On February 22, 2019, Spirit Realty Capital, Inc. (the “Company”) and Spirit Realty, L.P. (the “Operating Partnership”) entered into an amended and restated equity distribution agreement (the “equity distribution agreement”) with SunTrust Robinson Humphrey, Inc., J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Mizuho Securities USA LLC, RBC Capital Markets, LLC, Scotia Capital (USA) Inc., Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC (each, an “agent” and, collectively, the “agents”), and the forward purchasers (as defined below), providing for the offer and sale of shares of the Company’s common stock, $0.05 par value per share (the “common stock”), having an aggregate gross sales price of up to $500.0 million through the agents, as its sales agents or, if applicable, as forward sellers (as defined below), or directly to the agents acting as principals. The equity distribution agreement amended and restated an existing equity distribution agreement (the “original equity distribution agreement”) the Company entered into with certain of these agents on November 9, 2016, as amended on November 13, 2018. Under the original equity distribution agreement, the Company had offered and sold shares of its common stock having an aggregate gross sales price of $3,751,129 through February 22, 2019. As a result of such prior sales, as of February 22, 2019, shares of its common stock having an aggregate gross sales price of up to $496,248,871 remain available for offer and sale under the equity distribution agreement.
Sales of shares of its common stock, if any, made through the agents, as the Company’s sales agents or, if applicable, as forward sellers pursuant to the equity distribution agreement, may be made in sales deemed to be“at-the-market offerings” as defined in Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act, including (1) by means of ordinary brokers’ transactions on the New York Stock Exchange at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, in negotiated transactions or as otherwise agreed by us, the applicable agent and the applicable investor, (2) to or through any market maker or (3) on or through any other national securities exchange or facility thereof, trading facility of a securities association or national securities exchange, alternative trading system, electronic communication network or other similar market venue.
The agents are not required to sell any specific number or dollar amount of shares of its common stock but will use their commercially reasonable efforts consistent with its normal trading and sales practices as its sales agents or as forward sellers and subject to the terms of the equity distribution agreement and, in the case of shares offered through such agents as forward sellers, the relevant forward sale agreement to sell the shares of the Company’s common stock, as instructed by the Company and, in the case of shares offered through such agents as forward sellers, the relevant forward purchaser. The shares of the Company’s common stock offered and sold through the agents, as its sales agents or as forward sellers, pursuant to the equity distribution agreement will be offered and sold through only one agent on any given day.
Each agent will receive from the Company a commission that will not exceed, but may be lower than, 2.0% of the gross sales price of shares of its common stock sold through it as its sales agent. Under the terms of the equity distribution agreement, the Company may also sell shares of its common stock to each of the agents, as principal, at a price agreed upon at the time of sale. If the Company sells shares of its common stock to any agent as principal, the Company will enter into a separate terms agreement with the agent, setting forth the terms of such transaction, and the Company will describe the agreement in a separate prospectus supplement or pricing supplement. In connection with each forward sale agreement, the Company will pay the applicable agent, acting as forward seller in connection with such forward sale agreement, a commission, in the form of a reduction to the initial forward price under the related forward sale agreement, at a mutually agreed rate that will not (except as provided below) exceed, but may be lower than, 2.0% of the gross sales price per share of the borrowed shares of its common stock sold through such agent, as forward seller, during the applicable forward selling period for such shares (subject to certain possible adjustments to such gross sales price for daily accruals and any quarterly dividends having an“ex-dividend” date during such forward selling period).
The equity distribution agreement contemplates that, in addition to the issuance and sale by the Company of shares of its common stock to or through the agents, the Company may enter into separate forward sale agreements, with each of J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, RBC Capital Markets, LLC, Scotia Capital (USA) Inc., Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, or one of their respective affiliates (in such capacity, each, a “forward purchaser” and, collectively, the “forward purchasers”). If the Company enters into a forward sale agreement with any forward purchaser, the Company expects that such forward purchaser (or its affiliate) will attempt to borrow from third parties and sell, through the relevant agent, acting as sales agent for such forward purchaser, shares of its common stock to hedge such forward purchaser’s exposure under such forward sale agreement. The Company will not initially receive any proceeds from any sale of shares of its common stock borrowed by a forward purchaser (or its affiliate) and sold through a forward seller.
The Company currently expects to fully physically settle each forward sale agreement, if any, with the relevant forward purchaser on one or more dates specified by the Company on or prior to the maturity date of such forward sale agreement, in which case the Company expects to receive aggregate net cash proceeds at settlement equal to the number of shares specified in such forward sale agreement multiplied by the relevant forward price per share. However, subject to certain exceptions, the
