(TSX: NFI, OTC: NFYEF, TSX: NFI.DB) NFI Group Inc.
(“
NFI” or the “
Company”), a
leading independent bus and coach manufacturer and a leader in
electric mass mobility solutions, today announced that, due to
strong demand, the Company has increased the size of the previously
announced “bought deal” public offering of subscription receipts to
13,133,000 subscription receipts (the “
Subscription
Receipts”) at a price of C$8.25 per Subscription Receipt,
for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately C$108 million
(approximately US$80 million) (the “
Offering”).
The Offering is being made through a syndicate
of underwriters co-led by BMO Capital Markets, CIBC Capital
Markets, National Bank Financial and Scotiabank. The Company has
also granted the underwriters an over-allotment option to purchase
up to an additional 1,969,950 Subscription Receipts, representing
15% of the size of the Offering, on the same terms as the Offering,
exercisable in whole or in part at any time on or prior to June 27,
2023 (the “Over-Allotment Option”), to cover
over-allotments, if any.
The Company intends to use the net proceeds of
the Offering (together with the net proceeds of the Private
Placement (as defined below)) to repay outstanding indebtedness
under NFI’s existing credit facilities and for working capital and
general corporate purposes, once the proceeds from the Offering are
released from escrow.
Each Subscription Receipt represents the right
of the holder to receive, without payment of additional
consideration, one common share of NFI (each, a
“Share”) upon satisfaction of certain escrow
release conditions, including that the other elements of the
Company’s previously announced comprehensive refinancing plan (the
“Refinancing Plan”) close concurrently.
The Subscription Receipts will be offered in
each of the provinces and territories of Canada (other than Quebec)
by way of a prospectus supplement to the Company’s short form base
shelf prospectus dated February 27, 2023, and by way of private
placement in the United States to “qualified institutional buyers”
pursuant to Rule 144A under the United States Securities Act of
1933, as amended, and such other jurisdictions as may be agreed to
by the Company on a private placement basis.
Closing of the Offering is expected to occur on
or about June 6, 2023. The Offering is subject to customary
regulatory approvals, including the approval of the Toronto Stock
Exchange.
Amendment to Investment Agreement
As part of the Refinancing Plan, the Company
entered into an investment agreement on May 11, 2023 (the
“Investment Agreement”) with Coliseum Capital
Management, LLC (“CCM”), Coliseum Capital
Partners, L.P. (“CCP”) and Blackwell Partners LLC
– Series A (“Blackwell”), a fund and an account
managed by CCM, respectively (CCP and Blackwell, collectively, the
“Investors”), pursuant to which the Investors
agreed to purchase from the Company an aggregate of 24,363,702
Shares at a subscription price of US$6.1567 (approximately C$8.25)
per Share (the “Subscription Price”), for
aggregate gross proceeds to NFI of approximately US$150 million
(approximately C$201 million) (the “Private
Placement”).
In conjunction with the upsized Offering, the
Company, CCM and the Investors have entered into amendments to the
Investment Agreement, pursuant to which the parties have agreed
that the aggregate Subscription Price for the Shares to be
purchased by the Investors in the Private Placement (and the
corresponding number of Shares to be purchased) shall be reduced to
the extent the gross proceeds received by NFI from the Offering
(including, for greater certainty, any exercise of the
Over-Allotment Option) exceeds US$75 million, subject to a maximum
reduction of US$16.7 million.
The total gross proceeds to NFI from the Private
Placement and the Offering are expected to be US$225 million as
follows:
- if the Over-Allotment Option is not exercised, US$145 million
from the Private Placement and US$80 million from the Offering;
or
- if the Over-Allotment Option is exercised in full, US$133
million from the Private Placement and US$92 million from the
Offering.
The following table sets forth Coliseum’s Share
ownership prior to and following completion of the Private
Placement and the Offering, with or without the exercise of the
Over-Allotment Option:
Name |
Current Ownership Interest |
Ownership Interest following Completion of the Private
Placement and the Offering(No Over-Allotment
Exercise) |
Ownership Interest following Completion of the Private
Placement and the Offering(Over-Allotment
Exercised in Full) |
CCP |
7,447,624 |
26,326,551 |
24,772,923 |
Blackwell |
2,089,776(1) |
6,809,507 |
6,421,101 |
Coliseum Total |
9,537,400 |
33,136,058 |
31,194,024 |
Total Issued and Outstanding Shares |
77,176,763 |
113,908,421 |
113,936,337 |
Coliseum Ownership % |
12.4%(2) |
29.1%(3) |
27.4%(3) |
_______Notes: (1) As of May 25, 2023, Blackwell
also beneficially owned 954,601 Shares that are not managed by
CCM.(2) Based on 77,176,763 Shares outstanding as of May 26,
2023.(3) On a post-closing basis taking into account the number of
Shares issued in the Private Placement and the Offering.
The above information supplements the disclosure
contained in the Company’s management information circular dated
May 26, 2026 filed by the Company in connection with the special
meeting of shareholders called to seek approval of the Private
Placement (the “Meeting”). The Meeting is
scheduled for Tuesday, June 27, 2023 at 9:00 a.m. (Central time) in
a virtual-only meeting format, by way of a live audio-only
webcast.
Second Lien Debt Financing
As previously announced, in furtherance of the
Refinancing Plan, the Company plans to raise gross proceeds of
approximately US$175 million from a second lien debt financing (the
“Second Lien Debt Financing”). The total expected
proceeds from the Second Lien Debt Financing were originally
expected to be in a range of US$200 million to US$250 million, but
have been updated to US$175 million to reflect the expected
increased proceeds from the Offering and the Private Placement. NFI
is in discussions with a number of potential investors who have
expressed interest in participating in such financing. The Second
Lien Debt Financing is expected to be on customary market terms,
with an anticipated coupon in the range of 12% to 15% and an
anticipated maturity of 3.5 to 5 years.
This news release does not constitute an offer
of securities for sale in the United States. The securities being
offered have not been, nor will they be, registered under the
United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and such
securities may not be offered or sold within the United States
absent U.S. registration or an applicable exemption from U.S.
registration requirements.
About NFI Group
Leveraging 450 years of combined experience, NFI
is leading the electrification of mass mobility around the world.
With zero-emission buses and coaches, infrastructure, and
technology, NFI meets today’s urban demands for scalable smart
mobility solutions. Together, NFI is enabling more livable cities
through connected, clean, and sustainable transportation.With 7,700
team members in ten countries, NFI is a leading global bus
manufacturer of mass mobility solutions under the brands New Flyer®
(heavy-duty transit buses), MCI® (motor coaches), Alexander Dennis
Limited (single and double-deck buses), Plaxton (motor coaches),
ARBOC® (low-floor cutaway and medium-duty buses), and NFI Parts™.
NFI currently offers the widest range of sustainable drive systems
available, including zero-emission electric (trolley, battery, and
fuel cell), natural gas, electric hybrid, and clean diesel. In
total, NFI supports its installed base of over 100,000 buses and
coaches around the world. NFI’s Shares trade on the TSX under the
symbol NFI and its convertible debentures
(“Debentures”) trade on the TSX under the symbol
NFI.DB. News and information is available at www.nfigroup.com,
www.newflyer.com, www.mcicoach.com, www.nfi.parts,
www.alexander-dennis.com, www.arbocsv.com, and
www.carfaircomposites.com.
For media inquiries, please contact:Melanie McCreathP:
204.224.6496Melanie.McCreath@nfigroup.com
For inquiries, please contact:Stephen KingP:
204.224.6382Stephen.King@nfigroup.com
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking
information” and “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of
applicable Canadian securities laws, which reflect the expectations
of management regarding the Offering and the Private Placement and
the intended use of proceeds thereof, the anticipated terms of the
Second Lien Debt Financing, the Company’s future growth, financial
performance, and liquidity and objectives and the Company’s
strategic initiatives, plans, business prospects and opportunities,
including the duration, impact of and recovery from the COVID-19
pandemic, supply chain disruptions and plans to address them, and
the Company's expectation of obtaining long-term credit
arrangements and sufficient liquidity. The words “believes”,
“views”, “anticipates”, “plans”, “expects”, “intends”, “projects”,
“forecasts”, “estimates”, “guidance”, “goals”, “objectives” and
“targets” and similar expressions of future events or conditional
verbs such as “may”, “will”, “should”, “could” and “would” are
intended to identify forward-looking statements. These
forward-looking statements reflect management’s current
expectations regarding future events (including the temporary
nature of the supply chain disruptions and operational challenges,
production improvement, labour supply shortages, the recovery of
the Company’s markets and the expected benefits to be obtained
through its “NFI Forward” initiatives) and the Company’s financial
and operating performance and speak only as of the date of this
press release. By their very nature, forward-looking statements
require management to make assumptions and involve significant
risks and uncertainties, should not be read as guarantees of future
events, performance or results, and give rise to the possibility
that management’s predictions, forecasts, projections, expectations
or conclusions will not prove to be accurate, that the assumptions
may not be correct and that the Company’s future growth, financial
condition, ability to generate sufficient cash flow and maintain
adequate liquidity, and complete the financing transactions in
accordance with the Company’s previously announced Refinancing
Plan, and the Company’s strategic initiatives, objectives, plans,
business prospects and opportunities, including the Company’s plans
and expectations relating to the duration, impact of and recovery
from the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions, operational
challenges, labour supply shortages and inflationary pressures,
will not occur or be achieved. There can be no assurance that the
Offering, the Private Placement, the Second Lien Debt Financing or
the other transactions comprising the Refinancing Plan would be
completed.
A number of factors that may cause actual
results to differ materially from the results discussed in the
forward-looking statements include: the Company’s business,
operating results, financial condition and liquidity may be
materially adversely impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and
related supply chain and operational challenges, inflationary
effects and labour supply challenges; the Company’s business,
operating results, financial condition and liquidity may be
materially adversely impacted by the ongoing Russian invasion of
Ukraine due to factors including but not limited to further supply
chain disruptions, inflationary pressures and tariffs on certain
raw materials and components; funding may not continue to be
available to the Company’s customers at current levels or at all;
the Company’s business is affected by economic factors and adverse
developments in economic conditions which could have an adverse
effect on the demand for the Company’s products and the results of
its operations; currency fluctuations could adversely affect the
Company’s financial results or competitive position; interest rates
could change substantially, materially impacting the Company’s
revenue and profitability; an active, liquid trading market for the
Shares and/or the Debentures may cease to exist, which may limit
the ability of security holders to trade Shares and/or Debentures;
the market price for the Shares and/or the Debentures may be
volatile; if securities or industry analysts do not publish
research or reports about the Company and its business, if they
adversely change their recommendations regarding the Shares or if
the Company’s results of operations do not meet their expectations,
the Share price and trading volume could decline, in addition, if
securities or industry analysts publish inaccurate or unfavorable
research about the Company or its business, the Share price and
trading volume of the Shares could decline; competition in the
industry and entrance of new competitors; current requirements
under U.S. “Buy America” regulations may change and/or become more
onerous or suppliers’ “Buy America” content may change; failure of
the Company to comply with the U.S. Disadvantaged Business
Enterprise (“DBE”) program requirements or the
failure to have its DBE goals approved by the U.S. FTA; absence of
fixed term customer contracts, exercise of options and customer
suspension or termination for convenience; local content bidding
preferences in the United States may create a competitive
disadvantage; requirements under Canadian content policies may
change and/or become more onerous; the Company’s business may be
materially impacted by climate change matters, including risks
related to the transition to a lower-carbon economy; operational
risk resulting from inadequate or failed internal processes, people
and/or systems or from external events, including fiduciary
breaches, regulatory compliance failures, legal disputes, business
disruption, pandemics, floods, technology failures, processing
errors, business integration, damage to physical assets, employee
safety and insurance coverage; international operations subject the
Company to additional risks and costs and may cause profitability
to decline; compliance with international trade regulations,
tariffs and duties; dependence on unique or limited sources of
supply (such as engines, components containing microprocessors or,
in other cases, for example, the supply of transmissions, batteries
for battery-electric buses, axles or structural steel tubing)
resulting in the Company’s raw materials and components not being
readily available from alternative sources of supply, being
available only in limited supply, or creating challenges where a
particular component may be specified by a customer, the Company’s
products have been engineered or designed with a component unique
to one supplier or a supplier may have limited or no supply of such
raw materials or components or sells such raw materials or
components to the Company on less than favorable commercial terms;
the Company’s vehicles and certain other products contain
electrical components, electronics, microprocessors control
modules, and other computer chips, for which there has been a surge
in demand, resulting in a worldwide supply shortage of such chips
in the transportation industry, and a shortage or disruption of the
supply of such microchips could materially disrupt the Company’s
operations and its ability to deliver products to customers;
dependence on supply of engines that comply with emission
regulations; a disruption, termination or alteration of the supply
of vehicle chassis or other critical components from third-party
suppliers could materially adversely affect the sales of certain of
the Company’s products; the Company’s profitability can be
adversely affected by increases in raw material and component
costs; the Company may incur material losses and costs as a result
of product warranty costs, recalls, failure to comply with motor
vehicle manufacturing regulations and standards and the remediation
of transit buses and motor coaches; production delays may result in
liquidated damages under the Company’s contracts with its
customers; catastrophic events, including those related to impacts
of climate change, may lead to production curtailments or
shutdowns; the Company may not be able to successfully renegotiate
collective bargaining agreements when they expire and may be
adversely affected by labour disruptions and shortages of labour;
the Company’s operations are subject to risks and hazards that may
result in monetary losses and liabilities not covered by insurance
or which exceed its insurance coverage; the Company may be
adversely affected by rising insurance costs; the Company may not
be able to maintain performance bonds or letters of credit required
by its contracts or obtain performance bonds and letters of credit
required for new contracts; the Company is subject to litigation in
the ordinary course of business and may incur material losses and
costs as a result of product liability and other claims; the
Company may have difficulty selling pre-owned coaches and realizing
expected resale values; the Company may incur costs in connection
with regulations relating to axle weight restrictions and vehicle
lengths; the Company may be subject to claims and liabilities under
environmental, health and safety laws; dependence on management
information systems and cyber security risks; the Company’s ability
to execute its strategy and conduct operations is dependent upon
its ability to attract, train and retain qualified personnel,
including its ability to retain and attract executives, senior
management and key employees; the Company may be exposed to
liabilities under applicable anti-corruption laws and any
determination that it violated these laws could have a material
adverse effect on its business; the Company’s risk management
policies and procedures may not be fully effective in achieving
their intended purposes; internal controls over financial
reporting, no matter how well designed, have inherent limitations;
there are inherent limitations to the effectiveness of any system
of disclosure controls and procedures, including the possibility of
human error and the circumvention or overriding of the controls and
procedures; ability to successfully execute strategic plans and
maintain profitability; development of competitive or disruptive
products, services or technology; development and testing of new
products or model variants; acquisition risk; reliance on
third-party manufacturers; third-party distribution/dealer
agreements; availability to the Company of future financing; the
Company may not be able to generate the necessary amount of cash to
service its debt, which may require the Company to refinance its
debt; the Company’s substantial consolidated indebtedness could
negatively impact the business; the restrictive covenants in the
Company’s credit facilities could impact the Company’s business and
affect its ability to pursue its business strategies; in December
2022, the Board made the decision to suspend the payment of
dividends given credit agreement constraints and to support the
Company’s focus on improving its liquidity and financial position
and the resumption of dividends is not assured or guaranteed; a
significant amount of the Company’s cash may be distributed, which
may restrict potential growth; the Company is dependent on its
subsidiaries for all cash available for distributions; the Company
may not be able to make principal payments on the Debentures;
redemption by the Company of the Debentures for Shares will result
in dilution to holders of Shares; Debentures may be redeemed by the
Company prior to maturity; the Company may not be able to
repurchase the Debentures upon a change of control as required by
the trust indenture under which the Debentures were issued (the
“Indenture”); conversion of the Debentures
following certain transactions could lessen or eliminate the value
of the conversion privilege associated with the Debentures; future
sales or the possibility of future sales of a substantial number of
Shares or Debentures may impact the price of the Shares and/or the
Debentures and could result in dilution; payments to holders of the
Debentures are subordinated in right of payment to existing and
future Senior Indebtedness (as described under the Indenture) and
will depend on the financial health of the Company and its
creditworthiness; if the Company is required to write down goodwill
or other intangible assets, its financial condition and operating
results would be negatively affected; and income and other tax risk
resulting from the complexity of the Company’s businesses and
operations and income and other tax interpretations, legislation
and regulations pertaining to the Company’s activities being
subject to continual change.
Factors relating to the global COVID-19 pandemic
include: the magnitude and duration of the global, national and
regional economic and social disruption being caused as a result of
the pandemic; the impact of national, regional and local
governmental laws, regulations and “shelter in place” or similar
orders relating to the pandemic which may materially adversely
impact the Company’s ability to continue operations; partial or
complete closures of one, more or all of the Company’s facilities
and work locations or the reduction of production rates (including
due to government mandates and to protect the health and safety of
the Company’s employees or as a result of employees being unable to
come to work due to COVID-19 infections with respect to them or
their family members or having to isolate or quarantine as a result
of coming into contact with infected individuals); production rates
may be further decreased as a result of the pandemic; ongoing and
future supply delays and shortages of parts and components, and
shipping and freight delays, and disruption to or shortage of
labour supply as a result of the pandemic; the pandemic will likely
adversely affect operations of suppliers and customers, and reduce
and delay, for an unknown period, customers’ purchases of the
Company’s products and the supply of parts and components by
suppliers; the anticipated recovery of the Company’s markets in the
future may be delayed or increase in demand may be lower than
expected as a result of the continuing effects of the pandemic; the
Company’s ability to obtain access to additional capital if
required; and the Company’s financial performance and condition,
obligations, cash flow and liquidity and its ability to maintain
compliance with the covenants under its credit facilities. There
can be no assurance that the Company will be able to maintain
sufficient liquidity for an extended period, obtain long-term
credit arrangements, or access to additional capital or access to
government financial support or as to when production operations
will return to previous production rates. There is also no
assurance that governments will provide continued or adequate
stimulus funding during or after the pandemic for public transit
agencies to purchase transit vehicles or that public or private
demand for the Company’s vehicles will return to pre-pandemic
levels in the anticipated period of time. The Company cautions that
due to the dynamic, fluid and highly unpredictable nature of the
pandemic and its impact on global and local economies, supply
chains, businesses and individuals, it is impossible to predict the
severity of the impact on the Company’s business, operating
performance, financial condition and ability to generate sufficient
cash flow and maintain adequate liquidity and any material adverse
effects could very well be rapid, unexpected and may continue for
an extended and unknown period of time.
Factors relating to the Company’s financial
guidance and targets and its “NFI Forward” initiatives are
described in its most recently filed annual information form and
management’s discussion and analysis, which are available under the
Company’s profile on SEDAR.
Although the Company has attempted to identify
important factors that could cause actual actions, events or
results to differ materially from those described in
forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that could
cause actions, events or results not to be as anticipated,
estimated or intended or to occur or be achieved at all. Specific
reference is made to “Risk Factors” in the Company’s Annual
Information Form for a discussion of the factors that may affect
forward-looking statements and information. Should one or more of
these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying
assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially
from those described in forward-looking statements and information.
The forward-looking statements and information contained herein are
made as of the date of this press release (or as otherwise
indicated) and, except as required by law, the Company does not
undertake to update any forward-looking statement or information,
whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time by the
Company or on its behalf. The Company provides no assurance that
forward-looking statements and information will prove to be
accurate, as actual results and future events could differ
materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly,
readers and investors should not place undue reliance on
forward-looking statements and information.
NFI (TSX:NFI)
Historical Stock Chart
From Dec 2024 to Jan 2025
NFI (TSX:NFI)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jan 2024 to Jan 2025