Energy Transfer Equity to combine with Williams
DALLAS & TULSA (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Energy Transfer Equity, L.P. (NYSE:ETE) (“ETE”) and The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) (“Williams” or “WMB”) today announced a business combination transaction valued at approximately $37.7 billion, including the assumption of debt and other liabilities.
This announcement follows the termination of the previously agreed merger agreement between WMB and Williams Partners L.P. (“WPZ”). The business combination between ETE and WMB was approved by the Boards of Directors of both entities. The combination will create the third largest energy franchise in North America and one of the five largest global energy companies. The combination will also benefit customers by enabling further investments in capital projects and efficiencies that would not be achievable absent the transaction.
Under the terms of the transaction, Energy Transfer Corp LP (“ETC”), an affiliate of ETE, will acquire Williams at an implied current price of $43.50 per Williams share. Williams’ stockholders will have the right to elect to receive as merger consideration either ETC common shares, which would be publicly traded on the NYSE under the symbol “ETC”, and / or cash. Elections to receive ETC common shares and cash will be subject to proration.
Cash elections will be prorated to the extent they exceed $6.05 billion in the aggregate and stock elections will be prorated to the extent the full $6.05 billion cash pool is not utilized. Williams stockholders electing to receive stock consideration will receive a fixed exchange ratio of 1.8716 ETC common shares for each share of WMB common stock, before giving effect to proration. If all Williams’ stockholders elect to receive all cash or all stock, then each share of Williams common stock would receive $8.00 in cash and 1.5274 ETC common shares. In addition, WMB stockholders will be entitled to a special one-time dividend of $0.10 per WMB share to be paid immediately prior to the closing of the transaction. The special one-time dividend is in addition to the regularly scheduled WMB dividends to be paid before closing.
ETC will be treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and holders of ETC common shares will therefore receive an IRS Form 1099, rather than a Schedule K-1, for federal income tax reporting. As part of this transaction, in exchange for the contribution by ETC to ETE of all of the assets and liabilities of WMB, ETE will issue to ETC a number of ETE Class E common units equal to the number of ETC common shares to be issued in the transaction. The Class E common units will be entitled to receive the same quarterly cash distribution per unit as the quarterly cash distribution per ETE common unit. As ETE has agreed to provide all administrative services to ETC and to indemnify ETC for all liabilities incurred by ETC, ETC is expected to distribute 100% of the after-tax cash distributions it receives from ETE to holders of ETC common shares on a quarterly basis as a cash dividend. ETC will benefit from a dividend equalization agreement through calendar 2018 with ETE that ensures that ETC shareholders will receive the identical cash dividend as an ETE unit holder.
To address any uncertainty as to how the newly listed ETC common shares, as a new security, will trade relative to ETE common units, ETE has agreed that, as part of the merger consideration, each ETC share will have attached to it one contingent consideration right (“CCR”). In the event the ETC common shares trade at a discount to the ETE common units on a daily volume-weighted average basis over the 23-month period following the 20th trading day after the closing of the transaction, ETC will make a one-time payment in an amount equal to such volume-weighted price differential (the “Shortfall Amount”). Any Shortfall Amount will be settled in ETC common shares (at the then current value) or cash at ETE’s election, and ETE will issue a proportionate amount of Class E common units to ETC. If ETC common shares trade at a premium to ETE common units over the same 23-month period, the CCR will expire with no value and a portion of the ETE Class E common units held by ETC will be cancelled based on the volume weighted average price differential, thereby reducing ETC’s ownership interest in ETE. There is also an automatic termination provision of the CCR if ETC trades above ETE on a daily VWAP basis for 20 consecutive trading days and there is no Shortfall Amount outstanding at the end of that 20 trading day period.
The transaction is expected to be tax-free to Williams’ stockholders, except with respect to any cash received. The parties believe that all stakeholders will benefit from the cash flow diversification associated with ownership in three large investment grade MLPs (Energy Transfer Partners, L.P. (“ETP”), Sunoco Logistics Partners L.P. (“SXL”) and WPZ). As a result, the combination creates a truly unique and diversified collection of compatible businesses that will drive greater near- and long-term value.
Kelcy Warren, ETE’s Chairman, said, “I am excited that we have now agreed to the terms of this merger with Williams. I believe that the combination of Williams and ETE will create substantial value for both companies’ stakeholders that would not be realized otherwise.”