EQT CORPORATION (NYSE:EQT) Files An 8-K Entry into a Material Definitive AgreementItem 1.01.Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.
On July31, 2017, EQT Corporation (the Company or EQT) amended and restated its existing unsecured $1,500,000,000 Amended and Restated Revolving Credit Agreement, dated as of February18, 2014, among the Company, PNC Bank, National Association, as Administrative Agent, Swing Line Lender and an L/C Issuer, and the other lenders and agents parties thereto, to that certain Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated as of July31, 2017 (the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement), among the Company, PNC Bank, National Association, as Administrative Agent, Swing Line Lender and an L/C Issuer, and the other lenders (the Lenders) and agents parties thereto.
Under the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, the Company may obtain loans in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $1,500,000,000 outstanding at any time. From and after the closing of the Company’s previously announced acquisition of Rice Energy Inc. (the Rice Acquisition), subject to the satisfaction of certain conditions, the aggregate commitments of the Lenders under the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement will automatically increase to $2,500,000,000. The Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement matures on July31, 2022 (the Stated Maturity Date), but the Company may request two one-year extensions of the Stated Maturity Date subject to satisfaction of certain conditions.
Under the terms of the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, the Company can obtain Base Rate Loans (as defined in the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement) or Fixed Period Eurodollar Rate Loans (as defined in the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement) (Eurodollar Rate Loans). Base Rate Loans are denominated in dollars and bear interest at a base rate plus a margin determined on the basis of the Company’s then current credit rating. Eurodollar Rate Loans bear interest at a Eurodollar Rate (as defined in the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement) plus a margin determined on the basis of the Company’s then current credit rating. The Company is obligated to repay the aggregate principal amount of any outstanding Base Rate Loans or Eurodollar Rate Loans on the earlier of the Stated Maturity Date or the effective date of any other termination, cancellation or acceleration of the Lenders’ commitments under the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement. The Company may voluntarily prepay its borrowings, in whole or in part, without premium or penalty, but subject to reimbursement of funding losses with respect to prepayment of Eurodollar Rate Loans.
The proceeds of the loans made under the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement may be used by the Company for working capital, capital expenditures, share repurchases, and other lawful corporate purposes (including repayment of indebtedness and to fund the Rice Acquisition).
The Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement contains certain representations and warranties and various affirmative and negative covenants and events of default, including (i)a restriction on the ability of the Company or certain of its subsidiaries to incur or permit liens on assets, subject to certain significant exceptions, (ii)the establishment of a maximum ratio of consolidated debt to total capital of the Company and its subsidiaries that are subject to the restrictions of the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement such that consolidated debt shall at no time exceed 65% of total capital, (iii)a limitation on certain changes to the Company’s business, and (iv)certain restrictions related to mergers or acquisitions.
The foregoing description of the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement does not purport to be a complete statement of the parties’ rights and obligations under the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement and the transactions contemplated by the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, which is filed as Exhibit10.1 to this Current Report on Form8-K and incorporated in this Item 1.01 by reference.
Item 2.03.Creation of a Direct Financial Obligation or an Obligation under an Off-Balance Sheet Arrangement of a Registrant.
The information set forth in Item 1.01 above is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information
This communication may contain certain forward-looking statements, including certain plans, expectations, goals, projections, and statements about the benefits of the proposed transaction, EQT’s and Rice Energy Inc.’s (Rice) plans, objectives, expectations and intentions, the expected timing of completion of the transaction, and other statements that are not historical facts. Such statements are subject to numerous assumptions, risks, and uncertainties. Statements that do not describe historical or current facts, including statements about beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as expect, anticipate, believe, intend, estimate, plan, target, goal, or similar expressions, or future or conditional verbs such as will, may, might, should, would, could, or similar variations. The