Battalion Oil Corporation (NYSE American: BATL) (“Battalion” or the
“Company”) announced today that it has entered into an amendment to
the previously disclosed Agreement and Plan of Merger (as amended,
the “Merger Agreement”) with Fury Resources, Inc. (“Buyer” or
“Parent”), pursuant to which Parent has agreed to acquire all of
the outstanding shares of Common Stock of the Company
(the “Common Stock”) for $7.00 per share in cash, without
interest (the “Merger Consideration”). The holders of all of the
outstanding shares of the Preferred Stock of the Company, Luminus
Management, LLC (“Luminus”), Gen IV Investment Opportunities, LLC,
and funds and accounts managed by Oaktree Capital Management, L.P.
(“Oaktree”), or their respective affiliates (collectively,
the “Rollover Stockholders”), have agreed to contribute to Buyer
all of their shares of Preferred Stock of the Company in exchange
for new preferred shares of Buyer at a valuation based on the
redemption value of such Company Preferred Stock.
The transaction is expected to close in the
fourth quarter of 2024, subject to various closing conditions as
set forth in the Merger Agreement, including the approval of
Battalion’s stockholders.
Parent has confirmed to the Company that it has
received the following capital commitments to complete the
transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement:
-
$200 million in debt commitments from Fortress Credit Corp.
and AI Partners Asset Management Co., Ltd;
-
$188 million in total Preferred Stock commitments from a
combination of the Rollover Stockholders listed above ($173
million) and AI Partners Asset Management Co., Ltd.
($15 million);
-
$160 million in equity commitments to acquire new shares of
common stock of Parent.
Post-transaction, net of acquisition
consideration and fees, Parent is expected to have approximately
$100 million in cash on the balance sheet.
As previously disclosed, in connection with the
transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, Luminus and
Oaktree, who collectively own 61.61% of the Common Stock of the
Company, had entered into a Voting Agreement with Buyer pursuant to
which they have agreed, among other things, to vote 6,254,652 of
their shares of Common Stock, which in the aggregate represents 38%
of the total voting power of the shares of capital stock of the
Company, in favor of adopting the Merger Agreement.
For Battalion, Houlihan Lokey Capital, Inc.
acted as financial advisor and Mayer Brown LLP is acting as legal
counsel. Jefferies LLC acted as financial advisor and K&L Gates
LLP is acting as legal counsel to Buyer.
Avi Mirman, Co-Founder and Chairman of Fury
Resources stated “With this acquisition, Fury has secured a
foothold in one of the world’s most prolific basins. Our team has
significant experience in the region, and we believe these assets
present a compelling value proposition for our investors. With a
deep inventory of high return locations and consolidation
opportunities in the area, we believe this asset can be scaled
quickly and provide a meaningful return to our investors. We have
strong institutional support for this transaction, including the
Rollover Stockholders. We view their decision to stay in the
investment opportunity as a strong vote of confidence in our
ability to deliver results and are excited for us to get to
work.
I’m excited to have Richard Little, the former
CEO of Battalion, back to unlock the potential of these assets by
accelerating development, tapping into new reserves and advancing
the gas processing capabilities in the area” added Mr. Mirman.
“Finally, I especially want to thank both the Fury and Battalion
teams for their tenacity in reaching this objective, both for the
benefit of BATL common stockholders and Fury Resources
post-transaction. This is a win-win.”
Matt Steele, Battalion CEO, commented, “I echo
Mr. Mirman’s comments. This transaction has taken longer than
anyone at the table intended. Despite that, the teams persevered to
achieve the best outcome for BATL stockholders. The company and
Fury will work diligently in the coming months to close this
transaction and position Fury for a successful transition.”
About Battalion
Battalion Oil Corporation is an independent
energy company engaged in the acquisition, production, exploration
and development of onshore oil and natural gas properties in the
United States.
About Fury
Fury Resources, Inc. (“Fury Resources”) is a
privately held exploration and production company focused on value
creation through the acquisition and exploitation of assets in the
Permian Basin. The team is comprised of core individuals who are
long-term oil and gas veterans, and have in the past successfully
grown Lilis Energy, Inc., a struggling $3MM market cap exploration
and production company to well over $550MM, by the acquisition,
organic growth, and development of Permian Basin properties. With
expertise and talent in the team, Fury Resources is positioned and
capitalized to grow in the area organically and through future
acquisitions. To learn more, visit Fury Resource’s website at
www.furyresources.com.
Important Information for Investors and
Stockholders
This communication is being made in respect of
the proposed transaction involving the Company and Parent. In
connection with the proposed transaction, the Company intends to
file the relevant materials with the SEC, including a proxy
statement on Schedule 14A and a transaction statement on
Schedule 13e-3 (the “Schedule 13e-3”). Promptly
after filing its definitive proxy statement with the SEC, the
Company will mail the definitive proxy statement and a proxy card
to each stockholder of the Company entitled to vote at the special
meeting relating to the proposed transaction. This communication is
not a substitute for the proxy statement, the Schedule 13e-3
or any other document that the Company may file with the SEC or
send to its stockholders in connection with the proposed
transaction. The materials to be filed by the Company will be made
available to the Company’s investors and stockholders at no expense
to them and copies may be obtained free of charge on the Company’s
website at www.battalionoil.com. In addition, all of those
materials will be available at no charge on the SEC’s website at
www.sec.gov. Investors and stockholders of the Company are urged to
read the proxy statement, the Schedule 13e-3 and the other
relevant materials when they become available before making any
voting or investment decision with respect to the proposed
transaction because they contain important information about the
Company and the proposed transaction. The Company and its
directors, executive officers, other members of its management and
employees may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of
proxies of the Company stockholders in connection with the proposed
transaction under SEC rules. Investors and stockholders may obtain
more detailed information regarding the names, affiliations and
interests of the Company’s executive officers and directors in the
solicitation by reading the Company’s Annual Report on
Form 10-K, as amended on Form 10-K/A, for the fiscal year
ended December 31, 2023, and the proxy statement, the
Schedule 13e-3 and other relevant materials that will be filed
with the SEC in connection with the proposed transaction when they
become available. Information concerning the interests of the
Company’s participants in the solicitation, which may, in some
cases, be different than those of the Company’s stockholders
generally, will be set forth in the proxy statement relating to the
proposed transaction and the Schedule 13e-3 when they become
available.
Cautionary Information Regarding
Forward-Looking Statements
All statements and assumptions in this
communication that do not directly and exclusively relate to
historical facts could be deemed “forward-looking statements.”
Forward-looking statements are often identified by the use of words
such as “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “expects,” “may,”
“could,” “should,” “forecast,” “goal,” “intends,” “objective,”
“plans,” “projects,” “strategy,” “target” and “will” and similar
words and terms or variations of such. These statements represent
current intentions, expectations, beliefs or projections, and no
assurance can be given that the results described in such
statements will be achieved. Forward-looking statements include,
among other things, statements about the potential benefits of the
proposed transaction; the prospective performance and outlook of
the Company’s business, performance and opportunities; the ability
of the parties to complete the proposed transaction and the
expected timing of completion of the proposed transaction; as well
as any assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Such statements
are subject to numerous assumptions, risks, uncertainties and other
factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from
those described in such statements, many of which are outside of
the Company’s control. Important factors that could cause actual
results to differ materially from those described in
forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to,
(i) the risk that the proposed transaction may not be
completed in a timely manner or at all; (ii) the failure to
receive, on a timely basis or otherwise, the required approvals of
the proposed transaction by the Company’s stockholders;
(iii) the possibility that any or all of the various
conditions to the consummation of the proposed transaction may not
be satisfied or waived, including the failure to receive any
required regulatory approvals from any applicable governmental
entities (or any conditions, limitations or restrictions placed on
such approvals); (iv) the possibility that competing offers or
acquisition proposals for the Company will be made; (v) the
occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could
give rise to the termination of the definitive transaction
agreement relating to the proposed transaction, including in
circumstances, which would require the Company to pay a termination
fee; (vi) the effect of the announcement or pendency of the
proposed transaction on the Company’s ability to attract, motivate
or retain key executives and employees, its ability to maintain
relationships with its customers, suppliers and other business
counterparties, or its operating results and business generally;
(vii) risks related to the proposed transaction diverting
management’s attention from the Company’s ongoing business
operations; (viii) the amount of costs, fees and expenses
related to the proposed transaction; (ix) the risk that the
Company’s stock price may decline significantly if the Merger is
not consummated; (x) the risk of stockholder litigation in
connection with the proposed transaction, including resulting
expense or delay; and (xi) other factors as set forth from
time to time in the Company’s filings with the SEC, including its
Annual Report on Form 10-K, as amended, for the fiscal year
ended December 31, 2023, as may be updated or supplemented by
any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q or other filings
with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on
such statements which speak only as of the date they are made. The
Company does not undertake any obligation to update or release any
revisions to any forward-looking statement or to report any events
or circumstances after the date of this communication or to reflect
the occurrence of unanticipated events except as required by
law.
Matthew B. Steele
Chief Executive Officer
832-538-0300
www.battalionoil.com
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