EX-4.24 4 udr-20191231ex4249bf316.htm EX-4.24

Exhibit 4.24

DESCRIPTION OF THE REGISTRANT’S SECURITIES

REGISTERED PURSUANT TO SECTION 12 OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

As of December 31, 2019, UDR, Inc. (“we,” “our” or “us”) had one class of securities, our common stock, par value $0.01 per share (“common stock”), registered under Section 12 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”).

The following is a description of the rights and privileges of our common stock and related provisions of our Articles of Restatement, as amended (our “charter”), our Amended and Restated Bylaws, as amended (our “bylaws”) and applicable Maryland law. This description is qualified in its entirety by, and should be read in conjunction with, our charter and bylaws and the applicable provisions of Maryland law.

DESCRIPTION OF COMMON STOCK

General. Our authorized capital stock consists of 350,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock, without par value, and 300,000,000 shares of excess stock, par value $0.01 per share. We have one class of common stock. All of the outstanding shares of our common stock are fully paid and nonassessable. All holders of our common stock are entitled to the same rights and privileges, as described below.

Voting Rights. Holders of our common stock are entitled to one vote per share with respect to each matter presented to our stockholders on which the holders of common stock are entitled to vote and do not have cumulative voting rights. In any uncontested election of directors, directors will be elected by a majority of total votes cast for and against such director nominees. In any contested election, directors will be elected by a plurality of the votes cast by the stockholders entitled to vote on the election.

Dividends. Holders of our common stock are entitled to receive proportionately any dividends as may be declared by our board of directors, subject to any preferential dividend rights of outstanding preferred stock.

Liquidation and Dissolution. In the event of our liquidation or dissolution, the holders of our common stock are entitled to receive ratably all assets available for distribution to stockholders after the payment of all debts and other liabilities and subject to the prior rights of any outstanding preferred stock.

Limitations on Rights of Holders of Common Stock. The rights, preferences and privileges of holders of our common stock are subject to and may be adversely affected by the rights of the holders of shares of any series of preferred stock that we may designate and issue in the future. Set forth below is a description of our authority to issue preferred stock and the possible terms of that stock.

Our charter authorizes our board of directors, without further stockholder action, to provide for the issuance of up to 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock, in one or more series, and to fix the designations, terms, and relative rights and preferences, including the dividend rate, voting rights, conversion rights, redemption and sinking fund provisions and liquidation preferences of each of these series. As of December 31, 2019, we had designated 2,803,812 shares of preferred stock as Series E Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock, of which 2,780,994 shares were outstanding, and designated 20,000,000 shares of preferred stock as Series F Preferred Stock, of which 14,691,274 shares were outstanding. We may amend our charter from time to time to increase the number of authorized shares of preferred stock.

The particular terms of any series of preferred stock that we offer may include:

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| · |  | the title and liquidation preference per share of the preferred stock and the number of shares offered;

| · |  | the purchase price of the preferred stock;

| · |  | the dividend rate (or method of calculation), the dates on which dividends will be payable, whether dividends shall be cumulative and, if so, the date from which dividends will begin to accumulate;

| · |  | any redemption or sinking fund provisions of the preferred stock;

| · |  | any conversion, redemption or exchange provisions of the preferred stock;

| · |  | the voting rights, if any, of the preferred stock; and

| · |  | any additional dividend, liquidation, redemption, sinking fund and other rights, preferences, privileges, limitations and restrictions of the preferred stock.

Other Rights. Holders of our common stock have no preemptive, subscription, redemption or conversion rights.

Restrictions on Ownership and Transfer. Our charter contains ownership and transfer restrictions relating to our stock that are designed primarily to preserve our status as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Internal Revenue Code”). These restrictions include but are not limited to the following:

| · |  | no person may beneficially own or constructively own shares of our outstanding “equity stock” (defined as stock that is either common stock or preferred stock) with a value in excess of 9.9% of the value of all outstanding equity stock unless our board of directors exempts the person from such ownership limitation, provided that any such exemption shall not allow the person to exceed 13% of the value of our outstanding equity stock;

| · |  | any transfer that, if effective, would result in any person beneficially owning or constructively owning equity stock with a value in excess of 9.9% of the value of all outstanding equity stock (or such higher value not to exceed 13% as determined pursuant to an exemption from our board of directors) shall be void as to the transfer of that number of shares of equity stock which would otherwise be beneficially owned or constructively owned by such person in excess of such ownership limit; and the intended transferee shall acquire no rights in such excess shares of equity stock;

| · |  | except as provided in the charter, any transfer that, if effective, would result in the equity stock being beneficially owned by fewer than 100 persons shall be void as to the transfer of that number of shares which would be otherwise beneficially owned or constructively owned by the transferee; and the intended transferee shall acquire no rights in such excess shares of equity stock; and

| · |  | any transfer of shares of equity stock that, if effective, would result in us being “closely held” within the meaning of Section 856(h) of the Internal Revenue Code shall be void as to the transfer of that number of shares of equity stock which would cause us to be “closely held” within the meaning of Section 856(h) of the Internal Revenue Code; and the intended transferee shall acquire no rights in such excess shares of equity stock.

Listing. Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “UDR.”

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Anti-takeover Effects of Our Bylaws and Maryland Law

Our bylaws and Maryland law contain provisions that could have the effect of delaying, deferring or discouraging another party from acquiring control of us. These provisions, which are summarized below, are expected to discourage coercive takeover practices and inadequate takeover bids. These provisions are also designed to encourage persons seeking to acquire control of us to first negotiate with our board of directors.

Bylaws. Our bylaws establish an advance written notice procedure for stockholders seeking to nominate candidates for election as directors at any annual meeting of stockholders and to bring business before an annual meeting of our stockholders. Our bylaws provide that only persons who are nominated by our board of directors or by a stockholder who has given timely written notice to our secretary before the meeting to elect directors will be eligible for election as our directors. Our bylaws also provide that any matter to be presented at any meeting of stockholders must be presented either by our board of directors or by a stockholder in compliance with the procedures in our bylaws. A stockholder must give timely written notice to our secretary of its intention to present a matter before an annual meeting of stockholders. Our board of directors then will consider whether the matter is one that is appropriate for consideration by our stockholders under the Maryland General Corporation Law and the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules. Our bylaws also include a provision which permits a stockholder, or a group of up to 20 stockholders, owning 3% or more of the our outstanding common stock continuously for at least three years, to nominate and include in our proxy materials director candidates constituting up to 20% of the board of directors, provided that the stockholder(s) and the nominee(s) satisfy the requirements specified in the bylaws.

Certain Maryland Law Provisions. As a Maryland corporation, we are subject to certain restrictions concerning certain “business combinations” (including a merger, consolidation, share exchange or, in certain circumstances, an asset transfer or issuance or reclassification of equity securities) between us and an “interested stockholder.” Interested stockholders are persons: (i) who beneficially own 10% or more of the voting power of our outstanding voting stock, or (ii) who are affiliates or associates of us who, at any time within the two-year period prior to the date in question, were the beneficial owners of 10% or more of the voting power of our outstanding stock. Such business combinations are prohibited for five years after the most recent date on which the interested stockholder became an interested stockholder. Thereafter, any such business combination must be recommended by the board of directors and approved by the affirmative vote of at least: (i) 80% of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of the outstanding voting shares voting together as a single voting group, and (ii) two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast by holders of the outstanding voting shares other than voting shares held by the interested stockholder or an affiliate or associate of the interested stockholder with whom the business combination is to be effected, unless, among other things, the corporation’s stockholders receive a minimum price for their shares and the consideration is received in the form of cash or other consideration in the same form as previously paid by the interested stockholder for its shares. These provisions of Maryland law do not apply, however, to business combinations that are approved or exempted by the board of directors prior to the time that the interested stockholder becomes an interested stockholder.

Also under Maryland law, “control shares” of a Maryland corporation acquired in a “control share acquisition” have no voting rights except to the extent approved by a vote of two-thirds of the votes entitled to be cast on the matter, excluding shares owned by the acquirer or by officers or directors who are employees of the corporation. “Control shares” are shares of stock which, if aggregated with all other shares of stock owned by the acquirer or shares of stock for which the acquirer is able to exercise or direct the exercise of voting power except solely by virtue of a revocable proxy, would entitle the acquirer to exercise voting power in electing directors within one of the following ranges of voting power:

| · |  | one-tenth or more but less than one-third,

| · |  | one-third or more but less than a majority, or

| · |  | a majority or more of all voting power.

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Control shares do not include shares the acquiring person is then entitled to vote as a result of having previously obtained stockholder approval. A “control share acquisition” means, subject to certain exceptions, the acquisition of, ownership of or the power to direct the exercise of voting power with respect to, control shares.

The control share acquisition statute does not apply to shares acquired in a merger, consolidation or share exchange if the corporation is a party to the transaction or to acquisitions approved or exempted by the charter or bylaws of the corporation. Our bylaws contain a provision exempting from the control share acquisition statute any acquisitions by any person of shares of our stock.

Under Title 3, Subtitle 8 of the Maryland General Corporation Law, a Maryland corporation that has a class of equity securities registered under the Exchange Act and that has at least three directors who are not officers or employees of the corporation, are not acquiring persons, are not directors, officers, affiliates or associates of any acquiring person, or are not nominated or designated as a director by an acquiring person, may elect in its charter or bylaws or by resolution of its board of directors to be subject to certain provisions of Subtitle 8 that may have the effect of delaying or preventing a change in control of the corporation. These provisions relate to a classified board of directors, removal of directors, establishing the number of directors, filling vacancies on the board of directors and calling special meetings of the corporation’s stockholders. We have not made the election to be governed by these provisions of Subtitle 8 of the Maryland General Corporation Law. However, our charter and our bylaws permit our board of directors to determine the number of directors subject to a minimum number and other provisions contained in such documents.

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