SEC Form 8-A12B filed by Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc

UNITED STATES 

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION 

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-A

FOR REGISTRATION OF CERTAIN CLASSES OF SECURITIES

Pursuant to Section 12(b) or (g) of The 

Securities Exchange Act of 1934

CRACKER BARREL OLD COUNTRY STORE, INC. 

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Securities to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

If this form relates to the registration of a class of securities pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act and is effective pursuant to General Instruction A.(c) or (e), please check the following box.  x

If this form relates to the registration of a class of securities pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act and is effective pursuant to General Instruction A.(d) or (e), please check the following box.  ¨

If this form relates to the registration of a class of securities concurrently with a Regulation A offering, check the following box. ¨

Securities Act registration statement or Regulation A offering statement file number to which this form relates: Not Applicable

Securities to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

None
(Title of Class)

On February 22, 2024, the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. (the “Company”), declared a dividend of one preferred share purchase right (a “Right”) for each outstanding share of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, and adopted a shareholder rights plan, as set forth in the Rights Agreement, dated as of February 27, 2024 (the “Rights Agreement”), by and between the Company and Equiniti Trust Company, LLC, as rights agent. The dividend is payable on March 8, 2024 to the shareholders of record as of the close of business on March 8, 2024.

In general terms, the Rights Agreement imposes significant dilution upon any person or group that acquires 20% or more of the outstanding common stock of the Company without the approval of the Board. The Rights Agreement will terminate unless approved by shareholders at the Company’s 2024 annual meeting. The Rights Agreement includes an exception for certain “qualifying offers” that would not cause the Rights to become exercisable. The qualifying offer exception in the Rights Agreement includes any all-cash, fully financed tender offer or any exchange offer of the common stock of the offeror meeting certain terms and conditions further described below (as well as any combination of the two), in any case with such offer being made in respect of all outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock and held open for at least 60 business days. This qualifying offer exception is designed to allow for bona fide offers of cash and/or stock while still ensuring that all of the Company’s shareholders receive fair and equal treatment in the event of any proposed takeover of the Company and guarding against abusive tactics to gain control of the Company without paying all shareholders a premium for that control.

A summary of the Rights Agreement follows. This description is only a summary, is not complete, and should be read together with the entire Rights Agreement, which has been filed as an exhibit to this Registration Statement on Form 8-A. A copy of the Rights Agreement is available free of charge from the Company upon request.

The Rights. The Rights will initially trade with, and will be inseparable from, the common stock. The Rights are evidenced only by certificates or book entries that represent shares of common stock. New Rights will accompany any new shares of common stock the Company issues after February 27, 2024 until the Distribution Date described below.

Exercise Price. Each Right will allow its holder to purchase from the Company one one-hundredth of a share of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock (a “Preferred Share”) for $600 (the “Exercise Price”), once the Rights become exercisable. This portion of a Preferred Share will give the shareholder approximately the same dividend and liquidation rights as would one share of common stock. Prior to exercise, the Right does not give its holder any dividend, voting, or liquidation rights.

Exercisability. The Rights will not be exercisable until 10 days after the public announcement that a person or group has become an “Acquiring Person” by obtaining beneficial ownership of 20% or more of the outstanding common stock.

Certain synthetic interests in securities created by derivative positions — whether or not such interests are considered to be ownership of the underlying common stock or are reportable for purposes of Regulation 13D of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) — are treated as beneficial ownership of the number of shares of the Company’s common stock equivalent to the economic exposure created by the derivative position, to the extent actual shares of the Company’s common stock are directly or indirectly held by counterparties to the derivatives contracts. Swaps dealers unassociated with any control intent or intent to evade the purposes of the Rights Agreement are excepted from such imputed beneficial ownership.

The date when the Rights become exercisable is the “Distribution Date.” Until that date, the common stock certificates will also evidence the Rights, and any transfer of shares of common stock will constitute a transfer of Rights. After that date, the Rights will separate from the common stock and be evidenced by book-entry credits or by Rights certificates that the Company will mail to all eligible holders of common stock. Any Rights held by an Acquiring Person are void and may not be exercised.

Consequences of a Person or Group Becoming an Acquiring Person.

Preferred Share Provisions.

Each one one-hundredth of a Preferred Share, if issued:

The value of one one-hundredth interest in a Preferred Share should approximate the value of one share of common stock.

Expiration. If the Rights Agreement is approved by the shareholders at the 2024 annual meeting, the Rights will expire on February 27, 2027. If shareholders do not approve the Rights Agreement, it will expire immediately following certification of the vote at the 2024 annual meeting.

Redemption. The Board may redeem the Rights for $0.01 per Right at any time before any person or group becomes an Acquiring Person. If the Board redeems any Rights, it must redeem all of the Rights. Once the Rights are redeemed, the only right of the holders of Rights will be to receive the redemption price of $0.01 per Right. The redemption price will be adjusted if the Company has a stock split or issues stock dividends of its common stock.

Qualifying Offer Provision. The Rights would also not interfere with any all-cash, fully financed tender offer, exchange offer of common stock of the offeror meeting certain terms and conditions further described below, or a combination thereof, in each case for all shares of the Company’s outstanding common stock, remaining open for a minimum of 60 business days, and subject to a minimum condition of acceptance by a majority of the outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock and providing for a 20 business day “subsequent offering period” after consummation (such offers are referred to as “qualifying offers”). If an offer includes shares of common stock of the offeror, the Rights would not interfere with such offer if such consideration consists solely of freely-tradeable common stock of a publicly-owned United States corporation; such common stock is listed or admitted to trading on the New York Stock Exchange, Nasdaq Global Select Market or Nasdaq Global Market; the offeror has already received stockholder approval to issue such common stock prior to the commencement of such offer or no such approval is or will be required; the offeror has no other class of voting stock outstanding; no person (including such person’s affiliated and associated persons) beneficially owns twenty percent (20%) or more of the shares of common stock of the offeror then outstanding at the time of commencement of the offer or at any time during the term of the offer; and the offeror meets the registrant eligibility requirements for use of a registration statement on Form S-3 for registering securities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, including the filing of all reports required to be filed pursuant to the Exchange Act in a timely manner during the twelve (12) calendar months prior to the date of commencement, and throughout the term, of such offer. In the event the Company receives a qualifying offer and the Board has not redeemed the Rights prior to the consummation of such offer, the consummation of the qualifying offer will not cause the offeror or its affiliates or associates to become an Acquiring Person, and the Rights will immediately expire upon consummation of the qualifying offer.

Exchange. After a person or group becomes an Acquiring Person, but before an Acquiring Person owns 50% or more of the outstanding common stock of the Company, the Board may extinguish the Rights by exchanging one share of common stock or an equivalent security for each Right, other than Rights held by the Acquiring Person.

Anti-Dilution Provisions. The Board may adjust the purchase price of the Preferred Shares, the number of Preferred Shares issuable and the number of outstanding Rights to prevent dilution that may occur from a stock dividend, a stock split, or a reclassification of the Preferred Shares or common stock. No adjustments to the Exercise Price of less than 1% will be made.

Amendments. The terms of the Rights Agreement may be amended by the Board without the consent of the holders of the Rights. After a person or group becomes an Acquiring Person, the Board may not amend the Rights Agreement in a way that adversely affects holders of the Rights.

The Rights Agreement is attached hereto as an exhibit and is incorporated herein by reference. The foregoing description of the Rights is qualified in its entirety by reference to such exhibit.

SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, hereunto duly authorized.