UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE 14D-9
Solicitation/Recommendation Statement
Under Section 14(d)(4) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(Amendment No. 4)
SUNPOWER CORPORATION
(Name of Subject Company)
SUNPOWER CORPORATION
(Name of Person Filing Statement)
Class A Common Stock, $0.001 par value
Class B Common Stock, $0.001 par value
(Title of Class of Securities)
867652109
867652307
(CUSIP Number of Class of Securities)
Thomas H. Werner
Chief Executive Officer and President
77 Rio Robles
San Jose, California 95134
(408) 240-5500
(Name, address and telephone number of person authorized to receive
notices and communications on behalf of the persons filing statement)
With copies to:
Bruce R. Ledesma Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary 77 Rio Robles San Jose, California 95134 (408) 240-5500 |
R. Todd Johnson Stephen E. Gillette Jones Day 1755 Embarcadero Road Palo Alto, California 94303 (650) 739-3939 |
Jonn R. Beeson Jones Day 3161 Michelson Drive, Suite 800 Irvine, California 92612 (949) 851-3939 |
¨ | Check the box if the filing relates solely to preliminary communications made before the commencement of a tender offer. |
This Amendment No. 4 (this Amendment No. 4) amends and supplements the Solicitation/Recommendation Statement on Schedule 14D-9 initially filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) on May 3, 2011, (as the same may further be amended or supplemented from time to time, the Schedule 14D-9) by SunPower Corporation, a Delaware corporation (the Company), relating to the tender offer disclosed in the Schedule TO, dated May 3, 2011 (the Schedule TO), filed by Total S.A., a société anonyme organized under the laws of the Republic of France (Total) and its indirect wholly owned subsidiary, Total Gas & Power USA, SAS, a société par actions simplifiée organized under the laws of the Republic of France (Purchaser), to purchase up to 34,144,400 Class A Shares and up to 25,220,000 Class B Shares (or such greater number of Class A Shares and Class B Shares as Purchaser may elect to purchase as expressly permitted by the Tender Offer Agreement) at a purchase price of $23.25 per Share for each class, net to the seller thereof in cash (the Offer Price), without interest and less applicable withholding taxes, upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Offer to Purchase dated May 3, 2011 (as amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the Offer to Purchase) and the related Letter of Transmittal (as amended, supplemented or otherwise modified from time to time, the Letter of Transmittal) (which collectively constitute the Offer). The Offer to Purchase and the related Letter of Transmittal are filed as Exhibits (a)(1)(A) and (a)(1)(B) to the Schedule TO, respectively. Any capitalized term used and not otherwise defined herein shall have the meaning ascribed to such term in the Schedule 14D-9.
All information in the Schedule 14D-9 is incorporated into this Amendment No. 4 by reference, except that such information is hereby amended, supplemented and modified to the extent specifically provided herein.
This Amendment No. 4 is being filed to reflect certain updates as reflected below.
Item 4. THE SOLICITATION OR RECOMMENDATION
Item 4 of the Schedule 14D-9 is hereby amended, supplemented and modified by adding the following paragraphs to the end of subsection (b) captioned Background of the Offer as follows:
On May 24, 2011, Total and Purchaser extended the expiration of the Offer for a period of ten business days consistent with the terms of the Tender Offer Agreement. The Offer is now scheduled to expire at 12:00 midnight, New York City time, on June 14, 2011, unless further extended. The Offer was extended because it is unlikely that Total and Purchaser will receive the approval of the Commission under the EC Merger Regulation prior to 12:00 midnight, New York City time, on May 31, 2011, the previously scheduled expiration of the Offer.
On May 24, 2011, Total and Purchaser issued a press release announcing the extension of the Offer. The full text of the press release is set forth as Exhibit (a)(1)(H) to Amendment No. 2 to the Schedule TO filed by Purchaser and Total on May 24, 2011 and is incorporated by reference herein.
Item 8. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Item 8 of Schedule 14D-9 is hereby amended, supplemented and modified by amending and restating the last four paragraphs of subsection (f) captioned Antitrust in their entirety as follows:
The Offer is subject to merger control clearance by the Commission pursuant to the EC Merger Regulation. Under the EC Merger Regulation, a transaction meeting certain thresholds may not be completed before it is notified to the European Commission (the Commission) and the Commission (a) has not declared that the transaction does not to fall within the scope of the EC Merger Regulation, (b) has declared that the transaction is compatible with the common market, or (c) has been deemed to have declared that the transaction is compatible with the common market. The purchase of Shares pursuant to the Offer falls under the definition of a notifiable concentration pursuant to the EC Merger Regulation.
Pursuant to the Tender Offer Agreement and the requirements of the EC Merger Regulation, Purchaser filed a Form CO with respect to the Offer with the Commission on May 24, 2011. Within 25 working days of the filing of the Form CO, the Commission must decide whether to approve the Offer or to open an in-depth (Phase II) investigation. If a decision is not taken within this period, the Offer is deemed to have been approved. This period is extended to 35 working days if the parties propose remedies to resolve any competition concerns the Commission may have, or if a Member State requests that all or part of the Offer be referred to its national competition authority for review under national merger control legislation. The Commission will open a Phase II investigation only if it has serious doubts that the Offer will significantly impede competition in the single market or a substantial part of it, and the parties have not offered remedies that resolve those doubts. If an in-depth investigation (Phase II) is opened, the Commissions investigation can take up to an additional 90 working days, which can be extended in certain circumstances, including if the parties offer commitments with a view to rendering the Offer compatible with the single market. If the Commission has not taken a decision within 90 working days, nor extended this investigation period, the Offer is deemed to have been approved
The EC Merger Regulation provides that a concentration cannot be put into effect until EC merger control approval has been obtained from the Commission. However, the EC Merger Regulation expressly states that, in a public bid situation, the acquirer is not prevented from acquiring the securities of the target company, provided that (a) the concentration is notified without delay and (b) the acquiror does not exercise the voting rights attached to the securities in question or does so only to maintain the full value of its investments, and even then still only after obtaining a derogation granted by the Commission.
The Commission frequently scrutinizes under the EC Merger Regulation transactions such as Purchasers acquisition of Shares pursuant to the Offer. The Commission could prohibit the transaction by declaring that the concentration is incompatible with the common market or the Commission could require, as a condition to clearance, a remedy such as the divestiture of Shares acquired by Purchaser or the divestiture of substantial assets of SunPower or its subsidiaries, or of Purchaser or its subsidiaries. Although the parties believe that consummation of the Offer is not incompatible with the common market, there can be no assurance that a challenge to the Offer will not be made by the Commission or, if a challenge is made, what the result will be.
Item 9. EXHIBITS
Item 9 of the Schedule 14D-9 is hereby amended by adding the following exhibits:
Exhibit |
Description | |
(a)(13) | Press Release, issued on May 24, 2011 (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit (a)(1)(H) to Amendment No. 2 to the Schedule TO filed by Purchaser and Total on May 24, 2011). | |
(a)(14) | Revised FAQs for participants in SunPowers Stock Incentive Plan, dated May 24, 2011. |
SIGNATURE
After due inquiry and to the best of my knowledge and belief, I certify that the information set forth in this statement is true, complete and correct.
SUNPOWER CORPORATION | ||||||||
Date: May 25, 2011 | By: | /s/ BRUCE R. LEDESMA | ||||||
Name: | Bruce R. Ledesma | |||||||
Title: | Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary |
Exhibit (a)(14)
FAQS re Totals Tender Offer for
Participants in SunPowers Stock Incentive Plan1
1. | How will I receive information about Totals offer to purchase my shares of SunPower common stock? |
Total Gas & Power USA, SAS, a société par actions simplifiée organized under the laws of the Republic of France (Total), commenced a mailing to registered shareholders on or about May 3, 2011. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney (MSSB) commenced a mailing to employees with shares of SunPower common stock in their Benefit Access accounts on or about May 13, 2011.
2. | How can I confirm the number of shares I hold? |
Please review your online Benefit Access account with MSSB. The website address is www.benefitaccess.com.
3. | Whom should I contact if I hold shares of SunPowers common stock and have not yet received a mailing about the tender offer? |
If you hold shares of SunPowers common stock in your MSSB account but did not receive a mailing, you may find the materials in the Document Library (Plan Documents) of Benefit Access. Please note that MSSB mailed information and materials only to individuals who held shares in their MSSB account on or about May 13, 2011. If you hold only stock options or unvested RSUs, you would not have received a mailing from MSSB. Similarly, if you exercise stock options and hold shares after the mailing, or if shares of restricted stock or RSUs vest and shares are deposited in your MSSB account after the mailing, MSSB will not mail the materials to you.
4. | Who should employees contact with questions about the tender offer? |
Please contact MSSB or MacKenzie Partners, Inc. (MacKenzie), the information agent in connection with the tender offer. If you are calling from the US or Canada, you can call MSSB, toll free, at +1-866-741-8324. If you are calling from elsewhere, you can call MSSB at +1-210-677-3629. If you are calling from the US or Canada, you can call MacKenzie, toll free, at +1-800-322-2885. If you are calling from elsewhere, you can call MacKenzie, collect, at +1-212-929-5500.
5. | If I want to participate in the tender offer and sell my shares to Total, what should I do? |
Please review the information provided by Total and, if applicable, follow the instructions provided by MSSB. You will be able to make your election using the form
1 | Revised to reflect extension of tender offer period from midnight on May 31, 2011 to midnight on June 14, 2011. |
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provided by MSSB (which will also be available in the Document Library (Plan Documents) of Benefit Access). You may return the form by mail or fax per the instructions on the form. If you are planning to tender any shares, please ensure that you have a Form W-9 (US) or W-8BEN (International) on file with MSSB before you tender to avoid a 28% withholding. If you are a California resident and fail to provide a Form W-9, MSSB will not process your instructions and you will not be able to participate in the tender offer. Please ensure your election is made and received by MSSB no later than 5 P.M. New York City Time on Monday, June 13, 2011, so that MSSB can process your election before the currently scheduled expiration of the tender offer on June 14, 2011. MSSB will use its best efforts to process elections made or received after 5 P.M. New York City Time on Monday, June 13, 2011, but it cannot guarantee that processing of such elections will be completed before the currently scheduled expiration of the tender offer. If the tender offer is extended beyond June 14, 2011, you would need to confirm the revised deadline with MSSB.
6. | If I want to sell shares in my MSSB account to Total, can I return my completed paperwork to someone at SunPower? |
No, SunPower cannot accept your completed paperwork. You must elect to participate as instructed by MSSBreturning the paperwork via mail or fax.
7. | If my shares of restricted stock, RSUs, or other equity awards are scheduled to vest after the expiration of the tender offer, can I participate in the tender offer with respect to those shares? |
No, you can only participate in the tender offer and sell shares that have vested and you could otherwise sell before the expiration of the tender offer. If you received shares of restricted stock, RSUs, or other equity awards under SunPowers Stock Incentive Plan and those awards remain unvested as of the expiration of the tender offer, you cannot offer to sell those shares to Total as part of the tender offer.
8. | Can I sell my stock options? What is the deadline to exercise my stock options and participate in the tender offer? |
No, you cannot sell your stock options to Total as part of the tender offer. Total is offering to purchase only shares. If you hold vested and exercisable stock options, you need to exercise the desired stock options by Tuesday, June 7, 2011 so that the shares settle into your account with the Murphy-Chase Group at MSSB and become available for sale to Total as part of the tender offer before the currently scheduled expiration on June 14, 2011. You will need to contact The Murphy-Chase Group of MSSB at +1-650-926-7140 to tender these shares to Total. Stock options exercised after Tuesday, June 7, 2011 may result in shares being delivered to your MSSB account after the scheduled expiration of the tender offer, preventing you from participating in the tender offer. If the tender offer is extended beyond June 14, 2011, you would need to confirm the revised deadline with MSSB.
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9. | Can I exercise stock options using a sell to cover method and tender those shares? |
Yes, you can exercise stock options by either paying cash for the exercise price or by executing a sell to cover method. However, you must exercise your stock options by Tuesday, June 7, 2011 so that the shares settle into your account with the Murphy-Chase Group at MSSB and become available for sale to Total as part of the tender offer before the currently scheduled expiration of the tender offer on June 14, 2011. If the tender offer is extended beyond June 14, 2011, you would need to confirm the revised deadline with MSSB. You will need to contact The Murphy-Chase Group of MSSB at +1-650-926-7140 to tender these shares to Total.
10. | What happens if the tender offer is oversubscribed? |
Generally speaking, if more than 34,144,400 shares of class A common stock are validly tendered and not properly withdrawn prior to the expiration of the tender offer, Total will purchase shares on a pro rata basis from each shareholder, with fractional shares rounded to the nearest whole share, such that the aggregate number of shares that Total purchases is equal to 34,144,400 shares. This means that it is possible that Total will not purchase all of the shares that you tender.
11. | If I exercise stock options and elect to participate in the tender offer but Total does not purchase all of my shares, or for whatever reason the tender offer never closes, will the exercise price be refunded and my stock options returned to me? |
No, if you exercise your stock options and elect to participate in the tender offer, SunPower cannot cancel your option exercise and return your exercise price or exercised stock options.
12. | Should I exercise my stock options and submit my shares now, or could I wait until Total announces the results of the tender offer to avoid exercising more stock options than Total would purchase? |
If you have vested and exercisable stock options and you wish to tender shares issuable upon exercise of those stock options, you need to exercise the desired stock options by Tuesday, June 7, 2011 so that the shares settle into your account with the Murphy-Chase Group at MSSB and become available for sale to Total as part of the tender offer. If you wait until after Totals announcement regarding the results of the tender offer, you will not be able to participate in the tender offer. You will need to contact The Murphy-Chase Group of MSSB at +1-650-926-7140 to tender these shares to Total.
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13. | Can I tender a portion but not all of the shares in my MSSB account? |
No, functionality available in the MSSB system dictates that you can only tender all of the shares in your MSSB account or none of the shares. You cannot select only certain shares to participate in the tender offer. If you exercise stock options to purchase shares, or if shares of restricted stock or RSUs vest and shares are deposited in your account after you elect to participate in the tender offer, you must submit an additional election to sell the additional shares to Total as part of the tender offer. Please ensure any subsequent election is made and received by MSSB no later than 5 P.M. New York City Time on Monday June 13, 2011, so that MSSB can process your election before the scheduled expiration of the tender offer. MSSB will use its best efforts to process elections made or received after 5 P.M. New York City Time on Monday, June 13, 2011, but it cannot guarantee that processing of such elections will be completed before expiration of the tender offer. If the tender offer is extended beyond June 14, 2011, you would need to confirm the revised deadline with MSSB.
14. | If the tender offer is over-subscribed, or shareholders offer to sell more shares than Total is willing to purchase, can I instruct my broker to sell certain shares in the tender offer? |
No, you cannot identify certain shares to be sold. If the tender offer is over-subscribed and Total purchases only a pro rata amount from each shareholder, MSSB will tender your shares on a first-in, first-out basis. In other words, MSSB will first sell the shares that have been in your account for the longest period of time.
15. | If I elect to participate in the tender offer, will my shares be removed from my brokerage account? |
When MSSB receives your election to participate in the tender offer, MSSB will suspend your ability to sell all shares in your account, and all pending trades or open orders to sell shares (e.g., unexecuted limit orders) will be canceled. Your shares will remain visible in your brokerage account until the closing of the tender offer and Total purchases some or all of your shares.
16. | How and when will I know how many of my shares were purchased? When will my shares not purchased, if any, be returned to my account? |
Total is expected to announce the preliminary results of the tender offer shortly following the expiration of the tender offer, including whether each shareholders participation will be limited on a pro rata basis. Final results of the tender offer will be announced several days later after the payment agent confirms receipt of all tendered shares. Following this final announcement, shares purchased by Total will be removed from your account, and the restrictions placed on your tendered shares not purchased by Total, if any, will be lifted.
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17. | Can I elect now to tender all shares that are or might become vested and available, or do I need to continue to elect upon each vesting event that occurs before expiration of the tender offer? |
You can only tender shares that you have in your account when you make your election. If you exercise stock options to purchase shares, or if shares of restricted stock or RSUs vest and shares are deposited in your account after you elect to participate in the tender offer, you must submit an additional election to sell the additional shares to Total as part of the tender offer. Please ensure any subsequent election is made and received by MSSB no later than 5 P.M. New York City Time on Monday June 13, 2011, so that MSSB can process your election before the scheduled expiration of the tender offer. MSSB will use its best efforts to process elections made or received after 5 P.M. New York City Time on Monday June 13, 2011, but it cannot guarantee that processing of such elections will be completed before expiration of the tender offer. If the tender offer is extended beyond June 14, 2011, you would need to confirm the revised deadline with MSSB.
18. | Can I participate in the tender even if I am in a trading blackout? |
Even if you are subject to the recurring quarterly trading blackout, you can elect to participate in the tender offer during the blackout period.
19. | If I have previously executed a 10b5-1 plan to sell shares of SunPower common stock, and not all of my shares have been sold yet, can I participate in the tender offer and sell my shares to Total? |
Yes, you can participate in the tender offer and elect to sell your shares to Total. However, you must first contact your broker and cancel your pending 10b5-1 plan before participating in the tender offer.
20. | If I cancel my 10b5-1 plan to participate in the tender offer but withdraw from the offer or Total purchases some but not all of my shares, can I reactivate my 10b5-1 plan to sell my unsold shares? |
If you have canceled your 10b5-1 plan, you cannot reactivate your canceled 10b5-1 plan; you need to execute a new 10b5-1 plan. As with any new 10b5-1 plan, the first trade could not be scheduled to occur during the first 60 days following entry into the plan. The mandatory 60-day waiting period would still be required.
21. | If I change my mind, prior to the scheduled expiration of the tender offer, can I rescind my election to participate in the tender offer? |
If you have you have already sent your election form, you may rescind your election. To do so, you must fax the original election form, with the word RESCIND written across the page, to MSSB at +1-212-657-5467.
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22. | How will I receive my proceeds from the sale of shares to Total? |
A check will be mailed by MSSB to your address on file in Benefit Access. Please confirm your address listed under My Profile online and contact your HR department with any corrections.
23. | The MSSB form asks for a Social Security Number. What number should I provide? |
Please provide the number that identifies you in MSSBs system. US participants should use their Social Security Number. International participants should use their Global ID at MSSB (9000+your 5-digit employee ID).
Additional Information
This set of FAQs is for informational purposes only and is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell securities. The tender offer for certain of outstanding shares of the SunPowers Class A and Class B common stock described in this set of FAQs is being made pursuant to a Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO (including an offer to purchase, a related letter of transmittal and other offer documents). Total S.A. and a subsidiary of Total S.A. (Purchaser) filed the Tender Offer Statement on Schedule TO with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and SunPower filed a Solicitation/Recommendation Statement on Schedule 14D-9 with the SEC. Purchaser and SunPower have caused these documents to be mailed to the shareholders of SunPower. The Tender Offer Statement (including an offer to purchase, a related letter of transmittal and other offer documents) and the Solicitation/Recommendation Statement contain important information relating to the tender offer and SunPower shareholders are urged to read those documents, and any amendments to those documents, carefully before making any decision with respect to the tender offer. Those materials and all other documents filed by Total, Purchaser or SunPower with the SEC are available at no charge on the SECs web site at www.sec.gov. The Tender Offer Statement and related materials may be obtained for free by directing such requests to MacKenzie Partners, Inc., the Information Agent for the tender offer, at (800) 322-2885. The Schedule 14D-9 Solicitation/Recommendation Statement and such other documents may be obtained for free by directing such requests to SunPower Corp., 77 Rio Robles, San Jose, CA 95134 or at http://investors.sunpowercorp.com/.
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