UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of Earliest Event Reported): May 21, 2012
Cooper Industries plc
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Ireland | 1-31330 | 98-0632292 | ||
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) | (Commission File Number) | (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) | ||
Unit F10, Maynooth Business Campus, Maynooth, Ireland | 0 | |||
| (Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) | |||
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: +353 (1) 6292222
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:
| x | Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) |
| ¨ | Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) |
| ¨ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) |
| ¨ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
| Item 7.01. | Regulation FD Disclosure. |
In connection with the Transactions (as defined in Item 8.01 of this Form 8-K), on May 21, 2012, Cooper Industries plc, a public limited company organized under the laws of Ireland (“Cooper”), and Eaton Corporation, an Ohio corporation (“Eaton”), issued an announcement pursuant to Rule 2.5 of the Irish Takeover Rules (the “Rule 2.5 Announcement”) announcing that Eaton and Cooper have reached agreement on the terms of an acquisition of Cooper as described below in Item 8.01 of this Form 8-K. The full text of the Rule 2.5 Announcement is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and incorporated by reference herein. In addition, Cooper has prepared an employee presentation relating to the Transactions which was made available beginning on May 21, 2012. A copy of such presentation is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.2 and is incorporated herein by reference.
As provided in General Instruction B.2 of Form 8-K, the information in this Item 7.01 and Exhibits 99.1 and 99.2 incorporated herein shall not be deemed to be “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, nor shall they be deemed to be incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such a filing.
| Item 8.01. | Other Events. |
On May 21, 2012, Eaton and Cooper and certain other parties entered into an agreement pursuant to which, among other things, subject to the terms and conditions thereof, Abeiron Limited, a private limited liability company organized under the laws of Ireland (“New Eaton”), will acquire (a) Cooper for cash and newly issued ordinary shares of New Eaton (the “Acquisition”) pursuant to a scheme of arrangement under Section 201, and a capital reduction under Sections 72 and 74, of the Irish Companies Act of 1963 (the “Scheme”) and (b) Eaton for newly issued ordinary shares of New Eaton pursuant to a merger of Turlock Corporation, an Ohio Corporation, with and into Eaton (the “Merger” and, together with the Acquisition pursuant to the Scheme, the “Transactions”). As a result of the Transactions, both Eaton and Cooper will become wholly owned subsidiaries of New Eaton. Prior to the closing of the Transactions, New Eaton will re-register as a public limited company, the ordinary shares of which are expected to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
| Item 9.01. | Financial Statements and Exhibits. |
(d) Exhibits
| 99.1 | Rule 2.5 Announcement, dated May 21, 2012. | |
| 99.2 | Cooper Industries plc Employee Presentation. | |
NO OFFEROR SOLICITATION
This communication is not intended to and does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to subscribe for or buy or an invitation to purchase or subscribe for any securities or the solicitation of any vote or approval in any jurisdiction pursuant to the Acquisition or otherwise, nor shall there be any sale, issuance or transfer of securities in any jurisdiction in contravention of applicable law. No offer of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
IMPORTANT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WILL BE FILED WITH THE SEC
New Eaton will file with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-4 that will include the Joint Proxy Statement of Eaton and Cooper that also constitutes a Prospectus of New Eaton. Eaton and Cooper plan to mail to their respective shareholders (and to Cooper Equity Award Holders for information only) the Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus (including the Scheme) in connection with the transactions.INVESTORS AND SHAREHOLDERS ARE URGED TO READ THE JOINT PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS (INCLUDING THE SCHEME) AND OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS FILED OR TO BE FILED WITH THE SEC CAREFULLY WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT EATON, COOPER, NEW EATON, THE TRANSACTIONS AND RELATED MATTERS.Investors and security holders will be able to obtain free copies of the Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus (including the Scheme) and other documents filed with the SEC by New Eaton, Eaton and Cooper through the website maintained by the SEC at www.sec.gov. In addition, investors and shareholders will be able to obtain free copies of the Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus (including the Scheme) and other documents filed by Eaton and New Eaton with the SEC by contacting Eaton Investor Relations at Eaton Corporation, 1111, Superior Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44114 or by calling (888) 328-6647, and will be able to obtain free copies of the Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus (including the Scheme) and other documents filed by Cooper by contacting Cooper Investor Relations at c/o Cooper US, Inc., P.O. Box 4466, Houston, Texas 77210 or by calling (713) 209-8400.
PARTICIPANTS IN THE SOLICITATION
Cooper, Eaton and New Eaton and their respective directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the respective shareholders of Cooper and Eaton in respect of the transactions contemplated by the Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus. Information regarding the persons who may, under the rules of the SEC, be deemed participants in the solicitation of the respective shareholders of Cooper and Eaton in connection with the proposed transactions, including a description of their direct or indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will be set forth in the Joint Proxy Statement/Prospectus when it is filed with the SEC. Information regarding Cooper’s directors and executive officers is contained in Cooper’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011 and its Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A, dated March 13, 2012, which are filed with the SEC. Information regarding Eaton’s directors and executive officers is contained in Eaton’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011 and its Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A, dated March 16, 2012, which are filed with the SEC.
STATEMENT REQUIRED BY THE TAKEOVER RULES
The directors of Cooper accept responsibility for the information contained in this announcement. To the best of the knowledge and belief of the directors of Cooper (who have taken all reasonable care to ensure that such is the case), the information contained in this announcement is in accordance with the facts and does not omit anything likely to affect the import of such information.
COOPER SAFEHARBOR STATEMENT
This press release may contain forward-looking statements concerning the Acquisition, our long-term credit rating and our revenues and operating earnings. These statements or disclosures may discuss goals, intentions and expectations as to future trends, plans, events, results of operations or financial condition, or state other information relating to Cooper, based on current beliefs of management as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management. Forward-looking statements generally will be accompanied by words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “guidance,” “intend,” “may,” “possible,” “potential,” “predict,” “project” or other similar words, phrases or expressions. These statements should be used with caution. They are subject to various risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside of our control. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include adverse regulatory decisions; failure to satisfy other closing conditions with respect to the Acquisition; the risks that the new businesses will not be integrated successfully or that we will not realize estimated cost savings and synergies; unanticipated changes in the markets for our business segments; unanticipated downturns in business relationships with customers or their purchases from Cooper; competitive pressures on our sales and pricing; increases in the cost of material, energy and other production costs, or unexpected costs that cannot be recouped in product pricing; the introduction of competing technologies; unexpected technical or marketing difficulties; unexpected claims, charges, litigation or dispute resolutions; new laws and governmental regulations including changes in tax law, tax treaties or tax regulations. We do not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.
No statement in this announcement is intended to constitute a profit forecast for any period, nor should any statements be interpreted to mean that earnings or earnings per share will necessarily be greater or lesser than those for the relevant preceding financial periods for Cooper.
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.
Dated: May 21, 2012
| COOPER INDUSTRIES PLC | ||
| By: | /s/ Bruce M. Taten | |
| Name: | Bruce M. Taten | |
| Title: | Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer | |
EXHIBIT INDEX
EXHIBIT | DESCRIPTION | |
| 99.1 | Rule 2.5 Announcement, dated May 21, 2012. | |
| 99.2 | Cooper Industries plc Employee Presentation. | |