Company: FRT-PC
Filing Date: 2025-02-13
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0000034903-25-000016
Chunk: 24

Company: FEDERAL REALTY INVESTMENT TRUST
Filing Date: 2025-02-13
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1A
Chunk 24
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 shares any one shareholder of the Parent Company can own.

The Code imposes certain limitations on the ownership of the stock of a REIT. For example, not more than 50% in value of our outstanding shares of capital stock may be owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer individuals (as defined in the Code) during the last half of any taxable year. To protect our REIT status, the Parent Company's declaration of trust prohibits any one shareholder from owning (actually or constructively) more than 9.8% in value of the outstanding common shares or of any class or series of outstanding preferred shares. The constructive ownership rules are complex. Shares of the Parent Company's capital stock owned, actually or constructively, by a group of related individuals and/or entities may be treated as constructively owned by one of those individuals or entities. As a result, the acquisition of less than 9.8% in value of the outstanding common shares and/or a class or series of preferred shares (or the acquisition of an interest in an entity that owns common shares or preferred shares) by an individual or entity could cause that individual or entity (or another) to own constructively more than 9.8% in value of the outstanding capital stock. If that happens, either the transfer of ownership would be void or the shares would be transferred to a charitable trust and then sold to someone who can own those shares without violating the 9.8% ownership limit.

The Board of Trustees may waive these restrictions on a case-by-case basis. In addition, the Board of Trustees and two-thirds of our shareholders eligible to vote at a shareholder meeting may remove these restrictions if they determine it is no longer in our best interests for the Parent Company to attempt to qualify, or to continue to qualify, as a REIT. The 9.8% ownership restrictions may delay, defer or prevent a transaction or a change of our control that might involve a premium price for the common shares or otherwise be in the shareholders’ best interest.

Legislative, administrative, regulatory or other actions affecting REITs, including positions taken by the IRS, could have a material adverse effect on us and our investors.

The rules dealing with U.S. federal income taxation are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process, and by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) and the U.S. Department of the Treasury (“Treasury”). Changes to the tax laws or interpretations thereof by the IRS and the Treasury, with or without retroactive application, could materially and adversely