redeemable for Class A Shares, including Class B Units and Class B Shares, must agree in writing to be bound by the transfer restrictions set forth in the underwriting agreement for the remaining term of the Lock-Up Period; and (iv) publicly disclose any transaction that involves any of the actions permitted in this paragraph.
Stabilization
In connection with the offering, the underwriters may purchase and sell shares of Class A Shares in the open market. These transactions may include short sales, stabilizing transactions and purchases to cover positions created by short sales. Short sales involve the sale by the underwriters of a greater number of Class A Shares than they are required to purchase in the offering, and a short position represents the amount of such sales that have not been covered by subsequent purchases. A “covered short position” is a short position that is not greater than the amount of additional Class A Shares for which the underwriters’ option described above may be exercised.
The underwriters may cover any covered short position by either exercising their option to purchase additional Class A Shares or purchasing Class A Shares in the open market. In determining the source of Class A Shares to cover the covered short position, the underwriters will consider, among other things, the price of Class A Shares available for purchase in the open market as compared to the price at which they may purchase additional Class A Shares pursuant to the option described above. “Naked” short sales are any short sales that create a short position greater than the amount of additional Class A Shares for which the option described above may be exercised. The underwriters must cover any such naked short position by purchasing Class A Shares in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of the Class A Shares in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in the offering. Stabilizing transactions consist of various bids for or purchases of Class A Shares made by the underwriters in the open market prior to the closing of the offering.
The underwriters may also impose a penalty bid. This occurs when a particular underwriter repays to the underwriters a portion of the underwriting discount received by it because the representatives have repurchased Class A Shares sold by or for the account of such underwriter in stabilizing or short covering transactions.
Purchases to cover a short position and stabilizing transactions, as well as other purchases by the underwriters for their own accounts, may have the effect of preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the Company’s Class A Shares, and together with the imposition of the penalty bid, may stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the market price of the Class A Shares. As a result, the price of the Class A Shares may be higher than the price that otherwise might exist in the open market. The underwriters are not required to engage in these activities and may end any of these activities at any time. These transactions may be effected on NYSE, in the over-the-counter market or otherwise.
Certain Relationships
The underwriters and their respective affiliates are full service financial institutions engaged in various activities, which may include sales and trading, commercial and investment banking, advisory, investment management, investment research, principal investment, hedging, market making, brokerage and other financial and non-financial activities and services. The underwriters and their respective affiliates have provided, and may in the future provide, a variety of these services to the Company and to persons and entities with relationships with the Company, for which they received or will receive customary fees and expenses. For example, the underwriters or their affiliates are lenders under our credit facility.
In addition, Mr. Adebayo Ogunlesi is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Global Infrastructure Partners, an affiliate of Blue Holding, and is also the independent, lead director on the board of directors of The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., an affiliate of Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, the underwriter of this offering.
In the ordinary course of their various business activities, the underwriters and their respective affiliates, officers, directors and employees may purchase, sell or hold a broad array of investments and actively trade securities, derivatives, loans, commodities, currencies, credit default swaps and other financial instruments for
S-13