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): July 20, 2020

LOGO

NOBLE ENERGY, INC.

(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)


Delaware	001-07964	73-0785597
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)	Commission File Number	(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)

1001 Noble Energy Way

Houston, Texas

77070

(Address of principal executive offices)

(Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (281) 872-3100

(Former name, former address and former fiscal year, if changed since last report)

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

Common Stock, $0.01 par value

NBL

The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC

(NASDAQ Global Select Market)

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 1.01.

Entry Into a Material Definitive Agreement.

On July 20, 2020, Noble Energy, Inc. (the “Company” or “Noble Energy”) entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) with Chevron Corporation (“Chevron”) and Chelsea Merger Sub Inc., a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of Chevron (“Merger Subsidiary”). The Merger Agreement provides that, among other things and subject to the terms and conditions of the Merger Agreement, Merger Subsidiary will be merged with and into Noble Energy, with Noble Energy surviving and continuing as the surviving corporation in the Merger as a direct, wholly-owned subsidiary of Chevron (such transaction, the “Merger”).

At the Effective Time (as such term is defined in the Merger Agreement), each outstanding share of common stock of Noble Energy, par value $0.01 per share (the “Company Common Stock”), will be converted into the right to receive 0.1191 of a share of common stock of Chevron, par value $0.75 per share (“Chevron Common Stock”), plus cash in lieu of any fractional shares of Chevron Common Stock that otherwise would have been issued (the “Merger Consideration”).

Pursuant to the Merger Agreement, at the Effective Time, awards of Noble Energy stock options, cash-settled restricted stock units, restricted stock and performance shares will convert into similar awards of Chevron based on the value of the Merger Consideration at closing, assuming that any performance-based vesting conditions applicable to such performance shares are achieved at the greater of “target” performance or actual performance as of the closing.

The board of directors of Noble Energy has unanimously approved the Merger Agreement and resolved to recommend the adoption of the Merger Agreement by Noble Energy stockholders, who will be asked to vote on the adoption of the Merger Agreement at a special stockholders meeting.

The completion of the Merger is subject to satisfaction or waiver of certain customary mutual closing conditions, including (1) the receipt of the required approval from Noble Energy stockholders, (2) the expiration or termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act, as amended (the “HSR Act”) applicable to the Merger, and the receipt of other applicable customary regulatory approvals, (3) the absence of any order or law prohibiting consummation of the Merger, (4) the effectiveness of the Registration Statement on Form S-4 to be filed by Chevron pursuant to which the shares of Chevron Common Stock to be issued in connection with the Merger will be registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) and (5) the authorization for listing on the New York Stock Exchange of the shares of Chevron Common Stock to be issued in connection with the Merger. The obligation of each party to consummate the Merger is also conditioned upon the other party’s representations and warranties being true and correct (subject to certain materiality thresholds) and the other party having performed in all material respects its obligations under the Merger Agreement.

The Merger Agreement contains customary representations and warranties of Noble Energy and Chevron relating to their respective businesses, financial statements and public filings, in each case generally subject to customary materiality qualifiers. Additionally, the Merger Agreement provides for customary pre-closing covenants of Noble Energy and Chevron, including a covenant of Noble Energy relating to conducting its business in the ordinary course consistent with past practice, subject to certain exceptions, and covenants of each party to refrain from taking certain actions without the other party’s consent. Noble Energy and Chevron also agreed to use their respective reasonable best efforts to cause the Merger to be consummated, to avoid or eliminate impediments under any antitrust laws, and to obtain expiration or termination of the waiting period under the HSR Act and other applicable regulatory approvals, subject to certain exceptions, including that Chevron is not required to take or authorize any action that would result in or be reasonably likely to result in a material adverse effect (after giving effect to any reasonably expected proceeds of any divestiture or sale of assets) on the financial condition, business, assets or continuing results of operations of Noble Energy (or, in the case of actions with respect to Chevron’s pre-closing assets, if such action with respect to a comparable amount of assets or businesses of Noble Energy, taken together with all other actions required to obtain the required applicable regulatory approvals pursuant to the Merger Agreement, would be reasonably likely, in the aggregate, to have such effect).

The Merger Agreement provides that, during the period from the date of the Merger Agreement until the Effective Time, Noble Energy is subject to certain restrictions on its ability to solicit alternative acquisition proposals from

third parties and to provide non-public information to third parties and to engage in negotiations with third parties regarding alternative acquisition proposals, subject to exceptions. Unless the Merger Agreement is terminated, Noble Energy is required to call a meeting of its stockholders to vote on a proposal to adopt the Merger Agreement and to recommend that its stockholders adopt the Merger Agreement.

The Merger Agreement contains termination rights for each of Noble Energy and Chevron, including, among others, (1) if the consummation of the Merger does not occur on or before January 20, 2021 (the “End Date”); except that if the Effective Time has not occurred by January 20, 2021 due to the fact that all required applicable regulatory approvals have not been obtained but all other conditions to closing have been satisfied (other than those conditions that by their terms are to be satisfied at the closing, each of which is capable of being satisfied) or (to the extent permitted by law) waived, the End Date shall automatically be extended to April 20, 2021; and (2) subject to certain conditions, if Noble Energy wishes to terminate the Merger Agreement to enter into a definitive agreement with respect to a Superior Proposal (as such term is defined in the Merger Agreement). Upon termination of the Merger Agreement under specified circumstances, including the termination by Chevron in the event of a change of recommendation by the board of directors of Noble Energy or by Noble Energy in order to enter into a new definitive agreement with respect to an alternative acquisition proposal, Noble Energy would be required to pay Chevron a termination fee of $176,295,000.

The foregoing description of the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby in this Current Report on Form 8-K is only a summary and does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the full text of the Merger Agreement, a copy of which is filed as Exhibit 2.1 hereto and incorporated by reference herein.

The Merger Agreement has been included to provide investors with information regarding its terms. It is not intended to provide any other factual information about Noble Energy or Chevron. The representations, warranties and covenants contained in the Merger Agreement were made only for purposes of the Merger Agreement as of the specific dates therein, were solely for the benefit of the parties to the Merger Agreement, may be subject to limitations agreed upon by the contracting parties, including being qualified by confidential disclosures made for the purposes of allocating contractual risk between the parties to the Merger Agreement instead of establishing these matters as facts, and may be subject to standards of materiality applicable to the contracting parties that differ from those applicable to investors. Investors are not third-party beneficiaries under the Merger Agreement and should not rely on the representations, warranties and covenants or any descriptions thereof as characterizations of the actual state of facts or condition of the parties thereto or any of their respective subsidiaries or affiliates. Moreover, information concerning the subject matter of representations and warranties may change after the date of the Merger Agreement, which subsequent information may or may not be fully reflected in Noble Energy’s public disclosures.

Item 9.01.

Financial Statements and Exhibits.

(d) Exhibits.


Exhibit No.		Description of Exhibit

2.1		Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of July 20, 2020, by and among Chevron Corporation, Chelsea Merger Sub Inc., and Noble Energy, Inc.†

104		Cover Page Interactive Data File - the cover page XBRL tags are embedded within the Inline XBRL document.

†	Schedules have been omitted pursuant to Item 601(b)(2) of Regulation S-K. The registrant hereby undertakes to furnish supplementally copies of any of the omitted schedules upon request by the SEC.

Important Information For Investors and Stockholders

This communication 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, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No offer of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. In connection with the potential transaction, Chevron expects to file a registration statement on Form S-4 with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) containing a preliminary prospectus of Chevron that also constitutes a preliminary proxy statement of Noble Energy. After the registration statement is declared effective, Noble Energy will mail a definitive proxy statement/prospectus to stockholders of

Noble Energy. This communication is not a substitute for the proxy statement/prospectus or registration statement or for any other document that Chevron or Noble Energy may file with the SEC and send to Noble Energy’s stockholders in connection with the potential transaction. INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS OF CHEVRON AND NOBLE ENERGY ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. Investors and security holders will be able to obtain free copies of the proxy statement/prospectus (when available) and other documents filed with the SEC by Chevron or Noble Energy through the website maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov. Copies of the documents filed with the SEC by Chevron will be available free of charge on Chevron’s website at http://www.chevron.com/investors and copies of the documents filed with the SEC by Noble Energy will be available free of charge on Noble Energy’s website at http://investors.nblenergy.com.

Chevron and Noble Energy and certain of their respective directors, certain of their respective executive officers and other members of management and employees may be considered participants in the solicitation of proxies with respect to the potential transaction under the rules of the SEC. Information about the directors and executive officers of Chevron is set forth in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, which was filed with the SEC on February 21, 2020, and its proxy statement for its 2020 annual meeting of stockholders, which was filed with the SEC on April 7, 2020. Information about the directors and executive officers of Noble Energy is set forth in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, which was filed with the SEC on February 12, 2020, and its proxy statement for its 2020 annual meeting of stockholders, which was filed with the SEC on March 10, 2020. These documents can be obtained free of charge from the sources indicated above. Additional information regarding the interests of such participants in the solicitation of proxies in respect of the potential transaction will be included in the registration statement and proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC when they become available.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This communication contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements generally include statements regarding the potential transaction between Chevron and Noble Energy, including any statements regarding the expected timetable for completing the potential transaction, the ability to complete the potential transaction, the expected benefits of the potential transaction (including anticipated annual run-rate operating and exploration cost synergies and anticipated accretion to return on capital employed, free cash flow, and earnings per share), projected financial information, future opportunities, and any other statements regarding Chevron’s and Noble Energy’s future expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows, or future events or performance. These statements are often, but not always, made through the use of words or phrases such as “anticipates,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “targets,” “forecasts,” “projects,” “believes,” “seeks,” “schedules,” “estimates,” “positions,” “pursues,” “may,” “could,” “should,” “will,” “budgets,” “outlook,” “trends,” “guidance,” “focus,” “on schedule,” “on track,” “is slated,” “goals,” “objectives,” “strategies,” “opportunities,” “poised,” “potential” and similar expressions. All such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations of Chevron’s and Noble Energy’s management and therefore involve estimates and assumptions that are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed in the statements. Key factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements include the ability to obtain the requisite Noble Energy stockholder approval; uncertainties as to the timing to consummate the potential transaction; the risk that a condition to closing the potential transaction may not be satisfied; the risk that regulatory approvals are not obtained or are obtained subject to conditions that are not anticipated by the parties; the effects of disruption to Chevron’s or Noble Energy’s respective businesses; the effect of this communication on Chevron’s or Noble Energy’s stock prices; the effects of industry, market, economic, political or regulatory conditions outside of Chevron’s or Noble Energy’s control; transaction costs; Chevron’s ability to achieve the benefits from the proposed transaction, including the anticipated annual run-rate operating and exploration cost synergies and accretion to return on capital employed, free cash flow, and earnings per share; Chevron’s ability to promptly, efficiently and effectively integrate acquired operations into its own operations; unknown liabilities; and the diversion of management time on transaction-related issues. Other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements are: changing crude oil and natural gas prices and demand for Chevron’s or Noble Energy’s products and production curtailments due to market conditions; crude oil production quotas or other actions that might be imposed by the Organization of

Petroleum Exporting Countries and other producing countries; public health crises, such as pandemics (including coronavirus (COVID-19)) and epidemics, and any related government policies and actions; changing economic, regulatory and political environments in the various countries in which the parties operate; general domestic and international economic and political conditions; changing refining, marketing and chemicals margins; Chevron’s ability to realize anticipated cost savings, expenditure reductions and efficiencies associated with enterprise transformation initiatives; actions of competitors or regulators; timing of exploration expenses; timing of crude oil liftings; the competitiveness of alternate-energy sources or product substitutes; technological developments; the results of operations and financial condition of the parties’ suppliers, vendors, partners and equity affiliates, particularly during extended periods of low prices for crude oil and natural gas during the COVID-19 pandemic; the inability or failure of joint-venture partners to fund their share of operations and development activities; the potential failure to achieve expected net production from existing and future crude oil and natural gas development projects; potential delays in the development, construction or start-up of planned projects; the potential disruption or interruption of operations due to war, accidents, political events, civil unrest, severe weather, cyber threats, terrorist acts, or other natural or human causes beyond Chevron’s control; the potential liability for remedial actions or assessments under existing or future environmental regulations and litigation; significant operational, investment or product changes required by existing or future environmental statutes and regulations, including international agreements and national or regional legislation and regulatory measures to limit or reduce greenhouse gas emissions; the potential liability resulting from pending or future litigation; Chevron’s future acquisitions or dispositions of assets or shares or the delay or failure of such transactions to close based on required closing conditions; the potential for gains and losses from asset dispositions or impairments; government-mandated sales, divestitures, recapitalizations, industry-specific taxes, tariffs, sanctions, changes in fiscal terms or restrictions on scope of operations; foreign currency movements compared with the U.S. dollar; material reductions in corporate liquidity and access to debt markets; the receipt of required Board authorizations to pay future dividends; the effects of changed accounting rules under generally accepted accounting principles promulgated by rule-setting bodies; and Chevron’s ability to identify and mitigate the risks and hazards inherent in operating in the global energy industry. Other unpredictable or unknown factors not discussed in this communication could also have material adverse effects on forward-looking statements. Noble Energy assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, except as required by law. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements that speak only as of the date hereof. Additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those described above can be found in Noble Energy’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, as it may be updated from time to time by quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K all of which are available on the Noble Energy’s website at http://investors.nblenergy.com/financial-information/sec-filings and on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov, and in Chevron’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, as it may be updated from time to time by quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K all of which are available on Chevron’s website at https://chevroncorp.gcs-web.com/financial-information/sec-filings and on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

SIGNATURE

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


	NOBLE ENERGY, INC.
Date: July 21, 2020
	By:	/s/ Kenneth M. Fisher
		Kenneth M. Fisher
		Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer

NOBLE ENERGY INC 8-K