cohu20240603_8k.htm
false 0000021535 0000021535 2024-06-05 2024-06-05
 
 
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
 
--12-28
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):
June 5, 2024
 
Cohu, Inc.
 

 
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
 
 
Delaware
 
001-04298
 
95-1934119
 
 
(State or other jurisdiction
 
(Commission
 
(I.R.S. Employer
 
 
of incorporation)
 
File Number)
 
Identification No.)
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
12367 Crosthwaite Circle, Poway, California
 
 
 
92064
 
 
(Address of principal executive offices)
 
 
 
(Zip Code)
 
 
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:
    858-848-8100
 
Not Applicable

Former name or former address, if changed since last report
 
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, $1.00 par value
COHU
The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC
 
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))
 
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
 
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 5.03. Amendments to Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws; Change in Fiscal Year.
 
On June 5, 2024, as described below, upon the recommendation of the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Cohu, Inc. (the “Company”), the Company’s stockholders approved an amendment to the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to add a provision exculpating certain of the Company’s officers from liability in specific circumstances, as permitted by Delaware law (the “Amendment”). The Amendment is discussed in greater detail in the definitive Proxy Statement for the Company’s 2024 Annual Meeting, which was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 22, 2024. Accordingly, on June 5, 2024, the Company filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware an Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation implementing the approved changes (the “Restated Certificate”), and the Restated Certificate was effective as of that date.
 
The foregoing description is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Certificate of Incorporation, a copy of which is filed as Exhibit 3.1 to this report and incorporated herein by reference.
 
Item 5.07. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders.
 
The Company held its 2024 Annual Meeting of Stockholders on June 5, 2024. At the Annual Meeting, the Company’s stockholders cast their votes on four proposals, as set forth below. The Company had 47,085,873 shares outstanding on April 12, 2024, the record date, and 43,787,244 (93.0%) were represented at the Annual Meeting.
 
Proposal 1.
                 
 
The nominees for election as Class 2 directors to serve until the 2027 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, were elected based upon the following votes:
 
    Votes For   Votes Against   Abstentions   Broker Non-Votes  
Andrew M. Caggia
  37,225,405   3,594,374   38,642   2,928,823  
                   
Yon Y. Jorden
  40,016,127   803,882   38,412   2,928,823  
                   
Luis A. Müller
  40,469,622   349,433   39,366   2,928,823  
 
The remaining directors whose terms continue until 2025 are Steven J. Bilodeau, James A. Donahue and Andreas W. Mattes, and until 2026 are William E. Bendush, Karen M. Rapp and Nina L. Richardson
                   
Proposal 2.
                 
 
The advisory vote on executive compensation of Named Executive Officers, as disclosed in the Proxy Statement, was approved. The results were as follows:
                   
   
Votes For
 
Votes Against
 
Abstentions
 
Broker Non-Votes
 
    40,351,823   377,188   129,410   2,928,823  
 
Proposal 3.
                 
 
The vote to approve the amendment to the Company’s Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation to limit the liability of certain officers as permitted by law. The results were as follows:
                   
   
Votes For
 
Votes Against
  Abstentions   Broker Non-Votes  
    36,685,697   4,123,584   49,140   2,928,823  
 
Proposal 4.
                 
 
The ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as the Company’s independent registered public accounting firm for fiscal year 2024 was approved. The results were as follows:
                   
   
Votes For
 
Votes Against
 
Abstentions
     
    41,614,016   2,118,486   54,742      
 
 

 
 
Item 9.01.
Financial Statements and Exhibits.
   
 
(d)
Exhibits.
 
Exhibit
Number
 
Description
     
3.1   Amended Restated Certificate of Incorporation of Cohu, Inc.
     
104   Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)
                           

 
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.
 
 
 
Cohu, Inc.
  
 
 
June 6, 2024  
By:
/s/ Jeffrey D. Jones
 
 
Name: Jeffrey D. Jones
 
 
Title: Senior VP Finance and Chief Financial Officer
 
 
ex_683157.htm

Exhibit 3.1

 

AMENDED AND RESTATED
CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION
OF
COHU, INC.

 

(Pursuant to Sections 242 and 245 of the

 

General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware)

 

Cohu, Inc., a corporation organized and existing under and by virtue of the provisions of the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware (the “General Corporation Law”),

 

DOES HEREBY CERTIFY:

 

1. That the name of this corporation is Cohu, Inc., and that this corporation was originally incorporated pursuant to the General Corporation Law on January 2, 1957 under the name Cohu Electronics, Inc.

 

2. That the Board of Directors of this corporation (the “Board of Directors”) duly adopted resolutions proposing to amend and restate the Certificate of Incorporation of this corporation, declaring said amendment and restatement to be advisable and in the best interests of this corporation and its stockholders, and authorizing the appropriate officers of this corporation to solicit the consent of the stockholders therefor, which resolution setting forth the proposed amendment and restatement is as follows:

 

RESOLVED, that the Certificate of Incorporation of this corporation be amended and restated in its entirety to read as follows:

 

ARTICLE FIRST:    The name of the corporation is COHU, INC.

 

ARTICLE SECOND:    The name and address of its registered agent is The Corporation Trust Company, 1209 Orange Street, Wilmington, Delaware, 19801, located in New Castle County.

 

ARTICLE THIRD:    The purpose of the Corporation is to engage in any lawful act or activity for which corporations may be organized under the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, as from time to time amended.

 

ARTICLE FOURTH:    The total number of shares of all classes of stock which the Corporation shall have authority to issue is 91,000,000 shares, of which 1,000,000 shares shall constitute Preferred Stock having a par value of $1.00 per share and 90,000,000 shares shall constitute Common Stock having a par value of $1.00 per share.

 

1.    Any of the shares of Preferred Stock may be issued from time to time in one or more series. The Board of Directors, by resolution or resolutions, is authorized to create or provide for any such series, and to fix the designations, preferences and relative, participating, optional or other special rights and qualifications, limitations or restrictions thereof, including, without limitation, the authority to fix or alter the dividend rights, dividend rates, conversion rights, exchange rights, voting rights, rights and terms of redemption (including sinking and purchase fund provisions), the redemption price or prices, the liquidation or dissolution preferences, and the rights in respect to any distribution of assets, of any wholly unissued series of Preferred Stock and the number of shares constituting any such series, and the designation thereof, or any of them and to increase or decrease the number of shares of any series so created subsequent to the issue of any such series but not below the number of shares of such series then outstanding. In case the number of shares of any series shall be so decreased, the shares constituting such decrease shall resume the status which they had prior to the adoption of the resolution originally fixing the number of shares of such series.

 

 

 

 

2.    Subject to all of the rights of the Preferred Stock, dividends may be paid upon the Common Stock as and when declared by the Board of Directors out of funds legally available for payment of dividends.

 

3.    The entire voting power and all voting rights, except as otherwise required by law, or fixed by resolution or resolutions of the Board of Directors with respect to one or more series of Preferred Stock, shall be vested exclusively in the Common Stock. The amount of either the authorized Preferred Stock or Common Stock, or the amount of both such classes of stock, may be increased or decreased by the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the stock of the Corporation entitled to vote.

 

ARTICLE FIFTH:    Reserved.

 

ARTICLE SIXTH:    Reserved.

 

ARTICLE SEVENTH:    Reserved.

 

ARTICLE EIGHTH:    The corporation is to have perpetual existence.

 

ARTICLE NINTH:    Reserved.

 

ARTICLE TENTH:    In furtherance and not in limitation of the powers conferred by statute, the Board of Directors is expressly authorized:

 

To make, alter or repeal the by laws of the corporation.

 

ARTICLE ELEVENTH:    Meetings of stockholders may be held outside the State of Delaware, if the by-laws so provide. The books of the corporation may be kept (subject to any provision contained in the statutes) outside the State of Delaware at such place or places as may be designated from time to time by the Board of Directors or in the by laws of the corporation. Elections of directors need not be by ballot unless the by laws of the corporation shall so provide.

 

ARTICLE TWELFTH:    The corporation reserves the right to amend, alter, change or repeal any provision contained in this certificate of incorporation, in the manner now or hereafter prescribed by statute, and all rights conferred upon stockholders herein are granted subject to this reservation.

 

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ARTICLE THIRTEENTH:    Every shareholder entitled to vote at any election of directors of this company may cumulate his votes and give one candidate a number of votes equal to the number of directors to be elected multiplied by the number of votes to which his shares are entitled, or distribute his votes on the same principle among as many candidates as he thinks fit.

 

ARTICLE FOURTEENTH:    The Board of Directors of this Corporation is divided into three classes, Class 1, Class 2 and Class 3. The number of Directors in each class shall be the whole number contained in the quotient arrived at by dividing the authorized number of Directors by three, and if a fraction is also contained in such quotient, then if such fraction is one-third, the extra Director shall be a member of Class 3, and if the fraction is two-thirds, one of the Directors shall be a member of Class 3 and the other shall be a member of Class 2. Each Director shall serve for a term ending on the date of the third annual meeting following that at which such Director is elected, and Directors of only one class shall be elected at any annual meeting, except as hereinafter provided. The Directors elected at the meeting of stockholders at which the Amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation of this Corporation to include this Article is approved shall determine which of them shall belong to Class 1, which to Class 2, and which to Class 3 by resolution of the Board, which resolution when adopted may not be amended or rescinded. Those so determined as belonging to Class 1 shall serve for a term ending on the annual meeting date next following, those so determined as belonging to Class 2 shall serve for a term ending on the second annual meeting date next following, and those so determined as belonging to Class 3 shall serve a full term as hereinabove provided. The foregoing notwithstanding, each Director shall serve until a successor shall have been duly elected and qualified unless he shall resign, become disqualified, die or shall be removed as provided in this Certificate of Incorporation.

 

No Director of the Corporation shall be removed from office as a Director by vote or other action of stockholders or otherwise, unless the Director to be removed has been convicted of a felony by a court of competent jurisdiction and such conviction is no longer subject to direct appeal, or unless the Director to be removed has been adjudged to be liable for negligence or misconduct in the performance of his duty to the Corporation by a court of competent jurisdiction and such adjudication is no longer subject to direct appeal.

 

ARTICLE FIFTEENTH:    In the event that it is proposed that this Corporation enter into a “business combination” (as hereinafter defined) with any other corporation and such corporation or its affiliates singly or in the aggregate own or control directly or indirectly five (5%) percent or more of the outstanding shares of the common stock of this Corporation (such corporation and its affiliates being referred to herein as a “related party”), the affirmative vote of the holders of not less than 80% of the total voting power of all outstanding shares of stock of this Corporation shall be required for the approval of such proposal; provided, however, that the foregoing shall not apply to any business combination which was approved by resolution of the Board of Directors of this Corporation prior to the acquisition of the ownership or control of ten (10%) percent of the outstanding shares of this Corporation by such related party, nor shall it apply to any business combination between this Corporation and another Corporation, fifty (50%) percent or more of the voting stock of which is owned by this Corporation, and none of which is owned or controlled by a related party, provided that each stockholder of this Corporation receives the same type of consideration in such transaction in proportion to his stockholding. For the purposes hereof, an “affiliate” is any person (including a corporation, partnership, trust, estate or individual) who directly or indirectly, through one or more intermediaries, controls or is controlled by or is under common control with the person specified, and “control” means the possession directly or indirectly of the power to direct or cause the direction of management and policies of a person, whether through the ownership of voting securities, by contract, or otherwise.

 

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For the purposes hereof, the term “business combination” shall mean (a) any merger or consolidation of or with this Corporation, (b) any sale, lease, exchange, transfer or other disposition, including without limitation a mortgage or other security device, of all or any substantial part of the assets of this Corporation or any subsidiary of this Corporation, (c) the acquisition by this Corporation or subsidiary of this Corporation of any securities of a related person, (d) the issuance of any shares of this Corporation or any subsidiary to a related person, or (e) any agreement, contract or other arrangement providing for any of the transactions described in this definition of business combination.

 

ARTICLE SIXTEENTH:    Action shall be taken by stockholders only at an annual or special meeting of stockholders, and stockholders may not act by written consent.

 

ARTICLE SEVENTEENTH:    The by-laws of this Corporation may be adopted, altered, amended or repealed at any time by affirmative vote of a majority of the authorized number of Directors of this Corporation, and may also be altered, amended or repealed at any annual meeting, or at any special meeting of stockholders duly called for the purpose, by the affirmative vote of the holders of not less than 80% of the issued and outstanding shares of the stock of this Corporation, in any manner not prohibited by this Certificate of Incorporation or by the Delaware Corporation Law as then in effect.

 

ARTICLE EIGHTEENTH:    The provisions set forth in Articles Fourteenth, Fifteenth, Sixteenth, and Seventeenth and in this Article Eighteenth may not be repealed or amended in any respect unless such repeal or amendment is approved by the affirmative vote of the holders of not less than 80% of the total voting power of all outstanding shares of stock of this Corporation.

 

ARTICLE NINETEENTH:    No director or officer of the Corporation shall be liable to the Corporation or its stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director or officer, as applicable, except to the extent such an exemption from liability or limitation thereof is not permitted under the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”) as presently in effect or as the same may hereafter be amended. No amendment to or repeal of this provision shall apply to or have any effect on the liability or alleged liability of any director or officer of the Corporation for or with respect to any acts or omissions of such director or officer occurring prior to such amendment or repeal.

 

ARTICLE TWENTIETH:    If any provision or provisions of this Certificate of Incorporation shall be held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable as applied to any circumstance for any reason whatsoever: (i) the validity, legality and enforceability of such provisions in any other circumstance and of the remaining provisions of this Certificate of Incorporation (including, without limitation, each portion of any paragraph of this Certificate of Incorporation containing any such provision held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable that is not itself held to be invalid illegal or unenforceable) shall not in any way be affected or impaired thereby and (ii) to the fullest extent possible, the provisions of this Certificate of Incorporation (including, without limitation, each portion of any paragraph of this Certificate of Incorporation containing any such provision held to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable) shall be construed so as to permit the Company to protect its directors, officers, employees and agents from personal liability in respect of their good faith service or for the benefit of the Company to the fullest extent permitted by law.

 

* * *

 

3.         That this Certificate of Incorporation, which restates and integrates and further amends the provisions of the Corporation’s Certificate of Incorporation, has been duly adopted in accordance with Sections 242 and 245 of the General Corporation Law.

 

 

[Signature Page Follows]

 

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This Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation has been executed by a duly authorized officer of the Corporation on June 5, 2024.

 

 

 

Cohu, Inc.

 

 

By: /s/ Tom Kampfer  
Name: Tom Kampfer
Title:   SVP Corporate Development, General
            Counsel and Secretary

 

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