425
Filed by General Geophysics Co.
Pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act of 1933
and deemed filed pursuant to Rule 14a-12
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Subject Company: Veritas DGC Inc. Convertible Bond
Commission File No.: 001-07427
COMPAGNIE GENERALE DE GEOPHYSIQUE
(ISIN : 0000120164 NYSE : GGY)
The following is a transcript of a conference call held on September 8, 2006, by
Stéphane Paul FRYDMAN, Group Controller, Treasurer and Deputy CFO of Compagnie Générale de
Géophysique (General Geophysics Company), with investors and analysts.
COMPAGNIE GENERALE DE GEOPHYSIQUE
Moderator : Stephane-Paul Frydman
September 8, 2006
8:00 a.m. CT
Operator: Good day everyone and welcome todays CGG convertible bond conference call. Todays
call is being recorded.
At this time, I would like to turn the conference over to Mr. Stephane-Paul Frydman, Deputy
Chief Financial Officer. Please go ahead, sir.
Stephane-Paul Frydman: As we announced during Tuesdays conference call, this present conference
call is mostly dedicated to Veritas convertible bondholders who want additional information
about the way this convertible bond will be treated in the scope of the merger we announced on
Tuesday.
So
maybe to begin with, some reminder and context elements about our CGG - Veritas
transaction. First, the purpose of this transaction is a combination between CGG and
Veritas to create the worldwide leader of the seismic industry. Then the offer in itself
consists in the purchase of one hundred percent of Veritas shares on a fully diluted basis,
i.e., including the shares to be issued potentially after the conversion of the
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convert against a fixed amount of cash we said circa $1.5 billion and a fixed amount of CGG
ADS circa 47.5 million of ADS equivalent to 9.5 million shares of CGG.
Finally, the direct allocation of cash and/or CGG shares against Veritas shares will
be carried out through a cash election process whose result will depend on two main
drivers. First, the final proportion of electing shareholders among all shareholders and
second, among the electing shareholders the final election by such shareholders to receive
CGG ADS compared to the fixed global amount of ADS offered, leading to an over or an
under-subscription of such ADS. At this stage, two comments have to be made. No one can
easily predict what will be the weight of the non-electing shareholders and beyond that,
what will be the nature of the consideration such non-electing shareholders will receive at
the end: either stock, cash, or both. The second comment is that, whatever is the
allocation at the end between cash and stock against Veritas share, each shareholder will
receive an equal consideration in terms of value.
To conclude this introduction, I have to say that the last week has been very exciting
for us at CGG and Veritas. Feedback from the investing community has been positive at this
stage and the market is clearly seeing the pending merger as a good strategic fit.
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The management of CGG and Thierry PILENKO, the CEO of Veritas, will make road-shows
the week to come - in the U.S. (East Coast, Mid West and West Coast), after a first two-day
road show in Paris and London, and before going to the rest of Europe the following week.
So to come now precisely to the treatment of the bondholders in the merging process,
we have to mention the following elements. First the merger will clearly constitute a
change of control under the indenture of Veritas, meaning that any
convertible bonds that
are not converted prior to the effective time of the merger or redeemed by the company for
cash will clearly remain outstanding. Second, under the indenture, following the merger,
outstanding convertible bond will be entitled to receive, upon conversion, the cash and/or
the ADS that the non-electing shareholders of Veritas (i.e. Veritas shareholders who do not
make cash or stock election) would have received in the merger. Such amount will not be
determined until the closing of the merger. So just a reminder concerning the cash election
process. First, the merger agreement contemplates an election period that ends 33 days
after the proxy statement is mailed to Veritas shareholders.
Second, the solicitation period for the Veritas special meeting will be at least 20
business days pursuant to applicable laws and regulations Finally, under the merger
agreement, the holders of non electing shares
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could be allocated either cash or CGG ADS or a combination of both as stated previously,
knowing that, in all cases this allocation may not be known until shortly or even after the
closing.
At the end, a holder of convertible bonds that wishes to have the right to make an
election should tender its convertible bonds for conversion sufficiently in advance of the
election deadline, and return properly completed election form prior to the election
deadline with respect to the shares of Veritas received
upon conversion.
So as a conclusion, and before we proceed with your questions, I just want to remind
that should you need some further details on the merger process in itself, the merger
agreement is directly available on our CGG web site. We are ready for Q&A.
Operator: Thank you. Todays question and answer session will be conducted electronically. If
you would wish to ask a question, simply press the star key followed by the digit one on your
telephone keypad. If you are on a speakerphone, please make sure your mute function is turned
off to allow your signal to reach our equipment. Once again, it is star one to ask a
question. And well pause for just a moment.
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Our first question comes from Dan Berkery with OConnor. Please go ahead.
Dan Berkery: Hi, ((inaudible)), I got on a little late. So some of the stuff you might have
covered in the introduction. Maybe you could go over it one more time. But did you explain
the equalization method, and as I read it, on the equalization method, the unelecting
shareholders should be receiving the same value as the electing shareholders?
Stephane-Paul Frydman: Yes.
Dan Berkery: And further so that if basically if the Veritas common stock you know, convertible
into the ADS does not close at 75, what is going to happen is that assuming that some group of
shareholders make a rational decision, is that the unelected shareholders would be pro-rated
down to a cash or stock equal in value to the electing shareholders. Is that the correct read
of the equalization factor?
Stephane-Paul Frydman: The equalization factor is not based on $75.
Dan Berkery: Its based on everybody getting the same thing though.
Stephane-Paul Frydman: Yes.
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Dan Berkery: So if the stock were to close above or below 75, and there is some group of
rational shareholders, then it would you know logic would dictate then that everybody gets the
same consideration you know value.
Stephane-Paul Frydman: It will depend on the level of the stock, and notably on the level of CGG
ADS on the date of the merger in itself since the offer is against share, including the
underlying shares of the convert.
For a hundred percent of the Veritas shares we offer a fixed amount of cash and a
fixed number of ADS. So the value which will be proposed on merger day, will be globally
the offered amount of cash, i.e. one billion and a half roughly, and the value at that time
of 47.5 million ADS.
And then when I said that, it will be, I dont know, maybe $70, or $80 and what we are
saying is looking at the value of the Veritas share at that time, the equalization process
will be neutral at that time, meaning that the shareholders of Veritas will receive a
combination of a cash component and portion of CGG ADS, but whatever
is the pro rata
between these two components, it will always be the same amount in value.
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Dan Berkery: So let me just ask you a separate so as you envision the equalization feature
working, both the electing and the unelecting shareholders should receive the same value for
their consideration.
Stephane-Paul Frydman: There is a priority. You are right in terms of value.
For any shareholder,
whether they are electing or not electing, they will receive in value an equal amount. What
will change is the sharing between the cash component and the share component. If for
example, you are an electing shareholder, saying well I have one Veritas share and what I
want, preferentially, is 100 percent of CGG shares, you will be treated in that way
preferentially versus another electing shareholder saying I want 100 percent cash. And
those two guys will be also treated differently than the guys saying wellI dont want to
elect, I will have what will remain at the end. But anyway, these three guys will have at
the end the same value.
Dan Berkery: So you will pro-rate them to basically get so that they all get equal value at the
end.
Stephane-Paul Frydman: Exactly and preferentially according to what they asked.
Dan Berkery: OK.
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Dan Berkery: Right. OK. The second question is you have had a few days now to look at this
convertible and everything. Does CGG want to keep this outstanding after the merger?
Stephane-Paul Frydman: Well I think I have not really an opinion to give you on that. Clearly in
the past we had a convertible.
Dan Berkery: Whats the interest rate on the bridge loan?
Stephane-Paul Frydman: it is not the same rate than under the convert, but it is not also the same
sharing in terms of upside or downside (meaning risk) between the shareholders and the
bondholders. So anyway, the convertible is obviously cheaper in terms of interest rate than
what we will pay under the bridge loan or even under the loan we will have to enter into to
refinance the bridge loan. For sure its libor plus and not libor minus something as under
the convertible indenture.
But this is lets say the debt standpoint but you also have the shareholder
standpoint. And so previously we had a convert and then we decided to exit such convert
and that was done. Now as bondholder you have the choice. You may want to take share or
prefer receiving cash. In order to
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have the right of a shareholder in the merging process you have to become a shareholder,
meaning that you have to convert your bonds and you are allowed to do that, both before we
are in the merging process and also before taking into account , as you may better know
than me, the finance level of this Veritas stock versus the initial issuing level.
Dan Berkery: OK. Well Ill let other people ask questions, and I will ask a follow-up later.
Stephane-Paul Frydman: OK.
Operator: Thank you. Once again if you would like to ask a question or make a comment, it is star
one on your telephone keypad. Well pause for just a moment.
And it looks like we do have a follow-up question from Dan Berkery. Please go ahead.
Oh I am sorry. We just lost Mr. Berkery. And once again if you have a question, it is
star one on your telephone keypad. As a final reminder, it is star one if you would like
to ask a question or make a comment.
Stephane-Paul Frydman: OK.
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Operator: We now have a call from Thad Teaford from Carlson Capital. Please go ahead.
Thad Teaford: Yes, I actually had a separate question. I was wondering if you guys could kind of
you guys talked about this a little bit on the merger call earlier in the week. But I was
wondering if you guys could sort of discuss the extended due diligence that was performed on
Veritas.
Stephane-Paul Frydman: We entered into an exclusivity agreement two or three days before we start
discussing the merger agreement and we carried out a due diligence process on a very short
period. If you read the merger agreement, you will see that there are many representations and
warranties made by each party and that we were under a global disclosure mode. We have a
disclosure letter saying what is going on in the company. For obvious reasons, we havent had
access to any privileged information. So we are mainly under a process of disclosure and
representations and warranties. I dont know if I answered exactly to your question. But if
you look at the merger agreement, you will see in detail what are the respective commitments
of CGG and Veritas.
Thad Teaford: Right. I noticed that. I guess I just, as you alluded to, it looks like the
confidentiality agreement was signed sort of earlier in August. So it
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didnt look like too much time had elapsed. But certainly you guys are very familiar with
their company.
Stephane-Paul Frydman: Anyway, once we file the F4 with the SEC and we hope to do that around mid-
October, you will have a description of the merger story including a detailed time schedule of
discussions between both companies.
Thad Teaford: OK thanks a lot.
Operator: Well now go to a follow-up question from Dan Berkery. Please go ahead.
Dan Berkery: Hi, you there again, ((inaudible))?
Stephane-Paul Frydman: Hello.
Dan Berkery: I was just sort of following up on the convertible bond outstanding question. If
the company were I guess if the company were indifferent on whether or not the convertible
bond stays outstanding or actually would prefer it not to stay outstanding, I think the
current method of you know converting the shares and seeing the unelected shareholders is
going to
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lead to at least a portion of the convertible bonds converting ahead of time and electing.
At some point, would the company look at basically, or has the company already looked
at you know, the advantages of leaving the bond outstanding until its call date in 2009,
versus you know continuing with the current fixed share count, fixed cash to be included
also for the convertible and not exempting that.
Dan Berkery: And what are the benefits to having the convertible convert for the company?
Stephane-Paul Frydman: Oh OK. Well ...
Dan Berkery: And what are the if there any, downsides to the company?
Stephane-Paul Frydman: On the financial standpoint, the level of interest expenses is interesting
for the company.
But you have to know that CGG is a company reporting in euros whereas the convert is
denominated in U.S. dollar. And we have had an experience with that which is the previous
convertible we had at CGG, and
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as you may know, we are filing our accounts both in U.S. GAAP and IFRS. And such a
convert, meaning a convert denominated in a given currency which is not our reporting
currency forced us to record it at its fair market value at each closing date.
And so it introduces a high volatility at our P&L level which is an inconvenience.
Obviously, this is more an accounting reason or a reporting consideration than an economic
reason but our past experience with our own convert shows that it introduces a high
volatility at our P&L level resulting in a lesser visibility on our real performance.
Dan Berkery: OK. Well that makes a lot more sense. Thank you very much for your help.
Stephane-Paul Frydman: Thanks
Operator: As a final reminder, its star one if you would like to ask a question or make a
comment.
Stephane-Paul Frydman: Thanks a lot.
Male: Yes. Just want to remind everyone on the call that any communication about CGG Veritas
transaction will be filed with the SEC and will be
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available on the CGG web site. This conference call will be transcribed and will also be
filed with the SEC and also be available on the CGG web site. Replay will be available
after we file the transcript with the SEC. Thanks a lot for listening and have a good day.
Stephane-Paul Frydman: Bye-bye.
Operator: That does conclude todays teleconference. Thank you for your participation and have a
lovely day.
END
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