Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES .
Market Information
We have one (1) class of common shares of no par value per share listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market (“Nasdaq”) listed under the symbol “STRZ.”
Holders
As of June 16, 2025, there were approximately 293 shareholders of record of our common shares. The foregoing number of record holders reflects only the registered holders of our common shares as listed on the books of our transfer agent. It does not include the number of beneficial owners who hold shares through banks, brokerage houses, or other institutions. Each such institution is counted as a single record holder, regardless of the number of beneficial owners it represents.
Dividends
The timing, declaration, amount and payment of future dividends, if any, is determined by our Board of Directors, at its discretion, and is dependent on a number of factors, including our financial position, results of operations, cash flows, capital requirements and restrictions under our credit agreements. Moreover, if our Board of Directors determines to pay any dividends in the future, there can be no assurance that we will continue to pay such dividends or the amount of such dividends. We cannot guarantee the amount of dividends paid in the future, if any.
Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans
As of May 6, 2025, the date of the Separation, 3,356,936 shares of Starz common stock were outstanding under the Company's equity compensation plans.
Taxation
The following is a general summary of certain Canadian federal income tax consequences to a person (a “Non-Canadian Holder”) who is the beneficial owner of our common shares and who, at all relevant times, for the purposes of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the “ITA”) (i) is not, and is not deemed to be resident in Canada, (ii) does not, and is not deemed to, use or hold any common shares in, or in the course of, carrying on a business in Canada, (iii) deals at arm’s length, and is not affiliated, with the Company, (iv) is not a “foreign affiliate” (as defined in the ITA) of a person resident in Canada, and (v) has not received or acquired any common shares in connection with any employee stock option or executive compensation plan or otherwise in connection with employment. This summary does not apply to a Non-Canadian Holder that is an insurer or an “authorized foreign bank” within the meaning of the ITA. Such Non-Canadian Holders should seek tax advice from their advisors.
This summary is not intended to be, and should not be construed to be, legal or tax advice and no representation with respect to the tax consequences to any particular investor is made. The summary does not address any aspect of any provincial, state or local tax laws or the tax laws of any jurisdiction other than Canada. Accordingly, holders and prospective holders of common shares should consult with their own tax advisors for advice with respect to the income tax consequences to them, having regard to their own particular circumstances, including any consequences of an investment in common shares arising under any provincial, state or local tax laws or the tax laws of any jurisdiction other than Canada.
This summary is based upon the current provisions of the ITA, the regulations thereunder and the proposed amendments thereto publicly announced by, or on behalf of, the Minister of Finance (Canada) before the date hereof, the Canada-United States Tax Convention (1980), as amended (the “Canada-U.S. Tax Treaty”) and our understanding of the current administrative policies and assessing practices of the Canada Revenue Agency published in writing prior to the date hereof. No assurance may be given that any proposed amendment will be enacted in the form proposed, if at all. This summary does not otherwise take into account or anticipate any changes in law, whether by legislative, governmental or judicial action.
The following summary applies only to Non-Canadian Holders who hold their common shares as capital property. In general, common shares will be considered capital property of a holder where the holder is neither a trader nor dealer in securities, does not hold the common shares in the course of carrying on a business, and is not engaged in an adventure in the nature of trade in respect thereof. This summary does not apply to a Non-Canadian Holder that is a “financial institution” within the meaning of the mark-to-market rules contained in the ITA or to holders who have entered into a “dividend rental arrangement”, a “derivative forward agreement”, or a “synthetic disposition arrangement” as these terms are defined in the ITA.
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For purposes of the ITA, any amount relating to the acquisition, holding, or disposition of common shares, including dividends, adjusted cost base and proceeds of disposition, must be expressed in Canadian dollars using the applicable rate of exchange (for purposes of the ITA) quoted by the Bank of Canada on the date such amounts arose, or such other rate of exchange as is acceptable to the Canada Revenue Agency.
Amounts in respect of common shares paid or credited or deemed to be paid or credited as, on account or in lieu of payment of, or in satisfaction of, dividends to a shareholder who is not a resident of Canada within the meaning of the ITA will generally be subject to Canadian non-resident withholding tax. Canadian withholding tax applies to dividends that are formally declared and paid by the Company and also to deemed dividends such as those that may be triggered by a cancellation of common shares if the cancellation occurs otherwise than as a result of a simple open market transaction. For either deemed or actual dividends, withholding tax is levied at a rate of 25%, which rate may be reduced pursuant to the terms of an applicable tax treaty between Canada and the country of residence of the non-resident shareholder. The Multilateral Convention to Implement Tax Treaty Related Measures to Prevent Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (the “MLI”), of which Canada is a signatory, affects many of Canada’s bilateral tax treaties (but not the Canada-U.S. Tax Treaty), including the ability to claim benefits thereunder. Affected Non-Canadian Holders should consult their own tax advisors in this regard. Under the Canada- U.S. Tax Treaty, for a Non-Canadian Holder who is the beneficial owner and who is a resident of the United States and entitled full benefits under the Canada-U.S. Tax Treaty, the rate of Canadian withholding tax applicable to dividends is generally reduced to 15%. Furthermore, where such beneficial owner of the dividends is a company that owns at least 10% of the voting shares of the company paying the dividends, the rate of such withholding is reduced to 5%.
In addition to the Canadian withholding tax on actual or deemed dividends, a Non-Canadian Holder also needs to consider the potential application of Canadian income tax on capital gains. A Non-Canadian Holder will generally not be subject to tax under the ITA in respect of any capital gain arising on an actual or deemed disposition of common shares (including, generally, on a purchase by the Company on the open market) unless at the time of disposition such shares constitute “taxable Canadian property” of the holder for purposes of the ITA and such Non-Canadian Holder is not entitled to relief under an applicable tax treaty. If the common shares are listed on a designated stock exchange (which includes the NYSE) at the time they are disposed of, they will generally not constitute taxable Canadian property of a non-Canadian Holder unless, at any time during the 60- month period immediately preceding the disposition of the common shares, the Non-Canadian Holder, persons with whom such Non-Canadian Holder does not deal at arm's length, or the Non-Canadian Holder together with such non-arm’s length persons, owned 25% or more of the issued shares of any class or series of the capital stock of the Company and at such time, more than 50% of the fair market value of the shares was derived from one or any combination of (i) real or immovable property situated in Canada, (ii) Canadian resource properties, (iii) timber resource properties, and (iv) options in respect of, interests in, or civil law rights in, such properties.
Assuming that the common shares have never derived their value principally from any of the items listed in (i)-(iv) above, capital gains derived by a Non-Canadian Holder from the disposition of common shares will generally not be subject to tax in Canada.
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
No common shares were purchased by us during the three months ended March 31, 2025.
Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities
None.
ITEM 6. [Reserved]