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Diamondback sets $26 billion offer for shale oil rival Undertaking Energy

U.S. oil producer Diamondback Energy stated on Monday it would purchase independently held competitor Venture Energy Partners in $26 billion cashandstock offer that continues a rapid consolidation in the top U.S. shale oilfield.

The combined company would be the third-largest oil and gas producer in the Permian Basin of West Texas and New Mexico, behind Exxon Mobil and Chevron, with both having announced current offers.

The deal comes in the middle of a wave of consolidation in the basin in a drive to increase ongoing production and safe and secure future drilling inventory.

The combined company would pump 816,000 barrels of oil and gas per day (boepd), behind the Exxon-Pioneer mix of about 1.3 million boepd and Chevron's 867,000 boepd in the basin.

Less wells would be required to keep production flat in 2025 and beyond, with both business being able to run a full service on Diamondback's expense structure, CFO Kaes Van't Hof stated in a call to analysts.

Ultimately there will be non-core property sales. We still have some considerable joint-venture interest ... the Delaware Basin is going to get less capital than as a percentage of total than it did formerly. We're not a required seller.

Shares of Diamondback were up nearly 10% at $166.93 in early morning trading. had on Sunday reported about merger talks between Diamondback and Endeavor, mentioning sources.

The deal to purchase Undertaking consists of about 117.3 million shares of Diamondback typical stock and $8 billion in money. The sale comes nearly 45 years after Texas oilman Autry Stephens started the business that would become Undertaking.

Diamondback would be able to pay the big cash part and still keep its balance sheet strong due to its relatively low debt-to-capital of 23%, Tim Rezvan, an expert at KeyBanc Capital Markets, said.

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The combined business would be the only pure-play Permian oil producer beyond Pioneer, which is being obtained by Exxon.

That status, said Andrew Dittmar, a senior vice president at data analytics firm Enverus, will make this a very attractive investment on Wall Street.

The reality that Diamondback is based in Midland also keeps the business regional and relieves the transition for the Endeavor group, he stated.

The deal also guarantees ongoing impact of Venture founder Stephens and other shareholders in business with their 39.5% stake of the combined company.

Stephens grew Endeavor by obtaining the unloved acreage of his rivals and handling to extract oil and gas profitably.

Endeavor's operations cover about 350,000 net acres in the Midland portion of the Permian and it anticipates to produce some 350,000 to 365,000 barrels of oil comparable per day in 2024.

Diamondback anticipates the deal to close in the fourth quarter and its investors are anticipated to own 60.5% of the integrated entity, while Venture will own the rest.

(source: Reuters)