25,000,000 Common Shares
SHAREHOLDER DIVIDEND REINVESTMENT PLAN
This prospectus covers 25,000,000 common shares, without par value
(the “Common Shares”), of
Algonquin Power and Utilities Corp. (the “Corporation”, “Algonquin”, “we” or “us”), issuable under our amended and
restated shareholder dividend reinvestment plan (the “Plan”), which provides holders of our
Common Shares (each, a “shareholder”) with a simple and
convenient method of investing cash distributions declared on our
Common Shares.
Under the Plan, registered holders and beneficial owners of our
Common Shares who reside in Canada or the United States may opt to
reinvest cash dividends paid on Common Shares that are registered
in the name of the participant or held in a participant’s account
maintained under the Plan. Common Shares purchased under the Plan
will, at our option, either be (i) existing shares purchased
on the open market through the facilities of the Toronto Stock
Exchange (“TSX”), the New
York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”), or any other stock exchange on
which the Common Shares may from time to time be listed and posted
for trading or (ii) newly issued Common Shares purchased
directly from us. If Common Shares are purchased on the open
market, the price at which such Common Shares are purchased will be
the average price paid by the Agent for Common Shares (the
“Market Purchase Price”). If Common Shares are
purchased directly from us upon reinvestment of cash dividends
under the Plan, the price at which such Common Shares are purchased
will be the greater of the volume weighted average trading price of
the Common Shares of the Corporation on the TSX or NYSE during the
five trading days immediately preceding the dividend payment date
(the “Treasury Purchase
Price”), less a discount, if any, of up to 3% at our
election. If the Common Shares are purchased through a combination
of both the open market and us, the price of the Common Shares will
be the average of the Market Purchase Price and the Treasury
Purchase Price, taking into consideration the percentage allocation
between the two types of acquisitions (the “Combination Purchase Price” and,
together with the Market Purchase Price and the Treasury Purchase
Price, the “Average Market
Price”). As of the date of this prospectus, the discount has
been set by our board of directors (the “Board”) at 3%. If we alter or eliminate
the discount, we will publish a press release notifying
participants of such alteration or elimination. If Common Shares
are purchased on the open market, the price at which such Common
Shares are purchased will be the average of the price paid
(excluding brokerage commissions, fees and transaction costs) per
Common Share. We bear all administrative costs. Fees charged by
some intermediaries for beneficial owners to become registered
holders of the Common Shares will not be borne by us.
Our Common Shares are listed on both the TSX and the NYSE under the
symbol “AQN”. On March 23, 2022, the closing price for our
Common Shares on the TSX was C$19.06 and on the NYSE was
US$15.15.
We currently pay a quarterly dividend of US$0.1706 per common share
for a total annual dividend of US$0.6824 per common share. However,
any future determination to pay dividends will be at the discretion
of our board of directors and will be dependent upon our cash flow
from operations, financial condition, financial leverage, working
capital requirements and investment opportunities, as well as
general economic conditions and other factors deemed relevant by
our board of directors.
We cannot estimate anticipated proceeds from the further sale of
Common Shares under the Plan, which will depend on the market price
of the Common Shares, the extent of shareholder participation in
the Plan and other factors. We will not pay underwriting
commissions in connection with the Plan but will incur estimated
costs of approximately US$192,041 in connection with this
offering.
The Plan was initially adopted by the Board on September 30,
2011. On August 10, 2017, the Board authorized the amendment
of the Plan to, among other things, allow our U.S. resident
shareholders to participate in the Plan. On June 7, 2018, the
Board approved an increase to the number of shares issuable under
the Plan. On March 3, 2022, the Board approved a further
increase to the number of shares issuable under the Plan. As of the
date of this prospectus, there are 25,000,000 Common Shares
available for issuance under the Plan.
Investing in our Common Shares involves risks. See
“
Forward-Looking Information” and “
Risk Factors”
on pages
3,
6 and 0 of this prospectus for a
discussion of certain factors relevant to an investment in our
Common Shares.
THESE SECURITIES HAVE NOT BEEN APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED BY THE
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ANY STATE SECURITIES
COMMISSION NOR HAS THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION OR ANY
STATE SECURITIES COMMISSION PASSED UPON THE ACCURACY OR ADEQUACY OF
THIS PROSPECTUS. ANY REPRESENTATION TO THE CONTRARY IS A CRIMINAL
OFFENSE.
The date of this prospectus is March 24, 2022.