Exhibit 19.1
PC Connection, Inc.
Insider Trading Policy
| 1. | BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE |
The federal securities laws prohibit any member of the Board of Directors (a “Director”), officer (as defined in Rule 16a-1(f) under the Exchange Act, an “executive officer”) or employee of PC Connection, Inc. (together with its subsidiaries, the “Company”) from purchasing or selling Company securities on the basis of material nonpublic information concerning the Company, or from tipping material nonpublic information to others. These laws impose severe sanctions on individuals who violate them. In addition, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) has the authority to impose large fines on the Company and on the Company’s Directors, executive officers and controlling stockholders if the Company’s employees engage in insider trading and the Company has failed to take appropriate steps to prevent it (so-called “controlling person” liability).
This insider trading policy is being adopted in light of these legal requirements, and with the goal of helping:
| ◾ | prevent inadvertent violations of the insider trading laws; |
| ◾ | avoid embarrassing proxy disclosure of reporting violations by persons subject to Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”); |
| ◾ | avoid even the appearance of impropriety on the part of those employed by, or associated with, the Company; |
| ◾ | protect the Company from controlling person liability; and |
| ◾ | protect the reputation of the Company, its Directors and its employees. |
As detailed below, this policy applies to family members and certain other persons and entities with whom Directors and employees have relationships. However, nothing in this policy is applicable to transactions by the Company itself.
| 2. | PROHIBITIONS RELATING TO TRANSACTIONS IN THE COMPANY’S SECURITIES |
| 2.1 | Covered Persons. This Section 2 applies to: |
| ◾ | all Directors; |
| ◾ | all employees; |
| ◾ | all family members of Directors and employees who share the same address as, or are financially dependent on, the Director or employee and any other person who shares the same address as the Director or employee (other than (x) an employee or tenant of the Director or employee or (y) another unrelated person whom the Chief Financial Officer or the General Counsel determines should not be covered by this policy); and |
| ◾ | all corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships, trusts or other entities controlled by any of the above persons, unless the entity has implemented policies or procedures designed to ensure that such person cannot influence transactions by the entity involving Company securities. |
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| 2.2 | Prohibition on Trading While Aware of Material Nonpublic Information. |
| ◾ | purchase, sell or donate any securities of the Company while he or she is aware of any material nonpublic information concerning the Company or recommend to another person that they do so; |
| ◾ | tip or otherwise disclose to any other person any material nonpublic information concerning the Company if such person may misuse that information, such as by purchasing or selling Company securities or tipping that information to others; |
| ◾ | purchase, sell or donate any securities of another company while he or she is aware of any material nonpublic information concerning such other company which he or she learned in the course of his or her service as a Director or employee of the Company or recommend to another person that they do so; or |
| ◾ | tip or otherwise disclose to any other person any material nonpublic information concerning another company which he or she learned in the course of his or her service as a Director or employee of the Company if such person may misuse that information, such as by purchasing or selling securities of such other company or tipping that information to others. |
| ◾ | short sales, including short sales “against the box”; or |
| ◾ | purchases or sales of puts, calls or other derivative securities; or |
| ◾ | purchases of financial instruments (including prepaid variable forward contracts, equity swaps, collars and exchange funds) or other transactions that hedge or offset, or are designed to hedge or offset, any decrease in the market value of Company securities. |
| 3. | ADDITIONAL PROHIBITIONS APPLICABLE TO DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND DESIGNATED EMPLOYEES |
| 3.1 | Covered Persons. This Section 3 applies to: |
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| ◾ | all Directors; |
| ◾ | all executive officers; |
| ◾ | such other employees as are designated from time to time by the Board of Directors, the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Financial Officer or the General Counsel as being subject to this Section 3 (the “Designated Employees”); |
| ◾ | all family members of Directors, executive officers and Designated Employees who share the same address as, or are financially dependent on, the Director, executive officer or Designated Employee and any other person who shares the same address as the Director, executive officer or Designated Employee (other than (x) an employee or tenant of the Director, executive officer or Designated Employee or (y) another unrelated person whom the Chief Financial Officer or the General Counsel determines should not be covered by this policy); and |
| ◾ | all corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships, trusts or other entities controlled by any of the above persons, unless the entity has implemented policies or procedures designed to ensure that such person cannot influence transactions by the entity involving Company securities. |
| 3.2 | Blackout Periods. |
| 3.3 | Notice and Pre-Clearance of Transactions. |
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| 4. | EXCEPTIONS |
| ◾ | exercises of stock options or other equity awards that would otherwise expire or the surrender of shares to the Company in payment of the exercise price or in satisfaction of any tax withholding obligations, in each case in a manner permitted by the applicable equity award agreement; provided, however, that the securities so acquired may not be sold (either outright or in connection with a “cashless” exercise transaction through a broker) while the employee or Director is aware of material nonpublic information or during an applicable blackout period; |
| ◾ | acquisitions or dispositions of Company common stock under the Company’s 401(k) or other individual account plan that are made pursuant to standing instructions not entered into or modified while the employee or Director is aware of material nonpublic information or during an applicable blackout period; |
| ◾ | other purchases of securities from the Company (including purchases under the Company’s Employee Stock Purchase Plan) or sales of securities to the Company; provided, however, that if the transaction involves the exercise of stock options or other equity awards, the transaction must be permitted by the first bullet above; |
| ◾ | bona fide gifts, unless the donor has reason to believe that the recipient intends to sell the securities while the donor is aware of material nonpublic information or during an applicable blackout period; and |
| ◾ | purchases or sales made pursuant to a binding contract, written plan or specific instruction (a “trading plan”) which is adopted and operated in compliance with Rule 10b5-1; provided such trading plan: (1) is in writing; (2) was submitted to the Company for review by the Company prior to its adoption; and (3) was not adopted while the employee or Director was aware of material nonpublic information or during an applicable blackout period; and provided further that, in the case of someone who is subject to Section 3, if such trading plan is adopted within two weeks prior to the commencement of a regular blackout period (as defined in Section 2.3(a)), trades may not occur pursuant to such trading plan prior to the termination of such regular blackout period |
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| 5. | REGULATION BTR |
If the Company is required to impose a “pension fund blackout period” under Regulation BTR, each Director and executive officer shall not, directly or indirectly sell,
purchase or otherwise transfer during such blackout period any equity securities of the Company acquired in connection with his or her service as a director or officer of the Company, except as permitted by Regulation BTR.
| 6. | PENALTIES FOR VIOLATION |
Violation of any of the foregoing rules is grounds for disciplinary action by the Company, including termination of employment. In addition to any disciplinary actions the Company may take, insider trading can also result in administrative, civil or criminal proceedings which can result in significant fines and civil penalties, being barred from service as an officer or director of a public company, or imprisonment.
| 7. | COMPANY ASSISTANCE AND EDUCATION |
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