Exhibit 4.2
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DESCRIPTION OF THE REGISTRANT’S SECURITIES
REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12 OF THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
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As of April 30, 2020, GMS Inc. (“we,” “our,” “us,” or the “Company”) had one class of securities registered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act: its common stock, par value $0.01 per share. 
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 The following description of our capital stock is a summary and does not purport to be complete. It is based on and qualified in its entirety by reference to our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws, both of which are filed as exhibits to this Annual Report on Form 10-K of which this Exhibit 4.1 is a part, and the applicable provisions of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “DGCL”).
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General
        
Our authorized capital stock consists of 500,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, and 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.01 per share. 
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Common Stock
        
The holders of our common stock are entitled to the following rights, preferences and privileges:
        
Holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters submitted to a vote of stockholders and do not have cumulative voting rights. An election of directors by our stockholders shall be determined by a plurality of the votes cast by the stockholders present in person or represented by proxy at the meeting and entitled to vote on the election. There will be no cumulative voting in the election of directors, which means that holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock will be able to elect all of the directors, and holders of less than a majority of such shares will be unable to elect any director. Holders of common stock are entitled to be paid ratably any dividends as may be declared by our board of directors (in its sole discretion), subject to any preferential dividend rights of outstanding preferred stock (if any).
        
In the event of our liquidation or dissolution, the holders of our common stock are entitled to receive ratably, in proportion to the number of shares held by them, the assets available for distribution to stockholders after the payment of all debts and other liabilities and subject to the prior rights (if any) of any outstanding preferred stock. Holders of our common stock have no preemptive or other rights to subscribe for additional shares. The shares of our outstanding common stock are not subject to further calls or assessments by us. There are no conversion or redemption rights or sinking fund provisions applicable to the shares of our common stock. The rights, preferences and privileges of holders of our common stock are subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of shares of any series of preferred stock that we may designate and issue in the future.
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Preferred Stock
        
Our preferred stock, if issued, may have priority over our common stock with respect to dividends and other distributions, including the distribution of our assets upon liquidation. To the extent permitted by law, our board of directors will have the authority, without further stockholder authorization, to issue from time to time shares of authorized preferred stock in one or more series and to fix the terms, powers (including voting powers), rights and preferences, variations and the restrictions and limitations thereof of each series. Although we have no present plans to issue any shares of preferred stock, the issuance of shares of preferred stock, or the issuance of rights to purchase such shares, could adversely affect the rights and powers, including voting rights, of the common stock, and could have the effect of delaying, deterring or preventing a change in control of us or an unsolicited acquisition proposal.
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Limitations on Directors’ Liability
       
Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws contain provisions indemnifying our directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by law. We have also entered into indemnification agreements with each of our directors which, in certain cases, are broader than the specific indemnification provisions provided for under Delaware law.
        
In addition, to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law, our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that no director will be personally liable to us or our stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director. The effect of this provision is to restrict our rights and the rights of our stockholders in derivative suits to recover monetary damages from a director for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except that a director will be personally liable for:
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		●	any breach of his or her duty of loyalty to us or our stockholders;

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		●	acts or omissions not in good faith which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law;

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		●	the payment of dividends or the redemption or purchase of stock in violation of the DGCL; or

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		●	any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit.

        
This provision does not affect a director’s liability under the federal securities laws.
        
To the extent that our directors, officers and controlling persons are indemnified under the provisions of our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our amended and restated bylaws, the DGCL or contractual arrangements against liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), for any of the above listed matters, we have been advised that in the opinion of the SEC, such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.
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Provisions of Our Second Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, Amended and Restated Bylaws and Delaware Law that May Have an Anti-Takeover Effect
        
The DGCL, our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws contain provisions that could have the effect of delaying, deferring or discouraging another party from acquiring control of us. These provisions, which are summarized below, are expected to discourage coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids. These provisions are also designed to encourage persons seeking to acquire control of us to first negotiate with our board of directors.
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Staggered Board; Removal of Directors
       
Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws divide our board of directors into three classes with staggered three-year terms. In addition, a director will be subject to removal by our stockholders only for cause and only by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds in voting power of all of our then outstanding common stock. Any vacancy on our board of directors, including a vacancy resulting from an increase in the number of directors, may only be filled by vote of a majority of our directors then in office (subject to the rights of holders of any series of preferred stock or rights granted pursuant to the stockholders' agreement).
       
 Furthermore, our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the total number of directors may be changed only by the resolution of our board of directors (subject to the rights of holders of any series of preferred stock to elect additional directors). The classification of our board of directors and the limitations on the removal of directors, changes to the total numbers of directors and filling of vacancies could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire, or discourage a third party from seeking to acquire, control of our Company.
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Stockholder Action by Written Consent; Special Meetings
        
Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that any action required or permitted to be taken by our stockholders must be effected at a duly called annual or special meeting of the stockholders and may not be effected by written consent. Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws also provide that, except as otherwise required by law, special meetings of our stockholders can be called only by our chairman of the board or our board of directors.
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Advance Notice Requirements for Stockholder Proposals
        
Our amended and restated bylaws establish an advance notice procedure for stockholder proposals to be brought before an annual meeting of stockholders, including proposed nominations of persons for election to our board of directors. Stockholders at an annual meeting may only consider proposals or nominations specified in the notice of meeting or brought before the meeting by or at the direction of our board of directors or by a stockholder of record who is entitled to vote at the meeting and who has delivered timely written notice in proper form to our secretary of the stockholder's intention to bring such business before the meeting. These provisions could have the effect of delaying stockholder actions that are favored by the holders of a majority of our outstanding voting securities until the next stockholder meeting.
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Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law
        
While we have opted out of Section 203 of the DGCL, our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation contains similar provisions providing that we may not engage in certain “business combinations” with any “interested stockholder” for a three-year period following the time that the stockholder became an interested stockholder, unless:
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		●	prior to such time, our board of directors approved either the business combination or the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder;

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		●	upon consummation of the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of our voting stock outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding certain shares; or

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		●	at or subsequent to that time, the business combination is approved by our board of directors and by the affirmative vote of holders of at least two-thirds of our outstanding voting stock that is not owned by the interested stockholder.

        
Generally, a “business combination” includes a merger, asset or stock sale or other transaction provided for or through our Company resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholder. Subject to certain exceptions, an “interested stockholder” is a person who owns 15% or more of our outstanding voting stock and the affiliates and associates of such person. For purposes of this provision, “voting stock” means any class or series of stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors.
        
Under certain circumstances, this provision will make it more difficult for a person who qualifies as an “interested stockholder” to effect certain business combinations with our Company for a three-year period. This provision may encourage companies interested in acquiring us to negotiate in advance with our board of directors in order to avoid the stockholder approval requirement if our board of directors approves either the business combination or the transaction that results in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder. These provisions also may have the effect of preventing changes in our board of directors and may make it more difficult to accomplish transactions that our stockholders may otherwise deem to be in their best interests.
        
Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that certain affiliates of AEA Investors LP, their respective affiliates and any of their direct or indirect designated transferees (other than in certain market transfers and gifts) and any group of which such persons are a party do not constitute “interested stockholders” for purposes of this provision.
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Amendments to Our Bylaws
        
The DGCL provides generally that the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares present at any meeting and entitled to vote on a matter is required to amend a corporation's bylaws, unless a corporation’s bylaws require a greater percentage. Our amended and restated bylaws may be amended or repealed by the affirmative vote of the holders of at least two-thirds of the voting power of all outstanding stock entitled to vote thereon, voting together as a single class.
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Exclusive Forum
        
Our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf, (ii) any action asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed to us or our stockholders by any of our directors, officers or employees, (iii) any action asserting a claim against us arising under the DGCL, our second amended and restated certificate of incorporation or our amended and restated bylaws or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine. Although we believe this provision benefits us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law in the types of claims to which it applies, the provision may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers and may limit our stockholders' ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us.
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Stock Exchange Listing
        
Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “GMS”.
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Transfer Agent and Registrar
        
The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc.

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