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The Texas Lawbook

Free Speech, Due Process and Trial by Jury

  • Appellate
  • Bankruptcy
  • Commercial Litigation
  • Corp. Deal Tracker/M&A
  • GCs/Corp. Legal Depts.
  • Firm Management
  • White-Collar/Regulatory
  • Pro Bono/Public Service/D&I

CDT Roundup: 21 Deals, 17 Firms, 150 Lawyers, $9B

May 21, 2019 Claire Poole

Intralinks is out with its latest deal flow predictor, which is based on sell-side M&A transactions across the world that are in preparation or have begun their due diligence stage.

The results? The firm found that the number of M&A deals to be announced over the next two quarters worldwide is expected to increase by 2 percent year-over-year, with the strongest growth expected in the real estate, energy and power and financials sectors.

In North America alone, conditions are projected to look a little better, with announced M&A deals expected to increase by around 3 percent year-over-year over the next six months, with financials, consumer and retail and energy and power sectors predicted to lead the growth. While this quarter is expected to jump by 4%, the third quarter may only increase by 2%.

Pitchbook also released some interesting findings this past week, saying that companies that are taken out by private equity firms are more than twice as likely to file for bankruptcy or go out of business than companies of a similar size that aren’t. Blame the debt that private equity firms use to finance their purchases.

GlobalData also shared some research on oil and gas dealmaking, saying that the sector saw a 45.9% jump in deal value but a 14.7% drop in deal volume in the first quarter over the same period last year. 

The firm said Vinson & Elkins was the top legal advisor in the industry for the quarter with a total deal value of $8 billion. The firm was followed by Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, which came in second on the strength of just two deals (worth $6.8 billion) and Latham & Watkins, which was a close third with six deals worth $6.7 billion.

Back in the Lone Star state, Texas lawyers were busy this past week, at least on a volume basis, logging a whopping 21 deals valued at more than $9 billion, versus 18 transactions worth $19.8 billion the previous week and 15 deals valued at $20.4 billion around the same time last year. 

Capital markets activity picked up with six transactions worth $5.6 billion versus 14 M&A/private equity/venture capital deals valued at $3.4 billion. 

Seventeen firms and 150 lawyers worked on all the deals. Gibson Dunn & Crutcher partner Hillary Holmes in Houston won the overachiever award, working on three capital markets transactions worth $4.8 billion – with the biggest not non-energy related.

Weekly Corporate Deal Tracker Roundup Stats

A compilation of weekly stats from The Lawbook's CDT Weekly Roundup
(Deal Values in Millions)

Week Ending
Deal CountAmountFirmsLawyersM&A CountM&A Value $MCapM Count
CapM Value $M
28-Jun-202513$7,77781387$2,0316$5,746
21-Jun-202516$5,9841011311$3,0875$2,897
14-Jun-20259$4788133603$478
07-Jun-202516$26,2101119611$24,7445$1,466
31-May-202519$23,3811116612$18,6657$4,717
24-May-202515$24,0331112113$23,6242$409
17-May-202516$21,7601214511$18,6155$3,145
10-May-202524$33,1751620619$30,7655$2,410
03-May-202511$4,249139011$2,226.52$2,022.5
26-Apr-202512$8,78791689$6,0113$2,776
19-Apr-202511$8,09771389$7,9852$112
12-Apr-202513$2,392815210$2,0653$327
05-Apr-202519$27,7621518816$25,4733$2,289
29-Mar-202521$8,1881025816$4,1255$4,064
22-Mar-202519$6,4851423115$4,1284$2,857
15-Mar-202513$13,7371315110$9,9324$3,805
8-Mar-20257$2,2345665$2242$2,100
1-Mar-202511$3,05087510$2,5501$500
24-Feb-2512$16,39771496$6,6356$9,862
17-Feb-2517$12,1361313410$9,4112$2,725
10-Feb-2514$7,15491799$4,9505$2,204
3-Feb-2516 $10,068720011$7,5535$2,515
25-Jan-2514$10,261101259$2,2075$8,054
18-Jan-2519$7,3821531612$2,3007$5,082
11-Jan-2521$33,5601618716$32,5215$1,039
4-Jan-259$6,8279809$6,82700
21-Dec-2411$2,79811928$2,2293$570
14-Dec-2415$5,3231218612$3,8123$1,511
07-Dec-2416$4,7661023111$2,32152,445
30-Nov-2410$10,29191034$8,2906$2.001
23-Nov-2415$4,5531515311$3,3794$1,174
16-Nov-2417$11,4881124513$10,1864$1,303
09-Nov-2414$2,1101213912$1,4102$700
02-Nov-2412 $52,788 1110711$52,7381$50
26-Oct-248$3,1608657$3,0651$75
19-Oct-2412$5,3041113611$4,5541$750
12-Oct-2417$8,4381215015$8,1162$322
05-Oct-2422$23,1811218915$19,9807$3,201
28-Sep-2411$2,35671447$534$2,303
21-Sep-2412$9,568101695$4,1017$5,467
14-Sep-2424$10,9881223516$7,1758$3,813
7-Sep-2412$20,4201616811$20,3071$112.9
31-Aug-2413$20,631913412$14,7751$5,856
24-Aug-2419$8,4522132516$7,1023$1,350
17-Aug-2425$49,1961630411$39,38614$9,810
10-Aug-2420$12,2641531216$9,7944$2,470
03-Aug-2426$16,4981633418$8,1378$8,361
27-Jul-2419$16,4422127115$13,8384$2,604
20-Jul-2415$16,0161418410$14,2325$1,784
13-Jul-2420$17,220 1426518$7,146 2$10,074
6-Jul-2411$3,941 11958$2,650 3$1,291
29-Jun-2414$6,296 152248$6,296 6$1,927
22-Jun-2412$5,679 81375$210 7$5,469
15-Jun-2413$9,895 1621410$5,280 3$4,615
8-Jun-2419$23,859 1323912$19,436 7$4,423
1-Jun-2412$34,510 111479$26,110 3$8,400
25-May-2413$9,684 1517110$4,434 3$5,250
18-May-2411$5,490 111738$3,129 3$2,361
11-May-2422$14,855 1422716$11,105 6$3,750
4-May-2413$3,139 98710$1,297 3$1,842
27-Apr-2410$6,684 62810$6,684 00
20-Apr-2419$15,989 111479$5,208 10$10,781
13-Apr-2413$8,952 97610$1,652 3$7,300
6-Apr-2423$26,616 1422214$13,501 8$13,116
30-Mar-2412$9,286 81368$4,299 4$4,987
23-Mar-2418$5,451 1726616$4,759 2$692
16-Mar-2421$11,437 1318614$9,316 6$2,070
9-Mar-2423$4,695 2121819$2,723 4$1,972
2-Mar-2420$9,108 1937214$4,558 6$4,550
24-Feb-2419$16,382 1224815$9,507 4$6,875
17-Feb-2416$29,932 1515712$29,216 4$716
10-Feb-2425$10,750 1719619$5,372 6$5,379
3-Feb-2412$8,416 181259$3,416 3$5,000
27-Jan-249$8,165 9878$7,815 1$800
20-Jan-2414$4,084 1210912$3,219 2$865
13-Jan-2417$33,588 1225612$26,765 5$6,823
6-Jan-248$7,915 8846$7,265 2$650
30-Dec-2317$14,599 129915$2,714 2$11,885
23-Dec-2323$4,182 1321916$1,813 7$2,370
16-Dec-2313$16,436 132807$15,150 5$1,286
9-Dec-2326$14,633.90 1724416$8,095 10$6,538.90
2-Dec-2313$6,720 95712$6,630 1$90
25-Nov-239$4,835 91316$1,785 3$3,050
18-Nov-2322$6,568.70 1718414$4,709.20 8$1,859.50
11-Nov-2315$9,825 1317912$6,581 3$3,244
4-Nov-2315$20,582.50 1419312$19,417.50 3$1,165
28-Oct-2318$68,419.10 1815215$66,646 3$1,773.10
21-Oct-2316$6,755.90 1616515$6,755.90 1$3
14-Oct-2314$67,851.20 131259$61,998.50 5$5,852.70
7-Oct-2317$6,595.50 1322816$5,995.50 1$600
30-Sep-2317$1,896.45 1318914$806.45 3$1,090
23-Sep-2323$6,432.70 1723016$1,402.80 7$5,029.90
16-Sep-2325$23,226.70 2335316$17,239 9$5,987.70
9-Sep-2312$6,369 81027$4,311 5$2,058
2-Sep-2314$2,522 69213$1,322 1$1,200
26-Aug-2317$12,160.25 1320215$6,573.25 2$5,587.00
19-Aug-2319$11,505 1321315$11,255 4$250
12-Aug-2319$9,698.80 131847$3,270 12$6,428.80
5-Aug-2313$5,201 1211812$5,051 1$150
29-Jul-2315$21,031.60 1319611$18,292.00 4$2,739.60
22-Jul-2318$3,992 1213013$2,808 5$1,184
15-Jul-2313$8,254.95 138113$8,254.95 00
8-Jul-2316$5,441.45 1217211$2,443 5$2,998.45
1-Jul-2316$6,872 1010512$5,474 4$1,398
24-Jun-2313$10,914 1620110$7,874 3$3,040
17-Jun-2317$5,880.70 1515115$4,705.70 2$1,175
10-Jun-2319$8,516.10 1311116$6,252.40 3$2,263.70
June 3 202312$6,104.42 121388$4,256.92 4$1,847.50
27-May-2317$12,200 106711$6,165 6$6,035
20-May-2311$22,458.10 81034$19,455 7$3,003
13-May-2312$7,034 101018$5,460 4$1,574
6-May-2320$3,297.60 1819617$2,985.60 3$312
29-Apr-2323$3,691.20 1813517$1,969.70 6$1,721.50
22-Apr-2316$5,570 1410414$4,750 2$1,000
15-Apr-2312$23,818.10 95910$21,618.10 2$2,200
8-Apr-2316$7,949 91739$5,472 7$3,477
1-Apr-2321$18,676.70 1217511$10,926.70 10$7,750
25-Mar-2315$8,779.50 101415$2,362 10$6,416.50
18-Mar-237$14,048.80 6695$13,345 2$703.80
11-Mar-2321$11,576 1616516$8,131 5$3,445
4-Mar-2320$9,668 1122816$8,209 4$1,459
25-Feb-2313$5,335 1313012$4,235 1$1,200
18-Feb-2314$5,743.70 131588$898.70 6$4,845
11-Feb-2316$12,088 1213712$9,965 4$2,123
4-Feb-2317$8,066 1514013$5,614 4$2,452
28-Jan-237$2,180 7755$1,692.75 2$488
21-Jan-2317$5,768 1617412$1,918 5$3,850
14-Jan-2311$2, 800101028$421 3$2,400
7-Jan-2318$8,296 1116714$6,461 3$1,835
31-Dec-2214$2,732 119912$2,092 2$640
17-Dec14$7,919 1311512$7,419 1$500
10-Dec-2214$10,093 128811$7,093 3$3,000
3-Dec-2226$12,800.90 1117220$4,141 6$8,659.90
26-Nov-228$2,266.70 853$76 5$2,190.70
19-Nov-2221$2,886 1521219$2,550 2$336
12-Nov-2213$15,093.70 9819$14,200 4$893.70
5-Nov-222519,337.201650922$8,267.20 3$11,070
29-Oct-2215$7,805.30 911614$7,180.30 1$625
22-Oct-2220$8,193.50 1325313$5,442 7$2,751.50
15-Oct-229$3,046.10 91397$2,588.30 2$457.80
8-Oct-2219$2,011.80 1211416$833.80 3$1,178
1-Oct-2223$5,532.90 1615618$4,952.30 5$580.60
24-Sep-2218$5,194 1421615$4,050 3$1,144
17-Sep-2221$8,352.30 1232015$4,759.60 6$3,592.70
10-Sep-2215$19,853.50 1012613$19,403.60 2$450
3-Sep-229$2,312 9629$2,312 00
27-Aug-2216$30,891.70 1013515$30,666.40 1227.7
20-Aug-2212$1,977 815299253$1,052
13-Aug-2218$8,004.70 1124211$2,844.70 7$5,160
6-Aug-2224$7,948.90 1224017$3,577 7$4,371.90
30-Jul-228$6,941 9787$6,839 1$102
23-Jul-2211$801 119210$801 10
16-Jul-2214$3,650 1012214$3,650 00
9-Jul-2210$3,557.70 7689$3,557.70 10
2-Jul-2218$8,609.40 1315215$2,754.40 3$5,855
25-Jun-2215$6,142 131469$2,017 6$4,125
18-Jun-2217$11,890.10 1422815$11,410 2479.7
11-Jun-2217$7,600 1212310$2,300 7$5,300
4-Jun-2212$2,937 101279$692 3$2,245
28-May-229$3,197.60 11869$3,197.60 00
21-May-2214$7,284.50 1218511$6,609 3$675.50
14-May-2211$306.60 98010$306.60 1$225
7-May-2216$10,451.75 1210812$1,827 4$8,624.75
30-Apr-2216$2,296.50 1615712$895.50 4$1,401
23-Apr-2210$2,241 11588$1,641 2$600
16-Apr-2211$6,643 71568$2,359 3$4,284
9-Apr-2217$4,429 1418411$1,690 6$2,739
2-Apr-2213$1,755 88410$1,145 3$610
26-Mar-2211$3,205 8656$200 5$3,005
19-Mar-2213$2,239.17 910613$2,239.17 00
12-Mar-2218$12,016 1123915$11,965 2$51.35
5-Mar-2217$6,786 1313713$5,161 4$1,625
26-Feb-2212$5,095 81499$4,437.50 3$658
19-Feb-2217$22,229 1717414$21,354 3$875
12-Feb-2212$2,344.70 10738$641.70 4$1,703
5-Feb-2211$2,503 89911$2,503 00
29-Jan-2211$3,872 1210112$3,872 00
22-Jan-2213$5,143.50 109912$4,842.50 1$301
15-Jan-2212$7,605 91559$6,480 3$1,025
8-Jan-2213$8,256.20 1110213$8,256.20 00
1-Jan-229$1,273.80 6509$1,273.80 00
25-Dec-2121$4,734.75 1117616$3,410 5$1,324.75
18-Dec-2126$7,325.20 1519318$3,640.20 8$3,685.20
11-Dec-2116$5,017 1010913$1,417 3$3,600
4-Dec-2114$2,310 8868$2,310 6$1,882.05
27-Nov-219$3.460.1101016$1,758 3$1,702.60
20-Nov-2120$22,792 1515712$18,864.50 8$3,928
13-Nov-2121$26,729 1217813$11,822 8$14,907
6-Nov-2112$8,303 1315710$6,682 3$1,621
30-Oct-2121$10,368 1521815$9,24.46$1,103.00
23-Oct-2121$18.783.11522211$12,314 10$6,468.60
16-Oct-2115$3,868 1111815$2,293 2$1,575
9-Oct-2120$8,610 1617516$7,795 4$815
2-Oct-2114$6,250 1113710$5,200 4$1,050
25-Sep-2111$11,460 9937$10,200 4$1,250
18-Sep-2111$16,603 8998$15,084 3$1,519
11-Sep-2117$10,653 1110313$8,503 4$2,150
4-Sep-2113$7,222 108911$6,715 2$507
28-Aug-2112$763 96311$663 1$100
21-Aug-2112$29,659 77911$29,579 1$80
14-Aug-2122$17,845 1119912$12,805 10$5,04
7-Aug-2117$13,670 1213915$11,766 2$1,904
31-Jul-2121$8,160 1113410$3,574 10$4,586
July 24,202121$6,367 1113915$3,712 6$2,655
17-Jul-2114$4,009 1112412$2,015 2$1,994
10-Jul-2116$3,997 1314311$1,597 4$2,4
3-Jul-2124$7,492 139416$3,769 8$3,722
26-Jun-2110$4,995 7858$3,847 2$1,148
19-Jun-2128$16,830 82289$1,861 19$14,968
12-Jun-2126$27,238 1520919$25,602 7$1,636
5-Jun-2115$15,539 1310013$14,709 2$600
29-May-2135$20,279 1114528$18,647$1,639
22-May-2124$53,208 1417417$51,047 7$2,161
15-May-2118$10,620 1322011$5,870 7$4,809
8-May-2117$10,400 1115615$8,386 2$2,500
1-May-2121$7,200 1611512$3,808 9$3,392
24-Apr-218$20,200 9318$20,200 00
17-Apr-2114$6,270 810211$40,180 3$2,260
10-Apr-2115$8,940 1312914$7,990 1$950
3-Apr-2118$19,513 1015112$16,923 6$2,590
27-Mar-2127$13,942 1524414$4,300 13$9,633.50
20-Mar-2111$2,046 41023$270 8$1,776
13-Mar-2115$3,270 91096$538 9$2,732
6-Mar-2124$13,617 1019613$10,395 11$3,222
27-Feb-2119$8,105 1213915$4,970 4$3,135
20-Feb-219$8,820 91538$8,520 1$300
13-Feb-2112$4,852.60 78172,7665$2,086.60
6-Feb-2118$9,752 1315314$5,222 4$4,530
30-Jan-2118$9,449 918215$8,753.80 3$695.30
23-Jan-2114$8,150 81186$4,000 8$4,150
16-Jan-2117$6,783 1313811$2,400 6$4,382.90
9-Jan-2122$6,829 1413518$3,139.30 4$3,690
2-Jan-217$1,466 7607$1,466 00
26-Dec-2018$15,900 1216316$5,300 1$600
19-Dec-2018$9,769 1411014$8,426 4$1,343
12-Dec-2010$7,200 91009$3,325 1$3,830
5-Dec-2015$4,261 91229$2,780 6$1,481
28-Nov-2019$7,758 1011013$4,003 6$3,755
14-Nov-2014$864.10 1415712$289.10 2$575
7-Nov-2013$6,332 91299$2,483.50 4$3,849
31-Oct-2010$3,995.80 81036$3,231.10 4$754.70
24-Oct-206$18,100 6585$17,709 1$350
17-Oct-208$351.90 5558$351.90 00
10-Oct-207$5,229 3504$735 3$4,494
3-Oct-2014$21,428 91739$17,535 5$3,893
26-Sep-2010$12,770 8935$10,300 5$2,470
19-Sep-2014$8,365 91016$1,020 8$7,345
12-Sep-206$4,406 8593$1,270 3$3,136
5-Sep-2011$5,191 81179$4,061 2$1,130
29-Aug-2011$2,531 9945$1,130 6$1,401
22-Aug-2018$6,574 121407$1,930 11$4,644
15-Aug-2013$4,991 10977$1,216 6$3,775
8-Aug-2012$32,092 111129$30,457 3$1,635
1-Aug-207$5,287 8765$3,687 2$1,600
25-Jul-209$18,751 6677$18,403 2$348
18-Jul-206$1,982.50 5504$1,407.50 2$575
11-Jul-2011$565.10 127510$65.10 1$500
4-Jul-2010$8,889 8989$8,788 1$100.30
27-Jun-208$6,874 10505$4,972.50 3$2,081.50
20-Jun-2012$4,444 91157$2,829 5$1,615
13-Jun-206$3,582 4372$350 4$3,232
6-Jun-2011$3,213.70 8657$470 4$2,743.70
30-May-208$7,335 7486$4,639 2$2,697
23-May-204$432.40 4343$432.40 10
16-May-206$310 6345$310 10
9-May-2018$5,630 1612414$3,180 4$2,450
2-May-201510,40010908$1,900 7$,8,500
25-Apr-208$3,400 9365$1,000 3$2,450
18-Apr-2019$9,500 14928$185.70 11$9,360
11-Apr-2012$6,000 9405$190 7$5,800
4-Apr-2014$8,200 116810$2,200 4$6,000
28-Mar-2016$6,500 139610$3,700 6$2,800
21-Mar-2011$11,910 7337$2,250 4$9,960
14-Mar-207809.86346684.81125
7-Mar-2016$2,500 157013$669 3$1,400
29-Feb-2013$15,260 1312811$11,760 2$3,500
22-Feb-2012$3,700 109210$2,560 2$1,130
15-Feb-2016$1,250 108412$35 4$1,222
8-Feb-2018$6,080 1412314$2,595 4$3,485
1-Feb-2021$20,900 1210114$17,860 7$3,060
25-Jan-2013$7,430 136212$6,430 1$1,000
18-Jan-2023$9,580 1512019$6,580 4$3,000
11-Jan-2021$14,200 1819916$1,020 5$13,200
4-Jan-2022$6,400 1111916$3,204 6$3,245
28-Dec-1922$7,150 1917518$6,800 4$327.40
14-Dec-1924$36,300 2316719$9,500 5$26,800
7-Dec-1911$10,400 11557$1,082 4$9,370
November 30. 201914$2,450 1212612$1,760 2$692.50
23-Nov-1916$1,995 104111$615 5$1,380
16-Nov-1915$3,820 1313511$2,500 4$1,271
9-Nov-1925$12,900 1718223$12,200 2$575
2-Nov-1910$2,470 126192,4503$22
26-Oct-1912$5,560 147011$3,860 1$1,700
19-Oct-198$6,600 81388$6,600 00
12-Oct-1919$4,300 145516$3,800 3$500
5-Oct-1918$14,500 1916615$11,100 3$3,400
28-Sep-1919$8,100 1813218$7,560 1$550
21-Sep-1914$6,300 166611$2,160 3$4,170
14-Sep-1915$23,800 125611$21,250 4$2,570
7-Sep-1917$3,500 159814$1,900 3$1,600
31-Aug-195$8,700 6505$8,700 00
24-Aug-1916$10,000 148215$4,250 1$5,750
16-Aug-1910$1,680 5527$650 3$950
9-Aug-1917$17,700 156814$3,900 3$13,800
2-Aug-1913$5,760 1210813$5,760 NANA
27-Jul-1911$7,300 13768$6,570 3$730
20-Jul-1913$11,800 1312511$5,300 2$6,500
13-Jul-1910$775 7468$542.50 2$233
6-Jul-197$2,500 9857$2,500 00
29-Jun-1923$8,290 1515417$2,300 6$5,970
22-Jun-1917$10,700 1013914$7,700 3$3,000
15-Jun-1911$13,500 1416011$13,500 NANA
8-Jun-1913$2,870 175511$1,570 2$1,300
1-Jun-1910$4,460 11608$4,140 2$315
25-May-1917$4,360 147914$3,700 3$612
18-May-1922$9,000 1715016$3,400 6$5,600
11-May-1918$19,800 1717715$18,300 3$1,500
4-May-1910$7,075 6328$6,900 2$175
27-Apr-1915$3,200 1411714$3,160 1$40
20-Apr-1913$13,500 10909$12,200 4$1,300
13-Apr-1916$38,900 149114$37,800 2$1,100
6-Apr-1912$6,870 119410$6,730 2$50
30-Mar-1915$6,470 128410$7,91.55$5,677
23-Mar-1918$6,450 149114$5,042 4$1,408
16-Mar-1914$10,180 1211511$8,800 3$1,300
9-Mar-199$1,800 6498$1,300 1$500
2-Mar-1920$3,033 1610714$1,817 6$1,262
23-Feb-1912$2,040 8699$614.60 3$1,430
16-Feb-1916$9,970 187716$9,970 00
9-Feb-1914$6,400 1011014$6,400 00
2-Feb-1918$6,740 159916$5,720 2$950
26-Jan-1913$2,770 116711$918.95 2$1,850
19-Jan-1915$3,819 167612$2,594 3$1,225
12-Jan-1918$7,283 149215$1,683 3$5,600
5-Jan-1910$529 125010$529 00
22-Dec-1817$2,570 138714$941 3$1,629
15-Dec-1810$2,860 8268$264 2$2,600
8-Dec-1815$1,819 166512$552 3$1,267
1-Dec-1812$7,500 10909$1,200 3$6,200
28-Nov-1815$4,500 1110714$4,000 1$500
19-Nov-1818$6,137 139813$2,142 5$3,995
14-Nov-1818$9,200 1315215$8,500 3$694
6-Nov-1816$17,300 1618314$16,361 2$950
29-Oct-1814$14,400 1812717$13,800 1$600
24-Oct-1813$6,140 1312611$5,122 2$1,018
17-Oct-1818$18,390 1512514$12,292 4$6,098
10-Oct-1829$3,149 1810420$1,647 9$819
2-Oct-1818$9,300 116714$7,300 4$2,000
25-Sep-1813$7,000 117510$6,000 3$995
18-Sep-189$3,570 7449$3,570 00
11-Sep-1813$5,900 1013213$5,900 00
7-Sep-1814$5,000 158611$4,000 3$1,000
29-Aug-1815$20,700 147913$4,700 2$16,000
20-Aug-1810$12,400 11538$11,380 3$1,057
14-Aug-1812$19,900 121329$18,889 3$1,011
7-Aug-1816$68,600 1110613$67,259 3$1,340
31-Jul-1815$15,100 159511$13,060 4$2,060
23-Jul-1813$2,130 156010$1,804 3$1,100
17-Jul-1814$5,370 17989$4,310 5$1,100
9-Jul-1816$11,200 157410$11,080 6$862
3-Jul-1813$7,000 78112$6,330 1$750
25-Jun-1815$8,800 13979$4,970 6$3,930
18-Jun-1813$14,200 14807$221 6$14,290
11-Jun-1812$6,300 8968$5,910 4$803
6-Jun-1813$14,500 10888$14,154 5$579
31-May-1811$4,890 10638$3,240 3$1,790
22-May-1815$20,400 11639$19,808 6$885
15-May-1815$4,700 1510610$3,900 5$643
9-May-1811$1,400 13889$1,300 2$560
1-May-188$14,250 7887$13,400 1$450
24-Apr-1812$5,300 66111$4,470 1$800
17-Apr-189$1,800 10447$2,330 2$1,434
11-Apr-1811$2,500 8326$1,690 5$809
3-Apr-1815$13,400 111219$12,020 6$1,090
28-Mar-1810$4,000 10927$3,870 3$215
19-Mar-1817$5,800 135110$590 7$5,165
12-Mar-1815$3,130 114311$2,360 4$788
6-Mar-1819$5,400 1311610$1,530 9$4,860
27-Feb-1820$6,600 136914$5,530 6$1,030
19-Feb-1815$5,500 1411110$3,990 6$1,980
12-Feb-1823$10,900 1715712$7,110 11$3,840
5-Feb-1816$8,600 131007$1,330 9$7,800
30-Jan-1811$12,600 11685$7,300 6$4,982
24-Jan-1819$9,400 151295$2,010 14$7,337
18-Jan-1810$6,280 8492$2,100 8$4,188
9-Jan-1812$16,500 12929$15,890 3$475
3-Jan-1810$2,500 9478$2,350 2$150
27-Dec-1715$9,000 151139$7,568 6$1,784
18-Dec-1715$13,800 161649$13,010 7$1,118
11-Dec-1714$9,700 1012612$2,940 4$8,500
4-Dec-176$1,800 6315$1,510 1$300
28-Nov-177$3,850 8764$3,260 3$285
16-Nov-1710$2,700 10486$1,840 4$856
8-Nov-1715$2,380 179110$1,860 5$516
1-Nov-1712$4,700 17949$3,400 4$1,300
23-Oct-1715$10,500 106710$9,780 4$1,530
18-Oct-176$2,000 373$225 3$1,820
10-Oct-1712$6,570 1009$3,880 3$3,360
2-Oct-178$3,100 11193$1,630 5$1,750
25-Sep-178$4,880 8795$2,660 5$2,070
18-Sep-179$4,770 3$300 6$4,470
12-Sep-1711$4,430 8$2,030 3$2,400
1-Sep-174$1,310 3$317 1$1,000
23-Aug-1711$13,640 98$11,840 3$1,800

M&A/PRIVATE EQUITY/VENTURE CAPITAL

Equinor boosts stake in Gulf of Mexico oilfield for $965M

Norwegian oil company Equinor said it exercised its preferential right and is buying Royal Dutch Shell’s 22.45% stake in the Gulf of Mexico’s Caesar Tonga oilfield for $965 million in cash.

The sale preempts Shell’s previously agreed-to sale to Israeli oil and gas producer Delek Group in April of the same stake for the same price. The deal should close in the third quarter.

An Equinor spokesman said the company handled the deal with a team in-house but wouldn’t name the attorneys involved. Shell also won’t provide its in-house team.

Kari Potts is its senior legal counsel in Austin while Miguel Strauss is its chief counsel for mergers, acquisitions and divestments in Houston.

The transaction boosts Equinor’s stake to 46%, giving the company an additional 15,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day. Anadarko Petroleum – which is being bought by Occidental Petroleum – operates the field with a 33.7% stake while Chevron owns 20.25%.

Winston represents NGL on $890M Mesquite Disposals combo

Winston & Strawn said it represented NGL Energy Partners on a deal to combine the assets of Mesquite Disposals Unlimited with NGL’s water solutions business for $890 million in stock.

The group was led out of the Chicago office but included Houston team leaders Jeff Smith and Isaac Griesbaum along with Chris Ferazzi, Alex Niebruegge, Anna Gryska, Chris Cottrell, Alec Tanner and Madeline Gaffney. Barclays was NGL’s financial advisor.

In its May 14 announcement, NGL said it will issue $100 million of its 9% Class B fixed-to-floating rate cumulative redeemable perpetual preferred units to owners of Mesquite, who also have an option to receive 7 million common units at $16 per unit at closing.

NGL CEO Mike Krimbill said in a statement that the deal was part of the company’s strategy to focus on consolidating, integrating and expanding its water position. The company expects the funding will be leverage-neutral and the deal will significantly add to distributable cash flow per unit in fiscal 2020 and beyond. 

The assets include a fully interconnected produced water pipeline transportation and disposal system in Eddy and Lea Counties, New Mexico, and Loving County, Texas. The Mesquite system will end up with 35 salt water disposal wells representing 1 million barrels per day of disposal capacity expected by year-end.

Most of the volumes on system are contracted under long-term acreage dedications and minimum volume commitments and 95% of the system volumes is delivered via pipeline. 

HuntonAK aids Shell Midstream on $800M pipeline purchase

Houston pipeline operator Shell Midstream Partners agreed to buy additional interests in two pipelines from parent Royal Dutch Shell for $800 million.

The Explorer and Colonial pipelines move gasoline, diesel and jet fuel to the Midwest and East Coast. 

Shell Midstream is buying 25.97% of Explorer and 10.125% of Colonial, boosting its stakes to 38.59% and 16.125%, respectively.

Hunton Andrews Kurth is representing the conflicts committee of the board of Shell Midstream’s general partner. The Houston team was led by corporate partner Mike O’Leary and included corporate partner John Clutterbuck and associate Michael Wright and tax partner Robert McNamara. Environmental partner Lisa Shelton weighed in from Austin.

Shell was represented in-house by senior legal counsel Stephanie Conklin Beauvais, who previously was a partner at Andrews Kurth.

Bracewell said it represented Evercore, the financial advisor to Shell Midstream’s conflicts committee, including partner William Anderson and associate Benjamin J. Martin.

Winston, Baker McKenzie aid on Schlumberger’s $400M in divestitures to Wellbore

Rhône Capital-based Wellbore Integrity Solutions announced May 14 that it will acquire Schlumberger’s Drilco, Thomas Tools and Fishing & Remedial Services units along with part of a manufacturing facility in Houston for $400 million. The deal has to clear regulators but should close by year-end.

Schlumberger’s in-house counsel on the deal was William Batzer and Clay Platt. Winston & Strawn partner Doug Atnipp in Houston provided outside help along with Alex Niebruegge, Dick Wynne, Jeff Smith, Anna Gryska and Alec Tanner.

Baker McKenzie represented Wellbore with a team led by partner Roger Bivans in Dallas and partner Marcos Basso in Houston.

Wellbore CEO David MacNeill said the company’s customers will benefit from its expansion as an independent service and product supplier with a global footprint. At closing, Wellbore will have close to 1,100 employees and operate in 25 countries. 

Kristi Vilay, president of bits and drilling tools at Schlumberger, said the divestiture will help the company focus on its core drilling strategy, including the development of automation technologies that can be enhanced by digital enablement.

Schlumberger has announced asset sales that will bring in $1 billion in cash with additional divestitures to come, including Schlumberger Production Management assets with its Argentina unit being the most likely this year, RBC Capital Markets analyst Kurt Hallead said in a note.

The oilfield services giant is selling assets so it reinvest in the businesses in which it has the number-one or number-two market share position and generate the highest relative returns, Hallead added. “The businesses they are pruning are limited in terms of adding value through technology (fishing and rental) and/or are not being valued appropriately by the market (ROK deal).”

Rhône has been investing for 24 years. It has $6 billion in assets under management across private equity and real estate.

Hunton AK, Shearman work on DTE’s acquisition of WGL pipeline stake for $275.3M

DTE Midstream is buying an additional 30% stake in the Stonewall natural gas system in West Virginia from WGL Midstream Inc. for $275.3 million, bringing its stake to 85%.

Hunton Andrews Kurth counseled WGL, including Houston partner Mike O’Leary, along with partners Phil Haines, Tom Ford and Allison Mantor. Houston associates Garrett Hughey and Caitlin Sawyer also worked on the deal.

Shearman & Sterling represented DTE with partner Omar Samji and associate Kelli Sims.

The transaction is expected to close late in the second quarter or in the third quarter. DTE Midstream has been operating the 67-mile pipeline for nearly three years.

DTE Midstream president David Slater said in a statement that the pipeline complements its midstream business and provides a platform for continued value creation supported by a solid underlying resource.

Spruce Finance attracts $50M from HPS

Spruce Finance, which owns and operates distributed generation solar and residential energy assets in the U.S., raised $50 million in funding from owner HPS Investment Partners.

Schulte Roth & Zabel in New York counseled the investor while Spruce general counsel Jonathan Norling in Houston handled the funding in-house.

Led by CEO Christian Fong, Spruce claims to be the second-largest privately held residential solar company in the U.S. The investment comes as it pursues opportunities to add operational solar assets to its 150-megawatt portfolio, including community and commercial solar assets.

The funding follows Spruce’s recent closing of a $208 million senior secured debt financing of its residential solar assets.

The company’s unit Energy Service Experts provides asset management services to more than $1 billion of residential solar assets, including Spruce’s own assets and third-party portfolios.

Tim Distler recently joined Spruce as VP of corporate development to lead the company’s project finance and M&A activity. He previously led a solar development and finance platform for LG Electronics and was head of project finance at RET Capital.

HPS is a global investment firm with more than $48 billion of assets under management. 

Bracewell aids Ophir on $35M offshore sale to group

Bracewell said it advised a unit of Ophir Energy plc on the sale of its 23.33% interest in Block 5 of the Salina Basin, including the Cholula discovery, off the coast of Mexico to partners Murphy Oil, Wintershall Dea and Petronas for $35 million.

The lawyers were mostly in London but included Houston partner and foreign legal consultant Manuel Vera. The transaction has to clear regulators but is expected to close by year-end.

Bracewell said the sale marks the firm’s third recent upstream oil and gas M&A transaction offshore Mexico. The firm also represented Eni on the sale to Qatar Petroleum of a 35% interest in Block 1 in Campeche Bay, which includes the Amoca, Miztón and Tecoalli discoveries, and Eni’s strategic joint venture with Lukoil involving Blocks 10, 12 and 14 in the Sureste Basin.

The firm also represented Cheiron Petroleum Group on the first upstream debt transaction for an independent oil and gas company in the deregulated Mexican market.

Ophir said the transaction is part of its strategy to minimize its exposure to exploration and that the proceeds will help enhance liquidity. Ophir is in the midst of being acquired by Indonesia’s Medco.

V&E, Eversheds aid on AltaGas’s $20M biomass stake sale to Atlantic Power

Vinson & Elkins said it advised AltaGas Power Holdings (U.S.) Inc. on the sale of its equity interests in contracted biomass plants to Atlantic Power Corp. for $20 million.

Partner Trina Chandler and senior associate Benji Barron led the corporate team, which included associate Mariam Boxwala. 

Also advising were partner Jason McIntosh and associates Brian Russell and Curt Wimberly on tax; senior associate Matt Dobbins and associates Jennifer Cornejo and Austin Pierce on environmental; partner John Decker on energy regulatory; partner Sean Becker on labor/employment; and partner Stephen Jacobson and senior associate Kristy Fields on executive compensation/benefits.

Eversheds Sutherland represented Atlantic Power with a group that included counsel Joshua Belcher in Houston.

Atlantic Power said May 15 it will acquire 50% of Craven County Wood Energy, a 48-megawatt biomass plant in North Carolina that’s been in service since 1990, and 30% of Grayling Generating Station, a 37-megawatt biomass plant in Michigan that has been in service since 1992. 

CMS Energy owns the other half of the Craven plant and Fortistar holds 20% and CMS owns 50% of the Grayling plant. Both plants are operated by a CMS affiliate and don’t have any project-level debt.

The deal has to clear the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and third-party consents and is expected to close by mid-year with funding from the company’s discretionary cash.

Boston-based Atlantic Power has been on a buying spree, picking up the remaining ownership interests in the Koma Kulshan hydro facility in July and the Allendale and Dorchester biomass plants in South Carolina, which are expected to close later this year.

Atlantic Power CEO James J. Moore Jr. said in a statement that the acquisitions represent a meaningful addition to the company’s contracted cash flows and will contribute an estimated $8 million to $10 million in EBITDA per year. “We acquired the five plants at what we consider to be attractive prices,” he said.

Moore said the company continues to reduce debt after cutting more than $1 billion since 2014. It had $198 million in liquidity as of March 31 and has been repurchasing stock as it purchases more cash flow-producing plants.

Kastner Gravelle aids Novi on $7M Cottonwood funding

Novi Labs, an Austin-based provider of oil well planning software, raised $7 million in Series A funding from Cottonwood Venture Partners and Bill Wood Ventures.

Kastner Gravelle out of Austin represented Novi Labs, including Evan Kastner, Rob Montgomery, Earl Henderson and Mark Mallery. Koenig, Oelsner, Taylor, Schoenfeld & Gaddis in Denver represented Cottonwood.

Novi said the funding follows customer growth and field-testing of its well planning technology, which helps oil and gas companies optimize economic returns for new wells using artificial intelligence and predictive analytics. 

The company plans to use the recently raised funds to scale its technology and team to meet growing demand by shale producers. 

Senior software executive Scott Sherwood was named Novi’s new CEO to position the company for the next stage of growth. He previously was CEO of Packet Design, which was sold to Ciena last year, and worked at NetQoS, Cache IQ and ScienceLogic. 

Novi founder Jon Ludwig will become president, focusing on expanding Novi’s technology and customer growth.

Cottonwood is led by Jeremy Arendt and based in Houston. Bill Wood Ventures is led by Austin Ventures and Silverton Partners founder Bill Wood in Austin.

Egan Nelson advises NarrativeDx on $2.97M funding

Austin-based NarrativeDx said it raised $2.97 million in funding from unnamed investors.

Egan Nelson represented the company, including José Ancer and Jay Buchanan.

NarrativeDx said in February that it had secured an undisclosed amount of funding from Christiana Care Health System, Summation Health Ventures and the Texas Medical Center with participation from existing investors HealthX Ventures and Cultivation Capital. Egan Nelson’s Ancer worked on that matter as well.

Led by founder and CEO Kyle Robertson, NarrativeDx uses patented artificial intelligence to identify actionable insights from patients and provider feedback so as to improve patient satisfaction scores, increase operational efficiency and decrease employee turnover.

Kirkland, Latham aid on GIC’s purchase of Five Point stake in WaterBridge

Five Point Energy said May 17 it was selling a minority equity stake in WaterBridge Resources to Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC.

The parties didn’t disclose terms but said the purchase price implies a $2.8 billion enterprise value for WaterBridge.

Kirkland & Ellis said it advised GIC affiliates with a team led by corporate partner Doug Bacon and associates Allan Kirk, Robert Goodin and Stella Tang.

Latham & Watkins represented Five Point and WaterBridge, which used Barclays as their financial advisor.

The Latham group was led by partners Jesse Myers and Bill Finnegan with associates Lauren Anderson, Eric Schoppe, Erin Lee and Adam Midkiff. 

Specialists included Houston tax partners Tim Fenn and Bryant Lee with associate Michael Rowe and Houston environmental partner Joel Mack.

GIC and Five Point also have committed to provide more equity capital to facilitate WaterBridge’s pipeline of accretive acquisition and organic growth opportunities.

After the closing of the recently signed definitive agreement with PDC Energy Inc., WaterBridge said it will own and operate 550 miles of pipeline connecting 56 water handling facilities with 1.4 million barrels per day of produced water disposal capacity throughout the southern Delaware Basin. It has long-term contracts from 13 producers in the basin.

WaterBridge’s Arkoma platform consists of 10 saltwater disposal wells with 170,000 barrels per day of produced water disposal capacity. The facilities are connected via 175 miles of pipeline services under long-term contracts from five producers.

David Capobianco, CEO and managing partner of Houston-based Five Point, said in the statement that there’s tremendous demand for the development of large, integrated water handling networks so producers can increase their development programs.

WaterBridge CEO Stephen Johnson said the company has “unparalleled access” to the capital needed to continue executing its growth strategy.

Five Point manages more than $2.5 billion of capital. GIC has more than $100 billion in assets under management.

Kirkland, V&E, Locke Lord aid on Spur/KKR partnership to purchase Percussion’s Permian assets

Spur Energy Partners and KKR announced that they have partnered to purchase Permian oil and gas properties from Carnelian-backed Percussion Petroleum for an undisclosed sum. The parties expect to close the acquisition this quarter.

Kirkland represented KKR with a team led by partners John Pitts and David Wheat in Houston. Vinson & Elkins advised Percussion, including partners Bryan Loocke and John B. Connally, also in Houston.

V&E also advised Spur on forming the partnership with KKR that plans to acquire large, high-margin oil and gas production development assets across the Lower 48 states. 

That team was led by partner Matt Strock and senior associate Matthew Falcone with assistance from associates Brittany Smith and Natalie Steen. Also advising were partner John Lynch and associate Neil Clausen (tax); partner Stephen Jacobson, senior associate Kristy Fields and associate Gina Hancock (executive compensation/benefits); and partner Sean Becker (labor/employment).

Locke Lord represented Spur on the Permian acquisition, including partners Hunter Summerford and Terry Radney in Houston. Additional assistance was provided by partners Mitch Tiras, Michael Blankenship, Walker Clarke, Jerry Higdon, Jonathan Pelayo, Ed Razim and Buddy Sanders and associate Thomas Johnson, all of Houston.

The purchase of the Permian northwest shelf assets includes interests in 380 gross producing wells and 22,000 net acres situated in the core of the Yeso formation in Eddy and Lea Counties, New Mexico, along with associated water and midstream assets. The properties produced 9,200 net barrels of oil equivalent per day in the first quarter.

Spur was founded by Jay Graham, who previously was CEO of WildHorse Resource Development Corp., which Chesapeake Energy Corp. bought in February for $3.98 billion. Before that he was CEO of Memorial Resource Development Corp., which Range Resources bought in 2016 for $3.3 billion.

Dash Lane led the investment from KKR, saying the acquisition is the first step of what it expects to be a multi-billion-dollar partnership with Spur.

Gibson Dunn aids CenterOak on Service Chambers investment, Moore merger

Gibson Dunn & Crutcher said it advised Dallas private equity firm CenterOak Partners on its investment in Orange County-based Service Champions and its merger with Moore Home Services. Terms weren’t disclosed.

Partner Robert Little led the corporate team, which included associates Joseph Orien and Kiel Sauerman. Partner David Sinak and associate Michael Cannon advised on tax aspects while partner Krista Hanvey and associate Tyler Richardson advised on benefits. All are in Dallas.

Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger in Los Angeles counseled Service Champions.

CenterOak said May 15 that the merger creates a leading provider of home maintenance and repair services across southern and northern California and one of the largest residential HVAC contractors on the West Coast. 

CEO Leland Smith will lead the combination while keeping a large ownership stake. Randall Fojtasek led the deal from CenterOak, which has managed more than $1.8 billion in equity capital commitments and completed 100 acquisitions representing $4.1 billion in transaction value.

Queen Saenz + Schutz aids Greenridge’s Veriforce on sale to PEC Safety

Queen Saenz + Schutz advised Greenridge Investment Partners-backed Veriforce on its sale to Thoma Bravo’s PEC Safety for an undisclosed sum.

Thomas Queen was the lead with support from Andrea Schutz, Carly Mayer, Jake Mayers and Paul Saenz.

Harris Williams, a unit of PNC Financial Services Group, provided financial advice to Veriforce, including Mike Wilkins, Erik Szyndlar, Brian Titterington and Jay Petrie.

Houston-based Veriforce provides qualification, drug and alcohol, safety and insurance and training software to the oil and gas, utility, manufacturing, chemical and construction markets. It has 200 clients and 4,440 contractor firms and 185,000 registered individuals within its system.

PEC provides a technology-enabled contractor management service for reporting and measuring contractor risk, safety and compliance information to operators. It has more than 110 operators who manage 15,000 contractors and has trained 1.3 million workers through 3,000 PEC authorized instructors.

Greenridge is based in Austin. Thoma Bravo, which has offices in San Francisco and Chicago, focuses on software and technology-enabled services sectors with $30 billion in capital commitments. Its investments have included Quorum Software, which acquired Houston-based Coastal Flow Measurement Inc. earlier this year, and Austin-based SolarWinds, which the firm took public in October.

Randa buys Thompson & Knight-advised Haggar for undisclosed sum

Randa Accessories announced May 7 that it was buying Dallas-based Haggar Clothing Co. for an undisclosed sum. It planned to close the transaction in 45 days.

Haggar general counsel Marc Joseph said he tapped Thompson & Knight partner Michael Titens for outside legal advice. Haggar assistant general counsel Jennifer Schulz also worked on the transaction. Drinker Biddle & Reath in New York represented Randa.

A privately-held company founded in 1910, Randa produces belts, wallets, headwear, slippers, luggage, neckwear and jewelry under 50 brands, including Levi’s, Tommy Hilfiger, Columbia Sportswear, Dickies, and Kenneth Cole. The company distributes its products through 20,000 stores and employs 4,000 people at 26 offices in 10 countries.

Haggar, which began in a one-room office in Dallas in 1926, has expanded from a manufacturer of men’s fine dress pants and slacks into one of the most recognized apparel brands in the market. It also owns Montreal-based Tribal, which was founded in 1971 and is the largest women’s sportswear supplier to the specialty boutique market in North America with 2,400 active accounts.

Randa CEO Jeffrey Spiegel said in a statement that the transaction brings together two successful, financially strong and complementary businesses to better serve its retail and brand partners, associates and consumers. 

Randa said that revenues for the combined companies will be more than $1 billion this year.

Haggar CEO Michael Stitt said Randa will add scale, resources, expertise, marketing and retail partnerships to the company. The company will stay in Dallas and be managed by its current leadership team.

Haggar claims to have created the first ready-to-wear, finished bottom, pre-cuffed pant in 1938 and to have coined the word “slacks” to be worn during “slack time.” During World War II it kept factories running 24 hours a day to supply 10 million uniforms to the U.S. military. 

In 1980 the company began production of sport coats, vests and Haggar “Custom Fit” suits. It has 80 branded brick-and-mortar retail locations and a direct-to-consumer ecommerce platform and its products are sold in 10,000 stores throughout North America, including Kohl’s, JCPenney, Macy’s, Target and Belk.

Randa is funding the acquisition with cash and committed financing provided by Wells Fargo Bank and JPMorgan Chase Bank.

CAPITAL MARKETS

Gibson Dunn, Baker Botts aid on Waste Management’s $4B offering

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher said it represented the Credit Suisse-led underwriters and dealer managers on Waste Management Inc.’s $4 billion offering of senior notes.

Houston partner Hillary Holmes led the deal team, which included associates Harrison Tucker, Melissa Pick and Jordan Rex. Baker Botts counseled Houston-based Waste Management with a group led by partner Jason Rocha in Houston.

The notes include $750 million worth of 2.950% senior notes due June 15, 2024; $750 million worth of 3.200% senior notes due June 15, 2026; $1 billion worth of 3.450% senior notes due June 15, 2029; $500 million worth of 4.000% senior notes due July 15, 2039; and $1 billion worth of 4.150% senior notes due July 15, 2049.

Waste Management, which provides trash and recycling services, said the notes will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed by its unit Waste Management Holdings Inc. Standard & Poor’s has assigned the notes a A- rating, Fitch BBB+ and Moody’s Baa1.

The offering is expected to close May 22. The company plans to use the net proceeds to pay part of its acquisition of Advanced Disposal Services Inc. and related fees and expenses, to fund a previously announced tender offer to purchase for cash certain senior notes issued by Waste Management Inc. and Waste Management Holdings Inc. and for general corporate purposes. 

If the acquisition isn’t consummated on or before July 14, 2020, the company will be required to redeem all of the outstanding 2024, 2026, 2029 and 2039 notes at a price equal to 101% of the principal amount plus accrued and unpaid interest to the redemption date.

Baker Botts, V&E aid Transocean on $525M notes issue

Baker Botts said May 16 that it represented Transocean Ltd. on a notes offering worth $525 million.

The group included partners Gene Oshman and A.J. Ericksen, senior associate Laura Katherine Mann and associates Ieuan List and Emmie Proctor, all of Houston.

Others on the team were Dallas partner Luke Weedon, Austin senior associate Clint Culpepper and Dallas associate Taylor Courtade on finance; partners Derek Green and Jon Lobb and associate Dominick Constantino on tax (all Houston); and environmental associate Laura Williams, also of Houston.

Vinson & Elkins counseled the initial purchasers, including partners Mike Telle and David Stone with senior associate Doug Lionberger and associate David Bumgardner.

Transocean’s in-house counsel included senior associate general counselDaniel Ro-Trock in Houston as well as counsel Simone Ramcharitar in the Caymen Islands. Brady Long is the company’s general counsel.

Transocean said unit Transocean Sentry Ltd. said the offering involved senior secured notes due 2023 to eligible purchasers pursuant to Rule 144A/Regulation S.

The notes will be guaranteed by Transocean Ltd., Transocean Inc. and units that own the harsh environment semi-submersible drilling rigs Transocean Endurance and Transocean Equinox andbe secured by a lien on each of the rigs and certain other related assets. The notes will bear interest at the rate of 5.375% per year and be callable after May 15, 2021. 

The offering is expected to close on or about May 24. Transocean Sentry expects to receive $517 million in net proceeds, which will be used for general corporate purposes.

Transocean announced in March that its chairman Pete Miller wouldn’t seek reelection this year, with CEO Chad Deaton taking over. Miller is now chairman of MHWirth, a unit of oil service investment firm Akastor.

Gibson Dunn, Sidley advise on NuStar’s $500M senior notes offering

Gibson Dunn & Crutcher also said it represented the underwriters on NuStar Energy’s offering of senior notes. RBC Capital Markets led the underwriters.

Houston corporate partner Hillary Holmes also led that team, which included Houston tax partner James Chenoweth, Dallas corporate associate Louis Matthews and Houston corporate associate Melissa Pick.

Sidley counseled NuStar with a group led by partner George Vlahakos in Houston.

NuStar said May 16 that the offering involved 6.00% senior notes due June 1, 2026. They were priced at 100% of par at a yield to maturity of 6.00%. 

The settlement date for that offering is expected to be May 22. Those notes will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed by NuStar Energy as parent guarantor and NuStar Pipeline Operating Partnership, a unit of NuStar Energy, as affiliate guarantor. 

NuStar, which operates liquids terminals and pipelines, expects to use the net proceeds for general partnership purposes, including the funding of capital expenditures and to repay amounts outstanding under NuStar Logistics’s revolver.

Gibson Dunn advises U.S. Well Services on its $325M infusion

Gibson Dunn & Crutcher said it represented U.S. Well Services on raising $325 million in financing.

The team included Shalla Prichard, Hillary Holmes, Whitney Bosworth, Monika Kluziak, Louis Matthews and James Chenoweth. 

Gibson Dunn also counseled the company on a new $75 million second lien, delayed draw credit facility in December, including Holmes and Prichard.

The funding consisted of a $75 million ABL revolving credit facility and $250 million senior secured term loan. 

U.S. Well Services plans to use the proceeds to refinance indebtedness, provide growth capital for the expansion of its electric hydraulic fracturing fleet and provide liquidity for working capital. 

Piper Jaffray unit Simmons Energy said it was U.S. Well Services’ financial advisor on the financing. It said it ran a highly competitive process, resulting in several term sheet proposals and a deal with attractive pricing, structure and terms to the company.

Pillsbury assists Upland Software on $151M stock offering

Upland Software Inc. said May 13 that it closed a previously announced underwritten public offering of 3.79 million shares of its stock worth $151 million.

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman advised Upland, including partner Steve Tyndall and associate Emily Ashby in Austin.

DLA Piper assisted the underwriters, including partner John Gilluly, counsel Anna Denton and Brooke Goodlett and associate Chen Zhang.

Upland’s in-house counsel included general counsel Kin Gill and senior corporate paralegal Stephanie Deadmon.

The offering was priced at $42 per share and included the underwriter’s option of 495,000 shares, which were exercised in full. 

V&E counsels New York Mortgage on $107.3M stock offering

Vinson & Elkins said it advised New York Mortgage Trust Inc., or NYMT, on its $107.3 million underwritten public offering of its common stock, which closed May 13.

The V&E team included senior associate Doug Lionberger in Houston. The firm also counseled New York Mortgage on a $90 million underwritten public offering of common stock in March.

NYMT said the offering involved 18 million shares of common stock for gross proceeds of $109.4 million. 

Morgan Stanley, Barclays, Credit Suisse, J.P. Morgan and UBS Investment Bank were joint bookrunning managers for the offering.

NYMT plans to use the net proceeds for general business purposes, which may include acquiring single-family residential and multi-family credit investments, other types of mortgage-related and residential housing-related assets and general working capital purposes.

UPDATE/OTHER:

Rattler Midstream Partners gave more information about its proposed initial public offering, saying in a SEC filing that it aims to sell 33.3 million shares at between $16 to $19 per share, which would raise as much as $632.7 million for the Midland infrastructure services provider. Rattler, which is a unit of Diamondback, earned $55.8 million on sales of $185.5 million last year. Credit Suisse, BofA Merrill Lynch, and J.P. Morgan are underwriters. Rattler filed plans for an IPO last summer with a $100 million placeholder. Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld partners Seth Molay in Dallas and John Goodgame in Houston are counseling Rattler while Latham & Watkins partners J. Michael Chambers and John M. Greer are assisting the underwriters.

***

Meanwhile, Blackstone-backed Vine Resources, which explores for and produces natural gas in the Haynesville Shale, withdrew registration for a $500 million IPO. It didn’t give the reason. The company originally filed the issue in April 2017. Credit Suisse and Morgan Stanley were the lead underwriters, who were being counseled by Vinson & Elkins partners Alan Beck and Thomas G. Zentner. Kirkland & Ellis partners Matthew R. Pacey and Michael W. Rigdon were representing the company.

***

Houston helicopter services provider Bristow Group Inc., whose management has been criticized by activist investors, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on May 11. The company listed $2.86 billion in assets, $1.89 billion in debt and 1,000 to 5,000 creditors. Senior secured noteholders made a $75 million term loan to Bristow before the filing and committed another $75 million for debtor-in-possession financing upon court approval.

Baker Botts is counseling the company with a group led out of New York that includes partners Jim Prince and Omar Alaniz, special counsel Ian Roberts and associate Kevin Chiu, all of Dallas. Non-bankruptcy lawyers who are working on the $75 million term loan piece of the transaction include Houston partners Justin Hoffman, Austin special counsel Shelley Austin, Houston special counsel Lyman Paden and Austin associate Sarah Christian.

Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz also is counseling Bristow while Alvarez & Marsal is serving as its restructuring advisor. Houlihan Lokey is its financial advisor. Davis Polk & Wardwell is representing the senior secured noteholders and PJT Partners is their financial advisor.

***

Whataburger confirmed that it’s hired Morgan Stanley to help it explore a possible sale. As The Texas Lawbook reported last week, Reuters said that the San Antonio-based hamburger chain was considering a sale that could bring in $6 billion, citing sources.

The company’s general counsel is Michael Gibbs, who previously served in the same role at Big Boy Restaurants in Michigan.

Thompson & Knight partner Amy Curtis said with a brand as iconic as Whataburger, public relations and communications issues with customers and employees will be as important as the legal issues in any potential transaction. 

“Customers will want to know that a new owner – whether it acquires a minority or larger stake – is not going to change what they love about Whataburger,” she said.

Curtis added that those factors will impact deal negotiations as well because an investor will also want assurance that the company’s relationship with its customers and employees “will continue to be strong after a deal is inked.”

***

Among the takeover rumors last week: Kohl’s has approached Plano-based At Home Group about a takeover, according to Reuters; Unilever is considering a $1 billion takeover offer for Austin skincare brand Drunk Elephant, which is backed by VMG Partners, according to the U.K.’s Daily Telegraph; Reliance Gathering, a Midland crude oil gathering company backed by Metalmark Capital and Monarch Investments, is exploring a sale that could fetch around $500 million, per Bloomberg; and Yorktown Partners is seeking a buyer for The Woodlands-based Vaquero Midstream, which could fetch over $1 billion, also from Bloomberg.

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