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Diamondback Energy Announces $4.45B Drop-Down Deal With Viper

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Diamondback Energy, Inc. (FANG - Free Report) recently announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell certain mineral and royalty interests to its subsidiary, Viper Energy, Inc. (VNOM - Free Report) , for a total transaction value of $4.45 billion.

The deal is expected to close by the second quarter of 2025 and is subject to approval by the shareholders of Viper Energy and satisfaction of customary closing conditions.

Compensation of the Drop-Down Deal

The total transaction value will be compensated partly in cash and partly in exchange for stock. Diamondback, currently carrying a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), will receive $1 billion in cash and approximately 69.6 million units of Viper’s operating subsidiary as compensation for its deal. The operating company units will be issued with Viper’s equal number of Class B common stock shares.

The cash portion of the transaction will be funded via cash on hand and borrowings under Viper’s credit facility and the stock price of the transaction will be calculated based on Viper’s average sales price of $49.55 on Jan. 24, 2025, reaching the total transaction value of $4.45 billion.

You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

How Will the Deal Benefit FANG?

The transaction will help Diamondback in its debt reduction initiative after a $26 billion acquisition of Endeavor Energy Resources and boost its exposure to Viper’s growth profile and market-leading minerals position. This transaction is a key milestone for Diamondback to capture the benefits of synergies and execute corporate development objectives with respect to the Endeavor transaction.

Key Picks

Investors interested in the energy sector might look at some top-ranked stocks like SM Energy Company (SM - Free Report) and Sunoco LP (SUN - Free Report) .

Denver, CO-based SM Energy Company is an independent oil and gas company engaged in the exploration, exploitation, development, acquisition and production of natural gas and crude oil in North America. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for SM’s 2024 earnings indicates 15.11% year-over-year growth.

Dallas, TX-based Sunoco LP is a master limited partnership that deals with distribution of motor fuel to roughly 10,000 customers that include independent dealers, commercial customers, convenience stores as well as distributors. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for SUN’s 2024 earnings indicates 184.11% year-over-year growth.

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