SEC Form DEFA14A filed by United Parks & Resorts Inc.
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE 14A
Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(Amendment No. )
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Filed by a Party other than the Registrant |
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Preliminary Proxy Statement
Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e) (2))
Definitive Proxy Statement
Definitive Additional Materials
Soliciting Material Pursuant to §240.14a-12
UNITED PARKS & RESORTS INC.
(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)
(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if Other Than the Registrant)
Payment of Filing Fee (Check all boxes that apply):
No fee required.
Fee paid previously with preliminary materials.
Fee computed on table in exhibit required by Item 25(b) per Exchange Act Rules 14a-6(i) (1) and 0-11.
SUPPLEMENT TO THE PROXY STATEMENT
FOR THE 2025 ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS
TO BE HELD JUNE 13, 2025
The following information supplements and amends the proxy statement (the “Proxy Statement”) of United Parks & Resorts Inc. (the “Company”) furnished to stockholders of the Company in connection with the solicitation of proxies by the Board of Directors of the Company for the 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and any adjournment or postponement thereof (the “Annual Meeting”). Capitalized terms used in this supplement to the Proxy Statement (this “Supplement”) and not otherwise defined have the meaning given to them in the Proxy Statement. This Supplement is being filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and being made available to stockholders on June 6, 2025.
This Supplement is being filed in order to: (1) include the United Parks & Resorts Inc. 2025 Omnibus Incentive Plan (the “Plan”) as Annex A to the Proxy Statement, and (2) to provide the United Parks & Resorts Securities Trading Policy (the “Trading Policy”) as Annex B to the Proxy Statement. The Plan was inadvertently omitted from the filing of the Proxy Statement on April 30, 2025. Except as specifically set forth herein, this Supplement does not otherwise modify or update any other disclosures presented in the Proxy Statement.
THE PROXY STATEMENT CONTAINS IMPORTANT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND THIS SUPPLEMENT SHOULD BE READ IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE PROXY STATEMENT.
Only stockholders of record as of the close of business on April 15, 2025 are entitled to receive notice of and to vote at the Annual Meeting.
Annex A
UNITED PARKS & RESORTS INC.
2025 OMNIBUS INCENTIVE PLAN
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TRANSFER OF THIS CERTIFICATE AND THE SHARES REPRESENTED HEREBY IS RESTRICTED PURSUANT TO THE TERMS OF THE UNITED PARKS & RESORTS INC. 2025 OMNIBUS INCENTIVE PLAN AND A RESTRICTED STOCK AWARD AGREEMENT, BETWEEN UNITED PARKS & RESORTS INC. AND PARTICIPANT. A COPY OF SUCH PLAN AND AWARD AGREEMENT IS ON FILE AT THE PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICES OF UNITED PARKS & RESORTS INC.
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For purposes of clause (i) above, an award will be considered granted in substitution of an Award if it has an equivalent value (as determined consistent with clause (ii) above) with the original Award, whether designated in securities of the acquiror in such Change in Control transaction (or an Affiliate thereof), or in cash or other property (including in the same consideration that other stockholders of the Company receive in connection with such Change in Control transaction), and retains the vesting schedule applicable to the original Award.
Payments to holders pursuant to clause (ii) above shall be made in cash or, in the sole discretion of the Committee, in the form of such other consideration necessary for a Participant to receive property, cash, or securities (or combination thereof) as such Participant would have been entitled to receive upon the occurrence of the transaction if the Participant had been, immediately prior to such transaction, the holder of the number of shares of Common Stock covered by the Award at such time (less any applicable Exercise Price or Strike Price).
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(each transferee described in clauses (A), (B), (C) and (D) above is hereinafter referred to as a “Permitted Transferee”); provided that the Participant gives the Committee advance written notice describing the terms and conditions of the proposed transfer and the Committee notifies the Participant in writing that such a transfer would comply with the requirements of the Plan.
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Annex B
Securities Trading Policy
Effective as of March 5, 2024
This Securities Trading Policy (“Policy”) contains the following sections:
1.0 General
2.0 Definitions
3.0 Statement of Policy
4.0 Certain Exceptions
5.0 Pre-clearance of Trades and Other Procedures
6.0 10b5-1 Plans/Margin Accounts and Pledges/Short Sales
7.0 Potential Criminal And Civil Liability And/Or Disciplinary Action
8.0 Broker Requirements for Section 16 Persons
9.0 Confidentiality
10.0 Legal Effect of this Policy
1.0 General
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2.0 Definitions
Examples of material information include, but are not limited to:
Information that something is likely to happen or even just that it may happen can be material. Courts often resolve close cases in favor of finding the information material. Therefore, Insiders should err on the side of caution. Insiders should keep in mind that the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) rules and regulations provide that the mere fact that a person is aware of the information is a bar to trading. It is no excuse that such person’s reasons for trading were not based on the information.
First, the information must have been widely disseminated. Insiders should assume that information has NOT been widely disseminated unless one or more of the following has occurred:
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Second, the information disseminated must be some form of “official” announcement. In other words, the fact that rumors, speculation, or statements attributed to unidentified sources are public is insufficient to be considered widely disseminated even when the information is accurate.
Third, after the information has been disseminated, a period of time must pass sufficient for the information to be assimilated by the general public. As a general rule, at least 48 hours (several of which must be hours during which the New York Stock Exchange is open for trading) must elapse between the dissemination of information in a national news medium and when that information may be considered public.
3.0 Statement of Policy
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The prohibition on trading in the Corporation’s securities set forth in Section 3.0 above does not apply to:
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5.0 Pre-clearance of Trades and Other Procedures
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6.0 10b5-1 Plans/Margin Accounts and Pledges/Short Sales
You have an affirmative defense against any claim by the SEC against you for insider trading if your trade was made under a 10b5-1 trading plan that you entered into when you were not aware of Material Non-Public Information. The rules regarding 10b5-1 trading plans are complex and you must fully comply with them. You should consult with your legal advisor before proceeding.
Each Insider who is not also a Section 16 Officer must pre-clear with the General Counsel his/her proposed 10b5-1 trading plan prior to the establishment of such plan. Each Section 16 Officer must pre-clear his/her proposed 10b5-1 trading plan with both the General Counsel and the Compensation Committee prior to the establishment of such plan. Each of the Corporation and/or the Compensation Committee, as applicable, reserves the right to withhold pre-clearance of any 10b5-1 trading plan that it determines is not consistent with the rules regarding such plans. Notwithstanding any pre-clearance of a 10b5-1 trading plan, the Corporation assumes no liability for the consequences of any transaction made pursuant to such plan.
If you enter into a 10b5-1 trading plan, your 10b5-1 trading plan should be structured to avoid purchases or sales shortly before known announcements, such as quarterly or annual earnings announcements. Even though transactions executed in accordance with a properly formulated 10b5-1 trading plan are exempt from the insider trading rules, the trades may nonetheless occur at times shortly before we announce material news, and the investing public and media may not understand the nuances of trading pursuant to a
10b5-1 trading plan. This could result in negative publicity for you and the Corporation if the SEC or the New York Stock Exchange were to investigate your trades.
For Insiders who are not Section 16 Officers, any modification of a pre-approved 10b5-1 trading plan requires pre-approval by the General Counsel. Any modification of a Section 16 Officer’s pre-approved 10b5-1 trading plan requires pre-approval by both the General Counsel and the Compensation Committee. Such modification must occur before you become aware of any Material Non-Public Information and must comply with the requirements of the rules regarding 10b5-1 trading plans and, if you are subject to Window Period restrictions, during a Window Period.
Transactions effected pursuant to a pre-cleared 10b5-1 trading plan will not require further pre-clearance at the time of the transaction if the plan specifies the dates, prices and amounts of the contemplated trades, or establishes a formula for determining the dates, prices and amounts.
Finally, if you are a Section 16 Person, 10b5-1 trading plans require special care. Because in a 10b5-1 trading plan you can specify conditions that trigger a purchase or sale, you
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may not even be aware that a transaction has taken place and you may not be able to comply with the SEC’s requirement that you report your transaction to the SEC within two business days after its execution. Therefore, for Section 16 Persons, a transaction executed according to a 10b5-1 trading plan is not permitted unless the 10b5- 1 trading plan requires your broker to notify the Corporation before the close of business on the day after the execution of the transaction. See Section 8.0.
Similarly, securities held in an account which may be borrowed against or are otherwise pledged (or hypothecated) as collateral for a loan may be sold in foreclosure if the borrower defaults on the loan. Accordingly, if you purchase securities on margin or pledge them as collateral for a loan, a margin sale or foreclosure sale may occur at a time when you are aware of Material Non-Public Information or otherwise are not permitted to trade in our securities. The sale, even though not initiated at your request, is still a sale for your benefit and may subject you to liability under the insider trading rules if made at a time when you are aware of Material Non-Public Information. Similar cautions apply to a bank or other loans for which you have pledged stock as collateral.
Therefore, no PRKS Personnel, whether or not in possession of Material Non-Public Information, may purchase the Corporation’s securities on margin, or borrow against any account in which the Corporation’s securities are held, or pledge the Corporation’s securities as collateral for a loan, without first obtaining pre-clearance. Request for approval must be submitted to the General Counsel at least two weeks prior to the execution of the documents evidencing the proposed pledge. The General Counsel is under no obligation to approve any request for pre-clearance and may determine not to permit the arrangement for any reason. Approvals will be based on the particular facts and circumstances of the request, including, but not limited to, the percentage amount that the securities being pledged represent of the total number of our securities held by the person making the request and the financial capacity of the person making the request. Notwithstanding the pre-clearance of any request, the Corporation assumes no liability for the consequences of any transaction made pursuant to such request.
7.0 Potential Criminal And Civil Liability And/Or Disciplinary Action
You should also bear in mind that any proceeding alleging improper trading will necessarily occur after the trade has been completed and is particularly susceptible to second-guessing with the benefit of hindsight. Therefore, as a practical matter, before engaging in any transaction you should carefully consider how enforcement authorities and others might view the transaction in hindsight. Further, whether or not you possess Material Non-Public Information, it is advisable that you invest in the Corporation’s securities or the securities of any company that has a substantial relationship with the Corporation from the perspective of a long term investor who would like to participate over time in the Corporation’s or such company’s earnings growth.
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The timely reporting of transactions requires tight interface with brokers handling transactions for our directors and executive officers. A knowledgeable, alert broker can also serve as a gatekeeper, helping to ensure compliance with our pre-clearance procedures and helping prevent inadvertent violations. Therefore, in order to facilitate timely compliance by the directors and executive officers of the Corporation with the requirements of Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, brokers of Section 16 Persons need to comply with the following requirements:
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Because it is the legal obligation of the trading person to cause this filing to be made, you are strongly encouraged to confirm following any transaction that your broker has immediately telephoned and e-mailed the required information to the Corporation.
9.0 Confidentiality
No PRKS Personnel should disclose any Non-Public Information to non-PRKS Personnel (including to family members), except when such disclosure is needed to carry out the Corporation’s business and then only when the PRKS Personnel disclosing the information has no reason to believe that the recipient will misuse the information. When such information is disclosed, the recipient must be told that such information may be used only for the business purpose related to its disclosure and that the information must be held in confidence. PRKS Personnel should disclose Non-Public Information to other PRKS Personnel only in the ordinary course of business, for legitimate business purposes and in the absence of reasons to believe that the information will be misused or improperly disclosed by the recipient. Written information should be appropriately safeguarded and should not be left where it may be seen by persons not entitled to the information and Non-Public Information should not be discussed with any person within the Corporation under circumstances where it could be overheard. See also, Controlling Persons, Section 7.2.
In addition to other circumstances where it may be applicable, this confidentiality policy must be strictly adhered to in responding to inquiries about the Corporation that may be made by the press, securities analysts or other members of the financial community. It is important that responses to any such inquiries be made on behalf of the Corporation by a duly designated officer. Accordingly, PRKS Personnel should not respond to any such inquiries and should refer all such inquiries to the Chief Financial Officer. See also, Statement of Policy, Sections 3.4 and 3.5.
The Corporation’s Policy with respect to insider trading and the disclosure of confidential information, and the procedures that implement this Policy, are not intended to serve as precise recitations of the legal prohibitions against insider trading and tipping which are highly complex, fact specific and evolving. Certain of the procedures are designed to prevent even the appearance of impropriety and in some respects may be more restrictive than the securities laws. Therefore, these procedures are not intended to serve as a basis for establishing civil or criminal liability that would not otherwise exist.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENT CONCERNING SECURITIES TRADING POLICY
If you are a Permanent Restricted Person as described in Section 5.1 or have been notified by us that you are subject to the pre-clearance requirements as an Other Restricted Person as described in Section 5.2, we ask that you acknowledge that you have received and read this Securities Trading Policy. United Parks & Resorts Inc. may ask you to re-submit this acknowledgement on an annual basis, at such time as a person has been designated as an Other Restricted Person or whenever the Securities Trading Policy is significantly updated.
If you are not a Permanent Restricted Person and have not been notified by us that you have been designated as an Other Restricted Person, you do not have to sign the acknowledgement below.
By my signature below, I acknowledge that I have read and received United Parks & Resorts Inc.’s Securities Trading Policy.
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