The J. M. Smucker Company (SJM) 8-K Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement

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): September 10, 2023

THE J. M. SMUCKER COMPANY

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Ohio	001-05111	34-0538550
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)	(Commission File Number)	(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
One Strawberry Lane Orrville, Ohio		44667-0280
(Address of principal executive offices)		(Zip code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (330) 682-3000

Not Applicable

(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, 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:

☒ 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 shares, no par value	SJM	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 September 10, 2023, The J. M. Smucker Company, an Ohio Corporation (the “Company”), entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of September 10, 2023 (the “Merger Agreement”), by and among the Company, Hostess Brands, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Hostess Brands”), and SSF Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (“Purchaser”).

The Merger Agreement

On the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement, Purchaser will commence an exchange offer (the “Offer”) to purchase all issued and outstanding shares of Class A common stock of Hostess Brands, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Hostess Brands Common Stock”) for (a) $30.00 in cash and (b) 0.03002 common shares , no par value per share, of the Company (“Company Common Stock”), plus cash in lieu of fractional shares, in each case, without interest and net of any withholding of taxes (the “Offer Consideration”). Based on the closing price of the Company Common Stock on September 8, 2023, of $141.58, the share component of the Offer Consideration as of the time of signing of the Merger Agreement had a market value of $4.25 per share of Company Common Stock.

Promptly following the completion of the Offer, upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Merger Agreement, Purchaser will be merged with and into Hostess Brands, with Hostess Brands surviving as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (the “Merger” and, together with the Offer, the “Transaction”). The Merger Agreement contemplates that, if the Offer is completed, the Merger will be effected pursuant to Section 251(h) of the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”), which permits completion of the Merger without a vote of the holders of Hostess Brands Common Stock upon the acquisition by Purchaser of a majority of the aggregate voting power of Hostess Brands Common Stock that are then issued and outstanding. In the Merger, each then-outstanding share of Hostess Brands Common Stock, other than shares held in treasury, by the Company, Hostess Brands or their respective subsidiaries and shares held by stockholders who have validly exercised their appraisal rights under the DGCL, will be cancelled and converted into the right to receive the Offer Consideration.

Conditions to the Transaction

Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, Purchaser’s obligation to accept and pay for the shares of Hostess Brands Common Stock that are exchanged in the Offer is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of a number of customary conditions, including: (i) the condition that, prior to the expiration of the Offer, there have been validly tendered and not validly withdrawn a number of shares of Hostess Brands Common Stock that, upon the consummation of the Offer, together with shares of Hostess Brands Common Stock then owned by the Company and Purchaser (if any), would represent at least a majority of the shares of the Hostess Brands Common Stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the expiration date of the Offer; (ii) the expiration or termination of the required waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended; (iii) certain approvals or clearance under the Competition Act (Canada), as amended; (iv) the effectiveness of a registration statement on Form S-4 filed by the Company registering shares of Company Common Stock to be issued in connection with the Offer and the Merger and approval of such shares for listing on the New York Stock Exchange; and (iv) the absence of any changes that have (or would reasonably be expected to have), individually or in the aggregate, a material adverse effect on Hostess Brands’ business, assets, liabilities, results of operations or financial condition, as more specifically defined in the Merger Agreement. Purchaser is required to extend the Offer under certain circumstances, including if any of the conditions to the Offer have not been satisfied or waived on or prior to the expiration of the Offer, subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement.

The cash portion of the consideration payable in the Offer and the Merger is expected to be financed with a combination of new debt and cash on the Company’s balance sheet. In connection with its entry into the Merger Agreement, the Company obtained a commitment from Bank of America, N.A. and Royal Bank of Canada for a $5.2 billion 364-day senior unsecured bridge loan facility, subject to customary conditions.

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Representations and Warranties; Covenants

The Merger Agreement contains representations, warranties and covenants of the Company, Purchaser and Hostess Brands that are customary for a transaction of this nature, including among others, covenants by each of the Company, Purchaser and Hostess Brands regarding the conduct of its business during the pendency of the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, public disclosures, required efforts in connection with obtaining certain regulatory approvals and other matters.

Board Approval and Recommendation

The Merger Agreement and the consummation of the Transaction have been unanimously approved by the Hostess Brands board of directors, and the Hostess Brands board of directors has resolved to recommend to the stockholders of Hostess Brands to accept the Offer and tender their shares of Hostess Brands Common Stock to Purchaser pursuant to the Offer. Hostess Brands has agreed not to solicit alternative transactions, subject to customary exceptions.

Termination and Termination Fee

The Merger Agreement contains certain termination rights of the Company and Hostess Brands, including, among others, the right of both parties to terminate for failure to consummate the Offer on or before September 10, 2024 (which as provided in the Merger Agreement may be extended to March 10, 2025). If the Merger Agreement is terminated under specified circumstances, including with respect to Hostess Brands’ entry into an agreement with respect to certain alternative transactions or a change of the recommendation of the Hostess Brands board of directors, Hostess Brands will be required to pay the Company a termination fee of $175 million in cash.

Additional Information

The foregoing description of the Merger Agreement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by the full text of the Merger Agreement, a copy of which is filed as Exhibit 2.1 hereto and is incorporated by reference herein. The Merger Agreement has been attached to provide investors with information regarding its terms. It is not intended to provide any other factual information about the Company, Purchaser or Hostess Brands. In particular, the assertions embodied in the representations and warranties contained in the Merger Agreement are qualified by information in confidential disclosure letters provided by each of the Company and Hostess Brands to each other in connection with the signing of the Merger Agreement or in filings of the parties with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). These confidential disclosure letters contain information that modifies, qualifies and creates exceptions to the representations and warranties and certain covenants set forth in the Merger Agreement. Moreover, certain representations and warranties in the Merger Agreement were used for the purposes of allocating risk between the Company and Hostess Brands rather than establishing matters of fact. Accordingly, the representations and warranties in the Merger Agreement should not be relied on as characterization of the actual state of facts about the Company, Purchaser or Hostess Brands.

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits

Exhibit
2.1*	Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of September 10, 2023, by and among the Company, Purchaser, and Hostess Brands
104	The cover page of this Current Report on Form 8-K, formatted in Inline XBRL.

* Certain schedules have been omitted pursuant to Item 601(b)(2) of Regulation S-K. The Company agrees to furnish supplementally to the SEC a copy of any omitted schedules upon request.

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Forward Looking Statements

This Current Report on Form 8-K includes certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities laws that involve risks and uncertainties relating to future events and the future performance of the Company and Hostess Brands, including regarding the Company’s proposed acquisition of Hostess Brands, the prospective benefits of the proposed acquisition, the potential consideration amount and the terms and the anticipated occurrence, manner and timing of the proposed exchange offer and the closing of the proposed acquisition. The forward-looking statements may include statements concerning our current expectations, estimates, assumptions and beliefs concerning future events, conditions, plans and strategies that are not historical fact. Any statement that is not historical in nature is a forward-looking statement and may be identified by the use of words and phrases such as “expect,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “intend,” “will,” “plan,” “strive” and similar phrases. Federal securities laws provide a safe harbor for forward-looking statements to encourage companies to provide prospective information. The Company is providing this cautionary statement in connection with the safe harbor provisions. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made, when evaluating the information presented in this Current Report on Form 8-K, as such statements are by nature subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are outside of our control and could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements and from our historical results and experience. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the following: uncertainties relating to the timing of the exchange offer and merger between the Company, SSF Holdings, Inc., a Delaware corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, and Hostess Brands (the “Transaction”); uncertainties as to how many of Hostess Brands’ stockholders will tender their stock in the exchange offer; the possibility that competing offers will be made; the possibility that any or all of the conditions to the consummation of the Transaction may not be satisfied or waived, including failure to receive required regulatory approvals; the possibility that the Transaction does not close; risks related to the Company’s ability to realize the anticipated benefits of the Transaction, including the possibility that the expected benefits will not be realized or will not be realized within the expected time period; the effect of the announcement or pendency of the Transaction on the Company’s ability to retain key personnel and to maintain relationships with customers, suppliers and other business partners; risks relating to potential diversion of management attention from the Company’s ongoing business operations; negative effects of this announcement or the consummation of the Transaction on the market price of the Company’s or Hostess Brands’ common stock and/or operating results; transaction costs associated with the Transaction; disruptions or inefficiencies in the Company’s operations or supply chain, including any impact caused by product recalls (including the Jif^® peanut butter product recall); political instability, terrorism, armed hostilities (including the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine); extreme weather conditions; natural disasters; pandemics (including the novel coronavirus); work stoppages or labor shortages, or other calamities; risks related to the availability, and cost inflation in, supply chain inputs, including labor, raw materials, commodities, packaging, and transportation; the impact of food security concerns involving either the Company’s products or its competitors’ products, including changes in consumer preference, consumer litigation, actions by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration or other agencies, and product recalls; risks associated with derivative and purchasing strategies the Company employs to manage commodity pricing and interest rate risks; the availability of reliable transportation on acceptable terms; the ability to achieve cost savings related to restructuring and cost management programs in the amounts and within the time frames currently anticipated; the ability to generate sufficient cash flow to continue operating under the Company’s capital deployment model, including capital expenditures, debt repayment, dividend payments, and share repurchases; the ability to implement and realize the full benefit of price changes, and the impact of the timing of the price changes to profits and cash flow in a particular period; the success and cost of marketing and sales programs and strategies intended to promote growth in the Company’s businesses, including product innovation; general competitive activity in the market, including competitors’ pricing practices and promotional spending levels; the Company’s ability to attract and retain key talent; the concentration of certain of the Company’s businesses with key customers and suppliers, including single-source suppliers of certain key raw materials and finished goods, and the Company’s ability to manage and maintain key relationships; impairments in the carrying value of goodwill, other intangible assets, or other long-lived assets or changes in the useful lives of other intangible assets or other long-lived assets; the impact of new or changes to existing governmental laws and regulations and their application; the outcome of tax examinations, changes in tax laws, and other tax matters; a disruption, failure, or security breach of the Company or their suppliers’ information technology systems, including, but not limited to, ransomware attacks; and foreign currency exchange rate and interest rate fluctuations.

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A more complete description of these and other material risks can be found under “Risk Factors” in reports and statements filed by the Company and Hostess Brands respectively with the SEC, including each of the Company’s and Hostess Brands’ most recent Annual Reports on Form 10-K, as well as the Form S-4 and related exchange offer documents to be filed by the Company and its acquisition subsidiary, SSF Holdings, Inc. and the Schedule 14D-9 to be filed by Hostess Brands. The Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made, to reflect new events or circumstances.

Additional Information and Where to Find It

The exchange offer referenced in this Current Report on Form 8-K has not yet commenced. This Current Report on Form 8-K is for informational purposes only and is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell any securities, nor is it a substitute for the exchange offer materials that Hostess Brands, the Company, or its acquisition subsidiary, SSF Holdings, Inc., will file with the SEC. This Current Report on Form 8-K does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. The solicitation and offer to buy Hostess Brands stock will only be made pursuant to an Offer to Exchange and related exchange offer materials that the Company intends to file with the SEC. At the time the exchange offer is commenced, the Company and its acquisition subsidiary will file a tender offer statement on Schedule TO, the Company will file a registration statement on Form S-4 and thereafter Hostess Brands will file a Solicitation/Recommendation Statement on Schedule 14D-9 with the SEC with respect to the exchange offer. HOSTESS BRANDS’ STOCKHOLDERS AND OTHER INVESTORS ARE URGED TO READ CAREFULLY THE EXCHANGE OFFER MATERIALS (INCLUDING AN OFFER TO EXCHANGE, A RELATED LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL AND CERTAIN OTHER EXCHANGE OFFER DOCUMENTS) AND THE SOLICITATION/RECOMMENDATION STATEMENT ON SCHEDULE 14D-9 BECAUSE THEY WILL EACH CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION THAT HOLDERS OF HOSTESS BRANDS SECURITIES AND OTHER INVESTORS SHOULD CONSIDER BEFORE MAKING ANY DECISION WITH RESPECT TO THE EXCHANGE OFFER. The Offer to Exchange, the related Letter of Transmittal, certain other exchange offer documents, as well as the Solicitation/Recommendation Statement on Schedule 14D-9, will be made available to all stockholders of Hostess Brands at no expense to them and will also be made available for free at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Additional copies may be obtained for free by contacting either the Company or Hostess Brands. Copies of the documents filed with the SEC by Hostess Brands will be available free of charge on Hostess Brands’ website at https://www.hostessbrands.com. Copies of the documents filed with the SEC by the Company will be available free of charge on the Company’s website at https://investors.jmsmucker.com.

In addition to the Offer to Exchange, the related Letter of Transmittal and certain other exchange offer documents, as well as the Solicitation/Recommendation Statement on Schedule 14D-9, the Company and Hostess Brands each file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC, which are available to the public over the Internet at the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

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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.

	THE J. M. SMUCKER COMPANY
Date: September 12, 2023
	By:	/s/ Jeannette L. Knudsen
	Name:	Jeannette L. Knudsen
	Title:	Chief Legal Officer and Secretary