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ConocoPhillips, Marathon Oil get 2nd US FTC request over $22.5 bln deal

Leading U.S. independent oil producer ConocoPhillips stated on Friday it received a 2nd demand from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission for information on its proposed acquisition of competing Marathon Oil.

ConocoPhillips said both business got the requests on July 11 and are working with the FTC to examine the merger.

CONTEXT

Conoco stated in May it would pay $22.5 billion in stock for Marathon Oil to increase its output and attain higher economies of scale in U.S. shale fields and in liquefied natural gas.

Its deal followed Exxon Mobil's $60 billion acquisition of Pioneer Natural Resources, Chevron's. proposed $53 billion merger with Hess, Chesapeake Energy's. $ 7.4 billion purchase of Southwestern Energy and. Occidental Petroleum's $12 billion quote for CrownRock.

WHY IT is very important

The request for additional information is most likely to slow the. closing of the deal. ConocoPhillips had stated in May a. conservative quote of when the offer will close is the. 4th quarter of this year, putting off a complete realization of. the expected expense savings and take advantage of shared equipment and. staff. It restated the timeframe on Friday.

The 2 companies have operations in West Texas, South Texas. and North Dakota's shale fields.

BY THE NUMBERS

The Conoco-Marathon mix would develop a business. pumping 2.26 million barrels of oil and gas each day, and add. 1.32 billion barrels of proven reserves to ConocoPhillips' 6.8. billion.

The offer of 0.255 shares of ConocoPhillips for each share. of Marathon represented a 14.7% premium to the business's. pre-deal closing rate.

(source: Reuters)