Americas Gold and Silver Corporation (TSX: USA) (NYSE American: USAS) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a binding agreement with an affiliate of Eric Sprott and Paul Andre Huet under which Americas will acquire the remaining 40% interest in the Galena Complex in Idaho, USA to consolidate the current Galena joint venture.
Upon the closing of the Acquisition, Paul Andre Huet will be appointed Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Company. Darren Blasutti will remain as President.
The Company also announces that it has entered into an agreement to complete a bought deal private placement financing of subscription receipts of the Company (the “Subscription Receipts”) to raise gross proceeds of approximately C$40 million at an issue price of C$0.40 per Subscription Receipt.
The Company is also in advanced discussions with numerous lenders with respect to a debt financing to restructure Americas balance sheet and is in the process of evaluating indicative terms received. It is anticipated that the Company will enter into exclusive negotiations in the near-term with the intention of replacing existing debt facilities.
Key Transaction Highlights:
“I am excited to consolidate the Galena Complex and want to thank Mr. Eric Sprott for his partnership in growing Galena to one of the largest, high-grade, silver mines in North America,” stated Darren Blasutti, Americas’ President and CEO. “I believe Paul Huet is the perfect executive to lead the Company during the exciting phase of growth. Mr. Huet has a proven track record as a mining executive having successfully delivered considerable shareholder value in his previous roles at both Karora and Klondex.”
“Americas represents a tremendous opportunity based on its impressive portfolio of assets in North America and I am excited for the opportunity to optimize these assets and deliver meaningful value to Americas shareholders,” stated Paul Andre Huet. “For the past nine months, I have acted as Sprott’s technical representative for the Galena JV and have witnessed firsthand both a tremendous team and resource base that has been undercapitalized due to a difficult silver price environment. I am confident that based on my team’s track record of unlocking the full potential of mining operations, we can accomplish this again and deliver significant value to Americas’ shareholders. I look forward to working with the Americas team to continue to build the Company into a leading North American-focused primary silver producer.”
“I remain confident in the value of the Galena Complex and look forward to continued exposure to this tremendous asset through my equity ownership in Americas Gold and Silver,” stated Eric Sprott. “I see substantial potential at the Galena Complex, particularly given the robust reserve and resource base, established infrastructure, and embedded growth potential. I have a long-standing respect and high regard for Paul, who has represented my interests in the Galena JV for the previous nine months. I believe Mr. Huet’s mining acumen and expertise in underground operations makes him the perfect leader to surface the inherent value of the Galena Complex, Cosalá Operations and other assets for the shareholders of Americas.”
Transaction Details
Under the terms of the Definitive Agreement, the owners of Sprott will receive 170 million common shares of Americas and US$10 million in cash on closing of the Acquisition. Based on the price of the Subscription Receipts (as defined below) of C$0.40, the Share Consideration represents C$68 million. In addition, Americas will provide owners of Sprott with monthly silver deliveries of 18,500 ounces for a period of 36 months starting in or around January 2026.
Americas also intends to issue up to C$4,000,000 of Americas Shares at a price of C$0.40 per Americas Share, on a non-brokered private placement basis, to one or more of the vendors in the Acquisition in conjunction with the Concurrent Financing and the Acquisition for bridge financing purposes (the “Concurrent Private Placement”). Closing of the Concurrent Private Placement is not conditional on closing of the Concurrent Financing or the Acquisition and closing of the Concurrent Financing or the Acquisition is not conditional on closing of the Concurrent Private Placement.
The Acquisition and the Concurrent Financing will be subject to the approval by a simple majority of the votes cast by shareholders of the Company. The Acquisition and the Concurrent Financing will also be subject to applicable regulatory approvals, including approvals from the Toronto Stock Exchange and NYSE American Exchange.
Upon completion of the Acquisition and the Concurrent Financing, existing Americas shareholders will own approximately 53% of the shares outstanding, Eric Sprott will own approximately 22%, Concurrent Financing participants will own approximately 19% and management and directors will own approximately 6%.
The Company expects to call a shareholder meeting in October/November for a meeting in December 2024.
Closing of the Acquisition is currently expected to occur prior to the end of the year.
Leadership and Governance
Capabilities of the key senior management team and Board of Directors of Americas will be enhanced by the addition of new members from the previous Karora senior executive team and Board of Directors, who have significant capabilities in underground mining operations and a proven track record of shareholder value creation. The new Board of Directors of the Company will consist of 50% new directors and 50% existing directors of Americas.
Board of Directors’ Recommendation and Voting Support
The Acquisition has been unanimously approved by the Board of Directors of Americas upon the recommendation of special committee of independent directors. The Board of Directors of Americas has recommended that shareholders of the Company vote in favour of the Acquisition. TD Securities Inc. has provided an opinion to the Board of Directors of Americas, stating that, as of the date of its opinion, and based upon and subject to the assumptions, limitations and qualifications stated in such opinion, the consideration to be paid under the Acquisition is fair, from a financial point of view, to Americas.
Directors and senior officers of Americas have entered into voting support agreements pursuant to which they have agreed, among other things, to vote their Americas Shares in favour of the Acquisition. Voting support agreements have also been received from several key Americas shareholders. These support agreements represent over 13% of the outstanding shares of the Company.
Concurrent Financing
Americas has entered into an agreement with Cormark Securities Inc. and TD Securities Inc., as joint bookrunners on behalf of a syndicate of underwriters, in connection with a bought deal private placement offering of 100,000,000 Subscription Receipts at a price of C$0.40 per Subscription Receipt for gross proceeds to the Company of C$40 million. Americas has also granted the
Underwriters an option to purchase up to an additional 10,000,000 Subscription Receipts at the Issue Price for additional gross proceeds of up to C$4 million (the “Option”) which will be exercisable, in whole or in part, at any time prior to closing of the Concurrent Financing. If the Option is exercised in full, the total gross proceeds of the Concurrent Financing will be C$44 million.
Each Subscription Receipt shall entitle the holder thereof to receive, upon satisfaction or waiver of the Escrow Release Conditions (as defined below), without payment of additional consideration, one Americas Share, subject to adjustments and in accordance with the terms and conditions of a subscription receipt agreement to be entered into upon closing of the Concurrent Financing (the “Subscription Receipt Agreement”). For the purposes of the Concurrent Financing and pursuant to the Subscription Receipt Agreement, the escrow release conditions include: (a) the satisfaction or waiver of all conditions precedent to the completion of the Acquisition in accordance with the Definitive Agreement, other than the issuance of the Share Consideration and the Cash Consideration; and (b) the receipt of all required board, shareholder, regulatory and exchange approvals in connection with the Concurrent Financing and Acquisition.
The gross proceeds from the sale of the Subscription Receipts, less certain expenses and fees of the Underwriters, will be deposited and held in escrow pending the satisfaction or waiver of the Escrow Release Conditions by the Company’s escrow agent, as subscription receipt and escrow agent under the Subscription Receipt Agreement.
If a Termination Event (as defined below) occurs, the escrowed proceeds of the Concurrent Financing will be returned on a pro rata basis to the holders of Subscription Receipts, together with the interest earned thereon, and the Subscription Receipts will be cancelled and have no further force and effect, all in accordance with the terms of the Subscription Receipt Agreement. For the purposes of the Concurrent Financing and pursuant to the Subscription Receipt Agreement, a “Termination Event” includes: (a) the Escrow Release Conditions having not been satisfied or waived prior to 5:00 p.m. (Toronto time) on February 27, 2025; and (b) the termination of the Definitive Agreement in accordance with its terms.
The Concurrent Financing is currently expected to close on or about October 30, 2024 and is subject to TSX, NYSE American and other necessary regulatory approvals. Following completion of the Acquisition, the net proceeds from the Concurrent Financing are expected to be used for growth initiatives at the Galena Complex, the payment of the Cash Consideration to Sprott, the repayment of certain of the Company’s existing indebtedness, the payment of transaction expenses and for working capital and general corporate purposes.
The Subscription Receipts will be offered by way of: (a) private placement in each of the provinces of Canada pursuant to applicable prospectus exemptions under applicable Canadian securities laws; (b) in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of U.S. persons, by way of private placement pursuant to the exemptions from registration provided for under Rule 506(b) and/or Section 4(a)(2) of the U.S. Securities Act; and (c) in jurisdictions outside of Canada and the United States as are agreed to by Americas and the Underwriters on a private placement or equivalent basis.
This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States, Canada or in any other jurisdiction where such offer, solicitation or sale is unlawful. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “U.S. Securities Act”), or under any securities laws of any state of the United States, and may not be offered or sold, directly or indirectly, or delivered within the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, a U.S. person or person in the United States, except in certain transactions exempt from the registration requirements of the U.S. Securities Act and any applicable securities laws of any state of the United States. “United States” and “U.S. person” are as defined in Regulation S under the U.S. Securities Act.
Advisors
Edgehill Advisory Ltd. and TD Securities Inc. are acting as financial advisors to Americas, and Torys LLP is acting as legal counsel to Americas in connection with the Acquisition.
Cormark Securities Inc. is acting as financial advisor to Sprott, and Bennett Jones LLP is acting as legal counsel to Sprott in connection with the Acquisition.
About Americas Gold and Silver Corporation
Americas Gold and Silver Corporation is a high-growth precious metals mining company with multiple assets in North America. The Company owns and operates the Cosalá Operations in Sinaloa, Mexico, manages the 60%-owned Galena Complex in Idaho, USA, and is re-evaluating the Relief Canyon mine in Nevada, USA. The Company also owns the San Felipe development project in Sonora, Mexico. For further information, please see SEDAR+ or www.americas-gold.com.
Technical Information and Qualified Persons
The scientific and technical information relating to the Company’s material mining properties contained herein has been reviewed and approved by Chris McCann, P.Eng., Vice President, Technical Services of the Company. The Company’s current Annual Information Form and the NI 43-101 Technical Reports for its mineral properties, all of which are available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca, and EDGAR at www.sec.gov, contain further details regarding mineral reserve and mineral resource estimates, classification and reporting parameters, key assumptions and associated risks for each of the Company’s material mineral properties, including a breakdown by category.
All mining terms used herein have the meanings set forth in National Instrument 43-101 – Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (“NI 43-101”), as required by Canadian securities regulatory authorities. These standards differ from the requirements of the SEC that are applicable to domestic United States reporting companies. Any mineral reserves and mineral resources reported by the Company in accordance with NI 43-101 may not qualify as such under SEC standards. Accordingly, information contained in this news release may not be comparable to similar information made public by companies subject to the SEC’s reporting and disclosure requirements.
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