[8-K] Crescent Energy Company Reports Material Event

Rhea-AI Filing Summary

Crescent Energy Company (CRGY) filed an 8-K referencing a proposed transaction with Vital Energy and providing related documents. The filing points investors to a press release and investor presentation dated August 25, 2025, and to registration and joint proxy materials once filed with the SEC. It states where copies of Vital's SEC filings can be obtained and notes that Crescent's insiders' holdings are reflected in Forms 3, 4 or 5 as applicable. The company reiterates standard forward-looking statement disclaimers, saying it gives no assurance that expectations or future results will be achieved and that statements speak only as of their date.

Positive

• None.

Negative

• No transaction economics provided: the filing does not disclose deal terms, consideration or expected financial impact
• Uncertainty highlighted: Crescent states it gives no assurance that expectations or future results will be achieved, underscoring execution risk

Insights

Financial Analyst

TL;DR: Routine disclosure about a proposed transaction and sources for definitive materials; no new financial metrics disclosed.

The filing serves primarily as a procedural update informing investors where to find the registration statement, joint proxy statement/prospectus and related SEC filings for the proposed transaction with Vital Energy. It references supporting materials dated August 25, 2025, and confirms that insider ownership changes are reported via Forms 3/4/5. From an analytical standpoint, there is no quantitative data, guidance or transaction economics included, so this document does not by itself change valuation or operating assumptions.

Corporate Governance Expert

TL;DR: Governance disclosure is standard—directs investors to filings and reiterates customary forward-looking disclaimers.

The 8-K emphasizes compliance with disclosure obligations by pointing to the forthcoming registration and proxy materials and by identifying where third-party and insider filings can be accessed. The inclusion of the forward-looking statements disclaimer is typical; however, the filing does not include details on voting mechanics, conflict-of-interest considerations, or board actions related to the transaction. Those governance-relevant items should be reviewed when the joint proxy statement is filed.

Crescent Energy Co false 0001866175 0001866175 2025-08-25 2025-08-25

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): August 25, 2025

Crescent Energy Company

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware		001-41132		87-1133610
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)		(Commission File No.)		(IRS Employer Identification No.)

600 Travis Street, Suite 7200 Houston, Texas		77002
(Address of principal executive offices)		(Zip Code)

(713) 332-7001

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

☒ Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

☐ Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

☐ Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c))

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Title of each class		Trading Symbol(s)		Name of each exchange on which registered
Class A Common Stock, par value $0.0001 per share		CRGY		The New York Stock Exchange

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§ 230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§ 240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Item 7.01. Regulation FD Disclosure.

On August 25, 2025, Crescent Energy Company, a Delaware corporation (“Crescent” or “Parent”), announced that it entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) with Vital Energy, Inc., a Delaware corporation (“Vital” or “Company”), Venus Merger Sub I Inc., a Delaware corporation and a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent (“Merger Sub Inc.”), and Venus Merger Sub II LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and a wholly owned subsidiary of Parent (“Merger Sub LLC”).

Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, Parent will acquire the Company in an all-equity transaction through: (i) the merger (the “First Company Merger”) of Merger Sub Inc. with and into the Company, with the Company continuing as the surviving entity (the “Surviving Corporation”) and (ii) immediately following the First Company Merger, the merger of the Surviving Corporation (the “Second Company Merger,” and together with the First Company Merger, the “Mergers”) with and into Merger Sub LLC, with Merger Sub LLC continuing as the surviving entity, in each case, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement.

Upon consummation of the Mergers, former stockholders of Parent and the Company will own approximately 77% and 23%, respectively, of the outstanding shares of Class A common stock of Parent.

On August 25, 2025, Crescent and Vital issued a joint press release announcing the Mergers and announcing that Crescent and Vital will hold a joint conference call on August 25, 2025 at 7:30 a.m. Central Time (the “Conference Call”). A copy of the press release, which includes information regarding participation in the Conference Call, is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1 and incorporated herein by reference.

On August 25, 2025, Crescent posted an updated investor presentation to its website www.crescentenergyco.com entitled “Establishing a Top 10 Independent: Crescent Energy to Acquire Vital Energy.” A copy of the investor presentation is furnished as Exhibit 99.2 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and incorporated herein by this reference. The information contained on the Crescent’s website shall not be deemed part of this report.

The information contained in this Item 7.01, including Exhibit 99.1 and Exhibit 99.2, is being furnished and shall not be deemed “filed” for the purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference into any registration statement or other filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference to such filing.

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.

Exhibit No.		Description
99.1		Press Release, dated August 25, 2025.
99.2		Investor Presentation, dated August 25, 2025.
104		Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document).

No Offer or Solicitation

This communication relates to a proposed business combination transaction (the “Transaction”) between Crescent and Vital. This communication is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval, in any jurisdiction, pursuant to the Transaction or otherwise, nor shall there be any sale, issuance, exchange or transfer of the securities referred to in this document in any jurisdiction in contravention of applicable law. No offer of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act.

Important Additional Information About the Mergers

In connection with the Transaction, Crescent will file with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-4, that will include a joint proxy statement of Crescent and Vital and a prospectus of Crescent. The Transaction will be submitted to Crescent’s stockholders and Vital’s stockholders for their consideration. Crescent and Vital may also file other documents with the SEC regarding the Transaction. The definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus will be sent to the stockholders of Crescent and Vital. This document is not a substitute for the registration statement and joint proxy statement/prospectus that will be filed with the SEC or any other documents that Crescent or Vital may file with the SEC or send to stockholders of Crescent or Vital in connection with the Transaction. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS OF CRESCENT AND VITAL ARE URGED TO READ THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT AND THE JOINT PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS REGARDING THE TRANSACTION WHEN IT BECOMES AVAILABLE AND ALL OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS THAT ARE FILED OR WILL BE FILED WITH THE SEC, AS WELL AS ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS TO THESE DOCUMENTS, CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE TRANSACTION AND RELATED MATTERS.

Investors and security holders will be able to obtain free copies of the registration statement and the joint proxy statement/prospectus (when available) and all other documents filed or that will be filed with the SEC by Crescent or Vital through the website maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov. Copies of documents filed with the SEC by Crescent will be made available free of charge on Crescent’s website at https://ir.crescentenergyco.com, or by directing a request to Investor Relations, Crescent Energy Company, 600 Travis Street, Suite 7200, Houston, TX 77002, Tel. No. (713) 332-7001. Copies of documents filed with the SEC by Vital will be made available free of charge on Vital’s website at https://vitalenergy.com under the Investors tab or by directing a request to Investor Relations, Vital Energy, Inc., 521 E. Second Street, Suite 1000, Tulsa, OK 74120, Tel. No. (918) 513-4570.

Participants in the Solicitation Regarding the Mergers

Crescent and Vital and their respective directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies in respect to the Transaction.

Information regarding Crescent’s executive officers and directors, including a description of their direct or indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, (i) is set forth in Crescent’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, including under Part III, Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance, Part III, Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters, and Part III, Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence, which was filed with the SEC on February 26, 2025, and available at https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1866175/000186617525000024/crgy-20241231.htm and (ii) to the extent holdings of Crescent’s securities by its directors or executive officers have changed since the amounts set forth in Crescent’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, such changes have been or will be reflected on Initial Statement of Beneficial Ownership of Securities on Form 3, Statement of Changes in Beneficial Ownership on Form 4, or Annual Statement of Changes in Beneficial Ownership on Form 5 filed with the SEC, which are available at https://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/own-disp?action=getissuer&CIK=0001866175. You can obtain a free copy of these documents at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or by accessing Crescent’s website at crescentenergyco.com.

Information regarding Vital’s directors and executive officers, including a description of their direct or indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, (i) is set forth in Vital’s definitive proxy statement for its 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, including under the headings “Proposal One - Election of Three Class III Directors at the 2025 Annual Meeting”, “Proposal Three - Advisory Vote Approving the Compensation of Our Named Executive Officers”, “Stock Ownership Information”, and “Related Party Transactions”, which was filed with the SEC on April 10, 2025 and available at https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1528129/000152812925000071/vtle-20250409.htm and (ii) to the extent holdings of Vital’s securities by the directors or executive officers have changed since the amounts set forth in Vital’s definitive proxy statement for its 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, such changes have been or will be reflected on Initial Statement of Beneficial Ownership of Securities on Form 3, Statement of Changes in Beneficial Ownership on Form 4, or Annual Statement of Changes in Beneficial Ownership on Form 5 filed with the SEC, which are available at https://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/own-disp?action=getissuer&CIK=0001528129. You can obtain a free copy of these documents at the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov or by accessing Vital’s website at vitalenergy.com.

Investors may obtain additional information regarding the interests of those persons and other persons who may be deemed participants in the Transaction by reading the joint proxy statement/prospectus regarding the Transaction when it becomes available. You may obtain free copies of this document as described above.

Forward-Looking Statements and Cautionary Statements

The foregoing contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included in this communication that address activities, events or developments that Crescent or Vital expects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Words such as “estimate,” “project,” “predict,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “potential,” “create,” “intend,” “could,” “may,” “foresee,” “plan,” “will,” “guidance,” “look,” “outlook,” “goal,” “future,” “assume,” “forecast,” “build,” “focus,” “work,” “continue” or the negative of such terms or other variations thereof and words and terms of similar substance used in connection with any discussion of future plans, actions, or events identify forward-looking statements. However, the absence of these words does not mean that the statements are not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the Transaction, pro forma descriptions of the combined company and its operations, integration and transition plans, synergies, opportunities and anticipated future performance. There are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements included in this communication. These include the expected timing and likelihood of completion of the Transaction, including the timing, receipt and terms and conditions of any required governmental and regulatory approvals of the Transaction that could reduce anticipated benefits or cause the parties to abandon the Transaction, the ability to successfully integrate the businesses, the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the Merger Agreement, the possibility that stockholders of Crescent may not approve the issuance of new shares of Class A common stock in the Transaction or that stockholders of Vital may not approve the Merger Agreement, the risk that the parties may not be able to satisfy the conditions to the Transaction in a timely manner or at all, risks related to disruption of management time from ongoing business operations due to the Transaction, the risk that any announcements relating to the Transaction could have adverse effects on the market price of Crescent’s Class A common stock or Vital’s common stock, the risk that the Transaction and its announcement could have an adverse effect on the ability of Crescent and Vital to retain customers and retain and hire key personnel and maintain relationships with their suppliers and customers and on their operating results and businesses generally, the risk the pending Transaction could distract management of both entities and they will incur substantial costs, the risk that problems may arise in successfully integrating the businesses of the companies, which may result in the combined company not operating as effectively and efficiently as expected, the risk that the combined company may be unable to achieve synergies or it may take longer than expected to achieve those synergies and other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. All such factors are difficult to predict and are beyond Crescent’s or Vital’s control, including those detailed in Crescent’s annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K that are available on its website at www.crescentenergyco.com and on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov, and those detailed in Vital’s annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K that are available on Vital’s website at www.vitalenergy.com and on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov. Crescent does not give any assurance (i) that it will achieve its expectations or (ii) to any business strategies, earnings or revenue trends or future financial results. All forward-looking statements are based on assumptions that Crescent or Vital believe to be reasonable but that may not prove to be accurate. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and Crescent and Vital undertake no obligation to correct or update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements that speak only as of the date hereof.

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

CRESCENT ENERGY COMPANY
By:		/s/ Bo Shi
Name:		Bo Shi
Title:		General Counsel

Date: August 25, 2025

FAQ

Where can I find the registration statement and joint proxy materials for the Crescent–Vital transaction (CRGY)?

The filing directs investors to obtain the documents from the SEC website at www.sec.gov or from Vital's and Crescent's investor relations webpages at vitalenergy.com and crescentenergyco.com when they become available.

Does the 8-K include the financial terms of the proposed transaction between Crescent and Vital?

No. The 8-K references the transaction and supporting materials but does not disclose deal terms, consideration or financial impact.

Are Crescent insiders' ownership changes disclosed?

The filing states that any changes in directors' or officers' holdings are or will be reflected on Forms 3, 4 or 5 filed with the SEC, accessible via the issuer page for CIK 0001866175.

What forward-looking statement protections does Crescent include?

Crescent includes customary forward-looking statement disclaimers, stating such statements are based on assumptions and that the company undertakes no obligation to update them except as required by law.

What supporting materials dated August 25, 2025 are referenced?

The 8-K references a press release and an investor presentation both dated August 25, 2025, and an interactive cover page Inline XBRL file.