Friday, August 11, 2017

DryShips Is Up 65% Today (DRYS)

In a move that stunned Wall Street the company announced it has terminated the stock-purchase agreements it had with Kalani Investments and that George Economou, the company's chairman, is swapping related-party  paper for a private placement and further, would backstop a newly announced $100 million rights offering priced at 34% above DRYS close yesterday.
The operative part of the first press release:
...Mr. Economou will not exercise his subscription rights in the Right Offering outside of the backstop commitment. The Company will have the right to cancel the Rights Offering or amend the terms thereof.

The Term Sheet obligates the parties to use their best efforts to negotiate definitive documentation and execute the transactions as soon as practicable.

The consideration for the Company's common shares in the Private Placement will be: (i) the acquisition of 100% of the issued and outstanding equity interests of Shipping Pool Investors Inc., which directly holds a 49% interest in Heidmar Holdings LLC, a global tanker operator, from SPII Holdings Inc., an entity affiliated with Mr. Economou; (ii) the termination of the participation rights set forth in the Deed of Participation dated May 23, 2017 by and between the Company and Mountain Investment Inc., an entity affiliated with Mr. Economou; (iii) forfeiture by Sifnos Shareholders Inc., an entity affiliated with Mr. Economou, of all outstanding Series D preferred shares (which carry 100,000 votes per share) of the Company that it currently holds; and (iv) the repayment of $27 million under the Company's unsecured credit facility, as amended (the "Sierra Credit Facility") with Sierra. The Company will not receive any cash proceeds from the Private Placement.

The cash proceeds from the Rights Offering are expected to be used for general corporate purposes and/or vessel acquisitions and/or to repay amounts outstanding under the Sierra Credit Facility. The consideration for the Company's common shares issued to Sierra in the Rights Offering as part of the backstop will be the repayment of amounts outstanding under the Sierra Credit Facility....
$3.37 last, up $1.32 (+64.39%)

The press releases:
August 11, 2017 08:00 ET
DryShips Inc. Announces Agreement to Conduct a Private Placement and Subsequent Rights Offering

August 11, 2017 08:01 ET
DryShips Inc. Announces Termination of the Common Stock Purchase Agreement With Kalani Investments Limited