Energy
Freeport-McMoRan Cancels Rig Contracts, Agrees to Pay $600 Million
Published:
Last Updated:
In one of those “is the cup half full or half empty” quandaries, Freeport-McMoRan Inc. (NYSE: FCX) on Friday announced that it had reached an agreement with Noble Drilling, the U.S. subsidiary of Noble Corp. (NYSE: NE), to cancel two drilling rig contracts. The terms of the deal include a payment of $540 million in cash, Freeport common stock or Noble bonds due no later than December 19, 2019.
There is a limitation of $200 million on the use of Noble bonds and a limitation on the use of Freeport stock as payment. Noble will accept stock as payment, not to exceed 9.9% of Freeport’s outstanding shares of common stock.
Freeport also has agreed to pay Noble up to $75 million in contingent payments, depending on the price of crude oil over the next 12 months.
In exchange for the agreement, Noble has released Freeport from contract obligations of $800 million on the two contracts. The two vessels affected by the contract cancellations are the Noble Sam Croft and the Noble Tom Madden, both ultra-deepwater rigs positioned in the Gulf of Mexico. The contracts had been scheduled to run through July and November 2017, respectively, on three-year contracts with start dates in 2014.
At the end of the first quarter, Freeport had 1.25 billion shares outstanding. At Thursday’s closing price of $11.03, Freeport’s market cap was around $13.8 billion, but Friday’s sell-off has shaved more than $500 million from the company’s valuation. Investors have no patience for dilution and are not waiting around to see what will happen. Hard to blame them.
Freeport’s stock traded down about 4.4% Friday afternoon, at $10.55 in a 52-week range of $3.52 to $22.96.
Want retirement to come a few years earlier than you’d planned? Or are you ready to retire now, but want an extra set of eyes on your finances?
Now you can speak with up to 3 financial experts in your area for FREE. By simply clicking here you can begin to match with financial professionals who can help you build your plan to retire early. And the best part? The first conversation with them is free.
Click here to match with up to 3 financial pros who would be excited to help you make financial decisions.
Have questions about retirement or personal finance? Email us at [email protected]!
By emailing your questions to 24/7 Wall St., you agree to have them published anonymously on a673b.bigscoots-temp.com.
By submitting your story, you understand and agree that we may use your story, or versions of it, in all media and platforms, including via third parties.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.