Common Stock to be issued pursuant to the Merger has been filed and declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and there being no stop order suspending such effectiveness; that all material consents and authorizations have been obtained; and that there are no legal restraints to the consummation of the Merger.
We currently anticipate that the Merger and the other transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement will be consummated on August 1, 2024, subject to all the conditions precedent to the Merger specified in the Merger Agreement being satisfied or waived. The Registration Statement, which will include the preliminary proxy statement of the Company and that will also constitute a preliminary prospectus of New TopCo, is expected to be filed by New TopCo with the SEC on or about March 1, 2024.
The Merger Agreement contains certain representations and warranties relating to organization and good standing, due authorization and enforceability of the Merger Agreement, in each case, on the part of the Company, New TopCo and Merger Sub.
The Merger Agreement may be terminated and the Merger abandoned if any of the requirements under the Merger Agreement are not satisfied within 180 days of the date of the Merger Agreement by the Company, New TopCo or Merger Sub.
The foregoing description of the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Merger Agreement, which is filed as Exhibit 2.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K (this “Form 8-K”) and incorporated by reference herein. The Merger Agreement should not be read alone, but should instead be read in conjunction with the other information regarding the Company that is or will be contained in, or incorporated by reference into, the Annual Reports on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other documents that the Company or New TopCo file with the SEC.
Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.
On February 28, 2024, the Compensation Committee (the “Compensation Committee”) of the Company’s Board of Directors amended the Company’s Change in Control Policy to clarify that a change in control under the Ferguson plc 2023 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan would constitute a “Change in Control” under the policy, and that a transaction will not constitute a “Change in Control” under the policy if (x) the Company becomes a direct or indirect wholly owned subsidiary of a holding company and (y) the direct or indirect holders of the voting shares of such holding company immediately following that transaction are substantially the same as the holders of Company’s voting shares immediately prior to that transaction. The amended Change in Control Policy is filed as Exhibit 10.1 to this Form 8-K.
Item 8.01 Other Events.
Effective March 7, 2024, the restricted stock units that were issued to the Company’s non-employee directors on October 12, 2023 under the Ferguson Non-Employee Director Incentive Plan 2022 will be cancelled (the “Cancelled Director Awards”) and a replacement grant of restricted stock units, for the same number of restricted stock units that had been issued under the Cancelled Director Awards with a vesting date of the next annual shareholders meeting, will be made to each of the Company’s non-employee directors under the Ferguson plc 2023 Omnibus Equity Incentive Plan, pursuant to the form of award agreement filed as Exhibit 10.2 to this Form 8-K.
Important Information for Investors and Shareholders
This Form 8-K and the exhibits filed or furnished herewith do not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy or exchange any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval in any jurisdiction. It does not constitute a prospectus or prospectus equivalent document. No offering of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
In connection with the Merger, New TopCo and the Company intend to file relevant materials with the SEC, including, among other filings, the Registration Statement that will include a proxy statement of the Company that also constitutes a prospectus of New TopCo, and a definitive proxy statement/prospectus, which will be mailed to