- Marathon Oil (MRO +10.4%) powers higher after snapping up P-E-backed PayRock Energy for $888M, increasing its footprint in Oklahoma's prolific STACK oil play.
- MRO expects internal rates of return for the new addition of 60%-80% before taxes at a WTI price of $50/bbl.
- CEO Lee Tillman says MRO would ratchet up drilling activity if crude prices held above $50/bbl for a while, and that the Oklahoma oil region is profitable enough that it can compete for capital against the company’s other oil plays.
- SunTrust analysts consider ~60% of Payrock’s position to be in the core STACK, and estimates the core acreage value at ~$15K/acre, which appears in line with recent transactions.
- The firm also thinks MRO's move is good news for core STACK players Newfield Exploration (NFX +0.5%), Cimarex Energy (XEC +1.3%), Continental Resources (CLR +1.2%), Devon Energy (DVN +4.6%) and Chesapeake Energy (CHK +3.3%).