice shall state generally the basis for the notice and that such suspension shall continue only for so long as the Suspension Event or its effect is continuing. If the basis of such suspension is nondisclosure of MNPI, the Corporation shall not be required to disclose the subject matter of such MNPI to Holders. A Holder shall not effect any sales of the Registrable Securities pursuant to such Shelf Registration Statement (or such filings) at any time after it has received a Suspension Notice from the Corporation and prior to receipt of an End of Suspension Notice (as defined below). Each Holder agrees that such Holder shall treat as confidential the receipt of the Suspension Notice and shall not disclose or use the information contained in such Suspension Notice without the prior written consent of the Corporation or until such time as the information contained therein is or becomes available to the public generally, other than as a result of disclosure by the Holder in breach of the terms of this Agreement. Holders may recommence effecting sales of the Registrable Securities pursuant to the Shelf Registration Statement (or such filings) following further written notice to such effect (an “End of Suspension Notice”) from the Corporation, which End of Suspension Notice shall be given by the Corporation to the Holders and their counsel, if any, promptly following the conclusion of any Suspension Event; provided that in no event shall an End of Suspension Notice be given after the end of the Suspension Period unless with the consent of each Controlling Holder.
(iii)Notwithstanding any provision herein to the contrary, if the Corporation gives a Suspension Notice with respect to any Shelf Registration Statement pursuant to this Section 2(f), the Corporation agrees that it shall (A) extend the period of time during which such Shelf Registration Statement shall be maintained effective pursuant to this Agreement by the number of days during the period from the date of receipt by the Holders of the Suspension Notice to and including the date of receipt by the Holders of the End of Suspension Notice, and (B) provide copies of any supplemented or amended prospectus necessary to resume sales, with respect to each Suspension Event; provided that such period of time shall not be extended beyond the date that there are no longer Registrable Securities covered by such Shelf Registration Statement.
(g)Selection of Underwriters. Controlling Holder(s) initiating any Demand Registration representing a Majority of the Registrable Securities included in such Demand Registration shall have the right to select the investment banker(s) and manager(s) to administer the offering (including assignment of titles), subject to the Corporation’s approval not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed. If any Shelf Offering is an Underwritten Takedown, the Holders representing a Majority of the Registrable Securities participating in such Underwritten Takedown shall have the right to select the investment banker(s) and manager(s) to administer the offering relating to such Shelf Offering (including assignment of titles), subject to the Corporation’s approval not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed.
(h)Fulfillment of Registration Obligations. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Agreement, a registration requested pursuant to this Section 2 shall not be deemed to have been effected: (i) if the number of Registrable Securities requested to be included in a Long-Form Registration by the initiating Controlling Holder is cut back by the managing underwriters pursuant to Section 2(e) by more than twenty percent (20%); (ii) if the registration statement is withdrawn without becoming effective in accordance with Section 2(f) or otherwise without the consent of
11
US-DOCS\113842189.9
the initiating Controlling Holder; (iii) if after it has become effective such registration is interfered with by any stop order, injunction or other order or requirement of the Securities and Exchange Commission or any other governmental authority for any reason other than a misrepresentation or an omission by the Holder making such Demand Registration, or an Affiliate of such Holder (other than the Corporation and its controlled Affiliates), and, as a result thereof, the Registrable Securities requested to be registered cannot be completely distributed in accordance with the plan of distribution set forth in the related registration statement; (iv) if the registration does not contemplate an underwritten offering, if it does not remain effective for at least 180 days (or such shorter period as will terminate when all securities covered by such registration statement have been sold or withdrawn); or if such registration statement contemplates an underwritten offering, if it does not remain effective for at least 180 days plus such longer period as, in the opinion of counsel for the underwriter or underwriters, a prospectus is required by applicable law to be delivered in connection with the sale of Registrable Securities by an underwriter or dealer; or (v) in the event of an underwritten offering, if the conditions to closing (including any condition relating to an overallotment option) specified in the purchase agreement or underwriting agreement entered into in connection with such registration are not satisfied or waived other than by reason of some wrongful act or omission by the Holder that made the Demand Registration, or an Affiliate of such Holder.
(i)Other Registration Rights. The Corporation represents and warrants that it is not a party to, or otherwise subject to, any other agreement granting registration rights to any other Person with respect to any securities of the Corporation. Except as provided in this Agreement, the Corporation shall not grant to any Persons the right to request the Corporation or any Subsidiary to register any Capital Stock of the Corporation or of any Subsidiary, or any securities convertible or exchangeable into or exercisable for such securities, without the prior written consent of each Controlling Holder.
Section 3.Piggyback Registrations.
(a)Right to Piggyback. Following the IPO, whenever the Corporation proposes to register any of its securities under the Securities Act (other than (i) pursuant to a Demand Registration, (ii) in connection with registrations on Form S-4 or S-8 promulgated by the Securities and Exchange Commission or any successor or similar forms or (iii) a registration on any form that does not include substantially the same information as would be required to be included in a registration statement covering the sale of Registrable Securities) and the registration form to be used may be used for the registration of Registrable Securities (a “Piggyback Registration”), the Corporation shall give prompt written notice to all Holders who hold Registrable Securities of its intention to effect such Piggyback Registration and, subject to the terms of Section 3(c), shall include in such Piggyback Registration (and in all related registrations or qualifications under blue sky laws and in any related underwriting) all Registrable Securities with respect to which the Corporation has received written requests for inclusion therein within fifteen days after delivery of the Corporation’s notice.
(b)Piggyback Expenses. The Registration Expenses of the Holders shall be paid by the Corporation in all Piggyback Registrations, whether or not any such registration became effective.
12
US-DOCS\113842189.9
(c)Priority on Primary Registrations. If a Piggyback Registration is an underwritten primary registration on behalf of the Corporation, and the managing underwriters advise the Corporation in writing that in their opinion the number of securities requested to be included in such registration exceeds the number which can be sold in such offering without adversely affecting the marketability, proposed offering price, timing or method of distribution of the offering, the Corporation shall include in such registration (i) first, the securities the Corporation proposes to sell, (ii) second, the Registrable Securities requested to be included in such registration which, in the opinion of the underwriters, can be sold without any such adverse effect, pro rata among the Holders on the basis of the number of Registrable Securities owned by each such Holder that such Holder of Registrable Securities shall have requested to be included therein, and (iii) third, other securities requested to be included in such registration which, in the opinion of the underwriters, can be sold without any such adverse effect.
(d)Selection of Underwriters. If any Piggyback Registration is an underwritten offering, the selection of investment banker(s) and manager(s) for the offering shall be at the election of the Corporation (in the case of a primary registration) or at the election of the holders of other Corporation securities requesting such registration (in the case of a secondary registration); provided that Holders representing a Majority of the Registrable Securities included in such Piggyback Registration may request that one or more investment banker(s) or manager(s) be included in such offering (such request not to be binding on the Corporation or such other initiating holders of Corporation securities).
(e)Right to Terminate Registration. The Corporation shall have the right to terminate or withdraw any registration initiated by it under this Section 3 whether or not any Holder has elected to include securities in such registration. The Registration Expenses of such withdrawn registration shall be borne by the Corporation in accordance with Section 6.
Section 4.Lock-Up Agreements. In connection with the IPO, each Controlling Holder (each a “Lock-Up Party”) has entered into a customary lock-up agreement with Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and Citigroup Global Markets, Inc., as representatives (the “Representatives”) of the several underwriters, pursuant to which each Lock-Up Party has agreed to certain restrictions relating to the shares of Capital Stock and certain other securities held by them (collectively, the “Lock-Up Restrictions”) during the period ending 180 days after the date of the final prospectus issued in connection with the IPO (such period, the “Lock-Up Period”). In the event that the Representatives consent to the release from the Lock-Up Restrictions of any shares of Capital Stock (or other securities) held by a Lock-Up Party (any such party, the “Released Party,” and any shares of Capital Stock or other securities so released, the “Released Shares”), such Released Party hereby agrees not to sell or otherwise dispose of any Released Shares unless the same percentage of the total number of outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock held by each other Lock-Up Party (assuming the exchange of all membership interests of the Company for a corresponding number of shares of Class A Common Stock in accordance with the LLC Agreement) as is equal to the percentage of the total number of outstanding shares of Class A Common Stock of the Released Party represented by the Released Shares (assuming the exchange of all membership interests of the Company for a corresponding number of shares of Class A Common Stock in accordance with the LLC Agreement) is immediately and fully released from any Lock-Up Restrictions on the same terms as the Released
13
US-DOCS\113842189.9
Shares. The Corporation may impose stop-transfer instructions with respect to the shares of Capital Stock and other securities subject to the Lock-Up Restrictions until the end of the Lock-Up Period.
Section 5.Registration Procedures.
(a)Whenever the Holders have requested that any Registrable Securities be registered pursuant to this Agreement or have initiated a Shelf Offering, (x) such Holders shall, if applicable, cause such Registrable Securities to be exchanged into shares of Class A Common Stock in accordance with the terms of the LLC Agreement prior to sale of such Registrable Securities and (y) the Corporation shall use its reasonable best efforts to effect the registration and the sale of such Registrable Securities in accordance with the intended method of disposition thereof, and pursuant thereto the Corporation shall as expeditiously as possible:
(i)in accordance with the Securities Act and all applicable rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, prepare and file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (subject to the availability of required financial information) a registration statement, and all amendments and supplements thereto and related prospectuses, with respect to such Registrable Securities and use its reasonable best efforts to cause such registration statement to become effective (provided that before filing a registration statement or prospectus or any amendments or supplements thereto, the Corporation shall furnish to the counsel selected by the Controlling Holder(s) initiating a Demand Registration or, in all other cases, the Holders representing a Majority of the Registrable Securities covered by such registration statement copies of all such documents proposed to be filed, which documents shall be subject to the review and comment of such counsel);
(ii)notify each holder of Registrable Securities of (A) the issuance by the Securities and Exchange Commission of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of any registration statement or the initiation of any proceedings for that purpose, (B) the receipt by the Corporation or its counsel of any notification with respect to the suspension of the qualification of the Registrable Securities for sale in any jurisdiction or the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for such purpose and (C) the effectiveness of each registration statement filed hereunder;
(iii)prepare and file with the Securities and Exchange Commission such amendments and supplements to such registration statement and the prospectus used in connection therewith as may be necessary to keep such registration statement effective for a period ending when all of the securities covered by such registration statement have been disposed of in accordance with the intended methods of distribution by the sellers thereof set forth in such registration statement (but in any event not before the expiration of any longer period required under the Securities Act or, if such registration statement relates to an underwritten Public Offering, such longer period as in the opinion of counsel for the underwriters a prospectus is required by law to be delivered in connection with sale of Registrable Securities by an underwriter or dealer) and comply with the provisions of the Securities Act with respect to the disposition of all securities covered by such registration statement during such period in accordance with the intended methods of disposition by the sellers thereof set forth in such registration statement;
14
US-DOCS\113842189.9
(iv)furnish to each seller of Registrable Securities thereunder such number of copies of such registration statement, each amendment and supplement thereto, the prospectus included in such registration statement (including each preliminary prospectus), each Free Writing Prospectus and such other documents as such seller may reasonably request in order to facilitate the disposition of the Registrable Securities owned by such seller;
(v)use its reasonable best efforts to register or qualify such Registrable Securities under such other securities or blue sky laws of such jurisdictions as any seller reasonably requests and do any and all other acts and things which may be reasonably necessary or advisable to enable such seller to consummate the disposition in such jurisdictions of the Registrable Securities owned by such seller (provided that the Corporation shall not be required to (A) qualify generally to do business in any jurisdiction where it would not otherwise be required to qualify but for this subparagraph, (B) consent to general service of process in any such jurisdiction or (C) subject itself to taxation in any such jurisdiction);
(vi)notify each seller of such Registrable Securities (A) promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the date and time when such registration statement and each post-effective amendment thereto has become effective or a prospectus or supplement to any prospectus relating to a registration statement has been filed and when any registration or qualification has become effective under a state securities or blue sky law or any exemption thereunder has been obtained, (B) promptly after receipt thereof, of any request by the Securities and Exchange Commission for the amendment or supplementing of such registration statement or prospectus or for additional information and (C) at any time when a prospectus relating thereto is required to be delivered under the Securities Act, of the happening of any event as a result of which the prospectus included in such registration statement contains an untrue statement of a material fact or omits any fact necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, and, subject to Section 2(f), at the request of any such seller, the Corporation shall prepare a supplement or amendment to such prospectus so that, as thereafter delivered to the purchasers of such Registrable Securities, such prospectus shall not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any fact necessary to make the statements therein not misleading;
(vii)use reasonable best efforts to cause all such Registrable Securities to be listed on each securities exchange on which similar securities issued by the Corporation are then listed and, if not so listed, to be listed on a securities exchange and, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, to arrange for at least two market markers to register as such with respect to such Registrable Securities with FINRA;
(viii)use reasonable efforts to provide a transfer agent and registrar for all such Registrable Securities not later than the effective date of such registration statement;
15
US-DOCS\113842189.9
(ix)enter into and perform such customary agreements (including underwriting agreements in customary form) and take all such other actions as the Holders representing a Majority of the Registrable Securities being sold or the underwriters, if any, reasonably request in order to expedite or facilitate the disposition of such Registrable Securities (including, without limitation, effecting a stock split, combination of shares, recapitalization or reorganization);
(x)make available for inspection by any seller of Registrable Securities, any underwriter participating in any disposition pursuant to such registration statement and any attorney, accountant or other agent retained by any such seller or underwriter, all financial and other records, pertinent corporate and business documents and properties of the Corporation as shall be necessary to enable them to exercise their due diligence responsibility, and cause the Corporation’s officers, directors, employees, agents, representatives and independent accountants to supply all information reasonably requested by any such seller, underwriter, attorney, accountant or agent in connection with such registration statement;
(xi)take all reasonable actions to ensure that any Free-Writing Prospectus utilized in connection with any Demand Registration or Piggyback Registration hereunder complies in all material respects with the Securities Act, is filed in accordance with the Securities Act to the extent required thereby, is retained in accordance with the Securities Act to the extent required thereby and, when taken together with the related prospectus, shall not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading;
(xii)otherwise use its reasonable best efforts to comply with all applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission, and make available to its security holders, as soon as reasonably practicable, an earnings statement covering the period of at least twelve months beginning with the first day of the Corporation’s first full calendar quarter after the effective date of the registration statement, which earnings statement shall satisfy the provisions of Section 11(a) of the Securities Act and Rule 158;
(xiii)to the extent that a Holder, in its sole and exclusive judgment, might be deemed to be an underwriter of any Registrable Securities or a controlling person of the Corporation, permit such Holder to participate in the preparation of such registration or comparable statement and allow such Holder to provide language for insertion therein, in form and substance satisfactory to the Corporation, which in the reasonable judgment of such Holder and its counsel should be included;
(xiv)in the event of the issuance of any stop order suspending the effectiveness of a registration statement, or the issuance of any order suspending or preventing the use of any related prospectus or suspending the qualification of any Class A Common Stock included in such registration statement for sale in any jurisdiction, use reasonable efforts promptly to obtain the withdrawal of such order;
16
US-DOCS\113842189.9
(xv)use its reasonable best efforts to cause such Registrable Securities covered by such registration statement to be registered with or approved by such other governmental agencies or authorities as may be necessary to enable the sellers thereof to consummate the disposition of such Registrable Securities;
(xvi)cooperate with the Holders of Registrable Securities covered by the registration statement and the managing underwriter or agent, if any, to facilitate the timely preparation and delivery of certificates (not bearing any restrictive legends) representing securities to be sold under the registration statement and enable such securities to be in such denominations and registered in such names as the managing underwriter, or agent, if any, or such Holders may request;
(xvii)cooperate with each Holder of Registrable Securities covered by the registration statement and each underwriter or agent participating in the disposition of such Registrable Securities and their respective counsel in connection with any filings required to be made with FINRA;
(xviii)use its reasonable best efforts to make available the executive officers of the Corporation to participate with the Holders of Registrable Securities covered by the registration statement and any underwriters in any “road shows” or other selling efforts that may be reasonably requested by the Holders in connection with the methods of distribution for the Registrable Securities;
(xix)in the case of any underwritten Public Offering, use its reasonable best efforts to obtain one or more cold comfort letters from the Corporation’s independent public accountants in customary form and covering such matters of the type customarily covered by cold comfort letters as the Holders representing a Majority of the Registrable Securities being sold reasonably request;
(xx)in the case of any underwritten Public Offering, use its reasonable best efforts to provide a legal opinion of the Corporation’s outside counsel, dated the closing date of the Public Offering, in customary form and covering such matters of the type customarily covered by legal opinions of such nature, which opinion shall be addressed to the underwriters and the Holders of such Registrable Securities being sold;
(xxi)if the Corporation files an Automatic Shelf Registration Statement covering any Registrable Securities, use its reasonable best efforts to remain a WKSI (and not become an ineligible issuer (as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act)) during the period during which such Automatic Shelf Registration Statement is required to remain effective;
(xxii)if the Corporation does not pay the filing fee covering the Registrable Securities at the time an Automatic Shelf Registration Statement is filed, pay such fee at such time or times as the Registrable Securities are to be sold; and
(xxiii)if the Automatic Shelf Registration Statement has been outstanding for at least three (3) years, at the end of the third year, file a new Automatic Shelf Registration Statement covering the Registrable Securities, and, if at any time when the Corporation is
17
US-DOCS\113842189.9
required to re-evaluate its WKSI status the Corporation determines that it is not a WKSI, use its reasonable efforts to refile the Shelf Registration Statement on Form S-3 and, if such form is not available, Form S-1 and keep such registration statement effective during the period during which such registration statement is required to be kept effective.
(b)Any officer of the Corporation who is a Holder agrees that if and for so long as he or she is employed by the Corporation or any Subsidiary thereof, he or she shall participate fully in the sale process in a manner customary and reasonable for persons in like positions and consistent with his or her other duties with the Corporation and in accordance with applicable law, including the preparation of the registration statement and the preparation and presentation of any road shows.
(c)The Corporation may require each Holder requesting, or electing to participate in, any registration to furnish the Corporation such information regarding such Holder and the distribution of such Registrable Securities as the Corporation may from time to time reasonably request in writing.
(d)If the Original Equity Owner Parties or any of their respective Affiliates seek to effectuate an in-kind distribution of all or part of their respective Registrable Securities to their respective direct or indirect equityholders, the Corporation shall, subject to any applicable lock-ups, work with the foregoing persons to facilitate such in-kind distribution in the manner reasonably requested and such distributees shall have the right to become a party to this Agreement by the joinder in the form of Exhibit A hereto and thereby have all of the rights of such Original Equity Owner Parties under this Agreement, other than the Demand Registration rights of a Controlling Holder.
Section 6.Registration Expenses.
(a)The Corporation’s Obligation. All expenses incident to the Corporation’s performance of or compliance with this Agreement (including, without limitation, all registration, qualification and filing fees, fees and expenses of compliance with securities or blue sky laws, printing expenses, messenger and delivery expenses, fees and disbursements of custodians, and fees and disbursements of counsel for the Corporation and all independent certified public accountants, underwriters (excluding underwriting discounts and commissions) and other Persons retained by the Corporation) (all such expenses being herein called “Registration Expenses”), shall be borne as provided in this Agreement, except that the Corporation shall, in any event, pay its internal expenses (including, without limitation, all salaries and expenses of its officers and employees performing legal or accounting duties), the expense of any annual audit or quarterly review, the expense of any liability insurance and the expenses and fees for listing the securities to be registered on each securities exchange on which similar securities issued by the Corporation are then listed. Each Person that sells securities pursuant to a Demand Registration or Piggyback Registration hereunder shall bear and pay all underwriting discounts and commissions applicable to the securities sold for such Person’s account.
18
US-DOCS\113842189.9
(b)Counsel Fees and Disbursements. In connection with each Demand Registration, each Piggyback Registration and each Shelf Offering, the Corporation shall reimburse the Holders of Registrable Securities included in such registration for the reasonable fees and disbursements of not more than one law firm (for each of the Searchlight Holders, if participating in such registration, and the Rook Holders, if participating in such registration.
Section 7.Indemnification and Contribution.
(a)By the Corporation. The Corporation shall indemnify and hold harmless, to the extent permitted by law, each Holder, such Holder’s officers, directors, managers, employees, partners, stockholders, members, trustees, Affiliates, agents and representatives, and each Person who controls such Holder (within the meaning of the Securities Act) (the “Holder Indemnified Parties”) against all losses, claims, actions, damages, liabilities and expenses (including with respect to actions or proceedings, whether commenced or threatened, and including reasonable attorney fees and expenses) caused by, resulting from, arising out of, based upon or related to any of the following statements, omissions or violations (each a “Violation”) by the Corporation: (i) any untrue or alleged untrue statement of material fact contained in (A) any registration statement, prospectus, preliminary prospectus or Free-Writing Prospectus, or any amendment thereof or supplement thereto or (B) any application or other document or communication (in this Section 7, collectively called an “application”) executed by or on behalf of the Corporation or based upon written information furnished by or on behalf of the Corporation filed in any jurisdiction in order to qualify any securities covered by such registration under the securities laws thereof, (ii) any omission or alleged omission of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading or (iii) any violation or alleged violation by the Corporation of the Securities Act or any other similar federal or state securities laws or any rule or regulation promulgated thereunder applicable to the Corporation and relating to action or inaction required of the Corporation in connection with any such registration, qualification or compliance. In addition, the Corporation will reimburse such Holder Indemnified Party for any legal or any other expenses reasonably incurred by them in connection with investigating or defending any such losses. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Corporation shall not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such losses result from, arise out of, are based upon, or relate to an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement, or omission or alleged omission, made in such registration statement, any such prospectus, preliminary prospectus or Free-Writing Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, or in any application, in reliance upon, and in conformity with, written information prepared and furnished in writing to the Corporation by such Holder Indemnified Party expressly for use therein or by such Holder Indemnified Party’s failure to deliver a copy of the registration statement or prospectus or any amendments or supplements thereto after the Corporation has furnished such Holder Indemnified Party with a sufficient number of copies of the same. In connection with an underwritten offering, the Corporation shall indemnify such underwriters, their officers and directors, and each Person who controls such underwriters (within the meaning of the Securities Act) to the same extent as provided above with respect to the indemnification of the Holder Indemnified Parties.
(b)By Each Holder. In connection with any registration statement in which a Holder is participating, each such Holder shall furnish to the Corporation in writing such information and affidavits as the Corporation reasonably requests for use in connection with any such registration statement or prospectus and, to the extent permitted by law, shall indemnify the Corporation, its
19
US-DOCS\113842189.9
officers, directors, managers, employees, agents and representatives, and each Person who controls the Corporation (within the meaning of the Securities Act) against any losses, claims, damages, liabilities and expenses resulting from any untrue or alleged untrue statement of material fact contained in the registration statement, prospectus or preliminary prospectus or any amendment thereof or supplement thereto or any omission or alleged omission of a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, but only to the extent that such untrue statement or omission is contained in any information or affidavit so furnished in writing by such Holder; provided that the obligation to indemnify shall be individual, not joint and several, for each Holder and shall be limited to the net amount of proceeds received by such Holder from the sale of Registrable Securities pursuant to such registration statement.
(c)Claim Procedure. Any Person entitled to indemnification hereunder shall (i) give prompt written notice to the indemnifying party of any claim with respect to which it seeks indemnification (provided that the failure to give prompt notice shall impair any Person’s right to indemnification hereunder only to the extent such failure has prejudiced the indemnifying party) and (ii) unless in such indemnified party’s reasonable judgment a conflict of interest between such indemnified and indemnifying parties may exist with respect to such claim, permit such indemnifying party to assume the defense of such claim with counsel reasonably satisfactory to the indemnified party. If such defense is assumed, the indemnifying party shall not be subject to any liability for any settlement made by the indemnified party without its consent (but such consent shall not be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed). An indemnifying party who is not entitled to, or elects not to, assume the defense of a claim shall not be obligated to pay the fees and expenses of more than one counsel for all parties indemnified by such indemnifying party with respect to such claim, unless in the reasonable judgment of any indemnified party a conflict of interest may exist between such indemnified party and any other of such indemnified parties with respect to such claim. In such instance, the conflicted indemnified parties shall have a right to retain one separate counsel, chosen by the Holders representing a Majority of the Registrable Securities included in the registration by such Holders that are conflicted indemnified parties, at the expense of the indemnifying party.
(d)Contribution. If the indemnification provided for in this Section 7 is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be unavailable to, or is insufficient to hold harmless, an indemnified party or is otherwise unenforceable with respect to any loss, claim, damage, liability or action referred to herein, then the indemnifying party shall contribute to the amounts paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such loss, claim, damage, liability or action in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative fault of the indemnifying party on the one hand and of the indemnified party on the other hand in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such loss, claim, damage, liability or action as well as any other relevant equitable considerations; provided that the maximum amount of liability in respect of such contribution shall be limited, in the case of each seller of Registrable Securities, to an amount equal to the net proceeds actually received by such seller from the sale of Registrable Securities effected pursuant to such registration. The relative fault of the indemnifying party and of the indemnified party shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the indemnifying party or by the indemnified party and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The parties hereto agree that it would not be just or equitable if the contribution pursuant to this Section 7(d) were to
20
US-DOCS\113842189.9
be determined by pro rata allocation or by any other method of allocation that does not take into account such equitable considerations. The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages, liabilities or expenses referred to herein shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending against any action or claim which is the subject hereof. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(t) of the Securities Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any Person who is not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation.
(e)Release. No indemnifying party shall, except with the consent of the indemnified party, consent to the entry of any judgment or enter into any settlement that does not include as an unconditional term thereof giving by the claimant or plaintiff to such indemnified party of a release from all liability in respect to such claim or litigation. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Section 7, an indemnifying party shall not be liable for any amounts paid in settlement of any loss, claim, damage, liability, or action if such settlement is effected without the consent of the indemnifying party, such consent not to be unreasonably withheld, conditioned or delayed.
(f)Non-exclusive Remedy; Survival. The indemnification and contribution provided for under this Agreement shall be in addition to any other rights to indemnification or contribution that any indemnified party may have pursuant to law or contract and shall remain in full force and effect regardless of any investigation made by or on behalf of the indemnified party or any officer, director or controlling Person of such indemnified party and shall survive the transfer of Registrable Securities and the termination or expiration of this Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, to the extent that the provisions on indemnification and contribution contained in the underwriting agreement entered into in connection with the underwritten public offering are in conflict with the foregoing provisions, the provisions in the underwriting agreement shall control.
Section 8.Underwritten Registrations.
(a)Participation. No Person may participate in any Public Offering hereunder which is underwritten unless such Person (i) agrees to sell such Person’s securities on the basis provided in any underwriting arrangements approved by the Person or Persons entitled hereunder to approve such arrangements (including, without limitation, pursuant to any over-allotment or “green shoe” option requested by the underwriters; provided that no Holder shall be required to sell more than the number of Registrable Securities such Holder has requested to include) and (ii) completes and executes all questionnaires, powers of attorney, indemnities, underwriting agreements, custody agreements and other documents required under the terms of such underwriting arrangements. Each Holder shall execute and deliver such other agreements as may be reasonably requested by the Corporation and the lead managing underwriter(s) that are consistent with such Holder’s obligations under Section 4, Section 5 and this Section 8(a) or that are necessary to give further effect thereto. To the extent that any such agreement is entered into pursuant to, and consistent with, Section 4 and this Section 8(a), the respective rights and obligations created under such agreement shall supersede the respective rights and obligations of the Holders, the Corporation and the underwriters created pursuant to this Section 8(a).
21
US-DOCS\113842189.9
(b)Price and Underwriting Discounts. In the case of an underwritten Demand Registration or Underwritten Takedown requested by the Holders pursuant to this Agreement, the price, underwriting discount and other financial terms of the related underwriting agreement for the Registrable Securities shall be determined by the Holders representing a Majority of the Registrable Securities included in such underwritten offering.
(c)Suspended Distributions. Each Person that is participating in any registration under this Agreement, upon receipt of any notice from the Corporation of the happening of any event of the kind described in Section 5(a)(vi)(B) or (C), shall immediately discontinue the disposition of its Registrable Securities pursuant to the registration statement until such Person’s receipt of the copies of a supplemented or amended prospectus as contemplated by Section 5(a)(vi). In the event the Corporation has given any such notice, the applicable time period set forth in Section 5(a)(iii) during which a Registration Statement is to remain effective shall be extended by the number of days during the period from and including the date of the giving of such notice pursuant to this Section 8(c) to and including the date when each seller of Registrable Securities covered by such registration statement shall have received the copies of the supplemented or amended prospectus contemplated by Section 5(a)(vi).
Section 9.Additional Parties; Joinder. Subject to the prior written consent of each Controlling Holder, the Corporation may make any Person who acquires Class A Common Stock, Class C Common Stock, or rights to acquire Class A Common Stock from the Corporation after the date hereof (including without limitation any Person who acquires Common Units) a party to this Agreement (each such Person, an “Additional Holder”) and to succeed to all of the rights and obligations of a Holder under this Agreement by obtaining an executed joinder to this Agreement from such Additional Holder in the form of Exhibit A attached hereto (a “Joinder”). Upon the execution and delivery of a Joinder by such Additional Holder, the Class A Common Stock (or shares of Class A Common Stock to be issued upon the conversion of the undersigned’s shares of Class C Common Stock) of the Corporation acquired by such Additional Holder or issuable upon redemption or exchange of Common Units acquired by such Additional Holder (the “Acquired Common”) shall be Registrable Securities to the extent provided herein, such Additional Holder shall be a Holder under this Agreement with respect to the Acquired Common, and the Corporation shall add such Additional Holder’s name and address to the Schedule of Holders and circulate such information to the parties to this Agreement.
Section 10.Rule 144. At all times after the Corporation has filed a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to the requirements of either the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, the Corporation shall file all reports required to be filed by it under the Securities Act and the Exchange Act and shall take such further action as any Holder may reasonably request, including (i) instructing the transfer agent for the Registrable Securities to remove restrictive legends from any Registrable Securities sold pursuant to Rule 144 (to the extent such removal is permitted under Rule 144 and other applicable law), and (ii) cooperating with the Holder of such Registrable Securities to facilitate the transfer of such securities through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company, in such amounts and credited to such accounts as such Holder may request (or, if applicable, the preparation and delivery of certificates representing such securities, in such denominations and registered in such names as such Holder may request), all to the extent required to enable the Holders to sell Registrable Securities pursuant to Rule 144. Upon
22
US-DOCS\113842189.9
request, the Corporation shall deliver to any Holder a written statement as to whether it has complied with such requirements.
Section 11.Subsidiary Public Offering. If, after an initial Public Offering of the Capital Stock of one of its Subsidiaries (including the Company), the Corporation distributes securities of such Subsidiary to its equityholders, then the rights and obligations of the Corporation pursuant to this Agreement shall apply, mutatis mutandis, to such Subsidiary, and the Corporation shall cause such Subsidiary to comply with such Subsidiary’s obligations under this Agreement.
Section 12.Transfer of Registrable Securities. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, except in the case of (i) a transfer to the Corporation, (ii) a transfer by any Original Equity Owner Party or any of its Affiliates to its respective equityholders, (iii) a Public Offering, (iv) a sale pursuant to Rule 144 after the completion of the IPO or (v) a transfer in connection with a sale of the Corporation, prior to transferring any Registrable Securities to any Person (including, without limitation, by operation of law), the transferring Holder shall cause the prospective transferee to execute and deliver to the Corporation a Joinder agreeing to be bound by the terms of this Agreement. Any transfer or attempted transfer of any Registrable Securities in violation of any provision of this Agreement shall be void, and the Corporation shall not record such transfer on its books or treat any purported transferee of such Registrable Securities as the owner thereof for any purpose.
(a)Each Holder acknowledges that the provisions of this Agreement that require communications by the Corporation or other Holders to such Holder may result in such Holder and its Representatives (as defined below) acquiring MNPI (which may include, solely by way of illustration, the fact that an offering of the Corporation’s securities is pending or the number of Corporation securities or the identity of the selling Holders).
(b)Each Holder agrees that it will maintain the confidentiality of such MNPI and, to the extent such Holder is not a natural person, such confidential treatment shall be in accordance with procedures adopted by it in good faith to protect confidential information of third parties delivered to such Holder (“Policies”); provided that a holder may deliver or disclose MNPI to (i) its directors, officers, employees, agents, attorneys, affiliates and financial and other advisors (collectively, the “Representatives”), but solely to the extent such disclosure reasonably relates to its evaluation of exercise of its rights under this Agreement and the sale of any Registrable Securities in connection with the subject of the notice, (ii) any federal or state regulatory authority having jurisdiction over such Holder, (iii) any Person if necessary to effect compliance with any law, rule, regulation or order applicable to such Holder, (iv) in response to any subpoena or other legal process, or (v) in connection with any litigation to which such Holder is a party; provided further, that in the case of clause (i), the recipients of such MNPI are subject to the Policies or agree to hold confidential the MNPI in a manner substantially consistent with the terms of this Section 13 and that in the case of clauses (ii) through (v), such disclosure is required by law and such Holder shall promptly notify the Corporation of such disclosure to the extent such Holder is legally permitted to give such notice.
23
US-DOCS\113842189.9
(c)Each Holder shall have the right, at any time and from time to time (including after receiving information regarding any potential Public Offering), to elect to not receive any notice that the Corporation or any other Holders otherwise are required to deliver pursuant to this Agreement by delivering to the Corporation a written statement signed by such Holder that it does not want to receive any notices hereunder (an “Opt-Out Request”); in which case and notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement the Corporation and other Holders shall not be required to, and shall not, deliver any notice or other information required to be provided to Holders hereunder to the extent that the Corporation or such other Holders reasonably expect would result in a Holder acquiring MNPI. An Opt-Out Request may state a date on which it expires or, if no such date is specified, shall remain in effect indefinitely. A Holder who previously has given the Corporation an Opt-Out Request may revoke such request at any time, and there shall be no limit on the ability of a Holder to issue and revoke subsequent Opt-Out Requests; provided that each Holder shall use commercially reasonable efforts to minimize the administrative burden on the Corporation arising in connection with any such Opt-Out Requests.
Section 14.General Provisions.
(a)Amendments and Waivers. Except as otherwise provided herein, the provisions of this Agreement may be amended, modified, terminated or waived only with the prior written consent of the Corporation and each Controlling Holder; provided that no such amendment, modification, termination or waiver that would materially and adversely affect a Holder in a manner materially different than any other Holder (provided that the accession by Additional Holders to this Agreement pursuant to Section 9 shall not be deemed to adversely affect any Holder), shall be effective against such Holder without the consent of such Holder that is materially and adversely affected thereby. The failure or delay of any Person to enforce any of the provisions of this Agreement shall in no way be construed as a waiver of such provisions and shall not affect the right of such Person thereafter to enforce each and every provision of this Agreement in accordance with its terms. A waiver or consent to or of any breach or default by any Person in the performance by that Person of his, her or its obligations under this Agreement shall not be deemed to be a consent or waiver to or of any other breach or default in the performance by that Person of the same or any other obligations of that Person under this Agreement.
(b)Remedies. The parties to this Agreement shall be entitled to enforce their rights under this Agreement specifically (without posting a bond or other security), to recover damages caused by reason of any breach of any provision of this Agreement and to exercise all other rights existing in their favor. The parties hereto agree and acknowledge that a breach of this Agreement would cause irreparable harm and money damages would not be an adequate remedy for any such breach and that, in addition to any other rights and remedies existing hereunder, any party shall be entitled to specific performance and/or other injunctive relief from any court of law or equity of competent jurisdiction (without posting any bond or other security) in order to enforce or prevent violation of the provisions of this Agreement.
(c)Severability. Whenever possible, each provision of this Agreement shall be interpreted in such manner as to be effective and valid under applicable law, but if any provision of this Agreement is held to be prohibited, invalid, illegal or unenforceable in any respect under any applicable law or regulation in any jurisdiction, such prohibition, invalidity, illegality or unenforceability shall not affect the validity, legality or enforceability of any other provision of
24
US-DOCS\113842189.9
this Agreement in such jurisdiction or in any other jurisdiction, but this Agreement shall be reformed, construed and enforced in such jurisdiction as if such prohibited, invalid, illegal or unenforceable provision had never been contained herein.
(d)Entire Agreement. Except as otherwise provided herein, this Agreement contains the complete agreement and understanding among the parties hereto with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes and preempts any prior understandings, agreements or representations by or among the parties hereto, written or oral, which may have related to the subject matter hereof in any way.
(e)Successors and Assigns. This Agreement shall bind and inure to the benefit and be enforceable by the Corporation and its successors and assigns and the Holders and their respective successors and assigns (whether so expressed or not). In addition, whether or not any express assignment has been made, the provisions of this Agreement which are for the benefit Holders are also for the benefit of, and enforceable by, any subsequent or successor Holder.
(f)Notices. Any notice, demand or other communication to be given under or by reason of the provisions of this Agreement shall be in writing and shall be deemed to have been given (i) when delivered personally to the recipient, (ii) when sent by confirmed electronic mail or facsimile if sent during normal business hours of the recipient but, if not, then on the next Business Day, (iii) one Business Day after it is sent to the recipient by reputable overnight courier service (charges prepaid) or (iv) three Business Days after it is mailed to the recipient by first class mail, return receipt requested. Such notices, demands and other communications shall be sent to the Corporation at the address specified below and to any Original Equity Owner Party or to any other party subject to this Agreement at such address as indicated on the Schedule of Holders, or at such address or to the attention of such other Person as the recipient party has specified by prior written notice to the sending party. Any party may change such party’s address for receipt of notice by providing prior written notice of the change to the sending party as provided herein. The Corporation’s address is:
|
Shift4 Payments, Inc. |
|
|
2202 N. Irving St. |
|
|
Allentown, Pennsylvania 18109 |
|
|
Attn: General Counsel |
|
|
|
|
|
With a copy to: |
|
|
|
|
|
Latham & Watkins LLP |
|
|
885 Third Avenue |
|
|
New York, New York 10022 |
|
|
Attn: Marc D. Jaffe, Esq. |
|
|
Facsimile: (212) 751-4864 |
|
or to such other address or to the attention of such other Person as the recipient party has specified by prior written notice to the sending party.
25
US-DOCS\113842189.9
(g)Business Days. If any time period for giving notice or taking action hereunder expires on a day that is not a Business Day, the time period shall automatically be extended to the immediately following Business Day.
(h)Governing Law. The corporate law of the State of Delaware shall govern all issues and questions concerning the relative rights of the Corporation and its stockholders. All other issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforcement of this Agreement and the exhibits and schedules hereto shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law rules or provisions (whether of the State of New York or any other jurisdiction) that would cause the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than the State of New York.
(i)MUTUAL WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL. AS A SPECIFICALLY BARGAINED FOR INDUCEMENT FOR EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO TO ENTER INTO THIS AGREEMENT (AFTER HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONSULT WITH COUNSEL), EACH PARTY HERETO EXPRESSLY WAIVES THE RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LAWSUIT OR PROCEEDING RELATING TO OR ARISING IN ANY WAY FROM THIS AGREEMENT OR THE MATTERS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY.
(j)CONSENT TO JURISDICTION AND SERVICE OF PROCESS. EACH OF THE PARTIES IRREVOCABLY SUBMITS TO THE NON-EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION OF THE FEDERAL COURTS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA LOCATED IN THE CITY AND COUNTY OF NEW YORK BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN, FOR THE PURPOSES OF ANY SUIT, ACTION OR OTHER PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF THIS AGREEMENT, ANY RELATED AGREEMENT OR ANY TRANSACTION CONTEMPLATED HEREBY OR THEREBY. EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO FURTHER AGREES THAT SERVICE OF ANY PROCESS, SUMMONS, NOTICE OR DOCUMENT BY U.S. REGISTERED MAIL TO SUCH PARTY’S RESPECTIVE ADDRESS SET FORTH ABOVE SHALL BE EFFECTIVE SERVICE OF PROCESS FOR ANY ACTION, SUIT OR PROCEEDING WITH RESPECT TO ANY MATTERS TO WHICH IT HAS SUBMITTED TO JURISDICTION IN THIS PARAGRAPH. EACH OF THE PARTIES HERETO IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY WAIVES ANY OBJECTION TO THE LAYING OF VENUE OF ANY ACTION, SUIT OR PROCEEDING ARISING OUT OF THIS AGREEMENT, ANY RELATED DOCUMENT OR THE TRANSACTIONS CONTEMPLATED HEREBY AND THEREBY IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE DISTRICT OF DELAWARE, AND HEREBY AND THEREBY FURTHER IRREVOCABLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY WAIVES AND AGREES NOT TO PLEAD OR CLAIM IN ANY SUCH COURT THAT ANY SUCH ACTION, SUIT OR PROCEEDING BROUGHT IN ANY SUCH COURT HAS BEEN BROUGHT IN AN INCONVENIENT FORUM.
(k)No Recourse. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the Corporation and each Holder agrees and acknowledges that no recourse under this Agreement or any documents or instruments delivered in connection with this Agreement, shall be had against any current or future director, officer, employee, general or limited partner or member of any Holder or of any Affiliate or assignee thereof, whether by the enforcement of any assessment or by any legal or equitable proceeding, or by virtue of any statute, regulation or other applicable law, it being expressly agreed and acknowledged that no personal liability whatsoever shall attach to,
26
US-DOCS\113842189.9
be imposed on or otherwise be incurred by any current or future officer, agent or employee of any Holder or any current or future member of any Holder or any current or future director, officer, employee, partner or member of any Holder or of any Affiliate or assignee thereof, as such for any obligation of any Holder under this Agreement or any documents or instruments delivered in connection with this Agreement for any claim based on, in respect of or by reason of such obligations or their creation.
(l)Descriptive Headings; Interpretation. The descriptive headings of this Agreement are inserted for convenience only and do not constitute a part of this Agreement. The use of the word “including” in this Agreement shall be by way of example rather than by limitation.
(m)No Strict Construction. The language used in this Agreement shall be deemed to be the language chosen by the parties hereto to express their mutual intent, and no rule of strict construction shall be applied against any party.
(n)Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in multiple counterparts, any one of which need not contain the signature of more than one party, but all such counterparts taken together shall constitute one and the same agreement.
(o)Electronic Delivery. This Agreement, the agreements referred to herein, and each other agreement or instrument entered into in connection herewith or therewith or contemplated hereby or thereby, and any amendments hereto or thereto, to the extent executed and delivered by means of a photographic, photostatic, facsimile or similar reproduction of such signed writing using a facsimile machine or electronic mail shall be treated in all manner and respects as an original agreement or instrument and shall be considered to have the same binding legal effect as if it were the original signed version thereof delivered in person. At the request of any party hereto or to any such agreement or instrument, each other party hereto or thereto shall re-execute original forms thereof and deliver them to all other parties. No party hereto or to any such agreement or instrument shall raise the use of a facsimile machine or electronic mail to deliver a signature or the fact that any signature or agreement or instrument was transmitted or communicated through the use of a facsimile machine or electronic mail as a defense to the formation or enforceability of a contract and each such party forever waives any such defense.
(p)Further Assurances. In connection with this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby, each Holder shall execute and deliver any additional documents and instruments and perform any additional acts that may be necessary or appropriate to effectuate and perform the provisions of this Agreement and the transactions contemplated hereby.
(q)No Inconsistent Agreements. The Corporation shall not hereafter enter into any agreement with respect to its securities which is inconsistent with or violates the rights granted to the Holders in this Agreement.
* * * * *
27
US-DOCS\113842189.9
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties have executed this Registration Rights Agreement as of the date first written above.
SHIFT4 PAYMENTS, INC. |
||
|
|
|
By: |
|
/s/ Jared Isaacsman |
Name: |
|
Jared Isaacman |
Title: |
|
Chief Executive Officer |
SEARCHLIGHT CAPITAL PARTNERS L.P. |
||
|
|
|
By: |
|
Searchlight Capital Partners, LLC |
its general partner ], |
||
|
|
|
By: |
|
/s/ Andrew Frey |
Name: |
|
Andrew Frey |
Title: |
|
Authorized Person |
SEARCHLIGHT II GWN, L.P. |
||
|
|
|
By: |
|
Searchlight II GWN GP, LLC its General |
Partner |
||
|
|
|
By: |
|
/s/ Andre Frey |
Name: |
|
Andrew Frey |
Title: |
|
Authorized Person |
|
|
|
|
|
SEARCHLIGHT CAPITAL II, L.P. |
|
|
|
By: |
|
Searchlight Capital Partners II GP, L.P. its |
general partner |
||
|
|
|
By: |
|
Searchlight Capital Partners II GP, LLC its |
general partner |
||
|
|
|
By: |
|
/s/ Andrew Frey |
Name: |
|
Andrew Frey |
Title: |
|
Authorized Person |
SEARCHLIGHT CAPITAL II PV, L.P. |
||
|
|
|
By: |
|
Searchlight Capital Partners II GP, L.P. its |
general partner |
||
|
|
|
By: |
|
Searchlight Capital Partners II GP, LLC its |
general partner |
[Signature Page to Registration Rights Agreement]
|
|
|
By: |
|
/s/ Andrew Frey |
Name: |
|
Andrew Frey |
Title: |
|
Authorized Person |
|
||
a Delaware corporation |
||
|
|
|
By: |
|
/s/ Jared Isaacman |
Name: |
|
Jared Isaacman |
Title: |
|
President |
Jared Isaacman |
||
|
|
|
By: |
|
/s/ Jared Isaacman |
[Signature Page to Registration Rights Agreement]
Holder |
|
Controlling Holder? |
|
Continuing Equity Owner Party/
|
Searchlight Capital Partners II GP LLC.* |
|
Yes |
|
Continuing Equity Owner Party |
Searchlight Capital Partners II GP L.P.* |
|
Yes |
|
Former Equity Owner |
Searchlight Capital II, L.P.* |
|
Yes |
|
Continuing Equity Owner Party |
Searchlight Capital II PV L.P.* |
|
Yes |
|
Continuing Equity Owner Party |
SC II GWN Holdings, Inc.* |
|
Yes |
|
Former Equity Owner |
SC II PV GWN Holdings, Inc.* |
|
Yes |
|
Former Equity Owner |
SC II GWN, L.P.* |
|
Yes |
|
Continuing Equity Owner Party |
SC II PV GWN, L.P.* |
|
Yes |
|
Continuing Equity Owner Party |
Searchlight II GWN, L.P.* |
|
Yes |
|
Continuing Equity Owner Party |
Rook Holdings, Inc.† |
|
Yes |
|
Continuing Equity Owner Party |
Jared Isaacman† |
|
Yes |
|
Former Equity Owner |
* Searchlight Holder
† Rook Holder
30
US-DOCS\113842189.9
EXHIBIT A
REGISTRATION RIGHTS AGREEMENT JOINDER
The undersigned is executing and delivering this Joinder pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement dated as of June 4, 2020 (as the same may hereafter be amended, the “Registration Rights Agreement”), among Shift4 Payments, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Corporation”), and the other person named as parties therein.
By executing and delivering this Joinder to the Corporation, and upon acceptance hereof by the Corporation upon the execution of a counterpart hereof, the undersigned hereby agrees to become a party to, to be bound by, and to comply with the provisions of the Registration Rights Agreement as a Holder of Registrable Securities in the same manner as if the undersigned were an original signatory to the Registration Rights Agreement, and the undersigned’s shares of Class A Common Stock (or shares of Class A Common Stock to be issued upon the conversion of the undersigned’s shares of Class C Common Stock) shall be included as Registrable Securities under the Registration Rights Agreement to the extent provided therein. The Corporation is directed to add the address below the undersigned’s signature on this Joinder to the Schedule of Holders attached to the Registration Rights Agreement.
Accordingly, the undersigned has executed and delivered this Joinder as of the day of _______________, 20__.
Signature of Stockholder |
|
|
|
|
Print Name of Stockholder |
Its: |
|
Address: |
Agreed and Accepted as of |
|
, 20 |
|
|
|
|
|
Shift4 Payments, Inc. |
|
|
|
By: |
|
Name: |
|
Its: |
|
31
US-DOCS\113842189.9
Exhibit 10.11
Employment Agreement
This Employment Agreement (this “Agreement”), dated as of May 31, 2020, is made by and between Shift4 Payments, Inc., a Delaware corporation (together with any successor thereto, the “Company”), and Jared Isaacman (“Executive”) (collectively referred to as the “Parties” or individually referred to as a “Party”).
WHEREAS, Executive is party to that certain Amended and Restated Executive Employment Agreement, dated April 12, 2016, with Shift4 Payments, LLC, the Company’s principal operating subsidiary (the “Prior Agreement”);
WHEREAS, it is the desire of the Company to assure itself of the services of Executive following the Effective Date (as defined below) and thereafter on the terms herein provided by entering into this Agreement; and
WHEREAS, it is the desire of Executive to provide services to the Company following the Effective Date and thereafter on the terms herein provided.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing, and for other good and valuable consideration, including the respective covenants and agreements set forth below, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby acknowledged, the Parties hereto agree as follows:
1.Employment.
(a)General. Effective as of the first date hereafter on which the Company’s common stock is listed (or approved for listing) on any securities exchange or designated (or approved for designation) as a national market security on an interdealer quotation system, or such other date mutually agreed in writing between the Parties (such date, the “Effective Date”), the Company shall employ Executive and Executive shall remain in the employ of the Company, for the period and in the positions set forth in this Section 1, and subject to the other terms and conditions herein.
(b)Employment Term. The term of employment under this Agreement (the “Term”) shall commence on the Effective Date and end on the third (3rd) anniversary of the Effective Date, subject to earlier termination as provided in Section 3 below. The Term shall automatically renew for additional twelve (12) month periods unless no later than ninety (90) days prior to the end of the applicable Term either Party gives written notice of non-renewal (“Notice of Non-Renewal”) to the other, in which case Executive’s employment will terminate at the end of the then-applicable Term, subject to earlier termination as provided in Section 3 below.
(c)Positions. Executive shall serve as the Chief Executive Officer of the Company with such responsibilities, duties and authority normally associated with such position and as may from time to time be reasonably assigned to Executive by the Board, as defined below. Executive shall report directly to the Board. In addition, as soon as reasonably possible following the creation of three classes of directors pursuant to the Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws, the Board shall take such action as may be
US-DOCS\116341960.3 Shift4 Payments- Jared Isaacman Employment Agreement
necessary to appoint or elect Executive to serve as a Class III member of the Board. Thereafter, during the Term, the Board shall nominate Executive for re-election as a member of the Board at the expiration of the then current term, provided that the foregoing shall not be required to the extent prohibited by legal or regulatory requirements. Executive shall use his reasonable best efforts to attend each regular meeting of the Board, and such other meetings for which there is reasonable prior notice, in person, except as may be otherwise agreed by the Board prior to such meeting. At the Company’s request, Executive shall serve the Company and/or its subsidiaries and affiliates in such other capacities in addition to the foregoing as the Company shall designate, provided that such additional capacities are consistent with Executive’s position as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer. In the event that Executive serves in any one or more of such additional capacities, Executive’s compensation shall not automatically be increased on account of such additional service.
(d)Duties. Executive shall devote substantially all of Executive’s working time, attention and efforts to the business and affairs of the Company (which shall include service to its affiliates), except during any paid vacation or other excused absence periods. Executive shall not engage in outside business activities (including serving on outside boards or committees) without the prior written consent of the Board (which the Board may grant or withhold in its sole and absolute discretion); provided that Executive shall be permitted to (i) act as a director of Draken International, Inc., member or manager of JDI Holdings, LLC, and an officer, director and shareholder of Rook Holdings, Inc.; (ii) have a direct and/or indirect ownership interest in non-competing companies and, to the extent any such companies are majority-owned by the Executive, serve as an officer and director of such companies; (iii) serve on the board of directors (or as an advisor) of any business corporation other than a competitor of the Company or where the Board reasonably determines there is an actual conflict of interest; (iv) serve on the board of directors of, or work for, any charitable, non-profit or community organization other than a competitor of the Company or where the Board reasonably determines there is an actual conflict of interest; or (v) pursue his personal financial and legal affairs, in each case, subject to compliance with this Agreement and provided that such activities do not materially interfere with Executive’s performance of Executive’s duties and responsibilities hereunder or violate any restrictive covenants applicable to Executive pursuant to any written agreement with the Company (including, without limitation, the restrictive covenants set forth in Section 5). Executive agrees to observe and comply with the rules and policies of the Company as adopted by the Company from time to time, in each case as amended from time to time, as set forth in writing, and as delivered or made available to Executive (each, a “Policy”), provided that the terms of such Policies do not conflict with the terms of this Agreement, in which case this Agreement shall control.
(e)Location. Executive shall perform his duties hereunder at the offices of the Company located in Allentown, PA, but from time to time Executive may be reasonably required to travel to other locations in the proper conduct of Executive’s responsibilities under this Agreement and may fulfil his duties when traveling for other reasons.
(f)Termination of Prior Agreement. Effective as of the Effective Date, the Prior Agreement shall terminate and be of no further force and effect.
2
2.Compensation and Related Matters.
(a)Annual Base Salary. During the Term, Executive shall receive a base salary at a rate of $50,000 per annum, which shall be paid in accordance with the customary payroll practices of the Company and shall be pro-rated for partial years of employment (the “Annual Base Salary”).
(b)Annual Bonus. During the Term, Executive will be eligible to participate in an annual incentive program established by the Board or the Compensation Committee of the Board (the “Compensation Committee”). Executive’s annual incentive compensation under such incentive program (the “Annual Bonus”) shall be at the discretion of the Compensation Committee and the Board (with any appointees affiliated with Executive or Searchlight Capital Partners, L.P. abstaining), provided that the Compensation Committee and the Board shall meet at least annually to discuss the Annual Bonus. Such discussion shall include review of executive compensation comparables for similarly situated CEOs (whether presented to the Company by executive compensation specialists or otherwise) and giving consideration to Executive’s Annual Base Salary in comparison to the base salaries of such comparable CEOs.
(c)Annual Equity Awards. During the Term, Executive will be eligible to participate in the Company’s equity incentive plans for executives and employees and receive annual equity awards thereunder, as determined at the discretion of the Compensation Committee and the Board (with any appointees affiliated with Executive or Searchlight Capital Partners, L.P. abstaining) and subject to the terms of the Company’s equity incentive plans and applicable award agreements by and between Executive and the Company, provided that the Compensation Committee and the Board shall meet at least annually to discuss the annual equity award. Such discussion shall include review of executive compensation comparables for similarly situated CEOs (whether presented to the Company by executive compensation specialists or otherwise) and giving consideration to Executive’s Annual Base Salary in comparison to the base salaries of such comparable CEOs. Equity awards shall be in the form of restricted stock awards not subject to time or performance-based vesting unless otherwise required by the Compensation Committee or the Board in their discretion.
(d)Benefits. During the Term, Executive shall be eligible to participate in employee benefit plans, programs and arrangements as the Company may from time to time offer to provide to its executives, consistent with the terms thereof and as such plans, programs and arrangements may be amended from time to time. Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing herein is intended, or shall be construed, to require the Company to institute or continue any, or any particular, plan or benefit. During the Term, Executive shall also be entitled to benefits that are consistent with past practice, including a private car and driver, two leased automobiles and insurance for those automobiles, and life and health insurance policies.
(e)Vacation; Holidays. During the Term, Executive shall be entitled to paid vacation per calendar year (pro-rated for partial years) in accordance with the Policies, but in any event not less than four (4) weeks of paid vacation per year. Any vacation shall be taken at the reasonable and mutual convenience of the Company and Executive. In addition, the Company offers employees time off for standard Company holidays in accordance with the Policies.
3
(f)Business Expenses. During the Term, the Company shall reimburse Executive for all reasonable travel and other business expenses incurred by Executive in the performance of Executive’s duties to the Company in accordance with the Company’s expense reimbursement Policy in effect from time to time. Business expense reimbursement shall include reimbursements that are consistent with past practice, including home office, cell phone and computer/laptop expenses. If Executive travels on a commercial airline, Executive will be entitled to travel first class or, if unavailable, business class.
(g)Professional Expenses. During the Term, the Company shall reimburse Executive for legal, accounting, tax and other advisory fees and expenses reasonably incurred by Executive in connection with his employment by the Company and/or Executive’s ownership of equity in the Company or Shift4 Payments, LLC.
(h)Key Person Insurance. At any time during the Term, the Company shall have the right to insure the life of Executive for the Company’s sole benefit. The Company shall have the right to determine the amount of insurance and the type of policy. Executive shall reasonably cooperate with the Company in obtaining such insurance by submitting to physical examinations, by supplying all information reasonably required by any insurance carrier, and by executing all necessary documents reasonably required by any insurance carrier, provided that any information provided to an insurance company or broker shall not be provided to the Company without the prior written authorization of Executive. Executive shall incur no financial obligation by executing any required document, and shall have no interest in any such policy.
(i)Indemnification. The Company hereby agrees to indemnify Executive and hold Executive harmless to the fullest extent permitted under the organizational documents of the Company and applicable law against and in respect of any and all actions, suits, proceedings, claims, demands, judgments, costs, expenses (including reasonable attorney’s fees), losses, and damages (including advancement of fees and expenses) resulting from Executive’s good faith performance of Executive’s duties and obligations with the Company hereunder. The Company shall cover Executive under directors’ and officers’ liability insurance both during and, while potential liability exists, after the Term in the same amount and to the same extent as the Company covers its other officers and directors. The foregoing obligations shall survive the termination of Executive’s employment with the Company, and shall be in addition to any other indemnification rights Executive is entitled to, under existing indemnification agreements or otherwise.
(j)Attorney and other Professional Expenses. Upon the Executive’s submission of appropriate itemized proof and verification of reasonable and customary legal, tax and accounting fees incurred by Executive in obtaining legal, tax and accounting advice associated with the review, preparation, approval, and execution of this Agreement and the review of the IPO process, the Company shall reimburse Executive for all such legal, tax and accounting fees in an amount not to exceed $50,000, in accordance with the Company’s expense reimbursement policy following receipt of an invoice for legal, accounting and tax services from Executive and/or his advisors.
(k)Enforcement of this Agreement. In the event of any suit or action to enforce or interpret any provision of this Agreement, each party shall pay all its own costs and expenses, including without limitation its own legal fees and expenses; provided that if a party obtains a
4
judgement on the merits in such suit or action that substantially achieves in substance and amount the full remedy sought, then the other partyshall reimburse the prevailing party for all reasonable and documented legal fees and expenses incurred by the prevailing party in connection with such suit or action.
(a)Circumstances. Executive’s employment hereunder may be terminated by the Company or Executive, as applicable, without any breach of this Agreement under the following circumstances:
(i)Death. Executive’s employment hereunder shall terminate upon Executive’s death.
(ii)Disability. If Executive has incurred a Disability, as defined below, the Company may terminate Executive’s employment.
(iii)Termination for Cause. The Company may terminate Executive’s employment for Cause, as defined below.
(iv)Termination without Cause. The Company may terminate Executive’s employment without Cause, which shall include Executive’s termination as a result of the Company delivering a Notice of Non-Renewal.
(v)Resignation from the Company with Good Reason. Executive may resign Executive’s employment with the Company with Good Reason, as defined below.
(vi)Resignation from the Company without Good Reason. Executive may resign Executive’s employment with the Company for any reason other than Good Reason or for no reason, which shall include Executive’s termination as a result of Executive delivering a Notice of Non-Renewal.
(b)Notice of Termination. During the Term, any termination of Executive’s employment by the Company or by Executive under this Section 3 (other than termination pursuant to Section 3(a)(i) above) shall be communicated by a written notice (a “Notice of Termination”) to the other Party hereto (i) indicating the specific termination provision in this Agreement relied upon, (ii) setting forth in reasonable detail the facts and circumstances claimed to provide a basis for termination of Executive’s employment under the provision so indicated, if applicable, and (iii) specifying a Date of Termination (as defined below). The failure by either party to set forth in the Notice of Termination any fact or circumstance shall not waive any right of the party hereunder or preclude the party from asserting such fact or circumstance in enforcing the party’s rights hereunder.
(c)Termination Date. For purposes of this Agreement, “Date of Termination” shall mean the date of the termination of Executive’s employment with the Company, which, if Executive’s employment is terminated as a result of Executive’s death, will be the date of Executive’s death, and otherwise shall be the date specified in a Notice of Termination. Except in the case of a termination pursuant to Sections 3(a)(i) and (iii) above, the Date of Termination shall
5
be at least thirty (30) days following the date of the Notice of Termination; provided, however, that the Company may deliver a Notice of Termination to Executive that specifies any Date of Termination that occurs on or after the date of its Notice of Termination and, in the event that Executive delivers a Notice of Termination to the Company, the Company may, in its sole discretion, change the Date of Termination to any date that occurs on or following the date of the Notice of Termination and is prior to the Date of Termination specified in the Notice of Termination.
4.Obligations upon a Termination of Employment.
(a)Company Obligations upon Termination. Upon termination of Executive’s employment pursuant to any of the circumstances listed in Section 3(a) above, Executive (or Executive’s estate) shall be entitled to receive the sum of: (i) the portion of Executive’s Annual Base Salary earned through the Date of Termination, but not yet paid to Executive; (ii) any unpaid Annual Bonus earned by Executive for the year prior to the year in which the Date of Termination occurs, as determined by the Board in its good faith discretion based upon actual performance achieved, which Annual Bonus, if any, shall be paid to Executive when bonuses for such year are paid to actively employed senior executives of the Company but in no event later than March 15 of the year in which the Date of Termination occurs; (iii) any accrued but unpaid paid vacation owed to Executive pursuant to Section 2(e) above, if applicable; (iv) any expenses owed to Executive pursuant to Sections 2(f), (g), (j) or (k) above; and (v) any amount accrued and arising from Executive’s participation in, or benefits accrued under any employee benefit plans, programs or arrangements, which amounts shall be payable in accordance with the terms and conditions of such employee benefit plans, programs or arrangements (collectively, the “Company Arrangements”). Except as otherwise expressly required by law or as specifically provided in a Company Arrangement, this Section 4 or otherwise in this Agreement, all of Executive’s rights to salary, severance, benefits, bonuses and other compensatory amounts hereunder (if any) shall cease upon the termination of Executive’s employment hereunder.
(b)Executive’s Obligations upon Termination.
(i)Cooperation. Executive shall provide Executive’s reasonable cooperation in connection with any action or proceeding (or any appeal from any action or proceeding) which relates to events occurring during Executive’s employment hereunder; provided the Company shall indemnify and hold harmless Executive with respect to any such cooperation and reimburse Executive for Executive’s reasonable costs and expenses (including legal counsel selected by Executive and reasonably acceptable to the Company) and such cooperation shall not unreasonably burden Executive or unreasonably interfere with any subsequent employment that Executive may undertake.
(ii)Return of Company Property. Executive hereby acknowledges and agrees that all Personal Property (as defined below) and equipment furnished to, or prepared by, Executive in the course of, or incident to, Executive’s employment, belongs to the Company and shall be promptly returned to the Company upon termination of Executive’s employment (and will not be kept in Executive’s possession or delivered to anyone else). For purposes of this Agreement, “Personal Property” includes, without limitation, all books, manuals, records, reports, notes, contracts, lists, blueprints, and other documents,
6
or materials, or copies thereof (including computer files), keys, building card keys, company credit cards, telephone calling cards, computer hardware and software, laptop computers, docking stations, cellular and portable telephone equipment, personal digital assistant (PDA) devices and all other proprietary information relating to the business of the Company or its subsidiaries or affiliates. Following termination, Executive shall not retain any written or other tangible material containing any proprietary information of the Company or its subsidiaries or affiliates.
(c)Continued Benefits Coverage upon a Termination. If Executive’s employment terminates pursuant to Section 3(a)(i) due to Executive’s death, Section 3(a)(ii) due to Executive’s Disability (as defined below), Section 3(a)(iv) due to the Company’s termination without Cause or Section 3(a)(v) due to Executive’s resignation with Good Reason, or at the end of the Term as a result of the Company delivering a Notice of Non-Renewal, then, subject to Executive’s continued compliance with Section 5 below, Executive shall receive, in addition to payments and benefits set forth in Section 4(a) above, unless the Executive earlier receives healthcare through an alternate employer, thirty-six (36) months of payments for Executive and his eligible dependents to continue coverage under Section 4980B of the Code and the regulations thereunder (as if Executive had remained employed by the Company and based on coverage as of immediately prior to the Date of Termination), or receive monthly reimbursement during such 36-month period for equivalent coverage, payable, less applicable withholdings and deductions, monthly.
(d)Acceleration of Vesting upon a Change in Control. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in any applicable Company equity plan or equity agreement upon the occurrence of a Change in Control, the vesting (and, if applicable, exercisability) shall be accelerated (and, if applicable, all restrictions and rights of repurchase on such awards shall lapse), effective as of immediately prior to the date of such Change in Control, with respect to 100% of Executive’s unvested equity awards, whether time-based and/or performance based, and any such vested awards subject to exercisability shall be exercisable by Executive up to the later of the outside exercise date set forth in such award and, if Executive’s employment has terminated, one hundred eighty (180) days following the Date of Termination, after which date any such vested awards that have not been exercised shall be forfeited.
(e)No Requirement to Mitigate. Executive shall not be required to mitigate the amount of any payment provided for under this Agreement by seeking other employment or in any other manner and Executive shall continue to receive any payments or benefits to which he is entitled to under this Agreement regardless of whether he seeks or obtains subsequent employment. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the termination of Executive’s employment shall not impair the rights or obligations of any Party.
(f)Other Company Obligations.
(i)Following termination of Executive’s employment and for so long as Executive holds equity in the Company or any of its subsidiaries, the Company will make its senior executives and other personnel as appropriate available to Executive on a reasonable basis in order to consult with Executive respect to (i) any post-termination issues and (ii) Executive’s equity holdings in the Company and/or its subsidiaries.
7
(ii)Following termination of Executive’s employment and for so long as Executive holds equity in the Company or any of its subsidiaries, the Company will continue reimburse Executive, for up to 36 months following termination, for legal, accounting, tax and other advisory fees and expenses reasonably incurred by Executive in connection with his former employment and/or Executive’s ownership of equity in the Company and Shift4 Payments, LLC other than with respect to any dispute between Executive and the Company.
5.Restrictive Covenants and Confidentiality.
(a)The Executive hereby agrees that the Executive shall not, at any time during the Restricted Period, directly or indirectly engage in, have any interest in (including, without limitation, through the investment of capital or lending of money or property), or manage, operate or otherwise render any services to, any Person (whether on his own or in association with others, as a principal, director, officer, employee, agent, representative, partner, member, security holder, consultant, advisor, independent contractor, owner, investor, participant or in any other capacity) that engages in (either directly or through any subsidiary or affiliate thereof) any business or activity which is competitive with any material service or product offering that, as of the Date of Termination, the Company or any entity owned by the Company anywhere in the United States. For these purposes, “competitive” entities shall consist of businesses that are competitive with, or substantially similar to, the Company’s business as of the Date of Termination. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Executive shall be permitted to acquire a passive stock or equity interest in such a business; provided that such stock or other equity interest acquired is not more than five percent (5%) of the outstanding interest in such business.
(b)The Executive hereby agrees that the Executive shall not, at any time during the Restricted Period, directly or indirectly, either for himself or on behalf of any other Person, recruit or otherwise solicit or induce any suppliers or customers of the Company to terminate its arrangement with the Company, or otherwise change its relationship with the Company. For these purposes, a “customer” of the Company shall be all Persons that have actually used the Company’s services or purchased its products at any time prior to the expiration of the Restricted Period.
(c)In the event the terms of this Section 5 shall be determined by any court of competent jurisdiction to be unenforceable by reason of its extending for too great a period of time or over too great a geographical area or by reason of its being too extensive in any other respect, it will be interpreted to extend only over the maximum period of time for which it may be enforceable, over the maximum geographical area as to which it may be enforceable, or to the maximum extent in all other respects as to which it may be enforceable, all as determined by such court in such action. Any breach or violation by the Executive of the provisions of this Section 5 shall toll the running of any time periods set forth in this Section 5 for the duration of any such breach or violation.
(d)As used in this Section 5, the term “Company” shall include the Company and any parent, affiliated, related and/or direct or indirect subsidiary entity thereof.
(e)The Executive acknowledges that during his employment with the Company, the Executive had access to, received and had been entrusted with Confidential Information (as
8
defined below), which is considered secret and/or proprietary and has great value to the Company and that except for the Executive’s engagement by the Company, the Executive would not otherwise have access to such Confidential Information. The Executive recognizes that all such Confidential Information is the property of the Company. Subject to Section 4(b), during and at all times after employment with the Company, the Executive shall keep all of the Confidential Information in confidence and shall not disclose any of the same to any other person, except in the proper course and scope of the Executive’s duties or with the prior written consent of the Company. The Executive shall use his or her best efforts to prevent publication or disclosure of any Confidential Information and shall not, directly or indirectly, intentionally cause the Confidential Information to be used for the gain or benefit of any party outside of the Company or for the Executive’s personal gain or benefit outside the scope of the Executive’s engagement by the Company.
6.Assignment and Successors.
The Company may assign its rights and obligations under this Agreement to any of its affiliates or to any successor to all or substantially all of the business or the assets of the Company (by merger or otherwise). This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the Company, Executive and their respective successors, assigns, personnel and legal representatives, executors, administrators, heirs, distributees, devisees, and legatees, as applicable. None of Executive’s rights or obligations may be assigned or transferred by Executive, other than Executive’s rights to payments hereunder, which may be transferred only by will or operation of law. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Executive shall be entitled, to the extent permitted under applicable law and applicable Company Arrangements or other payments or benefits provided to Executive under this Agreement, to select and change a beneficiary or beneficiaries to receive compensation hereunder following Executive’s death by giving written notice thereof to the Company.
7.Certain Definitions.
(a)“Board” shall mean the Board of Directors of the Company or an authorized committee of the Board.
(b)“Cause” shall mean a termination by the Company for one of the following reasons: (i) Executive’s fraud or embezzlement with respect to the Company; (ii) Executive's breach of fiduciary duties to the Company; (iii) Executive's willful and continuing failure to substantially perform his obligations under this Agreement after reasonable written notice detailing such failure and an opportunity to cure; (iv) Executive's conviction or plea of nolo contendere or guilty in respect of a felony; or (vi) Executive's willful or grossly negligent misconduct that has resulted in a material adverse effect on the property, business, or reputation of the Company.
(c) “Change in Control” of the Company shall be deemed to have occurred in the event that: (i) the Company shall have been sold by either (A) a sale of all or substantially all its assets, or (B) a merger or consolidation, other than any merger or consolidation pursuant to which the Company acquires another entity, or (C) a tender offer, whether solicited or unsolicited; or (ii) any Person or group of Persons, other than the Company, Executive or any of his affiliates, is or becomes the “beneficial owner” (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of
9
1934, as amended), directly or indirectly, of voting securities of the Company representing 50% or more of the total voting power of all the then-outstanding voting securities of the Company.
(d) “Code” shall mean the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and the regulations and guidance promulgated thereunder.
(e)“Confidential Information” shall mean all information or material (i) that is developed by the Company or any of its affiliates, relates to the business, operations, employees, customers and/or clients of the Company or any of its affiliates and, if disclosed, could reasonably cause non-de minimis harm to the interests of the Company and/or its affiliates, or (ii) which is either (A) marked “Confidential Information”, “Proprietary Information” or with another similar marking, or (B) from all the relevant circumstances should reasonably be assumed by Executive to be confidential and proprietary to the Company. Confidential Information may include, but is not limited to, trade secrets, inventions, drawings, file data, documentation, diagrams, specifications, know-how, ideas, processes, formulas, models, flow charts, software in various stages of development, source codes, object codes, research and development procedures, research or development and test results, marketing techniques and materials, marketing and development plans, price lists, pricing policies, business plans, information relating to the Company and its customers and/or producers or other suppliers’ identities, characteristics and agreements, financial information and projections, and employee files, in each case, whether disclosed or made available to Executive in writing, orally or by drawings or observation, or whether intangible or embodied in documentation, software, hardware or other tangible form. Confidential Information also includes any information described above which the Company obtains from another party and which the Company treats as proprietary or designates as Confidential Information, whether or not owned or developed by the Company. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Confidential Information shall not include any information that is (w) known by Executive as a result of Executive’s experience in the Company’s industry generally and not specific to the Company, (x) known to the public or becomes known to the public through no fault of Executive, (y) received by Executive on a non-confidential basis from a person that is not known to the Executive to be bound by an obligation of confidentiality to the Company or its affiliates, or (z) in Executive’s possession prior to receipt from the Company or its affiliates, as evidenced by Executive’s written records. Furthermore, nothing contained herein shall be deemed to prohibit any disclosure that is required by law or court order, provided that the Company is given reasonable prior notice and an opportunity to contest or minimize such disclosure.
(f)“Disability” shall mean any physical or mental impairment that prevents Executive from being able to substantially perform his duties with or without a reasonable accommodation by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment which can be expected to result in death, or which has lasted, or can be expected to last, for not less than ninety (90) days (whether or not occurring consecutively) during any period of twelve (12) consecutive months, with such determination of whether Executive is subject to a Disability to be made in good faith by the Board after consultation with a physician, selected by the Board and approved by Executive (which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld), who has examined and diagnosed Executive; provided, however, that any leave of absence under the Family and Medical Leave Act or other medical leaves permitted by the Company to other employees generally shall be excluded from this definition.
10
(g) “Good Reason” shall mean the occurrence of any of the following events or conditions without the Executive’s written consent: (i) a material diminution in the Executive’s authority, duties, responsibilities or reporting structure; (ii) a material diminution in the Executive’s annual base compensation opportunity (i.e., base salary and target bonus percentage); (iii) relocation of the Executive’s principal workplace with the Company by greater than twenty five (25) miles; or (iv) the Board (or any of its committees) does not nominate the Executive for election to the Board at the annual meeting of the Company’s stockholders, provided that in the case of (i), (ii), (iii) and (iv) above, if such event or condition is curable, (A) the Executive has provided the Company written notice at least ninety (90) days following the initial occurrence of any such event or condition, (B) the Company fails to cure such event within thirty (30) days thereafter; and (C) the Executive terminates his or her employment for Good Reason within thirty (30) days following the end of such cure period.
(h)“Person” shall mean any individual, natural person, corporation (including any non-profit corporation), general partnership, limited partnership, limited liability partnership, joint venture, estate, trust, company (including any company limited by shares, limited liability company or joint stock company), incorporated or unincorporated association, governmental authority, firm, society or other enterprise, organization or other entity of any nature.
(i)“Restricted Period” shall mean the period from the Effective Date through the twelve (12) month anniversary of the Date of Termination.
8.Parachute Payments.
(a)Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Agreement or any Company Arrangement, in the event that any payment or benefit by the Company or otherwise to or for the benefit of Executive, whether paid or payable or distributed or distributable pursuant to the terms of this Agreement or otherwise (all such payments and benefits, including the payments and benefits under Section 4 above, being hereinafter referred to as the “Total Payments”), would be subject (in whole or in part) to the excise tax imposed by Section 4999 of the Code (the “Excise Tax”), then the Total Payments shall be reduced (in the order provided in Section 8(b) below) to the minimum extent necessary to avoid the imposition of the Excise Tax on the Total Payments, but only if (i) the net amount of such Total Payments, as so reduced (and after subtracting the net amount of federal, state and local income and employment taxes on such reduced Total Payments and after taking into account the phase out of itemized deductions and personal exemptions attributable to such reduced Total Payments), is greater than or equal to (ii) the net amount of such Total Payments without such reduction (but after subtracting the net amount of federal, state and local income and employment taxes on such Total Payments and the amount of the Excise Tax to which Executive would be subject in respect of such unreduced Total Payments and after taking into account the phase out of itemized deductions and personal exemptions attributable to such unreduced Total Payments).
(b)The Total Payments shall be reduced in the following order: (i) reduction on a pro-rata basis of any cash severance payments that are exempt from Section 409A of the Code (“Section 409A”), (ii) reduction on a pro-rata basis of any non-cash severance payments or benefits that are exempt from Section 409A, (iii) reduction on a pro-rata basis of any other payments or benefits that are exempt from Section 409A, and (iv) reduction of any payments or benefits
11
otherwise payable to Executive on a pro-rata basis or such other manner that complies with Section 409A; provided, in case of subclauses (ii), (iii) and (iv), that reduction of any payments attributable to the acceleration of vesting of Company equity awards shall be first applied to Company equity awards that would otherwise vest last in time.
(c)The Company will select an adviser with experience in performing calculations regarding the applicability of Section 280G of the Code and the Excise Tax, provided that the adviser’s determination shall be made based upon “substantial authority” within the meaning of Section 6662 of the Code, to make determinations regarding the application of this Section 8 (the “Independent Adviser”). The Independent Adviser shall provide its determination, together with detailed supporting calculations and documentation, to Executive and the Company within fifteen (15) business days following the date on which Executive’s right to the Total Payments is triggered, if applicable, or such other time as requested by Executive (provided, that Executive reasonably believes that any of the Total Payments may be subject to the Excise Tax) or the Company. The costs of obtaining such determination and all related fees and expenses (including related fees and expenses incurred in any later audit) shall be borne by the Company. Any good faith determinations of the Independent Adviser made hereunder shall be final, binding and conclusive upon the Company and Executive.
(d)In the event it is later determined that to implement the objective and intent of this Section 8, (i) a greater reduction in the Total Payments should have been made, the excess amount shall be returned promptly by Executive to the Company or (ii) a lesser reduction in the Total Payments should have been made, the excess amount shall be paid or provided promptly by the Company to Executive, except to the extent the Company reasonably determines would result in imposition of an excise tax under Section 409A.
9.Miscellaneous Provisions.
(a)Survival. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement, the provisions of Sections 5 through 9 of this Agreement will survive the termination of Executive’s employment and the termination of the Term.
(b)Governing Law. This Agreement shall be governed, construed, interpreted and enforced in accordance with its express terms, and otherwise in accordance with the substantive laws of the State of New York without reference to the principles of conflicts of law of the State of New York or any other jurisdiction that would result in application of the laws of a jurisdiction other than the State of New York, and where applicable, the laws of the United States. Any action or proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement shall be brought exclusively in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York located in Manhattan or the New York State Supreme Court for the County of New York, and the parties hereby expressly represent and agree that they are subject to the personal jurisdiction of said courts, and the parties hereby irrevocably consent to the jurisdiction of such courts in any legal or equitable proceedings related to such disputes and waive, to the fullest extent permitted by law, any objection which either of them may now or hereafter have that the laying of the venue of any legal proceedings related to such dispute which is brought in any such courts is improper or that such proceedings have been brought in an inconvenient forum.
12
(c)Validity. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision or provisions of this Agreement shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision of this Agreement, which shall remain in full force and effect.
(d)Notices. Any notice, request, claim, demand, document and other communication hereunder to any Party shall be effective upon receipt (or refusal of receipt) and shall be in writing and delivered personally or sent by facsimile or certified or registered mail, postage prepaid, as follows:
(i)If to the Company, to the Board at the Company’s headquarters,
(ii)If to Executive, to the last address that the Company has in its personnel records for Executive, or
(iii)At any other address as any Party shall have specified by notice in writing to the other Party.
(e)Counterparts. This Agreement may be executed in several counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all of which together will constitute one and the same Agreement. Signatures delivered by facsimile or PDF shall be deemed effective for all purposes.
(f)Entire Agreement. The terms of this Agreement, any indemnification agreement between the Company and Executive, and any equity award agreement between the Company and Executive are intended by the Parties to be the final expression of their agreement with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersede all prior understandings and agreements, whether written or oral, including without limitation the Prior Agreement and any other prior employment agreement or offer letter between Executive and the Company; provided that the equity acceleration provisions in this Agreement shall supersede the provisions of any equity award agreement between the Company and Executive. The Parties further intend that this Agreement shall constitute the complete and exclusive statement of their terms and that no extrinsic evidence whatsoever may be introduced in any judicial, administrative, or other legal proceeding to vary the terms of this Agreement.
(g)Amendments; Waivers. This Agreement may not be modified, amended, or terminated except by an instrument in writing, signed by Executive and a duly authorized representative of Company. By an instrument in writing similarly executed, Executive or a duly authorized representative of the Company may waive compliance by the other Party with any specifically identified provision of this Agreement that such other Party was or is obligated to comply with or perform; provided, however, that such waiver shall not operate as a waiver of, or estoppel with respect to, any other or subsequent failure. No failure to exercise and no delay in exercising any right, remedy, or power hereunder preclude any other or further exercise of any other right, remedy, or power provided herein or by law or in equity.
(h)Enforcement. If any provision of this Agreement is held to be illegal, invalid or unenforceable under present or future laws effective during the Term, such provision shall be fully severable; this Agreement shall be construed and enforced as if such illegal, invalid or unenforceable provision had never comprised a portion of this Agreement; and the remaining provisions of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect and shall not be affected by the illegal, invalid or unenforceable provision or by its severance from this Agreement. Furthermore,
13
in lieu of such illegal, invalid or unenforceable provision there shall be added automatically as part of this Agreement a provision as similar in terms to such illegal, invalid or unenforceable provision as may be possible and be legal, valid and enforceable.
(i)Withholding. The Company shall be entitled to withhold from any amounts payable under this Agreement any federal, state, local or foreign withholding or other taxes or charges that the Company is required to withhold. The Company shall be entitled to rely on an opinion of counsel if any questions as to the amount or requirement of withholding shall arise.
(j)Whistleblower Protections and Trade Secrets. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained herein, nothing in this Agreement prohibits Executive from reporting possible violations of federal law or regulation to any United States governmental agency or entity in accordance with the provisions of and rules promulgated under Section 21F of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or Section 806 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or any other whistleblower protection provisions of state or federal law or regulation (including the right to receive an award for information provided to any such government agencies). Furthermore, in accordance with 18 U.S.C. § 1833, notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Agreement: (i) Executive shall not be in breach of this Agreement, and shall not be held criminally or civilly liable under any federal or state trade secret law (A) for the disclosure of a trade secret that is made in confidence to a federal, state, or local government official or to an attorney solely for the purpose of reporting or investigating a suspected violation of law, or (B) for the disclosure of a trade secret that is made in a complaint or other document filed in a lawsuit or other proceeding, if such filing is made under seal; and (ii) if Executive files a lawsuit for retaliation by the Company for reporting a suspected violation of law, Executive may disclose the trade secret to Executive’s attorney, and may use the trade secret information in the court proceeding, if Executive files any document containing the trade secret under seal, and does not disclose the trade secret, except pursuant to court order.
(k)Section 409A.
(i)General. The intent of the Parties is that the payments and benefits under this Agreement comply with or be exempt from Section 409A and, accordingly, to the maximum extent permitted, this Agreement shall be interpreted to be in compliance therewith. Except as otherwise permitted under Section 409A, no payment hereunder shall be accelerated or deferred unless such acceleration or deferral would not result in additional tax or interest pursuant to Section 409A.
(ii)Separation from Service. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, any compensation or benefits payable under this Agreement that is considered nonqualified deferred compensation under Section 409A and is designated under this Agreement as payable upon Executive’s termination of employment shall be payable only upon Executive’s “separation from service” with the Company within the meaning of Section 409A (a “Separation from Service”).
(iii)Specified Employee. Notwithstanding anything in this Agreement to the contrary, if Executive is deemed by the Company at the time of Executive’s Separation from Service to be a “specified employee” for purposes of Section 409A, to the extent
14
delayed commencement of any portion of the benefits to which Executive is entitled under this Agreement is required in order to avoid a prohibited distribution under Section 409A, such portion of Executive’s benefits shall not be provided to Executive prior to the earlier of (A) the expiration of the six (6)-month period measured from the date of Executive’s Separation from Service with the Company or (B) the date of Executive’s death. Upon the first business day following the expiration of the applicable Section 409A period, all payments deferred pursuant to the preceding sentence shall be paid in a lump sum to Executive (or Executive’s estate or beneficiaries), and any remaining payments due to Executive under this Agreement shall be paid as otherwise provided herein.
(iv)Expense Reimbursements. To the extent that any reimbursements under this Agreement are subject to Section 409A, any such reimbursements payable to Executive shall be paid to Executive no later than December 31st of the year following the year in which the expense was incurred; provided, that Executive submits Executive’s reimbursement request promptly following the date the expense is incurred, the amount of expenses reimbursed in one year shall not affect the amount eligible for reimbursement in any subsequent year, other than medical expenses referred to in Section 105(b) of the Code, and Executive’s right to reimbursement under this Agreement will not be subject to liquidation or exchange for another benefit.
(v)Installments. Executive’s right to receive any installment payments under this Agreement, including without limitation any continuation salary payments that are payable on Company payroll dates, shall be treated as a right to receive a series of separate payments and, accordingly, each such installment payment shall at all times be considered a separate and distinct payment as permitted under Section 409A.
10.Acknowledgements.
Each party acknowledges that such party has read and understands this Agreement, is fully aware of its legal effect, has not acted in reliance upon any representations or promises made by the other party hereto, other than those contained in writing herein, and has entered into this Agreement freely based on such party’s own judgment.
[Signature Page Follows]
15
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the Parties have executed this Agreement on the date and year first above written.
|
SHIFT4 PAYMENTS, INC. |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
By: |
/s/ Bradley Herring |
|
|
Name: |
Bradley Herring |
|
|
Title: |
Chief Financial Officer |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
EXECUTIVE |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
/s/ Jared Isaacman |
||
|
Jared Isaacman |
Exhibit 31.1
RULES 13a-14(a) AND 15d-14(a) UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934,
AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
I, Jared Isaacman, certify that:
1. |
I have reviewed this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of Shift4 Payments, Inc.; |
2. |
Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report; |
|
3. |
Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report; |
|
|
(a) |
Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared; |
|
|
(b) |
[omitted]; |
|
|
(c) |
Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and |
|
|
(d) |
Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant's internal control over financial reporting; and |
|
5. |
The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant's board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions): |
|
|
(a) |
All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant's ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and |
|
|
(b) |
Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting. |
|
Date: August 12, 2020 |
|
By: |
/s/ Jared Isaacman |
|
|
|
Jared Isaacman |
|
|
|
Chief Executive Officer |
|
|
|
(principal executive officer) |
CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO
RULES 13a-14(a) AND 15d-14(a) UNDER THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934,
AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO SECTION 302 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
I, Bradley Herring, certify that:
1. |
I have reviewed this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of Shift4 Payments, Inc.; |
2. |
Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report; |
|
3. |
Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report; |
|
|
(a) |
Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared; |
|
|
(b) |
[omitted]; |
|
|
(c) |
Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and |
|
|
(d) |
Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and |
|
5. |
The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant's auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions): |
|
|
(a) |
All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and |
|
|
(b) |
Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting. |
|
Date: August 12, 2020 |
|
By: |
/s/ Bradley Herring |
|
|
|
Bradley Herring |
|
|
|
Chief Financial Officer |
|
|
|
(principal financial officer) |
CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO
18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350, AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO
SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
In connection with the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of Shift4 Payments, Inc. (the “Company”) for the period ended June 30, 2020 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), I certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 1350, as adopted pursuant to § 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that:
|
(1) |
The Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and |
|
(2) |
The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company. |
Date: August 12, 2020 |
|
By: |
/s/ Jared Isaacman |
|
|
|
Jared Isaacman |
|
|
|
Chief Executive Officer |
|
|
|
(principal executive officer) |
CERTIFICATION PURSUANT TO
18 U.S.C. SECTION 1350, AS ADOPTED PURSUANT TO
SECTION 906 OF THE SARBANES-OXLEY ACT OF 2002
In connection with the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q of Shift4 Payments, Inc. (the “Company”) for the period ended June 30, 2020 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), I certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 1350, as adopted pursuant to § 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, that:
|
(1) |
The Report fully complies with the requirements of Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; and |
|
(2) |
The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company. |
Date: August 12, 2020 |
|
By: |
/s/ Bradley Herring |
|
|
|
Bradley Herring |
|
|
|
Chief Financial Officer |
|
|
|
(principal financial officer) |