(By Balaseshan) Exterran Holdings Inc. (NYSE:EXH) shares touched a new 52-week high after the natural gas compression company said its Venezuelan unit has closed the sale of assets nationalized in 2009 to PDVSA Gas S.A. for about $442 million.
Exterran received an initial payment of about $177 million in cash at closing ($50 million of which will be used to repay insurance proceeds previously collected under the policy Exterran maintained for the risk of expropriation), and is due to receive the balance principal of about $265 million in periodic cash payments through the third quarter 2016.
The net proceeds from the sale of these assets, when combined with the proceeds of about $112 million from the March 2012 sale of Exterran's Venezuelan joint venture assets which were also nationalized in 2009, total in excess of $500 million.
As previously reported with respect to the March 2012 joint venture asset sale, Exterran received $37.6 million at the closing, $4.7 million in June 2012 as an installment payment, and is due to receive the balance about $70 million in periodic cash payments through the first quarter 2016.
Exterran plans to use the initial proceeds received from the sale of its Venezuelan unit's assets of about $127 million, as well as the balance proceeds due to be received from both transactions in principal of about $335 million, as such proceeds are received, for the repayment of indebtedness and for general corporate purposes.
As a result of the nationalization of its Venezuelan unit's assets, Exterran recorded asset impairments during the year ended December 31, 2009 totaling $329.7 million ($379.7 million excluding the insurance proceeds of $50 million).
During the year ended December 31, 2009, Exterran also recognized an impairment of about $90 million to write off its investment in the joint ventures.
Exterran has agreed to suspend the arbitration proceeding previously filed by its Spanish unit against Venezuela in connection with the nationalization of its Venezuelan unit's assets, pending payment in full by PDVSA Gas of the purchase price for these assets.
The joint ventures have agreed to suspend their previously filed arbitration proceeding against Venezuela in connection with the nationalization of the joint ventures' assets, pending payment in full by PDVSA Gas of the purchase price for those assets.
EXH is trading up 12.83% at $17.50 on Tuesday. The stock has been trading between $8.07 and $18.31 for the past 52 weeks.