ex_320102.htm


Exhibit 4.1


 


DESCRIPTION OF THE REGISTRANT’S SECURITIES


 


REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12 OF THE


 


SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934


 


As of February 22, 2022, Freshpet, Inc. (“Freshpet,” the “Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our”) had one class of securities registered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”): our common stock.


 


The following summary of our common stock does not purport to be complete and is subject to our certificate of incorporation, as amended (our “Certificate of Incorporation”), our bylaws, as amended (our “Bylaws”), each of which is filed as an exhibit to the Annual Report on Form 10-K to which this exhibit is a part. We encourage you to read our Certificate of Incorporation, our Bylaws and the applicable provisions of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (“DGCL”) for additional information.


 


Authorized Capitalization 


 


The total amount of our authorized capital stock consists of 200,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, and 100,000,000 shares of undesignated preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share.


 


Our common stock is not entitled to preemptive or other similar subscription rights to purchase any of our securities. Our common stock is neither convertible nor redeemable. Unless our board of directors (the "Board") determines otherwise, we will issue all of our capital stock in uncertificated form.


 


Voting Rights 


 


Each holder of our common stock is entitled to one vote per share on each matter submitted to a vote of stockholders. Our Bylaws provide that the presence, in person or by proxy, of holders of shares representing a majority of the outstanding shares of capital stock entitled to vote at a stockholders’ meeting shall constitute a quorum. When a quorum is present, the affirmative vote of a majority of the votes cast is required to take action, unless otherwise specified by law or our Certificate of Incorporation, and except for the election of directors, which is determined by a plurality vote. There are no cumulative voting rights.


 


Dividend Rights 


 


Each holder of shares of our common stock is entitled to receive such dividends and other distributions in cash, stock or property as may be declared by the Board from time to time out of our assets or funds legally available for dividends or other distributions. These rights are subject to the preferential rights of the holders of our preferred stock, if any, and any contractual limitations on our ability to declare and pay dividends.


 


Other Rights 


 


Each holder of common stock is subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of any series of preferred stock that we may designate and issue in the future.


 


Liquidation Rights 


 


If our company is involved in a consolidation, merger, recapitalization, reorganization, voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs, or similar event, each holder of common stock will participate pro rata in all assets remaining after payment of liabilities, subject to prior distribution rights of preferred stock, if any, then outstanding.


 





 










 








 


Anti-Takeover Effects of our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws 


 


Our Certificate of Incorporation and our Bylaws contain provisions that may delay, defer or discourage another party from acquiring control of us. We expect that these provisions, which are summarized below, will discourage coercive takeover practices or inadequate takeover bids. These provisions are also designed to encourage persons seeking to acquire control of us to first negotiate with the Board, which we believe may result in an improvement of the terms of any such acquisition in favor of our stockholders. However, they also give the Board the power to discourage acquisitions that some stockholders may favor.


 


Action by Written Consent, Special Meeting of Stockholders and Advance Notice Requirements for Stockholder Proposals 


 


Our Certificate of Incorporation provides that stockholder action can be taken only at an annual or special meeting of stockholders and cannot be taken by written consent in lieu of a meeting. Our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws also provide that, except as otherwise required by law, special meetings of the stockholders can be called only pursuant to a resolution adopted by a majority of the total number of directors that we would have if there were no vacancies. Except as described above, stockholders are not permitted to call a special meeting or to require the Board to call a special meeting.


 


In addition, our Bylaws require advance notice procedures for stockholder proposals to be brought before an annual meeting of the stockholders, including the nomination of directors. Stockholders at an annual meeting may only consider the proposals specified in the notice of meeting or brought before the meeting by or at the direction of the Board, or by a stockholder of record on the record date for the meeting, who is entitled to vote at the meeting and who has delivered a 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 until the next stockholder meeting any stockholder actions, even if they are favored by the holders of a majority of our outstanding voting securities.


 


Classified Board 


 


Our Certificate of Incorporation provides that, until our annual meeting of stockholders in 2025, the Board shall be divided into three classes of directors, with the classes as nearly equal in number as possible. As a result, until such time, approximately one-third of the Board will be elected each year. The classification of directors has the effect of making it more difficult for stockholders to change the composition of the Board. Commencing with our annual meeting of stockholders held in 2025, all directors will be elected at the annual meeting of stockholders to hold office until the annual meeting of stockholders in the following year.


 


Removal of Directors 


 


Our Certificate of Incorporation provides that directors may only be removed from office for cause and only upon the affirmative vote of at least a majority of the voting power of our outstanding shares of common stock.


 


Delaware Anti-Takeover Statute 


 


Section 203 of the DGCL provides that if a person acquires 15% or more of the voting stock of a Delaware corporation, such person becomes an “interested stockholder” and may not engage in certain “business combinations” with the corporation for a period of three years from the time such person acquired 15% or more of the corporation’s voting stock, unless: (1) the Board approves the acquisition of stock or the merger transaction before the time that the person becomes an interested stockholder, (2) the interested stockholder owns at least 85% of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation at the time the merger transaction commences (excluding voting stock owned by directors who are also officers and certain employee stock plans), or (3) the merger transaction is approved by the Board and by the affirmative vote at a meeting, not by written consent, of stockholders of 2/3 of the holders of the outstanding voting stock that is not owned by the interested stockholder. A Delaware corporation may elect in its certificate of incorporation or bylaws not to be governed by this particular Delaware law.


 


Under our Certificate of Incorporation, we opted out of Section 203 of the DGCL and therefore are not subject to Section 203.


 





 










 








 


Limitations on Liability and Indemnification of Officers and Directors 


 


Our Certificate of Incorporation limits the liability of our directors to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL, and our Bylaws provide that we will indemnify them to the fullest extent permitted by such law. We have entered and expect to continue to enter into agreements to indemnify our directors, executive officers and other employees as determined by the Board. Under the terms of such indemnification agreements, we are required to indemnify each of our directors and officers, to the fullest extent permitted by the laws of the State of Delaware, if the basis of the indemnitee’s involvement was by reason of the fact that the indemnitee is or was a director or officer of the Company or any of its subsidiaries or was serving at the Company’s request in an official capacity for another entity. We must indemnify our officers and directors against all reasonable fees, expenses, charges and other costs of any type or nature whatsoever, including any and all expenses and obligations paid or incurred in connection with investigating, defending, being a witness in, participating in (including on appeal), or preparing to defend, be a witness or participate in any completed, actual, pending or threatened action, suit, claim or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative, or establishing or enforcing a right to indemnification under the indemnification agreement. The indemnification agreements also require us, if so requested, to advance within 30 days of such request all reasonable fees, expenses, charges and other costs that such director or officer incurred, provided that such person will return any such advance if it is ultimately determined that such person is not entitled to indemnification by us. Any claims for indemnification by our directors and officers may reduce our available funds to satisfy successful third-party claims against us and may reduce the amount of money available to us.


 


Exclusive Jurisdiction of Certain Actions 


 


Our Certificate of Incorporation requires, to the fullest extent permitted by law, that derivative actions brought in the name of the Company, actions against directors, officers and employees for breach of fiduciary duty and other similar actions may be brought only in the Court of Chancery in the State of Delaware and, if brought outside of Delaware, the stockholder bringing the suit will be deemed to have consented to service of process on such stockholder’s counsel. Although we believe this provision benefits the Company 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.


 


Transfer Agent and Registrar 


 


The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is Computershare Trust Company, N.A.