exchanged for shares of Company common stock on a one-for-one basis. The Company, as sole general partner of the Operating Partnership, has the option to settle exchanged Operating Partnership Common Units held by others for cash based on the current trading price of our shares. Assuming the exchange of all Operating Partnership Common Units, there would have been 75,522,199 shares of common stock outstanding at March 31, 2022.
Equity
Shelf Registration
The Company has filed with the SEC an automatic shelf registration statement on Form S-3, registering an unspecified amount of common stock, preferred stock, depositary shares, warrants and guarantees of debt securities of the Operating Partnership, as well as an unspecified amount of debt securities of the Operating Partnership, at an indeterminate aggregate initial offering price. The Company may periodically offer one or more of these securities in amounts, prices and on terms to be announced when and if these securities are offered. The specifics of any future offerings, along with the use of proceeds of any securities offered, will be described in detail in a prospectus supplement, or other offering materials, at the time of any offering.
Follow-on Common Stock Offerings
In January 2021, the Company completed a follow-on public offering of 3,450,000 shares of common stock, which included the full exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase an additional 450,000 shares of common stock. The offering resulted in net proceeds to the Company of approximately $221.4 million, after deducting fees and offering expenses payable by the Company.
In June 2021, the Company completed a follow-on public offering of 4,600,000 shares of its common stock, which included the full exercise of the underwriters’ option to purchase an additional 600,000 shares of common stock. The offering resulted in net proceeds to the Company of approximately $327.0 million, after deducting fees and offering expenses payable by the Company.
In December 2021, the Company completed a follow-on public offering of 5,750,000 shares of common stock, including the full exercise of the underwriters' option to purchase additional 750,000 shares, in connection with forward sale agreements. Upon settlement, the offering is anticipated to raise net proceeds of approximately $374.8 million after deducting fees and expenses and making certain other adjustments as provided in the equity distribution agreements. During the quarter ended March 31, 2022, the Company settled 1,666,668 shares of these December 2021 forward sale agreements, realizing net proceeds of $107.7 million.
Preferred Stock Offering
In September 2021, the Company completed an underwritten public offering of depositary shares (the “Depositary Shares”), each representing 1/1,000th of a share of Series A Preferred Stock, which resulted in net proceeds to the Company of approximately $170.3 million, after deducting the underwriting discounts and commissions and costs payable by the Company. At the closing, the Company issued 7,000 shares of Series A Preferred Stock and 7,000,000 Depositary Shares. The Company contributed the net proceeds from the sale of the Depositary Shares to the Operating Partnership in exchange for 7,000 Series A Preferred Units corresponding to the number of shares of Series A Preferred Stock underlying the Depositary Shares.
Dividends on the Series A Preferred Shares are payable monthly in arrears on the first day of each month (or, if not on a business day, on the next succeeding business day). The dividend rate is 4.25% per annum of the $25,000 (equivalent to $25.00 per Depositary Share) liquidation preference. The first pro-rated dividend on the Series A Preferred Shares was paid on October 1, 2021, and was in an amount equivalent to $0.04132 per Depositary Share. Subsequent dividends on the Series A Preferred Shares are in the amount of $0.08854 per Depositary Share, equivalent to $1.0625 per annum.
The Company may not redeem the Series A Preferred Shares before September 2026 except in limited circumstances to preserve its status as a real estate investment trust for federal income tax purposes and except in certain circumstances