# EDGAR Filing Document

**Accession Number:** 0001528129
**File Stem:** 0001193125-25-187807
**Filing Date:** 2025-8
**Character Count:** 15978
**Document Hash:** 535158c09dc070f2eae296b11f472450
**Contains OCR:** False
**Source Format:** 

## Filing Content

## Filing Summary
**0001193125-25-187807.hdr.sgml**: 20250825

**ACCESSION NUMBER**: 0001193125-25-187807

**CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE**: 425

**PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT**: 1

**FILED AS OF DATE**: 20250825

**DATE AS OF CHANGE**: 20250825

**SUBJECT COMPANY**: 

**COMPANY DATA:**
- **COMPANY CONFORMED NAME:** Vital Energy, Inc.
- **CENTRAL INDEX KEY:** 0001528129
- **STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION:** CRUDE PETROLEUM & NATURAL GAS [1311]
- **ORGANIZATION NAME:** 01 Energy & Transportation
- **EIN:** 453007926
- **STATE OF INCORPORATION:** DE
- **FISCAL YEAR END:** 1231

**FILING VALUES:**
- **FORM TYPE:** 425
- **SEC ACT:** 1934 Act
- **SEC FILE NUMBER:** 001-35380
- **FILM NUMBER:** 251251639

**BUSINESS ADDRESS:**
- **STREET 1:** 521 E. SECOND STREET SOUTH
- **STREET 2:** SUITE 1000
- **CITY:** TULSA
- **STATE:** OK
- **ZIP:** 74120
- **BUSINESS PHONE:** 918-513-4570

**MAIL ADDRESS:**
- **STREET 1:** 521 E. SECOND STREET SOUTH
- **STREET 2:** SUITE 1000
- **CITY:** TULSA
- **STATE:** OK
- **ZIP:** 74120

**FORMER COMPANY:**
- **FORMER CONFORMED NAME:** Laredo Petroleum, Inc.
- **DATE OF NAME CHANGE:** 20140102

**FORMER COMPANY:**
- **FORMER CONFORMED NAME:** Laredo Petroleum Holdings, Inc.
- **DATE OF NAME CHANGE:** 20110816
**FILED BY**: 

**COMPANY DATA:**
- **COMPANY CONFORMED NAME:** Vital Energy, Inc.
- **CENTRAL INDEX KEY:** 0001528129
- **STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION:** CRUDE PETROLEUM & NATURAL GAS [1311]
- **ORGANIZATION NAME:** 01 Energy & Transportation
- **EIN:** 453007926
- **STATE OF INCORPORATION:** DE
- **FISCAL YEAR END:** 1231

**FILING VALUES:**
- **FORM TYPE:** 425

**BUSINESS ADDRESS:**
- **STREET 1:** 521 E. SECOND STREET SOUTH
- **STREET 2:** SUITE 1000
- **CITY:** TULSA
- **STATE:** OK
- **ZIP:** 74120
- **BUSINESS PHONE:** 918-513-4570

**MAIL ADDRESS:**
- **STREET 1:** 521 E. SECOND STREET SOUTH
- **STREET 2:** SUITE 1000
- **CITY:** TULSA
- **STATE:** OK
- **ZIP:** 74120

**FORMER COMPANY:**
- **FORMER CONFORMED NAME:** Laredo Petroleum, Inc.
- **DATE OF NAME CHANGE:** 20140102

**FORMER COMPANY:**
- **FORMER CONFORMED NAME:** Laredo Petroleum Holdings, Inc.
- **DATE OF NAME CHANGE:** 20110816

Filed by Vital Energy, Inc.

Pursuant to Rule 425 of the Securities Act of 1933

and deemed filed pursuant to Rule 14a-12

of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Subject Company: Vital Energy, Inc.

Commission File No.: 001-35380

***The following email message was sent by Jason Pigott, President and Chief Executive Officer of Vital Energy, Inc. ("Vital"), to Vital employees on August 25, 2025*:** 

Dear VTLE Team:

Moments ago, we announced the signing of an agreement to merge with Crescent Energy, a deal valued at approximately $3.1 billion.

This decision recognizes the value of our company and the strong, resilient business we have all worked so hard to build. This transaction, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2025 subject to stockholder approval and other customary closing conditions, will create a scaled, diversified business capable of accelerating incremental value for all stockholders. We have been on a journey to create a $10 billion company and, with this announcement, we get very close to that goal. Together, our companies will be better positioned to compete, invest, and lead within our industry.

Crescent Energy is a Houston-based, mid-size E&P company. They have grown rapidly through mergers and acquisitions, supported by their disciplined growth through acquisition strategy while consistently returning capital to shareholders. The combination with Vital Energy will add a new position in the Permian, complementing their current operations in the Eagle Ford and Uinta basins.

Crescent Energy and Vital Energy will be hosting a combined call to discuss the merger with the investment community this morning at 7:30 am CT. We would encourage you to listen to the call and view the press release and investor presentation through our website at the following link:

<u>https://investor.vitalenergy.com/</u>

Following the investor call, please join us for an internal call with our leadership team at 9:30 am CT to share additional information about this transaction and next steps.

We expect this announcement to generate considerable interest from people outside of our company. As always, if you receive inquiries from the media or investors, please direct the inquiry to Ron Hagood, Vice President-Investor Relations.

Between now and closing, know that we are committed to being transparent and will share any new information with you as it becomes available. In the meantime, please remain committed to safely executing our business operations.

Thank you for the hard work, professionalism, and dedication you bring to Vital Energy every day.

Thank you and stay safe,

Jason

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**No Offer or Solicitation**

This communication relates to a proposed business combination transaction (the "Transaction") between Vital Energy, Inc. ("Vital") and Crescent Energy Company ("Crescent"). This communication is for informational purposes only and 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, in any jurisdiction, pursuant to the Transaction or otherwise, nor shall there be any sale, issuance, exchange or transfer of the securities referred to in this document in any jurisdiction in contravention of applicable law. 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.

**Important Additional Information**

In connection with the Transaction, Crescent will file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") a registration statement on Form S-4, that will include a joint proxy statement of Crescent and Vital and a prospectus of Crescent. The Transaction will be submitted to Crescent's and Vital's stockholders for their consideration. Crescent and Vital may also file other documents with the SEC regarding the Transaction. The definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus will be sent to the stockholders of Crescent and Vital. This document is not a substitute for the registration statement and joint proxy statement/prospectus that will be filed with the SEC or any other documents that Crescent or Vital may file with the SEC or send to stockholders of Crescent or Vital in connection with the Transaction. **INVESTORS AND SECURITY HOLDERS OF CRESCENT AND VITAL ARE URGED TO READ THE REGISTRATION STATEMENT AND THE JOINT PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS REGARDING THE TRANSACTION WHEN IT BECOMES AVAILABLE AND ALL OTHER RELEVANT DOCUMENTS THAT ARE FILED OR WILL BE FILED WITH THE SEC, AS WELL AS ANY AMENDMENTS OR SUPPLEMENTS TO THESE DOCUMENTS, CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE TRANSACTION AND RELATED MATTERS.**

Investors and security holders will be able to obtain free copies of the registration statement and the joint proxy statement/prospectus (when available) and all other documents filed or that will be filed with the SEC by Crescent or Vital through the website maintained by the SEC at <u>http://www.sec.gov</u>. Copies of documents filed with the SEC by Vital will be made available free of charge on Vital's website at **vitalenergy.com**, under the "Investors—Financial Information" tab, or by directing a request to Investor Relations, Vital Energy, Inc., 521 East 2nd Street, Suite 1000, Tulsa, OK 74120, Tel. No. (918) 513-4570. Copies of documents filed with the SEC by Crescent will be made available free of charge on Crescent's website at **crescentenergyco.com** under the "Investors—SEC Filings" tab or by directing a request to Investor Relations, Crescent Energy Company, 600 Travis Street, Suite 72000, Houston, TX 77002, Tel. No. (713) 332-7001.

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**Participants in the Solicitation**

Crescent and Vital and their respective directors and executive officers may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies in respect to the Transaction.

Information regarding Vital's directors and executive officers, including a description of their direct or indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, (i) is set forth in Vital's definitive proxy statement for its 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, including under the headings "Proposal One – Election of Three Class III Directors at the 2025 Annual Meeting", "Proposal Three – Advisory Vote Approving the Compensation of Our Named Executive Officers", "Stock Ownership Information", and "Related Party Transactions", which was filed with the SEC on April 10, 2025 and available at [<u>https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1528129/000152812925000071/vtle-20250409.htm</u>](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1528129/000152812925000071/vtle-20250409.htm) and (ii) to the extent holdings of Vital's securities by the directors or executive officers have changed since the amounts set forth in Vital's definitive proxy statement for its 2025 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, such changes have been or will be reflected on Initial Statement of Beneficial Ownership of Securities on Form 3, Statement of Changes in Beneficial Ownership on Form 4, or Annual Statement of Changes in Beneficial Ownership on Form 5 filed with the SEC, which are available at <u>https://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/own-disp?action=getissuer&CIK=0001528129</u>. You can obtain a free copy of these documents at the SEC's website at <u>http://www.sec.gov</u> or by accessing Vital's website at **vitalenergy.com**.

Information regarding Crescent's executive officers and directors, including a description of their direct or indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, (i) is set forth in Crescent's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, including under Part III, Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance, Part III, Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters, and Part III, Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence, which was filed with the SEC on February 26, 2025, and available at [<u>https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1866175/000186617525000024/crgy-20241231.htm</u>](http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1866175/000186617525000024/crgy-20241231.htm) and (ii) to the extent holdings of Crescent's securities by its directors or executive officers have changed since the amounts set forth in Crescent's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, such changes have been or will be reflected on Initial Statement of Beneficial Ownership of Securities on Form 3, Statement of Changes in Beneficial Ownership on Form 4, or Annual Statement of Changes in Beneficial Ownership on Form 5 filed with the SEC, which are available at <u>https://www.sec.gov/cgi-bin/own-disp?action=getissuer&CIK=0001866175</u>. You can obtain a free copy of these documents at the SEC's website at <u>www.sec.gov</u> or by accessing Crescent's website at **crescentenergyco.com**.

Investors may obtain additional information regarding the interests of those persons and other persons who may be deemed participants in the Transaction by reading the joint proxy statement/prospectus regarding the Transaction when it becomes available. You may obtain free copies of this document as described above.

------

**Forward-Looking Statements and Cautionary Statements**

The foregoing contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included in this communication that address activities, events or developments that Crescent or Vital expects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Words such as "estimate," "project," "predict," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "potential," "create," "intend," "could," "may," "foresee," "plan," "will," "guidance," "look," "outlook," "goal," "future," "assume," "forecast," "build," "focus," "work," "continue" or the negative of such terms or other variations thereof and words and terms of similar substance used in connection with any discussion of future plans, actions, or events identify forward-looking statements. However, the absence of these words does not mean that the statements are not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the Transaction, pro forma descriptions of the combined company and its operations, integration and transition plans, synergies, opportunities and anticipated future performance. There are a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements included in this communication. These include the expected timing and likelihood of completion of the Transaction, including the timing, receipt and terms and conditions of any required governmental and regulatory approvals of the Transaction that could reduce anticipated benefits or cause the parties to abandon the Transaction, the ability to successfully integrate the businesses, the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the merger agreement, the possibility that stockholders of Crescent may not approve the issuance of new shares of Class A common stock in the Transaction or that stockholders of Vital may not approve the merger agreement, the risk that the parties may not be able to satisfy the conditions to the Transaction in a timely manner or at all, risks related to disruption of management time from ongoing business operations due to the Transaction, the risk that any announcements relating to the Transaction could have adverse effects on the market price of Crescent's Class A common stock or Vital's common stock, the risk that the Transaction and its announcement could have an adverse effect on the ability of Crescent and Vital to retain customers and retain and hire key personnel and maintain relationships with their suppliers and customers and on their operating results and businesses generally, the risk the pending Transaction could distract management of both entities and they will incur substantial costs, the risk that problems may arise in successfully integrating the businesses of the companies, which may result in the combined company not operating as effectively and efficiently as expected, the risk that the combined company may be unable to achieve synergies or it may take longer than expected to achieve those synergies and other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. All such factors are difficult to predict and are beyond Crescent's or Vital's control, including those detailed in Crescent's annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K that are available on its website at **crescentenergyco.com** and on the SEC's website at <u>http://www.sec.gov</u>, and those detailed in Vital's annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K that are available on Vital's website at **vitalenergy.com** and on the SEC's website at <u>http://www.sec.gov</u>. All forward-looking statements are based on assumptions that Crescent or Vital believe to be reasonable but that may not prove to be accurate. Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and Crescent and Vital undertake no obligation to correct or update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements that speak only as of the date hereof.