fate-ex45_659.htm



 

Exhibit 4.5

DESCRIPTION OF THE REGISTRANT’S SECURITIES 

REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12 OF THE 

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 

As of December 31, 2019, Fate Therapeutics, Inc. (the “Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our”) had one class of securities registered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended: our Common Stock (as defined below).

 

 

DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK 

The following description of our Common Stock and Preferred Stock (collectively, the “Capital Stock”) is a summary and does not purport to be complete. It is subject to and qualified in its entirety by reference to our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation (“Certificate of Incorporation”), the Certificate of Designation of Preferences, Rights and Limitations of the Class A Preferred filed with the Delaware Secretary of State on November 22, 2016 (the “Certificate of Designation”) and our Amended and Restated Bylaws (“Bylaws”), each of which are incorporated by reference as an exhibit to the Annual Report on Form 10-K of which this Exhibit 4.6 is a part, and by applicable law. We encourage you to read our Certificate of Incorporation, Certificate of Designation, our Bylaws and the applicable provisions of the Delaware General Corporation Law for additional information. 

Authorized Capital Stock 

Our authorized capital stock consists of 150,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Common Stock”),and 5,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share (the “Preferred Stock”). 2,819,549 shares of our authorized Preferred Stock have been designated as Class A Convertible Preferred Stock.  

Common Stock 

The holders of our Common Stock are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters submitted to a vote of the stockholders. The holders of our Common Stock do not have any cumulative voting rights. Holders of our Common Stock are entitled to receive ratably any dividends declared by our board of directors (the “Board”) out of funds legally available for that purpose, subject to any preferential dividend rights of any outstanding Preferred Stock. Our Common Stock has no preemptive rights, conversion rights or other subscription rights or redemption or sinking fund provisions. 

In the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, holders of our Common Stock will be entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining after payment of all debts and other liabilities and any liquidation preference of any outstanding Preferred Stock. All outstanding shares are fully paid and nonassessable. 

Exchange Listing 

Our Common Stock is listed on The Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “FATE.” 

Transfer Agent and Registrar 

The transfer agent and registrar for our Common Stock is American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC.  

 



 

Preferred Stock 

Undesignated Preferred Stock 

Our Board was initially authorized to issue up to 5,000,000 shares of Preferred Stock in one or more series without stockholder approval. As a result of the designation and issuance of 2,819,549 shares of Class A Convertible Preferred Stock described below, our Board is authorized to designate and issue up to 2,180,451 remaining shares of Preferred Stock. Our Board may determine the rights, preferences, privileges and restrictions, including voting rights, dividend rights, conversion rights, redemption privileges and liquidation preferences, of each series of Preferred Stock, any or all of which may be more favorable than the rights of our Common Stock. The issuance of our Preferred Stock could adversely affect the voting power of holders of Common Stock and the likelihood that such holders will receive dividend payments and payments upon our liquidation. In addition, the issuance of Preferred Stock could have the effect of delaying, deferring or preventing a change in control of our company or other corporate action. 

Class A Convertible Preferred Stock 

Each share of Class A Convertible Preferred Stock (the “Preferred Shares”) is convertible into five shares of Common Stock (subject to adjustment for stock dividends, stock splits, combinations and the like). In the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, holders of Preferred Shares will participate pari passu with the holders of our Common Stock in any distribution of proceeds, pro rata based on the number of shares held by each such holder. The Preferred Shares generally have no voting rights. Holders of the Preferred Shares are entitled to receive, on an as-converted-to-common-stock basis, dividends that are equal to dividends actually paid on shares of Common Stock, when, as and if such dividends are paid on shares of the Common Stock. 

Anti-Takeover Effects of Our Certificate of Incorporation and Our Bylaws 

Our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws include a number of provisions that may have the effect of delaying, deferring or discouraging another party from acquiring control of us and encouraging persons considering unsolicited tender offers or other unilateral takeover proposals to negotiate with our Board rather than pursue non-negotiated takeover attempts. These provisions include the items described below. 

Board Composition and Filling Vacancies. Our Certificate of Incorporation provides for the division of our Board into three classes serving staggered three-year terms, with one class being elected each year. Our Certificate of Incorporation also provides that directors may be removed only for cause and then only by the affirmative vote of the holders of 75% or more of the shares then entitled to vote at an election of directors. Furthermore, any vacancy on our Board, however occurring, including a vacancy resulting from an increase in the size of our Board, may only be filled by the affirmative vote of a majority of our directors then in office even if less than a quorum. 

No Written Consent of Stockholders. Our Certificate of Incorporation provides that all stockholder actions are required to be taken by a vote of the stockholders at an annual or special meeting, and that stockholders may not take any action by written consent in lieu of a meeting. 

Meetings of Stockholders. Our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws provide that only a majority of the members of our Board then in office may call special meetings of stockholders and only those matters set forth in the notice of the special meeting may be considered or acted upon at a special meeting of stockholders. Our Bylaws limit the business that may be conducted at an annual meeting of stockholders to those matters properly brought before the meeting. 

 



 

Advance Notice Requirements. Our Bylaws establish advance notice procedures with regard to stockholder proposals relating to the nomination of candidates for election as directors or new business to be brought before meetings of our stockholders. These procedures provide that notice of stockholder proposals must be timely given in writing to our corporate secretary prior to the meeting at which the action is to be taken. Generally, to be timely, notice must be received at our principal executive offices not less than 90 days nor more than 120 days prior to the first anniversary date of the annual meeting for the preceding year. Our Bylaws specify the requirements as to form and content of all stockholders’ notices. 

Amendment to Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws. As required by the Delaware General Corporation Law, any amendment of our Certificate of Incorporation must first be approved by a majority of our Board, and if required by law or our Certificate of Incorporation, must thereafter be approved by a majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on the amendment and a majority of the outstanding shares of each class entitled to vote thereon as a class, except that the amendment of the provisions relating to stockholder action, board composition, limitation of liability and the amendment of our Certificate of Incorporation must be approved by not less than 75% of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on the amendment, and not less than 75% of the outstanding shares of each class entitled to vote thereon as a class. Our Bylaws may be amended by the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors then in office, subject to any limitations set forth in the Bylaws; and may also be amended by the affirmative vote of at least 75% of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on the amendment, or, if our Board recommends that the stockholders approve the amendment, by the affirmative vote of the majority of the outstanding shares entitled to vote on the amendment, in each case voting together as a single class. 

Undesignated Preferred Stock. Our Certificate of Incorporation provides for 5,000,000 authorized shares of Preferred Stock, of which 2,819,549 shares have been designated as Class A Convertible Preferred Stock. The existence of authorized but unissued shares of undesignated Preferred Stock may enable our Board to discourage an attempt to obtain control of us by means of a merger, tender offer, proxy contest or otherwise. For example, if in the due exercise of its fiduciary obligations, our Board were to determine that a takeover proposal is not in the best interests of our stockholders, our Board could cause shares of Preferred Stock to be issued without stockholder approval in one or more private offerings or other transactions that might dilute the voting or other rights of the proposed acquirer or insurgent stockholder or stockholder group. In this regard, our Certificate of Incorporation grants our Board broad power to establish the rights and preferences of authorized and unissued shares of Preferred Stock. The issuance of shares of Preferred Stock could decrease the amount of earnings and assets available for distribution to holders of shares of Common Stock. The issuance may also adversely affect the rights and powers, including voting rights, of these holders and may have the effect of delaying, deterring or preventing a change in control of us. 

Exclusive Jurisdiction of Certain Actions. Our Certificate of Incorporation provides that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware shall 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 by any of our directors, officers or other employees to us or our stockholders, (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law, our Certificate of Incorporation or our Bylaws, or (iv) any action asserting a claim against us 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 lawsuits to which it applies, the provision may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers. The enforceability of similar exclusive forum provisions in other companies’ certificates of incorporation has been challenged in legal proceedings, and it is possible that a court could rule that this provision in our Certificate of Incorporation is inapplicable or unenforceable. 

 



 

Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law

We are subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law, or Section 203. In general, Section 203 prohibits a publicly-held Delaware corporation from engaging in a “business combination” with an “interested stockholder” for a three-year period following the time that this stockholder becomes an interested stockholder, unless the business combination is approved in a prescribed manner. A “business combination” includes, among other things, a merger, asset or stock sale or other transaction resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholder. An “interested stockholder” is a person who, together with affiliates and associates, owns, or did own within three years prior to the determination of interested stockholder status, 15% or more of the corporation’s voting stock.

Under Section 203, a business combination between a corporation and an interested stockholder is prohibited unless it satisfies one of the following conditions: before the stockholder became interested, the board of directors approved either the business combination or the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder; upon consummation of the transaction which resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding for purposes of determining the voting stock outstanding, shares owned by persons who are directors and also officers, and employee stock plans, in some instances; or at or after the time the stockholder became interested, the business combination was approved by the board of directors of the corporation and authorized at an annual or special meeting of the stockholders by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the outstanding voting stock which is not owned by the interested stockholder.

A Delaware corporation may “opt out” of these provisions with an express provision in its original certificate of incorporation or an express provision in its certificate of incorporation or bylaws resulting from a stockholders’ amendment approved by at least a majority of the outstanding voting shares. We have not opted out of these provisions. As a result, mergers or other takeover or change in control attempts of us may be discouraged or prevented.