Exhibit 99.1
Beacon Adopts Stockholder Rights Agreement
HERNDON, Va. – January 28, 2025 – Beacon (Nasdaq: BECN) (the “Company”), the leading publicly-traded specialty wholesale distributor of roofing, waterproofing and related exterior products, announced today that its Board of Directors (the “Board”) has unanimously adopted a limited duration stockholder rights agreement (the “Rights Agreement”) to protect stockholder interests and maximize value for all stockholders.
The Board adopted the Rights Agreement in response to the tender offer previously announced by QXO, Inc. (“QXO”). The Rights Agreement is intended to protect Beacon and its stockholders from anyone seeking to opportunistically gain control of Beacon without paying all stockholders an appropriate control premium. The Rights Agreement ensures the Board has sufficient time to review QXO’s tender offer and consider the best approach to enhance the interests of Beacon and its stockholders. The Rights Agreement will not, and is not intended to, prevent a takeover of the Company on terms that are fair to and in the best interests of the Company and all the Company’s stockholders. As previously disclosed, the Board will thoroughly evaluate QXO’s tender offer and issue its formal recommendation to stockholders within ten business days from the commencement of QXO’s tender offer. However, Beacon notes that QXO’s offer price remains unchanged from its November 11, 2024 proposal, which the Board previously rejected as significantly undervaluing the Company and not being in the best interests of Beacon and its stockholders.
Pursuant to the Rights Agreement, Beacon will issue, by means of a dividend, one preferred share purchase right for each outstanding share of Beacon common stock to stockholders of record as of the close of business on February 7, 2025. Initially, these rights will not be exercisable and will trade with, and be represented by, the shares of Beacon common stock.
The Rights Agreement will expire on the earliest of (i) the close of business on January 26, 2026, unless stockholder approval is obtained prior to such date to extend the term of the rights, (ii) the time at which the rights are redeemed, (iii) the time at which the rights are exchanged and (iv) the closing of a merger or acquisition transaction involving the Company pursuant to a merger or other acquisition agreement approved by the Board, in each case, pursuant to the Rights Agreement.
The terms of the Rights Agreement are consistent with other rights plans adopted by publicly-held companies. Under the Rights Agreement, the rights generally become exercisable if a person or a group of persons (each, an “acquiring person”) acquires beneficial ownership of 15% (or 20% in the case of certain investors filing on Schedule 13G) or more of the outstanding shares of Beacon common stock in a transaction not approved by the Board. In that situation, each holder of a right (other than the acquiring person, whose rights will become void and will not be exercisable) will be entitled to purchase, at the then-current exercise price, additional shares of Beacon common stock at a 50% discount. In addition, if Beacon is acquired in a merger or other business combination after an unapproved party acquires 15% (or 20% in the case of certain investors filing on Schedule 13G) or more of the outstanding shares of Beacon common stock, each holder of a right would then be entitled to purchase, at the then-current exercise price, shares of the acquiring company’s stock at a 50% discount. The Board, at its option, may exchange each right (other than rights owned by the acquiring person that have become void) in whole or in part, at an exchange ratio of one share of Beacon common stock per outstanding right, subject to adjustment. Except as provided in the Rights Agreement, the Board is entitled to redeem the rights at $0.001 per right.
If a person or group beneficially owns 15% (or 20% in the case of certain investors filing on Schedule 13G) or more of the outstanding shares of Beacon common stock prior to Beacon’s announcement of its adoption of the Rights Agreement, then that person’s or group’s existing ownership percentage will be grandfathered (except that, with certain exceptions, if at any time after the announcement of the adoption of the Rights Agreement such person or group increases its ownership of Beacon common stock, such person’s or group’s ownership percentage will no longer be considered grandfathered).