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Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(5)
Registration No. 333-198851

 

The information in this preliminary prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus is not complete and may be changed. A registration statement relating to these securities has been declared effective by the Securities and Exchange Commission. This prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus are not an offer to sell these securities, and we are not soliciting an offer to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

 

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED NOVEMBER 7, 2014

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

(To Prospectus dated October 1, 2014)

 

 

 

             Common Stock Units

Each Consisting of

One Share of Common Stock

And

             of a Warrant

(                 Shares of Common Stock Underlying the Warrants)

We are offering units at a price of $         per unit, with each unit consisting of one share of common stock and              of a warrant. Units will not be issued or certificated. The shares of common stock and warrants are immediately separable and will be issued separately. Each whole warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one share of our common stock. The shares of common stock, warrants and shares of common stock underlying the warrants are sometimes collectively referred to herein as the “securities.” The warrants will be immediately exercisable from the date of issuance and will terminate on the fifth anniversary of the date the warrants are issued. The shares of our common stock issuable from time to time upon exercise of the warrants are also being offered pursuant to this prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus.

Our common stock is listed on The NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol “AMSC.” On November 6, 2014, the last reported sales price of our common stock was $1.36 per share. There is no established public trading market for the warrants and a public market may never develop. In addition, we do not intend to apply for listing of the warrants on any national securities exchange or other nationally recognized trading system.

Investing in the securities involves a high degree of risk. Please read the information contained in and incorporated by reference under the heading “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-4 of this prospectus supplement, and under similar headings in the other documents that are filed after the date hereof and incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of the securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

 

 

		PER UNIT				TOTAL
Offering price		$				$
Underwriting discounts and commissions(1)		$				$
Proceeds, before expenses, to us		$				$

 

(1)	See “Underwriting” beginning on page S-15 for more information about fees payable to the underwriters.

Delivery of the securities offered hereby is expected to be made on or about November     , 2014.

 

 

Sole Book-Running Manager

Cowen and Company

Co-Manager

MLV & Co.

The date of this prospectus supplement is November     , 2014.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT
ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT			S-ii
PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT SUMMARY			S-1
RISK FACTORS			S-4
SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS			S-6
USE OF PROCEEDS			S-8
PRICE RANGE OF COMMON STOCK			S-9
DIVIDEND POLICY			S-9
DILUTION			S-10
DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS			S-11
UNDERWRITING			S-15
LEGAL MATTERS			S-20
EXPERTS			S-20
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION; INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE			S-20
PROSPECTUS
ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS			1
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION; INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE			2
THE COMPANY			4
RISK FACTORS			4
USE OF PROCEEDS			4
RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES			5
DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES			6
DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS			14
DESCRIPTION OF UNITS			15
GLOBAL SECURITIES			16
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION			19
LEGAL MATTERS			21
EXPERTS			21

 

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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

This document is in two parts. The first part is the prospectus supplement, including the documents incorporated by reference, which describes the specific terms of this offering. The second part, the accompanying prospectus, including the documents incorporated by reference, provides more general information. Generally, when we refer to this prospectus, we are referring to both parts of this document combined. Before you invest, you should carefully read this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, all information incorporated by reference herein and therein, as well as the additional information described under “Where You Can Find More Information; Incorporation by Reference” on page S-19 of this prospectus supplement. These documents contain information you should consider when making your investment decision. This prospectus supplement may add, update or change information contained in the accompanying prospectus. To the extent that any statement that we make in this prospectus supplement is inconsistent with statements made in the accompanying prospectus or any documents incorporated by reference, the statements made in this prospectus supplement will be deemed to modify or supersede those made in the accompanying prospectus and such documents incorporated by reference.

You should rely only on the information contained or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and in any free writing prospectuses we may provide to you in connection with this offering. Neither we nor any of the underwriters have authorized any other person to provide you with any information that is different. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. We are offering to sell, and seeking offers to buy, shares of our securities only in jurisdictions where offers and sales are permitted. The distribution of this prospectus supplement and the offering of the securities in certain jurisdictions may be restricted by law. Persons outside the United States who come into possession of this prospectus supplement must inform themselves about, and observe any restrictions relating to, the offering of the securities and the distribution of this prospectus supplement outside the United States. This prospectus supplement does not constitute, and may not be used in connection with, an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities offered by this prospectus supplement by any person in any jurisdiction in which it is unlawful for such person to make such an offer or solicitation.

Unless otherwise indicated, information contained in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or the documents incorporated by reference, concerning our industry and the markets in which we operate, including our general expectations and market position, market opportunity and market share, is based on information from our own management estimates and research, as well as from industry and general publications and research, surveys and studies conducted by third parties. Management estimates are derived from publicly available information, our knowledge of our industry and assumptions based on such information and knowledge, which we believe to be reasonable. In addition, assumptions and estimates of our and our industry’s future performance are necessarily subject to a high degree of uncertainty and risk due to a variety of factors, including those described in “Risk Factors” in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2014 and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2014, which are incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement. These and other important factors could cause our future performance to differ materially from our assumptions and estimates. See “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.”

American Superconductor Corporation and our logo are two of our trademarks that are used in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference. This prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference also include trademarks, tradenames and service marks that are the property of other

 

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organizations. Solely for convenience, trademarks and tradenames referred to in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and the documents incorporated by reference appear without the ^® and ™ symbols, but those references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or that the applicable owner will not assert its rights, to these trademarks and tradenames.

 

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RISK FACTORS

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Before investing in our securities, you should consider carefully the risks described below, together with the other information contained in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or incorporated by reference herein or therein, including the risks and uncertainties discussed under “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2014 and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2014, which are incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement. If any of the risks incorporated by reference or set forth below occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations and future growth prospects could be materially and adversely affected. In these circumstances, the market price of our common stock could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment.

Risks Related to this Offering

Purchasers in this offering will experience immediate and substantial dilution in the book value of their investment.

The offering price of our common stock is substantially higher than the net tangible book value per share of our common stock before giving effect to this offering. Accordingly, if you purchase our common stock in this offering, you will incur immediate substantial dilution of approximately $         per share, representing the difference between the offering price of $         per share, and our as adjusted net tangible book value as of September 30, 2014, without giving effect to the potential exercise of the warrants offered by this prospectus supplement. Furthermore, if outstanding stock options and warrants are exercised, you could experience further dilution. For a further description of the dilution that you will experience immediately after this offering, see the section in this prospectus supplement entitled “Dilution.”

A substantial number of shares of common stock may be sold in the market following this offering, which may depress the market price for our common stock.

Sales of a substantial number of shares of our common stock in the public market following this offering could cause the market price of our common stock to decline. A substantial majority of the outstanding shares of our common stock are, and the shares of common stock included in the units, or issuable upon exercise of the warrants included in the units, sold in this offering upon issuance will be, freely tradable without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Act.

We have broad discretion to determine how to use the funds raised in this offering, and may use them in ways that may not enhance our operating results or the price of our common stock.

Our management will have broad discretion over the use of proceeds from this offering, and we could spend the proceeds from this offering in ways our stockholders may not agree with or that do not yield a favorable return, if at all. We intend to use the net proceeds of this offering for general corporate purposes, including working capital. However, our use of these proceeds may differ substantially from our current plans. If we do not invest or apply the proceeds of this offering in ways that improve our operating results, we may fail to achieve expected financial results, which could cause our stock price to decline.

You may experience future dilution as a result of future equity offerings.

In order to raise additional capital, we may in the future offer additional shares of our common stock or other securities convertible into or exchangeable for our common stock at prices that may not be the same as the price per share in this offering. We may sell shares or other securities in any other

 

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offering at a price per share that is less than the price per share paid by investors in this offering, and investors purchasing shares or other securities in the future could have rights superior to existing stockholders. The price per share at which we sell additional shares of our common stock, or securities convertible or exchangeable into common stock, in future transactions may be higher or lower than the price per share paid by investors in this offering. As of September 30, 2014, 6,307,409 shares of common stock were reserved for future issuance under our equity incentive plans and the ESPP, and 108,000 shares of common stock were subject to outstanding restricted stock units. As of that date, there were also options outstanding to purchase 3,862,681 shares of our common stock and warrants outstanding to purchase 3,489,746 shares of our common stock (not including the warrants offered by this prospectus supplement). You will incur additional dilution upon the grant of any shares under our equity incentive plans or the ESPP, upon vesting of any outstanding restricted stock units, or upon exercise of any outstanding or subsequently issued stock options or warrants. In connection with this offering, we and each of our directors and executive officers have entered into lock-up agreements with the underwriters. As a result of these lock-up agreements, approximately 3,716,434 shares (including stock issuable upon exercise of options) are subject to a contractual restriction on resale through the date that is 90 days after the date of this prospectus supplement. The market price for shares of our common stock may decline if stockholders subject to the lock-up agreements sell a substantial number of shares when the restrictions on resale lapse, or if the underwriters waive the lock-up agreements and allow the stockholders to sell some or all of their shares.

 

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SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, the documents we have filed with the SEC that are incorporated by reference and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or the Exchange Act. These statements relate to future events or to our future operating or financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performances or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements about:

 

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our business strategy and our expectations with respect to the implementation of our business strategy;

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our ability to realize all of the sales expected from our backlog of orders and contracts;

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our expectations with respect to annual congressional appropriations, government subsidies and economic incentives;

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our ability to market and sell our superconductor products and system-level solutions;

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our ability to comply with the covenants of our debt obligations;

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our ability to adequately prevent disclosure of trade secrets and other proprietary information;

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our expectations with respect to our intellectual property position;

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the potential for the commercial uses of our superconductor products;

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our ability to address technological challenges and to manufacture our products in commercial quantities at acceptable cost and quality levels;

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our expectations with respect to ongoing litigation;

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our estimates regarding our capital requirements and our need for additional funding; and

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the use of proceeds from this offering.

In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “projects,” “predicts,” “potential” and similar expressions intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and are based on assumptions and subject to risks and uncertainties. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. We discuss many of these risks in greater detail under the heading “Risk Factors” on page S-4 of this prospectus supplement and in our SEC filings. Also, these forward-looking statements represent our estimates and assumptions only as of the date of the document containing the applicable statement.

You should read this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus, the documents we have filed with the SEC that are incorporated by reference and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. We qualify all of the forward-looking statements in the foregoing documents by these cautionary statements.

You should rely only on the information contained, or incorporated by reference, in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and any free writing prospectus that we have authorized for use in connection with this offering. We and the underwriters for this offering have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information. The units offered under this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are not being offered in any state where the offer is not permitted. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front of this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus, as applicable, or that any information incorporated by

 

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reference into this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date of the document so incorporated by reference. Unless required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect new information or future events or developments. Thus, you should not assume that our silence over time means that actual events are bearing out as expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements.

 

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USE OF PROCEEDS

We estimate that the net proceeds to us from the sale of units that we are offering will be approximately $             million, and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us.

We intend to use the net proceeds from this offering for general corporate purposes, including working capital. Pending application of the net proceeds as described above, we intend to temporarily invest the proceeds in short term, interest-bearing instruments.

 

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PRICE RANGE OF COMMON STOCK

Our common stock has been publicly traded on The NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol “AMSC”. The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, the high and low intraday sale prices of our common stock as reported by The NASDAQ Global Market.

 

		High				Low
Fiscal year ended March 31, 2015
Third Quarter (through November 6, 2014)		$	1.43			$	1.15
Second Quarter		$	2.15			$	1.40
First Quarter		$	1.69			$	1.25
Fiscal year ended March 31, 2014
Fourth Quarter		$	2.68			$	1.43
Third Quarter		$	2.42			$	1.37
Second Quarter		$	3.06			$	2.28
First Quarter		$	3.06			$	2.12
Fiscal year ended March 31, 2013
Fourth Quarter		$	3.34			$	2.57
Third Quarter		$	4.18			$	2.40
Second Quarter		$	4.96			$	3.53
First Quarter		$	4.88			$	3.47

On November 6, 2014, the last reported sale price of our common stock on The NASDAQ Global Market was $1.36. As of September 30, 2014, there were 85,668,804 shares of our common stock outstanding held by approximately 389 holders of record, which includes 3,409,412 shares of restricted common stock that were subject to vesting restrictions as of such date and were not considered outstanding for accounting purposes.

DIVIDEND POLICY

We have never paid cash dividends on our common stock. We currently intend to retain earnings, if any, to fund the development and growth of our business and do not anticipate paying cash dividends for the foreseeable future. Payment of future cash dividends, if any, will be at the discretion of our board of directors after taking into account various factors, including our financial condition, operating results, current and anticipated cash needs and plans for expansion. The terms of our loans with Hercules Technology Growth Capital, Inc. which are discussed in Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2014, prohibit us from paying cash dividends.

 

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DILUTION

If you invest in our units in this offering, your ownership interest will be immediately diluted to the extent of the difference between the offering price per share and the as adjusted net tangible book value per share of our common stock after this offering.

As of September 30, 2014, we had a net tangible book value of $79.6 million, or $0.93 per share of common stock. Our net tangible book value per share represents total tangible assets less total liabilities, divided by the number of shares of common stock outstanding at September 30, 2014.

After giving effect to the issuance and sale by us of                  units in this offering at an offering price of $             per share, and after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and estimated offering expenses payable by us, our as adjusted net tangible book value as of September 30, 2014 would have been approximately $             million, or approximately $             per share. This amount represents an immediate increase in net tangible book value of $             per share to our existing stockholders and an immediate dilution in net tangible book value of approximately $             per share to new investors purchasing shares of common stock in this offering.

The following table illustrates this dilution on a per share basis:

 

Offering price per share						$
Net tangible book value per share as of September 30, 2014		$	0.93
Increase in net tangible book value per share attributable to this offering
As adjusted net tangible book value per share after this offering
Dilution per share to new investors participating in this offering						$

The above discussion and table are based on 85,668,804 shares outstanding as of September 30, 2014, and exclude as of that date:

 

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3,862,681 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of outstanding options, having a weighted average exercise price of $8.47 per share;

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3,489,746 shares of common stock issuable upon the exercise of outstanding warrants, having a weighted average exercise price of $2.48 per share;

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the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrants offered hereby;

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108,000 shares of common stock subject to unvested restricted stock units; and

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6,307,409 shares of common stock reserved for future issuance under the 2007 Stock Plan, the 2007 Director Plan and the ESPP.

To the extent any of these outstanding options and warrants are issued or exercised, or the restricted stock units vest, there will be further dilution to new investors. In addition, we may choose to raise additional capital due to market conditions or strategic considerations, even if we believe that we have sufficient funds for our current or future operating plans. To the extent that additional capital is raised through the sale of equity or convertible debt securities, the issuance of these securities could result in further dilution to new investors.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS

The material terms and provisions of the warrants being offered pursuant to this prospectus supplement are summarized below. This description is a summary only and does not purport to be complete. This description is qualified by reference to all of the provisions of the warrants, including the definitions of certain terms used therein. You may request a copy of the form of warrant from us at the address set forth under “Where You Can Find More Information; Incorporation by Reference.”

The purchaser of units will receive, for each unit purchased, one share of our common stock and              of a warrant, with one whole warrant representing the right to purchase one share of common stock at an exercise price of $             per share of common stock. The warrants may be transferred independent of the common stock, subject to applicable laws. The warrants are exercisable at any time or times on or after their date of issuance (the “exercisability date”) but not after 5:00 p.m., New York time, on the expiration date (as defined below). The exercise price and number of shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of a warrant held is subject to appropriate adjustment in the event of stock dividends, stock splits, reorganizations or similar events affecting our common stock and in the event of cash dividends or other distributions to all holders of our common stock.

In addition, the warrants contain weighted average anti-dilution protection upon the issuance of any common stock, securities convertible into common stock or certain other issuances at a price below the then-existing exercise price of the warrants, except for certain excluded securities (defined below). The terms of the warrants, including these anti-dilution protections, may make it difficult for us to raise additional capital at prevailing market terms in the future.

There is no established public trading market for the warrants, and a market may never develop. We do not intend to apply to list the warrants on any securities exchange. The warrants will initially be issued in book-entry form. Without an active market, the liquidity of the warrants will be limited. In addition, in the event our common stock price does not exceed the per share exercise price of the warrants during the period when the warrants are exercisable, the warrants will not have any value.

Holders of the warrants may exercise their warrants to purchase shares of our common stock on or before 5:00 p.m., New York time, on the expiration date by delivering an exercise notice, appropriately completed and duly signed, and payment of the exercise price for the number of shares for which the warrant is being exercised. In the event that the registration statement relating to the warrant shares is not available, a holder of warrants will have the right, in its sole discretion, to exercise its warrants for a net number of warrant shares pursuant to the cashless exercise procedures specified in the warrants or the related warrant agreement. Warrants may be exercised in whole or in part, and any portion of a warrant not exercised prior to the expiration date shall be and become void and of no value. The absence of an effective registration statement or applicable exemption from registration does not alleviate our obligation to deliver common stock issuable upon exercise of a warrant.

Our warrant agent with respect to the issuance, registration, transfer, exchange and exercise of the warrants shall initially be American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC.

Upon the holder’s valid exercise of a warrant and delivery of the applicable exercise price, we will issue the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrant within three business days (as defined below).

 

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The shares of common stock issuable on exercise of the warrants will be, when issued in accordance with the warrants, duly and validly authorized, issued and fully paid and non-assessable. We will authorize and reserve at least that number of shares of common stock equal to the number of shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of all outstanding warrants.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, we will not effect the exercise of a warrant, and the holder thereof will not have the right to exercise such warrant, to the extent that after giving effect to such exercise, the holder (together with the holder’s affiliates) would beneficially own in excess of 4.99% (the “maximum percentage”) of the shares of our common stock outstanding immediately after giving effect to such exercise. For purposes of the foregoing sentence, the aggregate number of shares of common stock beneficially owned by a holder and its affiliates shall include the number of shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the warrant with respect to which the determination of such sentence is being made, but shall exclude shares of common stock which would be issuable upon (i) exercise of the remaining, unexercised portion of the warrant beneficially owned by the holder and its affiliates and (ii) exercise or conversion of the unexercised or unconverted portion of any other securities of ours beneficially owned by the holder and its affiliates (including, without limitation, any convertible notes or convertible preferred stock or warrants) subject to a limitation on conversion or exercise analogous to the limitation contained herein. Except as set forth in the preceding sentence, for purposes of this paragraph, beneficial ownership shall be calculated in accordance with Section 13(d) of the Exchange Act. By written notice to the Company, the holder of a warrant may from time to time increase or decrease the maximum percentage applicable to such holder’s warrant to any other percentage not in excess of 9.99% specified in such notice, provided that any such increase will not be effective until the sixty-first (61st) day after such notice is delivered to us.

If a fundamental transaction (as defined below) occurs as a result of which our common stock would be converted into, or exchanged for, stock, other securities, other property or assets (including cash or any combination thereof) (any such fundamental transaction, a “share exchange event”; any such stock, other securities or other property or assets, “reference property”; and the amount of reference property that a holder of one share of common stock immediately prior to such share exchange event would have been entitled to receive upon the occurrence of such share exchange event, a “reference property unit”), then from and after the effective time of such share exchange event, upon exercise of a warrant, for each share of common stock that we would otherwise be obligated to deliver with respect to such exercise, we will instead deliver a reference property unit. If such share exchange event causes our common stock to be converted into, or exchanged for, the right to receive more than a single type of consideration (determined based in part upon any form of stockholder election), then (i) the reference property shall be deemed to be (a) the weighted average of the types and amounts of consideration received by the holders of our common stock that affirmatively make such an election or (b) if no holders of our common stock affirmatively make such an election, the types and amounts of consideration actually received by the holders of our common stock, and (ii) a reference property unit shall refer to the consideration referred to in clause (i) attributable to one share of our common stock.

In addition, in the event of a fundamental transaction, at the request of a holder of a warrant delivered at any time commencing on the earliest to occur of (x) the public disclosure of any fundamental transaction, (y) the consummation of any fundamental transaction and (z) the holder first becoming aware of any fundamental transaction through the thirtieth (30th) day after the later of (x) the date of such fundamental transaction and (y) the date of the public disclosure of the consummation of such fundamental transaction by us pursuant to a Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC, we (or the applicable successor entity) will purchase such warrant from the holder by paying to the holder, within five business days after such request, cash in an amount equal to the Black Scholes Value (as defined below) of the remaining unexercised portion of such warrant outstanding on the date of the consummation of such fundamental transaction.

 

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Amendments and waivers of the terms of the warrants require the written consent of the holder of the warrants, except that we may extend the expiration date or reduce the exercise price of a warrant without the consent of the holder of the warrant.

THE HOLDER OF A WARRANT WILL NOT POSSESS ANY RIGHTS AS A STOCKHOLDER UNDER THAT WARRANT UNTIL THE HOLDER EXERCISES THE WARRANT.

Definitions

The following terms have the meaning set forth below as used in this description:

“Black Scholes value” means the value of the unexercised portion of a warrant remaining on the date of the holder’s request, which value is calculated using the Black Scholes Option Pricing Model obtained from the “OV” function on Bloomberg, L.P. utilizing (i) an underlying price per share equal to the greater of (1) the highest closing sale price of our common stock during the period beginning on the trading day immediately preceding the earliest to occur of (x) the public disclosure of the applicable fundamental transaction, (y) the consummation of the applicable fundamental transaction and (z) the date on which the holder first became aware of the applicable fundamental transaction and ending on the trading day of the holder’s request and (2) the sum of the price per share being offered in cash in the applicable fundamental transaction (if any) plus the value of the non-cash consideration being offered in the applicable fundamental transaction (if any), (ii) a strike price equal to the exercise price in effect on the date of the holder’s request, (iii) a zero cost of borrow, (iv) a risk-free interest rate corresponding to the U.S. Treasury rate for a period equal to the greater of (1) the remaining term of the warrant as of the date of the holder’s request and (2) the remaining term of the warrant as of the date of consummation of the applicable fundamental transaction or as of the date of the holder’s request if such request is prior to the date of the consummation of the applicable fundamental transaction and (v) an expected volatility equal to the greater of 100% and the 30-day volatility obtained from the HVT function on Bloomberg, L.P. (determined utilizing a 360 day annualization factor) as of the trading day immediately following the public disclosure of the applicable fundamental transaction. (or, solely to the extent such fundamental transaction is not disclosed to the public, the date of the consummation of the such fundamental transaction).

“business day” means any day other than Saturday, Sunday or other day on which commercial banks in The City of New York are authorized or required by law to remain closed.

“excluded securities” means any (i) shares of our common stock, options, stock appreciation rights, restricted shares of common stock, restricted stock units and other stock-based awards to our directors, officers, employees or consultants in their capacity as such pursuant to an approved stock plan; (ii) shares of our common stock issued upon the conversion or exercise of convertible securities (other than options to purchase our common stock issued pursuant to an approved stock plan that are covered by clause (i) above) issued prior to the date hereof; provided that the conversion price of any such convertible securities (other than options to purchase our common stock issued pursuant to an approved stock plan that are covered by clause (i) above) is not lowered, none of such convertible securities (other than options to purchase our common stock issued pursuant to an approved stock plan that are covered by clause (i) above) are amended to increase the number of shares issuable thereunder and none of the terms or conditions of any such convertible securities (other than options to purchase our common stock issued pursuant to an approved stock plan that are covered by clause (i) above) are otherwise materially changed in any manner that adversely affects holders of the warrants; and (iii) the shares of our common stock or options issued to financial institutions or lessors in connection with commercial credit arrangements, equipment financings or similar transactions (excluding any shares of our common stock issuable upon conversion or exercise of any convertible securities).

 

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“expiration date” means the date that is the fifth (5th) anniversary of the exercisability date or, if such date falls on a day other than a business day or on which trading does not take place on the Nasdaq Global Select Market (a “holiday”), the next date that is not a holiday.

“fundamental transaction” means that (i) we shall, directly or indirectly, in one or more related transactions, (1) consolidate or merge with or into (whether or not we are the surviving corporation but except any merger solely to effect our migration to a new jurisdiction of incorporation) any other person, or (2) sell, lease, license, assign, transfer, convey or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of our properties or assets to any other person, (3) consummate a stock or share purchase agreement or other business combination with any other person whereby such other person acquires more than 50% of the outstanding shares of our voting stock (not including any shares of our voting stock held by the other person or other persons making or party to, or associated or affiliated with the other persons making or party to, such stock or share purchase agreement or other business combination), or (4) reorganize, recapitalize or reclassify our common stock (except to effect our migration to a new jurisdiction of incorporation) or (ii) any “person” or “group” (as these terms are used for purposes of Sections 13(d) and 14(d) of the Exchange Act and the rules and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder) is or shall become the “beneficial owner” (as defined in Rule 13d-3 under the Exchange), directly or indirectly, of 50% of the aggregate ordinary voting power represented by our issued and outstanding voting stock.

“trading day” means any day on which our common stock is traded on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, or, if the such market is not the principal trading market for our common stock, then on the principal securities exchange or securities market on which our common stock is then traded, provided that “trading day” shall not include any day on which our common stock is scheduled to trade on such exchange or market for less than 4.5 hours or any day that our common stock is suspended from trading during the final hour of trading on such exchange or market (or if such exchange or market does not designate in advance the closing time of trading on such exchange or market, then during the hour ending at 4:00 p.m., New York time).

 

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UNDERWRITING

We have entered into an underwriting agreement with Cowen and Company, LLC, acting as representative of the several underwriters, with respect to the securities in this offering. Subject to the terms and conditions of the underwriting agreement, we have agreed to sell to the underwriters named below, and each underwriter severally has agreed to purchase, the respective number of units set forth opposite its name below:

 

Underwriter		Number of Units
Cowen and Company, LLC
MLV & Co., LLC
Total

The underwriters are offering the units subject to their acceptance of the units from us and subject to prior sale. The underwriting agreement provides that the obligation of the underwriters to purchase the units offered hereby is subject to certain conditions and that the underwriters are obligated to purchase all of the units offered hereby if they purchase any of the units.

The underwriters initially propose to offer the units purchased pursuant to the underwriting agreement at the offering price on the cover page of this prospectus supplement. After the securities are released for sale, the underwriters may change the offering price and other selling terms at various times.

The underwriters will purchase the securities from us. The total price per unit to the public will be $            , the total underwriters’ discounts and commissions will be $             per unit, and the total proceeds to us will be $            .

The following table summarizes the compensation we will pay and proceeds, before expenses, to us:

 

		Per Unit		Total
Offering price
Underwriting discounts and commissions
Proceeds, before expenses, to us

The expenses of this offering payable by us, not including underwriting discounts and commissions, are estimated to be approximately $400,000, which includes legal, accounting and printing costs.

Pursuant to the underwriting agreement, we have agreed to indemnify the underwriters against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments that the underwriters or such other indemnified parties may be required to make in respect of any such liabilities.

The underwriters propose to offer the securities at the offering price set forth on the cover of this prospectus supplement. If all of the securities are not sold at the offering price, the underwriters may change the offering price and other selling terms.

 

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Discretionary Accounts.    The underwriters do not intend to confirm sales of the shares to any accounts over which the underwriters have discretionary authority.

Stabilization.    In connection with this offering, the underwriters may engage in stabilizing transactions, syndicate covering transactions, and purchases to cover positions created by short sales.

 

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Stabilizing transactions permit bids to purchase shares of common stock so long as the stabilizing bids do not exceed a specified maximum, and are engaged in for the purpose of preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of the common stock while the offering is in progress.

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Syndicate covering transactions involve purchases of common stock in the open market after the distribution has been completed in order to cover syndicate short positions. If the underwriters have a naked short position, the position would be closed out by buying shares in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that after pricing there could be downward pressure on the price of the shares in the open market that could adversely affect investors who purchase in the offering.

These stabilizing transactions and syndicate covering transactions may have the effect of raising or maintaining the market price of our common stock or preventing or retarding a decline in the market price of our common stock. As a result, the price of our common stock in the open market may be higher than it would otherwise be in the absence of these transactions. Neither we nor the underwriters make any representation or prediction as to the effect that the transactions described above may have on the price of our common stock. These transactions may be effected on the The Nasdaq Global Select Market, in the over-the-counter market or otherwise and, if commenced, may be discontinued at any time.

Passive Market Making.    In connection with this offering, the underwriters may engage in passive market making transactions in our common stock on The Nasdaq Global Select Market in accordance with Rule 103 of Regulation M under the Exchange Act during a period before the commencement of offers or sales of common stock and extending through the completion of the distribution. A passive market maker must display its bid at a price not in excess of the highest independent bid of that security. However, if all independent bids are lowered below the passive market maker’s bid, that bid must then be lowered when specified purchase limits are exceeded.

Lock-up Agreements.    We and all of our directors and executive officers have agreed that, subject to certain exceptions, without the prior written consent of Cowen and Company, LLC, we and they will not, during the period ending 90 days, subject to an 18-day extension under certain circumstances, following the date of this prospectus supplement, offer, sell, assign, transfer, pledge, contract to sell, or otherwise dispose of or announce the intention to otherwise dispose of, or enter into any swap, hedge or similar agreement or arrangement that transfers, in whole or in part, the economic consequence of ownership of, directly or indirectly, or make any demand or request or exercise any right with respect to the registration of, or file with the SEC a registration statement under the Securities Act relating to, any common stock or securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for any common stock.

This lock up provision applies to common stock and to securities convertible into or exchangeable or exercisable for common stock. It also applies to common stock owned now or acquired later by the person executing the agreement or for which the person executing the agreement later acquires the power of disposition. The exceptions permit us, among other things and subject to restrictions, to: (a) issue common stock or options pursuant to director or employee stock option plan, stock ownership plan or dividend reinvestment plan, (b) issue common stock upon conversion of securities or the exercise of outstanding warrants, or (c) adopt a new equity incentive plan, file registration statements

 

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on Form S-8 and issue securities pursuant to such new equity incentive plan. The exceptions permit parties to the “lock up” agreements, among other things and subject to restrictions, to: (a) make certain gifts, (b) enter into transactions relating to our common stock acquired in the open market, (c) enter into Rule 10b5-1 plans, (d) transfer securities pursuant to a domestic relations order or negotiated divorce settlement or otherwise by operation of law, (e) transfer common stock to satisfy tax withholding obligations pursuant to our equity incentive plans or arrangements or to pay the exercise price of any options under such plan or arrangement and (f) transfer common stock in connection with a bona fide third party tender offer, merger, consolidation or other similar transaction made to all common stockholders involving a change in control. In addition, the Lock-up agreement entered into by one individual director allows for the sale of up to 5,000 shares of common stock. In addition, the lock up provision will not restrict broker-dealers from engaging in market making and similar activities conducted in the ordinary course of their business.

Cowen and Company, LLC, in its sole discretion, may release our common stock and other securities subject to the lock-up agreements described above in whole or in part at any time.

United Kingdom.    The underwriters have represented and agreed that:

 

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the underwriters have not made or will not make an offer of the securities to the public in the United Kingdom within the meaning of section 102B of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (as amended) (FSMA) except to legal entities which are authorized or regulated to operate in the financial markets or, if not so authorized or regulated, whose corporate purpose is solely to invest in securities or otherwise in circumstances which do not require the publication by us of a prospectus pursuant to the Prospectus Rules of the Financial Services Authority (FSA);

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it has only communicated or caused to be communicated and will only communicate or cause to be communicated an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of section 21 of FSMA) to persons who have professional experience in matters relating to investments falling within Article 19(5) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 or in circumstances in which section 21 of FSMA does not apply to us; and

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it has complied with and will comply with all applicable provisions of FSMA with respect to anything done by it in relation to the securities in, from or otherwise involving the United Kingdom.

Singapore.    This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus have not been registered as a prospectus with the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Accordingly, this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus and any other document or material in connection with the offer or sale, or invitation for subscription or purchase, of the securities may not be circulated or distributed, nor may the securities be offered or sold, or be made the subject of an invitation for subscription or purchase, whether directly or indirectly, to persons in Singapore other than (i) to an institutional investor under Section 274 of the Securities and Futures Act, Chapter 289 of Singapore (the “SFA”), (ii) to a relevant person pursuant to Section 275(1), or any person pursuant to Section 275(1A), and in accordance with the conditions specified in Section 275 of the SFA or (iii) otherwise pursuant to, and in accordance with the conditions of, any other applicable provision of the SFA.

 

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Where the securities are subscribed or purchased under Section 275 by a relevant person which is:

(a) a corporation (which is not an accredited investor (as defined in Section 4A of the SFA)), the sole business of which is to hold investments and the entire share capital of which is owned by one or more individuals, each of whom is an accredited investor; or

(b) a trust (where the trustee is not an accredited investor) whose sole purpose is to hold investments, and each beneficiary of the trust is an individual who is an accredited investor, securities (as defined in Section 239(1) of the SFA) of that corporation or the beneficiaries’ rights and interest (howsoever described) in that trust shall not be transferable within 6 months after that corporation or that trust has acquired the securities pursuant to an offer made under Section 275 except: (1) to an institutional investor or to a relevant person defined in Section 275(2) of the SFA, or to any person arising from an offer referred to in Section 275(1A) or Section 276(4)(i)(B) of the SFA; (2) where no consideration is or will be given for the transfer; (3) where the transfer is by operation of law; or (4) as specified in Section 276(7) of the SFA.

South Korea.    The securities may not be offered, sold and delivered directly or indirectly, or offered or sold to any person for re-offering or resale, directly or indirectly, in South Korea or to any resident of South Korea except pursuant to the applicable laws and regulations of South Korea, including the Financial Investment Services and Capital Markets Act and the Foreign Exchange Transaction Law and the decrees and regulations thereunder. The securities have not been registered with the Financial Services Commission of South Korea for public offering in South Korea. Furthermore, the securities may not be re-sold to South Korean residents unless the purchaser of the shares complies with all applicable regulatory requirements (including but not limited to government approval requirements under the Foreign Exchange Transaction Law and its subordinate decrees and regulations) in connection with their purchase.

Switzerland.    The securities will not be offered, directly or indirectly, to the public in Switzerland and this prospectus supplement does not constitute a public offering prospectus as that term is understood pursuant to article 652a or 1156 of the Swiss Federal Code of Obligations.

European Economic Area.    In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area (Iceland, Norway and Lichtenstein in addition to the member states of the European Union) that has implemented the Prospectus Directive (each, a Relevant Member State), the underwriters have represented and agreed that with effect from and including the date on which the Prospectus Directive is implemented in that Relevant Member State (the Relevant Implementation Date) it has not made and will not make an offer of the securities to the public in that Relevant Member State prior to the publication of a prospectus in relation to the securities that has been approved by the competent authority in that Relevant Member State or, where appropriate, approved in another Relevant Member State and notified to the competent authority in that Relevant Member State, all in accordance with the Prospectus Directive, except that it may, with effect from and including the Relevant Implementation Date, make an offer of the securities to the public in that Relevant Member State at any time:

 

n

to legal entities which are authorized or regulated to operate in the financial markets or, if not so authorized or regulated, whose corporate purpose is solely to invest in securities;

n

to any legal entity which has two or more of (1) an average of at least 250 employees during the last financial year; (2) a total balance sheet of more than €43,000,000 and (3) an annual net turnover of more than €50,000,000, as shown in its last annual or consolidated accounts; or

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in any other circumstances which do not require the publication by the issuer of a prospectus pursuant to Article 3 of the Prospectus Directive.

 

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Each person in a Relevant Member State who receives any communication in respect of, or who acquires any securities under, the offer contemplated in this prospectus will be deemed to have represented, warranted and agreed to and with us and each underwriter that:

 

n

it is a qualified investor within the meaning of the law in that Relevant Member State implementing Article 2(1)(e) of the Prospectus Directive; and

n

in the case of any securities acquired by it as a financial intermediary, as that term is used in Article 3(2) of the Prospectus Directive, (1) the securities acquired by it in the offer have not been acquired on behalf of, nor have they been acquired with a view to their offer or resale to, persons in any Relevant Member State other than qualified investors, as that term is defined in the Prospectus Directive, or in circumstances in which the prior consent of the underwriter has been given to the offer or resale; or (2) where securities have been acquired by it on behalf of persons in any Relevant Member State other than qualified investors, the offer of those securities to it is not treated under the Prospectus Directive as having been made to such persons.

For the purposes of the provisions in the two immediately preceding paragraphs, the expression an “offer of the securities to the public” in relation to the securities in any Relevant Member State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and the securities to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe for the securities, as the same may be varied in that Relevant Member State by any measure implementing the Prospectus Directive in that Relevant Member State, and the expression “Prospectus Directive’’ means Directive 2003/71/EC and includes any relevant implementing measure in each Relevant Member State.

Electronic Offer, Sale and Distribution of Shares.    A prospectus in electronic format may be made available on the websites maintained by certain of the underwriters and the underwriters may distribute prospectuses electronically. Internet distributions will be allocated by the underwriters. Other than the prospectus in electronic format, the information on these websites is not part of this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectus or the registration statement of which the accompanying prospectus forms a part, has not been approved or endorsed by us or any underwriter in its capacity as underwriter, and should not be relied upon by investors.

 

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LEGAL MATTERS

The validity of the securities offered hereby will be passed upon for us by Latham & Watkins LLP. LeClairRyan, A Professional Corporation, New York, New York, is counsel to the underwriters in connection with this offering.

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements, the related financial statement schedule, and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting incorporated in this prospectus supplement by reference to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2014, have been audited by McGladrey LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report incorporated by reference herein, and have been so incorporated in reliance upon such report and upon the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

The financial statements as of March 31, 2013 and for each of the two years in the period ended March 31, 2013 incorporated in this prospectus supplement by reference to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2014 have been so incorporated in reliance on the report (which contains an explanatory paragraph relating to our ability to continue as a going concern as described in Note 1 to the financial statements) of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION; INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

Available Information

We file reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Information filed with the SEC by us can be inspected and copied at the Public Reference Room maintained by the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You may also obtain copies of this information by mail from the Public Reference Section of the SEC at prescribed rates. Further information on the operation of the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. can be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC also maintains a web site that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information about issuers, such as us, who file electronically with the SEC. The address of that website is http://www.sec.gov.

Our web site address is www.amsc.com. The information on our web site, however, is not, and should not be deemed to be, a part of this prospectus supplement.

This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus are part of a registration statement that we filed with the SEC and do not contain all of the information in the registration statement. The full registration statement may be obtained from the SEC or us, as provided below. Other documents establishing the terms of the offered securities are or may be filed as exhibits to the registration statement. Statements in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus about these documents are summaries and each statement is qualified in all respects by reference to the document to which it refers. You should refer to the actual documents for a more complete description of the relevant matters. You may inspect a copy of the registration statement at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. or through the SEC’s website, as provided above.

Incorporation by Reference

The SEC’s rules allow us to “incorporate by reference” information into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, which means that we can disclose important information to you by

 

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referring you to another document filed separately with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is deemed to be part of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, and subsequent information that we file with the SEC will automatically update and supersede that information. Any statement contained in a previously filed document incorporated by reference will be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus supplement or the accompanying prospectus modifies or replaces that statement.

We incorporate by reference the following information or documents that we have filed with the SEC:

 

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Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2014, filed with the SEC on June 5, 2014.

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Our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended June 30, 2014 and September 30, 2014, filed with the SEC on August 5, 2014 and November 6, 2014, respectively.

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The information specifically incorporated by reference into our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2014 from our Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A, filed with the SEC on June 18, 2014.

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Our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on June 5, 2014 (dated June 2, 2014), June 23, 2014, July 16, 2014, August 6, 2014, August 21, 2014, September 4, 2014 and October 1, 2014.

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The description of our common stock contained in the our Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed on November 5, 1991, as updated by the Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on November 8, 2010 and April 13, 2012, and any other amendment or report filed with the SEC for the purpose of updating the description.

We incorporate by reference into this prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus all reports and other documents we subsequently file with the SEC pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act of 1934 between the date of this prospectus supplement and the termination of the offering of the securities described in this prospectus supplement. We are not, however, incorporating by reference any documents or portions thereof, whether specifically listed above or filed in the future, that are not deemed “filed” with the SEC, including any information furnished pursuant to Items 2.02 or 7.01 of Form 8-K or related exhibits furnished pursuant to Item 9.01 of Form 8-K. The reports and documents specifically listed above or filed in the future (excluding any information furnished to, rather than filed with, the SEC) are deemed to be part of this prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus from the date of the filing of such reports and documents.

You may request a free copy of any of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement (other than exhibits, unless they are specifically incorporated by reference in the documents) by writing or telephoning us at the following address:

American Superconductor Corporation 64 Jackson Road, Devens, MA 01434 Telephone: (978) 842-3000 Attention: Investor Relations

Exhibits to the filings will not be sent, however, unless those exhibits have specifically been incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus supplement.

In accordance with Rule 412 of the Securities Act, any statement contained in a document incorporated by reference herein shall be deemed modified or superseded to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any other subsequently filed document which also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein modifies or supersedes such statement.

 

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PROSPECTUS

 

American Superconductor Corporation

$100,000,000

Common Stock

Debt Securities

Warrants

Units

 

 

We may offer and sell up to $100,000,000 in the aggregate of the securities identified above from time to time in one or more offerings. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities.

Each time we offer and sell securities, we will provide a supplement to this prospectus that contains specific information about the offering and the amounts, prices and terms of the securities. The supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus with respect to that offering. You should carefully read this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement before you invest in any of our securities.

We may offer and sell the securities described in this prospectus and any prospectus supplement to or through one or more underwriters, dealers and agents, or directly to purchasers, or through a combination of these methods. If any underwriters, dealers or agents are involved in the sale of any of the securities, their names and any applicable purchase price, fee, commission or discount arrangement between or among them will be set forth, or will be calculable from the information set forth, in the applicable prospectus supplement. See the sections of this prospectus entitled “About this Prospectus” and “Plan of Distribution” for more information. No securities may be sold without delivery of this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement describing the method and terms of the offering of such securities.

 

 

INVESTING IN OUR SECURITIES INVOLVES RISKS. SEE THE “RISK FACTORS” ON PAGE 4 OF THIS PROSPECTUS AND ANY SIMILAR SECTION CONTAINED IN THE APPLICABLE PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT CONCERNING FACTORS YOU SHOULD CONSIDER BEFORE INVESTING IN OUR SECURITIES.

Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “AMSC.” On September 18, 2014, the last reported sale price of our common stock on The Nasdaq Global Select Market was $1.48 per share.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or passed upon the adequacy or accuracy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The date of this prospectus is October 1, 2014.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS			1
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION; INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE			2
THE COMPANY			4
RISK FACTORS			4
USE OF PROCEEDS			4
RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES			5
DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES			6
DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS			14
DESCRIPTION OF UNITS			15
GLOBAL SECURITIES			16
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION			19
LEGAL MATTERS			21
EXPERTS			21

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ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, using a “shelf” registration process. By using a shelf registration statement, we may sell securities from time to time and in one or more offerings up to a total dollar amount of $100,000,000 as described in this prospectus. Each time that we offer and sell securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement to this prospectus that contains specific information about the securities being offered and sold and the specific terms of that offering. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus with respect to that offering. If there is any inconsistency between the information in this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, you should rely on the prospectus supplement. Before purchasing any securities, you should carefully read both this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, together with the additional information described under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information; Incorporation by Reference.”

We have not authorized any other person to provide you with different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. We will not make an offer to sell these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement to this prospectus is accurate as of the date on its respective cover, and that any information incorporated by reference is accurate only as of the date of the document incorporated by reference, unless we indicate otherwise. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.

When we refer to “AMSC,” “we,” “our,” “us” and the “Company” in this prospectus, we mean American Superconductor Corporation and its consolidated subsidiaries, unless otherwise specified. When we refer to “you,” we mean the holders of the applicable series of securities.

 

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WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION; INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE

Available Information

We file reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Information filed with the SEC by us can be inspected and copied at the Public Reference Room maintained by the SEC at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You may also obtain copies of this information by mail from the Public Reference Room of the SEC at prescribed rates. Further information on the operation of the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. can be obtained by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. The SEC also maintains a web site that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information about issuers, such as us, who file electronically with the SEC. The address of that website is http://www.sec.gov.

Our web site address is www.amsc.com. The information on our web site, however, is not, and should not be deemed to be, a part of this prospectus.

This prospectus and any prospectus supplement are part of a registration statement that we filed with the SEC and do not contain all of the information in the registration statement. The full registration statement may be obtained from the SEC or us, as provided below. Forms of the indenture and other documents establishing the terms of the offered securities are or may be filed as exhibits to the registration statement. Statements in this prospectus or any prospectus supplement about these documents are summaries and each statement is qualified in all respects by reference to the document to which it refers. You should refer to the actual documents for a more complete description of the relevant matters. You may inspect a copy of the registration statement at the SEC’s Public Reference Room in Washington, D.C. or through the SEC’s website, as provided above.

Incorporation by Reference

The SEC’s rules allow us to “incorporate by reference” information into this prospectus, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to another document filed separately with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is deemed to be part of this prospectus, and subsequent information that we file with the SEC will automatically update and supersede that information. Any statement contained in a previously filed document incorporated by reference will be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained in this prospectus modifies or replaces that statement.

We incorporate by reference our documents listed below and any future filings made by us with the SEC under Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which we refer to as the “Exchange Act” in this prospectus, between the date of this prospectus and the termination of the offering of the securities described in this prospectus. We are not, however, incorporating by reference any documents or portions thereof, whether specifically listed below or filed in the future, that are not deemed “filed” with the SEC, including our Compensation Committee report and performance graph or any information furnished pursuant to Items 2.02 or 7.01 of Form 8-K or related exhibits furnished pursuant to Item 9.01 of Form 8-K.

This prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement incorporate by reference the documents set forth below that have previously been filed with the SEC:

 

•

Our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2014, filed with the SEC on June 5, 2014.

 

•

Our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2014, filed with the SEC on August 5, 2014.

 

•

Our Definitive Proxy Statement on Schedule 14A, filed with the SEC on June 18, 2014.

 

•

Our Current Reports on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on June 5, 2014 (dated June 2, 2014), June 23, 2014, July 16, 2014, August 6, 2014, August 21, 2014 and September 4, 2014.

 

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•

The description of our Common Stock contained in the our Registration Statement on Form 8-A filed on November 5, 1991, as updated by the Current Reports on Form 8-K filed on November 8, 2010 and April 13, 2012, and any other amendment or report filed with the SEC for the purpose of updating the description.

All reports and other documents we subsequently file pursuant to Section 13(a), 13(c), 14 or 15(d) of the Exchange Act prior to the termination of this offering, including all such documents we may file with the SEC after the date of the initial registration statement and prior to the effectiveness of the registration statement, but excluding any information furnished to, rather than filed with, the SEC, will also be incorporated by reference into this prospectus and deemed to be part of this prospectus from the date of the filing of such reports and documents.

You may request a free copy of any of the documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus (other than exhibits, unless they are specifically incorporated by reference in the documents) by writing or telephoning us at the following address:

AMERICAN SUPERCONDUCTOR CORPORATION

64 JACKSON ROAD, DEVENS, MA 01434

TELEPHONE: (978) 842-3000

ATTN: INVESTOR RELATIONS

Exhibits to the filings will not be sent, however, unless those exhibits have specifically been incorporated by reference in this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement.

 

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THE COMPANY

AMSC is a leading provider of megawatt-scale solutions that are designed to lower the cost of wind power and enhance the performance of the power grid. In the wind power market, we enable manufacturers to field highly competitive wind turbines through our advanced power electronics products, engineering, and support services. In the power grid market, we enable electric utilities and renewable energy project developers to connect, transmit and distribute power through our transmission planning services and power electronics and superconductor-based products. Our wind and power grid products and services provide exceptional reliability, security, efficiency and affordability to our customers

American Superconductor Corporation was incorporated in Delaware in 1987. Our principal executive offices are located at 64 Jackson Road, Devens, Massachusetts 01434, and our telephone number is (978) 842-3000.

RISK FACTORS

Investment in any securities offered pursuant to this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement involves risks. You should carefully consider the risk factors incorporated by reference to our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or Current Reports on Form 8-K we file after the date of this prospectus, and all other information contained or incorporated by reference into this prospectus, as updated by our subsequent filings under the Exchange Act, and the risk factors and other information contained in the applicable prospectus supplement before acquiring any of such securities. The occurrence of any of these risks might cause you to lose all or part of your investment in the offered securities.

USE OF PROCEEDS

We intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of the securities as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement.

 

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RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES

The following table sets forth the historical ratios of earnings to fixed charges for AMSC and its consolidated subsidiaries for the periods indicated.

 

		Year Ended March 31,																				Three Months Ended June 30, 2014
		2010				2011				2012				2013				2014
Ratio of earnings to fixed charges (1)			52.53x				—				—				—				—				—

 

(1)	Earnings were inadequate to cover fixed charges for the years ended March 31, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 by $168.9 million, $133.0 million, $64.2 million and $53.1 million, respectively, and for the three months ended June 30, 2014, by $13.2 million.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF DEBT SECURITIES

The following description, together with the additional information we include in any applicable prospectus supplement, summarizes certain general terms and provisions of the debt securities that we may offer under this prospectus. When we offer to sell a particular series of debt securities, we will describe the specific terms of the series in a supplement to this prospectus. We will also indicate in the supplement to what extent the general terms and provisions described in this prospectus apply to a particular series of debt securities.

We may issue debt securities either separately, or together with, or upon the conversion or exercise of or in exchange for, other securities described in this prospectus. Debt securities may be our senior, senior subordinated or subordinated obligations and, unless otherwise specified in a supplement to this prospectus, the debt securities will be our direct, unsecured obligations and may be issued in one or more series.

The debt securities will be issued under an indenture between us and Wilmington Trust, National Association, as trustee. We have summarized select portions of the indenture below. The summary is not complete. The form of the indenture has been filed as an exhibit to the registration statement and you should read the indenture for provisions that may be important to you. In the summary below, we have included references to the section numbers of the indenture so that you can easily locate these provisions. Capitalized terms used in the summary and not defined herein have the meanings specified in the indenture.

As used in this section only, “AMSC,” “we,” “our” or “us” refer to American Superconductor Corporation excluding our subsidiaries, unless expressly stated or the context otherwise requires.

General

The terms of each series of debt securities will be established by or pursuant to a resolution of our board of directors and set forth or determined in the manner provided in a resolution of our board of directors, in an officer’s certificate or by a supplemental indenture. (Section 2.2) The particular terms of each series of debt securities will be described in a prospectus supplement relating to such series (including any pricing supplement or term sheet).

We can issue an unlimited amount of debt securities under the indenture that may be in one or more series with the same or various maturities, at par, at a premium, or at a discount. (Section 2.1) We will set forth in a prospectus supplement (including any pricing supplement or term sheet) relating to any series of debt securities being offered, the aggregate principal amount and the following terms of the debt securities, if applicable:

 

•

the title and ranking of the debt securities (including the terms of any subordination provisions);

 

•

the price or prices (expressed as a percentage of the principal amount) at which we will sell the debt securities;

 

•

any limit on the aggregate principal amount of the debt securities;

 

•

the date or dates on which the principal of the securities of the series is payable;

 

•

the rate or rates (which may be fixed or variable) per annum or the method used to determine the rate or rates (including any commodity, commodity index, stock exchange index or financial index) at which the debt securities will bear interest, the date or dates from which interest will accrue, the date or dates on which interest will commence and be payable and any regular record date for the interest payable on any interest payment date;

 

•

the place or places where principal of, and interest, if any, on the debt securities will be payable (and the method of such payment), where the securities of such series may be surrendered for registration of transfer or exchange, and where notices and demands to us in respect of the debt securities may be delivered;

 

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•

the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and the terms and conditions upon which we may redeem the debt securities;

 

•

any obligation we have to redeem or purchase the debt securities pursuant to any sinking fund or analogous provisions or at the option of a holder of debt securities and the period or periods within which, the price or prices at which and in the terms and conditions upon which securities of the series shall be redeemed or purchased, in whole or in part, pursuant to such obligation;

 

•

the dates on which and the price or prices at which we will repurchase debt securities at the option of the holders of debt securities and other detailed terms and provisions of these repurchase obligations;

 

•

the denominations in which the debt securities will be issued, if other than denominations of $1,000 and any integral multiple thereof;

 

•

whether the debt securities will be issued in the form of certificated debt securities or global debt securities;

 

•

the portion of principal amount of the debt securities payable upon declaration of acceleration of the maturity date, if other than the principal amount;

 

•

the currency of denomination of the debt securities, which may be United States Dollars or any foreign currency, and if such currency of denomination is a composite currency, the agency or organization, if any, responsible for overseeing such composite currency;

 

•

the designation of the currency, currencies or currency units in which payment of principal of, premium and interest on the debt securities will be made;

 

•

if payments of principal of, premium or interest on the debt securities will be made in one or more currencies or currency units other than that or those in which the debt securities are denominated, the manner in which the exchange rate with respect to these payments will be determined;

 

•

the manner in which the amounts of payment of principal of, premium, if any, or interest on the debt securities will be determined, if these amounts may be determined by reference to an index based on a currency or currencies or by reference to a commodity, commodity index, stock exchange index or financial index;

 

•

any provisions relating to any security provided for the debt securities;

 

•

any addition to, deletion of or change in the Events of Default described in this prospectus or in the indenture with respect to the debt securities and any change in the acceleration provisions described in this prospectus or in the indenture with respect to the debt securities;

 

•

any addition to, deletion of or change in the covenants described in this prospectus or in the indenture with respect to the debt securities;

 

•

any depositaries, interest rate calculation agents, exchange rate calculation agents or other agents with respect to the debt securities;

 

•

the provisions, if any, relating to conversion or exchange of any debt securities of such series, including if applicable, the conversion or exchange price and period, provisions as to whether conversion or exchange will be mandatory, the events requiring an adjustment of the conversion or exchange price and provisions affecting conversion or exchange;

 

•

any other terms of the debt securities, which may supplement, modify or delete any provision of the indenture as it applies to that series, including any terms that may be required under applicable law or regulations or advisable in connection with the marketing of the securities; and

 

•

whether any of our direct or indirect subsidiaries will guarantee the debt securities of that series, including the terms of subordination, if any, of such guarantees. (Section 2.2)

 

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We may issue debt securities that provide for an amount less than their stated principal amount to be due and payable upon declaration of acceleration of their maturity pursuant to the terms of the indenture. We will provide you with information on the federal income tax considerations and other special considerations applicable to any of these debt securities in the applicable prospectus supplement.

If we denominate the purchase price of any of the debt securities in a foreign currency or currencies or a foreign currency unit or units, or if the principal of and any premium and interest on any series of debt securities is payable in a foreign currency or currencies or a foreign currency unit or units, we will provide you with information on the restrictions, elections, general tax considerations, specific terms and other information with respect to that issue of debt securities and such foreign currency or currencies or foreign currency unit or units in the applicable prospectus supplement.

Transfer and Exchange

Each debt security will be represented by either one or more global securities registered in the name of The Depository Trust Company, or the Depositary, or a nominee of the Depositary (we will refer to any debt security represented by a global debt security as a “book-entry debt security”), or a certificate issued in definitive registered form (we will refer to any debt security represented by a certificated security as a “certificated debt security”) as set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. Except as set forth under the heading “Global Debt Securities and Book-Entry System” below, book-entry debt securities will not be issuable in certificated form.

Certificated Debt Securities. You may transfer or exchange certificated debt securities at any office we maintain for this purpose in accordance with the terms of the indenture. (Section 2.4) No service charge will be made for any transfer or exchange of certificated debt securities, but we may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge payable in connection with a transfer or exchange. (Section 2.7)

You may effect the transfer of certificated debt securities and the right to receive the principal of, premium and interest on certificated debt securities only by surrendering the certificate representing those certificated debt securities and either reissuance by us or the trustee of the certificate to the new holder or the issuance by us or the trustee of a new certificate to the new holder.

Global Debt Securities and Book-Entry System. Each global debt security representing book-entry debt securities will be deposited with, or on behalf of, the Depositary, and registered in the name of the Depositary or a nominee of the Depositary. Please see “Global Securities.”

Covenants

We will set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement any restrictive covenants applicable to any issue of debt securities. (Article IV)

No Protection in the Event of a Change of Control

Unless we state otherwise in the applicable prospectus supplement, the debt securities will not contain any provisions which may afford holders of the debt securities protection in the event we have a change in control or in the event of a highly leveraged transaction (whether or not such transaction results in a change in control) which could adversely affect holders of debt securities.

 

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Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets

We may not consolidate with or merge with or into, or convey, transfer or lease all or substantially all of our properties and assets to any person (a “successor person”) unless:

 

•

we are the surviving corporation or the successor person (if other than AMSC is a corporation organized and validly existing under the laws of any U.S. domestic jurisdiction and expressly assumes our obligations on the debt securities and under the indenture; and

 

•

immediately after giving effect to the transaction, no Default or Event of Default, shall have occurred and be continuing.

Notwithstanding the above, any of our subsidiaries may consolidate with, merge into or transfer all or part of its properties to us. (Section 5.1)

Events of Default

“Event of Default” means with respect to any series of debt securities, any of the following:

 

•

default in the payment of any interest upon any debt security of that series when it becomes due and payable, and continuance of such default for a period of 30 days (unless the entire amount of the payment is deposited by us with the trustee or with a paying agent prior to the expiration of the 30-day period);

 

•

default in the payment of principal of any security of that series at its maturity;

 

•

default in the performance or breach of any other covenant or warranty by us in the indenture (other than a covenant or warranty that has been included in the indenture solely for the benefit of a series of debt securities other than that series), which default continues uncured for a period of 60 days after we receive written notice from the trustee or AMSC and the trustee receive written notice from the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series as provided in the indenture;

 

•

certain voluntary or involuntary events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization of AMSC;

 

•

any other Event of Default provided with respect to debt securities of that series that is described in the applicable prospectus supplement. (Section 6.1)

No Event of Default with respect to a particular series of debt securities (except as to certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization) necessarily constitutes an Event of Default with respect to any other series of debt securities. (Section 6.1) The occurrence of certain Events of Default or an acceleration under the indenture may constitute an event of default under certain indebtedness of ours or our subsidiaries outstanding from time to time.

We will provide the trustee written notice of any Default or Event of Default within 30 days of becoming aware of the occurrence of such Default or Event of Default, which notice will describe in reasonable detail the status of such Default or Event of Default and what action we are taking or propose to take in respect thereof. (Section 6.1)

If an Event of Default with respect to debt securities of any series at the time outstanding occurs and is continuing, then the trustee or the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series may, by a notice in writing to us (and to the trustee if given by the holders), declare to be due and payable immediately the principal of (or, if the debt securities of that series are discount securities, that portion of the principal amount as may be specified in the terms of that series) and accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on all debt securities of that series. In the case of an Event of Default resulting from certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization, the principal (or such specified amount) of and accrued and unpaid

 

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interest, if any, on all outstanding debt securities will become and be immediately due and payable without any declaration or other act on the part of the trustee or any holder of outstanding debt securities. At any time after a declaration of acceleration with respect to debt securities of any series has been made, but before a judgment or decree for payment of the money due has been obtained by the trustee, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series may rescind and annul the acceleration if all Events of Default, other than the non-payment of accelerated principal and interest, if any, with respect to debt securities of that series, have been cured or waived as provided in the indenture. (Section 6.2) We refer you to the prospectus supplement relating to any series of debt securities that are discount securities for the particular provisions relating to acceleration of a portion of the principal amount of such discount securities upon the occurrence of an Event of Default.

The indenture provides that the trustee may refuse to perform any duty or exercise any of its rights or powers under the indenture unless the trustee receives indemnity satisfactory to it against any cost, liability or expense which might be incurred by it in performing such duty or exercising such right or power. (Section 7.1(e)) Subject to certain rights of the trustee, the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series will have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the trustee or exercising any trust or power conferred on the trustee with respect to the debt securities of that series. (Section 6.12)

No holder of any debt security of any series will have any right to institute any proceeding, judicial or otherwise, with respect to the indenture or for the appointment of a receiver or trustee, or for any remedy under the indenture, unless:

 

•

that holder has previously given to the trustee written notice of a continuing Event of Default with respect to debt securities of that series; and

 

•

the holders of not less than 25% in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series have made written request, and offered indemnity or security satisfactory to the trustee, to the trustee to institute the proceeding as trustee, and the trustee has not received from the holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of that series a direction inconsistent with that request and has failed to institute the proceeding within 60 days. (Section 6.7)

Notwithstanding any other provision in the indenture, the holder of any debt security will have an absolute and unconditional right to receive payment of the principal of, premium and any interest on that debt security on or after the due dates expressed in that debt security and to institute suit for the enforcement of payment. (Section 6.8)

The indenture requires us, within 120 days after the end of our fiscal year, to furnish to the trustee a statement as to compliance with the indenture. (Section 4.3) If a Default or Event of Default occurs and is continuing with respect to the securities of any series and if it is known to a responsible officer of the trustee, the trustee shall mail to each Securityholder of the securities of that series notice of a Default or Event of Default within 90 days after it occurs or, if later, after a responsible officer of the trustee has knowledge of such Default or Event of Default. The indenture provides that the trustee may withhold notice to the holders of debt securities of any series of any Default or Event of Default (except in payment on any debt securities of that series) with respect to debt securities of that series if the trustee determines in good faith that withholding notice is in the interest of the holders of those debt securities. (Section 7.5)

Modification and Waiver

We and the trustee may modify, amend or supplement the indenture or the debt securities of any series without the consent of any holder of any debt security:

 

•

to cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency;

 

•

to comply with covenants in the indenture described above under the heading “Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets”;

 

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to provide for uncertificated securities in addition to or in place of certificated securities;

 

•

to add guarantees with respect to debt securities of any series or secure debt securities of any series;

 

•

to surrender any of our rights or powers under the indenture;

 

•

to add covenants or events of default for the benefit of the holders of debt securities of any series;

 

•

to comply with the applicable procedures of the applicable depositary;

 

•

to make any change that does not adversely affect the rights of any holder of debt securities;

 

•

to provide for the issuance of and establish the form and terms and conditions of debt securities of any series as permitted by the indenture;

 

•

to effect the appointment of a successor trustee with respect to the debt securities of any series and to add to or change any of the provisions of the indenture to provide for or facilitate administration by more than one trustee; or

 

•

to comply with requirements of the SEC in order to effect or maintain the qualification of the indenture under the Trust Indenture Act. (Section 9.1)

We may also modify and amend the indenture with the consent of the holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of each series affected by the modifications or amendments. We may not make any modification or amendment without the consent of the holders of each affected debt security then outstanding if that amendment will:

 

•

reduce the amount of debt securities whose holders must consent to an amendment, supplement or waiver;

 

•

reduce the rate of or extend the time for payment of interest (including default interest) on any debt security;

 

•

reduce the principal of or premium on or change the fixed maturity of any debt security or reduce the amount of, or postpone the date fixed for, the payment of any sinking fund or analogous obligation with respect to any series of debt securities;

 

•

reduce the principal amount of discount securities payable upon acceleration of maturity;

 

•

waive a default in the payment of the principal of, premium or interest on any debt security (except a rescission of acceleration of the debt securities of any series by the holders of at least a majority in aggregate principal amount of the then outstanding debt securities of that series and a waiver of the payment default that resulted from such acceleration);

 

•

make the principal of or premium or interest on any debt security payable in currency other than that stated in the debt security;

 

•

make any change to certain provisions of the indenture relating to, among other things, the right of holders of debt securities to receive payment of the principal of, premium and interest on those debt securities and to institute suit for the enforcement of any such payment and to waivers or amendments; or

 

•

waive a redemption payment with respect to any debt security. (Section 9.3)

Except for certain specified provisions, the holders of at least a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may on behalf of the holders of all debt securities of that series waive our compliance with provisions of the indenture. (Section 9.2) The holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may on behalf of the holders of all the debt securities of such series waive any past default under the indenture with respect to that series and its consequences, except a default in the payment of the principal of, premium or any interest on any debt security of that series; provided, however, that

 

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the holders of a majority in principal amount of the outstanding debt securities of any series may rescind an acceleration and its consequences, including any related payment default that resulted from the acceleration. (Section 6.13)

Defeasance of Debt Securities and Certain Covenants in Certain Circumstances

Legal Defeasance. The indenture provides that, unless otherwise provided by the terms of the applicable series of debt securities, we may be discharged from any and all obligations in respect of the debt securities of any series (subject to certain exceptions). We will be so discharged upon the deposit with the trustee, in trust, of money and/or U.S. government obligations or, in the case of debt securities denominated in a single currency other than U.S. Dollars, government obligations of the government that issued or caused to be issued such currency, that, through the payment of interest and principal in accordance with their terms, will provide money or U.S. government obligations in an amount sufficient in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants or investment bank to pay and discharge each installment of principal, premium and interest on and any mandatory sinking fund payments in respect of the debt securities of that series on the stated maturity of those payments in accordance with the terms of the indenture and those debt securities.

This discharge may occur only if, among other things, we have delivered to the trustee an opinion of counsel stating that we have received from, or there has been published by, the United States Internal Revenue Service a ruling or, since the date of execution of the indenture, there has been a change in the applicable United States federal income tax law, in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such opinion shall confirm that, the holders of the debt securities of that series will not recognize income, gain or loss for United States federal income tax purposes as a result of the deposit, defeasance and discharge and will be subject to United States federal income tax on the same amounts and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if the deposit, defeasance and discharge had not occurred. (Section 8.3)

Defeasance of Certain Covenants. The indenture provides that, unless otherwise provided by the terms of the applicable series of debt securities, upon compliance with certain conditions:

 

•

we may omit to comply with the covenant described under the heading “Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets” and certain other covenants set forth in the indenture, as well as any additional covenants which may be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement; and

 

•

any omission to comply with those covenants will not constitute a Default or an Event of Default with respect to the debt securities of that series (“covenant defeasance”).

The conditions include:

 

•

depositing with the trustee money and/or U.S. government obligations or, in the case of debt securities denominated in a single currency other than U.S. Dollars, government obligations of the government that issued or caused to be issued such currency, that, through the payment of interest and principal in accordance with their terms, will provide money in an amount sufficient in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants or investment bank to pay and discharge each installment of principal of, premium and interest on and any mandatory sinking fund payments in respect of the debt securities of that series on the stated maturity of those payments in accordance with the terms of the indenture and those debt securities; and

 

•

delivering to the trustee an opinion of counsel to the effect that we have received from, or there has been published by, the United States Internal Revenue Service a ruling or, since the date of execution of the indenture, there has been a change in the applicable United States federal income tax law, in either case to the effect that, and based thereon such opinion shall confirm that, the holders of the debt securities of that series will not recognize income, gain or loss for United States federal income tax purposes as a result of the deposit and related covenant defeasance and will be subject to United States federal income tax on the same amounts and in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if the deposit and related covenant defeasance had not occurred. (Section 8.4)

 

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No Personal Liability of Directors, Officers, Employees or Stockholders

None of our past, present or future directors, officers, employees or stockholders, as such, will have any liability for any of our obligations under the debt securities or the indenture or for any claim based on, or in respect or by reason of, such obligations or their creation. By accepting a debt security, each holder waives and releases all such liability. This waiver and release is part of the consideration for the issue of the debt securities. However, this waiver and release may not be effective to waive liabilities under U.S. federal securities laws, and it is the view of the SEC that such a waiver is against public policy.

Governing Law

The indenture and the debt securities, including any claim or controversy arising out of or relating to the indenture or the securities, will be governed by the laws of the State of New York. (Section 10.10)

 

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DESCRIPTION OF WARRANTS

We may issue warrants for the purchase of shares of our common stock or of debt securities. We may issue warrants independently or together with other securities, and the warrants may be attached to or separate from any offered securities. Each series of warrants will be issued under a separate warrant agreement to be entered into between us and the investors or a warrant agent. The following summary of material provisions of the warrants and warrant agreements are subject to, and qualified in their entirety by reference to, all the provisions of the warrant agreement and warrant certificate applicable to a particular series of warrants. The terms of any warrants offered under a prospectus supplement may differ from the terms described below. We urge you to read the applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus, as well as the complete warrant agreements and warrant certificates that contain the terms of the warrants.

The particular terms of any issue of warrants will be described in the prospectus supplement relating to the issue. Those terms may include:

 

•

the number of shares of common stock purchasable upon the exercise of warrants to purchase such shares and the price at which such number of shares may be purchased upon such exercise;

 

•

the principal amount of debt securities that may be purchased upon exercise of a debt warrant and the exercise price for the warrants, which may be payable in cash, securities or other property;

 

•

the date, if any, on and after which the warrants and the related debt securities or common stock will be separately transferable;

 

•

the terms of any rights to redeem or call the warrants;

 

•

the date on which the right to exercise the warrants will commence and the date on which the right will expire;

 

•

United States Federal income tax consequences applicable to the warrants; and

 

•

any additional terms of the warrants, including terms, procedures, and limitations relating to the exchange, exercise and settlement of the warrants.

Holders of equity warrants will not be entitled:

 

•

to vote, consent or receive dividends;

 

•

receive notice as stockholders with respect to any meeting of stockholders for the election of our directors or any other matter; or

 

•

exercise any rights as stockholders of AMSC.

Each warrant will entitle its holder to purchase the principal amount of debt securities or the number of shares of common stock at the exercise price set forth in, or calculable as set forth in, the applicable prospectus supplement. Unless we otherwise specify in the applicable prospectus supplement, holders of the warrants may exercise the warrants at any time up to the specified time on the expiration date that we set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement. After the close of business on the expiration date, unexercised warrants will become void.

A holder of warrant certificates may exchange them for new warrant certificates of different denominations, present them for registration of transfer and exercise them at the corporate trust office of the warrant agent or any other office indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement. Until any warrants to purchase debt securities are exercised, the holder of the warrants will not have any rights of holders of the debt securities that can be purchased upon exercise, including any rights to receive payments of principal, premium or interest on the underlying debt securities or to enforce covenants in the applicable indenture. Until any warrants to purchase common stock are exercised, the holders of the warrants will not have any rights of holders of the underlying common stock, including any rights to receive dividends or payments upon any liquidation, dissolution or winding up on the common stock.

 

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DESCRIPTION OF UNITS

We may issue units consisting of any combination of the other types of securities offered under this prospectus in one or more series. We may evidence each series of units by unit certificates that we will issue under a separate agreement. We may enter into unit agreements with a unit agent. Each unit agent will be a bank or trust company that we select. We will indicate the name and address of the unit agent in the applicable prospectus supplement relating to a particular series of units.

The following description, together with the additional information included in any applicable prospectus supplement, summarizes the general features of the units that we may offer under this prospectus. You should read any prospectus supplement and any free writing prospectus that we may authorize to be provided to you related to the series of units being offered, as well as the complete unit agreements that contain the terms of the units. Specific unit agreements will contain additional important terms and provisions and we will file as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, or will incorporate by reference from another report that we file with the SEC, the form of each unit agreement relating to units offered under this prospectus.

If we offer any units, certain terms of that series of units will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement, including, without limitation, the following, as applicable:

 

•

the title of the series of units;

 

•

identification and description of the separate constituent securities comprising the units;

 

•

the price or prices at which the units will be issued;

 

•

the date, if any, on and after which the constituent securities comprising the units will be separately transferable;

 

•

a discussion of certain United States federal income tax considerations applicable to the units; and

 

•

any other terms of the units and their constituent securities.

 

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GLOBAL SECURITIES

Book-Entry, Delivery and Form

Unless we indicate differently in a prospectus supplement, the securities initially will be issued in book-entry form and represented by one or more global notes or global securities, or, collectively, global securities. The global securities will be deposited with, or on behalf of, The Depository Trust Company, New York, New York, as depositary, or DTC, and registered in the name of Cede & Co., the nominee of DTC. Unless and until it is exchanged for individual certificates evidencing securities under the limited circumstances described below, a global security may not be transferred except as a whole by the depositary to its nominee or by the nominee to the depositary, or by the depositary or its nominee to a successor depositary or to a nominee of the successor depositary.

DTC has advised us that it is:

 

•

a limited-purpose trust company organized under the New York Banking Law;

 

•

a “banking organization” within the meaning of the New York Banking Law;

 

•

a member of the Federal Reserve System;

 

•

a “clearing corporation” within the meaning of the New York Uniform Commercial Code; and

 

•

a “clearing agency” registered pursuant to the provisions of Section 17A of the Exchange Act.

DTC holds securities that its participants deposit with DTC. DTC also facilitates the settlement among its participants of securities transactions, such as transfers and pledges, in deposited securities through electronic computerized book-entry changes in participants’ accounts, thereby eliminating the need for physical movement of securities certificates. “Direct participants” in DTC include securities brokers and dealers, including underwriters, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other organizations. DTC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation, or DTCC. DTCC is the holding company for DTC, National Securities Clearing Corporation and Fixed Income Clearing Corporation, all of which are registered clearing agencies. DTCC is owned by the users of its regulated subsidiaries. Access to the DTC system is also available to others, which we sometimes refer to as indirect participants, that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a direct participant, either directly or indirectly. The rules applicable to DTC and its participants are on file with the SEC.

Purchases of securities under the DTC system must be made by or through direct participants, which will receive a credit for the securities on DTC’s records. The ownership interest of the actual purchaser of a security, which we sometimes refer to as a beneficial owner, is in turn recorded on the direct and indirect participants’ records. Beneficial owners of securities will not receive written confirmation from DTC of their purchases. However, beneficial owners are expected to receive written confirmations providing details of their transactions, as well as periodic statements of their holdings, from the direct or indirect participants through which they purchased securities. Transfers of ownership interests in global securities are to be accomplished by entries made on the books of participants acting on behalf of beneficial owners. Beneficial owners will not receive certificates representing their ownership interests in the global securities, except under the limited circumstances described below.

To facilitate subsequent transfers, all global securities deposited by direct participants with DTC will be registered in the name of DTC’s partnership nominee, Cede & Co., or such other name as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC. The deposit of securities with DTC and their registration in the name of Cede & Co. or such other nominee will not change the beneficial ownership of the securities. DTC has no knowledge of the actual beneficial owners of the securities. DTC’s records reflect only the identity of the direct participants to whose accounts the securities are credited, which may or may not be the beneficial owners. The participants are responsible for keeping account of their holdings on behalf of their customers.

 

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So long as the securities are in book-entry form, you will receive payments and may transfer securities only through the facilities of the depositary and its direct and indirect participants. We will maintain an office or agency in the location specified in the prospectus supplement for the applicable securities, where notices and demands in respect of the securities and the indenture may be delivered to us and where certificated securities may be surrendered for payment, registration of transfer or exchange.

Conveyance of notices and other communications by DTC to direct participants, by direct participants to indirect participants and by direct participants and indirect participants to beneficial owners will be governed by arrangements among them, subject to any legal requirements in effect from time to time.

Redemption notices will be sent to DTC. If less than all of the securities of a particular series are being redeemed, DTC’s practice is to determine by lot the amount of the interest of each direct participant in the securities of such series to be redeemed.

Neither DTC nor Cede & Co. (or such other DTC nominee) will consent or vote with respect to the securities. Under its usual procedures, DTC will mail an omnibus proxy to us as soon as possible after the record date. The omnibus proxy assigns the consenting or voting rights of Cede & Co. to those direct participants to whose accounts the securities of such series are credited on the record date, identified in a listing attached to the omnibus proxy.

So long as securities are in book-entry form, we will make payments on those securities to the depositary or its nominee, as the registered owner of such securities, by wire transfer of immediately available funds. If securities are issued in definitive certificated form under the limited circumstances described below, we will have the option of making payments by check mailed to the addresses of the persons entitled to payment or by wire transfer to bank accounts in the United States designated in writing to the applicable trustee or other designated party at least 15 days before the applicable payment date by the persons entitled to payment, unless a shorter period is satisfactory to the applicable trustee or other designated party.

Redemption proceeds, distributions and dividend payments on the securities will be made to Cede & Co., or such other nominee as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC. DTC’s practice is to credit direct participants’ accounts upon DTC’s receipt of funds and corresponding detail information from us on the payment date in accordance with their respective holdings shown on DTC records. Payments by participants to beneficial owners will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is the case with securities held for the account of customers in bearer form or registered in “street name.” Those payments will be the responsibility of participants and not of DTC or us, subject to any statutory or regulatory requirements in effect from time to time. Payment of redemption proceeds, distributions and dividend payments to Cede & Co., or such other nominee as may be requested by an authorized representative of DTC, is our responsibility, disbursement of payments to direct participants is the responsibility of DTC, and disbursement of payments to the beneficial owners is the responsibility of direct and indirect participants.

Except under the limited circumstances described below, purchasers of securities will not be entitled to have securities registered in their names and will not receive physical delivery of securities. Accordingly, each beneficial owner must rely on the procedures of DTC and its participants to exercise any rights under the securities and the indenture.

The laws of some jurisdictions may require that some purchasers of securities take physical delivery of securities in definitive form. Those laws may impair the ability to transfer or pledge beneficial interests in securities.

DTC may discontinue providing its services as securities depositary with respect to the securities at any time by giving reasonable notice to us. Under such circumstances, in the event that a successor depositary is not obtained, securities certificates are required to be printed and delivered.

 

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As noted above, beneficial owners of a particular series of securities generally will not receive certificates representing their ownership interests in those securities. However, if:

 

•

DTC notifies us that it is unwilling or unable to continue as a depositary for the global security or securities representing such series of securities or if DTC ceases to be a clearing agency registered under the Exchange Act at a time when it is required to be registered and a successor depositary is not appointed within 90 days of the notification to us or of our becoming aware of DTC’s ceasing to be so registered, as the case may be;

 

•

we determine, in our sole discretion, not to have such securities represented by one or more global securities; or

 

•

an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing with respect to such series of securities,

we will prepare and deliver certificates for such securities in exchange for beneficial interests in the global securities. Any beneficial interest in a global security that is exchangeable under the circumstances described in the preceding sentence will be exchangeable for securities in definitive certificated form registered in the names that the depositary directs. It is expected that these directions will be based upon directions received by the depositary from its participants with respect to ownership of beneficial interests in the global securities.

We have obtained the information in this section and elsewhere in this prospectus concerning DTC and DTC’s book-entry system from sources that are believed to be reliable, but we take no responsibility for the accuracy of this information.

 

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PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION

We may sell the securities from time to time pursuant to underwritten public offerings, negotiated transactions, block trades or a combination of these methods or through underwriters or dealers, through agents and/or directly to one or more purchasers. The securities may be distributed from time to time in one or more transactions:

 

•

at a fixed price or prices, which may be changed;

 

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at market prices prevailing at the time of sale;

 

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at prices related to such prevailing market prices; or

 

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at negotiated prices.

Each time that we sell securities covered by this prospectus, we will provide a prospectus supplement or supplements that will describe the method of distribution and set forth the terms and conditions of the offering of such securities, including the offering price of the securities and the proceeds to us, if applicable.

Offers to purchase the securities being offered by this prospectus may be solicited directly. Agents may also be designated to solicit offers to purchase the securities from time to time. Any agent involved in the offer or sale of our securities will be identified in a prospectus supplement.

If a dealer is utilized in the sale of the securities being offered by this prospectus, the securities will be sold to the dealer, as principal. The dealer may then resell the securities to the public at varying prices to be determined by the dealer at the time of resale.

If an underwriter is utilized in the sale of the securities being offered by this prospectus, an underwriting agreement will be executed with the underwriter at the time of sale and the name of any underwriter will be provided in the prospectus supplement that the underwriter will use to make resales of the securities to the public. In connection with the sale of the securities, we or the purchasers of securities for whom the underwriter may act as agent, may compensate the underwriter in the form of underwriting discounts or commissions. The underwriter may sell the securities to or through dealers, and those dealers may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the underwriters and/or commissions from the purchasers for which they may act as agent. Unless otherwise indicated in a prospectus supplement, an agent will be acting on a best efforts basis and a dealer will purchase securities as a principal, and may then resell the securities at varying prices to be determined by the dealer.

Any compensation paid to underwriters, dealers or agents in connection with the offering of the securities, and any discounts, concessions or commissions allowed by underwriters to participating dealers will be provided in the applicable prospectus supplement. Underwriters, dealers and agents participating in the distribution of the securities may be deemed to be underwriters within the meaning of the Securities Act of 1933 and any discounts and commissions received by them and any profit realized by them on resale of the securities may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions. We may enter into agreements to indemnify underwriters, dealers and agents against civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act, or to contribute to payments they may be required to make in respect thereof and to reimburse those persons for certain expenses.

Any common stock will be listed on The Nasdaq Global Select Market, but any other securities may or may not be listed on a national securities exchange. To facilitate the offering of securities, certain persons participating in the offering may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of the securities. This may include over-allotments or short sales of the securities, which involve the sale by persons participating in the offering of more securities than were sold to them. In these circumstances, these persons would cover such over-allotments or short positions by making purchases in the open market or by exercising their over-allotment option, if any. In addition, these persons may stabilize or maintain the price of the securities

 

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by bidding for or purchasing securities in the open market or by imposing penalty bids, whereby selling concessions allowed to dealers participating in the offering may be reclaimed if securities sold by them are repurchased in connection with stabilization transactions. The effect of these transactions may be to stabilize or maintain the market price of the securities at a level above that which might otherwise prevail in the open market. These transactions may be discontinued at any time.

If indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, underwriters or other persons acting as agents may be authorized to solicit offers by institutions or other suitable purchasers to purchase the securities at the public offering price set forth in the prospectus supplement, pursuant to delayed delivery contracts providing for payment and delivery on the date or dates stated in the prospectus supplement. These purchasers may include, among others, commercial and savings banks, insurance companies, pension funds, investment companies and educational and charitable institutions. Delayed delivery contracts will be subject to the condition that the purchase of the securities covered by the delayed delivery contracts will not at the time of delivery be prohibited under the laws of any jurisdiction in the United States to which the purchaser is subject. The underwriters and agents will not have any responsibility with respect to the validity or performance of these contracts.

We may engage in at the market offerings into an existing trading market in accordance with Rule 415(a)(4) under the Securities Act. In addition, we may enter into derivative transactions with third parties, or sell securities not covered by this prospectus to third parties in privately negotiated transactions. If the applicable prospectus supplement so indicates, in connection with those derivatives, the third parties may sell securities covered by this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, including in short sale transactions. If so, the third party may use securities pledged by us or borrowed from us or others to settle those sales or to close out any related open borrowings of stock, and may use securities received from us in settlement of those derivatives to close out any related open borrowings of stock. The third party in such sale transactions will be an underwriter and, if not identified in this prospectus, will be named in the applicable prospectus supplement (or a post-effective amendment). In addition, we may otherwise loan or pledge securities to a financial institution or other third party that in turn may sell the securities short using this prospectus and an applicable prospectus supplement. Such financial institution or other third party may transfer its economic short position to investors in our securities or in connection with a concurrent offering of other securities.

The specific terms of any lock-up provisions in respect of any given offering will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

In compliance with the guidelines of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc., or FINRA, the maximum consideration or discount to be received by any FINRA member or independent broker dealer may not exceed 8% of the aggregate proceeds of the offering.

The underwriters, dealers and agents may engage in transactions with us, or perform services for us, in the ordinary course of business for which they receive compensation.

 

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LEGAL MATTERS

Latham & Watkins LLP will pass upon certain legal matters relating to the issuance and sale of the securities offered hereby on behalf of American Superconductor Corporation. Additional legal matters may be passed upon for us or any underwriters, dealers or agents, by counsel that we will name in the applicable prospectus supplement.

EXPERTS

The consolidated financial statements, the related financial statement schedule, and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting incorporated in this Prospectus by reference to the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2014, have been audited by McGladrey LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report incorporated by reference herein, and have been so incorporated in reliance upon such report and upon the authority of such firm as experts in accounting and auditing.

The financial statements as of March 31, 2013 and for each of the two years in the period ended March 31, 2013 incorporated in this Prospectus by reference to the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2014 have been so incorporated in reliance on the report (which contains an explanatory paragraph relating to the Company’s ability to continue as a going concern as described in Note 1 to the financial statements) of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.

 

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             Common Stock Units

Each Consisting of

One Share of Common Stock

And

             of a Warrant

(                     Shares of Common Stock Underlying the Warrants)

 

 

PROSPECTUS SUPPLEMENT

 

 

Sole Book-Running Manager

Cowen and Company

Co-Manager

MLV & Co.

November     , 2014