EQT has just published a new 6-minute video touting their technological prowess in shale drilling. The video is an attempt to respond to charges coming from Toby and Derek Rice, who want to take over management of the company, that EQT is stuck in the past. We have a link to the video, along with our thoughts.
Read More “EQT Video Aims to Prove Current Mgmt Not Stuck in Yesteryear”
The Cambridge (Massachusetts) Retirement System is not happy with their investment in EQT shares of stock, so they’re suing the company. They hope to turn the lawsuit into a class action on behalf of other shareholders. Cambridge claims EQT made false and misleading statements about their purchase of Rice Energy–claims about cost efficiencies that never materialized, and claims about the location of Rice leases that were not as close to EQT’s acreage as claimed. In a word, Cambridge is alleging fraud on the part of EQT.
Read More “Mass. Retirement Fund Sues EQT for Plummeting Stock Price”
Both the Rice brothers and EQT are issuing press releases just about every day now in their battle to wrest (or keep) control of EQT. Yesterday the latest round of letters to shareholders, circulated via press release for the world to see, were issued. First up was a letter early yesterday from John F. McCartney, a Rice Team board nominee, praising Toby Rice (potential new EQT CEO). Later in the day EQT issued a letter chronicling what we would call an EQT listening tour. Although both letters tell shareholders to not vote for the other side’s board picks, noticeably absent from this latest round was the acrimony and personal attacks that have been present in recent letters.
Read More “Another Round of Dueling Letters to Shareholders from Rice, EQT”
One of the highlights for MDN editor Jim Willis in attending last week’s Northeast Petrochemical Conference in Pittsburgh was the opportunity to meet and hear speak Steve Schlotterbeck, former CEO of EQT. Steve is the guy who pulled off the buyout/merger of Rice Energy into EQT, creating the largest natural gas producing company in the United States. He had the guts to walk away from EQT when the board refused to pay him what he was worth (see EQT CEO Steve Schlotterbeck Suddenly Quits, Leaves Company). Last Friday morning Steve opened the final day of the conference with more guts and plain talk. He said the shale industry has been “an unmitigated disaster for buy and hold investors.” Whoa! What did he mean?
UPDATE: We have a full transcript of Steve’s speech below.
Read More “Former EQT CEO: Shale Revolution a “Disaster” for Investors”
The nasty proxy war between EQT CEO Rob McNally and Toby Rice over who will control the company following a July 10 annual meeting just got a whole lot nastier. Last Friday, McNally revealed that a review of internal documents they received as part of their purchase of Rice Energy in 2017 show that in the span of two weeks in 2015 some 25 complaints by Rice employees were made against Toby with the Rice HR department, although the nature of the charges are not detailed, leaving it open to shareholders to speculate.
Read More “EQT Claims Toby Rice Mismanaged Rice Energy, Not Fit to be CEO”
On Tuesday Toby and Derek Rice published a presentation to EQT investors in connection with EQT’s upcoming annual meeting of shareholders on July 10 that “takes no prisoners” (our words), condemning EQT’s current management and most of its board members (see Rice Brothers Publish Scalding EQT Investor Presentation). We said in our post that if the allegations (or spin, or whatever word you want to use) are true, EQT would need to respond, strongly, to refute it. Yesterday EQT issued its response by publishing a newly updated investor presentation. Read More “EQT Fires Back at Rice Bros. with New Investor Presentation”
LOLA Energy was birthed near the end of 2015, by former EQT executives using private equity money from Denham Capital (see New Marcellus/Utica Drilling Company is Born – LOLA Energy). In July 2017, Rice Energy (later sold to EQT) bought the assets of LOLA Energy for $180 million, over the objections of LOLA CEO Jim Crockard (see Rice Energy Paid $180M for LOLA Energy; CEO Didn’t Want to Sell). Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, LOLA Energy and Jim Crockard are back. The company has scooped up leases that EQT inadvertently let expire, potentially blocking EQT from drilling some already-planned-and-in-the-works wells–until EQT pays LOLA.
Read More “LOLA Energy is Back! Scoops Up Rice Acreage EQT Let Expire”
Yesterday Toby and Derek Rice delivered a presentation to EQT investors in connection with EQT’s upcoming annual meeting of shareholders on July 10 (full copy below). The presentation and the accompanying press release take direct aim at EQT’s second quarter preliminary results and postulates that instead of a “free cash flow generating machine,” the final numbers for 2Q19 will show EQT actually lost money during the quarter.
Read More “Rice Brothers Publish Scalding EQT Investor Presentation”
Although the second quarter isn’t over yet, EQT has just released “preliminary” 2Q19 financial and operational results in a bid to fend off a takeover attempt. EQT’s current management and board of directors is in a tough fight to retain control of the company. Toby and Derek Rice, formerly of Rice Energy (which was sold to EQT in 2017) are making a play to replace the board of directors and all of EQT’s top management.
Read More “EQT Releases Positive 2Q19 Results in Attempt to Block Rice Bid”
On Monday, Toby and Derek Rice (the Rice brothers) sent an open letter to EQT shareholders to “set the record straight on EQT’s misleading comments” about the Rice boys and their plan to take over EQT. In fact, the Rices’ say EQT has made “a number of false claims” and engaged in “personal attacks.” On Tuesday, EQT issued a response to “correct the Toby Rice Group’s false and misleading statements” about what EQT said, and to “highlight significant omissions and errors” in the Rice analysis of EQT’s recent performance (see Rice Brothers, EQT Accuse Each Other of “Misleading” Statements). Yesterday, EQT issued yet another letter to shareholders to talk up their own board nominees, and to bash the nominees put forward by the Rice brothers.
Read More “EQT Issues Another Letter Bashing Rice Board Nominees”
The war to control EQT continues. On Monday, Toby and Derek Rice (the Rice brothers) sent an open letter to EQT shareholders to “set the record straight on EQT’s misleading comments” about the Rice boys and their plan to take over EQT. In fact, the Rices’ say EQT has made “a number of false claims” and engaged in “personal attacks.” Yesterday, EQT issued a response to “correct the Toby Rice Group’s false and misleading statements” about what EQT said, and to “highlight significant omissions and errors” in the Rice analysis of EQT’s recent performance.
Read More “Rice Brothers, EQT Accuse Each Other of “Misleading” Statements”
A West Virginia Circuit Court case in September 2017, Crowder and Wentz v EQT, found in favor of surface landowners ruling that EQT did not have the right to extend underground shale wells to adjacent properties where EQT also owned the mineral rights (see WV Surface Owners Win Important Case Against EQT re Drill Pad). The decision was appealed all the way to the WV Supreme Court. Yesterday the Supremes, in their “wisdom,” upheld the lower court ruling–which now threatens future Marcellus/Utica development in the state.
Read More “WV Supreme Court Strikes Blow Against Shale Drilling in EQT Case”
Yesterday Toby and Derek Rice issued another (new) letter to EQT shareholders in the quest to make a case that the existing EQT board and management must be thrown out. A few hours later EQT responded with its own letter to shareholders. Here’s the latest in the proxy war to control EQT.
Read More “Rice Boys, EQT Send Dueling Letters to Shareholders re Board Vote”
It’s hard enough for drillers to get permits town by town in Pennsylvania, where the standards are all different thanks to the seven selfish towns that appealed the Act 13 law passed in 2012 (see PA Supreme Court Rules Against State/Drillers in Act 13 Case). The PA Supreme Court has just made it even harder for drillers–by allowing antis from other towns to offer “testimony” in towns where they don’t live, essentially to trash talk a driller’s request for a permit. At best the “testimony” from other towns is hearsay, not substantiated. The Supremes, ruling in a case in Allegheny County, said towns can allow hearsay. Bad move.
Read More “PA Supremes Allow Out-of-Town Hearsay in SWPA Zoning Dispute”
EQT yesterday launched the website VoteGoldForEQT.com in response to the website previously launched by Toby and Derek Rice (the Rice boys), to counter their attempt to take control of the company. The Rice website is EQTPathForward.com. Both websites offer each arguments and defense for why they should control the makeup of the board of directors, and ultimately control the future direction of the company.
Read More “EQT Launches VoteGoldForEQT.com, Response to Rice Website”
On Monday Toby and Derek Rice–the Rice brothers (formerly owners of Rice Energy that sold itself to EQT in 2017) sent an open letter to EQT shareholders and a “white” proxy card, asking shareholders to vote for the Rices’ picks as board members (see Rice Brothers Drop 2 Proposed Board Members from Rice Proxy Card). Yesterday EQT responded by issuing its own letter to shareholders along with a copy of a “gold” proxy card, which contains the names for EQT’s board picks, calling them “highly qualified nominees.”
Read More “EQT Issues Gold Proxy Card, Letter to Shareholders Refuting Rice Plan”