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The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Occidental Petroleum, Chevron, BP, Callon Petroleum, and WPX Energy
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For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – January 9, 2020 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Occidental Petroleum (OXY - Free Report) , Chevron (CVX - Free Report) , BP plc (BP - Free Report) , Callon Petroleum Co. and WPX Energy .
Here are highlights from Wednesday’s Analyst Blog:
Here’s Why Energy M&A Is Expected to Remain Healthy in 2020
Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity among upstream energy companies surged to a five-year high of $96 billion in 2019, thanks to mega deals such as Occidental Petroleum’s buyout of Anadarko Petroleum.
While a number of companies struck deals to increase scale and stay competitive, some transactions were driven by the need of diversification across geographical coverage.
Here is an overview of the four major proposed exploration and production energy deals from 2019:
1. Occidental-Anadarko
In early August, Occidental completed a $57 billion (including debt) mega-merger deal with Texas-based upstream company Anadarko Petroleum after it prevailed in a bidding war with supermajor Chevron. At stake was Anadarko’s 250,000 net acres in the fastest growing oil producing region in the world - the Permian basin spread over west Texas and New Mexico. Occidental’s motive was to become the largest crude producer in the Permian Basin, where it owned maximum acreage (around 2.5 million acres) followed by Chevron (2.2 million acres).
Per Occidental, the combined company boasts a production capacity of 1.3 million barrels of oil equivalent per day and is expected to be accretive to free cash flow within a year of the acquisition. It is also on track to generate $3.5 billion of free cash flow through $2 billion of annual cost synergies and $1.5 billion of annual capital reductions.
2. BP-Hilcorp Energy
In August, BP plc announced that it has signed an accord with privately held Hilcorp Energy Co. to divest all its assets in Alaska for $5.6 billion. With the deal's anticipated closure this year, subject to approvals from the state and federal bodies, the British energy giant will exit Alaskan operations after 60 long years.
Precisely, the assets to be divested entails BP’s entire upstream and midstream operations in Alaska. This includes the British energy giant’s stake in the Prudhoe Bay — the largest oil field in North America — and the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System — spreading over 800 miles and transporting oil to the Port of Valdez.
3. Callon Petroleum-Carrizo Oil & Gas
The deal frenzy continued to sweep the U.S. oil industry, bringing about a wave of consolidation in the prolific shale plays. Another energy company to join the bandwagon was Callon Petroleum Co., which, in July, announced the acquisition of Carrizo Oil & Gas, Inc. in a $3.2-billion deal (including debt), in a bid to bolster its Permian presence.
After months of opposition from some large shareholders, the transaction was eventually completed late last year on a revised buyout price and conditions.
The combined company is expected to have around 200,000 net acres in the Permian Basin and Eagle Ford shale. While the addition of Eagle Ford acreages to Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) Callon Petroleum’s portfolio meant that it lost the pure-play Permian status, the move will likely trigger economies of scale and lead to significant cost reduction.
Mergers in the upstream space continued throughout the year when WPX Energy announced in December that it intends to acquire Delaware Basin-based Felix Energy for $2.5 billion. The purchase consideration comprises $900 million in cash and $1.6 billion in WPX Energy shares. This acquisition is in sync with the company’s intention to further increase oil production.
Felix Energy has nearly 1,500 gross undeveloped locations in the eastern portion of the basin, with expected production of around 60 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day. Out of the total production, 70% will be oil. The parties anticipate closing the transaction early in second-quarter 2020.
Expect More Oil Patch M&A in 2020
Upstream companies are currently under pressure from investors, who are no longer supporting drilling programs and expansions in the absence of strong cash flows. Investors want these companies to reduce costs, improve internal efficiencies, raise share repurchases and increase returns.
One of the ways to tide over the low returns and weak cash flows is consolidation. In fact, mergers are viewed as a means to build scale and minimize overhead costs, thereby creating a stronger company with improving efficiencies and financial performance.
As it is, a prolonged period of low oil prices has led to ‘survival of the fittest.’ Larger companies – especially those with cash to spend – are set to take advantage of this opportunity and buy quality assets at cheap valuations. The most vulnerable companies are the ones with increasing levels of debt and distresses assets.
Finally, with WTI crude, the domestic benchmark, bouncing back above $60 per barrel on multiple tailwinds, the investor hunger for M&A deals is likely to remain strong. The flurry of such activities in recent times suggest that stronger companies are lining up to buy the weaker ones.
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Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit http://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.
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The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Occidental Petroleum, Chevron, BP, Callon Petroleum, and WPX Energy
For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – January 9, 2020 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Occidental Petroleum (OXY - Free Report) , Chevron (CVX - Free Report) , BP plc (BP - Free Report) , Callon Petroleum Co. and WPX Energy .
Here are highlights from Wednesday’s Analyst Blog:
Here’s Why Energy M&A Is Expected to Remain Healthy in 2020
Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity among upstream energy companies surged to a five-year high of $96 billion in 2019, thanks to mega deals such as Occidental Petroleum’s buyout of Anadarko Petroleum.
While a number of companies struck deals to increase scale and stay competitive, some transactions were driven by the need of diversification across geographical coverage.
Here is an overview of the four major proposed exploration and production energy deals from 2019:
1. Occidental-Anadarko
In early August, Occidental completed a $57 billion (including debt) mega-merger deal with Texas-based upstream company Anadarko Petroleum after it prevailed in a bidding war with supermajor Chevron. At stake was Anadarko’s 250,000 net acres in the fastest growing oil producing region in the world - the Permian basin spread over west Texas and New Mexico. Occidental’s motive was to become the largest crude producer in the Permian Basin, where it owned maximum acreage (around 2.5 million acres) followed by Chevron (2.2 million acres).
Per Occidental, the combined company boasts a production capacity of 1.3 million barrels of oil equivalent per day and is expected to be accretive to free cash flow within a year of the acquisition. It is also on track to generate $3.5 billion of free cash flow through $2 billion of annual cost synergies and $1.5 billion of annual capital reductions.
2. BP-Hilcorp Energy
In August, BP plc announced that it has signed an accord with privately held Hilcorp Energy Co. to divest all its assets in Alaska for $5.6 billion. With the deal's anticipated closure this year, subject to approvals from the state and federal bodies, the British energy giant will exit Alaskan operations after 60 long years.
Precisely, the assets to be divested entails BP’s entire upstream and midstream operations in Alaska. This includes the British energy giant’s stake in the Prudhoe Bay — the largest oil field in North America — and the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System — spreading over 800 miles and transporting oil to the Port of Valdez.
3. Callon Petroleum-Carrizo Oil & Gas
The deal frenzy continued to sweep the U.S. oil industry, bringing about a wave of consolidation in the prolific shale plays. Another energy company to join the bandwagon was Callon Petroleum Co., which, in July, announced the acquisition of Carrizo Oil & Gas, Inc. in a $3.2-billion deal (including debt), in a bid to bolster its Permian presence.
After months of opposition from some large shareholders, the transaction was eventually completed late last year on a revised buyout price and conditions.
The combined company is expected to have around 200,000 net acres in the Permian Basin and Eagle Ford shale. While the addition of Eagle Ford acreages to Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) Callon Petroleum’s portfolio meant that it lost the pure-play Permian status, the move will likely trigger economies of scale and lead to significant cost reduction.
You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
4. WPX Energy-Felix Energy
Mergers in the upstream space continued throughout the year when WPX Energy announced in December that it intends to acquire Delaware Basin-based Felix Energy for $2.5 billion. The purchase consideration comprises $900 million in cash and $1.6 billion in WPX Energy shares. This acquisition is in sync with the company’s intention to further increase oil production.
Felix Energy has nearly 1,500 gross undeveloped locations in the eastern portion of the basin, with expected production of around 60 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day. Out of the total production, 70% will be oil. The parties anticipate closing the transaction early in second-quarter 2020.
Expect More Oil Patch M&A in 2020
Upstream companies are currently under pressure from investors, who are no longer supporting drilling programs and expansions in the absence of strong cash flows. Investors want these companies to reduce costs, improve internal efficiencies, raise share repurchases and increase returns.
One of the ways to tide over the low returns and weak cash flows is consolidation. In fact, mergers are viewed as a means to build scale and minimize overhead costs, thereby creating a stronger company with improving efficiencies and financial performance.
As it is, a prolonged period of low oil prices has led to ‘survival of the fittest.’ Larger companies – especially those with cash to spend – are set to take advantage of this opportunity and buy quality assets at cheap valuations. The most vulnerable companies are the ones with increasing levels of debt and distresses assets.
Finally, with WTI crude, the domestic benchmark, bouncing back above $60 per barrel on multiple tailwinds, the investor hunger for M&A deals is likely to remain strong. The flurry of such activities in recent times suggest that stronger companies are lining up to buy the weaker ones.
The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All
Last year, it generated $24 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $77.6 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early.
See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >>
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Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit http://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.