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Devon seals WPX merger
Speaking after the merger of Devon Energy and WPX Energy was announced this morning, Alex Beeker, principal analyst, corporate upstream, at Wood Mackenzie, said: “Tight oil consolidation has been underway for years, but extreme market volatility has slowed the process considerably. WTI has essentially hovered around US$40/bbl since June, with the stability likely closing the bid-ask spread.
“We’ve expected Devon to make a move for some time. With US$1.5 billion in cash on its balance sheet (albeit earmarked for debt reduction), Devon is on a relatively strong financial footing. But Devon has been shrinking fast since its disposal program started in earnest about two years ago. The company’s net production is down 40% since 2018.”
