SC TO-I

 

 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

SCHEDULE TO

TENDER OFFER STATEMENT UNDER SECTION 14(d)(1) OR 13(e)(1) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

 

PROG HOLDINGS, INC.

(Name of Subject Company (Issuer))

 

 

PROG HOLDINGS, INC., AS ISSUER

(Name of Filing Persons (Identifying status as offeror, issuer, or other person))

 

 

Common stock, par value $0.50 per share

(Title of Class of Securities)

74319R101

(CUSIP Number of Class of Securities)

 

 

Brian Garner

Chief Financial Officer

c/o PROG Holdings, Inc.

256 W. Data Drive

Draper, UT 84020

Telephone: (385) 351-1369

(Name, address and telephone number of person authorized to receive notices and communications on behalf of filing person)

 

 

Copies to:

William C. Smith, III

Michael S. Hamilton

King & Spalding LLP

1180 Peachtree Street, NE

Suite 1600

Atlanta, GA 30309

(404) 572-4875

Marisa D. Stavenas

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP

425 Lexington Avenue

New York, NY 10017

(212) 455-2000

 

 

CALCULATION OF FILING FEE

 

Transaction Valuation(1)   Amount of Filing Fee(2)
$425,000.00   $39,397.50
(1)

Calculated solely for purposes of determining the amount of the filing fee. This amount is based on the offer to purchase up to $425,000,000 in value of shares of common stock, par value $0.50 per share, of PROG Holdings, Inc.

(2)

The amount of the filing fee, calculated in accordance with Rule 0-11 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Fee Rate Advisory No. 1 for fiscal year 2022 equals $92.70 per million dollars of the transaction.

 

Check the box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing with which the offsetting fee was previously paid. Identify the previous filing by registration statement number, or the Form or Schedule and the date of its filing.

 

Amount Previously Paid: Not applicable    Filing Party: Not applicable
Form or Registration No: Not applicable    Date Filed: Not applicable

 

Check the box if filing relates solely to preliminary communications made before the commencement of a tender offer. Check the appropriate boxes below to designate any transactions to which the statement relates:

 

 

third-party tender offer subject to Rule 14d-1.

 

issuer tender offer subject to Rule 13e-4.

 

going-private transaction subject to Rule 13e-3.

 

amendment to Schedule 13D under Rule 13d-2.

Check the following box if the filing is a final amendment reporting the results of the tender offer: ☐

If applicable, check the appropriate box(es) below to designate the appropriate rule provision(s) relied upon:

 

 

Rule 13e-4(i) (Cross-Border Issuer Tender Offer)

 

Rule 14d-1(d) (Cross-Border Third-Party Tender Offer)

 

 

 


This Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO (this “Schedule TO”) is being filed by PROG Holdings, Inc., a Georgia corporation (the “Company”), and relates to the offer by the Company to purchase for cash up to $425,000,000 in value of shares of its common stock, par value $0.50 per share (the “Common Stock”), at a price not less than $44.00 per share and not more than $50.00 per share, without interest. Applicable withholding taxes will be deducted from payments to tendering holders. The Company’s offer is being made upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase, dated November 4, 2021 (as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time, the “Offer to Purchase”) and in the related Letter of Transmittal (as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time, the “Letter of Transmittal,” and together with the Offer to Purchase, the “Offer”).

Copies of the Offer to Purchase and Letter of Transmittal are filed with this Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO-I (the “Schedule TO”) as Exhibits (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii), respectively. The Offer will expire at 12:00 midnight, New York City time, at the end of the day on December 3, 2021, unless the Offer is extended or earlier terminated. This Schedule TO is being filed in accordance with Rule 13e-4(c)(2) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). The information contained in the Offer to Purchase and the related Letter of Transmittal is hereby expressly incorporated by reference in response to all items of this Schedule TO, and as more particularly set forth below.

 

ITEM 1.

Summary Term Sheet.

The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under the heading “Summary Term Sheet” is incorporated herein by reference.

 

ITEM 2.

Subject Company Information.

(a) Name and Address. The name of the subject company, and the address and telephone number of its principal executive offices are as follows:

PROG Holdings, Inc.

256 W. Data Drive

Draper, UT 84020

(385) 351-1369

(b) Securities. This Schedule TO relates to the Company’s Common Stock. As of November 1, 2021, the Company had 65,391,285 issued and outstanding shares of Common Stock (and 2,166,991 shares reserved for issuance upon exercise, vesting or issuance, as applicable, of stock options, restricted stock units, restricted stock awards, performance-based share unit awards (“PSUs”) (assuming PSUs vest at the specified target performance threshold) and awards issuable under the PROG Holdings, Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan). The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under the heading “Introduction” is incorporated herein by reference.

(c) Trading Market and Price. The information set forth in Section 8 of the Offer to Purchase, “Price Range of Shares; Dividends,” is incorporated herein by reference.


ITEM 3.

Identity and Background of Filing Person.

(a) The information set forth under Item 2(a) above and the information in the Offer to Purchase in Section 10, “Certain Information Concerning Us” and Section 11, “Interests of Directors and Executive Officers; Transactions and Arrangements Concerning the Shares,” is incorporated herein by reference. The Company is the filing person and issuer. Pursuant to General Instruction C to Schedule TO, the following persons are the directors and/or executive officers of the Company:

 

Name

  

Position

Kathy T. Betty    Director
Douglas C. Curling    Director
Cynthia N. Day    Director
Ramon Martinez    Director
Ray M. Robinson    Director
Caroline Sheu    Director
James P. Smith    Director
Curtis L. Doman    Director, Chief Innovation Officer
Steven A. Michaels    Director, President and Chief Executive Officer
Marvin Fentress    General Counsel and Corporate Secretary
Debra Fiori    Chief People Officer
Brian Garner    Chief Financial Officer
Mike Giordano    Chief Commercial Officer
Ben Hawksworth    Chief Product & Technology Officer
Ryan Ray    Chief Administrative Officer
Matt Sewell    Vice President, Financial Reporting and Principal Accounting Officer
Trevor Thatcher    Chief Operations Officer

The business address and telephone number for all of the above directors and executive officers is: c/o PROG Holdings, Inc., 256 W. Data Drive, Draper, UT 84020; telephone: (385) 351-1369.

There is neither any person controlling the Company nor any executive officer or director of any corporation or other person ultimately in control of the Company.

 

ITEM 4.

Terms of the Transaction.

 

(a)

Material Terms.

(a)(1)(i) The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under the heading “Summary Term Sheet” and in Section 1, “Number of Shares; Proration,” is incorporated herein by reference.

(a)(1)(ii) The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under the heading “Summary Term Sheet,” in Section 1 “Number of Shares; Proration,” in Section 5, “Purchase of Shares and Payment of Purchase Price,” and in Section 9, “Source and Amount of Funds,” is incorporated herein by reference.

(a)(1)(iii) The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under the heading “Summary Term Sheet,” in Section 1, “Number of Shares; Proration,” and in Section 14, “Extension of the Tender Offer; Termination; Amendment,” is incorporated herein by reference.

(a)(1)(iv) Not applicable.

(a)(1)(v) The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under the heading “Summary Term Sheet” and in Section 14, “Extension of the Tender Offer; Termination; Amendment,” is incorporated herein by reference.


(a)(1)(vi) The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under the heading “Summary Term Sheet,” in Section 4, “Withdrawal Rights,” and in Section 6, “Conditional Tender of Shares,” is incorporated herein by reference.

(a)(1)(vii) The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under the heading “Summary Term Sheet,” in Section 3, “Procedures for Tendering Shares,” in Section 4, “Withdrawal Rights,” and in Section 6, “Conditional Tender of Shares,” is incorporated herein by reference.

(a)(1)(viii) The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under the heading “Summary Term Sheet,” in Section 3, “Procedures for Tendering Shares,” in Section 5, “Purchase of Shares and Payment of Purchase Price,” and in Section 6, “Conditional Tender of Shares,” is incorporated herein by reference.

(a)(1)(ix) The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under the heading “Summary Term Sheet,” in Section 1, “Number of Shares; Proration,” and in Section 6, “Conditional Tender of Shares,” is incorporated herein by reference.

(a)(1)(x) Not applicable.

(a)(1)(xi) The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under the heading “Summary Term Sheet,” and in Section 2, “Purpose of the Tender Offer; Certain Effects of the Tender Offer,” is incorporated herein by reference.

(a)(1)(xii) The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under the heading “Summary Term Sheet,” in Section 3, “Procedures for Tendering Shares,” and Section 13, “ Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences,” is incorporated herein by reference.

(a)(2)(i-vii) Not applicable.

(b) Purchases. The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase in Section 11, “Interests of Directors and Executive Officers; Transactions and Arrangements Concerning the Shares,” is incorporated herein by reference.

 

ITEM 5.

Past Contacts, Transactions, Negotiations and Agreements.

(e) Agreements Involving the Subject Company’s Common Stock. The information set forth in Section 11, “Interests of Directors and Executive Officers; Transactions and Arrangements Concerning the Shares,” is incorporated herein by reference.

 

ITEM 6.

Purposes of the Transaction and Plans or Proposals.

(a) Purposes. The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under the heading “Summary Term Sheet” and in Section 2, “Purpose of the Tender Offer; Certain Effects of the Tender Offer,” is incorporated herein by reference.

(b) Use of Securities Acquired. The information set forth in Section 2 of the Offer to Purchase, “Purpose of the Tender Offer; Certain Effects of the Tender Offer,” is incorporated herein by reference.

(c) Plans. Except for the Offer, the Company does not have, and to the best of its knowledge is not aware of, any plans, proposals or negotiations that relate to or would result in any of the events listed in Regulation M-A Item 1006(c)(1) through (10).

The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase in Section 1, “Number of Shares; Proration,” and in Section 2, “Purpose of the Tender Offer; Effects of the Tender Offer,” is incorporated herein by reference.


ITEM 7.

Source and Amount of Funds or Other Consideration.

(a) Source of Funds. The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under the heading “Summary Term Sheet” and in Section 9, “Source and Amount of Funds,” is incorporated herein by reference

(b) Conditions. The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under the heading “Summary Term Sheet,” in Section 1, “Number of Shares; Proration,” and in Section 7, “Conditions of the Tender Offer, is incorporated herein by reference. The tender offer is not conditioned on any minimum number of shares being tendered. The tender offer is, however, subject to other conditions described in the Offer to Purchase, including the consummation by the Company of a new debt financing prior to the Expiration Date on terms reasonably satisfactory to the Company and resulting in gross proceeds to the Company of at least $400 million.

(d) Borrowed Funds. The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase under the heading “Summary Term Sheet” and in Section 9, “Source and Amount of Funds,” is incorporated herein by reference.

 

ITEM 8.

Interest in Securities of the Subject Company.

(a) Securities Ownership. The information set forth in Section 11 of the Offer to Purchase, “Interests of Directors and Executive Officers; Transactions and Arrangements Concerning the Shares,” is incorporated herein by reference.

(b) Securities Transactions. The information set forth in Section 11 of the Offer to Purchase, “Interests of Directors and Executive Officers; Transactions and Arrangements Concerning the Shares,” is incorporated herein by reference.

 

ITEM 9.

Persons/Assets, Retained, Employed, Compensated or Used.

(a) Solicitations or Recommendations. The information set forth in Section 15 of the Offer to Purchase, “Fees and Expenses; Information Agent; Dealer Manager; Depositary,” is incorporated herein by reference.

 

ITEM 10.

Financial Statements.

(a) Financial Information. Not applicable.

 

(b)

Pro Forma Information. Not applicable.

 

ITEM 11.

Additional Information.

(a) Agreements, Regulatory Requirements and Legal Proceedings. The information set forth in Section 11 of the Offer to Purchase, “Interests of Directors and Executive Officers; Transactions and Arrangements Concerning the Shares,” and in Section 12 of the Offer to Purchase, “Legal Matters; Regulatory Approvals,” is incorporated herein by reference.

(c) Other Material Information. The information set forth in the Offer to Purchase and the related Letter of Transmittal, copies of which are filed as Exhibits (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) hereto, respectively, as each may be amended or supplemented from time to time, is incorporated herein by reference. The Company will amend this Schedule TO include documents that the Company may file with the SEC after the date of the Offer to Purchase pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c) or 14 of the Exchange Act and prior to the expiration of the Offer to the extent required by Rule 13e-4(d)(2) promulgated under the Exchange Act. The information contained in all of the exhibits referred to in Item 12 below is incorporated herein by reference.

 

ITEM 12.

Exhibits.

See Exhibits Index.


ITEM 13.

Information Required by Schedule 13E-3.

Not applicable.


SIGNATURE

After due inquiry and to the best of my knowledge and belief, I certify that the information set forth in this statement is true, complete and correct.

 

PROG HOLDINGS, INC.
By:  

/s/ Brian Garner

  Brian Garner
  Chief Financial Officer

Date: November 4, 2021


EXHIBIT INDEX

 

(a)(1)(i)   Offer to Purchase, dated November 4, 2021.
(a)(1)(ii)   Letter of Transmittal (including IRS Form W-9).
(a)(1)(iii)   Notice of Guaranteed Delivery.
(a)(1)(iv)   Letter to Brokers, Dealers, Commercial Banks, Trust Companies and Other Nominees.
(a)(1)(v)   Letter to Clients for use by Brokers, Dealers, Commercial Banks, Trust Companies and Other Nominees.
(a)(1)(vi)   Summary Advertisement, dated November 4, 2021.
(a)(1)(vii)   Notice to Participants in the PROG Holdings Employee Retirement Plan (Including Tender Offer Instruction Form).
(a)(2)   Not applicable.
(a)(3)   Not applicable.
(a)(4)   Not applicable.
(a)(5)(i)   Press Release issued by the Company on November 4, 2021.
(a)(5)(ii)   Press Release issued by the Company on November  3, 2021 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on November 3, 2021).
(a)(5)(iii)   Press Release issued by the Company on November 3, 2021 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.2 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on November 3. 2021).
(a)(5)(iv)   Excerpted transcript of the Company’s earnings conference call on November 3, 2021*
(b)   Credit Agreement among PROG Holdings, Inc., PROG Holding Company, LLC, Progressive Finance Holdings, LLC, those certain other subsidiaries of PROG Holdings, Inc. party thereto, the several banks and other financial institutions from time to time party thereto and JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A., as administrative agent, dated November 24, 2020 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on December 1, 2020).
(d)(1)   Separation and Distribution Agreement, dated as of November  29, 2020, by and between PROG Holdings, Inc. and The Aaron’s Company, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 2.1 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on December  1, 2020).
(d)(2)   Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of May  1, 2020, among Aaron’s, Inc., PROG Holdings, Inc. and Aaron’s Merger Sub, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Appendix B to the joint proxy statement/prospectus filed by the Company with the SEC on May 8, 2020).
(d)(3)   Second Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation of PROG Holdings, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 16, 2020).
(d)(4)   Articles of Amendment of Articles of Incorporation of PROG Holdings, Inc. (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on December 1, 2020).
(d)(5)
  Amended and Restated Bylaws of PROG Holdings, Inc. (as amended) (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on December 1, 2020).


(d)(6)   Employees Retirement Plan, as amended and restated, effective January  1, 2016 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.7 of Aaron’s, Inc.’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2016 filed with the SEC on August 4, 2016).
(d)(7)   First Amendment to the Employee Retirement Plan, dated as of June 28, 2016, to be effective October  4, 2016 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.8 of Aaron’s, Inc.’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2016 filed with the SEC on August 4, 2016).
(d)(8)   Third Amendment to the Employee Retirement Plan, dated August  23, 2019 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of Aaron’s, Inc.’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2019 filed with the SEC on November 4, 2019).
(d)(9)   Fourth Amendment to the Employee Retirement Plan, dated October  16, 2020 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 16, 2020).
(d)(10)   Amended and Restated Compensation Plan for Non-Employee Directors, 2020 Amendment and Restatement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.6 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 16, 2020).
(d)(11)   Amended and Restated Aaron Rents, Inc. 2001 Stock Option and Incentive Award Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Aaron’s, Inc.’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on April 10, 2009).
(d)(12)   Amendment to the Amended and Restated Aaron Rents, Inc. 2001 Stock Option and Incentive Award Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.7 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 16, 2020).
(d)(13)   Form of Restricted Stock Unit Award for awards made in or after February 2014 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.29 of Aaron’s, Inc.’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013 filed with the SEC on February 24, 2014).
(d)(14)   Form of Option Award Agreement for awards made in or after February 2014 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.30 of Aaron’s, Inc.’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2013 filed with the SEC on February 24, 2014).
(d)(15)   Amendment to Form of Option Award Agreement for awards made in or after February 2014 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.10 of Aaron’s, Inc.’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2015 filed with the SEC on August 6, 2015).
(d)(16)   Deferred Compensation Plan, 2020 Amendment and Restatement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 16, 2020).
(d)(17)   Amended and Restated 2015 Equity and Incentive Award Plan, 2020 Amendment and Restatement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 16, 2020).
(d)(18)   Form of Employee Stock Option Award Agreement under the 2015 Equity and Incentive Award Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.2 of the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-8 (333-204014) filed with the SEC on May 8, 2015).
(d)(19)   Form of Executive Performance Share Award Agreement under the 2015 Equity and Incentive Award Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.3 of the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-8 (333-204014) filed with the SEC on May 8, 2015).
(d)(20)
  Amendment to Form of Executive Performance Share Award Agreement under the 2015 Equity and Incentive Award Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.6 of the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2015 filed with the SEC on August 6, 2015).


(d)(21)   Form of Executive Officer Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement under the 2015 Equity and Incentive Award Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.4 of the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-8 (333-204014) filed with the SEC on May 8, 2015).
(d)(22)
  Amendment to Form of Executive Officer Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement under the 2015 Equity and Incentive Award Plan (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.8 of the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2015 filed with the SEC on August 6, 2015).
(d)(23)   Employee Stock Purchase Plan, 2020 Amendment and Restatement (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 16, 2020).
(d)(24)   Executive Severance Pay Plan, as amended, effective July  29, 2021 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2021 filed with the SEC on July 29, 2021).
(d)(25)   Form of Severance and Change-in-Control Agreement, effective as of July 29, 2021 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 of the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2021 filed with the SEC on July 29, 2021).
(e)   Not applicable.
(f)   Not applicable.
(g)   Not applicable.
(h)   Not applicable.

 

*

Previously filed.

Offer to Purchase

Exhibit (a)(1)(i)

LOGO

PROG Holdings, Inc.

Offer to Purchase for Cash

Up to $425,000,000 in Value of its Common Stock

At a Purchase Price Not Less Than $44.00 Per Share and Not More Than $50.00 Per Share

 

THE TENDER OFFER AND WITHDRAWAL RIGHTS EXPIRE AT 12:00 MIDNIGHT, NEW YORK CITY TIME, AT THE END OF THE DAY ON DECEMBER 3, 2021, UNLESS THE TENDER OFFER IS EXTENDED OR EARLIER TERMINATED.

PROG Holdings, Inc., a Georgia corporation (“PROG Holdings,” the “Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), hereby offers to purchase for cash up to $425,000,000 in value of shares of its issued and outstanding common stock, par value $0.50 per share (the “shares”), at a price not less than $44.00 per share and not more than $50.00 per share (the price as determined as provided herein, the “Purchase Price”), without interest, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this Offer to Purchase, the related Letter of Transmittal and the other materials filed as exhibits to the Issuer Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO-I (the “Schedule TO-I”) that we have filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) (such materials, collectively, as they may be amended or supplemented from time to time, the “tender offer materials”). Applicable withholding taxes will be deducted from payments to tendering holders. The terms and conditions set forth in the tender offer materials collectively constitute the “tender offer.” The tender offer will expire at 12:00 midnight, New York City time, at the end of the day on December 3, 2021 (such date and time, as the same may be extended, the “Expiration Date”), unless extended or earlier terminated.

Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of this Offer to Purchase, including the provisions relating to “odd lot” priority, proration and conditional tenders described in this Offer to Purchase, we will determine a single per share price that we will pay for shares properly tendered and not properly withdrawn pursuant to the tender offer, taking into account the total number of shares tendered and the prices specified by tendering shareholders. We will select the lowest Purchase Price (in increments of $0.50), which will be not less than $44.00 per share and not more than $50.00 per share, that will allow us to purchase a number of shares having an aggregate purchase price of $425,000,000, or a lower amount depending on the number of shares properly tendered and not properly withdrawn pursuant to the tender offer. Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the tender offer, if shares having an aggregate purchase price of less than $425,000,000 are properly tendered and not properly withdrawn, we will buy all shares properly tendered at prices at or below the Purchase Price and not properly withdrawn prior to the Expiration Date.

Our shares are listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) under the trading symbol “PRG.” On November 2, 2021, the last trading day prior to the announcement of the Company’s intention to commence the Company of the tender offer, the last reported sale price of the shares on the NYSE was $41.20 per share. The minimum purchase price of $44.00 per share could be below the closing price of our common stock on the Expiration Date. You are urged to obtain current market quotations for the shares. See Section 8.

As of November 1, 2021, we had 65,391,285 issued and outstanding shares (and 2,166,991 shares reserved for issuance upon exercise, vesting or issuance, as applicable, of stock options, restricted stock units (“RSUs”), restricted stock awards (“RSAs”), performance share units (“PSUs”) (assuming PSUs vest at the specified target performance threshold) and awards issuable under the PROG Holdings, Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan (as amended and restated, the “ESPP”)). Assuming that the conditions to the tender offer are satisfied or waived and


the tender offer is fully subscribed at a Purchase Price of $50.00, the maximum Purchase Price pursuant to the tender offer, the completion of the tender offer would result in the repurchase by the Company of 8,500,000 shares, which would represent approximately 13.0% of our issued and outstanding shares as of November 1, 2021 (which excludes shares that would result from the assumed exercise of stock options, the assumed vesting of RSUs, RSAs and PSUs and the assumed issuance of the remaining available shares under the ESPP (collectively, the “Potential Shares”)), or approximately 12.6% of our outstanding shares on a fully diluted basis as of November 1, 2021 (which includes Potential Shares). If the conditions to the tender offer are satisfied or waived and the tender offer is fully subscribed at a Purchase Price of $44.00, the minimum Purchase Price pursuant to the tender offer, the completion of the tender offer would result in the repurchase by the Company of 9,659,090 shares, which would represent approximately 14.8% of our issued and outstanding shares as of November 1, 2021 (which excludes Potential Shares), or approximately 14.3% of our outstanding shares on a fully diluted basis as of November 1, 2021 (which includes Potential Shares).

We will purchase at the Purchase Price shares properly tendered at prices equal to or below the Purchase Price and not properly withdrawn, on the terms and subject to the conditions of the tender offer, including the “odd lot” priority, proration and conditional tender provisions. We will not purchase shares tendered at prices greater than the Purchase Price or shares that we do not accept for purchase under the terms of the tender offer because of the tender offer’s priority, proration and conditional tender provisions. Shares tendered but not purchased in the tender offer will be returned to the tendering shareholders at our expense promptly after the expiration of the tender offer.

If shares having an aggregate purchase price of more than $425,000,000 are tendered in the tender offer and not properly withdrawn, we reserve the right to accept for purchase at the Purchase Price pursuant to the tender offer up to an additional 2% of our outstanding shares without amending or extending the tender offer. We also expressly reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to purchase additional shares of our common stock subject to applicable legal and regulatory requirements. See Section 1.

After tenders of shares have been accepted for purchase by us, payment will be made through Computershare Trust Company, N.A., the depositary for the tender offer (the “Depositary”), which will act as agent for the purpose of receiving payment from us and transmitting payment to the tendering shareholders. See Section 5.

THE TENDER OFFER IS NOT CONDITIONED ON ANY MINIMUM NUMBER OF SHARES BEING TENDERED. THE TENDER OFFER IS, HOWEVER, SUBJECT TO OTHER CONDITIONS, INCLUDING THE CONSUMMATION BY US OF A NEW DEBT FINANCING (THE “DEBT FINANCING”) PRIOR TO THE EXPIRATION DATE ON TERMS REASONABLY SATISFACTORY TO US AND RESULTING IN GROSS PROCEEDS TO US OF AT LEAST $400 MILLION (THE “FINANCING CONDITION”). SEE SECTION 7.

Neither the Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of this transaction or passed upon the merits or fairness of such transaction or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of the information contained in this Offer to Purchase. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The Dealer Manager for the Tender Offer is:

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC

The Information Agent for the Tender Offer is:

Georgeson LLC

1290 Avenue of Americas, 9th Floor

New York, New York 10104

Shareholders, Banks and Brokers

Call Toll Free: (800) 868-1390

The date of this Offer to Purchase is November 4, 2021


IMPORTANT

Questions and requests for assistance may be directed to Georgeson LLC, the information agent for the tender offer (the “Information Agent”) or to J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, the dealer manager for the tender offer (the “Dealer Manager”), at their respective telephone numbers and addresses set forth on the back cover of this Offer to Purchase. You may request additional copies of the tender offer materials from the Information Agent or the Dealer Manager at their respective telephone numbers and addresses set forth on the back cover of this Offer to Purchase. Shareholders may also contact their broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee for assistance concerning the tender offer.

If you want to tender all or some of your shares, you must do one of the following before the tender offer expires (or the earlier deadline set forth below with respect to the PROG Holdings Employee Retirement Plan (the “Retirement Plan”)):

 

   

if your shares are registered in the name of a broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee, contact such nominee and have such nominee tender your shares for you;

 

   

if you are an institution participating in The Depository Trust Company, referred to as “Book-Entry Transfer Facility” in this Offer to Purchase, tender your shares according to the procedure for book-entry transfer described in Section 3 of this Offer to Purchase;

 

   

if you hold certificates or book-entry shares in your own name, complete and sign a Letter of Transmittal according to the instructions provided for therein and deliver it as provided for therein, together with any required signature guarantees, the certificates for your shares and any other documents required by the Letter of Transmittal, to the Depositary, at its address shown on the Letter of Transmittal; or

 

   

if you hold shares within the Retirement Plan, you must follow the procedures described in the separate instructions that you will receive and accept the tender offer by 4:00 p.m., New York City time, on November 23, 2021.

Beneficial owners should be aware that their broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee may establish its own earlier deadline for participation in the tender offer. Accordingly, beneficial owners wishing to participate in the tender offer should contact their broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee as soon as possible in order to determine the times by which such owner must take action in order to participate in the tender offer.

If you want to tender your shares but your certificates for the shares are not immediately available or cannot be delivered to the Depositary within the required time or you cannot comply with the procedures for book-entry transfer, or your other required documents cannot be delivered to the Depositary by the Expiration Date of the tender offer, you may still tender your shares if you comply with the guaranteed delivery procedures described in Section 3 of this Offer to Purchase.

TO TENDER SHARES PROPERLY, OTHER THAN SHARES REGISTERED IN THE NAME OF A BROKER, DEALER, COMMERCIAL BANK, TRUST COMPANY OR OTHER NOMINEE, YOU MUST PROPERLY COMPLETE AND DULY EXECUTE THE LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL OR, IN THE CASE OF A BOOK-ENTRY TRANSFER, AN AGENT’S MESSAGE (AS DEFINED HEREIN).

THIS TENDER OFFER DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AN OFFER TO PURCHASE SHARES IN ANY JURISDICTION IN WHICH, OR FROM ANY PERSON FROM WHOM, IT IS UNLAWFUL TO MAKE THE TENDER OFFER UNDER APPLICABLE SECURITIES OR BLUE SKY LAWS, PROVIDED THAT WE WILL COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF RULE 13E-4(F)(8) PROMULGATED UNDER THE U.S. SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934, AS AMENDED (THE “EXCHANGE ACT”). SUBJECT TO APPLICABLE LAW (INCLUDING RULE 13E-4(D)(2) UNDER THE EXCHANGE ACT, WHICH REQUIRES THAT MATERIAL CHANGES IN THE TENDER OFFER BE PROMPTLY DISSEMINATED TO SECURITY HOLDERS IN A MANNER REASONABLY DESIGNED TO INFORM THEM OF SUCH


CHANGES), DELIVERY OF THIS OFFER TO PURCHASE SHALL NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES CREATE ANY IMPLICATION THAT THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN OR INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE IN THIS OFFER TO PURCHASE IS CORRECT AS OF ANY TIME AFTER THE DATE OF THIS OFFER TO PURCHASE OR THAT THERE HAS BEEN NO CHANGE IN THE INFORMATION INCLUDED OR INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE HEREIN OR IN OUR AFFAIRS SINCE THE DATE HEREOF.

OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS HAS APPROVED THE TENDER OFFER. HOWEVER, NONE OF THE COMPANY, OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS, THE DEALER MANAGER, THE INFORMATION AGENT, THE DEPOSITARY OR ANY OF OUR OR THEIR RESPECTIVE AFFILIATES MAKES ANY RECOMMENDATION TO YOU AS TO WHETHER YOU SHOULD TENDER OR REFRAIN FROM TENDERING YOUR SHARES OR AT WHAT PURCHASE PRICE OR PURCHASE PRICES YOU SHOULD TENDER YOUR SHARES. YOU MUST MAKE YOUR OWN DECISION AS TO WHETHER TO TENDER YOUR SHARES AND, IF SO, HOW MANY SHARES TO TENDER AND THE PURCHASE PRICE OR PURCHASE PRICES AT WHICH YOU CHOOSE TO TENDER SUCH SHARES. IN SO DOING, YOU SHOULD READ CAREFULLY ALL OF THE INFORMATION IN THIS OFFER TO PURCHASE, AND IN THE OTHER TENDER OFFER MATERIALS, INCLUDING OUR REASONS FOR MAKING THE TENDER OFFER. SEE SECTION 2. YOU ARE URGED TO DISCUSS YOUR DECISIONS WITH YOUR TAX ADVISOR, FINANCIAL ADVISOR, LEGAL ADVISOR AND/OR BROKER. NONE OF THE COMPANY’S DIRECTORS OR EXECUTIVE OFFICERS WILL TENDER ANY OF THEIR SHARES IN THE TENDER OFFER. SEE SECTION 11.

WE HAVE NOT AUTHORIZED ANY PERSON TO MAKE ANY RECOMMENDATION ON OUR BEHALF AS TO WHETHER YOU SHOULD TENDER OR REFRAIN FROM TENDERING YOUR SHARES IN THE TENDER OFFER OR AT WHAT PURCHASE PRICE OR PURCHASE PRICES YOU SHOULD TENDER YOUR SHARES. WE HAVE NOT AUTHORIZED ANY PERSON TO GIVE ANY INFORMATION OR TO MAKE ANY REPRESENTATIONS IN CONNECTION WITH THE TENDER OFFER OTHER THAN THOSE CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT OR INCORPORATED HEREIN BY REFERENCE OR IN THE RELATED LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. IF ANYONE MAKES ANY RECOMMENDATION OR REPRESENTATION TO YOU OR GIVES YOU ANY INFORMATION, YOU MUST NOT RELY ON THAT RECOMMENDATION, REPRESENTATION OR INFORMATION AS HAVING BEEN AUTHORIZED BY US, THE DEALER MANAGER, THE INFORMATION AGENT, THE DEPOSITARY OR ANY OF OUR OR THEIR RESPECTIVE AFFILIATES.


TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

SUMMARY TERM SHEET      6  
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS      15  
INTRODUCTION      16  
THE TENDER OFFER      19  
1.   

Number of Shares; Proration

     19  
2.   

Purpose of the Tender Offer; Certain Effects of the Tender Offer

     21  
3.   

Procedures for Tendering Shares

     23  
4.   

Withdrawal Rights

     28  
5.   

Purchase of Shares and Payment of Purchase Price

     28  
6.   

Conditional Tender of Shares

     30  
7.   

Conditions of the Tender Offer

     30  
8.   

Price Range of Shares; Dividends

     33  
9.   

Source and Amount of Funds

     33  
10.   

Certain Information Concerning Us

     34  
11.   

Interests of Directors and Executive Officers; Transactions and Arrangements Concerning the Shares

     35  
12.   

Legal Matters; Regulatory Approvals

     39  
13.   

Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences

     40  
14.   

Extension of the Tender Offer; Termination; Amendment

     44  
15.   

Fees and Expenses; Information Agent; Dealer Manager; Depositary

     45  
16.   

Miscellaneous

     46  

 

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SUMMARY TERM SHEET

We are providing this summary term sheet for your convenience. It highlights certain material information in this Offer to Purchase, but you should realize that it does not describe all of the details of the tender offer to the same extent described elsewhere in this Offer to Purchase. We urge you to read carefully the entire Offer to Purchase, the related Letter of Transmittal and the other tender offer materials because they contain the full details of the tender offer. We have included references to the sections of this Offer to Purchase where you will find a more complete discussion.

Who is offering to purchase my shares?

We (PROG Holdings, Inc.) are offering to purchase your shares. See Section 1.

What will be the Purchase Price for the shares?

We are conducting an offer by means of a “modified Dutch auction.” This procedure allows you to select the price (in increments of $0.50) within a price range specified by us at which you are willing to sell your shares.

We are offering to purchase up to $425,000,000 in value of shares, upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the tender offer, at a Purchase Price (to be determined as provided herein) of not less than $44.00 per share and not more than $50.00 per share, without interest, for each share we purchase pursuant to the tender offer. Applicable withholding taxes will be deducted from payments to tendering holders. We will determine the Purchase Price as promptly as practicable, but likely not earlier than three to five business days, after the tender offer expires (so that we may determine the number of shares properly tendered, including shares tendered by guaranteed delivery procedures, as described in Section 3, and not properly withdrawn). We will select the lowest Purchase Price, which will not be less than $44.00 per share and not more than $50.00 per share, that will allow us to purchase up to $425,000,000 in value of shares, or a lower amount depending on the number of shares properly tendered and not properly withdrawn pursuant to the tender offer. Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the tender offer, if shares having an aggregate purchase price of less than $425,000,000 are properly tendered and not properly withdrawn prior to the Expiration Date, we will buy all shares properly tendered at prices at or below the Purchase Price and not properly withdrawn. See Section 1.

If you wish to maximize the chance that your shares will be purchased in the tender offer, you should check the box in the section of the Letter of Transmittal captioned “Shares Tendered at Price Determined Pursuant to the Tender Offer.” Note that this election will mean that your shares will be deemed to be tendered at the minimum price of $44.00 per share. You should understand, however, that this election may lower the Purchase Price paid for all purchased shares in the tender offer and could result in your shares being purchased at the minimum price of $44.00 per share, a price that could be below the closing price of our common stock on the Expiration Date.

What will be the form of payment of the Purchase Price?

If your shares are purchased in the tender offer, you will be paid the Purchase Price in cash, without interest, for each of your shares that we purchase pursuant to the tender offer. Applicable withholding taxes will be deducted from payments to tendering holders. We will pay the Purchase Price promptly after the expiration of the tender offer period, but do not expect to begin making such payments until at least three to five business days following the Expiration Date (so that we may determine the number of shares properly tendered, including shares tendered by guaranteed delivery procedures, as described in Section 3, and not properly withdrawn). See Section 5.

 

6


How many shares will the Company purchase?

Subject to the conditions of the tender offer being satisfied or waived, we will purchase a number of shares having an aggregate purchase price of $425,000,000, or a lower amount depending on the number of shares of common stock properly tendered and not properly withdrawn pursuant to the tender offer. Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the tender offer, if shares having an aggregate purchase price of less than $425,000,000 are properly tendered and not properly withdrawn prior to the Expiration Date, we will buy all shares properly tendered at prices at or below the Purchase Price and not properly withdrawn.

As of November 1, 2021, we had 65,391,285 issued and outstanding shares (and 2,166,991 shares reserved for issuance upon exercise, vesting or issuance, as applicable, of stock options, RSUs, RSAs and PSUs (assuming PSUs vest at the specified target performance threshold) and awards issuable under the ESPP). Assuming that the conditions to the tender offer are satisfied or waived and the tender offer is fully subscribed at a Purchase Price of $50.00, the maximum Purchase Price pursuant to the tender offer, the completion of the tender offer would result in the repurchase by the Company of 8,500,000 shares, which would represent approximately 13.0% of our issued and outstanding shares as of November 1, 2021 (which excludes Potential Shares), or approximately 12.6% of our outstanding shares on a fully diluted basis as of November 1, 2021 (which includes Potential Shares). If the conditions to the tender offer are satisfied or waived and the tender offer is fully subscribed at a Purchase Price of $44.00, the minimum Purchase Price pursuant to the tender offer, the completion of the tender offer would result in the repurchase by the Company of 9,659,090 shares, which would represent approximately 14.8% of our issued and outstanding shares as of November 1, 2021 (which excludes Potential Shares), or approximately 14.3% of our outstanding shares on a fully diluted basis as of November 1, 2021 (which includes Potential Shares).

In addition, if shares having an aggregate purchase price of more than $425,000,000 are tendered in the tender offer and not properly withdrawn, we reserve the right to accept for purchase at the Purchase Price pursuant to the tender offer up to an additional 2% of our outstanding shares without amending or extending the tender offer. We also expressly reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to purchase additional shares subject to applicable legal and regulatory requirements. See Section 1.

The tender offer is not conditioned on any minimum number of shares being tendered. The tender offer is, however, subject to other conditions, including the Financing Condition. See Section 7.

How will the Company pay for the shares?

Assuming the tender offer is fully subscribed, and assuming we do not exercise our right to purchase up to an additional 2% of our outstanding shares, we expect the aggregate cost of the purchases, including all fees and expenses related to the tender offer, to be approximately $429.5 million. We anticipate that we will fund the purchase of the shares tendered in the tender offer, and to pay related fees and expenses, with the proceeds of the Debt Financing, together with cash on hand and/or borrowings under the Company’s $350 million senior revolving credit facility (the “Revolving Facility”). The tender offer is subject to the consummation by us of the Debt Financing prior to the Expiration Date on terms reasonably satisfactory to us and resulting in gross proceeds to us of at least $400 million. On or prior to the consummation of the Debt Financing, we expect to enter into an amendment to the credit agreement governing the Revolving Facility (the “Revolving Facility Amendment”), which amendment will amend the credit agreement to permit certain expected terms of the Debt Financing. The consummation of the Debt Financing is conditioned upon the entry into the Revolving Facility Amendment. See Section 7 and Section 9.

How long do I have to tender my shares?

You may tender your shares until the Expiration Date (or earlier deadline set forth below with respect to shares held within the Retirement Plan). The Expiration Date is at 12:00 midnight, New York City time, at the

 

7


end of the day on December 3, 2021, unless we extend or earlier terminate the tender offer. We may choose to extend the tender offer at any time and for any reason. We cannot assure you that the tender offer will be extended or, if extended, for how long. See Section 1 and Section 14. If a broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee holds your shares, it is likely that, for administrative reasons, such nominee has an earlier deadline that must be met for your shares to be tendered by the Expiration Date. Accordingly, beneficial owners wishing to participate in the tender offer should contact their broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee as soon as possible in order to determine the times by which such owner must take action in order to participate in the tender offer.

If you hold shares in the Retirement Plan and you wish to tender such shares, you must follow the procedures described in the separate instructions that you will receive and accept the tender offer by 4:00 p.m., New York City time, on November 23, 2021.

Can the tender offer be extended, amended or terminated, and under what circumstances?

We can extend or amend the tender offer in our sole discretion. If we extend the tender offer, we will delay the acceptance of any shares that have been tendered. We can terminate the tender offer under certain circumstances. See Section 7 and Section 14.

How will I be notified if the Company extends the tender offer or amends the terms of the tender offer?

We will issue a press release no later than 9:00 a.m., New York City time, on the business day after the previously scheduled Expiration Date if we decide to extend the tender offer. We will announce any amendment to the tender offer by making a public announcement of the amendment. In the event that the terms of the tender offer are amended, we will file with the Commission an amendment to our Schedule TO-I relating to the tender offer describing the amendment. See Section 14.

What is the purpose of the tender offer?

Our Board of Directors has determined that it is in the best interests of the Company to repurchase shares of its common stock at this time consistent with its current capital allocation strategy, which includes as one of its primary objectives returning capital to its shareholders. The tender offer is being launched as part of a newly authorized $1 billion share repurchase program, which replaces our prior $300 million program. In particular, our Board of Directors believes the “modified Dutch auction” tender offer set forth in this Offer to Purchase is a mechanism that will provide all shareholders with the opportunity to tender all or a portion of their shares (subject to any “odd lot” priority, proration, conditional tender and other terms of this Offer to Purchase), without potential additional volatility in the share price and the usual transaction cost inherent in open market purchases and sales. Conversely, the tender offer also affords shareholders the option not to participate and, thereby, to increase their relative percentage interest in the Company and its future results. See Section 2.

Are there any conditions to the tender offer?

Yes. Notwithstanding any other provision of the tender offer, our obligation to accept and pay for your tendered shares is subject to satisfaction of the Financing Condition and the General Conditions (as defined herein). The conditions to the tender offer are for our sole benefit and may be asserted by us regardless of the circumstances (other than any action or omission by us) giving rise to any such condition, and may be waived by us, in whole or in part, at any time in our reasonable discretion on or before the Expiration Date. The tender offer is not conditioned upon any minimum number of shares being tendered. These conditions are described in greater detail in Section 7.

 

8


How do I tender my shares?

To tender your shares, prior to 12:00 midnight, New York City time, at the end of the day on December 3, 2021 (or the earlier deadline set forth below with respect to the Retirement Plan), or any later time and date to which the tender offer may be extended:

 

   

if your shares are registered in the name of a broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee, contact such nominee and have such nominee tender your shares for you;

 

   

if you are an institution participating in The Depository Trust Company, referred to as “DTC” or the “Book-Entry Transfer Facility,” tender your shares according to the procedure for book-entry transfer described in Section 3;

 

   

if you hold certificates or book-entry shares in your own name, complete and sign a Letter of Transmittal according to its instructions and deliver it, together with any required signature guarantees, the certificates for your shares and any other documents required by the Letter of Transmittal, to the Depositary at its address shown on the Letter of Transmittal; or

 

   

if you hold shares within the Retirement Plan, you must follow the procedures described in the separate instructions that you will receive and accept the tender offer by 4:00 p.m., New York City time, on November 23, 2021.

Beneficial owners should be aware that their broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee may establish its own earlier deadline for participation in the tender offer. Accordingly, beneficial owners wishing to participate in the tender offer should contact their broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee as soon as possible in order to determine the times by which such owner must take action in order to participate in the tender offer.

If you want to tender your shares, but your certificates for the shares are not immediately available or cannot be delivered to the Depositary, you cannot comply with the procedure for book-entry transfer or you cannot deliver the other required documents to the Depositary by the Expiration Date of the tender offer, you may still tender your shares if you comply with the guaranteed delivery procedures described in Section 3.

In accordance with Instructions 4 and 5 to the Letter of Transmittal, each shareholder who is not tendering through DTC and who desires to tender shares in the tender offer must either check (1) one, and only one, of the boxes in the section of the Letter of Transmittal captioned “Shares Tendered at Price Determined by Shareholder,” indicating the price (in increments of $0.50) at which shares are being tendered, or (2) the box in the section of the Letter of Transmittal captioned “Shares Tendered at Price Determined Pursuant to the Tender Offer,” in which case you will be deemed to have tendered your shares at the minimum price of $44.00 per share (YOU SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT THIS ELECTION MAY CAUSE THE PURCHASE PRICE TO BE LOWER AND COULD RESULT IN THE TENDERED SHARES BEING PURCHASED AT THE MINIMUM PRICE OF $44.00 PER SHARE, A PRICE THAT COULD BE BELOW THE CLOSING PRICE OF OUR COMMON STOCK ON THE EXPIRATION DATE). If tendering shareholders wish to maximize the chance that their shares will be purchased, they should check the box in the section of the Letter of Transmittal captioned “Shares Tendered at Price Determined Pursuant to the Tender Offer.” See Section 8 for recent market prices for shares of our common stock.

If I am a holder of vested stock options, how do I participate in the tender offer?

We are not offering, as part of the tender offer, to purchase any outstanding stock options, and tenders of stock options will not be accepted. If you are a holder of vested stock options, you may exercise your vested stock options and tender any shares issued upon such exercise. You must exercise your stock options in a timely manner prior to the Expiration Date in order to have time for such exercise to settle before the shares received upon exercise of the options may be tendered. An exercise of stock options cannot be revoked even if shares

 

9


received upon the exercise and tendered in the tender offer are not purchased in the tender offer for any reason. We urge each shareholder to consult with his or her financial advisor, tax advisor or legal advisor with respect to the advisability of exercising any vested stock options and tendering any shares issued upon such exercise.

If I am a holder of restricted stock, how do I participate in the Offer?

We are not offering, as part of the tender offer, to purchase any outstanding RSAs unless and until the restricted stock has vested and the restrictions on the shares have lapsed. Shares that you hold that are vested and no longer subject to any restrictions may be tendered in the tender offer, subject to the terms and conditions of the tender offer.

If I am a holder of RSUs or PSUs, how do I participate in the tender offer?

We are not offering, as part of the tender offer, to purchase any outstanding RSUs or PSUs, and tenders of RSUs or PSUs will not be accepted. Holders of RSUs and PSUs may not tender shares represented by such interests unless the awards are fully vested and settled in shares prior to the Expiration Date.

If I hold shares within the Retirement Plan, how do I participate in the tender offer?

If you hold shares within the Retirement Plan, you are entitled to participate in the tender offer. If you wish to tender such shares, you must follow the procedures described in the separate instructions that you will receive and accept the tender offer by 4:00 p.m., New York City time, on November 23, 2021.

How will the tender offer affect the number of our shares outstanding and the number of record holders?

As of November 1, 2021, we had 65,391,285 issued and outstanding shares (and 2,166,991 shares reserved for issuance upon exercise, vesting or issuance, as applicable, of stock options, RSUs, RSAs and PSUs (assuming PSUs vest at the specified target performance threshold) and awards issuable under the ESPP). Assuming that the conditions to the tender offer are satisfied or waived and the tender offer is fully subscribed at a Purchase Price of $50.00, the maximum Purchase Price pursuant to the tender offer, the completion of the tender offer would result in the repurchase by the Company of 8,500,000 shares, which would represent approximately 13.0% of our issued and outstanding shares as of November 1, 2021 (which excludes Potential Shares), or approximately 12.6% of our outstanding shares on a fully diluted basis as of November 1, 2021 (which includes Potential Shares). If the conditions to the tender offer are satisfied or waived and the tender offer is fully subscribed at a Purchase Price of $44.00, the minimum Purchase Price pursuant to the tender offer, the completion of the tender offer would result in the repurchase by the Company of 9,659,090 shares, which would represent approximately 14.8% of our issued and outstanding shares as of November 1, 2021 (which excludes Potential Shares), or approximately 14.3% of our outstanding shares on a fully diluted basis as of November 1, 2021 (which includes Potential Shares).

In addition, if shares having an aggregate purchase price of more than $425,000,000 are tendered in the tender offer and not properly withdrawn, we reserve the right to accept for purchase at the Purchase Price pursuant to the tender offer up to an additional 2% of our outstanding shares without amending or extending the tender offer. We also expressly reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to purchase additional shares subject to applicable legal and regulatory requirements. See Section 1.

Furthermore, if any of our shareholders:

 

   

who hold shares in their own name as holders of record; or

 

   

who are “registered holders” as participants in DTC’s system whose names appear on a security position listing,

 

10


tender their shares in full and that tender is accepted in full, then the number of our record holders would be reduced. See Section 2.

Shareholders who do not have their shares purchased in the tender offer will realize a proportionate increase in their relative ownership interest in the Company following the purchase of shares pursuant to the tender offer. See Section 2.

We currently intend to cancel and retire shares purchased pursuant to the tender offer. Such shares will return to the status of authorized and unissued shares and will be available for us to issue without further shareholder action for all purposes except as required by applicable law and regulation or the rules of the NYSE. We have no current plans for the issuance of shares purchased in this tender offer.

Following the tender offer, will the Company continue as a public company?

Yes. In addition, the tender offer is conditioned upon the Company having determined that the transaction will not cause the Company to be delisted from the NYSE and will not cause the shares to be subject to deregistration under the Exchange Act (which would result in the Company ceasing to be subject to the periodic reporting requirements of the Exchange Act). See Section 2.

May I tender only a portion of the shares that I hold?

Yes. You do not have to tender all of the shares that you own to participate in the tender offer.

If I own fewer than 100 shares and I tender all of my shares, will I be subject to proration?

If you own, beneficially or of record, fewer than an aggregate of 100 shares, you properly tender all of such shares at or below the Purchase Price prior to the Expiration Date (and do not properly withdraw such shares) and you complete the section entitled “Odd Lots” in the Letter of Transmittal and, if applicable, in the Notice of Guaranteed Delivery, and all conditions to the tender offer are satisfied or waived, we will purchase all of your shares without subjecting them to proration. See Section 1.

Can I change my mind after I have tendered shares in the tender offer, but before the Expiration Date?

Yes. You may withdraw any shares you have tendered at any time before the Expiration Date (or the earlier deadline with respect to shares held within the Retirement Plan), which will occur at 12:00 midnight, New York City time, at the end of the day on December 3, 2021, unless we extend or withdraw the tender offer. If we have not accepted for payment the shares you have tendered to us by 12:00 midnight, New York City time, at the end of the day on January 4, 2022 (the 40th business day from the commencement of the tender offer), you may also withdraw your shares at that time. See Section 4.

If you hold interests in shares through a broker, you must follow the broker’s procedures described in instructions that you will receive, which may include an earlier deadline for notifying the broker of your desire to withdraw your shares.

How do I withdraw shares I previously tendered?

You must deliver on a timely basis a written notice of your withdrawal to the Depositary at the address appearing on the back cover of this Offer to Purchase. Your notice of withdrawal must specify your name, the number of shares to be withdrawn and the name of the registered holder of such shares. Additional requirements will apply if the certificates for shares to be withdrawn have been delivered to the Depositary or if your shares have been tendered under the procedure for book-entry transfer set forth in Section 3. See Section 4.

 

11


In what order will the Company purchase the tendered shares?

If the conditions to the tender offer have been satisfied or waived and shares having an aggregate purchase price of less than $425,000,000 are properly tendered and not properly withdrawn prior to the Expiration Date, we will buy all shares properly tendered at prices at or below the Purchase Price and not properly withdrawn.

If the conditions to the tender offer have been satisfied or waived and shares having an aggregate purchase price in excess of $425,000,000, measured at the maximum price at which such shares were properly tendered, have been properly tendered and not properly withdrawn prior to the Expiration Date, we will purchase shares:

 

   

first, from all shareholders of “odd lots” (persons who own fewer than 100 shares) who properly tender all of their shares at or below the Purchase Price and do not properly withdraw them prior to the Expiration Date;

 

   

second, on a pro rata basis (with appropriate adjustments to avoid the purchase of fractional shares) from all other shareholders who properly tender shares at or below the Purchase Price and do not properly withdraw them before the expiration of the tender offer, other than shareholders who tender conditionally and whose conditions are not satisfied; and

 

   

third, if necessary to permit us to purchase shares having an aggregate purchase price of $425,000,000 (or such greater amount as we may elect to purchase, subject to applicable law), from holders who have tendered shares at or below the Purchase Price conditionally (for which the condition was not initially satisfied) by random lot, to the extent feasible. To be eligible for purchase by random lot, holders whose shares are conditionally tendered must have properly tendered all of their shares and not properly withdrawn them prior to the Expiration Date.

Therefore, it is possible that we will not purchase any or all of the shares that you tender. See Section 1.

Shares not purchased in the tender offer will be returned to the tendering shareholders at our expense promptly after the expiration of the tender offer.

Has the Company or its Board of Directors adopted a position on the tender offer?

While our Board of Directors has authorized the tender offer, it has not made, nor have the Company, the Dealer Manager, the Information Agent, the Depositary or any of their respective affiliates made, any recommendation to you as to whether you should tender or refrain from tendering your shares or as to the price or prices at which you should tender your shares.

We cannot predict how our common stock will trade after expiration of the tender offer, and it is possible that our common stock price will trade above the tender offer price after expiration of the tender offer. You must make your own decision as to whether to tender your shares and, if so, how many shares to tender and the price or prices at which you choose to tender your shares. In doing so, you should read carefully all of the information in, or incorporated by reference in, this Offer to Purchase, in the related Letter of Transmittal and in the other tender offer materials. You are urged to discuss these matters with your own tax advisor, financial advisor, legal advisor and/or broker.

Will the Company’s directors and executive officers tender shares in the tender offer?

The Company’s directors and executive officers have informed the Company that they will not tender any of their shares in the tender offer. Assuming the completion of the tender offer, the relative ownership interest of our directors and executive officers in the Company will increase. See Section 11.

If I decide not to tender, how will the tender offer affect my shares?

Shareholders who choose not to tender will own a greater percentage interest in our outstanding common stock following the completion of the tender offer.

 

12


What is the accounting treatment of the tender offer?

The accounting for the purchase of shares pursuant to the tender offer will result in a reduction of our shareholders’ equity in an amount equal to the aggregate Purchase Price of the shares we purchase plus transaction fees and a corresponding reduction in cash and cash equivalents. See Section 2.

When and how will the Company pay for the shares I tender?

Promptly after the Expiration Date, we will pay the Purchase Price, without interest, for the shares we purchase. Applicable withholding taxes will be deducted from payments to tendering holders. We will announce the preliminary results of the tender offer, including the Purchase Price and preliminary information about any expected proration, on the business day following the Expiration Date. We expect that we will be able to announce the final proration factor and commence payment for any shares purchased pursuant to the tender offer between three to five business days after the Expiration Date, after we have determined the number of shares properly tendered, including shares tendered by guaranteed delivery procedures, as described in Section 3, and not properly withdrawn. We will pay for the shares accepted for purchase by depositing the aggregate Purchase Price with the Depositary promptly after determination of the final proration factor. The Depositary will transmit to you the payment for all of your shares accepted for payment. See Section 5.

What is a recent market price for the shares?

On November 2, 2021, the last trading day prior to the announcement of the Company’s intention to commence the tender offer, the closing price of the shares on the NYSE was $41.20 per share. You are urged to obtain current market quotations for the shares. See Section 8.

Will I have to pay brokerage fees and commissions if I tender my shares?

If you are a holder of record of your shares and you tender your shares directly to the Depositary, you will not incur any brokerage fees or commissions. If you hold your shares through a broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee and such nominee tenders shares on your behalf, such nominee may charge you a fee for doing so. We urge you to consult your broker or other nominee to determine whether any charges will apply. See Sections 5 and 15.

Does the Company intend to repurchase any shares other than pursuant to the tender offer during or after the tender offer?

Rule 13e-4 of the Exchange Act generally prohibits us and our affiliates from purchasing any shares, other than pursuant to the tender offer, until the expiration of at least ten business days after the Expiration Date of the tender offer. Beginning on the eleventh business day after the Expiration Date of the tender offer, we may make stock repurchases from time to time. On November 3, 2021, we announced that our Board of Directors has authorized a new $1 billion share repurchase program, which replaces our prior $300 million program. Under the new authorization, purchases can be made from time to time using a variety of methods, which may include open market purchases, purchases effected through 10b5-1 trading plans, accelerated share repurchase programs or other transactions. The amount of any shares that are purchased, and the timing of any such purchases, under the new repurchase program will be determined based on market conditions and other factors, and the program may be suspended or discontinued at any time. Any of these repurchases may be on the same terms or on terms that are more or less favorable to the selling shareholders in those transactions than the terms of the tender offer.

What are the U.S. federal income tax consequences if I tender my shares?

The receipt of cash for your tendered shares generally will be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes either as (1) consideration received in a sale or exchange of the tendered shares or (2) a distribution in respect of

 

13


your shares. If you are a U.S. Holder (as defined in Section 13), generally, you will be subject to U.S. federal income taxation upon the receipt of cash in exchange for the shares that you tender. See Section 13 for additional information.

If you are a Non-U.S. Holder addressed in Section 13, if the receipt of cash by you is treated as consideration received in a sale or exchange, and such consideration is not effectively connected with your conduct of a trade or business in the U.S., you generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income taxation on the receipt of such cash, subject to certain exceptions. However, if the receipt of cash is treated as a distribution with respect to your shares, you may be subject to U.S. federal withholding tax on the portion of such distribution treated as a “dividend” for U.S. federal income tax purposes at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate as may be specified pursuant to an applicable income tax treaty). The treatment of the receipt of cash may depend upon facts that are unique to each shareholder. See Section 13. Thus, if you are a Non-U.S. Holder, it would be prudent to expect that the Depositary or other applicable withholding agent generally will withhold U.S. federal withholding tax at a rate of 30% from any payments made to you pursuant to the tender offer unless such withholding agent receives documentation pursuant to which it may determine that a reduced rate of, or exemption from, such withholding applies. See Sections 3 and 13. If such tax has been withheld but the receipt of cash for your tendered shares is in fact properly treated as consideration received in a sale or exchange, then you may apply for a refund of such withheld amount. See Section 13 for additional information.

We recommend that you consult your own tax advisor regarding the particular tax consequences to you of tendering shares for cash pursuant to the tender offer, including the applicability and effect of any U.S. federal, state or local tax laws or any non-U.S. tax laws. See Sections 3 and 13.

Will I have to pay stock transfer tax if I tender my shares?

Except as otherwise provided herein and in the Letter of Transmittal, if you instruct the Depositary in the Letter of Transmittal to make the payment for the tendered shares to the registered holder, you will generally not be required to pay any stock transfer taxes on our purchase of the shares pursuant to the tender offer. See Section 5.

To whom can I talk if I have questions?

The Information Agent can help answer your questions. The Information Agent for the tender offer is Georgeson LLC. Please call (800) 868-1390 Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., New York City time.

Georgeson LLC

1290 Avenue of Americas, 9th Floor

New York, New York 10104

Shareholders, Banks and Brokers

Call Toll Free: (800) 868-1390

In addition, the Dealer Manager can help answer your questions, and may be contacted as follows:

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC

383 Madison Ave, 6th Floor

New York, NY 10179

U.S. Toll Free: (877) 371-5947

 

14


CAUTIONARY STATEMENT CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Offer to Purchase and the documents incorporated by reference herein include statements that express our opinions, expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions or projections regarding future events or future results and therefore are, or may be deemed to be, “forward-looking statements.” These forward-looking statements can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms “believes,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” “expects,” “estimates,” “seeks,” “projects,” “intends,” “plans,” “may,” “will” or “should” or, in each case, their negative or other variations or comparable terminology. These forward-looking statements include all matters that are not historical facts. They appear in a number of places throughout this Offer to Purchase and the documents incorporated by reference herein and include statements regarding our intentions, beliefs or current expectations concerning, among other things, the execution, amount and timing of, and benefits expected from, the tender offer, the nature and amount of any other share repurchases under the $1 billion repurchase program and our results of operations, financial condition, liquidity, prospects, growth, strategies and the industry in which we operate.

By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. We believe that these risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to the risks and uncertainties discussed under “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, which was filed with the Commission on February 26, 2021, and our subsequent filings with the Commission.

Although we base these forward-looking statements on assumptions that we believe are reasonable when made, we caution you that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and that our actual results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and the development of the industry in which we operate may differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward-looking statements contained in this Offer to Purchase and the documents incorporated by reference herein. In addition, even if our results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and the development of the industry in which we operate are consistent with the forward-looking statements contained in this Offer to Purchase and the documents incorporated by reference herein, those results or developments may not be indicative of results or developments in subsequent periods.

Given these risks and uncertainties, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements that we make in this Offer to Purchase and the documents incorporated by reference herein speak only as of the date of those statements, and we undertake no obligation to update those statements or to publicly announce the results of any revisions to any of those statements to reflect future events or developments, except as required by law. Comparisons of results for current and any prior periods are not intended to express any future trends or indications of future performance, unless expressed as such, and should only be viewed as historical data.

 

15


INTRODUCTION

To the Holders of Our Common Stock:

PROG Holdings, Inc., a Georgia corporation, hereby offers to purchase for cash up to $425,000,000 in value of shares of its issued and outstanding common stock, par value $0.50 per share, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in this Offer to Purchase, the related Letter of Transmittal and the other tender offer materials. We are offering to purchase the shares at a single per share price not less than $44.00 per share and not more than $50.00 per share (the price as determined as provided herein, the “Purchase Price”), without interest. Applicable withholding taxes will be deducted from payments to tendering holders. Tendering shareholders may specify a price not less than $44.00 per share and not more than $50.00 per share (in increments of $0.50) at which they are willing to sell their shares pursuant to the tender offer.

The tender offer will expire at 12:00 midnight, New York City time, at the end of the day on December 3, 2021 (such date and time, as the same may be extended, the “Expiration Date”), unless extended or earlier terminated. We may, in our sole discretion, extend the period of time in which the tender offer will remain open or terminate the tender offer.

Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of this Offer to Purchase, including the provisions relating to “odd lot” priority, proration and conditional tenders described in this Offer to Purchase, we will determine a single Purchase Price that we will pay for shares properly tendered and not properly withdrawn from the tender offer, taking into account the total number of shares tendered and the prices specified by tendering shareholders. We will select the lowest Purchase Price, not less than $44.00 per share and not more than $50.00 per share, that will allow us to purchase that number of shares having an aggregate purchase price of $425,000,000, or a lower amount depending on the number of shares properly tendered and not properly withdrawn pursuant to the tender offer. Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the tender offer, if shares having an aggregate purchase price of less than $425,000,000 are properly tendered at or below the Purchase Price and not properly withdrawn prior to the Expiration Date, we will buy all shares properly tendered at or below the Purchase Price and not properly withdrawn.

All shares acquired in the tender offer will be acquired at the same Purchase Price regardless of whether the shareholder tendered at a lower price, and we will only purchase shares tendered at prices equal to or below the Purchase Price. Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of this Offer to Purchase, including the provisions relating to “odd lot” priority, proration and conditional tender provisions described in this Offer to Purchase, the Company will purchase all shares properly tendered at prices at or below the Purchase Price and not properly withdrawn. Shares not purchased in the tender offer will be returned to the tendering shareholders at our expense promptly after the expiration of the tender offer. See Section 1. In addition, if shares with an aggregate purchase price of more than $425,000,000 are tendered in the tender offer and not properly withdrawn, we reserve the right to accept for purchase at the Purchase Price pursuant to the tender offer up to an additional 2% of our outstanding shares without amending or extending the tender offer. We also expressly reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to purchase additional shares subject to applicable legal and regulatory requirements. See Section 1.

If completed, the tender offer will provide shareholders with an opportunity to obtain liquidity with respect to all or a portion of their shares, without potential additional volatility in the share price and the usual transaction costs inherent in open market purchases and sales. The tender offer also affords shareholders the option not to participate and, thereby, to increase their relative percentage ownership interest in the Company and its future results.

WHILE OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS HAS AUTHORIZED THE TENDER OFFER, IT HAS NOT MADE, NOR HAVE THE COMPANY, THE DEALER MANAGER, THE INFORMATION AGENT, THE DEPOSITARY OR ANY OF OUR OR THEIR RESPECTIVE AFFILIATES MADE, ANY RECOMMENDATION TO YOU AS TO WHETHER YOU SHOULD TENDER OR REFRAIN FROM

 

16


TENDERING YOUR SHARES OR AT WHAT PURCHASE PRICE OR PURCHASE PRICES YOU CHOOSE TO TENDER YOUR SHARES. YOU MUST MAKE YOUR OWN DECISION AS TO WHETHER TO TENDER YOUR SHARES AND, IF SO, HOW MANY SHARES TO TENDER OR AT WHAT PURCHASE PRICE OR PURCHASE PRICES YOU CHOOSE TO TENDER YOUR SHARES. IN SO DOING, YOU SHOULD READ CAREFULLY ALL OF THE INFORMATION IN, OR INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE IN, THIS OFFER TO PURCHASE, THE RELATED LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL AND THE OTHER TENDER OFFER MATERIALS, INCLUDING OUR REASONS FOR MAKING THE TENDER OFFER. SEE SECTION 2. THE COMPANY’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS WILL NOT TENDER ANY OF THEIR SHARES IN THE TENDER OFFER. SEE SECTION 11. YOU ARE URGED TO DISCUSS THESE MATTERS WITH YOUR OWN TAX ADVISOR, FINANCIAL ADVISOR, LEGAL ADVISOR AND/OR BROKER.

We expressly reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to change the per share purchase price range and to increase or decrease the value of shares sought in the tender offer, subject to applicable law. We may increase the value of shares sought in the tender offer to an amount greater than $425,000,000, subject to applicable law. See Section 14.

The tender offer is not conditioned upon any minimum number of shares being tendered. The tender offer is, however, subject to certain conditions, including the Financing Condition. See Section 7.

If the conditions to the tender offer have been satisfied or waived and shares having an aggregate purchase price of less than $425,000,000 are properly tendered at or below the Purchase Price and not properly withdrawn prior to the Expiration Date, we will buy all shares properly tendered at or below the Purchase Price and not properly withdrawn.

If the conditions to the tender offer have been satisfied or waived and shares having an aggregate purchase price in excess of $425,000,000, measured at the maximum price at which such shares were properly tendered, have been properly tendered and not properly withdrawn prior to the Expiration Date, we will buy shares in the following order of priority:

 

   

first, from all holders of “odd lots” (holders of fewer than 100 shares) who properly tender all of their shares at or below the Purchase Price and do not properly withdraw them before the Expiration Date;

 

   

second, on a pro rata basis (with appropriate adjustments to avoid the purchase of fractional shares) from all other shareholders who properly tender shares at or below the Purchase Price and do not properly withdraw them prior to the Expiration Date, other than shareholders who tender conditionally and whose conditions are not satisfied; and

 

   

third, if necessary to permit us to purchase shares having an aggregate purchase price of $425,000,000 (or such greater amount as we may elect to purchase, subject to applicable law), from shareholders who have tendered shares at or below the Purchase Price subject to the condition that a specified minimum number of the shareholder’s shares be purchased if any of the shareholder’s shares are purchased in the tender offer (for which the condition was not initially satisfied) by random lot, to the extent feasible. To be eligible for purchase by random lot, shareholders whose shares are conditionally tendered must have tendered all of their shares and not properly withdrawn them prior to the Expiration Date.

Therefore, it is possible that we will not purchase all of the shares tendered pursuant to the tender offer. See Sections 1, 5 and 6, respectively, for additional information concerning priority, proration and conditional tender procedures.

We will pay the Purchase Price, without interest, for all shares purchased. Applicable withholding taxes will be deducted from payments to tendering holders. Tendering shareholders who hold shares registered in their own name and who tender their shares directly to the Depositary will not be obligated to pay brokerage commissions, solicitation fees or, except as otherwise provided in Section 5 and the Letter of Transmittal, stock transfer taxes

 

17


on our purchase of shares pursuant to the tender offer. Shareholders holding shares through brokers, dealers, commercial banks, trust companies or other nominees are urged to consult such nominees to determine whether transaction costs apply. Also, any tendering shareholder or other payee who fails to complete, sign and deliver the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) Form W-9 included with the Letter of Transmittal or an applicable IRS Form W-8 may be subject to U.S. federal backup withholding on the gross proceeds paid to the payee pursuant to the tender offer, unless such payee establishes that such payee is within the class of persons that is exempt from backup withholding. See Section 3. Also see Section 13 for a discussion of certain U.S. federal income tax consequences of the tender offer.

Holders of stock options, RSUs, RSAs and PSUs may not tender shares represented by such interests unless they are fully vested and, if applicable, settled in shares prior to the Expiration Date. Exercises of stock options cannot be revoked even if some or all of the shares received upon the exercise thereof and tendered in the tender offer are not purchased pursuant to the tender offer for any reason. See Sections 3 and 11 for more information.

We will pay the fees and expenses incurred in connection with the tender offer by Georgeson LLC, the Information Agent for the tender offer, Computershare Trust Company, N.A., the Depositary for the tender offer, and J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, the Dealer Manager for the tender offer. The Dealer Manager, the Information Agent and the Depositary will each also receive reasonable and customary compensation for their respective services. See Section 15.

As of November 1, 2021, we had 65,391,285 issued and outstanding shares (and 2,166,991 shares reserved for issuance upon exercise, vesting or issuance, as applicable, of stock options, RSUs, RSAs and PSUs (assuming PSUs vest at the specified target performance threshold) and awards issuable under the ESPP). Assuming that the conditions to the tender offer are satisfied or waived and the tender offer is fully subscribed at a Purchase Price of $50.00, the maximum Purchase Price pursuant to the tender offer, the completion of the tender offer would result in the repurchase by the Company of 8,500,000 shares, which would represent approximately 13.0% of our issued and outstanding shares as of November 1, 2021 (which excludes Potential Shares), or approximately 12.6% of our outstanding shares on a fully diluted basis as of November 1, 2021 (which includes Potential Shares). If the conditions to the tender offer are satisfied or waived and the tender offer is fully subscribed at a Purchase Price of $44.00, the minimum Purchase Price pursuant to the tender offer, the completion of the tender offer would result in the repurchase by the Company of 9,659,090 shares, which would represent approximately 14.8% of our issued and outstanding shares as of November 1, 2021 (which excludes Potential Shares), or approximately 14.3% of our outstanding shares on a fully diluted basis as of November 1, 2021 (which includes Potential Shares).

The shares are listed and traded on the NYSE. On November 2, 2021, the last trading day prior to the announcement by the Company of its intention to commence the tender offer, the last reported sale price of the shares on the NYSE was $41.20 per share. Shareholders are urged to obtain current market quotations for the shares. See Section 8.

 

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THE TENDER OFFER

 

1.

Number of Shares; Proration.

General. Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the tender offer, we hereby offer to purchase for cash up to $425,000,000 in value of shares of our common stock properly tendered and not properly withdrawn in accordance with Section 4 before the Expiration Date of the tender offer, at a Purchase Price determined by us of not less than $44.00 per share and not more than $50.00 per share, without interest. Applicable withholding taxes will be deducted from payments to tendering holders. See Section 14 for a description of our right to extend, delay, terminate or amend the tender offer. If shares having an aggregate purchase price of more than $425,000,000 are tendered in the tender offer and not properly withdrawn, we reserve the right to accept for purchase at the Purchase Price pursuant to the tender offer up to an additional 2% of our outstanding shares without amending or extending the tender offer. We also expressly reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to purchase additional shares subject to applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

If the conditions to the tender offer have been satisfied or waived and shares having an aggregate purchase price of less than $425,000,000 are properly tendered and not properly withdrawn prior to the Expiration Date, we will buy all shares properly tendered at or below the Purchase Price and not properly withdrawn. If the tender offer is oversubscribed, shares tendered will be subject to proration as described below. Withdrawal rights of shareholders will expire on the Expiration Date (or the earlier deadline with respect to shares held within the Retirement Plan).

However, if we:

 

   

increase the maximum price to be paid above $50.00 per share or decrease the price to be paid below $44.00 per share or otherwise change the price range at which we are offering to purchase shares in the tender offer;

 

   

increase the aggregate purchase price for shares being sought in the tender offer and such increase would result in the prospective purchase of a number of shares exceeding 2% of our outstanding shares; or

 

   

decrease the aggregate purchase price for shares being sought in the tender offer; and

the tender offer is scheduled to expire at any time earlier than the expiration of a period ending on the tenth business day (as defined herein) from, and including, the date that announcement of any such change is first published, sent or given in the manner specified in Section 14, the tender offer will be extended such that it will remain open for at least ten business days after the date that such announcement of any such change is first published. A “business day” means any day other than a Saturday, Sunday or U.S. federal holiday and consists of the time period from 12:01 a.m. through 12:00 midnight, New York City time.

In accordance with the instructions to the Letter of Transmittal, shareholders desiring to tender shares must specify the price (in increments of $0.50), not less than $44.00 per share and not more than $50.00 per share, at which they are willing to sell their shares to the Company. Alternatively, shareholders desiring to tender shares can choose not to specify a price and, instead, specify that they will sell their shares at the Purchase Price that the Company determines pursuant to the terms of the tender offer, which could be a price per share as low as $44.00 or as high as $50.00. If tendering shareholders wish to maximize the chance that the Company will purchase their shares, they should check the box in the section of the Letter of Transmittal captioned “Shares Tendered at Price Determined Pursuant to the Tender Offer.” Note that this election will mean that such shareholder’s shares will be deemed to be tendered at the minimum price of $44.00 per share. Tendering shareholders who make this election should understand that this election may lower the Purchase Price and could result in such shareholder’s shares being purchased at the minimum price of $44.00 per share, a price that could be below the closing price of our common stock on the Expiration Date.

 

19


THE TENDER OFFER IS NOT CONDITIONED ON ANY MINIMUM NUMBER OF SHARES BEING TENDERED. THE TENDER OFFER IS, HOWEVER, SUBJECT TO CERTAIN CONDITIONS, INCLUDING THE FINANCING CONDITION. SEE SECTION 7.

All shares tendered and not purchased pursuant to the tender offer, including shares not purchased because they were tendered at a price greater than the Purchase Price or because of proration and conditional tender provisions, will be returned to the tendering shareholders at our expense promptly following the Expiration Date.

Priority of Purchases. If the conditions to the tender offer have been satisfied or waived and shares having an aggregate purchase price of less than $425,000,000 are properly tendered at or below the Purchase Price and not properly withdrawn prior to the Expiration Date, we will purchase all shares properly tendered at or below the Purchase Price and not properly withdrawn.

If the conditions to the tender offer have been satisfied or waived and shares having an aggregate purchase price in excess of $425,000,000, measured at the maximum price at which such shares were properly tendered, have been properly tendered and not properly withdrawn prior to the Expiration Date, we will purchase properly tendered shares on the basis set forth below:

 

   

first, we will purchase all shares tendered by all holders of “odd lots” (as defined herein) who:

 

  (1)

tender at or below the Purchase Price all shares owned beneficially or of record by such holders (partial tenders will not qualify for this preference); and

 

  (2)

complete the section entitled “Odd Lots” in the Letter of Transmittal and, if applicable, the Notice of Guaranteed Delivery;

 

   

second, subject to the conditional tender provisions described in Section 6, we will purchase all other shares tendered at or below the Purchase Price on a pro rata basis with appropriate adjustments to avoid purchases of fractional shares, as described below; and

 

   

third, if necessary to permit us to purchase shares having an aggregate purchase price of $425,000,000 (or such greater amount as we may elect to purchase, subject to applicable law), shares conditionally tendered at or below the Purchase Price (for which the condition was not initially satisfied), will, to the extent feasible, be selected for purchase by random lot. To be eligible for purchase by random lot, shareholders whose shares are conditionally tendered must have properly tendered all of their shares and not properly withdrawn them prior to the Expiration Date.

Therefore, it is possible that we will not purchase any or all of the shares that a holder tenders in the tender offer. It is also possible that none of the shares conditionally tendered will be purchased.

Odd Lots. The term “odd lots” means all shares tendered by any person who owned beneficially or of record a total of fewer than 100 shares and so certified in the appropriate place on the Letter of Transmittal and, if applicable, the Notice of Guaranteed Delivery. To qualify for the odd lot priority, an odd lot holder must tender at or below the Purchase Price all shares owned by such holder in accordance with the procedures described in Section 3. Odd lots will be accepted for payment before any proration of the purchase of other tendered shares. Any odd lot holder wishing to tender all of such shareholder’s shares pursuant to the tender offer must complete the section entitled “Odd Lots” in the Letter of Transmittal and, if applicable, the Notice of Guaranteed Delivery.

Proration. If proration of tendered shares is required, we will determine the proration factor promptly following the Expiration Date. Subject to adjustment to avoid the purchase of fractional shares and subject to conditional tenders described below, proration for each shareholder tendering shares (other than odd lot holder and shares conditionally tendered) will be based on the ratio of the number of shares properly tendered at or below the Purchase Price and not properly withdrawn by such shareholder to the total number of shares properly tendered at or below the Purchase Price and not properly withdrawn by all shareholders (other than odd lot

 

20


holders and shares conditionally tendered). The preliminary results of any proration will be announced by press release promptly after the Expiration Date. We expect that we will be able to announce the final proration factor and commence payment for any shares purchased pursuant to the tender offer between three to five business days after the Expiration Date, after we have determined the number of shares properly tendered, including shares tendered by guaranteed delivery procedures, as described in Section 3, and not properly withdrawn. Shareholders may obtain preliminary proration information from the Information Agent and may be able to obtain such information from their brokers.

Conditional Tenders. A shareholder may tender shares subject to the condition that a specified minimum number of the shareholder’s shares tendered pursuant to a Letter of Transmittal must be purchased if any shares tendered are purchased. Any shareholder wishing to make a conditional tender must so indicate in the box entitled “Conditional Tender” in the Letter of Transmittal and indicate the minimum number of shares that must be purchased if any are to be purchased. We urge each shareholder to consult with his, her or its own financial, tax and legal advisors. No assurances can be provided that a conditional tender will achieve the intended U.S. federal income tax result for any tendering shareholder. See Section 6.

As described in Section 13, the number of shares that we will purchase from a shareholder pursuant to the tender offer may affect the U.S. federal income tax consequences to that shareholder and, therefore, may be relevant to a shareholder’s decision whether or not to tender shares and whether or not to condition any tender upon our purchase of a stated number of shares held by such shareholder.

This Offer to Purchase and the related Letter of Transmittal will be mailed to record holders of shares and will be furnished to brokers, dealers, commercial banks, trust companies and other nominees whose names, or the names of whose nominees, appear on our shareholder list or, if applicable, who are listed as participants in a clearing agency’s security position listing for subsequent transmittal to beneficial owners of shares.

 

2.

Purpose of the Tender Offer; Certain Effects of the Tender Offer.

Purpose of the Tender Offer. Our Board of Directors has determined that it is in the best interests of the Company to repurchase shares of its common stock at this time consistent with its current capital allocation strategy, which includes as one of its primary objectives returning capital to its shareholders. The tender offer is being launched as part of a newly authorized $1 billion share repurchase program, which replaces our prior $300 million program. In particular, our Board of Directors believes the “modified Dutch auction” tender offer set forth in this Offer to Purchase is a mechanism that will provide all shareholders with the opportunity to tender all or a portion of their shares (subject to any “odd lot” priority, proration, conditional tender and other terms of this Offer to Purchase), without potential additional volatility in the share price and the usual transaction cost inherent in open market purchases and sales. Conversely, the tender offer also affords shareholders the option not to participate and, thereby, to increase their relative percentage interest in the Company and its future results.

While our Board of Directors has authorized the tender offer, it has not made, nor have the Company, the Dealer Manager, the Information Agent, the Depositary or any of our or their respective affiliates made, any recommendation to you as to whether you should tender or refrain from tendering your shares or at what price or prices you should tender your shares. You must make your own decision as to whether to tender your shares and, if so, how many shares to tender and at what price or prices you choose to tender your shares. In doing so, you should read carefully all of the information in this Offer to Purchase, in the related Letter of Transmittal and in the other tender offer materials. The Company has been advised that its directors and executive officers will not tender any of their shares in the tender offer. See Section 11. You are urged to discuss these matters with your own tax advisor, financial advisor, legal advisor and/or broker.

Certain Effects of the Tender Offer. As of November 1, 2021, we had 65,391,285 issued and outstanding shares (and 2,166,991 shares reserved for issuance upon exercise, vesting or issuance, as applicable, of stock

 

21


options, RSUs, RSAs and PSUs (assuming PSUs vest at the specified target performance threshold) and awards issuable under the ESPP). Assuming that the conditions to the tender offer are satisfied or waived and the tender offer is fully subscribed at a Purchase Price of $50.00, the maximum Purchase Price pursuant to the tender offer, the completion of the tender offer would result in the repurchase by the Company of 8,500,000 shares, which would represent approximately 13.0% of our issued and outstanding shares as of November 1, 2021 (which excludes Potential Shares), or approximately 12.6% of our outstanding shares on a fully diluted basis as of November 1, 2021 (which includes Potential Shares). If the conditions to the tender offer are satisfied or waived and the tender offer is fully subscribed at a Purchase Price of $44.00, the minimum Purchase Price pursuant to the tender offer, the completion of the tender offer would result in the repurchase by the Company of 9,659,090 shares, which would represent approximately 14.8% of our issued and outstanding shares as of November 1, 2021 (which excludes Potential Shares), or approximately 14.3% of our outstanding shares on a fully diluted basis as of November 1, 2021 (which includes Potential Shares).

Shareholders may be able to sell non-tendered shares in the future on the NYSE or otherwise, at a net price higher or lower than the Purchase Price. We can give no assurance, however, as to the price at which a shareholder may be able to sell such shares in the future.

The tender offer will reduce our “public float,” which is the number of shares owned by non-affiliate shareholders and available for trading in the securities markets, and is likely to reduce the number of our shareholders. These reductions may reduce the volume of trading in our shares and may result in lower and more volatile stock prices and reduced liquidity in the trading of our shares following completion of the tender offer.

In addition, the tender offer will increase the proportional ownership of our executive officers and directors who are not participating in the tender offer and any other shareholders who do not participate or participate only in part in the tender offer.

Based on the published guidelines of the NYSE and the conditions of the tender offer, we do not believe that our purchase of shares pursuant to the tender offer will result in the delisting from the NYSE of the remaining shares. The shares are registered under the Exchange Act, which requires, among other things, that we furnish certain information to our shareholders and the Commission and comply with the Commission’s proxy rules in connection with meetings of our shareholders. We believe that our purchase of shares pursuant to the tender offer will not result in the shares becoming eligible for termination of registration under the Exchange Act. The tender offer is conditioned upon the Company having determined that the consummation of the tender offer will not cause the shares to be delisted from the NYSE or be eligible for deregistration under the Exchange Act. See Section 7.

We currently intend to cancel and retire shares purchased pursuant to the tender offer. Such shares will return to the status of authorized and unissued shares and will be available for us to issue without further shareholder action for all purposes except as required by applicable law and regulation or the rules of the NYSE. We have no current plans for the issuance of shares purchased in this tender offer.

We may, in the future, decide to purchase additional shares. Any such purchases may be on the same terms as, or on terms that are more or less favorable to shareholders than, the terms of the tender offer. Rule 13e-4 of the Exchange Act generally prohibits us and our affiliates from purchasing any shares, other than pursuant to the tender offer, until the expiration of at least ten business days after the Expiration Date of the tender offer. Beginning on the eleventh business day after the Expiration Date of the tender offer, we may make stock repurchases from time to time. On November 3, 2021, we announced that our Board of Directors has authorized a new $1 billion share repurchase program, which replaces our prior $300 million program. Under the new authorization, purchases can be made from time to time using a variety of methods, which may include open market purchases, purchases effected through 10b5-1 trading plans, accelerated share repurchase programs or other transactions. The amount of any shares that are purchased, and the timing of any such purchases, under the new repurchase program will be determined based on market conditions and other factors, and the program may

 

22


be suspended or discontinued at any time. Any of these repurchases may be on the same terms or on terms that are more or less favorable to the selling shareholders in those transactions than the terms of the tender offer.

Except as otherwise disclosed or incorporated by reference in this Offer to Purchase, we currently have no plans, proposals or negotiations underway that relate to or would result in:

 

   

any extraordinary transaction, such as a merger, reorganization or liquidation, involving us or any of our subsidiaries;

 

   

any purchase, sale or transfer of a material amount of our or any of our subsidiaries’ assets;

 

   

any material change in our indebtedness or our capitalization;

 

   

any change in our present Board of Directors or management, including but not limited to any plans or proposals to change the number or the term of directors or to change any material term of the employment contract of any executive officer;

 

   

any other material change in our corporate structure or business;

 

   

any class of our equity securities ceasing to be authorized to be listed on the NYSE;

 

   

any class of our equity securities becoming eligible for termination of registration under Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act;

 

   

the suspension of our obligation to file reports under Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act;

 

   

the acquisition or disposition by any person of additional securities of the Company, or the disposition of our securities, other than pursuant to our share repurchase program or issuances or grants of, or purchases pursuant to, options and other equity awards granted to directors, officers and employees (including employees of companies we may acquire); or

 

   

any changes in our charter, bylaws or other governing instruments or other actions that could impede the acquisition of control of us.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, we reserve the right to change our plans and intentions at any time, as we deem appropriate.

 

3.

Procedures for Tendering Shares.

Proper Tender of Shares. For shares to be tendered properly pursuant to the tender offer:

 

   

the certificates for the shares or confirmation of receipt of the shares under the procedure for book-entry transfer set forth below, together with a properly completed and duly executed Letter of Transmittal, including any required signature guarantees, or an Agent’s Message (as defined herein) in the case of a book-entry transfer, and any other documents required by the Letter of Transmittal, must be received prior to 12:00 midnight, New York City time, in each case by the end of the day on the Expiration Date (or the earlier deadline with respect to shares held within in the Retirement Plan) by the Depositary at its address set forth on the back cover page of this document; or

 

   

the tendering shareholder must comply with the guaranteed delivery procedures set forth below.

Notwithstanding any other provisions hereof, payment for shares tendered and accepted for payment pursuant to the tender offer will be made only after timely receipt by the Depositary of certificates for such shares (or a timely confirmation of a book-entry transfer of such shares into the Depositary’s account at the Book-Entry Transfer Facility), a properly completed and duly executed Letter of Transmittal (or facsimile thereof) with any required signature guarantees, or an Agent’s Message in connection with book-entry delivery, and any other documents required by the Letter of Transmittal.

 

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In accordance with the instructions to the Letter of Transmittal, each shareholder wishing to tender shares in the tender offer must properly indicate in the section captioned (1) “Shares Tendered at Price Determined by Shareholder” in the Letter of Transmittal the price (in increments of $0.50) at which they are tendering shares or (2) “Shares Tendered at Price Determined Pursuant to the Tender Offer” in the Letter of Transmittal that they will accept the Purchase Price determined by us in accordance with the terms of the tender offer.

If tendering shareholders wish to maximize the chance that we will purchase their shares, they should check the box in the section of the Letter of Transmittal captioned “Shares Tendered at Price Determined Pursuant to the Tender Offer.” Note that this election will mean that tendered shares will be deemed to be tendered at the minimum price of $44.00 per share. Tendering shareholders who make this election should understand that this election may lower the Purchase Price and could result in their shares being purchased at the minimum price of $44.00 per share, a price that could be below the closing price of our common stock on the Expiration Date.

A shareholder who desires to tender shares at more than one price must complete a separate Letter of Transmittal for the different shares and different prices at which such shareholder is tendering shares. In no event may a shareholder tender the same shares at more than one price (unless the shares are first properly withdrawn previously in accordance with Section 4).

SHAREHOLDERS WHO HOLD SHARES THROUGH BROKERS, DEALERS, COMMERCIAL BANKS, TRUST COMPANIES OR OTHER NOMINEES ARE URGED TO CONSULT THEIR BROKERS, DEALERS, COMMERCIAL BANKS, TRUST COMPANIES OR OTHER NOMINEES AS IT IS LIKELY THAT—FOR ADMINISTRATIVE REASONS—SUCH NOMINEES HAVE AN EARLIER DEADLINE FOR YOU TO ACT TO INSTRUCT THEM TO ACCEPT THE TENDER OFFER ON YOUR BEHALF SO THAT THEY CAN MEET THE ABOVE REQUIREMENTS ON A TIMELY BASIS. IN ADDITION, YOU MAY WISH TO DETERMINE WHETHER TRANSACTION COSTS ARE APPLICABLE IF YOU TENDER SHARES THROUGH A BROKER, DEALER, COMMERCIAL BANK, TRUST COMPANY OR OTHER NOMINEE.

Odd lot holders who tender all their shares must also complete the section captioned “Odd Lots” in the Letter of Transmittal and, if applicable, the Notice of Guaranteed Delivery, to qualify for the preferential treatment available to odd lot holders as set forth in Section 1.

Book-Entry Delivery. The Depositary has established an account with respect to the shares at The Depository Trust Company (referred to as the “DTC” or the “Book-Entry Transfer Facility”) for purposes of the tender offer, and any financial institution that is a participant in the system of the Book-Entry Transfer Facility may make delivery of shares by causing the Book-Entry Transfer Facility to transfer such shares into the Depositary’s account in accordance with the procedures of the Book-Entry Transfer Facility. However, although delivery of shares may be effected through book-entry transfer, a properly completed and duly executed Letter of Transmittal together with any required signature guarantees or an Agent’s Message and any other required documents must, in any case, be received by the Depositary at one of its addresses set forth on the back cover of this Offer to Purchase by the end of the day on the Expiration Date, or the guaranteed delivery procedures described below must be complied with. Delivery of the Letter of Transmittal and any other required documents to the Company or the Information Agent or any of the Dealer Manager or Book-Entry Transfer Facility does not constitute delivery to the Depositary.

The term “Agent’s Message” means a message transmitted by the Book-Entry Transfer Facility to, and received by, the Depositary and forming a part of the book-entry confirmation, stating that the Book-Entry Transfer Facility has received an express acknowledgment from the participant tendering shares through the Book-Entry Transfer Facility that the participant has received and agrees to be bound by the terms of the Letter of Transmittal and that we may enforce that agreement against that participant.

Method of Delivery. The method of delivery of all documents, including share certificates, is at the election and risk of the tendering shareholder. If delivery is by mail, registered mail with return receipt

 

24


requested, properly insured, is recommended. Shares will be deemed delivered only when actually received by the Depositary (including in the case of a book-entry transfer, by book-entry confirmation). In all cases, sufficient time should be allowed to ensure timely delivery.

Signature Guarantees. Except as otherwise provided below, all signatures on a Letter of Transmittal must be guaranteed by a financial institution (including most banks, savings and loans associations and brokerage houses) which is a participant in the Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program (an “Eligible Institution”). No signature guarantee is required if either: (a) the Letter of Transmittal is signed by the registered holder of the shares exactly as the name of the registered holder appears on the certificate(s) for the shares tendered with the Letter of Transmittal or (b) in the case of book-entry shares, on the records of the Depositary, and payment and delivery are to be made directly to such registered holder and such registered holder has not completed the box entitled “Special Payment Instructions.” If a share certificate is registered in the name of a person other than the person executing a Letter of Transmittal, or if payment is to be made to a person other than the registered holder, then the share certificate must be endorsed or accompanied by an appropriate stock power, in either case signed exactly as the name of the registered holder appears on the certificate, with the signature guaranteed by an Eligible Institution.

Guaranteed Delivery. If a shareholder desires to tender shares pursuant to the tender offer and cannot deliver such shares and all other required documents to the Depositary by the Expiration Date or such shareholder cannot complete the procedure for delivery by book-entry on a timely basis, such shares may nevertheless be tendered if all of the following conditions are met:

 

   

such tender is made by or through an Eligible Institution;

 

   

a properly completed and duly executed Notice of Guaranteed Delivery substantially in the form provided by us is received by the Depositary (as provided below) by the end of the day on the Expiration Date; and

 

   

a confirmation of a book-entry transfer of such shares into the Depositary’s account at the Book-Entry Transfer Facility (or any certificates for such shares), together with a properly completed and duly executed Letter of Transmittal with any required signature guarantee or an Agent’s Message and any other documents required by the Letter of Transmittal, are received by the Depositary within two business days after the Expiration Date.

The Notice of Guaranteed Delivery may be delivered by email or overnight mail to the Depositary and must include a guarantee by an Eligible Institution in the form set forth in such Notice.

Stock Options. We are not offering, as part of the tender offer, to purchase any outstanding stock options, and tenders of stock options will not be accepted. If you are a holder of vested stock options, you may exercise your vested stock options and tender any shares issued upon such exercise. You must exercise your stock options in a timely manner prior to the Expiration Date in order to have time for such exercise to settle before the shares received upon exercise of the options may be tendered. An exercise of stock options cannot be revoked even if shares received upon the exercise and tendered in the tender offer are not purchased in the tender offer for any reason.

Restricted Stock Awards. We are not offering, as part of the tender offer, to purchase any outstanding RSAs unless and until the restricted stock has vested and the restrictions on the shares have lapsed. Shares that you hold that are vested and no longer subject to any restrictions may be tendered in the tender offer, subject to the terms and conditions of the tender offer.

Restricted Stock Units and Performance Stock Units. We are not offering, as part of the tender offer, to purchase any outstanding RSUs or PSUs, and tenders of RSUs or PSUs will not be accepted. Holders of RSUs and PSUs may not tender shares represented by such interests unless they are fully vested and settled in shares prior to the Expiration Date.

 

25


Procedures for Participants in the Retirement Plan. To tender shares you hold shares within the Retirement Plan, you must follow the procedures described in the separate instructions that you will receive and accept the tender offer by 4:00 p.m., New York City time, on November 23, 2021.

U.S. Federal Backup Withholding. To prevent the potential imposition of U.S. federal backup withholding (currently, at a rate of 24%) on the gross proceeds payable to a tendering beneficial owner pursuant to the tender offer, prior to receiving such payments, each beneficial owner must submit to the Depositary (or other applicable withholding agent) a correct, properly completed and executed IRS Form W-9 (“Form W-9”), in the case of a U.S. Holder (as defined in Section 13), or IRS Form W-8BEN (“Form W-8BEN”), IRS Form W-8BEN-E (“Form W-8BEN-E”), IRS Form W-8IMY (“Form W-8IMY”) or IRS Form W- 8ECI (“Form W-8ECI”), in the case of a Non-U.S. Holder (as defined in Section 13), or otherwise establish an exemption from backup withholding. Form W-9 is included with the Letter of Transmittal and Form W-8BEN, Form W-8BEN-E, Form W-8IMY and Form W-8ECI can be obtained from the IRS website (www.irs.gov). Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules will be allowed as a credit against the beneficial owner’s U.S. federal income tax liability, if any, and may entitle the beneficial owner to a refund, so long as the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.

Shareholders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the application of backup withholding in their particular circumstances and the availability of, and procedure for obtaining, an exemption from backup withholding.

U.S. Federal Withholding for Non-U.S. Holders. As described in Section 13, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of the receipt of cash in exchange for shares pursuant to the tender offer may depend upon facts that are unique to each Non-U.S. Holder (as defined in Section 13). Accordingly, a Non-U.S. Holder should expect that a withholding agent generally will withhold U.S. federal withholding tax from the gross proceeds payable to a tendering Non-U.S. Holder pursuant to the tender offer at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty), unless an exemption from withholding is applicable because such gross proceeds are effectively connected with the Non-U.S. Holder’s conduct of a trade or business within the United States (and, if required pursuant to an applicable income tax treaty, are attributable to a permanent establishment maintained by such Non-U.S. Holder in the United States). In order to claim a reduction in the rate of, or an exemption from, such withholding tax, a Non-U.S. Holder must deliver to the applicable withholding agent a correct, properly completed and executed IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E (with respect to income tax treaty benefits) or IRS Form W-8ECI (with respect to amounts effectively connected with the conduct by such Non-U.S. Holder of a trade or business within the United States) claiming such reduced rate or exemption. A Non-U.S. Holder may be eligible to obtain a refund of all or a portion of any such tax withheld (i) if such Non-U.S. Holder meets one of the “Section 302 Tests” of the Code described in Section 13 or (ii) if such Non-U.S. Holder is otherwise able to establish that no or a reduced amount of tax is due. In addition, as described in Section 13, “FATCA” withholding may apply to amounts paid to a Non-U.S. Holder pursuant to the tender offer unless specified requirements are met.

Non-U.S. Holders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the particular tax consequences to them of selling shares pursuant to the tender offer, including the application of the 30% U.S. federal withholding tax, their potential eligibility for a reduced rate of, or exemption from, such withholding tax, and their potential eligibility for, and procedures for claiming, a refund of any such withholding tax.

Tender Constitutes an Agreement. The tender of shares pursuant to any one of the procedures described above will constitute the tendering shareholder’s acceptance of the terms and conditions of the tender offer and an agreement between the tendering shareholder and us upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the tender offer, which agreement will be governed by, and construed in accordance, with the laws of the State of New York. In addition, the tender of shares pursuant to any one of the procedures described above will constitute the tendering shareholder’s representation and warranty to us that: (1) the shareholder has a “net long position” in the shares or equivalent securities at least equal to the shares tendered within the meaning of Rule 14e-4 promulgated

 

26


by the Commission under the Exchange Act; (2) the tender of shares complies with Rule 14e-4 under the Exchange Act; (3) the tendered shares are not currently subject to any contractual or other restriction; and (4) the shareholder has the full power and authority to tender and assign the shares tendered, as specified in the Letter of Transmittal.

It is a violation of Rule 14e-4 under the Exchange Act for a person, directly or indirectly, to tender shares for his or her own account unless the person so tendering (i) has a net long position equal to or greater than the number of (x) shares tendered or (y) other securities immediately convertible into, or exercisable or exchangeable for, the number of shares tendered and will acquire such shares for tender by conversion, exercise or exchange of such other securities and (ii) will cause such shares to be delivered in accordance with the terms of the tender offer. Rule 14e-4 under the Exchange Act provides a similar restriction applicable to the tender or guarantee of a tender on behalf of another person.

Determination of Validity; Rejection of Shares; Waiver of Defects; No Obligation to Give Notice of Defects. We will determine all questions as to the Purchase Price, the form of documents and the validity, eligibility (including time of receipt) and acceptance for payment of any tender of shares, subject to a shareholder’s right to challenge our determination in a court of competent jurisdiction. We reserve the right to reject any or all tenders of shares determined by us not to be in proper form, or the acceptance of which or payment for which may, in the opinion of our counsel, be unlawful, subject to a shareholder’s right to challenge our determination in a court of competent jurisdiction. We also reserve the right to waive any defect or irregularity in any tender of particular shares (without waiving such defect or irregularity with respect to any other shares), subject to a shareholder’s right to challenge our determination in a court of competent jurisdiction. No tender of shares will be deemed to be properly made until all defects and irregularities have been cured or waived. Unless waived, any defects or irregularities in connection with tenders must be cured within such time as we shall determine. None of the Company, the Dealer Manager, the Information Agent, the Depositary, any of their respective affiliates or any other person is or will be under any duty to give notification of any defect or irregularity in tenders or incur any liability for failure to give any such notification.

Return of Unpurchased Shares. If any properly tendered shares are not purchased pursuant to the tender offer or are properly withdrawn before the Expiration Date, or if less than all shares evidenced by a shareholder’s certificates are tendered, certificates for unpurchased shares will be cancelled, an equal number of shares will be issued in book-entry to the tendering shareholder in the Direct Registration System and a transaction advice will be returned promptly after the expiration or termination of the tender offer or the proper withdrawal of the shares, as applicable, or, in the case of shares properly tendered by book-entry transfer at the Book-Entry Transfer Facility, the shares will be credited to the appropriate account maintained by the tendering shareholder at the Book-Entry Transfer Facility, in each case without expense to the shareholder.

Lost, Stolen, Destroyed or Mutilated Certificates. Shareholders whose certificate or certificates for part or all of their shares have been lost, stolen, destroyed or mutilated may contact Computershare Trust Company, N.A., as Transfer Agent for our shares, at 1-877-373-6374. The replacement certificate will then be required to be submitted together with the Letter of Transmittal in order to receive payment for shares that are tendered and accepted for payment. A bond may be required to be posted by the shareholder to secure against the risk that the certificates may be subsequently recirculated. Shareholders are urged to contact the Transfer Agent immediately in order to permit timely processing of this documentation and to determine if the posting of a bond is required.

CERTIFICATES FOR SHARES, TOGETHER WITH A PROPERLY COMPLETED AND DULY EXECUTED LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL OR FACSIMILE THEREOF, OR AN AGENT’S MESSAGE, AND ANY OTHER DOCUMENTS REQUIRED BY THE LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL, MUST BE DELIVERED TO THE DEPOSITARY AND NOT TO US OR THE DEALER MANAGER OR INFORMATION AGENT. ANY SUCH DOCUMENTS DELIVERED TO US OR THE DEALER MANAGER OR INFORMATION AGENT WILL NOT BE DEEMED TO BE PROPERLY TENDERED.

 

 

27


4.

Withdrawal Rights.

Tenders of shares made pursuant to the tender offer may be withdrawn at any time prior to the Expiration Date (or such earlier deadline with respect to shares held within the Retirement Plan). Thereafter, such tenders are irrevocable, except that they may be withdrawn after 12:00 midnight, New York City time, at the end of the day on January 4, 2022, the 40th business day from the commencement of the tender offer, unless theretofore accepted for payment as provided in this Offer to Purchase. If we extend the period of time during which the tender offer is open, are delayed in accepting for payment or paying for shares or are unable to accept for payment or pay for shares pursuant to the tender offer for any reason, then, without prejudice to our rights under the tender offer, the Depositary may, on our behalf, retain all shares tendered, and such shares may not be withdrawn except as otherwise provided in this Section 4, subject to Rule 13e-4(f)(5) under the Exchange Act, which provides that the issuer making the tender offer shall either pay the consideration offered, or return the tendered securities, promptly after the termination or withdrawal of the tender offer.

For a withdrawal to be effective, a written or facsimile transmission notice of withdrawal must:

 

   

be timely received by the Depositary at its address set forth on the back cover of this Offer to Purchase; and

 

   

specify the name of the person who tendered the shares to be withdrawn, the number of shares to be withdrawn and the name of the registered holder of the shares, if different from that of the person who tendered such shares.

If the shares to be withdrawn have been delivered to the Depositary, a signed notice of withdrawal with signatures guaranteed by an Eligible Institution (except in the case of shares tendered by an Eligible Institution) must be submitted prior to the release of such shares. In addition, such notice must specify, in the case of shares tendered by delivery of certificates, the name of the registered holder (if different from that of the tendering shareholder) and the serial numbers shown on the particular certificates evidencing the shares to be withdrawn or, in the case of shares tendered by book-entry transfer, the name and number of the account at the Book-Entry Transfer Facility to be credited with the withdrawn shares.

Withdrawals may not be rescinded, and shares withdrawn will thereafter be deemed not properly tendered for purposes of the tender offer.

However, withdrawn shares may be retendered by following one of the procedures described in Section 3 at any time prior to the Expiration Date.

We will determine all questions as to the form and validity (including time of receipt) of any notice of withdrawal, subject to a shareholder’s right to challenge our determination in a court of competent jurisdiction. We also reserve the right to waive any defect or irregularity in the withdrawal of shares by any shareholder, subject to a shareholder’s right to challenge our determination in a court of competent jurisdiction. None of the Company, the Dealer Manager, the Information Agent, the Depositary, any of their respective affiliates or any other person will be under any duty to give notification of any defect or irregularity in any notice of withdrawal or incur any liability for failure to give any such notification.

 

5.

Purchase of Shares and Payment of Purchase Price.

On the terms and subject to the conditions of the tender offer, promptly following the Expiration Date, we will (1) determine the Purchase Price we will pay for shares properly tendered and not properly withdrawn prior to the Expiration Date, taking into account the number of shares so tendered and the prices specified by tendering shareholders and (2) accept for payment and pay an aggregate purchase price of up to $425,000,000 (or such greater amount as we may elect to purchase, subject to applicable law) for shares that are properly tendered at prices at or below the Purchase Price and not properly withdrawn prior to the Expiration Date. For purposes of

 

28


the tender offer, we will be deemed to have accepted for payment, subject to the “odd lot” priority, proration and conditional tender provisions of the tender offer, shares that are properly tendered at or below the Purchase Price and not properly withdrawn, only when, as and if we give oral or written notice to the Depositary of our acceptance of the shares for payment pursuant to the tender offer.

Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the tender offer, we will accept for payment and pay the Purchase Price per share for all of the shares accepted for payment pursuant to the tender offer promptly after the Expiration Date. In all cases, payment for shares tendered and accepted for payment pursuant to the tender offer will be made promptly, taking into account any time necessary to determine any proration, but only after timely receipt by the Depositary of (1) certificates for shares, or a timely book-entry confirmation of the deposit of shares into the Depositary’s account at DTC, (2) a validly completed and duly executed Letter of Transmittal including any required signature guarantees, or, in the case of a book-entry transfer, an Agent’s Message, and (3) any other required documents.

For purposes of the tender offer, we will be deemed to have accepted for payment and therefore purchased shares that are properly tendered at or below the Purchase Price and not properly withdrawn, subject to the “odd lot” priority, proration and conditional tender provisions of the tender offer, only when, as and if we give oral or written notice to the Depositary of our acceptance of the shares for payment pursuant to the tender offer.

We will pay for shares purchased under the tender offer by depositing the aggregate purchase price for such shares with the Depositary, which will act as agent for the purpose of receiving payment from us and transmitting payment to the tendering shareholders. See the Letter of Transmittal. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL INTEREST ON THE PURCHASE PRICE BE PAID BY US REGARDLESS OF ANY DELAY IN MAKING SUCH PAYMENT. IN ADDITION, IF CERTAIN CONDITIONS ARE NOT SATISFIED OR WAIVED BY US, WE WILL NOT BE OBLIGED TO PURCHASE SHARES PURSUANT TO THE TENDER OFFER. SEE SECTION 7.

In the event of proration, we will determine the proration factor and pay for those tendered shares accepted for payment promptly after the Expiration Date. The preliminary results of any proration will be announced by press release on the business day following the Expiration Date. See Section 1. Certificates for all shares tendered and not purchased, including all shares not purchased due to proration, will be cancelled, an equal number of shares will be issued in book-entry to the tendering shareholders in the Direct Registration System and a transaction advice will be returned to the tendering shareholder, or, in the case of shares tendered by book-entry transfer, will be credited to the account maintained with the Book-Entry Transfer Facility by the participant therein who so delivered the shares, at our expense, promptly after the Expiration Date or termination of the tender offer. Except as otherwise provided in this Section 5 and the Letter of Transmittal, we will pay all stock transfer taxes, if any, payable on the transfer to us of shares purchased pursuant to the tender offer. If, however, payment of proceeds in respect of any shares purchased is to be made to, or shares not tendered or not purchased are to be returned in the name of, any person other than the registered holder(s), or if tendered shares are registered in the name of any person other than the person(s) signing the Letter of Transmittal, the amount of all stock transfer taxes, if any (whether imposed on the registered holder(s), such other person or otherwise), payable on account of the transfer to such other person will be the responsibility of the tendering shareholder. See the Letter of Transmittal.

ANY TENDERING SHAREHOLDER OR OTHER PAYEE WHO FAILS TO PROPERLY COMPLETE, EXECUTE AND DELIVER AN IRS FORM W-9 (INCLUDED WITH THE LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL) OR AN APPLICABLE IRS FORM W-8 MAY BE SUBJECT TO U.S. FEDERAL BACKUP WITHHOLDING ON THE GROSS PROCEEDS PAID PURSUANT TO THE TENDER OFFER. IN ADDITION, NON-U.S. HOLDERS (AS DEFINED IN SECTION 13) MAY BE SUBJECT TO U.S. FEDERAL WITHHOLDING TAX AT A RATE OF 30% (OR SUCH LOWER RATE AS MAY BE SPECIFIED BY AN APPLICABLE INCOME TAX TREATY) ON THE GROSS PROCEEDS PAID PURSUANT TO THE TENDER OFFER. SEE SECTION 3 AND SECTION 13.

 

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6.

Conditional Tender of Shares.

Subject to the exception for holders of odd lots, in the event of an oversubscription of the tender offer, shares tendered prior to the Expiration Date will be subject to proration. See Section 1. As discussed in Section 13, the number of shares to be purchased from a particular shareholder may affect the U.S. federal income tax treatment of the purchase to the shareholder and the shareholder’s decision whether to tender. Accordingly, a shareholder may tender shares subject to the condition that a specified minimum number of the shareholder’s shares tendered pursuant to a Letter of Transmittal must be purchased if any shares tendered are purchased. Any shareholder wishing to make a conditional tender must so indicate in the box entitled “Conditional Tender” in the Letter of Transmittal and indicate the minimum number of shares that must be purchased if any are to be purchased. We urge each shareholder to consult with his, her or its own financial, tax and legal advisors. No assurances can be provided that a conditional tender will achieve the intended U.S. federal income tax result for any tendering shareholder.

After the Expiration Date, if the number of shares properly tendered and not properly withdrawn pursuant to the tender offer at a price equal to or less than the Purchase Price and pursuant to the “Shares Tendered at Price Determined Pursuant to the Tender Offer” alternative would result in an aggregate purchase price of more than $425,000,000, so that we must prorate our acceptance of and payment for tendered shares, we will calculate a preliminary proration percentage, after taking into account the priority given to tenders of odd lots, based upon all shares properly tendered, conditionally or unconditionally, and not properly withdrawn. If the effect of this preliminary proration would be to reduce the number of shares to be purchased from any shareholder tendered pursuant to a Letter of Transmittal below the minimum number specified, the shares conditionally tendered will automatically be regarded as withdrawn (except as provided in the next paragraph). All shares tendered by a shareholder subject to a conditional tender and that are withdrawn as a result of proration will be returned at our expense to the tendering shareholder.

After giving effect to these withdrawals, we will accept the remaining shares properly tendered, conditionally or unconditionally, on a pro rata basis, if necessary. If the withdrawal of conditional tenders would cause the total number of shares to be purchased to fall below an aggregate purchase price of $425,000,000, then, to the extent feasible, we will select enough of the shares conditionally tendered that would otherwise have been withdrawn to permit us to purchase such number of shares. In selecting among the conditional tenders, we will select by random lot, treating all tenders by a particular shareholder as a single lot, and will limit our purchase in each case to the designated minimum number of shares to be purchased. To be eligible for purchase by random lot, shareholders whose shares are conditionally tendered must have properly tendered all of their shares and not properly withdrawn them prior to the Expiration Date.

We note that if shares having an aggregate purchase price of more than $425,000,000 are tendered in the tender offer and not properly withdrawn, we reserve the right to accept for purchase at the Purchase Price pursuant to the tender offer up to an additional 2% of our outstanding shares without amending or extending the tender offer.

 

7.

Conditions of the Tender Offer.

Notwithstanding any other provision of the tender offer, we will not be required to accept for payment or pay for any shares tendered, and may terminate or amend the tender offer or may postpone the acceptance for payment of, and the payment for, shares tendered, subject to the requirements of the Exchange Act for prompt payment for or return of shares, if at any time on or after the date of this Offer to Purchase and before the Expiration Date (i) the Financing Condition shall not have been satisfied and/or (ii) any of the following events (the “General Conditions”) shall have occurred or are reasonably determined by us to have occurred, that, in the reasonable judgment of our Board of Directors and regardless of the circumstances (other than any action or

 

30


omission by us) giving rise to such event, makes it inadvisable to proceed with the tender offer or with acceptance for payment or payment:

 

  (1)

there shall have been threatened, instituted or pending any action or proceeding by any government or governmental, regulatory or administrative agency, authority or tribunal or any other person, domestic or foreign, before any court, authority, agency or tribunal that directly or indirectly (i) challenges the making of the tender offer or the acquisition of some or all of the shares pursuant to the tender offer or otherwise relates in any manner to the tender offer or (ii) in our reasonable judgment, could materially and adversely affect our and our subsidiaries’ business, condition (financial or otherwise), assets, income, operations or prospects, taken as a whole, or otherwise materially impairs in any way the contemplated future conduct of the business of us and our subsidiaries, taken as a whole, or materially impairs our ability to purchase the shares in the tender offer;

 

  (2)

there shall have been any action threatened, pending or taken, or approval withheld, or any statute, rule, regulation, judgment, order or injunction threatened, proposed, sought, promulgated, enacted, entered, amended, enforced or deemed to be applicable to the tender offer or us or any of our subsidiaries, by any court or any authority, agency or tribunal that, in our reasonable judgment, would or is reasonably likely to directly or indirectly (i) makes the acceptance for payment of, or payment for, some or all of the shares illegal or otherwise restricts or prohibits completion of the tender offer, (ii) delays or restricts our ability, or renders us unable, to accept for payment or pay for some or all of the shares or (iii) materially and adversely affects our and our subsidiaries’ business, condition (financial or otherwise), assets, income, operations or prospects, taken as a whole, or otherwise materially impairs in any way the contemplated future conduct of the business of us and our subsidiaries;

 

  (3)

there shall have occurred on or after November 3, 2021, the last trading day prior to the commencement of the tender offer, (i) (A) any general suspension of trading in, or limitation on prices for, securities on any national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter market in the United States, (B) the declaration of a banking moratorium or any suspension of payments in respect of banks in the United States, (C) the commencement or escalation of a war, armed hostilities or other international or national calamity directly or indirectly involving the United States or any of its territories, including, but not limited to, an act of terrorism, or (D) any change in the general political, public health (including with respect to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic), market, economic or financial conditions in the United States or abroad that could, in our reasonable judgment, have a material adverse effect on our and our subsidiaries’ business, condition (financial or otherwise), assets, income, operations or prospects, taken as a whole, or (ii) in the case of any of the foregoing existing at the time of the commencement of the tender offer, a material acceleration or worsening thereof;

 

  (4)

there shall have been a decrease of more than 10% in the market price for the Company’s shares or in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the New York Stock Exchange Index, the NYSE Composite Index or the Standard and Poor’s 500 Composite Index measured from the close of trading on November 3, 2021;

 

  (5)

there shall have occurred any limitation, whether or not mandatory, by any governmental, regulatory or administrative agency or authority on, or any event that could reasonably be expected to materially affect, the extension of credit by banks or other lending institutions in the United States;

 

  (6)

any necessary regulatory approvals or non-objections shall not have been obtained or shall not remain in full force and effect;

 

  (7)

a tender or exchange offer for any or all of the shares, or any merger, acquisition, business combination or other similar transaction with or involving us or any of our subsidiaries, has been proposed, announced or made by any person or has been publicly disclosed or we have entered into a definitive agreement or an agreement in principle with any person with respect to a merger, acquisition, business combination or other similar transaction since November 3, 2021, other than in the ordinary course of business (in each case other than the tender offer);

 

31


  (8)

any change in law or in the official interpretation or administration of law, or relevant position or policy of a governmental authority with respect to any laws, applicable to the tender offer;

 

  (9)

the consummation of the tender offer and the purchase of shares would cause the shares to cease to be held of record by less than 300 persons or to be traded on or listed on the NYSE or otherwise cause the shares to be subject to deregistration under the Exchange Act;

 

  (10)

a person or “group” (as that term is used in Section 13(d)(3) of the Exchange Act) has acquired or proposes to acquire beneficial ownership of more than 5% of the outstanding shares, whether through the acquisition of stock, the formation of a group, the grant of any option or right, or otherwise (other than as and to the extent disclosed in a Schedule 13D or Schedule 13G filed with the Commission on or before November 3, 2021);

 

  (11)

a person or group who has filed a Schedule 13D or Schedule 13G with the Commission on or before November 3, 2021, has acquired or proposes to acquire, whether through the acquisition of stock, the formation of a group, the grant of any option or right, or otherwise (other than solely as a result of the tender offer made hereby), beneficial ownership of an additional 1% or more of the outstanding shares; or

 

  (12)

a person shall have filed a Notification and Report Form under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, or made a public announcement reflecting an intent to acquire us or any of our subsidiaries or any of our assets or securities.

The foregoing conditions are for our sole benefit and may be asserted by us regardless of the circumstances (other than any action or omission to act by us) giving rise to any such condition, and may be waived by us, in whole or in part, at any time in our reasonable discretion on or before the Expiration Date (provided that the tender offer will remain open for at least five business days after the Financing Condition is satisfied or waived by us). Our failure at any time to exercise any of the foregoing rights will not be deemed a waiver of any such right. Each such right is an ongoing right and may be asserted at any time and from time to time. However, once the tender offer has expired, then all of the conditions to the tender offer must have been satisfied or waived. In certain circumstances, if we waive any of the conditions described above, we may be required to extend the tender offer. See Section 14. Any determination or judgment by us concerning the events described above will be final and binding, subject to a shareholder’s right to challenge our determination in a court of competent jurisdiction.

 

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8.

Price Range of Shares; Dividends.

The shares are listed and traded on the NYSE under the trading symbol “PRG.” The following table sets forth, for each of the periods indicated, the high and low sales prices of the shares as reported on the NYSE.

 

     Market Price      Dividends
declared
per share
 
     High      Low  

2019

        

First Quarter

   $ 47.50      $ 34.93      $ 0.035  

Second Quarter

   $ 53.11      $ 43.90      $ 0.035  

Third Quarter

   $ 58.00      $ 50.47      $ 0.035  

Fourth Quarter

   $ 66.66      $ 46.93      $ 0.040 (1) 

2020

        

First Quarter

   $ 54.34      $ 11.02      $ 0.040  

Second Quarter

   $ 42.45      $ 15.56      $ 0.040  

Third Quarter

   $ 51.45      $ 35.30      $ 0.040  

Fourth Quarter(2)

   $ 60.11      $ 43.59      $ 0.045  

2021

        

First Quarter

     60.50        42.52        N/A  

N/A/Second Quarter

     56.73        42.30        N/A  

Third Quarter

     48.97        41.27        N/A  

Fourth Quarter (through November 2, 2021)

     47.36        39.34        N/A  

 

(1)

Dividend paid in January 2020.

(2)

On November 30, 2020, the Company completed the separation of its Aaron’s Business segment from its Progressive Leasing and Vive (as defined herein) segments. The separation was effected through a tax-free distribution of all outstanding shares of common stock of The Aaron’s Company, Inc. to the Company’s shareholders of record as of the close of business on November 27, 2020 (referred to herein as the “separation and distribution transaction”).

Prior to the separation and distribution transaction, we historically paid quarterly dividends. Following the separation and distribution transaction, we have disclosed that we do not anticipate paying any dividends on our common stock for the foreseeable future. Any declaration and payment of future dividends to holders of our common stock may be limited by the provisions of Georgia law, among other considerations, and will be at the sole discretion of our Board of Directors.

On November 2, 2021, the last trading day prior to the announcement of the Company’s intention to commence the tender offer, the last reported sale price of the shares on the NYSE was $41.20 per share. We urge shareholders to obtain current market quotations for the shares before deciding whether to tender their shares and at what price.

 

9.

Source and Amount of Funds.

Assuming the tender offer is fully subscribed, and assuming we do not exercise our right to purchase up to an additional 2% of our outstanding shares, we expect the aggregate cost of the purchases, including all fees and expenses related to the tender offer, to be approximately $429.5 million. We anticipate that we will fund the purchase of the shares tendered in the tender offer, and to pay related fees and expenses, with the proceeds of the Debt Financing, together with cash on hand and/or borrowings under the Revolving Facility. The tender offer is subject to the consummation by us of the Debt Financing prior to the Expiration Date on terms reasonably satisfactory to us and resulting in gross proceeds to us of at least $400 million. On or prior to the consummation of the Debt Financing, we expect to enter into the Revolving Facility Amendment, which amendment will amend the credit agreement to permit certain expected terms of the Debt Financing. The consummation of the Debt Financing is conditioned upon the entry into the Revolving Facility Amendment. See Section 7.

 

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Revolving Facility. On November 24, 2020, the Company entered into a credit agreement with a consortium of lenders providing for the Revolving Facility, under which revolving borrowings became available at the completion of the separation and distribution transaction, and under which all borrowings and commitments will mature or terminate on November 24, 2025.

The Company is a guarantor of the Revolving Facility with Progressive Finance Holdings, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, as borrower. The Revolving Facility includes (i) a $20 million sublimit for the issuance of letters of credit on customary terms, and (ii) a $25 million sublimit for swingline loans on customary terms. We will have the right from time to time to request to increase the size of the Revolving Facility or add certain incremental revolving or term loan facilities (the “Incremental Facilities”) in minimum amounts to be agreed upon. The aggregate principal amount of all such Incremental Facilities may not exceed $300 million. Borrowings under the Revolving Facility bear interest at a rate per annum equal to, at our option, (i) the LIBO rate plus a margin within the range of 1.5% to 2.5% for revolving loans, based on total leverage, or (ii) the base rate plus the applicable margin, which will be 1.00% lower than the applicable margin for LIBO rate loans. The interest rate of the Revolving Facility at September 30, 2021 was 1.625%.

The Company pays a commitment fee on unused balances, which ranges from 0.20% to 0.35% as determined by the Company’s ratio of total net debt to EBITDA. The Company had $50.0 million of outstanding borrowings and $300.0 million total available credit under the Revolving Facility as of September 30, 2021.

The Revolving Facility contains financial covenants, which include requirements that the Company maintain ratios of (i) total net debt to EBITDA of no more than 2.50:1.00 and (ii) consolidated interest coverage of no less than 3.00:1.00 (in each case, as defined the credit agreement governing the Revolving Facility). Under the Revolving Facility, the Company may pay cash dividends in any year so long as, after giving pro forma effect to the dividend payment, the Company maintains compliance with its financial covenants and no event of default has occurred or would result from the payment. The credit agreement governing the Revolving Facility also contains other customary affirmative and negative covenants. At September 30, 2021, the Company was in compliance with all covenants under the Revolving Facility.

The foregoing description is a summary of the material terms of the credit agreement governing the Revolving Facility, a copy of which has been filed as an exhibit to the Schedule TO-I to which this Offer to Purchase is an exhibit.

 

10.

Certain Information Concerning Us.

General. The Company is a financial technology holding company with two operating and reportable segments: (i) Progressive Leasing, a leading provider of in-store, e-commerce and app-based lease-to-own solutions; and (ii) Vive Financial (“Vive”), which offers omnichannel second-look revolving credit products.

Our Progressive Leasing segment provides consumers with lease-purchase solutions through its point-of-sale partner locations and e-commerce website partners in the United States (collectively, “POS partners”). It does so by purchasing merchandise from the POS partners desired by customers and, in turn, leasing that merchandise to the customers through a cancellable lease-to-own transaction. Progressive Leasing has no stores of its own, but rather offers lease-purchase solutions to the customers of traditional and e-commerce retailers.

Our Vive segment primarily serves customers that may not qualify for traditional prime lending offers who desire to purchase goods and services from participating merchants. Vive offers customized programs, with services that include revolving loans through private label and Vive-branded credit cards. Vive’s current network of POS partner locations and e-commerce websites includes furniture, mattresses, home exercise equipment, and home improvement retailers, as well as medical and dental service providers.

 

34


On June 25, 2021, the Company completed the acquisition of Four Technologies, Inc. (“Four”), an innovative Buy Now, Pay Later company that allows shoppers to pay for merchandise through four interest-free installments. Four’s proprietary platform capabilities and its base of customers and retailers expand the Company’s ecosystem of financial technology offerings by introducing a payment solution that further diversifies the Company’s consumer fintech offerings. Shoppers use Four to purchase furniture, clothing, electronics, health and beauty, footwear, jewelry and other consumer goods from retailers across the U.S.

The principal executive office of the Company is located at 256 W. Data Drive, Draper, Utah 84020, and its telephone number is (385) 351-1369. The Company’s website address is www.progholdings.com. This website address is not intended to be an active link and information on the Company’s website is not incorporated in, and should not be construed to be part of, this Offer to Purchase.

Additional Information About Us. We are subject to the information requirements of the Exchange Act, and in accordance therewith file periodic reports, proxy statements and other information relating to our business, financial condition and other matters. We are required to disclose in such proxy statements certain information, as of particular dates, concerning our directors and executive officers, their compensation, the principal holders of our securities and any material interest of such persons in transactions with us. Pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c)(2) under the Exchange Act, we have filed with the Commission a Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO-I, which includes additional information with respect to the tender offer. Such material and other information may be viewed on the Commission’s website, www.sec.gov.

Incorporation by Reference. The rules of the Commission allow us to “incorporate by reference” information into this Offer to Purchase, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to another document filed separately with the Commission. We incorporate by reference into this Offer to Purchase the documents listed below and any future filings made by us with the Commission under Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, except for information “furnished” under Items 2.02 or 7.01 on Form 8-K (and related exhibits) or other information furnished to the Commission which is not deemed filed and not incorporated in this Offer to Purchase, until the termination of this tender offer. Such future filings will automatically update and supersede the previously filed information. The following documents contain important information about us and we incorporate them by reference:

 

Commission Filings

  

Date Filed

Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020    February 26, 2021
Amendment No. 1 to Annual Report on Form 10-K/A for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020    April 29, 2021
Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarters ended March 31, 2021, June 30, 2021 and September 30, 2021    April 29, 2021, July 29, 2021 and November 3, 2021
Current Reports on Form 8-K    May 11, 2021, June 28, 2021, September 10, 2021 and November 4, 2021

These documents include periodic reports, such as annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K.

You can obtain the documents described under “Additional Information About Us” and any of the documents incorporated by reference in this Offer to Purchase from the Commission’s website at www.sec.gov. You can also obtain the documents described under “Additional Information About Us” and documents incorporated by reference in this Offer to Purchase, without charge, by requesting them in writing or by telephone from us at 256 W. Data Drive, Draper, Utah 84020; Telephone: (385) 351-1369. Please be sure to include your complete name and address in the request. If you request any incorporated documents, we will mail them by first class mail, or another equally prompt means, promptly after we receive the request.

 

35


11.

Interests of Directors and Executive Officers; Transactions and Arrangements Concerning the Shares.

As of November 1, 2021, we had 65,391,285 issued and outstanding shares (and 2,166,991 shares reserved for issuance upon exercise, vesting or issuance, as applicable, of stock options, RSUs, RSAs and PSUs (assuming PSUs vest at the specified target performance threshold) and awards issuable under the ESPP). Assuming that the conditions to the tender offer are satisfied or waived and the tender offer is fully subscribed at a Purchase Price of $50.00, the maximum Purchase Price pursuant to the tender offer, the completion of the tender offer would result in the repurchase by the Company of 8,500,000 shares, which would represent approximately 13.0% of our issued and outstanding shares as of November 1, 2021 (which excludes Potential Shares), or approximately 12.6% of our outstanding shares on a fully diluted basis as of November 1, 2021 (which includes Potential Shares). If the conditions to the tender offer are satisfied or waived and the tender offer is fully subscribed at a Purchase Price of $44.00, the minimum Purchase Price pursuant to the tender offer, the completion of the tender offer would result in the repurchase by the Company of 9,659,090 shares, which would represent approximately 14.8% of our issued and outstanding shares as of November 1, 2021 (which excludes Potential Shares), or approximately 14.3% of our outstanding shares on a fully diluted basis as of November 1, 2021 (which includes Potential Shares).

Our directors and executive officers as a group beneficially owned an aggregate of 864,688 shares of our common stock, representing approximately 1.3% of our issued and outstanding shares as of November 1, 2021. Our directors and executive officers have informed us that they do not intend to participate in the tender offer. To our knowledge, none of our affiliates intends to tender any shares in the tender offer; however, there can be no assurance that such intent will not change prior to the expiration of the tender offer.

Beneficial Ownership of Directors and Executive Officers.

The following table shows, as of November 1, 2021, information regarding the beneficial ownership of shares by (i) each executive officer, (ii) each director and (iii) all current directors and executive officers as a group. Beneficial ownership is determined under rules issued by the Commission. Under these rules, beneficial ownership includes any shares as to which the individual has sole or shared voting power or investment power. In computing the number of shares beneficially owned by an individual and the percentage ownership of that person, shares of common stock subject to options or other rights held by such person that are currently exercisable or will become exercisable within 60 days of November 1, 2021 are considered outstanding, although these shares are not considered outstanding for purposes of computing the percentage ownership of any other person.

Assuming we purchase 9,659,090 shares (the amount at an assumed Purchase Price of $44.00 per share) and that our directors and executive officers do not tender any shares pursuant to the tender offer, then, after the tender offer, our directors and executive officers as a group will beneficially own approximately 1.6% of our outstanding shares. The percentages outstanding are based on 65,391,285 shares of common stock outstanding as of November 1, 2021. The address of each of the persons listed below is c/o PROG Holdings, Inc., 256 W. Data Drive, Draper, Utah 84020.

 

Name

   Number of Shares Beneficially
Owned
    Percent of
Class
 

Directors

    

Kathy T. Betty

     40,698       *  

Douglas C. Curling

     19,180       *  

Cynthia N. Day

     21,568       *  

Curtis L. Doman

     216,837 (1)      *  

Ray Martinez

     —         —    

Steven A. Michaels

     267,180 (2)      *  

Caroline Sheu

     —         —    

James P. Smith

     272       *  

Ray M. Robinson

     24,793       *  

 

36


Name

   Number of Shares Beneficially
Owned
    Percent of
Class
 

Executive Officers that are not Directors

    

Marvin Fentress

     142,090 (3)      *  

Debra Fiori

     11,145 (4)      *  

Brian Garner

     23,100 (5)      *  

Mike Giordano

     1,720 (6)      *  

Ben Hawksworth

     36,818 (7)      *  

Ryan Ray

     34,688 (8)      *  

Matt Sewell

     3,303 (9)      *  

Trevor Thatcher

     21,296 (10)      *  

Current Directors and Executive Officers as a Group (17 Persons)

     864,688       1.3

 

*

Represents beneficial ownership of less than 1 percent.

(1)

Amounts represent (i) 128,331 shares of common stock held by Mr. Doman, (ii) 22,000 shares of common stock held by an LLC controlled by Mr. Doman, (iii) 48,653 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of options that are currently exercisable and (iv) 17,853 restricted stock awards which are entitled to voting and dividend rights as described in the related award agreement though still subject to vesting.

(2)

Amounts represent (i) 66,649 shares of common stock held by Mr. Michaels, (ii) 164,100 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of options that are currently exercisable and (iii) 36,431 restricted stock awards which are entitled to voting and dividend rights as described in the related award agreement though still subject to vesting.

(3)

Amounts represent (i) 50,313 shares of common stock held by Mr. Fentress, (ii) 82,672 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of options that are currently exercisable and (iii) 9,105 restricted stock awards which are entitled to voting and dividend rights as described in the related award agreement though still subject to vesting.

(4)

Amount represents restricted stock awards which are entitled to voting and dividend rights as described in the related award agreement though still subject to vesting.

(5)

Amounts represent (i) 6,938 shares of common stock held by Mr. Garner, (ii) 9,509 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of options that are currently exercisable and (iii) 6,653 restricted stock awards which are entitled to voting and dividend rights as described in the related award agreement though still subject to vesting.

(6)

Amounts represent (i)100 shares of common stock held by Mr. Giordano and (ii) 1,620 restricted stock awards which are entitled to voting and dividend rights as described in the related award agreement though still subject to vesting.

(7)

Amounts represent (i) 29,613 shares of common stock held by Mr. Hawksworth and (ii) 7,205 restricted stock awards which are entitled to voting and dividend rights as described in the related award agreement though still subject to vesting.

(8)

Amounts represent (i) 6,496 shares of common stock held by Mr. Ray, (ii) 21,434 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of options that are currently exercisable and (iii) 6,738 restricted stock awards which are entitled to voting and dividend rights as described in the related award agreement though still subject to vesting.

(9)

Amounts represent (i) 1,497 shares of common stock held by Mr. Sewell and (ii) 1,806 restricted stock awards which are entitled to voting and dividend rights as described in the related award agreement though still subject to vesting.

(10)

Amounts represent (i) 2,662 shares of common stock held by Mr. Thatcher, (ii) 15,015 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of options that are currently exercisable and (iii) 3,619 restricted stock awards which are entitled to voting and dividend rights as described in the related award agreement though still subject to vesting.

 

37


Recent Securities Transactions.

Based on our records and on information provided to us by our directors, executive officers and affiliates, neither we nor, to the best of our knowledge, any of our affiliates, directors or executive officers, have effected any transactions involving shares of our common stock during the 60 days prior to the date of this Offer to Purchase, except that Ray Martinez and Caroline Sheu, each non-employee directors, received grants of 2,700 RSUs in connection with their appointment to the Board of Directors on September 9, 2021.

Arrangements Concerning the Securities.

Except as otherwise described herein, neither we nor, to the best of our knowledge, any of our affiliates, directors or executive officers, is a party to any contract, agreement, arrangement, understanding or relationship with any other person with respect to any of our securities.

2015 Equity and Incentive Plan. Our 2015 Equity and Incentive Plan (the “Equity Plan”) authorizes us to grant non-qualified stock options, incentive stock options, stock appreciation rights, RSAs, RSUs, performance shares, PSUs, annual incentive awards and other stock-based awards to employees, officers, directors and other eligible participants. The Equity Plan is administered by the Compensation Committee of our Board of Directors (the “Committee”), which is authorized to, among other things, select the persons who receive awards under the Equity Plan, to set the terms and conditions of such awards (including the term, exercise price, vesting conditions, and the consequences of termination of employment), and to interpret and administer the Equity Plan. As of November 1, 2021, 2,110,633 shares of common stock were subject to outstanding awards under the Equity Plan and 2,549,816 shares of common stock were reserved for future issuance under the Equity Plan. The foregoing description is qualified in its entirety by reference to the text of the Equity Plan, a copy of which has been filed as an exhibit to the Schedule TO-I to which this Offer to Purchase is an exhibit.

Employee Stock Purchase Plan. We maintain the ESPP to allow eligible employees to purchase common stock of the Company during six-month offering periods at the lower of: (i) 85% of the closing trading price per share of the common stock on the first trading date of an offering period in which a participant is enrolled; or (ii) 85% of the closing trading price per share of the common stock on the last day of an offering period. Employees participating in the ESPP can contribute up to an amount not exceeding 10% of their base salary and wages up to an annual maximum of $25,000 in total fair market value of the common stock. As of November 1, 2021, 56,358 shares of common stock remained for issuance under the ESPP. The foregoing description is qualified in its entirety by reference to the text of the ESPP, a copy of which has been filed as an exhibit to the Schedule TO-I to which this Offer to Purchase is an exhibit.

PROG Holdings Employee Retirement Plan. The Retirement Plan is a defined contribution plans that is intended to qualify under Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), covering substantially all of our employees, including our executive officers. Participants in the Retirement Plan may select the investments in which their account balances are invested, and participants are entitled to invest a portion of their account balances our shares.

Non-employee Director Compensation. As part of their compensation, our non-employee directors receive an annual award of RSUs having a value of $125,000, which generally vests one year following the grant date, which grant date is generally the date of the annual meeting of shareholders.

 

38


Stock Ownership Guidelines for Senior Executives. The Committee has adopted stock ownership guidelines to further align the interests of senior executives with our shareholders.

 

Feature

  

Provision

Required levels

  

5x base salary: Chief Executive Officer

 

3x base salary:

 

•  President

 

•  Chief Innovation Officer

 

•  Chief Financial Officer

 

2x base salary

 

•  General Counsel

Shares counted toward guidelines

  

Stock owned outright

 

Shares held in retirement accounts

 

Unvested time-based RSUs and RSAs

 

Earned but unvested performance shares

 

“In the money” value of vested but unexercised stock options

Stock Ownership Guidelines for Directors. Under our stock ownership guidelines, each director is expected to own or acquire shares of our common stock and common stock equivalents (including RSAs and RSUs) having a value of at least $400,000 prior to the later of January 31, 2020 or four years from when the director first joined our Board of Directors.

Share Repurchase Authorization. On November 3, 2021, we announced that our Board of Directors has authorized a new $1 billion share repurchase program, which replaces our prior $300 million program. Under the new authorization, purchases can be made from time to time using a variety of methods, which may include open market purchases, purchases effected through 10b5-1 trading plans, accelerated share repurchase programs or other transactions. The amount of any shares that are purchased, and the timing of any such purchases, under the new repurchase program will be determined based on market conditions and other factors, and the program may be suspended or discontinued at any time. Any of these repurchases may be on the same terms or on terms that are more or less favorable to the selling shareholders in those transactions than the terms of the tender offer.

 

12.

Legal Matters; Regulatory Approvals.

We are not aware of the applicability of any antitrust laws or any license or regulatory permit that appears material to our business that might be adversely affected by our acquisition of the shares as contemplated by the tender offer or of any approval or other action by any government or governmental, administrative or regulatory authority or agency, domestic, foreign or supranational, that would be required for our acquisition or ownership of the shares as contemplated by the tender offer. Should any such approval or other action be required, we presently contemplate that we will seek that approval or other action. We are unable to predict whether we will be required to delay the acceptance for payment of or payment for shares tendered pursuant to the tender offer pending the outcome of any such matter. There can be no assurance that any such approval or other action, if needed, would be obtained or would be obtained without substantial cost or conditions or that the failure to obtain the approval or other action might not result in adverse consequences to our business and financial condition. Our obligations under the tender offer to accept shares for payment and pay for shares is subject to certain conditions. See Section 7.

 

39


13.

Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences.

The following discussion is a general summary of certain U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. Holders and Non-U.S. Holders (each as defined below) of a sale of shares pursuant to the tender offer. This summary is based upon the Code, the applicable Treasury regulations promulgated thereunder, published rulings and administrative pronouncements of the IRS and applicable judicial decisions, all as in effect as of the date hereof and all of which are subject to change or differing interpretations, possibly on a retroactive basis, and any such change or differing interpretation could affect the accuracy of the statements contained in this discussion. No IRS ruling has been or will be sought regarding any matter discussed herein, and there can be no assurance that the IRS will agree with the statements made in this discussion.

This discussion addresses only beneficial owners who hold their shares as “capital assets” within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Code (generally, property held for investment) and does not address all U.S. federal income tax consequences that may be relevant to beneficial owners in light of their particular circumstances or to beneficial owners subject to special rules under the U.S. federal income tax laws (such as, for example, dealers or brokers in securities or commodities, traders in securities who elect to apply a mark-to-market method of tax accounting, U.S. Holders whose “functional currency” is not the U.S. dollar, banks or other financial institutions, insurance companies, tax-exempt organizations, pension plans, regulated investment companies or real estate investment trusts, controlled foreign corporations, passive foreign investment companies, former citizens or residents of the United States, U.S. expatriates, partnerships or other pass- through entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes (or investors therein), persons who hold shares as part of a hedge, appreciated financial position, straddle, conversion or other risk reduction or integrated transaction, persons for whom the sale of shares pursuant to the tender offer would constitute a “wash sale” for U.S. federal income tax purposes, persons who hold or received their shares pursuant to the exercise of any employee stock options or otherwise as compensation or through a tax-qualified retirement plan, and persons who hold (or that held, directly, indirectly or constructively, at any time during the five-year period ending on the date of the sale of their shares pursuant to the tender offer) more than 5% of the Company’s common stock). This discussion does not address the effect of any state, local or non-U.S. tax laws or any U.S. federal tax considerations other than those pertaining to the income tax (e.g., estate or gift tax), that may be applicable to beneficial owners of shares, nor does it address any aspects of the unearned income Medicare contribution tax under Section 1411 of the Code or the alternative minimum tax.

Beneficial owners should consult their own tax advisors regarding the tax consequences of a sale of shares pursuant to the tender offer, including the applicability and effect of any state, local and non-U.S. tax laws.

As used herein, a “U.S. Holder” means a beneficial owner of shares that is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, (i) an individual who is a citizen or resident of the United States, (ii) a corporation organized in or under the laws of the United States, any state thereof or the District of Columbia, (iii) an estate the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source or (iv) a trust (A) the administration of which is subject to primary supervision of a court within the United States and with respect to which one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust, or (B) that has a valid election in effect under applicable Treasury regulations to be treated as a U.S. person. As used herein, a “Non-U.S. Holder” means a beneficial owner of shares that is neither a U.S. Holder nor an entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

If an entity or an arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes holds shares, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of a person that is treated as a partner in such entity or arrangement generally will depend on the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. Any entity or arrangement treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes that holds shares and any partners in such partnerships should consult their own tax advisors regarding the U.S. federal income and other tax consequences of a sale of shares pursuant to the tender offer.

 

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Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Tender Offer to Tendering U.S. Holders.

The sale of shares by a U.S. Holder pursuant to the tender offer will, depending on such U.S. Holder’s particular facts and circumstances, generally be treated as a sale or exchange for U.S. federal income tax purposes or as a distribution with respect to such U.S. Holder’s shares. Under Section 302(b) of the Code, a sale of shares pursuant to the tender offer generally will be treated as a “sale or exchange” for U.S. federal income tax purposes, rather than as a distribution with respect to such shares held by the tendering U.S. Holder, if the sale: (i) results in a “complete termination” of the U.S. Holder’s equity interest in the Company under Section 302(b)(3) of the Code, (ii) is “substantially disproportionate” with respect to the U.S. Holder under Section 302(b)(2) of the Code or (iii) is “not essentially equivalent to a dividend” with respect to the U.S. Holder under Section 302(b)(1) of the Code, each as described below (collectively, the “Section 302 Tests”).

In applying each of the Section 302 Tests, a U.S. Holder must take into account not only the shares that are actually owned by the U.S. Holder, but also shares that are constructively owned by the U.S. Holder under Section 318 of the Code. Very generally, a U.S. Holder may constructively own shares that are actually owned, and in some cases constructively owned, by certain members of the U.S. Holder’s family and certain entities (such as corporations, partnerships, trusts and estates) in which the U.S. Holder has an interest, as well as shares that the U.S. Holder has a right to acquire by exercise of an option or warrant or by conversion or exchange of a security. U.S. Holders should be aware that acquisitions or dispositions of shares as part of a plan that includes the U.S. Holder’s sale of shares pursuant to the tender offer may need to be taken into account in determining whether any of the Section 302 Tests are satisfied. U.S. Holders should also be aware that their ability to satisfy any of the Section 302 Tests may be affected by proration pursuant to the tender offer. Due to the factual nature of these tests, U.S. Holders should consult their own tax advisors to determine whether a sale of shares pursuant to the tender offer qualifies for sale or exchange treatment under these tests in light of their particular circumstances.

The sale of shares pursuant to the tender offer generally will result in a “complete termination” of the U.S. Holder’s interest in the Company if either (i) the U.S. Holder owns no shares of Company stock actually or constructively after the shares are sold pursuant to the tender offer or (ii) the U.S. Holder actually owns no shares of Company stock after the tender offer and, with respect to shares constructively owned, is eligible to waive, and effectively waives, constructive ownership of all such shares in accordance with the procedures described in Section 302(c)(2) of the Code. U.S. Holders intending to satisfy the “complete termination” test through a waiver of attribution should consult their tax advisors concerning the mechanics and desirability of such a waiver.

The sale of shares pursuant to the tender offer generally will result in a “substantially disproportionate” redemption with respect to a U.S. Holder if the percentage of the Company’s outstanding shares actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder immediately after the sale is less than 80% of the percentage of the Company’s outstanding shares actually and constructively owned by the U.S. Holder immediately before the sale.

Even if a sale of shares by a U.S. Holder pursuant to the tender offer fails to satisfy the “complete termination” test or the “substantially disproportionate” test, a U.S. Holder may nevertheless satisfy the “not essentially equivalent to a dividend” test if the reduction in the U.S. Holder’s proportionate interest in the Company’s stock as a result of the tender offer constitutes a “meaningful reduction.” The IRS has indicated in published guidance that generally, even a small reduction in the percentage ownership interest of a shareholder whose relative stock interest in a publicly held corporation (such as the Company) is minimal and who exercises no control over the corporation’s business should constitute a meaningful reduction.

U.S. Holders should consult their tax advisors to determine the application of the Section 302 Tests in light of their particular circumstances.

If any of the Section 302 Tests for “sale or exchange” treatment is met, a U.S. Holder will recognize gain or loss on the receipt of cash in exchange for shares pursuant to the tender offer equal to the difference between the

 

41


amount of cash received and the adjusted tax basis of the shares sold. The gain or loss will be capital gain or loss and generally will be long-term capital gain or loss if the holding period for such shares is more than one year as of the date of the sale. Long-term capital gain recognized by a non-corporate U.S. Holder is currently subject to U.S. federal income tax at a reduced rate. The ability to deduct capital losses is subject to limitations. A U.S. Holder must calculate gain or loss separately for each block of shares (generally, shares acquired at the same cost in a single transaction) that we purchase from the U.S. Holder pursuant to the tender offer.

If none of the Section 302 Tests is met with respect to a U.S. Holder, amounts received by such U.S. Holder pursuant to the tender offer will be treated as a distribution with respect to such U.S. Holder’s remaining shares. The distribution will be taxable to the U.S. Holder as a “dividend” to the extent of such U.S. Holder’s allocable share of the Company’s current and accumulated earnings and profits. To the extent the amount of the distribution exceeds the amount treated as a dividend, the excess will first constitute a non-taxable return of capital to the extent of (and in reduction of) the U.S. Holder’s tax basis in the relevant shares (but not below zero), and any remaining portion will be treated as capital gain from the sale or exchange of shares. Any such capital gain will be long-term capital gain if the U.S. Holder’s holding period for the shares on the date of the sale exceeds one year. If any amounts received by a tendering U.S. Holder are treated as a “dividend,” the tax basis (after any adjustment for non-taxable return of capital discussed above) in the shares sold pursuant to the tender offer will be added to any remaining shares held by such U.S. Holder. If a tendering U.S. Holder does not actually retain any shares, the basis may (depending on circumstances) be added to shares retained by a person related to such U.S. Holder, or the basis may be lost. A dividend received by a non-corporate U.S. Holder may be treated as “qualified dividend income” that is subject to reduced tax rates (subject to applicable requirements, exceptions and limitations). A dividend received by a corporate U.S. Holder may be (i) eligible for a dividends-received deduction (subject to applicable requirements, exceptions and limitations) and (ii) subject to the “extraordinary dividend” provisions of Section 1059 of the Code. U.S. Holders that are corporations for U.S. federal income tax purposes should consult their own tax advisors regarding the U.S. federal tax consequences of the tender offer to them in light of their particular circumstances.

We cannot predict whether or the extent to which the tender offer will be oversubscribed. If the tender offer is oversubscribed, proration of tenders pursuant to the tender offer will cause us to accept fewer shares than are tendered. Therefore, a U.S. Holder can be given no assurance that a sufficient number of such U.S. Holder’s shares will be purchased pursuant to the tender offer to ensure that such purchase will be treated as a sale or exchange, rather than as a distribution, for U.S. federal income tax purposes pursuant to the rules discussed above.

The determination of whether a corporation has current or accumulated earnings or profits is complex, and the legal standards to be applied are subject to uncertainties and ambiguities. Additionally, whether a corporation has current earnings and profits can be determined only at the end of the taxable year. Accordingly, if the sale of shares pursuant to the tender offer is treated as a distribution rather than a sale or exchange under Section 302 of the Code, the extent to which such sale is treated as a dividend may be unclear.

Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Tender Offer to Tendering Non-U.S. Holders.

If a sale by a Non-U.S. Holder of shares pursuant to the tender offer qualifies as a sale or exchange under any of the Section 302 Tests described above, then any gain recognized by such Non-U.S. Holder on the sale generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax unless (i) such gain is “effectively connected” with a trade or business carried on by the Non-U.S. Holder within the United States (and, if required pursuant to an applicable income tax treaty, is attributable to a permanent establishment of the Non-U.S. Holder within the United States), (ii) the Non-U.S. Holder is an individual who is physically present in the United States for 183 days or more during the taxable year of the sale and certain other conditions are met, or (iii) at any time during the shorter of the 5-year period ending on the date the shares are sold or the period that the Non-U.S. Holder held the shares, we have been classified as a United States real property holding corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes and, if our common stock is treated as regularly traded on an established securities market, the Non-U.S. Holder owns or is treated as owning more than 5% of our common stock at any time within

 

42


such period. If the gain is described in clause (i) above, the gain generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net income basis, in the same manner as if the Non-U.S. Holder were a resident of the United States. A Non-U.S. Holder that is a corporation may be subject to an additional “branch profits tax” at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty) with respect to any effectively connected earnings and profits (subject to certain adjustments). A Non-U.S. Holder described in clause (ii) above will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty) on the gain derived from the sale, which may be offset by certain U.S. source capital losses, even though the Non-U.S. Holder is not considered a resident of the United States. The Company does not believe that it is, or has been at any time during the relevant period described in clause (iii) above, a United States real property holding corporation.

If the repurchase of shares pursuant to the tender offer from a Non-U.S. Holder does not satisfy any of the Section 302 Tests described above, amounts received by such Non-U.S. Holder pursuant to the tender offer will be treated as a distribution to the Non-U.S. Holder with respect to such Non-U.S. Holder’s shares. The treatment for U.S. federal income tax purposes of such distribution as a dividend, return of capital, or as gain from the sale of shares will be determined in the manner described above under “Certain U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Tender Offer to Tendering U.S. Holders.” In general, any amount that constitutes a dividend for U.S. federal income tax purposes will be subject to U.S. withholding tax at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate as may be specified pursuant to an applicable income tax treaty) unless the dividend is “effectively connected” with a trade or business conducted by the Non-U.S. Holder within the United States (and, if required pursuant to an applicable income tax treaty, is attributable to a permanent establishment of the Non-U.S. Holder within the United States), in which case such dividend generally will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a net income basis, in the same manner as if the Non-U.S. Holder were a resident of the United States. A Non-U.S. Holder that is a corporation may be subject to an additional “branch profits tax” at a rate of 30% (or such lower rate as may be specified by an applicable income tax treaty) with respect to any effectively connected earnings and profits (subject to certain adjustments).

As discussed in Section 3 above, in order to claim a reduction in the rate of, or an exemption from, the 30% U.S. withholding tax, a Non-U.S. Holder must deliver to the applicable withholding agent a correct, properly completed and executed IRS Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E (with respect to income tax treaty benefits) or Form W-8ECI (with respect to amounts effectively connected with the conduct by such Non-U.S. Holder of a trade or business within the United States) claiming such reduced rate or exemption.

Because the satisfaction of the Section 302 Tests described above is dependent on matters of fact that are unique to each Non-U.S. Holder, the withholding agents generally will presume, for withholding purposes, that all amounts paid to Non-U.S. Holders pursuant to the tender offer are treated as distributions in respect of their shares. Accordingly, as described in Section 3 above, a Non-U.S. Holder should expect that a withholding agent will likely withhold U.S. federal income tax on the gross proceeds payable to a Non-U.S. Holder pursuant to the tender offer at a rate of 30% unless the Non-U.S. Holder provides the withholding agent with a validly completed and executed IRS Form W-8ECI, W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E reflecting that no or reduced withholding is required. See Section 3 for additional information. If tax has been withheld on amounts paid to a Non-U.S. Holder pursuant to the tender offer, as described above, but the receipt of cash for such Non-U.S. Holder’s tendered shares is in fact properly treated as consideration received in a sale or exchange, then such Non-U.S. Holder may apply for a refund of such withheld amount. Non-U.S. Holders should consult their own tax advisors regarding the particular tax consequences to them of selling shares in the tender offer, including the application of the 30% U.S. federal withholding tax, their potential eligibility for a reduced rate of, or exemption from, such withholding tax, and their potential eligibility for, and procedures for claiming, a refund of any such withholding tax.

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding.

Payments of proceeds pursuant to the tender offer may be subject to information reporting and, as described in Section 3 above, possibly U.S. federal backup withholding (currently at a rate of 24%). Payments of gross

 

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proceeds to a U.S. Holder generally will be subject to information reporting. Such payments may also be subject to backup withholding unless the holder provides its correct taxpayer identification number, certifies that it is not subject to backup withholding and otherwise complies with the backup withholding rules. Certain U.S. Holders (including, among others, corporations) are not subject to these information reporting and backup withholding tax rules. Backup withholding generally will not apply to payments of gross proceeds in the tender offer to a Non-U.S. Holder if the Non-U.S. Holder submits a properly completed, applicable IRS Form W-8, signed under penalties of perjury, attesting to such holder’s non-U.S. status and otherwise complies with the backup withholding rules. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules may be credited against the holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability and may entitle the holder to a refund of any excess amounts withheld, provided that the required information is timely furnished to the IRS. See Section 3 for additional information.

FATCA

Under Sections 1471 through 1474 of the Code, commonly referred to as “FATCA,” and related administrative guidance, a U.S. federal withholding tax of 30% generally will be imposed on dividends that are paid to “foreign financial institutions” and “non-financial foreign entities” (as specifically defined under these rules), whether such institutions or entities hold shares as beneficial owners or intermediaries, unless specified requirements are met or an exemption applies. Because, as discussed above, the withholding agents will likely treat all amounts paid to Non-U.S. Holders pursuant to the tender offer as dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes, such amounts may also be subject to withholding under FATCA if such requirements are not met. In such case, any withholding under FATCA may be credited against, and therefore reduce, any withholding tax otherwise imposed on dividend distributions, as discussed above. Non-U.S. Holders should consult with their tax advisors regarding the possible implications of these rules on their sale of shares pursuant to the tender offer.

The preceding discussion is intended for general information only and is not a complete analysis or discussion of all the potential tax consequences of the disposition of shares in the tender offer, nor is it legal or tax advice. Each holder of shares should consult their own tax advisor to determine its particular tax consequences of selling shares in the tender offer including any tax return reporting requirements and the applicability and effect of U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S. and other applicable tax laws in light of their particular circumstances.

 

14.

Extension of the Tender Offer; Termination; Amendment.

We expressly reserve the right, in our sole discretion, at any time and from time to time, and regardless of whether or not any of the conditions set forth in Section 7 shall have been satisfied or waived by us, to extend the period of time during which the tender offer is open and thereby delay acceptance for payment of, and payment for, any shares by giving oral or written notice of such extension to the Depositary and making a public announcement of such extension. We also expressly reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to terminate the tender offer and not accept for payment or pay for any shares not theretofore accepted for payment or paid for or, subject to applicable law and regulation, to postpone payment for shares if any of the conditions specified in Section 7 hereof shall not have been satisfied by giving oral or written notice of such termination or postponement to the Depositary and making a public announcement of such termination or postponement. Our reservation of the right to delay payment for shares which we have accepted for payment is limited by Rule 13e-4(f)(5) promulgated under the Exchange Act, which requires that we must pay the consideration offered or return the shares tendered promptly after termination or withdrawal of the tender offer.

Subject to compliance with applicable law and regulation, we further reserve the right, in our sole discretion, and regardless of whether any of the conditions set forth in Section 7 shall have been satisfied or waived by us, to amend the tender offer in any respect, including, without limitation, by decreasing or increasing the consideration offered in the tender offer to holders of shares or by decreasing or increasing the number of shares being sought in the tender offer. Amendments to the tender offer may be made at any time and from time to time effected by public announcement, such announcement, in the case of an extension, to be issued no later

 

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than 9:00 a.m., New York City time, on the next business day after the last previously scheduled or announced Expiration Date. Any public announcement made pursuant to the tender offer will be disseminated promptly to shareholders in a manner reasonably designed to inform shareholders of such change. Without limiting the manner in which we may choose to make a public announcement, except as required by applicable law and regulation, we shall have no obligation to publish, advertise or otherwise communicate any such public announcement other than by making a release through a newswire service.

If we materially change the terms of the tender offer or the information concerning the tender offer, or if we waive a material condition of the tender offer, we will extend the tender offer to the extent required by Rules 13e- 4(d)(2), 13e4(e)(3) and 13e4(f)(1) promulgated under the Exchange Act. These rules and certain related releases and interpretations of the Commission provide that the minimum period during which a tender offer must remain open following material changes in the terms of the tender offer or information concerning the tender offer (other than a change in price or a change in percentage of securities sought) will depend on the facts and circumstances, including the relative materiality of such terms or information. As a general matter, if we materially change the terms of the tender offer or the information concerning the tender offer (other than a change in price or a change in percentage of securities sought), including the waiver of a material condition (including the Financing Condition), we are required to extend the tender offer, if necessary, so that the tender offer remains open for at least five business days following such change. If (1) we increase the maximum price to be paid for shares above $50.00 per share or decrease the price to be paid per share below $44.00 or otherwise change the price range to be paid for shares or increase or decrease the aggregate purchase price offered for shares being sought in the tender offer (but, in the case of an increase, only if we increase the aggregate purchase price as a result of which the number of shares being sought will increase by more than 2% of our outstanding shares) and (2) the tender offer is scheduled to expire at any time earlier than the expiration of a period ending on the tenth business day from, and including, the date that such notice of an increase or decrease is first published, sent or given to shareholders in the manner specified in this Section 14, the tender offer will be extended until the expiration of such period of ten business days.

 

15.

Fees and Expenses; Information Agent; Dealer Manager; Depositary.

We have retained J.P. Morgan Securities LLC to act as Dealer Manager, Georgeson LLC to act as Information Agent and Computershare Trust Company, N.A. to act as Depositary in connection with the tender offer. The Dealer Manager and Information Agent may contact holders of shares by mail, e-mail, telephone and in person and may request brokers, dealers, commercial banks, trust companies and other nominee shareholders to forward materials relating to the tender offer to beneficial owners. The Dealer Manager, the Information Agent and the Depositary will each receive reasonable and customary compensation for their respective services, will be reimbursed by us for specified reasonable out-of-pocket expenses and will be indemnified against certain liabilities in connection with the tender offer, including certain liabilities under the federal securities laws.

We will not pay any fees or commissions to brokers or dealers (other than fees to the Dealer Manager or Information Agent as described above) for soliciting tenders of shares pursuant to the tender offer or for making any recommendation in connection with the tender offer. Shareholders holding shares through brokers, dealers, commercial banks, trust companies or other nominees are urged to consult such nominees to determine whether transaction costs are applicable if shareholders tender shares through such nominees and not directly to the Depositary. We will, however, upon request, reimburse brokers, dealers, commercial banks, trust companies and other nominees for customary mailing and handling expenses incurred by them in forwarding the tender offer and related materials to the beneficial owners of shares held by them as a nominee or in a fiduciary capacity. No broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee has been authorized to act as the agent of us, the Dealer Manager, the Information Agent or the Depositary for purposes of the tender offer. We will pay or cause to be paid all stock transfer taxes, if any, on our purchase of shares except as otherwise provided in this document and the Letter of Transmittal.

 

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The Dealer Manager and its affiliates have provided, and may in the future provide, various investment banking and other services to us for which they have received, or we expect they will receive, customary compensation from us.

The Dealer Manager and its affiliates in the ordinary course of their respective businesses may purchase and/or sell our securities, including the shares, for their respective own accounts and for the account of their respective customers. As a result, the Dealer Manager and its affiliates at any time may own certain of our securities, including the shares. In addition, the Dealer Manager and its affiliates may tender shares into the tender offer for their respective own accounts and for the account of their respective customers.

 

16.

Miscellaneous.

We are not aware of any jurisdiction where the making of the tender offer is not in compliance with applicable law and regulation. If we become aware of any jurisdiction where the making of the tender offer or the acceptance of shares pursuant thereto is not in compliance with applicable law and regulation, we will make a good faith effort to comply with the applicable law and regulation. If, after such good faith effort, we cannot comply with the applicable law and regulation, the tender offer will not be made to the holders of shares in such jurisdiction, provided that we will comply with the requirements of Rule 13e-4(f)(8) promulgated under the Exchange Act. In any jurisdiction where the securities, blue sky or other laws require the tender offer to be made by a licensed broker or dealer, the tender offer shall be deemed to be made on our behalf by one or more registered brokers or dealers licensed under the laws of that jurisdiction.

Pursuant to Rule 13e-4 under the Exchange Act, we have filed with the Commission the Schedule TO-I, which contains additional information with respect to the tender offer. The Schedule TO-I, including the exhibits and any amendments and supplements thereto, may be examined, and copies may be obtained, at the same places and in the same manner as is set forth in Section 10 with respect to information concerning us.

WE HAVE NOT MADE ANY RECOMMENDATION AS TO WHETHER YOU SHOULD TENDER OR REFRAIN FROM TENDERING YOUR SHARES IN THE TENDER OFFER. WE HAVE NOT AUTHORIZED ANY PERSON TO MAKE ANY RECOMMENDATION ON OUR BEHALF AS TO WHETHER YOU SHOULD TENDER OR REFRAIN FROM TENDERING YOUR SHARES IN THE TENDER OFFER. WE HAVE NOT AUTHORIZED ANY PERSON TO GIVE ANY INFORMATION OR TO MAKE ANY REPRESENTATIONS IN CONNECTION WITH THE TENDER OFFER OTHER THAN THOSE CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT OR DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE OR IN THE RELATED LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL. IF GIVEN OR MADE, ANY RECOMMENDATION OR ANY SUCH INFORMATION OR REPRESENTATIONS MUST NOT BE RELIED UPON AS HAVING BEEN AUTHORIZED BY US, THE DEALER MANAGER, THE INFORMATION AGENT, THE DEPOSITARY OR ANY OF OUR OR THEIR RESPECTIVE AFFILIATES.

PROG Holdings, Inc.

November 4, 2021

 

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The Letter of Transmittal and certificates for shares and any other required documents should be sent or delivered by each shareholder or such shareholder’s broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee to the Depositary at one of its addresses set forth below.

The Depositary for the Tender Offer is:

Computershare Trust Company, N.A.

150 Royall Street, Suite V

Canton, MA 02021

 

By First Class, Registered or Certified Mail:

Computershare Trust Company, N.A.

c/o Voluntary Corporate Actions

P.O. Box 43011

Providence, RI 02940-3011

  

By Overnight Courier:

Computershare Trust Company, N.A.

c/o Voluntary Corporate Actions

150 Royall Street, Suite V

Canton, MA 02021

DELIVERY OF THE LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL TO AN ADDRESS OTHER THAN AS SET FORTH ABOVE WILL NOT CONSTITUTE A VALID DELIVERY TO THE DEPOSITARY.

Questions or requests for assistance may be directed to the Information Agent at its telephone number and address set forth below. Requests for additional copies of the Offer to Purchase, the related Letter of Transmittal, the Notice of Guaranteed Delivery or the other tender offer materials may be directed to the Information Agent at the telephone number and address set forth below. Shareholders may also contact their broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee for assistance concerning the tender offer. To confirm delivery of shares, shareholders are directed to contact the Depositary.

The Dealer Manager for the Tender Offer is:

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC

383 Madison Ave, 6th Floor

New York, NY 10179

U.S. Toll Free: (877) 371-5947

The Information Agent for the Tender Offer is:

Georgeson LLC

1290 Avenue of Americas, 9th Floor

New York, New York 10104

Shareholders, Banks and Brokers

Call Toll Free: (800) 868-1390

Letter of Transmittal

Exhibit (a)(1)(ii)

LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL

To Tender Shares of Common Stock

Pursuant to the Offer to Purchase Dated November 4, 2021

by

PROG HOLDINGS, INC.

of

Up to $425,000,000 in Value of its Common Stock

At a Purchase Price Not Less Than $44.00 Per Share and Not More Than $50.00 Per Share

 

THE TENDER OFFER AND WITHDRAWAL RIGHTS EXPIRE AT 12:00 MIDNIGHT, NEW YORK CITY TIME, AT THE END OF THE DAY ON DECEMBER 3, 2021, UNLESS THE TENDER OFFER IS EXTENDED OR EARLIER TERMINATED.

Method of delivery of the certificate(s) is at the option and risk of the owner thereof. See Instruction 2.

Deliver this Letter of Transmittal, together with any certificate(s) representing your shares, by mail to:

Computershare Trust Company, N.A.

150 Royall Street, Suite V

Canton, MA 02021

 

By First Class, Registered or Certified Mail:
Computershare Trust Company, N.A.
c/o Voluntary Corporate Actions
P.O. Box 43011
Providence, RI 02940-3011
   By Overnight Courier:
Computershare Trust Company, N.A.
c/o Voluntary Corporate Actions
150 Royall Street, Suite V
Canton, MA 02021

 

Description of Shares Tendered(1)
Name(s) and Address(es) of Registered Owner(s)
(If blank, please fill in exactly as name(s)
appear(s) on Share Certificate(s))
  Shares Tendered
(Attach additional list if necessary)
     Certificate
Number(s)
and/or
indicate Book-
Entry
   Total Number
of Shares
Represented by
Certificate(s) (2)
   Book-Entry
Shares
Tendered (3)
   Total Number of
Shares
Tendered
                    
                    
         
    Total Shares               

(1)   See Instruction 3 if provided space is inadequate.

(2)   If you wish to tender fewer than all shares represented by any certificate listed above, please indicate in this column the number of shares you wish to tender. Otherwise, all Shares represented by Share Certificates delivered to the Depositary Agent will be deemed to have been tendered. See Instruction 4.

(3)   If shares are held in Book-Entry form you must indicate the number of shares you are tendering.

 

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Delivery of this Letter of Transmittal to an address other than as set forth above will not constitute a valid delivery to Computershare Trust Company, N.A. (the “Depositary”) and the information agent for the tender offer, Georgeson LLC (the “Information Agent”). Deliveries to PROG Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”) or J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, the dealer manager for the tender offer (the “Dealer Manager”), or to The Depository Trust Company (“DTC,” which is hereinafter referred to as the “Book-Entry Transfer Facility”) will not be forwarded to the Depositary and therefore will not constitute valid delivery to the Depositary. All of the instructions set forth in this Letter of Transmittal should be read carefully before this Letter of Transmittal is completed.

This Letter of Transmittal is to be used only if certificates for shares are to be forwarded herewith or if shares are held in book-entry form on the records of the Depositary.

Please note the following:

1.    If you want to participate in the tender offer and wish to maximize the chance of having the Company accept for payment shares you are tendering, you should check the box marked “Shares Tendered at Price Determined Pursuant to the Tender Offer” below and complete the other portions of this Letter of Transmittal as appropriate. If you agree to accept the Purchase Price determined by the Company in accordance with the terms of the tender offer, your shares will be deemed to be tendered at the minimum price of $44.00 per share. YOU SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT THIS ELECTION MAY LOWER THE PURCHASE PRICE AND COULD RESULT IN THE TENDERED SHARES BEING PURCHASED AT THE MINIMUM PRICE OF $44.00 PER SHARE, A PRICE THAT COULD BE BELOW THE CLOSING PRICE OF THE COMMON STOCK ON THE EXPIRATION DATE.

2.    If you wish to select a specific price at which you will be tendering your shares, you should select one of the boxes in the section captioned “SHARES TENDERED AT PRICE DETERMINED BY SHAREHOLDER” below and complete the other portions of this Letter of Transmittal as appropriate.

3.    If you desire to tender shares in the tender offer, but you cannot deliver your shares and all other required documents to the Depositary by the Expiration Date (as defined in the Offer to Purchase) or cannot comply with the procedures for book-entry transfer on a timely basis, you must tender your shares pursuant to the guaranteed delivery procedure set forth in Section 3 of the Offer to Purchase. See Instruction 2.

4.    If any certificate evidencing the shares you are tendering with this Letter of Transmittal has been lost, stolen, destroyed or mutilated you should call Computershare Trust Company, N.A., as Depositary, at 1-877-373-6374, regarding the requirements for replacement. You may be required to post a bond to secure against the risk that the certificates may be subsequently recirculated. You are urged to contact the Depositary immediately in order to receive further instructions, for a determination of whether you will need to post a bond and to permit timely processing of this documentation. See Instruction 13.

Holders of shares held within the Retirement Plan should be aware that they have an earlier deadline for giving instructions with respect to the tender offer as described in Section 3 of the Offer to Purchase.

 

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THE UNDERSIGNED IS TENDERING SHARES AS FOLLOWS (CHECK ONLY ONE BOX):

 

(1)

SHARES TENDERED AT PRICE DETERMINED BY SHAREHOLDER (SEE INSTRUCTION 5)

By checking ONE of the following boxes below INSTEAD OF THE BOX UNDER “SHARES TENDERED AT PRICE DETERMINED PURSUANT TO THE TENDER OFFER,” the undersigned tenders shares at the price checked. This action could result in none of the shares tendered hereby being purchased if the Purchase Price determined by the Company in accordance with the terms of the tender offer is less than the price checked below. A SHAREHOLDER WHO DESIRES TO TENDER DIFFERENT SHARES AT DIFFERENT PRICES MUST COMPLETE A SEPARATE LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL FOR EACH TENDER. The same shares cannot be tendered at more than one price, unless previously properly withdrawn as provided in Section 4 of the Offer to Purchase.

PRICE (IN DOLLARS) PER SHARE AT WHICH SHARES ARE BEING TENDERED

CHECK ONLY ONE BOX

IF MORE THAN ONE BOX IS CHECKED OR IF NO BOX IS CHECKED,

THERE IS NO PROPER TENDER OF SHARES

 

$44.00

  

$44.50

  

$45.00

  

$45.50

  

$46.00

  

$46.50

  

$47.00

$47.50

  

$48.00

  

$48.50

  

$49.00

  

$49.50

  

$50.00

  

–OR–

 

(2)

SHARES TENDERED AT PRICE DETERMINED PURSUANT TO THE TENDER OFFER (SEE INSTRUCTION 5)

By checking the box below INSTEAD OF ONE OF THE BOXES UNDER “SHARES TENDERED AT PRICE DETERMINED BY SHAREHOLDER,” the undersigned tenders shares at the Purchase Price, as shall be determined by the Company in accordance with the terms of the tender offer. For purposes of determining the Purchase Price, those shares that are tendered by the undersigned agreeing to accept the Purchase Price determined in the tender offer will be deemed to be tendered at the minimum price of $44.00 per share.

 

The undersigned wants to maximize the chance of having the Company purchase shares the undersigned is tendering (subject to the proration and priority provisions of the tender offer). Accordingly, by checking this box instead of one of the price boxes above, the undersigned hereby tenders shares at, and is willing to accept, the Purchase Price determined by the Company in accordance with the terms of the tender offer. THE UNDERSIGNED UNDERSTANDS THAT THIS ELECTION MAY LOWER THE PURCHASE PRICE PAID FOR SHARES IN THE TENDER OFFER AND COULD RESULT IN THE TENDERED SHARES BEING PURCHASED AT THE MINIMUM PRICE OF $44.00 PER SHARE, A PRICE THAT COULD BE BELOW THE CLOSING PRICE OF THE COMMON STOCK ON THE EXPIRATION DATE.

CHECK ONLY ONE BOX UNDER (1) OR (2) ABOVE. IF MORE THAN ONE BOX IS CHECKED ABOVE, OR IF NO BOX IS CHECKED, THERE IS NO VALID TENDER OF SHARES.

 

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NOTE: SIGNATURES MUST BE PROVIDED BELOW
PLEASE READ THE ACCOMPANYING INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY

 

ODD LOTS
(See Instruction 6)

 

To be completed only if shares are being tendered by or on behalf of a person owning, beneficially or of record, an aggregate of fewer than 100 shares. The undersigned (check one box):

 

☐   is the beneficial or record owner of an aggregate of fewer than 100 shares, all of which are being tendered; or

 

☐   is a broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee that (i) is tendering, on behalf of the beneficial owner(s), shares with respect to which it is the record holder and (ii) believes, based upon representations made to it by the beneficial owner(s) of such Shares, that each such person is the beneficial owner of an aggregate of fewer than 100 shares and is tendering all such shares.

 

 

CONDITIONAL TENDER
(See Instruction 14)

 

A tendering shareholder may condition his, her or its tender of shares upon the Company purchasing a specified minimum number of the shares tendered, all as described in Section 6 of the Offer to Purchase. Unless at least the minimum number of shares that you indicate below is purchased by the Company pursuant to the terms of the tender offer, none of the shares tendered will be purchased. It is the tendering shareholder’s responsibility to calculate the minimum number of shares that must be purchased if any are purchased, and each shareholder is urged to consult his, her or its own tax advisor. Unless this box has been checked and a minimum specified, your tender will be deemed unconditional.

 

☐   The minimum number of shares that must be purchased, if any are purchased, is:                  shares.

 

If, because of proration, the minimum number of shares designated will not be purchased, the Company may accept conditional tenders by random lot, if necessary. However, to be eligible for purchase by random lot, the tendering shareholder must have tendered all of his, her or its shares and checked the box below:

 

☐   The tendered shares represent all shares held by the undersigned.

 

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SPECIAL PAYMENT INSTRUCTIONS
(See Instructions 1, 7, 8 and 9)

To be completed ONLY if the check for the Purchase Price of shares purchased (less any applicable withholding taxes) is to be issued in the name of someone other than the undersigned.

 

        

 

SPECIAL DELIVERY INSTRUCTIONS

To be completed ONLY if the check for the Purchase Price of shares purchased (less any applicable withholding taxes) is to be mailed to someone other than the undersigned or to the undersigned at an address other than that shown below the undersigned’s signature(s).

   
Name:                                                                               Name:                                                                      
(Please Print)     (Please Print)
   
Address:                                                                           Address:                                                                  
(RECIPIENT MUST COMPLETE AND RETURN THE ATTACHED IRS FORM W-9 OR AN APPLICABLE IRS FORM W-8)      

 

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SIGN HERE

(Please also complete the attached IRS Form W-9 or an applicable IRS Form W-8)

 

(Must be signed by registered holder(s) exactly as name(s) appear(s) on stock certificate(s) or on a security position listing or by persons(s) authorized to become registered holder(s) by certificates and documents transmitted herewith. If signature is by a trustee, executor, administrator, guardian, attorney-in-fact, agent, officer of a corporation or other person acting in a fiduciary or representative capacity, please set forth full title and see Instruction 7.)
 

 

Signature of Owner:
 

 

Signature of Owner:
 
Name(s):                                                                                                                                                                        
(Please Print)
 

 

 
Dated:
 
Capacity (full title):                                                                                                                                                      
 
Address:                                                                                                                                                                        
 

 

 

 

(MAKE ANY ADDRESS CORRECTION, THIS WILL BE A PERMANENT ADDRESS CHANGE)
APPLY MEDALLION GUARANTEE STAMP BELOW
 

 

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Ladies and Gentlemen:

The undersigned hereby tenders to PROG Holdings, Inc., a Georgia corporation (the “Company”), the above-described shares of common stock, $0.50 par value per share (the “shares”), upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase, dated November 4, 2021 (as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time, the “Offer to Purchase”), receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, which collectively with this Letter of Transmittal, as amended or supplemented from time to time, constitute the “tender offer.” The Company also expressly reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to purchase additional shares subject to applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

Subject to, and effective upon, acceptance for payment of and payment for the shares tendered herewith, the undersigned hereby sells, assigns and transfers to or upon the order of the Company all right, title and interest in and to all the shares that are being tendered hereby and irrevocably constitutes and appoints the Depositary the true and lawful agent of the undersigned with respect to such shares, with full power of substitution (such power of attorney being deemed to be an irrevocable power coupled with an interest in the shares tendered by this Letter of Transmittal), to:

 

  (1)

deliver certificates for such shares, or transfer ownership of such shares on the account books maintained by the Book-Entry Transfer Facility, together, in any such case, with all accompanying evidences of transfer and authenticity, to or upon the order of the Company;

 

  (2)

present such shares for transfer and cancellation on the books of the Company; and

 

  (3)

cause the Company to receive all benefits and otherwise exercise all rights of beneficial ownership of such shares, all in accordance with the terms of the tender offer.

The undersigned understands, upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the tender offer, the Company will determine a single per share purchase price (the “Purchase Price”), which will not be less than $44.00 per share and not more than $50.00 per share, that will allow it to purchase a number of shares having an aggregate purchase price of $425,000,000, or a lower amount depending on the number of shares properly tendered and not properly withdrawn pursuant to the tender offer. The undersigned understands that the Company will select the lowest Purchase Price (in increments of $0.50) within the price range specified above that will allow the Company to purchase that number of shares having an aggregate purchase price of $425,000,000, or a lower amount depending on the number of shares properly tendered and not properly withdrawn pursuant to the tender offer, at a price which will be not less than $44.00 per share and not more than $50.00 per share in the tender offer, subject to its right to increase the total number of shares purchased to the extent permitted by law and regulation. The undersigned understands that all shares properly tendered at prices at or below the Purchase Price and not properly withdrawn will be purchased at the Purchase Price, less any applicable withholding taxes and without interest, upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the tender offer, including its proration provisions, “odd lot” provisions and conditional tender provisions. The Company will return at its expense all other shares, including shares tendered at prices greater than the Purchase Price and not properly withdrawn and shares not purchased because of proration or conditional tenders, promptly following the Expiration Date (as defined in the Offer to Purchase).

The undersigned hereby represents and warrants that the undersigned:

 

  (1)

has a net long position in shares at least equal to the number of shares being tendered;

 

  (2)

has full power and authority to tender, sell, assign and transfer the shares tendered hereby and that, when the same are accepted for payment by the Company, the Company will acquire good and unencumbered title thereto, free and clear of all liens, restrictions, charges and encumbrances and not subject to any adverse claims; and

 

  (3)

will, upon request, execute and deliver all additional documents deemed by the Depositary or the Company to be necessary or desirable to complete the sale, assignment and transfer of the shares tendered hereby.

 

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The undersigned understands that tenders of shares pursuant to any one of the procedures described in Section 3 of the Offer to Purchase and in the instructions hereto will constitute an agreement between the undersigned and the Company upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the tender offer, which agreement will be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York. The undersigned acknowledges that under no circumstances will the Company pay interest on the Purchase Price.

The undersigned recognizes that, under certain circumstances set forth in the Offer to Purchase, the Company may terminate or amend the tender offer or may postpone the acceptance for payment of, or the payment for, shares tendered or may accept for payment fewer than all of the shares tendered.

Unless otherwise indicated under “Special Payment Instructions,” please issue the check for the Purchase Price of any shares purchased (less any applicable withholding taxes), and return any shares not tendered or not purchased, in the name(s) of the undersigned. Similarly, unless otherwise indicated under “Special Delivery Instructions,” please mail the check for the Purchase Price of any shares purchased (less any applicable withholding taxes) and any certificates for shares not tendered or not purchased to the undersigned at the address shown below the undersigned’s signature(s). In the event that both “Special Payment Instructions” and “Special Delivery Instructions” are completed, please issue the check for the Purchase Price of any shares purchased (less any applicable withholding taxes) and return any shares not tendered or not purchased in the name(s) of, and mail said check and any certificates to, the person(s) so indicated.

The undersigned recognizes that the Company has no obligation, pursuant to the “Special Payment Instructions,” to transfer any shares from the name of the registered holder(s) thereof, if the Company does not accept for payment any of the shares so tendered.

All authority herein conferred or agreed to be conferred shall survive the death or incapacity of the undersigned and any obligation of the undersigned hereunder shall be binding upon the heirs, personal representatives, successors and assigns of the undersigned.

 

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INSTRUCTIONS

Forming Part of the Terms and Conditions of the Tender Offer

1.    Guarantee of Signatures. No signature guarantee is required if either: (a) this Letter of Transmittal is signed by the registered holder of the shares exactly as the name of the registered holder appears on the certificate(s) for the shares tendered with this Letter of Transmittal or (b) in the case of book-entry shares, on the records of the Depositary, and payment and delivery are to be made directly to such registered holder and such registered holder has not completed the box entitled “Special Payment Instructions”. See Instruction 7.

2.    Delivery of Letter of Transmittal and Shares; Guaranteed Delivery Procedure. You must use this Letter of Transmittal to forward certificates for shares and to tender any/all shares held in book-entry form on the records of the Depositary (or if the certificates will be delivered pursuant to a Notice of Guaranteed Delivery previously sent to the Depositary). Certificates for all physically tendered shares along with a properly completed and duly executed Letter of Transmittal, including any required signature guarantees, and any other documents required by this Letter of Transmittal, should be mailed or delivered to the Depositary at the appropriate address set forth herein or as provided on the Web Platform and must be delivered to the Depositary on or before the Expiration Date.

LETTERS OF TRANSMITTAL MUST BE RECEIVED IN THE OFFICE OF THE DEPOSITARY BY 12:00 MIDNIGHT, NEW YORK CITY TIME, AT THE END OF THE DAY ON THE EXPIRATION DATE. GUARANTEED DELIVERIES FROM ELIGIBLE INSTITUTIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED VIA EMAIL UNTIL THE EXPIRATION TIME OF THE OFFER ON EXPIRATION DATE.

Guaranteed Delivery. If you cannot deliver your shares and all other required documents to the Depositary by the Expiration Date or the procedure for book-entry transfer cannot be completed on a timely basis, you must tender your shares pursuant to the guaranteed delivery procedure set forth in Section 3 of the Offer to Purchase. Pursuant to such procedure:

(a) such tender must be made by or through an Eligible Institution;

(b) a properly completed and duly executed Notice of Guaranteed Delivery substantially in the form provided by the Company must be received by the Depositary by the Expiration Date, including (where required) a signature guarantee by an Eligible Institution in the form set forth in the Notice of Guaranteed Delivery; and

(c) the certificates for all physically delivered shares, or a confirmation of a book-entry transfer of all shares delivered electronically into the Depositary’s account at the Book-Entry Transfer Facility, together with a properly completed and duly executed Letter of Transmittal with any required signature guarantees or an Agent’s Message and any other documents required by this Letter of Transmittal, must be received by the Depositary within two trading days after the Expiration Date, all as provided in Section 3 of the Offer to Purchase.

The method of delivery of all documents, including share certificates, is at your option and risk. If you choose to deliver the documents by mail, then registered mail with return receipt requested, properly insured, is recommended. In all cases, sufficient time should be allowed to ensure timely delivery.

Except as specifically permitted by Section 6 of the Offer to Purchase, the Company will not accept any alternative, conditional or contingent tenders, and no fractional shares will be purchased. By executing this Letter of Transmittal, you waive any right to receive any notice of the acceptance for payment of the shares.

3.    Inadequate Space. If the space provided in the box captioned “Description of Shares Tendered” is inadequate, then you should list the certificate numbers and/or the number of shares on a separate signed schedule attached hereto.

 

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4.    Partial Tenders. If you wish to tender fewer than all of the shares represented by any certificates that you deliver to the Depositary, fill in the number of shares which are to be tendered in the box entitled “Number of Shares Tendered.” In such case, a new certificate for the remainder of the shares represented by the old certificate will be sent to the person(s) signing this Letter of Transmittal, unless otherwise provided in the appropriate box on this Letter of Transmittal, as promptly as practicable after the expiration or termination of the tender offer. Unless you indicate otherwise, all shares represented by certificates delivered to the Depositary will be deemed to have been tendered. In the case of shares tendered by book-entry transfer at the Book-Entry Transfer Facility, the shares will be credited to the appropriate account maintained by the tendering shareholder at the Book-Entry Transfer Facility. In each case, shares will be returned or credited without expense to the shareholder.

5.    Indication of Price at Which Shares Are Being Tendered. For shares to be properly tendered, the shareholder MUST either (1) check the box indicating the price per share at which such shareholder is tendering shares under the section captioned “Shares Tendered at Price Determined by Shareholder” or (2) check the box in the section captioned “Shares Tendered at Price Determined Pursuant to the Tender Offer” in order to maximize the chance of having the Company purchase the shares tendered (subject to the proration and priority provisions). For purposes of determining the Purchase Price, shares that are tendered by shareholders agreeing to accept the Purchase Price determined in the tender offer will be deemed to be tendered at the minimum price of $44.00 per share. Selecting option (1) could result in none of the shareholder’s tendered shares being purchased if the Purchase Price for the shares turns out to be less than the price selected by the shareholder. Selecting option (2) may lower the Purchase Price paid for shares in the tender offer and could result in the shareholder receiving the minimum price of $44.00 per share, a price that could be below the closing price of the common stock on the Expiration Date. Only one box under (1) or (2) may be checked. If more than one box is checked, or if no box is checked, there is no proper tender of shares. A shareholder wishing to tender portions of such shareholder’s share holdings at different prices must complete a separate Letter of Transmittal for each price at which such shareholder wishes to tender each such portion of such shareholder’s shares. The same shares cannot be tendered at more than one price, unless previously properly withdrawn as provided in Section 4 of the Offer to Purchase.

6.    Odd Lots. As described in Section 1 of the Offer to Purchase, if the Company purchases less than all shares tendered and not withdrawn before the Expiration Date, the shares purchased first will consist of all shares tendered by any shareholder who owns, beneficially or of record, an aggregate of fewer than 100 shares and who tenders all of such shares. Even if you otherwise qualify for the “odd lot” preferential treatment, you will not receive such preferential treatment unless you complete the box captioned “Odd Lots” in this Letter of Transmittal and, if applicable, in the Notice of Guaranteed Delivery.

7.    Signatures on Letter of Transmittal; Stock Powers and Endorsements.

(a)    Exact Signatures. If this Letter of Transmittal is signed by the registered holder(s) of the shares tendered hereby, the signature(s) must correspond with the name(s) as written on the face of the certificates without alteration, enlargement or any change whatsoever.

(b)    Joint Holders. If any of the shares tendered hereby are held of record by two or more persons, all such persons must sign this Letter of Transmittal.

(c)    Different Names on Certificates. If any of the shares tendered hereby are registered in different names on different certificates, it will be necessary to complete, sign and submit as many separate Letters of Transmittal as there are different registrations of certificates.

(d)    Endorsements. If this Letter of Transmittal is signed by the registered holder(s) of the shares tendered hereby, no endorsements of certificates or separate stock powers are required unless payment of the

 

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Purchase Price is to be made, or shares not tendered or not purchased are to be returned, in the name of any person other than the registered holder(s). Signatures on any such certificates or stock powers must be guaranteed by an Eligible Institution.

If this Letter of Transmittal is signed by a person other than the registered holder(s) of the shares tendered hereby, certificates must be endorsed or accompanied by appropriate stock powers, in either case, signed exactly as the name(s) of the registered holder(s) appear(s) on the certificates for such shares. Signature(s) on any such certificates or stock powers must be guaranteed by an Eligible Institution. See Instruction 1.

If this Letter of Transmittal or any certificate or stock power is signed by a trustee, executor, administrator, guardian, attorney-in-fact, officer of a corporation or other person acting in a fiduciary or representative capacity, such person should so indicate when signing, and proper evidence satisfactory to the Depositary of the authority of such person so to act must be submitted.

8.    Stock Transfer Taxes. Except as provided in this Instruction 8, the Company will pay all stock transfer taxes, if any, payable on the transfer of any shares to the Company pursuant to the tender offer. If, however, payment of proceeds in respect of any shares purchased is to be made to, or shares not tendered or not purchased are to be returned in the name of, any person other than the registered holder(s), or tendered shares are registered in the name of any person other than the name of the person(s) signing this Letter of Transmittal, the amount of any stock transfer taxes (whether imposed on the registered holder(s), such other person or otherwise) payable on account of the transfer to such other person must be paid by the tendering shareholder.

9.    Special Payment and Delivery Instructions. If the check for the Purchase Price of any shares purchased is to be issued and any shares not tendered or not purchased are to be returned, in the name of a person other than the person(s) signing this Letter of Transmittal or if the check and any certificates for shares not tendered or not purchased are to be mailed to someone other than the person(s) signing this Letter of Transmittal or to the person(s) signing this Letter of Transmittal at an address other than that shown above, the boxes captioned “Special Delivery Instructions” and/or “Special Payment Instructions” on this Letter of Transmittal should be completed. Transfer taxes may apply if either the box captioned “Special Delivery Instructions” or “Special Payment Instructions” on this Letter of Transmittal is completed. See Instruction 8. There may be other tax implications resulting from the transfers, please consult your own tax advisor.

10.    Withholding. Under U.S. federal income tax laws, the Depositary may be required to withhold (as backup withholding) a portion of the amount of any payments made to certain shareholders or other payees pursuant to the tender offer. In order to avoid such backup withholding (currently at a rate of 24%), each tendering shareholder or payee that is a United States person (for U.S. federal income tax purposes), must provide the Depositary with such shareholder’s or payee’s correct taxpayer identification number and certify that such shareholder or payee is not subject to such backup withholding by completing the attached IRS Form W-9. Certain shareholders or payees (including, among others, corporations and certain foreign persons) are not subject to these backup withholding requirements. Exempt shareholders or other payees that are United States persons (for U.S. federal income tax purposes) should indicate their exempt status on the attached IRS Form W-9.

A tendering shareholder or other payee that is a foreign person (for U.S. federal income tax purposes) should complete, sign, and submit to the Depositary the appropriate IRS Form W-8 in order to establish an exemption from backup withholding. An IRS Form W-8 may be obtained from the Depositary or downloaded from the Internal Revenue Service’s website at http://www.irs.gov. Failure to complete the IRS Form W-9 or the appropriate IRS Form W-8 will not, by itself, cause shares to be deemed invalidly tendered, but may require the Depositary to withhold a portion of the amount otherwise payable pursuant to the tender offer.

As described in the Offer to Purchase, a tendering shareholder or other payee that is a foreign person (for U.S. federal income tax purposes) must provide to the Depositary a properly completed and executed appropriate

 

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IRS Form W-8 and any other required documentation in order to establish that it is exempt from, or entitled to a reduced rate of, U.S. federal withholding tax with respect to payments of gross proceeds pursuant to the tender offer. Shareholders or other payees that are foreign persons (for U.S. federal income tax purposes) should consult their own tax advisors regarding the particular tax consequences to them of selling shares pursuant to the tender offer.

11.    Irregularities. The Company will determine all questions as to Purchase Price, the form of documents and the validity, eligibility (including time of receipt) and acceptance for payment of any tender of shares, subject to a shareholder’s right to challenge our determination in a court of competent jurisdiction. The Company reserves the right to reject any or all tenders of shares it determines not to be in proper form or the acceptance of which or payment for which may, in the opinion of the Company’s counsel, be unlawful, subject to a shareholder’s right to challenge our determination in a court of competent jurisdiction. The Company also reserves the right to waive any defect or irregularity in the tender of any particular shares (without waiving such defect or irregularity with respect to any other shares), subject to a shareholder’s right to challenge our determination in a court of competent jurisdiction. No tender of shares will be deemed to be properly made until all defects and irregularities have been cured or waived. Unless waived, any defects or irregularities in connection with tenders must be cured within such time as the Company shall determine. None of the Company, the Dealer Manager, the Information Agent, the Depositary or any other person is or will be under any duty to give notification of any defect or irregularity in tenders, and none of them will incur any liability for failure to give any such notice.

12.    Requests for Assistance or Additional Copies. Questions and requests for assistance or additional copies of the Offer to Purchase and this Letter of Transmittal should be directed to the Dealer Manager or the Information Agent at its address and telephone number set forth below.

13.    Lost, Stolen, Destroyed or Mutilated Certificates. If your certificate or certificates for part or all of your shares has been lost, stolen, destroyed or mutilated, you should call Computershare Trust Company, N.A., as Depositary, at 1-877-373-6374 or outside U.S. 1-781-575-2879 regarding the requirements for replacement at the address set forth on the cover page of this Letter of Transmittal. You may be required to post a bond to secure against the risk that the certificates may be subsequently recirculated. You are urged to contact the Depositary immediately in order to receive further instructions, for a determination as to whether you will need to post a bond and to permit timely processing of this documentation.

14.    Conditional Tenders. As described in Sections 1 and 6 of the Offer to Purchase, shareholders may condition their tenders on all or a minimum number of their tendered shares being purchased. If you wish to make a conditional tender, you must indicate this in the box captioned “Conditional Tender” in this Letter of Transmittal or, if applicable, the Notice of Guaranteed Delivery. In the box in this Letter of Transmittal or the Notice of Guaranteed Delivery, you must calculate and appropriately indicate the minimum number of shares that must be purchased if any are to be purchased.

As discussed in Sections 1 and 6 of the Offer to Purchase, proration may affect whether the Company accepts conditional tenders and may result in shares tendered pursuant to a conditional tender being deemed withdrawn if the minimum number of shares would not be purchased. If, because of proration, the minimum number of shares that you designate will not be purchased, the Company may accept conditional tenders by random lot, if necessary. However, to be eligible for purchase by random lot, you must have tendered all your shares and check the box so indicating. Upon selection by random lot, if any, the Company will limit its purchase in each case to the designated minimum number of shares. To be eligible for purchase by random lot, shareholders whose shares are conditionally tendered must have tendered all of their shares.

All tendered shares will be deemed unconditionally tendered unless the “Conditional Tender” box is completed. If you are an “odd lot” holder and you tender all of your shares, you cannot conditionally tender, since your shares will not be subject to proration. Each shareholder is urged to consult his, her or its own tax advisor.

 

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IMPORTANT: THIS LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL, PROPERLY COMPLETED AND DULY EXECUTED, TOGETHER WITH CERTIFICATES REPRESENTING SHARES BEING TENDERED (OR CONFIRMATION OF BOOK-ENTRY TRANSFER) AND ALL OTHER REQUIRED DOCUMENTS, MUST BE RECEIVED BEFORE 12:00 MIDNIGHT, NEW YORK CITY TIME, AT THE END OF THE DAY ON THE EXPIRATION DATE, OR THE TENDERING SHAREHOLDER MUST COMPLY WITH THE PROCEDURES FOR GUARANTEED DELIVERY.

 

Voluntary Corporate Action COY RNT

13


   

Form  W-9

 

(Rev. October 2018)

Department of the Treasury

Internal Revenue Service

 

Request for Taxpayer

Identification Number and Certification

 

u Go to www.irs.gov/FormW9 for instructions and the latest information.

 

Give Form to the

requester. Do not

send to the IRS.

 

Print or type.

See

Specific Instructions

on page 3.

 

 

 

 1  Name (as shown on your income tax return). Name is required on this line; do not leave this line blank.

 

    
 

 

 2  Business name/disregarded entity name, if different from above

 

                        
 

 3  Check appropriate box for federal tax classification of the person whose name is entered on line 1. Check only one of the
following seven boxes.

 

     

Exemptions (codes apply only to
certain entities, not individuals; see
instructions on page 3):

 

Exempt payee code (if any)                     

 

Exemption from FATCA reporting

code (if any)                                     

 

(Applies to accounts maintained outside the U.S.)

 

    Individual/sole proprietor or
       single-member LLC    

 

    C Corporation         S Corporation         Partnership         Trust/estate        
 

Limited liability company. Enter the tax classification (C=C corporation, S=S corporation, P=Partnership) u                                     

 

Note: Check the appropriate box in the line above for the tax classification of the single-member owner. Do not check LLC
if the LLC is classified as a single-member LLC that is disregarded from the owner unless the owner of the LLC is another
LLC that is not disregarded from the owner for U.S. federal tax purposes. Otherwise, a single-member LLC that is
disregarded from the owner should check the appropriate box for the tax classification of its owner.

 

Other (see instructions) u

 

 

   
 

 

 5  Address (number, street, and apt. or suite no.) See instructions.

 

      

 

  Requester’s name and address (optional)

 

 

 6  City, state, and ZIP code

 

         
    

 

 7  List account number(s) here (optional)

 

                    

 

 

Part I

    

 

 

Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN)

Enter your TIN in the appropriate box. The TIN provided must match the name given on line 1 to avoid backup withholding. For individuals, this is generally your social security number (SSN). However, for a resident alien, sole proprietor, or disregarded entity, see the instructions for Part I, later. For other entities, it is your employer identification number (EIN). If you do not have a number, see How to get a TIN, later.

 

 

    

 

 

 

Social security number

 

                     
             

-  

          -                  
  or
Note: If the account is in more than one name, see the instructions for line 1. Also see What Name and Number To Give the Requester for guidelines on whose number to enter.    

 

Employer identification number

     
                       
               

-  

                             
Part II      Certification

Under penalties of perjury, I certify that:

 

1.   The number shown on this form is my correct taxpayer identification number (or I am waiting for a number to be issued to me); and

 

2.   I am not subject to backup withholding because: (a) I am exempt from backup withholding, or (b) I have not been notified by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that I am subject to backup withholding as a result of a failure to report all interest or dividends, or (c) the IRS has notified me that I am no longer subject to backup withholding; and

 

3.   I am a U.S. citizen or other U.S. person (defined below); and

 

4.   The FATCA code(s) entered on this form (if any) indicating that I am exempt from FATCA reporting is correct.

Certification instructions. You must cross out item 2 above if you have been notified by the IRS that you are currently subject to backup withholding because you have failed to report all interest and dividends on your tax return. For real estate transactions, item 2 does not apply. For mortgage interest paid, acquisition or abandonment of secured property, cancellation of debt, contributions to an individual retirement arrangement (IRA), and generally, payments other than interest and dividends, you are not required to sign the certification, but you must provide your correct TIN. See the instructions for Part II, later.

 

Sign
Here
      Signature of
    U.S. person  
u
     Date   u

 

General Instructions

Section references are to the Internal Revenue Code unless otherwise noted.

Future developments. For the latest information about developments related to Form W-9 and its instructions, such as legislation enacted after they were published, go to www.irs.gov/FormW9.

Purpose of Form

An individual or entity (Form W-9 requester) who is required to file an information return with the IRS must obtain your correct taxpayer identification number (TIN) which may be your social security number (SSN), individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN), adoption taxpayer identification number (ATIN), or employer identification number (EIN), to report on an information return the amount paid to you, or other amount reportable on an information return. Examples of information returns include, but are not limited to, the following.

• Form 1099-INT (interest earned or paid)

• Form 1099-DIV (dividends, including those from stocks or mutual funds)

• Form 1099-MISC (various types of income, prizes, awards, or gross proceeds)

• Form 1099-B (stock or mutual fund sales and certain other transactions by brokers)

• Form 1099-S (proceeds from real estate transactions)

• Form 1099-K (merchant card and third party network transactions)

• Form 1098 (home mortgage interest), 1098-E (student loan interest), 1098-T (tuition)

• Form 1099-C (canceled debt)

• Form 1099-A (acquisition or abandonment of secured property)

Use Form W-9 only if you are a U.S. person (including a resident alien), to provide your correct TIN.

If you do not return Form W-9 to the requester with a TIN, you might be subject to backup withholding. See What is backup withholding, later.

 

 

     
  Cat. No. 10231X  

Form W-9 (Rev. 10-2018)


Form W-9 (Rev. 10-2018)

Page 2

 

 

By signing the filled-out form, you:

1. Certify that the TIN you are giving is correct (or you are waiting for a number to be issued),

2. Certify that you are not subject to backup withholding, or

3. Claim exemption from backup withholding if you are a U.S. exempt payee. If applicable, you are also certifying that as a U.S. person, your allocable share of any partnership income from a U.S. trade or business is not subject to the withholding tax on foreign partners’ share of effectively connected income, and

4. Certify that FATCA code(s) entered on this form (if any) indicating that you are exempt from the FATCA reporting, is correct. See What is FATCA reporting, later, for further information.

Note: If you are a U.S. person and a requester gives you a form other than Form W-9 to request your TIN, you must use the requester’s form if it is substantially similar to this Form W-9.

Definition of a U.S. person. For federal tax purposes, you are considered a U.S. person if you are:

• An individual who is a U.S. citizen or U.S. resident alien;

• A partnership, corporation, company, or association created or organized in the United States or under the laws of the United States;

• An estate (other than a foreign estate); or

• A domestic trust (as defined in Regulations section 301.7701-7).

Special rules for partnerships. Partnerships that conduct a trade or business in the United States are generally required to pay a withholding tax under section 1446 on any foreign partners’ share of effectively connected taxable income from such business. Further, in certain cases where a Form W-9 has not been received, the rules under section 1446 require a partnership to presume that a partner is a foreign person, and pay the section 1446 withholding tax. Therefore, if you are a U.S. person that is a partner in a partnership conducting a trade or business in the United States, provide Form W-9 to the partnership to establish your U.S. status and avoid section 1446 withholding on your share of partnership income.

In the cases below, the following person must give Form W-9 to the partnership for purposes of establishing its U.S. status and avoiding withholding on its allocable share of net income from the partnership conducting a trade or business in the United States.

• In the case of a disregarded entity with a U.S. owner, the U.S. owner of the disregarded entity and not the entity;

• In the case of a grantor trust with a U.S. grantor or other U.S. owner, generally, the U.S. grantor or other U.S. owner of the grantor trust and not the trust; and

• In the case of a U.S. trust (other than a grantor trust), the U.S. trust (other than a grantor trust) and not the beneficiaries of the trust.

Foreign person. If you are a foreign person or the U.S. branch of a foreign bank that has elected to be treated as a U.S. person, do not use Form W-9. Instead, use the appropriate Form W-8 or Form 8233 (see Pub. 515, Withholding of Tax on Nonresident Aliens and Foreign Entities).

Nonresident alien who becomes a resident alien. Generally, only a nonresident alien individual may use the terms of a tax treaty to reduce or eliminate U.S. tax on certain types of income. However, most tax treaties contain a provision known as a “saving clause.” Exceptions specified in the saving clause may permit an exemption from tax to continue for certain types of income even after the payee has otherwise become a U.S. resident alien for tax purposes.

If you are a U.S. resident alien who is relying on an exception contained in the saving clause of a tax treaty to claim an exemption from U.S. tax on certain types of income, you must attach a statement to Form W-9 that specifies the following five items.

1. The treaty country. Generally, this must be the same treaty under which you claimed exemption from tax as a nonresident alien.

2. The treaty article addressing the income.

3. The article number (or location) in the tax treaty that contains the saving clause and its exceptions.

4. The type and amount of income that qualifies for the exemption from tax.

5. Sufficient facts to justify the exemption from tax under the terms of the treaty article.

Example. Article 20 of the U.S.-China income tax treaty allows an exemption from tax for scholarship income received by a Chinese student temporarily present in the United States. Under U.S. law, this student will become a resident alien for tax purposes if his or her stay in the United States exceeds 5 calendar years. However, paragraph 2 of the first Protocol to the U.S.-China treaty (dated April 30, 1984) allows the provisions of Article 20 to continue to apply even after the Chinese student becomes a resident alien of the United States. A Chinese student who qualifies for this exception (under paragraph 2 of the first protocol) and is relying on this exception to claim an exemption from tax on his or her scholarship or fellowship income would attach to Form W-9 a statement that includes the information described above to support that exemption.

If you are a nonresident alien or a foreign entity, give the requester the appropriate completed Form W-8 or Form 8233.

Backup Withholding

What is backup withholding? Persons making certain payments to you must under certain conditions withhold and pay to the IRS 24% of such payments. This is called “backup withholding.” Payments that may be subject to backup withholding include interest, tax-exempt interest, dividends, broker and barter exchange transactions, rents, royalties, nonemployee pay, payments made in settlement of payment card and third party network transactions, and certain payments from fishing boat operators. Real estate transactions are not subject to backup withholding.

You will not be subject to backup withholding on payments you receive if you give the requester your correct TIN, make the proper certifications, and report all your taxable interest and dividends on your tax return.

Payments you receive will be subject to backup withholding if:

1. You do not furnish your TIN to the requester,

2. You do not certify your TIN when required (see the instructions for Part II for details),

3. The IRS tells the requester that you furnished an incorrect TIN,

4. The IRS tells you that you are subject to backup withholding because you did not report all your interest and dividends on your tax return (for reportable interest and dividends only), or

5. You do not certify to the requester that you are not subject to backup withholding under 4 above (for reportable interest and dividend accounts opened after 1983 only).

Certain payees and payments are exempt from backup withholding. See Exempt payee code, later, and the separate Instructions for the Requester of Form W-9 for more information.

Also see Special rules for partnerships, earlier.

What is FATCA Reporting?

The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) requires a participating foreign financial institution to report all United States account holders that are specified United States persons. Certain payees are exempt from FATCA reporting. See Exemption from FATCA reporting code, later, and the Instructions for the Requester of Form W-9 for more information.

Updating Your Information

You must provide updated information to any person to whom you claimed to be an exempt payee if you are no longer an exempt payee and anticipate receiving reportable payments in the future from this person. For example, you may need to provide updated information if you are a C corporation that elects to be an S corporation, or if you no longer are tax exempt. In addition, you must furnish a new Form W-9 if the name or TIN changes for the account; for example, if the grantor of a grantor trust dies.

Penalties

Failure to furnish TIN. If you fail to furnish your correct TIN to a requester, you are subject to a penalty of $50 for each such failure unless your failure is due to reasonable cause and not to willful neglect.

Civil penalty for false information with respect to withholding. If you make a false statement with no reasonable basis that results in no backup withholding, you are subject to a $500 penalty.

 


Form W-9 (Rev. 10-2018)

Page 3

 

 

Criminal penalty for falsifying information. Willfully falsifying certifications or affirmations may subject you to criminal penalties including fines and/or imprisonment.

Misuse of TINs. If the requester discloses or uses TINs in violation of federal law, the requester may be subject to civil and criminal penalties.

Specific Instructions

Line 1

You must enter one of the following on this line; do not leave this line blank. The name should match the name on your tax return.

If this Form W-9 is for a joint account (other than an account maintained by a foreign financial institution (FFI)), list first, and then circle, the name of the person or entity whose number you entered in Part I of Form W-9. If you are providing Form W-9 to an FFI to document a joint account, each holder of the account that is a U.S. person must provide a Form W-9.

a. Individual. Generally, enter the name shown on your tax return. If you have changed your last name without informing the Social Security Administration (SSA) of the name change, enter your first name, the last name as shown on your social security card, and your new last name.

Note: ITIN applicant: Enter your individual name as it was entered on your Form W-7 application, line 1a. This should also be the same as the name you entered on the Form 1040/1040A/1040EZ you filed with your application.

b. Sole proprietor or single-member LLC. Enter your individual name as shown on your 1040/1040A/1040EZ on line 1. You may enter your business, trade, or “doing business as” (DBA) name on line 2.

c. Partnership, LLC that is not a single-member LLC, C corporation, or S corporation. Enter the entity’s name as shown on the entity’s tax return on line 1 and any business, trade, or DBA name on line 2.

d. Other entities. Enter your name as shown on required U.S. federal tax documents on line 1. This name should match the name shown on the charter or other legal document creating the entity. You may enter any business, trade, or DBA name on line 2.

e. Disregarded entity. For U.S. federal tax purposes, an entity that is disregarded as an entity separate from its owner is treated as a “disregarded entity.” See Regulations section 301.7701-2(c)(2)(iii). Enter the owner’s name on line 1. The name of the entity entered on line 1 should never be a disregarded entity. The name on line 1 should be the name shown on the income tax return on which the income should be reported. For example, if a foreign LLC that is treated as a disregarded entity for U.S. federal tax purposes has a single owner that is a U.S. person, the U.S. owner's name is required to be provided on line 1. If the direct owner of the entity is also a disregarded entity, enter the first owner that is not disregarded for federal tax purposes. Enter the disregarded entity's name on line 2, “Business name/disregarded entity name.” If the owner of the disregarded entity is a foreign person, the owner must complete an appropriate Form W-8 instead of a Form W-9. This is the case even if the foreign person has a U.S. TIN.

Line 2

If you have a business name, trade name, DBA name, or disregarded entity name, you may enter it on line 2.

Line 3

Check the appropriate box on line 3 for the U.S. federal tax classification of the person whose name is entered on line 1. Check only one box on line 3.

   

IF the entity/person on line 1 is

a(n) . . .

  THEN check the box for . . .
  • Corporation   Corporation
 

• Individual

 

• Sole proprietorship, or

 

• Single-member limited liability company (LLC) owned by an individual and disregarded for U.S. federal tax purposes.

  Individual/sole proprietor or single-member LLC
 

• LLC treated as a partnership for U.S. federal tax purposes,

 

• LLC that has filed Form 8832 or 2553 to be taxed as a corporation, or

 

• LLC that is disregarded as an entity separate from its owner but the owner is another LLC that is not disregarded for U.S. federal tax purposes.

  Limited liability company and enter the appropriate tax classification. (P= Partnership; C= C corporation; or S= S corporation)
  • Partnership   Partnership
  • Trust/estate   Trust/estate

Line 4, Exemptions

If you are exempt from backup withholding and/or FATCA reporting, enter in the appropriate space on line 4 any code(s) that may apply to you.

Exempt payee code.

•  Generally, individuals (including sole proprietors) are not exempt from backup withholding.

•  Except as provided below, corporations are exempt from backup withholding for certain payments, including interest and dividends.

•  Corporations are not exempt from backup withholding for payments made in settlement of payment card or third party network transactions.

•  Corporations are not exempt from backup withholding with respect to attorneys’ fees or gross proceeds paid to attorneys, and corporations that provide medical or health care services are not exempt with respect to payments reportable on Form 1099-MISC.

The following codes identify payees that are exempt from backup withholding. Enter the appropriate code in the space in line 4.

1—An organization exempt from tax under section 501(a), any IRA, or a custodial account under section 403(b)(7) if the account satisfies the requirements of section 401(f)(2)

2—The United States or any of its agencies or instrumentalities

3—A state, the District of Columbia, a U.S. commonwealth or possession, or any of their political subdivisions or instrumentalities

4—A foreign government or any of its political subdivisions, agencies, or instrumentalities

5—A corporation

6—A dealer in securities or commodities required to register in the United States, the District of Columbia, or a U.S. commonwealth or possession

7—A futures commission merchant registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission

8—A real estate investment trust

9—An entity registered at all times during the tax year under the Investment Company Act of 1940

10—A common trust fund operated by a bank under section 584(a)

11—A financial institution

12—A middleman known in the investment community as a nominee or custodian

13—A trust exempt from tax under section 664 or described in section 4947

 


Form W-9 (Rev. 10-2018)

Page 4

 

 

The following chart shows types of payments that may be exempt from backup withholding. The chart applies to the exempt payees listed above, 1 through 13.

 

IF the payment is for . . .   THEN the payment is exempt
for . . .
Interest and dividend payments   All exempt payees except for 7
Broker transactions   Exempt payees 1 through 4 and 6 through 11 and all C corporations. S corporations must not enter an exempt payee code because they are exempt only for sales of noncovered securities acquired prior to 2012.
Barter exchange transactions and patronage dividends   Exempt payees 1 through 4
Payments over $600 required to be reported and direct sales over $5,0001   Generally, exempt payees 1 through 52
Payments made in settlement of payment card or third party network transactions   Exempt payees 1 through 4
1 

See Form 1099-MISC, Miscellaneous Income, and its instructions.

2 

However, the following payments made to a corporation and reportable on Form 1099-MISC are not exempt from backup withholding: medical and health care payments, attorneys’ fees, gross proceeds paid to an attorney reportable under section 6045(f), and payments for services paid by a federal executive agency.

Exemption from FATCA reporting code. The following codes identify payees that are exempt from reporting under FATCA. These codes apply to persons submitting this form for accounts maintained outside of the United States by certain foreign financial institutions. Therefore, if you are only submitting this form for an account you hold in the United States, you may leave this field blank. Consult with the person requesting this form if you are uncertain if the financial institution is subject to these requirements. A requester may indicate that a code is not required by providing you with a Form W-9 with “Not Applicable” (or any similar indication) written or printed on the line for a FATCA exemption code.

A—An organization exempt from tax under section 501(a) or any individual retirement plan as defined in section 7701(a)(37)

B—The United States or any of its agencies or instrumentalities

C—A state, the District of Columbia, a U.S. commonwealth or possession, or any of their political subdivisions or instrumentalities

D—A corporation the stock of which is regularly traded on one or more established securities markets, as described in Regulations section 1.1472-1(c)(1)(i)

E—A corporation that is a member of the same expanded affiliated group as a corporation described in Regulations section 1.1472-1(c)(1)(i)

F—A dealer in securities, commodities, or derivative financial instruments (including notional principal contracts, futures, forwards, and options) that is registered as such under the laws of the United States or any state

G—A real estate investment trust

H—A regulated investment company as defined in section 851 or an entity registered at all times during the tax year under the Investment Company Act of 1940

I—A common trust fund as defined in section 584(a)

J—A bank as defined in section 581

K—A broker

L—A trust exempt from tax under section 664 or described in section 4947(a)(1)

 

M—A tax exempt trust under a section 403(b) plan or section 457(g) plan

Note: You may wish to consult with the financial institution requesting this form to determine whether the FATCA code and/or exempt payee code should be completed.

Line 5

Enter your address (number, street, and apartment or suite number). This is where the requester of this Form W-9 will mail your information returns. If this address differs from the one the requester already has on file, write NEW at the top. If a new address is provided, there is still a chance the old address will be used until the payor changes your address in their records.

Line 6

Enter your city, state, and ZIP code.

Part I. Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN)

Enter your TIN in the appropriate box. If you are a resident alien and you do not have and are not eligible to get an SSN, your TIN is your IRS individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN). Enter it in the social security number box. If you do not have an ITIN, see How to get a TIN below.

If you are a sole proprietor and you have an EIN, you may enter either your SSN or EIN.

If you are a single-member LLC that is disregarded as an entity separate from its owner, enter the owner’s SSN (or EIN, if the owner has one). Do not enter the disregarded entity’s EIN. If the LLC is classified as a corporation or partnership, enter the entity’s EIN.

Note: See What Name and Number To Give the Requester, later, for further clarification of name and TIN combinations.

How to get a TIN. If you do not have a TIN, apply for one immediately. To apply for an SSN, get Form SS-5, Application for a Social Security Card, from your local SSA office or get this form online at www.SSA.gov. You may also get this form by calling 1-800-772-1213. Use Form W-7, Application for IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, to apply for an ITIN, or Form SS-4, Application for Employer Identification Number, to apply for an EIN. You can apply for an EIN online by accessing the IRS website at www.irs.gov/Businesses and clicking on Employer Identification Number (EIN) under Starting a Business. Go to www.irs.gov/Forms to view, download, or print Form W-7 and/or Form SS-4. Or, you can go to www.irs.gov/OrderForms to place an order and have Form W-7 and/or SS-4 mailed to you within 10 business days.

If you are asked to complete Form W-9 but do not have a TIN, apply for a TIN and write “Applied For” in the space for the TIN, sign and date the form, and give it to the requester. For interest and dividend payments, and certain payments made with respect to readily tradable instruments, generally you will have 60 days to get a TIN and give it to the requester before you are subject to backup withholding on payments. The 60-day rule does not apply to other types of payments. You will be subject to backup withholding on all such payments until you provide your TIN to the requester.

Note: Entering “Applied For” means that you have already applied for a TIN or that you intend to apply for one soon.

Caution: A disregarded U.S. entity that has a foreign owner must use the appropriate Form W-8.

Part II. Certification

To establish to the withholding agent that you are a U.S. person, or resident alien, sign Form W-9. You may be requested to sign by the withholding agent even if item 1, 4, or 5 below indicates otherwise.

For a joint account, only the person whose TIN is shown in Part I should sign (when required). In the case of a disregarded entity, the person identified on line 1 must sign. Exempt payees, see Exempt payee code, earlier.

Signature requirements. Complete the certification as indicated in items 1 through 5 below.

 


Form W-9 (Rev. 10-2018)

Page 5

 

 

1. Interest, dividend, and barter exchange accounts opened before 1984 and broker accounts considered active during 1983. You must give your correct TIN, but you do not have to sign the certification.

2. Interest, dividend, broker, and barter exchange accounts opened after 1983 and broker accounts considered inactive during 1983. You must sign the certification or backup withholding will apply. If you are subject to backup withholding and you are merely providing your correct TIN to the requester, you must cross out item 2 in the certification before signing the form.

3. Real estate transactions. You must sign the certification. You may cross out item 2 of the certification.

4. Other payments. You must give your correct TIN, but you do not have to sign the certification unless you have been notified that you have previously given an incorrect TIN. “Other payments” include payments made in the course of the requester’s trade or business for rents, royalties, goods (other than bills for merchandise), medical and health care services (including payments to corporations), payments to a nonemployee for services, payments made in settlement of payment card and third party network transactions, payments to certain fishing boat crew members and fishermen, and gross proceeds paid to attorneys (including payments to corporations).

5. Mortgage interest paid by you, acquisition or abandonment of secured property, cancellation of debt, qualified tuition program payments (under section 529), ABLE accounts (under section 529A), IRA, Coverdell ESA, Archer MSA or HSA contributions or distributions, and pension distributions. You must give your correct TIN, but you do not have to sign the certification.

What Name and Number To Give the Requester

 

   
For this type of account:   Give name and SSN of:
  1.     Individual   The individual
 
  2.     Two or more individuals (joint account) other than an account maintained by an FFI   The actual owner of the account or, if combined funds, the first individual on the account1
 
  3.    

Two or more U.S. persons

(joint account maintained by an FFI)

  Each holder of the account
 
  4.     Custodialaccount of a minor (Uniform Gift to Minors Act)   The minor2
 
  5.     a. The usual revocable savings trust (grantor is also trustee)   The grantor-trustee1
  b. So-called trust account that is not a legal or valid trust under state law   The actual owner1
 
  6.     Sole proprietorship or disregarded entity owned by an individual   The owner3
 
  7.     Grantortrust filing under Optional Form 1099 Filing Method 1 (see Regulations section 1.671-4(b)(2)(i)(A))   The grantor*
   
For this type of account:   Give name and EIN of:
  8.     Disregarded entity not owned by an individual   The owner
 
  9.     A valid trust, estate, or pension trust   Legal entity4
 
  10.     Corporation or LLC electing corporate status on Form 8832 or Form 2553   The corporation
 
  11.     Association, club, religious, charitable, educational, or other tax-exempt organization   The organization
 
  12.     Partnership or multi-member LLC   The partnership
 
  13.     A broker or registered nominee   The broker or nominee
   
For this type of account:   Give name and EIN of:
  14.     Account with the Department of Agriculture in the name of a public entity (such as a state or local government, school district, or prison) that receives agricultural program payments   The public entity
 
  15.     Grantor trust filing under the Form 1041 Filing Method or the Optional Form 1099 Filing Method 2 (see Regulations section 1.671-4(b)(2)(i)(B))   The trust

1 List first and circle the name of the person whose number you furnish. If only one person on a joint account has an SSN, that person’s number must be furnished.

2 Circle the minor’s name and furnish the minor’s SSN.

3 You must show your individual name and you may also enter your business or DBA name on the “Business name/disregarded entity” name line. You may use either your SSN or EIN (if you have one), but the IRS encourages you to use your SSN.

4 List first and circle the name of the trust, estate, or pension trust. (Do not furnish the TIN of the personal representative or trustee unless the legal entity itself is not designated in the account title.) Also see Special rules for partnerships, earlier.

*Note: The grantor also must provide a Form W-9 to trustee of trust.

Note: If no name is circled when more than one name is listed, the number will be considered to be that of the first name listed.

Secure Your Tax Records From Identity Theft

Identity theft occurs when someone uses your personal information such as your name, SSN, or other identifying information, without your permission, to commit fraud or other crimes. An identity thief may use your SSN to get a job or may file a tax return using your SSN to receive a refund.

To reduce your risk:

• Protect your SSN,

• Ensure your employer is protecting your SSN, and

• Be careful when choosing a tax preparer.

If your tax records are affected by identity theft and you receive a notice from the IRS, respond right away to the name and phone number printed on the IRS notice or letter.

If your tax records are not currently affected by identity theft but you think you are at risk due to a lost or stolen purse or wallet, questionable credit card activity or credit report, contact the IRS Identity Theft Hotline at 1-800-908-4490 or submit Form 14039.

For more information, see Pub. 5027, Identity Theft Information for Taxpayers.

Victims of identity theft who are experiencing economic harm or a systemic problem, or are seeking help in resolving tax problems that have not been resolved through normal channels, may be eligible for Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS) assistance. You can reach TAS by calling the TAS toll-free case intake line at 1-877-777-4778 or TTY/TDD 1-800-829-4059.

Protect yourself from suspicious emails or phishing schemes. Phishing is the creation and use of email and websites designed to mimic legitimate business emails and websites. The most common act is sending an email to a user falsely claiming to be an established legitimate enterprise in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering private information that will be used for identity theft.

 


Form W-9 (Rev. 10-2018)

Page 6

 

 

The IRS does not initiate contacts with taxpayers via emails. Also, the IRS does not request personal detailed information through email or ask taxpayers for the PIN numbers, passwords, or similar secret access information for their credit card, bank, or other financial accounts.

If you receive an unsolicited email claiming to be from the IRS, forward this message to phishing@irs.gov. You may also report misuse of the IRS name, logo, or other IRS property to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) at 1-800-366-4484. You can forward suspicious emails to the Federal Trade Commission at spam@uce.gov or report them at www.ftc.gov/complaint. You can contact the FTC at www.ftc.gov/idtheft or 877-IDTHEFT (877-438-4338). If you have been the victim of identity theft, see www.IdentityTheft.gov and Pub. 5027.

Visit www.irs.gov/IdentityTheft to learn more about identity theft and how to reduce your risk.

Privacy Act Notice

Section 6109 of the Internal Revenue Code requires you to provide your correct TIN to persons (including federal agencies) who are required to file information returns with the IRS to report interest, dividends, or certain other income paid to you; mortgage interest you paid; the acquisition or abandonment of secured property; the cancellation of debt; or contributions you made to an IRA, Archer MSA, or HSA. The person collecting this form uses the information on the form to file information returns with the IRS, reporting the above information. Routine uses of this information include giving it to the Department of Justice for civil and criminal litigation and to cities, states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. commonwealths and possessions for use in administering their laws. The information also may be disclosed to other countries under a treaty, to federal and state agencies to enforce civil and criminal laws, or to federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies to combat terrorism. You must provide your TIN whether or not you are required to file a tax return. Under section 3406, payers must generally withhold a percentage of taxable interest, dividend, and certain other payments to a payee who does not give a TIN to the payer. Certain penalties may also apply for providing false or fraudulent information.

 


Any questions or requests for assistance may be directed to the Information Agent or the Dealer Manager at their respective telephone numbers and addresses set forth below. Requests for additional copies of the Offer to Purchase, this Letter of Transmittal, the Notice of Guaranteed Delivery or related documents may be directed to the Information Agent at its telephone numbers or address set forth below. You may also contact your broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee for assistance concerning the tender offer.

The Dealer Manager for the Tender Offer is:

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC

383 Madison Ave, 6th Floor

New York, NY 10179

U.S. Toll Free: (877) 371-5947

The Information Agent for the Tender Offer is:

Georgeson LLC

1290 Avenue of Americas, 9th Floor

New York, New York 10104

Shareholders, Banks and Brokers

Call Toll Free: (800) 868-1390

Notice of Guaranteed Delivery

Exhibit (a)(1)(iii)

NOTICE OF GUARANTEED DELIVERY

(Not to Be Used For Signature Guarantee)

To Tender Shares of Common Stock

Pursuant to the Offer to Purchase Dated November 4, 2021

by

PROG HOLDINGS, INC.

of

Up to $425,000,000 in Value of its Common Stock

At a Purchase Price Not Less Than $44.00 Per Share and Not More Than $50.00 Per Share

 

THE TENDER OFFER AND WITHDRAWAL RIGHTS EXPIRE AT 12:00 MIDNIGHT, NEW YORK CITY TIME, AT THE END OF THE DAY ON DECEMBER 3, 2021, UNLESS THE TENDER OFFER IS EXTENDED OR EARLIER TERMINATED.

As set forth in Section 3 of the Offer to Purchase (as defined below), this form, or a form substantially equivalent to this form, must be used to accept the tender offer (as defined below) if (1) certificates for shares of common stock, $0.50 par value per share, of PROG Holdings, Inc. and all other documents required by the Letter of Transmittal (the “Letter of Transmittal”) cannot be delivered to the Depositary by the Expiration Date (as defined in the Offer to Purchase) or (2) the procedures for book-entry transfer cannot be completed on a timely basis. This form may be delivered by email or overnight mail to the Depositary. See Section 3 of the Offer to Purchase.

The Depositary for the Tender Offer is: Computershare Trust Company, N.A.

 

By Registered or Certified Mail:
c/o Voluntary Corporate Actions
P.O. Box 43011
Providence, RI 02940-3011
 

By Overnight Courier:

c/o Voluntary Corporate Actions

150 Royall Street, Suite V

Canton, MA 02021

If delivering by email: canoticeofguarantee@computershare.com

This email address can ONLY be used for delivering Notices of Guarantee by eligible institutions.

Delivery of this Notice of Guaranteed Delivery or of other instructions to an address or email address, other than those shown above, does not constitute a valid delivery. Deliveries to the Company, the Dealer Manager, the Information Agent or the Book-Entry Transfer Facility (as each is defined in the Offer to Purchase) will not constitute valid delivery to the Depositary.

This Notice of Guaranteed Delivery is not to be used to guarantee signatures. If a signature on a Letter of Transmittal is required to be guaranteed by an “Eligible Institution” under the instructions thereto, such signature guarantee must appear in the applicable space provided in the signature box on the Letter of Transmittal.

The Eligible Institution that completes this form must communicate the guarantee to the Depositary and must deliver the Letter of Transmittal or an Agent’s Message (as defined in the Offer to Purchase) and certificates for shares to the Depositary within the time period shown herein. Failure to do so could result in a financial loss to such Eligible Institution.

THE GUARANTEE ON PAGE 5 MUST BE COMPLETED.


Ladies and Gentlemen:

The undersigned hereby tenders to PROG Holdings, Inc. (the “Company”), upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase, dated November 4, 2021 (as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time, the “Offer to Purchase”), the related Letter of Transmittal and the other materials filed as exhibits to the Issuer Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO-I (collectively, as they may be amended or supplemented from time to time, the “tender offer materials”) receipt of which is hereby acknowledged, the number (indicated below) of shares of common stock, $0.50 par value per share (the “shares”), of the Company, pursuant to the guaranteed delivery procedure set forth in Section 3 of the Offer to Purchase. The terms and conditions set forth in the tender offer materials collectively constitute the “tender offer.”

NUMBER OF SHARES BEING TENDERED HEREBY:                      SHARES

 

2


CHECK ONLY ONE BOX. IF MORE THAN ONE BOX IS CHECKED, OR IF NO BOX IS CHECKED, THERE IS NO VALID TENDER OF SHARES.

 

(1)

SHARES TENDERED AT PRICE DETERMINED BY SHAREHOLDER

By checking ONE of the following boxes below INSTEAD OF THE BOX UNDER “SHARES TENDERED AT PRICE DETERMINED PURSUANT TO THE TENDER OFFER,” the undersigned tenders shares at the price checked. This action could result in none of the shares tendered hereby being purchased if the Purchase Price determined by the Company in accordance with the terms of the tender offer is less than the price checked below. A SHAREHOLDER WHO DESIRES TO TENDER DIFFERENT SHARES AT DIFFERENT PRICES MUST COMPLETE A SEPARATE NOTICE OF GUARANTEED DELIVERY OR LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL FOR EACH DIFFERENT TENDER. The same shares cannot be tendered at more than one price, unless previously properly withdrawn as provided in Section 4 of the Offer to Purchase.

PRICE (IN DOLLARS) PER SHARE AT WHICH SHARES ARE BEING TENDERED

CHECK ONLY ONE BOX

IF MORE THAN ONE BOX IS CHECKED OR IF NO BOX IS CHECKED,

THERE IS NO PROPER TENDER OF SHARES

 

$44.00

  

$44.50

  

$45.00

  

$45.50

  

$46.00

  

$46.50

  

$47.00

$47.50

  

$48.00

  

$48.50

  

$49.00

  

$49.50

  

$50.00

– OR–

 

(2)

SHARES TENDERED AT PRICE DETERMINED PURSUANT TO THE TENDER OFFER

By checking the box below INSTEAD OF ONE OF THE BOXES UNDER “SHARES TENDERED AT PRICE DETERMINED BY SHAREHOLDER,” the undersigned tenders shares at the Purchase Price, as shall be determined by the Company in accordance with the terms of the tender offer. For purposes of determining the Purchase Price, those shares that are tendered by the undersigned agreeing to accept the Purchase Price determined in the tender offer will be deemed to be tendered at the minimum price of $44.00 per share.

 

The undersigned wants to maximize the chance of having the Company purchase shares the undersigned is tendering (subject to the proration and priority provisions of the tender offer). Accordingly, by checking this box instead of one of the price boxes above, the undersigned hereby tenders shares at, and is willing to accept, the Purchase Price determined by the Company in accordance with the terms of the tender offer. THE UNDERSIGNED UNDERSTANDS THAT THIS ELECTION MAY LOWER THE PURCHASE PRICE PAID FOR SHARES IN THE TENDER OFFER AND COULD RESULT IN THE TENDERED SHARES BEING PURCHASED AT THE MINIMUM PRICE OF $44.00 PER SHARE, A PRICE THAT COULD BE BELOW THE CLOSING PRICE OF THE COMMON STOCK ON THE EXPIRATION DATE.

CHECK ONLY ONE BOX UNDER (1) OR (2) ABOVE. IF MORE THAN ONE BOX IS

CHECKED ABOVE, OR IF NO BOX IS CHECKED, THERE IS NO VALID TENDER OF SHARES.

 

3


ODD LOTS

To be completed only if shares are being tendered by or on behalf of a person owning, beneficially or of record, an aggregate of fewer than 100 shares. The undersigned (check one box):

 

is the beneficial or record owner of an aggregate of fewer than 100 shares, all of which are being tendered; or

 

is a broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee that (i) is tendering, on behalf of the beneficial owner(s), shares with respect to which it is the record holder and (ii) believes, based upon representations made to it by the beneficial owner(s) of such shares, that each such person is the beneficial owner of an aggregate of fewer than 100 shares and is tendering all such shares.

 

 

CONDITIONAL TENDER

A tendering shareholder may condition his, her or its tender of shares upon the Company purchasing a specified minimum number of the shares tendered, all as described in Section 6 of the Offer to Purchase. Unless at least the minimum number of shares you indicate below is purchased by the Company pursuant to the terms of the tender offer, none of the shares tendered will be purchased. It is the tendering shareholder’s responsibility to calculate that minimum number of shares that must be purchased if any are purchased, and each shareholder is urged to consult his, her or its own tax advisor. Unless this box has been checked and a minimum specified, your tender will be deemed unconditional.

 

The minimum number of shares that must be purchased, if any are purchased, is:                     shares

If, because of proration, the minimum number of shares designated will not be purchased, the Company may accept conditional tenders by random lot, if necessary. However, to be eligible for purchase by random lot, the tendering shareholder must have tendered all of his or her shares and checked the box below:

 

The tendered shares represent all shares held by the undersigned.

Certificate Nos. (if available):                                                                                                                                        

 

 

 

(Names) of Shareholders)

 

(Address(es))

 

(Zip Code(s))

 

(Area Code(s) and Telephone No(s).)

 

(Taxpayer ID No(s). or Social Security No(s).)

 

(Signature(s))

Dated:                     , 2021

If shares will be tendered by book-entry transfer:

Name of Tendering Institution:                                                              

Account No.                                                              

 

4


 

GUARANTEE

(Not to be used for signature guarantee)

The undersigned, a firm that is a member in good standing of the Securities Transfer Agents Medallion Program or a bank, broker, dealer, credit union, savings association or other entity that is also an “eligible guarantor institution,” as the term is defined in Rule 17Ad-15 (the “Eligible Institution”) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), hereby guarantees that (1) the above named person(s) “own(s)” the shares tendered hereby within the meaning of Rule 14e-4 under the Exchange Act, (2) such tender of shares complies with Rule 14e-4 under the Exchange Act and (3) it will deliver to the Depositary either the certificates representing the shares tendered hereby, in proper form for transfer, or confirmation of book-entry transfer of such shares into the Depositary’s account at DTC, in any such case, together with a properly completed and duly executed Letter of Transmittal or an Agent’s Message (as defined in the Offer to Purchase) in the case of a book-entry transfer, and any required signature guarantees and other documents required by the Letter of Transmittal, within two (2) business days after the Expiration Date (as defined in the Offer to Purchase).

The Eligible Institution that completes this form must communicate the guarantee to the Depositary and must deliver the Letter of Transmittal and certificates for shares to the Depositary within the time period shown herein. Failure to do so could result in financial loss to such Eligible Institution. Participants should notify the Depositary prior to covering through the submission of a physical security directly to the Depositary based on a guaranteed delivery that was submitted via The Depositary Trust Company’s PTOP platform.

 

 

(Name of Firm)

 

(Authorized Signature))

 

(Name)

 

(Address)

 

(Area Code and Telephone No.)

Dated:            , 2021

DO NOT SEND STOCK CERTIFICATES WITH THIS FORM. YOUR STOCK CERTIFICATES MUST

BE SENT WITH THE LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL.

 

5

Letter to Brokers

Exhibit (a)(1)(iv)

Offer by

PROG HOLDINGS, INC.

to Purchase for Cash

Up to $425,000,000 in Value of its Common Stock

At a Purchase Price Not Less Than $44.00 Per Share and Not More Than $50.00 Per Share

 

THE TENDER OFFER AND WITHDRAWAL RIGHTS EXPIRE AT 12:00 MIDNIGHT, NEW YORK CITY TIME, AT THE END OF THE DAY ON DECEMBER 3, 2021, UNLESS THE TENDER OFFER IS EXTENDED OR EARLIER TERMINATED.

November 4, 2021

To Brokers, Dealers, Commercial Banks, Trust Companies and Other Nominees:

We have been appointed by PROG Holdings, Inc., a Georgia corporation (the “Company”), to act as the Dealer Manager in connection with the offer by the Company to purchase for cash up to $425,000,000 in value of shares of its issued and outstanding common stock, $0.50 par value per share (the “shares”), at a price that will be not less than $44.00 per share and not more than $50.00 per share, less any applicable withholding taxes and without interest, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase, dated November 4, 2021 (as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time, the “Offer to Purchase”), the related Letter of Transmittal and the other materials filed as exhibits to the Issuer Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO-I (collectively, as they may be amended or supplemented from time to time, the “tender offer materials”). The terms and conditions set forth in the tender offer materials collectively constitute the “tender offer.”

Under the tender offer, shareholders of the Company will have the ability to tender all or a portion of their shares at a price per share of not less than $44.00 per share and not more than $50.00 per share. Tendering shareholders may specify a price not less than $44.00 per share and not more than $50.00 per share (in increments of $0.50) at which they are willing to sell their shares pursuant to the tender offer. Based on the number of shares tendered and the prices specified by the tendering shareholders, the Company will determine the single per share purchase price (the “Purchase Price”) within the specified range, that will allow it to purchase a number of shares having an aggregate purchase price of $425,000,000, or a lower amount depending on the number of shares properly tendered and not properly withdrawn pursuant to the tender offer. All shares acquired in the tender offer will be acquired at the same Purchase Price regardless of whether the shareholder tendered at a lower price, and the Company will only purchase shares tendered at prices equal to or below the Purchase Price. Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the tender offer, if shares having an aggregate purchase price of less than $425,000,000 are properly tendered and not properly withdrawn prior to the Expiration Date (as defined in the Offer to Purchase), the Company will buy all shares properly tendered and not properly withdrawn. If the conditions to the tender offer have been satisfied or waived and shares having an aggregate purchase price in excess of $425,000,000, measured at the maximum price at which such shares were properly tendered, have been properly tendered and not properly withdrawn prior to the Expiration Date, the Company will purchase properly tendered shares on the basis set forth in the Offer to Purchase and the related Letter of Transmittal, including the provisions relating to “odd lot” tenders, proration and conditional tenders.

Shares tendered and not purchased because they were tendered at a price greater than the Purchase Price or because of priority, proration or conditional tenders will be returned, at the Company’s expense, to the shareholders who tendered such shares promptly after the Expiration Date. The Company also expressly reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to purchase additional shares subject to applicable legal and regulatory requirements. See Section 1 of the Offer to Purchase.


For your information and for forwarding to your clients for whom you hold shares registered in your name or in the name of your nominee, we are enclosing the following documents:

1. Offer to Purchase;

2. Letter of Transmittal for your use and for the information of your clients;

3. Notice of Guaranteed Delivery to be used to accept the tender offer if the shares and all other required documents cannot be delivered to the Depositary by the Expiration Date (as defined in the Offer to Purchase) or if the procedures for book-entry transfer cannot be completed on a timely basis; and

4. A form of letter that you may send to your clients for whose accounts you hold shares registered in your name or in the name of your nominee, with space provided for obtaining such clients’ instructions with regard to the tender offer.

THE COMPANY’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS HAS APPROVED THE TENDER OFFER. HOWEVER, NONE OF THE COMPANY, ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, THE DEALER MANAGER, THE INFORMATION AGENT, THE DEPOSITARY, OR ANY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE AFFILIATES MAKES ANY RECOMMENDATION TO ANY SHAREHOLDER AS TO WHETHER TO TENDER OR REFRAIN FROM TENDERING ANY SHARES OR AS TO THE PURCHASE PRICE OR PURCHASE PRICES AT WHICH TO TENDER ANY SHARES. SHAREHOLDERS MUST MAKE THEIR OWN DECISION AS TO WHETHER TO TENDER THEIR SHARES AND, IF SO, HOW MANY SHARES TO TENDER AND THE PURCHASE PRICE OR PURCHASE PRICES AT WHICH TO TENDER SUCH SHARES. IN SO DOING, SHAREHOLDERS SHOULD READ CAREFULLY ALL OF THE INFORMATION IN THE OFFER TO PURCHASE, IN THE RELATED LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL AND IN THE OTHER TENDER OFFER MATERIALS, INCLUDING THE COMPANY’S REASONS FOR MAKING THE TENDER OFFER. SEE SECTION 2 OF THE OFFER TO PURCHASE. NONE OF THE COMPANY’S DIRECTORS OR EXECUTIVE OFFICERS WILL TENDER ANY OF THEIR SHARES IN THE TENDER OFFER. SEE SECTION 11 OF THE OFFER TO PURCHASE.

CERTAIN CONDITIONS TO THE TENDER OFFER ARE DESCRIBED IN SECTION 7 OF THE OFFER TO PURCHASE.

WE URGE YOU TO CONTACT YOUR CLIENTS AS PROMPTLY AS POSSIBLE. THE TENDER OFFER AND WITHDRAWAL RIGHTS WILL EXPIRE AT 12:00 MIDNIGHT, NEW YORK CITY TIME, AT THE END OF THE DAY ON DECEMBER 3, 2021, UNLESS THE TENDER OFFER IS EXTENDED OR EARLIER TERMINATED.

For shares to be properly tendered pursuant to the tender offer, either of the following must occur:

 

   

the certificates for the shares or confirmation of receipt of the shares under the procedure for book-entry transfer, together with a properly completed and duly executed Letter of Transmittal, including any required signature guarantees, or an “Agent’s Message” (as defined in the Offer to Purchase) in the case of a book-entry transfer, and any other documents required by the Letter of Transmittal, must be received prior to 12:00 midnight, New York City time, in each case, by the end of the day on the Expiration Date by the Depositary at its addresses set forth on the back cover page of this document; or

 

   

the tendering shareholder must comply with the guaranteed delivery procedures, all in accordance with the Offer to Purchase and the related Letter of Transmittal.

The Company will not pay any fees or commissions to any broker or dealer or other person (other than as described in the Offer to Purchase) for soliciting tenders of shares pursuant to the tender offer. The Company will, however, upon request, reimburse brokers, dealers, commercial banks, trust companies and other nominees for reasonable and necessary costs and expenses incurred by them in forwarding the tender offer and related

 

2


materials to their customers. The Company will pay all stock transfer taxes applicable to its purchase of shares pursuant to the tender offer, subject to Instruction 8 of the Letter of Transmittal. No broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee shall be deemed to be either our agent or the agent of the Company or the Depositary for the purpose of the tender offer.

Any inquiries you may have with respect to the tender offer should be addressed to, and additional copies of the enclosed materials may be obtained from, the Dealer Manager or the Information Agent at their respective telephone numbers and addresses set forth on the back cover of the Offer to Purchase.

Very truly yours,

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC

NOTHING CONTAINED HEREIN OR IN THE ENCLOSED DOCUMENTS SHALL CONSTITUTE YOU OR ANY OTHER PERSON AS AN AGENT OF THE COMPANY, THE DEALER MANAGER, INFORMATION AGENT, THE DEPOSITARY OR ANY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE AFFILIATES, OR AUTHORIZE YOU OR ANY OTHER PERSON TO USE ANY DOCUMENT OR MAKE ANY STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF ANY OF THEM IN CONNECTION WITH THE TENDER OFFER OTHER THAN THE DOCUMENTS ENCLOSED HEREWITH AND THE STATEMENTS CONTAINED THEREIN.

Enclosures

 

3

Letter to Clients

Exhibit (a)(1)(v)

Offer by

PROG HOLDINGS, INC.

to Purchase for Cash

Up to $425,000,000 in Value of its Common Stock

At a Purchase Price Not Less Than $44.00 Per Share and Not More Than $50.00 Per Share

 

THE TENDER OFFER AND WITHDRAWAL RIGHTS EXPIRE AT 12:00 MIDNIGHT, NEW YORK CITY TIME, AT THE END OF THE DAY ON DECEMBER 3, 2021, UNLESS THE TENDER OFFER IS EXTENDED OR EARLIER TERMINATED.

November 4, 2021

To our Clients:

Enclosed for your consideration are the Offer to Purchase, dated November 4, 2021 (as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time, the “Offer to Purchase”), the related Letter of Transmittal and the other materials filed as exhibits to the Issuer Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO-I (collectively, as they may be amended or supplemented from time to time, the “tender offer materials”) in connection with the offer by PROG Holdings, Inc., a Georgia corporation (the “Company”), to purchase for cash up to $425,000,000 in value of its common stock, $0.50 par value (the “shares”), at a price that will be not less than $44.00 per share and not more than $50.00 per share, less any applicable withholding taxes and without interest. The terms and conditions set forth in the tender offer materials collectively constitute the “tender offer.”

We are the holder of record of shares held for your benefit and account. As such, we are the only ones who can tender your shares pursuant to your instructions. The Letter of Transmittal and the other tender offer materials are furnished to you for your information only and cannot be used by you to tender shares held by us for your account.

The Company will determine the single per share purchase price (the “Purchase Price”) within the specified range that will allow it to purchase a number of shares having an aggregate purchase price of $425,000,000, or a lower amount depending on the number of shares properly tendered and not properly withdrawn pursuant to the tender offer. All shares acquired in the tender offer will be acquired at the same Purchase Price regardless of whether the shareholder tendered at a lower price, and the Company will only purchase shares tendered at prices equal to or below the Purchase Price. As described in the Offer to Purchase, if the conditions of the Offer have been satisfied or waived and shares having an aggregate purchase price of less than $425,000,000 are properly tendered and not properly withdrawn prior to the Expiration Date (as defined in the Offer to Purchase), the Company will buy all shares properly tendered shares that are not withdrawn.

If the conditions to the tender offer have been satisfied or waived and shares having an aggregate purchase price in excess of $425,000,000, measured at the maximum price at which such shares were validly tendered, have been properly tendered and not properly withdrawn prior to the Expiration Date, the Company will purchase shares:

 

   

first, from all shareholders of “odd lots” (persons who own fewer than 100 shares) who properly tender all of their shares at or below the Purchase Price and do not properly withdraw them before the Expiration Date;

 

   

second, subject to the conditional tender provisions described in Section 6 of the Offer to Purchase, on a pro rata basis (with appropriate adjustments to avoid the purchase of fractional shares) from all other shareholders who properly tender shares at or below the Purchase Price and do not properly withdraw them before the Expiration Date; and


   

third, if necessary to permit the Company to purchase shares having an aggregate purchase price of $425,000,000 (or such greater amount as the Company may elect to purchase, subject to applicable law), from holders who have tendered shares at or below the Purchase Price subject to the condition that a specified minimum number of the shareholder’s shares be purchased if any of the shareholder’s shares are purchased in the tender offer (for which the condition was not initially satisfied) by random lot, to the extent feasible. To be eligible for purchase by random lot, shareholders whose shares are conditionally tendered must have properly tendered all of their shares and not properly withdrawn them before the Expiration Date. See Sections 4 and 6 of the Offer to Purchase.

Shares tendered and not purchased because they were tendered at a price greater than the Purchase Price or because of priority, proration or conditional tenders will be returned, at the Company’s expense, to the shareholders who tendered such shares promptly after the Expiration Date. The Company also expressly reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to purchase additional shares subject to applicable legal and regulatory requirements. See Section 1 of the Offer to Purchase.

We request instructions as to whether you wish us to tender any or all of the shares held by us for your account, and if so, at what price you wish for your shares to be tendered, upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the tender offer set forth in the Offer to Purchase and the related Letter of Transmittal.

Please note carefully the following:

1. The tender offer and withdrawal rights expire 12:00 midnight, New York City time, at the end of the day on December 3, 2021, unless the tender offer is extended or earlier terminated.

2. The tender offer is not conditioned upon the receipt of any minimum number of shares being tendered. The tender offer is, however, subject to certain conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase, including the consummation by the Company of a new debt financing prior to the Expiration Date on terms reasonably satisfactory to the Company and resulting in gross proceeds to the Company of at least $400 million. See Section 7 of the Offer to Purchase.

3. The tender offer is for shares with an aggregate purchase price of up to $425,000,000. Assuming that the tender offer is fully subscribed, if the Purchase Price per share is equal to the tender offer’s minimum price per share of $44.00, the Company would purchase 9,659,090 shares, and if the Purchase Price per share is equal to the tender offer’s maximum price of $50.00, the Company would purchase 8,500,000 shares, representing approximately 14.8% and 13.0%, respectively, of its outstanding shares as of November 1, 2021.

4. Tendering shareholders who are registered shareholders or who tender their shares directly to Computershare Trust Company, N.A., the Depositary, will not be obligated to pay any brokerage commissions or fees to the Company, solicitation fees, or, except as set forth in the Offer to Purchase and the related Letter of Transmittal, stock transfer taxes on the Company’s purchase of shares pursuant to the tender offer.

5. If you hold beneficially or of record an aggregate of fewer than 100 shares, and you instruct us to tender on your behalf all such shares before the Expiration Date at or below the Purchase Price and check the box captioned “Odd Lots” on the attached Instruction Form, the Company will accept all such shares for purchase before proration, if any, of the purchase of other shares properly tendered at or below the Purchase Price and not properly withdrawn pursuant to the tender offer.

6. If you wish to condition your tender upon the purchase of all shares tendered or upon the Company’s purchase of a specified minimum number of the shares which you tender, you may elect to do so and thereby avoid possible proration of your tender. To elect such a condition, complete the section captioned “Conditional Tender” in the attached Instruction Form.

7. If you wish to have us tender any or all of your shares, please so instruct us by completing, executing, detaching and returning to us the Instruction Form on the detachable part hereof. An envelope to return your

 

2


instructions to us is enclosed. If you authorize tender of your shares, all such shares will be tendered unless otherwise specified on the Instruction Form.

YOUR PROMPT ACTION IS REQUESTED. YOUR INSTRUCTION FORM SHOULD BE FORWARDED TO US IN AMPLE TIME TO PERMIT US TO SUBMIT THE TENDER ON YOUR BEHALF BEFORE THE EXPIRATION DATE OF THE TENDER OFFER.

The tender offer is not being made to holders of shares in any jurisdiction in which the making of the tender offer or acceptance thereof would violate the laws of such jurisdiction. In those jurisdictions the laws of which require that the tender offer be made by a licensed broker or dealer, the tender offer shall be deemed to be made on behalf of the Company by one or more registered brokers or dealers licensed under the laws of such jurisdiction, provided that we will comply with the requirements of Rule 13e-4(f)(8) promulgated under the Exchange Act.

THE COMPANY’S BOARD OF DIRECTORS HAS APPROVED THE TENDER OFFER. HOWEVER, NONE OF THE COMPANY, ITS BOARD OF DIRECTORS, THE DEALER MANAGER, THE INFORMATION AGENT, THE DEPOSITARY, OR ANY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE AFFILIATES MAKES ANY RECOMMENDATION TO YOU AS TO WHETHER YOU SHOULD TENDER OR REFRAIN FROM TENDERING YOUR SHARES OR AS TO THE PURCHASE PRICE OR PURCHASE PRICES AT WHICH YOU MAY CHOOSE TO TENDER YOUR SHARES. YOU MUST MAKE YOUR OWN DECISION AS TO WHETHER TO TENDER YOUR SHARES AND, IF SO, HOW MANY SHARES TO TENDER AND THE PURCHASE PRICE OR PURCHASE PRICES AT WHICH YOU CHOOSE TO TENDER SUCH SHARES. IN SO DOING, YOU SHOULD READ CAREFULLY ALL OF THE INFORMATION IN THE OFFER TO PURCHASE, IN THE RELATED LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL AND IN THE OTHER TENDER OFFER MATERIALS, INCLUDING THE COMPANY’S REASONS FOR MAKING THE TENDER OFFER. SEE SECTION 2 OF THE OFFER TO PURCHASE. NONE OF THE COMPANY’S DIRECTORS OR EXECUTIVE OFFICERS WILL TENDER ANY OF THEIR SHARES IN THE TENDER OFFER. SEE SECTION 11 OF THE OFFER TO PURCHASE.

Enclosures

 

3


INSTRUCTION FORM

With Respect to the Offer by

PROG HOLDINGS, INC.

To Purchase for Cash

Pursuant to the Offer to Purchase Dated November 4, 2021

Up to $425,000,000 in Value of its Common Stock

At a Purchase Price Not Less Than $44.00 Per Share and Not More Than $50.00 Per Share

The undersigned acknowledge(s) receipt of your letter and the enclosed Offer to Purchase, dated November 4, 2021 (as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time, the “Offer to Purchase”), the related Letter of Transmittal and the other tender offer materials (collectively, as they may be amended or supplemented from time to time, the “tender offer”), in connection with the offer by PROG Holdings, Inc., a Georgia corporation (the “Company”), to purchase for cash up to $425,000,000 in value of shares of its common stock, $0.50 par value (the “shares”), at a price that will be not less than $44.00 per share and not more than $50.00 per share, less any applicable withholding taxes and without interest, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the tender offer.

The undersigned hereby instruct(s) you to tender to the Company the number of shares indicated below or, if no number is indicated, all shares held by you for the account of the undersigned, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the tender offer.

NUMBER OF SHARES TO BE TENDERED FOR THE ACCOUNT OF THE UNDERSIGNED:

                     SHARES*

 

*

Unless otherwise indicated, it will be assumed that all shares held by us for your account are to be tendered.

CHECK ONLY ONE BOX. IF MORE THAN ONE BOX IS CHECKED, OR IF NO BOX IS CHECKED, THERE IS NO VALID TENDER OF SHARES.

 

 

(1)

SHARES TENDERED AT PRICE DETERMINED BY SHAREHOLDER (See Instruction 5 of the Letter of Transmittal)

By checking ONE of the following boxes below INSTEAD OF THE BOX UNDER “SHARES TENDERED AT PRICE DETERMINED PURSUANT TO THE TENDER OFFER,” the undersigned tenders shares at the price checked. This action could result in none of the shares that are the subject of this Instruction being purchased if the Purchase Price determined by the Company in accordance with the terms of the tender offer is less than the price checked below. A SHAREHOLDER WHO DESIRES TO TENDER DIFFERENT SHARES AT DIFFERENT PRICES MUST COMPLETE A SEPARATE INSTRUCTION FORM FOR EACH TENDER. The same shares cannot be tendered at more than one price, unless previously properly withdrawn as provided in Section 4 of the Offer to Purchase.

PRICE (IN DOLLARS) PER SHARE AT WHICH SHARES ARE BEING TENDERED

CHECK ONLY ONE BOX

IF MORE THAN ONE BOX IS CHECKED OR IF NO BOX IS CHECKED,

THERE IS NO PROPER TENDER OF SHARES

 

$44.00

  

$44.50

  

$45.00

  

$45.50

  

$46.00

  

$46.50

  

$47.00

$47.50

  

$48.00

  

$48.50

  

$49.00

  

$49.50

  

$50.00


– OR–

 

(2)

SHARES TENDERED AT PRICE DETERMINED PURSUANT TO THE TENDER OFFER (See Instruction 5 of the Letter of Transmittal)

By checking the box below INSTEAD OF ONE OF THE BOXES UNDER “SHARES TENDERED AT PRICE DETERMINED BY SHAREHOLDER,” the undersigned tenders shares at the Purchase Price, as shall be determined by the Company in accordance with the terms of the tender offer. For purposes of determining the Purchase Price, those shares that are tendered by the undersigned agreeing to accept the Purchase Price determined in the tender offer will be deemed to be tendered at the minimum price of $44.00 per share.

 

The undersigned wants to maximize the chance of having the Company purchase shares the undersigned is tendering (subject to the proration and priority provisions of the tender offer). Accordingly, by checking this box instead of one of the price boxes above, the undersigned hereby tenders shares at, and is willing to accept, the Purchase Price determined by the Company in accordance with the terms of the tender offer. THE UNDERSIGNED UNDERSTANDS THAT THIS ELECTION MAY LOWER THE PURCHASE PRICE PAID FOR SHARES IN THE TENDER OFFER AND COULD RESULT IN THE TENDERED SHARES BEING PURCHASED AT THE MINIMUM PRICE OF $44.00 PER SHARE, A PRICE THAT COULD BE BELOW THE CLOSING PRICE OF THE COMMON STOCK ON THE EXPIRATION DATE.

CHECK ONLY ONE BOX UNDER (1) OR (2) ABOVE. IF MORE THAN ONE BOX IS CHECKED

ABOVE, OR IF NO BOX IS CHECKED, THERE IS NO VALID INSTRUCTION TO

TENDER OF SHARES.

 

5


ODD LOTS

(See Instruction 6 of the Letter of Transmittal)

To be completed only if shares are being tendered by or on behalf of a person owning, beneficially or of record, an aggregate of fewer than 100 shares (check one box).

 

By checking this box, the undersigned represents that it is the beneficial or record owner of an aggregate of fewer than 100 shares, all of which are being tendered.

 

By checking this box, the undersigned represents that is a broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee that (i) is tendering, on behalf of the beneficial owner(s), shares with respect to which it is the record holder and (ii) believes, based upon representations made to it by the beneficial owner(s) of such shares, that each such person is the beneficial owner of an aggregate of fewer than 100 Shares and is tendering all such shares.

CONDITIONAL TENDER

(See Instruction 14 of the Letter of Transmittal)

A tendering shareholder may condition his, her or its tender of shares upon the Company purchasing a specified minimum number of the shares tendered, all as described in Section 6 of the Offer to Purchase. Unless at least the minimum number of shares you indicate below is purchased by the Company pursuant to the terms of the tender offer, none of the shares tendered will be purchased. It is the tendering shareholder’s responsibility to calculate that minimum number of shares that must be purchased if any are purchased, and each shareholder is urged to consult his, her or its own tax advisor. Unless this box has been checked and a minimum specified, your tender will be deemed unconditional.

 

The minimum number of shares that must be purchased, if any are purchased, is:                      shares

If, because of proration, the minimum number of shares designated will not be purchased, the Company may accept conditional tenders by random lot, if necessary. However, to be eligible for purchase by random lot, the tendering shareholder must have tendered all of his, her or its shares and checked the box below:

 

The tendered shares represent all shares held by the undersigned.

THE METHOD OF DELIVERY OF THIS DOCUMENT IS AT THE ELECTION AND RISK OF THE TENDERING SHAREHOLDER. IF DELIVERY IS BY MAIL, THEN REGISTERED MAIL WITH RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED, PROPERLY INSURED, IS RECOMMENDED. IN ALL CASES, SUFFICIENT TIME SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO ENSURE TIMELY DELIVERY.

 

Signature(s):  

 

(SIGN HERE)
Name(s):  

 

(PLEASE PRINT)

 

Taxpayer Identification Number or Social Security Number: 

 

 

Address(es), Including Zip Code:   

 

Area Code(s)/Phone Number(s):   

 

Date:   

 

 

6

Summary Advertisement

Exhibit (a)(1)(vi)

This announcement is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell shares of PROG Holdings, Inc. The tender offer (as defined below) is made solely by the Offer to Purchase, dated November 4, 2021, and the related Letter of Transmittal, and any amendments or supplements thereto. The tender offer is not being made to holders of shares in any jurisdiction in which the making or acceptance of offers would not be in compliance with the laws of that jurisdiction, provided that the Company (as defined below) will comply with the requirements of Rule 13e-4(f)(8) promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. If the Company becomes aware of any such jurisdiction where the making of the tender offer or the acceptance of shares pursuant to the tender offer is not in compliance with applicable law, the Company will make a good faith effort to comply with the applicable law. If, after such good faith effort, the Company cannot comply with the applicable law, the tender offer will not be made to the holders of shares in such jurisdiction. In any jurisdictions where the securities, blue sky or other laws require that the tender offer be made by a licensed broker or dealer, the tender offer shall be deemed to be made on behalf of the Company by one or more registered brokers or dealers licensed under the laws of that jurisdiction.

Notice of Offer to Purchase for Cash

by

PROG Holdings, Inc.

of

Up to $425,000,000 in Value of its Common Stock

At a Purchase Price Not Less Than $44.00 Per Share and Not More Than $50.00 Per Share

PROG Holdings, Inc., a Georgia corporation (the “Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), hereby offers to purchase for cash up to $425,000,000 in value of shares of its issued and outstanding common stock, par value $0.50 per share (the “shares”), at a price which will not be less than $44.00 per share and not more than $50.00 per share (the price as determined as provided herein, the “Purchase Price”), less any applicable withholding taxes and without interest, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase, the related Letter of Transmittal and the other materials filed as exhibits to the Issuer Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO-I (collectively, as they may be amended or supplemented from time to time, the “tender offer materials”). The terms and conditions set forth in the tender offer materials collectively constitute the “tender offer.”

THE TENDER OFFER AND WITHDRAWAL RIGHTS EXPIRE AT 12:00 MIDNIGHT, NEW YORK CITY TIME, AT THE END OF THE DAY ON DECEMBER 3, 2021, UNLESS THE TENDER OFFER IS EXTENDED OR EARLIER TERMINATED (SUCH DATE AND TIME, AS THEY MAY BE EXTENDED, THE “EXPIRATION DATE”).

The tender offer is not conditioned upon the receipt of any minimum number of shares being tendered. The tender offer is, however, subject to other conditions described in the Offer to Purchase, including the consummation by the Company of a new debt financing prior to the Expiration Date on terms reasonably satisfactory to the Company and resulting in gross proceeds to the Company of at least $400,000,000.

Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the tender offer, including the provisions relating to “odd lot” priority, proration and conditional tenders described in the Offer to Purchase, the Company will determine a single per-share price that the Company will pay for shares properly tendered and not properly withdrawn from the tender offer, taking into account the total number of shares tendered and the prices specified by tendering shareholders. The Company will select the lowest Purchase Price (in increments of $0.50), which will not be less than $44.00 per share and not more than $50.00 per share, that will allow it to purchase that number of shares having an aggregate purchase price of $425,000,000, or a lower amount depending on the number of shares properly tendered and not properly withdrawn pursuant to the tender offer. Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the tender offer, if shares having an aggregate purchase price of less than $425,000,000 are properly tendered and not properly withdrawn, the Company will buy all shares properly tendered and not properly withdrawn prior to the Expiration Date. If the conditions to the tender offer have been satisfied or waived and shares having an aggregate purchase price in excess of $425,000,000, measured at the maximum price at which such shares were properly tendered, have been properly tendered and not properly withdrawn prior to the Expiration Date, the Company will purchase shares in the following priority:

 

   

first, from all holders of “odd lots” (holders of fewer than 100 shares) who properly tender all of their shares at or below the Purchase Price and do not properly withdraw them before the Expiration Date;

 

   

second, on a pro rata basis (with appropriate adjustments to avoid the purchase of fractional shares) from all other shareholders who properly tender shares at or below the Purchase Price and do not properly withdraw them prior to the Expiration Date, other than shareholders who tender conditionally and whose conditions are not satisfied; and

 

   

third, if necessary to permit the Company to purchase shares having an aggregate purchase price of $425,000,000 (or such greater amount as the Company may elect to purchase, subject to applicable law), from shareholders who have tendered shares at or below the Purchase Price subject to the condition that a specified minimum number of the shareholder’s shares be purchased if any of the shareholder’s shares are purchased in the tender offer (for which the condition was not initially satisfied) by random lot, to the extent feasible. To be eligible for purchase by random lot, shareholders whose shares are conditionally tendered must have tendered all of their shares and not properly withdrawn them prior to the Expiration Date.

If shares having an aggregate purchase price of more than $425,000,000 are properly tendered in the tender offer and not properly withdrawn, the Company reserves the right to accept for purchase at the Purchase Price up to an additional 2% of our outstanding common stock without amending or extending the offer. All shares tendered and not purchased will be returned to shareholders at the Company’s expense promptly after the Expiration Date. The Company also expressly reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to purchase additional shares of our common stock subject to applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

Assuming that the conditions to the tender offer are satisfied or waived and the tender offer is fully subscribed, if the Purchase Price per share is $44.00, the Company would purchase 9,659,090 shares and if the Purchase Price per share is $50.00 the Company would purchase 8,500,000 shares, representing approximately 14.8% and 13.0%, respectively, of its outstanding shares as of November 1, 2021. The actual number of shares outstanding immediately following completion of the tender offer will depend on the number of shares tendered and purchased in the tender offer as well as the Purchase Price for such shares. The shares are listed and traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the trading symbol “PRG.” Shareholders are urged to obtain current market quotations for the shares before deciding whether and at what price or prices to tender their shares.

The Company expressly reserves the right to extend the tender offer at any time and from time to time by oral or written notice to the Depositary (as defined in the Offer to Purchase) and by making a public announcement of such extension, in which event the term “Expiration Date” shall mean the latest time and date to which the tender offer, as so extended by the Company, shall expire. During any such extension, all shares previously tendered and not properly withdrawn will remain subject to the tender offer and to the right of the tendering shareholder to withdraw such shareholder’s shares.

Shareholders wishing to tender their shares must follow the procedures set forth in Section 3 of the Offer to Purchase and in the Letter of Transmittal. Shareholders wishing to tender their shares but who are unable to deliver them physically or by book-entry transfer prior to the Expiration Date, or who are unable to make delivery of all required documents to the Depositary prior to the Expiration Date, may tender their shares by complying with the procedures set forth in Section 3 of the Offer to Purchase for tendering by Notice of Guaranteed Delivery. The proration period is the period for accepting shares on a pro rata basis in the event that the tender offer is oversubscribed. The proration period will expire at the Expiration Date.


Tenders of shares made pursuant to the tender offer may be withdrawn at any time prior to the Expiration Date, and unless previously accepted for payment as provided in the Offer to Purchase, may be withdrawn after 12:00 midnight, New York City time, at the end of the day on January 4, 2022. To be effective, a written notice of withdrawal must be timely received by the Depositary at one of its addresses set forth on the back cover of the Offer to Purchase and must specify the name of the person who tendered the shares to be withdrawn, the number of shares to be withdrawn, and the name of the registered holder of the shares, if different from that of the person who tendered such shares. If the shares to be withdrawn have been delivered to the Depositary, a signed notice of withdrawal with signatures guaranteed by an Eligible Institution (as defined in the Offer to Purchase) must be submitted prior to the release of such shares. In addition, such notice must specify, in the case of shares tendered by delivery of certificates, the name of the registered holder (if different from that of the tendering shareholder) and the serial numbers shown on the particular certificates evidencing the shares to be withdrawn or, in the case of shares tendered by book-entry transfer, the name and number of the account at the Book-Entry Transfer Facility (as defined in the Offer to Purchase) to be credited with the withdrawn shares.

For purposes of the tender offer, the Company will be deemed to have accepted for payment, subject to the “odd lot” priority, proration and conditional tender provisions of the tender offer, shares that are properly tendered at or below the Purchase Price and not properly withdrawn, only when, as and if the Company gives oral or written notice to the Depositary of its acceptance of the shares for payment pursuant to the tender offer.

Payment for shares tendered and accepted for payment pursuant to the tender offer will be made only after timely receipt by the Depositary of certificates for such shares or a timely confirmation of a book-entry transfer of such shares into the Depositary’s account at the Book-Entry Transfer Facility, a properly completed and duly executed Letter of Transmittal with any required signature guarantees, or an Agent’s Message (as defined in the Offer to Purchase) in connection with book-entry delivery, and any other documents required by the Letter of Transmittal.

The Company’s Board of Directors has determined that it is in the best interests of the Company to repurchase shares of its common stock and that the tender offer is consistent with its capital allocation strategy, which includes as one of its primary objectives returning capital to its shareholders. In particular, the Company’s Board of Directors believes the “modified Dutch auction” tender offer is a mechanism that will provide all shareholders with the opportunity to tender all or a portion of their shares (subject to “odd lot” priority, proration and conditional tenders). Conversely, the tender offer also affords shareholders the option not to participate and, thereby, to increase their relative percentage interest in the Company and its future results.

The Company’s Board of Directors has approved the tender offer. However, none of the Company, its Board of Directors, the Dealer Manager, the Information Agent, the Depositary or any of their respective affiliates makes any recommendation to any shareholder whether to tender or refrain from tendering any or all shares or as to the Purchase Price or Purchase Prices at which shareholders may choose to tender their shares. Shareholders must make their own decision whether to tender shares and, if so, how many shares to tender and the price or prices at which they will tender those shares. None of the Company’s directors or executive officers will tender any of their shares in the tender offer.

The receipt of cash by shareholders for tendered shares purchased by the Company in the tender offer will generally be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes either as a sale or exchange eligible for capital gain or loss treatment or a distribution. Shareholders are strongly encouraged to read the Offer to Purchase for additional information regarding the U.S. federal income tax consequences of participating in the tender offer and to consult their tax advisors.

The information required to be disclosed by Rule 13e-4(d)(1) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, is contained in the Offer to Purchase and the Schedule TO, both of which are incorporated herein by reference.

The Offer to Purchase and the related Letter of Transmittal contain important information that should be read before any decision is made with respect to the tender offer.

Questions or requests for assistance may be directed to the Information Agent at its telephone number and address set forth below. Requests for additional copies of the Offer to Purchase, the related Letter of Transmittal, the Notice of Guaranteed Delivery or the other tender offer materials may be directed to the Information Agent at the telephone number and address set forth below. Shareholders may also contact their broker, dealer, commercial bank, trust company or other nominee for assistance concerning the tender offer. To confirm delivery of shares, shareholders are directed to contact the Information Agent.

The Dealer Manager for the Tender Offer is:

[J.P.Morgan logo]

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC

383 Madison Avenue

New York, New York 10179

Toll-Free: 1 (877) 371-5947

The Information Agent for the Tender Offer is:

[Georgeson logo]

Georgeson LLC

1290 Avenue of the Americas, 9th Floor

New York, New York 10104

Shareholders, Banks and Brokers

Call Toll Free: (800) 868-1390

November 4, 2021

Notice to Participants

Exhibit (a)(1)(vii)

NOTICE TO PARTICIPANTS IN THE

PROG HOLDINGS EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT PLAN

In Connection With the Offer by

PROG HOLDINGS, INC.

to Purchase for Cash

Up to $425,000,000 in Value of its Common Stock

At a Purchase Price Not Less Than $44.00 Per Share and Not More Than $50.00 Per Share

Pursuant to the Offer to Purchase Dated November 4, 2021

IMMEDIATE ATTENTION REQUIRED

November 4, 2021

Re: PROG Holdings, Inc. Tender Offer

Dear Plan Participant:

As a participant in the PROG Holdings Employee Retirement Plan (the “Plan”), a portion of your individual account is invested in the PROG Holdings, Inc. Common Stock Fund (the “Stock Fund”). PROG Holdings, Inc., a Georgia corporation (the “Company”), has initiated an offer to purchase for cash up to $425,000,000 in value of shares of its issued and outstanding common stock, $0.50 par value per share (the “shares”), at a price that will be not less than $44.00 per share and not more than $50.00 per share, less any applicable withholding taxes and without interest, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the enclosed Offer to Purchase, dated November 4, 2021 (as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time, the “Offer to Purchase”) and the other materials filed as exhibits to the Issuer Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO-I (collectively, as they may be amended or supplemented from time to time, the “tender offer materials”). The terms and conditions set forth in the tender offer materials collectively constitute the “tender offer.”

Enclosed are the Offer to Purchase and a Tender Offer Instruction Form that require your immediate attention. As described below, you have the right, pursuant to the terms of the Plan, to instruct Charles Schwab Trust Bank (the “Trustee”), as directed trustee of the Plan, whether or not to tender shares attributable to your investment in the Stock Fund under the Plan. There will be no fee to you for instructing the Trustee to tender your shares held in the Plan.

If you wish to instruct the Trustee on this matter, you will need to complete the enclosed Tender Offer Instruction Form and return it to the tabulator appointed by the Company for the tender offer in the return envelope or via fax or email so that it is RECEIVED by 4:00 p.m., New York City time, on November 23, 2021, unless the tender offer is extended or earlier terminated. If the tender offer is extended, the deadline for receipt of your instructions will be at 4:00 p.m. on the sixth business day prior to the new Expiration Date (as defined in the Offer to Purchase) of the tender offer, as extended. If you do not provide directions to the tabulator on a timely basis, you will be deemed to have elected not to participate in the tender offer and no shares related to your individual account under the Plan will be tendered.

The remainder of this letter summarizes the transaction, your rights under the Plan and the procedures for directing the Trustee regarding the tender offer. You should also review the more detailed explanation of the tender offer provided in the tender offer materials.

BACKGROUND

The Company has made an offer to purchase up to $425,000,000 in value of its shares from its shareholders at a price not less than $44.00 per share nor more than $50.00 per share, less applicable withholding taxes and


without interest, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the enclosed Offer to Purchase. Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Offer to Purchase, including the provisions relating to “odd lot” priority, proration and conditional tenders described in the Offer to Purchase, the Company will determine a single per share price that it will pay for shares properly tendered and not properly withdrawn pursuant to the tender offer, taking into account the total number of shares tendered and the prices specified by tendering shareholders. The Company will select the lowest Purchase Price (as defined in the Offer to Purchase) (in increments of $0.50), which will be not less than $44.00 per share and not more than $50.00 per share, that will allow the Company to purchase a number of shares having an aggregate purchase price of $425,000,000, or a lower amount depending on the number of shares properly tendered and not properly withdrawn pursuant to the tender offer.

The enclosed Offer to Purchase sets forth the terms and conditions of the tender offer and is being provided to all shareholders of the Company including the Plan and its associated trust. To understand the tender offer fully and for a more complete description of the terms and conditions of the tender offer, you should carefully read the entire Offer to Purchase, as well as the other tender offer materials.

The tender offer applies to all outstanding shares, including the shares held by the Plan in the Stock Fund. As of November 1, 2021, the Plan held approximately 15,025 shares in the Stock Fund (the “Stock Fund Shares”). Only the Trustee, as directed trustee of the Plan, can tender these Stock Fund Shares in the tender offer. Nonetheless, as a participant under the Plan, you have the right to direct the Trustee whether to tender some or all of the shares attributable to your individual account in the Plan. The Trustee will tender shares attributable to participant accounts solely in accordance with participant instructions to the extent permitted by applicable law, and the Trustee will not tender shares attributable to participant accounts for which it does not receive timely or complete instructions. The Trustee makes no recommendation regarding the tender offer. EACH PARTICIPANT MUST DECIDE WHETHER OR NOT TO TENDER SHARES.

Please also note that only whole shares of stock can be tendered by the Trustee. If your account includes fractional shares that are subject to tender at the same price as other participants in the Plan, all of the fractional shares will be combined to result in whole shares that can be tendered at that price, to the extent possible. But, you should be aware that, after execution of the liquidation of tendered shares, there may be fractional shares remaining in your account that could not be tendered.

CONFIDENTIALITY

To assure the confidentiality of your decision, the tabulator will tabulate participant directions. Neither the Trustee nor the tabulator or their affiliates or agents will make your individual direction to the Trustee available to the Company.

PROCEDURE FOR DIRECTING MILLIMAN

Enclosed is a Tender Offer Instruction Form which may be completed and returned to the tabulator. For purposes of determining the number of shares attributable to participant accounts to be tendered in the tender offer, Milliman, Inc. as the Plan’s recordkeeper (the “Recordkeeper”) will apply your instructions to the number of shares attributable to your Plan account as of November 23, 2021, or as of a later date if the tender offer is extended.

If you do not properly complete and return the Tender Offer Instruction Form by the deadline specified, subject to any extensions of the tender offer, Stock Fund Shares attributable to your Plan account will be considered uninstructed and will not be tendered in the tender offer.

 

2


To properly complete your Tender Offer Instruction Form, you must do the following:

(1) On the face of the Tender Offer Instruction Form, check Box 1 or 2. CHECK ONLY ONE BOX:

 

   

CHECK BOX 1 if you do not want the shares credited to your individual account under the Plan tendered for sale in accordance with the terms of the tender offer and simply want the Plan to continue holding such shares.

 

   

CHECK BOX 2 in all other cases and complete the table immediately below Box 2. Specify the percentage (between 1% and 100% in whole numbers) of shares credited to your individual account under the Plan that you want to tender at each price indicated.

You may direct the tender of shares credited to your account at different prices. To do so, you must state the percentage (between 1% and 100% in whole numbers) of shares to be sold at each price by filling in the percentage of such shares on the line immediately before the price. Also, you may elect to accept the per share Purchase Price to be determined pursuant to the tender offer. As detailed below, when the Trustee tenders Stock Fund Shares on behalf of the Plan, it may be required to tender such Stock Fund Shares on terms different than those set forth on your Tender Offer Instruction Form or as determined by the tabulator.

The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), prohibits the sale of shares to the Company for less than “adequate consideration,” which is defined by ERISA for a publicly-traded security as the prevailing market price on a national securities exchange. The Trustee will determine “adequate consideration,” based on the prevailing or closing market price of the shares on the New York Stock Exchange, on or about the date the shares are tendered by the Trustee (the “prevailing market price”). Accordingly, depending on the prevailing market price of the shares on such date, the Trustee may be unable to follow participant directions to tender Stock Fund Shares to the Company at certain prices within the offered range. The Trustee will tender or not tender Stock Fund Shares as follows:

 

   

If the prevailing market price is greater than the maximum tender price offered by the Company ($50.00 per share), notwithstanding your direction to tender shares in the Tender Offer Instruction Form, the shares will not be tendered.

 

   

If the prevailing market price is lower than the price at which you direct shares be tendered, the Trustee will follow your direction both as to percentage of shares to tender and as to the price at which such shares are tendered.

 

   

If the prevailing market price is greater than the price at which you direct the shares be tendered but within the range of $44.00 to $50.00, the Trustee will follow your direction regarding the percentage of shares to be tendered, but will increase the price at which such shares are to be tendered to the lowest tender price that is not less than the prevailing market price.

 

   

If the prevailing market price is within the range of $44.00 to $50.00, for all shares directed to be tendered at the “Purchase Price resulting from the tender offer,” the Trustee will tender such shares at the lowest tender price that is not less than the prevailing market price.

Leave a given line blank if you want no shares tendered at that particular price. The total of the percentages you provide on the Tender Offer Instruction Form may not exceed 100%, but it may be less than 100%. If this amount is less than 100%, you will be deemed to have instructed the Trustee NOT to tender the balance of the shares credited to your individual account under the Plan.

(2) Date and sign the Tender Offer Instruction Form in the space provided.

(3) Return the Tender Offer Instruction Form in the enclosed return envelope so that it is RECEIVED by the tabulator at the address on the return envelope not later than 4:00 p.m., New York City time, on

 

3


November 23, 2021, unless the tender offer is extended or earlier terminated. If the tender offer is extended, the deadline for receipt of your Tender Offer Instruction Form will be the sixth business day prior to the expiration of the tender offer, as extended. If you wish to return the form by overnight mail, please send it to Milliman, 10000 N. Central Expwy, Suite 1500, Dallas, TX 75231.

You may also fax or email your Tender Offer Instruction Form to the tabulator at 1-877-353-5992 or bpcformsprocessing@milliman.com. Your instructions will be deemed irrevocable unless withdrawn by 4:00 p.m., New York City time, on November 23, 2021. As described in the Offer to Purchase, the Company has the right to extend the tender offer for certain periods. If the tender offer is extended, the deadline for receipt of your notice of withdrawal will be 4:00 p.m., New York City time, on the sixth business day prior to the expiration of the tender offer, as extended. Any extensions of the Expiration Date for the tender offer will be publicly announced by the Company. In the event of an announced extension, you may call the tabulator at 1-866-767-1212 to obtain information on any new Plan participant instructions deadline.

In order to make an effective withdrawal of your instructions, you must submit a new Tender Offer Instruction Form, which may be obtained by calling Georgeson LLC, the information agent for the tender offer, at (800) 868-1390, or submit new instructions via fax or email to 1-877-353-5992 or bpcformsprocessing@milliman.com. Upon receipt of a new, completed, signed and dated Tender Offer Instruction Form, your previous instructions will be deemed cancelled. Please note that the last properly completed Tender Offer Instruction Form timely received from a participant will be followed.

After the deadline above for returning tender directions to the tabulator, the Trustee and its affiliates or agents will complete the tabulation of all directions. The Trustee will tender the appropriate number of shares, at the appropriate price(s), on behalf of the Plan to the extent permitted by applicable law.

Subject to the satisfaction of the conditions described in the Offer to Purchase, the Company will purchase up to $425,000,000 in value of its shares that are properly tendered through the tender offer. As described in the Offer to Purchase, if the tender offer is oversubscribed, the shares tendered pursuant to the tender offer may be subject to proration. Any shares credited to your account that are not purchased in the tender offer will remain allocated to your individual account under the Plan.

The conditional tender of shares described in the Offer to Purchase will not apply to participants in the Plan. Additionally, the “odd-lot” provisions of the tender offer will not apply to Plan participants.

EFFECT OF TENDER OFFER ON YOUR ACCOUNT

If you direct the Trustee to tender some or all of the shares credited to your Plan account, as of 4:00 p.m., New York City time, on November 23, 2021, certain transactions involving the Stock Fund Shares credited to your account, including all exchanges out, loans, withdrawals and distributions, will be prohibited until all processing related to the tender offer has been completed, unless the tender offer is terminated or the completion date is extended. This freeze on transactions is anticipated to last until approximately the week of December 13, 2021 and will apply to ALL shares credited to your Plan account, even if you elect to tender less than 100% of the shares credited to your Plan account. No loans or withdrawals will be allowed for participants that have a balance in the Stock Fund throughout the freeze. The restriction period described here is called a “blackout period.”

Whether or not you are planning retirement in the near future, you are encouraged to carefully consider how this “blackout period” may affect your retirement planning, as well as your overall financial plan.

Because you will be unable during the blackout period to sell shares credited to your Plan account, it is very important that you review and consider the appropriateness of your current investments in light of your inability to direct or diversify your investments in the Stock Fund during the blackout period. For your long-term retirement security, you should give careful consideration to the importance of a well-balanced and diversified

 

4


investment portfolio, taking into account all your assets, income and investments. You should be aware that there is a risk to holding substantial portions of your assets in the securities of any one company, as individual securities tend to have wider price swings, up and down, in short periods of time, than investments in diversified funds. If the shares have a wide price swing, you might have a large loss during the blackout period, and you would not be able to direct the sale of shares from your Plan account during the blackout period.

In the event that the tender offer is extended, the freeze on transactions involving the Stock Fund will, if feasible, be temporarily lifted until six business days prior to the new completion date of the tender offer, as extended, at which time a new freeze on these transactions involving the Stock Fund will commence and a new blackout period will commence. You can call the Recordkeeper at 1-866-767-1212 to obtain updated information on expiration dates, deadlines and Stock Fund freezes, and to otherwise determine whether the blackout period has started or ended.

Federal law generally requires that you be furnished notice of a blackout period at least 30 days in advance of the last date on which you could exercise your rights immediately before the commencement of any blackout period. The reason for the notice is to provide you with sufficient time to consider the effect of the blackout period on your retirement and financial plans. This notice about the blackout period is being provided to you as soon as reasonably practicable following the launch of the tender offer. As noted above, if you have any questions concerning the blackout period, you should contact the Recordkeeper at 1-866-767-1212.

If you directed the Trustee NOT to tender any of the shares credited to your account or you did not provide directions in a timely manner, you will continue to have access to all transactions normally available to the Stock Fund, subject to Plan rules.

INVESTMENT OF PROCEEDS

For any shares in the Plan that are tendered and purchased by the Company, the Company will pay cash to the Plan. INDIVIDUAL PARTICIPANTS IN THE PLAN WILL NOT, HOWEVER, RECEIVE ANY CASH TENDER PROCEEDS DIRECTLY. ALL SUCH PROCEEDS WILL REMAIN IN THE PLAN AND MAY BE WITHDRAWN ONLY IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TERMS OF THE PLAN.

The Trustee has been directed by the Plan’s named fiduciary to invest proceeds received with respect to shares credited to your Plan account in accordance with your existing investment elections as soon as administratively possible after receipt of proceeds. The recordkeeper anticipates that the processing of participant accounts will be completed five to seven business days after receipt of these proceeds. You may call the Recordkeeper at 1-866-767-1212 or log on to www.millimanbenefits.com after the reinvestment is complete to learn the effect of the tender on your Plan account or to have the proceeds invested in other investment options offered under the Plan.

A portion of your individual account may currently be invested in the Stock Fund under the Plan. If you make no changes to your existing investment elections under the Plan, the proceeds received with respect to shares credited to your Plan account will be reinvested, meaning part or all of the proceeds may be reinvested in the Stock Fund under the Plan. You are encouraged to review your investment elections under the Plan to ensure that the proceeds received with respect to shares credited to your Plan account are invested appropriately. You may change your investment elections under the Plan at any time. Such changes will generally be effective on the same day if requested prior to 4:00 p.m., New York City time, or on the next business day, if requested after 4:00 p.m., New York City time. To review your investment elections under the Plan and/or make changes to your investment elections, call the Recordkeeper at 1-866-767-1212 or log on to www.millimanbenefits.com.

SHARES OUTSIDE THE PLAN

If you hold shares directly, you will receive, under separate cover, tender offer materials which can be used to tender such shares. Those tender offer materials may not be used to direct the Trustee to tender or not

 

5


tender the shares attributable to your individual account under the Plan. The instructions to tender or not tender shares attributable to your individual account under the Plan may only be made in accordance with the procedures in this letter on the Tender Offer Instruction Form. Similarly, the enclosed Tender Offer Instruction Form may not be used to tender non-Plan shares.

TAX CONSEQUENCES

While you will not recognize any immediate tax gain or loss as a result of the tender and sale of any shares credited to your account in the Plan, the tax treatment of future distributions from the Plan may be impacted. Tender offer proceeds will be subject to all applicable taxes at the time you receive a distribution from the Plan. You are encouraged to consult your tax advisor concerning your decision to participate in the tender offer and possible tax ramifications. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES DESCRIBED IN SECTION 13 OF THE OFFER TO PURCHASE ARE NOT APPLICABLE TO YOU AS A PLAN PARTICIPANT.

FURTHER INFORMATION

If you require additional information concerning the procedure to tender shares attributable to your individual account under the Plan, please contact the tabulator at 1-866-767-1212. If you require additional information concerning the terms and conditions of the tender offer, please call Georgeson LLC, the information agent for the tender offer, at (800) 868-1390.

 

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TENDER OFFER INSTRUCTION FORM

PROG HOLDINGS, INC.

BEFORE COMPLETING THIS FORM, PLEASE CAREFULLY READ

THE ACCOMPANYING INFORMATION

In response to the offer by PROG Holdings, Inc., a Georgia corporation (the “Company”), to purchase for cash up to $425,000,000 in value of shares of its issued and outstanding common stock, $0.50 par value per share (the “shares”), at a price that will be not less than $44.00 per share and not more than $50.00 per share, less any applicable withholding taxes and without interest, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the enclosed Offer to Purchase, dated November 4, 2021, I hereby instruct Charles Schwab Trust Bank (the “Trustee”), as directed trustee of the PROG Holdings Employee Retirement Plan (the “Plan”), to tender or not to tender the shares allocated to my account under the Plan in response to the tender offer as follows (PLEASE CHECK ONE BOX AND COMPLETE THE REMAINDER OF FORM—If more than one box is checked below your election may be disregarded):

 

1.     PLEASE REFRAIN FROM TENDERING AND CONTINUE TO HOLD ALL SHARES UNDER MY INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNT UNDER THE PLAN.
2.     PLEASE TENDER SHARES CREDITED TO MY INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNT IN THE AMOUNTS INDICATED BELOW FOR EACH OF THE PRICES PROVIDED. A BLANK SPACE BEFORE A GIVEN PRICE WILL BE TAKEN TO MEAN THAT NO SHARES CREDITED TO MY ACCOUNT ARE TO BE TENDERED AT THAT PRICE.

FILL IN THE TABLE BELOW ONLY IF YOU HAVE CHECKED BOX 2.

Percentages of Share to be Tendered (The total of all percentages must be less than or equal to 100%. If the total is less than 100% you will be deemed to have directed the Trustee NOT to tender the remaining percentage)

 

         % at $44.00             % at $44.50             % at $45.00             % at $45.50
         % at $46.00             % at $46.50             % at $47.00             % at $47.50
         % at $48.00             % at $48.50             % at $49.00             % at $49.50
         % at $50.00             % at TBD      

*By entering a percentage on the “% at TBD” line, the undersigned is willing to accept the Purchase Price resulting from the tender offer from the percentage of shares elected. Note that this election will mean that your shares will be deemed to be tendered at the minimum price of $44.00 per share. You should understand, however, that this election may lower the Purchase Price paid for all purchased shares in the tender offer and could result in your shares being purchased at the minimum price of $44.00 per share. Notwithstanding the foregoing, when the Trustee tenders shares on behalf of the Plan, it may be required under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”) to tender such shares on terms different than those directed above or as determined by the tabulator. For more information regarding the limitations on following your direction, refer to the Notice to Participants in the PROG Holdings Employee Retirement Plan.

Regardless of the manner in which they are submitted, Tender Offer Instruction Forms that are not timely received, and those received without a box checked above or with more than one box checked or unsigned will be treated as an instruction not to tender shares.

The speediest way to submit your instructions is via fax or email. However, if you prefer to do so, you may submit your written instructions by mailing this completed form promptly in the enclosed envelope.

 

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Via Overnight Mail:

Milliman

10000 N. Central Expwy

Suite 1500

Dallas, TX 75231 USA

  

Via Mail:

Milliman

Benefits Processing Center

PO BOX 601548

Dallas, TX 75360-1548

YOUR INSTRUCTIONS, HOWEVER SUBMITTED, MUST BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN 4:00 P.M., NEW YORK CITY TIME, ON NOVEMBER 23, 2021 (OR, IF THE OFFER IS EXTENDED, ON THE SIXTH BUSINESS DAY PRIOR TO THE EXPIRATION OF THE OFFER, AS EXTENDED). IF YOUR INSTRUCTIONS ARE NOT RECEIVED BY THIS DEADLINE, YOUR SHARES WILL NOT BE TENDERED.

 

 

  

 

Signature    Date
  

 

  

 

Print Name    Daytime Phone Number

 

8

Press Release

Exhibit (a)(5)(i)

 

LOGO

PROG Holdings Commences Cash Tender Offer to Purchase Up to $425 million of Common Stock

SALT LAKE CITY, November 4, 2021—PROG Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:PRG), the fintech holding company for Progressive Leasing, Vive Financial, and Four Technologies, today announced the commencement of a “modified Dutch auction” tender offer (the “Tender Offer”) to purchase for cash up to $425 million in value of shares of its common stock, par value $0.50 per share (the “Shares”), or such lesser amount of the Shares as are properly tendered and not properly withdrawn, at a single per Share price of not less than $44.00 per share and not more than $50.00 per share, less any applicable withholding taxes and without interest.

A “modified Dutch auction” tender offer allows shareholders to indicate how many Shares and at what price within the range described above they wish to tender their Shares. Based on the number of Shares tendered and the prices specified by the tendering shareholders, PROG Holdings will determine the lowest price per Share within the specified range that will enable PROG Holdings to purchase Shares having an aggregate purchase price of $425 million, or such lesser amount of Shares that are properly tendered and not properly withdrawn prior to the expiration date of the tender offer. If Shares having an aggregate purchase price of more than $425 million are tendered in the Tender Offer, PROG Holdings reserves the right to accept for purchase at the purchase price pursuant to the Tender Offer up to an additional 2% of its outstanding Shares without amending or extending the Tender Offer. PROG Holdings also expressly reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to purchase additional Shares subject to applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

The Tender Offer is made in accordance with the terms and subject to the conditions described in the Offer to Purchase, dated November 4, 2021 (the “Offer to Purchase”), and the accompanying Letter of Transmittal, dated November 4, 2021 (together with the Offer to Purchase and the other materials filed as exhibits to the Schedule TO (as defined below), the “Offer Materials”), as each may be amended or supplemented from time to time. The Tender Offer will expire at 12:00 midnight, New York City time, at the end of the day on December 3, 2021 (the “Expiration Date”), unless the Tender Offer is extended or earlier terminated. Tenders of Shares must be made on or prior to the Expiration Date and may be withdrawn at any time prior to the Expiration Date in accordance with the procedures described in the Offer Materials.

PROG Holdings believes that the Tender Offer is consistent with its capital allocation strategy, which includes as one of its primary objectives returning capital to its shareholders. The Tender Offer is being launched as part of a newly authorized $1 billion share repurchase program, which replaces PROG Holdings’ prior $300 million program. The tender offer procedure was selected by PROG Holdings, in part, because it provides its shareholders with the opportunity to tender all or a portion of their Shares, and thereby receive a return of some or all of their investment in PROG Holdings, if they so elect.

The Tender Offer is not contingent upon the receipt of any minimum number of Shares being tendered. However, the Tender Offer is subject to a number of other terms and conditions, which are described in detail in the Offer to Purchase, including the consummation by PROG Holdings of a new debt financing prior to the Expiration Date on terms reasonably satisfactory to PROG Holdings and resulting in gross proceeds to PROG Holdings of at least $400 million. PROG Holdings expects to fund the purchase of the Shares tendered in the Tender Offer, and to pay related fees and expenses, with the proceeds of the new debt financing, together with cash on hand and/or borrowings under PROG Holdings’ existing revolving facility.

The Offer Materials have concurrently been mailed to record holders of Shares and will be furnished to brokers, dealers, commercial banks, trust companies, or other nominee shareholders and similar persons whose names, or the names of whose nominees, appear on the PROG Holdings’ shareholder list or, if applicable, who are listed as participants in a clearing agency’s security position listing for subsequent transmittal to beneficial owners of the Shares. The Offer Materials contain important information that holders are urged to read before any decision is made with respect to the Tender Offer.


While PROG Holdings’ Board of Directors has authorized PROG Holdings to make the Tender Offer, none of PROG Holdings, its Board of Directors, the dealer manager, the information agent or the depositary makes any recommendation as to whether any shareholder should participate or refrain from participating in the Tender Offer or as to the purchase price or purchase prices at which shareholders may choose to tender their Shares in the Tender Offer. PROG Holdings has not authorized any person to make any such recommendation. Shareholders must decide whether to tender their Shares and, if so, how many Shares to tender and at what price or prices to tender. In doing so, shareholders should carefully evaluate all of the information in the Offer Materials before making any decision with respect to the Tender Offer, and should consult their own broker or other financial, legal and tax advisors.

Pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c)(2) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), PROG Holdings has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) an Issuer Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO-I (the “Schedule TO”), which contains additional information with respect to the Tender Offer. The Schedule TO, including the exhibits and any amendments and supplements thereto, may be examined, and copies may be obtained, at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC is acting as dealer manager for the Tender Offer. For additional information regarding the terms of the Tender Offer, please contact: J.P. Morgan Securities LLC at (877) 371-5947 (toll-free). To confirm delivery of Shares, please contact Georgeson LLC, which is acting as the information agent for the Tender Offer, at (800) 868-1390 (toll-free).

THIS PRESS RELEASE IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. THIS PRESS RELEASE IS NOT A RECOMMENDATION TO BUY OR SELL SHARES OF COMMON STOCK OR ANY OTHER SECURITIES, AND IT IS NEITHER AN OFFER TO PURCHASE NOR A SOLICITATION OF AN OFFER TO SELL SHARES OF COMMON STOCK OR ANY OTHER SECURITIES. THE TENDER OFFER IS BEING MADE SOLELY PURSUANT TO THE OFFER MATERIALS, WHICH SET FORTH THE COMPLETE TERMS OF THE TENDER OFFER THAT HOLDERS OF THE SHARES SHOULD CAREFULLY READ PRIOR TO MAKING ANY DECISION.

THE COMPANY IS NOT MAKING THE TENDER OFFER TO (NOR WILL IT ACCEPT ANY TENDER OF SHARES FROM OR ON BEHALF OF) HOLDERS OF SHARES IN ANY JURISDICTION IN WHICH THE MAKING OF THE TENDER OFFER OR THE ACCEPTANCE OF ANY TENDER OF SHARES WOULD NOT BE IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE LAWS OF SUCH JURISDICTION, PROVIDED THAT THE COMPANY WILL COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF RULE 13E-4(F)(8) PROMULGATED UNDER THE EXCHANGE ACT. HOWEVER, THE COMPANY MAY, AT ITS DISCRETION, TAKE SUCH ACTION AS THE COMPANY MAY DEEM NECESSARY FOR IT TO MAKE THE TENDER OFFER IN ANY SUCH JURISDICTION AND EXTEND THE TENDER OFFER TO HOLDERS OF SHARES IN SUCH JURISDICTION. IN ANY JURISDICTION THE SECURITIES OR BLUE SKY LAWS OF WHICH REQUIRE THE TENDER OFFER TO BE MADE BY A LICENSED BROKER OR DEALER, THE TENDER OFFER SHALL BE DEEMED TO BE MADE ON THE COMPANY’S BEHALF BY ONE OR MORE REGISTERED BROKERS OR DEALERS WHICH ARE LICENSED UNDER THE LAWS OF SUCH JURISDICTION.

About PROG Holdings, Inc.

PROG Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:PRG) is a fintech holding company headquartered in Salt Lake City, UT, that provides transparent and competitive payment options to consumers. PROG Holdings owns Progressive Leasing, a leading provider of e-commerce, app-based, and in-store point-of-sale lease-to-own solutions, Vive Financial, an omnichannel provider of second-look revolving credit products, and Four Technologies, provider of Buy Now, Pay Later payment options through its platform Four. More information on PROG Holdings’ companies can be found at https://www.progholdings.com. The information included on PROG Holdings’ website is not incorporated by reference herein.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release regarding our business that are not historical facts are “forward-looking statements” that involve risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those


contained in the forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, such as ”continue”, “continued”, “expects”, “expected”, “outlook”, “intends” and similar forward-looking terminology. These risks and uncertainties include factors such as (i) the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and related measures taken by governmental or regulatory authorities to combat the pandemic, including the impact of the pandemic and such measures on: (a) demand for the lease-to-own products offered by our Progressive Leasing segment, (b) Progressive Leasing’s POS partners, and Vive’s and Four’s merchant partners, (c) Progressive Leasing’s, Vive’s and Four’s customers, including their ability and willingness to satisfy their obligations under their lease agreements and loan agreements, (d) Progressive Leasing’s point-of-sale partners being able to obtain the merchandise its customers need or desire, (e) our employees and labor needs, including our ability to adequately staff our operations, (f) our financial and operational performance, and (g) our liquidity, including risks arising from the increased level of debt that we expect to incur in connection with the Tender Offer; (ii) changes in the enforcement of existing laws and regulations and the adoption of new laws and regulations that may unfavorably impact our businesses; (iii) the effects on our business and reputation resulting from Progressives Leasing’s announced settlement and related consent order with the FTC, including the risk of losing existing POS partners or being unable to establish new relationships with additional POS partners, and of any follow-on regulatory and/or civil litigation arising therefrom; (iv) other types of legal and regulatory proceedings and investigations, including those related to consumer protection, customer privacy, third party and employee fraud and information security; (v) our ability to protect confidential, proprietary, or sensitive information, including the personal and confidential information of our customers, which may be adversely affected by cyber-attacks, employee or other internal misconduct, computer viruses, electronic break-ins or “hacking”, or similar disruptions, any one of which could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations, financial condition, and prospects; (vi) increased competition from traditional and virtual lease-to-own competitors and also from competitors of our Vive segment; (vii) increases in lease merchandise write-offs and the provision for returns and uncollectible renewal payments for Progressive Leasing, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, and for loan losses, with respect to our Vive segment; (viii) the possibility that the operational, strategic and shareholder value creation opportunities expected from the spin-off of PROG Holdings’ Aaron’s Business segment may not be achieved in a timely manner, or at all; (ix) Vive’s business model differing significantly from Progressive Leasing’s, which creates specific and unique risks for the Vive business, including Vive’s reliance on two bank partners to issue its credit products and Vive’s exposure to the unique regulatory risks associated with the lending-related laws and regulations that apply to its business; (x) the effects of any increased expenses or unanticipated liabilities incurred as a result of, or due to activities related to, our recent acquisition of Four; (xi) Four’s business model differing significantly from Progressive Leasing’s and Vive’s, which creates specific and unique risks for the Four business, including Four’s exposure to the unique regulatory risks associated with the laws and regulations that apply to its business; (xii) our ability to consummate the Tender Offer on the terms and timing described herein, or at all, and to realize the benefits expected from the Tender Offer; and (xiii) the other risks and uncertainties discussed under “Risk Factors” in the PROG Holdings’ Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, which was filed with the SEC on February 26, 2021. Statements in this press release that are “forward-looking” include without limitation statements about (i) the execution, amount and timing of, and benefits expected from, our expected Tender Offer to repurchase up to $425 million of our common stock; (ii) the nature and amount of any other share repurchases under the $1 billion repurchase program authorized by our Board of Directors; and (iii) our future plans and expectations with respect to capital allocation. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Except as required by law, PROG Holdings undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances after the date of this press release.

Investor Contact

John Baugh, CFA

VP, Investor Relations

john.baugh@progleasing.com

Media Contact

Mark Delcorps

Director, Corporate Communications

media@progleasing.com