A.P. Moller-Maersk AS spun off its oil and gas drilling unit and listed it separately on the Copenhagen stock exchange on April 4, where it was traded slightly below the book value it had in Maersk's own accounts.
The demerger is a part of the Danish shipping group's 2016 plan to refocus its efforts into transport and logistics, a plan that has also led to the divestment of its oil exploration and production business to France's Total SA in 2017.
Shares in the new company, called The Drilling Co. of 1972 AS, traded at 555 Danish crowns per share at 3:05 a.m. CST (8:05 GMT) on April 4, which would value the company at around 24 billion Danish crowns (US$3.6 billion).
Had investors valued it at the book value it had in Maersk's accounts prior to the separate listing, the share price would have been around 600 crowns, Sydbank said.
Shares in Maersk fell 11% after the demerger, which was slightly less than the around 14% the share price should have gone down if investors had valued the drilling unit at the book value, Sydbank said.
Maersk's existing shareholders had been given shares in the drilling company under the demerger arrangement, but some of them had probably sold those shares and bought shares in Maersk, seeking exposure to the shipping sector rather than oil drilling, Sydbank analyst Mikkel Emil Jensen said.
The main shareholder and the chairman of Maersk both backed management's efforts to reshape the business at the annual general meeting on April 2, although other investors raised concerns about the rate of progress. (US$1 = 6.6399 Danish crowns)
Recommended Reading
VTX Energy Quickly Ramps to 42,000 bbl/d in Southern Delaware Basin
2024-09-24 - VTX Energy’s founder was previously among the leadership that built and sold an adjacent southern Delaware operator, Brigham Resources, for $2.6 billion.
US Drillers Cut Oil, Gas Rigs for Third Week in a Row
2024-10-04 - The oil and gas rig count fell by two to 585 in the week to Oct. 4.
EY: How AI Can Transform Subsurface Operations
2024-10-10 - The inherent complexity of subsurface data and the need to make swift decisions demands a tailored approach.
Bowman Consulting to Manage, Monitor Delaware Basin Wells
2024-10-14 - Bowman Consulting Group’s scope of work includes conducting detailed field surveys of above-ground infrastructure assets across well sites of up to to 8 acres.
E&P Highlights: Oct. 7, 2024
2024-10-07 - Here’s a roundup of the latest E&P headlines, including a major announcement from BP and large contracts in the Middle East.