SEC Form 425 filed by Uniti Group Inc.

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d)

of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): March 21, 2025

Uniti Group Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

2101 Riverfront Drive, Suite A

Little Rock, Arkansas, 72202

(Address of principal executive offices)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (501) 850-0820

Not Applicable

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report.)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).

Emerging growth company ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

 Item 8.01 Other Events.

As previously announced, on May 3, 2024, Uniti Group Inc., a Maryland corporation (“Uniti” or the “Company”), entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) with Windstream Holdings II, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company (“Windstream”), pursuant to which a subsidiary of Windstream Parent, Inc. (“New Uniti”) will merge with and into Uniti (the “Merger”), with Uniti surviving as a wholly owned subsidiary of New Uniti upon the closing of the Merger (the “Closing”).

In connection with the Merger, Uniti is filing this Current Report on Form 8-K to provide the unaudited pro forma condensed combined financial statements of Uniti and Windstream, which is attached to this Current Report on Form 8-K as Exhibit 99.1 and is incorporated herein by reference.

The information contained in Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on 8-K updates and supplements the disclosure contained in Uniti’s definitive proxy statement/prospectus relating to the Merger, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on February 12, 2025. To the extent that the information in this Form 8-K differs from or updates information contained in the definitive proxy statement/prospectus, the information in this Current Report on Form 8-K shall supersede or supplement the information therein.

No Offer or Solicitation

This communication and the information contained in it are provided for information purposes only and are not intended to be and shall not constitute a solicitation of any vote or approval, or an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy, or an invitation or recommendation to subscribe for, acquire or buy securities of the Company, Windstream or New Uniti or any other financial products or securities, in any place or jurisdiction, nor shall there be any offer, solicitation or sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No offer of securities shall be made in the United States absent registration under the Securities Act. or pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, such registration requirements.

Additional Information and Where to Find It

In connection with the contemplated Merger, New Uniti has filed a registration statement on Form S-4 with the SEC, as amended (No. 333-281068), which was declared effective by the SEC on February 12, 2025 and contains a definitive proxy statement/prospectus and other documents. The definitive proxy statement/prospectus was mailed to stockholders of the Company seeking their approval of the transaction-related proposals. This communication is not a substitute for any registration statement, proxy statement/prospectus or other documents that have been or may be filed with the SEC in connection with the Merger.

THE DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC IN CONNECTION WITH THE MERGER CONTAINS IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMPANY, WINDSTREAM, NEW UNITI, THE MERGER AND RELATED MATTERS. INVESTORS SHOULD READ THE DEFINITIVE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND SUCH OTHER DOCUMENTS FILED WITH THE SEC, AS WELL AS ANY SUPPLEMENTS THERETO, CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY, BEFORE THEY MAKE ANY DECISION WITH RESPECT TO THE MERGER. The definitive proxy statement/prospectus, any supplements thereto and all other documents filed with the SEC in connection with the Merger are available free of charge on the SEC’s website (at www.sec.gov). Copies of documents filed with the SEC by the Company have been and will continue to be made available free of charge on the Company's investor relations website (at https://investor.uniti.com/financial-information/sec-filings).

 Participants in the Solicitation

The Company, Windstream and their respective directors and certain of their executive officers and other employees may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies from the Company’s stockholders in connection with the Merger. Information about the Company’s directors and executive officers is set forth in the sections titled “Proposal No. 1 Election of Directors” and “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management” included in the Company’s proxy statement for its 2024 annual meeting of stockholders, which was filed with the SEC on April 11, 2024 (and which is available at https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1620280/000110465924046100/0001104659-24-046100-index.htm), the section titled “Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance” included in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, which was filed with the SEC on February 29, 2024 (and which is available at https://www.sec.gov/ix?doc=/Archives/edgar/data/1620280/000162828024008054/unit-20231231.htm), and subsequent statements of beneficial ownership on file with the SEC and other filings made from time to time with the SEC. Additional information regarding the persons who may, under the rules of the SEC, be deemed participants in the solicitation of the Company stockholders in connection with the Merger, including a description of their direct or indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, is set forth in the definitive proxy statement/prospectus filed by New Uniti with the SEC (and which is available at https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1620280/000110465925012218/tm2412846-31_defm14a.htm).

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this Current Report on Form 8-K may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended from time to time. Those forward-looking statements include all statements that are not historical statements of fact, including, without limitation, our 2025 financial outlook, expectations regarding lease-up of our network, strong demand trends, business strategies, growth prospects, and statements regarding the Merger and potential synergies, potential cost savings and the future performance of New Uniti (together with Windstream and Uniti, the “Merged Group”). In addition, this communication contains statements concerning the intentions, beliefs and expectations, plans, strategies and objectives of the directors and management of Uniti and Windstream for Uniti and Windstream, respectively, and the Merged Group, the anticipated timing for and outcome and effects of the Merger (including expected benefits to shareholders of Uniti), expectations for the final capital structure, ongoing development and growth potential of the Merged Group and the future operation of Uniti, Windstream and the Merged Group.

Words such as "anticipate(s)," "expect(s)," "intend(s)," “estimate(s),” “foresee(s),” "plan(s)," "believe(s)," "may," "will," "would," "could," "should," "seek(s)," “appear(s),” “target(s),” “project(s),” “contemplate(s),” “predict(s),” “potential,” “continue(s)” and similar expressions, or the negative of these terms, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These statements are based on management's current expectations and beliefs and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could lead to actual results differing materially from those projected, forecasted or expected. Although we believe that the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that our expectations will be attained. Factors which could materially alter our expectations include, but are not limited to, the future prospects of Windstream, our largest customer; the ability and willingness of our customers to renew their leases with us upon their expiration, and the ability to reposition our properties on the same or better terms in the event of nonrenewal or in the event we replace an existing tenant; the availability of and our ability to identify suitable acquisition opportunities and our ability to acquire and lease the respective properties on favorable terms; the risk that we fail to fully realize the potential benefits of acquisitions or have difficulty integrating acquired companies; our ability to generate sufficient cash flows to service our outstanding indebtedness and fund our capital funding commitments; our ability to access debt and equity capital markets; the impact on our business or the business of our customers as a result of credit rating downgrades and fluctuating interest rates; our ability to retain our key management personnel; changes in the U.S. tax law and other state, federal or local laws, whether or not specific to real estate investment trusts; covenants in our debt agreements that may limit our operational flexibility; the possibility that we may experience equipment failures, natural disasters, cyber-attacks or terrorist attacks for which our insurance may not provide adequate coverage; other risks inherent in the communications industry and in the ownership of communications distribution systems, including potential liability relating to environmental matters and illiquidity of real estate investments; the satisfaction of the conditions precedent to the consummation of the Merger, including, without limitation, the receipt of shareholder and regulatory approvals on the terms desired or anticipated; unanticipated difficulties or expenditures relating to the Merger, including, without limitation, difficulties that result in the failure to realize expected synergies, efficiencies and cost savings from the Merger within the expected time period (if at all); potential difficulties in Uniti’s and Windstream’s ability to retain employees as a result of the announcement and pendency of the Merger; risks relating to the value of New Uniti’s securities to be issued in connection with the Merger; disruptions of Uniti’s and Windstream’s current plans, operations and relationships with customers caused by the announcement and pendency of the Merger; legal proceedings that may be instituted against Uniti or Windstream following announcement of the Merger; funding requirements; regulatory restrictions (including changes in regulatory restrictions or regulatory policy); and additional factors described in our reports filed with the SEC.

There can be no assurance that the Merger will be implemented or that plans of the respective directors and management of Uniti and Windstream for the Merged Group will proceed as currently expected or will ultimately be successful. Investors are strongly cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, including in respect of the financial or operating outlook for Uniti, Windstream or the Merged Group (including the realization of any potential cost savings or expected synergies). See also “Additional Information and Where to Find it.”

All forward-looking statements are based on information and estimates available at the time of this communication and are not guarantees of future performance.

Except as required by applicable law, Uniti does not assume any obligation to, and expressly disclaims any duty to, provide any additional or updated information or to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results, or otherwise. Nothing in this communication will, under any circumstances (including by reason of this communication remaining available and not being superseded or replaced by any other presentation or publication with respect to Uniti, Windstream or the Merged Group, or the subject matter of this communication), create an implication that there has been no change in the affairs of Uniti or Windstream since the date of this communication.

Item 9.01 Financial Statements and Exhibits

(d) Exhibits

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.