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UGI Corp.(UGI) Acquisition of Publicly Held Units of AmeriGas Partners, L.P by UGI Corp Call | | ![LOGO](https://capedge.com/proxy/425/0001193125-19-095781/g704210c.jpg) | | Corrected Transcript |
| | | 02-Apr-2019 |
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Recent CapEx includes record capital investment at the Gas Utility and then our Midstream & Marketing segment, acquisition of the Texas Creek and Ponderosa gathering systems, atwo-part expansion of our Auburn Gathering System, and continued expansion of our LNG capabilities. We’re targeting a record $900 million in capital deployment in fiscal 2020 to support our operations and ensure we are well positioned to meet our shareholder commitments. As you can see, our planned CapEx increases significantly to $3.7 billion in the five-year period ended in 2022.
Also, a higher proportion of that CapEx will be allocated to our natural gas businesses as we continue to invest in accretive projects that build on our existing investments in the Marcellus Shale. We are a major midstream operator in the Central and Eastern Marcellus and remain uniquely positioned with access to the capacity constrained markets in both New England and theMid-Atlantic.
Our Gas Utility will require roughly $2 billion in CapEx over that five-year period to support customer growth and ourPUC-approved infrastructure replacement program. We have a tariff structure in PA that allows for efficient recovery on this significant capital investment. We’ve previously presented this slide at our Investor Day, at that point this slide showed our cash conversion from EBITDA at 18%, which is far better than our peer group. As you can see, on a fully consolidated bases, the pro forma conversion doubles to 36%, demonstrating the cash benefit resulting from this transaction.
John and I have both commented on a significant dividend increase, 25% in total. We plan to increase the dividend in two steps; a 15% increase to our next quarterly dividend or $0.16 annualized, and the remainder $0.10 annualized following the close of the transaction. After the full dividend increase is complete, our20-year compound annual growth rate will stand at 7.1%, well above our commitment of 4%. So all in all, as you can see, the financial benefits of the transaction are quite compelling for UGI and will put us in an even stronger position to realize our long-term goals.
With that, I’ll turn it over to Hugh.
Hugh J. Gallagher
President and Chief Executive Officer AmeriGas Partners, UGI Corp.
Thank you, Ted. I’ll speak for just a minute or two from the AmeriGas perspective. We too are very pleased with the transaction and are confident that it delivers outstanding value for our stakeholders while best positioning our business for a strong and stable future. As part of the review process, a full range of alternatives was considered and I strongly believe that this is the best outcome not only for our investors, but for our customers, our employees, and the communities in which we serve.
The transaction supports the payout – pay down of AmeriGas debt as we drive toward a target leverage ratio of 4 times, eliminates the administrative complexities of the MLP structure, and resolves our recent distribution coverage challenges. Clearly, a credit positive transaction that is quite favorable for our bond investors. And importantly, our unitholders will receive a substantial premium to the value of their units, and we’ll be able to participate in the upside of the UGI business which has an established track record of value creation for its shareholders.
Our customers can expect business as usual; really, only better as we move forward with our technology-based investments to enhance our customer experience. And for our employees, AmeriGas will be even more closely aligned with a larger, more diversified energy company, our balance sheet will be stronger, and we’ll have more operating flexibility as a 100% owned subsidiary of UGI. Myself and our team looks forward to completing the transaction later this year and hitting the ground running into fiscal 2020.
And with that, I’ll just turn it back over to John for his closing comments.
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