UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

_____________________________________________________________________________

 

FORM 8-K

 

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

 

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):

May 28, 2020

_______________________________________________________________________________

 

National Research Corporation

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Wisconsin

001-35929

47-0634000

(State or other jurisdiction

of incorporation)

(Commission

File Number)

(IRS Employer

  Identification No.)

 

1245 Q Street, Lincoln, Nebraska

68508

(Address of principal executive offices)

(Zip Code)

 

(402) 475-2525

(Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

 

Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

 

 

Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

 

 

Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

 

 

Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

 

Title of each class

Trading Symbol(s)

Name of each exchange on which registered

$0.001 Par Value Common Stock

NRC

The NASDAQ Stock Market

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

 

Emerging growth company ☐

 

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

 

 

 

Item 1.01

Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.

   
 

On May 28, 2020, National Research Corporation, a Wisconsin corporation (the “Company”), entered into an amended and restated credit agreement (the “Credit Agreement”) with First National Bank of Omaha, a national banking association (“FNB”), that amends and restates the terms of the Company’s existing credit facility dated April 18, 2018. The Credit Agreement provides for (i) a $30,000,000 revolving credit facility (the “Line of Credit”), (ii) a $33,002,068.79 term loan facility (the “Term Loan”) and (iii) a separate $15,000,000 delayed draw-down term facility (the “Delayed Draw Term Loan” and, together with the Line of Credit and the Term Loan, the “Credit Facilities”).

   
 

Principal amounts outstanding under the Line of Credit are due and payable in full at maturity, which shall be the third anniversary of the closing date of the Credit Agreement. The Line of Credit will bear interest (which shall accrue and be due on a monthly basis during the term of the Line of Credit) at a floating rate equal to the thirty (30) day London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”) index, plus 225 basis points.

   
 

Principal and accrued interest amounts outstanding under the Term Loan, which was originally in the amount of $40,000,000 and was used to fund certain costs in connection with the Company’s 2018 recapitalization, are due and payable monthly during the term of the Term Loan, which shall expire on the fifth anniversary of the closing date of the Credit Agreement. The Term Loan will bear interest at a fixed rate per annum equal to 5%.

   
 

In the event that the Delayed Draw Term Loan is used, principal and accrued interest amounts outstanding under the Delayed Draw Term Loan are due and payable monthly during the term of the Delayed Draw Term Loan, which shall expire on the fifth anniversary of the closing date of the Credit Agreement. The Delayed Draw Term Loan (if drawn upon) will bear interest at a floating rate equal to the thirty (30) day LIBOR index, plus 225 basis points.

   
 

In addition to paying interest on outstanding principal under the Credit Facilities, the Company is also obligated to pay ongoing unused commitment fees quarterly in arrears pursuant to the Line of Credit and the Delayed Draw Term Loan facility at a rate of 0.20% per annum based on the actual daily unused portions of the Line of Credit and the Delayed Draw Term Loan facility, respectively.

   
 

All obligations under the Credit Facilities are guaranteed by each of the Company’s direct and indirect wholly owned domestic subsidiaries and, to the extent required by the Credit Agreement, direct and indirect wholly owned foreign subsidiaries (each, a “Guarantor”).

   
 

The Credit Facilities are secured, subject to permitted liens and other agreed upon exceptions, by a first-priority lien on and perfected security interest in substantially all of the Company’s and the Guarantors’ present and future assets (including, without limitation, fee-owned real property, and limited, in the case of the equity interests of foreign subsidiaries, to 65% of the outstanding equity interests of such subsidiaries).

 

 

 

 

The Credit Agreement contains customary representations, warranties, affirmative and negative covenants (including financial covenants) and events of default. The negative covenants include, among other things, restrictions regarding the incurrence of indebtedness and liens, repurchases of the Company’s Common Stock and acquisitions, subject in each case to certain exceptions. The Credit Agreement also contains certain financial covenants with respect to minimum fixed charge coverage ratio and maximum cash flow leverage ratio. Pursuant to the Credit Agreement, the Company is required to maintain a minimum fixed charge coverage ratio of 1.10x for all testing periods throughout the term(s) of the Credit Facilities (the “Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio”), which calculation excludes, unless the Company’s liquidity falls below a specified threshold, (i) any cash dividend in a fiscal quarter that, together with all other cash dividends paid or declared during such fiscal quarter, exceeds $5,500,000 in total cash dividends paid or declared, (ii) the portion of the purchase price for any permitted share repurchase of the Company’s shares paid with cash on hand, and (iii) the portion of any acquisition consideration for a permitted acquisition paid with cash on hand. The Company is also required to maintain a cash flow leverage ratio of 3.00x or less for all testing periods throughout the term(s) of the Credit Facilities.

   
 

This description of the Credit Agreement does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Credit Agreement, which will be filed with the Company's Form 10-Q for the quarter ending June 30, 2020.

   

Item 2.03

Creation of a Direct Financial Obligation or an Obligation under an Off-Balance Sheet Arrangement of a Registrant.

   
 

The information set forth in Item 1.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K is incorporated by reference into this Item 2.03.

 

 

 

SIGNATURE

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

 

 

NATIONAL RESEARCH CORPORATION

 

(Registrant)

     

Date: June 1, 2020

By:

/s/ Kevin R. Karas

   

Kevin R. Karas

   

Senior Vice President Finance, Chief Financial

Officer, Treasurer and Secretary