SOTK Sono Tek Corporation

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 8-K

 

CURRENT REPORT

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

 

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): November 16, 2023

 

Sono-Tek Corporation

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Commission File Number: 000-16035

 

New York		14-1568099
(State of Incorporation)		(I.R.S. Employer ID No.)
2012 Route 9W, Milton, New York		12547
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)		(Zip Code)

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (845) 795-2020

 

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

 

☐	Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
☐	Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
☐	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
☐	Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

 

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

 

Title of each class	Trading Symbol(s)	Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share	SOTK	NASDAQ

 

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

 

Emerging growth company ☐

 

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

 

 

 

Item 5.02: Departure of Directors or Certain Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Certain Officers; Compensatory Arrangements of Certain Officers.

On November 16, 2023, the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of Sono-Tek Corporation (the “Company”) adopted a Clawback Policy (the “Clawback Policy”), with an effective date of October 2, 2023, in order to comply with Section 10D of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”), Rule 10D-1 of the Exchange Act and the listing standards adopted by the Nasdaq Stock Market.

The Clawback Policy provides for the mandatory recovery of erroneously awarded incentive-based compensation from current and former executive officers (as defined in the Clawback Policy) of the Company in the event that the Company is required to prepare an accounting restatement.

The foregoing description of the Clawback Policy is a summary only and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Clawback Policy, a copy of which is attached to this Current Report on Form 8-K as Exhibit 10.1 and is incorporated herein by reference.

 

Item 9.01: Financial Statements and Exhibits.

 

(d) Exhibits

 

10.1	Sono-Tek Corporation Incentive Compensation Clawback Policy.
104	Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document)

 

 

Signatures

 

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

 

SONO-TEK CORPORATION

 

By: /s/ Stephen J. Bagley

Stephen J. Bagley

Chief Financial Officer

November 17, 2023

 

 

Exhibit 10.1

Sono-Tek Corporation

Incentive Compensation Clawback Policy

(Effective Date: October 2, 2023)

 

1.

Purpose

The purpose of the Sono-Tek Corporation Incentive Compensation Clawback Policy (this “Policy”) is to provide for the recovery of certain Incentive-Based Compensation in the event of an Accounting Restatement. This Policy is intended to comply with, and to be administered and interpreted consistent with, Section 10D of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), Rule 10D-1 promulgated under the Exchange Act (“Rule 10D-1”), and Listing Rule 5608 adopted by the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) (the “Listing Standards”). Unless otherwise defined in this Policy, capitalized terms shall have the meanings set forth in the Appendix attached hereto.

2.

Policy for Recovery of Erroneously Awarded Compensation

In the event of an Accounting Restatement, it is the Company's policy to recover reasonably promptly the amount of any Erroneously Awarded Compensation Received during the Recovery Period.

 

3.

Application of Policy

This Policy applies to Incentive-Based Compensation Received by an Executive Officer (i) on or after October 2, 2023 and after such individual began service as an Executive Officer, (ii) if that person served as an Executive Officer at any time during the performance period for the Incentive-Based Compensation, and (iii) while the Company had a listed class of securities on a national securities exchange.

4.

Administration

 

4.1.

This Policy shall be administered by the Compensation Committee, except that the Board may determine to act as the administrator or designate another committee of the Board to act as the administrator with respect to any portion of this Policy other than Section 4.3 (the “Administrator”). The Administrator is authorized to interpret and construe this Policy and to make all determinations necessary, appropriate, or advisable for the administration of this Policy.

 

4.2.

The Company is authorized to take appropriate steps to implement this Policy and may effect recovery hereunder by: (i) requiring payment to the Company, (ii) set-off, (iii) reducing compensation, or (iv) such other means or combination of means as the Administrator determines to be appropriate.

 

4.3.

The Company need not recover Erroneously Awarded Compensation if and to the extent that the Compensation Committee or a majority of the independent members of the Board determines that such recovery is impracticable and not required under Rule 10D-1 and the Listing Standards, including if the Compensation Committee or a majority of the independent members of the Board determines that: (i) the direct expense paid to a third party to assist in enforcing this Policy would exceed the amount to be recovered after making a reasonable attempt to recover, (ii) recovery would violate home country law adopted prior to November 28, 2022, after obtaining the opinion of home country counsel, or (iii) recovery would likely cause an otherwise tax-qualified broad-based retirement plan to fail the requirements of Section 401(a)(13) or Section 411(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and regulations thereunder.

 

4.4.

The Administrator may require each Executive Officer to sign and return to the Company an Acknowledgment Form substantially in the form attached to this Policy as Exhibit A or in such other form determined by the Administrator, pursuant to which the Executive Officer agrees to be bound by, and comply with, the terms of this Policy.

 

4.5.

Any determinations made by the Administrator under this Policy shall be final and binding on all affected individuals and need not be uniform among affected individuals.

 

5.

Other Recovery Rights; Company Claims

Any right of recovery pursuant to this Policy is in addition to, and not in lieu of, any other remedies or rights of recovery that may be available to the Company under applicable law or pursuant to the terms of any compensation recovery policy in any employment agreement, plan or award agreement, or pursuant to the terms of any other compensation recovery policy of the Company. Nothing contained in this Policy and no recovery hereunder shall limit any claims, damages, or other legal remedies the Company may have against an individual arising out of or resulting from any actions or omissions by such individual.

6.

Reporting and Disclosure

The Company shall file all disclosures with respect to this Policy in accordance with the requirements of federal securities laws.

7.

Indemnification Prohibition

Notwithstanding the terms of any indemnification or insurance policy or any contractual arrangement that may be interpreted to the contrary, the Company shall not indemnify any Executive Officer with respect to amount(s) recovered under this Policy or claims relating to the enforcement of this Policy, including any payment or reimbursement for the cost of third-party insurance purchased by such Executive Officer to fund potential clawback obligations hereunder.

8.

Amendment; Termination

The Board or the Compensation Committee may amend or terminate this Policy from time to time in its discretion as it deems appropriate and shall amend this policy as it deems necessary to comply with applicable law or any rules or standards adopted by a national securities exchange on which the Company's securities are listed; provided, however, that no amendment or termination of this Policy shall be effective to the extent it would cause the Company to violate any federal securities laws, Securities and Exchange Commission rule or the rules or standards of any national securities exchange on which the Company's securities are listed.

 

9.

Successors

This Policy shall be binding and enforceable against all individuals who are or were Executive Officers and their beneficiaries, heirs, executors, administrators, or other legal representatives.

 

10.

Effective Date

This Policy was approved on November 16, 2023 and is effective only for Incentive-Based Compensation Received on or after the Nasdaq Effective Date.

 

APPENDIX

 

Definitions: For purposes of this Policy, the following terms shall have the meanings set forth below:

 

“Accounting Restatement” means an accounting restatement of the Company's financial statements due to the Company's material noncompliance with any financial reporting requirement under the securities laws, including any accounting restatement required to correct an error in previously issued financial statements that is material to the previously issued financial statements, or that would result in a material misstatement if the error were corrected in the current period or left uncorrected in the current period.

 

“Administrator” has the meaning set forth in Section 4.1 hereof.

 

“Board” means the Company's Board of Directors.

 

“Company” means Sono-Tek Corporation, a New York corporation, and its affiliates.

 

“Compensation Committee” means the Compensation Committee of the Board.

 

“Erroneously Awarded Compensation” means the amount, as determined by the Administrator, of Incentive-Based Compensation received by an Executive Officer that exceeds the amount of Incentive-Based Compensation that would have been received by the Executive Officer had it been determined based on the restated amounts. For Incentive-Based Compensation based on stock price or total shareholder return (“TSR") the Administrator will determine the amount based on a reasonable estimate of the effect of the Accounting Restatement on the stock price or TSR upon which the Incentive-Based Compensation was received, and the Company will maintain documentation of the determination of that reasonable estimate and provide the documentation to Nasdaq. In all cases, the amount to be recovered will be calculated without regard to any taxes paid by the Executive Officer with respect of the Erroneously Awarded Compensation.

 

“Executive Officers” means the Company's current and former executive officers as determined by the Administrator in accordance with Rule 10D-1 and the Listing Standards. Generally, Executive Officers include any executive officer designated by the Board as an "officer" under Rule 16a-1(f) under the Exchange Act.

 

“Financial Reporting Measure” means (i) any measure that is determined and presented in accordance with the accounting principles used in preparing the Company's financial statements and any measure derived wholly or in part from such a measure, and (ii) any measure based wholly or in part on the Company's stock price or total shareholder return. A Financial Reporting Measure need not be presented within the Company's financial statements or included in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

“Incentive-Based Compensation” means any compensation granted, earned, or vested based in whole or in part on the Company's attainment of a Financial Reporting Measure. Incentive-Based Compensation is deemed to be “Received" for purposes of this Policy in the fiscal period during which the Financial Reporting Measure specified in the Incentive-Based Compensation award is attained, even if the payment or grant of such Incentive-Based Compensation occurs after the end of that period.

 

“Nasdaq Effective Date” shall mean October 2, 2023.

 

“Recovery Period” means the three completed fiscal years immediately preceding the date that the Company is required to prepare the applicable Accounting Restatement and any “transition period” as described under Rule 10D-1 and the Listing Standards. For purposes of this Policy, the “date that the Company is required to prepare the applicable Accounting Restatement” is the earlier to occur of (i) the date the Board, a committee of the Board, or the officer or officers of the Company authorized to take such action if Board action is not required, concludes, or reasonably should have concluded, that the Company is required to prepare an Accounting Restatement, or (ii) the date a court, regulator, or other legally authorized body directs the Company to prepare an Accounting Restatement.

 

 

 

Exhibit A

 

Sono-Tek Corporation
Incentive Compensation Clawback Policy

 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FORM

 

I, the undersigned, acknowledge and affirm that I have received and reviewed a copy of the Sono-Tek Corporation Incentive Compensation Clawback Policy, and agree that: (i) I am and will continue to be subject to the Sono-Tek Corporation Incentive Compensation Clawback Policy, as amended from time to time (the “Policy”), (ii) the Policy will apply to me both during and after my employment with the Company, and (iii) I will abide by the terms of the Policy, including, without limitation, by promptly returning any Erroneously Awarded Compensation to the Company to the extent required by, and in a manner determined by the Administrator and permitted by, the Policy. In the event of any inconsistency between the Policy and the terms of any employment agreement or offer letter to which I am a party, or the terms of any compensation plan, program, or agreement under which any compensation has been granted, awarded, earned or paid, the terms of the Policy shall govern.

 

Capitalized terms used but not otherwise defined in this Acknowledgement Form shall have the meanings ascribed to such terms in the Policy.

 

________________________________

Signature

 

________________________________

Print Name

 

________________________________

Date

 

 

 

 

 

v3.23.3

Cover	Nov. 16, 2023
Cover [Abstract]
Document Type	8-K
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Nov. 16, 2023
Entity File Number	000-16035
Entity Registrant Name	SONO TEK CORP
Entity Central Index Key	0000806172
Entity Tax Identification Number	14-1568099
Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code	NY
Entity Address, Address Line One	2012 Route 9W
Entity Address, City or Town	Milton
Entity Address, State or Province	NY
Entity Address, Postal Zip Code	12547
City Area Code	(845)
Local Phone Number	795-2020
Written Communications	false
Soliciting Material	false
Pre-commencement Tender Offer	false
Pre-commencement Issuer Tender Offer	false
Title of 12(b) Security	Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share
Trading Symbol	SOTK
Security Exchange Name	NASDAQ
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false

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