UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 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): April 29, 2021
GRANITE CONSTRUCTION INCORPORATED
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)
Delaware (State or Other Jurisdiction of Incorporation) | 1-12911 (Commission File Number) | 77-0239383 (IRS Employer Identification No.) |
585 West Beach Street
Watsonville, California 95076
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (831) 724-1011
_____________________
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 (see General Instructions A.2. below):
| ☐ | 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)) |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered |
| Common Stock, $0.01 par value | GVA | New York Stock Exchange |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).
Emerging growth company ☐
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Item 1.01. Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.
On April 29, 2021, Granite Construction Incorporated (NYSE: GVA) (“Granite” or the “Company”) entered into a stipulation and agreement of settlement (the “Settlement Agreement”) to settle the previously disclosed securities class action litigation filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California titled Police Retirement System of St. Louis v. Granite Construction Incorporated, et al., which was filed in August 2019. The Settlement Agreement also settles claims alleged in the putative class action lawsuit filed in the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Cruz titled Nasseri v. Granite Construction Incorporated, et al., which was filed in October 2019. The settlement is subject to court approval.
Granite will pay or cause to be paid a total of $129 million in cash, $63 million of which it expects to be paid through insurance proceeds. This payment will be paid to a settlement fund that will be used to pay all settlement fees and expenses, attorneys’ fees and expenses, and cash payments to members of the settlement class. The settlement class has agreed to release the Company, the other defendants named in the lawsuits and certain of their respective related parties from any and all claims, rights, causes of action, liabilities, actions, suits, damages or demands of any kind whatsoever, that relate in any way to the purchase, acquisition, holding, sale or disposition of Granite common stock during the period between February 17, 2017 and October 24, 2019 that arose out of or are based upon or related to the facts alleged or the claims or allegations set forth in Police Retirement System of St. Louis v. Granite Construction Incorporated, et al. or relate in any way to any alleged violation of the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, or any other state, federal or foreign jurisdiction’s securities or other laws, any alleged misstatement, omission or disclosure (including in financial statements) or other alleged securities-related wrongdoing or misconduct, including all claims alleged in Nasseri v. Granite Construction Incorporated, et al. The Settlement Agreement contains no admission of liability, wrongdoing or responsibility by any of the parties.
If the court preliminarily approves the settlement, members of the settlement class will be provided notice of, and an opportunity to object to, the settlement at a fairness hearing to be held by the court to determine whether the settlement should be finally approved and whether the proposed order and final judgment should be entered. If the court approves the settlement, including the payment and release described above, and enters such order and final judgment, and such judgment is no longer subject to further appeal or other review, the settlement fund will be disbursed in accordance with a plan of allocation approved by the court and the release will be effective to all members of the settlement class.
The foregoing description of the Settlement Agreement does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and qualified in its entirety by, the full terms of the Settlement Agreement, which is attached hereto as Exhibit 10.1 and is incorporated herein by reference.
The previously disclosed shareholder derivative lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California remains pending.
Forward-Looking Statements
Any statements contained in this Current Report on Form 8-K that are not based on historical facts, including statements regarding future events, occurrences, circumstances, activities, performance, growth, demand, strategic plans, outcomes, outlook, guidance, backlog, Committed and Awarded Projects ("CAP"), results, the Settlement Agreement, the consideration to be paid in connection therewith and the consideration to be paid with insurance proceeds, settlement of the claims in Nasseri v. Granite Construction Incorporated, et al., court approval, the disbursement of the settlement fund and the effectiveness of the releases constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are identified by words such as “future,” “outlook,” “assumes,” “believes,” “expects,” “estimates,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “appears,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “continue,” and the negatives thereof or other comparable terminology or by the context in which they are made. These forward-looking statements are estimates reflecting the best judgment of senior management and reflect our current expectations regarding future events, occurrences, circumstances, activities, performance, growth, demand, strategic plans, outcomes, outlook, guidance, backlog, CAP, results, the Settlement Agreement, the consideration to be paid in connection therewith and the consideration to be paid with insurance proceeds, settlement of the claims in Nasseri v. Granite Construction Incorporated, et al., court approval, the disbursement of the settlement fund and the effectiveness of the releases. These expectations may or may not be realized. Some of these expectations may be based on beliefs, assumptions or estimates that may prove to be incorrect. In addition, our business and operations involve numerous risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control, which could result in our expectations not being realized or otherwise materially affect our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and liquidity. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the court approving the Settlement Agreement and those described in greater detail in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, particularly those specifically described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.
Due to the inherent risks and uncertainties associated with our forward-looking statements, the reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on them. The reader is also cautioned that the forward-looking statements contained herein speak only as of the date of this Current Report on Form 8-K and, except as required by law; we undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements for any reason.
Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) Exhibits. The following exhibits are attached hereto and filed herewith:
Exhibit Number | Description | |
| 10.1 | ||
| 104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL) |
SIGNATURES
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.
| GRANITE CONSTRUCTION INCORPORATED | |||
| By: | /s/ M. Craig Hall | ||
| M. Craig Hall | |||
| Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary | |||
Date: April 30, 2021