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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): May 26, 2011
NICOR INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
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Illinois
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1-7297
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36-2855175 |
(State or other jurisdiction
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(Commission
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(I.R.S. Employer |
of incorporation)
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File Number)
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Identification Number) |
1844 Ferry Road
Naperville, Illinois 60563-9600
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
(630) 305-9500
(Registrants telephone number, including area code)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the
filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction
A.2. below):
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Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR
230.425) |
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Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR
240.14a-12) |
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Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange
Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) |
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Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange
Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
Item 8.01 Other Events
On May 25, 2011, solely to avoid the costs, risks and uncertainties inherent in litigation,
Nicor Inc. (Nicor) and the other named defendants signed a memorandum of understanding with the
plaintiffs to settle the previously disclosed consolidated shareholder class action lawsuits filed
in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, County Department, Chancery Division and the
previously disclosed shareholder class action lawsuit filed in the United States Federal District
Court for the Northern District of Illinois, both of which are related to the Agreement and Plan of
Merger (the Merger Agreement) dated as of December 6, 2010, by and among AGL Resources Inc. (AGL
Resources), Apollo Acquisition Corp., Ottawa Acquisition LLC and Nicor. This memorandum of
understanding provides, among other things, that the parties will seek to enter into a stipulation
of settlement which provides for the release of all asserted claims. The asserted claims will not
be released until such stipulation of settlement is approved by the court. There can be no
assurance that the parties will ultimately enter into a stipulation of settlement or that the court
will approve such settlement even if the parties were to enter into such stipulation.
Additionally, as part of the memorandum of understanding, Nicor and AGL Resources have agreed to
make certain additional disclosures related to the proposed merger, which are set forth below.
Finally, in connection with the proposed settlement, plaintiffs intend to seek, and the defendants
have agreed to pay, an award of attorneys fees and expenses of $675,000, subject to court approval.
This payment will not affect the amount of merger consideration to be paid in the merger or the
timing of the special meeting of Nicor shareholders scheduled for June 14, 2011 in Chicago,
Illinois or AGL Resources shareholders, scheduled for June 14, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia.
The additional disclosures in this Current Report on Form 8-K supplement the disclosure contained
in the definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus of AGL Resources and Nicor filed with the SEC
and mailed to Nicors shareholders on or about May 10, 2011, and should be read in conjunction with
the disclosures contained therein. To the extent that information in this Current Report on Form
8-K differs from or updates information contained in the joint proxy statement/prospectus, this
Current Report of Form 8-K is more current. Nothing in this Current Report on Form 8-K, the
memorandum of understanding or any stipulation of settlement shall be deemed an admission of the
legal necessity or materiality under applicable laws of any of the disclosure set forth herein.
Capitalized terms used herein, but not otherwise defined, shall have the meanings ascribed to such
terms in the joint proxy statement/prospectus.
The following disclosures supplement and amend the discussion under the caption Background of the
Merger beginning on page 52 of the joint proxy statement/prospectus:
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The paragraph beginning On May 27, 2010... on page 53 is amended and supplemented by
adding the following: |
Fund B, which has no prior relationship with Nicor, periodically contacted
Nicor to discuss the state of the energy industry, Fund Bs investment
activities and Nicors long-range plans. Prior to the May 27th
meeting, Fund B had not made a specific proposal with respect to a
potential transaction to Nicor management.
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The paragraph beginning In August 2010... on page 53 is amended and restated as
follows: |
In August 2010, Nicor retained Latham & Watkins LLP (sometimes referred to
as Latham) to act as its legal counsel regarding a potential transaction
and Nicors exploration of its strategic alternatives. In light of their
familiarity with Nicor and expertise in Nicors industry and mergers and
acquisitions transactions generally, Nicor also engaged J.P. Morgan to
serve as Nicors financial advisor in connection with the consideration of
strategic alternatives. Nicor retained J.P. Morgan pursuant to an
engagement letter dated as of October 1, 2010 and effective as of June 22,
2010. Mr. Rau, Ms. Nelson and Mr. Olivera concluded that the independent
directors could rely on Nicors financial advisor. However, in light of the
inquiries from Fund A and Fund B, and the uncertainty regarding whether
either would offer employment or investment
opportunities to members of senior management, including Mr. Strobel, the
independent directors
determined it would be in the best interests of Nicor
and its shareholders if such independent directors, other than Mr. Bobins,
were advised by a law firm that had no current relationships with Nicor.
Accordingly, Nicors independent directors, other than Mr. Bobins, retained
Sidley Austin LLP (sometimes referred to as Sidley) to act as legal counsel
to the independent directors. The former affiliation of two directors with
Sidley Austin LLP was not a factor in this decision.
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The paragraph beginning On September 23, 2010... on page 54 is amended and
supplemented by adding the following as a new fourth sentence: |
The Nicor Board, after receiving advice from J.P. Morgan, determined to
seek proposals from a subset of identified potential transaction partners
based on a determination of which of those entities were most likely to be
both interested in and able to conclude such a transaction.
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The paragraph beginning On November 12, 2010... on page 58 is amended and
supplemented by adding , no details, however, regarding such a transaction were proposed
or discussed at the end of the penultimate sentence. |
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The paragraph beginning On November 18 and November 19, 2010... on page 59 is
amended and supplemented by adding the following immediately after the third sentence: |
With respect to the indication of interest from Company G, the Nicor Board
considered the lack of specified terms (as compared to the proposals from
Fund A, Fund B and AGL Resources), the size of Company G, Company Gs focus
on the electric market and the advanced stage of the process with AGL
Resources, Fund A and Fund B and determined that there was a low
probability that Company G could effect a transaction creating more value
for Nicors shareholders than AGL Resources.
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The paragraph beginning On December 4, 2010... on page 61 is amended and
supplemented by adding the following immediately after the fourth sentence: |
J.P. Morgan discussed with the Nicor Board the debt burden on the combined
companies arising from the transaction, the desirability of an investment
grade rating from the perspective of both the regulatory approval process
and the value of the proposed stock consideration, and the likelihood that
the combined entity would be able to maintain such rating.
The disclosure under the caption Opinion of Nicors Financial Advisor Financial AnalysesNicor
Selected Companies Analysis beginning on page 82 of the joint proxy statement/prospectus is
amended and supplemented by (1) deleting the last sentence of the first paragraph (including the
list of selected companies) and (2) restating the third paragraph as follows:
As set forth in the following table, for each of the selected companies,
J.P. Morgan calculated Firm Value divided by the estimated earnings before
interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, or EBITDA, for the
calendar years ending December 31, 2010 and December 31, 2011, which is
referred to as a Firm Value/EBITDA Multiple, as well as the stock price of
common equity divided by the earnings per share, or EPS, for the same
period, which is referred to as a Price/Earnings Multiple.
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P/2010E |
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P/2011E |
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FV/2010E |
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FV/2011E |
Selected Company |
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EPS |
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EPS |
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EBITDA |
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EBITDA |
AGL Resources |
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12.4x |
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11.8x |
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7.7x |
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7.5x |
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Atmos Energy Corporation |
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13.5x |
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13.3x |
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7.0x |
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6.7x |
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Piedmont Natural Gas |
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19.2x |
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18.7x |
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9.1x |
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8.2x |
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Southwest Gas Corporation |
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16.4x |
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15.9x |
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6.4x |
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6.3x |
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WGL Holdings, Inc. |
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16.2x |
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16.5x |
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8.1x |
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7.8x |
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New Jersey Resources |
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17.4x |
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16.2x |
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11.8x |
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11.4x |
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South Jersey Industries, Inc. |
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19.7x |
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17.2x |
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12.5x |
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11.2x |
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Northwest Natural Gas Company |
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17.9x |
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17.4x |
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9.3x |
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8.9x |
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The Laclede Group |
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14.6x |
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14.0x |
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8.5x |
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8.1x |
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The disclosure under the caption Opinion of Nicors Financial Advisor Financial AnalysesNicor Selected Precedent Transactions Analysis
beginning on page 85 of the joint proxy statement/prospectus is amended and supplemented by (1) deleting the phrase the following
in the first sentence of the first paragraph, (2) replacing the colon at the end of the first paragraph with a period, (3) deleting the chart immediately
following the first paragraph, and (4) restating the second paragraph as follows:
As set forth in the following table, for each of the selected transactions, J.P. Morgan calculated the Firm Value
divided by the latest 12 months EBITDA, or LTM EBITDA, which are referred to as Firm Value/LTM EBITDA Multiples, and
calculated the Price/Earnings Multiples for the latest 12 months, which are referred to as Price/LTM Earnings Multiples.
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Firm |
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Date |
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Value/LTM |
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Price/LTM |
Announced |
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Acquiror |
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Target |
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EBITDA |
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Earnings |
October 2010
May 2010
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Northeast Utilities
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NSTAR
Connecticut Energy
Corporation, CTG
Resources, Inc. and
Berkshire Energy
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8.0x
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17.6x |
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UIL Corp.
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Resources
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9.4x
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20.1x |
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April 2010
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PPL Corp.
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E.ON U.S.
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12.7x
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21.2x |
April 2009
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Chesapeake
Utilities
Corporation
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Florida Public
Utilities Company
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7.7x
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32.8x |
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July 2008
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Sempra Energy
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Energy South, Inc.
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17.2x
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31.3x |
July 2008
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Babcock & Brown
Infrastructure Fund
North America
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The Peoples Natural
Gas Company and
Hope Gas, Inc.
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8.0x
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19.9x |
July 2008
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MDU Resources
Group, Inc.
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Intermountain Gas
Company
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10.6x
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21.9x |
January 2008
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Continental Energy
Services, LLC
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New Mexico Natural
Gas Company
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10.6x
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25.5x |
October 2007
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Maquarie
Infrastructure
Partners
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Puget Energy Inc.
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10.4x
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18.9x |
June 2007
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Iberdrola S.A.
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Energy East Corp.
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9.3x
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17.5x |
February 2007
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Cap Rock Holding
Corporation
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Semco Energy, Inc.
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10.1x
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28.0x |
August 2006
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GE Energy Financial
Services
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Kinder Morgan,
Inc.s Retail
Natural Gas
Distribution
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10.5x
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14.7x |
July 2006
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Integrys Energy
Group Inc.
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Peoples Energy
Corporation
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15.5x
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NM |
July 2006
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MDU Resources
Group, Inc.
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Cascade Natural Gas
Corporation
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9.3x
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23.7x |
July 2006
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Macquarie
Infrastructure
Partners and The
DUET Group
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Duquesne Light
Company
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13.3x
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20.8x |
February 2006
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National Grid PLC
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Keyspan Corporation
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9.2x
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19.1x |
January 2006
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UGI Corporation
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PG Energy Inc.
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11.4x
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14.3x |
The disclosure under the caption Opinion of Nicors Financial Advisor Financial AnalysesNicor
Discounted Cash Flow Analysis beginning on page 86 of the joint proxy statement/prospectus is
amended and supplemented by (1) inserting , which totaled $770 million in cycle-average net debt
at the end of the penultimate sentence of the first paragraph and (2) inserting (which discount
rate resulted in part from an assumed additional $968 million in debt, corresponding increases in
AGL Resources debt-to-equity ratio, and implied an incremental value of $632 million for AGL
Resources) immediately after a midpoint discount rate of 5.6% in the tenth line of the
first paragraph on page 87.
The second sentence, and the bulleted list that follows, in the first paragraph in the section
Opinion of Nicors Financial AdvisorFinancial AnalysesAGL ResourcesSelected Companies
Analysis on page 87 of the joint proxy statement/prospectus, is deleted. The following disclosure
supplements this same section by adding the words As set forth in the following table, at the
beginning of the first full paragraph on page 88 and adding the following table after that
paragraph:
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Selected Company |
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P/2011E
EPS |
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FV/2011E
EBITDA |
Atmos Energy Corporation |
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13.3x |
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6.7x |
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Piedmont Natural Gas |
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18.7x |
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8.2x |
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Nicor |
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14.9x |
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6.5x |
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Southwest Gas Corporation |
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15.9x |
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6.3x |
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WGL Holdings, Inc. |
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16.5x |
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7.8x |
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New Jersey Resources |
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16.2x |
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11.4x |
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Selected Company |
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P/2011E
EPS |
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FV/2011E
EBITDA |
South Jersey Industries, Inc. |
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17.2x |
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11.2x |
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Northwest Natural Gas Company |
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17.4x |
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8.9x |
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The Laclede Group |
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14.0x |
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8.1x |
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The following supplements the disclosure in the section Opinion of Nicors Financial
AdvisorFinancial AnalysesAGL ResourcesDiscounted Cash Flow Analysis by inserting the
following after the words ... AGL Resources estimate of excess cash and total debt as of December
31, 2010 in the first partial paragraph on page 89 of the joint proxy statement/prospectus.
, which totaled $2,706 million in net debt.
The disclosure under the caption Forward Looking Financial Information Nicor Forward-Looking
Financial Information beginning on page 92 of the joint proxy statement/prospectus is amended and
supplemented by deleting the third paragraph and related table and replacing it with the following:
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The following table is a portion of the forward-looking financial
information Nicor provided to J.P. Morgan, for purposes of its financial
analysis, for years 2010 through 2015: |
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Year Ended December 31 |
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2010E |
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2011E |
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2012E |
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2013E |
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2014E |
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2015E |
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(in millions except per share amounts) |
Revenue |
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N/A |
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$ |
2,716 |
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$ |
2,877 |
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$ |
3,017 |
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$ |
3,098 |
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$ |
3,180 |
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Net Income |
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$ |
139 |
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$ |
111 |
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$ |
116 |
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$ |
122 |
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$ |
141 |
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$ |
142 |
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Earnings Per Share |
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$ |
3.04 |
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$ |
2.42 |
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$ |
2.52 |
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$ |
2.65 |
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$ |
3.06 |
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$ |
3.08 |
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EBITDA |
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$ |
449 |
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$ |
415 |
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$ |
439 |
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$ |
457 |
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$ |
489 |
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$ |
495 |
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Depreciation & Amortization |
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N/A |
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$ |
210 |
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$ |
221 |
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$ |
229 |
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$ |
236 |
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$ |
242 |
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EBIT |
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$ |
246 |
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$ |
205 |
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$ |
218 |
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$ |
228 |
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$ |
253 |
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$ |
253 |
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Taxes |
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N/A |
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$ |
73 |
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$ |
76 |
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$ |
77 |
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$ |
83 |
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$ |
83 |
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Capital Expenditures |
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$ |
267 |
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$ |
350 |
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$ |
213 |
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$ |
248 |
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$ |
242 |
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$ |
247 |
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Changes in Working Capital |
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N/A |
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$ |
40 |
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$ |
12 |
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$ |
(5 |
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$ |
(9 |
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$ |
(6 |
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Unlevered Free Cash Flow |
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N/A |
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$ |
(12 |
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$ |
124 |
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$ |
100 |
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$ |
155 |
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$ |
159 |
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Forward Looking Statements
To the extent any statements made in this document contain information that is not historical,
these statements are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities
Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended
(collectively, forward-looking statements).
These forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, the expected benefits of the
proposed merger such as expected revenue and growth potential, our ability to be one of the
lowest-cost, most diversified natural gas companies, and receipt of the necessary approvals for the
transaction. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by the use of words such as
believe, anticipate, expect, estimate, intend, continue, plan, project, will,
may, should, could, would, target, potential and other similar expressions. In
addition, any statements that refer to expectations, projections or other characterizations of
future events or circumstances are forward-looking statements. Although certain of these statements
set out herein are indicated above, all of the statements in this document that contain
forward-looking statements are qualified by these cautionary statements. Although Nicor believes
that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements
involve risks and uncertainties, and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements.
Certain material factors or assumptions are applied in making forward-looking statements,
including, but not limited to, factors and assumptions regarding the items outlined above. Actual
results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Important factors
that could cause actual results to differ materially from these expectations include, among other
things, the following: the failure to receive, on a timely basis or otherwise, the required
approvals by AGL Resources and Nicor stockholders and government or regulatory agencies (including
the terms of such approvals); the risk that a condition to closing of the merger may not be
satisfied; the possibility that the anticipated benefits and synergies from the proposed merger
cannot be fully realized or may take longer to realize than expected; the possibility that costs or
difficulties related to the integration of AGL Resources and Nicor operations will be greater than
expected; the ability of the combined company to retain and hire key personnel and maintain
relationships with customers, suppliers or other business partners; the impact of legislative,
regulatory, competitive and technological changes; the risk that the credit ratings of the combined
company may be different from what the companies expect; and other risk factors relating to the
energy industry, as detailed from time to time
in each of AGL Resources and Nicors reports filed
with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). There can be no assurance that the proposed
merger will in fact be consummated.
Additional information about these factors and about the material factors or assumptions underlying
such forward-looking statements may be found in the body of this release, as well as under Item
1.A. in each of AGL Resources and Nicors Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year December
31, 2010. AGL Resources and Nicor caution that the foregoing list of important factors that may
affect future results is not exhaustive. When relying on forward-looking statements to make
decisions with respect to AGL Resources and Nicor, investors and others should carefully consider
the foregoing factors and other uncertainties and potential events. All subsequent written and oral
forward-looking statements concerning the proposed transaction or other matters attributable to AGL
Resources and Nicor or any other person acting on their behalf are expressly qualified in their
entirety by the cautionary statements referenced above. The forward-looking statements contained
herein speak only as of the date of this presentation. Neither AGL Resources nor Nicor undertakes
any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, except as may be required by law.
Additional Information
In connection with the proposed merger, AGL Resources has filed with the SEC a Registration
Statement on Form S-4 (Registration No. 333-172084), as amended, which is publicly available, that
includes a definitive joint proxy statement of AGL Resources and Nicor that also constitutes a
definitive prospectus of AGL Resources. AGL Resources and Nicor have mailed the definitive joint
proxy statement/prospectus to their respective stockholders. WE URGE INVESTORS TO READ THE
DEFINITIVE JOINT PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS CAREFULLY, AS WELL AS OTHER DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE
SEC, BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT AGL RESOURCES, NICOR AND THE PROPOSED
TRANSACTION. The joint proxy statement/prospectus, as well as other filings containing information
about AGL Resources and Nicor, can be obtained free of charge at the website maintained by the SEC
at www.sec.gov. You may also obtain these documents, free of charge, from AGL Resources
website (www.aglresources.com) under the tab Investor Relations/SEC Filings or by directing
a request to AGL Resources, P.O. Box 4569, Atlanta, GA, 30302-4569. You may also obtain these
documents, free of charge, from Nicors website (www.nicor.com) under the tab Investor
Information/SEC Filings or by directing a request to Nicor, P.O. Box 3014, Naperville, IL
60566-7014.
The respective directors and executive officers of AGL Resources and Nicor, and other persons, may
be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies in respect of the proposed transaction.
Information regarding AGL Resources directors and executive officers is available in the
definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus contained in the above referenced Registration
Statement and its definitive proxy statement filed with the SEC by AGL Resources on March 14, 2011,
and information regarding Nicor directors and executive officers is available in the definitive
joint proxy statement/prospectus contained in the above referenced Registration Statement and its
definitive proxy statement filed with the SEC by Nicor on April 19, 2011. These documents can be
obtained free of charge from the sources indicated above. Other information regarding the interests
of the participants in the proxy solicitation are included in the definitive joint proxy
statement/prospectus and other relevant materials filed with the SEC. This communication shall not
constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of 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 sale of
securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to
registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No offer 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.
Signature
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused
this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
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Nicor Inc. |
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Date May 26, 2011
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/s/ PAUL C. GRACEY, JR.
Paul C. Gracey, Jr.
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Senior Vice President, General |
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Counsel and Secretary |
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