Gulfport Energy Corporation Launches Common Stock Offering

OKLAHOMA CITY, Dec. 14, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gulfport Energy Corporation (NASDAQ:GPOR) (“Gulfport”) today announced the commencement of an underwritten public offering of 29,000,000 shares of its common stock, subject to market and other conditions. The underwriters will have a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 4,350,000 shares from Gulfport. Gulfport intends to use the net proceeds from this offering, together with the net proceeds from its concurrent debt offering, (i) primarily to fund the cash portion of the purchase price for its previously announced pending acquisition of certain assets of Vitruvian II Woodford, LLC and (ii) for general corporate purposes, which may include the funding of a portion of its capital development plans.  If the pending acquisition is not consummated, or to the extent that the purchase price is reduced due to a purchase price adjustment under the related purchase agreement, Gulfport intends to use any such proceeds for general corporate purposes, including the funding of a portion of its capital development plans.

Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC and BofA Merrill Lynch are acting as joint book-running managers in the offering. Copies of the preliminary prospectus supplement for the offering may be obtained on the website of the Securities and Exchange Commission, www.sec.gov, or by contacting (i) Credit Suisse Securities (USA) LLC, Prospectus Department, at One Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10010, or by telephone at (800) 221-1037, or (ii) BofA Merrill Lynch at NC1-004-03-43, 200 North College Street, 3rd floor, Charlotte, North Carolina 28255-0001, Attn: Prospectus Department, or by email at dg.prospectus_requests@baml.com.

The common stock will be issued and sold pursuant to an effective automatic shelf registration statement on Form S-3 previously filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such state or jurisdiction. This offering may only be made by means of a prospectus supplement and related base prospectus.

About Gulfport
Gulfport Energy Corporation is an Oklahoma City-based independent oil and natural gas exploration and production company with its principal producing properties located in the Utica Shale of Eastern Ohio and along the Louisiana Gulf Coast. In addition, Gulfport holds a sizeable acreage position in the Alberta Oil Sands in Canada through its 24.9% interest in Grizzly Oil Sands ULC.

Forward Looking Statements
Certain statements included in this press release are intended as “forward-looking statements.” These statements include assumptions, expectations, predictions, intentions or beliefs about future events, particularly the consummation of the transactions described above. Gulfport cautions that actual future results may vary materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements. Specifically, Gulfport cannot assure you that the proposed transaction described above will be consummated on the terms Gulfport currently contemplates, if at all. Information concerning these and other factors can be found in Gulfport’s filings with the SEC, including its Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K, which can be obtained free of charge on the SEC’s web site at http://www.sec.gov.

Any forward-looking statements made in this press release speak only as of the date of this release and, except as required by law, Gulfport undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement contained in this press release, even if Gulfport’s expectations or any related events, conditions or circumstances change. Gulfport is not responsible for any changes made to this release by wire or Internet services.

Investor & Media Contacts:
Paul K. Heerwagen IV – Vice President, Corporate Development
pheerwagen@gulfportenergy.com
405-242-4888

Jessica R. Wills – Manager, Investor Relations and Research
jwills@gulfportenergy.com
405-242-4421

Released December 14, 2016