Benzinga | Jun 2, 2021 07:31AM EDT

Southwestern Energy Announces Agreement To Acquire Indigo Natural Resources For $2.7B

Two premier US natural gas basins, one leading natural gas company

Southwestern Energy Company (NYSE:SWN) (the "Company" or "Southwestern") today announced that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement with Haynesville producer Indigo Natural Resources, LLC ("Indigo") under which it will acquire Indigo for approximately $2.7 billion. The transaction is expected to close early in the fourth quarter of 2021, subject to customary closing conditions. Transaction highlights include:

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210602005565/en/

SWN + Indigo Acreage Position (Graphic: Business Wire)

* Increases projected cumulative free cash flow to approximately $1.2 billion from 2021 to 2023;

* Improves estimated 2022 free cash flow per share ~30% and cash flow per debt adjusted share ~15%;

* Accelerates expected delivery of sustainable leverage ratio below 2.0x in 2021 and progressing to 1.7x in 2022;

* Expands 2022 estimated margins by 12% resulting from low cost access to premium markets in the growing Gulf Coast LNG corridor;

* Complements existing portfolio, increases high-return dry gas inventory with over 1,000 locations added; and

* Leverages operational expertise of integrating and developing operated, large-scale natural gas assets; increases net production to over 4 Bcfe per day, consisting of approximately 85% natural gas. "Today we are proud to announce another accretive transaction that will benefit the Company's shareholders for years to come. This acquisition enhances Southwestern's position as a leading natural gas producer and aligns with our disciplined strategy to generate free cash flow, enhance our balance sheet, optimize performance and build scale. Indigo has done a terrific job building its business, and its balance sheet strength, low cost structure and high-quality acreage position in the core of the Haynesville play accelerates the delivery of our strategic goals," said Bill Way, Southwestern Energy President and Chief Executive Officer. Way continued, "Our footprint now extends across the two premier natural gas basins in the country and includes top-tier dry gas and liquids rich inventory. The value of this high-quality inventory is further enhanced by our diverse transportation portfolio providing access to premium markets in the Gulf Coast and within Appalachia. Southwestern Energy's unique combination of a strong balance sheet, high-quality assets and resilient vertically integrated business is positioned to deliver long-term value creation." Indigo is one of the largest private US natural gas producers, with core dry gas assets across the stacked pay Haynesville and Bossier zones in northern Louisiana. Its high-margin assets are located in close proximity to the growing demand in the Gulf Coast LNG corridor. Indigo currently produces 1.0 Bcf per day net and expects to produce approximately 1.1 Bcf per day net upon closing. As of March 31, 2021, and adjusted for the recent sale of its non-core Cotton Valley assets, Indigo had $631 million of net debt and a leverage ratio of 1.1 times.