PDC Energy Inc. joined the parade of companies buying into the U.S.’s biggest oilfield, announcing a $1.5 billion purchase of two companies with holdings in Texas’ Permian Basin.
PDC agreed to buy two closely held companies with a combined 57,000 acres in the Permian, the Denver-based explorer said in a statement Tuesday. The driller will pay $915 million in cash and give about 9.4 million of its shares to Kimmeridge Energy Management Co., a New York-based private equity fund that manages the two Permian companies.
Drillers including Pioneer Natural Resources Co., Parsley Energy Inc. and Concho Resources Inc. have all announced deals in the Permian this year, expanding their presence in one of the few North American oil regions where production is profitable at current prices. Until now, PDC has concentrated on wells in Colorado and Ohio, according to its statement.
The privately negotiated transaction includes about 57,000 acres in Reeves and Culberson counties in Texas, which currently produce the equivalent of about 7,000 barrels of oil a day. The company intends to fund the cash portion of the purchase though “potential equity and debt financings,” PDC said. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter.