8-KThe WireStrategic
Material Agreement · New Debt / Obligation
Filed Dec 31, 2024 · 1y ago · Accession 0001104659-24-132856
Plain English
Material event — a significant development the company must disclose promptly.
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Filing text
View original ↗UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event
reported): December 27, 2024
EQT
CORPORATION
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its
charter)
Pennsylvania
001-3551
25-0464690
(State
or other jurisdiction
of incorporation)
(Commission
File Number)
(IRS
Employer
Identification No.)
625
Liberty Avenue , Suite 1700
Pittsburgh ,
Pennsylvania 15222
(Address of principal executive offices, including
zip code)
Registrant’s telephone number, including
area code: ( 412 ) 553-5700
Not Applicable
(Former name or former address, if changed since
last report)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K
filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
¨
Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
¨
Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
¨
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))
¨
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class
Trading Symbol(s)
Name of each exchange on which registered
Common
Stock, no par value
EQT
New
York Stock Exchange
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405
of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).
Emerging
growth company ¨
If
an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying
with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ¨
Introductory Note
As previously disclosed, on November 22,
2024, EQT Corporation (“EQT”), through certain of its subsidiaries,
including EQM Midstream Partners, LP (“EQM”), entered into a contribution agreement (the “Contribution Agreement”)
with an affiliate of Blackstone Credit & Insurance (such affiliate, “JV Investor”) to form a new midstream joint
venture (the “Joint Venture”).
On
December 30, 2024 (the “Closing Date”), the transactions contemplated by the Contribution Agreement (the “JV Transaction”)
were consummated (the “JV Closing”) and, among other things, (i) EQM and certain of its subsidiaries contributed certain
midstream assets (through the contribution of certain entities and equity interests) to the Joint Venture in exchange for 364,285,715
Class A Units in the Joint Venture and (ii) JV Investor contributed $3.5 billion of cash (net of certain transaction fees and
expenses) (the “JV Investor Contribution”) to the Joint Venture in exchange for 350,000,000 Class B Units in the Joint
Venture (the “Class B Units”). A portion of the JV Investor Contribution was used to fully repay borrowings, and interest
thereon, under the Bridge Facility (as defined below) (which borrowings were obtained to finance the Redemption and a portion of the
Tender Offer (each as defined below)), as described below, and the remainder of the JV Investor Contribution was ultimately distributed
to EQT (through EQM and certain other subsidiaries of EQT). EQT used most of this distribution to fully repay all $500 million of borrowings
under its term loan facility (which was then terminated) and repay a portion of the borrowings under its revolving credit facility on
the Closing Date and plans to use the remainder to pay certain transaction fees and expenses relating to the JV Transaction and other
related transactions. The foregoing information is a summary of the JV Transaction and, as such, does not purport to be complete and
is qualified in its entirety by reference to the Contribution Agreement, a copy of which was filed as Exhibit 2.1 to EQT’s
Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on November 26, 2026 (the
“Signing Form 8-K”), and the JV Agreement (as defined below), a copy of which is filed herewith as Exhibit 10.1.
The events described in this Current Report on
Form 8-K took place in connection with the JV Closing.
Item 1.01. Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.
On the Closing Date, pursuant to the Contribution
Agreement, the Joint Venture, EQM, JV Investor and, for limited purposes specified in the JV Agreement, EQT entered into an amended and
restated limited liability company agreement of the Joint Venture (the “JV Agreement”). A summary of the material terms of
the JV Agreement, including with respect to quarterly distributions, redemption of the Class B Units, EQM’s rights to purchase
Class B Units, EQM’s drag-along rights, transfer and exit rights of holders of Class B Units, management and governance
of the Joint Venture, EQT’s support obligations and future capital contributions and funding of the Joint Venture, is included
in Item 1.01 of the Signing Form 8-K, and such summary is incorporated into this Item 1.01 by reference.
Also
on the Closing Date, EQM (i) redeemed (the “Redemption”) $400,000,000 in aggregate principal amount of its 6.000% Senior
Notes due 2025 (which, immediately prior to the Redemption, was 100% of the outstanding aggregate principal amount of such notes) and
$500,000,000 in aggregate principal amount of its 4.125% Senior Notes due 2026 (which, immediately prior to the Redemption, was 100%
of the outstanding aggregate principal amount of such notes) and (ii) pursuant to its previously announced tender offer (the “Tender
Offer”), which expired on the Closing Date, and consistent with its prior expectations as described in EQT’s news release
relating to the Tender Offer issued on December 10, 2024, repurchased (a) $469,767,000 in aggregate principal amount of its
6.500% Senior Notes due 2048 ( which, immediately prior to such repurchase, was approximately
85.4% of the outstanding aggregate principal amount of such notes), (b) $731,317,000 in aggregate principal amount of its 5.500%
Senior Notes due 2028 ( which, immediately prior to such repurchase, was approximately 86.0% of the outstanding aggregate principal
amount of such notes), and (c) $57,077,000 in aggregate principal amount of its 4.50% Senior
Notes due 2029 ( which, immediately prior to such repurchase, was approximately 7.1% of the outstanding aggregate principal amount
of such notes). In conjunction with the Tender Offer, EQM solicited consents (the “Consent Solicitation”) from holders
of its 6.500% Senior Notes due 2048 and 5.500% Senior Notes due 2028 (such notes, together, the
“Affected Notes”) to amend that certain Indenture, dated as of August 1, 2014, solely with respect to the Affected
Notes, by modifying the reporting covenant contained therein such that EQT would provide the financial statements and other information
required thereby in lieu of EQM (the “Proposed Amendment”). Each holder who validly tendered Affected Notes pursuant to the
Tender Offer was deemed to have validly delivered its related consent to the Proposed Amendment, and therefore, EQM received the requisite
consents to effect the Proposed Amendment. On the Closing Date, EQM and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as trustee for
the Affected Notes, entered into that certain Sixth Supplemental Indenture containing the Proposed Amendment (the “Sixth Supplemental
Indenture”), which immediately became effective and operative upon such entry and applies to all holders of Affected Notes that
remain outstanding.
EQM funded the Redemption and the Tender Offer
with $2.229 billion of term loans obtained under a credit agreement (the “Bridge Facility Credit Agreement”) that it entered
into, as borrower, on December 27, 2024 with Royal Bank of Canada (“RBC”), as administrative agent and sole lender,
which provided EQM with a new senior unsecured bridge term loan facility in an aggregate principal amount of up to $2.3 billion (the
“Bridge Facility”), and cash on hand. In connection with EQM’s entry into the Bridge Facility Credit Agreement, EQT
entered into a guaranty (the “Guaranty”) on December 27, 2024 to guarantee the payment, when due, of all obligations
of the borrower under the Bridge Facility Credit Agreement.
On the Closing Date, in connection with the JV
Closing, the Joint Venture contributed a portion of the JV Investor Contribution to PipeBox Investments LLC, a subsidiary of the Joint
Venture (“Successor Borrower”), and Successor Borrower acceded EQM as borrower under the Bridge Facility (the “Borrower
Accession”), and thereupon, EQM was released from all of its obligations under the Bridge Facility Credit Agreement and EQT was
released from all of its obligations under the Guaranty. Also on the Closing Date, Successor Borrower fully repaid the Bridge Facility
borrowings, and interest thereon, with a portion of the JV Investor Contribution received by it from the Joint Venture, and thereafter,
the Bridge Facility was terminated. The maturity date of the Bridge Facility was the earlier of (i) December 26, 2025 and (ii) two
business days after the Borrower Accession.
Under the terms of the Bridge Facility Credit
Agreement, the borrower was permitted to obtain Base Rate Loans or Term SOFR Rate Loans (each as defined in the Bridge Facility Credit
Agreement). All of the borrowings obtained under the Bridge Facility were Term SOFR Rate Loans, which bore interest at a Term SOFR Rate
(as defined in the Bridge Facility Credit Agreement) plus an additional 10 basis point credit spread adjustment plus a margin ranging
from 50 basis points to 175 basis points determined on the basis of EQT’s then-current credit ratings. Interest on Base Rate Loans
would have been equal to a Base Rate (as defined in the Bridge Facility Credit Agreement) plus a margin ranging from 0 basis points to
75 basis points determined on the basis of EQT’s then-current credit ratings.
The Bridge Facility Credit Agreement contained
certain representations and warranties and various events of default and affirmative and negative covenants, including, among other things,
(i) a restriction on the ability of the borrower or certain of its subsidiaries to incur or permit liens on assets, subject to certain
exceptions, (ii) a restriction on the ability of certain of the borrower’s subsidiaries to incur debt, subject to certain
exceptions, (iii) a limitation on certain changes to the borrower’s business, and (iv) certain restrictions related to
mergers and sales of all or substantially all of the borrower’s assets.
RBC
is a full service financial institution engaged in various activities, which may include securities trading, commercial and investment
banking, financial advisory, investment management, investment research, principal investment, hedging, financing and brokerage activities.
RBC and its affiliates have, from time to time, provided, and may in the future provide, various financial advisory and investment banking
services for EQT or its affiliates, including EQM, for which they received or will receive customary fees and expenses. In particular,
RBC and/or one or more of its affiliates are lenders and/or agents under EQT’s
term loan facility and revolving credit facility, served as underwriters in EQT’s equity and debt offerings and/or served as the
sole dealer manager and sole solicitation agent in connection with the Tender Offer and the Consent Solicitation.
The
foregoing descriptions of the JV Agreement, the Sixth Supplemental Indenture, the Bridge
Facility Credit Agreement and the Guaranty do not purport to be complete, are subject to and are qualified in their entirety by
reference to the copies of the JV Agreement, the Sixth Supplemental Indenture, the Bridge Facility
Credit Agreement and the Guaranty attached hereto as Exhibits 10.1, 4.1, 10.2 and 10.3, respectively, and incorporated herein
by reference.
Item 2.03. Creation of a Direct Financial Obligation or an Obligation
under an Off-Balance Sheet Arrangement of a Registrant.
The
information contained in Item 1.01 of this Current Report on Form 8-K related to the Bridge
Facility Credit Agreement and the Bridge Facility is incorporated herein by reference into this Item 2.03.
Item 3.03. Material Modification to Rights of Security Holders.
The information contained in Item 1.01 of this
Current Report on Form 8-K related to the Sixth Supplemental Indenture and the Proposed Amendment is incorporated herein by reference
into this Item 3.03.
Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.
(d) Exhibits.
Exhibit No.
Description
4.1
Sixth Supplemental Indenture, dated as of December 30,
2024, between EQM Midstream Partners, LP and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as trustee.
10.1*
Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement
of PipeBox LLC dated as of December 30, 2024.
10.2*
Credit Agreement, dated as of December 27, 2024,
between EQM Midstream Partners, LP and Royal Bank of Canada, as administrative agent and lender.
10.3
Guaranty, dated as of December 27, 2024, by EQT
Corporation in favor of Royal Bank of Canada as administrative agent under the Credit Agreement, dated as of December 27, 2024,
between EQM Midstream Partners, LP and Royal Bank of Canada.
104
Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within
the Inline XBRL document).
* Certain schedules and similar attachments have been omitted pursuant to
Item 601(a)(5) of Regulation S-K. EQT agrees to provide a copy of any omitted exhibit
or schedule to the SEC or its staff upon request.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
EQT CORPORATION
Date: December 31,
2024
By:
/s/
Jeremy T. Knop
Name:
Jeremy T. Knop
Title:
Chief Financial Officer
Filing details
- Company
- EQT Corp
- Ticker
- EQT
- CIK
- 33213
- Form type
- 8-K
- Filing date
- Dec 31, 2024
- Report date
- Dec 27, 2024
- Document
- tm2432179d1_8k.htm
- Size
- 1.6 MB