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Oil & Gas Stock Roundup: Exxon, Chevron & Hess to Bid Jointly for Mexico Drilling Rights

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It was a week which saw oil prices rise to their highest level since Jun 22. But natural gas futures barely moved.

On the news front, oil giants Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM - Free Report) , Chevron Corp. (CVX - Free Report) and Hess Corp. (HES - Free Report) have joined forces to bid for deepwater drilling rights in Mexico.

Overall, it was a mixed week for the sector. While West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures jumped 9.1% to close at $48.52 per barrel, natural gas prices remained essentially unmoved to end the week at $2.584 per million Btu (MMBtu). (See the last ‘Oil & Gas Stock Roundup’ here: Petrobras Q2 Earnings Plummet, Suncor Buys North Sea Project Stake.)

Oil prices logged its largest weekly gain in five months on expectations of a production freeze from the 14-member OPEC bloc and Russia. Things further brightened with the release of U.S. Energy Department's report showing big drawdowns in domestic crude and gasoline stocks. A weaker dollar – that made the greenback-priced crude cheap for investors holding foreign currency – provided further support.

Oils-Energy Sector Price Index

 

 

Oils-Energy Sector Price Index

Natural gas, on the other hand, could not make much headway and stayed flat despite a smaller-than-expected storage addition. This is because with inventories still 14% above the 5-year average for this time of year, the market remains oversupplied.

Recap of the Week’s Most Important Stories

1.    Oil majors Exxon Mobil Corp., Chevron Corp. and Hess Corp. have joined forces to bid for rights to explore for crude in Mexico’s deepwater oil areas, per sources with direct knowledge of the plans.

According to the sources, the companies have reached a Joint Operating Agreement that facilitates the consortium to bid for oil production in the 10 areas that will be auctioned on Dec 5. A Joint Operating Agreement is a contract that ascertains the role and obligation of each participant as well as designates the company that will act as the operator of a production area in case it is awarded in the auction.

This is the first time since 1938 that foreign crude producers have been allowed to operate in Mexico after the country approved final legislation with respect to the same in 2014. This is an attempt to reverse an 11-year decline in production in the nation. Mexico expects to raise $44 billion through its first-ever sale of deepwater drilling rights in the Gulf of Mexico. (Read more: Exxon Mobil, Hess & Chevron Team Up for Mexican Oil Auction.)

2.    Oklahoma-based upstream energy player Continental Resources Inc. declared a definitive purchase and sale agreement with an undisclosed buyer to divest non-strategic assets in Montana and North Dakota. The transaction is valued at $222 million but its completion is dependent on certain adjustments and customary closing conditions.

The to-be-sold properties include 68,000 net acres of leasehold located in western Williams County, ND along with 12,000 leasehold acres in Roosevelt County, MT. It is to be noted that those resources have a production capacity of 2,800 barrels of oil equivalent every day.

Harold Hamm, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the company revealed that the proceeds will likely help to lower debt and thereby strengthen balance sheet. Most importantly, the divestiture marks the company’s third non-strategic property sale this year which helped to draw more than $600 million in proceeds. (Read more: Continental Resources to Divest Non-Strategic Assets Again.)

3.    Downstream operator Valero Energy Corp.’s (VLO - Free Report) board of directors has approved its partnership – Valero Energy Partners L.P. – to acquire the Meraux and Three Rivers Terminal Services Business from one of the company’s subsidiaries. The transaction is valued at about $325 million and is expected to close on Sep 1.

Per estimations, the business to be purchased by the partnership will contribute about $25 million of net income and about $39 million of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) within the first year of operation.

The proposed acquisition comprises terminals that support Valero’s Meraux and Three Rivers refineries. The Meraux assets include 24 tanks with a storage capacity of 3.9 million barrels for crude oil, intermediates, and refined petroleum products. The Three Rivers assets consist of 62 tanks with a storage capacity of 2.25 million barrels for crude oil, intermediates, and refined petroleum products.

4.    Natural gas producer Chesapeake Energy Corp. (CHK - Free Report) declared the pricing and the upsizing of a secured five-year term loan as a result of strong demand. The proposed term loan has been upsized to $1.5 billion from a previously announced size of $1.0 billion. The transaction, which is anticipated to close on or prior to Aug 23, 2016, is dependent on customary closing conditions.

As per the company, the proposed loan will have an interest rate of LIBOR plus 7.50% per annum and will be subject to a 1.00% LIBOR floor. The company aims to use the funds raised from the proposed offering for its bond tender offer as well as fund near-term cash needs. (See More: Chesapeake Reveals Pricing & Upsizing of Term Loan.)

5.    Denver-based oil and natural gas producer Bill Barrett Corp. announced plans to resume its drilling program in the Denver-Julesburg Basin during the current quarter.

Crude's collapse forced the company to let go its only drilling rig during the first quarter. However, the commodity has staged a remarkable comeback with prices recovering from a 12-year low of $26.21 a barrel in February to around $47/barrel now. Bill Barrett also claimed that it has found a way to drill wells at almost 50% less cost and time than in 2014 when the oil rout started.

The company is looking to commence drilling as many as a dozen new wells by the end of 2016, with production expected by the first quarter of next year.

Price Performance

The following table shows the price movement of the major oil and gas players over the past week and during the last 6 months.

Company

Last Week

Last 6 Months

XOM

-0.11%

+8.32%

CVX

+0.11%

+20.06%

COP

+4.81%

+29.50%

OXY

+2.60%

+10.67%

SLB

+1.29%

+13.83%

RIG

+3.75%

+18.27%

VLO

+0.62%

-5.32%

TSO

+0.52%

-1.46%

Over the course of last week, ‘The Energy Select Sector SPDR’ was up 2.12% on hopes for an output freeze agreement. Consequently, investors witnessed buying in most market heavyweights. The best performer was Houston-based energy major ConocoPhillips that added 4.81% to its stock price.

Longer-term, over the last 6 months, the sector tracker has jumped 23.69%. ConocoPhillips was again the main beneficiary during this period, experiencing a 29.50% price increase.

What’s Next in the Energy World?

As usual, market participants will be closely tracking the regular weekly releases i.e. the U.S. government data on oil and natural gas. Energy traders will also be focusing on the Baker Hughes data on rig count.

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