Comprehensive Energy Data Intelligence

Information About Energy Companies, Their Assets, Market Deals, Industry Documents and More...

Centennial, Colgate Merger Is Completed on Sep.1

The completion of the merger between Centennial Resource Development Inc. and Colgate Energy Partners II LLC happened on Sept. 1, sealing the debut of Permian Resources Corp., which is considered the largest pure-play E&P company in the Delaware Basin.

Permian Resources’ idea was to combine two successful E&P companies, creating a better, stronger, and more strategically compelling company. Centennial and Colgate announced an agreement to merge in May, denying rumors that Colgate, a privately held independent Midland-based company, had been seeking an IPO.

The merger estimated Colgate at about $3.9 billion and consists of 269.3 million shares of Centennial stock, $525 million of cash, and the assumption of approximately $1.4 billion of Colgate’s outstanding net debt.

Permian Resources, being the combined company, has a deep inventory of “high-quality” drilling locations on around 180,000 net acres the companies anticipate will provide more than $1 billion of free cash flow in 2023 at current strip prices, in accordance with the company release on Sept. 1.

It is important to notice, that Permian Resources co-CEOs Hickey and James Walter own about 6% of total shares outstanding, representing one of the highest CEO ownership levels in the industry. Additionally, Permian Resources employees together own over 13% of the company.

Since its establishment, Colgate has earned about $1 billion in announced deals. Backed by Pearl Energy Investments and NGP, Colgate was announced to be considering an IPO last December that some sources said would estimate the company at around $4 billion.

Permian Resources is now operating an eight-rig drilling program and anticipates decreasing it to a seven-rig program in November. The development program is expected to maintain the production of 140,000 to 150,000 boe/d (about 52% oil) during the fourth quarter.

During 2023, Permian Resources expects its operating activity to be divided relatively evenly between New Mexico and Texas. The company considers beginning next year operating a seven-rig drilling program with the potential to decrease its rig count during the year, assuming expected operational efficiencies are completed.

Permian Resources is targeting annual corporate synergies of approximately $65 million, equating to more than $450 million of total net present value over the next ten years.

The variable return program is structured to distribute at least 50% of free cash flow after the base dividend through a variable dividend, share repurchases, or a combination of both. The compilation between variable dividends and share repurchases will be dependent upon market conditions during a given quarter.

Furthermore, the company expects to initiate a quarterly base dividend of $0.05 per share that the company considers is supported below $40/bbl WTI during a multiyear period. The quarterly base dividend is anticipated to be formally declared and paid starting in the fourth quarter of 2022.

If you are further interested in learning about the deals in the Delaware basin or about upstream/midstream M&As companies and their assets, please, contact our Houston sales office or SCHEDULE A DEMO to learn how Rextag can help you leverage energy data for your business. Tel. +1 713-203-3128 Email: treitmeier@hartenergy.com

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Earthstone Expands Due to Acquisition of Titus’ Delaware

Earthstone Energy Inc., based in Texas, announced the transaction on June 28: the acquisition of Titus Oil&Gas which will raise production in the Delaware Basin by 26%. The $627 million acquisition fills the Permian Basin in Eddy and Lea counties, N.M. with 86 net locations on 7,900 net acres of leasehold, while it is not clear how much of the leasehold might be on federal acreage It is Earthstone’s seventh acquisition since 2021, a span that includes the closing of approximately $1.89 billion in acquisitions in the Permian Basin. The purchase of Titus Oil & Gas Production LLC and Titus Oil & Gas Production II LLC, privately held companies backed by NGP Energy Capital Management LLC, is estimated at $575 million in cash and it is the equivalent of $52 million in stock (3.9 million shares of its Class A common stock based on the June 24 closing price). Titus shared that its net production in June was 31,800 boe/d. The company had reserves of approximately 28.9 MMboe. Earthstone is sure its net production will increase, at the midpoint, by 20,500 boe/d (65% oil) in the fourth quarter.

On 27 June, the analysts at Kpler spread the word that the exports of crude oil from the U.S. Gulf Coast could break a record 3.3 MMbbl/d this quarter as Europe has regard to U.S. crude which can outweigh sanctioned Russian oil. Due to Washington's decision to release 180 MMbbl of oil from the nation's Strategic Petroleum Reserve, U.S. exports have increased in the last three months, as it has flooded the domestic market. Exports to Europe are anticipated averaging approximately 1.4 MMbbl/d this quarter, about 30% higher than the year-ago quarter, meanwhile, export to Asia is set to decrease to less than 1 MMbbl/d. Despite that the U.S. has lost about 1 MMbbl/d of refining capacity since 2020, it also boosted exports thanks to the government’s intervention to back crude supplies which has had consequences in growth in exports. Throughput via the Port of Corpus Christi has grown by more than 150,000 bbl/d and has become 1.86 MMbbl/d. Nevertheless, Port of Houston exports also have been increasing since the third quarter of last year, they remain below pre-pandemic levels.

It is important to notice that the number of drillings trended in June and fell in August 2022 and gradually decrease over the last 6 weeks.

On August 31 Ring Energy Inc. purchased privately-held Stronghold Energy, adding operations that are mainly situated in Crane County, Texas, in the Permian Basin’s Central Basin Platform. According to a September 1 Ring Energy release, this transaction fully complements the conventional-focused Central Basin Platform and Northwest Shelf asset positions in the Permian Basin. The majority owned by Warburg Pincus LLC, Stronghold’s operations are concentrated on the development of about 37,000 net acres situated mainly in Crane County. In July Ring Energy entered into an agreement to buy Stronghold Energy II Operating LLC and Stronghold Energy II Royalties LP for $200 million in cash at closing and $230 million in Ring equity based on a 20-day volume weighted average price. Consideration also involved a $15 million deferred cash payment due six months after closing and $20 million of existing Stronghold hedge liability increasing the total transaction value to $465 million. Stronghold’s asset base is almost 99% operated, 99% working interest, and 99% HBP. In July, Ring announced the current net production of Stronghold’s asset base was approximately 9,100 boe/d (54% oil, 75% liquids).

Shareholder’s payout target was increased by 50% after the largest U.S. independent oil producer surpassed Wall Street’s earnings estimates on growing energy prices, said Houston-based Conoco Phillips Co. on Aug. 4. Due to Western sanctions on major producer Russia throttling energy supply amid a rebound in demand from pandemic lows, oil and gas #prices have soared. Crude has been trading more than 25% higher since the start of the year and results also benefited from high natural gas prices. Meanwhile, shares were down a fraction, to $91.03, in early trading but are up about 26% year to date. Conoco Phillips stated, that the average price obtained for a barrel of oil and gas accelerated 77% from a year earlier to $88.57. The company acknowledges that it has not hedged any of its oil and gas sales to make the most of higher market prices. The capacity of 1.69 million boe/d was in line with Wall Street estimates, however, the company expected the current quarter’s output would be between 1.71 million and 1.76 million boe/d.

2022 blog posts