Exhibit 99.1
Jefferies Completes Spin-Off of Vitesse
Launches new independent, publicly traded company focused on returning capital to stockholders through owning financial interests as a non-operator in oil and gas wells drilled by leading U.S. operators
NEW YORK & CENTENNIAL, Colo. – Jefferies Financial Group Inc. (“Jefferies”) (NYSE: JEF) and Vitesse Energy, Inc. (“Vitesse”) (NYSE: VTS) announced today the completion of the distribution (the “Distribution”) by Jefferies of all the outstanding shares of common stock of Vitesse (“Vitesse Common Stock”) held by Jefferies. As a result of the Distribution, Vitesse became an independent, publicly traded company. Prior to the Distribution, Vitesse acquired all of the issued and outstanding equity interests of Vitesse Energy, LLC and Vitesse Oil, LLC.
Common shares of Jefferies (“Jefferies Common Shares”) and Vitesse Common Stock will each begin trading “regular way” today, January 17, 2023, on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols “JEF” and “VTS,” respectively.
Rich Handler, CEO of Jefferies, and Brian Friedman, President of Jefferies, remarked: “We congratulate Bob Gerrity, Brian Cree and their team for all the smart and hard work they have done to build Vitesse into the solid business it is and to help manage the process of becoming an independent, publicly traded company. As we have noted before, we each look forward to being stockholders of Vitesse and to seeing its success in the coming years.”
Bob Gerrity, CEO of Vitesse, stated: “We at Vitesse could not be more excited to have gone public. We are extremely grateful to Jefferies for having provided the insight and resources that allowed us to grow from the start-up we were in 2014 to where we are today. And we are especially grateful for their confidence in us as we move into the future as an independent, publicly traded company.”
In connection with the Distribution, on January 13, 2023, Jefferies shareholders received one share of Vitesse Common Stock for every 8.49668 Jefferies Common Shares held at the close of business on December 27, 2022. Fractional shares will be aggregated and sold into the public market and the proceeds distributed pro rata to Jefferies shareholders who otherwise would have received such fractional shares. The shares will be credited to “street name” shareholders through the Depository Trust Corporation. Approximately 26.6 million shares of Vitesse Common Stock were distributed to Jefferies shareholders, which equals approximately 94.37% of the total issued and outstanding shares of Vitesse Common Stock.
About Jefferies
Jefferies is a leading global, full-service investment banking and capital markets firm that provides advisory, sales and trading, research and wealth and asset management services. With more than 40 offices around the world, we offer insights and expertise to investors, companies and governments.
