As previously disclosed, Leaf Group Ltd. (“Leaf
Group” or the “Company”) entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated April 3, 2021, by and among Graham
Holdings Company (“Parent”), Pacifica Merger Sub, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent (“merger
subsidiary”) and the Company, pursuant to which the merger subsidiary will merge with and into the Company, with the Company
surviving as a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent (the “Merger”). On May 6, 2021, Leaf Group filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) a definitive proxy statement (the "Proxy Statement") for the solicitation of proxies in
connection with a special meeting of Leaf Group stockholders, to be held June 10, 2021, to vote upon, among other things, the
adoption of the Merger Agreement.
SUPPLEMENT TO PROXY STATEMENT
Leaf Group is supplementing the Proxy Statement with certain additional
information set forth below. These disclosures should be read in connection with the Proxy Statement, which should be read in its entirety.
Defined terms used but not defined herein have the meanings set forth in the Proxy Statement. Without agreeing in any way that the disclosures
below are material or otherwise required by law, Leaf Group makes the following supplemental disclosures:
SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURES
1. The
section of the Proxy Statement entitled “Background of The Merger” is hereby supplemented as follows:
The third and fourth
full paragraphs on page 31 of the Proxy Statement is amended and restated in its entirety to read as follows (with the new text in
underline):
“On January 26, 2021, Company
management discussed with representatives of Moorgate Securities LLC (referred to as “Moorgate”) Parent’s interest
in a potential acquisition of the Company and the possibility of Moorgate acting as a financial advisor to assist the Company in its
evaluation of the expected proposal from Parent and any other acquisition proposals that the Company may receive. The Company
contacted Moorgate because (i) of its earlier engagement as a financial advisor in connection with the
2019 – 20 Strategic Process, (ii) of its substantial knowledge of and familiarity with the Company’s
business and operations, competitors and the industries in which the Company operates and (iii) if the Company were sold by
June 2021, Moorgate would be entitled to a transaction fee under its prior engagement letter with the Company. It was
further known that other than its engagement in connection with the 2019-20 Strategic Process, Moorgate has not provided investment
banking or financial advisory services to the Company or Parent, including any of its affiliates or portfolio companies, that could
otherwise create a conflict of interest in connection with any evaluation of the merger.
On January 27, 2021, the Board
held a meeting with members of Company management and representatives of Goodwin Procter LLP (referred to as “Goodwin”), the
Company’s outside legal counsel, present. Mr. Moriarty discussed Parent’s interest in exploring a potential acquisition
of the Company, the parties’ discussions to date, that the parties had entered into a confidentiality agreement and that the Company
had provided preliminary and limited due diligence information to Parent. Representatives of Goodwin provided an overview of the fiduciary
duties of the Company’s directors under Delaware law and the legal standards applicable to their decisions and actions in evaluating
and responding to an offer to acquire the Company. Company management discussed the potential engagement of Moorgate to assist the Board
with regard to the expected proposal from Parent and any other acquisition proposals that the Company may receive. In light of the factors
described above, the Board approved the engagement of Moorgate as financial advisor, subject to the negotiation of a satisfactory engagement
letter. Representatives of Goodwin also discussed that, because Moorgate does not provide fairness opinions and would not consider
doing so in connection with its strategic advice to the Company, in the event of a sale of the Company the Company would have to engage
an additional financial advisor to deliver a fairness opinion. The Board discussed that it would be appropriate to consider Canaccord
Genuity to deliver such a fairness opinion, given that Canaccord Genuity was the sole book-running manager in the Company’s December 14,
2020 public offering and its substantial knowledge and familiarity with the Company and its industry. Company management also informed
the Board that it was in the process of finalizing its 2021 financial plan and its five-year standalone plan, which upon completion would
be presented to the Board. Following discussion, the Board authorized the Company and its advisors to continue discussions with Parent.
Also at the meeting, Company management provided an update on the Company’s preliminary financial outlook for the then-current fiscal
quarter.”
2. The
section of the Proxy Statement entitled “The Merger—Opinion of Leaf Group’s Financial Advisor—Summary of Financial
Analyses—Selected Public Companies Analysis” is hereby supplemented as follows:
The last full paragraph
on page 44 of the Proxy Statement is amended and restated in its entirety to read as follows (with the new text in underline):
“Selected Public Companies Analysis.
Canaccord Genuity reviewed certain publicly available financial information for selected public companies in the digital media and e-commerce
industries that, based on its experience and professional judgment, share similar financial, business or operating characteristics to
the Company, taking into account, among other things, market capitalization, growth or margins. No company utilized in the selected
public companies analysis is directly comparable to the Company and certain of these companies may have financial, business or operating
characteristics that are materially different from those of the Company. However, the companies were selected, among other reasons, because
they are publicly-traded companies with businesses that, for purposes of Canaccord Genuity’s analysis, may be considered similar
to that of the Company based on industry sector and financial profile.”
3. The
section of the Proxy Statement entitled “The Merger—Opinion of Leaf Group’s Financial Advisor—Summary of Financial
Analyses—Discounted Cash Flow Analysis” is hereby supplemented as follows:
The third full paragraph on page 47 of the
Proxy Statement is amended and restated in its entirety to read as follows (with the new text in underline):
“Canaccord Genuity calculated the net
present value of the unlevered free cash flows for the Company for calendar years 2021 through 2025 and calculated terminal values
in the year 2025 based on a terminal perpetual growth rate ranging from 2.0% to 3.5%. Canaccord Genuity selected these terminal
perpetual growth rates based on the application of its experience and professional judgment, and taking into account, among other
things, expectations regarding inflation and the long-term growth rate of the U.S. economy. These values were discounted to net
present values at a discount rate ranging from 12.5% to 14.0%, which range of discount rates was selected, upon the application of
Canaccord Genuity’s experience and professional judgment, to reflect the Company’s estimated range of weighted average
cost of capital based in part on the Company’s capital structure, cost of debt and tax rate and the capital asset
pricing model. Based on this analysis, Canaccord Genuity derived a range of implied enterprise values for the Company of $196.4 to
$276.3 million and a range of implied equity values for the Company of $241.8 to $321.7 million. Canaccord Genuity also derived a
range of implied per share equity values for the Company (using the fully-diluted shares of Company common stock of 38.0
million determined using the treasury stock method as provided by Company management) of $6.37 to $8.47, compared to the merger
consideration of $8.50 per share.”
Additional Information and Where to Find It
This communication relates to the proposed Merger involving the
Company pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of April 3, 2021, by and among the Company, Parent and Pacifica
Merger Sub, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent (the “Merger Agreement”) and may be deemed to be
solicitation material in respect of the proposed Merger. In connection with the proposed Merger, the Company filed relevant
materials with the SEC, including the Proxy Statement. The Proxy Statement was filed with the SEC and was first mailed to
stockholders of the Company on May 6, 2021. This communication is not a substitute for the Proxy Statement or for any other document
that the Company may file with the SEC or send to the Company’s stockholders in connection with the proposed Merger. BEFORE
MAKING ANY VOTING DECISION, STOCKHOLDERS OF THE COMPANY ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT AND OTHER DOCUMENTS (INCLUDING ANY
AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS THERETO) FILED WITH THE SEC CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL
CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMPANY, THE PROPOSED MERGER AND RELATED MATTERS. Stockholders will be able to obtain free
copies of the Proxy Statement and other documents filed by the Company with the SEC through the website maintained by the SEC at
www.sec.gov. Copies of the documents filed by the Company with the SEC will also be available free of charge on the Company’s
website at www.leafgroup.com or by contacting the Company’s Investor Relations contact at shawn.milne@leafgroup.com.
Participants in the Solicitation
The Company and its directors and certain of its executive officers
and employees may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the Company’s stockholders with respect to the
proposed Merger under the rules of the SEC. Information about the directors and executive officers of the Company and their ownership
of shares of the Company Common Stock is set forth in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020, which was filed
with the SEC on February 25, 2021 (as amended by the Amendment No. 1 to Form 10-K filed with the SEC on April 30, 2021), its proxy statement
for its 2020 annual meeting of stockholders, which was filed with the SEC on April 20, 2020, and in subsequent documents filed or to be
filed with the SEC, including the Proxy Statement. Information regarding the persons who may be deemed participants in the proxy solicitations
and a description of their direct and indirect interests in the Merger, by security holdings or otherwise, is included in the Proxy Statement,
and any such additional information will be included in other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC when they become available.
You may obtain free copies of these documents as described above.
Forward Looking Statements
This communication contains “forward-looking
statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company generally identifies
forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,”
“expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “could,” “intends,”
“target,” “projects,” “contemplates,” “believes,” “estimates,”
“predicts,” “potential” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other similar words.
These statements are only predictions. The Company has based these forward-looking statements largely on its then-current
expectations and projections about future events and financial trends as well as the beliefs and assumptions of management.
Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which involve factors or circumstances that
are beyond the Company’s control. The Company’s actual results could differ materially from those stated or implied in
forward-looking statements due to a number of factors, including but not limited to: (i) risks associated with the Company’s
ability to obtain the stockholder approval required to consummate the proposed Merger and the timing of the closing of the proposed
Merger, including the risks that a condition to closing would not be satisfied within the expected timeframe or at all or that the
closing of the proposed Merger will not occur; (ii) the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against the parties
and others related to the Merger Agreement; (iii) the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance or condition that could
give rise to the termination of the Merger Agreement; (iv) unanticipated difficulties or expenditures relating to the proposed
Merger, the response of business partners and competitors to the announcement of the proposed Merger, and/or potential difficulties
in employee retention as a result of the announcement and pendency of the proposed Merger; (v) the response of Company stockholders
to the Merger Agreement; and (vi) those risks detailed in the Company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K (as amended by
the Amendment No. 1 to such Form 10-K) and subsequent reports filed with the SEC, as well as other documents that may be filed by
the Company from time to time with the SEC. Accordingly, you should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of
future events. The Company cannot assure you that the events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements will be
achieved or occur, and actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. The
forward-looking statements made in this communications relate only to events as of the date on which the statements are made. Except
as required by applicable law or regulation, the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect
events or circumstances after the date on which the statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
