425 1 dp193582_8k.htm FORM 8-K

 

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): May 10, 2023

 

LIVENT CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Delaware 001-38694 82-4699376

(State or other jurisdiction

of incorporation)

(Commission

File Number)

(IRS Employer

Identification No.)

 

1818 Market Street

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103

(Address of principal executive offices, including zip code)

 

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (215) 299-5900

 

N/A

(Former name or former address, 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

Class A common stock, par value $0.0001 per share   LTHM   New York Stock Exchange

 

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 7.01. Regulation FD Disclosure.

 

On May 10, 2023, Livent Corporation., a Delaware corporation (the “Company” or “Livent”), issued a press release announcing its entry into a Transaction Agreement (the “Transaction Agreement”), dated as of May 10, 2023, by and among the Company, Allkem Limited, an Australian public company limited by shares (“Allkem”) and Lightning-A Limited, a limited company incorporated under the laws of the Bailiwick of Jersey (“NewCo”), pursuant to which, subject to the satisfaction or waiver of the conditions set forth therein, at the applicable effective time (i) NewCo will acquire all of the shares of Allkem pursuant to a scheme of arrangement under the Corporations Act 2001 of Australia, resulting in Allkem becoming a wholly owned subsidiary of NewCo and (ii) a newly formed Delaware corporation wholly owned by NewCo will merge with and into the Company, with the Company continuing as the surviving corporation and as a wholly owned subsidiary of NewCo. The press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1.

 

Furnished as Exhibit 99.2 hereto is the investor presentation that the Company has prepared to use in connection with the transactions contemplated by the Transaction Agreement.

 

The information in Item 7.01 is being furnished and shall not be deemed “filed” for the purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that Section, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing made by the Company under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, except as otherwise set forth herein or as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such a filing.

 

No offer or solicitation

 

This communication and the information contained in it is provided for information purposes only and is not intended to be and shall not constitute a solicitation of any vote or approval, or an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy, or an invitation or recommendation to subscribe for, acquire or buy securities of Allkem, Livent or NewCo, or any other financial products or securities, in any place or jurisdiction, nor shall there be any offer, solicitation or 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 in the United States absent registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), or pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, such registration requirements.

 

Additional information and where to find it

 

Livent and NewCo plan to file relevant materials with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) in connection with the contemplated transaction (the “Transaction”), including a registration statement on Form S-4 that contains a proxy statement/prospectus and other documents. Livent will mail the proxy statement/prospectus contained in the Form S-4 to its stockholders. This communication is not a substitution for any registration statement, proxy statement/prospectus or other documents that may be filed with the SEC in connection with the proposed transaction.

 

THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC IN CONNECTION WITH THE TRANSACTION WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT NEWCO, LIVENT, ALLKEM, THE TRANSACTION AND RELATED MATTERS. INVESTORS SHOULD READ THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND SUCH OTHER DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY, AS WELL AS ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS TO THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND SUCH DOCUMENTS, BEFORE THEY MAKE ANY DECISION WITH RESPECT TO THE TRANSACTION. The proxy statement/prospectus, any amendments or supplements thereto and all other documents filed with the SEC in connection with the Transaction will be available when filed free of charge on the SEC's website (at www.sec.gov). Copies of documents filed with the SEC by Livent will be made available free of charge on Livent's investor relations website (at https://ir.livent.com/overview/default.aspx).

 

Participants in the Solicitation

 

Allkem, Livent, NewCo and their respective directors and certain of their executive officers and other employees may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from Livent’s security holders in connection with the

 

 

 

Transaction. Information about Livent’s directors and executive officers is set forth in Livent’s proxy statement for its 2023 annual meeting of stockholders, which was filed with the SEC on March 16, 2023, its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, which was filed with the SEC on February 24, 2023, subsequent statements of beneficial ownership on file with the SEC and other filings made from time to time with the SEC. Information about Allkem’s directors and executive officers is set forth in Allkem’s latest annual report dated August 25, 2022, as updated from time to time via announcements made by Allkem on the Australian Securities Exchange. Additional information regarding the persons who may, under the rules of the SEC, be deemed participants in the solicitation of Livent security holders in connection with the Transaction, including a description of their direct or indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will be set forth in the proxy statement/prospectus and other relevant materials when they are filed with the SEC. These documents can be obtained free of charge from the sources indicated above.

 

Forward-Looking Statements

 

This announcement contains forward-looking statements, including within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can often be identified by terms such as “may,” “will,” “appears,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “could,” “intends,” “target,” “projects,” “contemplates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential,” or “continue,” or the negative of these words or other similar terms or expressions that concern expectations, strategy, plans, or intentions. However, the absence of these words or similar terms does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. All forward-looking statements are based on information and estimates available to Livent at the time of this announcement and are not guarantees of future performance.

 

Examples of forward-looking statements in this communication (made at the date of this communication unless otherwise indicated) include, among others, statements regarding the future performance of Livent, Allkem and NewCo (the “Merged Group”), the perceived and potential synergies and other benefits of the Transaction, and expectations around the financial impact of the Transaction on the Merged Group’s financials. In addition, this announcement contains statements concerning the intentions, beliefs and expectations, plans, strategies and objectives of the directors and management of Livent for Livent and the Merged Group, the anticipated timing for and outcome and effects of the Transaction (including expected benefits to shareholders of Livent), anticipated production, production capacity or construction or development commencement dates, costs or production outputs, capital expenditure and future demand for lithium, expectations for the ongoing development and growth potential of the Merged Group and the future operation of Livent and the Merged Group.

 

These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from any results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by any forward-looking statement and may include statements regarding the expected timing and structure of the proposed transaction; the ability of the parties to complete the proposed transaction considering the various closing conditions; the expected benefits of the proposed transaction, such as improved operations, enhanced revenues and cash flow, synergies, growth potential, market profile, business plans, expanded portfolio and financial strength; the competitive ability and position of NewCo following completion of the Transaction; and anticipated growth strategies and anticipated trends in Livent’s, Allkem’s and, following the completion of the proposed transaction, NewCo’s business.

 

In addition, other factors related to the Transaction between Allkem and Livent that contribute to the uncertain nature of the forward-looking statements and that could cause actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those expressed or implied include, but are not limited to: the satisfaction of the conditions precedent to the consummation of the Transaction, including, without limitation, the receipt of shareholder and regulatory approvals on the terms desired or anticipated; unanticipated difficulties or expenditures relating to the Transaction, including, without limitation, difficulties that result in the failure to realize expected synergies, efficiencies and cost savings from the Transaction within the expected time period (if at all); potential difficulties in Allkem’s and Livent’s ability to retain employees as a result of the announcement and pendency of the Transaction; risks relating to the value of NewCo’s shares to be issued in the Transaction; disruptions of Allkem’s and Livent’s current plans, operations and relationships with customers caused by the announcement and pendency of the Transaction; legal proceedings that may be instituted against Allkem and Livent following announcement of the Transaction; funding requirements; lithium and other commodity prices; exploration, development and operating risks (including unexpected capital or operating costs); production risks; regulatory restrictions (including

 

 

 

environmental regulations and associated liability, changes in regulatory restrictions or regulatory policy and potential title disputes) and risks associated with general economic conditions.

 

Additional factors that could cause actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from the results, level of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements are detailed in the filings with the SEC, including Livent’s annual report on Form 10-K, periodic quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, periodic current reports on Form 8-K and other documents filed with the SEC.

 

There can be no assurance that the Transaction will be implemented or that plans of the directors and management of Livent for the Merged Group will proceed as currently expected or will ultimately be successful. Investors are strongly cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, including in respect of the financial or operating outlook for Allkem, Livent or the Merged Group (including the realization of any expected synergies).

 

Except as required by applicable law, Livent assumes no obligation to, and expressly disclaims any duty to, provide any additional or updated information or to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, or otherwise. Nothing in this communication will, under any circumstances (including by reason of this communication remaining available and not being superseded or replaced by any other presentation or publication with respect to Allkem, Livent or the Merged Group, or the subject matter of this announcement), create an implication that there has been no change in the affairs of Livent since the date of this communication.

 

Item 9.01. Financial Statements and Exhibits.

 

Exhibit   Description
99.1   Press Release dated May 10, 2023.
99.2   Investor Presentation dated May 10, 2023.
104   Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document).

 

 

SIGNATURES

 

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

 

  LIVENT CORPORATION
   
   
  By: /s/ Gilberto Antoniazzi
          Gilberto Antoniazzi,
          Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
     

 

Dated: May 10, 2023