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] Check box if any part of the fee is offset as provided by Exchange Act
Rule 0-11(a)(2) and identify the filing for which the offsetting fee was paid previously. Identify the previous filing by registration statement number, or the form or schedule and the date of its filing. |
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The proposed merger is terrible for Penn Virginia shareholders. Should the transaction be completed, the combined company would have a higher cost structure,
lower margins, a reduced growth rate, a significantly weaker balance sheet, and a more expensive valuation than Penn Virginia currently enjoys on a standalone basis.
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The proposed merger undervalues
Penn Virginia. Since shortly after the merger was announced on October 28, 2018, Penn Virginia stock has persistently traded above the market value of the merger consideration. Rather than being paid a significant and sustainable
premium, the proposed merger asks Penn Virginia shareholders to accept a discount to the current market value of Penn Virginia shares of over 12%.1
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Denbury’s financial leverage
represents an unacceptable risk for Penn Virginia shareholders. Mangrove believes that Denbury, with its high cost structure and $2.5 billion of net debt,2
may become insolvent should current or lower oil prices persist. This concern was on full display late last year as oil prices dropped into the $40s and the yield on Denbury’s unsecured notes spiked above 20%. Despite the recovery in oil
prices to the mid $50s, Denbury’s bonds continue to trade at distressed levels with yields of approximately 15%.3 Denbury plans to incur over $900 million in
additional debt as part of the proposed merger.
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The shortcomings of the proposed
merger were immediately recognized by the market and remain obvious. On the first trading day following the announcement, the common stock of Denbury
Resources dropped 24% and underperformed the S&P Oil & Gas Exploration and Production Select Industry Index by over 20%. In the time since then, the decline in Denbury’s common stock has grown to over 57% and its underperformance
to over 50%.4
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