Natural Gas and Oil Property Transactions

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2025

Property, Plant and Equipment [Abstract]

Natural Gas and Oil Property Transactions

2. Natural Gas and Oil Property Transactions

Southwestern Merger

On January 10, 2024, Chesapeake and Southwestern entered into an all-stock agreement and plan of merger (the “Merger Agreement”). Southwestern was an independent energy company engaged in development, exploration and production activities, including related marketing activities, within its operating areas in the Appalachia and Haynesville shale plays. Our Board of Directors and the Board of Directors of Southwestern both approved the Merger Agreement. At separate special meetings each held on June 18, 2024, Chesapeake’s stockholders approved the issuance of Chesapeake’s common stock to the stockholders of Southwestern in connection with the Southwestern Merger, and Southwestern’s stockholders approved the Merger Agreement.

On October 1, 2024, the Southwestern Merger was completed, and we issued approximately 95.7 million shares of our common stock to Southwestern’s shareholders in connection with the Merger Agreement. Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, subject to certain exceptions, each share of Southwestern common stock was converted into the right to receive 0.0867 of a share of the Company’s common stock. Based on the closing price of our common stock, the total value of the shares of our common stock issued to Southwestern’s shareholders was approximately $7.9 billion. During the Current Quarter, we recognized approximately $27 million of costs related to the Southwestern Merger, which primarily consisted of employee expenses. These acquisition-related costs are included within other operating expense, net within our condensed consolidated statements of operations. The Southwestern Merger was structured as a tax-free reorganization for United States federal income tax purposes.

Preliminary Southwestern Merger Purchase Price Allocation

We have accounted for the Southwestern Merger as a business combination, using the acquisition method, with Expand Energy (formerly Chesapeake) treated as the accounting acquirer. The following table represents the preliminary allocation of the total purchase price of Southwestern to the identifiable assets acquired and the liabilities assumed based on the fair values as of the acquisition date. Certain data necessary to complete the purchase price allocation is not yet available, and includes, but is not limited to, final tax returns that provide the underlying tax basis of Southwestern’s assets and liabilities and final appraisals of assets acquired and liabilities assumed. We expect to complete the purchase price allocation during the 12-month period following the acquisition date, during which time the value of the assets and liabilities may be revised as appropriate.

	Preliminary Purchase Price Allocation
Consideration:
Cash(a)	$	585
Fair value of Expand Energy common stock issued(b)	7,871
Restricted stock unit and performance stock unit replacement awards	17
Total consideration	$	8,473
Fair Value of Assets Acquired:
Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash	$	126
Other current assets	828
Proved natural gas and oil properties	10,002
Unproved properties	4,270
Other property and equipment	128
Other long-term assets	496
Amounts attributable to assets acquired	$	15,850
Fair Value of Liabilities Assumed:
Current liabilities	$	1,955
Long-term debt	3,305
Deferred tax liabilities	479
Long-term contract liabilities	1,287
Other long-term liabilities	351
Amounts attributable to liabilities assumed	$	7,377
Total identifiable net assets	$	8,473

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(a)Reflects the repayment of $585 million outstanding on Southwestern's 2022 revolving credit facility including $2 million of accrued interest and fees, as the facility was repaid and retired upon close of the Southwestern Merger.

(b)The fair value of our common stock is a Level 1 input, as our stock price is a quoted price in an active market as of the acquisition date.

Natural Gas and Oil Properties

For the Southwestern Merger, we applied the business combination guidance, under which an acquirer should recognize the identifiable assets acquired and the liabilities assumed on the acquisition date at fair value. The fair value estimate of proved and unproved natural gas and oil properties as of the acquisition date was based on estimated natural gas and oil reserves and related future net cash flows discounted using a weighted average cost of capital, including estimates of future production rates and future development costs. We utilized NYMEX strip pricing adjusted for inflation to value the reserves. We then applied various discount rates depending on the classification of reserves and other risk characteristics. Management utilized the assistance of a third-party valuation expert to estimate the value of the natural gas and oil properties acquired. Additionally, the fair value estimate of proved and unproved natural gas and oil properties was corroborated by utilizing a market approach, which considers recent comparable transactions for similar assets.

The inputs used to value natural gas and oil properties require significant judgment and estimates made by management and represent Level 3 inputs.

As part of the Southwestern Merger, we assumed gathering, processing and transportation contracts, certain of which were deemed to be above or below current market rates. We recognized assets and liabilities for the difference in the contractual and market rates of these contracts, as of the date of the Southwestern Merger. The terms of the contracts extend through 2035.

Pro Forma Financial Information

As the Southwestern Merger closed on October 1, 2024, all activity in 2025 is included in our condensed consolidated statements of operations for the Current Quarter. The following unaudited pro forma financial information is based on our historical consolidated financial statements adjusted to reflect as if the Southwestern Merger had occurred on January 1, 2023. The information below reflects pro forma adjustments based on available information and certain assumptions that we believe are reasonable, including the estimated tax impact of the pro forma adjustments.

	Three Months Ended March 31, 2024
Revenues	$	2,750
Net income available to common stockholders	$	83
Earnings per common share:
Basic	$	0.36
Diluted	$	0.35

Eagle Ford Divestitures

During 2023, we divested our Eagle Ford assets through three separate transactions. In each of these transactions, we received a portion of the purchase price upon closing, subject to customary post-closing adjustments, with the remainder of the purchase price recorded as deferred consideration and treated as a non-interest-bearing note to be paid in installments in up to the following four years following the close of the transaction. The deferred consideration is recorded at fair value with an imputed rate of interest as a Level 2 input, and approximately $112 million and $114 million of the deferred consideration is reflected within other current assets and approximately $137 million and $188 million of the deferred consideration is reflected within other long-term assets on the condensed consolidated balance sheets as of March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively. These installment payments are recorded as receipts of deferred consideration in our condensed consolidated statements of cash flows.

During the Current Quarter and Prior Quarter, we amortized approximately $6 million and $9 million, respectively, related to the deferred consideration from the Eagle Ford divestiture transactions. The deferred consideration amortization is recorded within other income, net, in our condensed consolidated statements of operations.