| ITEM 1.01 |
Entry into a Material Definitive Agreement. |
On November 4, 2025, Ovintiv Inc. (“Ovintiv”), Ovintiv Canada ULC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ovintiv (“Ovintiv Canada” and, together with Ovintiv, the “OVV Parties”), and NuVista Energy Ltd., a corporation organized and existing under the laws of the Province of Alberta, Canada (“NuVista”), entered into an Arrangement Agreement, dated as of November 4, 2025 (the “Arrangement Agreement”), pursuant to which, on the terms and subject to the conditions set forth therein, Ovintiv has agreed to acquire NuVista in a stock-and-cash transaction, subject to satisfaction of certain closing conditions. The transaction will be effected by way of an arrangement (the “Arrangement”) under the Business Corporations Act (Alberta) in accordance with the plan of arrangement attached to the Arrangement Agreement (the “Plan of Arrangement”).
The boards of directors of Ovintiv and NuVista have unanimously approved the Arrangement Agreement and the Arrangement.
Under the terms and conditions of the Arrangement Agreement, Ovintiv Canada will acquire all of the issued and outstanding common shares of NuVista (the “NuVista Common Shares”), and each NuVista shareholder (other than the OVV Parties and NuVista shareholders who validly exercise dissent rights in connection with the Arrangement) will have the option to elect to receive for their NuVista Common Shares (i) C$18.00 in cash per NuVista Common Share; (ii) 0.344 of a share of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of Ovintiv (the “Ovintiv Common Stock”) per NuVista Common Share; or (iii) a combination of cash and Ovintiv Common Stock, subject to pro-ration based on a maximum amount of C$1,568,577,429 in cash and a maximum of 29,977,258 shares of Ovintiv Common Stock. On a fully pro-rated basis, the consideration per NuVista Common Share represents approximately C$9.00 in cash and 0.172 of a share of Ovintiv Common Stock.
The Arrangement Agreement provides that the closing of the Arrangement is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of customary closing conditions, including, among others, (a) the accuracy of the representations and warranties of each party (subject to specified materiality standards and customary qualifications), (b) compliance by each party with their respective covenants (subject to specified materiality standards and customary qualifications), (c) the approval of the Arrangement by at least 66 2/3% of the votes cast by NuVista shareholders (the “NuVista Requisite Shareholder Approval”), at a meeting of NuVista shareholders (the “NuVista Shareholder Meeting”), (d) the approval of the Arrangement by the Court of King’s Bench of Alberta, (e) the authorization for listing of the Ovintiv Common Stock issuable pursuant to the Arrangement on the New York Stock Exchange and the Toronto Stock Exchange, and (f) approval under the Competition Act (Canada) and the Investment Canada Act (collectively, the “Regulatory Approvals”).
The OVV Parties and NuVista have made customary representations and warranties in the Arrangement Agreement. The Arrangement Agreement also contains customary covenants and agreements, including, among others, covenants and agreements relating to (a) conducting the respective businesses in the ordinary course, (b) NuVista convening the NuVista Shareholder Meeting for the purpose of obtaining the NuVista Requisite Shareholder Approval and (c) the efforts of the parties to cause the Arrangement to be completed, including obtaining the Regulatory Approvals.
The Arrangement Agreement also provides for certain termination rights for the OVV Parties and NuVista, including, among others (and subject to certain exceptions in each case), (a) by mutual written consent of the OVV Parties and NuVista, and (b) by either the OVV Parties or NuVista, if (i) a final non-appealable governmental order has been issued prohibiting the Arrangement, (ii) the NuVista Requisite Shareholder Approval shall not have been obtained, (iii) such party’s respective conditions to closing have not been satisfied or are not capable of being satisfied on or before May 4, 2026 (the “Arrangement Outside Date”) or (iv) the Arrangement has not closed by the Arrangement Outside Date, provided however that if either of the Regulatory Approvals has not been obtained by the Arrangement Outside Date, either party may elect to extend the Arrangement Outside Date by three months.
The Arrangement Agreement includes customary deal protection provisions, including fiduciary-out provisions, non-solicitation covenants and rights to match any superior proposal. A termination fee in the amount of C$130 million is payable by NuVista to Ovintiv Canada in certain circumstances, if the Arrangement Agreement is terminated. A reverse termination fee in the amount of C$130 million is payable by Ovintiv Canada to NuVista if