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UNITED
STATES SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington,
D.C. 20549 FORM 8-A For
Registration of Certain Classes of Securities Pursuant to Section 12(b) or
(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 CREDO
PETROLEUM CORPORATION (Exact
name of registrant as specified in its charter) DELAWARE 0-8877 84-0772991 (State
or other jurisdiction of (Commission (I.R.S.
Employer incorporation
or organization) File
Number) Identification
Number) 1801
Broadway Street, Suite 900 Denver,
Colorado 80202 (Address
of principal executive (Zip
Code) offices) Title
of each class to be so registered Name
of each exchange on which each class is to Preferred
Share Purchase Rights NASDAQ If
this form relates to the registration of a class of securities pursuant to
Section 12(b) of the Exchange Act and is effective pursuant to
General Instruction A.(c), please check the following box: x If
this form relates to the registration of a class of securities pursuant to
Section 12(g) of the Exchange Act and is effective pursuant to
General Instruction A.(d), please check the following box: o Securities
Act Registration Statement file number to which this form relates: N/A Securities
to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None Item
1
Description
of Securities to be Registered. On
April 9, 2009, the Board of Directors of CREDO Petroleum Corporation, a
Delaware corporation (the “Company”), entered into a Rights Agreement
dated April 9, 2009 with Computershare Trust Company, N.A. as the
Rights Agent (the “Rights Agreement”). The Rights Agreement sets
forth the terms under which the Company would issue preferred share purchase
rights (the “Rights”). The Rights Agreement became effective
immediately following the effectiveness of the reincorporation merger of the
Company with Credo Petroleum Corporation, a Colorado corporation (“Credo
Colorado”). Prior to the merger, the Company was a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Credo Colorado. The Board concurrently declared a
dividend (the “Dividend”) of one Right for each outstanding share of
common stock, par value $.10 per share, payable on April 10, 2009 to
holders of record on that date. The
Board of Directors has authorized the adoption of the Rights Agreement to
protect shareholders from coercive or otherwise unfair takeover tactics.
In general terms, the Rights will impose a significant penalty upon any
person or group which acquires beneficial ownership of 15% or more of the
Company’s outstanding common stock without the prior approval of the Board
of Directors. The Rights Agreement provides an exemption for any
person who is, as of April 10, 2009, the beneficial owner of 15% or
more of the Company’s outstanding common stock, so long as such Person
does not, subject to certain exceptions, acquire additional common stock of
the Company. The Company, its subsidiaries, its employee benefit
plans, and any entity holding common stock for or pursuant to the terms of
any such plan will also be excepted. The Rights Agreement will not
interfere with any merger or other business combination approved by the
Board of Directors. Following
is a summary of the terms of the Rights Agreement. This description is
qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Rights
Agreement attached as Exhibit 4.1 hereto. THE
RIGHTS. The Rights will initially trade with, and will be inseparable
from, the common stock. The Rights will be evidenced only by
certificates that represent shares of common stock, and not by separate
certificates. New Rights will accompany any shares of common stock the
Company issues after April 10, 2009 until the earlier of the
Distribution Date (described below) or the redemption or the expiration of
the Rights. EXERCISE
PRICE. Each Right will allow its holder to purchase from the Company
one one-thousandth of a share of a Series A Junior Participating
Preferred Stock (a “Preferred Share”) for $30.00, once the Rights become
exercisable. Each one-thousandth of a Preferred Share will give the
shareholder approximately the same dividend and liquidation rights as would
one share of common stock. Prior to exercise, the Right does not give
its holder any dividend, voting, or liquidation rights. EXERCISABILITY.
The Rights will not be exercisable until: ·
10 days after the public
announcement that a person or group has become an “Acquiring
Person” by obtaining beneficial ownership of 15% or more of the
Company’s outstanding common stock, or, if earlier, 2 ·
10 business days (or a later
date determined by the Board of Directors before any person or group becomes
an Acquiring Person) after a person or group begins a tender or exchange
offer which, if consummated, would result in that person or group becoming
an Acquiring Person. We
refer to the date when the Rights become exercisable as the “Distribution
Date.” Until that date, the common stock certificates will also evidence
the Rights, and any transfer of shares of common stock will constitute a
transfer of Rights. After that date, the Rights will separate from the
common stock and be evidenced by book-entry credits or by Rights
certificates that we will mail to all eligible holders of common stock.
Any Rights held by an Acquiring Person are void and may not be exercised. CONSEQUENCES
OF A PERSON OR GROUP BECOMING AN ACQUIRING PERSON. ·
FLIP IN. If a person or
group becomes an Acquiring Person, all holders of Rights except the
Acquiring Person may, for $30.00, purchase shares of our common stock with a
market value of $60.00, based on the market price of the common stock prior
to such acquisition. ·
FLIP OVER. If the
Company is later acquired in a merger or similar transaction after the
Rights Distribution Date, all holders of Rights except the Acquiring Person
may, for $30.00, purchase shares of the acquiring corporation with a
market value of $60.00, based on the market price of the acquiring
corporation’s stock prior to such merger. PREFERRED
SHARE PROVISIONS. Each
one one-thousandth of a Preferred Share, if issued: ·
will not be redeemable. ·
will entitle holders to
quarterly dividend payments of $.001 per each one one-thousandth of a
Preferred Share, or an amount equal to the dividend paid on one share of
common stock, whichever is greater. ·
will entitle holders upon
liquidation either to receive $1.00 per share or an amount equal to
the payment made on one share of common stock, whichever is greater. ·
will have the same voting
power as one share of common stock. ·
if shares of our common stock
are exchanged via merger, consolidation, or a similar transaction, will
entitle holders to a per share payment equal to the payment made on one
share of common stock. The
value of one one-thousandth interest in a Preferred Share should approximate
the value of one share of common stock. EXPIRATION.
The Rights will expire on April 10, 2019. 3 REDEMPTION.
The Board of Directors has the right to redeem the Rights for $.001 per
Right at any time before any person or group becomes an Acquiring Person.
If the Board redeems any Rights, it must redeem all of the Rights.
Once the Rights are redeemed, the only right of the holders of Rights will
be to receive the redemption price of $.001 per Right. The redemption
price will be adjusted if we have a stock split or stock dividends of our
common stock. EXCHANGE.
After a person or group becomes an Acquiring Person, but before an Acquiring
Person owns 50% or more of our outstanding common stock, the Board shall
have the right to extinguish the Rights by exchanging one share of common
stock or an equivalent security for each Right, other than Rights held by
the Acquiring Person. ANTI-DILUTION
PROVISIONS. The Board shall have the right to adjust the purchase
price of the Preferred Shares, the number of Preferred Shares issuable and
the number of outstanding Rights to prevent dilution that may occur from a
stock dividend, a stock split or a reclassification of the Preferred Shares
or common stock. No adjustments to the exercise price of less than 1%
will be made. AMENDMENTS.
The Board of Directors has the right to amend the terms of the Rights
Agreement without the consent of the holders of the Rights. After a
person or group becomes an Acquiring Person, the Board of Directors will not
have the right to amend the agreement in a way that adversely affects
holders of the Rights. Item
2 Exhibits 4.1 Rights
Agreement, dated April 9, 2009 between Credo Petroleum
Corporation, a Delaware corporation and Computershare Trust Company,
N.A. (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.2 of the
Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission on April 10, 2009). 4 SIGNATURE Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant
has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned
hereunto duly authorized. Date:
April 10, 2009. Credo
Petroleum Corporation By: /s/
James T. Huffman James
T. Huffman Chief
Executive Officer 5 ©2000-2009 CREDO Petroleum Corporation. All rights
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