SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION Washington, D.C. 20549 FORM 8-A/A FOR REGISTRATION OF CERTAIN CLASSES OF SECURITIES PURSUANT TO SECTION 12 (b) OR (g) OF THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1934 HRE PROPERTIES (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter) Massachusetts 04-245-8042 (State of incorporation or organization) (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) 321 Railroad Avenue, Greenwich, Connecticut 06830 (Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code) Title of each class Name of each exchange on which to be so registered each class is to be registered None* * This filing constitutes Amendment No. 1 to Form 8-A originally filed on November 4, 1988 registering Preferred Share Purchase Rights on the New York Stock Exchange Securities to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None (Title of Class) Page 1 of 7 Pages Exhibit Index appears at Page 4 The amended text of Item 1 -- "Description of Securities to be Registered" appears below and incorporates changes made to HRE Properties' Rights Agreement by Amendment No. 1 thereto, which amendment was approved by the Board of Trustees of HRE Properties on May 2, 1996. Item 1. Description of Securities to be Registered On May 14, 1996, HRE Properties (the "Trust") and The First National Bank of Boston (the "Rights Agent") entered into Amendment No. 1 to the Rights Agreement dated as of October 28, 1988 between the Trust and the Rights Agent (the "Rights Agreement"). The Rights Agreement was attached as Exhibit 1 to the Trust's Application for Registration of Preferred Share Purchase Rights on Form 8-A (the "Form 8-A") filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 4, 1988. Amendment No. 1 to the Rights Agreement is attached to this first amendment to the Form 8-A as Exhibit 4. Each of the Rights Agreement and Amendment No. 1 to the Rights Agreement is incorporated herein by reference. Reference is made to such Exhibits for a complete description thereof. Item 2. Exhibits 4 Form of Amendment No. 1 to the Rights Agreement, dated as of May 14, 1996, between HRE Properties and The First National Bank of Boston. 99 Press Release dated May 2, 1996. Page 2 of 7 Pages SIGNATURE Pursuant to the requirements of Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this amendment to its registration statement to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereto duly authorized. Date: May 2, 1996 HRE PROPERTIES By: /s/ Charles J.Urstadt Name: Charles J. Urstadt Title: Chairman of the Board of Trustees, President and Chief Executive Officer Page 3 of 7 Pages EXHIBIT INDEX Exhibit Number Description Page 4 Form of Amendment No. 1 dated as of May 5 14, 1996 to the Rights Agreement, dated as of October 28, 1988. 99 Press Release dated May 2, 1996. 7 Page 4 of 7 Pages EXHIBIT 4 AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO RIGHTS AGREEMENT AMENDMENT NO. 1, dated as of May 14, 1996 (the "Amendment"), to the Rights Agreement, dated as of October 28, 1988 (the "Rights Agreement"), between HRE Properties, a Massachusetts business trust (the "Trust"), and The First National Bank of Boston, as rights agent (the "Rights Agent"). WHEREAS, the Company and the Rights Agent entered into the Rights Agreement specifying the terms of the Rights (as defined therein); and WHEREAS, the Company and the Rights Agent desire to amend the Rights Agreement in accordance with Section 26 of the Rights Agreement. NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the premises and mutual agreements set forth in the Rights Agreement and this Amendment, the parties hereby agree as follows: 1. The definition of "Acquiring Person" contained in Section 1(a) of the Rights Agreement is hereby amended by deleting the term "20%" appearing in the third line of such Section 1 (a) and inserting in lieu thereof the term "25%". 2. Section 11(a)(ii)(B) of the Rights Agreement is hereby amended by deleting the term "20%" appearing in the ninth line of such Section 11(a)(ii)(B) and inserting in lieu thereof the term "25%". 3. Section 23 of the Rights Agreement is hereby amended by adding the following language immediately after the words "prior to" appearing in the second line thereof: "the earlier of (i) the close of business on the tenth business day following the date any Person (other than the Trust, any Subsidiary of the Trust, any employee benefit plan of the Trust or of any Subsidiary of the Trust, or any Person or entity organized, appointed or established by the Trust for or pursuant to the terms of any such plan), alone or together with its Affiliates, shall, at any time after the Declaration Date, become the Beneficial Owner of 25% or more of the shares of Common Shares then outstanding, or (ii)". 4. Section 23 of the Rights Agreement is hereby amended by adding the following sentence immediately after the final period of such Section 23: "Notwithstanding anything contained in this Agreement to the contrary, the Rights shall not be exercisable after the first occurrence of an event described in Section 11(a)(ii) until such time as the Company's right of redemption hereunder has expired." Page 5 of 7 Pages 5. The term "Agreement" as used in the Rights Agreement shall be deemed to refer to the Rights Agreement, as amended hereby. 6. This Amendment shall be deemed to be a contract made under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and for all purposes shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of said state applicable to contracts to be made and performed entirely within said state. 7. This Amendment shall be effective as of the date hereof and, except as set forth herein, the Rights Agreement shall remain in full force and effect and shall be otherwise unaffected hereby. 8. This Amendment may be executed in one or more counterparts, each of which shall be deemed an original, but all of which together constitute one and the same instrument. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused this Amendment to be duly executed and their respective corporate seals to be hereunto affixed and attested, all as of the day and year first above written. HRE PROPERTIES By:/s/ James R. Moore Name: James R. Moore Title:Executive Vice President ATTEST: /s/ Sonja Mechler Name: Sonja Mechler Title: Executive Secretary THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF BOSTON By:/s/ Gordon C.Stevenson Name: Gordon C. Stevenson Title: Director-Administration Page 6 of 7 Pages EXHIBIT 99 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: James R. Moore HRE Properties 203-863-8200 HRE ANNOUNCES COMMENCEMENT OF SHARE REPURCHASE PROGRAM Greenwich, CT, May 2, 1996 - HRE (NYSE: HRE), a real estate investment trust, today announced that its Board of Trustees has approved a share repurchase program, pursuant to which the Trust may repurchase up to one million shares of its common shares, from time to time, over the next several years. In announcing the program, Charles J. Urstadt, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of HRE, stated " We believe our shares to be significantly undervalued at the current market price. Therefore, a repurchase plan represents an excellent investment of the Trust's funds." Repurchases would be effected through purchases in the open market or through privately negotiated transactions. In making repurchases, the Trust expects to use available cash as well as proceeds from non-core asset sales, some of which currently are being negotiated. The repurchase program is subject to postponement or termination at any time in light of prevailing market conditions and other factors. The Trust also announced that its Board of Trustees has approved an amendment to its Shareholder Rights Plan. Among other things, the amendment increases from 20%-25% the beneficial ownership threshold which triggers the exercisability of the rights. The amendment was not adopted in response to any take over attempt or other threat to Trust policy but was adopted to prevent any inadvertent activation of the Rights Plan that could result from the potential decrease in the number of shares outstanding. No repurchases of shares will be effected under the repurchase program until the amendment is finalized, which is expected to occur over the next several days. The Trust also announced that it expected net income and funds from operations for the second quarter ended April 30, 1996, to be consistent with the results achieved in the first quarter before the gain on sale of a property realized in that quarter. Such results are preliminary and subject to revision. HRE is a self-administered equity real estate investment trust that provides investors with a liquid vehicle for participating in ownership of income-producing properties. Page 7 of 7 Pages