EQT Corp

EQT CEO Rob McNally and board chairman Jim Rohr are in a pitched battle to maintain their control of the company. They dismiss a plan by Toby and Derek Rice to enhance EQT’s production at a lower cost as something that worked for small potatoes Rice Energy, but couldn’t work for a big, important company like EQT. The Rice boys shoot back that EQT is bloated and lumbering and needs a good house-cleaning. So what is the essence of the Rice plan to get EQT back on track? What’s the Rice boys’ secret sauce?
Read More “Rice Boys Secret Sauce for Reviving EQT: Digital & Data”

Let the fight begin. Yesterday the Rice brothers, Toby and Derek, held a conference call with EQT investors to lay out their detailed proposal for how EQT should be run. The Rice plan includes giving the boot to current EQT CEO Rob McNally and much of top management, and installing Toby as CEO, bringing along 15 Rice alumni to kick-start EQT’s “moribund performance” (our interpretation of what Toby said).
Read More “Proxy War: Rice Brothers Say Top EQT Mgmt, Board Must Go”

We are positively bursting with news about EQT today. Yesterday EQT’s existing management issued plans for 2019 and the Rice brothers responded–by launching a proxy war to replace board members and top management. In addition, we unearthed news that the Rice boys held their meeting with EQT’s board on Jan. 15.
Read More “EQT Issues 2019 Plan; Rice Boys Launch Proxy War to Take Over”

On Monday we told you about a letter written by investment firm D.E. Shaw, one of EQT’s largest shareholders (owns 4.5% of outstanding shares), to the EQT board (see WSJ Says EQT is “Failing”, DE Shaw Says EQT Mgmt “Not Up to Task”). At the time we hadn’t see a full copy of the letter–but we have now (copy below). The letter minces no words.
Read More “Scalding Letter to EQT by Big Investor: Replace Top Mgmt Now”

More drama in the ongoing soap opera of EQT and the Rice brothers’ attempt to take it over. The latest items of interest: The Wall Street Journal ran an article in today’s online edition with a headline that says EQT is “failing.” And one of EQT’s biggest investors, D.E. Shaw, is telling the board that current top management “doesn’t have what it takes” to get the company financially performing again. Ouch.
Read More “WSJ Says EQT is “Failing”, DE Shaw Says EQT Mgmt “Not Up to Task””

Remember the Carrington’s from the 1980s prime time soap Dynasty? Or how about the Ewings, as in J.R. and Bobby, from the prime time soap Dallas? No, we’re not talking about the remakes of those shows appearing in recent years. We’re talking about the originals. Both shows revolved around oil families of immense wealth–one in Colorado, the other in Texas. We have a real-life version of Dynasty and Dallas playing out right now–in Pittsburgh–with the Rice brothers and EQT. Not all the sex stuff–get your head straight! We’re talking about the backroom deals and bare-knuckle politics stuff. Last week we told you that Toby and Derek Rice, formerly of Rice Energy, have launched an effort to take over the company they sold Rice Energy to (see Rice Brothers Attempt to Take Over EQT, Install Toby as CEO). Earlier this week we told you that EQT Chairman Jim Rohr and CEO Rob McNally want to “talk” (yell, scream?) some more with the Rice boys (see EQT Chairman Rohr & CEO McNally Ready to “Talk” with Rice Boys). According to an article appearing in the Wall Street Journal, the Rice boys have more backing for their takeover plan, from Elliott Management. The details that leaked say the Rices want to replace Rohr and McNally. This is epic.
Read More “More Rice Bros. vs. EQT Intrigue – Better than Dynasty & Dallas!”

A week ago MDN brought you the news that Toby and Derek Rice, formerly of Rice Energy, have launched an effort to take over the company they sold Rice Energy to (see Rice Brothers Attempt to Take Over EQT, Install Toby as CEO). In recent months the Rice boys have had private conversations with EQT’s top dogs, Chairman of the Board Jim Rohr and CEO Rob McNally, but according to Toby and Derek, those talks went nowhere. The Rice boys say EQT needs some new energy and a new direction, to leverage the world class assets it now owns. And the Rice boys think they have just the plan to accomplish it. After going public with their plan and their intent to wage a proxy war (get board members elected who will endorse their plan), word has leaked out from “sources” that Rohr and McNally want to have another round of talks with the Rice boys, to hear more about their plan. Which causes us to ask, didn’t all that get discussed the first time around? What’s the real purpose of more “talks” with the Rice brothers?
Read More “EQT Chairman Rohr & CEO McNally Ready to “Talk” with Rice Boys”

“Well, the EQT situation is a total mess.” So began a super secret email to MDN from a highly-placed source we implicitly trust. Not long after receiving that email, we spotted a press release from the Rice brothers, Toby and Derek, who along with their other two brothers, previously founded and built Rice Energy into a major Marcellus/Utica operator. The Rice brothers sold their company to EQT last year for $8.2 billion (see EQT Buys Rice Energy in $8.2B Deal, Becomes #1 Gas Producer in US). As part of the deal, the boys took 80% of their compensation in the form of EQT stock. The Rice boys now say EQT and its stock performance ain’t doin’ so hot. They (the Rice boys) think they have the solution. The solution is to install Rice leadership at EQT. Wouldn’t that be the ultimate head fake? Sell your company to a much larger company, creating the the largest natgas producer in the U.S.–then take it ALL over. A reverse takeover. Dan Rice III didn’t raise stupid boys.
Read More “Rice Brothers Attempt to Take Over EQT, Install Toby as CEO”