The rights of the holders of Non-Voting Class A shares and those of the holders of Class B common shares are subject to the rights of the holders of the preferred shares of the Company which enjoy a preferential right to dividends and return of capital on liquidation. The following is a summary of the privileges and rights attaching to the Non-Voting Class A shares and Class B common shares of the Company:
If a formal take-over bid (other than a “Family Share Transaction” described below) is made for Class B common shares, then the conditions attaching to the Class B common shares and Non-Voting Class A shares generally provide that Canadian holders of Class B common shares shall also be entitled to receive an offer to purchase their Class B common shares and Canadian holders of Non-Voting Class A shares shall also be entitled to receive an offer to purchase their Non-Voting Class A shares on terms and conditions at least as favourable, including the price offered. If an offeror acquires Class B common shares pursuant to a formal take-over bid and does not make the same offer for Non-Voting Class A shares within 60 days, then unless otherwise determined
by the Board of Directors, the Class B common shares acquired pursuant to the offer as well as some other Class B common shares held by the offeror and any others acting jointly or in concert with the offeror, shall convert to Non-Voting Class A shares.
A “Family Share Transaction” means any transfer of any kind of an interest in Class B common shares to one or more of the descendants of J.W. Sobey, now deceased and formerly a businessman of Stellarton, Nova Scotia. For this purpose, descendants include spouses, companies controlled by any such descendants or their affiliates and trusts for bona fide estate planning purposes primarily for the benefit of any such descendants.
Market for Securities
The Non-Voting Class A shares (TSX: EMP.A) are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange, which is the primary marketplace on which the greatest volume of trading or quotation generally occurs. The monthly high and low share price and the TSX monthly average volumes for the Non-Voting Class A shares for the fiscal year ended May 2, 2020 are as follows:
Empire Company Limited Non-Voting Class A shares
Month | High ($ per share) |
Low ($ per share) |
Average Daily Volume by month (in shares) |
---|---|---|---|
May 6-31/19 | 31.95 | 29.56 | 640,299 |
June-19 | 33.38 | 30.46 | 844,788 |
July-19 | 35.33 | 31.75 | 844,325 |
August-19 | 37.43 | 34.90 | 631,418 |
September-19 | 37.43 | 35.12 | 752,451 |
October-19 | 37.28 | 34.15 | 868,454 |
November-19 | 36.65 | 33.97 | 755,492 |
December-19 | 36.00 | 30.27 | 959,919 |
January-20 | 31.50 | 29.80 | 820,833 |
February-20 | 31.95 | 28.99 | 937,239 |
March-20 | 33.06 | 23.88 | 1,381,618 |
April-20 | 34.20 | 26.89 | 1,263,341 |
May 1/20 | 31.01 | 30.17 | 883,126 |
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