As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 1, 1996
Registration No. 33-19911
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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
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POST-EFFECTIVE AMENDMENT NUMBER FOUR
To
Form S-8
REGISTRATION STATEMENT
Under
THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933
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RALSTON PURINA COMPANY
(Exact name of issuer as specified in its charter)
Missouri 43-0470580
(State or other jurisdiction of (I.R.S. Employer I.D. No)
incorporation or organization)
Checkerboard Square, St. Louis Missouri 63164
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
RALSTON PURINA COMPANY 1988 INCENTIVE STOCK PLAN
(Full title of the plan)
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James M. Neville, General Counsel, Vice President and Secretary
RALSTON PURINA COMPANY
Checkerboard Square
St. Louis, Missouri 63164
(Name and address of agent for service)
Telephone number, including area code, of agent for service: 314-982-1266
DE-REGISTRATION OF PLAN INTERESTS
Ralston Purina Company has registered on its Form S-8 Registration
Statement (No. 33-19911), the offering of up to 8,000,000 shares of Ralston
Purina Company $.10 par value Common Stock ("Common Stock") pursuant to the
terms of the Ralston Purina Company 1988 Incentive Stock Plan (the "1988
Plan").
On February 1, 1996, shareholders of Ralston Purina Company approved the
adoption of the Ralston Purina Company 1996 Incentive Stock Plan (the "1996
Plan"), which was intended to replace the 1988 Plan. As of that date, no new
awards have been or will be granted under the 1988 Plan and the 1988 Plan
remains in effect only with respect to outstanding awards. Approximately
4,000,000 shares of Common Stock registered on Registration Statement No. 33-
19911 for offering under the 1988 Plan remain unsold or unreserved for
outstanding awards, and the aggregate offering price of such shares has been
carried forward and applied to the registration fee for the Form S-8
Registration Statement filed by the Company with respect to the 1996 Plan.
Therefore, Ralston Purina Company and the Plan are hereby de-registering
4,000,000 shares of Common Stock registered pursuant to Registration No. 33-
19911. All other shares of Common Stock registered pursuant to Registration No.
33-19911 which have either been sold or reserved for outstanding awards remain
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registered.
SIGNATURES
The Registrant. Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Act of
1933, the Registrant certifies that it has reasonable grounds to believe that it
meets all of the requirements for filing on Form S-8 and has duly caused this
Post-Effective Amendment to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned and
hereto duly authorized, in the City of St. Louis, State of Missouri, on March
29, 1996.
RALSTON PURINA COMPANY
By: James M. Neville, Attorney in fact
for Chairman of the Board and
Chief Executive Officer
William P. Stiritz
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