WASHINGTON, DC 20549

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FORM 8-K

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PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

Date of report (Date of earliest event reported): May 13, 2025

 

 

 

TrueBlue, Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

Washington

(State or Other Jurisdiction

of Incorporation)

1015 A Street, Tacoma, Washington		98402
(Address of principal executive offices)		(Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:    (253) 383-9101

Not Applicable

(Former Name or Former Address, if Changed Since Last Report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):

 

 

 

 

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

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 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  ☐

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The information set forth in Item 3.03 of this Current Report is incorporated into this Item 1.01 by reference.

 

On May 14, 2025, the Board of Directors of TrueBlue, Inc. (the “Company”) declared a dividend of one preferred stock purchase right (a “Right”) for each share of Common Stock, no par value (the “Common Stock”), of the Company outstanding at the close of business on May 28, 2025 (the “Record Date”). As long as the Rights are attached to the Common Stock, the Company will issue one Right (subject to adjustment) with each new share of Common Stock so that all such shares will have attached Rights. When exercisable, each Right will entitle the registered holder to purchase from the Company one one-hundredth of a share of Series A Junior Participating Preferred Stock (the “Series A Preferred”) of the Company at a price of $30 per one one-hundredth of a share of Series A Preferred, subject to certain anti-dilution adjustments (the “Purchase Price”).  The description and terms of the Rights are set forth in a Rights Agreement, dated as of May 14, 2025, as the same may be amended from time to time (the “Agreement”), between the Company and Computershare Trust Company, N.A., as Rights Agent (the “Rights Agent”). The Board resolved to adopt the Agreement in response to the unsolicited proposal from HireQuest, Inc. to acquire all shares of Common Stock at $7.50 per share. The Agreement is intended to reduce the likelihood that any entity, person or group is able to gain control of the Company through open market accumulation without paying all shareholders an appropriate control premium or providing the Board sufficient opportunity to make informed judgments and take actions that are in the best interests of the Company and all shareholders. The Agreement is not intended to interfere with any merger or other business combination approved by the Board.

 

Until the earlier to occur of (i) the close of business on the tenth (10th) business day following a public announcement that a person or group of affiliated or associated persons has acquired, or obtained the right to acquire, beneficial ownership of 15% (or 20% in the case of a Passive Institutional Investor) or more of the Common Stock (including certain synthetic equity positions created by derivative securities, which are treated as beneficial ownership of the number of shares of Common Stock equivalent to the economic exposure created by the synthetic equity position, subject to certain specified conditions) (an “Acquiring Person”) or (ii) the close of business on the tenth (10th) business day (or such later date as may be determined by action of the Board of Directors prior to such time as any person or group of affiliated persons becomes an Acquiring Person) following the commencement of a tender offer or exchange offer the consummation of which would result in a person or group becoming an Acquiring Person (the earlier of (i) and (ii) being called the “Distribution Date”), the Rights will be evidenced, with respect to any of the Common Stock certificates outstanding as of the Record Date, by such Common Stock certificates or, with respect to any uncertificated Common Stock registered in book entry form, by notation in book entry, in either case together with a copy of the Summary of Rights attached as Exhibit B to the Agreement. The Agreement provides that any person who beneficially owned 15% or more of the Common Stock immediately prior to the first public announcement of the adoption of the Agreement, together with any affiliates and associates of that person (each an “Existing Holder”), shall not be deemed to be an “Acquiring Person” for purposes of the Agreement unless the Existing Holder becomes the beneficial owner of one or more additional shares of Common Stock (other than pursuant to a dividend or distribution paid or made by the Company on the outstanding Common Stock in Common Stock or pursuant to a split or subdivision of the outstanding Common Stock). However, if upon acquiring beneficial ownership of one or more additional shares of Common Stock, the Existing Holder does not beneficially own 15% or more (or 20% or more in the case of a passive institutional investor) of the Common Stock then outstanding, the Existing Holder shall not be deemed to be an “Acquiring Person” for purposes of the Agreement.

 

The Agreement provides that until the Distribution Date (or earlier redemption, exchange, termination or expiration of the Rights), the Rights will be transferred with and only with the Common Stock. Until the Distribution Date (or earlier redemption, exchange, termination or expiration of the Rights), new Common Stock certificates issued after the close of business on the Record Date upon transfer or new issuance of the Common Stock will contain a notation incorporating the Agreement by reference, and the Company will deliver a notice to that effect upon the transfer or new issuance of book entry shares. Until the Distribution Date (or earlier redemption, exchange, termination or expiration of the Rights), the surrender for transfer of any certificates for Common Stock or any book entry shares, with or without such notation, notice or a copy of this Summary of Rights, will also constitute the transfer of the Rights associated with the Common Stock represented by such certificate or the book entry shares.  As soon as practicable following the Distribution Date, separate certificates evidencing the Rights (“Right Certificates”) will be mailed to holders of record of the Common Stock as of the close of business on the Distribution Date and such separate Right Certificates alone will evidence the Rights.

 

The Rights are not exercisable until the Distribution Date. The Rights will expire on May 13, 2026, subject to the Company’s right to extend such date (the “Final Expiration Date”), unless (x) prior to such date Stockholder Approval (as defined in the Agreement) has been obtained or (y) earlier redeemed or exchanged by the Company or terminated.

The Purchase Price payable, and the number of shares of Series A Preferred or other securities or property issuable, upon exercise of the Rights are subject to adjustment from time to time to prevent dilution (i) in the event of a stock dividend on, or a subdivision, combination or reclassification of the Series A Preferred, (ii) upon the grant to holders of the Series A Preferred of certain rights or warrants to subscribe for or purchase Series A Preferred or convertible securities at less than the current market price of the Series A Preferred or (iii) upon the distribution to holders of the Series A Preferred of evidences of indebtedness, cash, securities or assets (excluding regular periodic cash dividends at a rate not in excess of 125% of the rate of the last regular periodic cash dividend theretofore paid or, in case regular periodic cash dividends have not theretofore been paid, at a rate not in excess of 50% of the average net income per share of the Company for the four quarters ended immediately prior to the payment of such dividend, or dividends payable in Series A Preferred (which dividends will be subject to the adjustment described in clause (i) above)) or of subscription rights or warrants (other than those referred to above).

 

In the event that a Person becomes an Acquiring Person or if the Company were the surviving corporation in a merger with an Acquiring Person or any affiliate or associate of an Acquiring Person and shares of the Common Stock were not changed or exchanged, each holder of a Right, other than Rights that are or were acquired or beneficially owned by the Acquiring Person (which Rights will thereafter be void), will thereafter have the right to receive upon exercise that number of shares of Common Stock having a market value of two times the then current Purchase Price of the Right. In the event that, after a Person has become an Acquiring Person, the Company were acquired in a merger or other business combination transaction or more than 50% of its assets or earning power were sold, proper provision shall be made so that each holder of a Right shall thereafter have the right to receive, upon the exercise thereof at the then current Purchase Price of the Right, that number of shares of common stock of the acquiring company which at the time of such transaction would have a market value of two times the then current Purchase Price of the Right.

 

At any time after a Person becomes an Acquiring Person and prior to the earlier of one of the events described in the last sentence of the previous paragraph or the acquisition by such Acquiring Person of 50% or more of the then outstanding Common Stock, the Board of Directors may cause the Company to exchange the Rights (other than Rights owned by an Acquiring Person which will have become void), in whole or in part, for shares of Common Stock at an exchange rate of one share of Common Stock per Right (subject to adjustment).

 

No adjustment in the Purchase Price will be required until cumulative adjustments require an adjustment of at least 1% in such Purchase Price. No fractional Series A Preferred or Common Stock will be issued (other than fractions of Series A Preferred which are integral multiples of one one-hundredth of a share of Series A Preferred, which may, at the election of the Company, be evidenced by depository receipts), and in lieu thereof, a payment in cash will be made based on the market price of the Series A Preferred or Common Stock on the last trading date prior to the date of exercise.

 

The Rights may be redeemed in whole, but not in part, at a price of $0.01 per Right (the “Redemption Price”) by the Board of Directors at any time prior to the time that an Acquiring Person has become such. The redemption of the Rights may be made effective at such time, on such basis and with such conditions as the Board of Directors in its sole discretion may establish. Immediately upon any redemption of the Rights, the right to exercise the Rights will terminate and the only right of the holders of Rights will be to receive the Redemption Price.

 

Until a Right is exercised, the holder thereof, as such, will have no rights as a stockholder of the Company beyond those as an existing stockholder, including, without limitation, the right to vote or to receive dividends.

 

Any of the provisions of the Agreement may be amended by the Board of Directors, or a duly authorized committee thereof, for so long as the Rights are then redeemable, and after the Rights are no longer redeemable, the Company may amend or supplement the Agreement in any manner that does not adversely affect the interests of the holders of the Rights (other than an Acquiring Person or any affiliate or associate of an Acquiring Person).

 

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This description of the Rights does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Agreement, which is filed as Exhibit 4.1 to this Current Report and incorporated herein by reference.

 

In connection with the adoption of the Agreement described in Item 3.03 of this Current Report, the Board of Directors approved Articles of Amendment of the Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation (the “Articles of Amendment”) for the Series A Preferred, which designate the rights, preferences, privileges and limitations of 1,000,000 shares of a series of the Company’s preferred stock, designated as the Series A Preferred. The information set forth in this Item 3.03 of this Current Report is incorporated into this Item 5.03 by reference.

 

The Articles of Amendment will be filed with the Washington Secretary of State and is expected to become effective on May 14, 2025. A copy of the Articles of Amendment has been filed as Exhibit 3.1 to this Current Report and is incorporated herein by reference.

 

On May 13, 2025, the Company issued a press release announcing the adoption of the Agreement. A copy of that press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated herein by reference.

 

 

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.

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