PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION (CONFLICTS OF INTEREST)
We entered into an “at-the-market” equity offering sales agreement dated as of February 17, 2023 with each of J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, Barclays Capital Inc., BofA Securities, Inc., BTIG, LLC, Capital One Securities, Inc., Credit Agricole Securities (USA) Inc., Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Jefferies LLC, Mizuho Securities USA LLC, Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, RBC Capital Markets, LLC, Regions Securities, LLC, Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated, Scotia Capital (USA) Inc., SMBC Nikko Securities America, Inc., TD Securities (USA) LLC, Truist Securities, Inc. and Wells Fargo Securities, LLC (and, in certain cases, their respective affiliates), in their capacity as Sales Agents, Forward Purchasers and/or as Forward Sellers, relating to shares of our common stock offered by this prospectus supplement. In accordance with the terms of the sales agreement, shares of our common stock having an aggregate gross sales price of up to $1,500,000,000 may be offered and sold from time to time through the Sales Agents, acting as our sales agents, or the Forward Sellers, acting as agents for the applicable Forward Purchasers, or directly to the Sales Agents, acting as principal.
The sales agreement provides that, in addition to the issuance and sale of the shares of our common stock by us to or through the Sales Agents, we may enter into one or more forward sale agreements with a Forward Purchaser. In connection with any forward sale agreement, the relevant Forward Purchaser will, at our request, use commercially reasonable efforts, consistent with its normal trading and sales practices for similar transactions and applicable law and regulation, to borrow from third parties and, through its affiliated Forward Seller, sell a number of shares of our common stock equal to the number of shares of our common stock underlying the particular forward sale agreement.
Sales of the shares of our common stock, if any, made through the Sales Agents, acting as our sales agents, or the Forward Sellers, acting as agents for the applicable Forward Purchasers, or directly to a Sales Agent, acting as principal, as contemplated by this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, may be made by means of ordinary brokers’ transactions on the NYSE, the existing trading market for our common stock, by means of negotiated transactions or otherwise at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to prevailing market prices or at negotiated prices.
No Sales Agent, acting as our sales agent, or Forward Seller, acting as agent for the applicable Forward Purchaser, is required to sell any specific number or dollar amount of shares of our common stock, but each has agreed to use its commercially reasonable efforts, as our sales agent or as agents for the applicable Forward Purchaser, as applicable, consistent with its normal trading and sales practices and applicable law and regulation and on the terms and subject to the conditions of the sales agreement, to sell the shares offered as instructed by us. The shares of our common stock offered and sold through the Sales Agents, as our sales agents, or the Forward Sellers, as agents for the applicable Forward Purchaser, pursuant to this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, will be offered and sold through only one Sales Agent or Forward Seller on any given day.
Our common stock is an “actively-traded security” excepted from the requirements of Rule 101 of Regulation M under the Exchange Act by Rule 101(c)(1) of Regulation M. If the exemptive provisions set forth in Rule 101(c)(1) of Regulation M are not satisfied with respect to us or shares or our common stock, we will promptly notify the Sales Agents, the Forward Sellers and the Forward Purchasers, and sales of our common stock under the sales agreement will be suspended until Rule 101(c)(1) or other exemptive provisions have been satisfied in our and the Sales Agents’, Forward Sellers’ and Forward Purchasers’ reasonable judgment.
We estimate that the total expenses related to this offering payable by us, excluding discounts and commissions payable to the Sales Agents or the Forward Sellers under the sales agreement, will be approximately $500,000. We have also agreed, under certain circumstances, to reimburse the Sales Agents, Forward Sellers and Forward Purchasers for certain of their reasonable, documented out-of-pocket expenses, including fees and disbursements of their counsel, in connection with the transactions contemplated by the sales agreement. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of shares of our common stock by any Forward Seller.
Sales of our common stock as contemplated by this prospectus supplement will be settled through the facilities of The Depository Trust Company or by such other means as we and the relevant Sales Agent or the relevant Forward Purchaser and the relevant Forward Seller may agree.