PITTSBURGH, Dec. 10,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- EQT Corporation (NYSE: EQT)
("EQT" and, collectively with its subsidiaries, the "Company")
today announced the early results and upsizing of the previously
announced tender offer (the "Tender Offer") by its indirect wholly
owned subsidiary, EQM Midstream Partners, LP ("EQM"), to purchase
for cash EQM's outstanding 6.500% Senior Notes due 2048 (the "2048
Notes"), 5.500% Senior Notes due 2028 (the "2028 Notes"), 4.50%
Senior Notes due 2029 (the "2029 Notes") and 7.500% Senior Notes
due 2030 (the "2030 Notes" and, collectively with the 2048 Notes,
the 2028 Notes and the 2029 Notes, the "Notes") and the early
results of the related Consent Solicitation (as defined below) with
respect to the 2028 Notes and the 2048 Notes. EQM has amended the
Tender Offer to increase the maximum aggregate purchase price,
excluding accrued and unpaid interest, for Notes that may be
purchased from $1.275 billion to
$1.3 billion (the "Maximum Aggregate
Purchase Price"). All other terms and conditions of the Tender
Offer and the Consent Solicitation remain unchanged and are
described in the Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation
Statement dated November 25, 2024 (as
amended and supplemented by this news release and as it may be
further amended or supplemented from time to time, the "Offer to
Purchase and Consent Solicitation Statement"). Capitalized terms
used but not defined herein have the meanings ascribed thereto in
the Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation Statement.
The principal amount of each series of Notes that were validly
tendered (and related Consents (as defined below), as applicable,
thereby validly delivered) as of 5:00
p.m., New York City time,
on December 9, 2024 (the "Early
Tender Date") and, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the
conditions to the Tender Offer described in the Offer to Purchase
and Consent Solicitation Statement, the principal amount of each
series of Notes that EQM expects to accept for purchase, as well as
certain other terms of the Tender Offer, are set forth in the table
below. Because the aggregate purchase price, excluding accrued and
unpaid interest, for Notes validly tendered on or prior to the
Early Tender Date is greater than the Maximum Aggregate Purchase
Price, EQM will accept Notes for purchase based on the Acceptance
Priority Procedures and the proration procedures described in the
Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation. Withdrawal and
revocation rights for the Tender Offer and the Consent Solicitation
expired at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on December 9, 2024. As a result, tendered Notes may
no longer be withdrawn and delivered Consents may no longer be
revoked, except in certain limited circumstances where additional
withdrawal or revocation rights are required by law. In this news
release and the Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation
Statement, all Notes that have been validly tendered and not
validly withdrawn are referred to as having been "validly tendered"
and all Consents that have been validly delivered and not validly
revoked as having been "validly delivered."
Title of
Notes
|
CUSIP Number
|
Principal Amount
Outstanding
|
Series Tender Cap
|
Acceptance
Priority
Level
|
Principal Amount
Tendered at
Early Tender Date
|
Approximate Percentage of
Outstanding
Notes
Tendered at
Early Tender
Date
|
Principal Amount
Accepted(1)
|
Approximate Proration
Factor(2)
|
6.500% Senior Notes due
2048
|
26885BAE0
|
$550,000,000
|
N/A
|
1
|
$469,767,000
|
85.4 %
|
$469,767,000
|
100.0 %
|
5.500% Senior Notes due
2028
|
26885BAC4
|
$850,000,000
|
N/A
|
2
|
$731,317,000
|
86.0 %
|
$731,317,000
|
100.0 %
|
4.50% Senior Notes due
2029
|
26885BAK6 /
U26886AC2
|
$800,000,000
|
N/A
|
3
|
$755,855,000
|
94.5 %
|
$57,077,000
|
7.6 %
|
7.500% Senior Notes due
2030
|
26885BAN0 /
U26886AF5
|
$500,000,000
|
$300,000,000
|
4
|
$380,402,000
|
76.1 %
|
—
|
N/A
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1)
|
Subject to the
satisfaction or waiver of the conditions to the Tender Offer
described in the Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation
Statement.
|
(2)
|
With respect to the
2029 Notes, the proration factor has been rounded to the nearest
tenth of a percentage point for presentation purposes.
|
EQM reserves the right, but is under no obligation, subject to
the satisfaction or waiver of the conditions to the Tender Offer,
to accept for purchase and make payment for Notes validly tendered
on or prior to the Early Tender Date, at any point following the
Early Tender Date and before the Expiration Date (as defined below)
(such date, the "Early Settlement Date"). The Early Settlement
Date, if any, will be determined at EQM's option and will be a date
following the Early Tender Date on which all conditions to the
Tender Offer have been satisfied or waived by EQM. The Early
Settlement Date, if any, is currently expected to be December 30, 2024, assuming all conditions to the
Tender Offer have been either satisfied or waived by EQM on or
prior to such date.
The Tender Offer is subject to, and conditioned upon, the
satisfaction or waiver of certain conditions described in the Offer
to Purchase and Consent Solicitation Statement, including, but not
limited to, a financing condition and a condition relating to the
consummation of the midstream joint venture transaction between EQM
and certain of its subsidiaries and an affiliate of Blackstone Credit & Insurance, neither of
which have been satisfied or waived as of the date of this news
release.
Although the Tender Offer is scheduled to expire at 5:00 p.m., New York
City time, on December 30,
2024 (the "Expiration Date"), because the aggregate purchase
price, excluding accrued and unpaid interest, for Notes validly
tendered on or prior to the Early Tender Date is greater than the
Maximum Aggregate Purchase Price, EQM does not expect to accept for
purchase any tenders of Notes after the Early Tender Date. EQM
reserves the right, subject to applicable law, to hereafter (i)
waive or modify, in whole or in part, any or all conditions to the
Tender Offer, (ii) extend, terminate or withdraw the Tender Offer
and the Consent Solicitation, (iii) increase or decrease the
Maximum Aggregate Purchase Price or the 2030 Notes Tender Cap, or
(iv) otherwise amend the Tender Offer or the Consent Solicitation
in any respect.
Concurrently with the Tender Offer, EQM is soliciting consents
(the "Consent Solicitation") from holders of the 2028 Notes and
from holders of the 2048 Notes to proposed amendments to the
indenture governing the 2028 Notes and the indenture governing the
2048 Notes, respectively, that would modify the reporting covenant
contained therein so that EQT would provide financial statements
and other information required thereby in lieu of EQM (the
"Proposed Amendments" and, such consents being solicited, the
"Consents"). EQM is not soliciting any consents from holders of the
2029 Notes or holders of the 2030 Notes to amend the indentures
governing such notes. As of the Early Tender Date, the Requisite
Consents have been received. Accordingly, EQM intends to enter into
a supplemental indenture containing the Proposed Amendments
promptly following the Expiration Date, which would immediately
become effective and operative upon such entry and thereafter apply
to all holders of 2028 Notes and all holders of the 2048 Notes that
remain outstanding.
RBC Capital Markets, LLC is acting as the Sole Dealer Manager
for the Tender Offer and the Sole Solicitation Agent for the
Consent Solicitation. Any persons with questions regarding the
Tender Offer should contact RBC Capital Markets, LLC by calling
(877) 381-2099 (toll-free) or (212) 618-7843 (collect) or emailing
liability.management@rbccm.com.
The Information Agent and Tender Agent is Global Bondholder
Services Corporation. Copies of the Offer to Purchase and Consent
Solicitation Statement and any related Tender Offer or Consent
Solicitation materials may be obtained from Global Bondholder
Services Corporation by calling (212) 430-3774 (banks and brokers,
collect) or (855) 654-2015 (all others, toll-free) or by emailing
contact@gbsc-usa.com.
This news release is for informational purposes only. The Tender
Offer and the Consent Solicitation are being made only pursuant to
the Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation Statement, and the
information in this news release is qualified by reference to the
Offer to Purchase and Consent Solicitation Statement. Further, this
news release does not constitute an offer to sell or the
solicitation of an offer to buy the Notes or any other securities.
No recommendation is made as to whether holders should tender any
Notes in response to the Tender Offer (and, if applicable, deliver
Consents in response to the Consent Solicitation). Holders of Notes
must make their own decision as to whether to participate in the
Tender Offer and, if applicable, the Consent Solicitation and, if
so, the principal amount of Notes to tender.
Investor Contact
Cameron
Horwitz
Managing Director, Investor Relations & Strategy
412.445.8454
Cameron.Horwitz@eqt.com
About EQT Corporation
EQT Corporation is a premier,
vertically integrated American natural gas company with production
and midstream operations focused in the Appalachian Basin. We are
dedicated to responsibly developing our world-class asset base and
being the operator of choice for our stakeholders. By leveraging a
culture that prioritizes operational efficiency, technology and
sustainability, we seek to continuously improve the way we produce
environmentally responsible, reliable and low-cost energy. We have
a longstanding commitment to the safety of our employees,
contractors, and communities, and to the reduction of our overall
environmental footprint. Our values are evident in the way we
operate and in how we interact each day – trust, teamwork, heart,
and evolution are at the center of all we do.
Cautionary Statements
This news release contains
certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section
21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Section
27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. Statements that do
not relate strictly to historical or current facts are
forward-looking. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing,
forward-looking statements contained in this news release
specifically include statements regarding EQM's plans and expected
timing with respect to the Tender Offer and the Consent
Solicitation.
These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties
that could cause actual results to differ materially from projected
results. Accordingly, investors should not place undue reliance on
forward-looking statements as a prediction of actual results. The
Company has based these forward-looking statements on current
expectations and assumptions about future events, taking into
account all information currently known by it. While the Company
considers these expectations and assumptions to be reasonable, they
are inherently subject to significant business, economic,
competitive, regulatory and other risks and uncertainties, many of
which are difficult to predict and beyond its control. These risks
and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, volatility of
commodity prices; the costs and results of drilling and operations;
uncertainties about estimates of reserves, identification of
drilling locations and the ability to add proved reserves in the
future; the assumptions underlying production forecasts; the
quality of technical data; the Company's ability to appropriately
allocate capital and other resources among its strategic
opportunities; access to and cost of capital; the Company's hedging
and other financial contracts; inherent hazards and risks normally
incidental to drilling for, producing, transporting and storing
natural gas, natural gas liquids (NGLs) and oil; operational risks
and hazards incidental to the gathering, transmission and storage
of natural gas as well as unforeseen interruptions; cyber security
risks and acts of sabotage; availability and cost of drilling rigs,
completion services, equipment, supplies, personnel, oilfield
services and sand and water required to execute the Company's
exploration and development plans, including as a result of
inflationary pressures; risks associated with operating primarily
in the Appalachian Basin; the ability to obtain environmental and
other permits and the timing thereof; construction, business,
economic, competitive, regulatory, judicial, environmental,
political and legal uncertainties related to the development and
construction by the Company or its joint ventures of pipeline and
storage facilities and transmission assets and the optimization of
such assets; the Company's ability to renew or replace expiring
gathering, transmission or storage contracts at favorable rates, on
a long-term basis or at all; risks relating to the Company's joint
venture arrangements; government regulation or action, including
regulations pertaining to methane and other greenhouse gas
emissions; negative public perception of the fossil fuels industry;
increased consumer demand for alternatives to natural gas;
environmental and weather risks, including the possible impacts of
climate change; risks related to the Company's ability to integrate
the operations of Equitrans Midstream Corporation ("Equitrans
Midstream") in a successful manner and in the expected time period
and the possibility that any of the anticipated benefits and
projected synergies of the Company's merger with Equitrans
Midstream (the "Equitrans Midstream Merger") will not be
realized or will not be realized within the expected time period;
and disruptions to the Company's business due to recently completed
or pending divestitures, acquisitions and other significant
strategic transactions, including the Equitrans Midstream Merger
and the pending JV Transaction. These and other risks and
uncertainties are described under the "Risk Factors" section and
elsewhere in EQT's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2023, the "Risk Factors"
section in EQT's subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and
other documents EQT subsequently files from time to time with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. In addition, the Company may be
subject to currently unforeseen risks that may have a materially
adverse impact on it.
Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on
which such statement is made, and, except as required by law, the
Company does not intend to correct or update any forward-looking
statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or
otherwise.
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SOURCE EQT Corporation (EQT-IR)