MERGER PROPOSED—YOUR VOTE IS VERY IMPORTANT
On July 27, 2022, PBF Energy Inc., a Delaware corporation (“PBF Energy”), PBF Energy Company LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and subsidiary of PBF Energy (“PBF LLC”), PBFX Holdings Inc., a Delaware corporation and wholly owned subsidiary of PBF LLC (“PBFX Holdings”), Riverlands Merger Sub LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and wholly owned subsidiary of PBF LLC (“Merger Sub”), PBF Logistics LP, a Delaware limited partnership (“PBFX”), and PBF Logistics GP LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and the general partner of PBFX (“PBFX GP” or the “general partner”), entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”), pursuant to which PBF LLC will acquire all of the outstanding common units representing limited partner interests in PBFX (“PBFX Common Units,” and holders of PBFX Common Units, the “PBFX Unitholders”) other than PBFX Common Units held directly or indirectly by PBF Energy and its subsidiaries (all such PBFX Common Units held by persons other than PBF Energy and its subsidiaries, the “PBFX Public Common Units,” and the holders of such units, the “PBFX Public Unitholders”). Upon the terms and subject to the conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement, Merger Sub will be merged with and into PBFX (the “Merger”), with PBFX surviving as an indirect subsidiary of PBF Energy, owned 99% by PBF LLC and 1% by PBFX Holdings.
Under the terms of the Merger Agreement, if the Merger is completed, each outstanding PBFX Public Common Unit will be converted into the right to receive: (i) 0.270 (the “Exchange Ratio”) of a share of Class A Common Stock, par value $0.001 per share, of PBF Energy (the “PBF Energy Common Stock,” and such consideration, the “Stock Consideration”), (ii) $9.25 in cash, without interest (the “Cash Consideration” and together with the Stock Consideration, the “Merger Consideration”), (iii) any dividends or other distributions to which the holder thereof becomes entitled to upon surrender of such PBFX Public Common Units in accordance with the Merger Agreement, and (iv) any cash in lieu of fractional shares of PBF Energy Common Stock as described below. The receipt of Merger Consideration in exchange for PBFX Public Common Units pursuant to the Merger should be a taxable transaction to PBFX Public Unitholders. See “United States Federal Income Tax Consequences.” The Exchange Ratio is fixed and will not be adjusted on account of any change in price of either PBF Energy Common Stock or PBFX Common Units prior to completion of the Merger; provided, that the Merger Agreement includes an adjustment mechanism (the “19.9% Cap Adjustment Mechanism”) so that the number of shares of PBF Energy Common Stock to be issued in the Merger does not exceed 19.9% of the issued and outstanding shares of PBF Energy Common Stock immediately prior to the effective time of the Merger (the “Effective Time”) (the “19.9% Limitation”). The 19.9% Cap Adjustment Mechanism is necessary to ensure that PBF Energy satisfies certain applicable regulatory restrictions regarding issuing common stock without stockholder approval imposed by the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”). The 19.9% Cap Adjustment Mechanism would only be triggered if PBF Energy pursues strategic opportunities that have the effect of reducing the outstanding PBF Energy Common Stock prior to the consummation of the Merger. In the event that the 19.9% Cap Adjustment Mechanism is triggered, (i) the Exchange Ratio of 0.270 will be reduced to the minimum extent necessary so that the aggregate number of shares of PBF Energy Common Stock to be issued as Stock Consideration does not exceed the 19.9% Limitation (the “Adjusted Exchange Ratio”), and (ii) the Cash Consideration will be increased by an amount equal to the product of (x) $31.14 (the closing price of PBF Energy Common Stock on the NYSE on July 27, 2022, the last trading day before the public announcement of the Merger), and (y) the difference between the Exchange Ratio and the Adjusted Exchange Ratio.
PBF Energy will not issue any fractional shares in the Merger. Instead, each holder of PBFX Common Units that are converted pursuant to the Merger Agreement who otherwise would have received a fraction of a share of PBF Energy Common Stock will be entitled to receive, in lieu thereof, a cash payment (without interest and rounded up to the nearest whole cent) in an amount equal to the product of (i) the average trading prices of the PBF Energy Common Stock over the ten consecutive full trading days prior to the closing date of the Merger, and (ii) the fraction of the share of PBF Energy Common Stock that such holder would otherwise be entitled to receive pursuant to the Merger Agreement. Holders of shares of PBF Energy Common Stock will continue to own their existing shares of PBF Energy Common Stock. There will be no change in the ownership of the non-economic general partner interest in PBFX held by PBFX GP, which will continue as a non-economic general partner interest in the surviving entity.
Concurrently with the execution of the Merger Agreement, PBF Energy and PBF LLC entered into a Voting and Support Agreement, dated as of July 27, 2022 (the “Support Agreement”), with PBFX, pursuant to which, among other things, PBF Energy agrees to cause PBF LLC, in its capacity as a limited partner of PBFX, to vote its PBFX Common Units in favor of the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Merger. As of October 24, 2022, PBF LLC owned 29,953,631 PBFX Common Units (representing approximately 47.7% of the issued and outstanding PBFX Common Units).
On July 26, 2022, the Conflicts Committee (which consists of the three members of the GP Board (as defined below) who are independent under PBFX’s governance guidelines, the Third Amended and Restated Agreement of Limited Partnership of PBFX, dated as of February 13, 2019, as amended or supplemented from time to time (the “PBFX Partnership Agreement”) and the listing standards of the NYSE and who are not also executive officers or members of the Board of Directors of PBF Energy (the “PBF Energy Board”) (the “Conflicts Committee”)) of the Board of Directors of PBFX GP (the “GP Board”) in good faith, unanimously resolved: (i) that the Merger Agreement and the Support Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Merger, on the terms and conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement and the Support Agreement, are fair and reasonable to, and in the best interests of, the PBFX Unitholders other than PBF Energy, PBF LLC, PBFX Holdings, PBFX, PBFX GP or their affiliates (the “PBFX Unaffiliated Unitholders”) and, assuming PBF Energy approved the Merger, PBFX, (ii) to approve the Merger Agreement and the Support Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Merger, upon the terms and conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement and the Support Agreement, (iii) to recommend that the GP Board approve (x) the Merger Agreement and the Support Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Merger, upon the terms and conditions set forth in the Merger Agreement and the Support Agreement, and (y) the execution, delivery and performance of the Merger Agreement and the Support Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Merger, and (iv) to recommend to the GP Board that the GP Board (x) resolve to direct that the Merger Agreement be submitted to a vote of the PBFX Unitholders, and (y) recommend approval of the transactions contemplated by the Merger Agreement, including the Merger, by the PBFX Unitholders.
On July 27, 2022, the GP Board, acting upon the recommendation of the Conflicts Committee, unanimously: (i) approved the Merger Agreement and the Support Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Merger, and the execution, delivery and performance of the Merger Agreement and the Support Agreement, (ii) approved the submission of the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Merger, to a vote of the PBFX Unitholders, and (iii) determined to recommend approval of the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Merger, by the PBFX Unitholders.
PBFX will hold a virtual special meeting of the PBFX Unitholders in connection with the proposed Merger on November 30, 2022 at 10:00 a.m., Eastern Time, via audio webcast at https://www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/PBFX2022SM. At the special meeting, the PBFX Unitholders will be asked to vote on the proposal to approve the Merger Agreement and the transactions contemplated thereby, including the Merger (the “Merger Proposal”). Pursuant to the PBFX Partnership Agreement, approval of the Merger Proposal requires the affirmative vote of holders of a majority of the outstanding PBFX Common Units, which includes the PBFX Common Units owned directly or indirectly by PBF Energy and its subsidiaries. In addition, at the special meeting, the PBFX Unitholders will be asked to consider and vote on a proposal to adjourn the special meeting to a later date or dates, if necessary or appropriate, to solicit additional proxies if there are not sufficient votes to approve the Merger Agreement and transactions contemplated thereby, including the Merger, at the time of the special meeting (the “Adjournment Proposal”).
PBFX Unitholders will NOT be able to attend the special meeting in-person. The accompanying proxy statement/prospectus includes instructions on how to access the special meeting and how to listen and vote from home or any remote location with Internet connectivity. You or your proxy holder will be able to virtually attend and vote at the special meeting by visiting https://www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/PBFX2022SM and using the control number on your proxy card.
The parties to the Merger Agreement cannot complete the Merger unless holders of a majority of the PBFX Common Units approve the Merger Proposal. Accordingly, your vote is very important regardless of the number of PBFX Common Units you own. Voting instructions are set forth inside this proxy statement/prospectus.
The GP Board recommends that the PBFX Unitholders vote “FOR” the Merger Proposal and that the PBFX Unitholders vote “FOR” the Adjournment Proposal. The PBFX Unitholders should be aware that certain of the directors and executive officers of PBFX GP may have interests in the Merger that are different from, or in addition to, the interests they may have as a PBFX Unitholder. See “Special Factors—Interests of Certain Persons in the Merger.”
This proxy statement/prospectus provides you with detailed information about the Merger and related matters. You are encouraged to read the entire document (including the annexes and the documents incorporated into this proxy statement/prospectus by reference) carefully. In particular, see “Risk Factors” beginning on page
21 of this proxy statement/prospectus for a discussion of risks relevant to the Merger and PBF Energy’s business following the Merger.
Shares of PBF Energy Common Stock are listed on the NYSE under the symbol “PBF,” and PBFX Common Units are listed on the NYSE under the symbol “PBFX.” The last reported sale price of PBF Energy Common Stock on the NYSE on October 24, 2022 was $43.31 per share. The last reported sale price of PBFX Common Units on the NYSE on October 24, 2022 was $21.15 per unit.
Thomas Nimbley
Chairman of the Board of Directors of
PBF Energy Inc. and PBF Logistics GP LLC
Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of the securities to be issued in connection with the Merger, has passed upon the merits or fairness of the Merger or has determined if this proxy statement/prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.
This proxy statement/prospectus is dated October 24, 2022 and is being first mailed to the PBFX Unitholders on or about October 27, 2022.