NYSE: AHT-PI

ASHFORD HOSPITALITY TRUST INC

CIK 0001232582 · Real Estate Investment Trusts

Ashford Hospitality Trust, Inc., together with its subsidiaries is a REIT. While our portfolio currently consists of upscale hotels and upper upscale full-service hotels, our investment strategy is predominantly focused on investing in upper upscale full-service hotels in the United States that… About this business →

8-K Filed May 28, 2026 · Period ending May 21, 2026

Ashford Hospitality Trust sells Indianapolis Sheraton for $32.1M, nets $16.9M after credits

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8-K Filed May 22, 2026 · Period ending May 19, 2026

Ashford Hospitality Trust sells Lakeway Resort and Spa for $37.75 million cash

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8-K Filed May 15, 2026 · Period ending May 12, 2026

Ashford Hospitality shareholders reject entire board slate and executive pay in protest vote

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10-Q Filed May 14, 2026 · Period ending Mar 31, 2026 Red flag

AHT suspends preferred dividends, defaults on $325M loan, records $113M impairment

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8-K Filed May 12, 2026 · Period ending May 6, 2026

Ashford Hospitality Trust sells Dallas Embassy Suites hotel for $17 million cash

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8-K Filed May 11, 2026 · Period ending May 11, 2026

Summary not yet generated.

10-K Filed Mar 23, 2026 · Period ending Dec 31, 2025

Summary not yet generated.

10-Q Filed Nov 13, 2025 · Period ending Sep 30, 2025

Summary not yet generated.

10-Q Filed May 14, 2025 · Period ending Mar 31, 2025

Summary not yet generated.

10-K Filed Mar 21, 2025 · Period ending Dec 31, 2024

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About ASHFORD HOSPITALITY TRUST INC

Source: Item 1 (Business) from the 10-K filed March 23, 2026. Description as filed by the company with the SEC.

Item 1.Business

GENERAL

Ashford Hospitality Trust, Inc., together with its subsidiaries is a REIT. While our portfolio currently consists of upscale hotels and upper upscale full-service hotels, our investment strategy is predominantly focused on investing in upper upscale full-service hotels in the United States that have revenue per available room (“RevPAR”) generally less than twice the U.S. national average, and in all methods including direct real estate, equity and debt. We currently anticipate future investments will predominantly be in upper upscale hotels. We own our lodging investments and conduct our business through Ashford Hospitality Limited Partnership (“Ashford Trust OP”), our operating partnership. Ashford OP General Partner LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ashford Trust, serves as the sole general partner of our operating partnership.

Our hotel properties are primarily branded under the widely recognized upscale and upper upscale brands of Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott and Intercontinental Hotel Group. As of December 31, 2025, we held interests in the following assets:

•67 consolidated operating hotel properties, which represent 16,445 total rooms;

•one consolidated operating hotel property, which represents 188 total rooms through a 29.3%-owned investment in a consolidated entity; and

•an investment in an entity that owns the Meritage Resort and Spa and the Grand Reserve at the Meritage (the “Meritage Investment”) in Napa, California, with a carrying value of approximately $7.3 million.

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For U.S. federal income tax purposes, we have elected to be treated as a REIT, which imposes limitations related to operating hotels. As of December 31, 2025, our 68 operating hotel properties were leased by our wholly-owned or majority-owned subsidiaries, which are treated as taxable REIT subsidiaries for U.S. federal income tax purposes (collectively, these subsidiaries are referred to as “Ashford TRS”). Ashford TRS then engages third-party or affiliated hotel management companies to operate the hotels under management contracts. Hotel operating results related to these properties are included in the consolidated statements of operations.

We are advised by Ashford LLC, a subsidiary of Ashford Inc., through an advisory agreement. All of the hotel properties in our portfolio are currently asset-managed by Ashford LLC. We do not have any employees. All of the services that might be provided by employees are provided to us by Ashford LLC.

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We do not operate any of our hotel properties directly; instead, we contractually engage hotel management companies to operate them for us under management contracts. Remington Hospitality manages 50 of our 68 hotel properties. Third-party management companies manage the remaining hotel properties.

Ashford Inc. also provides other products and services to us or our hotel properties through certain entities in which Ashford Inc. has an ownership interest. These products and services include, but are not limited to, design and construction services, debt placement and related services, audiovisual services, real estate advisory and brokerage services, insurance policies covering general liability, workers’ compensation and business automobile claims and insurance claims services, hypoallergenic premium rooms, watersport activities, broker-dealer and distribution services and cash management services. See note 17 to our consolidated financial statements.

Mr. Monty J. Bennett is chairman and chief executive officer of Ashford Inc. and, together with his father Mr. Archie Bennett, Jr., as of December 31, 2025, holds a controlling interest in Ashford Inc. As of December 31, 2025, the Bennetts owned approximately 809,937 shares of Ashford Inc. common stock, which represented an approximate 51.9% ownership interest in Ashford Inc., and owned 18,758,600 shares of Ashford Inc. Series D Convertible Preferred Stock, which, along with all unpaid accrued and accumulated dividends thereon, was convertible (at a conversion price of $117.50 per share) into an additional approximate 4,573,359 shares of Ashford Inc. common stock, which if converted as of December 31, 2025, would have increased the Bennetts’ ownership interest in Ashford Inc. to 87.8%. The 18,758,600 shares of Series D Convertible Preferred Stock owned by Mr. Monty J. Bennett and Mr. Archie Bennett, Jr. include 360,000 shares owned by trusts. Additionally, Mr. Monty J. Bennett acquired the right to direct votes, effective March 25, 2025, and as of December 31, 2025, those rights represented approximately 551,000 common shares.

Liquidity

As of December 31, 2025, the Company held cash and cash equivalents of $66.8 million and restricted cash of $149.6 million (including amounts held for sale). The vast majority of the restricted cash comprises lender and manager held reserves.

BUSINESS STRATEGIES

Based on our primary business objectives and forecasted operating conditions, our current key priorities and financial strategies include, among other things:

•preserving capital and maintaining significant cash and cash equivalents liquidity;

•disposition of non-core hotel properties;

•acquisition of hotel properties, in whole or in part, that we expect will be accretive to our portfolio;

•pursuing capital market activities and implementing strategies to enhance long-term stockholder value;

•accessing cost effective capital, including through the issuance of non-traded preferred securities;

•opportunistically exchanging preferred stock into common stock;

•implementing selective capital improvements designed to increase profitability and maintain the quality of our assets;

•implementing effective asset management strategies to minimize operating costs and increase revenues;

•financing or refinancing hotels on competitive terms;

•modifying or extending property-level indebtedness;

•utilizing hedges, derivatives and other strategies to mitigate risks;

•pursuing opportunistic value-add additions to our hotel portfolio; and

•making other investments or divestitures that our board of directors deems appropriate.

Our current investment strategy is to focus on owning predominantly full-service hotels in the upper upscale segment in domestic markets that have RevPAR generally less than twice the U.S. national average. We believe that as supply, demand, and capital market cycles change, we will be able to shift our investment strategy to take advantage of new lodging-related investment opportunities as they may develop. Our investments may include: (i) direct hotel investments; (ii) mezzanine financing through origination or acquisition; (iii) first mortgage financing through origination or acquisition; (iv) sale-leaseback transactions; and (v) other hospitality transactions.

Our strategy is designed to take advantage of lodging industry conditions and adjust to changes in market circumstances over time. Our assessment of market conditions will determine asset reallocation strategies. While we seek to capitalize on favorable market fundamentals, conditions beyond our control may have an impact on overall profitability, our investment

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opportunities and our investment returns. We will continue to seek ways to benefit from the cyclical nature of the hotel industry.

To take full advantage of future investment opportunities in the lodging industry, we intend to seek our investment opportunities according to the asset allocation strategies described below. However, due to ongoing changes in market conditions, we will continually evaluate the appropriateness of our investment strategies. Our board of directors may change any or all of these strategies at any time without stockholder approval or notice.

Direct Hotel Investments—In selecting hotels to acquire, we target hotels that offer either a high current return or the opportunity to increase in value through repositioning, capital investments, market-based recovery, or improved management practices. Our direct hotel acquisition strategy primarily targets full-service upscale and upper upscale hotels with RevPAR less than twice the national average in primary, secondary, and resort markets, typically throughout the U.S. and will seek to achieve both current income and appreciation. In addition, we will continue to assess our existing hotel portfolio and make strategic decisions to sell certain under-performing or non-strategic hotels that no longer fit our investment strategy or criteria due to micro or macro market changes or other reasons.

Other Transactions—We may also seek investment opportunities in other lodging-related assets or businesses that offer diversification, attractive risk adjusted returns, and/or capital allocation benefits, including mezzanine financing, first mortgage financing, and/or sale-leaseback transactions.

BUSINESS SEGMENTS

We currently operate in one business segment within the hotel lodging industry: direct hotel investments. A discussion of our operating segment is incorporated by reference from note 24 to our consolidated financial statements set forth in Part II, Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.

FINANCING STRATEGY

We often utilize debt to increase equity returns. When evaluating our future level of indebtedness and making decisions regarding the incurrence of indebtedness, we consider a number of factors, including:

•our leverage levels across the portfolio;

•the purchase price of our investments to be acquired with debt financing;

•impact on financial covenants;

•cost of debt;

•loan maturity schedule;

•the estimated market value of our investments upon refinancing;

•the ability of particular investments, and our Company as a whole, to generate cash flow to cover expected debt service; and

•trailing twelve months net operating income of the hotel to be financed.

We may incur debt in the form of purchase money obligations to the sellers of properties, publicly or privately placed debt instruments, or financing from banks, institutional investors, or other lenders. Any such indebtedness may be secured or unsecured by mortgages or other interests in our properties. This indebtedness may be recourse, non-recourse, or cross-collateralized. If recourse, such recourse may include our general assets or be limited to the particular investment to which the indebtedness relates. In addition, we may invest in properties or loans subject to existing loans secured by mortgages or similar liens on the properties, or we may refinance properties acquired on a leveraged basis.

We may use the proceeds from any borrowings for working capital, consistent with industry practice, to:

•purchase interests in partnerships or joint ventures;

•finance the origination or purchase of debt investments; or

•finance acquisitions, expand, redevelop or improve existing properties, or develop new properties or other uses.

In addition, if we do not have sufficient cash available, we may need to borrow to meet taxable income distribution requirements under the Code. No assurances can be given that we will obtain additional financings or, if we do, what the amount and terms will be. Our failure to obtain future financing under favorable terms could adversely impact our ability to execute our business strategy. In addition, we may selectively pursue debt financing on our individual properties and debt investments.

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DISTRIBUTION POLICY

No dividends can be paid on our common stock unless and until all accumulated and unpaid dividends on our outstanding preferred stock have been declared and paid or set aside for payment. Additionally, under Maryland law and except for an ability to pay a dividend out of current earnings in certain limited circumstances, no dividend (except a dividend in shares of stock) may be declared or paid by a Maryland corporation unless, after giving effect to the dividend, assets will continue to exceed liabilities and the corporation will be able to continue to pay its debts as they become due in the usual course. Maryland law permits these determinations to be made by our board of directors based on either a book value basis or a reasonable fair value basis. As of December 31, 2025, the Company had a deficit in stockholders’ equity of approximately $626.4 million and had not generated current earnings from which a dividend is potentially payable since the year ended December 31, 2015. There is no expectation that a dividend on our common stock can or would be considered or declared at any time in the foreseeable future.

Distributions are authorized by our board of directors and declared by us based upon a variety of factors deemed relevant by our directors. The board of directors will continue to review our distribution policy on at least a quarterly basis. Our ability to pay distributions to our preferred or common stockholders will depend, in part, upon our receipt of distributions from our operating partnership. This, in turn, may depend upon receipt of lease payments with respect to our properties from indirect subsidiaries of our operating partnership, the management of our properties by our hotel managers and general business conditions. Distributions to our stockholders are generally taxable to our stockholders as ordinary income. However, since a portion of our investments are equity ownership interests in hotels, which result in depreciation and non-cash charges against our income, a portion of our distributions may constitute a non-taxable return of capital, to the extent of a stockholder’s tax basis in the stock. To the extent that it is consistent with maintaining our REIT status, we may maintain accumulated earnings of Ashford TRS in that entity.

On December 15, 2025, our board of directors reviewed and approved our 2026 dividend policy. We do not anticipate paying any dividends on our outstanding common stock for any quarter during 2026. Further, to preserve the Company’s liquidity position as it evaluates strategic alternatives, preferred dividends have been suspended, including dividends previously declared for recordholders of the Company’s Series D, F, G, H, I, J, K, L and M preferred stock as of December 31, 2025, and payable on January 15, 2026. We intend to pay the previously declared but unpaid dividends as soon as reasonably practicable. Any accrued but unpaid dividends will accrue in accordance with the terms outlined in the applicable governing documents for each series of preferred stock. We will continue to evaluate potential future dividends on a quarterly basis. Declaration of dividends in 2026 on our preferred stock may require a determination by our board of directors, at the time of any determination, that the Company would continue to have positive equity on a fair value basis, among other considerations. Our board of directors will continue to review our dividend policy and make future announcements with respect thereto. We may incur indebtedness to meet distribution requirements imposed on REITs under the Code to the extent that working capital and cash flow from our investments are insufficient to fund required distributions.

Our corporate charter allows us to issue preferred stock with a preference on distributions, such as our 8.45% Series D Cumulative Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Series D Preferred Stock”), 7.375% Series F Cumulative Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Series F Preferred Stock”), 7.375% Series G Cumulative Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Series G Preferred Stock”), 7.50% Series H Cumulative Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Series H Preferred Stock”), 7.50% Series I Cumulative Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Series I Preferred Stock”), 8.0% Series J Redeemable Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Series J Preferred Stock”), Series K Redeemable Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Series K Preferred Stock”), Series L Redeemable Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Series L Preferred Stock”), and Series M Redeemable Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share (the “Series M Preferred Stock”) (together the “Preferred Stock”). The partnership agreement of our operating partnership also allows the operating partnership to issue units with a preference on distributions. The issuance of these series of Preferred Stock and units together with any similar issuance in the future, given the dividend preference on such stock or units, could limit our ability to make a dividend distribution to our common stockholders.

COMPETITION

The hotel industry is highly competitive, and the hotels in which we invest are subject to competition from other hotels for guests. Competition is based on a number of factors, most notably convenience of location, availability of rooms, brand affiliation, price, range of services, guest amenities or accommodations offered, and quality of customer service. Competition is often specific to the individual markets in which our properties are located and includes competition from existing and new hotels. Increased competition could have a material adverse effect on the occupancy rate, average daily room rate and revenue per available room of our hotels or may require us to make capital improvements that we otherwise would not have to make, which may result in decreases in our profitability.

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Our principal competitors include other hotel operating companies, ownership companies and national and international hotel brands. We face increased competition from providers of less expensive accommodations, such as select-service hotels or independent owner-managed hotels, during periods of economic downturn when leisure and business travelers become more sensitive to room rates. We also experience competition from alternative types of accommodations such as home sharing companies and apartment operators offering short-term rentals.

EMPLOYEES

We have no employees. Our appointed officers are provided by Ashford LLC, a subsidiary of Ashford Inc. (collectively, our “advisor”). Advisory services which would otherwise be provided by employees are provided by subsidiaries of Ashford Inc. and by our appointed officers. Subsidiaries of Ashford Inc. currently have approximately 82 full-time employees who provide advisory services to us. These employees directly or indirectly perform various acquisition, development, asset management, capital markets, accounting, tax, risk management, legal, redevelopment, and corporate management functions pursuant to the terms of our advisory agreement.

GOVERNMENTAL REGULATIONS

Our properties are subject to various federal, state and local regulatory laws and requirements, including, but not limited to, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended (the “ADA”), zoning regulations, building codes and land use laws, and building, occupancy and other permit requirements. Noncompliance could result in the imposition of governmental fines or the award of damages to private litigants. While we believe that we are currently in material compliance with these regulatory requirements, the requirements may change or new requirements may be imposed that could require significant unanticipated expenditures by us. Additionally, local zoning and land use laws, environmental statutes, health and safety rules and other governmental requirements may restrict, or negatively impact, our property operations, or expansion, rehabilitation and reconstruction activities and such regulations may prevent us from taking advantage of economic opportunities. Future changes in federal, state or local tax regulations applicable to REITs, real property or income derived from our real estate could impact the financial performance, operations, and value of our properties and the Company.

ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS

Under various federal, state, and local laws and regulations, an owner or operator of real estate may be liable for the costs of removal or remediation of certain hazardous or toxic substances on such property. These laws often impose liability without regard to whether the owner knew of, or was responsible for, the presence of hazardous or toxic substances. Furthermore, a person who arranges for the disposal of a hazardous substance or transports a hazardous substance for disposal or treatment from property owned by another may be liable for the costs of removal or remediation of hazardous substances released into the environment at that property. The costs of remediation or removal of such substances may be substantial, and the presence of such substances, or the failure to promptly remediate such substances, may adversely affect the owner’s ability to sell the affected property or to borrow using the affected property as collateral. In connection with the ownership and operation of our properties, we, our operating partnership, or Ashford TRS may be potentially liable for any such costs. In addition, the value of any lodging property loan we originate or acquire would be adversely affected if the underlying property contained hazardous or toxic substances.

Phase I environmental assessments, which are intended to identify potential environmental contamination for which our properties may be responsible, have been obtained on substantially all of our properties. Such Phase I environmental assessments included:

•historical reviews of the properties;

•reviews of certain public records;

•preliminary investigations of the sites and surrounding properties;

•screening for the presence of hazardous substances, toxic substances, and underground storage tanks; and

•the preparation and issuance of a written report.

Such Phase I environmental assessments did not include invasive procedures, such as soil sampling or ground water analysis. Such Phase I environmental assessments have not revealed any environmental liability that we believe would have a material adverse effect on our business, assets, results of operations, or liquidity, and we are not aware of any such liability. To the extent Phase I environmental assessments reveal facts that require further investigation, we would perform a Phase II environmental assessment. However, it is possible that these environmental assessments will not reveal all environmental liabilities. There may be material environmental liabilities of which we are unaware, including environmental liabilities that may have arisen since the environmental assessments were completed or updated. No assurances can be given that: (i) future

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laws, ordinances, or regulations will not impose any material environmental liability; or (ii) the current environmental condition of our properties will not be affected by the condition of properties in the vicinity (such as the presence of leaking underground storage tanks) or by third parties unrelated to us.

We believe our properties are in compliance in all material respects with all federal, state, and local ordinances and regulations regarding hazardous or toxic substances and other environmental matters. Neither we nor, to our knowledge, any of the former owners of our properties have been notified by any governmental authority of any material noncompliance, liability, or claim relating to hazardous or toxic substances or other environmental matters in connection with any of our properties.

INSURANCE

We maintain comprehensive insurance, including liability, property, workers’ compensation, rental loss, environmental, terrorism, cybersecurity, directors and officers and, when available on commercially reasonable terms, flood, wind and earthquake insurance, with policy specifications, limits, and deductibles customarily carried for similar properties. Certain types of losses (for example, matters of a catastrophic nature such as global pandemics, acts of war or substantial known environmental liabilities) as well as certain types of coverages previously available under policies set forth above (for example, communicable disease, abuse & molestation coverages previously available under general liability policies) are either uninsurable or require substantial premiums that are not economically feasible to maintain. Certain types of losses, such as those arising from subsidence activity, are insurable only to the extent that certain standard policy exceptions to insurability are waived by agreement with the insurer. We believe, however, that our properties are adequately insured, consistent with industry standards.

FRANCHISE LICENSES

We believe that the public’s perception of quality associated with a franchisor can be an important feature in the operation of a hotel. Franchisors provide a variety of benefits for franchisees, which include national advertising, publicity, and other marketing programs designed to increase brand awareness, training of personnel, continuous review of quality standards, and centralized reservation systems.

As of December 31, 2025, our portfolio consisted of 68 consolidated operating hotel properties, 63 of which operated under franchise licenses or brand management agreements, which provided for the right to operate each hotel under the applicable brand. See Item 2 Properties, below for a complete listing of all hotels by brand.

Our management companies, including Remington Hospitality, must operate each hotel pursuant to the terms of the related franchise or brand management agreement and must use their best efforts to maintain the right to operate each hotel pursuant to such terms. In the event of termination of a particular franchise or brand management agreement, our management companies must operate any affected hotels under another franchise or brand management agreement, if any, that we enter into. We anticipate that many of the additional hotels we acquire could be operated under franchise licenses or brand management agreements as well.

Our franchise licenses and brand management agreements generally specify certain management, operational, recordkeeping, accounting, reporting, and marketing standards and procedures with which the franchisee or brand operator must comply, including requirements related to:

•training of operational personnel;

•safety;

•maintaining specified insurance;

•types of services and products ancillary to guestroom services that may be provided;

•display of signage; and

•type, quality, and age of furniture, fixtures, and equipment included in guestrooms, lobbies, and other common areas.

SEASONALITY

Our properties’ operations historically have been seasonal as certain properties maintain higher occupancy rates during the summer months, while certain other properties maintain higher occupancy rates during the winter months. This seasonality pattern can cause fluctuations in our quarterly revenue. Quarterly revenue also may be adversely affected by renovations and repositionings, our managers’ effectiveness in generating business and by events beyond our control, such as pandemics, extreme weather conditions, natural disasters, terrorist attacks or alerts, civil unrest, government shutdowns, airline strikes or reduced airline capacity, economic factors and other considerations affecting travel. To the extent that cash flows from operations are insufficient during any quarter to enable us to make quarterly distributions to maintain our REIT status due to

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temporary or seasonal fluctuations in lease revenue, we expect to utilize cash on hand, cash generated through borrowings, and issuances of common stock to fund required distributions. However, we cannot make any assurances that we will make distributions in the future.

ACCESS TO REPORTS AND OTHER INFORMATION

We maintain a website at www.ahtreit.com. On our website, we make available free-of-charge our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and other reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file or furnish such material with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). All of our filed reports can also be obtained at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. In addition, our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics, Code of Ethics for the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Accounting Officer, Corporate Governance Guidelines, and Board Committee Charters are also available free-of-charge on our website or can be made available in print upon request.

A description of any substantive amendment or waiver of our Code of Business Conduct and Ethics or our Code of Ethics for the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Accounting Officer will be disclosed on our website under the Corporate Governance section. Any such description will be located on our website for a period of 12 months following the amendment or waiver. We also use our website to distribute company information, and such information may be deemed material. Accordingly, investors should monitor our website, in addition to our press releases, SEC filings and public conference calls and webcasts. The contents of our website are not, however, a part of this report.

SHAREHOLDER RIGHTS PLAN

On December 15, 2025, the Board declared a dividend of one preferred share purchase right (a “Right”) for each outstanding share of common stock, each Right initially representing the right to purchase from the Company one one thousandth of a share of Series N Junior Participating Preferred Stock, par value $0.01 per share, of the Company (the “Series N Preferred Stock”) at a price of $20.00 per one one-thousandth of a share of Series N Preferred Stock (the “Purchase Price”), subject to adjustment as provided in the Rights Agreement (defined below). The dividend was paid to holders of Common Stock of record as of 5:00 p.m. New York City time on December 26, 2025 (the “Record Date”). The description and terms of the Rights are set forth in a Rights Agreement, dated as of December 15, 2025, as the same may be amended from time to time (the “Rights Agreement”), between the Company and ComputerShare Trust Company, N.A., as rights agent. Rights were issued in respect of all outstanding shares of common stock on the Record Date, and will be issued for all shares of common stock issued after the Record Date and, subject to the terms described in the Rights Agreement, prior to the earliest of the Distribution Date (as defined below), the redemption of the Rights or the expiration of the Rights as provided by the Rights Agreement.

The Rights Agreement is designed to prevent the Company from facing a substantial limitation on its ability to use its Tax Benefits (as such term is defined in the Rights Agreement) to offset potential future income taxes for federal income tax purposes and realize other efficiencies.

Subject to certain exceptions specified in the Rights Agreement, the Rights will separate from the common stock and become exercisable at 5:00 p.m. New York City time on the next business day following the earlier of (i) the first date of public announcement by the Company that any person or group of affiliated or associated persons has become an Acquiring Person (as defined below) pursuant to the Rights Agreement, which announcement makes express reference to such status as an Acquiring Person pursuant to the Rights Agreement, or on such later date as the Board may fix by resolution adopted prior to date, or (ii) 10 business days after the date (prior to such time as any person or group of affiliated persons becomes an Acquiring Person), if any, as may be determined by action of the Board, in its sole discretion, following the commencement of, or public announcement of an intention to commence, a tender or exchange offer the consummation of which would result in any person or group of affiliated or associated persons becoming an Acquiring Person (the earlier of such dates being called the “Distribution Date”). A person or group of affiliated or associated persons becomes an “Acquiring Person” upon acquiring beneficial ownership of 4.99% or more of any class of Company Securities then outstanding, except in certain situations (including a person or group of affiliated or associated persons that as of December 15, 2025 had beneficial ownership of any class of Company Securities then outstanding in excess of such threshold unless and until such person or group becomes the beneficial owner of a percentage of any class of Company Securities outstanding that exceeds by 0.5% or more the percentage of any class of Company Securities outstanding that such person or group owned as of the first public announcement of the adoption of the Rights Agreement, and any person or group exempted by the Board). For purposes of the Rights Agreement, “Company Securities” means the common stock and any other interest that the Board determines would be treated as “stock” of the Company for purposes of Section 382 of the Code (including Treasury Regulation Sections 1.382-2(a)(3) and 1.382-2T(f)(18)).

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Until the Distribution Date (or earlier redemption or expiration of the Rights), the Rights will be transferred with and only with the common stock. As soon as practicable following the Distribution Date, separate certificates evidencing the Rights will be mailed to holders of record of the common stock as of the close of business on the Distribution Date and such separate right certificates alone will evidence the Rights. The Rights are not exercisable until the Distribution Date. Pursuant to the terms of the Rights Agreement, the Rights will expire on the earliest of (i) 5:00 p.m. New York City time on December 14, 2026, (ii) the effective date of the repeal of Section 382 of the Code or any successor statute if the Board determines in its sole discretion that the Rights Agreement is no longer necessary or desirable for the preservation of Tax Benefits, or (iii) the first day of a taxable year of the Company to which the Board determines in its sole discretion that no Tax Benefits may be carried forward, unless the Rights are earlier redeemed or exchanged by the Company, in each case as described below, or upon the occurrence of certain transactions.

Because of the nature of the Series N Preferred Stock’s dividend, liquidation and voting rights, the value of the one one-thousandth interest in a share of Series N Preferred Stock purchasable upon exercise of each Right should approximate the value of one share of Common Stock. If issued, each Right, other than Rights beneficially owned by the Acquiring Person (which will thereupon become void) will become exercisable for common stock having a value equal to two times the exercise price of the Right. However, prior to exercise, a Right does not give its holder any rights as a stockholder of the Company, including without limitation any dividend, voting or liquidation rights.