Southwestern Energy (SWN) 8-K/A Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 8-K/A

(Amendment No. 1)

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): August 12, 2020

SOUTHWESTERN ENERGY COMPANY

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware	001-08246	71-0205415
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)	(Commission File Number)	(IRS Employer Identification No.)

10000 Energy Drive

Spring, TX 77389

(Address of principal executive office)(Zip Code)

(832) 796-1000

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Not Applicable

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

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:

☒ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

☐ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class	Trading Symbol(s)	Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, Par Value $0.01	SWN	New York Stock Exchange

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company  ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  ☐

Explanatory Note

As reported in a Current Report on Form 8-K (the “Original Form 8-K”) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission by Southwestern Energy Company (the “Company” or “Southwestern”) on August 12, 2020, the Company entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) on August 12, 2020 with Montage Resources Corporation (“Montage”) pursuant to which the Company will acquire all of the outstanding shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of Montage (each, a “Montage Common Share”) in exchange for 1.8656 shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of the Company (each, a “Southwestern Common Share”) per share of Montage common stock. Upon the terms and subject to the conditions of the Merger Agreement, Montage will merge with and into Southwestern, with Southwestern continuing as the surviving company (the “Merger”).

This Current Report on Form 8-K/A (this “Amendment”) amends and supplements the Original Form 8-K in order to file the Merger Agreement as Exhibit 2.1 hereto. No other modifications to the Original Form 8-K are being made by this Amendment. This Amendment should be read in connection with the Original Form 8-K, which provides a more complete description of the Merger Agreement and the Merger.

Item 1.01 Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement.

The Merger Agreement is filed as Exhibit 2.1 to this Amendment, and the description thereof is qualified in its entirety by reference to such Exhibit.

The Exhibit is filed herewith to provide investors and security holders with information regarding the terms of the Merger Agreement and is qualified in its entirety by the terms and conditions of the Merger Agreement. It is not intended to provide any other factual information about the Company, Montage or their respective subsidiaries and affiliates. The Merger Agreement contains representations and warranties by each of the parties to the Merger Agreement, which were made only for purposes of the Merger Agreement and as of dates specified therein. The representations, warranties and covenants in the Merger Agreement (i) were made solely for the benefit of the parties to the Merger Agreement; (ii) may be subject to limitations agreed upon by the contracting parties, including being qualified by confidential disclosures made for the purposes of allocating contractual risk between the parties to the Merger Agreement instead of establishing these matters as facts; and (iii) may be subject to standards of materiality applicable to the contracting parties that differ from those applicable to investors. Investors should not rely on the representations, warranties and covenants or any descriptions thereof as characterizations of the actual state of facts or condition of the Company, Montage or any of their respective subsidiaries or affiliates. Moreover, information concerning the subject matter of the representations, warranties and covenants may change after the date of the Merger Agreement, which subsequent information may or may not be fully reflected in the Company’s or Montage’s public disclosures.

Item 9.01 Financial Statement and Exhibits.

(d)    Exhibits. The following exhibits are filed with this Form 8-K:

2.1	Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of August 12, 2020, by and between Southwestern Energy Company and Montage Resources Corporation.*
104	Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document).

* This filing excludes certain schedules and exhibits pursuant to Item 601(b)(2) of Regulation S-K, which the registrant agrees to furnish supplementally to the Securities and Exchange Commission upon request by the Commission; provided, however, that the registrant may request confidential treatment pursuant to Rule 24b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, for any schedules or exhibits so furnished.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements and information in this communication may constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The words “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “intend,” “foresee,” “predict,” “budget,” “should,” “would,” “could,” “attempt,” “appears,” “forecast,” “outlook,” “estimate,” “continue,” “project,” “projection,” “goal,” “model,” “target,” “potential,” “may,” “will,” “objective,” “guidance,” “outlook,” “effort,” “are likely” and other similar expressions are intended

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to identify forward-looking statements, which are generally not historical in nature. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations and beliefs concerning future developments and their potential effect on us.

The forward-looking statements contained in this document are largely based on our expectations for the future, which reflect certain estimates and assumptions made by our management. These estimates and assumptions reflect our best judgment based on currently known market conditions, operating trends, and other factors. Although we believe such estimates and assumptions to be reasonable, they are inherently uncertain and involve a number of risks and uncertainties that are beyond our control. As such, management’s assumptions about future events may prove to be inaccurate. For a more detailed description of the risks and uncertainties involved, see “Risk Factors” in our most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K, subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K, and other SEC filings. We do not intend to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events, changes in circumstances, or otherwise. These cautionary statements qualify all forward-looking statements attributable to us, or persons acting on our behalf. Management cautions you that the forward-looking statements contained in this communication are not guarantees of future performance, and we cannot assure you that such statements will be realized or that the events and circumstances they describe will occur. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements herein include, but are not limited to: the timing and extent of changes in market conditions and prices for natural gas, oil and natural gas liquids, including regional basis differentials and the impact of reduced demand for our production and products in which our production is a component due to governmental and societal actions taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; our ability to fund our planned capital investments; a change in our credit rating, an increase in interest rates; the extent to which lower commodity prices impact our ability to service or refinance our existing debt; the impact of volatility in the financial markets or other global economic factors, including the impact of COVID-19; difficulties in appropriately allocating capital and resources among our strategic opportunities; the timing and extent of our success in discovering, developing, producing and estimating reserves; our ability to maintain leases that may expire if production is not established or profitably maintained; our ability to realize the expected benefits from recent acquisitions and the Merger between the Company and Montage; our ability to enter into an amendment to our credit agreement to permit the assumption of the senior notes of Montage in the Merger; the consummation of or failure to consummate the Merger and the timing thereof; costs in connection with the Merger; integration of operations and results subsequent to the Merger; our ability to transport our production to the most favorable markets or at all; the impact of government regulation, including changes in law, the ability to obtain and maintain permits, any increase in severance or similar taxes, and legislation or regulation relating to hydraulic fracturing, climate and over-the-counter derivatives; the impact of the adverse outcome of any material litigation against us or judicial decisions that affect us or our industry generally; the effects of weather; increased competition; the financial impact of accounting regulations and critical accounting policies; the comparative cost of alternative fuels; credit risk relating to the risk of loss as a result of non-performance by our counterparties; and any other factors listed in the reports we have filed and may file with the SEC that are incorporated by reference herein.

All written and oral forward-looking statements attributable to us are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE MERGER AND WHERE TO FIND IT

In connection with the Merger, Southwestern will file with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-4 to register the shares of the Company’s common stock to be issued in the Merger. The registration statement will include the proxy statement of Montage and a prospectus of Southwestern, as well as other relevant documents regarding the Merger. The definitive proxy statement/prospectus will be mailed to Montage’s stockholders and will contain important information about the Merger and related matters. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS OF THE COMPANY AND MONTAGE ARE URGED TO READ THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT AND THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS (INCLUDING ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS THERETO) CAREFULLY WHEN IT BECOMES AVAILABLE BEFORE MAKING ANY DECISION WITH RESPECT TO THE MERGER BECAUSE IT WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE MERGER AND THE PARTIES TO THE MERGER. The definitive proxy Statement/Prospectus and other relevant materials (when they become available) and any other documents filed by Southwestern with the SEC may be obtained free of charge at the SEC’s website, at www.sec.gov. These documents may also be obtained free of charge from the Company by requesting them by mail at Investor Relations, 10000 Energy Drive, Spring, Texas 77389, or by telephone at (832) 796-4068. The documents filed by Montage with the SEC may be obtained free of charge at Montage’s website at www.montageresources.com or at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. These documents may also be obtained free of charge from Montage by requesting them by mail at Investor Relations, 122 W. John Carpenter Fwy, Suite 300, Irving, TX 75039, or by telephone at (469) 444-1736.

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PARTICIPANTS IN THE SOLICITATION

The Company, Montage and certain of their respective directors, executive officers and other members of management and employees may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from Montage’s stockholders with respect to the Merger. Information about the Company’s directors and executive officers is available in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended 2019 filed with the SEC on February 27, 2020 and its definitive proxy statement for the 2020 annual meeting of shareholders filed with the SEC on April 9, 2020. Information concerning the ownership of Montage’s securities by Montage’s directors and executive officers is included in their SEC filings on Forms 3, 4 and 5, and additional information regarding the names, affiliations and interests of such individuals is available in Montage’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended 2019 filed with the SEC on March 10, 2020 and its definitive proxy statement for the 2020 annual meeting of shareholders filed with the SEC on April 28, 2020. Other information regarding the participants in the proxy solicitation and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will be contained in the registration statement, the proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC regarding the Merger when they become available. Stockholders, potential investors and other readers should read the proxy statement/prospectus carefully when it becomes available before making any voting or investment decisions.

NO OFFER OR SOLICITATION

This communication is not intended to and 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 of 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.

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SIGNATURES

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.

	SOUTHWESTERN ENERGY COMPANY
	By:	/s/ Chris Lacy
		Chris Lacy
		Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary
Dated: August 12, 2020