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 2, 2005
LEGGETT & PLATT, INCORPORATED
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| Missouri | 001-07845 | 44-0324630 | ||
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) |
(Commission File Number) | (IRS Employer Identification No.) |
| No. 1 Leggett Road, Carthage, MO | 64836 | |
| (Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) |
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code 417-358-8131
N/A
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report.)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2 below):
| ¨ | Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the 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)) |
Item 5.02 Departure of Directors or Principal Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of Principal Officers
(d) On November 2, 2005, the Board of Directors, upon the recommendation of the Nominating & Corporate Governance Committee, elected Phoebe A. Wood as a new director. The Board also appointed Ms. Wood to serve on the Audit Committee.
There is no arrangement or understanding between Ms. Wood and any other person pursuant to which Ms. Wood was elected as a director of the Company. There are no transactions in which Ms. Wood has an interest requiring disclosure under Item 404(a) of Regulation S-K.
A copy of the press release issued by the Company on November 2, 2005 announcing Ms. Wood’s election is attached as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits
(d) Exhibits.
| Exhibit No. |
Description | |
| 99.1 | Press release, dated November 2, 2005 |
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.
| LEGGETT & PLATT, INCORPORATED | ||||
| Date: November 2, 2005 | By: | /s/ Ernest C. Jett | ||
| Ernest C. Jett | ||||
| Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary | ||||
INDEX TO EXHIBITS
| Exhibit No. |
Description | |
| 99.1 | Press Release, dated November 2, 2005 |
Exhibit 99.1
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: NOVEMBER 2, 2005
LEGGETT & PLATT ANNOUNCES DIVIDEND AND NEW BOARD MEMBER
Carthage, MO, November 2, 2005 —
| • | 4Q dividend is $.16 per share, 6.7% higher than the 4Q 2004 dividend. |
| • | 34 consecutive annual dividend increases, averaging more than 14% annual growth. |
| • | Dividend yield is currently 3.2%. |
| • | Phoebe A. Wood, EVP and CFO of Brown-Forman, joins Leggett’s Board effective today. |
Diversified manufacturer Leggett & Platt’s Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of $.16 per share today. This is a 6.7% increase over last year’s fourth quarter dividend (of $.15 per share). The dividend will be paid on January 13, 2006 to shareholders of record on December 15, 2005.
The company’s dividends have increased annually for 34 consecutive years, at an average compound growth rate of better than 14%. Leggett knows of only one Fortune 500 company with a longer string of consecutive annual dividend increases and a higher compound growth rate.
Leggett & Platt announced the election of Phoebe A. Wood to the Board of Directors, filling a vacancy created by expansion of the Board to 12 members. Ms. Wood was also elected to the Board’s Audit Committee, and designated a financial expert. Ms. Wood is Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Brown-Forman Corporation, where she is responsible for financial operations including corporate development, control, treasury, investor relations, tax, information technology, and internal audit. Brown-Forman is a diversified producer and marketer of fine quality consumer products, is one of the largest American-owned companies in the worldwide wine and spirits industry, and has annual revenues of approximately $2.5 billion.
Ms. Wood joined Brown-Forman in 2001 from the Motorola subsidiary Propel, Inc. where she served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Prior to joining Motorola, Ms. Wood had an extensive career of over 20 years with the Atlantic Richfield Company, with assignments as Vice President of Finance, Planning and Control for ARCO subsidiaries in Alaska and England. She has over 28 years of U.S. and international financial and operational management experience in energy, technology, and consumer products and has served as chief financial officer and a member of the executive teams of four large divisions of Fortune 100 companies.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Visit Leggett’s website at www.leggett.com.
COMPANY DESCRIPTION: Leggett & Platt (NYSE: LEG) is a Fortune 500 diversified manufacturer that conceives, designs and produces a broad variety of engineered components and products that can be found in virtually every home, office, retail store, and automobile. The company serves a broad suite of customers that comprise a “Who’s Who” of U.S. manufacturers and retailers. The 122-year-old firm is composed of 29 business units, 33,000 employee-partners, and more than 300 facilities located in over 20 countries.
Leggett & Platt is North America’s leading independent manufacturer of the following: a) components for residential furniture and bedding; b) retail store fixtures and point of purchase displays; c) components for office furniture; d) non-automotive aluminum die castings; e) drawn steel wire; f) automotive seat support and lumbar systems; g) carpet underlay; h) adjustable beds; and i) bedding industry machinery for wire forming, sewing and quilting.
CONTACT: Investor Relations, (417) 358-8131 or invest@leggett.com
David M. DeSonier, Vice President, or Susan R. McCoy, Director