Filed Pursuant to Rule 424(b)(4)
Registration Number 333-158556

 

 

15,200,000 Shares

SandRidge Energy, Inc.

Common Stock

 

SandRidge Energy, Inc. is offering 12,200,000 shares of its common stock, and Tom L. Ward, the Company’s Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President, is offering 3,000,000 shares of the Company’s common stock, pursuant to this prospectus supplement. The Company will not receive any of the proceeds from the shares of its common stock sold by Mr. Ward.

 

The Company’s common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “SD.” The last reported sales price of its common stock on the New York Stock Exchange on April 22, 2009 was $8.22 per share.

 

 

 

 

Investing in the Company’s securities involves risks. See “Risk Factors” beginning on page S-3 of this prospectus supplement.

 

 

 

 

PRICE $7.60 PER SHARE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Company has granted the underwriter a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 2,280,000 shares of common stock from it on the same terms and conditions as set forth above to cover over-allotments if the underwriters sell more than 15,200,000 shares in this offering.

 

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus supplement or the accompanying base prospectuses are truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

The underwriters expect to deliver the shares on or about April 29, 2009.  

 

 

 

 

Book-Running Manager
MORGAN STANLEY

 

 

 

 

Co-Managers

 

April 23, 2009

 

This document is in two parts. The first part is the prospectus supplement, which describes the specific terms of this offering of common stock. The second part is the accompanying prospectuses, which give more general information, some of which may not apply to the common stock. If the information relating to the offering varies between the prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectuses, you should rely on the information in this prospectus supplement.

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

You should rely only on the information contained in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectuses. Neither we nor the selling stockholder have authorized any dealer, salesman or other person to provide you with additional or different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. This prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectuses are not an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities other than the securities to which they relate and are not an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in any jurisdiction to any person to whom it is unlawful to make an offer or solicitation in that jurisdiction. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus supplement is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front cover of this prospectus supplement, or that the information contained in any document incorporated by reference is accurate as of any date other than the date of the document incorporated by reference, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus supplement or any sale of a security.

 

WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION

 

We file annual, quarterly and current reports and other information with the SEC (File No. 001-33784) pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). You may read and copy any documents that are filed at the SEC’s public reference room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You may also obtain copies of these documents at prescribed rates from the public reference section of the SEC at its Washington address. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information.

 

Our filings are also available to the public through the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

 

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” information that we file with them, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to documents previously filed with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus supplement, and the information that we later file with the SEC will automatically update and supersede this information. The following documents we filed with the SEC pursuant to the Exchange Act are incorporated herein by reference:

 

 

These reports contain important information about us, our financial condition and our results of operations.

 

All future documents filed pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act (excluding any information furnished pursuant to Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 on any Current Report on Form 8-K) before the termination of the offering under this prospectus supplement shall be deemed to be incorporated in this prospectus supplement by reference and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents. Any statement contained herein, or in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein, shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus supplement to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any subsequently filed document that also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein, modified or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this prospectus supplement.

You may request a copy of these filings at no cost by writing or telephoning us at the following address and telephone number:

 

Richard J. Gognat
Corporate Secretary
SandRidge Energy, Inc.
123 Robert S. Kerr Avenue
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73102-6406
(405) 429-5500

 

We also maintain a website at http://www.sandridgeenergy.com. However, the information on our website is not part of this prospectus supplement.

 

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

Various statements contained in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement, our filings with the SEC and our public releases, including those that express a belief, expectation, or intention, as well as those that are not statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. These forward-looking statements may include projections and estimates concerning capital expenditures, our liquidity and capital resources, the timing and success of specific projects, outcomes and effects of litigation, claims and disputes, elements of our business strategy and other statements concerning our operations, economic performance and financial condition. Forward-looking statements are generally accompanied by words such as “estimate,” “project,” “predict,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “potential,” “could,” “may,” “foresee,” “plan,” “goal” or other words that convey the uncertainty of future events or outcomes. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and assumptions about future events. These statements are based on certain assumptions and analyses made by us in light of our experience and our perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments as well as other factors we believe are appropriate under the circumstances. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this prospectus supplement; we disclaim any obligation to update or revise these statements unless required by securities law, and we caution you not to rely on them unduly. While our management considers these expectations and assumptions to be reasonable, they are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, regulatory and other risks, contingencies and uncertainties relating to, among other matters, the risks discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008 and our subsequent SEC filings and those factors summarized below:

 

 

 

SUMMARY

	•	The sale of non-core deep drilling rights relating to our East Texas properties. We expect to retain our rights to approximately 13,000 net leased acres in Louisiana that may be prospective for Haynesville Shale exploration.
	•	The negotiation for a participation arrangement for our Piñon Field drilling program pursuant to which a third party would pay a portion of drilling costs to acquire a working interest in newly drilled wells. The expected investment would initially call for a $15 million commitment and, subject to a mutual option, up to an aggregate $75 million in drilling commitment from the third party.
	•	The sale of an interest in or the creation of a joint venture with our midstream assets located in the Piñon Field. Based on preliminary indications of interest, we expect to consummate a transaction for our midstream assets in the Piñon Field in the second or third quarter of 2009. This transaction is expected to include an initial investment of $200 to $300 million with potential for future capital investments for infrastructure expansions.

Issuer		SandRidge Energy, Inc.
Shares of common stock offered by us		12,200,000 shares (14,480,000 shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full).
Shares of common stock offered by Mr. Ward		3,000,000 shares.
Shares of common stock outstanding following this offering(1)		179,656,399 shares (181,936,399 shares if the underwriters’ over-allotment option is exercised in full).
Use of proceeds		The net proceeds of the sale of the shares offered by us will be used for general corporate purposes, including to repay a portion of the amount outstanding under our revolving credit facility and to fund a portion of our 2009 exploration and development budget and other capital expenditures. We will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of the shares by Mr. Ward. See “Use of Proceeds.”
Trading symbol for our common stock		Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “SD.”

(1)		The number of shares of common stock to be outstanding after this offering is based on 167,456,399 shares of common stock outstanding as of April 8, 2009 and excludes 33,073,323 shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of our outstanding convertible preferred stock.

 

An investment in our common stock involves risk. You should carefully read the risk factors included under the caption “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008, together with all of the other information included in this prospectus supplement, the accompanying prospectuses and the documents we have incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement in evaluating an investment in our common stock. If any of the described risks actually were to occur, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be affected materially and adversely. In that case, the trading price of our common stock could decline and you could lose all or part of your investment.

 

We expect the net proceeds from the sale of the shares offered by us to be approximately $90.8 million, after deducting the estimated expenses of the offering payable by us. We will not receive any of the proceeds from the sale of shares by Mr. Ward.

 

We intend to use the net proceeds from the sale of the shares offered by us for general corporate purposes, including (i) to repay a portion of the amount outstanding under our revolving credit facility, which had a balance of $610.9 million as of March 31, 2009, and (ii) to fund our 2009 capital expenditure program. Borrowings under the revolving credit facility were incurred for general corporate purposes, including the funding of our capital expenditures program. Our revolving credit facility matures in November 2011 and bore interest at an annual rate of 2.14% as of March 31, 2009.

 

We expect to fund the remaining capital expenditures for 2009 not funded with net proceeds from the sale of the shares offered by us from cash flow from operations, additional borrowings under our revolving credit facility and, if completed, any proceeds we receive from the strategic transactions that we are pursuing described under “Summary — Recent Developments.” Please see “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations — Liquidity and Capital Resources” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008, which is incorporated by reference into this prospectus supplement.

 

Our common stock is traded on the NYSE under the symbol “SD.” The following table sets forth the range of high and low sales prices per share of our common stock for each calendar quarter.

 

 

On April 22, 2009, the closing sale price of our common stock, as reported by the New York Stock Exchange, was $8.22 per share. On March 31, 2009, there were approximately 261 holders of record.

 

We have neither declared nor paid any cash dividends on our common stock, and we do not anticipate declaring any dividends in the foreseeable future. We expect to retain our cash for the operation and expansion of our business, including exploration, development and production activities. In addition, our revolving credit facility and certain of our indentures contain restrictions on the payment of dividends to the holders of our common stock.

 

Tom L. Ward, our Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President, is offering 3,000,000 shares of our common stock pursuant to this prospectus supplement. We refer to Mr. Ward as the “selling stockholder” in this prospectus supplement. The following table sets forth certain information regarding the selling stockholder’s beneficial ownership of our common stock as of April 8, 2009, when there were 167,456,399 shares of our common stock outstanding. The information presented below is based solely on our review of information provided by the selling stockholder.

 

 

 

 

The following is a general discussion of the principal U.S. federal income and estate tax consequences of the ownership and disposition of our common stock by a non-U.S. holder. As used in this discussion, the term “non-U.S. holder” means a beneficial owner of our common stock that is not, for U.S. federal income tax purposes:

 

 

In any calendar year, an individual may be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a resident of the United States by, among other ways, being present in the United States for at least 31 days in that calendar year and for an aggregate of at least 183 days during a three-year period ending in the current calendar year. For purposes of the 183-day calculation, all of the days on which such individual was present in the current year, one-third of the days in the immediately preceding year and one-sixth of the days in the second preceding year are counted. Residents are taxed for U.S. federal income tax purposes as if they were U.S. citizens. This discussion does not consider:

 

 

The following discussion is based on provisions of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the “Code”), existing and proposed U.S. Treasury Regulations and administrative and judicial interpretations, all as of the date of this prospectus supplement, and all of which are subject to change, retroactively or prospectively. The following summary assumes that a non-U.S. holder holds our common stock as a capital asset.

 

Each non-U.S. holder should consult a tax advisor regarding the U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S. income and other tax consequences of acquiring, holding and disposing of shares of our common stock.

 

Distributions on Common Stock

 

We do not expect to pay any cash distributions on our common stock in the foreseeable future; however, in the event that we do make such cash distributions, these distributions generally will constitute dividends for U.S. federal income tax purposes to the extent paid from our current or accumulated earnings and profits, as determined under U.S. federal income tax principles. Any amount paid in excess of such earnings and profits generally will be treated as a recovery of tax basis, to the extent thereof, and then gain from sale. Distributions paid to non-U.S. holders of our common stock that are not effectively connected with the non-U.S. holder’s conduct of a U.S. trade or business generally will be subject to U.S. withholding tax at a 30% rate, or if an income tax treaty applies, a lower rate specified by the treaty.

A non-U.S. holder that claims the benefit of an applicable income tax treaty generally will be required to provide an Internal Revenue Service Form W-8 BEN and meet certain other requirements. However,

 

 

A non-U.S. holder that is a foreign partnership or a foreign trust is urged to consult its own tax advisor regarding its status under these U.S. Treasury Regulations and the certification requirements applicable to it.

 

A non-U.S. holder that is eligible for a reduced rate of U.S. federal withholding tax under an income tax treaty may obtain a refund or credit of any excess amounts withheld by filing an appropriate claim for refund with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. Non-U.S. holders should consult their tax advisors regarding their entitlement to benefits under a relevant income tax treaty.

 

Dividends that are effectively connected with a non-U.S. holder’s conduct of a trade or business in the United States and, if an income tax treaty applies, are attributable to a permanent establishment in the United States, are taxed on a net income basis at the regular graduated rates and in the manner applicable to United States persons. In that case, we will not withhold U.S. federal withholding tax if the non-U.S. holder complies with applicable certification and disclosure requirements (including providing Internal Revenue Service Form W-8 ECI). In addition, a “branch profits tax” may be imposed at a 30% rate, or a lower rate under an applicable income tax treaty, on dividends received by a foreign corporation that are effectively connected with its conduct of a trade or business in the United States.

 

Disposition of Common Stock

 

We believe that we are a United States real property holding corporation. Generally, a corporation is a United States real property holding corporation if the fair market value of its United States real property interests equals or exceeds 50% of the sum of the fair market value of its worldwide real property interests and its other assets used or held for use in a trade or business. Notwithstanding our status as a United States real property holding corporation, a non-U.S. holder of our common stock generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on gain recognized on a disposition of our common stock unless:

 

 

Non-United States holders should consult their own tax advisors with respect to the application of the foregoing rules.

U.S. Federal Estate Tax

 

Common stock owned or treated as owned by an individual who is a non-U.S. holder for U.S. federal estate tax purposes at the time of death will be included in the individual’s gross estate for U.S. federal estate tax purposes, unless an applicable estate tax or other treaty provides otherwise, and therefore may be subject to U.S. federal estate tax.

 

Information Reporting and Backup Withholding Tax

 

Generally, we must report annually to any non-U.S. holder and the U.S. Internal Revenue Service the amount of any dividends paid to such holder, the holder’s name and address, and the amount, if any, of tax withheld. Copies of the information returns reporting those dividends and amounts withheld also may be made available to the tax authorities in the country in which the non-U.S. holder resides under the provisions of any applicable income tax treaty or exchange of information agreement.

 

In addition to information reporting requirements, dividends paid to a non-U.S. holder may be subject to U.S. backup withholding tax. A non-U.S. holder generally will be exempt from this backup withholding tax, however, if such holder properly provides a Form W-8BEN certifying that such holder is a non-United States person or otherwise establishes an exemption and we do not know or have reason to know that the holder is a United States person.

 

The gross proceeds from the disposition of our common stock may be subject to information reporting and backup withholding. If a non-U.S. holder sells shares of our common stock outside the United States through a non-U.S. office of a non-U.S. broker and the sales proceeds are paid to such holder outside the United States, then the U.S. backup withholding and information reporting requirements generally will not apply to that payment. However, U.S. information reporting, but not backup withholding, generally will apply to a payment of sales proceeds, even if that payment is made outside the United States, if the non-U.S. holder sells shares of our common stock through a non-U.S. office of a broker that:

 

 

unless the broker has documentary evidence in its files that the holder is not a United States person and certain other conditions are met, or the holder otherwise establishes an exemption.

 

If a non-U.S. holder receives payments of the proceeds of a sale of our common stock to or through a U.S. office of a broker, the payment will be subject to both U.S. backup withholding and information reporting unless such holder properly provides a Form W-8BEN certifying that such holder is not a United States person or otherwise establishes an exemption, and we do not know or have reason to know that such holder is a United States person.

 

A non-U.S. holder generally may obtain a refund of any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules that exceed such holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability by timely filing a properly completed claim for refund with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service.

 

Under the terms and subject to the conditions contained in the underwriting agreement dated the date of this prospectus supplement, the underwriters below, for whom Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated is acting as the representative, have agreed to purchase, and we and the selling stockholder have agreed to sell to the underwriters, 12,200,000 and 3,000,000 shares of our common stock, respectively.

 

Each underwriter has agreed to purchase the number of shares of common stock listed next to its name in the following table:

 

 

The underwriters are offering the shares of common stock subject to their acceptance of the shares from us and the selling stockholder and subject to prior sale. The underwriting agreement provides that the obligations of the several underwriters to pay for and accept delivery of the common stock offered by this prospectus supplement are subject to the approval of certain legal matters by their counsel and to certain other conditions. The underwriters are obligated to take and pay for all of the shares of common stock offered by this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectuses if any such shares are taken.

 

In connection with the sale of common stock offered hereby, the underwriters may be deemed to have received compensation in the form of underwriting discounts. The underwriters may effect the offering of the common stock by selling shares of the common stock offered hereby to or through dealers, and such dealers may receive compensation in the form of discounts, concessions or commissions from the underwriters or purchasers of shares of common stock for whom they may act as agents or to whom they may sell as principal.

 

We have granted the underwriters a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 2,280,000 shares of common stock from us to cover over-allotments if the underwriters sell more than 15,200,000 shares in this offering. If any additional shares of common stock are purchased to cover over-allotments, the underwriters will offer the additional shares on the same terms as those on which the shares purchased from us are being offered.

 

We, the selling stockholder and our senior executive officers and directors have agreed that, without the prior written consent of Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated on behalf of the underwriters, none of us will, during the period ending 60 days after the date of this prospectus supplement:

 

 

whether any such transaction described above is to be settled by delivery of our common stock or other securities, in cash or otherwise. The restrictions described in this paragraph do not apply to:

 

 

The lock-up agreement that the selling stockholder entered into contains an exception for 28,878,754 shares of our common stock that he pledged as a portion of the collateral for a personal loan and any additional shares of our common stock he may pledge as collateral for such loan. If the selling stockholder defaults on this loan, the lender may foreclose on and sell these shares pursuant to an exemption under the Securities Act notwithstanding the lock-up agreement.

 

The estimated offering expenses payable by us are approximately $200,000, which includes legal, accounting and printing costs and various other fees associated with registering the common stock.

 

In order to facilitate the offering of the common stock, the underwriters may engage in transactions that stabilize, maintain or otherwise affect the price of the common stock. Specifically, the underwriters may sell more stock than they are obligated to purchase under the underwriting agreement, creating a naked short position. The underwriters must close out any naked short position by purchasing stock in the open market. A naked short position is more likely to be created if the underwriters are concerned that there may be downward pressure on the price of the common stock in the open market after pricing that could adversely affect investors who purchase in this offering. In addition, to stabilize the price of the common stock, the underwriters may bid for, and purchase, common stock in the open market. Any of these activities may stabilize or maintain the market price of the common stock above independent market levels. The underwriters are not required to engage in these activities, and may end any of these activities at any time.

 

From time to time, the underwriters and their affiliates have provided, and continue to provide, investment banking and other services to us for which they receive customary fees and commissions. An affiliate of Morgan Stanley & Co. Incorporated is a lender under our revolving credit facility, which we intend to repay with a portion of the net proceeds of the sale of the shares offered by us.

 

The common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “SD.”

 

We, the selling stockholder and the underwriters have agreed to indemnify each other against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act.

 

In relation to each Member State of the European Economic Area which has implemented the Prospectus Directive, the underwriters have represented and agreed that with effect from and including the date on which the Prospectus Directive is implemented in that Member State it has not made and will not make an offer of shares to the public in that Member State, except that it may, with effect from and including such date, make an offer of shares to the public in that Member State:

 

 

 

 

For the purposes of the above, the expression an “offer of shares to the public” in relation to any shares in any Member State means the communication in any form and by any means of sufficient information on the terms of the offer and the shares to be offered so as to enable an investor to decide to purchase or subscribe the shares, as the same may be varied in that Member State by any measure implementing the Prospectus Directive in that Member State and the expression Prospectus Directive means Directive 2003/71/ EC and includes any relevant implementing measure in that Member State.

 

The underwriters have represented and agreed that they have only communicated or caused to be communicated and will only communicate or cause to be communicated an invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of Section 21 of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000) in connection with the issue or sale of the shares in circumstances in which Section 21(1) of such Act does not apply to us and they have complied and will comply with all applicable provisions of such Act with respect to anything done by them in relation to any shares in, from or otherwise involving the United Kingdom.

 

Certain legal matters in connection with the securities will be passed upon by Vinson & Elkins L.L.P., Houston, Texas, as our counsel. Certain legal matters will be passed upon for the purchasers by Davis Polk & Wardwell, New York, New York.

 

The financial statements and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting (which is included in Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting) incorporated in this prospectus supplement by reference to the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008 have been so incorporated in reliance on the report of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.

 

The estimated reserve evaluations and related calculations for our WTO, East Texas, Gulf of Mexico, Gulf Coast and certain other properties as of December 31, 2006, 2007 and 2008 have been incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement in reliance upon the report of Netherland, Sewell & Associates, Inc., independent petroleum engineering consultants, given upon their authority as experts in petroleum engineering. The estimated reserve evaluations and related calculations for our SandRidge CO₂ properties as of December 31, 2006, 2007 and 2008 have been incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement in reliance upon the report of DeGolyer and MacNaughton, independent petroleum engineering consultants, given upon their authority as experts in petroleum engineering.

PROSPECTUS

 

SandRidge Energy, Inc.

Debt Securities

Preferred Stock

Common Stock

Depositary Shares

Warrants

 

Guarantee of Debt Securities of SandRidge Energy, Inc. by:

SandRidge Onshore, LLC

Lariat Services, Inc.

SandRidge Operating Company

Integra Energy, LLC

SandRidge Exploration and Production, LLC

SandRidge Tertiary, LLC

SandRidge Midstream, Inc.

SandRidge Offshore, LLC

SandRidge Holdings, Inc.

 

We may offer and sell the securities listed above from time to time in one or more offerings in one or more classes or series. Any debt securities we offer pursuant to this prospectus may be fully and unconditionally guaranteed by certain of our subsidiaries, including SandRidge Onshore, LLC; Lariat Services, Inc.; SandRidge Operating Company; Integra Energy, LLC; SandRidge Exploration and Production, LLC; SandRidge Tertiary, LLC; SandRidge Midstream, Inc.; SandRidge Offshore, LLC; and SandRidge Holdings, Inc.

 

This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities that may be offered. Each time securities are offered, we will provide a prospectus supplement and attach it to this prospectus. The prospectus supplement will contain more specific information about the offering and the terms of the securities being offered, including any guarantees by our subsidiaries. The supplements may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. This prospectus may not be used to offer or sell securities without a prospectus supplement describing the method and terms of the offering.

 

We may sell these securities directly or through agents, underwriters or dealers, or through a combination of these methods. See “Plan of Distribution.” The prospectus supplement will list any agents, underwriters or dealers that may be involved and the compensation they will receive. The prospectus supplement will also show you the total amount of money that we will receive from selling the securities being offered, after the expenses of the offering. You should carefully read this prospectus and any accompanying prospectus supplement, together with the documents we incorporate by reference, before you invest in any of our securities.

 

Investing in any of our securities involves risk. Please read carefully the section entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 5 of this prospectus.

 

Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “SD.”

 

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

This prospectus is dated April 13, 2009.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

You should rely only on the information contained in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus and any prospectus supplement. We have not authorized any dealer, salesman or other person to provide you with additional or different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. This prospectus and any prospectus supplement are not an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities other than the securities to which they relate and are not an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in any jurisdiction to any person to whom it is unlawful to make an offer or solicitation in that jurisdiction. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front cover of this prospectus, or that the information contained in any document incorporated by reference is accurate as of any date other than the date of the document incorporated by reference, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or any sale of a security.

 

This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which we refer to as the SEC, using a “shelf” registration process. Under this shelf registration process, we may offer and sell any combination of the securities described in this prospectus in one or more offerings. This prospectus provides you with a general description of the securities we may offer. Each time we sell securities, we will provide a prospectus supplement that will contain specific information about the terms of the offering and the offered securities. The prospectus supplement may also add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. Any statement that we make in this prospectus will be modified or superseded by any inconsistent statement made by us in a prospectus supplement. You should read both this prospectus and any prospectus supplement together with additional information described under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information.”

 

Unless the context requires otherwise or unless otherwise noted, all references in this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement to “SandRidge,” “we” or “our” are to SandRidge Energy, Inc. and its subsidiaries.

 

We are an independent natural gas and crude oil company concentrating on exploration, development and production activities. We also own and operate drilling rigs and conduct related oil field services, and we own and operate interests in gas gathering, marketing and processing facilities and CO₂ gathering and transportation facilities.

 

Our principal executive offices are located at 123 Robert S. Kerr Avenue, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73102. Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “SD.”

 

We file annual, quarterly and current reports and other information with the SEC (File No. 001-33784) pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). You may read and copy any documents that are filed at the SEC’s public reference room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You may also obtain copies of these documents at prescribed rates from the public reference section of the SEC at its Washington address. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information.

 

Our filings are also available to the public through the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

 

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” information that we file with them, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to documents previously filed with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus, and the information that we later file with the SEC will automatically update and supersede this information. The following documents we filed with the SEC pursuant to the Exchange Act are incorporated herein by reference:

 

 

These reports contain important information about us, our financial condition and our results of operations.

 

All future documents filed pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act (excluding any information furnished pursuant to Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 on any current report on Form 8-K) before the termination of each offering under this prospectus shall be deemed to be incorporated in this prospectus by reference and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents. Any statement contained herein, or in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein, shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any subsequently filed document that also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein, modified or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this prospectus.

 

You may request a copy of these filings at no cost by writing or telephoning us at the following address and telephone number:

 

Richard J. Gognat
Corporate Secretary
SandRidge Energy, Inc.
123 Robert S. Kerr Avenue
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73102-6406
(405) 429-5500

 

We also maintain a website at http://www.sandridgeenergy.com. However, the information on our website is not part of this prospectus.

 

Various statements contained in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus, our filings with the SEC and our public releases, including those that express a belief, expectation, or intention, as well as those that are not statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). These forward-looking statements may include projections and estimates concerning capital expenditures, our liquidity and capital resources, the timing and success of specific projects, outcomes and effects of litigation, claims and disputes, elements of our business strategy and other statements concerning our operations, economic performance and financial condition. Forward-looking statements are generally accompanied by words such as “estimate,” “project,” “predict,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “potential,” “could,” “may,” “foresee,” “plan,” “goal” or other words that convey the uncertainty of future events or outcomes. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and assumptions about future events. These statements are based on certain assumptions and analyses made by us in light of our experience and our perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments as well as other factors we believe are appropriate under the circumstances. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this prospectus; we disclaim any obligation to update or revise these statements unless required by securities law, and we caution you not to rely on them unduly. While our management considers these expectations and assumptions to be reasonable, they are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, regulatory and other risks, contingencies and uncertainties relating to, among other matters, the risks discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008 and our subsequent SEC filings and those factors summarized below:

 

 

 

An investment in our securities involves risks. Before you invest in our securities, you should carefully consider the risk factors included in our most recent annual report on Form 10-K, subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and those that may be included in the applicable prospectus supplement, as well as risks described in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and cautionary notes regarding forward-looking statements included or incorporated by reference herein, together with all of the other information included in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement and the documents we incorporate by reference.

 

If any of these risks were to materialize, our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition could be materially adversely affected. In that case, our ability to pay interest on, or the principal of, any debt securities, may be reduced, the trading price of our securities could decline and you could lose all or part of your investment.

 

You should consider carefully the risks below together with all of the other information included in, or incorporated by reference into, this prospectus before deciding whether to invest in our securities.

 

Risks Related to Our Common Stock

 

The market price for shares of our common stock may be highly volatile and could be subject to wide fluctuations.

 

The market price for shares of our common stock may be highly volatile and could be subject to wide fluctuations, even if an active trading market develops. Some of the factors that could negatively affect our share price include:

 

 

We do not anticipate paying any dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future.

 

We do not expect to declare or pay any cash or other dividends in the foreseeable future on our common stock, as we intend to use cash flow generated by operations to expand our business. Our senior credit facility

and the indentures governing our outstanding notes restrict our ability to pay cash dividends on our common stock, and we may also enter into credit agreements or other borrowing arrangements in the future that restrict our ability to declare or pay cash dividends on our common stock.

 

Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, as well as Delaware law, contain provisions that could discourage acquisition bids or merger proposals, which may adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

 

Our certificate of incorporation authorizes our board of directors to issue preferred stock without stockholder approval. If our board of directors elects to issue preferred stock, it could be more difficult for a third party to acquire us. In addition, some provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire control of us, even if the change of control would be beneficial to our stockholders, including:

 

 

Delaware law prohibits us from engaging in any business combination with any “interested stockholder,” meaning generally that a stockholder who beneficially owns more than 15% of our stock cannot acquire us for a period of three years from the date this person became an interested stockholder, unless various conditions are met, such as approval of the transaction by our board of directors.

 

Risks Related to Our Debt Securities

 

We may incur substantial additional indebtedness, including debt ranking equal to any new debt securities.

 

Subject to the restrictions in instruments governing our outstanding debt (including our revolving credit facility), we and our subsidiaries may be able to incur substantial additional debt in the future. Although the instruments governing our outstanding debt contain restrictions on the incurrence of additional debt, these restrictions are subject to a number of significant qualifications and exceptions, and debt incurred in compliance with these restrictions could be substantial. To the extent new debt is added to our current debt levels, the substantial leverage-related risks described above would increase.

 

If we or a Subsidiary Guarantor incur any additional debt that ranks equally with any new debt securities (or with the guarantee thereof), including trade payables, the holders of that debt will be entitled to share ratably with you in any proceeds distributed in connection with any insolvency, liquidation, reorganization, dissolution or other winding-up of us or such Subsidiary Guarantor. This may have the effect of reducing the amount of proceeds paid to you in connection with such a distribution.

 

We may not be able to generate sufficient cash to service all of our indebtedness, and may be forced to take other actions to satisfy our obligations under our indebtedness, which may not be successful.

 

Our ability to make scheduled payments on or to refinance our debt obligations depends on our financial condition and operating performance, which is subject to prevailing economic and competitive conditions and to certain financial, business and other factors beyond our control. We may not be able to maintain a level of cash flows from operating activities sufficient to permit us to pay the principal, premium, if any, and interest on our indebtedness.

 

If our cash flows and capital resources are insufficient to fund our debt service obligations, we may be forced to reduce or delay investments and capital expenditures, or to sell assets, seek additional capital or restructure or refinance our indebtedness. Our ability to restructure or refinance our debt will depend on the

condition of the capital markets and our financial condition at such time. Any refinancing of our debt could be at higher interest rates and may require us to comply with more onerous covenants, which could further restrict our business operations. The terms of existing or future debt instruments may restrict us from adopting some of these alternatives. In addition, any failure to make payments of interest and principal on our outstanding indebtedness on a timely basis would likely result in a reduction of our credit rating, which could harm our ability to incur additional indebtedness. In the absence of such operating results and resources, we could face substantial liquidity problems and might be required to dispose of material assets or operations to meet our debt service and other obligations. Our revolving credit facility and the indentures governing our outstanding notes restrict our ability to dispose of assets and use the proceeds from the disposition. We may not be able to consummate those dispositions or to obtain the proceeds that we could realize from them and these proceeds may not be adequate to meet any debt service obligations then due. These alternative measures may not be successful and may not permit us to meet our scheduled debt service obligations.

 

Our ability to repay our debt is affected by the cash flow generated by our subsidiaries.

 

Our subsidiaries own some of our assets and conduct some of our operations. Accordingly, repayment of our indebtedness will be dependent, in part, on the generation of cash flow by our subsidiaries and their ability to make such cash available to us, by dividend, debt repayment or otherwise. Unless they are Subsidiary Guarantors, our subsidiaries will not have any obligation to pay amounts due on any new debt securities or to make funds available for that purpose. Our subsidiaries may not be able to, or may not be permitted to, make distributions to enable us to make payments in respect of our indebtedness. Each subsidiary is a distinct legal entity and, under certain circumstances, legal and contractual restrictions may limit our ability to obtain cash from our subsidiaries. In the event that we do not receive distributions from our subsidiaries, we may be unable to make required principal and interest payments on our indebtedness.

 

If we default on our obligations to pay our other indebtedness, we may not be able to make payments on any new debt securities.

 

Any default under the agreements governing our indebtedness, including a default under our revolving credit facility, that is not waived by the required lenders, and the remedies sought by the holders of such indebtedness, could prevent us from paying principal, premium, if any, and interest on any new debt securities and substantially decrease the market value of any new debt securities. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash flow and are otherwise unable to obtain funds necessary to meet required payments of principal, premium, if any, and interest on our indebtedness, or if we otherwise fail to comply with the various covenants, including financial and operating covenants in the instruments governing our indebtedness (including covenants in our revolving credit facility and the indentures governing our outstanding notes), we could be in default under the terms of the agreements governing such indebtedness, including our revolving credit facility and the indentures governing our outstanding notes. In the event of such default,

 

 

If our operating performance declines, we may in the future need to obtain waivers from the required lenders under our revolving credit facility to avoid being in default. If we breach our covenants under our revolving credit facility and seek a waiver, we may not be able to obtain a waiver from the required lenders. If this occurs, we would be in default under our revolving credit facility, the lenders could exercise their rights, as described above, and we could be forced into bankruptcy or liquidation.

 

Insolvency and fraudulent transfer laws and other limitations may preclude the recovery of payment under any new debt securities and the guarantees.

 

Any debt securities we offer pursuant to this prospectus may be guaranteed by certain of our subsidiaries. See “About the Subsidiary Guarantors.” Federal and state fraudulent transfer laws permit a court, if it makes

certain findings, to avoid all or a portion of the obligations of the Subsidiary Guarantors pursuant to their guarantees of any new debt securities, or to subordinate a Subsidiary Guarantor’s obligations under such guarantee to claims of its other creditors, reducing or eliminating the noteholders’ ability to recover under such guarantees. Although laws differ among these jurisdictions, in general, under applicable fraudulent transfer or conveyance laws, debt securities or guarantees could be voided as a fraudulent transfer or conveyance if (1) we or any of the Subsidiary Guarantors, as applicable, issued the debt securities or incurred the guarantees with the intent of hindering, delaying or defrauding creditors or (2) we or any of the Subsidiary Guarantors, as applicable, received less than reasonably equivalent value or fair consideration in return for either issuing the debt securities or incurring the guarantees and, in the case of (2) only, one of the following is also true:

 

 

Certain of our subsidiaries, which we refer to as the “Subsidiary Guarantors” in this prospectus, may fully and unconditionally guarantee our payment obligations under any series of debt securities offered by this prospectus. The Subsidiary Guarantors include: SandRidge Onshore, LLC; Lariat Services, Inc.; SandRidge Operating Company; Integra Energy, LLC; SandRidge Exploration and Production, LLC; SandRidge Tertiary, LLC; SandRidge Midstream, Inc.; SandRidge Offshore, LLC; and SandRidge Holdings, Inc. Financial information concerning our Subsidiary Guarantors and non-guarantor subsidiaries will be included in our consolidated financial statements filed as part of our periodic reports filed pursuant to the Exchange Act to the extent required by the rules and regulations of the SEC.

 

Additional information concerning our subsidiaries and us is included in reports and other documents incorporated by reference in this prospectus. See “Where You Can Find More Information.”

 

Except as may be stated in the applicable prospectus supplement, we intend to use the net proceeds from any sales of securities by us under this prospectus for general corporate purposes.

 

The following table contains our consolidated ratios of earnings to fixed charges and ratios of earnings to fixed charges plus preferred stock dividends for the periods indicated.

 

 

 

 

The ratios were computed by dividing earnings by fixed charges and by fixed charges plus preferred stock dividends, respectively. For this purpose, “earnings” includes income from continuing operations before income taxes adjusted for (i) undistributed income or loss from equity investees, (ii) amortization of capitalized interest and (iii) fixed charges (excluding capitalized interest). “Fixed charges” consists of interest expense (including interest capitalized during the period), amortization of deferred financing costs and the portion of rent expense we believe is representative of the interest factor.

 

The Debt Securities will be either our senior debt securities (“Senior Debt Securities”) or our subordinated debt securities (“Subordinated Debt Securities”). The Senior Debt Securities and the Subordinated Debt Securities will be issued under separate indentures among us, the Subsidiary Guarantors of such Debt Securities, if any, and a trustee to be determined (the “Trustee”). Senior Debt Securities will be issued under a “Senior Indenture” and Subordinated Debt Securities will be issued under a “Subordinated Indenture.” Together, the Senior Indenture and the Subordinated Indenture are called “Indentures.”

 

The Debt Securities may be issued from time to time in one or more series. The particular terms of each series that are offered by a prospectus supplement will be described in the prospectus supplement.

 

Unless the Debt Securities are guaranteed by our subsidiaries as described below, the rights of SandRidge and our creditors, including holders of the Debt Securities, to participate in the assets of any subsidiary upon the latter’s liquidation or reorganization, will be subject to the prior claims of the subsidiary’s creditors, except to the extent that we may ourself be a creditor with recognized claims against such subsidiary.

 

We have summarized selected provisions of the Indentures below. The summary is not complete. The form of each Indenture has been filed with the SEC as an exhibit to the registration statement of which this prospectus is a part, and you should read the Indentures for provisions that may be important to you. Capitalized terms used in the summary have the meanings specified in the Indentures.

 

General

 

The Indentures provide that Debt Securities in separate series may be issued thereunder from time to time without limitation as to aggregate principal amount. We may specify a maximum aggregate principal amount for the Debt Securities of any series. We will determine the terms and conditions of the Debt Securities, including the maturity, principal and interest, but those terms must be consistent with the Indenture. The Debt Securities will be our unsecured obligations.

 

The Subordinated Debt Securities will be subordinated in right of payment to the prior payment in full of all of our Senior Debt (as defined) as described under “— Subordination of Subordinated Debt Securities” and in the prospectus supplement applicable to any Subordinated Debt Securities. If the prospectus supplement so indicates, the Debt Securities will be convertible into our common stock.

 

If specified in the prospectus supplement respecting a particular series of Debt Securities, SandRidge Onshore, LLC, Lariat Services, Inc., SandRidge Operating Company, Integra Energy, LLC, SandRidge Exploration and Production, LLC, SandRidge Tertiary, LLC, SandRidge Midstream, Inc., SandRidge Offshore, LLC or SandRidge Holdings, Inc. (each a “Subsidiary Guarantor”) will fully and unconditionally guarantee (the “Subsidiary Guarantee”) that series as described under “— Subsidiary Guarantee” and in the prospectus supplement. Each Subsidiary Guarantee will be an unsecured obligation of the Subsidiary Guarantor. A Subsidiary Guarantee of Subordinated Debt Securities will be subordinated to the Senior Debt of the Subsidiary Guarantor on the same basis as the Subordinated Debt Securities are subordinated to our Senior Debt.

 

The applicable prospectus supplement will set forth the price or prices at which the Debt Securities to be issued will be offered for sale and will describe the following terms of such Debt Securities:

 

(1) the title of the Debt Securities;

 

(2) whether the Debt Securities are Senior Debt Securities or Subordinated Debt Securities and, if Subordinated Debt Securities, the related subordination terms;

 

(3) whether any Subsidiary Guarantor will provide a Subsidiary Guarantee of the Debt Securities;

 

(4) any limit on the aggregate principal amount of the Debt Securities;

 

(5) each date on which the principal of the Debt Securities will be payable;

(6) the interest rate that the Debt Securities will bear and the interest payment dates for the Debt Securities;

 

(7) each place where payments on the Debt Securities will be payable;

 

(8) any terms upon which the Debt Securities may be redeemed, in whole or in part, at our option;

 

(9) any sinking fund or other provisions that would obligate us to redeem or otherwise repurchase the Debt Securities;

 

(10) the portion of the principal amount, if less than all, of the Debt Securities that will be payable upon declaration of acceleration of the Maturity of the Debt Securities;

 

(11) whether the Debt Securities are defeasible;

 

(12) any addition to or change in the Events of Default;

 

(13) whether the Debt Securities are convertible into our common stock and, if so, the terms and conditions upon which conversion will be effected, including the initial conversion price or conversion rate and any adjustments thereto and the conversion period;

 

(14) any addition to or change in the covenants in the Indenture applicable to the Debt Securities; and

 

(15) any other terms of the Debt Securities not inconsistent with the provisions of the Indenture.

 

Debt Securities, including any Debt Securities that provide for an amount less than the principal amount thereof to be due and payable upon a declaration of acceleration of the Maturity thereof (“Original Issue Discount Securities”), may be sold at a substantial discount below their principal amount. Special United States federal income tax considerations applicable to Debt Securities sold at an original issue discount may be described in the applicable prospectus supplement. In addition, special United States federal income tax or other considerations applicable to any Debt Securities that are denominated in a currency or currency unit other than United States dollars may be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

 

Subordination of Subordinated Debt Securities

 

The indebtedness evidenced by the Subordinated Debt Securities will, to the extent set forth in the Subordinated Indenture with respect to each series of Subordinated Debt Securities, be subordinate in right of payment to the prior payment in full of all of our Senior Debt, including the Senior Debt Securities, and it may also be senior in right of payment to all of our Subordinated Debt. The prospectus supplement relating to any Subordinated Debt Securities will summarize the subordination provisions of the Subordinated Indenture applicable to that series including:

 

 

The prospectus supplement will also describe as of a recent date the approximate amount of Senior Debt to which the Subordinated Debt Securities of that series will be subordinated.

 

The failure to make any payment on any of the Subordinated Debt Securities by reason of the subordination provisions of the Subordinated Indenture described in the prospectus supplement will not be construed as preventing the occurrence of an Event of Default with respect to the Subordinated Debt Securities arising from any such failure to make payment.

The subordination provisions described above will not be applicable to payments in respect of the Subordinated Debt Securities from a defeasance trust established in connection with any legal defeasance or covenant defeasance of the Subordinated Debt Securities as described under “— Legal Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance.”

 

Subsidiary Guarantee

 

If specified in the prospectus supplement, one or more of the Subsidiary Guarantors will guarantee the Debt Securities of a series. Unless otherwise indicated in the prospectus supplement, the following provisions will apply to the Subsidiary Guarantee of the Subsidiary Guarantor.

 

Subject to the limitations described below and in the prospectus supplement, one or more of the Subsidiary Guarantors will jointly and severally, fully and unconditionally guarantee the punctual payment when due, whether at Stated Maturity, by acceleration or otherwise, of all our payment obligations under the Indentures and the Debt Securities of a series, whether for principal of, premium, if any, or interest on the Debt Securities or otherwise (all such obligations guaranteed by a Subsidiary Guarantor being herein called the “Guaranteed Obligations”). The Subsidiary Guarantors will also pay all expenses (including reasonable counsel fees and expenses) incurred by the applicable Trustee in enforcing any rights under a Subsidiary Guarantee with respect to a Subsidiary Guarantor.

 

In the case of Subordinated Debt Securities, a Subsidiary Guarantor’s Subsidiary Guarantee will be subordinated in right of payment to the Senior Debt of such Subsidiary Guarantor on the same basis as the Subordinated Debt Securities are subordinated to our Senior Debt. No payment will be made by any Subsidiary Guarantor under its Subsidiary Guarantee during any period in which payments by us on the Subordinated Debt Securities are suspended by the subordination provisions of the Subordinated Indenture.

 

Each Subsidiary Guarantee will be limited in amount to an amount not to exceed the maximum amount that can be guaranteed by the relevant Subsidiary Guarantor without rendering such Subsidiary Guarantee voidable under applicable law relating to fraudulent conveyance or fraudulent transfer or similar laws affecting the rights of creditors generally.

 

Each Subsidiary Guarantee will be a continuing guarantee and will:

 

(1) remain in full force and effect until either (a) payment in full of all the applicable Debt Securities (or such Debt Securities are otherwise satisfied and discharged in accordance with the provisions of the applicable Indenture) or (b) released as described in the following paragraph;

 

(2) be binding upon each Subsidiary Guarantor; and

 

(3) inure to the benefit of and be enforceable by the applicable Trustee, the Holders and their successors, transferees and assigns.

 

In the event that (a) a Subsidiary Guarantor ceases to be a Subsidiary, (b) either legal defeasance or covenant defeasance occurs with respect to the series or (c) all or substantially all of the assets or all of the Capital Stock of such Subsidiary Guarantor is sold, including by way of sale, merger, consolidation or otherwise, such Subsidiary Guarantor will be released and discharged of its obligations under its Subsidiary Guarantee without any further action required on the part of the Trustee or any Holder, and no other person acquiring or owning the assets or Capital Stock of such Subsidiary Guarantor will be required to enter into a Subsidiary Guarantee. In addition, the prospectus supplement may specify additional circumstances under which a Subsidiary Guarantor can be released from its Subsidiary Guarantee.

 

Form, Exchange and Transfer

 

The Debt Securities of each series will be issuable only in fully registered form, without coupons, and, unless otherwise specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, only in denominations of $1,000 and integral multiples thereof.

At the option of the Holder, subject to the terms of the applicable Indenture and the limitations applicable to Global Securities, Debt Securities of each series will be exchangeable for other Debt Securities of the same series of any authorized denomination and of a like tenor and aggregate principal amount.

 

Subject to the terms of the applicable Indenture and the limitations applicable to Global Securities, Debt Securities may be presented for exchange as provided above or for registration of transfer (duly endorsed or with the form of transfer endorsed thereon duly executed) at the office of the Security Registrar or at the office of any transfer agent designated by us for such purpose. No service charge will be made for any registration of transfer or exchange of Debt Securities, but we may require payment of a sum sufficient to cover any tax or other governmental charge payable in that connection. Such transfer or exchange will be effected upon the Security Registrar or such transfer agent, as the case may be, being satisfied with the documents of title and identity of the person making the request. The Security Registrar and any other transfer agent initially designated by us for any Debt Securities will be named in the applicable prospectus supplement. We may at any time designate additional transfer agents or rescind the designation of any transfer agent or approve a change in the office through which any transfer agent acts, except that we will be required to maintain a transfer agent in each Place of Payment for the Debt Securities of each series.

 

If the Debt Securities of any series (or of any series and specified tenor) are to be redeemed in part, we will not be required to (1) issue, register the transfer of or exchange any Debt Security of that series (or of that series and specified tenor, as the case may be) during a period beginning at the opening of business 15 days before the day of mailing of a notice of redemption of any such Debt Security that may be selected for redemption and ending at the close of business on the day of such mailing or (2) register the transfer of or exchange any Debt Security so selected for redemption, in whole or in part, except the unredeemed portion of any such Debt Security being redeemed in part.

 

Global Securities

 

Some or all of the Debt Securities of any series may be represented, in whole or in part, by one or more Global Securities that will have an aggregate principal amount equal to that of the Debt Securities they represent. Each Global Security will be registered in the name of a Depositary or its nominee identified in the applicable prospectus supplement, will be deposited with such Depositary or nominee or its custodian and will bear a legend regarding the restrictions on exchanges and registration of transfer thereof referred to below and any such other matters as may be provided for pursuant to the applicable Indenture.

 

Notwithstanding any provision of the Indentures or any Debt Security described in this prospectus, no Global Security may be exchanged in whole or in part for Debt Securities registered, and no transfer of a Global Security in whole or in part may be registered, in the name of any Person other than the Depositary for such Global Security or any nominee of such Depositary unless:

 

(1) the Depositary has notified us that it is unwilling or unable to continue as Depositary for such Global Security or has ceased to be qualified to act as such as required by the applicable Indenture, and in either case we fail to appoint a successor Depositary within 90 days;

 

(2) an Event of Default with respect to the Debt Securities represented by such Global Security has occurred and is continuing and the Trustee has received a written request from the Depositary to issue certificated Debt Securities; or

 

(3) other circumstances exist, in addition to or in lieu of those described above, as may be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

 

All certificated Debt Securities issued in exchange for a Global Security or any portion thereof will be registered in such names as the Depositary may direct.

 

As long as the Depositary, or its nominee, is the registered holder of a Global Security, the Depositary or such nominee, as the case may be, will be considered the sole owner and Holder of such Global Security and the Debt Securities that it represents for all purposes under the Debt Securities and the applicable Indenture. Except in the limited circumstances referred to above, owners of beneficial interests in a Global Security will

not be entitled to have such Global Security or any Debt Securities that it represents registered in their names, will not receive or be entitled to receive physical delivery of certificated Debt Securities in exchange for those interests and will not be considered to be the owners or Holders of such Global Security or any Debt Securities that is represents for any purpose under the Debt Securities or the applicable Indenture. All payments on a Global Security will be made to the Depositary or its nominee, as the case may be, as the Holder of the security. The laws of some jurisdictions may require that some purchasers of Debt Securities take physical delivery of such Debt Securities in certificated form. These laws may impair the ability to transfer beneficial interests in a Global Security.

 

Ownership of beneficial interests in a Global Security will be limited to institutions that have accounts with the Depositary or its nominee (“participants”) and to persons that may hold beneficial interests through participants. In connection with the issuance of any Global Security, the Depositary will credit, on its book-entry registration and transfer system, the respective principal amounts of Debt Securities represented by the Global Security to the accounts of its participants. Ownership of beneficial interests in a Global Security will be shown only on, and the transfer of those ownership interests will be effected only through, records maintained by the Depositary (with respect to participants’ interests) or any such participant (with respect to interests of Persons held by such participants on their behalf). Payments, transfers, exchanges and other matters relating to beneficial interests in a Global Security may be subject to various policies and procedures adopted by the Depositary from time to time. None of us, the Subsidiary Guarantors, the Trustees or the agents of us, the Subsidiary Guarantors or the Trustees will have any responsibility or liability for any aspect of the Depositary’s or any participant’s records relating to, or for payments made on account of, beneficial interests in a Global Security, or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial interests.

 

Payment and Paying Agents

 

Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, payment of interest on a Debt Security on any Interest Payment Date will be made to the Person in whose name such Debt Security (or one or more Predecessor Securities) is registered at the close of business on the Regular Record Date for such interest.

 

Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, principal of and any premium and interest on the Debt Securities of a particular series will be payable at the office of such Paying Agent or Paying Agents as we may designate for such purpose from time to time, except that at our option payment of any interest on Debt Securities in certificated form may be made by check mailed to the address of the Person entitled thereto as such address appears in the Security Register. Unless otherwise indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, the corporate trust office of the Trustee under the Senior Indenture in The City of New York will be designated as sole Paying Agent for payments with respect to Senior Debt Securities of each series, and the corporate trust office of the Trustee under the Subordinated Indenture in The City of New York will be designated as the sole Paying Agent for payment with respect to Subordinated Debt Securities of each series. Any other Paying Agents initially designated by us for the Debt Securities of a particular series will be named in the applicable prospectus supplement. We may at any time designate additional Paying Agents or rescind the designation of any Paying Agent or approve a change in the office through which any Paying Agent acts, except that we will be required to maintain a Paying Agent in each Place of Payment for the Debt Securities of a particular series.

 

All money paid by us to a Paying Agent for the payment of the principal of or any premium or interest on any Debt Security which remains unclaimed at the end of two years after such principal, premium or interest has become due and payable will be repaid to us, and the Holder of such Debt Security thereafter may look only to us for payment.

Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets

 

Unless otherwise specified in the prospectus supplement, we may not consolidate with or merge into, or transfer, lease or otherwise dispose of all or substantially all of our assets to, any Person (a “successor Person”), and may not permit any Person to consolidate with or merge into us, unless:

 

(1) the successor Person (if not us) is a corporation, partnership, trust or other entity organized and validly existing under the laws of any domestic jurisdiction and assumes our obligations on the Debt Securities and under the Indentures;

 

(2) immediately before and after giving pro forma effect to the transaction, no Event of Default, and no event which, after notice or lapse of time or both, would become an Event of Default, has occurred and is continuing; and

 

(3) several other conditions, including any additional conditions with respect to any particular Debt Securities specified in the applicable prospectus supplement, are met.

 

The successor Person (if not us) will be substituted for us under the applicable Indenture with the same effect as if it had been an original party to such Indenture, and, except in the case of a lease, we will be relieved from any further obligations under such Indenture and the Debt Securities.

 

Events of Default

 

Unless otherwise specified in the prospectus supplement, each of the following will constitute an Event of Default under the applicable Indenture with respect to Debt Securities of any series:

 

(1) failure to pay principal of or any premium on any Debt Security of that series when due, whether or not, in the case of Subordinated Debt Securities, such payment is prohibited by the subordination provisions of the Subordinated Indenture;

 

(2) failure to pay any interest on any Debt Securities of that series when due, continued for 30 days, whether or not, in the case of Subordinated Debt Securities, such payment is prohibited by the subordination provisions of the Subordinated Indenture;

 

(3) failure to deposit any sinking fund payment, when due, in respect of any Debt Security of that series, whether or not, in the case of Subordinated Debt Securities, such deposit is prohibited by the subordination provisions of the Subordinated Indenture;

 

(4) failure to perform or comply with the provisions described under “— Consolidation, Merger and Sale of Assets”;

 

(5) failure to perform any of our other covenants in such Indenture (other than a covenant included in such Indenture solely for the benefit of a series other than that series), continued for 60 days after written notice has been given by the applicable Trustee, or the Holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the Outstanding Debt Securities of that series, as provided in such Indenture;

 

(6) any Debt of ourself, any Significant Subsidiary or, if a Subsidiary Guarantor has guaranteed the series, such Subsidiary Guarantor, is not paid within any applicable grace period after final maturity or is accelerated by its holders because of a default and the total amount of such Debt unpaid or accelerated exceeds $20.0 million;

 

(7) any judgment or decree for the payment of money in excess of $20.0 million is entered against us, any Significant Subsidiary or, if a Subsidiary Guarantor has guaranteed the series, such Subsidiary Guarantor, remains outstanding for a period of 60 consecutive days following entry of such judgment and is not discharged, waived or stayed;

 

(8) certain events of bankruptcy, insolvency or reorganization affecting us, any Significant Subsidiary or, if a Subsidiary Guarantor has guaranteed the series, such Subsidiary Guarantor; and

(9) if any Subsidiary Guarantor has guaranteed such series, the Subsidiary Guarantee of any such Subsidiary Guarantor is held by a final non-appealable order or judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction to be unenforceable or invalid or ceases for any reason to be in full force and effect (other than in accordance with the terms of the applicable Indenture) or any Subsidiary Guarantor or any Person acting on behalf of any Subsidiary Guarantor denies or disaffirms such Subsidiary Guarantor’s obligations under its Subsidiary Guarantee (other than by reason of a release of such Subsidiary Guarantor from its Subsidiary Guarantee in accordance with the terms of the applicable Indenture).

 

If an Event of Default (other than an Event of Default with respect to SandRidge Energy, Inc. described in clause (8) above) with respect to the Debt Securities of any series at the time Outstanding occurs and is continuing, either the applicable Trustee or the Holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the Outstanding Debt Securities of that series by notice as provided in the Indenture may declare the principal amount of the Debt Securities of that series (or, in the case of any Debt Security that is an Original Issue Discount Debt Security, such portion of the principal amount of such Debt Security as may be specified in the terms of such Debt Security) to be due and payable immediately, together with any accrued and unpaid interest thereon. If an Event of Default with respect to SandRidge Energy, Inc. described in clause (8) above with respect to the Debt Securities of any series at the time Outstanding occurs, the principal amount of all the Debt Securities of that series (or, in the case of any such Original Issue Discount Security, such specified amount) will automatically, and without any action by the applicable Trustee or any Holder, become immediately due and payable, together with any accrued and unpaid interest thereon. After any such acceleration and its consequences, but before a judgment or decree based on acceleration, the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Debt Securities of that series may, under certain circumstances, rescind and annul such acceleration if all Events of Default with respect to that series, other than the non-payment of accelerated principal (or other specified amount), have been cured or waived as provided in the applicable Indenture. For information as to waiver of defaults, see “— Modification and Waiver” below.

 

Subject to the provisions of the Indentures relating to the duties of the Trustees in case an Event of Default has occurred and is continuing, no Trustee will be under any obligation to exercise any of its rights or powers under the applicable Indenture at the request or direction of any of the Holders, unless such Holders have offered to such Trustee reasonable security or indemnity. Subject to such provisions for the indemnification of the Trustees, the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Debt Securities of any series will have the right to direct the time, method and place of conducting any proceeding for any remedy available to the Trustee or exercising any trust or power conferred on the Trustee with respect to the Debt Securities of that series.

 

No Holder of a Debt Security of any series will have any right to institute any proceeding with respect to the applicable Indenture, or for the appointment of a receiver or a trustee, or for any other remedy thereunder, unless:

 

(1) such Holder has previously given to the Trustee under the applicable Indenture written notice of a continuing Event of Default with respect to the Debt Securities of that series;

 

(2) the Holders of at least 25% in principal amount of the Outstanding Debt Securities of that series have made written request, and such Holder or Holders have offered reasonable security or indemnity, to the Trustee to institute such proceeding as trustee; and

 

(3) the Trustee has failed to institute such proceeding, and has not received from the Holders of a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Debt Securities of that series a direction inconsistent with such request, within 60 days after such notice, request and offer.

 

However, such limitations do not apply to a suit instituted by a Holder of a Debt Security for the enforcement of payment of the principal of or any premium or interest on such Debt Security on or after the applicable due date specified in such Debt Security or, if applicable, to convert such Debt Security.

 

We will be required to furnish to each Trustee annually a statement by certain of our officers as to whether or not we, to their knowledge, are in default in the performance or observance of any of the terms, provisions and conditions of the applicable Indenture and, if so, specifying all such known defaults.

Modification and Waiver

 

We may modify or amend an Indenture without the consent of any holders of the Debt Securities in certain circumstances, including:

 

(1) to evidence the succession under the Indenture of another Person to us or any Subsidiary Guarantor and to provide for its assumption of our or such Subsidiary Guarantor’s obligations to holders of Debt Securities;

 

(2) to make any changes that would add any additional covenants for the benefit of the holders of Debt Securities or that do not adversely affect the rights under the Indenture of the Holders of Debt Securities in any material respect;

 

(3) to add any additional Events of Default;

 

(4) to provide for uncertificated notes in addition to or in place of certificated notes;

 

(5) to secure the Debt Securities;

 

(6) to establish the form or terms of any series of Debt Securities;

 

(7) to evidence and provide for the acceptance of appointment under the Indenture of a successor Trustee;

 

(8) to cure any ambiguity, defect or inconsistency;

 

(9) to add Subsidiary Guarantors; or

 

(10) in the case of any Subordinated Debt Security, to make any change in the subordination provisions that limits or terminates the benefits applicable to any Holder of Senior Debt.

 

Other modifications and amendments of an Indenture may be made by us, the Subsidiary Guarantors, if applicable, and the applicable Trustee with the consent of the Holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Debt Securities of each series affected by such modification or amendment; provided, however, that no such modification or amendment may, without the consent of the Holder of each Outstanding Debt Security affected thereby:

 

(1) change the Stated Maturity of the principal of, or any installment of principal of or interest on, any Debt Security;

 

(2) reduce the principal amount of, or any premium or interest on, any Debt Security;

 

(3) reduce the amount of principal of an Original Issue Discount Security or any other Debt Security payable upon acceleration of the Maturity thereof;

 

(4) change the place or currency of payment of principal of, or any premium or interest on, any Debt Security;

 

(5) impair the right to institute suit for the enforcement of any payment due on or any conversion right with respect to any Debt Security;

 

(6) modify the subordination provisions in the case of Subordinated Debt Securities, or modify any conversion provisions, in either case in a manner adverse to the Holders of the Subordinated Debt Securities;

 

(7) except as provided in the applicable Indenture, release the Subsidiary Guarantee of a Subsidiary Guarantor;

 

(8) reduce the percentage in principal amount of Outstanding Debt Securities of any series, the consent of whose Holders is required for modification or amendment of the Indenture;

 

(9) reduce the percentage in principal amount of Outstanding Debt Securities of any series necessary for waiver of compliance with certain provisions of the Indenture or for waiver of certain defaults;

 

(10) modify such provisions with respect to modification, amendment or waiver; or

(11) following the making of an offer to purchase Debt Securities from any Holder that has been made pursuant to a covenant in such Indenture, modify such covenant in a manner adverse to such Holder.

 

The Holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Debt Securities of any series may waive compliance by us with certain restrictive provisions of the applicable Indenture. The Holders of not less than a majority in principal amount of the Outstanding Debt Securities of any series may waive any past default under the applicable Indenture, except a default in the payment of principal, premium or interest and certain covenants and provisions of the Indenture which cannot be amended without the consent of the Holder of each Outstanding Debt Security of such series.

 

Each of the Indentures provides that in determining whether the Holders of the requisite principal amount of the Outstanding Debt Securities have given or taken any direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action under such Indenture as of any date:

 

(1) the principal amount of an Original Issue Discount Security that will be deemed to be Outstanding will be the amount of the principal that would be due and payable as of such date upon acceleration of maturity to such date;

 

(2) if, as of such date, the principal amount payable at the Stated Maturity of a Debt Security is not determinable (for example, because it is based on an index), the principal amount of such Debt Security deemed to be Outstanding as of such date will be an amount determined in the manner prescribed for such Debt Security;

 

(3) the principal amount of a Debt Security denominated in one or more foreign currencies or currency units that will be deemed to be Outstanding will be the United States-dollar equivalent, determined as of such date in the manner prescribed for such Debt Security, of the principal amount of such Debt Security (or, in the case of a Debt Security described in clause (1) or (2) above, of the amount described in such clause); and

 

(4) certain Debt Securities, including those owned by us, any Subsidiary Guarantor or any of our other Affiliates, will not be deemed to be Outstanding.

 

Except in certain limited circumstances, we will be entitled to set any day as a record date for the purpose of determining the Holders of Outstanding Debt Securities of any series entitled to give or take any direction, notice, consent, waiver or other action under the applicable Indenture, in the manner and subject to the limitations provided in the Indenture. In certain limited circumstances, the Trustee will be entitled to set a record date for action by Holders. If a record date is set for any action to be taken by Holders of a particular series, only persons who are Holders of Outstanding Debt Securities of that series on the record date may take such action. To be effective, such action must be taken by Holders of the requisite principal amount of such Debt Securities within a specified period following the record date. For any particular record date, this period will be 180 days or such other period as may be specified by us (or the Trustee, if it set the record date), and may be shortened or lengthened (but not beyond 180 days) from time to time.

 

Satisfaction and Discharge

 

Each Indenture will be discharged and will cease to be of further effect as to all outstanding Debt Securities of any series issued thereunder, when:

 

(1) either:

 

(a) all outstanding Debt Securities of that series that have been authenticated (except lost, stolen or destroyed Debt Securities that have been replaced or paid and Debt Securities for whose payment money has theretofore been deposited in trust and thereafter repaid to us) have been delivered to the Trustee for cancellation; or

 

(b) all outstanding Debt Securities of that series that have been not delivered to the Trustee for cancellation have become due and payable or will become due and payable at their Stated Maturity within one year or are to be called for redemption within one year under arrangements satisfactory to the Trustee and in any case we have irrevocably deposited with the Trustee as trust funds money in an amount sufficient, without

consideration of any reinvestment of interest, to pay the entire indebtedness of such Debt Securities not delivered to the Trustee for cancellation, for principal, premium, if any, and accrued interest to the Stated Maturity or redemption date;

 

(2) we have paid or caused to be paid all other sums payable by us under the Indenture with respect to the Debt Securities of that series; and

 

(3) we have delivered an Officers’ Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel to the Trustee stating that all conditions precedent to satisfaction and discharge of the Indenture with respect to the Debt Securities of that series have been satisfied.

 

Legal Defeasance and Covenant Defeasance

 

To the extent indicated in the applicable prospectus supplement, we may elect, at our option at any time, to have our obligations discharged under provisions relating to defeasance and discharge of indebtedness, which we call “legal defeasance,” or relating to defeasance of certain restrictive covenants applied to the Debt Securities of any series, or to any specified part of a series, which we call “covenant defeasance”.

 

Legal Defeasance.  The Indentures provide that, upon our exercise of our option (if any) to have the legal defeasance provisions applied to any series of Debt Securities, we and, if applicable, each Subsidiary Guarantor will be discharged from all our obligations, and, if such Debt Securities are Subordinated Debt Securities, the provisions of the Subordinated Indenture relating to subordination will cease to be effective, with respect to such Debt Securities (except for certain obligations to convert, exchange or register the transfer of Debt Securities, to replace stolen, lost or mutilated Debt Securities, to maintain paying agencies and to hold moneys for payment in trust) upon the deposit in trust for the benefit of the Holders of such Debt Securities of money or U.S. Government Obligations, or both, which, through the payment of principal and interest in respect thereof in accordance with their terms, will provide money in an amount sufficient (in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants) to pay the principal of and any premium and interest on such Debt Securities on the respective Stated Maturities in accordance with the terms of the applicable Indenture and such Debt Securities. Such defeasance or discharge may occur only if, among other things:

 

(1) we have delivered to the applicable Trustee an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that we have received from, or there has been published by, the United States Internal Revenue Service a ruling, or there has been a change in tax law, in either case to the effect that Holders of such Debt Securities will not recognize gain or loss for federal income tax purposes as a result of such deposit and legal defeasance and will be subject to federal income tax on the same amount, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such deposit and legal defeasance were not to occur;

 

(2) no Event of Default or event that with the passing of time or the giving of notice, or both, shall constitute an Event of Default shall have occurred and be continuing at the time of such deposit or, with respect to any Event of Default described in clause (8) under “— Events of Default,” at any time until 121 days after such deposit;

 

(3) such deposit and legal defeasance will not result in a breach or violation of, or constitute a default under, any agreement or instrument (other than the applicable Indenture) to which we are a party or by which we are bound;

 

(4) in the case of Subordinated Debt Securities, at the time of such deposit, no default in the payment of all or a portion of principal of (or premium, if any) or interest on any Senior Debt shall have occurred and be continuing, no event of default shall have resulted in the acceleration of any Senior Debt and no other event of default with respect to any Senior Debt shall have occurred and be continuing permitting after notice or the lapse of time, or both, the acceleration thereof; and

 

(5) we have delivered to the Trustee an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that such deposit shall not cause the Trustee or the trust so created to be subject to the Investment Company Act of 1940.

Covenant Defeasance.  The Indentures provide that, upon our exercise of our option (if any) to have the covenant defeasance provisions applied to any Debt Securities, we may fail to comply with certain restrictive covenants (but not to conversion, if applicable), including those that may be described in the applicable prospectus supplement, and the occurrence of certain Events of Default, which are described above in clause (5) (with respect to such restrictive covenants) and clauses (6), (7) and (9) under “Events of Default” and any that may be described in the applicable prospectus supplement, will not be deemed to either be or result in an Event of Default and, if such Debt Securities are Subordinated Debt Securities, the provisions of the Subordinated Indenture relating to subordination will cease to be effective, in each case with respect to such Debt Securities. In order to exercise such option, we must deposit, in trust for the benefit of the Holders of such Debt Securities, money or U.S. Government Obligations, or both, which, through the payment of principal and interest in respect thereof in accordance with their terms, will provide money in an amount sufficient (in the opinion of a nationally recognized firm of independent public accountants) to pay the principal of and any premium and interest on such Debt Securities on the respective Stated Maturities in accordance with the terms of the applicable Indenture and such Debt Securities. Such covenant defeasance may occur only if we have delivered to the applicable Trustee an Opinion of Counsel to the effect that Holders of such Debt Securities will not recognize gain or loss for federal income tax purposes as a result of such deposit and covenant defeasance and will be subject to federal income tax on the same amount, in the same manner and at the same times as would have been the case if such deposit and covenant defeasance were not to occur, and the requirements set forth in clauses (2), (3), (4) and (5) above are satisfied. If we exercise this option with respect to any series of Debt Securities and such Debt Securities were declared due and payable because of the occurrence of any Event of Default, the amount of money and U.S. Government Obligations so deposited in trust would be sufficient to pay amounts due on such Debt Securities at the time of their respective Stated Maturities but may not be sufficient to pay amounts due on such Debt Securities upon any acceleration resulting from such Event of Default. In such case, we would remain liable for such payments.

 

If we exercise either our legal defeasance or covenant defeasance option, any Subsidiary Guarantee will terminate.

 

Notices

 

Notices to Holders of Debt Securities will be given by mail to the addresses of such Holders as they may appear in the Security Register.

 

Title

 

We, the Subsidiary Guarantors, the Trustees and any agent of us, the Subsidiary Guarantors or a Trustee may treat the Person in whose name a Debt Security is registered as the absolute owner of the Debt Security (whether or not such Debt Security may be overdue) for the purpose of making payment and for all other purposes.

 

Governing Law

 

The Indentures and the Debt Securities will be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the law of the State of New York.

 

The Trustee

 

We will enter into the Indentures with a Trustee that is qualified to act under the Trust Indenture Act of 1939, as amended, and with any other Trustees chosen by us and appointed in a supplemental indenture for a particular series of Debt Securities. We may maintain a banking relationship in the ordinary course of business with our Trustee and one or more of its affiliates.

 

Resignation or Removal of Trustee

 

If the Trustee has or acquires a conflicting interest within the meaning of the Trust Indenture Act, the Trustee must either eliminate its conflicting interest or resign, to the extent and in the manner provided by,

and subject to the provisions of, the Trust Indenture Act and the applicable Indenture. Any resignation will require the appointment of a successor Trustee under the applicable Indenture in accordance with the terms and conditions of such Indenture.

 

The Trustee may resign or be removed by us with respect to one or more series of Debt Securities and a successor Trustee may be appointed to act with respect to any such series. The holders of a majority in aggregate principal amount of the Debt Securities of any series may remove the Trustee with respect to the Debt Securities of such series.

 

Limitations on Trustee if It Is Our Creditor

 

Each Indenture will contain certain limitations on the right of the Trustee, in the event that it becomes our creditor, to obtain payment of claims in certain cases, or to realize on certain property received in respect of any such claim as security or otherwise.

 

Certificates and Opinions to Be Furnished to Trustee

 

Each Indenture will provide that, in addition to other certificates or opinions that may be specifically required by other provisions of an Indenture, every application by us for action by the Trustee must be accompanied by an Officers’ Certificate and an Opinion of Counsel stating that, in the opinion of the signers, all conditions precedent to such action have been complied with by us.

 

Set forth below is a description of the material terms of our capital stock. However, this description is not complete and is qualified by reference to our certificate of incorporation and bylaws. Copies of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws are available from us upon request. These documents have also been filed with the SEC. Please read “Where You Can Find More Information.”

 

Authorized Capital Stock

 

Our authorized capital stock consists of 400,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, and 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share. As of December 31, 2008, we had 166,046,111 outstanding shares of common stock. We have no outstanding options to purchase common stock, but we have granted restricted stock awards for 2,993,073 shares of common stock (other than shares cancelled or forfeited) as of December 31, 2008. As of December 31, 2008, we had no shares of preferred stock outstanding, but we issued 2,650,000 shares of our 8.5% Convertible Perpetual Preferred Stock on January 21, 2009.

 

Common Stock

 

Subject to any special voting rights of any series of preferred stock that we may issue in the future, each share of common stock has one vote on all matters voted on by our stockholders, including the election of our directors. Because holders of common stock do not have cumulative voting rights, the holders of a majority of the shares of common stock can elect all of the members of the board of directors standing for election, subject to the rights, powers and preferences of any outstanding series of preferred stock.

 

No share of common stock affords any preemptive rights or is convertible, redeemable, assessable or entitled to the benefits of any sinking or repurchase fund. Holders of common stock will be entitled to dividends in the amounts and at the times declared by our board of directors in its discretion out of funds legally available for the payment of dividends.

 

Holders of common stock will share equally in our assets on liquidation after payment or provision for all liabilities and any preferential liquidation rights of any preferred stock then outstanding. All outstanding shares of common stock are fully paid and non-assessable.

 

Preferred Stock

 

Our board of directors may, without any action by holders of the common stock:

 

 

The rights of any class or series of preferred stock may include, among others:

 

 

We may issue shares of, or rights to purchase, preferred stock, the terms of which might:

 

 

 

Any of these actions could discourage a transaction that some or a majority of our stockholders might believe to be in their best interests or in which our stockholders might receive a premium for their stock over its then-prevailing market price.

 

8.5% Convertible Perpetual Preferred Stock

 

As of the date of this prospectus, 2,650,000 shares of our 8.5% Convertible Perpetual Preferred Stock (the “Convertible Preferred Stock”) were issued and outstanding. Each share of Convertible Preferred Stock is convertible at any time on or after April 15, 2009 at the option of the holder thereof into a number of shares of our common stock equal to the liquidation preference of $100 divided by the conversion price, which is initially $8.0125 per share and is subject to specified adjustments. This results in an initial conversion rate of approximately 12.4805 shares of common stock per share of Convertible Preferred Stock. Based on the initial conversion price, approximately 33,073,323 shares of common stock would be issuable upon conversion of all of the outstanding shares of the Convertible Preferred Stock.

 

The annual dividend on each share of Convertible Preferred Stock is $8.50 and is payable semiannually, in arrears, on each February 15 and August 15, commencing on February 15, 2010, when, as and if declared by our board of directors. No dividends will accrue or accumulate prior to August 15, 2009. We may, at our option, pay dividends in cash, common stock or any combination thereof.

 

Except as required by law or the our certificate of incorporation, holders of the Convertible Preferred Stock will have no voting rights unless dividends fall into arrears for three semiannual periods. Until such arrearage is paid in full, the holders will be entitled to elect two directors and the number of directors on our board of directors will increase by that same number.

 

At any time on or after February 20, 2014, we may at our option cause all outstanding shares of the Convertible Preferred Stock to be automatically converted into common stock at the then-prevailing conversion price, if the closing sale price of our common stock exceeds 130% of the then-prevailing conversion price for a specified period prior to the conversion.

 

If a holder elects to convert shares of Convertible Preferred Stock upon the occurrence of certain specified fundamental changes, we may be obligated to deliver an additional number of shares above the applicable conversion rate to compensate the holder for lost option value.

 

Amended and Restated Shareholders Agreement

 

In connection with the closing of our acquisition of NEG Oil & Gas LLC (the “NEG Acquisition”), we entered into a Shareholders Agreement with certain of our stockholders, including Tom L. Ward, our Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President, N. Malone Mitchell 3rd, a director at that time, and affiliates of American Real Estate Partners, LP (“AREP”). The Shareholders Agreement was subsequently amended and restated in connection with the sale of the shares held by AREP to other stockholders (the “New Investors”). The Amended and Restated Shareholders Agreement contains certain restrictions on transfer, tag-along rights, a selected preemptive right and registration rights, each of which is described more fully below.

 

Tag-Along Rights.  If Messrs. Ward or Mitchell propose to sell shares of our common stock (other than to family members and affiliates other than SandRidge) in excess of 3% of our outstanding common stock on a fully diluted basis (other than to family members and affiliates other than SandRidge pursuant to Rule 144 or in a registered offering other than a block trade), the New Investors have the right to elect to sell their proportionate number of shares of our common stock on the same terms. The tag-along rights expire on the earlier of (i) the date upon which the New Investors cease to own at least 20% of our shares of common stock on purchased from affiliates of AREP and (ii) two years following a qualified public offering.

 

Registration Rights.  The Amended and Restated Shareholders Agreement provides each of Mr. Ward, Mr. Mitchell and the affiliates of AREP certain registration rights. For a description of these rights, please read “— Registration Rights — Amended and Restated Shareholders Agreement.”

Ares Shareholder Agreement

 

In connection with our March 2007 private placement, we entered into a Shareholders Agreement (the “Ares Shareholders Agreement”) with certain affiliates of Ares Management LLC (“Ares”) and Mr. Ward. The Ares Shareholder Agreement contains tag-along rights and a voting requirement, each of which is described more fully below.

 

Tag-Along Rights.  If Mr. Ward proposes to sell shares of common stock (other than to family members and affiliates other than SandRidge), he has agreed to use commercially reasonable efforts to structure such sale in a manner as to allow Ares to sell the same proportionate amount of its shares on the same terms. To the extent Ares is unable to sell its proportionate amount of shares as a result of other tag-along rights, Mr. Ward shall decrease the amount of shares he is selling to allow for Ares to sell the same proportionate amount of its shares as Mr. Ward. The tag-along rights expire two years following the completion of the offering.

 

Registration Rights

 

Amended and Restated Shareholders Agreement.  Pursuant to an Amended and Restated Shareholders Agreement among us and certain of our stockholders, including Messrs. Ward and Mitchell and certain of their respective affiliates, we have agreed to allow such parties to offer their shares of our common stock in certain future registered offerings of our common stock, subject to our priority and customary limitations. We have also agreed to use our reasonable best efforts to cause a shelf registration statement to become effective with respect to the securities held by the stockholders party to the Amended and Restated Shareholders Agreement upon their request. Such request may not be made within 120 days of the effectiveness of a registration statement requested pursuant to the Amended and Restated Shareholders Agreement or that such stockholders are entitled to participate in pursuant to the Amended and Restated Shareholders Agreement. The stockholders party to the agreement (other than Messrs. Ward and Mitchell and their affiliates) may transfer their registration rights under this agreement in connection with sales in excess of 2,000,000 shares of our common stock.

 

Additional Registration Rights.  We entered into registration rights agreements with certain of our stockholders, including Messrs. Ward and Mitchell, on November 21, 2006 and March 20, 2007. Pursuant to these registration rights agreements, we have agreed to allow such parties to offer their shares of our common stock in certain future registered offerings of our common stock, subject to our priority and customary limitations. In addition, we have entered into a registration rights agreement with Mr. George B. Kaiser dated February 16, 2009, which requires us to register certain shares included in this registration statement, as well as any shares that may be purchased in the future under a warrant.

 

Anti-Takeover Provisions of Delaware Law, Our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws

 

Written Consent of Stockholders

 

Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws provide that any action required or permitted to be taken by our stockholders must be taken at a duly called meeting of stockholders and not by written consent.

 

Amendment of the Bylaws

 

Under Delaware law, the power to adopt, amend or repeal bylaws is conferred upon the stockholders. A corporation may, however, in its certificate of incorporation also confer upon the board of directors the power to adopt, amend or repeal its bylaws. Our charter and bylaws grant our board the power to adopt, amend and repeal our bylaws on the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors then in office.

 

Special Meetings of Stockholders

 

Our bylaws preclude the ability of our stockholders to call special meetings of stockholders.

Other Limitations on Stockholder Actions

 

Advance notice is required for stockholders to nominate directors or to submit proposals for consideration at meetings of stockholders. In addition, the ability of our stockholders to remove directors without cause is precluded.

 

Classified Board

 

Only one of three classes of directors is elected each year.

 

Limitation of Liability of Officers and Directors

 

Our certificate of incorporation provides that no director shall be personally liable to us or our stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except for liability:

 

 

The effect of these provisions is to eliminate our rights and our stockholders’ rights, through stockholders’ derivative suits on our behalf, to recover monetary damages against a director for a breach of fiduciary duty as a director, including breaches resulting from grossly negligent behavior, except in the situations described above.

 

Business Combination Under Delaware Law

 

We are subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. In general, Section 203 prohibits a publicly held Delaware corporation from engaging in a “business combination” with an “interested stockholder” for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder, unless the business combination is approved in a prescribed manner.

 

Section 203 defines a “business combination” as a merger, asset sale or other transaction resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholders. Section 203 defines an “interested stockholder” as a person who, together with affiliates and associates, owns, or, in some cases, within three years prior, did own, 15% or more of the corporation’s voting stock. Under Section 203, a business combination between us and an interested stockholder is prohibited unless:

 

 

This provision has an anti-takeover effect with respect to transactions not approved in advance by our board of directors, including discouraging takeover attempts that might result in a premium over the market price for the shares of our common stock. With approval of our stockholders, we could amend our certificate of incorporation in the future to elect not to be governed by the anti-takeover law. This election would become effective 12 months after the adoption of the amendment and would not apply to any business combination with any person who became an interested stockholder on or before the adoption of the amendment.

 

We may issue warrants for the purchase of our common stock. Warrants may be issued independently or together with Debt Securities, preferred stock or common stock offered by any prospectus supplement and may be attached to or separate from any such offered securities. Each series of warrants will be issued under a separate warrant agreement to be entered into between us and a bank or trust company, as warrant agent, all as set forth in the prospectus supplement relating to the particular issue of warrants. The warrant agent will act solely as our agent in connection with the warrants and will not assume any obligation or relationship of agency or trust for or with any holders of warrants or beneficial owners of warrants. The following summary of certain provisions of the warrants does not purport to be complete and is subject to, and is qualified in its entirety by reference to, all provisions of the warrant agreements.

 

You should refer to the prospectus supplement relating to a particular issue of warrants for the terms of and information relating to the warrants, including, where applicable:

 

(1) the number of shares of common stock purchasable upon exercise of the warrants and the price at which such number of shares of common stock may be purchased upon exercise of the warrants;

 

(2) the date on which the right to exercise the warrants commences and the date on which such right expires (the “Expiration Date”);

 

(3) United States federal income tax consequences applicable to the warrants;

 

(4) the amount of the warrants outstanding as of the most recent practicable date; and

 

(5) any other terms of the warrants.

 

Warrants will be offered and exercisable for United States dollars only. Warrants will be issued in registered form only. Each warrant will entitle its holder to purchase such number of shares of common stock at such exercise price as is in each case set forth in, or calculable from, the prospectus supplement relating to the warrants. The exercise price may be subject to adjustment upon the occurrence of events described in such prospectus supplement. After the close of business on the Expiration Date (or such later date to which we may extend such Expiration Date), unexercised warrants will become void. The place or places where, and the manner in which, warrants may be exercised will be specified in the prospectus supplement relating to such warrants.

 

Prior to the exercise of any warrants, holders of the warrants will not have any of the rights of holders of common stock, including the right to receive payments of any dividends on the common stock purchasable upon exercise of the warrants, or to exercise any applicable right to vote.

 

We may sell or distribute the securities included in this prospectus through underwriters, through agents, dealers, in private transactions, at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to the prevailing market prices, or at negotiated prices.

 

In addition, we may sell some or all of the securities included in this prospectus through:

 

 

In addition, we may enter into option or other types of transactions that require us to deliver common shares to a broker-dealer, who will then resell or transfer the common shares under this prospectus. We may enter into hedging transactions with respect to our securities. For example, we may:

 

 

We may enter into derivative transactions with third parties or sell securities not covered by this prospectus to third parties in privately negotiated transactions. If the applicable prospectus supplement indicates, in connection with those derivatives, the third parties may sell securities covered by this prospectus and the applicable prospectus supplement, including in short sale transactions. If so, the third party may use securities pledged by us or borrowed from us or others to settle those sales or to close out any related open borrowings of stock, and may use securities received from us in settlement of those derivatives to close out any related open borrowings of stock. The third party in such sale transactions will be an underwriter and, if not identified in this prospectus, will be identified in the applicable prospectus supplement (or a post-effective amendment). In addition, we may otherwise loan or pledge securities to a financial institution or other third party that in turn may sell the securities short using this prospectus. Such financial institution or other third party may transfer its economic short position to investors in our securities or in connection with a concurrent offering of other securities.

 

There is currently no market for any of the securities, other than the shares of common stock listed on the New York Stock Exchange. If the securities are traded after their initial issuance, they may trade at a discount from their initial offering price, depending on prevailing interest rates, the market for similar securities and other factors. While it is possible that an underwriter could inform us that it intends to make a market in the securities, such underwriter would not be obligated to do so, and any such market making could be discontinued at any time without notice. Therefore, we cannot assure you as to whether an active trading market will develop for these other securities. We have no current plans for listing the debt securities on any securities exchange; any such listing with respect to any particular debt securities will be described in the applicable prospectus supplement.

 

Any broker-dealers or other persons acting on our behalf that participate with us in the distribution of the shares may be deemed to be underwriters and any commissions received or profit realized by them on the resale of the shares may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions under the Securities Act. As of the date of this prospectus, we are not a party to any agreement, arrangement or understanding between any broker or dealer and us with respect to the offer or sale of the securities pursuant to this prospectus.

 

We may have agreements with agents, underwriters, dealers and remarketing firms to indemnify them against certain civil liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act. Agents, underwriters, dealers and

remarketing firms, and their affiliates, may engage in transactions with, or perform services for, us in the ordinary course of business. This includes commercial banking and investment banking transactions.

 

At the time that any particular offering of securities is made, to the extent required by the Securities Act, a prospectus supplement will be distributed setting forth the terms of the offering, including the aggregate number of securities being offered, the purchase price of the securities, the initial offering price of the securities, the names of any underwriters, dealers or agents, any discounts, commissions and other items constituting compensation from us and any discounts, commissions or concessions allowed or reallowed or paid to dealers.

 

Underwriters or agents could make sales in privately negotiated transactions and/or any other method permitted by law, including sales deemed to be an “at the market” offering as defined in Rule 415 promulgated under the Securities Act, which includes sales made directly on or through the New York Stock Exchange, the existing trading market for our common shares, or sales made to or through a market maker other than on an exchange.

 

Securities may also be sold directly by us. In this case, no underwriters or agents would be involved.

 

If a prospectus supplement so indicates, underwriters, brokers or dealers, in compliance with applicable law, may engage in transactions that stabilize or maintain the market price of the securities at levels above those that might otherwise prevail in the open market.

 

Pursuant to a requirement by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (“FINRA”), the maximum commission or discount to be received by any FINRA member or independent broker/dealer may not be greater than eight percent (8%) of the gross proceeds received by us for the sale of any securities being registered pursuant to SEC Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933.

 

If more than 10% of the net proceeds of any offering of securities made under this prospectus will be received by FINRA members participating in the offering or affiliates or associated persons of such FINRA members, the offering will be conducted in accordance with NASD Conduct Rule 2710(h).

 

Certain legal matters in connection with the securities will be passed upon by Vinson & Elkins L.L.P, Houston, Texas, as our counsel. Any underwriter or agent will be advised about other issues relating to any offering by its own legal counsel.

 

The financial statements and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting (which is included in Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting) incorporated in this prospectus by reference to the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008 have been so incorporated in reliance on the report of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.

 

The estimated reserve evaluations and related calculations for our SandRidge CO₂ properties as of December 31, 2006, 2007 and 2008 have been included in this offering memorandum in reliance upon the report of DeGolyer and MacNaughton, independent petroleum engineering consultants, given upon their authority as experts in petroleum engineering. The estimated reserve evaluations and related calculations for our WTO, East Texas, Gulf of Mexico, Gulf Coast and certain other properties as of December 31, 2006, 2007 and 2008 have been included in this offering memorandum in reliance upon the report of Netherland, Sewell & Associates, Inc., independent petroleum engineering consultants, given upon their authority as experts in petroleum engineering.

PROSPECTUS

 

47,776,451 Shares

 

 

SandRidge Energy, Inc.

 

Common Stock

 

 

This prospectus relates to up to 47,776,451 shares of the common stock of SandRidge Energy, Inc., which may be offered for sale by the selling stockholders named in this prospectus. We are registering the offer and sale of the shares of common stock to satisfy registration rights we have granted.

 

 

We are not selling any shares of common stock under this prospectus and will not receive any proceeds from the sale of common stock by the selling stockholders. The shares of common stock to which this prospectus relates may be offered and sold from time to time directly from the selling stockholders or alternatively through underwriters or broker-dealers or agents. The shares of common stock may be sold in one or more transactions, at fixed prices, at prevailing market prices at the time of sale or at negotiated prices. Please read “Plan of Distribution.”

 

 

Investing in any of our securities involves risk. Please read carefully the section entitled “Risk Factors” beginning on page 4 of this prospectus.

 

 

Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “SD.”

 

 

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

 

 

This prospectus is dated April 13, 2009.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

 

You should rely only on the information contained in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus and any prospectus supplement. We have not authorized any dealer, salesman or other person to provide you with additional or different information. If anyone provides you with different or inconsistent information, you should not rely on it. This prospectus and any prospectus supplement are not an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities other than the securities to which they relate and are not an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy securities in any jurisdiction to any person to whom it is unlawful to make an offer or solicitation in that jurisdiction. You should not assume that the information contained in this prospectus is accurate as of any date other than the date on the front cover of this prospectus, or that the information contained in any document incorporated by reference is accurate as of any date other than the date of the document incorporated by reference, regardless of the time of delivery of this prospectus or any sale of a security.

 

This prospectus is part of a registration statement that we filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which we refer to as the SEC, using a “shelf” registration process. Under this prospectus, the selling stockholders may sell the shares of common stock described in this prospectus in one or more offerings. This prospectus may be supplemented from time to time to add, update or change information contained in this prospectus. Any statement that we make in this prospectus will be modified or superseded by any inconsistent statement made by us in a prospectus supplement. You should read both this prospectus and any prospectus supplement together with additional information described under the heading “Where You Can Find More Information.”

 

Unless the context requires otherwise or unless otherwise noted, all references in this prospectus or any accompanying prospectus supplement to “SandRidge,” “we” or “our” are to SandRidge Energy, Inc. and its subsidiaries.

 

We are an independent natural gas and crude oil company concentrating on exploration, development and production activities. We also own and operate drilling rigs and conduct related oil field services, and we own and operate interests in gas gathering, marketing and processing facilities and CO₂ gathering and transportation facilities.

 

Our principal executive offices are located at 123 Robert S. Kerr Avenue, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73102. Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “SD.”

 

We file annual, quarterly and current reports and other information with the SEC (File No. 001-33784) pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). You may read and copy any documents that are filed at the SEC’s public reference room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. You may also obtain copies of these documents at prescribed rates from the public reference section of the SEC at its Washington address. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information.

 

Our filings are also available to the public through the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

 

The SEC allows us to “incorporate by reference” information that we file with them, which means that we can disclose important information to you by referring you to documents previously filed with the SEC. The information incorporated by reference is an important part of this prospectus, and the information that we later file with the SEC will automatically update and supersede this information. The following documents we filed with the SEC pursuant to the Exchange Act are incorporated herein by reference:

 

 

These reports contain important information about us, our financial condition and our results of operations.

 

All documents filed pursuant to Sections 13(a), 13(c), 14 and 15(d) of the Exchange Act (excluding any information furnished pursuant to Item 2.02 or Item 7.01 on any current report on Form 8-K) before the termination of each offering under this prospectus shall be deemed to be incorporated in this prospectus by reference and to be a part hereof from the date of filing of such documents. Any statement contained herein,

or in a document incorporated or deemed to be incorporated by reference herein, shall be deemed to be modified or superseded for purposes of this prospectus to the extent that a statement contained herein or in any subsequently filed document that also is or is deemed to be incorporated by reference herein, modified or supersedes such statement. Any such statement so modified or superseded shall not be deemed, except as so modified or superseded, to constitute a part of this prospectus.

 

You may request a copy of these filings at no cost by writing or telephoning us at the following address and telephone number:

 

Richard J. Gognat
Corporate Secretary
SandRidge Energy, Inc.
123 Robert S. Kerr Avenue
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73102-6406
(405) 429-5500

 

We also maintain a website at http://www.sandridgeenergy.com. However, the information on our website is not part of this prospectus.

 

Various statements contained in or incorporated by reference into this prospectus, our filings with the SEC and our public releases, including those that express a belief, expectation, or intention, as well as those that are not statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”). These forward-looking statements may include projections and estimates concerning capital expenditures, our liquidity and capital resources, the timing and success of specific projects, outcomes and effects of litigation, claims and disputes, elements of our business strategy and other statements concerning our operations, economic performance and financial condition. Forward-looking statements are generally accompanied by words such as “estimate,” “project,” “predict,” “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “potential,” “could,” “may,” “foresee,” “plan,” “goal” or other words that convey the uncertainty of future events or outcomes. We have based these forward-looking statements on our current expectations and assumptions about future events. These statements are based on certain assumptions and analyses made by us in light of our experience and our perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments as well as other factors we believe are appropriate under the circumstances. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this prospectus; we disclaim any obligation to update or revise these statements unless required by securities law, and we caution you not to rely on them unduly. While our management considers these expectations and assumptions to be reasonable, they are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, regulatory and other risks, contingencies and uncertainties relating to, among other matters, the risks discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008 and our subsequent SEC filings and those factors summarized below:

 

 

 

An investment in our securities involves risks. Before you invest in our securities, you should carefully consider the risk factors included in our most recent annual report on Form 10-K, subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and those that may be included in the applicable prospectus supplement, as well as risks described in “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and cautionary notes regarding forward-looking statements included or incorporated by reference herein, together with all of the other information included in this prospectus, any prospectus supplement and the documents we incorporate by reference.

 

If any of these risks were to materialize, our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition could be materially adversely affected. In that case, our ability to pay interest on, or the principal of, any debt securities, may be reduced, the trading price of our securities could decline and you could lose all or part of your investment.

 

You should consider carefully the risks below together with all of the other information included in, or incorporated by reference into, this prospectus before deciding whether to invest in our securities.

 

Risks Related to Our Common Stock

 

The market price for shares of our common stock may be highly volatile and could be subject to wide fluctuations.

 

The market price for shares of our common stock may be highly volatile and could be subject to wide fluctuations, even if an active trading market develops. Some of the factors that could negatively affect our share price include:

 

 

We do not anticipate paying any dividends on our common stock in the foreseeable future.

 

We do not expect to declare or pay any cash or other dividends in the foreseeable future on our common stock, as we intend to use cash flow generated by operations to expand our business. Our senior credit facility

and the indentures governing our outstanding notes restrict our ability to pay cash dividends on our common stock, and we may also enter into credit agreements or other borrowing arrangements in the future that restrict our ability to declare or pay cash dividends on our common stock.

 

Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws, as well as Delaware law, contain provisions that could discourage acquisition bids or merger proposals, which may adversely affect the market price of our common stock.

 

Our certificate of incorporation authorizes our board of directors to issue preferred stock without stockholder approval. If our board of directors elects to issue preferred stock, it could be more difficult for a third party to acquire us. In addition, some provisions of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws could make it more difficult for a third party to acquire control of us, even if the change of control would be beneficial to our stockholders, including:

 

 

Delaware law prohibits us from engaging in any business combination with any “interested stockholder,” meaning generally that a stockholder who beneficially owns more than 15% of our stock cannot acquire us for a period of three years from the date this person became an interested stockholder, unless various conditions are met, such as approval of the transaction by our board of directors.

 

The common stock to be offered and sold using this prospectus will be offered and sold by the selling stockholders named in this prospectus or in any supplement to this prospectus. We will not receive any proceeds from the sale of such common stock.

 

This prospectus covers the offering for resale of up to 47,776,451 shares of our common stock by the selling stockholders identified below. No offer or sale may occur unless this prospectus has been declared effective by the SEC, and remains effective at the time such selling stockholder offers or sells such common stock. We are required to update this prospectus to reflect material developments in our business, financial position and results of operations.

 

The selling stockholders listed below may from time to time offer and sell pursuant to this prospectus all of the common shares covered by this prospectus as indicated in the table below. The common shares being offered by the selling stockholders are outstanding and were originally issued as follows:

 

 

The following table sets forth certain information regarding the selling stockholder’s beneficial ownership of our common stock as of April 8, 2009, when there were 167,456,399 shares of our common stock outstanding. Unless set forth below, none of the selling stockholders selling in connection with the prospectus has held any position or office with, been employed by, or otherwise has had a material relationship with us or any of our affiliates during the three years prior to the date of this prospectus. The information presented below is based solely on our review of information provided by the selling stockholders.

 

 

 

 

Selling security holders who are registered broker-dealers are “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act. In addition, selling security holders who are affiliates of registered broker-dealers are “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act if such selling security holder (a) did not acquire its shares of common stock in the ordinary course of business or (b) had an agreement or understanding, directly or indirectly, with any person to distribute the common shares. To our knowledge, no selling security holder who is a registered broker-dealer or an affiliate of a registered broker-dealer received any securities as underwriting compensation.

 

The selling stockholders listed in the above table may have sold or transferred, in transactions exempt from the registration requirements of the Securities Act, some or all of the shares of our common stock since the date on which the information in the above table was provided to us. Information about the selling stockholders may change over time.

 

Because the selling stockholders may offer all or some of their shares of our common stock from time to time, we cannot estimate the number of shares of our common stock that will be held by the selling stockholders upon the termination of any particular offering by such selling stockholder. Please refer to “Plan of Distribution.”

 

All expenses incurred with the registration of the common stock owned by the selling stockholders will be borne by us.

 

Set forth below is a description of the material terms of our capital stock. However, this description is not complete and is qualified by reference to our certificate of incorporation and bylaws. Copies of our certificate of incorporation and bylaws are available from us upon request. These documents have also been filed with the SEC. Please read “Where You Can Find More Information.”

 

Authorized Capital Stock

 

Our authorized capital stock consists of 400,000,000 shares of common stock, par value $0.001 per share, and 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock, par value $0.001 per share. As of December 31, 2008, we had 166,046,111 outstanding shares of common stock. We have no outstanding options to purchase common stock, but we have granted restricted stock awards for 2,993,073 shares of common stock (other than shares cancelled

or forfeited) as of December 31, 2008. As of December 31, 2008, we had no shares of preferred stock outstanding, but we issued 2,650,000 shares of our 8.5% Convertible Perpetual Preferred Stock on January 21, 2009.

 

Common Stock

 

Subject to any special voting rights of any series of preferred stock that we may issue in the future, each share of common stock has one vote on all matters voted on by our stockholders, including the election of our directors. Because holders of common stock do not have cumulative voting rights, the holders of a majority of the shares of common stock can elect all of the members of the board of directors standing for election, subject to the rights, powers and preferences of any outstanding series of preferred stock.

 

No share of common stock affords any preemptive rights or is convertible, redeemable, assessable or entitled to the benefits of any sinking or repurchase fund. Holders of common stock will be entitled to dividends in the amounts and at the times declared by our board of directors in its discretion out of funds legally available for the payment of dividends.

 

Holders of common stock will share equally in our assets on liquidation after payment or provision for all liabilities and any preferential liquidation rights of any preferred stock then outstanding. All outstanding shares of common stock are fully paid and non-assessable.

 

Preferred Stock

 

Our board of directors may, without any action by holders of the common stock:

 

 

The rights of any class or series of preferred stock may include, among others:

 

 

We may issue shares of, or rights to purchase, preferred stock, the terms of which might:

 

 

Any of these actions could discourage a transaction that some or a majority of our stockholders might believe to be in their best interests or in which our stockholders might receive a premium for their stock over its then-prevailing market price.

 

8.5% Convertible Perpetual Preferred Stock

 

As of the date of this prospectus, 2,650,000 shares of our 8.5% Convertible Perpetual Preferred Stock (the “Convertible Preferred Stock”) were issued and outstanding. Each share of Convertible Preferred Stock is convertible at any time on or after April 15, 2009 at the option of the holder thereof into a number of shares of our common stock equal to the liquidation preference of $100 divided by the conversion price, which is

initially $8.0125 per share and is subject to specified adjustments. This results in an initial conversion rate of approximately 12.4805 shares of common stock per share of Convertible Preferred Stock. Based on the initial conversion price, approximately 33,073,323 shares of common stock would be issuable upon conversion of all of the outstanding shares of the Convertible Preferred Stock.

 

The annual dividend on each share of Convertible Preferred Stock is $8.50 and is payable semiannually, in arrears, on each February 15 and August 15, commencing on February 15, 2010, when, as and if declared by our board of directors. No dividends will accrue or accumulate prior to August 15, 2009. We may, at our option, pay dividends in cash, common stock or any combination thereof.

 

Except as required by law or the our certificate of incorporation, holders of the Convertible Preferred Stock will have no voting rights unless dividends fall into arrears for three semiannual periods. Until such arrearage is paid in full, the holders will be entitled to elect two directors and the number of directors on our board of directors will increase by that same number.

 

At any time on or after February 20, 2014, we may at our option cause all outstanding shares of the Convertible Preferred Stock to be automatically converted into common stock at the then-prevailing conversion price, if the closing sale price of our common stock exceeds 130% of the then-prevailing conversion price for a specified period prior to the conversion.

 

If a holder elects to convert shares of Convertible Preferred Stock upon the occurrence of certain specified fundamental changes, we may be obligated to deliver an additional number of shares above the applicable conversion rate to compensate the holder for lost option value.

 

Amended and Restated Shareholders Agreement

 

In connection with the closing of our acquisition of NEG Oil & Gas LLC (the “NEG Acquisition”), we entered into a Shareholders Agreement with certain of our stockholders, including Tom L. Ward, our Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President, N. Malone Mitchell 3rd, a director at that time, and affiliates of American Real Estate Partners, LP (“AREP”). The Shareholders Agreement was subsequently amended and restated in connection with the sale of the shares held by AREP to other stockholders (the “New Investors”). The Amended and Restated Shareholders Agreement contains certain restrictions on transfer, tag-along rights, a selected preemptive right and registration rights, each of which is described more fully below.

 

Tag-Along Rights.  If Messrs. Ward or Mitchell propose to sell shares of our common stock (other than to family members and affiliates other than SandRidge) in excess of 3% of our outstanding common stock on a fully diluted basis (other than to family members and affiliates other than SandRidge pursuant to Rule 144 or in a registered offering other than a block trade), the New Investors have the right to elect to sell their proportionate number of shares of our common stock on the same terms. The tag-along rights expire on the earlier of (i) the date upon which the New Investors cease to own at least 20% of our shares of common stock on purchased from affiliates of AREP and (ii) two years following a qualified public offering.

 

Registration Rights.  The Amended and Restated Shareholders Agreement provides each of Mr. Ward, Mr. Mitchell and the affiliates of AREP certain registration rights. For a description of these rights, please read “— Registration Rights — Amended and Restated Shareholders Agreement.”

 

Ares Shareholder Agreement

 

In connection with our March 2007 private placement, we entered into a Shareholders Agreement (the “Ares Shareholders Agreement”) with certain affiliates of Ares Management LLC (“Ares”) and Mr. Ward. The Ares Shareholder Agreement contains tag-along rights and a voting requirement, each of which is described more fully below.

 

Tag-Along Rights.  If Mr. Ward proposes to sell shares of common stock (other than to family members and affiliates other than SandRidge), he has agreed to use commercially reasonable efforts to structure such sale in a manner as to allow Ares to sell the same proportionate amount of its shares on the same terms. To the extent Ares is unable to sell its proportionate amount of shares as a result of other tag-along rights,

Mr. Ward shall decrease the amount of shares he is selling to allow for Ares to sell the same proportionate amount of its shares as Mr. Ward. The tag-along rights expire two years following the completion of the offering.

 

Registration Rights

 

Amended and Restated Shareholders Agreement.  Pursuant to an Amended and Restated Shareholders Agreement among us and certain of our stockholders, including Messrs. Ward and Mitchell and certain of their respective affiliates, we have agreed to allow such parties to offer their shares of our common stock in certain future registered offerings of our common stock, subject to our priority and customary limitations. We have also agreed to use our reasonable best efforts to cause a shelf registration statement to become effective with respect to the securities held by the stockholders party to the Amended and Restated Shareholders Agreement upon their request. Such request may not be made within 120 days of the effectiveness of a registration statement requested pursuant to the Amended and Restated Shareholders Agreement or that such stockholders are entitled to participate in pursuant to the Amended and Restated Shareholders Agreement. The stockholders party to the agreement (other than Messrs. Ward and Mitchell and their affiliates) may transfer their registration rights under this agreement in connection with sales in excess of 2,000,000 shares of our common stock.

 

Additional Registration Rights.  We entered into registration rights agreements with certain of our stockholders, including Messrs. Ward and Mitchell, on November 21, 2006 and March 20, 2007. Pursuant to these registration rights agreements, we have agreed to allow such parties to offer their shares of our common stock in certain future registered offerings of our common stock, subject to our priority and customary limitations. In addition, we have entered into a registration rights agreement with Mr. George B. Kaiser dated February 16, 2009, which requires us to register certain shares included in this registration statement, as well as any shares that may be purchased in the future under a warrant.

 

Anti-Takeover Provisions of Delaware Law, Our Certificate of Incorporation and Bylaws

 

Written Consent of Stockholders

 

Our certificate of incorporation and bylaws provide that any action required or permitted to be taken by our stockholders must be taken at a duly called meeting of stockholders and not by written consent.

 

Amendment of the Bylaws

 

Under Delaware law, the power to adopt, amend or repeal bylaws is conferred upon the stockholders. A corporation may, however, in its certificate of incorporation also confer upon the board of directors the power to adopt, amend or repeal its bylaws. Our charter and bylaws grant our board the power to adopt, amend and repeal our bylaws on the affirmative vote of a majority of the directors then in office.

 

Special Meetings of Stockholders

 

Our bylaws preclude the ability of our stockholders to call special meetings of stockholders.

 

Other Limitations on Stockholder Actions

 

Advance notice is required for stockholders to nominate directors or to submit proposals for consideration at meetings of stockholders. In addition, the ability of our stockholders to remove directors without cause is precluded.

 

Classified Board

 

Only one of three classes of directors is elected each year.

Limitation of Liability of Officers and Directors

 

Our certificate of incorporation provides that no director shall be personally liable to us or our stockholders for monetary damages for breach of fiduciary duty as a director, except for liability:

 

 

The effect of these provisions is to eliminate our rights and our stockholders’ rights, through stockholders’ derivative suits on our behalf, to recover monetary damages against a director for a breach of fiduciary duty as a director, including breaches resulting from grossly negligent behavior, except in the situations described above.

 

Business Combination Under Delaware Law

 

We are subject to the provisions of Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. In general, Section 203 prohibits a publicly held Delaware corporation from engaging in a “business combination” with an “interested stockholder” for a period of three years after the date of the transaction in which the person became an interested stockholder, unless the business combination is approved in a prescribed manner.

 

Section 203 defines a “business combination” as a merger, asset sale or other transaction resulting in a financial benefit to the interested stockholders. Section 203 defines an “interested stockholder” as a person who, together with affiliates and associates, owns, or, in some cases, within three years prior, did own, 15% or more of the corporation’s voting stock. Under Section 203, a business combination between us and an interested stockholder is prohibited unless:

 

 

This provision has an anti-takeover effect with respect to transactions not approved in advance by our board of directors, including discouraging takeover attempts that might result in a premium over the market price for the shares of our common stock. With approval of our stockholders, we could amend our certificate of incorporation in the future to elect not to be governed by the anti-takeover law. This election would become effective 12 months after the adoption of the amendment and would not apply to any business combination with any person who became an interested stockholder on or before the adoption of the amendment.

 

We are registering the common stock covered by this prospectus to permit selling stockholders to conduct public secondary trading of these shares from time to time after the date of this prospectus. We entered into Registration Rights Agreements with the selling stockholders, pursuant to which we agreed to, among other things, bear all expenses, other than brokers’ or underwriters’ discounts and commissions, in connection with the registration and sale of the common stock covered by this prospectus. We will not receive any of the proceeds of the sale of the common stock offered by this prospectus. The aggregate proceeds to the selling stockholders from the sale of the common stock will be the purchase price of the common stock less any discounts and commissions. A selling stockholder reserves the right to accept and, together with their agents, to reject, any proposed purchases of common stock to be made directly or through agents.

 

The common stock offered by this prospectus may be sold from time to time to purchasers:

 

 

The selling stockholders and any underwriters, broker-dealers or agents who participate in the sale or distribution of the common stock may be deemed to be “underwriters” within the meaning of the Securities Act. Any selling stockholder that is a registered broker-dealer will be deemed to be an underwriter. As a result, any profits on the sale of the common stock by such selling stockholders and any discounts, commissions or agent’s commissions or concessions received by it may be deemed to be underwriting discounts and commissions under the Securities Act. Selling stockholders who are deemed to be “underwriters” within the meaning of Section 2(11) of the Securities Act will be subject to prospectus delivery requirements of the Securities Act. Underwriters are subject to certain statutory liabilities, including, but not limited to, Sections 11, 12 and 17 of the Securities Act.

 

The common stock may be sold in one or more transactions at:

 

 

These sales may be effected in one or more transactions:

 

 

These transactions may include block transactions or crosses. Crosses are transactions in which the same broker acts as an agent on both sides of the trade.

 

In connection with the sales of the common stock, the selling stockholders may enter into hedging transactions with broker-dealers or other financial institutions which in turn may:

 

 

To our knowledge, there are currently no plans, arrangements or understandings between any selling stockholders and any underwriter, broker-dealer or agent regarding the sale of the common stock by the selling stockholders.

 

Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “SD.”

 

There can be no assurance that any selling stockholder will sell any or all of the common stock under this prospectus. Further, we cannot assure you that any such selling stockholder will not transfer, devise or gift the common stock by other means not described in this prospectus. In addition, any common stock covered by this prospectus that qualifies for sale under Rule 144 or Rule 144A of the Securities Act may be sold under Rule 144 or Rule 144A rather than under this prospectus. The common stock covered by this prospectus may also be sold to non-U.S. persons outside the U.S. in accordance with Regulation S under the Securities Act rather than under this prospectus. The common stock may be sold in some states only through registered or licensed brokers or dealers. In addition, in some states the common stock may not be sold unless it has been registered or qualified for sale or an exemption from registration or qualification is available and complied with.

 

The selling stockholders and any other person participating in the sale of the common stock will be subject to the Exchange Act. The Exchange Act rules include, without limitation, Regulation M, which may limit the timing of purchases and sales of any of the common stock by the selling stockholders and any other such person. In addition, Regulation M may restrict the ability of any person engaged in the distribution of the common stock to engage in market-making activities with respect to the particular common stock being distributed. This may affect the marketability of the common stock and the ability of any person or entity to engage in market-making activities with respect to the common stock.

 

We have agreed to indemnify the selling stockholders against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act.

 

We have agreed to pay substantially all of the expenses incidental to the registration, offering and sale of the common stock to the public, including the payment of federal securities law and state blue sky registration fees, except that we will not bear any underwriting discounts or commissions or transfer taxes relating to the sale of shares of our common stock.

 

Certain legal matters in connection with the securities will be passed upon by Vinson & Elkins L.L.P, Houston, Texas, as our counsel. Any underwriter or agent will be advised about other issues relating to any offering by its own legal counsel.

 

The financial statements and management’s assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting (which is included in Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting) incorporated in this prospectus by reference to the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008 have been so incorporated in reliance on the report of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, given on the authority of said firm as experts in auditing and accounting.

 

The estimated reserve evaluations and related calculations for our SandRidge CO₂ properties as of December 31, 2006, 2007 and 2008 have been included in this offering memorandum in reliance upon the report of DeGolyer and MacNaughton, independent petroleum engineering consultants, given upon their authority as experts in petroleum engineering. The estimated reserve evaluations and related calculations for our WTO, East Texas, Gulf of Mexico, Gulf Coast and certain other properties as of December 31, 2006, 2007 and 2008 have been included in this offering memorandum in reliance upon the report of Netherland, Sewell & Associates, Inc., independent petroleum engineering consultants, given upon their authority as experts in petroleum engineering.