Articles of Association of Grifols, S.A
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION OF GRIFOLS, S.A. ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION OF GRIFOLS, S.A. TITLE I CORPORATE NAME AND PURPOSE, REGISTERED OFFICE AND DURATION Article 1.- Corporate name.- The company is named GRIFOLS, S.A. (the “Company”) and it is a public limited company (sociedad anónima) of Spanish nationality and corporate nature. The Company shall be governed by its Corporate Governance System and, as to matters not contemplated or provided for herein, by the legal provisions regarding public limited companies and any other legal provisions applicable thereto. The Company’s Corporate Governance System shall consist of the Articles of Association, the Regulation of the General Shareholders’ Meeting, the Regulation of the Board of Directors and the remaining Reports, Regulations and Internal Corporate Governance Regulations, passed by the competent bodies of the Company. Article 2.- The corporate purpose of the Company is to provide administration, management and supervision services for companies and businesses, as well as investments in moveable and real estate assets. Article 3.- Registered office.- The Company has its registered office in Barcelona (08022), calle Jesús y María, number 6. The Board of Directors may resolve to relocate the registered office within the municipal area of Barcelona and to create branches, offices or agencies anywhere in Spain or abroad. Article 4.- The Company has been established for an unlimited period of time, commencing its operations on the date of formalization of the notarial deed of incorporation. Article 5.- The fiscal year will begin on the first day of January and end on December 31st of every year; with the exception of the year ending on December 31st, 1997, which began on August 1st, 1997. TITLE II SHARE CAPITAL AND SHARES Article 6.- Share Capital.- 1. Shares. The share capital of the Company is 119,603,705 euros, represented by 687,554,908 shares, fully subscribed and paid-up, pertaining to two separate classes: -1- ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION OF GRIFOLS, S.A. 1.1. Class “A” comprises 426,129,798 shares with a nominal value of 0.25 euros each, all of which belong to the same class and series, and being the ordinary shares of the Company (the “Class A Shares”); and 1.2. Class “B” comprises 261,425,110 shares with a nominal value of 0.05 euros each, all of which belong to the same class and series and are non-voting shares of the Company with the preferential rights set forth in Article 6 Bis of these Articles of Association (the “Class B Shares” and, together with the Class A Shares, the “shares”). 2. Form of Representation. The shares are represented by means of book entries and are governed by the Securities Market Act (Ley del Mercado de Valores) and such other provisions as may be applicable. The book entries registry shall be managed by the company Sociedad de Gestión de los Sistemas de Registro, Compensación y Liquidación de Valores, S.A. (Iberclear) and its participating entities. Article 6 Bis.- Terms and conditions of the Class B Shares.- 1. General.- Each Class B Share shall be treated in all respects, in spite of having a lower nominal value, as identical to one Class A Share, and Class B Shares shall not be subject to discriminatory treatment regarding Class A Shares, although, as an exception to the foregoing, the Class B Shares (i) are not entitled to voting rights; and (ii) they have the right to preferred dividend, preference liquidation share and the remaining rights set forth herein. The right of each Class B Share to the dividends and other distributions other than the Preferred Dividend and the preferential subscription right (derecho de suscripción preferente) and the free allotment right (derecho de asignación gratuita de acciones) of each Class B Share, are the ones set forth in sections 3.1 and 6.1 of this Article 6 Bis and are equal to those of a Class A Share, in spite of the fact that the nominal value of a Class B Share is lower than that of a Class A Share, pursuant to the provisions of Articles 98 to 103 and 498 to 499 of the Companies Act (Ley de Sociedades de Capital). 2. Preferred Dividends.- 2.1. Calculation. Each Class B Share entitles its holder to receive a minimum annual preferred dividend out of the distributable profits for each year at the end of which it is still in issue (the “Preferred Dividend” and, each fiscal year in respect of which the Preferred Dividend is calculated, a “Calculation Period”) equal to 0.01 euros per Class B Share. 2.2. Preference. The Company shall pay the Preferred Dividend on the Class B Shares for a Calculation Period before any dividend out of distributable profits obtained by the Company during such Calculation Period is paid on the Class A Shares. 2.3. Accrual. Payment. Non-cumulative nature. -2- ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION OF GRIFOLS, S.A. (A) The Preferred Dividend corresponding to all Class B Shares that are issued at the end of a Calculation Period shall be paid by the Company to the holders of Class B Shares within the nine months following the end of such Calculation Period, in the aggregate amount that such Preferred Dividend does not exceed the amount of distributable profits obtained by the Company during such Calculation Period. (B) If during a Calculation Period the Company has not obtained sufficient distributable profits to pay in full, out of the distributable profits obtained by the Company during such Calculation Period, the Preferred Dividend on all the Class B Shares that have been issued for such Calculation Period, the part of the aggregate amount of such Preferred Dividend for the Class B Shares that exceeds the distributable profits obtained by the Company during such Calculation Period shall not be paid nor accumulated as a dividend payable in the future. 2.4. Voting rights in case of non-payment of the Preferred Dividend. The lack of total or partial payment of the Preferred Dividend during a Calculation Period due to the Company not having obtained sufficient distributable profits to pay in full the Preferred Dividend for such Calculation Period, shall not entail for the Class B Shares the recovery of any voting rights. 3. Other Dividends.- 3.1. Each Class B Share entitles its holder to receive, in addition to the Preferred Dividend, the same dividends and other distributions (regardless of whether such dividends or distributions are satisfied in cash, in securities of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or any other securities, assets or rights) as one Class A Share and, consequently, each Class B Share shall be treated as one Class A Share regarding any dividends and other distributions satisfied to the holders of Class A Shares, including what is related to the timing of the declaration and payment of any such dividends or distributions. 4. Redemption rights.- 4.1 Redemption event. Each Class B Share entitles its holder to obtain its redemption as set forth in this section 4 in the event that (each offer that meets the following requirements, a “Redemption Event”) a tender acquisition offer over all or part of the shares in the Company is made and settled (in whole or in part), except if holders of Class B Shares have been entitled to participate in such offer and to their shares acquired in such offer equally and on the same terms as holders of Class A Shares (including, without limitation, for the same consideration). 4.2 Maximum percentage of Class B Shares to be redeemed in a Redemption Event. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Class B Shares redeemed as a result of a specific Redemption Event will not be allowed to represent, as regards the total Class B Shares in circulation at the time the tender acquisition offer that gives rise to the Redemption Event is made, a higher percentage that the sum of the Class A Shares (i) to which the offer giving rise to this Redemption Event is addressed, (ii) held by the offerors of that -3- ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION OF GRIFOLS, S.A. offer; and (iii) held by the persons acting together with the offerors or by the persons that have reached some kind of an agreement regarding the offer related to all Class A Shares in circulation at the time the tender acquisition offer that gives rise to this Redemption Event is made. In the event that as a result of the application of the limit referred to above not all Class B Shares regarding which the redemption right of this Redemption Event has been exercised may be redeemed, the Class B Shares to be redeemed from each holder of Class B Shares shall be reduced in proportion to the number of Class B Shares regarding which such holder has exercised the redemption right so that the above referred limit is not exceeded. 4.3 Redemption process. In case a Redemption Event takes place, (A) Notice: The Company shall, for informative purposes only and within 10 days of the date on which a Redemption Event takes place, publish in the Official Gazette of the Commercial Registry, the Spanish Stock Exchange Gazettes and in at least two of the newspapers with broadest circulation in Barcelona, a notice informing the holders of Class B Shares of the occurrence of a Redemption Event and of the process for the exercise of the redemption right in connection with such Redemption Event. (B) Exercise by holders: Each holder of Class B Shares shall be entitled to exercise its redemption right during two months as from the first date of settlement of the offer causing the Redemption Event by means of notification to the Company.