S-8

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 1, 2020

File No. 333-                

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM S-8

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

 

COMMSCOPE HOLDING COMPANY, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Delaware   27-4332098

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

1100 CommScope Place, SE

Hickory, North Carolina 28602

(Address, including zip code, of Principal Executive Offices)

Restricted Stock Units and Performance Share Units

Granted as Employment Inducement Awards Outside of a Plan

(Full title of the plan)

Copies to:

 

Frank B. Wyatt, II

Senior Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary

CommScope Holding Company, Inc.

1100 CommScope Place, SE

Hickory, NC 28602

(828) 324-2200

 

Michael L. Stevens

Alston & Bird LLP

One Atlantic Center

1201 W. Peachtree Street

Atlanta, Georgia 30309

(404) 881-7000

(Name, address and telephone number of agent for service)  

 

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act:

 

Large accelerated filer      Accelerated filer  
Non-accelerated filer      Smaller reporting company  
     Emerging growth company  

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act.  ☐

 

 

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

 

Title of securities
to be registered
 

Amount

to be

registered

  Proposed
maximum
offering price
per share
  Proposed
maximum
aggregate
offering price
  Amount of
registration fee

Common Stock, $0.01 par value

  1,600,000 (1)   $8.40 (2)   $13,440,000 (2)   $1,466.31

 

 

(1)

Represents shares that may be issued pursuant to the grant of restricted stock units and performance share units granted as employment inducement awards outside of a plan, including additional shares that may become issuable in accordance with the adjustment and anti-dilution provisions of the awards.

(2)

Determined pursuant to Rule 457(h) under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), solely for the purpose of calculating the registration fee, based on the average of the high and low prices of the Company’s common stock (“Common Stock”) on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on September 25, 2020.

 

 

 


PART I

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE SECTION 10(a) PROSPECTUS

(a) The documents constituting Part I of this registration statement on Form S-8 (this “Registration Statement”) will be delivered to participants receiving inducement awards as specified by Rule 428(b)(1) under the Securities Act. These documents and the documents incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement pursuant to Item 3 of Part II of this form, taken together, constitute a prospectus that meets the requirements of Section 10(a) of the Securities Act.

(b) Upon written or oral request, the Company will provide, without charge, the documents incorporated by reference in Item 3 of Part II of this Registration Statement. The documents are incorporated by reference in the Section 10(a) prospectus. The Company will also provide, without charge, upon written or oral request, other documents required to be delivered to participants pursuant to Rule 428(b). Requests for the above mentioned information should be directed to the Company’s Secretary at telephone number (828) 324-2200 or the address on the cover of this Registration Statement.

PART II

INFORMATION REQUIRED IN THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT

 

Item 3.

Incorporation of Documents by Reference.

The following documents, filed by the Company with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), are incorporated herein by reference and deemed to be a part hereof (excluding any portions of such documents that are deemed to be “furnished” but not “filed” for purposes of the Exchange Act):

 

  (a)

The Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, filed with the Commission on February 20, 2020;

 

  (b)

The Company’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2020 and June 30, 2020, filed with the Commission on May  7, 2020 and August 6, 2020;

 

  (c)

The Company’s Current Reports on Form 8-K, filed with the Commission on February  20, 2020 (Item 5.02 only); March  30, 2020; April  1, 2020; April  15, 2020; May  11, 2020; June  15, 2020; July  2, 2020; September  21, 2020; and October 1, 2020;

 

  (c)

The description of the Common Stock contained in the Company’s registration statement on Form 8-A, filed with the Commission on October 22, 2013 (File No.  001-36146), as amended by the description of our common stock contained in Exhibit 4.10 to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019, and any amendment or report filed with the Commission for the purpose of updating such description.

All documents filed by the Company subsequent to the date of this Registration Statement pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act, and prior to the filing of a post-effective amendment which indicates that all securities offered hereby have been sold or which deregisters all such securities then remaining unsold, shall be deemed to be incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents.

Any statement contained in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this Registration Statement to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any other subsequently filed document which also is incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this Registration Statement.

 

Item 4.

Description of Securities.

Not applicable.

 

Item 5.

Interests of Named Experts and Counsel.

Not applicable.


Item 6.

Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

Subsection (a) of Section 145 of the DGCL empowers a corporation to indemnify any person who was or is a party or who is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action, suit or proceeding, whether civil, criminal, administrative or investigative (other than an action by or in the right of the corporation) by reason of the fact that the person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, with respect to any criminal action or proceeding, had no reasonable cause to believe the person’s conduct was unlawful.

Subsection (b) of Section 145 empowers a corporation to indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any threatened, pending or completed action or suit by or in the right of the corporation to procure a judgment in its favor by reason of the fact that the person acted in any of the capacities set forth above, against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by the person in connection with the defense or settlement of such action or suit if the person acted in good faith and in a manner the person reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, except that no indemnification shall be made in respect of any claim, issue or matter as to which such person shall have been adjudged to be liable to the corporation unless and only to the extent that the Court of Chancery or the court in which such action or suit was brought shall determine upon application that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which the Court of Chancery or such other court shall deem proper.

Section 145 further provides that to the extent a director or officer of a corporation has been successful on the merits or otherwise in the defense of any action, suit or proceeding referred to in subsections (a) and (b) of Section 145, or in defense of any claim, issue or matter therein, such person shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection therewith; that indemnification provided for by Section 145 shall not be deemed exclusive of any other rights to which the indemnified party may be entitled; and the indemnification provided for by Section 145 shall, unless otherwise provided when authorized or ratified, continue as to a person who has ceased to be a director, officer, employee or agent and shall inure to the benefit of such person’s heirs, executors and administrators. Section 145 also empowers the corporation to purchase and maintain insurance on behalf of any person who is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation, or is or was serving at the request of the corporation as a director, officer, employee or agent of another corporation, partnership, joint venture, trust or other enterprise against any liability asserted against such person and incurred by such person in any such capacity or arising out of his status as such, whether or not the corporation would have the power to indemnify such person against such liabilities under Section 145.

The Company’s amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that its directors will not be personally liable to the Company or its stockholders for monetary damages resulting from breach of their fiduciary duties. However, nothing contained in such provision will eliminate or limit the liability of directors (1) for any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the Company or the Company’s stockholders, (2) for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of the law, (3) under Section 174 of the DGCL or (4) for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit.

The Company’s amended and restated bylaws provide for indemnification of the officers and directors to the full extent permitted by applicable law.

In addition, the Company has entered into agreements to indemnify its directors and executive officers containing provisions which are in some respects broader than the specific indemnification provisions contained in the DGCL. The indemnification agreements require the Company, among other things, to indemnify its directors against certain liabilities that may arise by reason of their status or service as directors and to advance their expenses incurred as a result of any proceeding against them as to which they could be indemnified.

 

Item 7.

Exemption from Registration Claimed.

Not applicable.


Item 8.

Exhibits.

 

Exhibit

Number

  

Description

  3.1    Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of CommScope Holding Company, Inc. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the Company’s Form 10-Q (File No. 001-36146), filed with the Commission on November 7, 2013).
  3.2    Certificate of Designations Designating Series A Preferred Stock (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the Company’s Form 8-K (File No. 001-36146), filed with the Commission on April 4, 2019).
  3.3    Fourth Amended and Restated By-Laws of CommScope Holding Company, Inc. (as adopted December  13, 2016) (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-36146), filed with the Commission on December  14, 2016).
  5.1    Opinion of Alston & Bird LLP.
23.1    Consent of Alston & Bird LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1).
23.2    Consent of Ernst & Young LLP.
24.1    Power of Attorney (included on the signature page of this Registration Statement).

 

Item 9.

Undertakings.

(a) The Company hereby undertakes:

(1) To file, during any period in which offers or sales are being made, a post-effective amendment to this Registration Statement:

(i) To include any prospectus required by Section 10(a)(3) of the Securities Act;

(ii) To reflect in the prospectus any facts or events arising after the effective date of this Registration Statement (or the most recent post-effective amendment thereof) which, individually or in the aggregate, represent a fundamental change in the information set forth in this Registration Statement; and

(iii) To include any material information with respect to the plan of distribution not previously disclosed in this Registration Statement or any material change to such information in this Registration Statement;

Provided, however, that paragraphs (a)(1)(i) and (a)(1)(ii) above do not apply if the registration statement is on Form S-8, and the information required to be included in a post-effective amendment by those paragraphs is contained in reports filed with or furnished to the Commission by the Company pursuant to section 13 or section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that are incorporated by reference in this Registration Statement.

(2) That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each such post-effective amendment shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

(3) To remove from registration by means of a post-effective amendment any of the securities being registered which remain unsold at the termination of the offering.

(b) The undersigned Company hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act of 1933, each filing of the Company’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) that is incorporated by reference in the registration statement shall be deemed to be a new registration statement relating to the securities offered therein, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.


(c) Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act of 1933 may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Company pursuant to the foregoing provisions, or otherwise, the Company has been advised that in the opinion of the Securities and Exchange Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by the Company of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of the Company in the successful defense of any action, suit or proceeding) is asserted by such director, officer or controlling person in connection with the securities being registered, the Company will, unless in the opinion of its counsel the matter has been settled by controlling precedent, submit to a court of appropriate jurisdiction the question whether such indemnification by it is against public policy as expressed in the Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.


SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Company certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the city of Hickory, state of North Carolina, on this 1st day of October, 2020.

 

COMMSCOPE HOLDING COMPANY, INC.
By:  

/s/ Charles L. Treadway

  Charles L. Treadway
  President, Chief Executive Officer and Director

POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Frank B. Wyatt, II, his true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution and resubstitution, for him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any amendments (including post-effective amendments) to this Registration Statement, and to file the same, with all exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto said attorney-in-fact and agent full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite and necessary to be done in and about the premises, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or could do in person, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorney-in-fact, agent or his substitutes may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, this Registration Statement has been signed by the following persons in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

Signature

  

Title

  

Date

/s/ Charles L. Treadway

Charles L. Treadway

   President, Chief Executive Officer and Director (Principal Executive Officer)    October 1, 2020

/s/ Alexander W. Pease

Alexander W. Pease

   Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial Officer)    October 1, 2020

/s/ Brooke B. Clark

Brooke B. Clark

   Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer (Principal Accounting Officer)    October 1, 2020

/s/ Claudius E. Watts IV

Claudius E. Watts IV

   Director and Chairman of the Board    October 1, 2020

/s/ Austin A. Adams

Austin A. Adams

   Director    October 1, 2020

/s/ Daniel F. Akerson

Daniel F. Akerson

   Director    October 1, 2020

/s/ Mary S. Chan

Mary S. Chan

   Director    October 1, 2020

/s/ Frank M. Drendel

Frank M. Drendel

   Director    October 1, 2020


/s/ Stephen C. Gray

Stephen C. Gray

   Director    October 1, 2020

/s/ L. William Krause

L. William Krause

   Director    October 1, 2020

/s/ Joanne M. Maguire

Joanne M. Maguire

   Director    October 1, 2020

/s/ Thomas J. Manning

Thomas J. Manning

   Director    October 1, 2020

/s/ Patrick R. McCarter

Patrick R. McCarter

   Director    October 1, 2020

/s/ Timothy T. Yates

Timothy T. Yates

   Director    October 1, 2020

 

EX-5.1

Exhibit 5.1

 

LOGO

One Atlantic Center

1201 West Peachtree Street

Atlanta, GA 30309-3424

404-881-7000 | Fax: 404-881-7777

 

Michael L. Stevens   Direct Dial: 404-881-7970    Email: mike.stevens@alston.com

October 1, 2020

CommScope Holding Company, Inc.

1100 CommScope Place, SE

Hickory, NC 28602

 

Re:

Registration Statement on Form S-8 – CommScope Holding Company, Inc.

Restricted Stock Units and Performance Share Units Granted as Employment Inducement Awards Outside of a Plan

Ladies and Gentlemen:

We have acted as counsel to CommScope Holding Company, Inc., a Delaware corporation (the “Corporation”), in connection with the above-referenced Registration Statement on Form S-8 (the “Registration Statement”) to be filed on the date hereof by the Corporation with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) to register under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), 1,600,000 shares of the Corporation’s common stock, $0.01 par value per share (the “Shares”), which may be issued pursuant to the grant of restricted stock units and performance share units to be awarded outside of a plan as employment inducement awards (the “Awards”). We are furnishing this opinion letter pursuant to Item 8 of Form S-8 and Item 601(b)(5) of the Commission’s Regulation S-K.

In connection with our opinion below, we have examined the Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Corporation, the Fourth Amended and Restated By-Laws of the Corporation, records of proceedings of the Board of Directors of the Corporation, or committees thereof, deemed by us to be relevant to this opinion letter, the form award certificates relating to the Awards and the Registration Statement. We also have made such further legal and factual examinations and investigations as we deemed necessary for purposes of expressing the opinion set forth herein. In our examination, we have assumed the genuineness of all signatures, the legal capacity of all natural persons, the authenticity of all documents submitted to us as original documents and the conformity to original documents of all documents submitted to us as certified, conformed, facsimile, electronic or photostatic copies.

As to certain factual matters relevant to this opinion letter, we have relied conclusively upon originals or copies, certified or otherwise identified to our satisfaction, of such other records, agreements, documents and instruments, including certificates or comparable documents of officers of the Corporation and of public officials, as we have deemed appropriate as a basis for the opinion hereinafter set forth. Except to the extent expressly set forth herein, we have made no independent investigations with regard to matters of fact, and, accordingly, we do not express any opinion as to matters that might have been disclosed by independent verification.

Our opinion set forth below is limited to the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, applicable provisions of the Constitution of the State of Delaware and reported judicial decisions interpreting such General Corporation Law and Constitution that, in our professional judgment, are normally applicable to transactions of the type contemplated by the Awards, and we do not express any opinion herein concerning any other laws.

This opinion letter is provided for use solely in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Registration Statement and may not be used, circulated, quoted or otherwise relied upon for any other purpose without our express written consent. The only opinion rendered by us consists of those matters set forth in the sixth paragraph hereof, and no opinion may be implied or inferred beyond the opinion expressly stated. Our opinion expressed herein is as of the date hereof, and we undertake no obligation to advise you of any changes in applicable law or any other matters that may come to our attention after the date hereof that may affect our opinion expressed herein.


Based on the foregoing, it is our opinion that the Shares are duly authorized for issuance, and, when issued by the Corporation in accordance with the terms of the Awards, will be validly issued, fully paid and non-assessable.

We consent to the filing of this opinion letter as an exhibit to the Registration Statement and to the use of our name wherever appearing in the Registration Statement. In giving such consent, we do not thereby admit that we are within the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act or the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.

 

ALSTON & BIRD LLP
By:  

/s/ Michael L. Stevens

  Michael L. Stevens, Partner

 

EX-23.2

Exhibit 23.2

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

We consent to the incorporation by reference in the Registration Statement (Form S-8) dated October 1, 2020 pertaining to the CommScope Holding Company, Inc. Restricted Stock Units and Performance Share Units Granted as Employment Inducement Awards Outside of a Plan of our reports dated February 20, 2020, with respect to the consolidated financial statements of CommScope Holding Company, Inc. and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting of CommScope Holding Company, Inc. included in its Annual Report (Form 10-K) for the year ended December 31, 2019, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

/s/ Ernst & Young LLP

Charlotte, North Carolina

October 1, 2020