UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
SCHEDULE
13G
Under
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
(Amendment No.
n/a
)*
FORWARD AIR CORP
(Name
of Issuer)
Common
349853101
December 31, 2022
Check the appropriate box to designate the rule pursuant to which this Schedule is filed:
x
Rule
13d-1(b)
o
Rule
13d-1(c)
o
Rule
13d-1(d)
*
The remainder of this cover page shall be filled out for a reporting person’s
initial filing on this form with respect to the subject class of securities,
and for any subsequent amendment containing information which would alter the
disclosures provided in a prior cover page.
The
information required in the remainder of this cover page shall not be deemed to
be “filed” for the purpose of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934 (“Act”) or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section of the Act
but shall be subject to all other provisions of the Act (however, see the
Notes).
| CUSIP No. | 349853101 |
| 1 | NAMES OF REPORTING PERSONS I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NOS. OF ABOVE PERSONS (ENTITIES ONLY) | ||||
| Neuberger Berman Group LLC | |||||
| 2 | CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP (SEE
INSTRUCTIONS) | ||||
| (a) o | |||||
| (b) x | |||||
| 3 | SEC USE ONLY | ||||
| 4 | CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION | ||||
| Delaware | |||||
| NUMBER OF SHARES BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON WITH: | 5 | SOLE VOTING POWER | |||
| 0 | |||||
| 6 | SHARED VOTING POWER | ||||
| 1360403 | |||||
| 7 | SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER | ||||
| 0 | |||||
| 8 | SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER | ||||
| 1375360 | |||||
| 9 | AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON | ||||
| 1375360 | |||||
| 10 | CHECK IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) | ||||
| o | |||||
| 11 | PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (9) | ||||
| 5.17% | |||||
| 12 | TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) | ||||
| HC | |||||
FOOTNOTES | |||||
| CUSIP No. | 349853101 |
| 1 | NAMES OF REPORTING PERSONS I.R.S. IDENTIFICATION NOS. OF ABOVE PERSONS (ENTITIES ONLY) | ||||
| Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC | |||||
| 2 | CHECK THE APPROPRIATE BOX IF A MEMBER OF A GROUP (SEE
INSTRUCTIONS) | ||||
| (a) o | |||||
| (b) x | |||||
| 3 | SEC USE ONLY | ||||
| 4 | CITIZENSHIP OR PLACE OF ORGANIZATION | ||||
| Delaware | |||||
| NUMBER OF SHARES BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON WITH: | 5 | SOLE VOTING POWER | |||
| 0 | |||||
| 6 | SHARED VOTING POWER | ||||
| 1360403 | |||||
| 7 | SOLE DISPOSITIVE POWER | ||||
| 0 | |||||
| 8 | SHARED DISPOSITIVE POWER | ||||
| 1375360 | |||||
| 9 | AGGREGATE AMOUNT BENEFICIALLY OWNED BY EACH REPORTING PERSON | ||||
| 1375360 | |||||
| 10 | CHECK IF THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT IN ROW (9) EXCLUDES CERTAIN SHARES (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) | ||||
| o | |||||
| 11 | PERCENT OF CLASS REPRESENTED BY AMOUNT IN ROW (9) | ||||
| 5.17% | |||||
| 12 | TYPE OF REPORTING PERSON (SEE INSTRUCTIONS) | ||||
| IA | |||||
FOOTNOTES | |||||
Item
1.
(a) | Name
of Issuer |
FORWARD AIR CORP |
(b) | Address
of Issuer’s Principal Executive Offices |
1915 SNAPPS FERRY ROAD, BUILDING N, GREENEVILLE, TN, 37745 |
Item
2.
(a) | Name
of Person Filing |
Neuberger Berman Group LLC
Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC |
(b) | Address
of Principal Business Office or, if none, Residence |
1290 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10104 |
(c) | Citizenship |
Delaware |
(d) | Title
of Class of Securities |
Common |
(e) | CUSIP
Number |
349853101 |
Item
3. | If
this statement is filed pursuant to §§240.13d-1(b) or 240.13d-2(b) or (c),
check whether the person filing is a: |
(a) | o | Broker
or dealer registered under section 15 of the Act (15 U.S.C. 78o). |
(b) | o | Bank
as defined in section 3(a)(6) of the Act (15 U.S.C. 78c). |
(c) | o |
Insurance company as defined in section 3(a)(19) of the Act (15 U.S.C. 78c).
|
(d) | o | Investment
company registered under section 8 of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15
U.S.C 80a-8). |
(e) | o | An
investment adviser in accordance with §240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(E); |
(f) | o | An
employee benefit plan or endowment fund in accordance with
§240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(F); |
(g) | o | A
parent holding company or control person in accordance with §
240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(G); |
(h) | o | A
savings associations as defined in Section 3(b) of the Federal Deposit
Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1813); |
(i) | o | A
church plan that is excluded from the definition of an investment company under
section 3(c)(14) of the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U.S.C. 80a-3); |
(j) | o | A non-U.S. institution in accordance with § 240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(J). |
(k) | x |
A group, in accordance with § 240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(K). If filing as a non-U.S. institution in accordance with § 240.13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(J), please specify
the type of institution:
|
Item
4. | Ownership. |
Provide
the following information regarding the aggregate number and percentage of the
class of securities of the issuer identified in Item 1.
(a) |
Amount beneficially owned:
1,375,360 |
(b) |
Percent of class: 5.17% |
(c) | Number
of shares as to which the person has: |
(i) |
Sole power to vote or to direct the vote:
0 |
(ii) |
Shared power to vote or to direct the vote:
1,360,403 |
(iii) |
Sole power to dispose or to direct the disposition of:
0 |
(iv) |
Shared power to dispose or to direct the disposition of:
1,375,360 |
Item
5. | Ownership
of Five Percent or Less of a Class |
If
this statement is being filed to report the fact that as of the date hereof the
reporting person has ceased to be the beneficial owner of more than five
percent of the class of securities, check the following
o
.
Item
6. | Ownership
of More than Five Percent on Behalf of Another Person. |
Neuberger Berman Group LLC and its affiliates may be deemed to be beneficial owners of securities for purposes of Exchange Act Rule 13d-3 because they or certain affiliated persons have shared power to retain, dispose of or vote the securities of unrelated clients. Neuberger Berman Group LLC or its affiliated persons do not, however, have any economic interest in the securities of those clients. The clients have the sole right to receive and the power to direct the receipt of dividends from or proceeds from the sale of such securities. Other than named in this filing, no one client has an interest of more than 5% of the issuer.
With regard to the shares set forth under item 4(c)(ii), Neuberger Berman Group LLC may be deemed to be the beneficial owner for purposes of Rule 13d-3 because certain affiliated persons have shared power to retain, dispose of and vote the securities. In addition to the holdings of individual advisory clients, Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC serves as investment manager of Neuberger Berman Group LLC’s various registered mutual funds which hold such shares. The holdings belonging to clients of Neuberger Berman Trust Co N.A., Neuberger Berman Trust Co of Delaware N.A., Neuberger Berman Asia Ltd., Neuberger Berman Canada ULC and Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC are also aggregated to comprise the holdings referenced herein.
In addition to the shares set forth under Item 4(c)(ii) for which Neuberger entities also have shared power to dispose of the shares, item 4(c)(iv) also includes shares from individual client accounts over which Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC has shared power to dispose but does not have voting power over these shares. The holdings of Neuberger Berman Trust Co N.A., Neuberger Berman Trust Co of Delaware N.A., Neuberger Berman Asia Ltd., Neuberger Berman Canada ULC and Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC, are also aggregated to comprise the holdings referenced herein.
With regard to the shares set forth under item 4(c)(ii), Neuberger Berman Group LLC may be deemed to be the beneficial owner for purposes of Rule 13d-3 because certain affiliated persons have shared power to retain, dispose of and vote the securities. In addition to the holdings of individual advisory clients, Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC serves as investment manager of Neuberger Berman Group LLC’s various registered mutual funds which hold such shares. The holdings belonging to clients of Neuberger Berman Trust Co N.A., Neuberger Berman Trust Co of Delaware N.A., Neuberger Berman Asia Ltd., Neuberger Berman Canada ULC and Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC are also aggregated to comprise the holdings referenced herein.
In addition to the shares set forth under Item 4(c)(ii) for which Neuberger entities also have shared power to dispose of the shares, item 4(c)(iv) also includes shares from individual client accounts over which Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC has shared power to dispose but does not have voting power over these shares. The holdings of Neuberger Berman Trust Co N.A., Neuberger Berman Trust Co of Delaware N.A., Neuberger Berman Asia Ltd., Neuberger Berman Canada ULC and Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC, are also aggregated to comprise the holdings referenced herein.
Item
7. | Identification
and Classification of the Subsidiary Which Acquired the Security Being Reported
on By the Parent Holding Company |
Item
8. | Identification
and Classification of Members of the Group |
Item
9. | Notice
of Dissolution of Group |
Item
10. | Certification |
| By signing below I certify that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, the securities referred to above were acquired and are held in the ordinary course of business and were not acquired and are not held for the purpose of or with the effect of changing or influencing the control of the issuer of the securities and were not acquired and are not held in connection with or as a participant in any transaction having that purpose or effect, other than activities solely in connection with a nomination under §240.14a-11. |
SIGNATURE
After
reasonable inquiry and to the best of my knowledge and belief, I certify that
the information set forth in this statement is true, complete and correct.
| Neuberger Berman Group LLC | |||
Date:
February 10, 2023 | By:
| /s/ Brad Cetron | |
| Name: Brad Cetron | |||
| Title: Deputy General Counsel | |||
| Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC | |||
Date:
February 10, 2023 | By:
| /s/ Brad Cetron | |
| Name: Brad Cetron | |||
| Title: Deputy General Counsel | |||
Footnotes: | Item 4(a):
Neuberger Berman Trust Co N.A., Neuberger Berman Trust Co of Delaware N.A., Neuberger Berman Asia Ltd., Neuberger Berman Canada ULC, and Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC and certain affiliated persons may be deemed to beneficially own the securities covered by this report in their various fiduciary capacities by virtue of the provisions of Exchange Act Rule 13d-3. Neuberger Berman Group LLC, through its subsidiaries Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers Holdings LLC and Neuberger Trust Holdings LLC controls Neuberger Berman Trust Co N.A., Neuberger Berman Asia Ltd., Neuberger Berman Canada ULC, Neuberger Berman Trust Co of Delaware N.A. and Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC and certain affiliated persons. This report is not an admission that any of these entities are the beneficial owner of the securities covered by this report and each of Neuberger Berman Group LLC, Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers Holdings LLC, Neuberger Trust Holdings LLC, Neuberger Berman Trust Co N.A., Neuberger Berman Asia Ltd., Neuberger Berman Canada ULC, Neuberger Berman Trust Co of Delaware N.A. and Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC and certain affiliated persons disclaim beneficial ownership of the securities covered by this statement pursuant to Exchange Act Rule 13d-4. The information in this filing reports securities of the issuer that may be deemed to be beneficially owned by Neuberger Berman Group LLC, Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers Holdings LLC, Neuberger Trust Holdings LLC, Neuberger Berman Trust Co N.A., Neuberger Berman Asia Ltd., Neuberger Berman Canada ULC, Neuberger Berman Trust Co of Delaware N.A. and Neuberger Berman Investment Advisers LLC (“NBG Filers”). The securities of the issuer, if any, that may be deemed to be beneficially owned by NB Alternatives Advisers LLC and other subsidiaries of Neuberger Berman Group LLC that are separated from the NBG Filers by an information barrier in accordance with SEC Release No. 34-39538 (January 12, 1998) are not reflected in this filing. |
Attention: | Intentional
misstatements or omissions of fact constitute Federal criminal violations (See
18 U.S.C. 1001) |