Vistra Prices Private Offering of $1.5 Billion of Senior Secured Notes

Rhea-AI Summary

Vistra Corp. (NYSE: VST) announced the pricing of a $1.5 billion private offering of senior secured notes. The offering includes $400 million in notes due 2024 at 4.875% interest and $1.1 billion in notes due 2025 at 5.125%. The offering will close on May 13, 2022. Proceeds will be used for collateral in the Company's hedging strategy, general corporate purposes, and expenses related to the offering. The notes will be secured by a first-priority interest in the issuer's assets and are not registered under the Securities Act.

Positive

• The offering secures $1.5 billion in funding to support the Company's financial strategies.
• Proceeds will aid in collateralizing the hedging strategy, enhancing financial stability.

Negative

• The notes may lead to shareholder dilution if not managed properly.
• Interest rates of 4.875% and 5.125% may increase financial obligations.

IRVING, Texas, May 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Vistra Corp. (NYSE: VST) (the "Company" or "Vistra") announced today the pricing of a private offering (the "Offering") of $1.5 billion aggregate principal amount of senior secured notes, consisting of $400 million aggregate principal amount of senior secured notes due 2024 at a price to the public of 100% of their face value (the "2024 Notes") and $1.1 billion aggregate principal amount of senior secured notes due 2025 at a price to the public of 99.808% of their face value (the "2025 Notes and together with the 2024 Notes, the "Secured Notes") to qualified institutional buyers pursuant to Rule 144A under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and to certain non-U.S. persons in accordance with Regulation S under the Securities Act. The Secured Notes will be senior, secured obligations of Vistra Operations Company LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of the Company (the "Issuer"). The 2024 Notes will bear interest at the rate of 4.875% per annum, and the 2025 Notes will bear interest at the rate of 5.125% per annum. The Secured Notes will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed by certain of the Issuer's current and future subsidiaries that also guarantee the Issuer's credit agreement. The Secured Notes will be secured by a first-priority security interest in the same collateral that is pledged for the benefit of the lenders under the Issuer's credit agreement, which consists of a substantial portion of the property, assets and rights owned by the Issuer and the subsidiary guarantors as well as the stock of the Issuer. The collateral securing the Secured Notes will be released if the Issuer's senior, unsecured long-term debt securities obtain an investment grade rating from two out of the three rating agencies, subject to reversion if such rating agencies withdraw the investment grade rating of the Issuer's senior, unsecured long-term debt securities or downgrade such rating below investment grade.

The Offering is expected to close on May 13, 2022, subject to customary closing conditions.

The Company intends to use the proceeds from the Offering, together with cash on hand, (i) to post collateral as may be required in connection with the Company's comprehensive hedging strategy, (ii) for general corporate purposes, and (iii) to pay fees and expenses related to the Offering. The Secured Notes will not be registered under the Securities Act or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the securities described above, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such state or jurisdiction.

About Vistra
Vistra (NYSE: VST) is a leading Fortune 275 integrated retail electricity and power generation company based in Irving, Texas, providing essential resources for customers, commerce, and communities. Vistra combines an innovative, customer-centric approach to retail with safe, reliable, diverse, and efficient power generation. The company brings its products and services to market in 20 states and the District of Columbia, including six of the seven competitive wholesale markets in the U.S. and markets in Canada, as well. Serving nearly 4.3 million residential, commercial, and industrial retail customers with electricity and natural gas, Vistra is one of the largest competitive electricity providers in the country and offers over 50 renewable energy plans. The company is also the largest competitive power generator in the U.S. with a capacity of approximately 39,000 megawatts powered by a diverse portfolio, including natural gas, nuclear, solar, and battery energy storage facilities. In addition, Vistra is a large purchaser of wind power. The company owns and operates the 400-MW/1,600-MWh battery energy storage system in Moss Landing, California, the largest of its kind in the world. Vistra is guided by four core principles: we do business the right way, we work as a team, we compete to win, and we care about our stakeholders, including our customers, our communities where we work and live, our employees, and our investors. Learn more about our environmental, social, and governance efforts and read the company's sustainability report at https://www.vistracorp.com/sustainability/.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

The information presented herein includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements, which are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the industry and markets in which Vistra Corp. ("Vistra") operates and beliefs of and assumptions made by Vistra's management, involve risks and uncertainties, which are difficult to predict and are not guarantees of future performance, that could significantly affect the financial results of Vistra. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, that are presented herein, or in response to questions or otherwise, that address activities, events or developments that may occur in the future, including such matters as activities related to our financial or operational projections, the potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows, projected synergy, value lever and net debt targets, capital allocation, capital expenditures, liquidity, projected Adjusted EBITDA to free cash flow conversion rate, dividend policy, business strategy, competitive strengths, goals, future acquisitions or dispositions, development or operation of power generation assets, market and industry developments and the growth of our businesses and operations (often, but not always, through the use of words or phrases, or the negative variations of those words or other comparable words of a future or forward-looking nature, including, but not limited to: "intends," "plans," "will likely," "unlikely," "believe," "confident", "expect," "seek," "anticipate," "estimate," "continue," "will," "shall," "should," "could," "may," "might," "predict," "project," "forecast," "target," "potential," "goal," "objective," "guidance" and "outlook"), are forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Although Vistra believes that in making any such forward-looking statement, Vistra's expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, any such forward-looking statement involves uncertainties and risks that could cause results to differ materially from those projected in or implied by any such forward-looking statement, including, but not limited to: (i) adverse changes in general economic or market conditions (including changes in interest rates) or changes in political conditions or federal or state laws and regulations; (ii) the ability of Vistra to execute upon its contemplated strategic, capital allocation, performance, and cost-saving initiatives and to successfully integrate acquired businesses; (iii) actions by credit ratings agencies; (iv) the severity, magnitude and duration of pandemics, including the COVID-19 pandemic, and the resulting effects on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows; (v) the severity, magnitude and duration of extreme weather events (including Winter Storm Uri), contingencies and uncertainties relating thereto, most of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control, and the resulting effects on our results of operations, financial condition and cash flows; and (vi) those additional risks and factors discussed in reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission by Vistra from time to time, including the uncertainties and risks discussed in the sections entitled "Risk Factors" and "Forward-Looking Statements" in Vistra's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 and any subsequently filed quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.

Any forward-looking statement speaks only at the date on which it is made, and except as may be required by law, Vistra will not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which it is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible to predict all of them; nor can Vistra assess the impact of each such factor or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement.

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SOURCE Vistra Corp.

FAQ

What is the purpose of Vistra's $1.5 billion senior secured notes offering?

The proceeds will be used for collateral in the Company's hedging strategy, general corporate purposes, and offering expenses.

When will the Vistra notes offering close?

The offering is expected to close on May 13, 2022.

What are the interest rates on Vistra's new senior secured notes?

The 2024 notes will bear interest at 4.875% per annum, while the 2025 notes will bear 5.125%.

What collateral secures the senior secured notes by Vistra?

The notes are secured by a first-priority interest in a substantial portion of the issuer's assets.

Will the senior secured notes be registered under the Securities Act?

No, the secured notes will not be registered and may not be offered or sold in the U.S. without an exemption.