424B7 1 d189847d424b7.htm 424B7 424B7
Table of Contents

Filed pursuant to Rule 424(b)(7)
Registration No. 333-227324

CALCULATION OF REGISTRATION FEE

 

 

Title of Each Class of

Securities to be Registered(1)

 

Amount

to be

Registered(2)

 

Proposed

Maximum

Offering Price

Per Share

 

Proposed

Maximum

Aggregate

Offering Price

  Amount of
Registration Fee

Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share

  1,199,364 shares   $308.76(3)(4)   $370,315,628.64(4)   $40,401.44(4)

 

 

 

(1)

This prospectus supplement relates to the resale or other distribution by the selling stockholders named herein of up to 1,199,364 shares of our common stock, par value $0.0001 per share (the “Common Stock”).

(2)

This prospectus supplement also relates to such additional shares of Common Stock as may be issued in connection with a stock split, stock dividend or similar transaction, pursuant to Rule 416 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).

(3)

Estimated solely for the purposes of computing the registration fee with respect to 1,199,364 shares of Common Stock pursuant to Rule 457(c) under the Securities Act, based on the average of the high and low prices of the Common Stock on the New York Stock Exchange on December 11, 2020.

(4)

Calculated in accordance with Rule 457(r) under the Securities Act with respect to 1,199,364 shares of Common Stock registered pursuant to this prospectus supplement that have not previously been registered. Payment of the registration fee at the time of filing of the registrant’s registration statement on Form S-3 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 13, 2018 (File No. 333-227324) was deferred pursuant to Rules 456(b) and 457(r) of the Securities Act, and is paid herewith. This “Calculation of Registration Fee” table shall be deemed to update the “Calculation of Registration Fee” table in such registration statement.


Table of Contents

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

(To Prospectus dated September 13, 2018)

 

 

LOGO

1,199,364 Shares

PALO ALTO NETWORKS, INC.

Common Stock

 

 

The selling stockholders of Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (“Palo Alto Networks,” “we,” “us” or the “Company”) referred to in this prospectus supplement may offer and resell up to 1,199,364 shares of our Common Stock under this prospectus supplement. The selling stockholders acquired these shares from us pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Merger dated November 10, 2020 by and among the Company, Ember Acquisition Corp., a Delaware corporation and an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, Ember Acquisition LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and a direct wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, Expanse, LLC (f/k/a Expanse, Inc.), a Delaware limited liability company, Expanse Holding Company, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Expanse”), Expanse Merger Sub, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and Fortis Advisors LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, solely in its capacity as securityholders’ representative, in connection with our acquisition of Expanse (the “Merger Agreement”).

Our registration of the shares of Common Stock covered by this prospectus supplement does not mean that the selling stockholders will offer or sell any of the shares. Common Stock offered hereby by the selling stockholders, or their pledgees, donees, assignees, transferees or other successors-in-interest, may be sold from time to time through public or private transactions at market prices prevailing at the time of sale or at negotiated prices. The timing and amount of any sale is within the sole discretion of the applicable selling stockholder, subject to certain restrictions. See “Plan of Distribution” herein.

We will not receive any proceeds from any sale of Common Stock by any selling stockholder.

Our Common Stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) under the symbol “PANW.” On December 17, 2020, the NYSE official closing price of our Common Stock was $331.40 per share.

Investing in our Common Stock involves risks. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-2 of this prospectus supplement and in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and those contained in our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) that are incorporated by reference herein.

The SEC and state securities regulators have not approved or disapproved these securities, or determined if this prospectus supplement is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The date of this prospectus supplement is December 18, 2020.


Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Prospectus Supplement

 

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

     S-ii  

CAUTIONARY NOTE ON FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

     S-iii  

THE COMPANY

     S-1  

RISK FACTORS

     S-2  

USE OF PROCEEDS

     S-2  

SELLING STOCKHOLDERS

     S-3  

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

     S-5  

LEGAL MATTERS

     S-6  

EXPERTS

     S-6  

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION; INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

     S-6  
Prospectus   
     Page  

Palo Alto Networks, Inc.

     2  

Where You Can Find More Information

     3  

Risk Factors

     4  

Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements

     4  

Use of Proceeds

     6  

Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges

     6  

Description of Capital Stock

     7  

Description of Debt Securities

     10  

Description of Warrants

     18  

Description of Purchase Contracts

     18  

Description of Rights

     18  

Description of Units

     18  

Forms of Securities

     19  

Plan of Distribution

     21  

Validity of Securities

     22  

Experts

     22  

 

S-i


Table of Contents

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

In this prospectus supplement, when we use the terms “Company,” “we,” “our,” or “us,” we mean Palo Alto Networks, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its consolidated subsidiaries.

This document is in two parts. The first part is this prospectus supplement, which adds to and updates information contained in the accompanying prospectus as well as the documents incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement. The second part, the accompanying prospectus, gives more general information about the Common Stock that may be offered from time to time. To the extent any inconsistency or conflict exists between the information included in this prospectus supplement and the information included in the accompanying prospectus or any information incorporated by reference, the information contained in this prospectus supplement updates and supersedes such information. The information incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement contains important business and financial information about us that is not included in, or delivered with, this prospectus supplement.

You should not consider any information in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus to be investment, legal or tax advice. You should consult your own counsel, accountants and other advisers for legal, tax, business, financial and related advice regarding the purchase of the securities offered by this prospectus supplement.

We have not, and the selling stockholders have not, authorized any person to provide you with any information other than that contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus and any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of us. We and the selling stockholders take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. We are not, and the selling stockholders are not, making an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, and the documents incorporated by reference is accurate only as of the respective dates of those documents in which the information is contained. Our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects may have changed since those dates.

 

S-ii


Table of Contents

CAUTIONARY NOTE ON FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus supplement contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable securities laws and regulations. These forward-looking statements can generally be identified by the use of words such as “anticipate,” “expect,” “believe,” “could,” “estimate,” “feel,” “forecast,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “project,” “should,” “will,” “would,” and similar words, phrases or expressions and variations or negatives of these words, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Forward-looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain, including, in particular, statements about future events, future financial performance, plans, strategies, expectations, prospects, competitive environment, regulation, labor matters and availability of raw materials, and other statements that are not historical facts. These statements are based on the current views of our management with respect to future events and financial performance and are not predictions of actual performance.

These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties, which could cause our actual results to differ materially from those anticipated or implied by any forward-looking statements. These statements include, among other things: expectations regarding drivers of and factors affecting growth in our business; the performance advantages of our products and subscription and support offerings and the potential benefits to our customers; statements regarding trends in billings, our mix of product and subscription and support revenue, cost of revenue, gross margin, cash flows, operating expenses, including future share-based compensation expense, income taxes, investment plans and liquidity; expectations regarding our revenues, including the seasonality and cyclicality from quarter to quarter; expectations and intentions with respect to the products and technologies that we acquire and introduce; our strategy of acquiring complementary businesses and our ability to successfully acquire and integrate businesses and technologies, including with respect to the Sinefa and Expanse acquisitions; expected recurring revenues resulting from expected growth in our installed base and increased adoption of our products and cloud-based subscription services; the sufficiency of our existing cash and investments to meet our cash needs for the foreseeable future; our intentions to sell any of our available-for-sale debt instruments; our expectations regarding the impact of the discontinuance of the LIBO Rate upon our liquidity or financial position; the timing and amount of sublease income, capital expenditures and share repurchases; expectations to increase customer financing activities in the future; expectations regarding the potential impacts of the outbreak of the coronavirus disease in 2019 (“COVID-19”) and related public health measures on our business, the business of our customers, suppliers and channel partners, and the economy; and other statements regarding our future operations, financial condition and prospects, and business strategies.

Consequently, all forward-looking statements contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement are qualified by factors, risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, those set forth above, those referred to in the section entitled “Risk Factors” of this prospectus supplement, those set forth under the headings “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Risk Factors” in our annual and quarterly reports and other filings with the SEC that are incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement. See “Where You Can Find More Information.”

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, even if experience or future changes make it clear that projected results expressed or implied in such statements will not be realized, except as may be required by law. As a result of these risks and others, actual results could vary significantly from those anticipated herein, and our financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.

 

S-iii


Table of Contents

THE COMPANY

We empower enterprises, service providers, and government entities to secure all users, applications, data, networks and devices with comprehensive visibility and context continuously across all locations. We deliver cybersecurity products covering a broad range of use cases, enabling our end-customers to secure their networks, remote workforce, access to the service edge, branch locations, public and private clouds, and to advance their Security Operations Centers. We believe our portfolio offers advanced prevention and security, while reducing the total cost of ownership for organizations by improving operational efficiency and eliminating the need for siloed point products. We do this with solutions focused on delivering value in three fundamental areas:

Secure the Enterprise:

 

   

Secure the network through our ML-powered Next-Generation Firewalls, available in a number of form factors, including physical, virtual and containerized appliances, as well as a cloud-delivered service. This also includes our add-on Cloud-delivered security services such as Threat Prevention, WildFire, URL Filtering, DNS Security, IoT Security, GlobalProtect, SD-WAN and Enterprise Data Loss Prevention that secure applications, users and devices across our ML-powered Next-Generation Firewalls, Prisma, and Cortex product lines, Panorama, our network security management solution, available as hardware or virtual machine, can centrally manage all of our firewalls irrespective of their form factor, location or scale.

Secure the Cloud:

 

   

Secure the cloud through our Prisma security offerings. Prisma Cloud, the industry’s most comprehensive Cloud Native Security Platform secures multi- and hybrid- cloud environments and cloud native applications integrating security across the full deployment lifecycle. Prisma SaaS protects SaaS applications. Prisma Access, a comprehensive Secure Access Service Edge offering, together with CloudGenix SD-WAN, is used to secure remote work forces and enable the cloud-delivered branch. CloudGenix SD-WAN autonomous networking and integrated security is available as a combination of physical, virtual, and cloud-delivered appliances and services. VM-Series and CN-Series enforces in-line network security in multi- and hybrid- cloud environments.

Secure the Future:

 

   

Secure the future through our Cortex security offerings, which includes Cortex XDR for prevention, detection and response platforms to stop modern security attacks, Cortex XSOAR for security orchestration, automation and response, AutoFocus for threat intelligence, and Cortex Data Lake to collect and integrate security data for analytics. These products are delivered as software or SaaS subscriptions. In addition, Crypsis provides incident response, risk management, and digital forensics services to help and protect our customers.

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. was incorporated in 2005 in the State of Delaware. Our principal executive offices are located at 3000 Tannery Way, Santa Clara, California 95054 and our telephone number is (408) 753-4000. Our corporate website address is www.paloaltonetworks.com. The information on, or accessible through, our website is not incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement. Our common stock is currently listed on the NYSE under the trading symbol “PANW.”

 

S-1


Table of Contents

RISK FACTORS

Investing in any of our common stock involves risk. Before making an investment decision, in addition to the other information contained in this prospectus supplement, in the accompanying prospectus, or incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus you should carefully consider the risks discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and our most recent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, as the same may be amended, supplemented or superseded from time to time by other reports we file with the SEC in the future, and any free writing prospectus that we may authorize for use in connection with a specific offering. See “Where You Can Find More Information.” The risks and uncertainties we have described are not the only risks we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial may also affect our operations. If any of these risks actually occurs, our business, results of operations and financial condition could suffer. In that case, the trading price of our common stock could decline, and you could lose part of your investment.

USE OF PROCEEDS

We are filing this prospectus supplement to permit the stockholders referred to in the section entitled “Selling Stockholders” and their pledgees, donees, assignees, transferees or other successors-in-interest to resell shares of our Common Stock in one or more offerings from time to time. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of Common Stock pursuant to this prospectus supplement by the selling stockholders.

 

S-2


Table of Contents

SELLING STOCKHOLDERS

Up to 1,199,364 shares of Common Stock are being offered by this prospectus supplement, all of which are being offered for resale for the account of the selling stockholders. The shares being offered were issued to the selling stockholders pursuant to the consummation of our acquisition of Expanse and the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement.

We have prepared the following table based on information given to us by, or on behalf of, the selling stockholders on or before the date hereof with respect to the beneficial ownership of the shares of our Common Stock held by the selling stockholders as of December 15, 2020, the date of closing of our acquisition of Expanse. We have not independently verified this information. Because the selling stockholders may sell, transfer or otherwise dispose of all, some or none of the shares of our Common Stock covered by this prospectus supplement, we cannot determine the number of such shares that will be sold, transferred or otherwise disposed of by the selling stockholders, or the amount or percentage of shares of our Common Stock that will be held by the selling stockholders upon termination of any particular offering. See the section of this prospectus supplement captioned “Plan of Distribution” for additional information. For purposes of the table below, we assume that the selling stockholders will sell all their shares of Common Stock covered by this prospectus supplement.

In the table below, the percentage of shares beneficially owned is based on 95,533,159 shares of our Common Stock outstanding as of December 14, 2020, determined in accordance with Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). Under such rule, beneficial ownership includes any shares over which the selling stockholder has sole or shared voting power or investment power and also any shares that the selling stockholder has the right to acquire within 60 days of such date through the exercise of any options or other rights. Except as otherwise indicated, we believe that the selling stockholders have sole voting and investment power with respect to all shares of Common Stock shown as beneficially owned by them. The beneficial ownership information presented in this table is not necessarily indicative of beneficial ownership for any other purpose. When we refer to a “selling stockholder” in this prospectus supplement, we mean such selling stockholder listed in the table below, as well as its pledgees, donees, assignees, transferees and other successors-in-interest and others who may hold any of such selling stockholder’s interest received after the date of this prospectus supplement from the selling stockholder as a gift, pledge, partnership distribution or other non-sale related transfer.

To our knowledge, except as may be disclosed herein, none of the selling stockholders has or within the past three years has had, any position, office or other material relationship with us or any of our affiliates, other than as a result of the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement and that certain of the selling stockholders are or were employees of the successor of Expanse after it was acquired by us. To our knowledge, none of the selling stockholders are broker-dealers, nor at the time of the acquisition did any selling stockholders have direct or indirect agreements or understandings with any person to distribute any Common Stock.

 

    Shares Beneficially
Owned Prior to
Offering
    Number of
Shares Being
Offered
    Shares Beneficially
Owned After
Offering
 

Selling Stockholder

  Number     Percent     Number     Percent  

Investment funds affiliated with New Enterprise Associates (1)

    268,685                268,685       —             

TPG Cyber Quicksand, L.P. (2)

    179,629                179,629       —             

All other selling stockholders

    751,050                751,050       —             
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

All selling stockholders (3)

    1,199,364                1,199,364       —             
 

 

 

     

 

 

     

 

(*)

Less than 1%.

 

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(1)

Of the 268,685 shares, 268,283 are issued to New Enterprise Associates 15, L.P. and 402 are issued to NEA Ventures 2016, L.P. The shares directly held by New Enterprise Associates 15, L.P. (“NEA 15”) are indirectly held by NEA Partners 15, L.P. (“NEA Partners 15”), which is the sole general partner of NEA 15; NEA 15 GP, LLC (“NEA 15 LLC”), which is the sole general partner of Partners 15; and each of the individual managers of NEA 15 LLC. The individual Managers of NEA 15 LLC (the “NEA 15 Managers”) are Forest Baskett, Anthony A. Florence, Mohamad Makhzoumi, Joshua Makower, Scott D. Sandell, and Peter Sonsini. NEA Partners 15, NEA 15 LLC, and the NEA 15 Managers share voting and dispositive power with regard to the shares owned directly by NEA 15. All indirect holders of the shares held by NEA 15 disclaim beneficial ownership of all applicable shares except to the extent of their actual pecuniary interest therein. The shares directly held by NEA Ventures 2016, L.P. are indirectly held by Karen P. Welsh, the general partner of NEA Ventures 2016, L.P. Karen P. Welsh has voting and dispositive power with regard to the shares owned directly by NEA Ventures 2016, L.P., and she disclaims beneficial ownership of all applicable shares except to the extent of her actual pecuniary interest therein.

(2)

The general partner of TPG Cyber Quicksand, L.P. is TPG Growth III Advisors, Inc., whose sole shareholders are David Bonderman and James G. Coulter. As a result of their relationship to TPG Growth III Advisors, Inc., Messrs. Bonderman and Coulter may be deemed to beneficially own the securities held by TPG Cyber Quicksand, L.P. Messrs. Bonderman and Coulter disclaim beneficial ownership except to the extent of their pecuniary interest therein.

(3)

Certain of the 1,199,364 shares are being held temporarily by the Company’s payment agent on behalf of and for future issuance to the selling stockholders.

 

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Table of Contents

PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

The selling stockholders may, from time to time, sell any or all of the shares of common stock beneficially owned by them and offered hereby.

The sales may be made on one or more exchanges or in the over-the-counter market or otherwise, at prices and at terms then prevailing or at prices related to the then current market price, or in negotiated transactions.

The selling stockholders may effect such transactions by selling the shares of common stock to or through broker-dealers. The shares of common stock may be sold through broker-dealers by one or more of, or a combination of, the following:

 

   

a block trade in which the broker-dealer so engaged will attempt to sell the shares of common stock as agent but may position and resell a portion of the block as principal to facilitate the transaction;

 

   

purchases by a broker-dealer as principal and resale by such broker-dealer for its account;

 

   

ordinary brokerage transactions and transactions in which the broker solicits purchasers;

 

   

in privately negotiated transactions; and

 

   

any other method permitted pursuant to applicable law.

The selling stockholders may also sell shares under Rule 144 under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, if available, rather than under this prospectus supplement.

The selling stockholders also may transfer the shares of common stock in kind to their respective limited partners or members, in which case the transferees will be the selling beneficial owners for purposes of this prospectus supplement. The selling stockholders may also transfer the shares of common stock in other circumstances, in which case the transferees or other successors in interest will be the selling beneficial owners for purposes of this prospectus supplement.

The selling stockholders and any broker-dealers or agents that are involved in selling the shares may be deemed to be “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act in connection with such sales. In such event, any commissions received by such broker-dealers or agents and any profit on the resale of the shares purchased by them may be deemed to be underwriting commissions or discounts under the Securities Act.

The selling stockholders have informed us that, except as set forth below, none of them have any agreement or understanding, directly or indirectly, with any person to distribute the common stock. If any selling stockholder notifies us that a material arrangement has been entered into with a broker-dealer for the sale of shares through a block trade, special offering or secondary distribution or a purchase by a broker or dealer, we may be required to file a prospectus supplement pursuant to the applicable rules promulgated under the Securities Act of 1933. Certain selling stockholders who are entities rather than natural persons may distribute shares to their partners, shareholders or other owners in normal course, who may in turn sell the shares in the manner listed above.

There can be no assurance that any selling stockholder will sell any or all of the shares of common stock registered pursuant to this prospectus supplement and the shelf registration statement of which the accompanying prospectus forms a part.

We are required to pay all fees and expenses incident to the registration of the shares. We have agreed to indemnify the selling stockholders against certain losses, claims, damages and liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. We may be indemnified by the selling stockholders against civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act that may arise from written information furnished to us by the selling stockholders specifically for use in this prospectus supplement.

 

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We may restrict or suspend offers and sales or other dispositions of the shares under this prospectus supplement, at any time from and after the filing date of this prospectus supplement, subject to certain terms and conditions. In the event of such restriction or suspension, the selling stockholders will not be able to offer or sell or otherwise dispose of the shares of common stock under this prospectus supplement.

Once sold under this prospectus supplement the shares of common stock will be freely tradeable in the hands of persons other than our affiliates.

LEGAL MATTERS

The validity of the shares of Common Stock offered by this prospectus supplement will be passed upon for us by Sidley Austin LLP, San Francisco, California.

EXPERTS

Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, has audited our consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended July 31, 2020, and the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of July 31, 2020, as set forth in their reports, which are incorporated by reference in this prospectus and elsewhere in the registration statement. Our financial statements are incorporated by reference in reliance on Ernst & Young LLP’s reports, given on their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION; INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

We filed a registration statement on Form S-3 with the SEC with respect to the registration of the Common Stock offered by this prospectus supplement. This prospectus supplement does not contain all of the information set forth in the registration statement and the exhibits to the registration statement. For further information about us, the Common Stock we are offering by this prospectus supplement, and related matters, you should review the registration statement, including the exhibits filed as a part of the registration statement. Statements contained in this prospectus supplement about the contents of any contract or any other document that is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement are not necessarily complete, and we refer you to the full text of the contract or other document filed as an exhibit to the registration statement. The SEC maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding registrants that file electronically with the SEC. The address of the site is http://www.sec.gov.

We are subject to the information and periodic reporting requirements of the Exchange Act and, in accordance with such requirements, will file periodic reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. These periodic reports, proxy statements and other information will be available for inspection and copying at the regional offices, public reference facilities and website of the SEC referred to above.

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” in this prospectus supplement the information in other documents that we file with the SEC, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is considered to be a part of this prospectus supplement. Information in documents that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede information contained in documents filed earlier with the SEC or contained in this prospectus supplement. Any information so updated or superseded will not constitute a part of this prospectus supplement, except as so updated or superseded. We incorporate by reference in this prospectus supplement the documents listed below and any future filings that we may make with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14, or 15(d) of

 

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the Exchange Act (other than documents and information furnished and not filed in accordance with SEC rules, unless expressly stated otherwise therein), prior to the termination of the offering under this prospectus supplement:

 

  1.

Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2020 filed with the SEC on September 4, 2020;

 

  2.

The information specifically incorporated by reference into our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended July 31, 2020 from our Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A filed with the SEC on October 20, 2020;

 

  3.

Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended October 31, 2020 filed with the SEC on November 19, 2020;

 

  4.

Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October  19, 2020, November  12, 2020 (as amended by that certain Form 8-K/A filed on December 16, 2020), December  8, 2020 and December 10, 2020 (other than the portions of these documents not deemed to be filed); and

 

  5.

The description of the Common Stock, contained in our registration statement on Form 8-A, filed with the SEC on July 9, 2012, including any amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating such description.

We will provide, without charge to each person, including any beneficial owner, to whom this prospectus supplement is delivered, upon his or her written or oral request, a copy of any or all documents referred to above which have been or may be incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement, excluding exhibits to those documents unless they are specifically incorporated by reference into those documents. You may request a copy of these filings at no cost, by writing or telephoning us at the following address: Palo Alto Networks, Inc., 3000 Tannery Way, Santa Clara, California 95054, Attention: Investor Relations or by calling (408) 753-4000. Our website and the information contained on our website are not a part of this prospectus supplement, and you should not rely on any such information in making your decision whether to acquire our Common Stock.

 

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PROSPECTUS

 

LOGO

PALO ALTO NETWORKS, INC.

 

 

The following are types of securities that may be offered and sold by Palo Alto Networks, Inc. or by selling security holders under this prospectus from time to time:

 

•  Common stock

  

•  Purchase contracts

•  Preferred stock

  

•  Rights

•  Debt securities

  

•  Units

•  Warrants

  

The securities may be offered by us or by selling security holders in amounts, at prices and on terms determined at the time of the offering. The securities may be sold directly to you, through agents, or through underwriters and dealers. If agents, underwriters or dealers are used to sell the securities, we will name them and describe their compensation in a prospectus supplement. You should read this prospectus and any prospectus supplement carefully before you invest.

We will describe in a prospectus supplement, which must accompany this prospectus, the securities we are offering and selling, as well as the specific terms of the securities. Those terms may include:

 

•  Maturity

  

•  Redemption terms

 

•  Terms of conversion

•  Interest rate

  

•  Listing on a security exchange

 

•  Liquidation amounts

•  Currency of payments

  

•  Amount payable at maturity

 

•  Subsidiary guarantees

•  Dividends

  

•  Conversion or exchange rights

 

•  Sinking fund terms

Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “PANW.”

 

 

Investing in these securities involves certain risks. You should review carefully the risks and uncertainties described under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in the applicable prospectus supplement and under similar headings in other documents which are incorporated by reference herein.

 

 

Neither the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The date of this prospectus is September 13, 2018


Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

     Page  

Palo Alto Networks, Inc.

     2  

Where You Can Find More Information

     3  

Risk Factors

     4  

Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements

     4  

Use of Proceeds

     6  

Ratio of Earnings to Fixed Charges

     6  

Description of Capital Stock

     7  

Description of Debt Securities

     10  

Description of Warrants

     18  

Description of Purchase Contracts

     18  

Description of Rights

     18  

Description of Units

     18  

Forms of Securities

     19  

Plan of Distribution

     21  

Validity of Securities

     22  

Experts

     22  

We have not authorized anyone to provide you any information other than that contained in or incorporated by reference in this prospectus, any accompanying prospectus supplement or any free writing prospectus prepared by or on behalf of us or to which we have referred you. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. We are not making an offer of these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale of the securities is not permitted. You should not assume that the information contained in or incorporated by reference in, this prospectus or any prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus is accurate as of any date other than their respective dates. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.

Unless we have indicated otherwise or the context requires, references in this prospectus to “Palo Alto Networks,” “we,” “us,” and “our” refer to Palo Alto Networks, Inc. and not to any of its existing or future subsidiaries.

 

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PALO ALTO NETWORKS, INC.

Our Business

We have pioneered the next generation of security through our innovative Security Operating Platform that empowers enterprises, service providers, and government entities to secure their organizations by safely enabling applications and data running in their networks, on their endpoints, and in the cloud, and by preventing breaches that stem from targeted cyberattacks. Our platform uses an innovative traffic classification engine that identifies network traffic by application, user, and content and provides consistent security across the network, endpoint, and cloud. Accordingly, our platform enables our end-customers to pursue transformative digital initiatives, like public cloud and mobility, that grow their business, while maintaining the visibility and control needed to protect their valued data and critical control systems. We believe the architecture of our platform offers superior performance compared to legacy approaches and reduces the total cost of ownership for organizations by simplifying their security operations and infrastructure and eliminating the need for multiple, stand-alone hardware and software security products, and consists of four primary security capabilities:

 

   

Security for networks through our Next-Generation Firewalls, available as physical appliances, virtual appliances (called VM-Series), or a cloud-delivered service (called GlobalProtect cloud service) and Panorama management delivered as an appliance or as a virtual machine for the public or private cloud.

 

   

Security for endpoints through our Traps advanced endpoint protection software, delivered as a light-weight software agent with cloud or on-premise management capabilities.

 

   

Security for the cloud through our VM-Series for in-line protection of workloads in public and private clouds, Traps for host-based public cloud infrastructure protection, Evident for infrastructure monitoring and compliance in public clouds, and Aperture for protecting software as a service (“SaaS”) applications. These products are delivered as software or SaaS applications.

 

   

Other security services, such as WildFire, Threat Prevention, URL Filtering, and GlobalProtect subscriptions that are delivered as attached software services to our appliances, as well as applications delivered in connection with our Application Framework, such as AutoFocus, Magnifier, and Logging Service that are delivered as SaaS applications.

Palo Alto Networks, Inc. was incorporated in 2005 in the State of Delaware. Our principal executive offices are located at 3000 Tannery Way, Santa Clara, California 95054 and our telephone number is (408) 753-4000. Our corporate website address is www.paloaltonetworks.com. The information on, or accessible through, our website is not incorporated by reference in this prospectus.

About this Prospectus

This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) utilizing a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration process, we may sell any combination of the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings from time to time.

This prospectus only provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we sell securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about the terms of that offering. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. You should read both this prospectus and any prospectus supplement together with additional information described under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information.”



 

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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

We file annual, quarterly and current reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. You may read and copy any document that we file at the Public Reference Room of the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You may obtain information on the operation of the Public Reference Room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. In addition, the SEC maintains a website at http://www.sec.gov, from which interested persons can electronically access the registration statement including the exhibits and schedules thereto.

As permitted by the SEC’s rules, this prospectus does not contain all the information that you can find in the registration statement or the exhibits to that registration statement. The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” the information we file with them, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to those documents. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus, and information that we file later with the SEC will automatically update and supersede this information. We incorporate by reference the documents listed below and all documents subsequently filed with the SEC pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14, or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”) (other than any portions of such documents that are not deemed “filed” under the Exchange Act in accordance with the Exchange Act and applicable SEC rules), prior to the termination of the offering under this prospectus:

(a) our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended July  31, 2018;

(b) our Current Report on Form 8-K filed on September 6, 2018 (to the extent such information is deemed filed); and

(c) the description of our common stock contained in our registration statement on Form 8-A, filed with the SEC on July 9, 2012, including any amendments or reports filed for the purpose of updating such description.

You may request a copy of these filings at no cost, by writing or telephoning us at the following address:

Palo Alto Networks, Inc.

3000 Tannery Way

Santa Clara, California 95054

(408) 753-4000

Attention: Investor Relations

 

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RISK FACTORS

Investment in any securities offered pursuant to this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement involves risks. You should carefully consider the risk factors incorporated by reference to our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or Current Reports on Form 8-K we file after the date of this prospectus, and all other information contained or incorporated by reference into this prospectus, as updated by our subsequent filings under the Exchange Act, and the risk factors and other information contained in the applicable prospectus supplement and any applicable free writing prospectus before acquiring any of such securities. The occurrence of any of these risks might cause you to lose all or part of your investment in the offered securities.

CAUTIONARY NOTE ON FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements may also be made in our documents incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference in this prospectus. These statements include, among other things:

 

   

expectations regarding drivers of and factors affecting growth in our business;

 

   

the performance advantages of our products and subscription and support offerings and the potential benefits to our customers;

 

   

trends in and expectations regarding billings, revenue (including our revenue mix), costs of revenue, gross margin, cash flows, interest expense, operating expenses (including future share-based compensation expense), income taxes (including our ongoing assessment of the impact of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and any future adjustments), investment plans and liquidity;

 

   

our ability to and expectation that we will continue to grow our installed end-customer base;

 

   

expected recurring revenues resulting from expected growth in our installed base and increased adoption of our products and cloud-based subscription services;

 

   

our expectations regarding future investments in research and development, customer support, and in our sales force, including expectations regarding growth in our sales headcount;

 

   

our ability to develop or acquire new product, subscription, and support offerings, improve our existing product, subscription, and support offerings, and increase the value of our product, subscription, and support offerings, including through the deployment of new capabilities via security applications developed by third parties;

 

   

our expectation that we will continue to expand internationally;

 

   

our expectation that we will continue to renew existing contracts and increase sales to our existing customer base;

 

   

seasonal trends in our results of operations;

 

   

expected impact of the adoption of certain recent accounting pronouncements and the anticipated timing of adopting such standards;

 

   

our expectation that we will expand our facilities or add new facilities as we add employees and enter new geographic markets and expectations related to charges incurred in connection with exiting our former headquarter facilities;

 

   

our plans to use the upfront cash reimbursement received from our landlords against future rental payments;

 

   

the sufficiency of our cash flow from operations with existing cash and cash equivalents to meet our cash needs for the foreseeable future;

 

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future investments in product development, subscriptions, or technologies, and any related delays in the development or release of new product and subscription offerings;

 

   

our ability to successfully acquire and integrate companies and assets;

 

   

expectations and intentions with respect to the products and technologies that we acquire and introduce;

 

   

the timing and amount of capital expenditures and share repurchases; and

 

   

other statements regarding our future operations, financial condition and prospects, and business strategies.

Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by words such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “could,” “estimates,” “expects,” “intends,” “may,” “plans,” “predicts,” “projects,” “would,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will likely result,” and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties, which could cause our actual results to differ materially from those reflected in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” set forth in any accompanying prospectus supplement to this prospectus and other risk factors, uncertainties, assumptions and factors specified in our Annual Report for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2018, as well as our consolidated financial statements, related notes and other information incorporated by reference in this propectus and our other filings with the SEC. We claim the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 for all forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to revise or publicly release the results of any revision to these forward-looking statements, except as required by law. Given these risks and uncertainties, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

We intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of securities issued pursuant to this registration statement for general corporate purposes, which may include stock repurchases, repayment of indebtedness and future acquisitions. If we decide to use the net proceeds from a particular offering of securities for a specific purpose, we will describe that purpose in the related prospectus supplement.

RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES

The following table sets forth our deficiency of earnings available to cover fixed charges for each of the periods indicated. The ratio of earnings to fixed charges is not disclosed given that our earnings were insufficient to cover fixed charges for such periods.

For purposes of computing the ratio of earnings to fixed charges, earnings consist of loss before income taxes plus fixed charges. Fixed charges represent interest expense, amortization of debt discount and capitalized expenses related to indebtedness, and estimated interest component of rental expense.

For the periods presented in the table below, we did not have any shares of preferred stock outstanding and did not declare, and were not otherwise required to pay, any dividends on preferred stock. Accordingly, the deficiency of earnings available to cover fixed charges and preferred dividends for any given period is equivalent to the deficiency amounts shown below.

 

     Year Ended July 31,
(in millions)
 
     2018      2017      2016      2015      2014  

Ratio of earnings to fixed charges

     x        x        x        x        x  

Deficiency of earnings available to cover fixed charges

   $ 130.2      $ 194.1      $ 172.3      $ 121.9      $ 222.2  

 

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DESCRIPTION OF CAPITAL STOCK

General

The following is a summary of the rights of our common stock and preferred stock and certain provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws as they are currently in effect. This summary does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws, copies of which have been filed with the SEC.

Our authorized capital stock consists of 1,100,000,000 shares, with a par value of $0.0001 per share, of which:

 

   

1,000,000,000 shares are designated as common stock; and

 

   

100,000,000 shares are designated as preferred stock.

As of July 31, 2018, we had outstanding approximately 93.6 million shares of common stock, held by 78 holders of record. In addition, as of July 31, 2018, we had outstanding options to acquire approximately 2.2 million shares of our common stock and restricted stock units and performance-based stock units covering approximately 6.7 million shares of our common stock.

Common Stock

The holders of common stock are entitled to one vote per share on all matters submitted to a vote of our stockholders and do not have cumulative voting rights. Accordingly, holders of a majority of the shares of common stock entitled to vote in any election of directors may elect all of the directors standing for election. Subject to preferences that may be applicable to any preferred stock outstanding at the time, the holders of outstanding shares of common stock are entitled to receive ratably any dividends declared by our board of directors out of assets legally available. Upon our liquidation, dissolution, or winding up, holders of our common stock are entitled to share ratably in all assets remaining after payment of liabilities and the liquidation preference of any then outstanding shares of preferred stock. Holders of common stock have no preemptive or conversion rights or other subscription rights. There are no redemption or sinking fund provisions applicable to the common stock.

Preferred Stock

No shares of preferred stock are outstanding. Pursuant to our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, our board of directors has the authority, without further action by the stockholders, to issue from time to time up to 100,000,000 shares of preferred stock in one or more series. Our board of directors may designate the rights, preferences, privileges, and restrictions of the preferred stock, including dividend rights, conversion rights, voting rights, redemption rights, liquidation preference, sinking fund terms, and the number of shares constituting any series or the designation of any series. The issuance of preferred stock could have the effect of restricting dividends on the common stock, diluting the voting power of the common stock, impairing the liquidation rights of the common stock, or delaying, deterring, or preventing a change in control. Such issuance could have the effect of decreasing the market price of the common stock. We currently have no plans to issue any shares of preferred stock.

Anti-Takeover Effects of Delaware Law and Our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws contain provisions that could have the effect of delaying, deferring, or discouraging another party from acquiring control of us.

 

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These provisions and certain provisions of Delaware law, which are summarized below, could discourage takeovers, coercive or otherwise. These provisions are also designed, in part, to encourage persons seeking to acquire control of us to negotiate first with our board of directors. We believe that the benefits of increased protection of our potential ability to negotiate with an unfriendly or unsolicited acquirer outweigh the disadvantages of discouraging a proposal to acquire us.

Undesignated preferred stock. As discussed above under “—Preferred Stock,” our board of directors has the ability to designate and issue preferred stock with voting or other rights or preferences that could deter hostile takeovers or delay changes in our control or management.

Limits on ability of stockholders to act by written consent or call a special meeting. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that our stockholders may not act by written consent. This limit on the ability of stockholders to act by written consent may lengthen the amount of time required to take stockholder actions. As a result, the holders of a majority of our capital stock would not be able to amend the amended and restated bylaws or remove directors without holding a meeting of stockholders called in accordance with the amended and restated bylaws.

In addition, our amended and restated bylaws provide that special meetings of the stockholders may be called only by the chairman of our board of directors, the chief executive officer, the president (in the absence of a chief executive officer), or our board of directors. A stockholder may not call a special meeting, which may delay the ability of our stockholders to force consideration of a proposal or for holders controlling a majority of our capital stock to take any action, including the removal of directors.

Requirements for advance notification of stockholder nominations and proposals. Our amended and restated bylaws contain advance notice procedures with respect to stockholder proposals and the nomination of candidates for election as directors, other than nominations made by or at the direction of our board of directors or a committee of the board of directors. These advance notice procedures may have the effect of precluding the conduct of certain business at a meeting if the proper procedures are not followed and may also discourage or deter a potential acquirer from conducting a solicitation of proxies to elect its own slate of directors or otherwise attempt to obtain control of our company.

Board classification. Our board of directors is divided into three classes. The directors in each class serve for a three-year term, one class being elected each year by our stockholders. This system of electing and removing directors may tend to discourage a third party from making a tender offer or otherwise attempting to obtain control of us, because it generally makes it more difficult for stockholders to replace a majority of the directors.

Delaware anti-takeover statute. We are subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law regulating corporate takeovers. In general, Section 203 prohibits a publicly held Delaware corporation from engaging, under certain circumstances, in a business combination with an interested stockholder for a period of three years following the date the person became an interested stockholder unless:

 

   

prior to the date of the transaction, our board of directors approved either the business combination or the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder;

 

   

upon completion of the transaction that resulted in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder, the interested stockholder owned at least 85% of the voting stock of the corporation outstanding at the time the transaction commenced, excluding for purposes of determining the voting stock outstanding, but not the outstanding voting stock owned by the interested stockholder, (1) shares owned by persons who are directors and also officers and (2) shares owned by employee stock plans in which employee participants do not have the right to determine confidentially whether shares held subject to the plan will be tendered in a tender or exchange offer; or

 

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at or subsequent to the date of the transaction, the business combination is approved by our board of directors and authorized at an annual or special meeting of stockholders, and not by written consent, by the affirmative vote of at least 66 2/3% of the outstanding voting stock that is not owned by the interested stockholder.

Generally, a business combination includes a merger, asset or stock sale, or other transaction resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholder. An interested stockholder is a person who, together with affiliates and associates, owns or, within three years prior to the determination of interested stockholder status, did own 15% or more of a corporation’s outstanding voting stock. We expect the existence of this provision to have an anti-takeover effect with respect to transactions our board of directors does not approve in advance. We also anticipate that Section 203 may discourage attempts that might result in a premium over the market price for the shares of common stock held by stockholders.

The provisions of Delaware law and the provisions of our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and restated bylaws could have the effect of discouraging others from attempting hostile takeovers and as a consequence, they might also inhibit temporary fluctuations in the market price of our common stock that often result from actual or rumored hostile takeover attempts. These provisions might also have the effect of preventing changes in our management. It is also possible that these provisions could make it more difficult to accomplish transactions that stockholders might otherwise deem to be in their best interests.

Transfer Agent and Registrar

The transfer agent and registrar for our common stock is ComputerShare Trust Company, N.A. The transfer agent’s address is 250 Royall Street, Canton, Massachusetts 02021, and its telephone number is (877) 373-6374.

Exchange Listing

Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “PANW.”

 

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DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES

We may offer debt securities under this prospectus. The following description summarizes the general terms and provisions of the debt securities. We will describe the specific terms of the debt securities and the extent, if any, to which the general provisions summarized below apply to any series of debt securities in the prospectus supplement relating to the series and any applicable free writing prospectus that we authorize to be delivered. When we refer to “the Company,” “we,” “our,” and “us” in this section, we mean Palo Alto Networks, Inc. excluding, unless the context otherwise requires or as otherwise expressly stated, our subsidiaries.

We may issue debt securities from time to time, in one or more series under an indenture to be entered into between us and a trustee to be named in a prospectus supplement, which we refer to as the trustee. We expect that initially the trustee for the debt securities will be U.S. Bank National Association. The form of indenture is filed as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus forms a part. This prospectus briefly outlines some of the provisions of the indenture. The following summary of the material provisions of the indenture is qualified in its entirety by the provisions of the indenture, including definitions of certain terms used in the indenture. Whenever we refer to particular sections or defined terms of the indenture, those sections or defined terms are incorporated by reference in this prospectus or the applicable prospectus supplement.

You should read the indenture and applicable board resolution and officers’ certificate or supplemental indenture (including the form of debt security) relating to the applicable series of debt securities for the provisions which may be important to you. The indenture is subject to and governed by the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended (the “Trust Indenture Act”).

General

The indenture will not limit the amount of debt securities which we may issue. We have the right to “reopen” a previous issue of a series of debt securities by issuing additional debt securities of such series. We may issue debt securities up to such aggregate principal amount as we may authorize from time to time. The senior debt securities will constitute our unsecured and unsubordinated general obligations and will rank pari passu with our other unsecured and unsubordinated debt obligations. Any subordinated debt securities issued pursuant to a supplemental indenture to the indenture will constitute our unsecured and subordinated obligations and will be junior in right of payment to our senior indebtedness (including our senior debt securities). Our secured debt, if any, will be effectively senior to the debt securities to the extent of the value of the assets securing such debt. The debt securities will be exclusively our obligations (and not obligations of our subsidiaries) and, therefore, the debt securities will be structurally subordinate to the debt and liabilities of any of our subsidiaries.

The prospectus supplement will describe the terms of any debt securities being offered, including:

 

   

the title;

 

   

whether the debt securities are senior debt securities or subordinated debt securities, and with respect to any subordinated debt securities, the terms on which they are subordinated;

 

   

any limit upon the aggregate principal amount;

 

   

the date or dates on which the principal is payable;

 

   

the rate or rates at which the debt securities shall bear interest, if any, or the method by which such rate shall be determined;

 

   

the date or dates from which interest shall accrue;

 

   

the date or dates on which interest shall be payable;

 

   

the record dates for the determination of holders to whom interest is payable;

 

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the right, if any, to extend the interest payment periods and the duration of such extension;

 

   

the manner of paying principal and interest and the place or places where the principal of and any interest shall be payable;

 

   

the price or prices at which, the period or periods within which and the terms and conditions upon which debt securities may be redeemed, in whole or in part, at our option;

 

   

our obligation, if any, to redeem, purchase or repay the debt securities pursuant to any sinking fund or otherwise or at the option of a holder thereof and, if applicable, the price or prices at which and the period or periods within which and the terms and conditions upon which the debt securities shall be redeemed, purchased or repaid, in whole or in part;

 

   

the form of debt securities, including the form of trustee’s certification;

 

   

if other than denominations of $1,000 and any multiple thereof, the denominations in which the debt securities of the series shall be issuable;

 

   

the percentage of the principal amount at which the debt securities will be issued and, if other than the principal amount thereof, the portion of such principal amount which shall be payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity thereof or provable in bankruptcy;

 

   

whether the debt securities are issuable under Rule 144A or Regulation S and, in such case, any provisions unique to such form of issuance including any transfer restrictions or exchange and registration rights;

 

   

any and all other terms of the series including any terms which may be required by or advisable under U.S. law or regulations or advisable in connection with the marketing of the debt securities;

 

   

whether the debt securities are issuable as global securities and, in such case, the identity for the depositary and the form of any required legends;

 

   

any deletion from, modification of or addition to the events of default or covenants;

 

   

any provisions granting special rights to holders when a specified event occurs;

 

   

whether and under what circumstances we will pay additional amounts on the debt securities held by a person who is not a U.S. person in respect of any tax, assessment or governmental charge withheld or deducted;

 

   

any special tax implications of the notes;

 

   

any trustees, authenticating or paying agents, transfer agents or registrars or any other agents with respect to the debt securities;

 

   

any guarantor or co-issuers;

 

   

any special interest premium or other premiums;

 

   

whether the debt securities are convertible or exchangeable into common stock or other of our equity securities and the terms and conditions upon which such conversion or exchange shall be effected;

 

   

whether and upon what terms the debt securities may be defeased or be subject to satisfaction and discharge, if different from such provisions set forth in this prospectus;

 

   

if the amount of principal or any premium or interest on the debt securities may be determined with reference to an index or pursuant to a formula, the manner in which such amounts will be determined;

 

   

the currency in which payments shall be made, if other than U.S. dollars; and

 

   

any and all additional, eliminated or changed terms that apply to the debt securities.

 

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Events of Default

When we use the term “Event of Default” in the indenture with respect to the debt securities of any series, here are some examples of what we mean:

(1) default in paying interest on the debt securities when it becomes due and the default continues for a period of 30 days or more;

(2) default in paying principal, or premium, if any, on the debt securities when due (including any sinking fund installments);

(3) default in the performance, or breach, of any covenant in the indenture (other than defaults specified in clause (1) or (2) above) and the default or breach continues for a period of 90 days or more after there has been given to us a written notice from the trustee or there has been given to us and the trustee a written notice from the holders of at least 25% in aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of the series;

(4) certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency, reorganization, administration or similar proceedings with respect to us or any material subsidiary has occurred; or

(5) any other Events of Default set forth in a prospectus supplement relating to such series of debt securities.

If an Event of Default (other than an Event of Default specified in clause (4) with respect to us) under the indenture occurs with respect to the debt securities of any series and is continuing, then the trustee may and, at the direction of the holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series, will by written notice, require us to repay immediately the entire principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series, together with all accrued and unpaid interest and premium, if any.

If an Event of Default under the indenture specified in clause (4) with respect to us occurs and is continuing, then the entire principal amount of the outstanding debt securities will automatically become due immediately and payable without any declaration or other act on the part of the trustee or any holder.

After a declaration of acceleration or any automatic acceleration under clause (4) described above, the holders of a majority in principal amount of outstanding debt securities of any series may rescind this accelerated payment requirement if all existing Events of Default, except for nonpayment of the principal and interest on the debt securities of that series that has become due solely as a result of the accelerated payment requirement, have been cured or waived and if the rescission of acceleration would not conflict with any judgment or decree. The holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series also have the right to waive past defaults, except a default in paying principal or interest on any outstanding debt security, or in respect of a covenant or a provision that cannot be modified or amended without the consent of all holders of the debt securities of that series.

Holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of a series may seek to institute a proceeding only after they have made written request, and offered such indemnity as the trustee may reasonably require, to the trustee to institute a proceeding and the trustee has failed to do so within 60 days after it received this notice. In addition, within this 60-day period the trustee must not have received directions inconsistent with this written request by holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series. These limitations do not apply, however, to a suit instituted by a holder of a debt security for the enforcement of the payment of principal, interest or any premium on or after the due dates for such payment.

During the existence of an Event of Default of which a responsible officer of the trustee has actual knowledge or has received written notice from us or any holder of the debt securities, the trustee is required to

 

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exercise the rights and powers vested in it under the indenture and use the same degree of care and skill in its exercise as a prudent person would under the circumstances in the conduct of that person’s own affairs. If an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, the trustee is not under any obligation to exercise any of its rights or powers at the request or direction of any of the holders unless the holders have offered to the trustee security or indemnity reasonably satisfactory to the trustee. Subject to certain provisions, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the trustee, or exercising any trust, or power conferred on the trustee.

The trustee will, within 45 days after any default occurs, give notice of the default to the holders of the debt securities of that series, unless the default was already cured or waived. Unless there is a default in paying principal, interest or any premium when due, the trustee can withhold giving notice to the holders if it determines in good faith that the withholding of notice is in the interest of the holders.

We are required to furnish to the trustee an annual statement as to compliance with all conditions and covenants under the indenture.

Modification and Waiver

We and the trustee may amend or modify the indenture or the debt securities without the consent of any holder of debt securities in order to:

 

   

cure ambiguities, defects or inconsistencies;

 

   

provide for the assumption of our obligations in the case of a merger or consolidation and our discharge upon such assumption;

 

   

make any change that would provide any additional rights or benefits to the holders of the debt securities of a series, including the addition of covenants of the Company and additional Events of Default that are for the benefit of the holders of the debt securities;

 

   

provide for or add guarantors with respect to the debt securities of any series;

 

   

secure the debt securities of a series;

 

   

establish the form or forms of debt securities of any series;

 

   

maintain the qualification of the indenture under the Trust Indenture Act;

 

   

conform any provision in the indenture to this “Description of Debt Securities”;

 

   

change or eliminate any provisions of the indenture, provided that any such change or elimination shall not become effective with respect to any outstanding debt securities of any series created prior to such change or elimination which is entitled to the benefit of such provision;

 

   

provide for the issuance of debt securities or issue additional debt securities of any series;

 

   

evidence and provide for a successor Trustee and add to or change the provisions of the indenture to provide for or facilitate the administration of the trusts under the indenture; or

 

   

make any change that does not adversely affect the rights of any holder.

Other amendments and modifications of the indenture or the debt securities may be made with the consent of the holders of not less than a majority of the aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of each series affected by the amendment or modification (voting as one class), and our compliance with any provision of the indenture with respect to any series of debt securities may be waived by written notice to the trustee by the holders of a majority of the aggregate principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of each

 

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series affected by the waiver (voting as one class). However, no modification or amendment may, without the consent of the holder of each outstanding debt security affected:

 

   

reduce the principal amount, or extend the fixed maturity, of the debt securities, alter or waive the redemption provisions of the debt securities;

 

   

change the currency in which principal, any premium or interest is paid;

 

   

reduce the percentage in principal amount outstanding of debt securities of any series which must consent to an amendment, supplement or waiver or consent to take any action;

 

   

impair the right to institute suit for the enforcement of any payment on the debt securities;

 

   

waive a payment default with respect to the debt securities or any guarantor;

 

   

reduce the interest rate or extend the time for payment of interest on the debt securities; or

 

   

adversely affect the ranking of the debt securities of any series.

Covenants

Principal and Interest

We covenant to pay the principal of and interest on the debt securities when due and in the manner provided in the indenture.

Consolidation, Merger or Sale of Assets

We will not consolidate or combine with or merge with or into or, directly or indirectly, sell, assign, convey, lease, transfer or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of our assets to any person or persons in a single transaction or through a series of transactions, unless:

 

   

we shall be the continuing person or, if we are not the continuing person, the resulting, surviving or transferee person (the “surviving entity”) is a corporation or limited liability company organized and existing under the laws of the United States or any State or territory;

 

   

the surviving entity will expressly assume all of our obligations under the debt securities and the indenture, and will, if required by law to effectuate the assumption, execute a supplemental indenture which will be delivered to the trustee;

 

   

immediately after giving effect to such transaction or series of transactions on a pro forma basis, no default has occurred and is continuing; and

 

   

we or the surviving entity will have delivered to the trustee an officers’ certificate and opinion of counsel stating that the transaction or series of transactions and a supplemental indenture, if any, complies with this covenant and that all conditions precedent in the indenture relating to the transaction or series of transactions have been satisfied.

The restrictions in the third and fourth bullets shall not be applicable to:

 

   

the merger or consolidation of us with an affiliate of ours if our board of directors determines in good faith that the purpose of such transaction is principally to change our state of incorporation or convert our form of organization to another form; or

 

   

the merger of us with or into a single direct or indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of ours pursuant to Section 251(g) (or any successor provision) of the DGCL.

If any consolidation or merger or any sale, assignment, conveyance, lease, transfer or other disposition of all or substantially all our assets occurs in accordance with the indenture, the successor corporation will succeed to,

 

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and be substituted for, and may exercise every right and power of ours under the indenture with the same effect as if such successor corporation had been named in our place in the indenture. We will (except in the case of a lease) be discharged from all obligations and covenants under the indenture and any debt securities issued thereunder.

Existence

Except as permitted under “—Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets,” the indenture requires us to do or cause to be done all things necessary to preserve and keep in full force and effect our existence.

Negative Covenants

In addition to the covenants set forth above, the prospectus supplement for the issuance of any particular series of debt securities may contain additional negative covenants.

Satisfaction, Discharge and Covenant Defeasance

We may terminate our obligations under the indenture, when:

 

   

either:

 

   

all the debt securities of any series issued that have been authenticated and delivered have been accepted by the trustee for cancellation; or

 

   

all the debt securities of any series issued that have not been accepted by the trustee for cancellation will become due and payable within one year (a “discharge”) and we have made irrevocable arrangements satisfactory to the trustee for the giving of notice of redemption by such trustee in our name, and at our expense and we have irrevocably deposited or caused to be deposited with the trustee sufficient funds to pay and discharge the entire indebtedness on the series of debt securities to pay principal, interest and any premium;

 

   

we have paid or caused to be paid all other sums then due and payable under the indenture; and

 

   

we have delivered to the trustee an officers’ certificate and an opinion of counsel, each stating that all conditions precedent under the indenture relating to the satisfaction and discharge of the indenture have been complied with.

We may elect to have our obligations under the indenture discharged with respect to the outstanding debt securities of any series (a “legal defeasance”). Legal defeasance means that we will be deemed to have paid and discharged the entire indebtedness represented by the outstanding debt securities of such series under the indenture, except for:

 

   

the rights of holders of the debt securities to receive principal, interest and any premium when due;

 

   

our obligations with respect to the debt securities concerning issuing temporary debt securities, registration of transfer of debt securities, mutilated, destroyed, lost or stolen debt securities and the maintenance of an office or agency for payment for debt securities payments held in trust;

 

   

the rights, powers, trusts, duties and immunities of the trustee; and

 

   

the defeasance provisions of the indenture.

In addition, we may elect to have our obligations released with respect to certain covenants in the indenture (a “covenant defeasance”). Any failure to comply with these obligations will not constitute a default or an event of default with respect to the debt securities of any series. In the event covenant defeasance occurs, certain events, not including non-payment, bankruptcy and insolvency events, described under “Events of Default” will no longer constitute an event of default for that series.

 

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In order to exercise either legal defeasance or covenant defeasance with respect to outstanding debt securities of any series:

 

   

we must irrevocably have deposited or caused to be deposited with the trustee as trust funds for the purpose of making the following payments, specifically pledged as security for, and dedicated solely to the benefits of the holders of the debt securities of a series:

 

   

money in an amount;

 

   

U.S. Government obligations; or

 

   

a combination of money and U.S. Government obligations,

in each case sufficient without reinvestment, in the written opinion of an internationally recognized firm of independent public accountants to pay and discharge, and which shall be applied by the trustee to pay and discharge, all of the principal, interest and any premium at due date or maturity or if we have made irrevocable arrangements satisfactory to the trustee for the giving of notice of redemption by the trustee in our name and at our expense, the redemption date;

 

   

in the case of legal defeasance, we must have delivered to the trustee an opinion of counsel stating that, as a result of an IRS ruling or a change in applicable federal income tax law, the holders of the debt securities of that series will not recognize gain or loss for federal income tax purposes as a result of the deposit, defeasance and discharge to be effected and will be subject to the same federal income tax as would be the case if the deposit, defeasance and discharge did not occur;

 

   

in the case of covenant defeasance, we must have delivered to the trustee an opinion of counsel to the effect that the holders of the debt securities of that series will not recognize gain or loss for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a result of the deposit and covenant defeasance to be effected and will be subject to the same federal income tax as would be the case if the deposit and covenant defeasance did not occur;

 

   

no default with respect to the outstanding debt securities of that series has occurred and is continuing at the time of such deposit after giving effect to the deposit or, in the case of legal defeasance, no default relating to bankruptcy or insolvency has occurred and is continuing at any time on or before the 91st day after the date of such deposit, it being understood that this condition is not deemed satisfied until after the 91st day;

 

   

the legal defeasance or covenant defeasance will not cause the trustee to have a conflicting interest within the meaning of the Trust Indenture Act, assuming all debt securities of a series were in default within the meaning of the Trust Indenture Act;

 

   

the legal defeasance or covenant defeasance will not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under, any other agreement or instrument to which we are a party;

 

   

the legal defeasance or covenant defeasance will not result in the trust arising from such deposit constituting an investment company within the meaning of the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”), unless the trust is registered under the Investment Company Act or exempt from registration; and

 

   

we have delivered to the trustee an officers’ certificate and an opinion of counsel stating that all conditions precedent with respect to the defeasance or covenant defeasance have been complied with.

Unclaimed Funds

All funds deposited with the trustee or any paying agent for the payment of principal, interest, premium or additional amounts in respect of the debt securities that remain unclaimed for two years after the maturity date of such debt securities will, subject to applicable abandoned property law, be repaid to us upon our request. Thereafter, any right of any noteholder to such funds shall be enforceable only against us, and the trustee and paying agents will have no liability therefor.

 

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Governing Law

The indenture and the debt securities for all purposes shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York.

Reports by the Company

Under the indenture, we will be required to file with the trustee, within 15 days after the same is filed with the SEC, any information, documents or reports that we file with the SEC pursuant to Section 13 or 15(D) (excluding any such information, documents or reports, or portions thereof, subject to confidential treatment and any correspondence with the SEC) of the Exchange Act; provided, that any such information, documents or reports filed or furnished with the SEC pursuant to its website shall be deemed to fulfill this requirement.

No Personal Liability of Incorporators, Stockholders, Officers or Directors

The indenture provides that no recourse shall be had under any obligation, covenant or agreement of ours in the indenture or in any of the debt securities or because of the creation of any indebtedness represented thereby, against any of our incorporators, stockholders, officers or directors, past, present or future, or of any predecessor or successor entity thereof under any law, statute or constitutional provision or by the enforcement of any assessment or by any legal or equitable proceeding or otherwise. Each holder, by accepting the debt securities, waives and releases all such liability.

Concerning the Trustee

The trustee will be appointed by us as paying agent, registrar and custodian with regard to the debt securities. We expect that initially the trustee for the debt securities shall be U.S. Bank National Association. The trustee or its affiliates may from time to time in the future provide banking and other services to us in exchange for a fee.

The indenture provides that, prior to the occurrence of an Event of Default with respect to the debt securities of a series and after the curing or waiving of all such Events of Default with respect to that series, the trustee will not be liable except for the performance of such duties as are specifically set forth in the indenture. If an Event of Default has occurred and has not been cured or waived, the trustee will exercise such rights and powers vested in it under the indenture and will use the same degree of care and skill in its exercise as a prudent person would exercise under the circumstances in the conduct of such person’s own affairs.

The indenture and the provisions of the Trust Indenture Act incorporated by reference therein contain limitations on the rights of the trustee thereunder, should it become a creditor of ours or any of our subsidiaries, to obtain payment of claims in certain cases or to realize on certain property received by it in respect of any such claims, as security or otherwise. The trustee is permitted to engage in other transactions, provided that if it acquires any conflicting interest (as defined in the Trust Indenture Act), it must eliminate such conflict or resign.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS

We may issue warrants to purchase our debt or equity securities or securities of third parties or other rights, including rights to receive payment in cash or securities based on the value, rate or price of one or more specified commodities, currencies, securities or indices, or any combination of the foregoing. Warrants may be issued independently or together with any other securities and may be attached to, or separate from, such securities. Each series of warrants will be issued under a separate warrant agreement to be entered into between us and a warrant agent. The terms of any warrants to be issued and a description of the material provisions of the applicable warrant agreement will be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.

DESCRIPTION OF PURCHASE CONTRACTS

We may issue purchase contracts for the purchase or sale of:

 

   

debt or equity securities issued by us or securities of third parties, a basket of such securities, an index or indices of such securities or any combination of the above as specified in the applicable prospectus supplement;

 

   

currencies; or

 

   

commodities.

Each purchase contract will entitle the holder thereof to purchase or sell, and obligate us to sell or purchase, on specified dates, such securities, currencies or commodities at a specified purchase price, which may be based on a formula, all as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. We may, however, satisfy our obligations, if any, with respect to any purchase contract by delivering the cash value of such purchase contract or the cash value of the property otherwise deliverable or, in the case of purchase contracts on underlying currencies, by delivering the underlying currencies, as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. The applicable prospectus supplement will also specify the methods by which the holders may purchase or sell such securities, currencies or commodities and any acceleration, cancellation or termination provisions or other provisions relating to the settlement of a purchase contract.

The purchase contracts may require us to make periodic payments to the holders thereof or vice versa, which payments may be deferred to the extent set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement, and those payments may be unsecured or prefunded on some basis. The purchase contracts may require the holders thereof to secure their obligations in a specified manner to be described in the applicable prospectus supplement. Alternatively, purchase contracts may require holders to satisfy their obligations thereunder when the purchase contracts are issued. Our obligation to settle such pre-paid purchase contracts on the relevant settlement date may constitute indebtedness. Accordingly, pre-paid purchase contracts will be issued under the indenture.

DESCRIPTION OF RIGHTS

As specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, we may issue rights to purchase one or more shares of common stock and/or shares of preferred stock, debt securities, warrants or units in any combination of such securities.

DESCRIPTION OF UNITS

As specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, we may issue units consisting of one or more shares of common stock, shares of preferred stock, debt securities or warrants or any combination of such securities.

 

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FORMS OF SECURITIES

Each preferred stock, debt security, warrant, purchase contract, right and unit will be represented either by a certificate issued in definitive form to a particular investor or by one or more global securities representing the entire issuance of securities. Certificated securities in definitive form and global securities will be issued in registered form. Definitive securities name you or your nominee as the owner of the security, and in order to transfer or exchange these securities or to receive payments other than interest or other interim payments, you or your nominee must physically deliver the securities to the trustee, registrar, paying agent or other agent, as applicable. Global securities name a depositary or its nominee as the owner of the preferred stock, debt securities, warrants, purchase contracts, rights or units represented by these global securities. The depositary maintains a computerized system that will reflect each investor’s beneficial ownership of the securities through an account maintained by the investor with its broker/dealer, bank, trust company or other representative, as we explain more fully below.

Global Securities

We may issue the registered preferred stock, debt securities, warrants, purchase contracts, rights and units in the form of one or more fully registered global securities that will be deposited with a depositary or its nominee identified in the applicable prospectus supplement and registered in the name of that depositary or nominee. In those cases, one or more registered global securities will be issued in a denomination or aggregate denominations equal to the portion of the aggregate principal or face amount of the securities to be represented by registered global securities. Unless and until it is exchanged in whole for securities in definitive registered form, a registered global security may not be transferred except as a whole by and among the depositary for the registered global security, the nominees of the depositary or any successors of the depositary or those nominees.

If not described below, any specific terms of the depositary arrangement with respect to any securities to be represented by a registered global security will be described in the prospectus supplement relating to those securities. We anticipate that the following provisions will apply to all depositary arrangements.

Ownership of beneficial interests in a registered global security will be limited to persons, called participants, that have accounts with the depositary or persons that may hold interests through participants. Upon the issuance of a registered global security, the depositary will credit, on its book-entry registration and transfer system, the participants’ accounts with the respective principal or face amounts of the securities beneficially owned by the participants. Any dealers, underwriters or agents participating in the distribution of the securities will designate the accounts to be credited. Ownership of beneficial interests in a registered global security will be shown on, and the transfer of ownership interests will be effected only through, records maintained by the depositary, with respect to interests of participants, and on the records of participants, with respect to interests of persons holding through participants. The laws of some states may require that some purchasers of securities take physical delivery of these securities in definitive form. These laws may impair your ability to own, transfer or pledge beneficial interests in registered global securities.

So long as the depositary, or its nominee, is the registered owner of a registered global security, that depositary or its nominee, as the case may be, will be considered the sole owner or holder of the securities represented by the registered global security for all purposes under the applicable indenture, warrant agreement or unit agreement. Except as described below, owners of beneficial interests in a registered global security will not be entitled to have the securities represented by the registered global security registered in their names, will not receive or be entitled to receive physical delivery of the securities in definitive form and will not be considered the owners or holders of the securities under the applicable certificate of designation, indenture, warrant agreement or unit agreement. Accordingly, each person owning a beneficial interest in a registered global security must rely on the procedures of the depositary for that registered global security and, if that person is not a participant, on the procedures of the participant through which the person owns its interest, to exercise any rights of a holder under the applicable certificate of designation, indenture, warrant agreement, purchase

 

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contract agreement, rights agreement or unit agreement. We understand that under existing industry practices, if we request any action of holders or if an owner of a beneficial interest in a registered global security desires to give or take any action that a holder is entitled to give or take under the applicable certificate of designation, indenture, warrant agreement or unit agreement, the depositary for the registered global security would authorize the participants holding the relevant beneficial interests to give or take that action, and the participants would authorize beneficial owners owning through them to give or take that action or would otherwise act upon the instructions of beneficial owners holding through them.

Principal, premium, if any, and interest payments on debt securities, and any payments to holders with respect to preferred stock, warrants, purchase contracts, rights or units, represented by a registered global security registered in the name of a depositary or its nominee will be made to the depositary or its nominee, as the case may be, as the registered owner of the registered global security. None of Palo Alto Networks, the trustee, any warrant agent, unit agent, transfer agent or any other agent of Palo Alto Networks, agent of the trustee or agent of such warrant agent or unit agent or transfer agent or other agent will have any responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in the registered global security or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to those beneficial ownership interests.

We expect that the depositary for any of the securities represented by a registered global security, upon receipt of any payment of principal, premium, interest, dividends or other distribution of underlying securities or other property to holders on that registered global security, will immediately credit participants’ accounts in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in that registered global security as shown on the records of the depositary. We also expect that payments by participants to owners of beneficial interests in a registered global security held through participants will be governed by standing customer instructions and customary practices, as is now the case with the securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in “street name,” and will be the responsibility of those participants.

If the depositary for any of these securities represented by a registered global security is at any time unwilling or unable to continue as depositary or ceases to be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act, and a successor depositary registered as a clearing agency under the Exchange Act is not appointed by us within 90 days, we will issue securities in definitive form in exchange for the registered global security that had been held by the depositary. Any securities issued in definitive form in exchange for a registered global security will be registered in the name or names that the depositary gives to the relevant trustee, warrant agent, unit agent or other relevant agent of ours or theirs. It is expected that the depositary’s instructions will be based upon directions received by the depositary from participants with respect to ownership of beneficial interests in the registered global security that had been held by the depositary. In addition, we may at any time determine that the securities of any series shall no longer be represented by a global security and will issue securities in definitive form in exchange for such global security pursuant to the procedure described above.

 

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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

We or selling security holders may sell the securities described in this prospectus in the following manner or any manner specified in a prospectus supplement:

 

   

directly to purchasers, through a specific bidding or auction process or otherwise;

 

   

through agents;

 

   

to or through underwriters;

 

   

through dealers; and

 

   

through a combination of any of the foregoing methods of sale.

If any securities are sold pursuant to this prospectus by any persons other than us, we will, in a prospectus supplement, name the selling security holders, indicate the nature of any relationship such holders have had to us or any of our affiliates during the three years preceding such offering, state the amount of securities of the class owned by such security holder prior to the offering and the amount to be offered for the security holder’s account, and state the amount and (if one percent or more) the percentage of the class to be owned by such security holder after completion of the offering.

We or any selling security holder may directly solicit offers to purchase securities, or agents may be designated to solicit such offers. We will, in the prospectus supplement relating to such offering, name any agent that could be viewed as an underwriter under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and describe any commissions that we or any selling security holder must pay. Any such agent will be acting on a best efforts basis for the period of its appointment or, if indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, on a firm commitment basis. Agents, dealers and underwriters may be customers of, engage in transactions with, or perform services for us in the ordinary course of business.

If any underwriters or agents are utilized in the sale of the securities in respect of which this prospectus is delivered, we and, if applicable, any selling security holder will enter into an underwriting agreement or other agreement with them at the time of sale to them, and we will set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to such offering the names of the underwriters or agents and the terms of the related agreement with them.

If a dealer is utilized in the sale of the securities in respect of which the prospectus is delivered, we will sell such securities to the dealer, as principal. The dealer may then resell such securities to the public at varying prices to be determined by such dealer at the time of resale.

Remarketing firms, agents, underwriters and dealers may be entitled under agreements which they may enter into with us to indemnification by us and by any selling security holder against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, and may be customers of, engage in transactions with or perform services for us in the ordinary course of business.

In order to facilitate the offering of the securities, any underwriters may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of the securities or any other securities the prices of which may be used to determine payments on such securities. Specifically, any underwriters may overallot in connection with the offering, creating a short position for their own accounts. In addition, to cover overallotments or to stabilize the price of the securities or of any such other securities, the underwriters may bid for, and purchase, the securities or any such other securities in the open market. Finally, in any offering of the securities through a syndicate of underwriters, the underwriting syndicate may reclaim selling concessions allowed to an underwriter or a dealer for distributing the securities in the offering if the syndicate repurchases previously distributed securities in transactions to cover syndicate short positions, in stabilization transactions or otherwise. Any of these activities may stabilize or maintain the market price of the securities above independent market levels. Any such underwriters are not required to engage in these activities and may end any of these activities at any time.

 

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Any underwriter, agent or dealer utilized in the initial offering of securities will not confirm sales to accounts over which it exercises discretionary authority without the prior specific written approval of its customer.

VALIDITY OF SECURITIES

In connection with particular offerings of the securities in the future, and if stated in the applicable prospectus supplements, the validity of those securities will be passed on for us by Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati, Professional Corporation, and for any underwriters or agents, by counsel named in the applicable prospectus supplement.

EXPERTS

Ernst & Young LLP, independent registered public accounting firm, has audited our consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended July 31, 2018, and the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of July 31, 2018, as set forth in their reports, which are incorporated by reference in this prospectus. Our financial statements and our management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting as of July 31, 2018 are incorporated by reference in reliance on Ernst & Young LLP’s reports, given on their authority as experts in accounting and auditing.

 

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1,199,364 Shares

Palo Alto Networks, Inc.

Common Stock

 

 

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

 

 

 

December 18, 2020