S-3ASR 1 d616863ds3asr.htm S-3ASR S-3ASR
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As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 27, 2024

Registration No. 333-     

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM S-3

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

 

 

BEAM THERAPEUTICS INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

 

 

Delaware   81-5238376

(State or other jurisdiction of

incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification Number)

238 Main Street

Cambridge, MA 02109

(857) 327-8775

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

 

 

John Evans

Chief Executive Officer

238 Main Street

Cambridge, MA 02109

(857) 327-8775

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

 

 

Copy to:

 

Christine Bellon

Chief Legal Officer
238 Main Street

Cambridge, MA 02142

(857) 327-8775

 

Cynthia T. Mazareas

Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP

60 State Street

Boston, MA 02109

(617) 526-6000

 

 

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: From time to time after this registration statement becomes effective.

If the only securities being registered on this Form are being offered pursuant to dividend or interest reinvestment plans, please check the following box: ☐

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, other than securities offered only in connection with dividend or interest reinvestment plans, check the following box: ☒

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

If this Form is a registration statement pursuant to General Instruction I.D. or a post-effective amendment thereto that shall become effective upon filing with the Commission pursuant to Rule 462(e) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☒

If this Form is a post-effective amendment to a registration statement filed pursuant to General Instruction I.D. filed to register additional securities or additional classes of securities pursuant to Rule 413(b) under the Securities Act, check the following box. ☐

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. ☐

 

 

 


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EXPLANATORY NOTE

This registration statement contains two prospectuses:

 

   

a base prospectus, which covers the offering, issuance and sale by the registrant of the registrant’s debt securities, common stock, preferred stock, warrants and units from time to time in one or more offerings; and

 

   

a sales agreement prospectus, which covers the offering, issuance and sale by the registrant of up to a maximum aggregate offering price of $236,027,466 of the registrant’s common stock that may be issued and sold from time to time under a sales agreement with Jefferies, LLC.

The base prospectus immediately follows this explanatory note. The specific terms of any other securities to be offered pursuant to the base prospectus will be specified in one or more prospectus supplements to the base prospectus. The sales agreement prospectus immediately follows the base prospectus.


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PROSPECTUS

BEAM THERAPEUTICS INC.

Debt Securities

Common Stock

Preferred Stock

Warrants

Units

We may offer and sell securities from time to time in one or more offerings. This prospectus describes the general terms of these securities and the general manner in which these securities will be offered. We will provide the specific terms of these securities in supplements to this prospectus. The prospectus supplements will also describe the specific manner in which these securities will be offered and may also supplement, update or amend information contained or incorporated by reference in this document. You should read this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement, and any related free writing prospectus, as well as the documents incorporated by reference herein or therein, before you invest.

We may offer these securities in amounts, at prices and on terms determined at the time of offering. The securities may be sold directly to you, through agents, or through underwriters and dealers. If agents, underwriters or dealers are used to sell the securities, we will name them and describe their compensation in a prospectus supplement.

Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “BEAM.”

 

 

Investing in these securities involves significant risks. See the information included under “Risk Factors” on page 5 of this prospectus and in any accompanying prospectus supplement, and under similar headings in the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement, for a discussion of the factors you should carefully consider before deciding to purchase these securities.

 

 

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The date of this prospectus is February 27, 2024

 


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

     1  

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

     2  

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

     2  

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

     3  

RISK FACTORS

     5  

BEAM THERAPEUTICS INC.

     6  

USE OF PROCEEDS

     7  

DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES

     8  

DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

     18  

DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS

     25  

DESCRIPTION OF UNITS

     26  

FORMS OF SECURITIES

     27  

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

     29  

LEGAL MATTERS

     32  

EXPERTS

     32  

 


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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which we refer to as the “SEC,” utilizing a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration process, we may from time to time sell any combination of the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings.

This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we sell securities, we will provide one or more prospectus supplements that will contain specific information about the terms of the offering. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus or in any documents that we have incorporated by reference into this prospectus and, accordingly, to the extent inconsistent, information in this prospectus is superseded by the information in the prospectus supplement. You should read both this prospectus and the accompanying prospectus supplement together with the additional information described under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information.”

You should rely only on the information contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any accompanying prospectus supplement or in any related free writing prospectus filed by us with the SEC. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information. This prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement do not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities other than the securities described in this prospectus or such accompanying prospectus supplement or an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy such securities in any circumstances in which such offer or solicitation is unlawful. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement, the documents incorporated by reference and any related free writing prospectus is accurate only as of their respective dates. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed materially since those dates.

Unless the context otherwise indicates, references in this prospectus to the “Company,” “we,” “our” and “us” refer, collectively, to Beam Therapeutics Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its consolidated subsidiaries.

 

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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Our SEC filings are available to the public over the Internet at the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. Copies of certain information filed by us with the SEC are also available on our website at https://beamtx.com. Our website is not a part of this prospectus, and information contained on or that can be accessed through our website is not incorporated by reference in this prospectus.

This prospectus is part of a registration statement we filed with the SEC. This prospectus omits some information contained in the registration statement in accordance with SEC rules and regulations. You should review the information and exhibits in the registration statement for further information about us and our consolidated subsidiaries and the securities we are offering. Statements in this prospectus concerning any document we filed as an exhibit to the registration statement or that we otherwise filed with the SEC are not intended to be comprehensive and are qualified by reference to these filings and the exhibits attached thereto. You should review the complete document to evaluate these statements.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference much of the information we file with the SEC, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those publicly available documents. The information that we incorporate by reference in this prospectus is considered to be part of this prospectus. Because we are incorporating by reference future filings with the SEC, this prospectus is continually updated and those future filings may modify or supersede some of the information included or incorporated in this prospectus. This means that you must look at all of the SEC filings that we incorporate by reference to determine if any of the statements in this prospectus or in any document previously incorporated by reference have been modified or superseded. This prospectus incorporates by reference the documents listed below (File No. 001-39208) and any future filings we make with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act (in each case, other than those documents or the portions of those documents not deemed to be filed) until the offering of the securities under the registration statement is terminated or completed:

 

 

Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, as filed with the SEC on February 27, 2024;

 

 

The information specifically incorporated by reference into the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December  31, 2022 from our definitive proxy statement for the 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, as filed with the SEC on April 21, 2023;

 

 

Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on January 8, 2024; and

 

 

The description of our common stock contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A as filed with the SEC on January  31, 2020, as the description therein has been updated and superseded by the description of our capital stock contained in Exhibit 4.11 to our Registration Statement on Form S-3 as filed with the SEC on April 1, 2021, and including any amendments and reports filed for the purpose of updating such description.

You may request a copy of these filings, at no cost, by writing or telephoning us at the following address or telephone number:

Beam Therapeutics Inc.

238 Main Street

Cambridge, MA 02142

Attn: Investor Relations

(857) 327-8775

 

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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus and the information incorporated by reference in this prospectus contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. Such forward-looking statements reflect, among other things, our current expectations and anticipated results of operations, all of which are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, market trends, or industry results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Therefore, any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements and should be evaluated as such. Without limiting the foregoing, the words “anticipate,” “expect,” “suggest,” “plan,” “believe,” “intend,” “project,” “forecast,” “estimates,” “targets,” “projections,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “may,” “might,” “will,” and the negative thereof and similar words and expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of important risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those described in “Risk Factors” in this prospectus and in any accompanying prospectus supplement. You should also carefully review the risk factors and cautionary statements described in the other documents we file from time to time with the SEC, specifically our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and our Current Reports on Form 8-K. Unless legally required, we assume no obligation to update any such forward-looking information to reflect actual results or changes in the factors affecting such forward-looking information. These forward-looking statements reflect our expectations and beliefs and include, but are not limited to, statements about:

 

 

our anticipated results of operations;

 

 

the initiation, timing, progress and results of our clinical trials;

 

 

the initiation, timing, progress and results of our research and development programs and preclinical studies;

 

 

our ability to develop and maintain a sustainable portfolio of product candidates;

 

 

our ability to develop life-long, curative, precision genetic medicines for patients through base editing;

 

 

our ability to create a hub for partnering with other companies;

 

 

our plans for preclinical studies for product candidates in our pipeline;

 

 

our ability to advance any product candidates that we may develop and successfully complete any clinical trials or preclinical studies, including the manufacture of any such product candidates;

 

 

our ability to pursue a broad suite of clinically validated delivery modalities;

 

 

our ability to generate additional novel lipid nanoparticles that we believe could accelerate novel nonviral delivery of gene editing or other nucleic acid payloads to tissues beyond the liver and our ability to expand the reach of our programs;

 

 

the scope of protection we are able to establish and maintain for intellectual property rights covering our product candidates and technology;

 

 

developments related to our competitors and our industry;

 

 

the timing, progress and success of our collaborations with third parties, including any future payments we may receive under our collaboration and license agreements, and our ability to identify and enter into future license agreements and collaborations;

 

 

developments related to base editing technologies;

 

 

our ability to successfully develop our delivery modalities and obtain and maintain approval for our product candidates;

 

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our ability to successfully establish and maintain a commercial-scale current Good Manufacturing Practice, or cGMP, manufacturing facility;

 

 

regulatory developments in the United States and foreign countries;

 

 

our ability to attract and retain key scientific and management personnel;

 

 

the strategic and other potential benefits of our acquisition of any additional technologies;

 

 

our ability to achieve the expected benefits of our portfolio prioritization and strategic restructuring and our estimates related to the costs and timing of implementing such initiatives;

 

 

our estimates regarding the period over which we believe that our existing cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities, will be sufficient to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements; and

 

 

the impact on our business of macro-economic conditions, as well as the prevailing level of macro-economic, business, and operational uncertainty, including as a result of geopolitical events or other global or regional events.

This prospectus includes and incorporates by reference certain statistical and other industry and market data that we obtained from industry publications and research, surveys and studies conducted by third parties as well as our own estimates of potential market opportunities. Industry publications and third-party research, surveys and studies generally indicate that their information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, although they do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of such information. Our estimates of the potential market opportunities for our product candidates include several key assumptions based on our industry knowledge, industry publications, third-party research and other surveys, which may be based on a small sample size and may fail to accurately reflect market opportunities. While we believe that our internal assumptions are reasonable, no independent source has verified such assumptions.

 

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RISK FACTORS

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should carefully review the risks and uncertainties described under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in the applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus, and under similar headings in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023, as updated by our subsequent filings, which are incorporated by reference into this prospectus, before deciding whether to purchase any of the securities being registered pursuant to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part. Each of the risk factors could adversely affect our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows, as well as adversely affect the value of an investment in our securities, and the occurrence of any of these risks might cause you to lose all or part of your investment. Additional risks not presently known to us or that we currently believe are immaterial may also significantly impair our business operations.

 

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BEAM THERAPEUTICS INC.

We are a biotechnology company committed to establishing the leading, fully integrated platform for precision genetic medicines. Our vision is to provide life-long cures to patients suffering from serious diseases. To achieve this vision, we have assembled a platform that includes a suite of gene editing and delivery technologies as well as internal manufacturing capabilities. Our suite of gene editing technologies is anchored by our proprietary base editing technology, which potentially enables a differentiated class of precision genetic medicines that target a single base in the genome without making a double-stranded break in the DNA. We believe this design contributes to a more precise and efficient edit compared to traditional gene editing methods, with the potential to dramatically increase the impact of gene editing.

We are also pursuing a suite of delivery modalities, including both ex vivo and in vivo approaches, depending on tissue type. The elegance of the base editing approach, combined with a tissue specific delivery modality, provides the basis for a targeted, efficient, precise, and highly versatile gene editing system, capable of gene correction, gene silencing, gene activation, gene modification, and/or multiplex editing of several genes simultaneously.

Our goal is to advance a broad, diversified portfolio of base editing programs against distinct, genetically validated editing targets, as well as an innovative, platform business model that will expand the reach of our programs to more patients. Overall, we are seeking to build the leading integrated platform for precision genetic medicine, which may have broad therapeutic applicability and the potential to transform the field of precision genetic medicines.

Our principal executive offices are located at 238 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, and our telephone number is (857) 327-8775.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

We intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of any securities offered under this prospectus for general corporate purposes unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement. General corporate purposes may include, without limitation, expenditures for research and development activities, including preclinical study and clinical trial expenses; acquisitions or licenses of products, product candidates or technologies; acquisitions of complementary companies or businesses; expenditures related to collaborations; general and administrative expenses; and capital expenditures. We have not determined the amount of net proceeds to be used specifically for such purposes. As a result, management will retain broad discretion over the allocation of the net proceeds of any offering. Pending the use of the net proceeds from the sale of securities under this prospectus as described above, we may temporarily invest the net proceeds in securities issued by the U.S. government and its agencies and institutions and/or investment-grade, interest-bearing securities.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES

The following description summarizes the general terms and provisions of the debt securities that Beam Therapeutics Inc. may offer and sell from time to time. We will describe in a prospectus supplement the specific terms of the debt securities offered through that prospectus supplement, as well as any general terms and provisions described in this section that will not apply to those debt securities. As used in this “Description of Debt Securities” section, the term “debt securities” means the senior and subordinated debt securities that we issue and the trustee authenticates and delivers under the applicable indenture. When we refer to “the Company,” “we,” “our,” and “us” in this section, we mean Beam Therapeutics Inc., excluding, unless the context otherwise requires or as otherwise expressly stated, its subsidiaries.

We may issue senior debt securities from time to time, in one or more series under a senior indenture to be entered into between us and a senior trustee to be named in a prospectus supplement, which we refer to as the senior trustee. We may issue subordinated debt securities from time to time, in one or more series under a subordinated indenture to be entered into between us and a subordinated trustee to be named in a prospectus supplement, which we refer to as the subordinated trustee. The forms of senior indenture and subordinated indenture are filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. The senior indenture and the subordinated indenture are referred to individually as an indenture and together as the indentures and the senior trustee and the subordinated trustee are referred to individually as a trustee and together as the trustees. This section summarizes some of the provisions of the indentures and is qualified in its entirety by the specific text of the indentures, including definitions of terms used in the indentures. Wherever we refer to particular sections of, or defined terms in, the indentures, those sections or defined terms are incorporated by reference in this prospectus or the applicable prospectus supplement. You should review the indentures that are filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part for additional information.

Neither indenture will limit the amount of debt securities that we may issue. The applicable indenture will provide that debt securities may be issued up to an aggregate principal amount authorized from time to time by us and may be payable in any currency or currency unit designated by us or in amounts determined by reference to an index.

General

The senior debt securities will constitute our unsecured and unsubordinated general obligations and will rank equally in right of payment with our other unsecured and unsubordinated obligations. The subordinated debt securities will constitute our unsecured and subordinated general obligations and will be junior in right of payment to our senior indebtedness (including senior debt securities), as described under the heading “—Certain Terms of the Subordinated Debt Securities—Subordination.” The debt securities will be structurally subordinated to all existing and future indebtedness and other liabilities of our subsidiaries unless such subsidiaries expressly guarantee such debt securities.

The debt securities will be our unsecured obligations, unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement. Any secured debt or other secured obligations will be effectively senior to the debt securities to the extent of the value of the assets securing such debt or other obligations. Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, the debt securities will not be guaranteed by any of our subsidiaries.

The applicable prospectus supplement and/or free writing prospectus will include any additional or different terms of the debt securities of any series being offered, including the following terms:

 

 

the title and type of the debt securities;

 

 

whether the debt securities will be senior or subordinated debt securities, and, with respect to any subordinated debt securities, the terms on which they are subordinated;

 

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the initial aggregate principal amount of the debt securities;

 

 

the price or prices at which we will sell the debt securities;

 

 

the maturity date or dates of the debt securities and the right, if any, to extend such date or dates;

 

 

the rate or rates, if any, at which the debt securities will bear interest, or the method of determining such rate or rates;

 

 

the date or dates from which such interest will accrue, the interest payment dates on which such interest will be payable or the method of determination of such dates;

 

 

the right, if any, to extend the interest payment periods and the duration of that extension;

 

 

the manner of paying principal and interest and the place or places where principal and interest will be payable;

 

 

the denominations of the debt securities if other than $2,000 or multiples of $1,000;

 

 

provisions for a sinking fund, purchase fund or other analogous fund, if any;

 

 

any redemption dates, prices, obligations and restrictions on the debt securities;

 

 

the currency, currencies or currency units in which the debt securities will be denominated and the currency, currencies or currency units in which principal and interest, if any, on the debt securities may be payable;

 

 

any conversion or exchange features of the debt securities;

 

 

whether the debt securities will be subject to the defeasance provisions in the indenture;

 

 

whether the debt securities will be issued in definitive or global form or in definitive form only upon satisfaction of certain conditions;

 

 

whether the debt securities will be guaranteed as to payment or performance;

 

 

any special tax implications of the debt securities;

 

 

any events of defaults or covenants in addition to or in lieu of those set forth in the indenture; and

 

 

any other material terms of the debt securities.

When we refer to “principal” in this section with reference to the debt securities, we are also referring to “premium, if any.”

We may from time to time, without notice to or the consent of the holders of any series of debt securities, create and issue further debt securities of any such series ranking equally with the debt securities of such series in all respects (or in all respects other than (1) the payment of interest accruing prior to the issue date of such further debt securities or (2) the first payment of interest following the issue date of such further debt securities). Such further debt securities may be consolidated and form a single series with the debt securities of such series and have the same terms as to status, redemption or otherwise as the debt securities of such series.

You may present debt securities for exchange and you may present debt securities for transfer in the manner, at the places and subject to the restrictions set forth in the debt securities and the applicable prospectus supplement. We will provide you those services without charge, although you may have to pay any tax or other governmental charge payable in connection with any exchange or transfer, as set forth in the indenture.

Debt securities may bear interest at a fixed rate or a floating rate. Debt securities bearing no interest or interest at a rate that at the time of issuance is below the prevailing market rate (original issue discount securities) may be sold at a discount below their stated principal amount. U.S. federal income tax considerations applicable to any such discounted debt securities or to certain debt securities issued at par which are treated as having been issued at a discount for U.S. federal income tax purposes will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

 

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We may issue debt securities with the principal amount payable on any principal payment date, or the amount of interest payable on any interest payment date, to be determined by reference to one or more currency exchange rates, securities or baskets of securities, commodity prices or indices. You may receive a payment of principal on any principal payment date, or a payment of interest on any interest payment date, that is greater than or less than the amount of principal or interest otherwise payable on such dates, depending on the value on such dates of the applicable currency, security or basket of securities, commodity or index. Information as to the methods for determining the amount of principal or interest payable on any date, the currencies, securities or baskets of securities, commodities or indices to which the amount payable on such date is linked and certain related tax considerations will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Certain Terms of the Senior Debt Securities

Covenants. Unless we indicate otherwise in a prospectus supplement with respect to a particular series of senior debt securities, the senior debt securities will not contain any financial or restrictive covenants, including covenants restricting either us or any of our subsidiaries from incurring, issuing, assuming or guaranteeing any indebtedness secured by a lien on any of our or our subsidiaries’ property or capital stock, or restricting either us or any of our subsidiaries from entering into sale and leaseback transactions.

Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets. Unless we indicate otherwise in a prospectus supplement with respect to a particular series of senior debt securities, we may not consolidate with or merge into any other person, in a transaction in which we are not the surviving corporation, or convey, transfer or lease our properties and assets substantially as an entirety to any person, in either case, unless:

 

 

the successor entity, if any, is a U.S. corporation, limited liability company, partnership or trust;

 

 

the successor entity assumes our obligations on the senior debt securities and under the senior indenture;

 

 

immediately after giving effect to the transaction, no default or event of default shall have occurred and be continuing; and

 

 

we have delivered to the senior trustee an officer’s certificate and an opinion of counsel, each stating that the consolidation, merger, conveyance, transfer or lease and, if a supplemental indenture is required in connection with such transaction, such supplemental indenture, comply with the senior indenture and all conditions precedent provided for in the senior indenture relating to such transaction have been complied with.

The restrictions described in the bullets above do not apply (1) to our consolidation with or merging into one of our affiliates, if our board of directors determines in good faith that the purpose of the consolidation or merger is principally to change our state of incorporation or our form of organization to another form or (2) if we merge with or into a single direct or indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of ours.

The surviving business entity will succeed to, and be substituted for, us under the senior indenture and the senior debt securities and, except in the case of a lease, we shall be released from all obligations under the senior indenture and the senior debt securities.

No Protection in the Event of a Change in Control. Unless we indicate otherwise in a prospectus supplement with respect to a particular series of senior debt securities, the senior debt securities will not contain any provisions that may afford holders of the senior debt securities protection in the event we have a change in control or in the event of a highly leveraged transaction (whether or not such transaction results in a change in control).

 

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Events of Default. Unless we indicate otherwise in a prospectus supplement with respect to a particular series of senior debt securities, the following are events of default under the senior indenture with respect to senior debt securities of each series:

 

 

failure to pay interest on any senior debt securities of such series when due and payable, if that default continues for a period of 30 days (or such other period as may be specified for such series);

 

 

failure to pay principal on the senior debt securities of such series when due and payable whether at maturity, upon redemption, by declaration or otherwise (and, if specified for such series, the continuance of such failure for a specified period);

 

 

default in the performance of or breach of any of our covenants or agreements in the senior indenture applicable to senior debt securities of such series, other than a covenant breach which is specifically dealt with elsewhere in the senior indenture, and that default or breach continues for a period of 90 days after we receive written notice from the trustee or from the holders of 25% or more in aggregate principal amount of the senior debt securities of such series;

 

 

certain events of bankruptcy or insolvency, whether or not voluntary; and

 

 

any other event of default provided for in such series of senior debt securities as may be specified in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Unless we indicate otherwise in a prospectus supplement with respect to a particular series of senior debt securities, the default by us under any other debt, including any other series of our debt securities, is not a default under the senior indenture.

If an event of default other than an event of default specified in the fourth bullet point above occurs with respect to a series of senior debt securities and is continuing under the senior indenture, then, and in each such case, either the trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in aggregate principal amount of such series then outstanding under the senior indenture (each such series voting as a separate class) by written notice to us and to the trustee, if such notice is given by the holders, may, and the trustee at the request of such holders shall, declare the principal amount of and accrued interest on such series of senior debt securities to be immediately due and payable, and upon this declaration, the same shall become immediately due and payable.

If an event of default specified in the fourth bullet point above occurs and is continuing, the entire principal amount of and accrued interest on each series of senior debt securities then outstanding shall automatically become immediately due and payable.

Unless otherwise specified in the prospectus supplement relating to a series of senior debt securities originally issued at a discount, the amount due upon acceleration shall include only the original issue price of the senior debt securities, the amount of original issue discount accrued to the date of acceleration and accrued interest, if any.

Upon certain conditions, declarations of acceleration may be rescinded and annulled and past defaults may be waived by the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of all the senior debt securities of such series affected by the default, each series voting as a separate class. Furthermore, subject to various provisions in the senior indenture, the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of a series of senior debt securities, by notice to the trustee, may waive a continuing default or event of default with respect to such senior debt securities and its consequences, except a default in the payment of principal of or interest on such senior debt securities (other than any such default in payment resulting solely from an acceleration of the senior debt securities) or in respect of a covenant or provision of the senior indenture which cannot be modified or amended without the consent of the holders of each such senior debt security. Upon any such waiver, such default shall cease to exist, and any event of default with respect to such senior debt securities shall be deemed to have been cured, for every purpose of the senior indenture; but no such waiver shall extend to any subsequent or other default or event of default or impair any right consequent thereto.

 

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The holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of a series of senior debt securities may direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the trustee or exercising any trust or power conferred on the trustee with respect to such senior debt securities. However, the trustee may refuse to follow any direction that conflicts with law or the senior indenture, that may involve the trustee in personal liability or that the trustee determines in good faith may be unduly prejudicial to the rights of holders of such series of senior debt securities not joining in the giving of such direction and may take any other action it deems proper that is not inconsistent with any such direction received from holders of such series of senior debt securities. A holder may not pursue any remedy with respect to the senior indenture or any series of senior debt securities unless:

 

 

the holder gives the trustee written notice of a continuing event of default;

 

 

the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of such series of senior debt securities make a written request to the trustee to pursue the remedy in respect of such event of default;

 

the requesting holder or holders offer the trustee indemnity satisfactory to the trustee against any costs, liability or expense;

 

 

the trustee does not comply with the request within 60 days after receipt of the request and the offer of indemnity; and

 

 

during such 60-day period, the holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of such series of senior debt securities do not give the trustee a direction that is inconsistent with the request.

These limitations, however, do not apply to the right of any holder of a senior debt security of any affected series to receive payment of the principal of and interest on such senior debt security in accordance with the terms of such debt security, or to bring suit for the enforcement of any such payment in accordance with the terms of such debt security, on or after the due date for the senior debt securities, which right shall not be impaired or affected without the consent of the holder.

The senior indenture requires certain of our officers to certify, on or before a fixed date in each year in which any senior debt security is outstanding, as to their knowledge of our compliance with all covenants, agreements and conditions under the senior indenture.

Satisfaction and Discharge. We can satisfy and discharge our obligations to holders of any series of debt securities if:

 

 

we have paid or caused to be paid the principal of and interest on all senior debt securities of such series (with certain limited exceptions) when due and payable; or

 

 

we deliver to the senior trustee for cancellation all senior debt securities of such series theretofore authenticated under the senior indenture (with certain limited exceptions); or

 

 

all senior debt securities of such series have become due and payable or will become due and payable within one year (or are to be called for redemption within one year under arrangements satisfactory to the senior trustee) and we deposit in trust an amount of cash or a combination of cash and U.S. government or U.S. government agency obligations (or in the case of senior debt securities denominated in a foreign currency, foreign government securities or foreign government agency securities) sufficient to make interest, principal and any other payments on the debt securities of that series on their various due dates;

and if, in any such case, we also pay or cause to be paid all other sums payable under the senior indenture, as and when the same shall be due and payable and we deliver to the senior trustee an officer’s certificate and an opinion of counsel, each stating that these conditions have been satisfied.

Under current U.S. federal income tax law, the deposit and our legal release from the debt securities would be treated as though we took back your debt securities and gave you your share of the cash and debt securities or

 

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bonds deposited in trust. In that event, you could recognize gain or loss on the debt securities you give back to us. Purchasers of the debt securities should consult their own advisers with respect to the tax consequences to them of such deposit and discharge, including the applicability and effect of tax laws other than the U.S. federal income tax law.

Defeasance. Unless the applicable prospectus supplement provides otherwise, the following discussion of legal defeasance and covenant defeasance will apply to any series of debt securities issued under the indentures.

Legal Defeasance. We can legally release ourselves from any payment or other obligations on the debt securities of any series (called “legal defeasance”) if certain conditions are met, including the following:

 

 

We deposit in trust for your benefit and the benefit of all other direct holders of the debt securities of the same series cash or a combination of cash and U.S. government or U.S. government agency obligations (or, in the case of senior debt securities denominated in a foreign currency, foreign government or foreign government agency obligations) that will generate enough cash to make interest, principal and any other payments on the debt securities of that series on their various due dates.

 

 

There is a change in current U.S. federal income tax law or an IRS ruling that lets us make the above deposit without causing you to be taxed on the debt securities any differently than if we did not make the deposit and instead repaid the debt securities ourselves when due. Under current U.S. federal income tax law, the deposit and our legal release from the debt securities would be treated as though we took back your debt securities and gave you your share of the cash and debt securities or bonds deposited in trust. In that event, you could recognize gain or loss on the debt securities you give back to us.

 

 

We deliver to the trustee a legal opinion of our counsel confirming the tax law change or ruling described above.

If we accomplish legal defeasance, as described above, you would have to rely solely on the trust deposit for repayment of the debt securities. You could not look to us for repayment in the event of any shortfall.

Covenant Defeasance. Without any change in current U.S. federal tax law, we can make the same type of deposit described above and be released from some of the covenants in the debt securities (called “covenant defeasance”). In that event, you would lose the protection of those covenants but would gain the protection of having money and securities set aside in trust to repay the debt securities. In order to achieve covenant defeasance, we must do the following (among other things):

 

 

deposit in trust for your benefit and the benefit of all other direct holders of the debt securities of the same series cash or a combination of cash and U.S. government or U.S. government agency obligations (or, in the case of senior debt securities denominated in a foreign currency, foreign government or foreign government agency obligations) that will generate enough cash to make interest, principal and any other payments on the debt securities of that series on their various due dates.

 

 

deliver to the trustee a legal opinion of our counsel confirming that under current U.S. federal income tax law we may make the above deposit without causing you to be taxed on the debt securities any differently than if we did not make the deposit and instead repaid the debt securities ourselves when due.

If we accomplish covenant defeasance, you could still look to us for repayment of the debt securities if there were a shortfall in the trust deposit. In fact, if one of the events of default occurred (such as our bankruptcy) and the debt securities become immediately due and payable, there may be such a shortfall. Depending on the events causing the default, you may not be able to obtain payment of the shortfall.

Modification and Waiver. We and the trustee may amend or supplement the senior indenture or the senior debt securities of any series without the consent of any holder:

 

 

to convey, transfer, assign, mortgage or pledge any assets as security for the senior debt securities of one or more series;

 

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to evidence the succession of a corporation, limited liability company, partnership or trust to us, and the assumption by such successor of our covenants, agreements and obligations under the senior indenture or to otherwise comply with the covenant relating to mergers, consolidations and sales of assets;

 

 

to comply with the requirements of the SEC in order to effect or maintain the qualification of the senior indenture under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the “Trust Indenture Act”);

 

 

to add to our covenants such new covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions for the protection of the holders, and to make the occurrence, or the occurrence and continuance, of a default in any such additional covenants, restrictions, conditions or provisions an event of default;

 

 

to cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency in the senior indenture or in any supplemental indenture or to conform the senior indenture or the senior debt securities to the description of senior debt securities of such series set forth in this prospectus or any applicable prospectus supplement;

 

 

to provide for or add guarantors with respect to the senior debt securities of any series;

 

 

to establish the form or forms or terms of the senior debt securities as permitted by the senior indenture;

 

 

to evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment under the senior indenture by a successor trustee, or to make such changes as shall be necessary to provide for or facilitate the administration of the trusts in the senior indenture by more than one trustee;

 

 

to add to, change or eliminate any of the provisions of the senior indenture in respect of one or more series of senior debt securities, provided that any such addition, change or elimination shall (a) neither (1) apply to any senior debt security of any series created prior to the execution of such supplemental indenture and entitled to the benefit of such provision nor (2) modify the rights of the holder of any such senior debt security with respect to such provision or (b) become effective only when there is no senior debt security described in clause (a)(1) outstanding;

 

 

to make any change to the senior debt securities of any series so long as no senior debt securities of such series are outstanding; or

 

 

to make any change that does not adversely affect the rights of any holder in any material respect.

Other amendments and modifications of the senior indenture or the senior debt securities issued may be made, and our compliance with any provision of the senior indenture with respect to any series of senior debt securities may be waived, with the consent of the holders of a majority of the aggregate principal amount of the outstanding senior debt securities of each series affected by the amendment or modification (voting as separate series); provided, however, that each affected holder must consent to any modification, amendment or waiver that:

 

 

extends the final maturity of any senior debt securities of such series;

 

 

reduces the principal amount of any senior debt securities of such series;

 

 

reduces the rate, or extends the time for payment of, interest on any senior debt securities of such series;

 

 

reduces the amount payable upon the redemption of any senior debt securities of such series;

 

 

changes the currency of payment of principal of or interest on any senior debt securities of such series;

 

 

reduces the principal amount of original issue discount securities payable upon acceleration of maturity or the amount provable in bankruptcy;

 

 

waives a continuing default in the payment of principal of or interest on the senior debt securities (other than any such default in payment resulting solely from an acceleration of the senior debt securities);

 

 

changes the provisions relating to the waiver of past defaults or impairs the right of holders to receive payment or to institute suit for the enforcement of any payment or conversion of any senior debt securities of such series on or after the due date therefor;

 

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modifies any of the provisions of these restrictions on amendments and modifications, except to increase any required percentage or to provide that certain other provisions cannot be modified or waived without the consent of the holder of each senior debt security of such series affected by the modification;

 

 

adversely affects the right to convert or exchange senior debt securities into common stock, other securities or property in accordance with the terms of the senior debt securities; or

 

 

reduces the above-stated percentage of outstanding senior debt securities of such series whose holders must consent to a supplemental indenture or modifies or amends or waives certain provisions of or defaults under the senior indenture.

It shall not be necessary for the holders to approve the particular form of any proposed amendment, supplement or waiver, but it shall be sufficient if the holders’ consent approves the substance thereof. After an amendment, supplement or waiver of the senior indenture in accordance with the provisions described in this section becomes effective, the trustee must give to the holders affected thereby certain notice briefly describing the amendment, supplement or waiver. Any failure by the trustee to give such notice, or any defect therein, shall not, however, in any way impair or affect the validity of any such amendment, supplemental indenture or waiver.

Notice of Redemption. Notice of any redemption of senior debt securities will be mailed at least 10 days but not more than 60 days before the redemption date to each holder of senior debt securities of a series to be redeemed. Any notice may, at our discretion, be subject to the satisfaction or waiver of one or more conditions precedent. In that case, such notice shall state the nature of such condition precedent. If we elect to redeem a portion but not all of such senior debt securities, the trustee will select the senior debt securities to be redeemed in a manner that complies with applicable legal and stock exchange requirements, if any. Interest on such debt securities or portions of senior debt securities will cease to accrue on and after the date fixed for redemption, unless we default in the payment of such redemption price and accrued interest with respect to any such senior debt security or portion thereof.

If any date of redemption of any senior debt security is not a business day, then payment of principal and interest may be made on the next succeeding business day with the same force and effect as if made on the nominal date of redemption and no interest will accrue for the period after such nominal date.

Conversion Rights. We will describe the terms upon which senior debt securities may be convertible into our common stock or other securities in a prospectus supplement. These terms will include the type of securities the senior debt securities are convertible into, the conversion price or manner of calculation thereof, the conversion period, provisions as to whether conversion will be at our option or the option of the holders, the events requiring an adjustment of the conversion price and provisions affecting conversion in the event of the redemption of the senior debt securities and any restrictions on conversion. They may also include provisions adjusting the number of shares of our common stock or other securities issuable upon conversion.

No Personal Liability of Incorporators, Stockholders, Officers, or Directors. The senior indenture provides that no recourse shall be had under any obligation, covenant or agreement of ours in the senior indenture or any supplemental indenture, or in any of the senior debt securities or because of the creation of any indebtedness represented thereby, against any of our incorporators, stockholders, officers or directors, past, present or future, or of any predecessor or successor entity thereof under any law, statute or constitutional provision or by the enforcement of any assessment or by any legal or equitable proceeding or otherwise. Each holder, by accepting the senior debt securities, waives and releases all such liability.

Concerning the Trustee. The senior indenture provides that, except during the continuance of an event of default, the trustee will not be liable except for the performance of such duties as are specifically set forth in the senior indenture. If an event of default has occurred and is continuing, the trustee will exercise such rights and powers vested in it under the senior indenture and will use the same degree of care and skill in its exercise as a prudent person would exercise under the circumstances in the conduct of such person’s own affairs.

 

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The senior indenture and the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act incorporated by reference therein contain limitations on the rights of the trustee thereunder, should it become a creditor of ours or any of our subsidiaries, to obtain payment of claims in certain cases or to realize on certain property received by it in respect of any such claims, as security or otherwise. The trustee is permitted to engage in other transactions, provided that if it acquires any conflicting interest (as defined in the Trust Indenture Act), it must eliminate such conflict or resign.

We may have normal banking relationships with the senior trustee in the ordinary course of business.

Unclaimed Funds. All funds deposited with the trustee or any paying agent for the payment of principal, premium, interest or additional amounts in respect of the senior debt securities that remain unclaimed for two years after the date upon which such amounts became due and payable will be repaid to us. Thereafter, any right of any holder of senior debt securities to such funds shall be enforceable only against us, and the trustee and paying agents will have no liability therefor.

Governing Law. The senior indenture and the senior debt securities will be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the internal laws of the State of New York.

Certain Terms of the Subordinated Debt Securities

Other than the terms of the subordinated indenture and subordinated debt securities relating to subordination or otherwise as described in the prospectus supplement relating to a particular series of subordinated debt securities, the terms of the subordinated indenture and subordinated debt securities are identical in all material respects to the terms of the senior indenture and senior debt securities.

Additional or different subordination terms may be specified in the prospectus supplement applicable to a particular series.

Subordination. The indebtedness evidenced by the subordinated debt securities is subordinate to the prior payment in full of all of our senior indebtedness, as defined in the subordinated indenture. During the continuance beyond any applicable grace period of any default in the payment of principal, premium, interest or any other payment due on any of our senior indebtedness, we may not make any payment of principal of or interest on the subordinated debt securities (except for certain sinking fund payments). In addition, upon any payment or distribution of our assets upon any dissolution, winding-up, liquidation or reorganization, the payment of the principal of and interest on the subordinated debt securities will be subordinated to the extent provided in the subordinated indenture in right of payment to the prior payment in full of all our senior indebtedness. Because of this subordination, if we dissolve or otherwise liquidate, holders of our subordinated debt securities may receive less, ratably, than holders of our senior indebtedness. The subordination provisions do not prevent the occurrence of an event of default under the subordinated indenture.

The term “senior indebtedness” of a person means with respect to such person the principal of, premium, if any, interest on, and any other payment due pursuant to any of the following, whether outstanding on the date of the subordinated indenture or incurred by that person in the future:

 

 

all of the indebtedness of that person for money borrowed;

 

 

all of the indebtedness of that person evidenced by notes, debentures, bonds or other securities sold by that person for money;

 

 

all of the lease obligations that are capitalized on the books of that person in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

 

 

all indebtedness of others of the kinds described in the first two bullet points above and all lease obligations of others of the kind described in the third bullet point above that the person, in any manner, assumes or guarantees or that the person in effect guarantees through an agreement to purchase, whether that agreement is contingent or otherwise; and

 

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all renewals, extensions or refundings of indebtedness of the kinds described in the first, second or fourth bullet point above and all renewals or extensions of leases of the kinds described in the third or fourth bullet point above;

unless, in the case of any particular indebtedness, renewal, extension or refunding, the instrument creating or evidencing it or the assumption or guarantee relating to it expressly provides that such indebtedness, renewal, extension or refunding is not superior in right of payment to the subordinated debt securities. Our senior debt securities constitute senior indebtedness for purposes of the subordinated indenture.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

The following description of our capital stock is intended as a summary only and therefore is not a complete description of our capital stock. This description is based upon, and is qualified by reference to, our fourth amended certificate of incorporation, which we refer to as our certificate of incorporation, our second amended and restated by-laws, which we refer to as our bylaws, and applicable provisions of Delaware corporate law. You should read our certificate of incorporation and by-laws, which are filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, for the provisions that are important to you.

Our authorized capital stock consists of 250,000,000 shares of common stock and 25,000,000 shares of preferred stock. As of February 20, 2024, 81,657,714 shares of common stock were outstanding and no shares of preferred stock were outstanding.

Common Stock

Annual Meeting. Annual meetings of our stockholders are held on the date designated in accordance with our by-laws. Notice must be given to each stockholder entitled to vote not less than ten nor more than 60 days before the date of the meeting. The presence, in person or by proxy, of the holders of shares representing a majority of the total votes entitled to be cast by the holders of all outstanding shares of our capital stock entitled to vote generally in the election of directors constitutes a quorum for the transaction of business at meetings of the stockholders. Special meetings of the stockholders may be called only to the extent and in the manner set forth in the certificate of incorporation upon notice stating the purpose or purposes of such meeting.

Voting Rights. Holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote for each share held of record on all matters to be voted upon by stockholders and do not have cumulative voting rights. Except as otherwise required by the rules or regulations of any applicable stock exchange, law or regulation or the certificate of incorporation, all matters other than the election of directors are determined by a majority of the votes cast on the matter affirmatively or negatively. When a quorum is present at any meeting of stockholders, a nominee for director shall be elected to our board of directors if the votes properly cast for such nominee’s election exceed the votes properly cast against such nominee’s election (with “abstentions” and “broker non-votes” not counted as votes cast either “for” or “against” any director’s election); provided, however, that directors shall be elected by a plurality of the votes properly cast at any meeting of stockholders at which there is a contested election of directors.

Dividends. Subject to the rights, powers and preferences of any outstanding preferred stock, and except as provided by law or in our certificate of incorporation, dividends may be declared and paid on the common stock out of legally available assets or funds when and as declared by the board of directors. The payment of dividends is contingent upon our revenue and earnings, capital requirements, and general financial condition, as well as contractual restrictions and other considerations deemed to be relevant by our board of directors.

Liquidation, Dissolution and Winding Up. Subject to the rights, powers and preferences of any outstanding preferred stock, in the event of our liquidation, dissolution or winding up, our net assets will be distributed pro rata to the holders of our common stock.

Other Rights. Holders of the common stock have no right to:

 

 

convert the stock into any other security;

 

 

have the stock redeemed;

 

 

purchase additional stock; or

 

 

maintain their proportionate ownership interest.

Holders of shares of the common stock are not required to make additional capital contributions.

 

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Transfer Agent and Registrar. Computershare Trust Company, N.A. is transfer agent and registrar for the common stock.

Preferred Stock

We are authorized to issue “blank check” preferred stock, which may be issued in one or more series upon authorization of our board of directors. Our board of directors is authorized to fix the designations, powers, preferences and the relative, participating, optional or other special rights and any qualifications, limitations and restrictions of the shares of each series of preferred stock. The authorized shares of our preferred stock are available for issuance without further action by our stockholders, unless such action is required by applicable law or the rules of any stock exchange on which our securities may be listed. If the approval of our stockholders is not required for the issuance of shares of our preferred stock, our board may determine not to seek stockholder approval. The specific terms of any series of preferred stock offered pursuant to this prospectus will be described in the prospectus supplement relating to that series of preferred stock.

A series of our preferred stock could, depending on the terms of such series, impede the completion of a merger, tender offer or other takeover attempt. Our board of directors will make any determination to issue preferred shares based upon its judgment as to the best interests of our stockholders. Our directors, in so acting, could issue preferred stock having terms that could discourage an acquisition attempt through which an acquirer may be able to change the composition of our board of directors, including a tender offer or other transaction that some, or a majority, of our stockholders might believe to be in their best interests or in which stockholders might receive a premium for their stock over the then-current market price of the stock.

The preferred stock has the terms described below unless otherwise provided in the prospectus supplement relating to a particular series of preferred stock. You should read the prospectus supplement relating to the particular series of preferred stock being offered for specific terms, including:

 

 

the designation and stated value per share of the preferred stock and the number of shares offered;

 

 

the amount of liquidation preference per share;

 

 

the price at which the preferred stock will be issued;

 

 

the dividend rate, or method of calculation of dividends, the dates on which dividends will be payable, whether dividends will be cumulative or noncumulative and, if cumulative, the dates from which dividends will commence to accumulate;

 

 

any redemption or sinking fund provisions;

 

 

if other than the currency of the United States, the currency or currencies including composite currencies in which the preferred stock is denominated and/or in which payments will or may be payable;

 

 

any conversion provisions; and

 

 

any other rights, preferences, privileges, limitations and restrictions on the preferred stock.

The preferred stock will, when issued, be fully paid and non-assessable. Unless otherwise specified in the prospectus supplement, each series of preferred stock will rank equally as to dividends and liquidation rights in all respects with each other series of preferred stock. The rights of holders of shares of each series of preferred stock will be subordinate to those of our general creditors.

Rank. Unless otherwise specified in the prospectus supplement, the preferred stock will, with respect to dividend rights and rights upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs, rank:

 

 

senior to our common stock and to all equity securities ranking junior to such preferred stock with respect to dividend rights or rights upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs;

 

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on a parity with all equity securities issued by us, the terms of which specifically provide that such equity securities rank on a parity with the preferred stock with respect to dividend rights or rights upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs; and

 

 

junior to all equity securities issued by us, the terms of which specifically provide that such equity securities rank senior to the preferred stock with respect to dividend rights or rights upon our liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs.

The term “equity securities” does not include convertible debt securities.

Dividends. Holders of the preferred stock of each series will be entitled to receive, when, as and if declared by our board of directors, cash dividends at such rates and on such dates described in the prospectus supplement. Different series of preferred stock may be entitled to dividends at different rates or based on different methods of calculation. The dividend rate may be fixed or variable or both. Dividends will be payable to the holders of record as they appear on our stock books on record dates fixed by our board of directors, as specified in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Dividends on any series of preferred stock may be cumulative or noncumulative, as described in the applicable prospectus supplement. If our board of directors does not declare a dividend payable on a dividend payment date on any series of noncumulative preferred stock, then the holders of that noncumulative preferred stock will have no right to receive a dividend for that dividend payment date, and we will have no obligation to pay the dividend accrued for that period, whether or not dividends on that series are declared payable on any future dividend payment dates. Dividends on any series of cumulative preferred stock will accrue from the date we initially issue shares of such series or such other date specified in the applicable prospectus supplement.

No dividends may be declared or paid or funds set apart for the payment of any dividends on any parity securities unless full dividends have been paid or set apart for payment on the preferred stock. If full dividends are not paid, the preferred stock will share dividends pro rata with the parity securities.

No dividends may be declared or paid or funds set apart for the payment of dividends on any junior securities unless full dividends for all dividend periods terminating on or prior to the date of the declaration or payment will have been paid or declared and a sum sufficient for the payment set apart for payment on the preferred stock.

Liquidation Preference. Upon any voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs, then, before we make any distribution or payment to the holders of any common stock or any other class or series of our capital stock ranking junior to the preferred stock in the distribution of assets upon any liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs, the holders of each series of preferred stock shall be entitled to receive out of assets legally available for distribution to stockholders, liquidating distributions in the amount of the liquidation preference per share set forth in the prospectus supplement, plus any accrued and unpaid dividends thereon. Such dividends will not include any accumulation in respect of unpaid noncumulative dividends for prior dividend periods. Unless otherwise specified in the prospectus supplement, after payment of the full amount of their liquidating distributions, the holders of preferred stock will have no right or claim to any of our remaining assets. Upon any such voluntary or involuntary liquidation, dissolution or winding up, if our available assets are insufficient to pay the amount of the liquidating distributions on all outstanding preferred stock and the corresponding amounts payable on all other classes or series of our capital stock ranking on parity with the preferred stock and all other such classes or series of shares of capital stock ranking on parity with the preferred stock in the distribution of assets, then the holders of the preferred stock and all other such classes or series of capital stock ranking on parity with the preferred stock will share ratably in any such distribution of assets in proportion to the full liquidating distributions to which they would otherwise be entitled.

Upon any such liquidation, dissolution or winding up and if we have made liquidating distributions in full to all holders of preferred stock, we will distribute our remaining assets among the holders of any other classes or

 

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series of capital stock ranking junior to the preferred stock according to their respective rights and preferences and, in each case, according to their respective number of shares. For such purposes, our consolidation or merger with or into any other corporation, trust or entity, or the sale, lease or conveyance of all or substantially all of our property or assets will not be deemed to constitute a liquidation, dissolution or winding up of our affairs.

Redemption. If so provided in the applicable prospectus supplement, the preferred stock will be subject to mandatory redemption or redemption at our option, as a whole or in part, in each case upon the terms, at the times and at the redemption prices set forth in such prospectus supplement.

The prospectus supplement relating to a series of preferred stock that is subject to mandatory redemption will specify the number of shares of preferred stock that shall be redeemed by us in each year commencing after a date to be specified, at a redemption price per share to be specified, together with an amount equal to all accrued and unpaid dividends thereon to the date of redemption. Unless the shares have a cumulative dividend, such accrued dividends will not include any accumulation in respect of unpaid dividends for prior dividend periods. We may pay the redemption price in cash or other property, as specified in the applicable prospectus supplement. If the redemption price for preferred stock of any series is payable only from the net proceeds of the issuance of shares of our capital stock, the terms of such preferred stock may provide that, if no such shares of our capital stock shall have been issued or to the extent the net proceeds from any issuance are insufficient to pay in full the aggregate redemption price then due, such preferred stock shall automatically and mandatorily be converted into the applicable shares of our capital stock pursuant to conversion provisions specified in the applicable prospectus supplement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, we will not redeem any preferred stock of a series unless:

 

 

if that series of preferred stock has a cumulative dividend, we have declared and paid or contemporaneously declare and pay or set aside funds to pay full cumulative dividends on the preferred stock for all past dividend periods and the then current dividend period; or

 

 

if such series of preferred stock does not have a cumulative dividend, we have declared and paid or contemporaneously declare and pay or set aside funds to pay full dividends for the then current dividend period.

In addition, we will not acquire any preferred stock of a series unless:

 

 

if that series of preferred stock has a cumulative dividend, we have declared and paid or contemporaneously declare and pay or set aside funds to pay full cumulative dividends on all outstanding shares of such series of preferred stock for all past dividend periods and the then current dividend period; or

 

 

if that series of preferred stock does not have a cumulative dividend, we have declared and paid or contemporaneously declare and pay or set aside funds to pay full dividends on the preferred stock of such series for the then current dividend period.

However, at any time we may purchase or acquire preferred stock of that series (1) pursuant to a purchase or exchange offer made on the same terms to holders of all outstanding preferred stock of such series or (2) by conversion into or exchange for shares of our capital stock ranking junior to the preferred stock of such series as to dividends and upon liquidation.

If fewer than all of the outstanding shares of preferred stock of any series are to be redeemed, we will determine the number of shares that may be redeemed pro rata from the holders of record of such shares in proportion to the number of such shares held or for which redemption is requested by such holder or by any other equitable manner that we determine. Such determination will reflect adjustments to avoid redemption of fractional shares.

 

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Unless otherwise specified in the prospectus supplement, we will mail notice of redemption at least 10 days but not more than 60 days before the redemption date to each holder of record of preferred stock to be redeemed at the address shown on our stock transfer books. Each notice shall state:

 

 

the redemption date;

 

 

the number of shares and series of preferred stock to be redeemed;

 

 

the redemption price;

 

 

the place or places where certificates for such preferred stock are to be surrendered for payment of the redemption price;

 

 

that dividends on the shares to be redeemed will cease to accrue on such redemption date;

 

 

the date on which the holder’s conversion rights, if any, as to such shares shall terminate; and

 

 

the specific number of shares to be redeemed from each such holder if fewer than all the shares of any series are to be redeemed.

If notice of redemption has been given and we have set aside the funds necessary for such redemption in trust for the benefit of the holders of any shares called for redemption, then from and after the redemption date, dividends will cease to accrue on such shares, and all rights of the holders of such shares will terminate, except the right to receive the redemption price.

Voting Rights. Holders of preferred stock will not have any voting rights, except as required by law or as indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Unless otherwise provided for under the terms of any series of preferred stock, no consent or vote of the holders of shares of preferred stock or any series thereof shall be required for any amendment to our certificate of incorporation that would increase the number of authorized shares of preferred stock or the number of authorized shares of any series thereof or decrease the number of authorized shares of preferred stock or the number of authorized shares of any series thereof (but not below the number of authorized shares of preferred stock or such series, as the case may be, then outstanding).

Conversion Rights. The terms and conditions, if any, upon which any series of preferred stock is convertible into shares of our common stock will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement relating thereto. Such terms will include the number of shares of common stock into which the shares of preferred stock are convertible, the conversion price, rate or manner of calculation thereof, the conversion period, provisions as to whether conversion will be at our option or at the option of the holders of the preferred stock, the events requiring an adjustment of the conversion price and provisions affecting conversion in the event of the redemption.

Transfer Agent and Registrar. The transfer agent and registrar for the preferred stock will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Provisions of Our Certificate of Incorporation and By-laws and Delaware Law That May Have Anti-Takeover Effects

Certain provisions of our certificate of incorporation and by-laws may have the effect of making it more difficult for a third party to acquire, or of discouraging a third party from attempting to acquire, control of us. Such provisions could limit the price that certain investors might be willing to pay in the future for shares of our common stock and may limit the ability of stockholders to remove current management or directors or approve transactions that stockholders may deem to be in their best interest and, therefore, could adversely affect the price of our common stock.

 

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No Cumulative Voting. The Delaware General Corporation Law, or the DGCL, provides that stockholders are not entitled to the right to accumulate votes in the election of directors unless our certificate of incorporation provides otherwise. Our certificate of incorporation does not provide for cumulative voting.

Classified Board of Directors. Our certificate of incorporation provides for a board of directors divided as nearly equally as possible into three classes. Each class is elected to a term expiring at the annual meeting of stockholders held in the third year following the year of such election. The number of directors comprising our board of directors is fixed from time to time by the board of directors.

Removal of Directors by Stockholders. Our certificate of incorporation provides that directors may be removed only for cause by the affirmative vote of at least 75% of the voting power of our outstanding shares of capital stock, voting together as a single class. This requirement of a supermajority vote to remove directors could enable a minority of our stockholders to prevent a change in the composition of our board.

Board Vacancies Filled Only by Majority of Directors Then in Office. Vacancies and newly created seats on our board may be filled only by the vote of a majority of the directors then in office, even if less than a quorum, or by a sole remaining director, except that any vacancy created by the removal of a director by the stockholders for cause may only be filled, in addition to any other vote otherwise required by law, by vote of a majority of the outstanding shares of common stock. Further, only our board of directors may determine the number of directors on our board. The inability of stockholders to determine the number of directors or to fill vacancies or newly created seats on the board makes it more difficult to change the composition of our board of directors.

Stockholder Nomination of Directors. Our by-laws provide that a stockholder must notify us in writing of any stockholder nomination of a director not earlier than the 120th day and not later than the 90th day prior to the first anniversary of the preceding year’s annual meeting; provided, that if the date of the annual meeting is advanced by more than 30 days or delayed by more than 60 days from such anniversary date, notice by the stockholder to be timely must be so delivered not earlier than the 120th day prior to the date of such annual meeting and not later than the close of business on the later of (x) the 90th day prior to the date of such meeting and (y) the 10th day following the day on which public announcement of the date of such annual meeting is first made by us.

No Action By Written Consent. Our certificate of incorporation provides that our stockholders may not act by written consent and may only act at duly called meetings of stockholders.

Undesignated Preferred Stock. As discussed above, our board of directors has the ability to issue preferred stock with voting or other rights or preferences that could impede the success of any attempt to change control of our company.

Supermajority approval requirements. The DGCL generally provides that the affirmative vote of a majority of the shares entitled to vote on any matter is required to amend a corporation’s certificate of incorporation or bylaws, unless either a corporation’s certificate of incorporation or bylaws requires a greater percentage. Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws provide that the affirmative vote of the holders of at least 75% of the total votes eligible to be cast in the election of directors is required to amend, alter, change or repeal specified provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws. This requirement of a supermajority vote to approve amendments to our certificate of incorporation and bylaws could enable a minority of our stockholders to exercise veto power over any such amendments.

Exclusive forum. Our certificate of incorporation provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, if the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware does not have jurisdiction, the Superior Court of the State of Delaware or, if the Superior Court of the State of Delaware also does not have jurisdiction, the United States District Court for the District of Delaware) is the sole and exclusive forum for the following types of actions or proceedings: (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf; (ii) any action asserting

 

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a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer or other employee to us or our stockholders; (iii) any action asserting a claim against us arising pursuant to any provision of the DGCL, our certificate of incorporation or our bylaws; (iv) any action to interpret, apply, enforce or determine the validity of our certificate of incorporation or our bylaws; and (v) any action asserting a claim against us governed by the internal affairs doctrine. This provision would not apply to suits brought to enforce a duty or liability created by the Securities Act, the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the U.S. federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. Furthermore, our bylaws also provide that unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States shall be the exclusive forum for the resolution of any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act. Although we believe these provisions benefit us by providing increased consistency in the application of Delaware law in the types of lawsuits to which it applies, these provisions may have the effect of discouraging lawsuits against our directors and officers.

Delaware Business Combination Statute. We are subject to Section 203 of the DGCL, or Section 203, which prohibits a Delaware corporation from engaging in business combinations with an interested stockholder. An interested stockholder is generally defined as an entity or person beneficially owning 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation or any entity or person affiliated with or controlling or controlled by such entity or person (“interested stockholder”). Section 203 provides that an interested stockholder may not engage in business combinations with the corporation for a period of three years after the date that such stockholder became an interested stockholder, with the following exceptions:

 

   

before such date, the board of directors of the corporation approved either the business combination or the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder;

 

   

upon completion of the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction began, excluding for purposes of determining the voting stock outstanding (but not the outstanding voting stock owned by the interested stockholder) those shares owned (i) by persons who are directors and also officers and (ii) employee stock plans in which employee participants do not have the right to determine confidentially whether shares held subject to the plan will be tendered in a tender or exchange offer; or

 

   

on or after such date, the business combination is approved by the board of directors and authorized at an annual or special meeting of the stockholders, and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of at least 66 2/3% of the outstanding voting stock that is not owned by the interested stockholder.

In general, Section 203 defines business combinations to include the following:

 

   

any merger or consolidation involving the corporation and the interested stockholder;

 

   

any sale, lease, transfer, pledge or other disposition of 10% or more of the assets of the corporation to or with the interested stockholder;

 

   

subject to certain exceptions, any transaction that results in the issuance or transfer by the corporation of any stock of the corporation to the interested stockholder;

 

   

any transaction involving the corporation that has the effect of increasing the proportionate share of the stock or any class or series of the corporation beneficially owned by the interested stockholder; or

 

   

the receipt by the interested stockholder of the benefit of any loss, advances, guarantees, pledges or other financial benefits by or through the corporation.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS

We may issue warrants to purchase common stock, preferred stock or debt securities. We may offer warrants separately or together with one or more additional warrants, common stock, preferred stock, or debt securities, or any combination of those securities in the form of units, as described in the applicable prospectus supplement. If we issue warrants as part of a unit, the accompanying prospectus supplement will specify whether those warrants may be separated from the other securities in the unit prior to the expiration date of the warrants. The applicable prospectus supplement will also describe the following terms of any warrants:

 

 

the specific designation and aggregate number of, and the offering price at which we will issue, the warrants;

 

 

the currency or currency units in which the offering price, if any, and the exercise price are payable;

 

 

the date on which the right to exercise the warrants will begin and the date on which that right will expire or, if you may not continuously exercise the warrants throughout that period, the specific date or dates on which you may exercise the warrants;

 

 

whether the warrants are to be sold separately or with other securities as parts of units;

 

 

whether the warrants will be issued in definitive or global form or in any combination of these forms;

 

 

any applicable material U.S. federal income tax consequences;

 

 

the identity of the warrant agent for the warrants and of any other depositaries, execution or paying agents, transfer agents, registrars or other agents;

 

 

the proposed listing, if any, of the warrants or any securities purchasable upon exercise of the warrants on any securities exchange;

 

 

the designation and terms of any equity securities purchasable upon exercise of the warrants;

 

 

the designation, aggregate principal amount, currency and terms of any debt securities that may be purchased upon exercise of the warrants;

 

 

if applicable, the designation and terms of the preferred stock with which the warrants are issued and the number of warrants issued with each security;

 

 

if applicable, the date from and after which any warrants issued as part of a unit and the related debt securities, preferred stock or common stock will be separately transferable;

 

 

the number of shares of common stock or preferred stock purchasable upon exercise of a warrant and the price at which those shares may be purchased;

 

 

if applicable, the minimum or maximum amount of the warrants that may be exercised at any one time;

 

 

information with respect to book-entry procedures, if any;

 

 

the anti-dilution provisions of, and other provisions for changes to or adjustment in the exercise price of, the warrants, if any;

 

 

any redemption or call provisions; and

 

 

any additional terms of the warrants, including terms, procedures and limitations relating to the exchange or exercise of the warrants.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF UNITS

We may issue units consisting of one or more of the other securities described in this prospectus in any combination, as described in the applicable prospectus supplement. We may issue units in one or more series, which will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement. The applicable prospectus supplement will also describe the following terms of any units:

 

 

the designation and the terms of the units and of the securities constituting the units, including whether and under what circumstances the securities comprising the units may be traded separately;

 

 

the identity of any unit agent for the units, if applicable, and of any other depositaries, execution or paying agents, transfer agents, registrars or other agents;

 

 

any additional terms of the governing unit agreement, if applicable;

 

 

any additional provisions for the issuance, payment, settlement, transfer or exchange of the units or of the debt securities, common stock, preferred stock, or warrants constituting the units; and

 

 

any applicable material U.S. federal income tax consequences.

 

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FORMS OF SECURITIES

Each debt security, unit and warrant will be represented either by a certificate issued in definitive form to a particular investor or by one or more global securities representing the entire issuance of securities. Unless the applicable prospectus supplement provides otherwise, certificated securities in definitive form and global securities will be issued in registered form. Definitive securities name you or your nominee as the owner of the security, and in order to transfer or exchange these securities or to receive payments other than interest or other interim payments, you or your nominee must physically deliver the securities to the trustee, registrar, paying agent or other agent, as applicable. Global securities name a depositary or its nominee as the owner of the debt securities, units or warrants represented by these global securities. The depositary maintains a computerized system that will reflect each investor’s beneficial ownership of the securities through an account maintained by the investor with its broker/dealer, bank, trust company or other representative, as we explain more fully below.

Global Securities

We may issue the debt securities of a particular series, units and warrants in the form of one or more fully registered global securities that will be deposited with a depositary or its nominee identified in the applicable prospectus supplement and registered in the name of that depositary or nominee. In those cases, one or more global securities will be issued in a denomination or aggregate denominations equal to the portion of the aggregate principal or face amount of the securities to be represented by global securities. Unless and until it is exchanged in whole for securities in definitive registered form, a global security may not be transferred except as a whole by and among the depositary for the global security, the nominees of the depositary or any successors of the depositary or those nominees.

If not described below, any specific terms of the depositary arrangement with respect to any securities to be represented by a global security will be described in the prospectus supplement relating to those securities. We anticipate that the following provisions will apply to all depositary arrangements.

Ownership of beneficial interests in a global security will be limited to persons, called participants, that have accounts with the depositary or persons that may hold interests through participants. Upon the issuance of a global security, the depositary will credit, on its book-entry registration and transfer system, the participants’ accounts with the respective principal or face amounts of the securities beneficially owned by the participants. Any dealers, underwriters or agents participating in the distribution of the securities will designate the accounts to be credited. Ownership of beneficial interests in a global security will be shown on, and the transfer of ownership interests will be effected only through, records maintained by the depositary, with respect to interests of participants, and on the records of participants, with respect to interests of persons holding through participants. The laws of some states may require that some purchasers of securities take physical delivery of these securities in definitive form. These laws may impair your ability to own, transfer or pledge beneficial interests in global securities.

So long as the depositary, or its nominee, is the registered owner of a global security, that depositary or its nominee, as the case may be, will be considered the sole owner or holder of the securities represented by the global security for all purposes under the applicable indenture, warrant agreement or unit agreement. Except as described below, owners of beneficial interests in a global security will not be entitled to have the securities represented by the global security registered in their names, will not receive or be entitled to receive physical delivery of the securities in definitive form and will not be considered the owners or holders of the securities under the applicable indenture, unit agreement or warrant agreement. Accordingly, each person owning a beneficial interest in a global security must rely on the procedures of the depositary for that global security and, if that person is not a participant, on the procedures of the participant through which the person owns its interest, to exercise any rights of a holder under the applicable indenture, unit agreement or warrant agreement. We understand that under existing industry practices, if we request any action of holders or if an owner of a beneficial interest in a global security desires to give or take any action that a holder is entitled to give or take

 

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under the applicable indenture, unit agreement or warrant agreement, the depositary for the global security would authorize the participants holding the relevant beneficial interests to give or take that action, and the participants would authorize beneficial owners owning through them to give or take that action or would otherwise act upon the instructions of beneficial owners holding through them.

Principal, premium, if any, and interest payments on debt securities, and any payments to holders with respect to warrants or units represented by a global security registered in the name of a depositary or its nominee will be made to the depositary or its nominee, as the case may be, as the registered owner of the global security. None of us, or any trustee, warrant agent, unit agent or other agent of ours, or any agent of any trustee, warrant agent or unit agent will have any responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in the global security or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to those beneficial ownership interests.

We expect that the depositary for any of the securities represented by a global security, upon receipt of any payment to holders of principal, premium, interest or other distribution of underlying securities or other property on that registered global security, will immediately credit participants’ accounts in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in that global security as shown on the records of the depositary. We also expect that payments by participants to owners of beneficial interests in a global security held through participants will be governed by standing customer instructions and customary practices, as is now the case with the securities held for the accounts of customers or registered in “street name,” and will be the responsibility of those participants.

If the depositary for any of the securities represented by a global security is at any time unwilling or unable to continue as depositary or ceases to be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act, and a successor depositary registered as a clearing agency under the Exchange Act is not appointed by us within 90 days, we will issue securities in definitive form in exchange for the global security that had been held by the depositary. Any securities issued in definitive form in exchange for a global security will be registered in the name or names that the depositary gives to the relevant trustee, warrant agent, unit agent or other relevant agent of ours or theirs. It is expected that the depositary’s instructions will be based upon directions received by the depositary from participants with respect to ownership of beneficial interests in the global security that had been held by the depositary.

 

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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

We may sell securities:

 

 

through underwriters;

 

 

through dealers;

 

 

through agents;

 

 

directly to purchasers; or

 

 

through a combination of any of these methods of sale.

In addition, we may issue the securities as a dividend or distribution or in a subscription rights offering to our existing security holders. This prospectus may be used in connection with any offering of our securities through any of these methods or other methods described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

We may directly solicit offers to purchase securities, or agents may be designated to solicit such offers. We will, in the prospectus supplement relating to such offering, name any agent that could be viewed as an underwriter under the Securities Act, and describe any commissions that we must pay. Any such agent will be acting on a best efforts basis for the period of its appointment or, if indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, on a firm commitment basis.

The distribution of the securities may be effected from time to time in one or more transactions:

 

 

at a fixed price, or prices, which may be changed from time to time;

 

 

at market prices prevailing at the time of sale;

 

 

at prices related to such prevailing market prices; or

 

 

at negotiated prices.

We may also sell equity securities covered by this registration statement in an “at the market offering” as defined in Rule 415 under the Securities Act. Such offering may be made into an existing trading market for such securities in transactions at other than a fixed price, either:

 

 

on or through the facilities of The Nasdaq Global Select Market or any other securities exchange or quotation or trading service on which such securities may be listed, quoted or traded at the time of sale; and/or

 

 

to or through a market maker other than on The Nasdaq Global Select Market or such other securities exchanges or quotation or trading services.

Such “at the market offerings”, if any, may be conducted by underwriters acting as principal or agent.

Each prospectus supplement will describe the method of distribution of the securities and any applicable restrictions.

The prospectus supplement with respect to the securities of a particular series will describe the terms of the offering of the securities, including the following:

 

 

the name of the agent or any underwriters;

 

 

the public offering or purchase price and the proceeds we will receive from the sale of the securities;

 

 

any discounts and commissions to be allowed or re-allowed or paid to the agent or underwriters;

 

 

all other items constituting underwriting compensation;

 

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any discounts and commissions to be allowed or re-allowed or paid to dealers; and

 

 

any exchanges on which the securities will be listed.

If any underwriters or agents are utilized in the sale of the securities in respect of which this prospectus is delivered, we will enter into an underwriting agreement or other agreement with them at the time of sale to them, and we will set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to such offering the names of the underwriters or agents and the terms of the related agreement with them.

If a dealer is utilized in the sale of the securities in respect of which this prospectus is delivered, we will sell such securities to the dealer, as principal. The dealer may then resell such securities to the public at varying prices to be determined by such dealer at the time of resale.

If we offer securities in a subscription rights offering to our existing security holders, we may enter into a standby underwriting agreement with dealers, acting as standby underwriters. We may pay the standby underwriters a commitment fee for the securities they commit to purchase on a standby basis. If we do not enter into a standby underwriting arrangement, we may retain a dealer-manager to manage a subscription rights offering for us.

Remarketing firms, agents, underwriters, dealers and other persons may be entitled under agreements which they may enter into with us to indemnification by us against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or contribution with respect to payments that the agents or underwriters may make with respect to these liabilities, and may be customers of, engage in transactions with or perform services for us in the ordinary course of business.

If so indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, we will authorize underwriters or other persons acting as our agents to solicit offers by certain institutions to purchase securities from us pursuant to delayed delivery contracts providing for payment and delivery on the date stated in the prospectus supplement. Each contract will be for an amount not less than, and the aggregate amount of securities sold pursuant to such contracts shall not be less nor more than, the respective amounts stated in the prospectus supplement. Institutions with whom the contracts, when authorized, may be made include commercial and savings banks, insurance companies, pension funds, investment companies, educational and charitable institutions and other institutions, but shall in all cases be subject to our approval. Delayed delivery contracts will not be subject to any conditions except that:

 

 

the purchase by an institution of the securities covered under that contract shall not at the time of delivery be prohibited under the laws of the jurisdiction to which that institution is subject; and

 

 

if the securities are also being sold to underwriters acting as principals for their own account, the underwriters shall have purchased such securities not sold for delayed delivery. The underwriters and other persons acting as our agents will not have any responsibility in respect of the validity or performance of delayed delivery contracts.

Certain agents, underwriters and dealers, and their associates and affiliates may be customers of, have borrowing relationships with, engage in other transactions with, and/or perform services, including investment banking services, for us or one or more of our respective affiliates in the ordinary course of business.

In order to facilitate the offering of the securities, any underwriters may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of the securities or any other securities the prices of which may be used to determine payments on such securities. Specifically, any underwriters may overallot in connection with the offering, creating a short position for their own accounts. In addition, to cover overallotments or to stabilize the price of the securities or of any such other securities, the underwriters may bid for, and purchase, the securities or any such other securities in the open market. Finally, in any offering of the securities through a syndicate of

 

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underwriters, the underwriting syndicate may reclaim selling concessions allowed to an underwriter or a dealer for distributing the securities in the offering if the syndicate repurchases previously distributed securities in transactions to cover syndicate short positions, in stabilization transactions or otherwise. Any of these activities may stabilize or maintain the market price of the securities above independent market levels. Any such underwriters are not required to engage in these activities and may end any of these activities at any time.

As of the date of this prospectus, under Rule 15c6-1 of the Exchange Act, trades in the secondary market generally are required to settle in two business days, unless the parties to any such trade expressly agree otherwise. The applicable prospectus supplement may provide that the original issue date for your securities may be more than two scheduled business days after the trade date for your securities. Accordingly, in such a case, if you wish to trade securities on any date prior to the second business day before the original issue date for your securities, you will be required, by virtue of the fact that your securities initially are expected to settle in more than two scheduled business days after the trade date for your securities, to make alternative settlement arrangements to prevent a failed settlement. In February 2023, Rule 15c6-1 of the Exchange Act was amended to require, effective May 28, 2024, trades in the secondary market to settle in one business day, unless the parties to any such trade expressly agree otherwise. Therefore, for any securities offered under this prospectus on or after May 28, 2024, the same process described in this paragraph will apply, except that purchasers who wish to trade such securities on any date prior to the first business day before the original issue date will be required, by virtue of the fact that their securities initially are expected to settle in more than one scheduled business day after the trade date for their securities, to make alternative settlement arrangements to prevent a failed settlement as described in this paragraph.

The securities may be new issues of securities and may have no established trading market. The securities may or may not be listed on a national securities exchange. Any underwriters may make a market in these securities, but will not be obligated to do so and may discontinue any market making at any time without notice. We can make no assurance as to the liquidity of or the existence of trading markets for any of the securities.

Any underwriters who are qualified market makers on The Nasdaq Global Select Market may engage in passive market making transactions in the securities on The Nasdaq Global Select Market in accordance with Rule 103 of Regulation M, during the business day prior to the pricing of the offering, before the commencement of offers or sales of the securities. Passive market makers must comply with applicable volume and price limitations and must be identified as passive market makers. In general, a passive market maker must display its bid at a price not in excess of the highest independent bid for such security; if all independent bids are lowered below the passive market maker’s bid, however, the passive market maker’s bid must then be lowered when certain purchase limits are exceeded. Passive market making may stabilize the market price of the securities at a level above that which might otherwise prevail in the open market and, if commenced, may be discontinued at any time.

 

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LEGAL MATTERS

Unless the applicable prospectus supplement indicates otherwise, the validity of the securities in respect of which this prospectus is being delivered will be passed upon by Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP.

EXPERTS

The financial statements of Beam Therapeutics Inc. incorporated by reference in this prospectus, and the effectiveness of Beam Therapeutics Inc.’s internal control over financial reporting, have been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their reports. Such financial statements are incorporated by reference in reliance upon the report of such firm, given their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.

 

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BEAM THERAPEUTICS INC.

Debt Securities

Common Stock

Preferred Stock

Warrants

Units

 

 

PROSPECTUS

 

 

February 27, 2024

 

 

 


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PROSPECTUS

Up to $236,027,466

 

 

LOGO

BEAM THERAPEUTICS INC.

Common Stock

We previously entered into a Sales Agreement, dated as of April 1, 2021, as amended on July 7, 2021, and as further amended on May 10, 2023, or the amended sales agreement, with Jefferies LLC, or the sales agent, pursuant to which we may offer and sell shares of our common stock, par value $0.01, or common stock, having an aggregate offering price of up to $1,100,000,000 from time to time through the sales agent, acting as our agent. As of the date of this prospectus, we have issued and sold shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of approximately $863,972,534 pursuant to the amended sales agreement and prospectus supplements dated April 1, 2021, July 7, 2021 and May 10, 2023, or the prior prospectus supplements, under our shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (Registration Statement No. 333-254946), or the prior prospectus. We have suspended and will not make any further offers or sales of our common stock pursuant to the prior prospectus supplements or the prior prospectus. The $236,027,466 of shares of our common stock which may be offered and sold pursuant to the amended sales agreement will be offered and sold under this prospectus.

Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “BEAM.” On February 23, 2024, the last reported sale price of our common stock on The Nasdaq Global Select Market was $33.99 per share.

Sales of our common stock, if any, under this prospectus may be made in sales deemed to be “at the market offerings” as defined in Rule 415(a)(4) promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act. Subject to the terms of the sales agreement, the sales agent is not required to sell any specific number or dollar amount of securities, but will act as a sales agent using commercially reasonable efforts to sell on our behalf all of the shares of common stock requested to be sold by us, consistent with normal trading and sales practices, on mutually agreed terms between the sales agent and us. There is no arrangement for funds to be received in any escrow, trust or similar arrangement.

The sales agent will be entitled to compensation at a commission rate of up to 3.0% of the aggregate gross sales price per share sold by it under the amended sales agreement. In connection with the sale of our common stock on our behalf, the sales agent will be deemed to be an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act and the compensation of the sales agent will be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts. We have also agreed to provide indemnification and contribution to the sales agent with respect to certain liabilities, including civil liabilities under the Securities Act or Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended.

Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. Before making an investment decision, you should carefully consider all of the information set forth in this prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference herein and therein. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page SA-4 of this prospectus and under similar headings in the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

Jefferies

February 27, 2024

 


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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

 

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

     SA-1  

PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

     SA-2  

RISK FACTORS

     SA-4  

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

     SA-6  

USE OF PROCEEDS

     SA-8  

DILUTION

     SA-9  

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

     SA-10  

LEGAL MATTERS

     SA-12  

EXPERTS

     SA-13  

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

     SA-14  

INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE

     SA-15  

 

 


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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the SEC, as a “well-known seasoned issuer” as defined in Rule 405 under the Securities Act, utilizing a “shelf” registration process. By using a shelf registration statement, we may sell an unspecified amount of securities from time to time. Under this shelf registration process, we may from time to time offer and sell shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $236,027,466 under this prospectus at prices and on terms to be determined by market conditions at the time of offering.

Before you invest, you should carefully read this prospectus and all of the information incorporated by reference in this prospectus, as well as the additional information described under the headings “Where You Can Find More Information” and “Incorporation of Certain Information by Reference” in this prospectus. These documents contain information you should consider when making your investment decision.

This prospectus describes the terms of this offering of common stock and also adds to and updates information contained in the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus. To the extent there is a conflict between the information contained in this prospectus, on the one hand, and the information contained in any document incorporated by reference into this prospectus that was filed with the SEC before the date of this prospectus, on the other hand, you should rely on the information in this prospectus, provided that if any statement in one of these documents is inconsistent with a statement in another document having a later date—for example, a document incorporated by reference into this prospectus—the statement in the document having the later date modifies or supersedes the earlier statement.

This prospectus contains or incorporates by reference summaries of certain provisions contained in some of the documents described herein, but all such summaries are qualified in their entirety by the actual documents. Copies of some of the documents referred to herein have been or will be filed or have been or will be incorporated by reference as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part, and you may obtain copies of those documents as described in this prospectus under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information.” We further note that the representations, warranties and covenants made by us in any agreement that is filed as an exhibit to any document that is incorporated by reference herein were made solely for the benefit of the parties to such agreement, including, in some cases, for the purpose of allocating risk among the parties to such agreements, and should not be deemed to be a representation, warranty or covenant to you. Moreover, such representations, warranties or covenants were accurate only as of the date when made. Accordingly, such representations, warranties and covenants should not be relied on as accurately representing the current state of our affairs.

We have not, and the sales agent has not, authorized anyone to provide you any information other than that contained in, or incorporated by reference into, this prospectus, any accompanying prospectus supplement or in any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any information that others may give you. We are offering to sell, and seeking offers to buy, shares of our common stock only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are permitted. The distribution of this prospectus and the offering of the common stock in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. Persons outside the United States who come into possession of this prospectus must inform themselves about, and observe any restrictions relating to, the offering of the common stock and the distribution of this prospectus outside the United States. This prospectus does not constitute, and may not be used in connection with, an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities offered by this prospectus by any person in any jurisdiction in which it is unlawful for such person to make such an offer or solicitation. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus or the documents incorporated herein by reference is accurate as of any date other than their respective dates. We do not imply or represent by delivering this prospectus that Beam Therapeutics Inc., or its business, financial condition or results of operations, are unchanged after the date on the front of this prospectus or that the information in this prospectus is correct as of any time after such date.

In this prospectus, unless the context specifies or implies otherwise, the terms “Beam,” “Beam Therapeutics,” “the Company,” “we,” “us,” and “our” and similar names refer to Beam Therapeutics Inc.

 

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PROSPECTUS SUMMARY

This summary highlights selected information appearing elsewhere or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any accompanying prospectus supplement and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering; it may not contain all of the information that is important to you. This prospectus includes information about the shares we are offering as well as information regarding our business and financial data. You should read this prospectus, including the information incorporated by reference herein, and in any accompanying prospectus supplement or any free writing prospectus we have authorized for use in connection with this offering, in their entirety. Investors should carefully consider the information set forth under “Risk Factors” beginning on page SA-4 in this prospectus and in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and the other filings we make with the SEC from time to time after the date of this prospectus, which are incorporated by reference herein.

Overview

We are a biotechnology company committed to establishing the leading, fully integrated platform for precision genetic medicines. Our vision is to provide life-long cures to patients suffering from serious diseases. To achieve this vision, we have assembled a platform that includes a suite of gene editing and delivery technologies as well as internal manufacturing capabilities. Our suite of gene editing technologies is anchored by our proprietary base editing technology, which potentially enables a differentiated class of precision genetic medicines that target a single base in the genome without making a double-stranded break in the DNA. This approach uses a chemical reaction designed to create precise, predictable and efficient genetic outcomes at the targeted sequence. Our proprietary base editors have two principal components: (i) a clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats, or CRISPR, protein, bound to a guide RNA, that leverages the established DNA-targeting ability of CRISPR, but is modified to not cause a double-stranded break, and (ii) a base editing enzyme, such as a deaminase, which carries out the desired chemical modification of the target DNA base. We believe this design contributes to a more precise and efficient edit compared to traditional gene editing methods, with the potential to dramatically increase the impact of gene editing.

We are also pursuing a suite of delivery modalities, including both ex vivo and in vivo approaches, depending on tissue type. The elegance of the base editing approach, combined with a tissue specific delivery modality, provides the basis for a targeted, efficient, precise, and highly versatile gene editing system, capable of gene correction, gene silencing, gene activation, gene modification, and/or multiplex editing of several genes simultaneously.

Our goal is to advance a broad, diversified portfolio of base editing programs against distinct, genetically validated editing targets, as well as an innovative, platform business model that will expand the reach of our programs to more patients. Overall, we are seeking to build the leading integrated platform for precision genetic medicine, which may have broad therapeutic applicability and the potential to transform the field of precision genetic medicines.

Corporate Information

We were incorporated in Delaware in January 2017. Our principal executive offices are located at 238 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, and our telephone number is 857-327-8775. Our website address is www.beamtx.com, and our investor relations website is located at investors.beamtx.com. Information on or accessible through our website is not incorporated by reference herein and you should not consider any information on, or that can be accessed through, our website to be part of this prospectus.

 

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The Offering

 

Common stock offered by us:

Shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $236,027,466.

 

Common stock to be outstanding after this offering:

Up to 88,576,522 shares (as more fully described in the notes following this table), assuming sales of 6,944,026 shares of our common stock in this offering at an offering price of $33.99 per share, which was the last reported sale price of our common stock on The Nasdaq Global Select Market on February 23, 2024. The actual number of shares issued will vary depending on the sales price under this offering.

 

Plan of Distribution:

“At the market offering” that may be made from time to time through the sales agent. See “Plan of Distribution” beginning on page SA-10.

 

Use of Proceeds:

We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering, if any, for working capital and general corporate purposes. See “Use of Proceeds” on page SA-8.

 

Risk Factors:

You should read the “Risk Factors” section of this prospectus beginning on page SA-4 and in the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus for a discussion of factors to consider before deciding to purchase shares of our common stock.

 

The Nasdaq Global Select Market Symbol:

“BEAM”

The number of shares of common stock to be outstanding following this offering is based on 81,632,496 shares of common stock outstanding as of December 31, 2023 and excludes:

 

   

8,276,033 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of stock options outstanding, at a weighted average exercise price of $42.59 per share, and 2,927,152 shares issuable upon vesting of restricted stock units as of December 31, 2023 under our equity incentive plans;

 

   

1,173,189 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2019 Equity Incentive Plan as of December 31, 2023, as well as any automatic increases in the number of shares of common stock reserved under this plan (such as the 3,265,299 shares of common stock automatically added to this plan on January 1, 2024); and

 

   

2,247,569 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under our Amended and Restated 2019 Employee Stock Purchase Plan as of December 31, 2023, as well as any automatic increases in the number of shares of common stock reserved under this plan (such as the 816,324 shares of common stock automatically added to this plan on January 1, 2024).

Unless otherwise indicated, all information in this prospectus assumes no exercise of the outstanding options described above.

 

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RISK FACTORS

Any investment in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully the risks described below and discussed under the section captioned “Risk Factors” and “Risk Factors Summary” contained in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and in our other filings under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act, each of which is incorporated by reference in this prospectus in their entirety, together with other information in this prospectus, and the information and documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any accompanying prospectus supplement and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering before you make a decision to invest in our common stock. If any of the events described in the risk factors below or incorporated by reference in this prospectus actually occur, our business, operating results, prospects or financial condition could be materially and adversely affected. This could cause the trading price of our common stock to decline and you may lose all or part of your investment. The risks below and incorporated by reference in this prospectus are not the only ones we face. Additional risks not currently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also affect our business operations. Please also read carefully the section below entitled “Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”

Risks Relating To This Offering

We have broad discretion in the use of the net proceeds from this offering and may not use them effectively.

We cannot specify with certainty the particular uses of the net proceeds we will receive from this offering. Our management will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds, including for any of the purposes described in “Use of Proceeds.” Accordingly, you will have to rely upon the judgment of our management with respect to the use of the proceeds, with only limited information concerning management’s specific intentions. Our management may spend a portion or all of the net proceeds from this offering in ways that our stockholders may not desire or that may not yield a favorable return. The failure by our management to apply these funds effectively could harm our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. Pending their use, we may invest the net proceeds from this offering in a manner that does not produce income or that loses value.

The actual number of shares of common stock we will issue under the amended sales agreement and the gross proceeds resulting from those sales, at any one time or in total, is uncertain.

Subject to certain limitations in the amended sales agreement and compliance with applicable law, we have the discretion to request the sales agent sell shares of common stock on our behalf at any time throughout the term of the amended sales agreement, and the sales agent will be obligated to use commercially reasonable efforts to sell the shares. The number of shares that are sold by the sales agent after we request that sales be made will fluctuate based on the market price of our common stock during the sales period and limits we set with the sales agent. Because the per share price of the common stock sold will fluctuate based on the market price of our common stock during the sales period, it is not possible at this stage to predict the number of shares of common stock that will ultimately be issued by us under the amended sales agreement or the gross proceeds that will be raised in connection with those sales.

The shares of common stock offered hereby will be sold in “at-the-market offerings,” and investors who buy shares of common stock at different times will likely pay different prices.

Investors who purchase shares of common stock in this offering at different times will likely pay different prices, and therefore may experience different outcomes in their investment results. We will have discretion, subject to market demand, to vary the timing, prices, and number of shares sold. Investors may experience a decline in the value of their shares of common stock as a result of sales of common stock made at prices lower than the prices they paid.

You may experience future dilution as a result of future equity offerings.

To raise additional capital, we may in the future offer additional shares of our common stock or other securities convertible into or exchangeable for our common stock at prices that may not be the same as the price per share in this offering. We may sell shares or other securities in any other offering at a price per share that is less than the price per share paid by investors in this offering, and investors purchasing shares or other securities in the future could have rights superior to existing stockholders. The price per share at which we sell additional shares of our

 

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common stock, or securities convertible or exchangeable into common stock, in future transactions may be higher or lower than the price per share paid by investors in this offering.

We do not expect to pay any dividends for the foreseeable future. Investors in this offering may never obtain a return on their investment.

You should not rely on an investment in our common stock to provide dividend income. We do not anticipate that we will pay any dividends to holders of our common stock in the foreseeable future. Instead, we plan to retain any earnings to maintain and expand our existing operations. In addition, any future credit facility may contain terms prohibiting or limiting the amount of dividends that may be declared or paid on our common stock. Accordingly, investors must rely on sales of their common stock after price appreciation, which may never occur, as the only way to realize any return on their investment. As a result, investors seeking cash dividends should not purchase our common stock.

You may experience immediate dilution in the book value per share of the common stock you purchase.

Because the price per share of our common stock being offered may be higher than the book value per share of our common stock, you may suffer immediate and substantial dilution by purchasing shares of our common stock in this offering. The shares sold in this offering, if any, will be sold from time to time at various prices. After giving effect to the sale of our common stock in the maximum aggregate offering amount of $236,027,466 at an assumed offering price of $33.99 per share, the last reported sale price of our common stock on The Nasdaq Global Select Market on February 23, 2024, and after deducting estimated offering commissions and estimated fees payable by us, our as adjusted net tangible book value as of December 31, 2023 would have been $1.2 billion, or $13.66 per share of common stock. This represents an immediate increase in the as adjusted net tangible book value of $1.64 per share to our existing stockholders and an immediate and substantial dilution in as adjusted net tangible book value of $20.33 per share to new investors who purchase our common stock in the offering. See the section below entitled “Dilution” for a more detailed discussion of the dilution you may incur if you purchase common stock in this offering.

 

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CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus and our filings with the SEC that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus contain or incorporate by reference “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. Such forward-looking statements reflect, among other things, our current expectations and anticipated results of operations, all of which are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements, market trends, or industry results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Therefore, any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements and should be evaluated as such. Without limiting the foregoing, the words “anticipate,” “expect,” “suggest,” “plan,” “believe,” “intend,” “project,” “forecast,” “estimates,” “targets,” “projections,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “may,” “might,” “will,” and the negative thereof and similar words and expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of important risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those described in “Risk Factors” in this prospectus and in any accompanying prospectus supplement. You should also carefully review the risk factors and cautionary statements described in the other documents we file from time to time with the SEC, specifically our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and the other filings we make with the SEC from time to time after the date of this prospectus. Unless legally required, we assume no obligation to update any such forward-looking information to reflect actual results or changes in the factors affecting such forward-looking information. These forward-looking statements reflect our expectations and beliefs and include, but are not limited to, statements about:

 

   

our anticipated results of operations;

 

   

the initiation, timing, progress and results of our clinical trials;

 

   

the initiation, timing, progress and results of our research and development programs and preclinical studies;

 

   

our ability to develop and maintain a sustainable portfolio of product candidates;

 

   

our ability to develop life-long, curative, precision genetic medicines for patients through base editing;

 

   

our ability to create a hub for partnering with other companies;

 

   

our plans for preclinical studies for product candidates in our pipeline;

 

   

our ability to advance any product candidates that we may develop and successfully complete any clinical trials or preclinical studies, including the manufacture of any such product candidates;

 

   

our ability to pursue a broad suite of clinically validated delivery modalities;

 

   

our ability to generate additional novel lipid nanoparticles that we believe could accelerate novel nonviral delivery of gene editing or other nucleic acid payloads to tissues beyond the liver and our ability to expand the reach of our programs;

 

   

the scope of protection we are able to establish and maintain for intellectual property rights covering our product candidates and technology;

 

   

developments related to our competitors and our industry;

 

   

the timing, progress and success of our collaborations with third parties, including any future payments we may receive under our collaboration and license agreements, and our ability to identify and enter into future license agreements and collaborations;

 

   

developments related to base editing technologies;

 

   

our ability to successfully develop our delivery modalities and obtain and maintain approval for our product candidates;

 

   

our ability to successfully establish and maintain a commercial-scale current Good Manufacturing Practice, or cGMP, manufacturing facility;

 

   

regulatory developments in the United States and foreign countries;

 

   

our ability to attract and retain key scientific and management personnel;

 

   

the strategic and other potential benefits of any acquisition of additional technologies;

 

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our ability to achieve the expected benefits of our portfolio prioritization and strategic restructuring and our estimates related to the costs and timing of implementing such initiative;

 

   

our estimates regarding the period over which we believe that our existing cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities, will be sufficient to fund our operating expenses and capital expenditure requirements;

 

   

the impact on our business of macro-economic conditions, as well as the prevailing level of macro- economic, business, and operational uncertainty, including as a result of geopolitical events or other global or regional events; and

 

   

our use of proceeds from this offering.

This prospectus includes and incorporates by reference certain statistical and other industry and market data that we obtained from industry publications and research, surveys and studies conducted by third parties as well as our own estimates of potential market opportunities. Industry publications and third-party research, surveys and studies generally indicate that their information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, although they do not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of such information. Our estimates of the potential market opportunities for our product candidates include several key assumptions based on our industry knowledge, industry publications, third-party research and other surveys, which may be based on a small sample size and may fail to accurately reflect market opportunities. While we believe that our internal assumptions are reasonable, no independent source has verified such assumptions.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

Pursuant to the amended sales agreement, we may issue and sell shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $236,027,466 (before deducting sales agent commissions and expenses) from time to time pursuant to this prospectus. Because there is no minimum offering amount required as a condition to close this offering, the actual total public offering amount, commissions and proceeds to us, if any, are not determinable at this time. There can be no assurance that we will be able to sell any shares under or fully utilize the amended sales agreement with the sales agent as a source of financing.

We intend to use the net proceeds, if any, from this offering for working capital and general corporate purposes, which may include, among other things, continued advancement of our platform technology, continued research and development of our current portfolio of base editing programs and for other potential programs, conducting preclinical studies, for clinical trials, and for expanding the capabilities of our current Good Manufacturing Practice compliant manufacturing facility in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.

The expected use of net proceeds from this offering represents our intentions based upon our current plans and business conditions, which could change in the future as our plans and business conditions evolve. We have not determined the amounts we plan to spend on any of the areas listed above or the timing of these expenditures. The amounts and timing of our actual expenditures will depend on numerous factors, including the actual net proceeds from this offering (which will depend on the market price of our common stock during the sales period, any limits we may set with the sales agent in any applicable placement notice and the demand for our common stock), our research, development and commercialization efforts, as well as the amount of cash used in our operations. We therefore cannot estimate with certainty the amount of net proceeds to be used for the purposes described above. We may find it necessary or advisable to use the net proceeds for other purposes, and we will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds.

Pending the uses described above, we plan to invest the net proceeds from this offering in short-term, investment-grade, interest-bearing instruments and U.S. government securities.

 

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DILUTION

If you invest in our common stock, your interest will be diluted immediately to the extent of the difference between the public offering price and the as adjusted net tangible book value per share of our common stock after this offering.

Net tangible book value per share represents our total tangible assets, including operating lease right-of-use assets of $112.8 million, less total liabilities divided by the number of shares of outstanding common stock as of December 31, 2023, or 81,632,496 shares. Our historical net tangible book value as of December 31, 2023 was $981.3 million, or $12.02 per share of common stock.

As adjusted net tangible book value per share after this offering gives further effect to the sale of $236,027,466 of common stock in this offering at an assumed offering price of $33.99 per share, which was the closing price of our common stock as reported on The Nasdaq Global Select Market on February 23, 2024, after deducting offering commissions and estimated expenses payable by us. Our as adjusted net tangible book value as of December 31, 2023, after giving effect to this offering as described above, would have been $1.2 billion, or $13.66 per share of common stock. This represents an immediate increase in net tangible book value of $1.64 per share to our existing stockholders and an immediate dilution in net tangible book value of $20.33 per share to investors participating in this offering. The following table illustrates this dilution per share to investors participating in this offering:

 

 

 

Assumed offering price per share

      $ 33.99  

Historical net tangible book value per share as of December 31, 2023

   $ 12.02     

Increase per share in net tangible book value per share of common stock attributable to investors purchasing shares in this offering

     1.64     

As adjusted net tangible book value per share as of December 31, 2023 after giving effect to the offering

        13.66  
     

 

 

 

Dilution per share to investors

      $ 20.33  

 

 

The information above is supplied for illustrative purposes only and will adjust based on the actual public offering price and the actual number of shares that we sell in the offering. The as adjusted information assumes that all of our common stock in the aggregate amount of $236,027,466 is sold at the assumed offering price of $33.99 per share, the last reported sale price of our common stock on The Nasdaq Global Select Market on February 23, 2024. The shares sold in this offering, if any, will be sold from time to time at various prices.

The number of shares of common stock to be outstanding following this offering is based on 81,632,496 shares of common stock outstanding as of December 31, 2023 and excludes:

 

   

8,276,033 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of stock options outstanding, at a weighted average exercise price of $42.59 per share, and 2,927,152 shares issuable upon vesting of restricted stock units as of December 31, 2023 under our equity incentive plans;

 

   

1,173,189 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under our 2019 Equity Incentive Plan as of December 31, 2023, as well as any automatic increases in the number of shares of common stock reserved under this plan (such as the 3,265,299 shares of common stock automatically added to this plan on January 1, 2024); and

 

   

2,247,569 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under our Amended and Restated 2019 Employee Stock Purchase Plan as of December 31, 2023, as well as any automatic increases in the number of shares of common stock reserved under this plan (such as the 816,324 shares of common stock automatically added to this plan on January 1, 2024).

To the extent that any of the outstanding options are exercised or restricted stock units vest, there will be further dilution to investors.

 

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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

We previously entered into a sales agreement, dated as of April 1, 2021, as amended on July 7, 2021, and as further amended on May 10, 2023, or the amended sales agreement, with Jefferies LLC, or the sales agent, pursuant to which we may offer and sell shares of our common stock, par value $0.01, or common stock, having an aggregate offering price of up to $1,100,000,000 from time to time through the sales agent, acting as our agent. As of the date of this prospectus, we have issued and sold shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of approximately $863,972,534 pursuant to the amended sales agreement and prospectus supplements dated April 1, 2021, July 7, 2021 and May 10, 2023, or the prior prospectus supplements, under our shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (Registration Statement No. 333-254946), or the prior prospectus. We have suspended and will not make any further offers or sales of our common stock pursuant to the prior prospectus supplements or the prior prospectus. The $236,027,466 of shares of our common stock which may be offered and sold pursuant the amended sales agreement will be offered and sold under this prospectus. Sales of our shares of common stock, if any, under this prospectus will be made by any method that is deemed to be an “at the market offering” as defined in Rule 415(a)(4) under the Securities Act.

Each time we wish to issue and sell shares of common stock under the amended sales agreement, we will notify the sales agent of the number of shares to be issued, the dates on which such sales are anticipated to be made, any limitation on the number of shares to be sold in any one day and any minimum price below which sales may not be made.

Once we have so instructed the sales agent, unless the sales agent declines to accept the terms of such notice, the sales agent has agreed to use its commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices to sell such shares up to the amount specified on such terms. The obligations of the sales agent under the amended sales agreement to sell our shares of common stock are subject to a number of conditions that we must meet.

The settlement of sales of shares between us and the sales agent is generally anticipated to occur on the second trading day following the date on which the sale was made. Sales of our shares of common stock as contemplated in this prospectus will be settled through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company or by such other means as we and the sales agent may agree upon. There is no arrangement for funds to be received in an escrow, trust or similar arrangement.

We will pay the sales agent a commission of up to 3.0% of the aggregate gross proceeds we receive from each sale of our shares of common stock through the sales agent. Because there is no minimum offering amount required as a condition to close this offering, the actual total public offering amount, commissions and proceeds to us, if any, are not determinable at this time. In addition, we agreed to reimburse the sales agent for the fees and disbursements of its counsel, payable upon execution of the sales agreement, in an amount not to exceed $75,000, and we agreed to reimburse the agent for the fees and disbursements of its counsel, payable upon execution of each amendment to the sales agreement in an amount not to exceed $75,000, in addition to certain ongoing disbursements of its legal counsel. We estimate that the total expenses for the offering, excluding any commissions or expense reimbursement payable to the sales agent under the terms of the amended sales agreement, will be approximately $300,000. The remaining sale proceeds, after deducting any other transaction fees, will equal our net proceeds from the sale of such shares.

The sales agent will provide written confirmation to us before the open on The Nasdaq Global Select Market on the day following each day on which shares of common stock are sold under the amended sales agreement. Each confirmation will include the number of shares sold on that day, the aggregate gross proceeds of such sales and the proceeds to us.

In connection with the sale of the shares of common stock on our behalf, the sales agent will be deemed to be an “underwriter” within the meaning of the Securities Act, and the compensation of the sales agent will be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts. We have agreed to indemnify the sales agent against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. We have also agreed to contribute to payments the sales agent may be required to make in respect of such liabilities.

 

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The offering of our shares of common stock pursuant to the amended sales agreement will terminate upon the earlier of (i) the sale of all shares of common stock subject to the amended sales agreement and (ii) the termination of the amended sales agreement as permitted therein. We and the sales agent may each terminate the amended sales agreement at any time upon ten days’ prior notice.

This summary of the material provisions of the amended sales agreement does not purport to be a complete statement of its terms and conditions. Copies of the sales agreement, Amendment No. 1, dated as of July 7, 2021, and Amendment No. 2, dated as of May 10, 2023, are filed as exhibits to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part and incorporated by reference in this prospectus.

The sales agent and its affiliates may in the future provide various investment banking, commercial banking, financial advisory and other financial services for us and our affiliates, for which services they may in the future receive customary fees. In the course of its business, the sales agent may actively trade our securities for its own account or for the accounts of customers, and, accordingly, the sales agent may at any time hold long or short positions in such securities.

A prospectus in electronic format may be made available on a website maintained by the sales agent, and the sales agent may distribute the prospectus electronically.

 

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LEGAL MATTERS

The validity of the shares of common stock offered by this prospectus will be passed upon for us by Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, Boston, Massachusetts. Certain legal matters will be passed upon for the sales agent by Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP.

 

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EXPERTS

The financial statements of Beam Therapeutics Inc. as of December 31, 2023 and 2022, and for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2023, incorporated by reference in this prospectus, and the effectiveness of Beam Therapeutics Inc.’s internal control over financial reporting have been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their reports. Such financial statements are incorporated by reference in reliance upon the reports of such firm given their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.

 

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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

This prospectus is part of a registration statement on Form S-3 we filed with the SEC. This prospectus, including the information incorporated by reference herein, does not include all of the information contained in the registration statement. You should refer to the registration statement and its exhibits for additional information.

We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC under the Exchange Act. Our SEC filings are available to the public over the Internet at the SEC’s website at http:// www.sec.gov. Our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K, including any amendments to those reports, and other information that we file with or furnish to the SEC pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act can also be accessed free of charge on our website at http://www.beamtx.com under the “Investor Center—Financials & Filings” caption. These filings will be available as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the SEC. Information contained on, or accessible through, our website is not incorporated by reference into this prospectus and should is not be considered part of this prospectus. We have included our website address in this prospectus solely as an inactive textual reference.

We have not, and the sales agent has not, authorized anyone to provide you any information other than that contained in, or incorporated by reference into, this document, any accompanying prospectus supplement or in any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the liability of, any information that others may give you. We have not authorized anyone else to provide you with different information. Our securities are not being offered in any jurisdiction where the offer is not permitted. The information contained in documents that are incorporated by reference in this prospectus is accurate only as of the dates of those documents. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.

 

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INCORPORATION OF CERTAIN INFORMATION BY REFERENCE

The SEC allows us to incorporate by reference the information we file with it, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to another document that we have filed separately with the SEC. You should read the information incorporated by reference because it is an important part of this prospectus. We incorporate by reference the following information or documents that we have filed with the SEC:

 

   

our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, as filed with the SEC on February 27, 2024;

 

   

the information specifically incorporated by reference into our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 from our definitive proxy statement for the 2023 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, as filed with the SEC on April 21, 2023;

 

   

our Current Report on Form 8-K, as filed with the SEC on January 8, 2024 (except for portions of such report which were deemed to be furnished and not filed); and

 

   

the description of our common stock contained in our Registration Statement on Form 8-A as filed with the SEC on January 31, 2020, as the description therein has been updated and superseded by the description of our capital stock contained in Exhibit 4.11 to our Registration Statement on Form S-3, as filed with the SEC on April 1, 2021, and including any amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating such description.

All reports and other documents we subsequently file pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act prior to the termination of this offering, but excluding any information furnished to, rather than filed with, the SEC, will also be incorporated by reference into this prospectus and deemed to be part of this prospectus from the date of the filing of such reports and documents.

Any statement contained in any document incorporated by reference herein filed before the date of this prospectus shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus modifies or supersedes such statement. Any statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this prospectus.

We will provide without charge to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom this prospectus is delivered, upon written or oral request, a copy of any or all documents that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus, but not delivered with the prospectus, other than exhibits to such documents unless such exhibits are specifically incorporated by reference into the documents that this prospectus incorporates. You should direct written requests to: Beam Therapeutics Inc., 238 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02142, or you may call us at (857) 327-8775.

 

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Up to $236,027,466

 

 

LOGO

Common Stock

 

 

PROSPECTUS

 

 

Jefferies

February 27, 2024

 

 

 


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PART II

INFORMATION NOT REQUIRED IN PROSPECTUS

 

Item 14.

Other Expenses of Issuance and Distribution.

The following table sets forth the fees and expenses payable by us in connection with the sale of the offered securities being registered hereby, other than underwriting discounts and commissions.

 

SEC registration fee

   $ 26,010 (1) 

Printing and engraving

     (2) 

Accounting services

     (2) 

Legal fees of registrant’s counsel

     (2) 

Transfer agent’s, trustee’s and depositary’s fees and expenses

     (2) 

Miscellaneous

     (2) 

Total

   $   (2) 

 

(1)

Pursuant to Rules 456(b) and 457(r) under the Securities Act, we are deferring payment of all applicable registration fees other than the fees due in connection with the $236,027,466 of our common stock that may be issued and sold from time to time under a sales agreement with Jefferies LLC.

(2)

These fees and expenses are calculated based on the securities offered and the number of issuances and accordingly are not estimated at this time and will be reflected in the applicable prospectus supplement.

 

Item 15.

Indemnification of Directors and Officers.

The following summary is qualified in its entirety by reference to the DGCL, our certificate of incorporation, and our bylaws.

Section 145 of the DGCL provides, generally, that a corporation shall have the power 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, suit or proceeding (except actions by or in the right of the corporation) by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the corporation against all expenses, judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with such action, suit or proceeding if such person acted in good faith and in a manner such 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 his or her conduct was unlawful. A corporation may similarly indemnify such person for expenses actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with the defense or settlement of any action or suit by or in the right of the corporation, provided that such person acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the corporation, and, in the case of claims, issues and matters as to which such person shall have been adjudged liable to the corporation, provided that a court shall have determined, upon application, that, despite the adjudication of liability but in view of all of the circumstances of the case, such person is fairly and reasonably entitled to indemnity for such expenses which such court shall deem proper.

Section 102(b)(7) of the DGCL provides, generally, that our certificate of incorporation may contain a provision eliminating or limiting the personal liability of a director to the corporation or its shareholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, provided that such provision may not eliminate or limit the liability of (i) a director for any breach of the director’s duty of loyalty to the corporation or its shareholders, (ii) a director for acts or omissions not in good faith or which involve intentional misconduct or a knowing violation of law, (iii) a director under section 174 of the DGCL, or (iv) a director for any transaction from which the director derived an improper personal benefit. No such provision may eliminate or limit the liability of a director for any act or omission occurring prior to the date when such provision became effective.

 

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Our certificate of incorporation and our bylaws include provisions that (i) eliminate the personal liability of our directors for monetary damages resulting from breaches of their fiduciary duty to the fullest extent permitted under applicable law and (ii) require us to indemnify our directors and officers to the fullest extent permitted by the DGCL or other applicable law. We believe that these provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws are necessary to attract and retain qualified persons as directors and officers. These provisions do not eliminate our directors’ or officers’ duty of care, and, in appropriate circumstances, equitable remedies such as injunctive or other forms of non-monetary relief will remain available under the DGCL. In addition, each director will continue to be subject to liability pursuant to section 174 of the DGCL for breach of such director’s duty of loyalty to us, for acts or omissions not in good faith or involving intentional misconduct, for knowing violations of law, for acts or omissions that such director believes to be contrary to our best interests or the best interests of our stockholders, for any transaction from which such director derived an improper personal benefit, for acts or omissions involving a reckless disregard for such director’s duty to us or to our stockholders when such director was aware or should have been aware of a risk of serious injury to us or to our stockholders, for acts or omission that constitute an unexcused pattern of inattention that amounts to an abdication of such director’s duty to us or to our stockholders, for improper transactions between such director and us and for improper loans to directors and officers. These provisions also do not affect a director’s responsibilities under any other law, such as the federal securities law or state or federal environmental laws.

As permitted by Delaware law, we have entered into indemnification agreements with each of our current directors and officers pursuant to the foregoing provisions. We have an insurance policy covering our officers and directors with respect to certain liabilities, including liabilities arising under the Securities Act or otherwise.

The form of underwriting agreement that we may enter into, filed as Exhibit 1.1 to this Registration Statement, will provide for indemnification by any underwriters of the company, our directors, our officers who sign the registration statement and our controlling persons, if any, for specified liabilities, including liabilities arising under the Securities Act.

 

Item 16.

Exhibits.

Exhibit Index

 

Exhibit No.

  

Description

 1.1*    Form of Underwriting Agreement
 1.2    Sales Agreement, dated as of April 1, 2021, as subsequently amended on July 7, 2021 and May 10, 2023, by and between the Registrant and Jefferies, LLC
 4.1    Fourth Amended Certificate of Incorporation of the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.1 of the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K (File No. 001-39208) filed on February 11, 2020)
 4.2    Second Amended and Restated By-laws of the Registrant (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 of the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K (File No. 001-39208) filed on February 28, 2023)
 4.3    Form of Senior Indenture
 4.4    Form of Subordinated Indenture
 4.5    Form of Senior Note
 4.6    Form of Subordinated Note
 4.7*    Form of Warrant Agreement
 4.8*    Form of Unit Agreement

 

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Exhibit No.

  

Description

 4.9    Amended and Restated Investors’ Rights Agreement, among the Registrant and the investors party thereto, dated November  8, 2018 (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 of the Registrant’s Registration Statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-233985) filed on September  27, 2019)
 5.1    Opinion of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP
23.1    Consent of Deloitte & Touche LLP, independent registered public accounting firm for the Registrant
23.2    Consent of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP (included in Exhibit 5.1)
24.1    Powers of Attorney (included in the signature pages to the Registration Statement)
25.1*    Statement of Eligibility on Form T-1 under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, of the Trustee under the Senior Indenture
25.2*    Statement of Eligibility on Form T-1 under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, of the Trustee under the Subordinated Indenture
107    Filing Fee Table

 

*

To be filed by amendment or by a Current Report on Form 8-K.

 

Item 17.

Undertakings.

The undersigned Registrant hereby undertakes:

 

  (a)(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. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any increase or decrease in volume of securities offered (if the total dollar value of securities offered would not exceed that which was registered) and any deviation from the low or high end of the estimated maximum offering range may be reflected in the form of prospectus filed with the Commission pursuant to Rule 424(b) if, in the aggregate, the changes in volume and price represent no more than a 20 percent change in the maximum aggregate offering price set forth in the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in the effective 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), (a)(1)(ii) and (a)(1)(iii) do not apply if 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 Registrant pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act, that are incorporated by reference in this registration statement, or is contained in a form of prospectus filed pursuant to Rule 424(b) that is part of this registration statement.

 

  (2)

That, for the purpose of determining any liability under the Securities Act, 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 the time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof.

 

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  (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.

 

  (4)

That, for the purpose of determining liability under the Securities Act to any purchaser:

 

  (i)

each prospectus filed by the Registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(3) shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the date the filed prospectus was deemed part of and included in the registration statement; and

 

  (ii)

each prospectus required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(2), (b)(5), or (b)(7) as part of a registration statement in reliance on Rule 430B relating to an offering made pursuant to Rule 415(a)(1)(i), (vii) or (x) for the purpose of providing the information required by Section 10(a) of the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of and included in the registration statement as of the earlier of the date such form of prospectus is first used after effectiveness or the date of the first contract of sale of securities in the offering described in the prospectus. As provided in Rule 430B, for liability purposes of the issuer and any person that is at that date an underwriter, such date shall be deemed to be a new effective date of the registration statement relating to the securities in the registration statement to which that prospectus relates, and the offering of such securities at that time shall be deemed to be the initial bona fide offering thereof;. provided, however, that no statement made in a registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement or made in a document incorporated or deemed incorporated by reference into the registration statement or prospectus that is part of the registration statement will, as to a purchaser with a time of contract of sale prior to such effective date, supersede or modify any statement that was made in the registration statement or prospectus that was part of the registration statement or made in any such document immediately prior to such effective date.

 

  (5)

That, for the purpose of determining liability of the Registrant under the Securities Act to any purchaser in the initial distribution of the securities, the Registrant undertakes that in a primary offering of securities of the Registrant pursuant to this registration statement, regardless of the underwriting method used to sell the securities to the purchaser, if the securities are offered or sold to such purchaser by means of any of the following communications, the Registrant will be a seller to the purchaser and will be considered to offer or sell such securities to such purchaser:

 

  (i)

any preliminary prospectus or prospectus of the Registrant relating to the offering required to be filed pursuant to Rule 424;

 

  (ii)

any free writing prospectus relating to the offering prepared by or on behalf of the Registrant or used or referred to by the Registrant;

 

  (iii)

the portion of any other free writing prospectus relating to the offering containing material information about the Registrant or its securities provided by or on behalf of the Registrant; and

 

  (iv)

any other communication that is an offer in the offering made by the Registrant to the purchaser.

 

  (6)

That, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act:

 

  (i)

the information omitted from the form of prospectus filed as part of the registration statement in reliance upon Rule 430A and contained in the form of prospectus filed by the Registrant pursuant to Rule 424(b)(1) or (4) or 497(h) under the Securities Act shall be deemed to be part of the registration statement as of the time it was declared effective; and

 

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  (ii)

each post-effective amendment that contains a form of prospectus 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.

 

  (b)

The Registrant hereby undertakes that, for purposes of determining any liability under the Securities Act, each filing of the Registrant’s annual report pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act (and, where applicable, each filing of an employee benefit plan’s annual report pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act) that is incorporated by reference in this 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)

The Registrant hereby undertakes to file an application for the purpose of determining the eligibility of the trustee to act under subsection (a) of Section 310 of the Trust Indenture Act in accordance with the rules and regulations prescribed by the Commission under Section 305(b)(2) of the Trust Indenture Act.

 

  (d)

Insofar as indemnification for liabilities arising under the Securities Act may be permitted to directors, officers and controlling persons of the Registrant pursuant to the indemnification provisions described herein, or otherwise, the Registrant has been advised that in the opinion of the Commission such indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is, therefore, unenforceable. In the event that a claim for indemnification against such liabilities (other than the payment by a Registrant of expenses incurred or paid by a director, officer or controlling person of such Registrant 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, such Registrant 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 Securities Act and will be governed by the final adjudication of such issue.

 

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of 1933, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-3 and has duly caused this Registration Statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the city of Cambridge, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, on February 27, 2024.

 

BEAM THERAPEUTICS INC.
By:  

/s/ John Evans

  Name: John Evans
  Title: Chief Executive Officer

SIGNATURES AND POWER OF ATTORNEY

We, the undersigned officers and directors of Beam Therapeutics Inc. hereby severally constitute and appoint John Evans, Terry-Ann Burrell, and Christine Bellon, and each of them singly, our true and lawful attorneys-in-fact with full power to any of them, and to each of them singly, to sign for us and in our names in the capacities indicated below the Registration Statement on Form S-3 filed herewith and any and all amendments (including post-effective amendments) to said Registration Statement, and any registration statement filed pursuant to Rule 462 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, in connection with said Registration Statement, and to file or cause to be filed the same, with all exhibits thereto and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and generally to do all such things in our name and on our behalf in our capacities as officers and directors to enable Beam Therapeutics Inc. to comply with the provisions of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and all requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys, and each of them, or their substitute or substitutes, shall do or cause to be done by virtue hereof.

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

 

Signature

  

Title

 

Date

/s/ John Evans

John Evans

   Chief Executive Officer, and Director (Principal Executive Officer)   February 27, 2024

/s/ Terry-Ann Burrell

Terry-Ann Burrell

   Chief Financial Officer (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer)   February 27, 2024

/s/ Kristina Burow

Kristina Burow

   Director   February 27, 2024

/s/ Graham Cooper

Graham Cooper

   Director   February 27, 2024

/s/ Mark Fishman

Mark Fishman, M.D.

   Director   February 27, 2024

/s/ Carole Ho

Carole Ho, M.D.

   Director   February 27, 2024

 

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Signature

  

Title

 

Date

/s/ John Maragnore

John Maraganore, Ph.D.

   Director   February 27, 2024

/s/ Christi Shaw

Christi Shaw

   Director   February 27, 2024

/s/ Kathleen Walsh

Kathleen Walsh

   Director   February 27, 2024

 

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