HollyFrontier Corporation (HollyFrontier) and Holly Energy Partners, L.P. (HEP), announced they have entered into definitive agreements under which HollyFrontier and HEP will acquire Sinclair Oil Corporation and Sinclair Transportation Company from The Sinclair Companies (Sinclair).

HollyFrontier Transaction

Under the terms of HollyFrontier’s definitive agreement, HollyFrontier will acquire Sinclair’s:

   - Branded marketing business and all commercial activities, which build on an iconic brand with exceptional customer loyalty;
   - Renewable diesel business, which made Sinclair a first-mover in the space; and
   - Two premier Rocky Mountain-based refineries.

As part of the transaction, HollyFrontier will form a new parent company, named “HF Sinclair Corporation” (“HF Sinclair”), which will replace HollyFrontier as the public company trading on the NYSE. At the closing, existing shares of HollyFrontier will automatically convert on a one-for-one basis into shares of common stock of HF Sinclair, and HF Sinclair will issue approximately 60.2 million shares of common stock to Sinclair, representing 26.75% of the pro forma equity of HF Sinclair with a transaction value of approximately $1.8 billion based on HollyFrontier’s fully diluted shares of common stock outstanding and closing stock price on July 30, 2021. HollyFrontier expects to seek the approval of its stockholders under applicable rules of the New York Stock Exchange for the issuance of the HF Sinclair shares to Sinclair.

The transaction will transform HollyFrontier by accelerating its growth while increasing scale and diversification; it also allows HollyFrontier to integrate downstream into branded wholesale distribution. HF Sinclair will drive incremental free cash flow growth through its expanded refining business, integrated distribution network, leading renewable diesel position and growing lubricants and specialties business. The transaction is expected to be accretive to HF Sinclair’s earnings, cash flow and free cash flow within the first full year, and to enable the combined company to increase its commitment to return cash to stockholders.

Upon closing of the transaction, HollyFrontier’s existing senior management team will operate the combined company. Under the definitive agreements, Sinclair will be granted the right to nominate two directors to the HF Sinclair Board of Directors at the closing. The Sinclair stockholders have also agreed to certain customary lock up, voting and standstill restrictions, as well as customary registration rights, for the HF Sinclair shares to be issued to the stockholders of Sinclair. The new company will be headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with combined business offices in Salt Lake City, Utah.

HEP Transaction

Under the terms of the HEP transaction, HEP will acquire Sinclair’s integrated crude and refined products pipelines and terminal assets, including approximately 1,200 miles of pipelines, eight product terminals and two crude terminals with approximately 4.5 MMbbl of operated storage. In addition, HEP will acquire Sinclair’s interests in three pipeline joint ventures including: Powder Flats Pipeline (32.5% non-operated interest), Pioneer Pipeline (49.9% non-operated interest) and UNEV Pipeline (25% non-operated interest; HEP operates the pipeline and owns the remaining 75% interest). The purchase price for the HEP transaction will consist of an equity issuance of 21 million HEP common units and the payment of $325 million of cash, subject to customary closing adjustments, representing a transaction value of approximately $758 million based on the closing price of HEP units on July 30, 2021. Upon closing of the HEP transaction, HEP’s existing senior management team will continue to operate HEP. Under the definitive agreements, Sinclair will be granted the right to nominate one director to the HEP Board of Directors at the closing. The Sinclair stockholders have also agreed to certain customary lock up restrictions and registration rights for the HEP common units to be issued to the stockholders of Sinclair. HEP will continue to operate under the name Holly Energy Partners, L.P.

The transactions have been unanimously approved by both HollyFrontier’s and HEP’s Board of Directors and are expected to close in mid-2022, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory clearance, including the expiration or termination of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act. In addition, the HFC transaction and the HEP transaction are cross-conditioned on each other.

“HollyFrontier was formed through a transformational merger that facilitated a decade of significant stockholder returns along with growth and diversification into lubricants and renewables. We believe these transactions with Sinclair represent a similar inflection point, marking the beginning of our next chapter as HF Sinclair,” said Mike Jennings, Chief Executive Officer of HollyFrontier and HEP. “With this accretive transaction, we are adding an integrated marketing business with an iconic brand while building on the strength of our expanded refining network, increasing our scale and accelerating the growth of our renewables business. Together, with Sinclair and the dedicated employees who make it successful, we will be positioned to further build this business, capture synergies, and generate cash that will facilitate both capital return to stockholders and further investment in the business.”

Mr. Jennings continued, “At the same time, this transaction will significantly extend the reach of HEP. Strengthened by an integrated network of Sinclair pipelines and storage facilities, HEP will have the scale and incremental earnings power to capture new organic growth opportunities and increase cash returns to unitholders.”

Ross Matthews, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Sinclair commented, “As the oil and gas industry has evolved in recent years, we have carefully considered how best to position Sinclair’s refinery and logistics assets and their related operations for the future. We’re confident these businesses—and the dedicated employees who operate them—will continue to thrive under this new ownership structure. We expect these businesses will benefit significantly from HollyFrontier’s and HEP’s operational expertise, their network of refineries and midstream assets in the Western U.S., and the flexibilities that come with being part of a larger organization. Sinclair’s employees bring a wealth of talent and capability, including in the production of renewable diesel, which will be an important and growing line of business for HF Sinclair. Sinclair also adds to HF Sinclair an outstanding and extremely successful brand marketing team. The transaction will help accelerate the ongoing rapid expansion of our Sinclair branded retail sites and the iconic DINO brand.”

“We also believe that HollyFrontier and HEP are an excellent cultural fit, with a shared commitment to integrity and respect for our employees, our communities and the environment,” Mr. Matthews explained. “We anticipate a seamless transition for our employees, distributors and other stakeholders following the closing of the transactions.”

About HollyFrontier Corporation

HollyFrontier Corporation (NYSE: HFC), headquartered in Dallas, Texas, is an independent petroleum refiner and marketer that produces high value light products such as gasoline, diesel fuel, jet fuel and other specialty products. HollyFrontier owns and operates refineries located in Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Utah and markets its refined products principally in the Southwest U.S., the Rocky Mountains extending into the Pacific Northwest and in other neighboring Plains states. In addition, HollyFrontier produces base oils and other specialized lubricants in the U.S., Canada and the Netherlands, and exports products to more than 80 countries. HollyFrontier also owns a 57% limited partner interest and a non-economic general partner interest in Holly Energy Partners, L.P., a master limited partnership that provides petroleum product and crude oil transportation, terminalling, storage and throughput services to the petroleum industry, including HollyFrontier Corporation subsidiaries.

About Holly Energy Partners, L.P.

Holly Energy Partners, L.P. (NYSE: HEP), headquartered in Dallas, Texas, provides petroleum product and crude oil transportation, terminalling, storage and throughput services to the petroleum industry, including HollyFrontier Corporation subsidiaries. HEP, through its subsidiaries and joint ventures, owns and/or operates petroleum product and crude gathering pipelines, tankage and terminals in Texas, New Mexico, Washington, Idaho, Oklahoma, Utah, Nevada, Wyoming and Kansas as well as refinery processing units in Kansas and Utah.

About Sinclair

Sinclair is committed to creating products that help fill up the lives of our customers, our team and our country. A privately held, vertically integrated oil company, we’re involved in all aspects of our industry, from oil and gas exploration to motor fuel distribution. We have executive offices in Salt Lake City, Utah; two refineries in Wyoming; and over 1,500 branded Sinclair stations in 29 states.