GE HealthCare Technologies Inc. Underwriting Agreement
Exhibit 1.1
GE HealthCare Technologies Inc.
4.800% Senior Notes due 2029
August 7, 2024
▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ & Co. LLC
BofA Securities, Inc.
▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ & Co. LLC
As representatives (the “Representatives”) of the several Underwriters
named in Schedule I hereto,
c/▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ & Co. LLC
▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇,
New York, New York 10282-2198
c/o BofA Securities, Inc.
One Bryant Park
New York, New York 10036
c/▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ & Co. LLC
▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇
New York, New York 10036
Ladies and Gentlemen:
GE HealthCare Technologies Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Company”), proposes, subject to the terms and conditions stated in this agreement (this “Agreement”), to issue and sell to the Underwriters named in Schedule I hereto (the “Underwriters”) an aggregate of $1,000,000,000 principal amount of the 4.800% Senior Notes due 2029 specified above (the “Securities”). The Securities will be issued pursuant to the indenture, dated as of November 22, 2022 (the “Base Indenture”), as supplemented by the Second Supplemental Indenture to be dated on or about August 14, 2024 (the “Second Supplemental Indenture” and, together with the Base Indenture, the “Indenture”), in each case between the Company and The Bank of New York Mellon, as trustee (the “Trustee”).
| 1. | The Company represents and warrants to, and agrees with, each of the Underwriters that: |
| (a) | An “automatic shelf registration statement” as defined under Rule 405 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Act”) on Form S-3 (File No. 333- 280584) in respect of the Securities has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) not earlier than three years prior to the date hereof; such registration statement, and any post-effective amendment thereto, became effective on filing; and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of such registration statement or any part thereof has been issued and no proceeding for that purpose has been initiated or, to the Company’s knowledge, threatened by the Commission, and no notice of objection of the Commission to the use of such registration statement or any post-effective amendment thereto pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) under the Act has been received by the Company (the base prospectus |
| filed as part of such registration statement, in the form in which it has most recently been filed with the Commission on or prior to the date of this Agreement, is hereinafter called the “Base Prospectus”; any preliminary prospectus (including any preliminary prospectus supplement) relating to the Securities filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act is hereinafter called a “Preliminary Prospectus”; the various parts of such registration statement, including all exhibits thereto but excluding Form T-1 and including any prospectus supplement relating to the Securities that is filed with the Commission and deemed by virtue of Rule 430B to be part of such registration statement, each as amended at the time such part of the registration statement became effective, are hereinafter collectively called the “Registration Statement”; the Base Prospectus, as amended and supplemented immediately prior to the Applicable Time (as defined in Section 1(c) hereof), is hereinafter called the “Pricing Prospectus”; the form of the final prospectus relating to the Securities filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act in accordance with Section 5(a) hereof is hereinafter called the “Prospectus”; any reference herein to the Base Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include the documents incorporated by reference therein pursuant to Item 12 of Form S-3 under the Act, as of the date of such prospectus; any reference to any amendment or supplement to the Base Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus or the Prospectus shall be deemed to refer to and include any post-effective amendment to the Registration Statement, any prospectus supplement relating to the Securities filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act and any documents filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and incorporated by reference therein, in each case after the date of the Base Prospectus, such Preliminary Prospectus, or the Prospectus, as the case may be; any reference to any amendment to the Registration Statement shall be deemed to refer to and include any annual report of the Company filed pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act after the effective date of the Registration Statement that is incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement; and any “issuer free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 433 under the Act relating to the Securities is hereinafter called an “Issuer Free Writing Prospectus”). |
| (b) | (A) No order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus has been issued by the Commission, and (B) each Preliminary Prospectus, at the time of filing thereof, conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Act and the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the “Trust Indenture Act”) and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, and did not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information (as defined herein). |
| (c) | For the purposes of this Agreement, the “Applicable Time” is 3:55 p.m. (Eastern time) on the date of this Agreement; the Pricing Prospectus as supplemented by the final term sheet prepared and filed pursuant to Section 5(a) hereof, taken together (collectively, the “Pricing Disclosure Package”) as of the Applicable Time, did not, and as of the Time of Delivery (as defined in Section 4 of this Agreement) will not, include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; and each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus does not conflict with the information contained or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus and |
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| each Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, as supplemented by and taken together with the Pricing Disclosure Package as of the Applicable Time, did not, and as of the Time of Delivery will not, include any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information. |
| (d) | The documents incorporated by reference in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, when they became effective or were filed with the Commission, as the case may be, conformed in all material respects to the requirements of the Act or the Exchange Act, as applicable, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder, and none of such documents contained an untrue statement of a material fact or omitted to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; any further documents so filed and incorporated by reference in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus or any further amendment or supplement thereto, when such documents become effective or are filed with the Commission, as the case may be, will conform in all material respects to the requirements of the Act or the Exchange Act, as applicable, and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and will not contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information; and no such documents were filed with the Commission since the Commission’s close of business on the business day immediately prior to the date of this Agreement and prior to the execution of this Agreement. |
| (e) | The Registration Statement conforms, and the Prospectus and any further amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement and the Prospectus will conform, in all material respects to the requirements of the Act and the Trust Indenture Act and the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder and do not and will not, as of the applicable effective date as to each part of the Registration Statement, as of the applicable filing date as to the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto, and as of the Time of Delivery, contain an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein, in the case of the Prospectus or any amendment or supplement thereto, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading; provided, however, that this representation and warranty shall not apply to any statements or omissions made in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information. |
| (f) | The Company is not an “ineligible issuer” in connection with the offering pursuant to Rules 164, 405 and 433 under the Act. Any free writing prospectus that the Company is required to file pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act has been, or will be, filed with the Commission in accordance with the requirements of the Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder. Each free writing prospectus that the Company has filed, or is required to file, pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act or that was prepared by or behalf of or used or referred to by the Company complies or will comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder. The Company has not prepared, used or referred to, and will not, without your prior consent, prepare, use or refer to, any free writing prospectus. |
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| (g) | This Agreement has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company. |
| (h) | Deloitte & Touche LLP, who have expressed their opinion with respect to the Company’s audited financial statements as of December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, and for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2023, incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus, are independent public accountants with respect to the Company, as required by the Exchange Act and are, to the knowledge of the Company, an independent registered public accounting firm with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. |
| (i) | The historical financial statements together with the related notes thereto incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus comply in all material respects with the requirements of the Act and the Exchange Act, as applicable, and present fairly, in all material respects, the consolidated financial position of the Company and its Subsidiaries (as defined herein) as of and at the dates indicated and the results of their operations and cash flows for the periods specified. Such financial statements have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles as applied in the United States applied on a consistent basis throughout the periods involved, except as may be expressly stated in the related notes thereto. The summary financial information included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus present fairly, in all material respects, the information shown therein and have been compiled on a basis consistent with that of the audited financial statements incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus. The interactive data in eXtensible Business Reporting Language included or incorporated by reference in each of the in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus fairly presents the information called for in all material respects and is prepared in accordance with the Commission’s rules and guidelines applicable thereto. |
| (j) | The subsidiaries set forth in Exhibit A attached hereto (the “Significant Subsidiaries”) are subsidiaries material to the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole. The Company and each of the Significant Subsidiaries has been duly incorporated or formed, as the case may be, and is validly existing as a corporation or limited liability company, as the case may be, in good standing under the laws of the jurisdiction of its incorporation or formation and has corporate or limited liability company power and authority to own or lease, as the case may be, and operate its properties and to conduct its business as described in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus and, to the extent party thereto, to enter into and perform its obligations under this Agreement. The Company and each Significant Subsidiary is duly qualified as a foreign corporation or limited liability company, as the case may be, to transact business and is in good standing in each jurisdiction in which such qualification is required, whether by reason of the ownership or leasing of property or the conduct of business, except for such jurisdictions where the failure to so qualify or to be in good standing could, individually or in the aggregate, reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect. All of the issued and outstanding shares of capital stock, limited liability company interests or partnership interests, as the case may be, of each Significant Subsidiary have been duly authorized and validly issued, are fully paid and non-assessable and are owned by the Company, directly or through subsidiaries, free and clear of any security interest, mortgage, pledge, lien, encumbrance or claim. |
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| (k) | Each preliminary prospectus filed as part of the Registration Statement as originally filed or as part of any amendment thereto, or filed pursuant to Rule 424 under the Act, complied when so filed in all material respects with the Act and the applicable rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder. |
| (l) | The Company has been advised of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, including the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder (the “Investment Company Act”). The Company is not required to register as an “investment company” within the meaning of the Investment Company Act. |
| (m) | There is and has been no failure on the part of the Company or, to the knowledge of the Company, any of the Company’s directors or officers, in their capacities as such, to comply in all material respects with any provision of the ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇▇ Act of 2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated in connection therewith, including Section 402 relating to loans and Sections 302 and 906 relating to certifications. |
| (n) | The Company and its Subsidiaries maintain effective “internal control over financial reporting,” as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act. |
| (o) | The Company maintains a system of internal accounting controls sufficient to provide reasonable assurance that (i) transactions are executed in accordance with management’s general or specific authorizations; (ii) transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles and to maintain asset accountability; (iii) access to assets is permitted only in accordance with management’s general or specific authorization; and (iv) the recorded accountability for assets is compared with the existing assets at reasonable intervals and appropriate action is taken with respect to any differences. |
| (p) | Since the end of the Company’s most recent audited fiscal year, there has been (i) no material weakness in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (whether or not remediated) and (ii) no change in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. |
| (q) | The Company and its Subsidiaries maintain an effective system of “disclosure controls and procedures” (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) of the Exchange Act) that is designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by the Company in reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the Commission’s rules and forms, including controls and procedures designed to ensure that such information is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. The Company and its Subsidiaries have carried out evaluations of the effectiveness of their disclosure controls and procedures as required by Rule 13a-15 of the Exchange Act. |
| (r) | Nothing has come to the attention of the Company that has caused the Company to believe that the statistical and market-related data included or incorporated by reference in the Registration Statement, the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus is not based on or derived from sources that are reliable and accurate in all material respects. |
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| (s) | The Base Indenture has been duly authorized, executed and delivered by the Company and constitutes a valid and binding agreement of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except as the enforcement thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium or other similar laws relating to or affecting the rights and remedies of creditors or by general equitable principles. The Second Supplemental Indenture has been duly authorized by the Company and at the Time of Delivery (as defined herein) when executed and delivered by the Company and assuming due authorization, execution and delivery thereof by the Trustee, will constitute a valid and binding agreement of the Company, enforceable against the Company in accordance with its terms, except as the enforcement thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium or other similar laws relating to or affecting the rights and remedies of creditors or by general equitable principles. |
| (t) | The Securities to be purchased by you will be in the form contemplated by the Indenture, have been duly authorized for issuance and sale pursuant to this Agreement and the Indenture and, at the Closing Time, will have been duly executed by the Company and, when authenticated by the Trustee in accordance with the terms of the Indenture and delivered by the Company to the Underwriters against payment of the requisite consideration therefor specified in this Agreement, will constitute valid and binding obligations of the Company, enforceable in accordance with their terms, except as the enforcement thereof may be limited by bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent transfer, reorganization, moratorium or other similar laws relating to or affecting the rights and remedies of creditors or by general equitable principles, and will be entitled to the benefits of the Indenture. |
| (u) | The execution, delivery and performance of this Agreement, the Second Supplemental Indenture and the Securities and the consummation of the transactions contemplated herein and in the Pricing Disclosure Package (including the issuance and sale of the Securities and the use of the proceeds from the sale of the Securities as described therein under the caption “Use of Proceeds”) have been duly authorized by all requisite action and do not and will not, whether with or without the giving of notice or passage of time or both, conflict with or constitute a breach of, or default or Repayment Event (as defined below) under, or result in the creation or imposition of any lien, charge or encumbrance upon any properties, assets or operations of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries pursuant to, the properties, assets or operations of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries is subject (except for such conflicts, breaches or defaults or Repayment Events or liens, charges or encumbrances that would not, singly or in the aggregate, result in a material adverse effect, (A) in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business affairs or business prospects of the Company and its Subsidiaries considered as one enterprise, whether or not arising in the ordinary course of business, or (B) on the ability of the Company to enter into and perform its obligations under, or consummate the transactions contemplated in, this Agreement, the Indenture or the Securities) (a “Material Adverse Effect”), nor will such action result in any violation of the provisions of the charter, by-laws or similar organizational document of the Company or any of its Significant Subsidiaries or any law, statute, rule, regulation, judgment, order, writ or decree of any of any arbitrator, court, governmental body, regulatory body, administrative agency or other authority, body or agency having jurisdiction over the Company or any of its Significant Subsidiaries or any of their respective properties, assets or operations (each, a “Governmental Entity”). As used herein, a “Repayment Event” means any event or condition which gives the holder of any note, debenture or other financing instrument (or any person acting on such holder’s behalf) the right to require the repurchase, redemption or repayment of all or a portion of the related financing by the Company or any its Significant Subsidiaries. |
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| (v) | No filing with, or authorization, approval, consent, license, order, registration, qualification or decree of, any Governmental Entity is necessary or required for the performance by the Company of its obligations under this Agreement, the Indenture or the Securities, in connection with the offering, issuance or sale of the Securities or the consummation of the transactions contemplated in this Agreement, the Indenture, or Securities, except such as have been obtained under the Act and the Trust Indenture Act and such consents, approvals, authorizations, registrations or qualifications as may be required under state securities or Blue Sky laws in connection with the purchase and distribution of the Securities by the Underwriters. |
| (w) | Except as would not reasonably be expected to have a Material Adverse Effect, (A) there has been no security breach or incident, unauthorized access or disclosure, or other compromise of or relating to the Company’s or its Subsidiaries’ information technology and computer systems, networks, hardware, software, data and databases (including the data and information of their respective customers, employees, suppliers, vendors and any third party data maintained, processed or stored by the Company and its Subsidiaries, and any such data processed or stored by third parties on behalf of the Company and its Subsidiaries), equipment or technology (collectively, “IT Systems and Data”); (B) neither the Company nor its Subsidiaries have been notified of, and each of them have no knowledge of any event or condition that could result in, any security breach or incident, unauthorized access or disclosure or other compromise to the IT Systems and Data used in their businesses and (C) the Company and its Subsidiaries have implemented appropriate controls, policies, procedures, and technological safeguards to maintain and protect the integrity, continuous operation, redundancy and security of their IT Systems and Data reasonably consistent with industry standards and practices, or as required by applicable regulatory standards. The Company and its Subsidiaries are presently in material compliance with all applicable laws or statutes and all judgments, orders, rules and regulations of any court or arbitrator or governmental or regulatory authority, internal policies and contractual obligations relating to the privacy and security of IT Systems and Data and to the protection of IT Systems and Data from unauthorized use, access, misappropriation or modification. |
| (x) | (i) The Company and its Subsidiaries own or have the right to use all material patents, inventions, copyrights, know how (including trade secrets and other unpatented and/or unpatentable proprietary or confidential information, systems or procedures), trademarks, service marks and trade names and other intellectual property (collectively, “Intellectual Property Rights”) used in the conduct of their businesses; (ii) neither the Company nor any of its Subsidiaries has received any written notice alleging any infringement, misappropriation or other violation of Intellectual Property Rights which, singly or in the aggregate, if the subject of an unfavorable decision, ruling or finding, would have a Material Adverse Effect; (iii) to the Company’s knowledge, no third party is infringing, misappropriating or otherwise violating any Intellectual Property Rights owned by the Company in any material respect; and (iv) the Company and its Subsidiaries’ conduct of their respective businesses does not infringe, misappropriate or otherwise violate any Intellectual Property Rights of any third party in any material respect. |
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| (y) | The Company and each of its Subsidiaries have filed all federal, state, local and foreign tax returns required to be filed through the date of this Agreement or have requested extensions thereof (except where the failure to file would not, singly or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect) and have paid all taxes required to be paid thereon (except for cases in which the failure to file or pay would not, singly or in the aggregate, have a Material Adverse Effect, or, except as currently being contested in good faith or for which reserves required by U.S. GAAP have been created in the financial statements of the Company). |
| (z) | The Company maintains in effect policies and procedures designed to ensure compliance by the Company, its Subsidiaries and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents with applicable Anti-Corruption Laws, Anti-Money Laundering Laws and Sanctions. The Company and its Subsidiaries and, to the knowledge of the Company or such Subsidiary, their respective directors, officers, employees and agents, are in compliance with applicable Anti-Corruption Laws, Anti-Money Laundering Laws and Sanctions in all material respects, and except as otherwise disclosed, no material action, suit or proceeding by or before any Governmental Entity involving the Company or any of its Subsidiaries with respect to any applicable Anti-Corruption Laws, Anti-Money Laundering Laws and Sanctions is pending or, to the best knowledge of the Company, threatened. None of the Company or any Subsidiary nor, to the knowledge of the Company or such Subsidiary, any of their respective directors, officers or employees or any of their respective agents has taken any action, directly or indirectly, that materially violated or would result in a material violation by such persons of Anti-Corruption Laws, including (i) using any corporate funds for any unlawful contribution, gift, entertainment or other unlawful expense relating to political activity; (ii) making or taking an act in furtherance of an offer, promise or authorization of any direct or indirect unlawful payment to any foreign or domestic government official or employee from corporate funds (including to any “foreign official” (as such term is defined in the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”)) or any political party or official thereof or any candidate for political office); or (iii) making, offering, agreeing, requesting or taking an act in furtherance of any unlawful bribe, rebate, payoff, influence payment, kickback or other unlawful payment or benefit, in each case except as disclosed to the Underwriters. None of the Company or any Subsidiary nor, to the knowledge of the Company or such Subsidiary, any of their respective directors, officers or employees or any of their respective agents, is a Sanctioned Person or otherwise the target or subject of Sanctions, nor is the Company or any Subsidiary located, organized, or resident in a Sanctioned Country, except, in each case, as authorized pursuant to an exemption under the Sanctions or under general or specific license issued by the United States government, or as otherwise permitted by law; and the Company, except as authorized pursuant to an exemption under the Sanctions or under general or specific license issued by the United States government, or as otherwise permitted by law, will not directly or indirectly use the proceeds of the offering (i) to fund or facilitate any activities of or business with any subsidiary, joint venture partner, or other Person or entity that, at the time of such funding or facilitation, is the subject or target of any Sanctions, (ii) to fund or facilitate any activities of or business in any Sanctioned Country in a manner that will result in the violation of Sanctions by the Company, any of its Subsidiaries, or any party to this Agreement, or (iii) in any other manner that will result in the violation of Sanctions by the Company, any of its Subsidiaries, or any party to this Agreement. As used herein, “Anti-Corruption Laws” means all laws, rules and regulations of any jurisdiction applicable to the Company and its affiliated companies from time to time concerning or relating to bribery or corruption; “Anti-Money Laundering Laws” means the Bank Secrecy Act of 1970, as amended by the USA PATRIOT ACT of 2001, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, and the applicable anti-money laundering statutes of jurisdictions where the Company and its Subsidiaries conduct |
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| business, and the rules and regulations thereunder; “Control” means the possession, directly or indirectly, of the power to direct or cause the direction of the management or policies of a Person, whether through the ability to exercise voting power, by contract or otherwise. “Controlling” and “Controlled” have meanings correlative thereto; “OFAC” means the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the United States Department of the Treasury; “Person” means any natural person, corporation, limited liability company, trust, joint venture, association, company, partnership, Governmental Entity or other entity; “Sanctioned Country” means a country or territory which at any time is the subject or target of a comprehensive Sanctions program or embargo (currently, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic, and the Crimea, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions of Ukraine); “Sanctioned Person” means, at any time, any (A) Person listed in any Sanctions-related list of designated Persons maintained by the United States (including OFAC and the U.S. Department of State), the United Nations Security Council, the European Union (“EU”) or any EU member state, His Majesty’s Treasury of the United Kingdom, or other relevant sanctions authority, (B) any Governmental Entity of any Sanctioned Country, (C) any Person located, organized or resident in a Sanctioned Country or (D) any Person directly or indirectly 50% or more owned by, or otherwise controlled by, any Person referenced in clauses (A) - (C); “Sanctions” means economic or financial sanctions or trade embargoes imposed, administered or enforced from time to time by (a) the U.S. government, including those administered by OFAC or the U.S. Department of State or (b) the United Nations Security Council, the EU or any EU member state, His Majesty’s Treasury of the United Kingdom, or other relevant sanctions authority; “Subsidiary” means, with respect to the Company at any date, any corporation, limited liability company, partnership, association or other entity the accounts of which would be consolidated with those of the Company in the Company’s consolidated financial statements if such financial statements were prepared in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles as of such date, as well as any other corporation, limited liability company, partnership, association or other entity (x) of which securities or other ownership interests representing more than 50% of the equity or more than 50% of the ordinary voting power or, in the case of a partnership, more than 50% of the general partnership interests are, as of such date, owned, controlled or held, or (y) that is, as of such date, otherwise Controlled, by the Company or one or more Subsidiaries of the Company or by the Company and one or more Subsidiaries of the Company. |
| (aa) | The Company and its ERISA Affiliates (as defined below) are in compliance in all material respects with the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended, and the regulations and published interpretations thereunder (“ERISA”). “ERISA Affiliate” means, with respect to any Person, any member of any group of organizations described in Sections 414(b), (c), (m) or (o) of the Internal Revenue Code of which such Person is a member. Neither the Company nor any of its ERISA Affiliates has incurred any material liability under Title IV of ERISA. Each “employee benefit plan” established or maintained by the Company or any of its ERISA Affiliates that is intended to be qualified under Section 401(a) of the Internal Revenue Code has received a favorable determination letter from the Internal Revenue Service (the “IRS”) or will be filed with the IRS for a favorable determination letter. |
| (bb) | At the time of filing the Registration Statement and at the time the Company or any person acting on its behalf (within the meaning, for this clause only, of Rule 163(c) under the Act) made any offer relating to the Securities in reliance on the exemption of Rule 163 under the Act, the Company was a “well-known seasoned issuer” as defined in Rule 405 under the Act. |
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| 2. | Subject to the terms and conditions herein set forth, the Company agrees to issue and sell to each of the Underwriters, and each of the Underwriters agrees, severally and not jointly, to purchase from the Company, the principal amount of Securities set forth opposite the name of such Underwriter in Schedule I hereto, at a purchase price of 99.331% of the principal amount thereof, plus accrued interest, if any, from August 14, 2024 to the Time of Delivery (as defined below) hereunder. |
| 3. | Upon the authorization by you of the release of the Securities, the several Underwriters propose to offer the Securities for sale upon the terms and conditions set forth in the Pricing Prospectus and the Prospectus. |
| 4. | The Securities to be purchased by each Underwriter hereunder will be represented by one or more definitive global Securities in book-entry form which will be deposited by or on behalf of the Company with The Depository Trust Company (“DTC”) or its designated custodian. The Company will deliver the Securities to the Representatives, for the account of each Underwriter, against payment by or on behalf of such Underwriter of the purchase price therefor by wire transfer of Federal (same-day) funds to the account specified by the Company to the Representatives at least twenty-four hours in advance, by causing DTC to credit the Securities to the account of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ & Co. LLC at DTC. The Company will cause the certificates, if any, representing the Securities to be made available to the Representatives for checking at least twenty-four hours prior to the Time of Delivery (as defined below) at the office of DTC or its designated custodian. The time and date of such delivery and payment shall be 9:30 a.m., New York City time, on August 14, 2024 or such other time and date as the Representatives and the Company may agree upon in writing. Such time and date are herein called the “Time of Delivery”. |
| 5. | The Company agrees with each of the Underwriters: |
| (a) | To prepare the Prospectus in a form approved by you and to file such Prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act not later than the Commission’s close of business on the second business day following the date of this Agreement; to make no further amendment or any supplement to the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus or the Prospectus prior to the Time of Delivery which shall be disapproved by you promptly after reasonable notice thereof; to advise you, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the time when any amendment to the Registration Statement has been filed or becomes effective or any amendment or supplement to the Prospectus has been filed and to furnish you with copies thereof; to prepare a final term sheet, containing solely a description of the Securities, in a form approved by you and to file such term sheet pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act within the time required by such Rule; to file promptly all other material required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act; to file promptly all reports and any definitive proxy or information statements required to be filed by the Company with the Commission pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act subsequent to the date of the Prospectus and for so long as the delivery of a prospectus (or in lieu thereof, the notice referred to in Rule 173(a) under the Act) is required in connection with the offering or sale of the Securities; to advise you, promptly after it receives notice thereof, of the issuance by the Commission of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or other prospectus in respect of the Securities, of any notice of objection of the Commission to the use of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) under the Act, of the suspension of the qualification of the Securities for offering or sale in any jurisdiction, of the initiation or threatening of any proceeding for any such purpose, or of any request by the Commission for the amending or supplementing of the Registration |
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| Statement or the Prospectus or for additional information; and, in the event of the issuance of any stop order or of any order preventing or suspending the use of any Preliminary Prospectus or other prospectus or suspending any such qualification, to promptly use its best efforts to obtain the withdrawal of such order; and in the event of any such issuance of a notice of objection, promptly to take such steps including, without limitation, amending the Registration Statement or filing a new registration statement, at its own expense, as may be necessary to permit offers and sales of the Securities by the Underwriters (references herein to the Registration Statement shall include any such amendment or new registration statement). |
| (b) | Promptly from time to time to take such action as you may reasonably request to qualify the Securities for offering and sale under the securities laws of such jurisdictions as you may request and to comply with such laws so as to permit the continuance of sales and dealings therein in such jurisdictions for as long as may be necessary to complete the distribution of the Securities, provided that in connection therewith the Company shall not be required to qualify as a foreign corporation or to file a general consent to service of process in any jurisdiction. |
| (c) | To furnish the Underwriters with written and electronic copies of the Prospectus and any amendment or supplement thereto in such quantities as you may from time to time reasonably request, and if, at any time prior to the expiration of nine months after the date of the Prospectus, any event shall have occurred as a result of which the Prospectus as then amended or supplemented would include an untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state any material fact necessary in order to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made when such Prospectus is delivered, not misleading, or, if for any other reason it shall be necessary or desirable during such same period to amend or supplement the Prospectus, to notify you and upon your request to prepare and furnish without charge to each Underwriter and to any dealer in securities as many written and electronic copies as you may from time to time reasonably request of an amended Prospectus or a supplement to the Prospectus which will correct such statement or omission or effect such compliance. |
| (d) | Except for such documents that are publicly available on ▇▇▇▇▇, to furnish to the holders of the Securities as soon as practicable after the end of each fiscal year an annual report (including a balance sheet and statements of income, stockholders’ equity and cash flows of the Company and its consolidated Subsidiaries certified by independent public accountants) and, as soon as practicable after the end of each of the first three quarters of each fiscal year (beginning with the fiscal quarter ending after the date of the Prospectus), to make available to its stockholders consolidated summary financial information of the Company and its Subsidiaries for such quarter in reasonable detail. |
| (e) | The Company will use its best efforts, in cooperation with the Underwriters, to qualify the Securities for offering and sale under the state securities or blue sky laws of such jurisdictions as the Representatives may reasonably request; provided however, that the Company shall not be obligated to file any general consent to service of process or qualify as a foreign corporation or as a dealer in securities in any jurisdiction. |
| (f) | During the period beginning from the date hereof and continuing to and including the later of the Time of Delivery and such earlier time as you may notify the Company not to offer, sell, contract to sell, pledge, grant any option to purchase, make any short sale or otherwise transfer or dispose of, directly or indirectly, or file with the Commission a registration statement under the Act relating to any securities of the Company that are substantially similar to the Securities, or publicly disclose the intention to make any offer, sale, pledge, disposition or filing. |
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| (g) | To pay the required Commission filing fees relating to the Securities within the time required by Rule 456(b)(1) under the Act without regard to the proviso therein and otherwise in accordance with Rules 456(b) and 457(r) under the Act. |
| (h) | To use the net proceeds received by it from the sale of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement in the manner specified in the Pricing Prospectus under the caption “Use of Proceeds”. |
| 6. |
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| (a) (i) | The Company represents and agrees that, other than the final term sheet prepared and filed pursuant to Section 5(a) hereof, without the prior consent of the Representatives, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Securities that would constitute a “free writing prospectus” as defined in Rule 405 under the Act; |
| (ii) | each Underwriter represents and agrees that, without the prior consent of the Company and the Representatives, other than one or more term sheets relating to the Securities containing customary information and conveyed to purchasers of Securities, it has not made and will not make any offer relating to the Securities that would constitute a free writing prospectus required to be filed with the Commission; and |
| (b) | The Company has complied and will comply with the requirements of Rule 433 under the Act applicable to any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, including timely filing with the Commission or retention where required and legending. |
| 7. | Whether or not the transactions contemplated in this Agreement are consummated or this Agreement is terminated, the Company agrees to pay or cause to be paid all expenses incident to the performance of its obligations under this Agreement, including: (i) the fees, disbursements and expenses of the Company’s counsel, the Company’s accountants in connection with the registration and delivery of the Securities under the Act and all other fees or expenses in connection with the preparation and filing of the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus, any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of, used by, or referred to by the Company and amendments and supplements to any of the foregoing, including all printing costs associated therewith, and the mailing and delivering of copies thereof to the Underwriters and dealers, in the quantities hereinabove specified, (ii) all costs and expenses related to the transfer and delivery of the Securities to the Underwriters, including any transfer or other taxes payable thereon, (iii) the cost of printing or producing any Blue Sky or Legal Investment memorandum in connection with the offer and sale of the Securities under state securities laws and all expenses in connection with the qualification of the Securities for offer and sale under state securities laws, including filing fees and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel for the Underwriters in connection with such qualification and in connection with the Blue Sky or Legal Investment memorandum in an amount not to exceed $15,000, (iv) all filing fees and the reasonable fees and disbursements of counsel to the Underwriters incurred in connection with the review and qualification of the offering of the Securities by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority in an amount not to exceed $15,000, (v) the cost of preparing the Securities, (vi) the fees and expenses |
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| of the Trustee and any agent of the Trustee and the fees and disbursements of counsel for the Trustee in connection with the Indenture and the Securities; (vii) the costs and expenses of the Company relating to investor presentations on any “road show” undertaken in connection with the marketing of the offering of the Securities, including the costs associated with the dissemination of any electronic road show, (ix) the document production charges and expenses associated with printing this Agreement or the Indenture and (x) all other costs and expenses incident to the performance of the obligations of the Company hereunder for which provision is not otherwise made in this Section. It is understood, however, that, except as provided in this Section, and Sections 9 and 12 hereof, the Underwriters will pay all of their own costs and expenses, including the fees of their counsel, transfer taxes on resale of any of the Securities by them, and any advertising expenses connected with any offers they may make. |
| 8. | The obligations of the Underwriters hereunder shall be subject, in their discretion, to the condition that all representations and warranties and other statements of the Company herein are, at and as of the Applicable Time and the Time of Delivery, true and correct, the condition that the Company shall have performed all of its obligations hereunder theretofore to be performed, and the following additional conditions: |
| (a) | The Prospectus shall have been filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) under the Act within the applicable time period prescribed for such filing by the rules and regulations under the Act and in accordance with Section 5(a) hereof; the final term sheet contemplated by Section 5(a) hereof, and any other material required to be filed by the Company pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act, shall have been filed with the Commission within the applicable time periods prescribed for such filings by Rule 433; no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement or any part thereof shall have been issued and no proceeding for that purpose shall have been initiated or threatened by the Commission and no notice of objection of the Commission to the use of the Registration Statement or any post-effective amendment thereto pursuant to Rule 401(g)(2) under the Act shall have been received; no stop order suspending or preventing the use of the Preliminary Prospectus, the Prospectus or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus shall have been initiated or threatened by the Commission; and all requests for additional information on the part of the Commission shall have been complied with to your reasonable satisfaction. |
| (b) | Subsequent to the execution and delivery of this Agreement and prior to the Closing Date: |
| (i) | there shall not have occurred any downgrading, nor shall any notice have been given of any intended or potential downgrading or of any review for a possible change that does not indicate the direction of the possible change, in the rating accorded any of the securities of the Company or any of its Subsidiaries by any “nationally recognized statistical rating organization,” as such term is defined in Section 3(a)(62) of the Exchange Act; and |
| (ii) | there shall not have occurred any change, or any development involving a prospective change, in the condition, financial or otherwise, or in the earnings, business or operations of the Company and its Subsidiaries, taken as a whole, from that set forth in the Pricing Prospectus that, in your judgment, is material and adverse and that makes it, in your judgment, impracticable to market the Securities on the terms and in the manner contemplated in the Pricing Prospectus. |
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| (c) | The Underwriters shall have received on the Closing Date a certificate, dated the Closing Date and signed by an executive officer of the Company, to the effect set forth in Section 8(b)(i) above and to the effect that the representations and warranties of the Company contained in this Agreement are true and correct as of the Closing Date and that the Company has complied with all of the agreements and satisfied all of the conditions on its part to be performed or satisfied hereunder on or before the Closing Date. Each officer signing and delivering each such certificate may rely upon the best of his or her knowledge as to proceedings threatened. |
| (d) | At the Time of Delivery, the Representatives shall have received the opinion and negative assurance letter, each dated such date, of ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ & ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ LLP, counsel for the Company, relating to the Securities, in a form reasonably satisfactory to the Representatives. |
| (e) | At the Time of Delivery, the Representatives shall have received the opinion and negative assurance letter, each dated such date, of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ & ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ LLP, counsel for the Underwriters, relating to the Securities and such other matters as the Representatives may reasonably request. |
| (f) | On the date of the Prospectus concurrently with the execution of this Agreement and also at the Time of Delivery, the Representatives shall have received from Deloitte & Touche LLP letters dated the respective dates of delivery thereof, containing statements and information of the type ordinarily included in accountants’ “comfort letters” to purchasers with respect to the financial statements and certain financial information contained in the Pricing Prospectus and Prospectus. |
| 9. (a) | The Company will indemnify and hold harmless each Underwriter against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities, joint or several, to which such Underwriter may become subject, under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon (i) an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, or (ii) an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Base Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any such amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, any “roadshow” as defined in Rule 433(h) under the Act (a “roadshow”), any “issuer information” filed or required to be filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, and will reimburse each Underwriter for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such Underwriter in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim as such expenses are incurred; provided, however, that the Company shall not be liable in any such case to the extent that any such loss, claim, damage or liability arises out of or is based upon an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission made in the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any such amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information. |
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| (b) | Each Underwriter, severally and not jointly, will indemnify and hold harmless the Company against any losses, claims, damages or liabilities to which the Company may become subject, under the Act or otherwise, insofar as such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or are based upon (i) an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Registration Statement, or any amendment or supplement thereto, or the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact required to be stated therein or necessary to make the statements therein not misleading, or (ii) an untrue statement or alleged untrue statement of a material fact contained in the Base Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus or any such amendment or supplement thereto, or any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, any roadshow or any “issuer information” filed or required to be filed pursuant to Rule 433(d) under the Act, or arise out of or are based upon the omission or alleged omission to state therein a material fact necessary to make the statements therein, in the light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading, in each case to the extent, but only to the extent, that such untrue statement or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission was made in the Registration Statement, the Base Prospectus, any Preliminary Prospectus, the Pricing Prospectus or the Prospectus, or any such amendment or supplement thereto, any Issuer Free Writing Prospectus, any roadshow or any “issuer information” in reliance upon and in conformity with the Underwriter Information; and will reimburse the Company for any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by the Company in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim as such expenses are incurred. As used in this Agreement with respect to an Underwriter and an applicable document, “Underwriter Information” shall mean the written information furnished to the Company by such Underwriter through the Representatives expressly for use therein; it being understood and agreed upon that the only such information furnished by any Underwriter consists of the following information in the Prospectus furnished on behalf of each Underwriter: the concession and reallowance figures appearing in the third paragraph under the caption “Underwriting”, the information contained in the second and third sentences of the sixth paragraph under the caption “Underwriting” and information contained in the seventh and eighth paragraphs under the caption “Underwriting”. |
| (c) | Promptly after receipt by an indemnified party under subsection (a) or (b) above of notice of the commencement of any action, such indemnified party shall, if a claim in respect thereof is to be made against the indemnifying party under such subsection, notify the indemnifying party in writing of the commencement thereof; provided that the failure to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability that it may have under the preceding paragraphs of this Section 9 except to the extent that it has been materially prejudiced (through the forfeiture of substantive rights or defenses) by such failure; and provided further that the failure to notify the indemnifying party shall not relieve it from any liability that it may have to an indemnified party otherwise than under the preceding paragraphs of this Section 9. In case any such action shall be brought against any indemnified party and it shall notify the indemnifying party of the commencement thereof, the indemnifying party shall be entitled to participate therein and, to the extent that it shall wish, jointly with any other indemnifying party similarly notified, to assume the defense thereof, with counsel reasonably satisfactory to such indemnified party (who shall not, except with the consent of the indemnified party, be counsel to the indemnifying party), and, after notice from the indemnifying party to such indemnified party of its election so to assume the defense thereof, the indemnifying party shall not be liable to such indemnified party under such subsection for any legal expenses of other counsel or any other expenses, in each case subsequently incurred by such indemnified party, in |
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| connection with the defense thereof other than reasonable costs of investigation. No indemnifying party shall, without the written consent of the indemnified party, effect the settlement or compromise of, or consent to the entry of any judgment with respect to, any pending or threatened action or claim in respect of which indemnification or contribution may be sought hereunder (whether or not the indemnified party is an actual or potential party to such action or claim) unless such settlement, compromise or judgment (i) includes an unconditional release of the indemnified party from all liability arising out of such action or claim and (ii) does not include a statement as to or an admission of fault, culpability or a failure to act, by or on behalf of any indemnified party. |
| (d) | If the indemnification provided for in this Section 9 is unavailable to or insufficient to hold harmless an indemnified party under subsection (a) or (b) above in respect of any losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to therein, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to the amount paid or payable by such indemnified party as a result of such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect the relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other from the offering of the Securities. If, however, the allocation provided by the immediately preceding sentence is not permitted by applicable law, then each indemnifying party shall contribute to such amount paid or payable by such indemnified party in such proportion as is appropriate to reflect not only such relative benefits but also the relative fault of the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other in connection with the statements or omissions which resulted in such losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof), as well as any other relevant equitable considerations. The relative benefits received by the Company on the one hand and the Underwriters on the other shall be deemed to be in the same proportion as the total net proceeds from the offering (before deducting expenses) received by the Company bear to the total underwriting discounts and commissions received by the Underwriters, in each case as set forth in the table on the cover page of the Prospectus. The relative fault shall be determined by reference to, among other things, whether the untrue or alleged untrue statement of a material fact or the omission or alleged omission to state a material fact relates to information supplied by the Company on the one hand or the Underwriters on the other and the parties’ relative intent, knowledge, access to information and opportunity to correct or prevent such statement or omission. The Company and the Underwriters agree that it would not be just and equitable if contribution pursuant to this subsection (d) were determined by pro rata allocation (even if the Underwriters were treated as one entity for such purpose) or by any other method of allocation which does not take account of the equitable considerations referred to above in this subsection (d). The amount paid or payable by an indemnified party as a result of the losses, claims, damages or liabilities (or actions in respect thereof) referred to above in this subsection (d) shall be deemed to include any legal or other expenses reasonably incurred by such indemnified party in connection with investigating or defending any such action or claim. Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection (d), no Underwriter shall be required to contribute any amount in excess of the amount by which the total price at which the Securities underwritten by it and distributed to the public were offered to the public exceeds the amount of any damages which such Underwriter has otherwise been required to pay by reason of such untrue or alleged untrue statement or omission or alleged omission. No person guilty of fraudulent misrepresentation (within the meaning of Section 11(f) of the Act) shall be entitled to contribution from any person who was not guilty of such fraudulent misrepresentation. The Underwriters’ obligations in this subsection (d) to contribute are several in proportion to their respective underwriting obligations and not joint. |
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| (e) | The obligations of the Company under this Section 9 shall be in addition to any liability which the Company may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same terms and conditions, to each employee, officer and director of each Underwriter, each person, if any, who controls any Underwriter within the meaning of the Act and each broker-dealer or other affiliate of any Underwriter; and the obligations of the Underwriters under this Section 9 shall be in addition to any liability which the respective Underwriters may otherwise have and shall extend, upon the same terms and conditions, to each officer and director of the Company and to each person, if any, who controls the Company within the meaning of the Act. |
| 10. (a) | If any Underwriter shall default in its obligation to purchase the Securities which it has agreed to purchase hereunder, you may in your discretion arrange for you or another party or other parties to purchase such Securities on the terms contained herein. If within thirty six hours after such default by any Underwriter you do not arrange for the purchase of such Securities, then the Company shall be entitled to a further period of thirty six hours within which to procure another party or other parties satisfactory to you to purchase such Securities on such terms. In the event that, within the respective prescribed periods, you notify the Company that you have so arranged for the purchase of such Securities, or the Company notifies you that it has so arranged for the purchase of such Securities, you or the Company shall have the right to postpone the Time of Delivery for a period of not more than seven days, in order to effect whatever changes may thereby be made necessary in the Registration Statement or the Prospectus, or in any other documents or arrangements, and the Company agrees to file promptly any amendments or supplements to the Registration Statement or the Prospectus which in your opinion may thereby be made necessary. The term “Underwriter” as used in this Agreement shall include any person substituted under this Section with like effect as if such person had originally been a party to this Agreement with respect to such Securities. |
| (b) | If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Securities of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by you and the Company as provided in subsection (a) above, the aggregate principal amount of such Securities which remains unpurchased does not exceed one eleventh of the aggregate principal amount of all the Securities, then the Company shall have the right to require each non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase the principal amount of Securities which such Underwriter agreed to purchase hereunder and, in addition, to require each non-defaulting Underwriter to purchase its pro rata share (based on the principal amount of Securities which such Underwriter agreed to purchase hereunder) of the Securities of such defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters for which such arrangements have not been made; but nothing herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter from liability for its default. |
| (c) | If, after giving effect to any arrangements for the purchase of the Securities of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters by you and the Company as provided in subsection (a) above, the aggregate principal amount of Securities which remains unpurchased exceeds one eleventh of the aggregate principal amount of all the Securities, or if the Company shall not exercise the right described in subsection (b) above to require non-defaulting Underwriters to purchase Securities of a defaulting Underwriter or Underwriters, then this Agreement shall thereupon terminate, without liability on the part of any non-defaulting Underwriter or the Company, except for the expenses to be borne by the Company and the Underwriters as provided in Section 7 hereof and the indemnity and contribution agreements in Section 9 hereof; but nothing herein shall relieve a defaulting Underwriter from liability for its default. |
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| 11. | The respective indemnities, agreements, representations, warranties and other statements of the Company and the several Underwriters, as set forth in this Agreement or made by or on behalf of them, respectively, pursuant to this Agreement, shall remain in full force and effect, regardless of any investigation (or any statement as to the results thereof) made by or on behalf of any Underwriter or any controlling person of any Underwriter, or the Company, or any officer or director or controlling person of the Company, and shall survive delivery of and payment for the Securities. |
| 12. | If this Agreement shall be terminated pursuant to Section 10 hereof, the Company shall not then be under any liability to any Underwriter except as provided in Sections 7 and 9 hereof; but, if for any other reason, the Securities are not delivered by or on behalf of the Company as provided herein, the Company will reimburse the Underwriters through you for all out of pocket expenses approved in writing by you, including fees and disbursements of counsel, reasonably incurred by the Underwriters in making preparations for the purchase, sale and delivery of the Securities, but the Company shall then be under no further liability to any Underwriter except as provided in Sections 7 and 9 hereof. |
| 13. | In all dealings hereunder, you shall act on behalf of each of the Underwriters, and the parties hereto shall be entitled to act and rely upon any statement, request, notice or agreement on behalf of any Underwriter made or given by you jointly or by ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ & Co. LLC, BofA Securities, Inc. or ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ & Co. LLC on behalf of you as the representatives. |
All statements, requests, notices and agreements hereunder shall be in writing, and if to the Underwriters shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile transmission to you as the representatives in care of ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ & Co. LLC, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇, Attention: Registration Department; BofA Securities, Inc., ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇, Attention: High Grade Debt Capital Markets Transaction; ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ & Co. LLC, ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇, ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇, Attention: Investment Banking Division; and if to the Company shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile transmission to the address of the Company set forth in the Registration Statement, Attention: Secretary; provided, however, that any notice to an Underwriter pursuant to Section 9(c) hereof shall be delivered or sent by mail, telex or facsimile transmission to such Underwriter at its address set forth in its Underwriters’ Questionnaire, or telex constituting such Questionnaire, which address will be supplied to the Company by you upon request. Any such statements, requests, notices or agreements shall take effect upon receipt thereof.
In accordance with the requirements of the USA Patriot Act (Title III of Pub. L. 107-56 (signed into law October 26, 2001)), the underwriters are required to obtain, verify and record information that identifies their respective clients, including the Company, which information may include the name and address of their respective clients, as well as other information that will allow the underwriters to properly identify their respective clients.
| 14. | This Agreement shall be binding upon, and inure solely to the benefit of, the Underwriters, the Company and, to the extent provided in Sections 9 and 11 hereof, the officers and directors of the Company and each person who controls the Company or any Underwriter, and their respective heirs, executors, administrators, successors and assigns, and no other person shall acquire or have any right under or by virtue of this Agreement. No purchaser of any of the Securities from any Underwriter shall be deemed a successor or assign by reason merely of such purchase. |
| 15. | Time shall be of the essence of this Agreement. As used herein, the term “business day” shall mean any day when the Commission’s office in Washington, D.C. is open for business. |
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| 16. | The Company acknowledges and agrees that (i) the purchase and sale of the Securities pursuant to this Agreement is an arm’s-length commercial transaction between the Company, on the one hand, and the several Underwriters, on the other, (ii) in connection therewith and with the process leading to such transaction each Underwriter is acting solely as a principal and not the agent or fiduciary of the Company, (iii) no Underwriter has assumed an advisory or fiduciary responsibility in favor of the Company with respect to the offering contemplated hereby or the process leading thereto (irrespective of whether such Underwriter has advised or is currently advising the Company on other matters) or any other obligation to the Company except the obligations expressly set forth in this Agreement and (iv) the Company has consulted its own legal and financial advisors to the extent it deemed appropriate. The Company agrees that it will not claim that the Underwriters, or any of them, has rendered advisory services of any nature or respect, or owes a fiduciary or similar duty to the Company, in connection with such transaction or the process leading thereto. |
| 17. | This Agreement supersedes all prior agreements and understandings (whether written or oral) between the Company and the Underwriters, or any of them, with respect to the subject matter hereof. |
| 18. | This Agreement and any transaction contemplated by this Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York without regard to principles of conflict of laws that would results in the application of any other law than the laws of the State of New York. The Company agrees that any suit or proceeding arising in respect of this Agreement or any transaction contemplated by this Agreement will be tried exclusively in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York or, if that court does not have subject matter jurisdiction, in any state court located in The City and County of New York and the Company agrees to submit to the jurisdiction of, and to venue in, such courts. |
| 19. | The Company and each of the Underwriters hereby irrevocably waives, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, any and all right to trial by jury in any legal proceeding arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions contemplated hereby. |
| 20. | This Agreement may be executed by any one or more of the parties hereto in any number of counterparts, each of which shall be deemed to be an original, but all such respective counterparts shall together constitute one and the same instrument. |
| 21. | Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, the Company is authorized to disclose to any persons the U.S. federal and state income tax treatment and tax structure of the potential transaction and all materials of any kind (including tax opinions and other tax analyses) provided to the Company relating to that treatment and structure, without the Underwriters imposing any limitation of any kind. However, any information relating to the tax treatment and tax structure shall remain confidential (and the foregoing sentence shall not apply) to the extent necessary to enable any person to comply with securities laws. For this purpose, “tax structure” is limited to any facts that may be relevant to that treatment. |
| 22. | Recognition of the U.S. Special Resolution Regimes. |
| (a) | In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, the transfer from such Underwriter of this Agreement, and any interest and obligation in or under this Agreement, will be effective to the same extent as the transfer would be effective under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement, and any such interest and obligation, were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States. |
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| (b) | In the event that any Underwriter that is a Covered Entity or a BHC Act Affiliate of such Underwriter becomes subject to a proceeding under a U.S. Special Resolution Regime, Default Rights under this Agreement that may be exercised against such Underwriter are permitted to be exercised to no greater extent than such Default Rights could be exercised under the U.S. Special Resolution Regime if this Agreement were governed by the laws of the United States or a state of the United States. |
| (c) | As used in this section: |
“BHC Act Affiliate” has the meaning assigned to the term “affiliate” in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 U.S.C. § 1841(k).
“Covered Entity” means any of the following:
| (i) | a “covered entity” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 252.82(b); |
| (ii) | a “covered bank” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 47.3(b); or |
| (iii) | a “covered FSI” as that term is defined in, and interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. § 382.2(b). |
“Default Right” has the meaning assigned to that term in, and shall be interpreted in accordance with, 12 C.F.R. §§ 252.81, 47.2 or 382.1, as applicable.
“U.S. Special Resolution Regime” means each of (i) the Federal Deposit Insurance Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder and (ii) Title II of the ▇▇▇▇-▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act and the regulations promulgated thereunder.
| 23. | UK Bail-in Clause. |
| (a) | Notwithstanding and to the exclusion of any other term of this Agreement or any other agreements, arrangements, or understanding between the Underwriters and the Company, the Company acknowledges and accepts that a UK Bail-in Liability arising under this Agreement may be subject to the exercise of UK Bail-in Powers by the relevant UK resolution authority, and acknowledges, accepts, and agrees to be bound by: |
| (i) | the effect of the exercise of UK Bail-in Powers by the relevant UK resolution authority in relation to any UK Bail-in Liability of the Underwriters to the Company under this agreement, that (without limitation) may include and result in any of the following, or some combination thereof: |
(A) the reduction of all, or a portion, of the UK Bail-in Liability or outstanding amounts due thereon;
(B) the conversion of all, or a portion, of the UK Bail-in Liability into shares, other securities or other obligations of the Underwriters or another person, and the issue to or conferral on the Company of such shares, securities or obligations;
(C) the cancellation of the UK Bail-in Liability;
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(D) the amendment or alteration of any interest, if applicable, thereon, the maturity or the dates on which any payments are due, including by suspending payment for a temporary period;
| (ii) | the variation of the terms of this Agreement, as deemed necessary by the relevant UK resolution authority, to give effect to the exercise of UK Bail-in Powers by the relevant UK resolution authority. |
| (b) | For the purposes of this Section 23, the following definitions apply: |
“UK Bail-in Legislation” means Part I of the UK Banking Act 2009 and any other law or regulation applicable in the UK relating to the resolution of unsound or failing banks, investment firms or other financial institutions or their affiliates (otherwise than through liquidation, administration or other insolvency proceedings).
“UK Bail-in Liability” means a liability in respect of which the UK Bail-in Powers may be exercised.
“UK Bail-in Powers” means the powers under the UK Bail-In Legislation to cancel, transfer or dilute shares issued by a person that is a bank or investment firm or affiliate of a bank or investment firm, to cancel, reduce, modify or change the form of a liability of such a person or any contract or instrument under which that liability arises, to convert all or part of that liability into shares, securities or obligations of that person or any other person, to provide that any such contract or instrument is to have effect as if a right had been exercised under it or to suspend any obligation in respect of that liability.
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If the foregoing is in accordance with your understanding, please sign and return to us counterparts hereof, and upon the acceptance hereof by you, on behalf of each of the Underwriters, this letter and such acceptance hereof shall constitute a binding agreement between each of the Underwriters and the Company. It is understood that your acceptance of this letter on behalf of each of the Underwriters is pursuant to the authority set forth in a form of Agreement among Underwriters, the form of which shall be submitted to the Company for examination upon request, but without warranty on your part as to the authority of the signers thereof.
| Very truly yours, | ||
| GE HealthCare Technologies Inc. | ||
| By: | /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇’▇▇▇▇ | |
| Name: ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇’▇▇▇▇ | ||
| Title: Treasurer | ||
[Signature page to Underwriting Agreement]
| Accepted as of the date hereof: | ||
| ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ & Co. LLC | ||
| By: | /s/ ▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇ | |
| Name: ▇▇▇▇ ▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇ | ||
| Title: Managing Director | ||
| BofA Securities, Inc. | ||
| By: | /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ | |
| Name: ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ | ||
| Title: Managing Director | ||
| ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ & Co. LLC | ||
| By: | /s/ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ | |
| Name: ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇ | ||
| Title: Vice President | ||
| On behalf of each of the Underwriters | ||
[Signature page to Underwriting Agreement]
SCHEDULE I
| Underwriters |
Principal Amount of Securities to be Purchased |
|||
| ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ & Co. LLC |
$ | 200,000,000 | ||
| BofA Securities, Inc. |
200,000,000 | |||
| ▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ & Co. LLC. |
200,000,000 | |||
| BNP Paribas Securities Corp. |
31,000,000 | |||
| Citigroup Global Markets Inc. |
31,000,000 | |||
| Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. |
31,000,000 | |||
| HSBC Securities (USA) Inc. |
31,000,000 | |||
| ▇.▇. ▇▇▇▇▇▇ Securities LLC |
31,000,000 | |||
| Mizuho Securities USA LLC |
31,000,000 | |||
| MUFG Securities Americas Inc. |
31,000,000 | |||
| SMBC Nikko Securities America, Inc. |
31,000,000 | |||
| ANZ Securities, Inc. |
12,000,000 | |||
| Barclays Capital Inc. |
12,000,000 | |||
| BBVA Securities Inc. |
12,000,000 | |||
| Credit Agricole Securities (USA) Inc. |
12,000,000 | |||
| Danske Markets Inc. |
12,000,000 | |||
| ING Financial Markets LLC |
12,000,000 | |||
| PNC Capital Markets LLC |
12,000,000 | |||
| RBC Capital Markets, LLC |
12,000,000 | |||
| Standard Chartered Bank |
12,000,000 | |||
| Santander US Capital Markets LLC |
12,000,000 | |||
| SG Americas Securities, LLC |
12,000,000 | |||
| UniCredit Capital Markets LLC |
12,000,000 | |||
| Academy Securities, Inc. |
4,000,000 | |||
| ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ Financial Group, Inc. |
4,000,000 | |||
|
|
|
|||
| Total |
1,000,000,000 | |||
|
|
|
|||
EXHIBIT A
SIGNIFICANT SUBSIDIARIES
[Intentionally Omitted]