Lifeward Ltd. 10-K

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES Market Information Our ordinary shares began trading publicly on The Nasdaq Global Market on September 12, 2014 under the symbol “RWLK” and were transferred for listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market effective May 25, 2017. As of February 23, 2023, we had approximately 278,511 shareholders of record. Dividend Policy We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our ordinary shares. We do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Except in connection with our publicly announced share repurchase program described immediately below under “Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities”, we currently intend to retain future earnings, if any, to finance operations and expand our business. Any future determination relating to our dividend policy will be made at the discretion of our board of directors and will depend on a number of factors, including future earnings, capital requirements, financial condition and future prospects and other factors our board of directors may deem relevant. The distribution of dividends may also be limited by Israeli law, which permits the distribution of dividends only out of retained earnings or otherwise upon the permission of an Israeli court. Israeli Taxes Applicable to U.S. Holders A non-Israeli resident who derives capital gains from the sale of shares in an Israeli resident company that were purchased after the company was listed for trading on a stock exchange outside of Israel will be exempt from Israeli tax so long as (amongst other things) the shares were not held through a permanent establishment that the non-resident maintains in Israel. A partial exemption may be available for non-Israeli resident shareholders who acquired their shares prior to the issuer’s initial public offering. However, non-Israeli corporations will not be entitled to the foregoing exemption if Israeli residents (i) have a controlling interest of more than 25% in such non-Israeli corporation or (ii) are the beneficiaries of, or are entitled to, 25% or more of the revenue or profits of such non-Israeli corporation, whether directly or indirectly. Such exemption is not applicable to a person whose gains from selling or otherwise disposing of the shares are deemed to be a business income. Additionally, under the United States-Israel Tax Treaty, or the treaty, the sale, exchange or other disposition of shares by a shareholder who (i) is a U.S. resident (for purposes of the treaty), (ii) holds the shares as a capital asset, and (iii) is entitled to claim the benefits afforded to such person by the treaty, is generally exempt from Israeli capital gains tax. Such exemption will not apply if: (i) the capital gain arising from the sale, exchange or other disposition can be attributed to a permanent establishment in Israel; (ii) the shareholder holds, directly or indirectly, shares representing 10% or more of the voting capital during any part of the 12-month period preceding the disposition, subject to certain conditions; or (iii) such U.S. resident is an individual and was present in Israel for 183 days or more during the relevant taxable year. In such case, the sale, exchange, or disposition of our ordinary shares should be subject to Israeli tax, to the extent applicable; however, under the treaty, the taxpayer would be permitted to claim a credit for such taxes against the U.S. federal income tax imposed with respect to such sale, exchange, or disposition, subject to the limitations under U.S. law applicable to foreign tax credits. The treaty does not relate to U.S. state or local taxes. In some instances where our shareholders may be liable for Israeli tax on the sale of their ordinary shares, the payment of the consideration may be subject to the withholding of Israeli tax at source. If the above exemptions from capital gains tax are not available, individuals will be subject to a 25% tax rate on real capital gains derived from the sale of shares as long as the individual is not a substantial shareholder of the corporation issuing the shares (in which case the individual will be subject to a 30% tax rate), and corporations will be subject to a 23% corporate tax rate. A substantial shareholder is generally a person who alone or together with such person’s relative or another person who collaborates with such person on a permanent basis, holds, directly or indirectly, at least 10% of any of the means of control of the corporation, including the right to vote, receive profits, nominate a director or an executive officer, receive assets upon liquidation, or order someone who holds any of the aforesaid rights how to act, regardless of the source of such right. The determination of whether the individual is a substantial shareholder will be made on the date on which the securities are sold. In addition, the individual will be deemed to be a substantial shareholder if at any time during the 12 months preceding the date of the sale he or she was a substantial shareholder. 53 Dividends paid on publicly traded shares, like our ordinary shares, to non-Israeli residents are generally subject to Israeli income tax at the rate of 25%, or 30% if the recipient of the dividend was a substantial shareholder at the time of distribution or at any time during the prior 12-month period. Such dividends are generally subject to Israeli withholding tax at a rate of 25% if the shares are registered with a nominee company (whether the recipient is a substantial shareholder or not), unless a different rate is provided under an applicable tax treaty, provided that a certificate from the Israeli Tax Authority allowing for a reduced withholding tax rate is obtained in advance. Under the United States-Israel Tax Treaty, the maximum rate of tax withheld at source in Israel on dividends paid to a holder of our ordinary shares who is a U.S. resident (for purposes of the treaty) is 25%. The treaty provides for reduced tax rates on dividends if (a) the shareholder is a U.S. corporation holding at least 10% of our issued voting power during the part of the tax year that precedes the date of payment of the dividend and held such minimal percentage during the whole of its prior tax year, and (b) not more than 25% of the Israeli company’s gross income consists of interest or dividends, other than dividends or interest received from subsidiary corporations or corporations 50% or more of the outstanding voting shares of which is owned by the Israeli company. The reduced treaty rate, if applicable, is 15% in the case of dividends paid from income derived from a Beneficiary or Preferred Enterprise (which is entitled to corporate tax benefits) or 12.5% otherwise. We cannot assure you that in the event we declare a dividend we will designate the income out of which the dividend is paid in a manner that will reduce shareholders’ tax liability. If the dividend is attributable partly to income derived from a Beneficiary or Preferred Enterprise and partly to other sources of income, the withholding rate will be a blended rate reflecting the relative portions of the two types of income. U.S. residents who are subject to Israeli withholding tax on a dividend may be entitled to a credit or deduction for U.S. federal income tax purposes in the amount of the taxes withheld. Individuals who are subject to tax in Israel are also subject to an additional tax at the rate of 3% on annual income exceeding a certain threshold (NIS 663,240 for 2022, linked to the annual change in the Israeli Consumer Price Index), including, but not limited to, income derived from dividends, interest, and capital gains. Recent Sales of Unregistered Equity Securities All sales of unregistered equity securities during the covered period were disclosed on a Current Report on Form 8-K or a Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities The following table sets forth information regarding the ordinary shares repurchased under our share repurchase program during the three months ended December 31, 2022: Period Total Number of Shares Purchased Average Price Paid Per Share Total Number of Shares Purchased as Part of a Publicly Announced Plan (In Thousands) Maximum Value of Shares That May Yet Be Purchased Under the Plan October 1 - October 30, 2022 Share repurchase program (1) 529,319 $ 0.90 529,319 $ 7,330 November 1 - November 30, 2022 Share repurchase program (1) 1,056,776 $ 0.94 1,056,776 $ 6,317 December 1 - December 31, 2022 Share repurchase program (1) 1,162,484 $ 0.80 1,162,484 $ 5,358 Quarter Total Share repurchase program (1) 2,748,579 $ 0.87 2,748,579 $ 5,358 (1) Ordinary Shares were repurchased by us through our publicly announced share repurchase program approved by our Board of Directors on June 2, 2022, and approved by an Israeli court on July 20, 2022. The program was scheduled to expire on the earlier of January 20, 2023, or reaching $8.0 million of repurchases. On December 22, 2022, our Board of Directors approved an extension of the repurchase program, with such extension to be in the aggregate amount of up to $5.8 million. The extension was approved by an Israeli court on February 9, 2023, and will expire on the earlier of August 9, 2023, or reaching the additional $5.8 million of repurchases of our ordinary shares . Repurchases may take place in open market transactions or in privately negotiated transactions and may be made from time to time depending on market conditions, share price, trading volume and other factors our board of directors deems appropriate. Our board of directors may also suspend and/or discontinue the repurchase program at any time, in its sole discretion. All repurchases will be made in accordance with all applicable securities laws and regulations. Subsequent to December 31, 2022, an additional 730,350 ordinary shares for an aggregate consideration of $628,477 were repurchased under our share repurchase program during the period from January 1, 2023 to January 20, 2023. On December 22, 2022, our Board of Directors approved an extension of the repurchase program, with such extension to be in the aggregate amount of up to $5.8 million. The extension was approved by an Israeli court on February 9, 2023, and will expire on the earlier of August 9, 2023, or reaching the additional $5.8 million of repurchases of our ordinary shares. 54 ITEM 6. [RESERVED]