Mergers and acquisitions in the oil and gas exploration and production sector hardly had a break-out year in 2017. According to oil and gas information provider 1Derrick, total U.S. transaction value reached $64 billion, about on par with 2016 and the 2008-2015 average of $69 billion. “Very few of these new companies have made their first acquisitions,” 1Derrick COO Mangesh Hirve said in a statement. TPH analysts put RSP Permian Inc. and Callon Petroleum Co. at the top of their potential consolidation list, even though they believe both companies are “great standalone, well-run businesses." The firm calls RSP Permian a top small- to-medium-cap name for 2018 given that it's expected to generate a lot of growth driven by outperformance in the Delaware Basin.

Source: Forbes January 12, 2018 15:45 UTC