SEC Company Response from COMCAST CORP (CCZ, CMCSA) (CIK 0001166691) (CCZ) — Oct 27, 2004
COMCAST CORP (CCZ, CMCSA) (CIK 0001166691)
Date: Oct. 27, 2004 · CIK: 0001166691 · Accession: 0000950159-04-000932
AI Filing Summary & Sentiment
File numbers found in text: 333-119161
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CORRESP
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Comcast Corporation Correspondence
Pepper Hamilton LLP
3000 Two Logan Square
Eighteenth and Arch Streets
Philadelphia, PA 19103-2799
215.981.4000
Fax 215.981.4750
October 27, 2004
Via Facsimile and EDGAR
Securities and Exchange Commission
450 Fifth Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20549
Attention: Larry Spirgel (Mail Stop 0407)
Re:
Comcast Corporation
Form S-3
Filed September 21, 2004
SEC File No. 333-119161
Ladies and Gentlemen:
This letter
responds to comments by the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
“Commission”) contained in the letter (the “Comment Letter”)
dated October 22, 2004, from Larry Spirgel, Assistant Director of the Division
of Corporation Finance, to Arthur R. Block, Senior Vice President of Comcast
Corporation (the “Company”). The responses set forth below are
numbered to correspond to the numbered comments in the Comment Letter.
Additionally, the Company is simultaneously filing Amendment No. 1 to the
Registration Statement (“Amendment No. 1”) in response to the Comment
Letter.
1. We have structured the
Stock Option Liquidity Program as a purchase from eligible optionees by the Company, and
a subsequent purchase from the Company by JPMorgan Chase Bank, because such a structure
was more efficient under the terms of the existing option agreements. Structuring the
Stock Option Liquidity Program as a direct transfer would have required an amendment to
the existing option agreements and plans to permit transfers to third parties. In
addition, while the Company is issuing options to JPMorgan Chase Bank that will be
substantially similar as those purchased from eligible optionees (including the same
notional amounts, strike prices, times to maturity and underlying stock), such options
will also have terms typically found in equity option transactions entered into between
sophisticated financial counterparties at arm’s length. Structuring the Stock
Option Liquidity Program as a direct transfer would have required an amendment to the
existing option agreements and plans to permit these changes.
Pepper Hamilton LLP
Securities and Exchange Commission
October 27, 2004
Page 2
2. The purpose of the
Stock Option Liquidity Program is to permit eligible optionholders to sell their
eligible options for cash. As an economic matter, the Company does not wish to own these
options, so it will buy these options from eligible optionholders under the Stock Option
Liquidity Program, and, at the same time, sell options to JPMorgan Chase Bank. The
options that JPMorgan Chase Bank buys from the Company will have the same notional
amounts, strike prices, times to maturity and underlying stock as the eligible options
sold by eligible optionholders to the Company pursuant to the Stock Option Liquidity
Program. In order to hedge its exposure to ownership of the options that it is
purchasing from the Company, and to comply with the requirements set forth in the SEC’s
No-Action Letter to Goldman, Sachs & Co. dated as of October 9, 2003, JPMorgan Chase
Bank is selling shares of the Company’s common stock under the registration
statement. The shares of the Company’s common stock sold under the registration
statement will be sourced in the market and will not be acquired from the Company.
Further in compliance
with this comment, disclosure has been added to the “Plan of Distribution” section
of Amendment No. 1 to clarify how the option sale by the Company to JPMorgan relates to
JPMorgan’s hedging activity involving shares acquired from third parties, as well
as to explain the relationship of the option sale to JPMorgan to the goal of the Stock
Option Liquidity Program to provide value to eligible optionholders.
3. JPMorgan Chase Bank
will sell short shares of Company common stock in order to hedge its exposure to the
options that it is buying from the Company. After complying with the requirements
set forth in the SEC’s No-Action Letter to Goldman, Sachs & Co. dated as of
October 9, 2003, JPMorgan Chase Bank’s short (or “delta” hedge) position
will be such that any increase in the value of the options that it holds (the options
purchased from the Company in connection with the Stock Option Liquidity Program) due to
an increase the price of Company common stock will be generally offset by an equal
decrease in the value of such short (or “delta” hedge) position. Similarly,
any decrease in the value of such options due to a decrease in the price of Company
common stock will be generally offset by an equal increase in the value of its short (or
“delta” hedge position) position. Over the life of the options, JPMorgan
Chase Bank will adjust its short (or “delta” hedge) position and enter into
other derivative hedging instruments to hedge its economic risk with respect to the
options that it purchases from the Company.
4. In response to this
comment, we have added a new risk factor in Amendment No. 1 captioned “J.P. Morgan
Securities Inc.‘s market activities with respect to our common stock may affect the
market price and volatility of our common stock.”
Pepper Hamilton LLP
Securities and Exchange Commission
October 27, 2004
Page 3
5. The sales made by
JPMorgan Chase Bank to hedge its economic risk associated with the options that it is
purchasing from the Company will be executed during the averaging period for the Stock
Option Liquidity Program (since this is the period during which the price to be paid by
the Company to eligible optionholders is determined). As detailed in the “Plan
of Distribution,” JPMorgan Chase Bank will be making additional sales to comply
with the regulatory requirements set forth in the SEC’s No-Action Letter to
Goldman, Sachs & Co. dated as of October 9, 2003. These additional sales do
not hedge JPMorgan Chase Bank’s economic risk – in fact, they will result in
JPMorgan Chase Bank both selling and buying Company common stock on a near simultaneous
basis throughout this period. In order to complete these additional sales as promptly as
practicable, JPMorgan Chase Bank will begin sales pursuant to the registration statement
before the election or averaging periods for the Stock Option Liquidity Program.
6. In response to this
comment, we have added disclosure to the “Plan of Distribution” section of
Amendment No. 1 to indicate that each of JPMorgan Chase Bank and J.P. Morgan Securities
Inc. will be statutory underwriters under the Securities Act of 1933.
7. Please note that the
registration agreement, engagement letter, call option transaction confirmation and
program agreement were filed as Exhibits (d)(1), (d)(2), (d)(3) and (d)(4),
respectively, to the Comcast Corporation Schedule TO filed with the Commission on
October 8, 2004 (File Number 005-78608).
We look forward to
hearing from you at your earliest convenience. Please direct any questions regarding
this filing to the undersigned at 215.981.4773.
Very
truly yours,
Robert A. Friedel