INFORMATION STATEMENT
Vitesse Energy, Inc.
Common Stock
(par value $0.01)
This Information Statement is being sent to you in connection with the spin-off by Jefferies Financial Group Inc., which we refer to as Jefferies, of its newly formed indirect majority owned subsidiary, Vitesse Energy, Inc., which we refer to as Vitesse or we. Prior to the spin-off, Vitesse will acquire all of the issued and outstanding equity interests of Vitesse Energy, LLC, which we refer to as Vitesse Energy, and Vitesse Oil, LLC, which we refer to as Vitesse Oil, which together represent substantially all of those businesses or investments of Jefferies that acquire, develop, manage and monetize non-operated oil and natural gas working, royalty and mineral interests in the United States, primarily in the Bakken and Three Forks formations in the Williston Basin in North Dakota and Montana. Following Vitesses acquisitions of Vitesse Energy and Vitesse Oil and a series of transactions described in this Information Statement, Jefferies will hold approximately 94.37% of the total issued and outstanding Vitesse common stock immediately prior to the spin-off. To effect the spin-off, Jefferies will distribute all of the issued and outstanding shares of Vitesse common stock held by Jefferies to the holders of Jefferies common stock on a pro-rata basis. After the distribution, Jefferies will not own any shares of Vitesse common stock. The distribution of Vitesse common stock is intended to be tax-free to Jefferies shareholders for U.S. federal income tax purposes, except for cash that shareholders receive in lieu of fractional shares and subject to the discussion in the section entitled The Spin-OffMaterial U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Spin-OffConsequences to Holders of Jefferies Common Stock. You should consult your own tax advisor as to the tax consequences of the distribution to you, including potential tax consequences under state, local and non-U.S. tax laws.
If you are a record holder of Jefferies common stock as of the close of business on December 27, 2022, which is the record date for the distribution, for every 8.49668 shares of Jefferies common stock you hold on that date, you will be entitled to receive one share of Vitesse common stock. Jefferies will distribute the shares of Vitesse common stock in book-entry form, which means that we will not issue physical stock certificates. The distribution agent will not distribute any fractional shares of Vitesse common stock. Instead, the distribution agent will aggregate fractional shares into whole shares, sell the whole shares in the open market at prevailing market prices and distribute the aggregate cash proceeds of the sales, net of brokerage fees and other costs, to each holder pro rata (net of any required withholding for taxes applicable to each holder) in lieu of any fractional share to which the holder otherwise would have been entitled to receive in the distribution. As discussed in the section entitled The Spin-OffTrading Prior to the Distribution Date, if you sell your shares of Jefferies common stock in the regular-way market after the record date and on or before the distribution date, you also will be selling your right to receive shares of Vitesse common stock in connection with the distribution.
The distribution will be effective as of 11:59 p.m., New York City time, on January 13, 2023. Immediately after the distribution becomes effective, Vitesse will be an independent, publicly traded company.
Jefferies shareholders are not required to vote on or take any other action in connection with the spin-off. We are not asking you for a proxy and you are requested not to send us a proxy. Jefferies shareholders will not be required to pay any consideration for the shares of Vitesse common stock they receive in the spin-off, and they will not be required to surrender or exchange their shares of Jefferies common stock or take any other action in connection with the spin-off.
No trading market for Vitesse common stock currently exists. We expect, however, that a limited trading market for Vitesse common stock, commonly known as a when-issued trading market, will develop on the third trading day before the distribution date, and we expect regular-way trading of Vitesse common stock will begin on the first trading day after the distribution date. We intend to list Vitesse common stock on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol VTS. Following the distribution, Jefferies will continue to trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol JEF.
Vitesse is an emerging growth company as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012.
In reviewing this Information Statement, you should carefully consider the matters described in the section entitled Risk Factors beginning on page 26 of this Information Statement.
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved these securities or determined if this Information Statement is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
This Information Statement is not an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any securities.
The date of this Information Statement is January 6, 2023.
This Information Statement was first mailed to Jefferies shareholders on or about January 6, 2023.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
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Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Spin-Off |
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MANAGEMENTS DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS |
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SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT |
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COMPARISON OF RIGHTS OF JEFFERIES SHAREHOLDERS AND VITESSE STOCKHOLDERS |
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In this Information Statement, unless the context otherwise requires:
∎ | 3B Energy refers to 3B Energy, LLC, the holder of a minority of the equity interests in Vitesse Energy prior to the Pre-Spin-Off Transactions and an entity owned by Bob Gerrity, our Chief Executive Officer and a member of our Board, and Brian Cree, our President and Chief Operating Officer; |
∎ | Amended and Restated Bylaws refers to the bylaws of Vitesse that will be in effect immediately prior to the Distribution Date; |
∎ | Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation refers to the certificate of incorporation of Vitesse that will be in effect immediately prior to the Distribution Date; |
∎ | AST refers to American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC; |
∎ | Basin refers to a large natural depression on the earths surface in which sediments generally brought by water accumulate; |
∎ | the Board refers to our board of directors; |
∎ | Bbl refers to one stock tank barrel, of 42 U.S. gallons liquid volume, used herein in reference to oil, condensate or NGLs; |
∎ | Boe refers to barrels of oil equivalent, calculated by converting natural gas to oil equivalent barrels at a ratio of six Mcf of natural gas to one Bbl of oil and at a ratio of one Bbl of NGL to one Bbl of oil; |
∎ | Boe/d refers to one Boe per day; |
∎ | Btu refers to a British thermal unit, which is the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit; |
∎ | completion refers to the process of preparing an oil and natural gas wellbore for production through the installation of permanent production equipment, as well as perforation and fracture stimulation to optimize production of oil, natural gas and/or NGLs; |
∎ | condensate refers to a mixture of hydrocarbons that exists in the gaseous phase at original reservoir temperature and pressure, but that, when produced, is in the liquid phase at surface pressure and temperature; |
∎ | CAA refers to the Clean Air Act; |
∎ | Cawley refers to Cawley, Gillespie & Associates, Inc.; |
∎ | CERCLA refers to the Comprehensive Environmental, Response, Compensation, and Liability Act; |
∎ | CFTC refers to the Commodities Futures Trading Commission; |
∎ | the Code refers to the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended; |
∎ | COVID-19 refers to the SARS-CoV-2 novel coronavirus and known variants; |
∎ | CWA refers to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972; |
∎ | DGCL refers to the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware; |
∎ | Differential refers to an adjustment to the price of oil or natural gas from an established spot market price to reflect differences in the quality and/or location of oil or natural gas; |
∎ | the Distribution refers to the transaction in which Jefferies will distribute to its shareholders all outstanding shares of our common stock held by Jefferies; |
∎ | the Distribution Date refers to the date on which the Distribution occurs; |
∎ | the Dodd-Frank Act refers to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act; |
∎ | the DOI refers to the Department of the Interior; |
∎ | dry hole refers to a well found to be incapable of producing oil and natural gas in sufficient quantities to justify completion; |
∎ | the EPA refers to the Environmental Protection Agency; |
∎ | the ESA refers to the Endangered Species Act; |
∎ | ESG refers to environmental, social and governance; |
∎ | Exchange Act refers to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934; |
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∎ | Existing Revolving Credit Facility refers to Vitesse Energys Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of April 29, 2022, as amended from time to time, among Vitesse Energy, as borrower, Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., as administrative agent, and the lenders party thereto; |
∎ | FERC refers to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; |
∎ | FTC refers to the Federal Trade Commission; |
∎ | GAAP refers to accounting principles generally accepted in the United States; |
∎ | Gerrity Bakken refers to Gerrity Bakken, LLC, the holder of a minority of the equity interests in Vitesse Oil and an entity owned by Bob Gerrity, our Chief Executive Officer and a member of our Board; |
∎ | GHGs refer to greenhouse gases; |
∎ | gross acres refers to the total acres in which a working interest is owned; |
∎ | gross wells refers to the total wells in which a working interest is owned; |
∎ | IPOs refer to initial public offerings; |
∎ | IRS refers to the Internal Revenue Service; |
∎ | IRS Ruling refers to a private letter ruling being sought by Jefferies from the IRS; |
∎ | Jefferies refers to Jefferies Financial Group Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries other than, for all periods following the Spin-Off, Vitesse, unless the context requires otherwise; |
∎ | Jefferies Board refers to Jefferies board of directors; |
∎ | Jefferies Capital Partners refers to Jefferies Capital Partners V L.P. and Jefferies SBI USA Fund L.P., collectively, the holders of a majority of the equity interests in Vitesse Oil and entities in which Jefferies holds an indirect limited partner interest; |
∎ | Jefferies Parties refers to Jefferies and certain of its affiliates; |
∎ | MBbls refers to one thousand barrels of oil or NGLs; |
∎ | MBoe refers to one thousand barrels of oil equivalent; |
∎ | Mcf refers to one thousand cubic feet of natural gas; |
∎ | MMBoe refers to one million barrels of oil equivalent; |
∎ | MMBtu refers to one million British thermal units; |
∎ | MMcf refers to one million cubic feet of natural gas; |
∎ | net acres refers to the sum of the fractional working interests owned in gross acres (e.g., a 10% working interest in a lease covering 1,280 gross acres is equivalent to 128 net acres); |
∎ | net wells refers to wells that are deemed to exist when the sum of fractional ownership working interests in gross wells equals one; |
∎ | NEPA refers to the National Environmental Policy Act; |
∎ | New Revolving Credit Facility refers to Vitesses Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, as amended from time to time, which is expected to be among Vitesse, as borrower, Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., as administrative agent, and the lenders party thereto and which is expected to be in effect at the time of the completion of the Spin-Off; |
∎ | NGLs refer to natural gas liquids; |
∎ | NSPS refers to New Source Performance Standards; |
∎ | NYBCL refers to the New York Business Corporation Law; |
∎ | NYMEX refers to the New York Mercantile Exchange; |
∎ | NYSE refers to the New York Stock Exchange; |
∎ | OPEC refers to the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries; |
∎ | OPA refers to the Oil Pollution Act of 1990; |
∎ | OTC refers to the over-the-counter market; |
∎ | PDP or proved developed producing refers to proved reserves that can be expected to be recovered through existing wells with existing equipment and operating methods; |
∎ | PDNP or proved developed non-producing refers to proved reserves that are developed behind pipe and are expected to be recovered from zones in existing wells that will require additional completion work or future recompletion prior to the start of production; |
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∎ | PHMSA refers to the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration; |
∎ | possible reserves refers to the additional reserves which analysis of geoscience and engineering data suggest are less likely to be recoverable than probable reserves; |
∎ | Pre-Spin-Off Transactions refers to the series of transactions, including Vitesses acquisitions of Vitesse Energy and Vitesse Oil, described under The Spin-OffPre-Spin-Off Transactions; |
∎ | probable reserves refers to the additional reserves which analysis of geoscience and engineering data indicate are less likely to be recovered than proved reserves but which, together with proved reserves, are as likely as not to be recovered; |
∎ | productive well refers to a well that is found to be capable of producing oil and natural gas in sufficient quantities such that proceeds from the sale of the production exceed production expenses and taxes; |
∎ | proved developed reserves refers to proved reserves that can be expected to be recovered through existing wells with existing equipment and operating methods or in which the cost of new equipment or operating methods is relatively minor compared to the cost of a new well; |
∎ | proved reserves refers to the quantities of oil and natural gas, which, by analysis of geoscience and engineering data, can be estimated with reasonable certainty to be economically producible, from a given date forward, from known reservoirs, and under existing economic conditions, operating methods, and government regulations, prior to the time at which contracts providing the right to operate expire, unless evidence indicates that renewal is reasonably certain, regardless of whether deterministic or probabilistic methods are used for the estimation. The project to extract the hydrocarbons must have commenced or the operator must be reasonably certain that it will commence the project within a reasonable time; |
∎ | PUD or proved undeveloped refers to proved reserves that are expected to be recovered from new wells on undrilled acreage, or from existing wells where a relatively major expenditure is required for development. Reserves on undrilled acreage are limited to those drilling units offsetting productive units that are reasonably certain of production when drilled. Undrilled locations can be classified as having undeveloped reserves only if a development plan has been adopted indicating that they are scheduled to be drilled within five years unless specific circumstances justify a longer time. Under no circumstances shall estimates of proved undeveloped reserves be attributable to any acreage for which an application of fluid injection or other improved recovery technique is contemplated, unless such techniques have been proved effective by actual projects in the same reservoir or an analogous reservoir, or by other evidence using reliable technology establishing reasonable certainty: |
∎ | RCRA refers the Federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act; |
∎ | Record Date refers to December 27, 2022; |
∎ | reserves refers to estimated remaining quantities of oil and gas and related substances anticipated to be economically producible, as of a given date, by application of development projects to known accumulations. In addition, there must exist, or there must be a reasonable expectation that there will exist, the legal right to produce or a revenue interest in the production, installed means of delivering oil and gas or related substances to market, and all permits and financing required to implement the project; |
∎ | SDWA refers to the Safe Drinking Water Act; |
∎ | SEC refers to the Securities and Exchange Commission; |
∎ | Securities Act refers to Securities Act of 1933; |
∎ | Stockholder Nominee refers to a candidate for the Board who is nominated by stockholders pursuant to the requirements of our Amended and Restated Bylaws; |
∎ | SOFR refers to the Secured Overnight Financing Rate; |
∎ | the Spin-Off refers to our separation from Jefferies and the creation of an independent, publicly traded company, Vitesse, through (1) the Pre-Spin-Off Transactions and (2) the Distribution; |
∎ | Standardized Measure refers to discounted future net cash flows estimated by applying year-end SEC prices (based on the 12-month unweighted arithmetic average of the first-day-of-the-month oil and natural gas prices for such year-end period) to the estimated future production of year-end proved reserves. Future cash flows are reduced by estimated future production and development costs, including asset retirement obligations, based on year-end costs to determine pre-tax cash inflows. Future income taxes, if applicable, are computed by applying the statutory tax rate to the excess of pre-tax cash flows over our tax basis in the oil and natural gas properties. Future net cash flows after income taxes are discounted using a 10% annual discount rate; |
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∎ | Treasury Regulations refers to final, temporary, and (to the extent they can be relied upon) proposed regulations under the Code, as promulgated from time to time (including corresponding provisions and succeeding provisions); |
∎ | Two-stream basis refers to the reporting of production or reserve volumes of oil and wet natural gas, where the NGLs have not been removed from the natural gas stream, and the economic value of the NGLs is included in the wellhead natural gas price; |
∎ | USRPHC refers to United States real property holding corporation; |
∎ | Vitesse, we, our and us (1) when used in the past tense, refer to Vitesse Energy and do not give effect to the consummation of the Pre-Spin-Off Transactions, and (2) when used in the present tense or future tense, refer to Vitesse Energy, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries and give effect to the consummation of the Pre-Spin-Off Transactions, in each case unless the context requires otherwise; |
∎ | Vitesse Energy refers to Vitesse Energy, LLC and its consolidated subsidiaries; |
∎ | Vitesse Energy Finance refers to Vitesse Energy Finance LLC, the holder of a majority of the equity interests in Vitesse Energy prior to the Pre-Spin-Off Transactions and an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Jefferies; |
∎ | Vitesse Energy MIUs refers to management incentive units with respect to Vitesse Energy; |
∎ | Vitesse Oil refers to Vitesse Oil, LLC; |
∎ | Vitesse Oil MIUs refers to management incentive units with respect to Vitesse Oil; |
∎ | Vitesse Oil Revolving Credit Facility refers to Vitesse Oils Credit Agreement, dated as of July 23, 2015, as amended from time to time, among Vitesse Oil, as borrower, Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., as administrative agent, and the lenders party thereto; |
∎ | VOCs refers to volatile organic compounds; |
∎ | WOTUS refers to the waters of the United States; and |
∎ | WTI refers to West Texas Intermediate. |
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PRESENTATION OF FINANCIAL AND OPERATING DATA
Unless otherwise indicated, the historical financial information presented in this Information Statement is that of our predecessor, Vitesse Energy. The pro forma condensed combined financial information in this Information Statement is derived from the audited consolidated financial statements and unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of Vitesse Energy included elsewhere in this Information Statement, which we refer to as the Audited Consolidated Financial Statements and the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements, respectively. The pro forma condensed combined financial information reflects, among other things, the consummation of the Spin-Off, including the acquisition of Vitesse Oil.
In addition, unless otherwise indicated, the reserve and operational data presented in this Information Statement is with respect to all of the assets of Vitesse Energy prior to giving effect to the Spin-Off.
This Information Statement includes information concerning our industry and the markets in which we operate that is based on information from public filings, internal company sources, various third-party sources and management estimates. Managements estimates regarding Vitesses position, share and industry size are derived from publicly available information and our internal research, and are based on assumptions we made upon reviewing such data and our knowledge of such industry and markets, which we believe to be reasonable. While we are not aware of any misstatements regarding any industry data presented in this Information Statement and believe such data to be accurate, we have not independently verified any data obtained from third-party sources and cannot assure you of the accuracy or completeness of such data. Such data involve uncertainties and are subject to change based on various factors, including those discussed in the section entitled Risk Factors.
We own or have rights to various trademarks, logos, service marks and trade names that we use in connection with the operation of our business. We also own or have the rights to copyrights that protect the content of our products. Solely for convenience, the trademarks, service marks, trade names and copyrights referred to in this Information Statement are listed without the , ® or © symbols, but such references do not constitute a waiver of any rights that might be associated with the respective trademarks, service marks, trade names and copyrights included or referred to in this Information Statement.
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This summary highlights selected information from this Information Statement and provides an overview of our company, our separation from Jefferies and Jefferies distribution of our common stock to its shareholders. For a more complete understanding of our business and the Spin-Off, you should read the entire Information Statement carefully, particularly the discussion of Risk Factors and the Audited Consolidated Financial Statements and Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and the notes thereto included in the section entitled Index to Financial Statements.
Vitesse is an independent energy company engaged in the acquisition, development, and production of non-operated oil and natural gas properties in the United States that are generally operated by leading oil companies and are primarily in the Bakken and Three Forks formations in the Williston Basin of North Dakota and Montana. We also have properties in the Central Rockies, including the Denver-Julesburg Basin and the Powder River Basin. Since our inception in 2014, we have built a strong and diversified asset base through a combination of property acquisitions, development activities and the implementation of proprietary platforms and processes utilizing our extensive data resources. We believe the location and concentration of our assets in some of North Americas leading unconventional oil and natural gas resource plays, along with our technical and data capabilities, will continue to provide us with acquisition and development opportunities that will result in significant incremental long-term value.
Vitesse has historically created value by acquiring non-operated minority working and mineral interests in oil and natural gas properties, comprising producing wells, near-term development opportunities and undeveloped acreage, and partnering with premier operators with significant experience in developing and producing oil and natural gas in our core areas. Over the past eight years, we have executed on our technical, data driven, and financially disciplined acquisition and development strategy to build our core position in the Williston Basin and Central Rockies and grow our oil and natural gas production. During that time, we have focused on limiting our downside by maintaining conservative acquisition guidelines, limiting our debt leverage and opportunistically locking in future prices for a portion of our oil production. As a result, we have been able to preserve value when many independent energy companies were forced into financial recapitalizations and restructurings when commodity prices declined significantly in 2014, 2018 and 2020.
With the current higher oil and natural gas price environment, we are focused on using free cash flow to maintain a strong balance sheet, provide growing returns of capital to our stockholders, and grow our oil and natural gas production by developing our extensive inventory of drilling locations, as well as acquiring both producing wells and new development opportunities.
We owned an average working interest of 2.6% in 5,203 gross (133.9 net) productive wells and royalty interests in an additional 998 productive wells as of August 31, 2022. We engage in oil and natural gas well development by participating on a proportionate basis alongside third-party interests in wells drilled and completed in spacing units that include our acreage. As of August 31, 2022, we owned a working interest in a further 253 gross (6.5 net) wells that were being drilled or completed, and an additional 413 gross (8.5 net) wells that had been permitted for development by our operating partners. We rely on our operators to propose, permit and initiate the drilling and completion of wells. We assess each drilling and completion opportunity on a case-by-case basis and participate in wells that are expected to meet a desired return based upon estimates of recoverable oil and natural gas reserves, anticipated oil and natural gas prices, the expertise of the operator, and the anticipated completed well cost, as well as other factors.
Our non-operated business model provides us with inherent flexibility regarding the cadence of capital deployment and the agility to allocate a portion of our cash flow to the drilling and completion opportunities that we believe will achieve the highest rate of return. We work with more than 35 experienced operators that provide technical insights and opportunities for additional acquisitions and continued development. In
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addition, our business model allows us to not be burdened with various contractual arrangements with respect to minimum drilling obligations, and we can minimize exploratory, upfront leasing and infrastructure costs customarily incurred by operators.
Our operators generally market and sell the oil and natural gas extracted from our wells on their behalf and on our behalf. In addition, these operators coordinate the transportation of oil and natural gas production from wells in which we participate to appropriate pipelines or rail transport facilities pursuant to arrangements that such operators negotiate and maintain with various parties purchasing such production. The price at which our production is sold generally ties to a market spot price, and the Differential between the market spot price and our realized sales price represents the imbedded transportation and marketing costs of moving the oil and natural gas from the wellhead to the refinery or processing plant. The Differential will fluctuate based on availability of pipeline, rail and other transportation methods.
Vitesse is led by a dedicated management team with extensive experience in the energy industry. Our management team includes Bob Gerrity, our Chief Executive Officer, a successful industry leader who was the founder and chief executive officer of Gerrity Oil & Gas Corporation, which pioneered low-cost reserve manufacturing in the Wattenberg field of Colorado during the 1990s. Gerrity Oil & Gas Corporation was one of the most active operators in the United States following its IPO in 1990, at times running more than 15 active drilling rigs and completing as many as 500 wells per year. Gerrity Oil & Gas Corporation merged with Snyder Oil Corporation to form Patina Oil & Gas Corporation in 1996, which was merged with Noble Energy, Inc. in 2005. Today, these former assets comprise a material portion of Chevron Corporations position in the Denver-Julesburg Basin.
Leveraging his prior experience and acknowledging the trend in advances in shale drilling and completion technologies, Mr. Gerrity believed the shale industry would transition to a reserve manufacturing phase marked by well-capitalized and efficient low-cost operators. In 2013, Mr. Gerrity and Brian Cree, our President and Chief Operating Officer, began to seek out non-operated lease and mineral interests with development opportunities in areas of the Williston Basin that were in the core of the field and operated by premier industry leaders, at which time an affiliate of Jefferies made an initial investment in Vitesse Oil to partially fund the acquisition of non-operated working and mineral interests primarily in undeveloped oil and natural gas assets. In 2014, Messrs. Gerrity and Cree began to see a growing number of acquisition and development opportunities in the Williston Basin, and Jefferies made a direct investment in Vitesse to support larger scale acquisition and development efforts. Since that time, Vitesse has completed over 120 acquisitions totaling approximately $520 million and deployed over a further $400 million in the development of oil and natural gas properties.
Vitesse Oil, which will be acquired by Vitesse as part of the Pre-Spin-Off Transactions, is an independent energy company also engaged in the acquisition, development and production of non-operated oil and natural gas properties in the Williston Basin of North Dakota. As of August 31, 2022, Vitesse Oil had 2,515 net acres in the Williston Basin and owned working interests in approximately 871 gross (7.8 net) productive wells and royalty interests in an additional 120 productive wells, with average production of 816 Boe per day during the month ended August 31, 2022. In addition, Vitesse Oil had 73 gross (0.3 net) wells that were being drilled or completed, and an additional 83 gross (0.3 net) wells that had been permitted for future development by its operators as of August 31, 2022. Based on year-end SEC prices, as of December 31, 2021, Vitesse Oil had approximately 4,107 MBoe of estimated proved reserves located primarily in the core of the Williston Basin, and average production of 641 Boe per day for the year ended December 31, 2021. For information concerning Vitesse Oil, see Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Financial Statements.
Our business strategy going forward is focused on creating long-term stockholder value through the acquisition, development and production of oil and natural gas assets at attractive rates of return, while maintaining a strong
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and conservative balance sheet and distributing a portion of our free cash flow to our stockholders in the form of a regular cash dividend on a quarterly basis. The key elements of our business strategy include the following:
∎ | Dividends to Stockholders. Our business plan focuses on building a diversified, low-leverage, free cash flow generating business that can deliver regular cash dividends to our stockholders. We made cash distributions to our members totaling $25.0 million during 2019, $0.0 during 2020, $12.0 million during 2021, and $42.0 million during the nine months ended August 31, 2022. In addition to the aforementioned cash distribution payments, Jefferies retained close to $25.0 million in hedging gain proceeds that were attributable to derivatives associated with our oil production during 2019 and 2020, further demonstrating our commitment to generating value for our investors. Following the Distribution, we expect that Vitesse will initially pay quarterly cash dividends and dividend equivalents totaling approximately $66.0 million per fiscal year. Such dividend equivalents will be paid pursuant to awards granted under the VTS LTIP (as defined in the section entitled Executive Compensation Vitesse Energy, Inc. Long-Term Incentive Plan) and the Transitional Plan (as defined in the section entitled Certain Relationships and Related Party TransactionsTransitional Equity Award Adjustment Plan). |
∎ | Growth through Value-Enhancing Acquisitions. We have been a consolidator and clearing house of non-operated working interests in various leading oil and natural gas shale plays in the United States, and we will continue that strategy and potentially pursue operated asset packages and other acquisition strategies going forward. Our near-term drilling acquisition strategy is centered around building a strong presence in our core basins by acquiring smaller non-operated lease and wellbore positions with direct exposure to near-term drilling activity. By virtue of their smaller footprint, these targeted acquisitions have been completed at a significant discount to the prices paid for contiguous acreage positions typically sought by larger producers and operators of oil and natural gas wells. Acquisitions such as these have been a significant driver of increasing our production. Over the last eight years, we have closed approximately 120 discrete acquisitions totaling more than $520 million, and we intend to continue these activities, while at the same time evaluating and pursuing larger asset packages in both our current area of operations and other areas. We believe our disciplined acquisition strategy can responsibly add production, cash flow and scale to existing operations. |
∎ | Built to Last. From our inception, we have focused on creating a durable organization that generates strong financial returns and sustainable free cash flow through commodity cycles. Rather than primarily acquiring producing reserves, we have focused our efforts on acquiring an attractive inventory of undeveloped drilling locations that afford us flexibility in the face of oil and natural gas price fluctuations and taking advantage of technical improvements and cost reductions over time, supporting the sustainable generation of free cash flow. Our management team fosters a culture of innovation and continuous improvement, constantly looking for ways to improve our operations and technical and data analysis, and strengthen our organizational agility and adaptability. |
∎ | Risk Diversification. We seek to diversify our capital and operational risk through participation in a large number of oil and natural gas wells with multiple operators across multiple basins. We seek to diversify our risk by operator, formation, value concentration and commodity (oil and natural gas). As of August 31, 2022, we owned an average working interest of 2.6% in 5,203 gross (133.9 net) productive wells and royalty interests in an additional 998 productive wells, with more than 35 experienced operators that provide development and production activities on our oil and natural gas properties. We believe we can further diversify our risk over time with acquisitions in additional basins, focusing on accretive acquisitions of high-quality assets with experienced operators in the most prolific basins in the United States. During the nine months ended August 31, 2022, our average production was 10,048 Boe per day, consisting of approximately 8,910 Boe per day in the Williston Basin and 1,138 Boe per day in the Central Rockies. During the month ended August 31, 2022, our average production was 10,898 Boe per day, consisting of approximately 9,462 Boe per day in the Williston Basin and 1,436 Boe per day in the Central Rockies. |
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∎ | Strong Balance Sheet and Financial Flexibility. We maintain financial strength and flexibility through the prudent management of our balance sheet and free cash flow. During 2020, 2021, and the first nine months of 2022 we were free cash flow positive and reduced our outstanding debt from $104.0 million at November 30, 2019 to $68.0 million at November 30, 2021 and to $66.0 million at August 31, 2022. Following the Spin-Off, we intend to maintain conservative indebtedness and a simple capital structure consisting only of our New Revolving Credit Facility and common stock. We intend to maintain the flexibility to manage our free cash flow by continuing to adhere to a target Net Debt to Adjusted EBITDA ratio (last twelve months) of less than 1.0. As of August 31, 2022, our Net Debt to Adjusted EBITDA ratio (last twelve months) was 0.4. For the twelve months ended August 31, 2022, we generated net income and Adjusted EBITDA of $81.2 million and $158.0 million, respectively. From our inception in 2014 through August 31, 2022, we generated approximately $144.0 million of net income during a volatile commodity price environment. For definitions and reconciliations of Net Debt and Adjusted EBITDA to their most directly comparable financial measures in accordance with GAAP, see Selected Historical Financial DataNon-GAAP Financial Information. |
∎ | Hedging Strategy. To reduce our exposure to the volatility of oil prices and protect our ability to pay distributions, we have entered into hedging derivative instruments for a portion of our expected oil production, which have included swaps, collars, puts and other structures. We historically have bought oil futures both on an opportunistic basis when WTI prices have allowed us to lock in attractive rates of return on our asset base and upon acquisitions of larger producing assets to protect returns. We currently do not hedge natural gas production due to the mismatch between our operators pricing formulas and settlement mechanics on natural gas hedges. Our current hedged position mitigates our exposure to volatile oil prices, with approximately 30% of our expected oil production hedged through November 30, 2024 at attractive prices. However, in the past, based on then-existing market conditions, we have hedged significantly higher percentages of our actual oil production. For further information see Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of OperationsQuantitative and Qualitative Disclosure about Market RiskCommodity Price Risk. |
∎ | Responsible Stewards. We are committed to ESG initiatives and seek a culture of improvement in ESG practices. We work to provide safe, reliable and affordable energy in a responsible manner by partnering with responsible operators in our core areas, while being cognizant of the broader energy transition. The key tenets of our ESG philosophy are to identify opportunities to reduce our environmental impact, improve safety, invest in our employees, and support the communities in which we live and work while improving transparency and accountability. At the time of the Distribution, our Board will be majority independent and composed of experienced professionals with a strong background in the energy industry and more broadly in business. |
We believe that we will be able to successfully execute our business strategies because of the following competitive strengths:
∎ | Every Decision is a Financial Decision. Our business culture encourages employees to think like owners and to make decisions with a long-term perspective. We have developed a systematic approach of responsibly reviewing acquisition and development opportunities. As part of our efforts to maximize returns, we have established a capital allocation framework with the objective of allocating capital to acquisitions and development of oil and natural gas properties to drive sustainability and growth in free cash flow, the repayment of debt and stockholder dividends. This framework entails disciplined investment in capital expenditures and acquisitions, allowing us to distribute a significant portion of our cash flow to our stockholders. We also retain flexibility with respect to share repurchases, subject to approval from our Board and as conditions warrant. We will continue to evaluate and pursue profitable and accretive acquisition and consolidation opportunities that enhance stockholder value and build scale. As opportunities arise, we intend to identify and acquire additional acreage and producing assets to supplement our existing operations. |
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∎ | Data and Technology Driven. Our proprietary data-driven approach allows for rapid multi-disciplinary evaluation to determine the most attractive acquisition and development opportunities. We created customized data systems (vLuminis) that are integrated, centralized and utilized by our employees so that decisions are based on a common base of information. We maintain real-time business intelligence dashboards to monitor operators, rigs, well performance, drilling and completion costs and production results. This data informs model forecasts, type curves and decisions about acquisition and development opportunities. We maintain responsive, basin-wide models that are updated in real time and incorporate historical data by operator and region. These models, along with our proprietary systems and platforms, provide necessary inputs and evaluation metrics, which allow us to make informed investment decisions based on forecasted production, operating expenses, type curves, drilling inventory, cash flow and other operational and financial outputs. As a result, we have the capability to process multiple opportunities quickly with the current team in place. |
∎ | Experienced Management and Industry Relationships. Vitesses management team has developed deep and longstanding relationships with many of our operators, other working interest and mineral owners, investment banks, acquisition and divestiture companies and investors. A majority of our evaluated and executed acquisitions and transactions are self-sourced. We have become a preferred non-operator to some of the largest companies operating in the Williston Basin and Central Rockies given our track record of evaluating and acquiring non-operated oil and natural gas working interests, and being a responsible financial partner. As a result, we see broad deal flow from single wellbore near-term development acquisition opportunities to packages consisting of both producing and undeveloped assets worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Our management team has an over 30-year track record of creating value together at both private and public oil and natural gas companies. |
∎ | Proactive Asset Management Philosophy. Our experienced team of landmen and accountants review acquired assets to unlock incremental value. Many assets we acquire have title defects or other land related issues where deep analysis and consistent, quality diligence adds value in many areas, including increased working interest ownership and working capital management. Our long-term view provides the time to solve issues and find additional well interests to increase the velocity of overall returns. This is enabled by strong departmental relationships with operators and accurate data management. |
Industry Trends Impacting Our Business
Commodity prices are the most significant factor impacting our acquisition and divestiture strategy, as well as the decisions of our operators in conducting their operations. Prices for oil and natural gas can be highly volatile. For instance, the COVID-19 pandemic and efforts to mitigate the spread of the disease, combined with OPEC actions in early 2020, led to spot and future prices of oil and natural gas falling to historic lows during the second quarter of 2020 and remaining depressed through much of 2020. Our operators in the Williston Basin responded by significantly decreasing drilling and completion activity, and by shutting in or curtailing production from a significant number of producing wells. Commodity prices, however, quickly reached pre-pandemic levels in the second half of 2021, and during the first nine months of 2022 only further accelerated upward, in part as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine may have further global economic consequences, including disruptions of the global energy markets and the amplification of inflation and supply chain constraints, partially due to sanctions by the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States on imports of oil and gas from Russia. On October 5, 2022, OPEC also announced a 2 MMBbl/d reduction in production quotas, the organizations largest cut since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As a result of such commodity price volatility, which we expect to continue for the remainder of 2022 and into 2023, our earnings and operating cash flows can vary substantially, and are subject to external factors over which the company has no control. While we do hedge a substantial portion of our production, we are still significantly subject to movements in commodity prices. Such volatility can make it difficult to predict future effects on our company and the decisions of our operators. Factors that we expect will continue to impact commodity prices include product demand connected with global economic conditions, industry production
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and inventory levels, the United States Department of Energys future planned repurchases (or additional possible releases) of oil from the strategic petroleum reserve, technology advancements, production quotas or other actions imposed by OPEC countries, actions of regulators, and regional supply interruptions or fears thereof that may be caused by military conflicts (including invasion), civil unrest, pandemic or political uncertainty. Any of the foregoing can have a substantial impact on the prices of oil and natural gas, which in turn impacts the decision of our operators to drill and extract resources. Despite such commodity price volatility, we expect that our cash flow from operations and borrowing availability under our Existing Revolving Credit Facility or New Revolving Credit Facility, as applicable, will allow us to meet our liquidity needs for the next twelve months.
Our principal executive offices are located at 9200 E Mineral Ave, Suite 200, Centennial, Colorado 80112. Our current office space consists of approximately 15,000 square feet of leased space. We believe our current office space is sufficient to meet our needs and that additional office space can be obtained if necessary.
Ownership of Vitesse common stock is subject to numerous risks, including risks relating to the Spin-Off. The following list of risk factors is not exhaustive. Please read the information in the section entitled Risk Factors for a more thorough description of these and other risks.
Risks Relating to the Spin-Off
∎ | If the Distribution is not a tax-free transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes, Jefferies and recipients of shares of Vitesse common stock could be subject to significant tax liability, and Vitesse could have an indemnification obligation to Jefferies. |
∎ | We intend to agree to numerous restrictions to preserve the non-recognition treatment of the Distribution, which may reduce our strategic and operating flexibility. |
∎ | We may be unable to achieve the expected benefits from the Spin-Off, following which we will be subject to new reporting requirements, incur increased costs, and certain members of management and directors may face conflicts of interest. |
∎ | Our acquisitions of Vitesse Energy and Vitesse Oil may require consents or approvals, which could harm our business and financial performance if not obtained. |
∎ | Until the Distribution occurs, the Jefferies Board may change the terms of the Spin-Off in ways that may be unfavorable to us. |
∎ | If you do not want to receive our common stock in the Distribution, your sole recourse will be to divest yourself of your Jefferies common stock. |
Risks Relating to Our Common Stock
∎ | No market for our common stock currently exists. Following the Spin-Off, an active trading market may not develop or be sustained, and our stock price may fluctuate significantly. |
∎ | Although we expect to pay dividends, we cannot provide assurance that we will pay dividends on our common stock, and our indebtedness may limit our ability to pay dividends on our common stock. |
∎ | Certain provisions in our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, Amended and Restated Bylaws and Delaware law may discourage takeovers. |
∎ | The rights associated with our common stock will differ from the rights associated with Jefferies common stock. |
∎ | Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation will designate the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings, potentially limiting our stockholders ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes. |
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Risks Relating to Our Business
∎ | Our business may be affected by volatile or extended declines in oil and natural gas prices. |
∎ | We have incurred net losses in the past, in part due to fluctuations in oil and gas prices, and we may incur such losses again in the future. |
∎ | Our estimated proved reserves may prove to be inaccurate. |
∎ | Seasonal weather conditions may adversely affect our operators ability to conduct drilling and completion activities and to sell oil and natural gas for periods of time. |
∎ | Our business relies on third parties, such as our operators, and depends on transportation and processing facilities and other assets that are owned by third parties. |
∎ | The majority of our producing properties are located in the Williston Basin, making us vulnerable to risks associated with operating in one major geographic area. |
∎ | We may be materially adversely affected by the negative global and economic impact resulting from the military conflict in Ukraine, other geopolitical tensions, ongoing risks from COVID-19, cybersecurity threats, and inflation related costs. |
∎ | Asset retirement costs may be difficult to predict and may be substantial. Unplanned costs could divert resources from other projects. |
∎ | Increased attention to ESG matters, fuel conservation measures and related governmental initiatives, technological advances and negative shift in market perception towards the oil and natural gas industry could reduce demand for oil and natural gas. |
Risks Relating to Our Indebtedness
∎ | Any significant reduction in our borrowing base under our New Revolving Credit Facility may negatively impact our financial results or restrict our business and financing activities. |
∎ | We may not be able to generate enough cash flow to meet our current or potential future debt obligations or to pay dividends to our stockholders. |
∎ | Variable rate indebtedness could subject us to interest rate risk, which could cause our debt service obligations to increase significantly. |
∎ | Our business plan requires the expenditure of significant capital, which we may be unable to obtain on favorable terms or at all. |
Risks Relating to Legal and Regulatory Matters
∎ | New federal rules and regulations could restrict our ability to acquire federal leases and/or impose more onerous permitting and other costly environmental, health and safety requirements. |
∎ | Certain U.S. federal income tax deductions currently available with respect to oil and natural gas development may be eliminated as a result of future legislation. |
∎ | Legislative and regulatory developments could have an adverse effect on our ability to use derivative instruments to reduce the effect of volatile oil and natural gas price, interest rate and other risks associated with our business. |
∎ | Our business is subject to complex federal, state, and local laws, as well as other laws and regulations that could adversely affect the cost, manner or feasibility of doing business. |
∎ | Federal and state legislative and regulatory initiatives relating to climate change, hydraulic fracturing and reducing gas flaring could result in increased costs and additional operating restrictions or delays. |
We expect the following transactions, among others, to be consummated prior to the completion of the Spin-Off (which we refer to as the Pre-Spin-Off Transactions):
∎ | Vitesse was incorporated on August 5, 2022; |
∎ | 3B Energy will transfer all of its Vitesse Energy equity interests to Vitesse Energy Finance as repayment for prior loans from Vitesse Energy Finance to 3B Energy; |
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∎ | Each of Messrs. Gerrity and Cree will transfer all of their vested Vitesse Energy MIUs to Vitesse Energy Finance as repayment for prior loans from Vitesse Energy Finance to each of Messrs. Gerrity and Cree; |
∎ | Vitesse Energy Finance and the remaining holders of vested Vitesse Energy MIUs will transfer all of their Vitesse Energy equity interests to Vitesse in exchange for newly issued shares of Vitesse common stock; |
∎ | Jefferies Capital Partners and Gerrity Bakken will transfer all of their Vitesse Oil equity interests to Vitesse in exchange for newly issued shares of Vitesse common stock; |
∎ | Through a series of distributions, all of the Vitesse common stock held by Vitesse Energy Finance will ultimately become held directly by Jefferies; |
∎ | Through a series of distributions, a portion of the Vitesse common stock held by Jefferies Capital Partners will ultimately become held directly by Jefferies; and |
∎ | Vitesse will enter into the New Revolving Credit Facility, which will amend and restate the Existing Revolving Credit Facility, and will use a portion of the proceeds from borrowings under the New Revolving Credit Facility to repay in full and terminate the Vitesse Oil Revolving Credit Facility. Borrowings under the Existing Revolving Credit Facility will remain outstanding as borrowings under the New Revolving Credit Facility. |
Pursuant to the above described transactions, Jefferies will directly hold approximately 94.37% of the total issued and outstanding common stock of Vitesse immediately prior to the Distribution. For more information, see The Spin-OffPre-Spin-Off Transactions and Certain Relationships and Related Party TransactionsOther Transactions and Relationships with Related Persons.
On July 19, 2022, Jefferies announced plans for the complete legal and structural separation of Vitesse from Jefferies.
To effect the separation, first, Jefferies and Jefferies Capital Partners, among others, will undertake the Pre-Spin-Off Transactions described under the section entitled The Spin-OffPre-Spin-Off Transactions. Jefferies will subsequently distribute all of Vitesses outstanding common stock held by Jefferies, representing 94.37% of our total issued and outstanding common stock immediately prior to the Distribution, to Jefferies shareholders, and Vitesse will become an independent, publicly traded company. After the Distribution, Jefferies will not own any shares of our common stock.
Prior to completion of the Spin-Off, we intend to enter into a Separation and Distribution Agreement and a Tax Matters Agreement with Jefferies related to the Spin-Off. These agreements will govern the relationship between Jefferies and us up to and after completion of the Spin-Off. See the section entitled Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions for more detail. No approval of Jefferies shareholders is required in connection with the Spin-Off, and Jefferies shareholders will not have any appraisal rights in connection with the Spin-Off.
Completion of the Spin-Off is subject to the satisfaction, or the waiver by the Jefferies Board, of a number of conditions. If the Jefferies Board waives any condition prior to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement on Form 10, of which this Information Statement is a part, and the result of such waiver is material to Jefferies shareholders, Jefferies will file an amendment to the Registration Statement to revise the disclosure in this Information Statement accordingly. In the event that the Jefferies Board waives a condition after this Registration Statement becomes effective and such waiver is material to Jefferies shareholders, Jefferies will communicate such change to Jefferies shareholders by filing a Current Report on Form 8-K describing the change.
In addition, Jefferies has the right not to complete the Spin-Off if, at any time, the Jefferies Board determines, in its sole and absolute discretion, that the Spin-Off is not in the best interests of Jefferies or its shareholders, or is otherwise not advisable. If the Spin-Off is not completed for any reason, Jefferies and Vitesse will have incurred significant costs related to the Spin-Off, including fees for consultants, financial and legal advisors, accountants and auditors, that will not be recouped. Total one-time transaction costs associated with the Spin-Off are preliminarily estimated to range from $14 million to $16 million if the Spin-Off is completed. If
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the Spin-Off is not completed for any reason, the one-time transaction costs will generally be limited to the transaction costs incurred for services rendered as of the date the Spin-Off is abandoned, which will be less than the ranges noted above. Our management has devoted significant time to manage the Spin-Off process, which has decreased the time they have had to manage the business of Vitesse. See the section entitled The Spin-OffConditions to the Spin-Off for more detail.
In 2017, Jefferies announced that its primary business initiative would be to become a focused financial services company with clear drive and direction, concentrating on investment banking and capital markets and alternative asset management. Since that time, Jefferies has strategically and opportunistically monetized a significant portion of its merchant banking portfolio and realigned its internal structure to achieve those goals. Jefferies has continued to make clear that it would continue to liquidate its merchant banking portfolio, with the intention of selling the businesses and investments comprising the portfolio to third parties, distributing the businesses and investments comprising the portfolio to shareholders or transferring the balance of the businesses and investments comprising the portfolio to its asset management reportable segment. As they contemplated the Spin-Off, the Jefferies Board and management determined that positioning Vitesse as an independent publicly traded company would further Jefferies long-term goals and enhance stockholder value.
A wide variety of factors were considered by the Jefferies Board in evaluating the Spin-Off. Among other things, the Jefferies Board considered several potential benefits of the Spin-Off, including:
∎ | Strategic goals. Following the Spin-Off, Jefferies will be one step closer to its previously announced goal of liquidating its merchant banking portfolio and focusing solely on financial services. |
∎ | Maximizing shareholder value and choice. Jefferies shareholders should benefit from both the benefits to be reaped as Jefferies further reduces its merchant banking portfolio and further dedicates its managements focus on financial services and from the potential for value enhancement that might be achieved in a stand-alone, publicly traded Vitesse. Jefferies believes the Spin-Off will help unlock the value in Vitesse that may not be clear to investors while it remains part of Jefferies. Those investors looking for a pure play company that is focused on creating long-term stockholder value through the profitable acquisition, development and production of oil and natural gas assets will be able to invest directly in Vitesse, which should result in greater alignment between the interests of each companys stockholder base and the characteristics of its respective business, capital structure and financial results. |
∎ | Separate capital structures and allocation flexibility. The Spin-Off will enable each of Jefferies and Vitesse to leverage its distinct profile and cash flow characteristics to optimize its capital structure and capital allocation strategy. The Spin-Off will permit each company to allocate its financial resources to meet the unique needs of its own businesses, which will allow each company to intensify its focus on its distinct strategic priorities and individual business risk and return profiles. |
The Jefferies Board also considered several potentially negative factors in evaluating the Spin-Off. Notwithstanding these potentially negative factors, the anticipated effects of which are not reasonably determinable, and considering the factors discussed above, the Jefferies Board determined that the Spin-Off provided the best opportunity to achieve the above benefits and enhance stockholder value. Neither Jefferies nor Vitesse can assure you that, following the Spin-Off, any of the benefits described above or otherwise will be realized to the extent anticipated or at all. For additional information, see the sections entitled Risk Factors and The Spin-OffReasons for the Spin-Off.
Emerging Growth Company Status
Vitesse is an emerging growth company as defined by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012. We will continue to be an emerging growth company until the earliest to occur of the following:
∎ | the last day of the fiscal year in which our total annual gross revenues first meet or exceed $1.235 billion (as adjusted for inflation); |
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∎ | the date on which we have, during the prior three-year period, issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt; |
∎ | the last day of the fiscal year in which we (1) have an aggregate worldwide market value of common stock held by non-affiliates of $700 million or more (measured at the end of each fiscal year) as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter and (2) have been a reporting company under the Exchange Act for at least one year (and filed at least one annual report under the Exchange Act); or |
∎ | the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the date of the first sale of our common stock pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act. |
For as long as we are an emerging growth company, we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements in the assessment of our internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, exemption from new or revised financial accounting standards applicable to public companies until such standards are also applicable to private companies, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports, proxy statements and registration statements, and exemptions from the requirement of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval on golden parachute compensation not previously approved. We may choose to take advantage of some or all of these reduced burdens. For example, we have taken advantage of the reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in this Information Statement. For as long as we take advantage of the reduced reporting obligations, the information we provide stockholders may be different from information provided by other public companies. In addition, it is possible that some investors will find our common stock less attractive as a result of these elections, which may result in a less active trading market for our common stock and higher volatility in our stock price.
In addition, we intend to take advantage of the extended transition period that allows an emerging growth company to delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. Our election to use the extended transition period permitted by this election may make it difficult to compare our financial statements to those of non-emerging growth companies and other emerging growth companies that have opted out of the extended transition period and who will comply with new or revised financial accounting standards.
Vitesse Energy has a secured Existing Revolving Credit Facility with Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., as administrative agent, and a syndicate of banks, as lenders. The Existing Revolving Credit Facility will mature on April 29, 2026. The Existing Revolving Credit Facility permits borrowing on a revolving credit basis with availability equal to the least of (1) the current aggregate elected commitments of $170 million, (2) the current borrowing base of $200 million and (3) the maximum credit amount of $500 million. The aggregate elected commitments of the lenders under the Existing Revolving Credit Facility may be increased up to a maximum credit amount of $500 million, subject to the satisfaction of certain customary conditions, including the willingness of the existing lenders to increase their commitments or of new lenders to provide additional commitments. In connection with the closing of the Existing Revolving Credit Facility in April 2022, the borrowing base was set at $200 million. Our borrowing base under the Existing Revolving Credit Facility is subject to regular, semi-annual redeterminations on or about April 1 and October 1 of each year based on, among other things, the value of our proved oil and natural gas reserves, as determined by the lenders in their discretion. As of August 31, 2022, under the Existing Revolving Credit Facility we had outstanding borrowings of $66.0 million and $104.0 million of available borrowing capacity. At our option, borrowings under the Existing Revolving Credit Facility bear interest at either an adjusted forward-looking term rate based on SOFR (Term SOFR) or an adjusted base rate (Base Rate) (the highest of the administrative agents prime rate, the federal funds rate plus 0.50% or the 30-day Term SOFR rate plus 1.0%), plus an applicable margin ranging from 1.75% to 2.75% with respect to Base Rate borrowings and 2.75% to 3.75% with respect to Term SOFR borrowings, in each case based on the current commitment utilization percentage. The Existing Revolving Credit Facility is guaranteed by all of our subsidiaries and is collateralized by a first priority lien on substantially all assets of Vitesse Energy and its subsidiaries, including a first priority lien on properties
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representing a minimum of 85% of the proved reserve value of our oil and natural gas properties. For further information, see the section entitled Description of our IndebtednessExisting Revolving Credit Facility.
Vitesse intends to enter into the secured New Revolving Credit Facility in connection with the Spin-Off. The New Revolving Credit Facility will amend and restate the Existing Revolving Credit Facility of Vitesse Energy. Vitesse expects to enter into the New Revolving Credit Facility with Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., as administrative agent, and a syndicate of banks, as lenders. The New Revolving Credit Facility will mature on April 29, 2026. The New Revolving Credit Facility is expected to permit borrowing on a revolving credit basis with availability equal to the least of (1) the anticipated aggregate elected commitments of $170 million, (2) the anticipated borrowing base of $265 million and (3) the maximum credit amount of $500 million. It is anticipated that the aggregate elected commitments of the lenders under the New Revolving Credit Facility may be increased up to a maximum credit amount of $500 million, subject to the satisfaction of certain customary conditions, including the willingness of the existing lenders to increase their commitments or of new lenders to provide additional commitments. The borrowing base under the New Revolving Credit Agreement is expected to be redetermined in a manner consistent with the Existing Revolving Credit Agreement. We anticipate that borrowings under the New Revolving Credit Facility will bear interest at rates consistent with the Existing Revolving Credit Agreement. The New Revolving Credit Facility will continue to be guaranteed by all of our subsidiaries and will continue be collateralized by a first priority lien on substantially all assets of Vitesse and its subsidiaries, including a first priority lien on properties representing a minimum of 85% of the total present value of our proved oil and natural gas properties. For further information, see the section entitled Description of our IndebtednessNew Revolving Credit Facility. The summaries above do not purport to be complete and you are encouraged to read the Existing Revolving Credit Facility and the form of the New Revolving Credit Facility, which are filed as exhibits to our Registration Statement on Form 10, of which this Information Statement is part, for greater detail with respect to these agreements.
We are a Delaware corporation. Our principal executive offices are located at 9200 E. Mineral Ave. Suite 200, Centennial, Colorado 80112. Our telephone number is (720) 361-2500. Our website address is www.vitesse-vts.com. Information contained on, or connected to, our website or Jefferies website does not and will not constitute part of this Information Statement or the Registration Statement on Form 10, of which this Information Statement is a part, or any other filings with, or any information furnished or submitted to, the SEC.
Reasons for Furnishing This Information Statement
We are furnishing this Information Statement solely to provide information to Jefferies shareholders who will receive shares of our common stock in the Distribution. Jefferies shareholders are not required to vote on the Distribution. Therefore, you are not being asked for a proxy and you are not required to send a proxy to Jefferies. You do not need to pay any consideration, exchange or surrender your existing shares of Jefferies common stock or take any other action to receive your shares of Vitesse common stock. You should not construe this Information Statement as an inducement or encouragement to buy, hold or sell any of our securities or any securities of Jefferies. We believe that the information contained in this Information Statement is accurate as of the date set forth on the cover. Changes to the information contained in this Information Statement may occur after that date, and neither we nor Jefferies undertakes any obligation to update the information except in the normal course of our and Jefferies respective public disclosure obligations and practices.
In preparation for the Spin-Off, on November 30, 2022, the Vitesse Board resolved to change Vitesses fiscal year end from November 30 (the fiscal year end of Jefferies) to December 31. As a result, Vitesses fiscal year end is now December 31. Vitesse expects that the first periodic report it will file following the Spin-Off pursuant to its obligations under the Exchange Act will be its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022.
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QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT THE SPIN-OFF
The following provides only a summary of certain information regarding the Spin-Off. You should read this Information Statement in its entirety for a more detailed description of the matters described below.
Q: | Why am I receiving this Information Statement? |
A: | Jefferies is making this Information Statement available to you because you are a holder of shares of Jefferies common stock. If you are a holder of shares of Jefferies common stock as of the Record Date, for every 8.49668 shares of Jefferies common stock that you hold as of the Record Date, you will be entitled to receive one share of Vitesse common stock. This Information Statement will help you understand how the Spin-Off will affect your post-Distribution ownership in Jefferies and Vitesse. |
Q: | What is the Spin-Off? |
A: | The Spin-Off is the method by which we will separate from Jefferies. In the Spin-Off, Jefferies will distribute to its shareholders all the outstanding shares of our common stock held by Jefferies, which we refer to as the Distribution. Following the Spin-Off, we will be an independent, publicly traded company, and Jefferies will not retain any ownership interest in us. Jefferies will continue as an independent, publicly traded company primarily focused on its investment banking and capital markets and asset management businesses. |
Q: | Will the number of Jefferies shares I own change as a result of the Spin-Off? |
A: | No, the number of shares of Jefferies common stock you own will not change as a result of the Spin-Off. |
Q: | What are the reasons for the Spin-Off? |
A: | A wide variety of factors were considered by the Jefferies Board in evaluating the Spin-Off. Among other things, the Jefferies Board considered several potential benefits of the Spin-Off, including: |
∎ | Strategic goals. Following the Spin-Off, Jefferies will be one step closer to its previously announced goal of liquidating its merchant banking portfolio and focusing solely on financial services. |
∎ | Maximizing shareholder value and choice. Jefferies shareholders should benefit from both the benefits to be reaped as Jefferies further reduces its merchant banking portfolio and further dedicates its managements focus on financial services and from the potential for value enhancement that might be achieved in a stand-alone, publicly traded Vitesse. Jefferies believes the Spin-Off will help unlock the value in Vitesse that may not be clear to investors while it remains part of Jefferies. Those investors looking for a pure play company that is focused on creating long-term stockholder value through profitable acquisition, development and production of oil and natural gas assets will be able to invest directly in Vitesse, which should result in greater alignment between the interests of each companys stockholder base and the characteristics of its respective business, capital structure and financial results. |
∎ | Separate capital structures and allocation flexibility. The Spin-Off will enable each of Jefferies and Vitesse to leverage its distinct profile and cash flow characteristics to optimize its capital structure and capital allocation strategy. The Spin-Off will permit each company to allocate its financial resources to meet the unique needs of its own businesses, which will allow each company to intensify its focus on its distinct strategic priorities and individual business risk and return profiles. |
The Jefferies Board also considered several potentially negative factors in evaluating the Spin-Off. Notwithstanding these negative factors, the anticipated effects of which are not reasonably determinable, and considering the factors discussed above, the Jefferies Board determined that the Spin-Off provided the best opportunity to achieve the above benefits and enhance stockholder value. Neither Jefferies nor Vitesse can assure you that, following the Spin-Off, any of the benefits described above or otherwise will be realized to the extent anticipated or at all. For additional information, see the sections entitled Risk Factors and The Spin-OffReasons for the Spin-Off.
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Q: | Why is the separation of Vitesse structured as a spin-off? |
A: | Jefferies believes that a distribution of our shares to holders of Jefferies common stock, which Jefferies intends to be tax-free for U.S. federal income tax purposes, is the most efficient way to separate our business from Jefferies in a manner that will achieve the above benefits. |
Q: | What will I receive in the Distribution in respect of my shares of Jefferies common stock? |
A: | As a holder of Jefferies common stock, for every 8.49668 shares of Jefferies common stock you hold on the Record Date, you will receive a distribution of one share of Vitesse common stock. The distribution agent will distribute only whole shares of our common stock in the Spin-Off. See How will fractional shares be treated in the Distribution? for more information on the treatment of the fractional shares you may be entitled to receive in the Distribution. Your proportionate interest in Jefferies will not change as a result of the Spin-Off. |
Q: | What is being distributed in the Distribution? |
A: | Jefferies will distribute approximately 26,614,467 shares of our common stock in the Distribution, based on the approximately 226,134,603 shares of Jefferies common stock outstanding as of December 16, 2022. The actual number of shares of our common stock that Jefferies will distribute will depend on the total number of shares of Jefferies common stock outstanding on the Record Date. The shares of our common stock that Jefferies distributes will constitute all of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock held by Jefferies immediately prior to the Distribution, representing approximately 94.37% of our total issued and outstanding common stock immediately prior to the Distribution. For more information on the shares being distributed in the Distribution, see the section entitled Description of Our Capital StockCommon Stock. |
Q: | What is the record date for the Distribution? |
A: | Jefferies will determine record ownership as of the close of business on December 27, 2022, which we refer to as the Record Date. |
Q: | When will the Distribution occur? |
A: | The Distribution will be effective as of 11:59 p.m., New York City time, on January 13, 2023. On or shortly after the Distribution Date, the whole shares of our common stock will be credited in book-entry accounts for Jefferies shareholders entitled to receive the shares in the Distribution. See How will Jefferies distribute shares of our common stock? for more information on how to access your book-entry account or your bank, brokerage or other account holding the Vitesse common stock you receive in the Distribution on and following the Distribution Date. |
Q: | What do I have to do to participate in the Distribution? |
A: | All holders of Jefferies common stock as of the Record Date will participate in the Distribution. You are not required to take any action in order to participate, but we urge you to read this Information Statement carefully. Holders of Jefferies common stock on the Record Date will not need to pay any cash or deliver any other consideration, including any shares of Jefferies common stock, in order to receive shares of our common stock in the Distribution. In addition, no shareholder approval of the Distribution is required. We are not asking you for a vote and request that you do not send us a proxy card. |
Q: | If I am a holder of Jefferies convertible preferred stock that is convertible into Jefferies common stock, will I be entitled to receive Vitesse shares in the Distribution? |
A: | Holders of Jefferies convertible preferred stock will not be entitled to participate in the Distribution unless they convert such securities into Jefferies common stock prior to the Record Date. Jefferies expects that, as a result of the Distribution, the conversion price of its convertible preferred stock will be adjusted in accordance with Jefferies restated certificate of incorporation. |
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Q: | If I sell my shares of Jefferies common stock on or before the Distribution Date, will I still be entitled to receive shares of Vitesse common stock in the Distribution? |
A: | If you sell your shares of Jefferies common stock before the Record Date, you will not be entitled to receive shares of Vitesse common stock in the Distribution. If you hold shares of Jefferies common stock on the Record Date and decide to sell them on or before the Distribution Date, you may be able to choose to sell your Jefferies common stock with or without your entitlement to the Vitesse common stock to be distributed in the Spin-Off. You are encouraged to consult with your bank, broker or other nominee, as applicable, and your financial advisor regarding your options and the specific implications of selling your shares of Jefferies common stock prior to or on the Distribution Date. See the section entitled The Spin-OffTrading Prior to the Distribution Date for more information. |
Q: | Is the completion of the Spin-Off subject to the satisfaction or waiver of any conditions? |
A: | Yes, the completion of the Spin-Off is subject to the satisfaction, or the Jefferies Boards waiver, of the following conditions: |
∎ | the Jefferies Board shall have authorized and approved the applicable Pre-Spin-Off Transactions (as described in the section entitled The Spin-OffPre-Spin-Off Transactions) and Distribution and not withdrawn such authorization and approval, and shall have declared the dividend of our common stock to Jefferies shareholders; |
∎ | the ancillary agreements contemplated by the Separation and Distribution Agreement, including the Tax Matters Agreement, shall have been executed by each party to those agreements; |
∎ | our common stock shall have been accepted for listing on the NYSE or another national securities exchange approved by Jefferies, subject to official notice of issuance; |
∎ | the SEC shall have declared effective our Registration Statement on Form 10, of which this Information Statement is a part, under the Exchange Act, and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall be in effect and no proceedings for that purpose shall be pending before or threatened by the SEC; |
∎ | Jefferies shall have received the IRS Ruling, substantially to the effect that the Distribution, together with certain related transactions, will qualify as a tax-free reorganization for U.S. federal income tax purposes under Section 368(a)(1)(D) of the Code and the Distribution will qualify as a tax-free distribution within the meaning of Section 355 of the Code; |
∎ | Jefferies shall have received the written opinion of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, which shall remain in full force and effect, subject to the limitations specified therein and the accuracy of and compliance with certain representations, warranties and covenants, to the effect that the Distribution, together with certain related transactions, will qualify as a tax-free reorganization for U.S. federal income tax purposes under Section 368(a)(1)(D) of the Code and the Distribution will qualify as a tax-free distribution within the meaning of Section 355 of the Code; |
∎ | the Jefferies Board shall have received one or more opinions (which have not been withdrawn or adversely modified) in customary form from one or more nationally recognized valuation, appraisal or accounting firms or investment banks as to the solvency and financial viability of Jefferies prior to the Spin-Off and each of Jefferies and Vitesse after the consummation of the Spin-Off; |
∎ | the Pre-Spin-Off Transactions shall have been completed; |
∎ | no order, injunction or decree issued by any governmental authority of competent jurisdiction or other legal restraint or prohibition preventing consummation of the Distribution shall be in effect, and no other event outside the control of Jefferies shall have occurred or failed to occur that prevents the consummation of the Distribution; |
∎ | no other events or developments shall have occurred prior to the Distribution Date that, in the judgment of the Jefferies Board, would result in the Distribution having a material adverse effect on Jefferies or its shareholders; |
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∎ | prior to the Distribution Date, notice of Internet availability of this Information Statement or this Information Statement shall have been mailed to the holders of Jefferies common stock as of the Record Date; |
∎ | Jefferies shall have duly elected the individuals listed as members of our post-Distribution Board in this Information Statement, and such individuals shall be the members of our Board, immediately after the Distribution; provided, however, that to the extent required by any law or requirement of the NYSE or any other national securities exchange, as applicable, the existing directors shall appoint one independent director prior to the date on which when-issued trading of our common stock begins and this independent director shall begin his or her term prior to the Distribution and shall serve on our Audit Committee, Nominating, Governance and Environmental and Social Responsibility Committee and Compensation Committee; and |
∎ | immediately prior to the Distribution Date, our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Amended and Restated Bylaws, each in substantially the form filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement on Form 10, of which this Information Statement is a part, shall be in effect. |
Jefferies and Vitesse cannot assure you that any or all of these conditions will be met, or that the Distribution will be consummated even if all of the conditions are met. Jefferies may at any time prior to the Distribution Date decide to abandon the Distribution or modify or change the terms of the Distribution. The IRS Ruling and the opinion of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP are intended to provide support that the intended tax-free treatment of the Distribution will be respected. Were Jefferies to waive the requirement of receipt of either or both of the IRS Ruling or the opinion of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, there would be less comfort that the intended tax-free treatment of the Distribution will be respected. Such waiver would be deemed to be material to Jefferies shareholders, and therefore Jefferies would communicate such change to shareholders by, depending on the timing of the waiver, either filing an amendment to the Registration Statement to revise the disclosure in this Information Statement or filing a Current Report on Form 8-K describing the change. Were the Distribution treated as a taxable transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes, (1) Jefferies generally would be subject to tax as if it sold the Vitesse common stock in a transaction taxable to Jefferies, which could result in a material tax liability, and (2) Jefferies shareholders who are U.S. Holders generally would be, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, treated as receiving a distribution in an amount equal to the fair market value of our common stock received, which could result in a material tax liability for those U.S. Holders. For more information, see the section entitled The Spin-OffMaterial U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Spin-Off.
If the Jefferies Board waives any condition prior to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement on Form 10, of which this Information Statement is a part, and the result of such waiver is material to Jefferies shareholders, Jefferies will file an amendment to the Registration Statement to revise the disclosure in this Information Statement accordingly. In the event that the Jefferies Board waives a condition after this Registration Statement becomes effective and such waiver is material to Jefferies shareholders, Jefferies will communicate such change to Jefferies shareholders by filing a Current Report on Form 8-K describing the change. For a complete discussion of all of the conditions to the Distribution, see the section entitled The Spin-OffConditions to the Spin-Off.
Q: | Can Jefferies decide to cancel the Distribution even if all the conditions have been satisfied? |
A: | Yes. The Jefferies Board may, in its sole discretion and at any time prior to the Distribution Date, decide to terminate or abandon the Distribution even if all the conditions to the Distribution have been satisfied if the Jefferies Board determines that the Distribution is not in the best interests of Jefferies or its shareholders or is otherwise not advisable. For a more detailed description, see the section entitled The Spin-OffConditions to the Spin-Off. |
Q: | How will Jefferies distribute shares of our common stock? |
A: | Registered shareholders: If you own your shares of Jefferies common stock directly through Jefferies transfer agent, AST, you are a registered shareholder. In this case, the distribution agent will credit the whole shares of our common stock you receive in the Distribution by way of direct registration in book-entry form to a new account with our transfer agent. Registration in book-entry form refers to a method of recording share ownership where no physical stock certificates are issued to shareholders, as is the case in |
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the Distribution. You will be able to access information regarding your book-entry account holding the Vitesse shares at: www.astfinancial.com or by calling (800) 937-5449. |
Street name or beneficial shareholders: If you own your shares of Jefferies common stock beneficially through a bank, broker or other nominee, your bank, broker or other nominee will credit your account with the whole shares of our common stock you receive in the Distribution on or shortly after the Distribution Date. Please contact your bank, broker or other nominee for further information about your account.
We will not issue any physical stock certificates to any stockholders, even if requested. See the section entitled The Spin-OffWhen and How You Will Receive Vitesse Shares for a more detailed explanation.
Q: | How will fractional shares be treated in the Distribution? |
A: | The distribution agent will not distribute any fractional shares of our common stock in connection with the Spin-Off. Instead, the distribution agent will aggregate all fractional shares into whole shares and sell the whole shares in the open market at prevailing market prices on behalf of Jefferies shareholders entitled to receive a fractional share. The distribution agent will then distribute the aggregate cash proceeds of the sales, net of brokerage fees and other costs, pro rata to these holders (net of any required withholding for taxes applicable to each holder). See the section entitled The Spin-OffTreatment of Fractional Shares for a more detailed explanation of the treatment of fractional shares. The distribution agent will, in its sole discretion, without any influence by Jefferies or us, determine when, how, through which broker-dealer and at what price to sell the whole shares of Vitesse common stock. The distribution agent is not, and any broker-dealer used by the distribution agent will not be, an affiliate of either Jefferies or us. |
Q: | What are the material U.S. federal income tax consequences to me of the Distribution? |
A: | It is a condition to the completion of the Distribution that Jefferies receives (1) the IRS Ruling and (2) an opinion of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, each substantially to the effect that the Distribution, together with certain related transactions, will qualify as a tax-free reorganization for U.S. federal income tax purposes under Section 368(a)(1)(D) of the Code and the Distribution will qualify as a tax-free distribution within the meaning of Section 355 of the Code. Accordingly, assuming the Distribution so qualifies for U.S. federal income tax purposes, no gain or loss will be recognized by, or be includible in the income of, a U.S. Holder (as defined in the section entitled The Spin-OffMaterial U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Spin-Off) as a result of the Distribution, except with respect to any cash received by Jefferies shareholders in lieu of fractional shares. Jefferies has received the IRS Ruling. |
We urge you to consult your tax advisor as to the specific tax consequences of the Distribution to you, including the effect of any U.S. federal, state, local or foreign tax laws and of changes in applicable tax laws. See the section entitled The Spin-OffMaterial U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Spin-Off for more information regarding the potential tax consequences to you of the Spin-Off.
Q: | How will I determine the tax basis I will have in the shares of stock I receive in the Spin-Off? |
A: | Generally, your aggregate basis in the stock you hold in Jefferies and the shares of our common stock received in the Spin-Off (including any fractional shares to which you otherwise would be entitled) will equal the aggregate basis of Jefferies common stock held by you immediately before the Distribution. This aggregate basis should be allocated between your Jefferies common stock and our common stock you receive in the Spin-Off (including any fractional shares to which you otherwise would be entitled) in proportion to the relative fair market values of each immediately after the Distribution. You should consult your tax advisor about how this allocation will work in your situation (including a situation where you have purchased Jefferies shares at different times or for different amounts) and regarding any particular consequences of the Spin-Off to you, including the application of state, local and non-U.S. tax laws. The material U.S. federal income tax consequences of the Spin-Off are described in more detail under The Spin-OffMaterial U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Spin-Off. |
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Q: | Does Vitesse intend to pay cash dividends? |
A: | Following the Distribution, we expect that Vitesse will initially pay quarterly cash dividends and dividend equivalents totaling approximately $66.0 million per fiscal year. Notwithstanding this current expectation, the timing, declaration, amount of and payment of any dividends will be within the discretion of the Board and will depend upon many factors, including our financial condition, earnings, capital requirements of our operating subsidiaries, covenants associated with certain of our debt service obligations, legal requirements or limitations, industry practice, and other factors deemed relevant by our Board. Moreover, if as expected we determine to initially pay a dividend following the Distribution, there can be no assurance that we will continue to pay dividends in the same amounts or at all thereafter. We have not adopted, and do not currently expect to adopt, a separate written dividend policy to reflect our Boards policy. See the section entitled Dividend Policy for more information. |
Q: | What indebtedness will Vitesse have in place prior to or at the time of the Distribution? |
A: | We intend to enter into the New Revolving Credit Facility in connection with the Spin-Off. The New Revolving Credit Facility will amend and restate the Existing Revolving Credit Facility of Vitesse Energy. |
Q: | How will Vitesse common stock trade? |
A: | Currently, there is no public market for our common stock. We intend to list our common stock on the NYSE under the ticker symbol VTS. |
We anticipate that trading in our common stock will begin on a when-issued basis on the third trading day before the Distribution Date and will continue up to and including the Distribution Date. When-issued trading in the context of a spin-off refers to a sale or purchase made conditionally on or before the Distribution Date because the securities of the spun-off entity have not yet been distributed. When-issued trades generally settle within two trading days after the Distribution Date. On the first trading day following the Distribution Date, any when-issued trading of our common stock will end and regular-way trading will begin. Regular-way trading refers to trading after the security has been distributed and typically involves a trade that settles on the second full trading day following the date of the trade. See the section entitled The Spin-OffTrading Prior to the Distribution Date for more information. We cannot predict the trading prices for our common stock before, on or after the Distribution Date.
Q: | What will happen to the listing of Jefferies common stock? |
A: | Jefferies common stock will continue to trade on the NYSE under the ticker symbol JEF after the Distribution. |
Q: | Will the Spin-Off affect the trading price of my Jefferies common stock? |
A: | We expect the trading price of shares of Jefferies common stock immediately following the Distribution to be lower than the trading price immediately prior to the Distribution because the trading price will no longer reflect the value of Vitesse Energy. Furthermore, until the market has fully analyzed the value of Jefferies without Vitesse Energy, the trading price of shares of Jefferies common stock may fluctuate and result in a higher volatility in stock price. There can be no assurance that, following the Distribution, the combined trading prices of the Jefferies common stock and the Vitesse common stock will equal or exceed what the trading price of Jefferies common stock would have been in the absence of the Spin-Off. |
It is possible that after the Spin-Off, the combined equity value of Jefferies and Vitesse will be less than Jefferies equity value before the Spin-Off.
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Q: | What will Vitesses relationship be with Jefferies following the Spin-Off? |
A: | Following the Distribution, Vitesse and Jefferies will be separate companies with separate management teams and separate boards of directors and Jefferies will not own any shares of our common stock. Vitesse will enter into a Separation and Distribution Agreement and a Tax Matters Agreement with Jefferies to effect the separation and provide a framework for the relationship between Vitesse and Jefferies after the Spin-Off, and will enter into certain other agreements. These agreements will, among other things, govern the relationship between Vitesse and Jefferies following the Spin-Off. For additional information regarding the Separation and Distribution Agreement and Tax Matters Agreement, see the sections entitled Risk FactorsRisks Relating to the Spin-Off and Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions. |
Q: | Who will manage Vitesse following the Spin-Off? |
A: | Vitesse will be led by Bob Gerrity, who will serve as Vitesses Chief Executive Officer, Brian Cree, who will serve as Vitesses President, and David Macosko, who will serve as Vitesses Chief Financial Officer. For more information regarding Vitesses directors and management, see the section entitled Management. |
Q: | Do I have appraisal rights in connection with the Spin-Off? |
A: | No. Holders of Jefferies common stock are not entitled to appraisal rights in connection with the Spin-Off. |
Q: | Who is the transfer agent and registrar for Vitesse common stock? |
A: | American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC. |
Q: | Are there risks associated with owning shares of Vitesse common stock? |
A: | Yes. Our business faces both general and specific risks and uncertainties. Our business also faces risks relating to the Spin-Off. Following the Spin-Off, we will also face risks associated with being an independent, publicly traded company. Accordingly, you should read carefully the information set forth in the section entitled Risk Factors. |
Q: | What if I hold my shares through a broker, bank or other nominee? |
A: | Jefferies shareholders who hold their shares through a broker, bank or other nominee will have their brokerage account credited with shares of Vitesse common stock. For additional information, those shareholders are encouraged to contact their broker, bank or nominee directly. |
Q: | What if I have stock certificates reflecting my shares of Jefferies common stock? Should I send them to the transfer agent or to Jefferies? |
A: | No. You should not send your stock certificates to the transfer agent or to Jefferies. You should retain your Jefferies stock certificates. |
Q: | Where can I get more information? |
A: | If you have any questions relating to the mechanics of the Distribution, you should contact the distribution agent at: |
American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC 6201 15th Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11219
Telephone: (800) 937-5449
Corporate website: www.astfinancial.com
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Before the Spin-Off, if you have any questions relating to the Spin-Off, you should contact Jefferies at:
Investor Relations
Jefferies Financial Group Inc.
520 Madison Avenue
New York, New York 10022
Attn: Jonathan Freedman
Phone: (212) 778-8913
After the Spin-Off, if you have any questions relating to Vitesse, you should contact us at:
Investor Relations
Vitesse Energy, Inc.
9200 E. Mineral Ave. Suite 200
Centennial, Colorado 80112
Attn: Ben Messier
Phone: (720) 532-8232
A link to our investor relations website and additional contact information will be made available at www.vitesse-vts.com. Information contained on, or connected to, our website does not and will not constitute part of this Information Statement or the Registration Statement on Form 10, of which this Information Statement is a part, or any other filings with, or any information furnished or submitted to, the SEC.
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Distributing Company |
Jefferies Financial Group Inc., a New York corporation. After the Distribution, Jefferies will not own any shares of our common stock. |
Distributed Company |
Vitesse Energy, Inc., a newly formed Delaware corporation and an indirect majority owned subsidiary of Jefferies. At the time of the Distribution, we will hold, directly or through our subsidiaries, the assets and liabilities of Vitesse Energy and Vitesse Oil. After the Spin-Off, we will be an independent, publicly traded company. |
Distributed Securities |
Jefferies will distribute all of the shares of our common stock held by Jefferies, representing approximately 94.37% of our total issued and outstanding common stock immediately prior to the Distribution. Based on the approximately 226,134,603 shares of Jefferies common stock outstanding on December 16, 2022, and applying the distribution ratio pursuant to which, for every 8.49668 shares of Jefferies common stock, one share of Vitesse common stock will be distributed, approximately 26,614,467 shares of Vitesse common stock will be distributed. |
Record Date |
The Record Date is the close of business on December 27, 2022 |
Distribution Date |
The Distribution Date is January 13, 2023. |
Distribution Ratio |
For every 8.49668 shares of Jefferies common stock each Jefferies shareholder holds on the Record Date, they will receive one share of our common stock. The distribution agent will distribute only whole shares of our common stock in the Spin-Off. See the section entitled The Spin-OffTreatment of Fractional Shares for more detail. Please note that if you sell your shares of Jefferies common stock on or before the Distribution Date, the buyer of those shares may in some circumstances be entitled to receive the shares of our common stock to be distributed in respect of the Jefferies shares that you sold. For more information, see the section entitled The Spin-OffTrading Prior to the Distribution Date. |
The Distribution |
On the Distribution Date, Jefferies will release the shares of our common stock to the distribution agent to distribute to Jefferies shareholders. Jefferies will distribute our shares in book-entry form and thus we will not issue any physical stock certificates. You will not be required to make any payment, surrender or exchange your shares of Jefferies common stock or take any other action to receive your shares of our common stock. |
Fractional Shares |
The distribution agent will not distribute any fractional shares of our common stock to Jefferies shareholders. Instead, the distribution agent will first aggregate fractional shares into whole shares, then sell the whole shares in the open market at prevailing market prices on behalf of Jefferies shareholders entitled to receive a fractional share, and finally distribute the aggregate cash proceeds of the sales, net of brokerage fees and other costs, pro rata to these holders (net of any required withholding for taxes applicable to each holder). If |
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you receive cash in lieu of fractional shares, you will not be entitled to any interest on the payments. The cash you receive in lieu of fractional shares generally will, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, be taxable as described under the section entitled The Spin-OffMaterial U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Spin-Off. |
Conditions to the Spin-Off |
Completion of the Spin-Off is subject to the satisfaction, or the waiver of the Jefferies Board, of the following conditions: |
∎ | the Jefferies Board shall have authorized and approved the applicable Pre-Spin-Off Transactions (as described in the section entitled The Spin-OffPre-Spin-Off Transactions) and Distribution and not withdrawn such authorization and approval, and shall have declared the dividend of our common stock to Jefferies shareholders; |
∎ | the ancillary agreements contemplated by the Separation and Distribution Agreement, including the Tax Matters Agreement, shall have been executed by each party to those agreements; |
∎ | our common stock shall have been accepted for listing on the NYSE or another national securities exchange approved by Jefferies, subject to official notice of issuance; |
∎ | the SEC shall have declared effective our Registration Statement on Form 10, of which this Information Statement is a part, under the Exchange Act, and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall be in effect and no proceedings for that purpose shall be pending before or threatened by the SEC; |
∎ | Jefferies shall have received the IRS Ruling, substantially to the effect that the Distribution, together with certain related transactions, will qualify as a tax-free reorganization for U.S. federal income tax purposes under Section 368(a)(1)(D) of the Code and the Distribution will qualify as a tax-free distribution within the meaning of Section 355 of the Code; |
∎ | Jefferies shall have received the written opinion of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, which shall remain in full force and effect, subject to the limitations specified therein and the accuracy of and compliance with certain representations, warranties and covenants, to the effect that the Distribution, together with certain related transactions, will qualify as a tax-free reorganization for U.S. federal income tax purposes under Section 368(a)(1)(D) of the Code and the Distribution will qualify as a tax-free distribution within the meaning of Section 355 of the Code; |
∎ | the Jefferies Board shall have received one or more opinions (which have not been withdrawn or adversely modified) in customary form from one or more nationally recognized valuation, appraisal or accounting firms or investment banks as to the solvency and financial viability of Jefferies prior to the Spin-Off and each of Jefferies and Vitesse after the consummation of the Spin-Off; |
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∎ | the Pre-Spin-Off Transactions shall have been completed; |
∎ | no order, injunction or decree issued by any governmental authority of competent jurisdiction or other legal restraint or prohibition preventing consummation of the Distribution shall be in effect, and no other event outside the control of Jefferies shall have occurred or failed to occur that prevents the consummation of the Distribution; |
∎ | no other events or developments shall have occurred prior to the Distribution Date that, in the judgment of the Jefferies Board, would result in the Distribution having a material adverse effect on Jefferies or its shareholders; |
∎ | prior to the Distribution Date, notice of Internet availability of this Information Statement or this Information Statement shall have been mailed to the holders of Jefferies common stock as of the Record Date; |
∎ | Jefferies shall have duly elected the individuals listed as members of our post-Distribution Board in this Information Statement, and such individuals shall be the members of our Board, immediately after the Distribution; provided, however, that to the extent required by any law or requirement of the NYSE or any other national securities exchange, as applicable, the existing directors shall appoint one independent director prior to the date on which when-issued trading of our common stock begins and this independent director shall begin his or her term prior to the Distribution and shall serve on our Audit Committee, Nominating, Governance and Environmental and Social Responsibility Committee and Compensation Committee; and |
∎ | immediately prior to the Distribution Date, our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Amended and Restated Bylaws, each in substantially the form filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement on Form 10, of which this Information Statement is a part, shall be in effect. |
The fulfillment of the foregoing conditions will not create any obligation on the part of Jefferies to complete the Spin-Off. We are not aware of any material U.S. federal, foreign or state regulatory requirements with which we must comply, other than SEC rules and regulations, or any material approvals that we must obtain, other than the approval for listing of our common stock and the SECs declaration of the effectiveness of the Registration Statement on Form 10, of which this Information Statement is a part, in connection with the Distribution. |
The IRS Ruling and the opinion of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP are intended to provide support that the intended tax-free treatment of the Distribution will be respected. Were Jefferies to waive the requirement of receipt of either or both of the IRS Ruling or the opinion of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, there would be less comfort that the intended tax-free treatment of the Distribution will be respected. Such waiver would be deemed to be material to Jefferies shareholders, and therefore Jefferies would communicate such change to shareholders by, depending on the timing of the waiver, either filing an amendment to
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the Registration Statement to revise the disclosure in this Information Statement or filing a Current Report on Form 8-K describing the change. Were the Distribution treated as a taxable transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes, (1) Jefferies generally would be subject to tax as if it sold the Vitesse common stock in a transaction taxable to Jefferies, which could result in a material tax liability, and (2) Jefferies shareholders who are U.S. Holders generally would be, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, treated as receiving a distribution in an amount equal to the fair market value of our common stock received, which could result in a material tax liability for those U.S. Holders. For more information, see the section entitled The Spin-OffMaterial U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Spin-Off.
If the Jefferies Board waives any condition prior to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement on Form 10, of which this Information Statement is a part, and the result of such waiver is material to Jefferies shareholders, Jefferies will file an amendment to the Registration Statement to revise the disclosure in this Information Statement accordingly. In the event that the Jefferies Board waives a condition after this Registration Statement becomes effective and such waiver is material to Jefferies shareholders, Jefferies will communicate such change to Jefferies shareholders by filing a Current Report on Form 8-K describing the change. For a complete discussion of all of the conditions to the Distribution, see the section entitled The Spin-OffConditions to the Spin-Off.
In addition, Jefferies has the right not to complete the Spin-Off if, at any time, the Jefferies Board determines, in its sole and absolute discretion, that the Spin-Off is not in the best interests of Jefferies or its shareholders, or is otherwise not advisable. If the Spin-Off is not completed for any reason, Jefferies and Vitesse will have incurred significant costs related to the Spin-Off, including fees for consultants, financial and legal advisors, accountants and auditors, that will not be recouped. Total one-time transaction costs associated with the Spin-Off are preliminarily estimated to range from $14 million to $16 million if the Spin-Off is completed. If the Spin-Off is not completed for any reason, the one-time transaction costs will generally be limited to the transaction costs incurred for services rendered as of the date the Spin-Off is abandoned, which will be less than the ranges noted above. Our management has devoted significant time to manage the Spin-Off process, which has decreased the time they have had to manage the business of Vitesse. |
Trading Market and Ticker Symbol |
We intend to file an application to list our common stock on the NYSE under the ticker symbol VTS. We anticipate that, on the third trading day before the Distribution Date, trading of shares of our common stock will begin on a when-issued basis and will continue up to and including the Distribution Date, and we expect that regular-way trading of our common stock will begin the first trading day after the Distribution Date. |
We also anticipate that, on the third trading day before the Distribution Date, there will be two markets in Jefferies common stock: (1) a regular-way market on which shares of Jefferies |
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common stock will trade with an entitlement for the purchaser of Jefferies common stock to receive shares of our common stock to be distributed in the Distribution, and (2) an ex-distribution market on which shares of Jefferies common stock will trade without an entitlement for the purchaser of Jefferies common stock to receive shares of our common stock. For more information, see the section entitled The Spin-OffTrading Prior to the Distribution Date. |
Material Tax Consequences to Jefferies Shareholders |
It is a condition to the completion of the Distribution that Jefferies receives (1) the IRS Ruling and (2) an opinion of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, each substantially to the effect that the Distribution, together with certain related transactions, will qualify as a tax-free reorganization for U.S. federal income tax purposes under Section 368(a)(1)(D) of the Code and the Distribution will qualify as a tax-free distribution within the meaning of Section 355 of the Code. Accordingly, assuming the Distribution so qualifies for U.S. federal income tax purposes, no gain or loss will be recognized by, or be includible in the income of, a U.S. Holder (as defined in the section entitled The Spin-OffMaterial U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Spin-Off) as a result of the Distribution, except with respect to any cash received by Jefferies shareholders in lieu of fractional shares. Jefferies has received the IRS Ruling. |
We urge you to consult your tax advisor as to the specific tax consequences of the Distribution to you, including the effect of any U.S. federal, state, local or foreign tax laws and of changes in applicable tax laws. |
Relationship with Jefferies After the Spin-Off |
We intend to enter into several agreements with Jefferies related to the Spin-Off, which will govern the relationship between Jefferies and us up to and after completion of the Spin-Off and allocate between Jefferies and us various assets, liabilities, rights and obligations. These agreements include: |
∎ | a Separation and Distribution Agreement that will set forth Jefferies and our agreements regarding the principal actions that both parties will take in connection with the Spin-Off and aspects of our relationship following the Spin-Off; and |
∎ | a Tax Matters Agreement that will govern the respective rights, responsibilities and obligations of Jefferies and us after the Spin-Off with respect to all tax matters and will include restrictions to preserve the tax-free status of the Distribution. |
In addition to the above agreements, we are also currently party to, or intend to enter into, various other agreements with Jefferies and its subsidiaries, and we do not consider these agreements to be material to Jefferies and its subsidiaries. We describe these arrangements in greater detail under the section entitled Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions and describe some of the risks of these arrangements under the section entitled Risk FactorsRisks Relating to the Spin-Off. |
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Dividend Policy |
Following the Distribution, we expect that Vitesse will initially pay quarterly cash dividends and dividend equivalents totaling approximately $66.0 million per fiscal year. Notwithstanding this current expectation, the timing, declaration, amount of and payment of any dividends will be within the discretion of our Board and will depend upon many factors, including our financial condition, earnings, capital requirements of our operating subsidiaries, covenants associated with certain of our debt service obligations, legal requirements or limitations, industry practice, and other factors deemed relevant by our Board. Moreover, if as expected we determine to initially pay a dividend following the Distribution, there can be no assurance that we will continue to pay dividends in the same amounts or at all thereafter. We pay dividends out of distributable cash flow, which we define as Adjusted EBITDA less interest expense and cash taxes. During the year ended November 30, 2021, we generated Adjusted EBITDA of $102.3 million, and during the twelve months ended August 31, 2022, we generated Adjusted EBITDA of $158.0 million. Historically, we have used our distributable cash flow for multiple purposes, including capital expenditures (which includes acquisitions), repayment of debt and payment of distributions. Due to our strategy to grow oil and natural gas production levels during 2021 and 2022, we incurred levels of capital expenditures above a maintenance level. Given the amount of these capital expenditures and the discretionary amount of debt repaid, we would not have been able to pay a $66.0 million distribution during the year ended November 30, 2021. However, going forward, we expect to prioritize the dividend while sustaining production through maintenance capital expenditures. During the twelve months ended August 31, 2022, Vitesse Energy and Vitesse Oil paid cash distributions totaling $59.0 million. We have not adopted, and do not currently expect to adopt, a separate written dividend policy to reflect our Boards policy. See the section entitled Dividend Policy for more information. |
Transfer Agent |
American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC. |
Risk Factors |
Our business faces both general and specific risks and uncertainties. Our business also faces risks relating to the Spin-Off. Following the Spin-Off, we will also face risks associated with being an independent, publicly traded company. Accordingly, you should read carefully the information set forth under the section entitled Risk Factors. |
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You should carefully consider the following risks and other information in this Information Statement. The following risks have generally been separated into five groups: risks relating to the Spin-Off, risks relating to our common stock, risks relating to our business, risks relating to our indebtedness and risks relating to legal and regulatory matters. If any of the following events actually occur, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected, the trading price of our common stock could decline and you could lose all or part of your investment. Additional risks and uncertainties that we do not presently know about or currently believe are not material may also adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Risks Relating to the Spin-Off
If the Distribution does not qualify as a transaction that is tax-free for U.S. federal income tax purposes, Jefferies and holders of Jefferies common stock who receive shares of Vitesse common stock in connection with the Spin-Off could be subject to significant tax liability.
Completion of the Spin-Off is conditioned on Jefferies receipt of (1) the IRS Ruling and (2) an opinion of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, each substantially to the effect that, subject to the limitations specified therein and the accuracy of and compliance with certain representations, warranties and covenants, the Distribution, together with certain related transactions, will qualify as a tax-free reorganization for U.S. federal income tax purposes under Section 368(a)(1)(D) of the Code and the Distribution will qualify as a tax-free distribution within the meaning of Section 355 of the Code. Jefferies has received the IRS Ruling.
Although the IRS Ruling is generally binding on the IRS, the continuing validity of the IRS Ruling is subject to the accuracy of the factual representations made in the ruling request. In addition, Jefferies expects to obtain an opinion of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP as described above. In rendering its opinion, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP will rely on (1) customary representations and covenants made by Jefferies and Vitesse and (2) specified assumptions, including an assumption regarding the completion of the Distribution and certain related transactions in the manner contemplated by the transaction agreements. If any of those representations, covenants or assumptions are inaccurate, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP may not be able to provide the opinion and the tax consequences of the Distribution and certain related transactions could differ from those described in this Information Statement. An opinion of counsel neither binds the IRS nor precludes the IRS or the courts from adopting a contrary position. Accordingly, notwithstanding the receipt of the IRS Ruling and the anticipated receipt of the tax opinion, there can be no assurance that the IRS or a court will not take a contrary position and the consequences of the Distribution and certain related transactions to Jefferies and the holders of Jefferies common stock could be materially different from, and worse than, the U.S. federal income tax consequences described in this Information Statement.
If it were determined that the Distribution, together with certain related transactions, did not qualify as a tax-free reorganization within the meaning of Section 368(a)(1)(D) of the Code and the Distribution did not qualify as a distribution to which Section 355 of the Code applies, Jefferies would generally be subject to tax as if it sold the Vitesse common stock in a transaction taxable to Jefferies, which could result in a material tax liability. In addition, Jefferies shareholders who are U.S. Holders would generally, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, be treated as receiving a distribution in an amount equal to the fair market value of our common stock received, which could result in a material tax liability.
For more information, see below and the section entitled The Spin-OffMaterial U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Spin-Off.
We intend to agree to numerous restrictions to preserve the non-recognition treatment of the Distribution, which may reduce our strategic and operating flexibility.
We intend to agree in the Tax Matters Agreement to covenants and indemnification obligations that address compliance with Section 355(e) of the Code. These covenants and indemnification obligations may limit our ability to pursue strategic transactions or engage in new businesses or other transactions that may otherwise maximize the value of our business, and might discourage or delay a strategic transaction that our stockholders may consider favorable, including share repurchases, stock issuances, certain asset dispositions and other strategic transactions.
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To preserve the tax-free treatment of the Distribution, and in addition to our indemnity obligations described above, the Tax Matters Agreement will restrict us, for the two-year period following the Distribution, except in specific circumstances, from: (1) entering into any transaction pursuant to which all or a specified portion of our stock would be acquired, whether by merger or otherwise, (2) issuing equity securities in a manner that could reasonably be expected to have adverse consequences under Section 355(e) of the Code, (3) repurchasing shares of our stock other than in certain open-market transactions, (4) ceasing to actively conduct certain of our businesses or (5) taking or failing to take any other action that prevents the Distribution and certain related transactions from qualifying as a transaction that is generally tax-free for U.S. federal income tax purposes under Sections 355 and 368(a)(1)(D) of the Code. For more information, see the section entitled Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.
We could have an indemnification obligation to Jefferies in certain circumstances if the Distribution were determined not to qualify for tax-free treatment for U.S. federal tax purposes, or in certain other circumstances, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We intend to enter into a Tax Matters Agreement with Jefferies. The terms of the Tax Matters Agreement will require us to indemnify Jefferies and certain related parties for certain taxes and losses that (i) result primarily from, individually or in the aggregate, the breach of certain representations and warranties made by us (including in connection with the receipt by Jefferies of the IRS Ruling or the opinion of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP regarding the tax treatment of the Distribution) or covenants made by us (applicable to actions or failures to act by us and our subsidiaries following the completion of the Distribution), (ii) are attributable to actions we take following the Distribution and result from the failure of the transfer of the Vitesse Energy equity interests to Vitesse, together with the Distribution, to qualify as (a) a reorganization described in Section 355(a) and Section 368(a)(1)(D) of the Code, (b) a transaction in which the stock distributed thereby is qualified property for purposes of Sections 355(c) and 361(c) of the Code, or (c) a transaction in which Jefferies, Vitesse and the holders of Jefferies common stock recognize no income or gain for U.S. federal income tax purposes pursuant to Sections 355, 361 and 1032 of the Code, including, as a result of the application of Section 355(e) of the Code to the Distribution as a result of a 50% or greater change in ownership as described below, or (iii) are attributable to taxes with respect to Vitesse Energy or Vitesse Oil for tax periods or portions thereof ending before the Distribution, including as may arise on audit.
Even if the Distribution were otherwise to qualify as a tax-free transaction under Section 368(a)(1)(D) and Section 355 of the Code, the Distribution would be taxable to Jefferies (but not to Jefferies shareholders) pursuant to Section 355(e) of the Code if there were a 50% or greater change in beneficial ownership of either Jefferies or Vitesse as part of a plan or series of related transactions that included the Distribution. For this purpose, any acquisitions of Jefferies or our common stock during the four-year period beginning on the date that begins two years before the date of the Distribution are presumed to be part of such a plan, although we or Jefferies may rebut that presumption. The U.S. federal income tax rules for determining whether there has been a 50% or greater change in beneficial ownership of Jefferies and Vitesse, and the period during which that change is measured, are complex and include the aggregation and attribution rules of Section 355(e)(4)(C) of the Code. The Distribution itself does not give rise to a change in beneficial ownership, and public trading of the stock of Jefferies or Vitesse by small stockholders does not give rise to a change in beneficial ownership, but many other transactions could do so. Such transactions may include (but are not limited to) acquisitions by Vitesse or Jefferies using its own stock, the merger or consolidation of Vitesse or Jefferies with or into another company, redemptions, recapitalizations, stock dividends, and sales or issuances of stock.
Any such indemnification obligation could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. For more information, see the section entitled Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.
We may be unable to achieve some or all of the benefits that we expect to achieve from the Spin-Off, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We believe that, as an independent, publicly traded company, we will be able to, among other things, more effectively articulate a clear investment proposition to attract a long-term investor base suited to our business, growth profile and capital allocation priorities.
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However, we may not achieve the anticipated benefits from the Spin-Off for a variety of reasons, including, among other things:
∎ | the Spin-Off will require significant amounts of managements time and effort, which may divert our managements attention from operating and growing our business; |
∎ | following the Spin-Off, we may be more susceptible to market fluctuations, the risk of takeover by third parties and other adverse events because our business will be less diversified than Jefferies businesses prior to the Spin-Off; |
∎ | the Spin-Off may require us to incur significant costs, including accounting, tax, legal and other professional services costs, recruiting and relocation costs associated with hiring key senior management personnel who are new to our company, costs to retain key management personnel, tax costs and costs to shared systems and other unforeseen dis-synergy costs; and |
∎ | under the terms of the Tax Matters Agreement that we will enter into with Jefferies, we will be restricted from taking certain actions that could cause the Spin-Off or other related transactions to fail to qualify as a tax-free transaction and these restrictions may limit us for a period of time from pursuing certain strategic transactions and equity issuances or engaging in other transactions that might increase the value of our business. |
If we fail to achieve some or all of the benefits that we expect to achieve as an independent company, or do not achieve them in the time we expect, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially adversely affected.
Our management and accounting systems may not be adequately prepared to meet the reporting and other requirements to which we will become subject following the Spin-Off, and we will incur increased costs as a result of being an independent publicly traded company.
As an independent public company, we will separately become subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and the Dodd-Frank Act and will be required to prepare our financial statements according to the rules and regulations required by the SEC. These reporting and other obligations will place significant demands on our management and on administrative and operational resources. Moreover, to comply with these requirements, we anticipate that we will need to implement additional financial and management controls, reporting systems and procedures, and may need to hire additional accounting and finance staff. We expect to incur additional annual expenses related to these requirements. If we are unable to upgrade our financial and management controls, reporting systems, information technology and procedures in a timely and effective fashion, our ability to comply with our financial reporting requirements and other rules that apply to reporting companies under the Exchange Act could be impaired. We also expect to incur additional expenses in order to obtain new director and officer liability insurance.
Other significant changes may occur in our cost structure, management, financing and business operations as a result of operating as an independent publicly traded company. As such, our historical financial data may not be indicative of our future performance as an independent, publicly traded company. For additional information about our past financial performance and the basis of presentation of our financial statements, see the sections entitled Selected Historical Financial Data, Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Financial Statements and Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and our historical consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included in the section entitled Index to Financial Statements.
Federal and state fraudulent transfer laws and New York and Delaware corporate law may permit a court to void the Distribution and related transactions, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In connection with the Distribution, Jefferies intends to undertake the Pre-Spin-Off Transactions which, along with the Distribution, may be subject to challenge under federal and state fraudulent conveyance and transfer laws as well as under New York or Delaware corporate law. Under applicable laws, any transaction, contribution or distribution contemplated as part of the Distribution could be voided as a fraudulent transfer or conveyance if, among other things, the transferor received less than reasonably equivalent value or fair consideration in return and the transferor was insolvent or rendered insolvent by reason of the transfer.
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We cannot be certain as to the standards a court would use to determine whether any entity involved in the Distribution was insolvent at the relevant time. In general, however, a court would look at various facts and circumstances related to the entity in question, including evaluation of whether:
∎ | the sum of its debts, including contingent and unliquidated liabilities, was greater than the fair saleable value of all of its assets; |
∎ | the present fair saleable value of its assets was less than the amount that would be required to pay its probable liability on its existing debts, including contingent liabilities, as they become absolute and mature; or |
∎ | it could pay its debts as they become due. |
If a court were to find that any transaction, contribution or distribution involved in the Distribution was a fraudulent transfer or conveyance, the court could void the transaction, contribution or distribution. In addition, the Distribution could also be voided if a court were to find that it is not a legal distribution or dividend under New York or Delaware corporate law. The resulting complications, costs and expenses of either finding could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
After the Spin-Off, certain members of management and directors may face actual or potential conflicts of interest.
After the Spin-Off, certain members of the management and directors of each of Jefferies and Vitesse may own common stock in both companies and Ms. Linda Adamany and Messrs. Brian Friedman and Joseph Steinberg, each of whom will be a member of our Board upon the completion of the Spin-Off, will also continue to serve on the Jefferies Board, and may be required to recuse themselves from deliberations relating to arrangements between us and Jefferies in the future. This ownership and directorship overlap could create, or appear to create, potential conflicts of interest when the management and directors of one company face decisions that could have different implications for themselves and the other company. For example, potential conflicts of interest could arise in connection with the resolution of any dispute regarding the terms of the agreements governing the separation and our relationship with Jefferies thereafter. These agreements include the Separation and Distribution Agreement, the Tax Matters Agreement and any commercial or service agreements between the parties or their affiliates. Potential conflicts of interest may also arise out of any commercial arrangements that we or Jefferies may enter into in the future. For more information, see the section entitled Certain Relationships and Related Party TransactionsOther Transactions and Relationships with Related Persons.
Our acquisitions of Vitesse Energy and Vitesse Oil may require the consents or approvals of, or provide other rights to, third parties and governmental authorities. If such consents or approvals are not obtained, we may not be entitled to the benefit of certain contracts, permits and other assets and rights, which could increase our expenses or otherwise harm our business and financial performance.
In connection with our acquisitions of Vitesse Energy and Vitesse Oil, the transfer of certain contracts, permits and other assets and rights may require consents or approvals of third parties or governmental authorities or provide other rights to third parties. Some parties may use consent requirements or other rights to terminate contracts or obtain more favorable contractual terms from us, which, for example, could take the form of price increases, require us to expend additional resources in order to obtain the services or assets previously provided under the contract, or require us to make arrangements with new third parties or obtain letters of credit or other forms of credit support. If we do not obtain required consents or approvals, we may be unable to obtain the benefits, permits, assets and contractual commitments that we intended to acquire in connection with our acquisitions of Vitesse Energy and Vitesse Oil, and we may be required to seek alternative arrangements to obtain services and assets which may be more costly and of lower quality. The termination, modification, replacement or replication of these contracts or permits or the failure to timely complete the transfer or separation of these contracts or permits could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Until the Distribution occurs, the Jefferies Board may change the terms of the Spin-Off in ways that may be unfavorable to us.
Until the Distribution occurs, we will continue to be a subsidiary of Jefferies. Accordingly, Jefferies has the discretion to determine and change the terms of the Spin-Off, including the establishment of the Record Date and the Distribution Date, and these changes could be unfavorable to us. In addition, the Jefferies Board may decide not to proceed with the Spin-Off at any time prior to the Distribution.
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No vote of Jefferies shareholders is required in connection with the Spin-Off. As a result, if the Spin-Off occurs and you do not want to receive our common stock in the Distribution, your sole recourse will be to divest yourself of your Jefferies common stock prior to the Record Date or in the regular-way trading market during the period prior to the Distribution.
No vote of Jefferies shareholders is required in connection with the Spin-Off. Accordingly, if the Distribution occurs and you do not want to receive our common stock in the Distribution, your only recourse will be to divest yourself of your Jefferies common stock prior to the Record Date or in the regular-way trading market during the period prior to the Distribution.
Risks Relating to Our Common Stock
No market for our common stock currently exists and an active trading market may not develop or be sustained after the Spin-Off. Following the Spin-Off our stock price may fluctuate significantly.
There is currently no public market for our common stock. We intend to apply to list our common stock on the NYSE. We anticipate that before the Distribution Date, trading of shares of our common stock will begin on a when-issued basis and this trading will continue up to and including the Distribution Date. However, an active trading market for our common stock may not develop as a result of the Spin-Off or may not be sustained in the future. The lack of an active market may make it more difficult for stockholders to sell our shares and could lead to our share price being depressed or volatile.
We cannot predict the prices at which our common stock may trade after the Spin-Off. The market price of our common stock may fluctuate widely, depending on many factors, some of which may be beyond our control, including:
∎ | actual or anticipated fluctuations in our business, financial condition and results of operations due to factors related to our business; |
∎ | competition in the oil and natural gas industry and our ability to compete successfully; |
∎ | success or failure of our business strategies; |
∎ | our ability to retain and recruit qualified personnel; |
∎ | our quarterly or annual earnings, or those of other companies in our industry; |
∎ | our level of indebtedness, our ability to make payments on or service our indebtedness and our ability to obtain financing as needed; |
∎ | announcements by us or our competitors of significant acquisitions or dispositions; |
∎ | changes in accounting standards, policies, guidance, interpretations or principles; |
∎ | the failure of securities analysts to cover our common stock after the Spin-Off; |
∎ | changes in earnings estimates by securities analysts or our ability to meet those estimates; |
∎ | the operating and stock price performance of other comparable companies; |
∎ | investor perception of our company and the oil and natural gas industry; |
∎ | overall market fluctuations, including the cyclical nature of the oil and natural gas market; |
∎ | results from any material litigation or government investigation; |
∎ | changes in laws and regulations (including tax laws and regulations) affecting our business; and |
∎ | general economic conditions, credit and capital market conditions and other external factors. |
Furthermore, our business profile and market capitalization may not fit the investment objectives of some Jefferies shareholders and, as a result, these Jefferies shareholders may sell their shares of our common stock after the Distribution. See Substantial sales of our common stock may occur in connection with the Spin-Off, which could cause our stock price to decline. Low trading volume for our stock may occur if, among other reasons, an active trading market does not develop. This would amplify the effect of the above factors on our stock price volatility.
Substantial sales of our common stock may occur in connection with the Spin-Off, which could cause our stock price to decline.
Jefferies shareholders receiving shares of our common stock in the Distribution generally may sell those shares immediately in the public market. It is likely that some Jefferies shareholders, including some of its larger
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shareholders, will sell their shares of our common stock received in the Distribution if, for reasons such as our business profile or market capitalization as an independent company, we do not fit their investment objectives, or, in the case of index funds, we are not a participant in the index in which they are investing. The sales of significant amounts of our common stock or the perception in the market that this will occur may decrease the market price of our common stock.
Vitesse is an emerging growth company and the information we provide stockholders may be different from information provided by other public companies, which may result in a less active trading market for our common stock and higher volatility in our stock price.
Vitesse is an emerging growth company as defined by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012. We will continue to be an emerging growth company until the earliest to occur of the following:
∎ | the last day of the fiscal year in which our total annual gross revenues first meet or exceed $1.235 billion (as adjusted for inflation); |
∎ | the date on which we have, during the prior three-year period, issued more than $1.0 billion in non-convertible debt; |
∎ | the last day of the fiscal year in which we (1) have an aggregate worldwide market value of common stock held by non-affiliates of $700 million or more (measured at the end of each fiscal year) as of the last business day of our most recently completed second fiscal quarter and (2) have been a reporting company under the Exchange Act for at least one year (and filed at least one annual report under the Exchange Act); or |
∎ | the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the date of the first sale of our common stock pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act. |
For as long as we are an emerging growth company, we may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies, including, but not limited to:
∎ | not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements in the assessment of our internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002; |
∎ | exemption from new or revised financial accounting standards applicable to public companies until such standards are also applicable to private companies; |
∎ | reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in our periodic reports, proxy statements and registration statements; and |
∎ | exemptions from the requirement of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and stockholder approval on golden parachute compensation not previously approved. |
We may choose to take advantage of some or all of these reduced burdens. For example, we have taken advantage of the reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in this Information Statement. For as long as we take advantage of the reduced reporting obligations, the information we provide stockholders may be different from information provided by other public companies. In addition, it is possible that some investors will find our common stock less attractive as a result of these elections, which may result in a less active trading market for our common stock and higher volatility in our stock price.
In addition, we intend to take advantage of the extended transition period that allows an emerging growth company to delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. Our election to use the extended transition period permitted by this election may make it difficult to compare our financial statements to those of non-emerging growth companies and other emerging growth companies that have opted out of the extended transition period and who will comply with new or revised financial accounting standards.
Although we expect to pay dividends, we cannot provide assurance that we will pay dividends on our common stock, and our indebtedness may limit our ability to pay dividends on our common stock.
Following the Spin-Off, the timing, declaration, amount of and payment of future dividends, if any, to stockholders will fall within the discretion of our Board. Our Boards decisions regarding the payment of future dividends, if any,
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will depend upon many factors, including our financial condition, earnings, capital requirements of our business, covenants associated with certain of our debt service obligations, legal requirements or limitations, industry practice, and other factors deemed relevant by our Board. We have not adopted, and do not currently expect to adopt, a separate written dividend policy to reflect our Boards policy. For more information, see the section entitled Dividend Policy. For a description of the covenants limiting our ability to pay dividends and distributions, see Our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders is restricted by applicable laws and regulations and may be limited by requirements under our New Revolving Credit Facility. There can be no assurance that we will pay a dividend in the future or continue to pay any dividend if we do commence paying dividends, and there can be no assurance that, in the future, the combined annual dividends paid on Jefferies common stock, if any, and our common stock, if any, after the Spin-Off will equal the annual dividends on Jefferies common stock prior to the Spin-Off.
Certain provisions in our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, Amended and Restated Bylaws and Delaware law may discourage takeovers.
Several provisions of our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, Amended and Restated Bylaws and Delaware law may discourage, delay or prevent a merger or acquisition that is opposed by our Board. These include provisions that:
∎ | prevent our stockholders from calling a special meeting or acting by written consent; |
∎ | require advance notice of any stockholder nomination for the election of directors or any stockholder proposal; |
∎ | provide for a plurality voting standard in contested director elections; |
∎ | authorize only our Board to fill director vacancies and newly created directorships; |
∎ | authorize our Board to adopt, amend or repeal our Amended and Restated Bylaws without stockholder approval; and |
∎ | authorize our Board to issue one or more series of blank check preferred stock. |
In addition, Section 203 of the DGCL, prohibits a Delaware corporation from engaging in a business combination with any interested stockholder for a period of three years following the date the person became an interested stockholder, subject to certain exceptions. In general, Section 203 of the DGCL defines an interested stockholder as an entity or person who, together with the entitys or persons affiliates, beneficially owns, or is an affiliate of the corporation and within three years prior to the time of determination of interested stockholder status did own, 15% or more of the outstanding voting stock of the corporation. A Delaware corporation may opt out of these provisions with an express provision in its certificate of incorporation. We have not opted out of Section 203 of the DGCL in our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation.
These and other provisions of our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation, Amended and Restated Bylaws and Delaware law may discourage, delay or prevent certain types of transactions involving an actual or a threatened acquisition or change in control of us including unsolicited takeover attempts, even though the transaction may offer our stockholders the opportunity to sell their shares of our common stock at a price above the prevailing market price. For more information, see the section entitled Description of Our Capital StockCertain Provisions of Delaware Law, Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Amended and Restated Bylaws.
Your percentage ownership in Vitesse may be diluted in the future.
Your percentage ownership in Vitesse may be diluted in the future because of the settlement or exercise of equity-based awards that we expect to grant to our directors, officers and other employees. Prior to completion of the Spin-Off, we expect to approve an equity incentive plan that will provide for the grant of equity-based awards to our directors, officers and other employees, including equity grants that are expected to be made upon completion of the Spin-Off. In addition, we may issue equity as all or part of the consideration paid for acquisitions and strategic investments that we may make in the future or as necessary to finance our ongoing operations.
In addition, our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation will authorize us to issue, without the approval of our stockholders, one or more classes or series of preferred stock having such designation, powers, preferences and relative, participating, optional and other special rights, including preferences over our common stock with respect to dividends and distributions, as our Board may generally determine. The terms of one or more classes or series of preferred stock could dilute the voting power or reduce the value of our common stock. For example, we could grant
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the holders of preferred stock the right to elect some number of the members of our Board in all events or upon the happening of specified events, or the right to veto specified transactions. Similarly, the repurchase or redemption rights or liquidation preferences that we could assign to holders of preferred stock could affect the residual value of our common stock. For more information, see the section entitled Description of Our Capital Stock.
The rights associated with our common stock will differ from the rights associated with Jefferies common stock.
Upon completion of the Distribution, the rights of Jefferies shareholders who become our stockholders will be governed by our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Amended and Restated Bylaws and by Delaware law. The rights associated with Jefferies shares are different from the rights associated with our shares. In addition, the rights of Jefferies shareholders are governed by New York law, while the rights of our stockholders will be governed by Delaware law. Material differences between the rights of Jefferies shareholders and the rights of our stockholders include differences with respect to, among other things, certain anti-takeover measures.
For more information, see the section entitled Comparison of Rights of Jefferies Shareholders and Vitesse Stockholders.
Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation will designate the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees.
Our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation will provide that, in all cases to the fullest extent permitted by law, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the sole and exclusive forum for:
∎ | any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf; |
∎ | any action or proceeding asserting a claim of breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any current or former director, officer or other employee or stockholder of our company to us or our stockholders; |
∎ | any action or proceeding asserting a claim arising pursuant to, or seeking to enforce any right, obligation or remedy under, any provision of Delaware law or our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation or our Amended and Restated Bylaws (with respect to each, as may be amended from time to time); or |
∎ | any action or proceeding asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine or any other action asserting an internal corporate claim as that term is defined in Section 115 of the DGCL. |
However, if the Court of Chancery of Delaware does not have jurisdiction, the action or proceeding may be brought in any other state or U.S. federal court located within the State of Delaware. Further, our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation will provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, to the fullest extent permitted by law, the U.S. federal district courts will be the sole and exclusive forum for any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under U.S. federal securities laws.
Any person holding, purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of capital stock of us will be deemed to have notice of and have consented to this provision and deemed to have waived any argument relating to the inconvenience of the forum in connection with any action or proceeding described in this provision. This provision may limit a stockholders ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum that it finds favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage such lawsuits. Alternatively, if a court of competent jurisdiction were to find this provision of our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation inapplicable to, or unenforceable in respect of, one or more of the specified types of actions or proceedings, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters in other jurisdictions.
Risks Relating to Our Business
The COVID-19 pandemic has had, and may continue to have, an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
We face risks related to public health crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, including travel bans, prohibitions on group events and gatherings, shutdowns of certain businesses, curfews, shelter-in-place orders and recommendations to practice social distancing in addition to other actions taken by both businesses and governments, resulted in a significant and swift reduction in international and U.S. economic activity. The collapse in the demand for oil caused by this unprecedented global health and economic crisis contributed to the significant decrease in oil prices in 2020 and had and could in the future continue to have an adverse impact on our financial condition and results of operations.
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Since the beginning of 2021, the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines progressed and many government-imposed restrictions were relaxed or rescinded. However, we continue to monitor the effects of the pandemic on our operations. As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, our operations, and those of our operators, have and may continue to experience delays or disruptions and temporary suspensions of operations. In addition, our results of operations and financial condition have been and may continue to be adversely affected by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The extent to which our operating and financial results are affected by COVID-19 will depend on various factors and consequences beyond our control, such as the emergence of more contagious and harmful variants of the COVID-19 virus, the duration and scope of the pandemic, additional actions by businesses and governments in response to the pandemic, and the speed and effectiveness of responses to combat the virus. COVID-19, and the volatile regional and global economic conditions stemming from the pandemic, could also aggravate the other risk factors that we identify herein. While the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have lessened recently in the United States, we cannot predict the duration or future effects of the pandemic, or more contagious and harmful variants of the COVID-19 virus, and such effects may adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition in a manner that is not currently known to us or that we do not currently consider to present significant risks to our operations.
Oil and natural gas prices are volatile. Extended declines in oil and natural gas prices have adversely affected, and could in the future adversely affect, our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flow.
The oil and natural gas markets are very volatile, and we cannot predict future oil and natural gas prices. Oil and natural gas prices have fluctuated significantly, including periods of rapid and material decline, in recent years. The prices we receive for our oil and natural gas production heavily influence our production, revenue, cash flows, profitability, reserve bookings and access to capital. Although we seek to mitigate volatility and potential declines in oil and natural gas prices through derivative arrangements that hedge a portion of our expected production, this merely seeks to mitigate (not eliminate) these risks, and such activities come with their own risks.
The prices we receive for our oil and natural gas production and the levels of our production depend on numerous factors beyond our control. These factors include, but are not limited to, the following:
∎ | changes in global supply and demand for oil and natural gas; |
∎ | changes in NYMEX WTI oil prices and NYMEX Henry Hub natural gas prices; |
∎ | the volatility and uncertainty of regional pricing Differentials; |
∎ | future repurchases (or additional possible releases) of oil from the strategic petroleum reserve by the United States Department of Energy; |
∎ | the actions of OPEC and other major oil producing countries; |
∎ | worldwide and regional economic, political and social conditions impacting the global supply and demand for oil and natural gas, which may be driven by various risks including war, terrorism, political unrest, or health epidemics (such as the global COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak); |
∎ | the price and quantity of imports of foreign oil and natural gas; |
∎ | political and economic conditions, including embargoes, in oil-producing countries or affecting other oil-producing activity; |
∎ | the outbreak or escalation of military hostilities, including between Russia and Ukraine, and the potential destabilizing effect such conflicts may pose for the European continent or the global oil and natural gas markets; |
∎ | inflation; |
∎ | the level of global oil and natural gas exploration, production activity and inventories; |
∎ | changes in U.S. energy policy; |
∎ | weather conditions; |
∎ | outbreak of disease; |
∎ | technological advances affecting energy consumption; |
∎ | domestic and foreign governmental taxes, tariffs and/or regulations; |
∎ | proximity and capacity of processing, gathering, and storage facilities, oil and natural gas pipelines and other transportation facilities; |
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∎ | the price and availability of competitors supplies of oil and natural gas in captive market areas; and |
∎ | the price and availability of alternative fuels. |
These factors and the volatility of the energy markets make it extremely difficult to predict oil and natural gas prices. A substantial or extended decline in oil or natural gas prices, such as the significant and rapid decline that occurred in 2020, has resulted in and could result in future impairments of our proved oil and natural gas properties and may materially and adversely affect our future business, financial condition, results of operations, liquidity or ability to finance planned capital expenditures. To the extent oil and natural gas prices received from production are insufficient to fund planned capital expenditures, we may be required to reduce spending or borrow or issue additional equity to cover any such shortfall. Lower oil and natural gas prices may limit our ability to comply with the covenants under our New Revolving Credit Facility and/or limit our ability to access borrowing availability thereunder, which is dependent on many factors including the value of our proved reserves.
Drilling for and producing oil and natural gas are high risk activities with many uncertainties that could adversely affect our financial condition or results of operations.
Our operators drilling activities are subject to many risks, including the risk that they will not discover commercially productive reservoirs. Drilling for oil or natural gas can be uneconomical, not only from dry holes, but also from productive wells that do not produce sufficient revenues to be commercially viable. In addition, drilling and producing operations on our acreage may be curtailed, delayed or canceled by our operators as a result of other factors, including:
∎ | declines in oil or natural gas prices; |
∎ | infrastructure limitations, such as the natural gas gathering and processing constraints experienced in the Williston Basin in 2019; |
∎ | the high cost, shortages or delays of equipment, materials and services; |
∎ | unexpected operational events, pipeline ruptures or spills, adverse weather conditions and natural disasters, facility or equipment malfunctions, and equipment failures or accidents; |
∎ | title problems; |
∎ | pipe or cement failures and casing collapses; |
∎ | lost or damaged oilfield development and services tools; |
∎ | laws, regulations, and other initiatives related to environmental matters, including those addressing alternative energy sources, the phase-out of fossil fuel vehicles and the risks of global climate change; |
∎ | compliance with environmental and other governmental requirements; |
∎ | increases in severance taxes; |
∎ | regulations, restrictions, moratoria and bans on hydraulic fracturing; |
∎ | unusual or unexpected geological formations, and pressure or irregularities in formations; |
∎ | loss of drilling fluid circulations; |
∎ | environmental hazards, such as oil, natural gas or well fluids spills or releases, pipeline or tank ruptures and discharges of toxic gas; |
∎ | fires, blowouts, craterings and explosions; |
∎ | uncontrollable flows of oil, natural gas or well fluids; |
∎ | pipeline capacity curtailments; and |
∎ | demand from investors to return capital to investors and/or conduct share repurchases. |
In addition to causing curtailments, delays and cancellations of drilling and producing operations, many of these events can cause substantial losses, including personal injury or loss of life, damage to or destruction of property, natural resources and equipment, pollution, environmental contamination, loss of wells and regulatory penalties. We ordinarily maintain insurance against various losses and liabilities arising from our operations; however, insurance against all operational risks is not available to us. Additionally, we may elect not to obtain insurance if we believe that the cost of available insurance is excessive relative to the perceived risks presented. Losses could therefore occur for uninsurable or uninsured risks or in amounts in excess of existing insurance coverage. The occurrence of an event that is not fully covered by insurance could have a material adverse impact on our business activities, financial condition and results of operations.
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Due to previous declines in oil and natural gas prices, we have in the past taken writedowns of our oil and natural gas properties. We may be required to record further writedowns of our oil and natural gas properties in the future.
In 2020, we were required to write down the carrying value of certain of our oil and natural gas properties, and further writedowns could be required in the future. Under the successful efforts method of accounting, costs associated with the acquisition, drilling, and equipping of successful exploratory wells and costs of successful and unsuccessful development wells are capitalized and depleted, net of estimated salvage values, using the units-of-production method on the basis of a reasonable aggregation of properties within a common geological structural feature or stratigraphic condition, such as a reservoir or field. Exploration, geological and geophysical costs, delay rentals, and drilling costs of unsuccessful exploratory wells are charged to expense as incurred. The sale of a partial interest in a proved property is accounted for as a cost recovery, and no gain or loss is recognized as long as this treatment does not significantly affect the units-of-production amortization rate. A gain or loss is recognized for all other sales of proved properties.
We review our oil and natural gas properties for impairment whenever events and circumstances indicate a decline in the recoverability of their carrying value. We estimate the expected future cash flows of our oil and natural gas properties and compare such cash flows to the carrying amount of the proved oil and natural gas properties to determine if the amount is recoverable. If the carrying amount exceeds the estimated undiscounted future cash flows, we will adjust our proved oil and natural gas properties to estimated fair value. The factors used to estimate fair value include estimates of reserves, future oil and natural gas prices adjusted for basis Differentials, future production estimates, anticipated capital expenditures, and a discount rate commensurate with the risk associated with realizing the projected cash flows. The discount rate is a rate that management believes is representative of current market conditions and includes estimates for a risk premium and other operational risks.
A continued period of low prices may force us to incur further material write-downs of our oil and natural gas properties, which could have a material effect on the value of our properties and cause the value of our securities to decline in value. Additionally, impairments would occur if we were to experience sufficient downward adjustments to our estimated proved reserves or the present value of estimated future net revenues. An impairment recognized in one period may not be reversed in a subsequent period even if higher oil and natural gas prices increase the cost center ceiling applicable to the subsequent period. We have in the past and could in the future incur additional impairments of oil and natural gas properties which may be material.
We have incurred net losses in the past, in part due to fluctuations in oil and gas prices, and we may incur such losses again in the future.
We had net income of $18.1 million, net loss of $8.9 million and net income of $35.9 million during the years ended November 30, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. To the extent our production is not hedged, we are exposed to declines in oil and natural gas prices, and our derivative arrangements may be inadequate to protect us from continuing and prolonged declines in oil and natural gas prices. In prior periods, such declines have led to net losses. For example, our net loss for the year ended November 30, 2020 was largely caused by a decrease in oil and natural gas revenue, due primarily to a decrease in the average realized oil and natural gas prices. Unrealized hedging losses on commodity derivatives attributable to significant increases in oil prices may also cause a net loss for a given period.
In addition, fluctuations in oil and natural gas prices have impacted our unit-based compensation expense for prior periods and may impact our stock-based compensation expense in periods following the consummation of the Spin-Off. For example, in prior periods we have experienced increases to our unit-based compensation expense primarily due to increased oil and natural gas prices causing the estimated fair value of the liabilities associated with such unit-based compensation to increase, which contributed to net losses recorded during such periods. As a result of the foregoing and other factors, we may continue to incur net losses in the future.
Our estimated proved reserves are based on many assumptions that may prove to be inaccurate. Any material inaccuracies in these reserve estimates or underlying assumptions will materially affect the quantities and present value of our total reserves.
Determining the amount of oil and natural gas recoverable from various formations involves significant complexity and uncertainty. No one can measure underground accumulations of oil or natural gas in an exact way. Oil and natural gas reserve engineering requires subjective estimates of underground accumulations of oil and/or natural gas
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and assumptions concerning future oil and natural gas prices, production levels, and operating, and development costs. Some of our reserve estimates are made without the benefit of a lengthy production history and are less reliable than estimates based on a lengthy production history. As a result, estimated quantities of proved reserves and projections of future production rates and the timing of development expenditures may prove to be inaccurate.
We routinely make estimates of oil and natural gas reserves in connection with managing our business and preparing reports to our lenders and investors, including in some cases estimates prepared by our internal reserve engineers and professionals that are not reviewed or audited by an independent reserve engineering firm. We make these reserve estimates using various assumptions, including assumptions as to oil and natural gas prices, development schedules, drilling and operating expenses, capital expenditures, taxes and availability of funds. Some of these assumptions are inherently subjective, and the accuracy of our reserve estimates relies in part on the ability of our management team, reserve engineers and other advisors to make accurate assumptions. Any significant variance from these assumptions by actual figures could greatly affect our estimates of total reserves, the economically recoverable quantities of oil and natural gas attributable to any particular group of properties, the classifications of reserves based on risk of recovery, and estimates of the future net cash flows. Numerous changes over time to the assumptions on which our reserve estimates are based result in the actual quantities of oil and natural gas our operators ultimately recover being different from our reserve estimates. Any significant variance could materially affect the estimated quantities and present value of reserves shown in this Information Statement, subsequent reports we file with the SEC or other company materials.
Our future success depends on our ability to replace reserves.
Because the rate of production from oil and natural gas properties generally declines as reserves are depleted, our future success depends upon our ability to economically find or acquire and produce additional oil and natural gas reserves. Except to the extent that we acquire additional properties containing proved reserves, conduct successful development activities or, through engineering studies, identify additional behind-pipe zones or secondary recovery reserves, our proved reserves will decline as our reserves are produced. We have added significant net wells and production from wellbore-only acquisitions, where we dont hold the underlying leasehold interest that would entitle us to participate in future wells. Future oil and natural gas production, therefore, is highly dependent upon our level of success in acquiring or finding additional reserves that are economically recoverable. We cannot assure you that we will be able to find or acquire and develop additional reserves at an acceptable cost.
We may acquire significant amounts of unproved property to further our development efforts. Development and drilling and production activities are subject to many risks, including the risk that no commercially productive reservoirs will be discovered. We seek to acquire both proved and producing properties as well as undeveloped acreage that we believe will enhance growth potential and increase our earnings over time. However, we cannot assure you that all of these properties will contain economically viable reserves or that we will not abandon existing properties. Additionally, we cannot assure you that unproved reserves or undeveloped acreage that we acquire will be profitably developed, that new wells drilled on our properties will be productive or that we will recover all or any portion of our capital in our properties and reserves.
The present value of future net cash flows from our proved reserves is not necessarily the same as the current market value of our estimated proved reserves.
We base the estimated discounted future net cash flows from our proved reserves using Standardized Measure and PV-10, each of which uses specified pricing and cost assumptions. However, actual future net cash flows from our oil and natural gas properties will be affected by factors such as the volume, pricing and duration of our hedging contracts; actual prices we receive for oil and natural gas; our actual operating costs in producing oil and natural gas; the amount and timing of our capital expenditures; the amount and timing of actual production; and changes in governmental regulations or taxation. For example, our estimated proved reserves as of November 30, 2021 were calculated under SEC rules by applying year-end SEC prices based on the twelve-month unweighted arithmetic average of the first day of the month oil and natural gas prices for such year end of $64.81 per Bbl and $3.46 per MMBtu, which for certain periods during this time were substantially different from the available market prices. In addition, the 10% discount factor we use when calculating discounted future net cash flows may not be the most appropriate discount factor based on interest rates in effect from time to time and risks associated with us or the oil and natural gas industry in general. Any material inaccuracies in these reserve estimates or underlying assumptions will materially affect the quantities and present value of our reserves, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
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Our business depends on transportation and processing facilities and other assets that are owned by third parties.
The marketability of our oil and natural gas depends in part on the availability, proximity and capacity of pipeline systems, processing facilities, oil trucking fleets and rail transportation assets owned by third parties. The lack of available capacity on these systems and facilities, whether as a result of proration, growth in demand outpacing growth in capacity, physical damage, scheduled maintenance, legal or other reasons such as suspension of service due to legal challenges (see below regarding the Dakota Access Pipeline), could result in a substantial increase in costs, declines in realized oil and natural gas prices, the shut-in of producing wells or the delay or discontinuance of development plans for our properties. In recent periods, we experienced significant delays and production curtailments, and declines in realized natural gas prices, that we believe were due in part to natural gas gathering and processing constraints in the Williston Basin. The negative effects arising from these and similar circumstances may last for an extended period of time. In many cases, operators are provided only with limited, if any, notice as to when these circumstances will arise and their duration. In addition, our wells may be drilled in locations that are serviced to a limited extent, if at all, by gathering and transportation pipelines, which may or may not have sufficient capacity to transport production from all of the wells in the area. As a result, we rely on third-party oil trucking to transport a significant portion of our production to third-party transportation pipelines, rail loading facilities and other market access points. In addition, the third parties on whom operators rely for transportation services are subject to complex federal, state, tribal, and local laws that could adversely affect the cost, manner, or feasibility of conducting business on our oil and natural gas properties. Further, concerns about the safety and security of oil and gas transportation by pipeline may result in public opposition to pipeline development and increased regulation of pipelines by PHMSA. In recent years, PHMSA has increased regulation of onshore gas transmission systems, hazardous liquids pipelines, and gas gathering systems. For example, in November 2021, PHMSA issued a final rule that extended pipeline safety requirements to onshore gas gathering pipelines, and therefore could result in less capacity to transport our products by pipeline. Further, although we do not expect to incur direct costs as a result of increased PHMSA regulation, additional regulation could impact rates charged by our operators and impact their ability to enter into gathering and transportation agreements, which costs could be passed through to us.
The Dakota Access Pipeline (the DAPL), a major pipeline transporting oil from the Williston Basin, is subject to ongoing litigation that could threaten its continued operation. In July 2020, a federal district court vacated the DAPLs easement to cross the Missouri River at Lake Oahe and ordered the pipeline be shut down pending the completion of an environmental impact statement (EIS) to determine whether the DAPL poses a threat to the Missouri River and drinking water supply of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. The shut-down order was later reversed on appeal and the DAPL currently remains in operation while the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (the Corps) conducts the review, which is currently anticipated to be completed in the fall of 2022. Following completion of the EIS, the Corps will determine whether to grant the DAPL an easement to cross the Missouri River at Lake Oahe or to shut down the pipeline. Moreover, the EIS or the Corps decision with respect to an easement may subsequently be challenged in court. As a result, a shut-down remains possible, and there is no guarantee that the DAPL will be permitted to continue operations following the completion of the EIS. Any significant curtailment in gathering system or pipeline capacity, or the unavailability of sufficient third-party trucking or rail capacity, could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Seasonal weather conditions, which may be impacted by climate change, may adversely affect our operators ability to conduct drilling and completion activities and to sell oil and natural gas for periods of time, in some of the areas where our properties are located.
Seasonal weather conditions can limit drilling and completion activities, selling oil and natural gas, and other operations in some of our operating areas. In the Williston Basin, drilling and other oil and natural gas activities on our properties can be adversely affected during the winter months by severe winter weather and drilling on our properties is generally performed during the summer and fall months. These seasonal constraints can pose challenges for meeting well drilling objectives and increase competition for equipment, supplies and personnel during the summer and fall months, which could lead to shortages and increase costs or delay operations. Additionally, many municipalities impose weight restrictions on the paved roads that lead to jobsites due to the muddy conditions caused by spring thaws. This could limit access to jobsites and operators ability to service wells in these areas.
The frequency and severity of severe winter weather conditions which impact our business activities may also be impacted by the effects of climate change. Energy needs could increase or decrease as a result of extreme weather conditions depending on the duration and magnitude of any such climate changes. Increased energy use due to
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weather changes may require us to invest in order to serve increased demand. A decrease in energy use due to weather changes may affect our financial condition through decreased revenues. To the extent the frequency of extreme weather events increases, this could increase our operators costs. If any of these results occur, it could have an adverse effect on our assets and cause us to incur costs in preparing for and responding to them. If any such effects were to occur, our financial condition and results of operations would be materially adversely affected.
As a non-operator, the successful development of our assets relies extensively on third parties, which could have an adverse effect on our results of operations.
We have only participated in wells operated by third parties. The success of our business operations depends on the timing of drilling activities and success of our third-party operators. If our operators are not successful in the development, exploitation, production and exploration activities relating to our leasehold interests, or are unable or unwilling to perform, our financial condition and results of operations would be adversely affected.
These risks are heightened in a low oil and natural gas price environment, which may present significant challenges to our operators. The challenges and risks faced by our operators may be similar to or greater than our own, including with respect to their ability to service their debt, remain in compliance with their debt instruments and, if necessary, access additional capital. Oil and natural gas prices and/or other conditions have in the past and may in the future cause oil and natural gas operators to file for bankruptcy. The insolvency of an operator of any of our properties, the failure of an operator of any of our properties to adequately perform operations or an operators breach of applicable agreements could reduce our production and revenue and result in our liability to governmental authorities for compliance with environmental, safety and other regulatory requirements, to the operators suppliers and vendors and to royalty owners under oil and natural gas leases jointly owned with the operator or another insolvent owner.
Our operators will make decisions in connection with their operations (subject to their contractual and legal obligations to other owners of working interests), which may not be in our best interests. We may have no ability to exercise influence over the operational decisions of our operators, including the setting of capital expenditure budgets and drilling locations and schedules. Dependence on our operators could prevent us from realizing our target returns for those locations. The success and timing of development activities by our operators will depend on a number of factors that will largely be outside of our control, including oil and natural gas prices and other factors generally affecting the oil and natural gas industrys operating environment; the timing and amount of capital expenditures; their expertise and financial resources; approval of other participants in drilling wells; selection of technology; and the rate of production of reserves, if any.
The inability of one or more of our operators to meet their obligations to us may adversely affect our financial results.
Our exposures to credit risk are, in part, through receivables resulting from the sale of our oil and natural gas production, which operators market on our behalf to energy marketing companies, refineries and their affiliates. We are subject to credit risk due to the relative concentration of our oil and natural gas receivables with a limited number of operators. This concentration may impact our overall credit risk since these entities may be similarly affected by changes in economic and other conditions. A low oil and natural gas price environment may strain our operators, which could heighten this risk. The inability or failure of our operators to meet their obligations to us or their insolvency or liquidation may adversely affect our financial results.
We could experience periods of higher costs as activity levels fluctuate or if oil and natural gas prices rise. These increases could reduce our profitability, cash flow, and ability to complete development activities as planned.
An increase in oil and natural gas prices or other factors could result in increased development activity and investment in our areas of operations, which may increase competition for and cost of equipment, labor and supplies. Shortages of, or increasing costs for, experienced drilling crews and equipment, labor or supplies could restrict our operators ability to conduct desired or expected operations. In addition, capital and operating costs in the oil and natural gas industry have generally risen during periods of increasing oil and natural gas prices as producers seek to increase production in order to capitalize on higher oil and natural gas prices. In situations where cost inflation exceeds oil and natural gas price inflation, our profitability and cash flow, and our operators ability to complete development activities as scheduled and on budget, may be negatively impacted. Any delay in the drilling of new wells or significant increase in drilling costs could reduce our revenues and profitability.
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The development of our proved undeveloped reserves may take longer and may require higher levels of capital expenditures than we currently anticipate. Therefore, these undeveloped reserves may not be ultimately developed or produced.
Approximately 35.3% of our estimated net proved reserves volumes were classified as proved undeveloped as of November 30, 2021. Development of undeveloped reserves may take longer and require higher levels of capital expenditures than we currently anticipate. Delays in the development of our reserves or increases in costs to drill and develop such reserves will reduce the PV-10 value of our estimated proved undeveloped reserves and future net revenues estimated for such reserves and may result in some projects becoming uneconomic. In addition, delays in the development of reserves could cause us to have to reclassify our proved undeveloped reserves as unproved reserves.
Our acquisition strategy will subject us to certain risks associated with the inherent uncertainty in evaluating properties for which we have limited information.
We intend to continue to expand our operations in part through acquisitions. Our decision to acquire a property will depend in part on the evaluation of data obtained from production reports and engineering studies, geophysical and geological analyses and seismic and other information, the results of which are often inconclusive and subject to various interpretations. Also, our reviews of acquired properties are inherently incomplete because it generally is not economically feasible to perform an in-depth review of the individual properties involved in each acquisition. Even a detailed review of records and properties may not necessarily reveal existing or potential problems, nor will it permit us to become sufficiently familiar with the properties to assess fully their deficiencies and potential recoverable reserves. On-site inspections are often not performed on properties being acquired, and environmental matters, such as subsurface contamination, are not necessarily observable even when an on-site inspection is undertaken. Any acquisition involves other potential risks, including, among other things:
∎ | the validity of our assumptions about reserves, future production, revenues and costs; |
∎ | a decrease in our liquidity by using a significant portion of our cash from operations or borrowing capacity to finance acquisitions; |
∎ | a significant increase in our interest expense or financial leverage if we incur additional debt to finance acquisitions; |
∎ | the ultimate value of any contingent consideration agreed to be paid in an acquisition; |
∎ | dilution to stockholders if we use equity as consideration for, or to finance, acquisitions; |
∎ | the assumption of unknown liabilities, losses or costs for which we are not indemnified or for which our indemnity is inadequate; |
∎ | geological risk, which refers to the risk that hydrocarbons may not be present or, if present, may not be recoverable economically; |
∎ | an inability to hire, train or retain qualified personnel to manage and operate our growing business and assets; and |
∎ | an increase in our costs or a decrease in our revenues associated with any potential royalty owner or landowner claims or disputes, or other litigation encountered in connection with an acquisition. |
We may also acquire multiple assets in a single transaction. Portfolio acquisitions via joint-venture or other structures are more complex and expensive than single project acquisitions, and the risk that a multiple-project acquisition will not close may be greater than in a single-project acquisition. An acquisition of a portfolio of projects may result in our ownership of projects in geographically dispersed markets which place additional demands on our ability to manage such operations. A seller may require that a group of projects be purchased as a package, even though one or more of the projects in the portfolio does not meet our strategic objectives. In such cases, we may attempt to make a joint bid with another buyer, and such other buyer may default on its obligations.
Further, we may acquire properties subject to known or unknown liabilities and with limited or no recourse to the former owners or operators. As a result, if liability were asserted against us based upon such properties, we may have to pay substantial sums to dispute or remedy the matter, which could adversely affect our profitability. Unknown liabilities with respect to assets acquired could include, for example: liabilities for clean-up of undiscovered or undisclosed environmental contamination; claims by developers, site owners, vendors or other persons relating to the
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asset or project site; liabilities incurred in the ordinary course of business; and claims for indemnification by general partners, directors, officers and others indemnified by the former owners of the asset or project sites.
We may be unable to successfully integrate any assets we may acquire in the future into our business or achieve the anticipated benefits of such acquisitions.
Our ability to achieve the anticipated benefits of any future acquisitions will depend in part upon whether we can integrate the acquired assets into our existing business in an efficient and effective manner. We may not be able to accomplish this integration process successfully. The successful acquisition of producing properties requires an assessment of several factors, including:
∎ | recoverable reserves; |
∎ | future oil and natural gas prices and their appropriate Differentials; |
∎ | availability and cost of transportation of production to markets; |
∎ | availability and cost of drilling equipment and of skilled personnel; |
∎ | development and operating costs including access to water and potential environmental and other liabilities; and |
∎ | regulatory, permitting and similar matters. |
The accuracy of these assessments is inherently uncertain. In connection with these assessments, we have performed reviews of the subject properties that we believe to be generally consistent with industry practices. The reviews are based on our analysis of historical production data, assumptions regarding capital expenditures and anticipated production declines without review by an independent petroleum engineering firm. Data used in such reviews are typically furnished by the seller or obtained from publicly available sources. Our review may not reveal all existing or potential problems or permit us to fully assess the deficiencies and potential recoverable reserves for all of the acquired properties, and the reserves and production related to the acquired properties may differ materially after such data is reviewed by an independent petroleum engineering firm or further by us. On-site inspections will not always be performed on every well, and environmental problems are not necessarily observable even when an on-site inspection is undertaken. Even when problems are identified, the seller may be unwilling or unable to provide effective contractual protection against all or a portion of the underlying deficiencies. We are often not entitled to contractual indemnification for environmental liabilities and acquire properties on an as is basis, and, as is the case with certain liabilities associated with the assets acquired in our recent acquisitions, we are entitled to indemnification for only certain operational liabilities. The integration process may be subject to delays or changed circumstances, and we can give no assurance that our recently acquired assets will perform in accordance with our expectations or that our expectations with respect to integration or cost savings as a result of such acquisitions will materialize.
The majority of our producing properties are located in the Williston Basin, making us vulnerable to risks associated with operating in one major geographic area.
Our oil and natural gas properties are focused on the Williston Basin, which means our current producing properties and new drilling opportunities are geographically concentrated in that area. Because our oil and natural gas properties are not as diversified geographically as some of our competitors, our profitability may be disproportionately exposed to the effect of any regional events, including fluctuations in prices of oil and natural gas produced from the wells in the region, natural disasters, restrictive governmental regulations, transportation capacity constraints, weather, curtailment of production or interruption of transportation and processing, and any resulting delays or interruptions of production from existing or planned new wells.
The loss of any member of our management team, upon whose knowledge, relationships with industry participants, leadership and technical expertise we rely could diminish our ability to conduct our operations and harm our ability to execute our business plan.
Our success depends heavily upon the continued contributions of those members of our management team whose knowledge, relationships with industry participants, leadership and technical expertise would be difficult to replace. In particular, our ability to successfully acquire additional properties, to increase our reserves, to participate in drilling opportunities and to identify and enter into commercial arrangements depends on developing and maintaining close working relationships with industry participants. In addition, our ability to select and evaluate suitable properties and to consummate transactions in a highly competitive environment is dependent on our
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management teams knowledge and expertise in the industry. To continue to develop our business, we rely on our management teams knowledge and expertise in the industry and will use our management teams relationships with industry participants to enter into strategic relationships. The members of our management team may terminate their employment with our company at any time. If we were to lose members of our management team, we may not be able to replace the knowledge or relationships that they possess and our ability to execute our business plan could be materially harmed.
Deficiencies of title to our leased interests could significantly affect our financial condition.
We typically do not incur the expense of a title examination prior to acquiring oil and natural gas leases or undivided interests in oil and natural gas leases or other developed rights. If an examination of the title history of a property reveals that an oil or natural gas lease or other developed rights have been purchased in error from a person who is not the owner of the mineral interest desired, our interest would substantially decline in value or be eliminated. In such cases, the amount paid for such oil or natural gas lease or leases or other developed rights may be lost. It is generally our practice not to incur the expense of retaining lawyers to examine the title to the mineral interest to be acquired. Rather, we typically rely upon the judgment of our own oil and natural gas landmen who conduct due diligence and perform the fieldwork in examining records in the appropriate governmental or county clerks office before attempting to acquire a lease or other developed rights in a specific mineral interest.
Prior to drilling an oil or natural gas well, however, it is the normal practice in the oil and natural gas industry for the company acting as the operator of the well to obtain a title examination of the spacing unit within which the proposed oil or natural gas well is to be drilled to ensure there are no obvious deficiencies in title to the well. Frequently, as a result of such examinations, certain curative work must be done to correct deficiencies in the marketability of the title, such as obtaining affidavits of heirship or causing an estate to be administered. Such curative work entails expense, and the operator may elect to proceed with a well despite defects to the title identified in the title opinion. Furthermore, title issues may arise at a later date that were not initially detected in any title review or examination. Any one or more of the foregoing could require us to reverse revenues previously recognized and potentially negatively affect our cash flows and results of operations. Our failure to obtain perfect title to our leaseholds may adversely affect our current production and reserves and our ability in the future to increase production and reserves.
We conduct business in a highly competitive industry.
The oil and natural gas industry is highly competitive. The key areas in respect of which we face competition include: acquisition of assets offered for sale by other companies; access to capital (debt and equity) for financing and operational purposes; purchasing, leasing, hiring, chartering or other procuring of equipment by our operators that may be scarce; and employment of qualified and experienced skilled management and oil and natural gas professionals.
Competition in our markets is intense and depends, among other things, on the number of competitors in the market, their financial resources, their degree of geological, geophysical, engineering and management expertise and capabilities, their pricing policies, their ability to develop properties on time and on budget, their ability to select, acquire and develop reserves and their ability to foster and maintain relationships with the relevant authorities.
Our competitors also include those entities with greater technical, physical and financial resources. Finally, companies and certain private equity firms not previously investing in oil and natural gas may choose to acquire reserves to establish a firm supply or simply as an investment. Any such companies will also increase market competition which may directly affect us. If we are unsuccessful in competing against other companies, our business, results of operations, financial condition or prospects could be materially adversely affected.
The ongoing military conflict between Ukraine and Russia has caused unstable market and economic conditions and is expected to have additional global consequences, such as heightened risks of cyberattacks. Our business, financial condition, and results of operations may be materially adversely affected by the negative global and economic impact resulting from the military conflict in Ukraine or any other geopolitical tensions.
U.S. and global markets are experiencing volatility and disruption following the escalation of geopolitical tensions and the start of the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine. On February 24, 2022, a full-scale military invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops began. Although the length and impact of the ongoing military conflict is highly unpredictable, the military conflict in Ukraine has led to market disruptions, including significant volatility in
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oil and natural gas prices, credit and capital markets, as well as supply chain disruptions. Various of Russias actions have led to sanctions and other penalties being levied by the United States, the European Union, and other countries, as well as other public and private actors and companies, against Russia and certain other geographic areas, including restrictions on imports of Russian oil, LNG and coal. These disruptions in the oil and natural gas markets have caused, and could continue to cause, significant volatility in energy prices, which could have a material effect on our business. Additional potential sanctions and penalties have also been proposed and/or threatened.
In addition, the United States and other countries have imposed sanctions on Russia which increases the risk that Russia, as a retaliatory action, may launch cyberattacks against the United States, its government, infrastructure and businesses. On March 21, 2022, the Biden Administration issued warnings about the potential for Russia to engage in malicious cyber activity against the United States in response to the economic sanctions that have been imposed.
Prolonged unfavorable economic conditions or uncertainty as a result of the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine may adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Any of the foregoing may also magnify the impact of other risks described in this Information Statement.
Inflation could adversely impact our ability to control our costs, including the operating expenses and capital costs of our operators.
Although inflation in the United States has been relatively low in recent years, it rose significantly beginning in the second half of 2021 and has continued to rise through the first nine months of 2022. This is believed to be the result of the economic impact from the COVID-19 pandemic, including the effects of global supply chain disruptions and government stimulus packages, among other factors. Global, industry-wide supply chain disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in shortages in labor, materials and services. Such shortages have resulted in inflationary cost increases for labor, materials and services and could continue to cause costs to increase as well as scarcity of certain products and raw materials. We have experienced drilling and completion cost increases of approximately 10% between 2021 and 2022, and we cannot predict the extent of any future increases. To the extent elevated inflation remains, our operators may experience further cost increases for their operations, including oilfield services, labor costs, and equipment if drilling activity in our operators areas of operations increases. Higher oil and natural gas prices may cause the costs of materials and services to continue to rise. We cannot predict any future trends in the rate of inflation and a significant increase in inflation, to the extent we are unable to recover higher costs through higher oil and natural gas prices and revenues, would negatively impact our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our derivatives activities could adversely affect our profitability, cash flow, results of operations and financial condition.
To achieve more predictable cash flows and reduce our exposure to adverse fluctuations in the price of oil and natural gas, we enter into derivative instrument contracts for a portion of our expected production, which may include swaps, collars, puts and other structures. See Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of OperationsQuantitative and Qualitative Disclosure about Market RiskCommodity Price Risk. By using derivative instrument contracts to reduce our exposure to adverse fluctuations in the price of oil and natural gas, we could limit the benefit we would receive from increases in the prices for oil and natural gas, which could have an adverse effect on our profitability, cash flow, results of operations and financial condition. Likewise, to the extent our production is not hedged, we are exposed to declines in oil and natural gas prices, and our derivative arrangements may be inadequate to protect us from continuing and prolonged declines in oil and natural gas prices. In accordance with applicable accounting principles, we are required to record our derivatives at fair market value, and they are included on our balance sheet as assets or liabilities and in our statements of operations as gain (loss) on commodity derivatives, net. Accordingly, our earnings may fluctuate significantly as a result of changes in the fair market value of our derivative instruments. In addition, while intended to mitigate the effects of volatile oil and natural gas prices, our derivatives transactions may limit our potential gains and increase our potential losses if oil and natural gas prices were to rise substantially over the price established by the hedge.
Our actual future production may be significantly higher or lower than we estimate at the time we enter into derivative contracts for such period. If the actual amount of production is higher than we estimate, we will have greater oil and natural gas price exposure than we intended. If the actual amount of production is lower than the
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notional amount that is subject to our derivative financial instruments, we might be forced to satisfy all or a portion of our derivative transactions without the benefit of the cash flow from our sale of the underlying physical commodity, resulting in a substantial diminution of our liquidity. As a result of these factors, our hedging activities may not be as effective as we intend in reducing the volatility of our cash flows, and in certain circumstances may actually increase the volatility of our cash flows. In addition, such transactions may expose us to the risk of loss in certain circumstances, including instances in which a counterparty to our derivative contracts is unable to satisfy its obligations under the contracts; our production is less than expected; or there is a widening of price Differentials between delivery points for our production and the delivery point assumed in the derivative arrangement. Disruptions in the financial markets could lead to sudden decreases in a counterpartys liquidity, which could make it unable to perform under the terms of the contracts, and we may not be able to realize the benefit of the contracts. We are unable to predict sudden changes in a counterpartys creditworthiness or ability to perform. Even if we do accurately predict sudden changes, our ability to negate the risk may be limited depending upon market conditions.
Asset retirement costs may be difficult to predict and may be substantial. Unplanned costs could divert resources from other projects.
We are responsible for costs associated with plugging, abandoning and reclaiming wells, pipelines and other facilities that we use for production of oil and natural gas reserves. Abandonment and reclamation of these facilities and the costs associated therewith is often referred to as asset retirement. We accrue a liability for asset retirement costs associated with our wells, but have not established any cash reserve account for these potential costs in respect of any of our properties. It may be difficult for us to predict such asset retirement costs. If asset retirement is required before economic depletion of our properties or if our estimates of the costs of asset retirement exceed the value of the reserves remaining at any particular time to cover such asset retirement costs, we may have to draw on funds from other sources to satisfy such costs, which may be substantial. The use of other funds to satisfy such asset retirement costs could impair our ability to dedicate our capital to other areas of our business.
We depend on computer and telecommunications systems, and failures in our systems or cyber security threats, attacks or other disruptions could significantly disrupt our business operations.
We have entered into agreements with third parties for hardware, software, telecommunications and other information technology services in connection with our business. In addition, we have developed or may develop proprietary software systems, management techniques and other information technologies incorporating software licensed from third parties. It is possible that we, or these third parties, could incur interruptions from cyber security attacks, computer viruses or malware, or that third-party service providers could cause a breach of our data. We believe that we have positive relations with our related vendors and maintain adequate anti-virus and malware software and controls; however, any interruptions to our arrangements with third parties for our computing and communications infrastructure or any other interruptions to, or breaches of, our information systems could lead to data corruption, communication interruption, loss of sensitive or confidential information or otherwise significantly disrupt our business operations. Although we utilize various procedures and controls to monitor these threats and mitigate our exposure to such threats, there can be no assurance that these procedures and controls will be sufficient in preventing security threats from materializing. Furthermore, various third-party resources that we rely on, directly or indirectly, in the operation of our business (such as pipelines and other infrastructure) could suffer interruptions or breaches from cyber-attacks or similar events that are entirely outside our control, and any such events could significantly disrupt our business operations and/or have a material adverse effect on our results of operations. To our knowledge we have not experienced any material losses relating to cyber-attacks; however, there can be no assurance that we will not suffer material losses in the future.
In addition, our operators face various security threats, including cyber security threats to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information or to render data or systems unusable, threats to the security of their facilities and infrastructure or third-party facilities and infrastructure, such as processing plants and pipelines, and threats from terrorist acts. If any of these security breaches were to occur, they could lead to losses of sensitive information, critical infrastructure or capabilities essential to operations and could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows. The U.S. government has issued warnings that U.S. energy assets may be the future targets of terrorist organizations. These developments subject operations on our oil and natural gas properties to increased risks. Any future terrorist attack at our operators facilities, or those of their purchasers or vendors, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and operations.
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Fuel conservation measures and related governmental initiatives, technological advances and negative shift in market perception towards the oil and natural gas industry could reduce demand for oil and natural gas.
Fuel conservation measures, alternative fuel requirements, increasing consumer demand for alternatives to oil and natural gas, technological advances in fuel economy and energy generation devices, and the increased competitiveness of alternative energy sources could reduce demand for oil and natural gas. Additionally, the increased competitiveness of alternative energy sources (such as wind, solar, geothermal, tidal, fuel cells and biofuels) could reduce demand for oil and natural gas and, therefore, our revenues.
Our business could also be impacted by governmental initiatives to encourage the conservation of energy or the use of alternative energy sources. For example, in November 2021, the Biden Administration released The Long-Term Strategy of the United States: Pathways to Net-Zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 2050, which establishes a roadmap to net zero emissions in the United States by 2050 through, among other things, improving energy efficiency; decarbonizing energy sources via electricity, hydrogen, and sustainable biofuels; and reducing non-CO2 GHG emissions, such as methane and nitrous oxide. In addition, in August 2022, Congress passed, and President Biden signed, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 includes a variety of clean-energy tax credits and establishes a program designed to reduce methane emissions from oil and gas operations. These initiatives or similar state or federal initiatives to reduce energy consumption or encourage a shift away from fossil fuels could reduce demand for hydrocarbons and have a material adverse effect on our earnings, cash flows and financial condition.
Additionally, certain segments of the investor community have recently expressed negative sentiment towards investing in the oil and natural gas industry. Recent equity returns in the sector versus other industry sectors have led to lower oil and natural gas representation in certain key equity market indices. Some investors, including certain pension funds, university endowments and family foundations, have stated policies to reduce or eliminate their investments in the oil and natural gas sector based on social and environmental considerations. Furthermore, certain other stakeholders have pressured commercial and investment banks to stop funding oil and natural gas projects. With the continued volatility in oil and natural gas prices, and the possibility that interest rates will continue to rise in the near term, increasing the cost of borrowing, certain investors have emphasized capital efficiency and free cash flow from earnings as key drivers for energy companies, especially shale producers. This may also result in a reduction of available capital funding for potential development projects, further impacting our future financial results.
The impact of the changing demand for oil and natural gas services and products, together with a change in investor sentiment, may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Furthermore, if we are unable to achieve the desired level of capital efficiency or free cash flow within the timeframe expected by the market, our stock price may be adversely affected.
Increased attention to ESG matters may impact our business.
Increasing attention to climate change, increasing societal expectations on companies to address climate change, increasing investor and societal expectations regarding voluntary ESG disclosures, and increasing consumer demand for alternatives to oil and natural gas may result in increased costs, reduced demand for our products, reduced profits, increased investigations and litigation, and negative impacts on our access to capital markets. Increasing attention to climate change and any related negative public perception regarding our industry, for example, may result in demand shifts for natural gas and oil products, increased litigation risk, and increased regulatory, legislative and judicial scrutiny, which may, in turn, lead to new state and federal safety and environmental laws, regulations, guidelines and enforcement interpretations.
In addition, organizations that provide information to investors on corporate governance and related matters have developed ratings processes for evaluating companies on their approach to ESG matters. Such ratings are used by some investors to inform their investment and voting decisions. Unfavorable ESG ratings and recent activism directed at shifting funding away from companies with energy-related assets could lead to increased negative investor sentiment toward us and our industry and to the diversion of investment to other industries, which could have a negative impact on our stock price and our access to and costs of capital. Also, institutional lenders may, of their own accord, elect not to provide funding for fossil fuel energy companies based on climate change related concerns, which could affect our access to capital for potential growth projects.
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Risks Relating to Our Indebtedness
Any significant reduction in the borrowing base under our New Revolving Credit Facility may negatively impact our liquidity and could adversely affect our business and financial results.
Availability under our New Revolving Credit Facility is expected to be subject to a borrowing base, with scheduled semiannual and other elective borrowing base redeterminations based upon, among other things, projected revenues from, and asset values of, the oil and natural gas properties securing the New Revolving Credit Facility. As a result of these borrowing base redeterminations, the lenders under the New Revolving Credit Facility are expected to be able to unilaterally determine and adjust the borrowing base and the borrowings permitted to be outstanding under our New Revolving Credit Facility. Reductions in estimates of our producing oil and natural gas reserves could result in a reduction of our borrowing base thereunder. The same could also arise from other factors, including but not limited to lower commodity prices or production; operating difficulties; changes in oil and natural gas reserve engineering; increased operating and/or capital costs; lending requirements or regulations; or other factors affecting our lenders ability or willingness to lend (including factors that may be unrelated to our company). Any significant reduction in our borrowing base could result in a default under current and/or future debt instruments, negatively impact our liquidity and our ability to fund our operations and, as a result, could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations and cash flow. Further, if the outstanding borrowings under our New Revolving Credit Facility were to exceed the borrowing base as a result of any such redetermination, we could be required to repay the excess. If we do not have sufficient funds and we are otherwise unable to arrange new financing, we may have to sell significant assets or take other actions. Any such sale or other actions could have a material adverse effect on our business and financial results.
Our New Revolving Credit Facility and other agreements governing indebtedness may contain operating and financial restrictions that may restrict our business and financing activities.
Our New Revolving Credit Facility and any future indebtedness we incur may contain a number of restrictive covenants that will impose operating and financial restrictions on us, including restrictions on our ability to, among other things: declare or pay any dividend or make any other distributions on, purchase or redeem our equity interests; make loans or certain investments; make certain acquisitions; incur or guarantee additional indebtedness or issue certain types of equity securities; incur liens; transfer or sell assets; create subsidiaries; consolidate, merge or transfer all or substantially all of our assets; and engage in transactions with our affiliates. For a description of the covenants limiting our ability to pay dividends and distributions, see Our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders is restricted by applicable laws and regulations and may be limited by requirements under our New Revolving Credit Facility. In addition, we expect the New Revolving Credit Facility to require us to maintain compliance with certain financial covenants and other covenants. As a result of these anticipated covenants, we could be limited in the manner in which we conduct our business, and we may be unable to engage in favorable business activities or finance future operations or capital needs.
Our ability to comply with some of the anticipated covenants and restrictions may be affected by events beyond our control. If market or other economic conditions deteriorate, our ability to comply with these covenants may be impaired. A failure to comply with the covenants, ratios or tests in our New Revolving Credit Facility or any other indebtedness could result in an event of default under our New Revolving Credit Facility, which, if not cured or waived, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. If an event of default under our New Revolving Credit Facility occurs and remains uncured, the lenders thereunder would not be required to lend any additional amounts to us and could elect to declare all borrowings outstanding, together with accrued and unpaid interest and fees, to be immediately due and payable. If the payment of debt were accelerated, cash flows from our operations may be insufficient to repay such debt in full and our stockholders could experience a partial or total loss of their investment. We anticipate that our New Revolving Credit Facility will contain customary events of default, including the occurrence of a change in control.
An event of default or an acceleration under our New Revolving Credit Facility could result in an event of default and an acceleration under other existing or future indebtedness. Conversely, an event of default or an acceleration under any other existing or future indebtedness could result in an event of default and an acceleration under our New Revolving Credit Facility. In addition, we expect that our obligations under the New Revolving Credit Facility will be collateralized by perfected liens and security interests on substantially all of our assets and if we default thereunder the lenders could seek to foreclose on our assets.
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We may not be able to generate enough cash flow to meet our debt obligations or to pay dividends to our stockholders.
Our earnings and cash flow may vary significantly from year to year due to the cyclical nature of our industry. As a result, the amount of debt that we can service in some periods may not be appropriate for us in other periods. Additionally, our future cash flow may be insufficient to meet our debt obligations and commitments, or to permit us to pay dividends to our stockholders. Any insufficiency could negatively impact our business. A range of economic, competitive, business and industry factors will affect our future financial performance, and, as a result, our ability to generate cash flow from operations and to pay our debt or dividends. Many of these factors, such as oil and natural gas prices, economic and financial conditions in our industry and the global economy or competitive initiatives of our competitors, are beyond our control.
If we do not generate enough cash flow from operations to satisfy our debt obligations, we may have to undertake alternative financing plans, such as refinancing or restructuring our debt; selling assets; reducing or delaying capital investments; or seeking to raise additional capital. However, we cannot assure you that undertaking alternative financing plans, if necessary, would allow us to meet our debt obligations or pay dividends. Our inability to generate sufficient cash flow to satisfy our debt obligations or pay dividends, or to obtain alternative financing, could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects.
Our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders is restricted by applicable laws and regulations and may be limited by requirements under our New Revolving Credit Facility.
Holders of our common stock are only entitled to receive such cash dividends as our Board, in its sole discretion, may declare out of funds legally available for such payments. We made cash distributions to our members totaling $25.0 million during 2019, $0.0 during 2020, $12.0 million during 2021, and $42.0 million during the nine months ended August 31, 2022. We do not currently intend to pay additional cash distributions pending completion of the Spin-Off. We cannot assure you that we will pay dividends following the Spin-Off. Our Board may change the timing and amount of any future dividend payments or eliminate the payment of future dividends to our stockholders at its discretion, without notice to our stockholders. Any future determination relating to our dividend policy will be dependent on a variety of factors, including our financial condition, earnings, legal requirements, our general liquidity needs, and other factors that our Board deems relevant. Our ability to declare and pay dividends to our stockholders is subject to certain laws, regulations, and policies, including minimum capital requirements and, as a Delaware corporation, we are subject to certain restrictions on dividends under the DGCL. Under the DGCL, our Board may not authorize payment of a dividend unless it is either paid out of our surplus, as calculated in accordance with the DGCL, or if we do not have a surplus, it is paid out of our net profits for the fiscal year in which the dividend is declared and/or the preceding fiscal year. Finally, our ability to pay dividends to our stockholders is limited by covenants in the Existing Revolving Credit Facility and may be limited by covenants in any debt agreements that we may enter into in the future, including our New Revolving Credit Facility. Under our Existing Revolving Credit Facility, we are permitted to make cash distributions without limit to our equity holders if (i) no event of default or borrowing base deficiency (i.e., outstanding debt (including loans and letters of credit) exceeds the borrowing base) then exists or would result from such distribution, and (ii) after giving effect to such distribution, (a) our total outstanding credit usage does not exceed 70% of the least of (the following collectively referred to as Commitments): (1) $500 million, (2) our then-effective borrowing base, and (3) the then-effective aggregate amount of our lenders commitments and (b) as of the date of such distribution, the ratio of our total funded debt to EBITDAX (as defined in our Existing Revolving Credit Facility) for the four fiscal quarters ending on the last day of the fiscal quarter most recently ended for which financial statements are available (the EBITDAX Ratio) does not exceed 1.50 to 1.00. If our total outstanding credit usage is between 70% and 80% of the Commitments, we may make distributions if, in addition to the foregoing conditions, (i) our EBITDAX Ratio does not exceed 2.25 to 1.00, (ii) we have free cash flow, as defined under the Existing Revolving Credit Facility, greater than $0 and (iii) we have delivered a certificate to our lenders attesting to the foregoing. Under the New Revolving Credit Facility, we anticipate we will be permitted to make cash distributions without limit to our equity holders if (i) no event of default or borrowing base deficiency (i.e., outstanding debt (including loans and letters of credit) exceeds the borrowing base) then exists or would result from such distribution and (ii) after giving effect to such distribution, (a) our total outstanding credit usage does not exceed 80% of the least of (the following collectively referred to as Commitments): (1) $500 million, (2) our then-effective borrowing base, and (3) the then-effective aggregate amount of our lenders commitments and (b) as of the date of such distribution, the EBITDAX Ratio does not exceed 1.50 to 1.00. If our EBITDAX Ratio does not exceed 2.25 to 1.00, and if our total outstanding credit usage does not exceed 80% of the Commitments, we may also make distributions if our free cash flow (as defined under the New
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Revolving Credit Facility) is greater than $0 and we have delivered a certificate to our lenders attesting to the foregoing. We expect that the dividend restrictions under our New Revolving Credit Facility will be no less favorable than those in our Existing Revolving Credit Facility. The summaries above do not purport to be complete and you are encouraged to read the Existing Revolving Credit Facility and the form of the New Revolving Credit Facility, which are filed as exhibits to our Registration Statement on Form 10, of which this Information Statement is part, for greater detail with respect to these provisions. As a consequence of these various limitations and restrictions, we may not be able to make, or may have to reduce or eliminate at any time, the payment of dividends on our common stock. If as a result, we are unable to pay dividends, investors may be forced to rely on sales of their common stock after price appreciation, which may never occur, as the only way to realize a return on their investment. Any change in the level of our dividends or the suspension of the payment thereof could have a material adverse effect on the market price of our common stock.
Variable rate indebtedness could subject us to interest rate risk, which could cause our debt service obligations to increase significantly.
Our New Revolving Credit Facility may use SOFR as a reference rate for borrowings. Borrowings under our New Revolving Credit Facility may bear interest at variable rates and expose us to interest rate risk. If interest rates increase and we are unable to effectively hedge our interest rate risk, our debt service obligations on the variable rate indebtedness would increase even if the amount borrowed remained the same, and our net income and cash available for servicing our indebtedness would decrease.
We may be adversely affected by developments in the SOFR market, changes in the methods by which SOFR is determined or the use of alternative reference rates.
In 2017, the U.K. Financial Conduct Authority announced that it intended to phase out LIBOR, and in 2021, it announced that all LIBOR settings will either cease to be provided by any administrator or no longer be representative immediately after December 31, 2021, in the case of one-week and two-month U.S. Dollar settings, and immediately after June 30, 2023, in the case of the remaining U.S. Dollar settings. The Federal Reserve also has advised banks to cease entering into new contracts that use U.S. Dollar LIBOR as a reference rate. The Alternative Refinance Rate Committee, a committee convened by the Federal Reserve that includes major market participants, has identified SOFR, a new index calculated by short-term repurchase agreements, backed by U.S. Treasury securities, as its preferred alternative rate for LIBOR in the U.S. Although SOFR appears to be the preferred replacement rate for U.S. Dollar LIBOR, it is unclear if other benchmarks may emerge. The consequences of these developments cannot be entirely predicted, and there can be no assurance that they will not result in financial market disruptions, significant increases in benchmark interest rates, substantially higher financing costs or a shortage of available debt financing, any of which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial position and results of operations, and our ability to pay dividends on our common stock.
Our business plan requires the expenditure of significant capital, which we may be unable to obtain on favorable terms or at all.
Our acquisition and development activities require substantial capital expenditures. Historically, we have funded our capital expenditures through a combination of cash flow from operations, borrowings under our credit facilities and equity issuances. Cash reserves, cash from operations and borrowings under our New Revolving Credit Facility may not be sufficient to fund our continuing operations and business plan and goals. We may require additional capital and we may be unable to obtain such capital if and when required. If our access to capital were limited due to numerous factors, which could include a decrease in operating cash flow due to lower oil and natural gas prices or decreased production or deterioration of the credit and capital markets, we would have a reduced ability to develop our properties, replace our reserves and pursue our business plan and goals. We may not be able to incur additional debt under our New Revolving Credit Facility, issue debt or equity, engage in asset sales or access other methods of financing on acceptable terms or at all. If the amount of capital we are able to raise from financing activities, together with our cash from operations, is not sufficient to satisfy our capital requirements, we may not be able to implement our business plan and may be required to scale back our operations, sell assets at unattractive prices or obtain financing on unattractive terms, any of which could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.
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Risks Relating to Legal and Regulatory Matters
The current presidential administration, acting through the executive branch and/or in coordination with Congress, already has ordered or proposed, and could enact additional rules and regulations that restrict our ability to acquire federal leases in the future and/or impose more onerous permitting and other costly environmental, health and safety requirements.
We are affected by the adoption of laws, regulations and policy directives that, for economic, environmental protection or other policy reasons, could curtail exploration and development drilling for oil and natural gas. For example, in January 2021, President Biden signed an Executive Order directing the DOI to temporarily pause new oil and natural gas leases on federal lands and waters pending completion of a comprehensive review of the federal governments existing oil and natural gas leasing and permitting program. In June 2021, a federal district court enjoined the DOI from implementing the pause and leasing resumed, although litigation over the leasing pause remains ongoing. As a result, it is difficult to predict if and when such areas may be made available for future exploration activities. In addition, in November 2021, the EPA proposed a new rule that would impose more stringent methane emissions standards for new and modified sources in the oil and natural gas industry, and to regulate existing sources in the oil and natural gas industry for the first time. A supplemental proposed rule, which may expand or modify the current proposed rule, and final rule are expected by the end of 2022. For existing sources, the current proposed rule would require each state to incorporate the emission guidelines proposed by the EPA or to adopt their own standards that achieve the same degree of emissions limitations. Further, in September 2021, President Biden publicly announced the Global Methane Pledge, an international pact that aims to reduce global methane emissions to at least 30% below 2020 levels by 2030. These efforts, among others, are intended to support the current administrations stated goal of addressing climate change. Potential actions of a Democratic-controlled Congress include imposing more restrictive laws and regulations pertaining to permitting, limitations on GHG emissions, increased requirements for financial assurance and bonding for decommissioning liabilities, and carbon taxes. For example, in August 2022, Congress passed, and President Biden signed, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 includes a variety of clean-energy tax credits and establishes a program designed to reduce methane emissions from certain oil and natural gas facilities. Any of these administrative or Congressional actions could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations by restricting the lands available for development and/or access to permits required for such development, or by imposing additional and costly environmental, health and safety requirements.
Certain U.S. federal income tax deductions currently available with respect to oil and natural gas development may be eliminated as a result of future legislation.
From time to time, legislation has been proposed that would, if enacted into law, make significant changes to U.S. tax laws, including certain key U.S. federal income tax provisions currently available to oil and natural gas companies. Such legislative changes have included, but not been limited to, (1) the repeal of the percentage depletion allowance for natural gas and oil properties, (2) the elimination of current deductions for intangible drilling and development costs, and (3) an extension of the amortization period for certain geological and geophysical expenditures. Although these provisions were largely unchanged in the most recent federal tax legislation, certain of these changes were considered for inclusion in the proposed Build Back Better Act and Congress could consider, and could include, some or all of these proposals as part of future tax reform legislation. Moreover, other more general features of any additional tax reform legislation, including changes to cost recovery rules, may be developed that also would change the taxation of oil and natural gas companies. It is unclear whether these or similar changes will be enacted in future legislation and, if enacted, how soon any such changes could take effect. The passage of any legislation as a result of these proposals or any similar changes in U.S. federal income tax laws could eliminate or postpone certain tax deductions that currently are available with respect to oil and natural gas development or increase costs, and any such changes could have an adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations and cash flows.
Our business involves the selling and shipping by rail of oil, which involves risks of derailment, accidents and liabilities associated with cleanup and damages, as well as potential regulatory changes that may adversely impact our business, financial condition or results of operations.
A portion of our oil production is transported to market centers by rail. Derailments in North America of trains transporting oil have caused various regulatory agencies and industry organizations, as well as federal, state and municipal governments, to focus attention on transportation by rail of flammable liquids. Any changes to existing
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laws and regulations, or promulgation of new laws and regulations, including any voluntary measures by the rail industry, that result in new requirements for the design, construction or operation of tank cars used to transport oil could increase our costs of doing business and limit our ability to transport and sell our oil at favorable prices at market centers throughout the United States, the consequences of which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. In addition, any derailment of oil involving oil that we have sold or are shipping may result in claims being brought against us that may involve significant liabilities.
Our derivative activities expose us to potential regulatory risks.
The FTC, FERC and the CFTC have statutory authority to monitor certain segments of the physical and futures energy commodities markets. These agencies have imposed broad regulations prohibiting fraud and manipulation of such markets. With regard to derivative activities that we undertake with respect to oil, natural gas or other energy commodities, we are required to observe the market-related regulations enforced by these agencies. Failure to comply with such regulations, as interpreted and enforced, could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Legislative and regulatory developments could have an adverse effect on our ability to use derivative instruments to reduce the effect of volatile oil and natural gas price, interest rate and other risks associated with our business.
The Dodd-Frank Act contains measures aimed at increasing the transparency and stability of the OTC derivatives market and preventing excessive speculation. On January 14, 2021, the CFTC published a final rule imposing position limits for certain futures and options contracts in various commodities (including oil and gas) and for swaps that are their economic equivalents, though certain types of derivative transactions are exempt from these limits, provided that such derivative transactions satisfy the CFTCs requirements for certain enumerated bona fide derivative transactions. The CFTC also has adopted final rules regarding aggregation of positions, under which a party that controls the trading of, or owns ten percent or more of the equity interests in, another party will have to aggregate the positions of the controlled or owned party with its own positions for purposes of determining compliance with position limits unless an exemption applies. The CFTCs aggregation rules are now in effect, although CFTC staff has granted relief until August 12, 2022 from various conditions and requirements in the final aggregation rules. These rules may affect both the size of the positions that we may hold and the ability or willingness of counterparties to trade with us, potentially increasing the costs of transactions. Moreover, such changes could materially reduce our access to derivative opportunities, which could adversely affect revenues or cash flow during periods of low oil and natural gas prices.
The CFTC also has designated certain interest rate swaps and credit default swaps for mandatory clearing and the associated rules also will require us, in connection with covered derivative activities, to comply with clearing and trade-execution requirements or to take steps to qualify for an exemption to such requirements. Although we believe we qualify for the end-user exception from the mandatory clearing requirements for swaps entered to mitigate its commercial risks, the application of the mandatory clearing and trade execution requirements to other market participants, such as swap dealers, may change the cost and availability of the swaps that we use. If our swaps do not qualify for the commercial end-user exception, or if the cost of entering into uncleared swaps becomes prohibitive, we may be required to clear such transactions. The ultimate effect of these rules and any additional regulations on our business is uncertain.
The full impact of the Dodd-Frank Act and related regulatory requirements on our business will not be known until the regulations are fully implemented and the market for derivatives contracts has adjusted. In addition, it is possible that the current administration could expand regulation of the OTC derivatives market and the entities that participate in that market through either the Dodd-Frank Act or the enactment of new legislation. Regulations issued under the Dodd-Frank Act (including any further regulations implemented thereunder) and any new legislation also may require certain counterparties to our derivative instruments to spin off some of their derivative activities to a separate entity, which may not be as creditworthy as the current counterparty. Such legislation and regulations could significantly increase the cost of derivative contracts (including from swap recordkeeping and reporting requirements and through requirements to post collateral which could adversely affect our available liquidity), materially alter the terms of derivative contracts, reduce the availability of derivatives to protect against risks we encounter, reduce our ability to monetize or restructure our existing derivative contracts, and increase our exposure to less creditworthy counterparties. We maintain an active hedging program related to oil and natural gas price risks. Such legislation and regulations could reduce trading positions and the market-making activities of our counterparties. If we reduce
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our use of derivatives as a result of legislation and regulations or any resulting changes in the derivatives markets, our results of operations may become more volatile and our cash flows may be less predictable, which could adversely affect our ability to plan for and fund capital expenditures or to make payments on our debt obligations. Finally, the Dodd-Frank Act was intended, in part, to reduce the volatility of oil and natural gas prices, which some legislators attributed to speculative trading in derivatives and commodity instruments related to oil and natural gas. Our revenues could therefore be adversely affected if a consequence of the legislation and regulations is to lower oil and natural gas prices. Any of these consequences could have a material adverse effect on our business, our financial condition, and our results of operations.
Our business is subject to complex federal, state, and local laws, as well as other laws and regulations that could adversely affect the cost, manner or feasibility of doing business.
Our operational interests, as operated by our third-party operators, are regulated extensively at the federal, state, tribal and local levels. Environmental and other governmental laws and regulations have increased the costs to plan, design, drill, install, operate and abandon oil and natural gas wells. Under these laws and regulations, our company (either directly or indirectly through our operators) could also be liable for personal injuries, property and natural resource damage and other damages. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations may result in the suspension or termination of our business and subject us to administrative, civil and criminal penalties. Moreover, public interest in environmental protection has increased in recent years, and environmental organizations have opposed, with some success, certain drilling projects.
Part of the regulatory environment in which we do business includes, in some cases, legal requirements for obtaining environmental assessments, environmental impact studies and/or plans of development before commencing drilling and production activities. In addition, our activities are subject to the regulations regarding conservation practices and protection of correlative rights. These regulations affect our business and limit the quantity of natural gas we may produce and sell. A major risk inherent in the drilling plans in which we participate is the need for our operators to obtain drilling permits from state and local authorities. Delays in obtaining regulatory approvals or drilling permits, the failure to obtain a drilling permit for a well or the receipt of a permit with unreasonable conditions or costs could have a material adverse effect on the development of our properties. Additionally, the oil and natural gas regulatory environment could change in ways that might substantially increase the financial and managerial costs of compliance with these laws and regulations and, consequently, adversely affect our profitability. At this time, we cannot predict the effect of this increase on our results of operations. Furthermore, we may be put at a competitive disadvantage to larger companies in our industry that can spread these additional costs over a greater number of wells and larger operating staff.
Failure to comply with federal, state and local environmental laws and regulations could result in substantial penalties and adversely affect our business.
All phases of the oil and natural gas business can present environmental risks and hazards and are subject to a variety of federal, state and municipal laws and regulations. Environmental laws and regulations, among other things, restrict and prohibit spills, releases or emissions of various substances produced in association with oil and natural gas operations, and require that wells and facility sites be operated, maintained, abandoned and reclaimed to the satisfaction of applicable regulatory authorities. There is risk of incurring significant environmental costs and liabilities as a result of the handling of petroleum hydrocarbons and wastes, air emissions and wastewater discharges related to our business, and historical operations and waste disposal practices. Failure to comply with these laws and regulations may result in the assessment of administrative, civil and criminal penalties, loss of our leases, incurrence of investigatory or remedial obligations and the imposition of injunctive relief.
Environmental legislation and regulations are evolving in a manner we expect may result in stricter standards and enforcement, larger fines and liability and potentially increased capital expenditures and operating costs. The discharge of oil, natural gas or other pollutants into the air, soil or water may give rise to liabilities to governments and third parties and may require us to incur costs to remedy such discharge, regardless of whether we were responsible for the release or contamination and regardless of whether our operators met previous standards in the industry at the time they were conducted. In addition, claims for damages to persons, property or natural resources may result from environmental and other impacts of operations on our properties. The application of new or more stringent environmental laws and regulations to our business may cause us to curtail production or increase the costs of our production or development activities.
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Federal and state legislative and regulatory initiatives relating to hydraulic fracturing could result in increased costs and additional operating restrictions or delays.
Hydraulic fracturing involves the injection of water, sand and chemicals under pressure into formations to fracture the surrounding rock and stimulate production. Hydraulic fracturing is used extensively by our third-party operators. The hydraulic fracturing process is typically regulated by state oil and natural gas commissions. However, in April 2012, the EPA issued regulations specifically applicable to the oil and natural gas industry that require operators to significantly reduce VOC emissions from gas wells that are hydraulically fractured through the use of green completions to capture natural gas that would otherwise escape into the air. The EPA issued additional regulations in 2016 targeting methane and VOC emissions from new, modified and reconstructed oil and natural gas wells that have been hydraulically fractured. Then in November 2021, the EPA proposed rules to further reduce methane and VOC emissions from new and existing sources in the oil and natural gas sector. From time to time, there have also been various other proposals to regulate hydraulic fracturing at the federal level. Any federal or state legislative or regulatory changes with respect to hydraulic fracturing could cause us to incur substantial compliance costs or result in operational delays, and the consequences of any failure to comply by us or our third-party operators could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, in response to concerns relating to recent seismic events near underground disposal wells used for the disposal by injection of flowback and produced water or certain other oilfield fluids resulting from oil and natural gas activities (so-called induced seismicity), regulators in some states have imposed, or are considering imposing, additional requirements in the permitting of produced water disposal wells or otherwise to assess any relationship between seismicity and the use of such wells. States may, from time to time, develop and implement plans directing certain wells where seismic incidents have occurred to restrict or suspend disposal well operations. These developments could result in additional regulation and restrictions on the use of injection wells by our operators to dispose of flowback and produced water and certain other oilfield fluids. Increased regulation and attention given to induced seismicity also could lead to greater opposition to, and litigation concerning, oil and natural gas activities utilizing injection wells for waste disposal. Until such pending or threatened legislation or regulations are finalized and implemented, it is not possible to estimate their impact on our business.
Any of the above risks could impair our ability to manage our business and have a material adverse effect on our operations, cash flows and financial position.
The adoption of climate change legislation or regulations restricting emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases could result in increased operating costs and reduced demand for the oil and natural gas we produce.
The oil and natural gas industry is affected from time to time in varying degrees by political developments and a wide range of federal, tribal, state and local statutes, rules, orders and regulations that may, in turn, affect the operations and costs of the companies engaged in the oil and natural gas industry. In response to findings that emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, and other GHGs present an endangerment to public health and the environment, the EPA has adopted regulations under existing provisions of the CAA that, among other things, require preconstruction and operating permits for GHG emissions from certain large stationary sources that already emit conventional pollutants above a certain threshold. In addition, the EPA has adopted rules requiring the monitoring and reporting of GHG emissions from specified onshore and offshore oil and natural gas production sources in the United States on an annual basis, which may include operations on the Properties. Additional GHG regulation could also result from the agreement crafted during the United Nations climate change conference in Paris, France in December 2015 (the Paris Agreement). Under the Paris Agreement, the United States committed to reducing its GHG emissions by 26-28% by the year 2025 as compared with 2005 levels. Moreover, in November 2021, at the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change 26th Conference of the Parties, the United States and the European Union advanced a Global Methane Pledge to reduce global methane emissions at least 30% from 2020 levels by 2030, which over 100 countries have signed. Congress has from time to time considered legislation to reduce emissions of GHGs. Most recently, in August 2022, Congress passed, and President Biden signed, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. The Inflation Reduction Act establishes a program designed to reduce methane emissions from certain oil and natural gas facilities, which includes a charge on methane emissions above certain thresholds.
In addition, a number of state and regional efforts have emerged that are aimed at tracking or reducing GHG emissions by means of cap and trade programs. These programs typically require major sources of GHG emissions to acquire and surrender emission allowances in return for emitting those GHGs.
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Although it is not possible at this time to predict how legislation or new regulations that may be adopted to address GHG emissions would impact us or our operators, any future laws and regulations imposing reporting obligations on, or limiting emissions of GHGs from, operators equipment and operations could require them to incur costs to reduce emissions of GHGs associated with their operations. For example, although EPA regulations implementing the methane charge requirements associated with the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 have not yet been developed, the future implementation of these requirements could result in direct costs for our operators based on methane emissions above set thresholds or require capital expenditure by our operators to reduce their emissions. In addition, substantial limitations on GHG emissions could adversely affect demand for the oil and natural gas produced from our oil and natural gas properties. Restrictions on emissions of methane or carbon dioxide, such as restrictions on venting and flaring of natural gas that may be imposed at the federal or state level, as well as federal, state and local climate change initiatives, such as increased energy efficiency standards or mandates for renewable energy sources, could adversely affect the oil and natural gas industry, and, at this time, it is not possible to accurately estimate how potential future laws or regulations addressing GHG emissions would impact oil and natural gas assets. Finally, it should be noted that climate changes may have significant physical effects, such as increased frequency and severity of storms, freezes, floods, drought, hurricanes and other climatic events; if any of these effects were to occur, they could have an adverse effect on us or our operators.
In addition, spurred by increasing concerns regarding climate change, the oil and natural gas industry faces growing demand for corporate transparency and a demonstrated commitment to sustainability goals. ESG goals and programs, which may include extralegal targets related to environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and corporate governance, have become an increasing focus of investors and stakeholders across the industry, and companies without robust ESG programs may find access to capital and investors more challenging in the future. Further, in March 2022, the SEC issued a proposed rule that would require public companies to disclose certain climate-related information, including climate-related risks, impacts, oversight and management, financial statement metrics and emissions, targets, goals and plans. While the proposed rule is not yet effective and is expected to be subject to a lengthy comment process, compliance with the proposed rule as drafted could result in increased legal, accounting and financial compliance costs, make some activities more difficult, time-consuming and costly, and place strain on our personnel, systems and resources.
Regulatory requirements to reduce gas flaring and to further restrict emissions could have an adverse effect on our operations.
Wells in the Williston Basin of North Dakota, where we own significant oil and natural gas properties, produce natural gas as well as oil. Constraints in third party natural gas gathering and processing systems in certain areas have resulted in some of that natural gas being flared instead of gathered, processed and sold. In 2014, the NDI Commission, North Dakotas chief energy regulator, adopted a policy to reduce the volume of natural gas flared from oil wells in the Williston Basin. The NDI Commission requires operators to develop gas capture plans that describe how much natural gas is expected to be produced, how it will be delivered to a processor and where it will be processed. Production caps or penalties may be imposed on certain wells that cannot meet the capture goals. It is possible that other states in which we operate, including Montana, will require gas capture plans or otherwise institute new regulatory requirements in the future to reduce flaring.
Gas capture requirements and other regulatory requirements, in North Dakota or our other locations, could increase our operators operational costs and restrict production on our oil and natural gas properties, which could materially and adversely affect our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. If our interpretation of the applicable regulations is incorrect, or if we receive a non-appealable order to pay royalty on past and future flared volumes in North Dakota, such royalty payments could materially and adversely affect our financial condition and cash flows.
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CAUTIONARY STATEMENT CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Information Statement and other materials we have filed or will file with the SEC contain or incorporate by reference statements which, to the extent they are not statements of historical or present fact, constitute forward-looking statements under the securities laws. From time to time, oral or written forward-looking statements may also be included in other information released to the public. These forward-looking statements are intended to provide managements current expectations or plans for our future operating and financial performance, based on assumptions currently believed to be valid. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of words such as believe, expect, expectations, plans, strategy, prospects, estimate, project, target, anticipate, will, should, see, guidance, outlook, confident and other words of similar meaning in connection with a discussion of future operating or financial performance or the Spin-Off. Forward-looking statements may include, among other things, statements relating to future earnings, cash flow, results of operations, uses of cash, tax rates and other measures of financial performance or potential future plans, strategies or transactions of Vitesse, the Spin-Off, including the expected timing of completion of the Spin-Off and estimated costs associated with the Spin-Off, and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future results and conditions, but rather are subject to numerous assumptions, risks, and uncertainties that may cause actual future results to be materially different from those contemplated, projected, estimated, or budgeted. Such assumptions, risks, uncertainties and other factors include, but are not limited to, the following:
∎ | the timing and extent of changes in oil and natural gas prices; |
∎ | our ability to successfully implement our business plan; |
∎ | the pace of our operators drilling and completion activity on our properties, including in connection with refrac campaigns and extended length three-mile lateral infills; |
∎ | our operators ability to complete projects on time and on budget; |
∎ | uncertainties about estimates of reserves, identification of drilling locations and the ability to add reserves in the future; |
∎ | our ability to complete acquisitions; |
∎ | actions taken by third-party operators, processors, transporters and gatherers; |
∎ | natural disasters, adverse weather conditions, war (such as the ongoing military conflict in Ukraine), financial or political instability, casualty losses and other matters beyond our control; |
∎ | the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures implemented to contain it; |
∎ | changes in general economic conditions; |
∎ | our ability to achieve the benefits that we expect to achieve as an independent publicly traded company; |
∎ | the qualification of the Distribution and certain related transactions as tax-free under the Code; |
∎ | inflation; |
∎ | infrastructure constraints and related factors affecting our properties; |
∎ | competitive conditions in our industry; |
∎ | the effects of existing and future laws and governmental regulations; |
∎ | the availability and price of oil and natural gas to the consumer compared to the price of alternative and competing fuels; |
∎ | operating hazards and other risks incidental to gathering, storing and transporting oil and natural gas; |
∎ | restrictions in our New Revolving Credit Facility; |
∎ | interest rates; |
∎ | the effects of ongoing or future litigation; |
∎ | cyber-related risks; |
∎ | changes in insurance markets impacting costs and the level and types of coverage available; |
∎ | climate change and the physical and financial risks associated with fluctuating regional and global weather conditions or patterns; |
∎ | energy efficiency and technology trends; |
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∎ | competition from the same and alternative energy sources; |
∎ | changes in the availability and cost of capital; |
∎ | large customer defaults; |
∎ | labor relations; and |
∎ | changes in tax status. |
There can be no assurance that the Spin-Off or any other transactions described above will in fact be consummated in the manner described or at all. The above list of factors is not exhaustive. For additional information on identifying factors that may cause actual results to vary materially from those stated in forward-looking statements, see the discussion under the section entitled Risk Factors. Any forward-looking statements made by us in this Information Statement speak only as of the date on which they are made. We are under no obligation to, and expressly disclaim any obligation to, update or alter our forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, subsequent events or otherwise.
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On July 19, 2022, Jefferies announced plans for the complete legal and structural separation of Vitesse from Jefferies.
At the time of the Spin-Off, Vitesse will hold substantially all of those businesses or investments of Jefferies that acquire, develop, manage and monetize non-operated oil and natural gas working, royalty and mineral interests in the United States, primarily in the Bakken and Three Forks formations in the Williston Basin in North Dakota and Montana.
To effect the separation, first, Jefferies and Jefferies Capital Partners, among others, will undertake the Pre-Spin-Off Transactions described below under the section entitled Pre-Spin-Off Transactions. Jefferies will subsequently distribute all of Vitesses outstanding common stock held by Jefferies, representing 94.37% of our total issued and outstanding common stock immediately prior to the Distribution, to Jefferies shareholders, and Vitesse will become an independent, publicly traded company. After the Distribution, Jefferies will not own any shares of our common stock.
Prior to completion of the Spin-Off, we intend to enter into a Separation and Distribution Agreement and a Tax Matters Agreement with Jefferies related to the Spin-Off. These agreements will govern the relationship between Jefferies and us up to and after completion of the Spin-Off. See the section entitled Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions for more detail. No approval of Jefferies shareholders is required in connection with the Spin-Off, and Jefferies shareholders will not have any appraisal rights in connection with the Spin-Off.
Completion of the Spin-Off is subject to the satisfaction, or the waiver by the Jefferies Board, of a number of conditions. If the Jefferies Board waives any condition prior to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement on Form 10, of which this Information Statement is a part, and the result of such waiver is material to Jefferies shareholders, Jefferies will file an amendment to the Registration Statement to revise the disclosure in this Information Statement accordingly. In the event that the Jefferies Board waives a condition after this Registration Statement becomes effective and such waiver is material to Jefferies shareholders, Jefferies will communicate such change to Jefferies shareholders by filing a Current Report on Form 8-K describing the change.
In addition, Jefferies has the right not to complete the Spin-Off if, at any time, the Jefferies Board determines, in its sole and absolute discretion, that the Spin-Off is not in the best interests of Jefferies or its shareholders, or is otherwise not advisable. If the Spin-Off is not completed for any reason, Jefferies and Vitesse will have incurred significant costs related to the Spin-Off, including fees for consultants, financial and legal advisors, accountants and auditors, that will not be recouped. Total one-time transaction costs associated with the Spin-Off are preliminarily estimated to range from $14 million to $16 million if the Spin-Off is completed. If the Spin-Off is not completed for any reason, the one-time transaction costs will generally be limited to the transaction costs incurred for services rendered as of the date the Spin-Off is abandoned, which will be less than the ranges noted above. Our management has devoted significant time to manage the Spin-Off process, which has decreased the time they have had to manage the business of Vitesse. See the section entitled Conditions to the Spin-Off for more detail.
In 2017, Jefferies announced that its primary business initiative would be to become a focused financial services company with clear drive and direction, concentrating on investment banking and capital markets and alternative asset management. Since that time, Jefferies has strategically and opportunistically monetized a significant portion of its merchant banking portfolio and realigned its internal structure to achieve those goals. Jefferies has continued to make clear that it would continue to liquidate its merchant banking portfolio, with the intention of selling the businesses and investments comprising the portfolio to third parties, distributing the businesses and investments comprising the portfolio to shareholders or transferring the balance of the businesses and investments comprising the portfolio to its asset management reportable segment. As they contemplated the Spin-Off, the Jefferies Board and management determined that positioning Vitesse as an independent publicly traded company would further
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Jefferies long-term goals and enhance stockholder value. In reaching the decision to pursue the Spin-Off, Jefferies considered a range of potential structural alternatives for Vitesse Energy, including a sale or merger of Vitesse and/or its assets to or with third parties, and management recommended the Spin-Off as the most attractive alternative for enhancing shareholder value.
As a result of this evaluation, the Jefferies Board determined that proceeding with the Spin-Off would be in the best interests of Jefferies and its shareholders. The Jefferies Board considered several potential benefits of this approach, including:
∎ | Strategic goals. Following the Spin-Off, Jefferies will be one step closer to its previously announced goal of liquidating its merchant banking portfolio and focusing solely on financial services. |
∎ | Maximizing shareholder value and choice. Jefferies shareholders should benefit from both the benefits to be reaped as Jefferies further reduces its merchant banking portfolio and further dedicates its managements focus on financial services and from the potential for value enhancement that might be achieved in a stand-alone, publicly traded Vitesse. Jefferies believes the Spin-Off will help unlock the value in Vitesse that may not be clear to investors while it remains part of Jefferies. Those investors looking for a pure play company that is focused on creating long-term stockholder value through the profitable acquisition, development and production of oil and natural gas assets will be able to invest directly in Vitesse, which should result in greater alignment between the interests of each companys stockholder base and the characteristics of its respective business, capital structure and financial results. |
∎ | Separate capital structures and allocation flexibility. The Spin-Off will enable each of Jefferies and Vitesse to leverage its distinct profile and cash flow characteristics to optimize its capital structure and capital allocation strategy. The Spin-Off will permit each company to allocate its financial resources to meet the unique needs of its own businesses, which will allow each company to intensify its focus on its distinct strategic priorities and individual business risk and return profiles. |
The Jefferies Board also considered several potentially negative factors in evaluating the Spin-Off, including:
∎ | Risk of failure to achieve the anticipated benefits of the Spin-Off. Jefferies and Vitesse may not achieve the anticipated benefits of the Spin-Off for a variety of reasons, including, among others: the Spin-Off will require significant amounts of managements time and effort, which may divert our managements attention from operating each companys business; there may be dis-synergy costs related to the Spin-Off; and following the Spin-Off, Vitesse may be more susceptible to certain economic and market fluctuations and other adverse events than if Vitesse were still a part of Jefferies. For more information on the specific risks to Vitesse of the failure to achieve the anticipated benefits of the Spin-Off, see the section entitled Risk FactorsRisks Relating to the Spin-OffWe may be unable to achieve some or all of the benefits that we expect to achieve from the Spin-Off, which could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. |
∎ | Disruptions and costs related to the Spin-Off. The actions required to separate Vitesse from Jefferies could disrupt both Jefferies and Vitesses operations. |
∎ | Uncertainty regarding share prices. The effect of the Distribution on the trading prices of Jefferies and Vitesses common stock cannot be predicted, and there is no guarantee that the combined market value of the shares of Vitesse common stock to be distributed per share of Jefferies common stock in the Distribution and Jefferies common stock following the Distribution will be less than, equal to or greater than the market value of the shares of Jefferies common stock prior to the Distribution. Furthermore, there is the risk of volatility in each companys stock price following the Distribution due to sales by certain shareholders whose investment objectives may not be met by each companys common stock, and it may take time for each company to attract its optimal stockholder base. |
Notwithstanding these potentially negative factors, the anticipated effects of which are not reasonably determinable, and considering the factors discussed above, the Jefferies Board determined that the Spin-Off provided the best opportunity to achieve the above benefits and enhance stockholder value. Neither Jefferies nor Vitesse can assure you that, following the Spin-Off, any of the benefits described above or otherwise will be realized to the extent anticipated or at all. For additional information, see the section entitled Risk Factors.
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To effect the Spin-Off, we expect the following transactions, among others, to be consummated prior to the completion of the Spin-Off:
∎ | Vitesse was incorporated on August 5, 2022; |
∎ | 3B Energy will transfer all of its Vitesse Energy equity interests to Vitesse Energy Finance as repayment for prior loans from Vitesse Energy Finance to 3B Energy; |
∎ | Each of Messrs. Gerrity and Cree will transfer all of their vested Vitesse Energy MIUs to Vitesse Energy Finance as repayment for prior loans from Vitesse Energy Finance to each of Messrs. Gerrity and Cree; |
∎ | Vitesse Energy Finance and the remaining holders of vested Vitesse Energy MIUs will transfer all of their Vitesse Energy equity interests to Vitesse in exchange for newly issued shares of Vitesse common stock; |
∎ | Jefferies Capital Partners and Gerrity Bakken will transfer all of their Vitesse Oil equity interests to Vitesse in exchange for newly issued shares of Vitesse common stock; |
∎ | Through a series of distributions, all of the Vitesse common stock held by Vitesse Energy Finance will ultimately become held directly by Jefferies; |
∎ | Through a series of distributions, a portion of the Vitesse common stock held by Jefferies Capital Partners will ultimately become held directly by Jefferies; and |
∎ | Vitesse will enter into the New Revolving Credit Facility, which will amend and restate the Existing Revolving Credit Facility, and will use a portion of the proceeds from borrowings under the New Revolving Credit Facility to repay in full and terminate the Vitesse Oil Revolving Credit Facility. Borrowings under the Existing Revolving Credit Facility will remain outstanding as borrowings under the New Revolving Credit Facility. |
Pursuant to the above described transactions, Jefferies will directly hold approximately 94.37% of the total issued and outstanding common stock of Vitesse immediately prior to the Distribution. For more information, see Certain Relationships and Related Party TransactionsOther Transactions and Relationships with Related Persons.
When and How You Will Receive Vitesse Shares
Jefferies will distribute to its shareholders, as a pro rata dividend, for every 8.49668 shares of Jefferies common stock outstanding as of the close of business on December 27, 2022, one share of our common stock.
Prior to the Distribution, Jefferies will deliver all of the issued and outstanding shares of our common stock held by Jefferies to the distribution agent. AST will serve as distribution agent in connection with the Distribution and as transfer agent and registrar for our common stock.
If you own Jefferies common stock as of the close of business on December 27, 2022, the shares of our common stock that you are entitled to receive in the Distribution will be issued to your account as follows:
∎ | Registered shareholders. If you own your shares of Jefferies common stock directly through Jefferies transfer agent, AST, you are a registered shareholder. In this case, the distribution agent will credit the whole shares of our common stock you receive in the Distribution by way of direct registration in book-entry form to a new account with our transfer agent. Registration in book-entry form refers to a method of recording share ownership where no physical stock certificates are issued to shareholders, as is the case in the Distribution. You will be able to access information regarding your book-entry account holding the Vitesse shares at www.astfinancial.com or by calling (800) 937-5449. |
∎ | Commencing on or shortly after the Distribution Date, the distribution agent will mail to you an account statement that indicates the number of whole shares of our common stock that have been registered in book-entry form in your name. We expect it will take the distribution agent up to five business days after the Distribution Date to complete the distribution of the shares of our common stock and mail statements of holding to all registered shareholders. |
∎ | Street name or beneficial shareholders. If you own your shares of Jefferies common stock beneficially through a bank, broker or other nominee, such bank, broker or other nominee holds the shares in street name and records your ownership on its books. If you own your shares of Jefferies common stock through a bank, broker or other nominee, your bank, broker or other nominee will credit your account with the whole shares of our common stock that you receive in the Distribution on or shortly after the Distribution Date. We |
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encourage you to contact your bank, broker or other nominee if you have any questions concerning the mechanics of having shares held in street name. |
If you sell any of your shares of Jefferies common stock on or before the Distribution Date, the buyer of those shares may in some circumstances be entitled to receive the shares of our common stock to be distributed in respect of the Jefferies shares you sold. For more information, see the section entitled Trading Prior to the Distribution Date.
We are not asking Jefferies shareholders to take any action in connection with the Spin-Off. No shareholder approval of the Spin-Off is required. We are not asking you for a proxy and request that you not send us a proxy. We are also not asking you to make any payment or surrender or exchange any of your shares of Jefferies common stock for shares of our common stock. The number of outstanding shares of Jefferies common stock will not change as a result of the Spin-Off.
Number of Shares You Will Receive
On the Distribution Date, for every 8.49668 shares of Jefferies common stock you owned as of the Record Date, you will receive one share of our common stock.
Treatment of Fractional Shares
The distribution agent will not distribute any fractional shares of our common stock in connection with the Spin-Off. Instead, the distribution agent will aggregate all fractional shares into whole shares and sell the whole shares in the open market at prevailing market prices on behalf of Jefferies shareholders entitled to receive a fractional share. The distribution agent will then distribute the aggregate cash proceeds of the sales, net of brokerage fees, transfer taxes and other costs, pro rata to these holders (net of any required withholding for taxes applicable to each holder). The distribution agent will, in its sole discretion, without any influence by Jefferies or us, determine when, how, through which broker-dealer and at what price to sell the whole shares. The distribution agent is not, and any broker-dealer used by the distribution agent will not be, an affiliate of either Jefferies or us.
The distribution agent will send to each registered holder of Jefferies common stock entitled to a fractional share a check in the cash amount deliverable in lieu of that holders fractional share as soon as practicable following the Distribution Date. We expect the distribution agent to take up to five business days after the Distribution Date to complete the distribution of cash in lieu of fractional shares to Jefferies shareholders. If you hold your shares through a bank, broker or other nominee, your bank, broker or nominee will receive, on your behalf, your pro rata share of the aggregate net cash proceeds of the sales. No interest will be paid on any cash you receive in lieu of a fractional share. The cash you receive in lieu of a fractional share will generally be taxable to you for U.S. federal income tax purposes. For more information, see the section below entitled Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Spin-Off.
Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Spin-Off
Consequences to Holders of Jefferies Common Stock
The following is a summary of the material U.S. federal income tax consequences to holders of Jefferies common stock in connection with the Distribution. This summary is based on the Code, the Treasury Regulations promulgated under the Code and judicial and administrative interpretations of those laws, in each case as in effect and available as of the date of this Information Statement and all of which are subject to change at any time, possibly with retroactive effect. Any such change could affect the tax consequences described below.
This summary is limited to U.S. Holders of Jefferies common stock that hold their Jefferies common stock as a capital asset. For purposes of this summary, a U.S. Holder is a beneficial owner of Jefferies common stock that is, for U.S. federal income tax purposes:
∎ | an individual who is a citizen or a resident of the U.S.; |
∎ | a corporation, or other entity taxable as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, created or organized under the laws of the U.S. or any state thereof or the District of Columbia; |
∎ | an estate the income of which is subject to U.S. federal income taxation regardless of its source; or |
∎ | a trust if (1) a court within the U.S. is able to exercise primary jurisdiction over its administration and one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all of its substantial decisions or (2) in the case of a trust |
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that was treated as a domestic trust under law in effect before 1997, a valid election is in place under applicable Treasury Regulations. |
This summary does not discuss all tax considerations that may be relevant to shareholders in light of their particular circumstances, nor does it address the consequences to shareholders subject to special treatment under the U.S. federal income tax laws, such as:
∎ | dealers or traders in securities or currencies; |
∎ | tax-exempt entities; |
∎ | banks, financial institutions or insurance companies; |
∎ | real estate investment trusts, regulated investment companies or grantor trusts; |
∎ | persons who acquired Jefferies common stock pursuant to the exercise of employee stock options or otherwise as compensation; |
∎ | shareholders who own, or are deemed to own, 10% or more, by voting power or value, of Jefferies common stock; |
∎ | shareholders owning Jefferies common stock as part of a position in a straddle or as part of a hedging, conversion or other risk reduction transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes; |
∎ | certain former citizens or long-term residents of the United States; |
∎ | shareholders who are subject to the alternative minimum tax; |
∎ | persons who own Jefferies common stock through partnerships or other pass-through entities; or |
∎ | persons who hold Jefferies common stock through a tax-qualified retirement plan. |
This summary does not address any U.S. state or local or foreign tax consequences or any estate, gift or other non-income tax consequences.
If a partnership, or any other entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, holds Jefferies common stock, the tax treatment of a partner in that partnership will generally depend on the status of the partner and the activities of the partnership. Such a partner or partnership is urged to consult its own tax advisor as to its tax consequences.
YOU ARE URGED TO CONSULT YOUR OWN TAX ADVISOR WITH RESPECT TO THE U.S. FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL AND FOREIGN TAX CONSEQUENCES OF THE DISTRIBUTION.
The consummation of the Distribution and certain related transactions is conditioned on Jefferies receipt of the IRS Ruling to the effect that the Distribution, together with certain related transactions, will qualify as a tax-free reorganization for U.S. federal income tax purposes under Section 368(a)(1)(D) of the Code and the Distribution will qualify as a tax-free distribution within the meaning of Section 355 of the Code. Jefferies has received the IRS Ruling. The IRS Ruling relies on certain assumptions and representations made, and information submitted, in connection with the ruling request. If any of the assumptions, representations or information are incorrect or not otherwise satisfied, Jefferies may not be able to rely on the IRS Ruling
In addition, the consummation of the Distribution and certain related transactions is also conditioned upon Jefferies receipt of a written opinion from Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP substantially to the effect that, based on the IRS Ruling and their analysis of the issues not addressed in the IRS Ruling, the Distribution, together with certain related transactions, will qualify as a tax-free reorganization within the meaning of Section 368(a)(1)(D) of the Code and the Distribution will qualify as a tax-free distribution within the meaning of Section 355 of the Code. The opinion will rely on (a) customary representations and covenants made by Jefferies and Vitesse and (b) specified assumptions, including an assumption regarding the completion of the Distribution and certain related transactions in the manner contemplated by the transaction agreements. In addition, the ability to provide the tax opinion will depend on the absence of changes in existing facts or law between the date of this Information Statement and the date of the Distribution. If any of those representations, covenants or assumptions is inaccurate, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP may not be able to provide the tax opinion or the tax consequences of the Distribution could differ from those described below. An opinion of tax counsel neither binds the IRS nor precludes the IRS or the courts from adopting a contrary position.
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Accordingly, notwithstanding the IRS Ruling and the tax opinion, there can be no assurance that the IRS will not assert a position contrary to one or more of the conclusions set forth herein and if the IRS prevails in such challenge, the U.S. federal income tax consequences of the Distribution, together with certain related transactions, to Jefferies, Vitesse and the holders of Jefferies common stock could be materially different from, and worse than, the U.S. federal income tax consequences described below.
On the basis that the Distribution and related transactions will qualify as a tax-free reorganization within the meaning of Section 368(a)(1)(D) of the Code and the Distribution will qualify as a tax-free distribution within the meaning of Section 355 of the Code, subject to the qualifications and limitations set forth herein (including the discussion below relating to the receipt of cash in lieu of fractional shares), for U.S. federal income tax purposes:
∎ | no gain or loss should be recognized by, or be includible in the income of, a U.S. Holder as a result of the Distribution, except with respect to any cash received in lieu of fractional shares; |
∎ | the aggregate tax basis of the Jefferies common stock and our common stock held by each U.S. Holder immediately after the Distribution should be the same as the aggregate tax basis of the Jefferies common stock held by the U.S. Holder immediately before the Distribution, allocated between the Jefferies common stock and our common stock in proportion to their relative fair market values on the date of the Distribution (subject to reduction upon the deemed sale of any fractional shares, as described below); and |
∎ | the holding period of our common stock received by each U.S. Holder should include the holding period of its Jefferies common stock, provided that such Jefferies common stock is held as a capital asset on the date of the Distribution. |
U.S. Holders that have acquired different blocks of Jefferies common stock at different times or at different prices are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the allocation of their aggregate adjusted tax basis among, and the holding period of, shares of our common stock distributed with respect to such blocks of Jefferies common stock.
If a U.S. Holder receives cash in lieu of a fractional share of common stock as part of the Distribution, the U.S. Holder will be treated as though it first received a distribution of the fractional share in the Distribution and then sold it for the amount of cash actually received. Provided the fractional share is considered to be held as a capital asset on the date of the Distribution, the U.S. Holder will generally recognize capital gain or loss measured by the difference between the cash received for such fractional share and the U.S. Holders tax basis in that fractional share, as determined above. Such capital gain or loss will be long-term capital gain or loss if the U.S. Holders holding period for the Jefferies common stock is more than one year on the date of the Distribution.
If it were determined that the Distribution, together with certain related transactions, did not qualify as a tax-free reorganization within the meaning of Section 368(a)(1)(D) of the Code and the Distribution did not qualify as a distribution to which Section 355 applies, the above consequences would not apply, and U.S. Holders could be subject to tax. In this case, each U.S. Holder who receives our common stock in the Distribution would generally be treated as receiving a distribution in an amount equal to the fair market value of our common stock received, which would generally result in:
∎ | a taxable dividend to the U.S. Holder to the extent of that U.S. Holders pro rata share of Jefferies current and accumulated earnings and profits; |
∎ | a reduction in the U.S. Holders basis (but not below zero) in Jefferies common stock to the extent the amount received exceeds the shareholders share of Jefferies earnings and profits; and |
∎ | a taxable gain from the exchange of Jefferies common stock to the extent the amount received exceeds the sum of the U.S. Holders share of Jefferies earnings and profits and the U.S. Holders basis in its Jefferies common stock. |
Treasury Regulations generally require any Jefferies shareholder that owns at least five percent of the total outstanding stock of Jefferies (by vote or value) to attach to its U.S. federal income tax return for the year in which the Distribution occurs a detailed statement setting forth certain information relating to the tax-free nature of the Distribution. Jefferies and/or Vitesse will provide the appropriate information to each holder upon request, and each such holder is required to retain permanent records of this information.
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Backup Withholding and Information Statement
Payments of cash in lieu of a fractional share of our common stock may, under certain circumstances, be subject to backup withholding, unless a U.S. Holder provides proof of an applicable exemption or a correct taxpayer identification number, and otherwise complies with the requirements of the backup withholding rules. Corporations will generally be exempt from backup withholding, but may be required to provide a certification to establish their entitlement to the exemption. Backup withholding is not an additional tax, and it may be refunded or credited against a holders U.S. federal income tax liability if the required information is timely supplied to the IRS.
Treasury Regulations require each Jefferies shareholder that, immediately before the Distribution, owned 5% or more (by vote or value) of the total outstanding stock of Jefferies to attach to such shareholders U.S. federal income tax return for the year in which the Distribution occurs a statement setting forth certain information related to the Distribution.
Consequences to Jefferies
If the Distribution, together with certain related transactions, were not to qualify as a tax-free transaction under Sections 368(a)(1)(D) and 355 of the Code, Jefferies would recognize a material amount of taxable gain for U.S. federal income tax purposes on the Distribution and/or certain related transactions, which could result in a material additional U.S. federal and state income tax liability to Jefferies.
Even if the Distribution were otherwise to qualify as a tax-free transaction under Sections 368(a)(1)(D) and 355 of the Code, the Distribution would be taxable to Jefferies (but not to Jefferies stockholders) pursuant to Section 355(e) of the Code if there were a 50% or greater change in ownership of either Jefferies or Vitesse, directly or indirectly, as part of a plan or series of related transactions that included the Distribution. For this purpose, any acquisitions of Jefferies or Vitesse common stock within the period beginning two years before the Distribution and ending two years after the Distribution are presumed to be part of such a plan, although Jefferies or Vitesse may be able to rebut that presumption. If the IRS were to determine that other acquisitions of Jefferies common stock or Vitesse common stock, either before or after the Distribution, were part of a plan or series of related transactions that included the Distribution, such determination could result in the recognition of a material amount of taxable gain for U.S. federal income tax purposes by Jefferies under Section 355(e) of the Code. In connection with the IRS Ruling and the tax opinion, Jefferies and Vitesse (to their knowledge) have represented (or will represent at or prior to the closing of the Distribution) that the Distribution is not part of any such plan or series of related transactions.
In general, under the Tax Matters Agreement, we will be required to indemnify Jefferies against any tax consequences arising as a result of certain prohibited actions by us or our respective subsidiaries. See Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions. If the Distribution were to be a taxable transaction to Jefferies, the liability for payment of such tax by Jefferies, or by us under the Tax Matters Agreement, could have a material adverse effect on Jefferies or us, as the case may be.
After the Spin-Off, we will be an independent, publicly traded company. Immediately following the Spin-Off, we expect to have approximately 1,200 holders of record of shares of our common stock and approximately 28,202,019 shares of our common stock outstanding, based on (1) the number of Jefferies shareholders and shares of Jefferies common stock outstanding on December 16, 2022 and (2) the expected number of Vitesse stockholders (other than Jefferies) and the expected number shares of Vitesse common stock outstanding (other than shares held by Jefferies) immediately prior to the Distribution as a result of the Pre-Spin-Off Transactions. The actual number of shares of our common stock Jefferies will distribute in the Spin-Off will depend on the actual number of shares of Jefferies common stock outstanding on the Record Date, which will reflect any issuance of new shares in respect of settlements or exercises of outstanding equity-based awards pursuant to Jefferies equity plans, on or prior to the Record Date. The Spin-Off will not affect the number of outstanding shares of Jefferies common stock or any rights of Jefferies shareholders, although we expect the trading price of shares of Jefferies common stock immediately following the Distribution to be lower than immediately prior to the Distribution because the trading price of Jefferies common stock will no longer reflect the value of Vitesse Energy. Furthermore, until the market has fully analyzed the value of Jefferies without Vitesse Energy, the trading price of shares of Jefferies common stock may fluctuate and result in a higher volatility in stock price.
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Before our separation from Jefferies, we intend to enter into a Separation and Distribution Agreement and a Tax Matters Agreement with Jefferies related to the Spin-Off. These agreements will govern the relationship between Jefferies and us up to and after completion of the Spin-Off. We describe these arrangements in greater detail under the section entitled Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.
Listing and Trading of our Common Stock
We are an indirect majority owned subsidiary of Jefferies. Immediately prior to the Distribution, Jefferies will hold approximately 94.37% of our total issued and outstanding common stock. Accordingly, no public market for our common stock currently exists, although a when-issued market in our common stock may develop prior to the Distribution. For an explanation of a when-issued market, see the section below entitled Trading Prior to the Distribution Date. We intend to list our shares of common stock on the NYSE under the ticker symbol VTS. Following the Spin-Off, Jefferies common stock will continue to trade on the NYSE under the ticker symbol JEF.
Neither we nor Jefferies can assure you as to the trading price of Jefferies common stock or our common stock after the Spin-Off, or as to whether the combined trading prices of our common stock and the Jefferies common stock after the Spin-Off will be less than, equal to or greater than the trading prices of Jefferies common stock prior to the Spin-Off. The trading price of our common stock may fluctuate significantly following the Spin- Off and result in a higher volatility in stock price. For more detail, see the section entitled Risk FactorsRisks Relating to Our Common Stock.
The shares of our common stock distributed to Jefferies shareholders will be freely transferable, except for shares received by individuals who are our affiliates. Individuals who may be considered our affiliates after the Spin-Off include individuals who control, are controlled by or are under common control with us, as those terms generally are interpreted for U.S. federal securities law purposes. These individuals may include some or all of our directors and executives. Individuals who are our affiliates will be permitted to sell their shares of our common stock only pursuant to an effective registration statement under the Securities Act or an exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities Act, such as those afforded by Section 4(a)(1) of the Securities Act or Rule 144 thereunder.
Trading Prior to the Distribution Date
We expect a when-issued market in our common stock to develop on the third trading day before the Distribution Date and continue up to and including the Distribution Date. When-issued trading refers to a sale or purchase made conditionally on or before the Distribution Date because the securities of the spun-off entity have not yet been distributed. If you own shares of Jefferies common stock at the close of business on the Record Date, you will be entitled to receive shares of our common stock in the Distribution. You may trade this entitlement to receive shares of our common stock, without the shares of Jefferies common stock you own, on the when-issued market. We expect when-issued trades of our common stock to settle within two trading days after the Distribution Date. On the first trading day following the Distribution Date, we expect that when-issued trading of our common stock will end and regular-way trading will begin.
We also anticipate that, on the third trading day before the Distribution Date and continuing up to and including the Distribution Date, there will be two markets in Jefferies common stock: a regular-way market and an ex-distribution market. Shares of Jefferies common stock that trade on the regular-way market will trade with an entitlement to receive shares of our common stock in the Distribution. Shares that trade on the ex-distribution market will trade without an entitlement to receive shares of our common stock in the Distribution. Therefore, if you sell shares of Jefferies common stock in the regular-way market up to and including the Distribution Date, you will be selling your right to receive shares of our common stock in the Distribution. However, if you own shares of Jefferies common stock at the close of business on the Record Date and sell those shares on the ex-distribution market up to and including the Distribution Date, you will still receive the shares of our common stock that you would otherwise be entitled to receive in the Distribution.
Following the Distribution Date, we expect shares of our common stock to be listed on the NYSE under the ticker symbol VTS. If when-issued trading occurs, the listing for our common stock is expected to be under a ticker symbol different from our regular-way ticker symbol. We will announce our when-issued ticker symbol when and if it becomes available. If the Spin-Off does not occur, all when-issued trading will be null and void.
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Holders of Jefferies convertible preferred stock will not be entitled to participate in the Distribution unless they convert such securities into Jefferies common stock prior to the Record Date. Jefferies expects that, as a result of the Distribution, the conversion price of its convertible preferred stock will be adjusted in accordance with Jefferies restated certificate of incorporation.
We expect that the Separation will be effective on the Distribution Date, provided that the following conditions shall have been satisfied or waived by Jefferies:
∎ | the Jefferies Board shall have authorized and approved the applicable Pre-Spin-Off Transactions (as described in the section entitled Pre-Spin-Off Transactions) and Distribution and not withdrawn such authorization and approval, and shall have declared the dividend of our common stock to Jefferies shareholders; |
∎ | the ancillary agreements contemplated by the Separation and Distribution Agreement, including the Tax Matters Agreement, shall have been executed by each party to those agreements; |
∎ | our common stock shall have been accepted for listing on the NYSE or another national securities exchange approved by Jefferies, subject to official notice of issuance; |
∎ | the SEC shall have declared effective our Registration Statement on Form 10, of which this Information Statement is a part, under the Exchange Act, and no stop order suspending the effectiveness of the Registration Statement shall be in effect and no proceedings for that purpose shall be pending before or threatened by the SEC; |
∎ | Jefferies shall have received the IRS Ruling, substantially to the effect that the Distribution, together with certain related transactions, will qualify as a tax-free reorganization for U.S. federal income tax purposes under Section 368(a)(1)(D) of the Code and the Distribution will qualify as a tax-free distribution within the meaning of Section 355 of the Code; |
∎ | Jefferies shall have received the written opinion of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, which shall remain in full force and effect, subject to the limitations specified therein and the accuracy of and compliance with certain representations, warranties and covenants, to the effect that the Distribution, together with certain related transactions, will qualify as a tax-free reorganization for U.S. federal income tax purposes under Section 368(a)(1)(D) of the Code and the Distribution will qualify as a tax-free distribution within the meaning of Section 355 of the Code; |
∎ | the Jefferies Board shall have received one or more opinions (which have not been withdrawn or adversely modified) in customary form from one or more nationally recognized valuation, appraisal or accounting firms or investment banks as to the solvency and financial viability of Jefferies prior to the Spin-Off and each of Jefferies and Vitesse after the consummation of the Spin-Off; |
∎ | the Pre-Spin-Off Transactions shall have been completed; |
∎ | no order, injunction or decree issued by any governmental authority of competent jurisdiction or other legal restraint or prohibition preventing consummation of the Distribution shall be in effect, and no other event outside the control of Jefferies shall have occurred or failed to occur that prevents the consummation of the Distribution; |
∎ | no other events or developments shall have occurred prior to the Distribution Date that, in the judgment of the Jefferies Board, would result in the Distribution having a material adverse effect on Jefferies or its shareholders; |
∎ | prior to the Distribution Date, notice of Internet availability of this Information Statement or this Information Statement shall have been mailed to the holders of Jefferies common stock as of the Record Date; |
∎ | Jefferies shall have duly elected the individuals listed as members of our post-Distribution Board in this Information Statement, and such individuals shall be the members of our Board, immediately after the Distribution; provided, however, that to the extent required by any law or requirement of the NYSE or any other national securities exchange, as applicable, the existing directors shall appoint one independent director prior to the date on which when-issued trading of our common stock begins and this independent |
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director shall begin his or her term prior to the Distribution and shall serve on our Audit Committee, Nominating, Governance and Environmental and Social Responsibility Committee and Compensation Committee; and |
∎ | immediately prior to the Distribution Date, our Amended and Restated Certificate of Incorporation and Amended and Restated Bylaws, each in substantially the form filed as an exhibit to the Registration Statement on Form 10, of which this Information Statement is a part, shall be in effect. |
The fulfillment of the above conditions will not create any obligation on Jefferies part to complete the Spin-Off. We are not aware of any material U.S. federal, foreign or state regulatory requirements with which we must comply, other than SEC rules and regulations, or any material approvals that we must obtain, other than the approval for listing of our common stock and the SECs declaration of the effectiveness of the Registration Statement on Form 10, of which this Information Statement is a part, in connection with the Distribution.
The IRS Ruling and the opinion of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP are intended to provide support that the intended tax-free treatment of the Distribution will be respected. Were Jefferies to waive the requirement of receipt of either or both of the IRS Ruling or the opinion of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, there would be less comfort that the intended tax-free treatment of the Distribution will be respected. Such waiver would be deemed to be material to Jefferies shareholders, and therefore Jefferies would communicate such change to shareholders by, depending on the timing of the waiver, either filing an amendment to the Registration Statement to revise the disclosure in this Information Statement or filing a Current Report on Form 8-K describing the change. Were the Distribution treated as a taxable transaction for U.S. federal income tax purposes, (1) Jefferies generally would be subject to tax as if it sold the Vitesse common stock in a transaction taxable to Jefferies, which could result in a material tax liability, and (2) Jefferies shareholders who are U.S. Holders generally would be, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, treated as receiving a distribution in an amount equal to the fair market value of our common stock received, which could result in a material tax liability for those U.S. Holders. For more information, see the section entitled Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Consequences of the Spin-Off.
If the Jefferies Board waives any condition prior to the effectiveness of the Registration Statement on Form 10, of which this Information Statement is a part, and the result of such waiver is material to Jefferies shareholders, Jefferies will file an amendment to the Registration Statement to revise the disclosure in this Information Statement accordingly. In the event that the Jefferies Board waives a condition after this Registration Statement becomes effective and such waiver is material to Jefferies shareholders, Jefferies will communicate such change to Jefferies shareholders by filing a Current Report on Form 8-K describing the change.
In addition, Jefferies has the right not to complete the Spin-Off if, at any time, the Jefferies Board determines, in its sole and absolute discretion, that the Spin-Off is not in the best interests of Jefferies or its shareholders, or is otherwise not advisable. If the Spin-Off is not completed for any reason, Jefferies and Vitesse will have incurred significant costs related to the Spin-Off, including fees for consultants, financial and legal advisors, accountants and auditors, that will not be recouped. Total one-time transaction costs associated with the Spin-Off are preliminarily estimated to range from $14 million to $16 million if the Spin-Off is completed. If the Spin-Off is not completed for any reason, the one-time transaction costs will generally be limited to the transaction costs incurred for services rendered as of the date the Spin-Off is abandoned, which will be less than the ranges noted above. Our management has devoted significant time to manage the Spin-Off process, which has decreased the time they have had to manage the business of Vitesse.
Reasons for Furnishing This Information Statement
We are furnishing this Information Statement solely to provide information to Jefferies shareholders who will receive shares of our common stock in the Distribution. You should not construe this Information Statement as an inducement or encouragement to buy, hold or sell any of our securities or any securities of Jefferies. We believe that the information contained in this Information Statement is accurate as of the date set forth on the cover. Changes to the information contained in this Information Statement may occur after that date, and neither we nor Jefferies undertakes any obligation to update the information except in the normal course of our and Jefferies public disclosure obligations and practices.
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We expect that, following the Distribution, Vitesse will initially pay quarterly cash dividends and dividend equivalents totaling approximately $66.0 million per fiscal year. Notwithstanding this current expectation regarding our dividend policy, the timing, declaration, amount of and payment of any dividends will be within the discretion of our Board and will depend upon many factors, including our financial condition, earnings, capital requirements of our operating subsidiaries, covenants associated with certain of our debt service obligations, legal requirements or limitations, industry practice, and other factors deemed relevant by our Board. Moreover, if as expected we determine to initially pay a dividend following the Distribution, there can be no assurance that we will continue to pay dividends in the same amounts or at all thereafter. We pay dividends out of distributable cash flow, which we define as Adjusted EBITDA less interest expense and cash taxes. During the year ended November 30, 2021, we generated Adjusted EBITDA of $102.3 million, and during the twelve months ended August 31, 2022, we generated Adjusted EBITDA of $158.0 million. Historically, we have used our distributable cash flow for multiple purposes, including capital expenditures (which includes acquisitions), repayment of debt and payment of distributions. Due to our strategy to grow oil and natural gas production levels during 2021 and 2022, we incurred levels of capital expenditures above a maintenance level. Given the amount of these capital expenditures and the discretionary amount of debt repaid, we would not have been able to pay a $66.0 million distribution during the year ended November 30, 2021. However, going forward, we expect to prioritize the dividend while sustaining production through maintenance capital expenditures. During the twelve months ended August 31, 2022, Vitesse Energy and Vitesse Oil paid cash distributions totaling $59.0 million. We have not adopted, and do not currently expect to adopt, a separate written dividend policy to reflect our Boards policy. For a description of the covenants limiting our ability to pay dividends, see the section entitled Risk FactorsRisks Relating to Our Common StockOur ability to pay dividends to our stockholders is restricted by applicable laws and regulations and may be limited by requirements under our New Revolving Credit Facility. The covenants under our Existing Revolving Credit Facility have not limited our ability to pay distributions in the amounts declared by our Board.
66
The following table sets forth the cash and capitalization of Vitesse Energy as of August 31, 2022 (1) on a historical basis and (2) on a pro forma basis to give effect to the Spin-Off, as if it occurred on August 31, 2022. The information below is not necessarily indicative of what our capitalization would have been had the Spin-Off been completed as of August 31, 2022. In addition, it is not indicative of our future capitalization and may not reflect the capitalization or financial condition that would have resulted had we operated as an independent, publicly traded company as of August 31, 2022. You should review the following table in conjunction with the sections entitled Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Financial Statements and Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying notes set forth in the section entitled Index to Financial Statements.
AUGUST 31, 2022 | ||||||||
HISTORICAL | PRO FORMA (1) | |||||||
(in thousands) | ||||||||
Cash |
$ | 8,085 | $ | 3,513 | ||||
Long-term debt: |
||||||||
Existing Revolving Credit Facility |
66,000 | | ||||||
New Revolving Credit Facility (2) |
| 67,800 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total debt |
66,000 | 67,800 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Equity: |
||||||||
Common stock, $0.01 par value; 95,000,000 shares authorized pro forma; 28,202,019 shares issued and outstanding pro forma (3) |
| 282 | ||||||
Additional paid-in capital |
| 546,878 | ||||||
Members equity |
505,345 | | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total equity |
505,345 | 547,160 | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||
Total capitalization |
$ | 571,345 | $ | 614,960 | ||||
|
|
|
|
(1) | Reflects combined totals of Vitesse Energy and Vitesse Oil. |
(2) | Reflects the use the proceeds from the New Revolving Credit Facility to repay in full and terminate the outstanding indebtedness under the Vitesse Oil Revolving Credit Facility. |
(3) | Represents (i) the expected distribution of approximately 26,614,467 shares of our common stock to holders of Jefferies common stock, based on the number of shares of Jefferies common stock outstanding on December 16, 2022, and (ii) the expected number of shares of our common stock outstanding (other than shares held by Jefferies) immediately prior to the Distribution as a result of the Pre-Spin-Off Transactions. |
67
SELECTED HISTORICAL FINANCIAL DATA
The following tables present selected historical financial data as of and for the periods indicated. We derived the summary historical statements of operations data for the years ended November 30, 2021, November 30, 2020 and November 30, 2019, and summary historical balance sheet data as of November 30, 2021 and November 30, 2020, as set forth below, from Vitesse Energys Audited Consolidated Financial Statements. We derived the summary historical statements of operations data for the nine months ended August 31, 2022 and August 31, 2021, and summary historical balance sheet data as of August 31, 2022, as set forth below, from Vitesse Energys Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. The summary historical balance sheet data as of August 31, 2021 and November 30, 2019, as set forth below, are derived from Vitesse Energys unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheet as of August 31, 2021 and audited consolidated balance sheet as of November 30, 2019, respectively, which are not included in this Information Statement.
The selected historical financial data presented below should be read in conjunction with the Audited Consolidated Financial Statements and the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and the accompanying notes thereto, the section entitled Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, and the section entitled Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Financial Statements. The selected historical financial data does not necessarily reflect what our results of operations and financial position would have been if we had operated as an independent, publicly traded company during the periods presented. In addition, our historical financial data does not reflect changes that we expect to experience in the future as a result of our separation from Jefferies or changes related to the Spin-Off. Accordingly, the historical results should not be relied upon as an indicator of our future performance.
NINE MONTHS ENDED AUGUST 31, |
YEAR ENDED NOVEMBER 30, | |||||||||||||||||||
(in thousands) | 2022 | 2021 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |||||||||||||||
Statement of Operations Data: |
||||||||||||||||||||
Revenue |
||||||||||||||||||||
Oil |
$ | 179,177 | $ | 106,986 | $ | 151,838 | $ | 91,542 | $ | 157,112 | ||||||||||
Natural gas |
45,510 | 17,496 | 33,340 | 5,688 | 14,189 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Total revenue |
224,687 | 124,482 | 185,178 | 97,230 | 171,301 | |||||||||||||||
Operating Expenses |
||||||||||||||||||||
Production |
35,179 | 32,591 | 43,910 | 41,731 | 42,875 | |||||||||||||||
Production taxes |
17,828 | 10,082 | 14,535 | 9,173 | 15,572 | |||||||||||||||
General and administrative |
11,496 | 7,704 | 10,581 | 9,196 | 7,957 | |||||||||||||||
Depletion, depreciation, amortization, and accretion |
46,310 | 45,476 | 60,846 | 58,307 | 64,721 | |||||||||||||||
Impairment of proved oil and gas properties |
| | | 13,200 | | |||||||||||||||
Unit-based compensation |
7,539 | 814 | 1,409 | (544 | ) | 3,295 | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Total operating expenses |
118,352 | 96,667 | 131,281 | 131,063 | 134,420 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Operating Income (Loss) |
106,335 | 27,815 | 53,897 | (33,833 | ) | 36,881 | ||||||||||||||
Other (Expense) Income |
||||||||||||||||||||
Commodity derivative (loss) gain, net (1) |
(47,990 | ) | (32,934 | ) | (32,590 | ) | 29,633 | 3,778 | ||||||||||||
Interest expense |
(2,847 | ) | (2,517 | ) | (3,207 | ) | (4,679 | ) | (4,825 | ) | ||||||||||
Other income |
10 | 11 | 14 | 22 | 54 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Total other (expense) income |
(50,827 | ) | (35,440 | ) | (35,783 | ) | 24,976 | (993 | ) | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Net Income (Loss) |
$ | 55,508 | $ | (7,625 | ) | $ | 18,114 | $ | (8,857 | ) | $ | 35,888 | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
68
NINE MONTHS ENDED AUGUST 31, |
YEAR ENDED NOVEMBER 30, | |||||||||||||||||||
(in thousands) | 2022 | 2021 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |||||||||||||||
Selected Cash Flow and Other Financial Data: |
||||||||||||||||||||
Net income (loss) |
$ | 55,508 | $ | (7,625 | ) | $ | 18,114 | $ | (8,857 | ) | $ | 35,888 | ||||||||
Depletion, depreciation, amortization, and accretion |
46,310 | 45,476 | 60,846 | 58,307 | 64,721 | |||||||||||||||
Unrealized loss (gain) on derivative instruments |
7,852 | 26,263 | 18,687 | (2,472 | ) | 280 | ||||||||||||||
Other non-cash items |
7,863 | 1,017 | 1,685 | 13,018 | 2,985 | |||||||||||||||
Changes in assets and liabilities |
(9,116 | ) | (7,329 | ) | (12,361 | ) | 16,313 | (2,680 | ) | |||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Net cash provided by operating activities |
$ | 108,417 | $ | 57,802 | $ | 86,971 | $ | 76,309 | $ | 101,194 | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Capital expenditures |
$ | 57,317 | $ | 31,504 | $ | 43,317 | $ | 70,808 | $ | 104,367 | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
AS OF AUGUST 31, | AS OF NOVEMBER 30, | |||||||||||||||||||
(in thousands) | 2022 | 2021 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |||||||||||||||
Balance Sheet Data: |
||||||||||||||||||||
Cash |
$ | 8,085 | $ | 4,505 | $ | 2,801 | $ | 1,734 | $ | 1,761 | ||||||||||
Revenue receivable |
44,737 | 25,889 | 31,959 | 15,999 | 34,662 | |||||||||||||||
Oil and gas properties, net of accumulated depreciation, depletion, amortization and impairment |
593,400 | 575,632 | 576,496 | 593,958 | 619,029 | |||||||||||||||
Commodities derivative assets |
| | 1,513 | 11,528 | 9,055 | |||||||||||||||
Other assets |
2,522 | 1,989 | 1,359 | 3,911 | 2,882 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Total assets |
$ | 648,744 | $ | 608,015 | $ | 614,128 | $ | 627,130 | $ | 667,389 | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Current liabilities |
47,322 | 31,539 | 32,200 | 22,373 | 48,856 | |||||||||||||||
Revolving credit facility |
66,000 | 75,000 | 68,000 | 98,500 | 104,000 | |||||||||||||||
Other long-term liabilities (2) |
22,691 | 16,628 | 14,705 | 13,784 | 13,857 | |||||||||||||||
Redeemable management incentive units |
7,386 | 4,266 | 4,831 | 2,665 | 3,044 | |||||||||||||||
Members equity |
505,345 | 480,582 | 494,392 | 489,808 | 497,632 | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||
Total liabilities, redeemable units and members equity |
$ | 648,744 | $ | 608,015 | $ | 614,128 | $ | 627,130 | $ | 667,389 | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) | Composed of (i) actual cash gains and losses recognized on settled commodity derivative instruments during the period and (ii) unsettled gains and losses based on mark-to-market accounting incurred on commodity derivative instruments outstanding at period end. |
(2) | Composed of unit-based compensation liability, commodity derivatives liability and asset retirement obligations. |
Non-GAAP Financial Information
We include financial information prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, which we refer to as GAAP, as well as the non-GAAP financial measures Net Debt, which we use as a measure of liquidity, and Adjusted EBITDA and PV-10, which we use as measures of our operational performance. Non-GAAP measures, such as Net Debt, Adjusted EBITDA and PV-10, should not be viewed as a supplement to nor a substitute for net income (loss) or any other performance measure calculated in accordance with GAAP or as a measure of our profitability or liquidity. As a result of the adjustments made in calculating Net Debt, Adjusted EBITDA and PV-10, there are significant limitations to using such measures as measures of performance or liquidity, as applicable, including the inability to analyze the effect of certain recurring and non-recurring items that materially affect our net income (loss). Such non-GAAP measures are not necessarily comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies.
69
Reconciliations of Net Debt and Adjusted EBITDA to Most Directly Comparable GAAP Measures
Net Debt is calculated by deducting cash on hand from the amount outstanding on our Existing Revolving Credit Facility as of the balance sheet or measurement date. We believe Net Debt is meaningful to investors because it is frequently used by analysts, investors and other interested parties in our industry to evaluate a companys debt position in relation to cash relative to its peers and competitors as a point in time measurement relative to other liquidity-based metrics.
Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net income before expenses for interest, income taxes, depletion, depreciation, amortization and accretion, and excludes non-cash gains and losses on unsettled derivative instruments and non-cash unit-based compensation in addition to certain items we consider non-routine in nature, including non-cash oil and natural gas property impairments and material non-recurring general and administrative costs related to the Spin-Off. We believe Adjusted EBITDA is useful to us and external users of our financial statements in understanding our operating results and the ongoing performance of our underlying business because it allows our management and investors to compare our operating performance on a consistent basis across periods and against our peers, since it removes or adjusts for the impact of, among other things, the impact of our capital structure, non-cash gains and losses on unsettled derivative instruments, non-cash unit-based compensation and the non-routine charges noted in the table below. We also use Adjusted EBITDA as a basis for strategic planning and forecasting.
TWELVE MONTHS ENDED AUGUST 31, |
YEAR ENDED NOVEMBER 30, | |||||||||||||||
(in thousands except for ratio) | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | ||||||||||||
Revolving Credit Facility |
$ | 66,000 | $ | 68,000 | $ | 98,500 | $ | 104,000 | ||||||||
Cash |
8,085 | 2,801 | 1,734 | 1,761 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Net Debt |
$ | 57,915 | $ | 65,199 | $ | 96,766 | $ | 102,239 | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Net Income (Loss) |
$ | 81,248 | $ | 18,114 | $ | (8,857 | ) | $ | 35,888 | |||||||
Interest expense |
3,537 | 3,207 | 4,679 | 4,825 | ||||||||||||
Income taxes |
| | | | ||||||||||||
Depletion, depreciation, amortization, and accretion |
61,680 | 60,846 | 58,307 | 64,721 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
EBITDA |
146,465 | 82,167 | 54,129 | 105,434 | ||||||||||||
Unit-based compensation |
8,135 | 1,409 | (544 | ) | 3,295 | |||||||||||
Unrealized loss (gain) on derivatives |
277 | 18,687 | (2,473 | ) | 280 | |||||||||||
Adjustments for non-routine items (1) |
3,130 | | 13,200 | | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Adjusted EBITDA |
$ | 158,007 | $ | 102,263 | $ | 64,312 | $ | 109,009 | ||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||
Net Debt to Adjusted EBITDA ratio |
0.37 | 0.64 | 1.50 | 0.94 |
(1) | Our Adjusted EBITDA calculation excludes certain items we consider non-routine and non-recurring. In 2020, adjustments for non-routine items were comprised of a $13.2 million impairment charge to our Colorado and Wyoming properties because of the significant decline in oil and natural gas prices as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the twelve months ended August 31, 2022, adjustments for non-routine items were composed of a $3.1 million of costs related to the Spin-Off. |
Reconciliation of PV-10 to Standardized Measure
PV-10 is derived from the Standardized Measure, which is the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure for proved reserves calculated using SEC pricing. PV-10 is a computation of the Standardized Measure on a pre-tax basis. PV-10 is equal to the Standardized Measure at the applicable date, before deducting future income taxes, discounted at ten percent. We believe that the presentation of PV-10 is relevant and useful to investors because it presents the discounted future net cash flows attributable to our estimated proved reserves prior to taking into account future income taxes, and it is a useful measure for evaluating the relative monetary significance of our oil and natural gas properties. We use this measure when assessing the potential return on investment related to our oil and natural gas properties. PV-10, however, is not a substitute for the Standardized Measure. PV-10 and the Standardized Measure do not purport to represent the fair value of our oil and natural gas reserves.
70
The table below reconciles the pre-tax PV-10 value of our proved reserves at SEC prices as of November 30, 2021 to the Standardized Measure.
(in thousands) | YEAR ENDED NOVEMBER 30, 2021 (1) |
|||
Standardized Measure |
$ | 601,613 | ||
Future Income Taxes, Discounted at 10% (2) |
| |||
|
|
|||
Pre-Tax Present Value of Estimated Future Net Revenues (Pre-Tax PV-10) (3) |
$ | 601,613 | ||
|
|
(1) | Discounted future net cash flows are valued as of November 30, 2021 based on average prices of $64.81 per barrel of oil and $3.46 per MMBtu of natural gas. Under SEC guidelines, these prices represent the unweighted average prices per barrel of oil and per MMBtu of natural gas at the beginning of each month in the twelve-month period prior to the end of the reporting period. |
(2) | Future income taxes for Vitesse as of November 30, 2021 were zero due to our tax status as a pass-through entity. |
(3) | Vitesses PV-10 has historically been computed on the same basis as our Standardized Measure because it does not include a provision for future income taxes. Following the Spin-Off, we will be a corporation subject to entity-level income taxes. As a result, our calculation of PV-10 for annual periods following the Spin-Off will be adjusted upward for estimated future income tax expense, computed by applying the then applicable year end statutory tax rates to future pretax net cash flows, less the tax basis of the properties involved and utilization of available tax carryforwards related to oil and gas operations. |
Uncertainties are inherent in estimating quantities of proved reserves, including many risk factors beyond our control. Reserve engineering is a subjective process of estimating subsurface accumulations of oil and natural gas that cannot be measured in an exact manner. As a result, estimates of proved reserves may vary depending upon the engineer estimating the reserves. Further, our actual realized price for our oil and natural gas is not likely to equal the pricing parameters used to calculate our proved reserves. As such, the oil and natural gas quantities and the value of those commodities ultimately recovered from our properties will vary from reserve estimates.
Additional discussion of our proved reserves is set forth under Supplemental Oil and Gas Information (Unaudited) in the notes to the Audited Consolidated Financial Statements in the section entitled Index to Financial Statements.
71
UNAUDITED PRO FORMA CONDENSED COMBINED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
On July 19, 2022, Jefferies announced plans for the complete legal and structural separation of Vitesse from Jefferies. To effect the separation, first, Vitesse will undertake the transactions described under the section entitled The Spin-OffPre-Spin-Off Transactions in this Information Statement. Jefferies will subsequently distribute all of Vitesses common stock held by Jefferies, representing 94.37% of our total issued and outstanding common stock immediately prior to the Distribution, to Jefferies shareholders, and Vitesse will become an independent, publicly traded company. After the Distribution, Jefferies will not own any shares of our common stock.
The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements of Vitesse have been derived from the Audited Consolidated Financial Statements and the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements of Vitesse Energy (VE), included in the section entitled Index to Financial Statements. Vitesse is currently a shell company created to effectuate the Spin-Off. The predecessor of Vitesse is Vitesse Energy.
The unaudited pro forma financial information of Vitesse Oil (VO) has been derived from the historical financial statements of Vitesse Oil, which are not included in this Information Statement as Vitesse Oil is not a significant acquisition with respect to Vitesse Energy.
The unaudited pro forma condensed combined statement of operations for the nine months ended August 31, 2022 and the year ended November 30, 2021 have been prepared as though the Spin-Off occurred on December 1, 2020. The unaudited pro forma condensed combined balance sheet as of August 31, 2022 has been prepared as though the Spin-Off occurred on August 31, 2022. The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements were prepared in accordance with Article 11 of the Regulation S-X, updated for Release No. 33-10786, which was effective January 1, 2021. The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements have been adjusted to give effect to certain pro forma adjustments referred to as Spin Transaction Accounting Adjustments, including:
∎ | the distribution of our common stock by Jefferies to its shareholders in connection with the Spin-Off; and |
∎ | the recognition of additional estimated transaction costs related to the Spin-Off that are expected to be incurred after August 31, 2022. |
The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements are presented for illustrative purposes only and are not necessarily indicative of the operating results or financial position that would have been achieved had the Spin-Off occurred on December 1, 2020 or August 31, 2022, respectively, nor are they indicative of our future operating results or financial position. The pro forma adjustments are based upon information and assumptions available at the time of the filing of this Information Statement as set forth in the notes to the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements. Because these unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements have been prepared based upon preliminary estimates, the impact of the Spin-Off and the timing thereof could cause material differences from the information presented herein.
The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements should be read in conjunction with our Audited Consolidated Financial Statements and Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying notes included under the section entitled Index to Financial Statements and the sections entitled Capitalization and Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. The unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial information constitutes forward-looking information and is subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. For more information, see the sections entitled Cautionary Statement Concerning Forward-Looking Statements and Risk Factors.
72
Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Statement of Operations
For the Nine Months Ended August 31, 2022
(in thousands except share and per share data) |
VE HISTORICAL |
VO HISTORICAL |
VO TRANSACTION ACCOUNTING ADJUSTMENTS |
SUB TOTAL | SPIN TRANSACTION ACCOUNTING ADJUSTMENTS |
VITESSE PRO FORMA |
||||||||||||||||||
Revenue |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Oil |
$ | 179,177 | $ | 14,455 | $ | | $ | 193,632 | $ | | $ | 193,632 | ||||||||||||
Natural gas |
45,510 | 2,500 | | 48,010 | | 48,010 | ||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Total revenue |
224,687 | 16,955 | | 241,642 | | 241,642 | ||||||||||||||||||
Operating Expenses |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Production |
35,179 | 2,518 | | 37,697 | | 37,697 | ||||||||||||||||||
Production taxes |
17,828 | 1,439 | | 19,267 | | 19,267 | ||||||||||||||||||
General and Administrative |
11,496 | 951 | | 12,447 | | 12,447 | ||||||||||||||||||
Depletion, depreciation, amortization, and accretion |
46,310 | 4,653 | 628 | b | 51,591 | | 51,591 | |||||||||||||||||
Impairment of proved oil and gas properties |
| | | | | | ||||||||||||||||||
Unit-based compensation |
7,539 | | | 7,539 | 6,105 | g | 13,644 | |||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Total operating expenses |
118,352 | 9,561 | 628 | 128,541 | 6,105 | 134,646 | ||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Operating Income (Loss) |
106,335 | 7,394 | (628 | ) | 113,101 | (6,105 | ) | 106,996 | ||||||||||||||||
Other (Expense) Income |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Commodity derivative (loss) gain, net |
(47,990 | ) | (1,465 | ) | | (49,455 | ) | | (49,455 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Interest expense |
(2,847 | ) | (157 | ) | | (3,004 | ) | | (3,004 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Other income |
10 | | | 10 | | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Total other (expense) income |
(50,827 | ) | (1,622 | ) | | (52,449 | ) | | (52,449 | ) | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Net Income (loss) before income tax |
55,508 | 5,772 | (628 | ) | 60,652 | (6,105 | ) | 54,547 | ||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Income tax (expense) benefit |
| | | | (13,410 | ) i | (13,410 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Net Income (Loss) |
$ | 55,508 | $ | 5,772 | $ | (628 | ) | $ | 60,652 | $ | (19,515 | ) | $ | 41,137 | ||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Pro forma earnings per common sharebasic |
$ | 0.12 | $ | 1.36 | c,d | |||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Pro forma earnings per common sharediluted |
$ | 0.12 | $ | 1.25 | c,d | |||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Pro forma weighted average common shares outstandingbasic |
450,000,000 | 30,151,354 | c,d | |||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Pro forma weighted average common shares outstandingdiluted |
450,000,000 | 33,000,000 | c,d | |||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
73
Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Balance Sheet
As of August 31, 2022
(in thousands) | VE HISTORICAL |
VO HISTORICAL |
VO TRANSACTION ACCOUNTING ADJUSTMENTS |
SUB TOTAL | SPIN TRANSACTION ACCOUNTING ADJUSTMENTS |
VITESSE PRO FORMA |
||||||||||||||||||
Cash |
$ | 8,085 | $ | 363 | $ | | $ | 8,448 | $ | (4,935 | ) h | $ | 3,513 | |||||||||||
Revenue receivable |
44,737 | 4,190 | | 48,927 | | 48,927 | ||||||||||||||||||
Oil and gas properties, net of accumulated depreciation, depletion, amortization, and impairment |
593,400 | 60,534 | 11,038 | a | 664,972 | 4,935 | h | |
669,907 |
| ||||||||||||||
Commodities derivative assets |
| | | | | | ||||||||||||||||||
Other assets |
2,522 | 194 | | 2,716 | | 2,716 | ||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Total assets |
648,744 | 65,281 | 11,038 | 725,063 | | 725,063 | ||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Current liabilities |
47,321 | 2,070 | | 49,391 | 8,500 | e | 57,891 | |||||||||||||||||
Revolving credit facility |
66,000 | 1,800 | | 67,800 | | 67,800 | ||||||||||||||||||
Other long-term liabilities (1) |
22,691 | 549 | | 23,240 | (15,892 | ) f | 7,348 | |||||||||||||||||
Deferred income taxes |
| | | 44,864 | j | 44,864 | ||||||||||||||||||
Redeemable management incentive units |
7,386 | | | 7,386 | (7,386 | ) f | | |||||||||||||||||
Common Stock |
| | | | 282 | c,d,f | 282 | |||||||||||||||||
Additional paid-in capital |
| | | | 546,878 | c,d,f | 546,878 | |||||||||||||||||
Members equity |
505,346 | 60,862 | 11,038 | a | 577,246 | (577,246 | ) c,d | | ||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Total liabilities, redeemable units and equity |
$ | 648,744 | $ | 65,281 | $ | 11,038 | $ | 725,063 | $ | | $ | 725,063 | ||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(1) | Composed of unit-based compensation liability, commodity derivatives liability and asset retirement obligations. |
74
Unaudited Pro Forma Condensed Combined Statement of Operations
For the Year Ended November 30, 2021
(in thousands except share and per share data) |
VE HISTORICAL | VO HISTORICAL |
VO TRANSACTION ACCOUNTING ADJUSTMENTS |
SUB TOTAL | SPIN TRANSACTION ACCOUNTING ADJUSTMENTS |
VITESSE PRO FORMA |
||||||||||||||||||
Revenue |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Oil |
151,838 | 10,800 | | 162,638 | | 162,638 | ||||||||||||||||||
Natural gas |
33,340 | 2,061 | | 35,401 | | 35,401 | ||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Total revenue |
185,178 | 12,861 | | 198,039 | | 198,039 | ||||||||||||||||||
Operating Expenses |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Production |
43,910 | 2,695 | | 46,605 | | 46,605 | ||||||||||||||||||
Production taxes |
14,535 | 1,041 | | 15,576 | | 15,576 | ||||||||||||||||||
General and Administrative |
10,581 | 1,190 | | 11,771 | 8,500 | e | 20,271 | |||||||||||||||||
Depletion, depreciation, amortization, and accretion |
60,846 | 5,249 | 833 | b | 66,928 | | 66,928 | |||||||||||||||||
Impairment of proved oil and gas properties |
| | | | | | ||||||||||||||||||
Unit-based compensation |
1,409 | | | 1,409 | 45,100 | g | 46,509 | |||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Total operating expenses |
131,281 | 10,175 | 833 | 142,289 | 53,600 | 195,889 | ||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Operating Income (Loss) |
53,897 | 2,686 | (833 | ) | 55,750 | (53,600 | ) | 2,150 | ||||||||||||||||
Other (Expense) Income |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Commodity derivative (loss) gain, net |
(32,590 | ) | (824 | ) | | (33,414 | ) | | (33,414 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Interest expense |
(3,207 | ) | (122 | ) | | (3,329 | ) | | (3,329 | ) | ||||||||||||||
Other income |
14 | | | 14 | | 14 | ||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Total other (expense) income |
(35,783 | ) | (946 | ) | | (36,729 | ) | | (36,729 | ) | ||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Net Income (loss) before income tax |
18,114 | 1,740 | (833 | ) | 19,021 | (53,600 | ) | (34,579 | ) | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Income tax (expense) benefit |
| | | | (1,489 | ) i | (1,489 | ) | ||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Net Income (Loss) |
18,114 | 1,740 | (833 | ) | 19,021 | (55,089 | ) | (36,068 | ) | |||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
Pro forma earnings per common sharebasic |
$ | 0.04 | $ | (1.23 | ) c,d | |||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Pro forma earnings per common sharediluted |
$ | 0.04 | $ | (1.23 | ) c,d | |||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Pro forma weighted average common shares outstandingbasic |
450,000,000 | 29,335,635 | c,d | |||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Pro forma weighted average common shares outstandingdiluted |
450,000,000 | 29,335,635 | c,d | |||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
75
The historical financial information of Vitesse Energy included in these unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements of Vitesse is derived from the Audited Consolidated Financial Statements and Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements of Vitesse Energy. The pro forma adjustments in these unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements of Vitesse have been prepared (a) in the case of the pro forma condensed combined balance sheet, as if the Spin-Off had taken place on August 31, 2022, and (b) in the case of the pro forma condensed combined statements of operations for the nine months ended August 31, 2022 and the year ended November 30, 2021, as if the Spin-Off had taken place on December 1, 2020.
The pro forma adjustments are based on currently available information and certain estimates and assumptions; therefore, the actual effects of these transactions will differ from the pro forma adjustments. A general description of these transactions and adjustments is provided as follows.
1. VO Transaction
a) The VO Transaction will be accounted for as a business combination under the acquisition method of accounting in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification 805. The allocation of the preliminary estimated purchase price with respect to the business combination is based upon managements estimates of and assumptions related to the fair values of the assets to be acquired and liabilities to be assumed using currently available information. The purchase price allocation resulted only in the step-up of oil and natural gas properties to its estimated fair value as all other assets acquired and liabilities assumed book values approximated their fair values. Due to the fact the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements have been prepared using these preliminary estimates, the final purchase price allocation and the resulting effect may differ significantly from the pro forma amounts included herein.
The following table presents the preliminary purchase price allocation of the assets acquired and the liabilities assumed in the VO Transaction:
(in thousands) | PRELIMINARY PURCHASE PRICE ALLOCATION |
|||
Assets acquired |
||||
Cash |
$ | 363 | ||
Revenue receivable |
4,190 | |||
Oil and gas properties |
71,572 | |||
Other assets |
194 | |||
|
|
|||
Total assets to be acquired |
$ | 76,319 | ||
Liabilities assumed |
||||
Current liabilities |
$ | 2,070 | ||
Credit facility |
1,800 | |||
Other long-term liabilities |
549 | |||
|
|
|||
Total liabilities to be assumed |
4,419 | |||
|
|
|||
Net assets to be acquired |
$ | 71,900 |
b) Reflects depletion, depreciation, amortization, and accretion expense of approximately $5.3 million and $6.1 million for the nine months ended August 31, 2022 and the year ended November 30, 2021, respectively, associated with the stepped-up basis of the acquired assets and the elimination of historical depletion, depreciation, amortization, and accretion expense of approximately $4.7 million and $5.3 million attributable to oil and natural gas properties, respectively, for the nine months ended August 31, 2022 and the year ended November 30, 2021.
2. Pre-Spin-Off Transactions
We intend to enter into a New Revolving Credit Facility in connection with the Spin-Off. The New Revolving Credit Facility will amend and restate the Existing Revolving Credit Facility of Vitesse Energy and borrowings under the Existing Revolving Credit Facility will remain outstanding as borrowings under the New Revolving Credit Facility. We anticipate the New Revolving Credit Facility will include the same bank group and be similar in aggregate size and with similar
76
terms to our Existing Revolving Credit Facility and the Vitesse Oil Revolving Credit Facility. We will use the proceeds from the New Revolving Credit Facility to repay in full and terminate the outstanding indebtedness under the Vitesse Oil Revolving Credit Facility with little or no impact to the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements, as borrowings under the New Revolving Credit Facility are expected to be at similar levels and terms (including the fees, the interest rate margin and the market-based indices that such interest rate is tied to under such facility) as the Existing Revolving Credit Facility.
c) We intend to issue approximately 2.1 million shares of common stock to the owners of Vitesse Oil in connection with the acquisition of Vitesse Oil, which for purposes of these unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements is assumed to be $71.9 million. This transaction eliminates members equity of Vitesse Oil and reflects the issuance of shares of Vitesse common stock to the owners of Vitesse Oil.
d) To implement the Spin-Off, for every 8.49668 shares of Jefferies common stock held by each Jefferies shareholder on the Record Date, such shareholder will receive a distribution of one share of Vitesse common stock, with such shareholder receiving cash in lieu of fractional shares of Vitesse common stock. We estimate that Jefferies will distribute approximately 26,614,467 shares of our common stock, based on 226,134,603 shares of Jefferies common stock outstanding as of December 16, 2022. For more information, see the section entitled The Spin-OffTreatment of Fractional Shares. Vitesse will have a new long-term incentive plan and the historical incentive compensation structure of Vitesse Energy will be eliminated. Basic common shares outstanding includes 28,202,019 shares expected to be issued as described in note c) and this note d), as well as vested restricted stock units to be issued under the VTS LTIP and vested restricted stock units and options to be issued under the Transitional Plan. Diluted common shares outstanding for the nine months ended August 31, 2022 also includes unvested restricted stock units to be issued under the VTS LTIP and unvested restricted stock units and options to be issued under the Transitional Plan. Diluted and basic common shares outstanding for the year ended November 30, 2021 were the same because there was a net loss during such period and adding unvested restricted stock units and options to be issued under the VTS LTIP and Transitional Plan would be anti-dilutive.
e) Reflects additional estimated one-time transaction costs related to the Spin-Off that are expected to be incurred after August 31, 2022 and are therefore not reflected in the Audited Consolidated Financial Statements and Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements of Vitesse Energy. Approximately $3.0 million of transaction costs related to the Spin-Off are included in the Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements of Vitesse Energy. These transaction costs are not expected to recur beyond twelve months after the Spin-Off.
f) Reflects the elimination of unit-based compensation liabilities and redeemable management incentive units pursuant to certain of the Pre-Spin-Off Transactions. For more information, see the section entitled Other Transactions and Relationships with Related Persons.
g) Reflects anticipated awards of time-vested restricted stock units of Vitesse in connection with the Spin-Off. For more information, see the sections entitled Executive Compensation and Other Transactions and Relationships with Related Persons.
h) Reflects the termination of the Employee Participation Plan of Vitesse Energy and repurchase of working interests from participants on November 30, 2022. While this transaction would be expected to increase production, revenues and expenses subsequent to the repurchase, the impact is immaterial to the Pro Forma Condensed Combined Statements of Operations.
3. Income Taxes
i) Reflects the income tax effect of the pro forma adjustments related to the acquisition of Vitesse Energy and Vitesse Oil, each a limited liability company, by Vitesse. The tax rate applied to the pro forma adjustments was the estimated combined statutory rate of 23.3%.
j) Reflects pro forma adjustments resulting in a $44.9 million increase to the net deferred tax liability of Vitesse at the estimated statutory tax rate. The deferred tax liability results from taxable temporary differences related to the financial accounting versus tax basis of Vitesse Energy and Vitesse Oil. The Vitesse Energy acquisition is expected to
77
qualify for tax deferred treatment under Sections 368(a)(1)(D) and 351 of the Code, with the carryover tax basis being lower than the historical financial accounting basis. The VO Transaction was accounted for as a business combination under the acquisition method of accounting and is expected to qualify as a tax deferred transaction for income tax purposes under Section 351 of the Code. Accordingly, the VO Transaction reflects the assumption of a deferred tax liability in connection with the acquisition, as the carryover tax basis is lower than the financial accounting basis. The lower tax bases for both Vitesse Energy and Vitesse Oil result primarily from the ability to deduct intangible drilling costs and depreciation on an accelerated basis for income tax purposes. Additional adjustments to the carryover tax basis are expected, which will impact the amount of the deferred tax liability. Expected increases in the carryover tax basis relate primarily to partner elections to capitalize a portion of the intangible drilling costs and the anticipated step-up in tax basis resulting from the exchange of Vitesse Energy MIUs and equity interests of Vitesse Energy in satisfaction of loans from Vitesse Energy Finance.
4. Supplemental Pro Forma Oil and Natural Gas Reserves Information
The following tables present the combined net proved developed and undeveloped oil and natural gas reserves as of November 30, 2021, along with a summary of changes in quantities of net remaining proved reserves during the year ended November 30, 2021. The combined reserve information set forth below gives effect to the Spin-Off as if it had occurred on December 1, 2020.
The following combined reserve information is presented for illustrative purposes only and is not necessarily indicative of the operating results or financial position that would have been achieved had the Spin-Off occurred on December 1, 2020 nor is it indicative of our future operating results or financial position. Because the following combined reserve information has been prepared based upon preliminary estimates, the impact of the Spin-Off and the timing thereof could cause material differences from the information presented herein.
OIL (MBbls) | ||||||||||||
VE HISTORICAL | VO HISTORICAL | VITESSE PRO FORMA |
||||||||||
Proved Developed and Undeveloped Reserves at November 30, 2020 |
33,106 | 3,518 | 36,624 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Revisions of previous estimates |
(2,998 | ) | (349 | ) | (3,347 | ) | ||||||
Extensions, discoveries and other additions |
899 | 20 | 919 | |||||||||
Acquisition of reserves |
959 | 82 | 1,041 | |||||||||
Production |
(2,436 | ) | (167 | ) | (2,603 | ) | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Proved Developed and Undeveloped Reserves at November 30, 2021 |
29,530 | 3,104 | 32,634 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Proved Developed Reserves: |
||||||||||||
November 30, 2020 |
17,841 | 1,324 | 19,165 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
November 30, 2021 |
17,764 | 1,320 | 19,084 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Proved Undeveloped Reserves: |
||||||||||||
November 30, 2020 |
15,265 | 2,194 | 17,459 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
November 30, 2021 |
11,766 | 1,784 | 13,550 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
78
GAS (MMcf) | ||||||||||||
VE HISTORICAL | VO HISTORICAL | VITESSE PRO FORMA |
||||||||||
Proved Developed and Undeveloped Reserves at November 30, 2020 |
84,829 | 6,296 | 91,125 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Revisions of previous estimates |
(4,181 | ) | (84 | ) | (4,265 | ) | ||||||
Extensions, discoveries and other additions |
2,648 | 36 | 2,684 | |||||||||
Acquisition of reserves |
1,793 | 173 | 1,966 | |||||||||
Production |
(7,065 | ) | (399 | ) | (7,464 | ) | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Proved Developed and Undeveloped Reserves at November 30, 2021 |
78,024 | 6,022 | 84,046 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Proved Developed Reserves: |
||||||||||||
November 30, 2020 |
47,418 | 2,960 | 50,378 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
November 30, 2021 |
58,437 | 3,224 | 61,661 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Proved Undeveloped Reserves: |
||||||||||||
November 30, 2020 |
37,411 | 3,336 | 40,747 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
November 30, 2021 |
19,587 | 2,798 | 22,385 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
COMBINED (MBoe) | ||||||||||||
VE HISTORICAL | VO HISTORICAL | VITESSE PRO FORMA |
||||||||||
Proved Developed and Undeveloped Reserves at November 30, 2020 |
47,244 | 4,567 | 51,811 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Revisions of previous estimates |
(3,694 | ) | (363 | ) | (4,057 | ) | ||||||
Extensions, discoveries and other additions |
1,340 | 26 | 1,366 | |||||||||
Acquisition of reserves |
1,258 | 111 | 1,369 | |||||||||
Production |
(3,614 | ) | (234 | ) | (3,848 | ) | ||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Proved Developed and Undeveloped Reserves at November 30, 2021 |
42,534 | 4,107 | 46,641 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Proved Developed Reserves: |
||||||||||||
November 30, 2020 |
25,744 | 1,817 | 27,561 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
November 30, 2021 |
27,504 | 1,857 | 29,361 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
Proved Undeveloped Reserves: |
||||||||||||
November 30, 2020 |
21,500 | 2,750 | 24,250 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||
November 30, 2021 |
15,030 | 2,250 | 17,280 | |||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
Notable changes in Vitesse Energy proved reserves for the year ended November 30, 2021 included the following:
∎ | Revisions to previous estimates. In 2021, revisions to previous estimates increased proved developed and decreased proved undeveloped reserves by a net amount of 3,694 MBoe. Included in these revisions were 4,331 MBoe of upward adjustments caused by higher oil and natural gas prices and 6,875 MBoe of downward adjustments related to the removal of undeveloped drilling locations due to a slower than expected recovery of rig activity in the Williston Basin, 524 MBoe of downward adjustments related to the removal of drilled uncompleted wells in the Central Rockies related to the SEC five year development rule and 626 MBoe of downward adjustments attributable to well performance when comparing our reserve estimates at November 30, 2021 to November 30, 2020. |
79
∎ | Extensions and discoveries. In 2021, total extensions and discoveries of 1,340 MBoe were attributable to additions of proved undeveloped locations in the Williston Basin. |
Notable changes in Vitesse Oil proved reserves for the year ended November 30, 2021 included the following:
∎ | Revisions to previous estimates. In 2021, revisions to previous estimates increased proved developed and decreased proved undeveloped reserves by a net amount of 363 MBoe. Included in these revisions were 452 MBoe of upward adjustments caused by higher oil and natural gas prices, 667 MBoe of downward adjustments related to the removal of undeveloped drilling locations due to a slower than expected recovery of rig activity in the Williston |