WisdomTree Adopts Limited Duration Stockholder Rights Plan

Rhea-AI Summary

WisdomTree Investments (NASDAQ: WETF) has adopted a temporary stockholder rights plan in response to rapid accumulations of its common stock. This plan aims to protect the company and its stockholders from potential coercive control attempts without paying a control premium. If approved by stockholders at the upcoming 2022 Annual Meeting, the plan will last for one year. Key features include rights activation upon certain stock ownership thresholds, an exception for qualifying offers, and terms allowing for shareholder participation in significant decisions.

Positive

• Adoption of a temporary rights plan to protect stockholders against coercive control.
• Rights plan includes stockholder-friendly provisions, like exemptions for qualifying offers and shareholder voting.

Negative

• The need for a rights plan suggests potential threats from accumulating stock positions.
• If the plan is not approved, it will expire quickly, possibly leaving the company vulnerable.

Stockholders to Vote on Rights Plan at 2022 Annual Meeting

NEW YORK, March 14, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WisdomTree Investments, Inc. (“WisdomTree” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: WETF), an exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) and exchange-traded product (“ETP”) sponsor and asset manager, today announced that its Board of Directors (the “Board”) adopted a limited duration stockholder rights plan (the “rights plan”).

The Board adopted the rights plan in response to the recent rapid accumulations of significant portions of WisdomTree outstanding common stock. It is intended to protect WisdomTree and its stockholders from efforts by a single stockholder or group of stockholders to obtain control of WisdomTree without paying a control premium.

The rights plan is similar to other rights plans adopted by publicly held companies and is intended to promote the fair and equal treatment of all stockholders and to allow stockholders to realize the long-term value of their investment. It also provides several important stockholder-friendly features, including the following:

• The rights plan will automatically expire on the day after the Company’s 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (“2022 Annual Meeting”), unless approved by stockholders at the 2022 Annual Meeting, in which case it will expire in one year, on March 13, 2023;
• The rights will be exercisable only if any person (or any persons acting as a group) acquires 10% (or 20% in the case of passive stockholders) or more of the Company’s outstanding common stock;
• The rights plan has an exception for offers made for all shares of the Company that treat all stockholders equally, including a qualifying offer clause that provides stockholders the ability to call a special meeting for purposes of exempting a “qualifying offer;”
• The rights plan does not contain any dead-hand, slow-hand, no-hand or similar features that would limit the ability of a future board of directors to redeem the rights; and
• The rights plan does not preclude the Board from considering an offer that recognizes the full value of the Company.
  

Frank Salerno, WisdomTree Chair of the Board, stated: “WisdomTree’s Board is committed to enhancing value for all stockholders and will continue to take actions that we believe will enable us to achieve this objective. Consistent with the Board’s duty to serve as a prudent fiduciary for stockholders, this stockholder rights plan is intended to not only facilitate the ability of our stockholders to realize the long-term value of their investment in WisdomTree, but also to guard against coercive tactics to gain control of the Company.”

Additional Information on Stockholder Rights Plan

Pursuant to the rights plan, WisdomTree declared a dividend distribution of one preferred share purchase right on each outstanding share of the Company’s common stock and 1,000 preferred share purchase rights on each outstanding share of the Company’s Series A Non-Voting Convertible Preferred Stock. The record date for the dividend distribution is March 25, 2022. Initially, the rights will not be exercisable and will trade with the shares of WisdomTree common stock and Series A Preferred Stock. The rights generally will become exercisable if a person or group becomes an “acquiring person” by acquiring 10% (or 20% in the case of passive stockholders) or more of the common stock of WisdomTree (which includes stock subject to a derivative transaction or an acquired derivative security) or if a person or group commences a tender offer that could result in that person or group becoming an “acquiring person.” If a person or group becomes an “acquiring person,” each holder of a right (other than the acquiring person) would be entitled to purchase, at the then-current exercise price, such number of shares of common stock (or, subject to the terms of the rights plan, shares of preferred stock that are equivalent to shares of WisdomTree common stock) having a value of twice the exercise price of the right. If WisdomTree is acquired in a merger or other business combination transaction after any such event, each holder of a right would then be entitled to purchase, at the then-current exercise price, shares of the acquiring company’s common stock having a value of twice the exercise price of the right.

A person or group who beneficially owned 10% or more (or 20% or more in the case of passive stockholders) of WisdomTree’s outstanding common stock prior to the first public announcement by WisdomTree of the adoption of the rights plan will not trigger the rights plan so long as they do not acquire beneficial ownership of any additional shares of common stock at a time when they still beneficially own 10% or more (or 20% or more in the case of passive stockholders) of such common stock, subject to certain exceptions as set forth in the rights plan.

The rights plan will expire on the day after the 2022 Annual Meeting, unless approved by stockholders at the 2022 Annual Meeting, in which case it will expire in one year, on March 13, 2023. The date of the 2022 Annual Meeting has not yet been announced. The rights plan contains a qualifying offer clause that provides stockholders the ability to call a special meeting for purposes of exempting a “qualifying offer.”

Further details about the rights plan will be contained in a Current Report on Form 8-K and in a Registration Statement on Form 8-A that WisdomTree will file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Advisors

BofA Securities is serving as financial advisor, and Goodwin Procter LLP is serving as legal counsel to WisdomTree. Innisfree M&A is serving as proxy solicitor, and Abernathy MacGregor is serving as strategic communications advisor.

About WisdomTree

WisdomTree Investments, Inc., through its subsidiaries in the U.S. and Europe (collectively, “WisdomTree”), is an ETF and ETP sponsor and asset manager headquartered in New York. WisdomTree offers products covering equity, commodity, fixed income, leveraged and inverse, currency, cryptocurrency and alternative strategies. WisdomTree currently has approximately $78 billion in assets under management globally.

WisdomTree^® is the marketing name for WisdomTree Investments, Inc. and its subsidiaries worldwide.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Any statements contained in this press release that do not describe historical facts may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including statements regarding the anticipated benefits and expected consequences of the rights plan that WisdomTree has adopted. Such statements are identified by use of the words “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “predicts,” “projects,” “should,” and similar expressions. Any forward-looking statements contained herein are based on current expectations, but are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated, including, but not limited to, the effectiveness of the rights plan in providing the Board of Directors with time to make informed decisions that are in the best long-term interests of WisdomTree and its stockholders, and other risk factors discussed from time to time in our filings with the SEC, including those factors discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” in our most recent annual report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC on February 25, 2022, and in subsequent reports filed with or furnished to the SEC. WisdomTree assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements, except as required by law, to reflect events or circumstances occurring after today’s date.

Important Additional Information and Where to Find It

WisdomTree intends to file a proxy statement on Schedule 14A, an accompanying WHITE proxy card and other relevant documents with the SEC in connection with such solicitation of proxies from WisdomTree stockholders for WisdomTree’s 2022 Annual Meeting. WISDOMTREE STOCKHOLDERS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO READ WISDOMTREE’S DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT (INCLUDING ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS THERETO), ACCOMPANYING WHITE PROXY CARD, AND ALL OTHER DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Investors and stockholders may obtain a copy of the definitive proxy statement, an accompanying WHITE proxy card, any amendments or supplements to the definitive proxy statement and other documents that WisdomTree files with the SEC at no charge at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Copies will also be available at no charge at the “SEC Filings” subsection of the “Financial Information” section of WisdomTree’s Investor Relations website at http://ir.wisdomtree.com/ or by contacting Jeremy Campbell, Director of Investor Relations, at jeremy.campbell@wisdomtree.com, as soon as reasonably practicable after such materials are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC.

Contact Information

Investor Relations
WisdomTree Investments, Inc.
Jeremy Campbell
+1.646.522.2602
jeremy.campbell@wisdomtree.com

or

Innisfree M&A Incorporated
Scott Winter / Jonathan Salzberger
+1.212.750.5833
swinter@innisfreema.com / jsalzberger@innisfreema.com

Media Relations
WisdomTree Investments, Inc.
Jessica Zaloom
+1.917.267.3735
jzaloom@wisdomtree.com

or

Abernathy MacGregor
Carina Davidson / Dana Gorman
+1.212.371.5999
ccd@abmac.com / dtg@abmac.com

FAQ

What is the purpose of WisdomTree's stockholder rights plan?

The rights plan aims to safeguard WisdomTree from attempts by stockholders to gain control without a control premium.

When does WisdomTree's stockholder rights plan expire?

The rights plan will expire the day after the 2022 Annual Meeting unless stockholders approve it for an additional year.

What are the key features of the rights plan adopted by WisdomTree?

Key features include activation upon certain stock ownership thresholds, exemptions for qualifying offers, and provisions for shareholder voting.

What happens if a stockholder acquires a significant amount of WisdomTree stock?

If a person or group acquires 10% or more of the stock, the rights under the plan become exercisable, allowing other stockholders to purchase shares.

How can WisdomTree stockholders participate in the rights plan?

Stockholders can participate by voting at the 2022 Annual Meeting, where they can approve or disapprove the rights plan.