Exhibit 10.4
REGISTRATION RIGHTS
AGREEMENT
This Registration Rights Agreement (this “
Agreement ”) is entered into as of September 18, 2009
by and between Bronco Drilling Company, Inc., a Delaware
corporation (the “ Company ”), and the person
listed on Schedule I hereto (the “ Investor
”).
RECITALS:
WHEREAS, the Company has entered into that certain Credit
Agreement, dated as of the date hereof, among the Company, as
borrower, certain subsidiaries of the Company, as guarantors, and
the Investor, as lender and as the issuing bank thereunder (as it
may be amended from time to time, the “ Credit
Agreement ”);
WHEREAS, in connection with the Credit Agreement and the
transactions contemplated thereby, the Company entered into an
agreement with the Investor, dated as of the date hereof (as it may
be amended from time to time, the “ Warrant Agreement
”) in which the Company agreed to issue to the Investor a
detachable warrant (the “ Warrant ,” which term
shall include, for all purposes hereof, any other warrant issued in
substitution or exchange therefor, including any such warrant
issued in connection with a sale or transfer of the Warrant issued
to the Investor on the date hereof) to acquire an aggregate of
5,440,770 shares of the Company’s common stock, par value
$0.01 per share (the “ Common Stock ”);
and
WHEREAS, as a condition to the consummation of the
transactions contemplated by the Credit Agreement, the parties are
entering into this Agreement to provide the Holders (as defined
below) with certain registration rights for the Registrable
Securities, as further described herein.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing recitals and
the mutual covenants hereinafter set forth, the parties hereto
agree as follows:
1.1 Definitions
. For purposes of this Agreement:
(a) Business
Day . The term “ Business Day ”
shall have the meaning set forth in the Warrant
Agreement.
(b) Holders
. The term “ Holders ” means,
collectively, the Investor and any other person beneficially owning
or owning of record Registrable Securities or any assignee of
record of such Registrable Securities to whom rights set forth
herein have been duly assigned in accordance with this Agreement
(each of whom shall individually be referred to as a “
Holder ”). Subject to Section 2.4 of this
Agreement, if, on any date of determination, there shall be more
than one Holder, then with respect to any consent or approval
required of the Holders under this Agreement, such consent or
approval shall be binding on all Holders if consented to or
approved in writing by the Holder or Holders that own Registrable
Securities representing a majority of the Registrable Securities
held by all such Holders as of such date of
determination.
(c) Law
. The term “ Law ” means any federal,
state, local statute, law (including common law), ordinance,
regulation, rule, code, injunction, judgment, decree, or order of
any governmental authority.
(d) Registrable
Securities . The term “ Registrable
Securities ” means, collectively: (i) the Warrant; (ii)
any shares of Common Stock issued or issuable upon exercise of the
Warrant; (iii) any other shares of Common Stock now owned or
hereafter acquired by a Holder; and (iv) any stock of the Company
issued as a dividend or other distribution with respect to the
securities referred to in clause (i), (ii) or (iii), in each case
until the earlier of (a) such time as such securities have been
sold pursuant to an effective registration or pursuant to Rule 144
under the Securities Act, or any successor rule or regulation
thereto, or any statute hereafter adopted to replace or to
establish the exemption that is now covered by said Rule 144
(“Rule 144”); or (b) such time as (1) the Holder owns
less than two percent (2%) of the issued and outstanding shares of
Common Stock (after giving effect to the exercise in full of the
Warrant and other securities, if any, owned by the Holder that are
convertible into or exercisable or exchangeable for shares of
Common Stock), and (2) all of the securities of the Company owned
by the Holder may be sold pursuant to the provisions of Rule 144
without limitation as to amount or compliance with the manner of
sale requirements thereof.
(e)
Registration . The terms “ register
”, “ registration ” and “
registered ” refer to a registration effected by
preparing and filing a registration statement in compliance with
the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “ Securities
Act ”), and the declaration or ordering of effectiveness
of such registration statement.
(f) SEC
. The term “ SEC ” means the U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission or any successor agency
thereto.
1.2 Demand
Registration .
(a) Request by the
Holder . If the Company shall receive at any time
following the three (3) month anniversary of the date hereof a
written request from any Holder that the Company file a
registration statement under the Securities Act covering the
registration of all or any part of the Registrable Securities held
by such Holder, provided that the estimated market value of the
Registrable Securities to be so registered pursuant to this
Section 1.2(a) (together with any other Registrable
Securities to be included in such registration pursuant to
Section 1.3 ) is at least $7,500,000 in the aggregate (such
requested registration, a “ Demand Registration
”), then the Company shall, pursuant to Section 1.5 ,
effect the registration under the Securities Act of all Registrable
Securities that such Holder requests be
registered. Unless otherwise agreed to in writing by the
Holder or Holders initiating any Demand Registration, other than
Registrable Securities held by Holders, no other securities may be
included in any Demand Registration, and in no event shall any
securities (other than Registrable Securities) be included in any
registration if, as a result thereof, the number of Registrable
Securities to be included therein will be limited or reduced in any
respect.
(b)
Underwriting . If any Holder intends to
distribute the Registrable Securities covered by its request by
means of a registered public offering involving an underwriting,
then such Holder shall so advise the Company as a part of its
demand made pursuant to Section 1.2(a) . In such
event, such Holder shall select an underwriter that is reasonably
acceptable to the Company, and the Company and such Holder shall
enter into an underwriting agreement in customary form with such
underwriter.
(c) Maximum Number
of Demand Registrations . The Holders have the
right, in the aggregate, to three (3) Demand Registrations pursuant
to this Section 1.2 , provided , that the Company
will not be obligated to effect more than one Demand Registration
in any six (6) month period.
(d) Demand
Withdrawal . Any Holder may withdraw its Registrable
Securities from a Demand Registration at any time. The
Company shall cease all efforts to secure registration and such
registration nonetheless shall be deemed a Demand Registration,
unless the withdrawal is based on the reasonable determination of
the Holder or Holders initiating such Demand Registration that
there has been, since the date of such request, a material adverse
change in the business or prospects of the Company.
1.3 Piggyback
Registration .
(a) Right to
Include Registrable Securities . If the Company
shall determine or be required, at any time following the date
hereof, to register any of its shares of Common Stock and file a
registration statement with respect thereto under the Securities
Act, whether for sale for its own account or for the account of any
other person, including for the account of a Holder pursuant to
Section 1.2 hereof (other than a registration statement on
Form S-4, Form S-8 or any successor or similar form(s), or a
registration on any registration form that does not permit the sale
of the Registrable Securities), the Company will:
(i) promptly (but in
no event less than five (5) Business Days prior to the anticipated
filing date) give to the Holders a written notice thereof (which
shall include a list of the jurisdictions in which the Company
intends to attempt to qualify such securities under the applicable
blue sky or other state securities laws); and
(ii) include in such
registration (and any related qualification under blue sky laws or
other compliance), and in any underwriting involved therein, all
the Registrable Securities specified in a written request or
requests delivered to the Company by any Holder within five (5)
Business Days after receipt of the written notice from the Company
described in clause (i) above, except as set forth in Section
1.3(b) or Section 1.3(c) below.
(b)
Underwriting . If the registration of which the
Company gives notice is for a registered public offering involving
an underwriting, the Company shall so advise the Holders as a part
of the written notice given pursuant to Section 1.3(a)(i)
. In such event, and in the event that any Holder
requests to register Registrable Securities pursuant to Section
1.3(a)(ii) , such Holder shall enter into an underwriting
agreement in customary form with such underwriter; provided
, that such Holder shall only be required to indemnify the
underwriters to the extent set forth in Section 1.7(b)
hereof; provided , further , that if such Holder
disapproves of the terms of the underwriting, such Holder may elect
to withdraw therefrom by written notice to the Company and the
managing underwriter.
(c) Reduction in
Offering . If the managing underwriter or
underwriters for a registration pursuant to this Section 1.3
advise the Company and the Holders in writing that the dollar
amount or number of Registrable Securities which any Holder desires
to sell taken together with all other shares of Common Stock or
other securities which the Company desires to sell or otherwise
include in such registration (including on behalf of third parties)
exceeds the maximum dollar amount or maximum number of securities
that can be sold in such offering without adversely affecting the
proposed offering price, the timing, the distribution method or the
probability of success of such offering (such maximum dollar amount
or maximum number of securities, as applicable, the “
Maximum Number of Securities ”), then the Company
shall include in such registration: (i) first, the
shares of Common Stock or other securities that the Company desires
to sell for its own account that can be sold without exceeding the
Maximum Number of Securities; and (ii) to the extent that the
Maximum Number of Securities has not been reached under the
foregoing clause (i), the Registrable Securities that the Holders
desire to sell up to the Maximum Number of Securities, with all
Holders having the right to participate therein on a pro rata basis
based on the number of Registrable Securities that each such Holder
sought to have included therein.
(d) Postponement or
Termination . The Company may in its sole discretion
postpone or terminate the registration subject to this Section
1.3 .
1.4 Fees and
Expenses . The Company shall pay all fees and
expenses incident to the performance of its obligations hereunder,
including without limitation all filing, registration and
qualification fees, printers’ and accounting fees, and
expenses and disbursements of counsel for the Company in connection
with a registration pursuant hereto. Additionally, the Company
shall reimburse the reasonable fees and expenses of one counsel to
the Holders within twenty (20) days following the presentation of
an invoice to the Company. Notwithstanding anything
herein to the contrary, the Company shall have no obligation to pay
any underwriting discounts, selling commissions or transfer taxes
attributable to the Registrable Securities being sold by the
Holders, which underwriting discounts, selling commissions and
transfer taxes shall be borne solely by the Holders.
1.5 Obligations of
the Company . Whenever required to effect the
registration of any Registrable Securities under this Agreement,
the Company shall, subject to Section 1.3(d) , as promptly
as possible (or by such earlier deadline as may be specified
below):
(a) prepare and file
with the SEC a registration statement with respect to the
Registrable Securities (which shall be, to the extent available, a
“shelf ” registration statement (or any comparable
or successor form) providing for the registration and the sale on a
continuous or delayed basis of the Registrable Securities pursuant
to Rule 415) and use its reasonable best efforts to cause the
registration statement to become effective as soon as reasonably
practicable; provided , however , that the Company
shall have the right to defer any request for registration pursuant
to Section 1.2(a) for up to sixty (60) days, if the Company
shall furnish to the Holders a certificate signed by the Chief
Executive Officer of the Company stating that, in the good faith
judgment of the Board of Directors of the Company after
consultation with and advice of outside counsel to the Company, it
would be materially detrimental to the Company and its stockholders
for such a registration statement to be effected at such time;
provided , further , however , that the
Company shall not have the right to exercise the right set forth in
the immediately preceding proviso more than once in any 365 day
period with respect to a request pursuant to Section 1.2(a)
;
(b) cause such
registration statement to remain effective for the period of time
necessary to permit the Holders to dispose of all of their
Registrable Securities, with the timing of such sales to be
determined by the Holders in their sole discretion; provided
, however , such period shall not exceed a sum of two (2)
years plus any period during which any such disposition is
interfered with by any stop order or injunction of the SEC or any
governmental agency or court;
(c) prior to the
filing described above in paragraph (a), furnish to the Holders, no
less than five (5) Business Days prior to such filing, copies of
the registration statement and any amendments or supplements
thereto and any prospectus forming a part thereof, which documents
shall be subject to the review of counsel representing the Holders,
and use all reasonable best efforts to reflect in each such
document when so filed with the SEC such comments as counsel
representing the Holders shall reasonably propose;
(d) file any
“free writing prospectus” (as defined in Rule 405 under
the Securities Act) that is required to be filed with the SEC in
accordance with the Securities Act;
(e) notify the
Holders, promptly after receiving notice thereof, of the time when
the registration statement becomes effective or when any amendment
or supplement or any prospectus forming a part of the registration
statement has been filed;
(f) notify the Holders
promptly of any request by the SEC for the amending or
supplementing of the registration statement or prospectus or for
additional information;
(g) (i) advise
the Holders after the Company shall receive notice or otherwise
obtain knowledge of the issuance of any order by the SEC preventing
or suspending the effectiveness of the registration statement or
any amendment thereto or of the initiation or threatening of any
proceeding for that purpose and (ii) promptly use all reasonable
best efforts to prevent the issuance, or to obtain its withdrawal
at the earliest possible moment, of any stop order with respect to
the applicable registration statement or other order suspending the
use of any preliminary or final prospectus;
(h) (i) prepare
and file with the SEC such amendments and supplements to the
registration statement and the prospectus forming a part thereof as
may be necessary to keep the registration statement effective for
the period of time necessary to permit the Holders to dispose of
all of its Registrable Securities, with the timing of such sales to
be determined by the Holders in their sole discretion and (ii)
comply with the provisions of the Securities Act with respect to
the disposition of all Registrable Securities covered by the
registration statement during such period in accordance with the
intended methods of disposition by the Holders set forth in the
registration statement;
(i) furnish to each
Holder such number of copies of the registration statement, each
amendment and supplement thereto, the prospectus included in the
registration statement (including such preliminary prospectus) and
such other documents as such Holder may reasonably request in order
to facilitate the disposition of the Registrable
Securities;
(j) use its reasonable
best efforts to register or qualify the Registrable Securities
under such other securities or blue sky laws of such jurisdictions
as determined by the Holders and the counsel thereto or by the
underwriters after consultation with the Company and the Holders,
and do any and all other acts and things that may be reasonably
necessary or advisable to enable the Holders to consummate the
disposition in such jurisdictions of the Registrable Securities;
provided , however , that the Company shall not be
required to qualify generally to do business in any jurisdiction
where it would not otherwise be required to qualify but for this
Section 1.5(j) or subject itself to taxation in any such
jurisdiction;
(k) notify the Holders
at any time when a prospectus rel