During the period of restriction, Plan participants and beneficiaries will be unable to:
| (i) | Purchase, sell, or otherwise acquire or transfer an interest in any of the investment alternatives in the Plan, including Leggett common stock; |
| (ii) | receive distributions or withdrawals from the Plan; |
| (iii) | receive loans from the Plan; |
| (iv) | make payroll percentage elections in the Plan; or |
| (v) | terminate their position in the Plan. |
This period, during which participants and beneficiaries will be unable to exercise these rights otherwise available under the Plan, matches the time frame in the BTR Blackout Period referenced below. This BTR Blackout Period is necessary in order to allow the Plan record keeper to transfer the individual accounts, including Leggett common stock, from the Plan into the 401(k) Plan.
Length of Blackout Period
The BTR Blackout Period is expected to begin on December 26, 2018 at 3:00 p.m. Central Time and expected to end during the calendar week of January 6, 2019 through January 12, 2019. If the effective date of the Plan merger changes and Leggett is required to adjust the beginning date or the length of the BTR Blackout Period, Leggett will provide you with notice of such adjustment as soon as reasonably practicable. You may obtain, without charge, the actual beginning and ending dates of the BTR Blackout Period (during the blackout period and for a period of two years after the ending date of the blackout period) and answers to other inquiries about the BTR Blackout Period, by contacting Scott S. Douglas – Senior Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary, Leggett & Platt, Incorporated, No. 1 Leggett Road, Carthage, Missouri 64836, or by calling (800)888-4569.
Restrictions on Directors and Section 16 Officers During the Blackout Period
Because participants and beneficiaries of the Plan will be unable to move assets into or out of Leggett common stock, as well as other restrictions discussed above, during the BTR Blackout Period, Leggett’s directors and Section 16 officers will be subject to the trading restrictions imposed under Section 306(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 for the duration of the BTR Blackout Period.
In accordance with Section 306(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and SEC Regulation BTR, the Company’s directors and Section 16 officers are prohibited during the BTR Blackout Period from:
| (i) | purchasing, selling, or otherwise acquiring or transferring, directly or indirectly, any Leggett Stock acquired in connection with his or her service or employment as a director or officer; |
| (ii) | being awarded any “discretionary grant” of Leggett common stock, including options, units, or other equity securities; |
| (iii) | exercising options, whether or not in combination with the sale of underlying shares of Leggett common stock; |
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