Woodside targets Oil Search in $8bn takeover bid

Australia’s Woodside Energy is making an opportunistic A$11.6bn ($8.1 bn) takeover offer for Papua New Guinea (PNG)-focused Oil Search

Aside from pursuing an active exploration campaign targeting some 7 trillion cf of gas Australia-listed Oil Search has a prized 29% stake in the ExxonMobil-led PNG liquefied natural gas export project. The Australian LNG developer is offering one Woodside share for four Oil Search shares, implying an offer price of A$7.65 a share or a 13% premium. Analysts believe this is too low and that Oil Search’s management will be unlikely to accept such an opportunistic bid. They are tipped to push for a much higher offer closer to a 25-30% premium. On 9 September, Oil Search shares were trading above the offer price, closing at A$7.85, reflecting an expectation among investors of more to come. The pr