PG&E Corporation Announces Launch of Concurrent Offerings of Common Stock and Mandatory Convertible Preferred Stock

Rhea-AI Summary

PG&E (NYSE: PCG) has announced the launch of two concurrent public offerings: $1.2 billion in common stock and $1.2 billion in Series A Mandatory Convertible Preferred Stock. The company will grant underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional $180 million of each stock type. The preferred stock will have a $50.00 per share liquidation preference and will automatically convert to common stock around December 1, 2027. Proceeds will support PG&E's five-year capital investment plan. The preferred stock will be listed on NYSE under 'PCG-PrA'. J.P. Morgan, Barclays, and Citigroup are leading the offerings as joint book-running managers.

Positive

• Significant capital raise of $2.4 billion to fund growth initiatives
• Strong backing from major financial institutions as underwriters

Negative

• Potential dilution of existing shareholders through new stock issuance
• Additional preferred stock obligations with mandatory conversion terms

Insights

Financial Analyst

This significant capital raise of $2.4 billion through concurrent offerings of common stock and mandatory convertible preferred stock represents a major financial move for PG&E. The structure combines immediate equity with deferred conversion, spreading the dilution impact over time. The mandatory conversion feature in 2027 provides certainty for investors while giving PG&E flexibility in managing its capital structure.

The offering's size suggests substantial capital needs, likely tied to infrastructure upgrades and modernization efforts in their five-year plan. The involvement of top-tier underwriters (JPMorgan, Barclays, Citigroup) adds credibility to the offering. However, existing shareholders should note potential dilution effects, both immediate from the common stock issuance and future dilution from the preferred stock conversion in 2027.

Market Research Analyst

The timing and structure of this dual offering reflect current market conditions and investor appetite. The $50 liquidation preference per preferred share is standard, making it accessible to both institutional and retail investors. The NYSE listing of the preferred shares under 'PCG-PrA' will provide liquidity for investors.

The over-allotment option of $360 million total indicates confidence in demand. However, utility sector investors should monitor how this additional equity affects PG&E's capital structure and future dividend capacity. The variable conversion rate mechanism provides downside protection for preferred stockholders while capping upside potential.

OAKLAND, Calif., Dec. 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- PG&E Corporation (NYSE: PCG) ("PG&E" or the "Company") announced today the launch of concurrent underwritten public offerings of (i) $1,200 million of shares of common stock, no par value ("Common Stock"), of the Company and (ii) $1,200 million of newly issued Series A Mandatory Convertible Preferred Stock ("Preferred Stock") of the Company (together, the "Offerings"). PG&E expects to grant to the underwriters of the Offerings a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional (i) $180 million of shares of Common Stock and (ii) solely to cover over-allotments, if any, $180 million of shares of Preferred Stock. PG&E intends to use the net proceeds from the Offerings for general corporate purposes, which may include, among other things, to fund PG&E's five-year capital investment plan.

Each share of Preferred Stock will have a liquidation preference of $50.00 per share. Unless earlier converted at the option of the holders, each share of Preferred Stock will automatically convert into a variable number of shares of Common Stock on or around December 1, 2027, based on the applicable conversion rate. The conversion rates, dividend rate, and the other terms of the Preferred Stock will be determined at the time of pricing. Currently, there is no public market for the Preferred Stock. PG&E intends to apply to list the Preferred Stock on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "PCG-PrA."

J.P. Morgan, Barclays and Citigroup are acting as joint book-running managers for the Offerings. BofA Securities, Mizuho and Wells Fargo Securities are also acting as joint book-running managers for the Offerings.

A registration statement on Form S-3 relating to these securities has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and has become effective. Each Offering may be made only by means of a prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus. Copies of the preliminary prospectus supplements and accompanying prospectuses related to the Offerings can be obtained by visiting the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov or by contacting J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, New York 11717, or by email at prospectus-eq_fi@jpmchase.com and postsalemanualrequests@broadridge.com; Barclays Capital Inc., c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, New York 11717, or by email at barclaysprospectus@broadridge.com or telephone at 1-888-603-5847; or Citigroup, c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, New York 11717 or by telephone at 1-800-831-9146.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor does it constitute an offer, solicitation or sale of these securities, in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale is unlawful.

About PG&E Corporation

 PG&E Corporation (NYSE: PCG) is a holding company headquartered in Oakland, California. It is the parent company of Pacific Gas and Electric Company, an energy company that serves 16 million Californians across a 70,000-square-mile service area in Northern and Central California.

Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains forward-looking statements that are necessarily subject to various risks and uncertainties. These statements reflect management's judgment and opinions that are based on current estimates, expectations, and projections about future events and assumptions regarding these events and management's knowledge of facts as of the date of this news release. These forward-looking statements relate to, among other matters, estimated losses, including penalties and fines associated with various investigations and proceedings; forecasts of capital expenditures; forecasts of cost savings; estimates and assumptions used in critical accounting estimates, including those relating to insurance receivables, regulatory assets and liabilities, environmental remediation, litigation, third-party claims, the Wildfire Fund, and other liabilities; and the level of future equity or debt issuances. These statements are also identified by words such as "assume," "expect," "intend," "forecast," "plan," "project," "believe," "estimate," "predict," "anticipate," "commit," "goal," "target," "will," "may," "should," "would," "could," "potential," and similar expressions. PG&E Corporation is not able to predict all the factors that may affect future results. Some of the factors that could cause future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, or from historical results, include, but are not limited to the extent to which the Wildfire Fund and revised prudency standard under AB 1054 effectively mitigate the risk of liability for damages arising from catastrophic wildfires, including whether Pacific Gas and Electric Company (the "Utility") maintains an approved WMP and a valid safety certification and whether the Wildfire Fund has sufficient remaining funds; the risks and uncertainties associated with wildfires that have occurred or may occur in the Utility's service area, including the wildfire that began on October 23, 2019 northeast of Geyserville in Sonoma County, California (the "2019 Kincade fire"), the wildfire that began on July 13, 2021 near the Cresta Dam in the Feather River Canyon in Plumas County, California (the "2021 Dixie fire"), the wildfire that began on September 6, 2022 near Oxbow Reservoir in Placer County, California (the "2022 Mosquito fire"), and any other wildfires for which the causes have yet to be determined; the damage caused by such wildfires; the extent of the Utility's liability in connection with such wildfires (including the risk that the Utility may be found liable for damages regardless of fault); investigations into such wildfires, including those being conducted by the CPUC; potential liabilities in connection with fines or penalties that could be imposed on the Utility if the CPUC or any other enforcement agency were to bring an enforcement action in respect of any such fire; the risk that the Utility is not able to recover costs from the Wildfire Fund or other third parties or through rates; and the effect on PG&E Corporation's and the Utility's reputations of such wildfires, investigations, and proceedings; the extent to which the Utility's wildfire mitigation initiatives are effective, including the Utility's ability to comply with the targets and metrics set forth in its WMP; the effectiveness of its system hardening, including undergrounding; the cost of the program and the timing and outcome of any proceeding to recover such costs through rates; and any determination by the OEIS that the Utility has not complied with its WMP; the Utility's ability to safely, reliably, and efficiently construct, maintain, operate, protect, and decommission its facilities, and provide electricity and natural gas services safely and reliably; significant changes to the electric power and natural gas industries driven by technological advancements, electrification, and the transition to a decarbonized economy; the impact of reductions in utility customer demand for electricity and natural gas, driven by customer self-generation, customer departures to community choice aggregators, direct access providers, and government-owned utilities, and legislative mandates to reduce the use of natural gas; and whether the Utility is successful in addressing the impact of growing distributed and renewable generation resources and changing customer demand for its natural gas and electric services; cyber or physical attacks, including acts of terrorism, war, and vandalism, on the Utility or its third-party vendors, contractors, or customers (or others with whom they have shared data) which could result in operational disruption; the misappropriation or loss of confidential or proprietary assets, information or data, including customer, employee, financial, or operating system information, or intellectual property; corruption of data; or potential costs, lost revenues, litigation, or reputational harm incurred in connection therewith; the Utility's ability to attract or retain specialty personnel; the impact of severe weather events and other natural disasters, including wildfires and other fires, storms, tornadoes, floods, extreme heat events, drought, earthquakes, lightning, tsunamis, rising sea levels, mudslides, pandemics, solar events, electromagnetic events, wind events or other weather-related conditions, climate change, or natural disasters, and other events that can cause unplanned outages, reduce generating output, disrupt the Utility's service to customers, or damage or disrupt the facilities, operations, or information technology and systems owned by the Utility, its customers, or third parties on which the Utility relies, and the effectiveness of the Utility's efforts to prevent, mitigate, or respond to such conditions or events; the reparation and other costs that the Utility may incur in connection with such conditions or events; the impact of the adequacy of the Utility's emergency preparedness; whether the Utility incurs liability to third parties for property damage or personal injury caused by such events; whether the Utility is able to procure replacement power; and whether the Utility is subject to civil, criminal, or regulatory penalties in connection with such events; existing and future regulation and federal, state or local legislation, their implementation, and their interpretation; the cost to comply with such regulation and legislation; and the extent to which the Utility recovers its associated compliance and investment costs, including those regarding: wildfires, including inverse condemnation reform, wildfire insurance, and additional wildfire mitigation measures or other reforms targeted at the Utility or its industry; the environment, including the costs incurred to discharge the Utility's remediation obligations or the costs to comply with standards for greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy targets, energy efficiency standards, distributed energy resources, and electric vehicles; the nuclear industry, including operations, seismic design, security, safety, relicensing, the storage of spent nuclear fuel, decommissioning, and cooling water intake, and whether Diablo Canyon's operations are extended; and the Utility's ability to continue operating Diablo Canyon until its planned retirement; the regulation of utilities and their affiliates, including the conditions that apply to PG&E Corporation as the Utility's holding company; privacy and cybersecurity; and taxes and tax audits; the timing and outcomes of the Utility's pending and future ratemaking and regulatory proceedings, including the extent to which PG&E Corporation and the Utility are able to recover their costs through rates as recorded in memorandum accounts or balancing accounts, or as otherwise requested; and the transfer of ownership of the Utility's assets to municipalities or other public entities, including as a result of the City and County of San Francisco's valuation petition; whether the Utility can control its operating costs within the authorized levels of spending; whether the Utility can continue implementing the Lean operating system and achieve projected savings; the extent to which the Utility incurs unrecoverable costs that are higher than the forecasts of such costs; the risks and uncertainties associated with inflation; and changes in cost forecasts or the scope and timing of planned work resulting from changes in customer demand for electricity and natural gas or other reasons; the outcome of current and future self-reports, investigations or other enforcement actions, agency compliance reports, or notices of violation that could be issued related to the Utility's compliance with laws, rules, regulations, or orders applicable to its gas and electric operations; the construction, expansion, or replacement of its electric and gas facilities; electric grid reliability; audit, inspection and maintenance practices; customer billing and privacy; physical and cybersecurity protections; environmental laws and regulations; or otherwise, such as fines; penalties; remediation obligations; or the implementation of corporate governance, operational or other changes in connection with the EOEP; the risks and uncertainties associated with PG&E Corporation's and the Utility's substantial indebtedness and the limitations on their operating flexibility in the documents governing that indebtedness; the risks and uncertainties associated with the resolution of the Subordinated Claims and the timing and outcomes of PG&E Corporation's and the Utility's ongoing litigation, including certain indemnity obligations to current and former officers and directors, the Wildfire-Related Non-Bankruptcy Securities Claims, and other third-party claims, as well as potential indemnity obligations to underwriters for certain of the Utility's note offerings, including the extent to which related costs can be recovered through insurance, rates, or from other third parties; whether PG&E Corporation or the Utility undergoes an "ownership change" within the meaning of Section 382 of the IRC, as a result of which tax attributes could be limited; the ultimate amount of unrecoverable environmental costs the Utility incurs associated with the Utility's natural gas compressor station site located near Hinkley, California and the Utility's fossil fuel-fired generation sites; the supply and price of electricity, natural gas, and nuclear fuel; the extent to which the Utility can manage and respond to the volatility of energy commodity prices; the ability of the Utility and its counterparties to post or return collateral in connection with price risk management activities; and whether the Utility is able to recover timely its electric generation and energy commodity costs through rates, including its renewable energy procurement costs; the ability of PG&E Corporation and the Utility to access capital markets and other sources of debt and equity financing in a timely manner on acceptable terms; the risks and uncertainties associated with high rates for the Utility's customers; actions by credit rating agencies to downgrade PG&E Corporation's or the Utility's credit ratings; the severity, extent and duration of the global COVID-19 pandemic and the Utility's ability to collect on customer receivables; and the impact of changes in GAAP, standards, rules, or policies, including those related to regulatory accounting, and the impact of changes in their interpretation or application.

Additional information concerning these and other factors can be found in our filings with the SEC, including our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and we assume no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as required by law.

 

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SOURCE PG&E Corporation

FAQ

How much is PG&E (PCG) raising in their 2024 stock offerings?

PG&E is raising $2.4 billion total, consisting of $1.2 billion in common stock and $1.2 billion in Series A Mandatory Convertible Preferred Stock.

When will PG&E's (PCG) new preferred stock convert to common stock?

The Series A Mandatory Convertible Preferred Stock will automatically convert to common stock on or around December 1, 2027, unless converted earlier at the holders' option.

What is the trading symbol for PG&E's (PCG) new preferred stock?

PG&E intends to list the new preferred stock on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol 'PCG-PrA'.

What will PG&E (PCG) use the proceeds from the 2024 stock offerings for?

PG&E intends to use the net proceeds for general corporate purposes, including funding its five-year capital investment plan.