Item 5.03. Amendments to Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws;
Change in Fiscal Year.
The information contained in Item 8.01 of this Current Report on
Form 8-K is incorporated by
reference in this Item 5.03.
Item 8.01. Other Events.
On May 26, 2022, the Board of Trustees (the “Board”) of
Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (the “Company”), approved
a reverse share split of its common shares, par value $1.00 per
share (the “Common Shares”), at a ratio of 1-for-15 (the “Reverse Share
Split” and such ratio, the “Reverse Share Split Ratio”). The
Reverse Share Split would reduce the number of outstanding Common
Shares as well as the authorized Common Shares in the same
proportion. As a result, when the Reverse Share Split is effective,
the authorized number of Common Shares will be reduced from
200,000,000 Common Shares to 13,333,333 Common Shares. The Reverse
Share Split would be effected in accordance with Paragraph 17 of
the Company’s Amended and Restated Trust Agreement, as amended (the
“Trust Agreement”), and shareholder approval is not required to
effect the Reverse Share Split.
The Reverse Share Split would become effective on June 16,
2022 (the “Effective Date”) pursuant to an amendment to the Trust
Agreement (such amendment, the “Trust Agreement Amendment”), to be
filed by the Company with the Secretary of State of the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on June 15, 2022. The Board has
delegated the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial
Officer and General Counsel the right to abandon the Reverse Share
Split up and until the filing of the Trust Agreement Amendment if
such officers determine that the Reverse Share Split is not in the
best interests of the Company. The Reverse Share Split would have
no effect on any series of the Company’s preferred shares.
A copy of the Trust Agreement Amendment has been filed as Exhibit
99.1 hereto and is incorporated herein by reference
Purpose and Overview of the Reverse
Share Split
The Company’s primary objective in effectuating the Reverse Share
Split would be to attempt to raise the per-share trading price of its Common
Shares to continue its listing on the New York Stock Exchange (the
“NYSE”). To maintain listing, the NYSE Listed Company Manual
requires, among other things, that the Common Shares maintain a
minimum closing price of $1.00 per share (the “Minimum Price
Rule”). On May 26, 2022, the closing price of the Common
Shares on the NYSE was $0.42 per share.
On February 4, 2022, the Company received written notice from
the NYSE staff indicating that the minimum price of the Common
Shares had closed at less than $1.00 per share over the last 30
consecutive business days, and as a result, did not comply with the
Minimum Price Rule. In accordance with the standards set forth in
the NYSE Listed Company Manual, the Company was provided an initial
period of 180 calendar days, or until August 3, 2022, to
regain compliance with the Minimum Price Rule.
The Reverse Share Split is a means of increasing the share price of
the Common Shares to or above $1.00 per share to avoid further
action by the NYSE as the Company expects that the Reverse Share
Split would increase the price per share of the Common Shares above
the $1.00 per share minimum price, thereby satisfying this listing
requirement. However, there can be no assurance that the Reverse
Share Split would have that effect, initially or in the future, or
that it would enable the Company to maintain the listing of its
Common Shares on the NYSE. The Company is not aware of any present
efforts by anyone to accumulate its Common Shares, and the proposed
Reverse Share Split is not intended to be an anti-takeover
device.