Filed by Crestwood Equity Partners LP
Pursuant to Rule 425 of the Securities Act of 1933
and deemed filed pursuant to Rule 14a-12
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Subject Company: Crestwood Equity Partners LP
Commission File No.: 001-34664
The following email message was sent by Andrew Thorington, Vice President, Finance and Investor Relations of Crestwood Equity Partners LP, to certain analysts on August 16, 2023:
Subject: Crestwood to Merge into Energy Transfer in a ~$7.1 Bn Transaction
Good morning,
In the attached press release and investor presentation published this morning, Crestwood (CEQP) and Energy Transfer (ET) announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which ET will acquire all outstanding common units of Crestwood.
Transaction Overview:
| • | Total transaction value of approximately $7.1 Bn, based on the closing price on August 15, 2023, comprised of $2.7 Bn of equity value and the assumption of ~$4.3 Bn of net debt and preferred units |
| • | CEQP common unitholders will receive 2.07 ET common units for each CEQP common unit, an at-the-market exchange ratio |
| • | Transaction structured as a tax efficient, unit-for-unit exchange |
| • | CEQP unitholders to own ~6.5% of ET’s common units following the transaction |
Strategic Rationale and Expectations:
| • | Compelling relative valuation for CEQP unitholders based on both companies’ current trading levels |
| • | All equity transaction anticipated to provide CEQP unitholders ownership in a significantly larger and more diverse MLP with a strong, investment-grade balance sheet |
| • | Expected to enhance CEQP growth outlook through combining CEQP’s G&P and S&L operations into ET’s fully integrated asset base spanning the full midstream value chain |
| • | Distribution accretive to CEQP unitholders in 2024+ driven by ET’s public target of 3-5% annual DPU growth rate; higher yield and upside potential with lower risk profile |
| • | Provides CEQP unitholders significant value upside potential with ET common units, as illustrated by median analyst price target of ~$17.00 per common unit and ET’s potential to trade closer to peer multiples through continued execution |
| • | All equity transaction results in tax-efficient treatment for CEQP unitholders |
| • | Meaningful synergy opportunity across CEQP’s cost, financial, and commercial areas |
Approvals & Timeline:
| • | Unanimously approved by the Board of Directors of CEQP and ET |
| • | Requires CEQP unitholder vote; no ET unitholder vote required |
| • | Expected to close in Q4 2023, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals, including HSR |
Crestwood will host a conference call to discuss the transaction this morning at 9:00 am EST (8:00 am CST).
Please note, the dial-in information below is provided only to Crestwood analysts.
Conference Call Information:
Dial-in: 877-407-8037
Passcode: 137 407 28
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks,
Andrew
Important Information about the Transaction and Where to Find It
In connection with the proposed transaction between Energy Transfer LP (“Energy Transfer”) and Crestwood Equity Partners LP (“Crestwood”), Energy Transfer and Crestwood will file relevant materials with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including a registration statement on Form S-4 filed by Energy Transfer that will include a proxy statement of Crestwood that also constitutes a prospectus of Energy Transfer. A definitive proxy statement/prospectus will be mailed to unitholders of Crestwood. This communication is not a substitute for the registration statement, proxy statement or prospectus or any other document that Energy Transfer or Crestwood (as applicable) may file with the SEC in connection with the proposed transaction. BEFORE MAKING ANY VOTING OR INVESTMENT DECISION, INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS OF ENERGY TRANSFER AND CRESTWOOD ARE URGED TO READ THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT, THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS THAT ARE FILED OR WILL BE FILED WITH THE SEC, AS WELL AS ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS TO THESE DOCUMENTS, CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY CONTAIN OR WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION AND RELATED MATTERS. Investors and security holders may obtain free copies of the registration statement and the proxy statement/prospectus (when they become available), as well as other filings containing important information about Energy Transfer or Crestwood, without charge at the SEC’s website, at http://www.sec.gov. Copies of the documents filed with the SEC by Energy Transfer will be available free of charge on Energy Transfer’s website at www.energytransfer.com under the tab “Investor Relations” and then under the tab “SEC Filings” or by directing a request to Investor Relations, Energy Transfer LP, 8111 Westchester Drive, Suite 600, Dallas, TX 75225, Tel. No. (214) 981-0795 or to investorrelations@energytransfer.com. Copies of the documents filed with the SEC by Crestwood will be available free of charge on Crestwood’s website at www.crestwoodlp.com under the tab “Investors” and then under the tab “SEC Filings” or by directing a request to Investor Relations, Crestwood Equity Partners LP, 811 Main Street, Suite 3400, Houston, TX 77002, Tel. No. (832) 519-2200 or to investorrelations@crestwoodlp.com. The information included on, or accessible through, Energy Transfer’s or Crestwood’s website is not incorporated by reference into this communication.
Participants in the Solicitation
Energy Transfer, Crestwood and the directors and certain executive officers of their respective general partners may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies in respect of the proposed transaction. Information about the directors and executive officers of Crestwood’s general partner is set forth in its proxy statement for its 2023 annual meeting of unitholders, which was filed with the SEC on March 31, 2023, and in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, which was filed with the SEC on February 27, 2023. Information about the directors and executive officers of Energy Transfer’s general partner is set forth in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, which was filed with the SEC on February 17, 2023. Additional information regarding the participants in the proxy solicitations and a description of their direct or indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will be contained in the proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant materials filed with the SEC when they become available.
No Offer or Solicitation
This communication is for informational purposes only and is not intended to, and shall not, constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval, nor shall there be any offer, issuance, exchange, transfer, solicitation or sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, issuance, exchange, transfer, solicitation or sale would be in contravention of applicable law. No offering of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”).
Forward-Looking Statements
This communication contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. In this context, forward-looking statements often address future business and financial events, conditions, expectations, plans or ambitions, and often include, but are not limited to, words such as “believe,” “expect,” “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “seek,” “see,” “target” or similar expressions, or variations or negatives of these words, but not all forward-looking statements include such words. Forward-looking statements by their nature address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain, such as statements about the consummation of the proposed transaction and the anticipated benefits thereof. All such forward-looking statements are based upon current plans, estimates, expectations and ambitions that are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, many of which are beyond the control of Energy Transfer and Crestwood, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in such forward-looking statements. Important risk factors that may cause such a difference include, but are not limited to: the completion of the proposed transaction on anticipated terms and timing, or at all, including obtaining regulatory approvals that may be required on anticipated terms and Crestwood unitholder approval; anticipated tax treatment, unforeseen liabilities, future capital expenditures, revenues, expenses, earnings, synergies, economic performance, indebtedness, financial condition, losses, future prospects, business and management strategies for the management, expansion and growth of the combined company’s operations and other conditions to the completion of the merger, including the possibility that any of the anticipated benefits of the proposed transaction will not be realized or will not be realized within the expected time period; the ability of Energy Transfer and Crestwood to integrate the business successfully and to achieve anticipated synergies and value creation; potential litigation relating to the proposed transaction that could be instituted against Energy Transfer, Crestwood or the directors of their respective general partners; the risk that disruptions from the proposed transaction will harm Energy Transfer’s or Crestwood’s business, including current plans and operations and that management’s time and attention will be diverted on transaction-related issues; potential adverse reactions or changes to business relationships, including with employees suppliers, customers, competitors or credit rating agencies, resulting from the announcement or completion of the proposed transaction; rating agency actions and Energy Transfer and Crestwood’s ability to access short- and long-term debt markets on a timely and affordable basis; legislative, regulatory and economic developments, changes in local, national, or international laws, regulations, and policies affecting Energy Transfer and Crestwood; potential business uncertainty, including the outcome of commercial negotiations and changes to existing business relationships during the pendency of the proposed transaction that could affect Energy Transfer’s and/or Crestwood’s financial performance and operating results; certain restrictions during the pendency of the merger that may impact Crestwood’s ability to pursue certain business opportunities or strategic transactions or otherwise operate its business; acts of terrorism or outbreak of war, hostilities, civil unrest, attacks against Energy Transfer or Crestwood, and other political or security disturbances; dilution caused by Energy Transfer’s issuance of additional units representing limited partner interests in connection with the proposed transaction; the possibility that the transaction may be more expensive to complete than anticipated, including as a result of unexpected factors or events; the impacts of pandemics or other public health crises, including the effects of government responses on people and economies; changes in the supply, demand or price of oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids; those risks described in Item 1A of Energy Transfer’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC on February 17, 2023, and its subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K; those risks described in Item 1A of Crestwood’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC on February 27, 2023, and its subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K; and those risks that will be more fully described in the registration statement on Form S-4 and accompanying proxy statement/prospectus that will be filed with the SEC in connection with the proposed transaction.
While the list of factors presented here is, and the list of factors to be presented in the registration statement and the proxy statement/prospectus will be, considered representative, no such list should be considered to be a complete statement of all potential risks and uncertainties. Unlisted factors may present significant additional obstacles to the realization of forward-looking statements. Energy Transfer and Crestwood caution you not to place undue reliance on any of these forward-looking statements as they are not guarantees of future performance or outcomes and that actual performance and outcomes, including, without limitation, our actual results of operations, financial condition and liquidity, and the development of new markets or market segments in which we operate, may differ materially from those made in or suggested by the forward-looking statements contained in this communication. Neither Energy Transfer nor Crestwood assumes any obligation to publicly provide revisions or updates to any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, should circumstances change, except as otherwise required by securities and other applicable laws. Neither future distribution of this communication nor the continued availability of this communication in archive form on Energy Transfer’s or Crestwood’s website should be deemed to constitute an update or re-affirmation of these statements as of any future date.